That is to say first & principally I comend & bequeath my soule
unto the ever blessed hands of Almighty God my heavenly father my
maker & creator, whoe out of his meer mercy, free will & love to
mankinde & to me in pticuler did vouchsafe to send his onely
begotten sonne before all eternity, Christ Jesus the pmissed
Messias into this world to save sinners (whereof wth St. Paull I
confesse my selfe the greatest) to laye downe his life for mankinde
& that he dyed for me & for my salvac̅on, & that he rose againe
the third day for my iustificac̅on, that where he now is, I shall
be there alsoe after my dissolution & I hope & looke to be saved
only by his mirritts, death & passion alone, & by noe other meanes
whatsoever, & when itt shall please Almighty God to putt an end &
period to these my dayes here on earth, ending this my pilgrimage,
and layeing downe this my earthly Tabernackle.
Then I comitt & bequeath this my nowe liveing body to the earth
from whence itt came, & the same to be buryed (yf I fortune to dye
in Yorke or otherwise yf itt may be done wth convenyency) in the
p'ish Church of St. Crux wthin the said Citty of Yorke in the
Chancell of the said Church & to be enterred as neare as may be
unto the body of my late dearely beloved wife Anne Deane deceased
wthout any bowelling or embalmeing, & there to be decently enterred by
toarch light, wthout any further funerall pompe or
solempnity whatsoever, beinge (as I thinke) a custome not
altogeither laudable to banquett & feast att funeralls wch rather
ought to be a tyme of mourneing, then banqueting and feasting
wth said body of myne I knowe & beleive assuredly that I shall
rise againe att the last day, & be reunited & ioyned againe unto my
soule & that itt shall be made like unto Christ his glorious body,
that where he is, there I shall be alsoe liveing and reigneing wth
him in his everlasting kingdome for ever.
Now concerning my temporall Estate wch God in his mercy hath
vouchsafed to bestowe on me (or rather lent me as his steward) I
bequeath it thus as followeth
First I give & bequeath to Mr. Roger Belwood my pastor thirty
shillings.
Item I give to the poore people of the Cittye of Yorke three pounds
XXs whereof to be distributed to the poore of the Warde where I
now live and the remmant to the poore of the other three Wardes
equally to be divided.
Item I give to the poore prisoners of the castle of Yorke XXs and
to the poore prisoners on Ousebridge called the Kidcoate Xs and to
the poore prisoners of St. Peters prison in Yorke Xs.
Item I give to the poore people of the old hospitall or massing
dewes of the Citty of Yorke thirty shillings. Item whereas....
Item my Will meaninge and harty desire is that my nowe loveing wife
Mary Deane shall & may quietly have & enjoye all her widdowe rights
whatsoever according to this pvince of Yorke wthout any further
trouble molestac̅on or vexac̅on or suite in lawe and that my
Executor shall not make any claime to any such goods or plate as
she the said Mary had in her former widdowhood & brought wth her
to me att her marriage wth me. Item I give to my said nowe loveing
wife as a legacy my coatch horses & furniture & what hay or oates,
coales, turfes & fuell shall be in my howse att my death. Item I
give....
Item I give to Margery Smeton yf shee be my servant at my death
forty shillings and to each other of my servants att my death tenn
shillings.