06. John Rogers
One of these was Tyndale's version, completed and edited by his devoted friend and assistant, John Rogers, otherwise known as Thomas Matthew. The other was the work of Miles Coverdale, afterwards bishop of Exeter.
Rogers was born at Deritend in Warwickshire, about the year 1500. He was educated at Cambridge, and was for some years chaplain to the English factory at Antwerp. He also ministered for twelve years to a German congregation. He returned to England during the reign of Edward VI., in the year 1550. He was made rector of St. Margaret Moyses, and after that vicar of St. Sepulchre's; two of the London churches. The next year he resigned the rectory on being appointed one of the prebendaries of St. Paul's. When "bloody Mary" came to the throne, he was at once in trouble, but refused to escape to the continent, as he might have done. For half a year, he remained a prisoner in his own house; and during the whole of 1554 he was confined in Newgate among thieves and murderers, to some of whom he was an instrument of good. He was very harshly and cruelly treated, and being the first of Mary's victims, he is honor-
2* ably known as the Proto-martyr of that fiery persecution. He was burned alive at Smithfield, January 4th, 1555. He thus suffered with great constancy and piety. His wife, whom he had married eighteen years before, was a German, Adriance de Weyden. She is sometimes called Prat, which is the English form of the same name, both meaning meadow. He was refused permission to see her; but she met him with all her children, as he was on his way to the fatal stake. It has been much disputed, whether they had nine, ten, or eleven children. The fact seems to be, that, at the time of his imprisonment in Newgate, they had nine; and another was born afterwards. In documents written during his confinement, he repeatedly speaks of his ten children. His widow returned with her fatherless flock to Germany. Daniel Rogers, probably the eldest child, lived to be Queen Elizabeth's ambassador to Belgium, Germany, and Denmark. Richard Rogers, the famous Puritan minister of Weathersfield, was, in all probability, another son of the martyr; and if so, then the numerous families in New England which trace their descent from Richard, are descended from the illustrious Bible Translator and Protomartyr.