On this day in history 1536 George Boleyn, Henry Norris, Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton were executed at the Tower of London after being convicted of having carnal relations with Queen Anne. As the highest ranking convicted member of the group George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, was beheaded first. Following the tradition of the times he gave a short speech acknowledging that he was inherently sinful and deserved to die. Below is the text of his speech:
“Christen men, I am borne undar the lawe, and judged
undar the lawe, and dye undar the lawe, and the lawe hathe condemned me.
Mastars all, I am not come hether for to preche, but for to dye, for I
have deserved for to dye yf I had xx. lyves, more shamefully than can be
devysed, for I am a wreched synnar, and I have synned shamefully, I
have knowne no man so evell, and to reherse my synnes openly it were no
pleaswre to you to here them, nor yet for me to reherse them, for God
knowethe all; therefore, mastars all, I pray yow take hede by me, and
especially my lords and gentlemen of the cowrte, the whiche I have bene
amonge, take hede by me, and beware of suche a fall, and I pray to God
the Fathar, the Sonne, and the Holy Ghoste, thre persons and one God,
that my deathe may be an example unto yow all, and beware, trust not in
the vanitie of the worlde, and especially in the flateringe of the
cowrte.
And I cry God mercy, and aske all the worlde forgevenes,
as willingly as I wowld have forgevenes of God ; and yf I have offendyd
any man that is not here now, eythar in thowght, worde, or dede, and yf
ye here any suche, I pray yow hertely in my behalfe, pray them to
forgyve me for God’s sake. And yet, my mastars all, I have one thinge
for to say to yow, men do comon and saye that I have bene a settar
forthe of the worde of God, and one that have favored the Ghospell of
Christ ; and bycawse I would not that God’s word shuld be slaundered by
me, I say unto yow all, that yf I had followed God’s worde in dede as I
dyd rede it and set it forthe to my power, I had not come to this. I
dyd red the Ghospell of Christe, but I dyd not follow it; yf I had, I
had bene a lyves man amonge yow : therefore I pray yow, mastars all, for
God’s sake sticke to the trwthe and folowe it, for one good followere
is worthe thre redars, as God knowethe.”
It was reported that Anne watched her brother's execution and cried silently while praying.
