"There, but for the grace of God, go I."

John Bradford (1510–1555) was a prebendary[1]  of St. Paul's. He was an English Reformer and martyr best remembered for his utterance "'There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford". These words were uttered by Bradford while imprisoned in the Tower of London when he saw a criminal on his way to execution; however, the attribution has been questioned. Bradford was in the Tower of London for alleged crimes against Mary Tudor for his Protestant faith.

At some time during his imprisonment it is said Bradford witnessed a group of prisoners being led to their execution and remarked, "There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford," the phrase for which he is best remembered, and which has survived in common parlance in its variant, "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

[1] A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral. A prebend is a type of benefice[2], which was usually drawn from specific sources in the income from the cathedral estates.

When attending cathedral services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir stalls. These are known as prebendal stalls.

[2] A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. It was used later in the era of the Roman Empire as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was continued in the Carolingian Era as a benefit bestowed by the crown or church officials. A benefice specifically from a church is called a precaria (pl. precarii) and one from a monarch or nobleman is usually called a fief. The term is now almost obsolete. A benefice is distinct from an allod, in that an allod is property owned outright, not bestowed by a higher authority.