PapistaruÌ„ partem propendebam in Seminario Anglicano Romae duos plus minus annos sedeÌ„ collocassem quà m saepe me ad te accersi vocarÃque fecisti quà m mansuetè humanitérque mecum semper egisti quà m salubre mihi coÌ„silium impertitus es vt Papisticae idololatriae faecem exuerem nonne concionatores permultos non vulgari doctrina praeditos ad me accedere voluisti vt si qua possent ratione me coelesti Euangelij veritati reconciliarent atque deuincirent Plerosque mihi insuper libros suppeditasti quibus nonnunquam lectis immenso Dei beneficio magnam inde vtilitatem salutiferam mihi paruo temporis interiecto spatio comparaui Habito identidem sermone cum peritis atque crebris concionibus auditis ex indubiae veritatis inimico Deo adiuuante dum in his inclusus corporis compagibus fuero verum meipsum praestabo amicum ad studia sacrarum literarum animum applicabo quarum praesidio Papistarum fraudes detegere furta conuincere valeam omnibus Deo meis conatibus auspicante demonstrabo quod sit illis artificium quo priùs persuadent quà m doceant vbi autem veritas docendo potiùs suadeat quà m suadendo doceat Ambros in 1. cap. ad Rom. Declarabo cunctis istos se noÌ„ putare reos qui honorem nominis Dei deferunt creaturae relicto Domino conseruos adorant sibique persuasum habent Deum sine mediatore inexorabilem esse prorsus ignorant ad reges per tribunos comites euÌ„dum esse quia homines vtique sunt reges nesciunt quibus debeant ReÌ„publicam credere Ad Deum autem quem nihil latet omnium rerum merita nouit ad promerendum suffragatore non est opus sed mente deuota Vbicunque enim talis loquutus fuerit ei procul dubio respondebit illi Sed aduersarij nostri etsi videaÌ„t scripturas sacras suae sententiae oppositas confiteri tamen nolunt se in tetra erroris caligine versari Quare haec Sancti Hilarij verba in illos haud indignè quadrare videntur Hilarius de Trinitate li. 6. cap. 84. Grauis periculosus est lapsus in multis etsi enim se intelligant tamen pudor exurgendi autoritatem sibi praesumit vt quod errant prudeÌ„tiam velint existimari quod cum multis errant intelligentiam asserant veritatis Et vnde illud quaeso Ex contemptu certè scripturarum ex insolenti superbia qua inflati sunt Si circundarent sibi quasi murum firmissimum scripturaruÌ„ doctrinam nunquam tà m citò ad illoruÌ„ interiora irrumpere posset hostis Tunc omnes errores idola similitudines veritatis comminuerent atque dispergerent adeò iudicarent immunda vt ea menstruatae mulieris sordidissimo sanguini coÌ„pararent Si corde non ficto diuinum auxilium compellarent sibique nihil inaniter arrogarent Dominus supernè intrans in corda sua claro suo lumine mentes illoruÌ„ illustraret rationi animae formae iubar suum infunderet detegeret occulta doctorque fieret eorum quae ignorarent tantum si illi ea quae ab illis sunt auferre vellent Sed omnia haec media quibus possent saluari tanquam si nulli essent vsui respuunt spernuntque qua de ratione illorum salus valde désperanda est Concedat Deus Optimus Maximus vt resipiscant veritatem agnoscaÌ„t dum huius lucis vsura hoc vitae curriculo fruuntur atque omnia figmenta quae multis simplicibus aditum ad coelorum regnuÌ„ penitùs intercludunt seponant atque abijciant Sancti Dauidis verborum recordationeÌ„ obliuio nunquaÌ„ deleat Psal 34.13 14. quae in Hebraico textu sic se habeÌ„t Iamim oheu chaiim hecaphets hais mi tou liroth vsephatheca merag lesconecha Netsor Mirma Middabber id est Quis ille vir qui vult vitam diliget dies ad videndum bonum custodi linguam tuam à malo labia tua à loquendo dolum Et Beatus Paulus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est 1. Cor. 6.20 1. Pet. 1.19 Empti estis pretio magno glorificate igitur Deum in corpore vestro in spiritu vestro quae sunt Dei. Temerè fortassis magis quà m prudenter hanc epistolam nullis verborum phalaris flosculÃsue Ciceronianis exaratam tuae amplitudini dicare conabar sed meae temeritati tua ignoscat humanitas atque dignetur vt sub tuo patrocinio tutela haec breuis recantationis meae declaratio in lucem aspectumque omnium intrepide prodeat impioruÌ„ maleuolentiam flocci pendat quibus nocendi voluntas non deest sed officiendi potestas abest declinata recumbit Ne epistola haec longior sit quà m par est diutiùs tuam amplitudinem detinere nolo sed vt hoc meae erga te qualecunque obseruantiae monumentum beneuola manu excipere ne grauè tibi ducas mirum in modum posco imploro Dominus Iesus te tuosque vir magnifice muneribus suis ornet augeatque in multos annos Ecclesiae suae conseruet retineat Serenissimam verò Reginam Elizabetham quam exteri plerique omnibus laudis ornamentis efferunt protegat longaeuam in terra faciat ad gloriam Dei propagandaÌ„ ad comprimendam confringendam inimicorum suorum audaciam denique ad consolationem nostram Nobilissimòs Proceres adeoque omnes huius regni potentissimos ordines defendat omni benedictionum genere cumulet ad verae pietatis regni Christi propagationem perducat Amen Tuae amplitudini addictissimus humilimus seruus Ioannes Nicholaus The preface to the gentle Reader GOD that is my recorde and searcher of all mens heartes good Christian Reader knovveth Ier. 11.20 17.10 20.12 1. Chron. 28.9 1. Sam. 16.7 Psal 7.10 Esay 29.13 that with vnfeyned heart I greatly wished this declaration of my repentance desire to be receiued to the true Church to be imprinted for two principall causes the one to certifie my deare countrey men of my reconciliation to the true Church the other of my disposition to do them good hereafter when it shal please God to increase me with greater knowledge and to manifest how it hath pleased Christ our Sauiour the head shepheard Heb. 13.20 to call me away by his instruments the faithfull and godly from the whore of Babylon Apoc. 18.9 from the schole of error and from the temple of heresie to the City of righteousnesse the true Church his vndefiled spouse I doubt not but that the godly and vnfeined louers of the glorious and comfortable Gospell of Iesus Christ will heartily reioyce and giue God thanks that it was his diuine pleasure to bring me a lost sheepe into his folde Mat. 18.12 Luk. 15.4 to him make their prayers in my behalfe that he of his bountifull mercie will vouchsafe to graunt me continuall perseuerance
if we beleeue not at all the traditions of men but the Scripture manifestly doeth Esay 29.13 Matth. 15.3 Colos 2.8 forbid vs to beleue them If you can find one only text of the scripture that willeth and commandeth vs to beleeue in the Romane church as hauing prerogatiue ouer all churches the world throughout I will be on your side to the death But no such place I am certain you can shewe in the whole Bible that the Romane church is the holy Catholique Church which all men of what countrey soeuer they be must acknowledge to be chiefest It is not sufficient to claime succession of place it behoueth vs rather to haue regard to the succession of doctrine Bernard in Concil Rem Bernard sayth Quid prodest si canonice eligantur non canonice viuant What auaileth it if they be chosē in order liue out of order So sayeth Saint Augustine contra Donatistas August lib. 6. 1. q. 3. Vocatur canes Ipsum characterem multi lupi lupis imprimunt The outward marke or right of a Bishoppe many giue to wolues and be wolues them selues Therefore the auncient father Ireneus giueth vs this good counsell Eis qui sunt in ecclesia praesbyteris obedire oportet qui successionem habent ab Apostolis qui cum episcopatus successione charisma veritatis certum secundum beneplacitum patris acceperunt It becommeth vs to obey those Priestes in the church which haue their succession from the Apostles and together with the succession of the Byshoprickes according to the good wil of God the Father haue receiued the vndoubted gyft of the trueth Saint Cyprian being likewise charged for dissenting from his predecessours answereth thus Cyprian lib. 2. Epist 3. Si quis de antecessoribus meis non hoc obseruauit tenuit quod nos dominus exemplo magisterio suo docuit potest simplicitati eius venia concedi nobis vero ignosci non potest qui nunc a Domino admoniti instructi sumus If any of my predecessours haue not obserued and kept the same that our Lord hath taught vs both by his example and commandement his simplicitie may be pardoned but we if we doe the like can hope for no pardon being now admonished instructed of our Lorde Compare the vse order of our churches my brethrē with the Primitiue church of God and you shall easely see the right of our succession S. Cyprian sayeth ad Pompeium contra Epistolam Stephani Si canalis aquae quae copiosè priùs largiter profluebat subitò deficiat nonne ad fontem pergitur c. Hoc nunc facere oportet Dei sacerdotes praecepta diuina seruantes vt in aliquo si mutauerit vacillauerit veritas ad originem Dominicam Euangelicam atque Apostolicam traditionem reuertamur inde surgat actus nostri ratio vnde ordo origo surrexit If the pipes of the conduyte which before ranne with aboundance happen to faile doe wee not vse to search to the head c. The Priestes of God keeping Gods commandements must doe the same that if the trueth haue faynted or fayled in any point wee returne to the very originall of our Lorde and to the tradition of the Gospel of the Apostles that from thence wee maye take the discretion of our doings from whence the order it selfe and originall first began Thus much touching succession of place Now I exhorte you brotherly to be reconciled to the true church of God I meane the Church of England wherein you finde not so many idolaters Necromancers heretikes adulterers Sodomites churchrobbers periured persons mankillers Runnagates mōsters Sicophants Clawbacks slaundering tongues scribes and pharises as you may easely finde in the church of Rome Boast not of the succession of your Pope S. Paul sayth Rom. 10.17 Faith cōmeth not by succession but by hearing and hearing commeth not of legacie or inheritance frō Bishop to Bishop but of the worde of God They are not alwayes godly that succeede the godly Manasses succeeded Ezechias and Ieroboam succeeded Dauid the Prophet By succession the Turke this day possesseth and holdeth the foure great patriarchal Sees of the church Constantinople Alexandria Antioch and Hierusalem Dan. 9.25 Matt. 24.15 Mar. 13.14 Luk. 21.20 By succession Desolation shal sit in the holy place and Antichrist shall preasse into the roome of Christ Thus much welbeloued brethren touching succession of place Now I will speake a litle in confutation of your forged myracles wherewith you seeke to oppugne the true church of Christ and defende your wicked church of Antichrist polluted with all maner of detestable idolatrie and cursed superstition There are two maner of myracles Miracles the one true the other false Myracles are counted false when either they be not that which they seeme to bee or if they be they are not supernatural but are done by vertue of nature and that the Angels either good or bad three maner of waies may bring to passe For sometime the force of nature which they best knowe they accommodate to the matter of which coniunction with efficient causes folowe the effects and that suddenly which effectes are of the beholders thought to bee myracles The deuils knowe that frogs wormes or serpents bee ingendred of putrefacted and rotten things so that there be put heate in certain degrees in consideration whereof seeing that it is not a hard thing for them to do these things which by nature maye bee wrought it is the easier to deceiue the weake of beliefe And by this meanes S. August de Trin. lib. 3. Augustine thought as he writeth in his third booke of Trinity Pharaos Magicians sometime to haue done the same Moreouer the coniunctions of the spirits of bloud and of humors do much disquiet mens bodies from whence proceede the sights or visiōs of things which are in those things conserued in the same motion before they come into the phantasie or imaginatiō and by the same reason and order wherewith the spirit is troubled it ioyneth them together which thing appeareth in such as be Phrentique Wee are not bound of necessitie to beleeue all such myracles whatsoeuer without exception Alexander of Hales sayeth Par. 4. quaest 53. Mem. 4. ar 3. solut 2. In sacramento apparet caro interdum humana procuratione interdum operatione diabolica In the Sacrament it selfe there appeareth flesh sometyme by the conueyance of men sometime by the woorking of the deuill Likewise saith Nicholaus Lyra Lyr. in 14. Dan. Aliquando in ecclesia fit maxima deceptio populi in miraculis factis a Sacerdotibus vel eis adhaerentibus propter lucrum Sometime euen in the church the people are shamefully deceiued with feigned miracles wrought either by the Priestes or els by their companions for lucres sake Miracles be not euermore vndouted proofes of true doctrine therfore Saint Augustine saith vnto the Manichees Miracula non facitis Aug. lib. 13. quae si
no cauill The signification and substance of the Sacrament is to shew vs how we are fed with the body of Christ that is that like as materiall bread feedeth our bodie so the body of Christ nayled on the crosse embraced eaten by faith feedeth the soule The like representatiō is also made in the Sacrament of Baptisme that as our body is washed cleane with water so our soule is washed cleane with Christes blood Therefore S. Aug. saith Nisi Sacramēta similitudinem quandam earum rerum quarum Sacramēta sunt haberent omninò Sacramenta non essent If Sacraments had not a certaine likenes and representation of the thinges whereof they be sacraments then in deede they were no Sacraments This representation Rabanus Maurus lib. 1.23 expoundeth thus Quia panis corpora confirmat ideò ille congruenter corpus Christi nuncupatur quia vinum sanguinem operatur in carne ideo refertur ad sanguinem Because not the accidents or formes of bread but bread it selfe confirmeth the body therefore it is conueniently called the body of Christ And because wine worketh bloud in the flesh therfore it hath relatiō vnto the blood so likewise saith Druthmarus in Matth. cap. 28. Vinum laetificat sanguinem auget ideo non inconuenienter sanguis Christi per hoc significatur This I speak briefly of the sacrament of your Masse Reade the olde and newe Testament marke if you finde any one word directly or indirectly secretly or plainely which speaketh nigh or farre of the sacrifice of your Masse which is in controuersie betweene vs. Contrariwise see if you doe not finde therin from line to line that Christ is the onely sacrifice once offered vp for all that there is one onely washing in the bloud of Christ that there is one only God to be called vpō in the onely name of Iesus Christ If you finde there the doctrines which we cōdemne then in heart voyce condemne vs and cry fagot fire against vs. If not recant then be sory for your errors cry God the Queene mercy Be sorowful that you haue miscalled our soueraigne Lady and that you haue sayd you would burne her bones and burne all them of her most honorable counsel that fauoured not your cursed attempts eyther aliue or dead Many of whose names I could rehearse but for certaine causes I wil put the first letter of their names let L. serue the roome of a Lorde and S. of a Knight B. for a Bishop c. L.K. who is dead L. T. who is aliue E. L. aliue E. B. aliue E. W. aliue E. H. S. F. K. S. F. W. S. H. S. M. R. of L. Ar. B. of C. M. D. of C. and all such as haue punished or fauoured not their idolatrous religion B. of L. M. D. of P. L. D. of Yor. L. B. of Win. who is dead B. of Salisb D. of Salisb M. I. F. preacher at London D. H. at Oxenforde D. F. preacher at Cambridge with diuers others vpon whom you sayd you would shew no mercy A man had neede to take heede of such as yet you are who make men beleeue for all this their spight and malice towards their own natiue soyle which they greatly wish to be destroyed with fire sword famine this am I able to verifye by such as are already conuerted to the trueth of Christ his Gospell and yet I haue omitted many things of their hatred practises against this Realme of Englād that they hazard their liues to saue our soules from hell whereas in very deede they haue wrought as much as lieth in them our eternall damnation and so inwardly are rauening woolues what do they teach our Englishmen but that the Pope is supreme head that if they will be saued they must acknowledge the Pope to be soueraine Lord This they teach without proofe of scripture Saint Cyprian sayth Cyprian de simplic praelat in senten Episc in lib. 1. Epist 5. Vnum esse Episcopatum cuius quilibet Episcopus tenet suam partem integrā sine diuisione Praeterea nullum sui tēporis vocasse aut fecisse seipsum Episcopū Episcoporum aut tyrannide suos sibi subiecisse socios That is that there is but one Bishopricke of which euery Byshop holdeth his part wholy without any diuision Also that none of his time eyther called or made himselfe Bishop of Byshops eyther made through tyrannie his companions subiect to his obedience Also he complayning that prophane men Schismatiques withdrew themselues to the Byshop of Rome sayeth that there were none that did so but certeyne desperate and wicked felowes perswading themselues that the Bishops of Affricke haue lesse power then the Bishop of Rome Saint Chrysost sayeth in homil 83. in Matt. cap. 23. Quicunque Episcoporum primatum in terra desiderabit confusionem in coelis reperiet et qui caput omniū esse contendet non cōputabitur in numero seruorum Christi Whosoeuer sayth hee of the Byshops shall desire supremacie in earth he shal finde confusion in heauen and he that shal desire to be the chiefe he shall not be reputed in the number of the seruants of Christ Loe here the fathers of your owne Church say that the Pope is not supreme head As for scriptures reade them throughly and you shal not finde one onely text to ground your supremacie vpon Wherfore good brethren seeing that your owne Doctors speake against you bee reconciled with me that am conuerted by Gods grace and the industrie of his instrumēts the right worshipful sir Owyn Hopton knight the Queenes Maiesties Lieutenant of this towre of London diuers godly preachers Be with me reconciled I say and let vs with one accord embrace the truth and become loyall and obedient subiectes to our soueraigne Lady Queene Elizabeth who so graciously fauourably dealeth with vs that whereas forsaking our countrey submitting our selues to the gouernment or rather tyrannie of an Italian priest wee haue deserued the heauie wrath of our louing Queene to be punished with death by our recantation our trespasse may be forgotten life graunted wee brought into fauour againe Wherefore my louing brethren considering the promise of the bountifull clemencie of our gracious Queene ready at al times to pardō our rebellious and traiterous offences committed against her Maiestie and the dayly labour that this right worshipful knight sir Owyn Hopton by name taketh to cōuert vs to the trueth of the Gospel recant recant cast not away wilfully your bodyes and soules to endlesse paine shorten not your dayes which God hath lent you here vpon earth to do good and make not an ende of thē in a bad cause Allowe not the Popes supremacie canons of council decrees of fathers constitutions of men rites and ceremonies pardons and indulgences inuocation of saintes merites by workes pilgrimage masses diriges trentalles images pictures reliques altars shrines liues of fayned saintes false miracles visions dreames fantasies such other trashes without warrāt of Gods worde as it appeareth to the world in your sermōs Romish postils And in fine be not Pharises set not light by the Gospel of Iesus Christ forsake not the law of God to folowe after the traditions of men In vanum mihi seruiunt saith our sauiour Christ in the Gospell of saint Matthew 15. cum nihil aliud docent quà m traditiones hominū In vaine do they serue me while they teach such doctrines as are nothing but the commandements of men Say not that there be seuen sacraments seeing the Church of God receiueth but two numero paucissima August de doct Christi lib. 3. cap. 9. ad Ianuar Epi. 118. of the smallest number as Augustine writeth which are Baptismus trinitatis nomine cōsecratus cōmunicatio corporis sanguinis ipsius Baptisme halowed in the name of the trinitie and the communicating of his blessed body and blood figured in the olde Testament by the circumcision and the paschall lambe Repent my brethren repent and crye to God for grace and mercy Let it neuer grieue you to returne from these princes of darkenes the deuill and the Pope And in deede what haue you seene in the court of Rome Christ in exile and Antichrist reigne in his stead Beelzebub the iudge wolues let loose and the lambes in the stocks Ah good God who shall deliuer the world from this oppression who shall gather together the sheepe who shall reproue and conuince the wicked pastors Shall there neuer be a limitation and ende of this intolerable mischiefe Howe long shal the Pope and his shauelings who haue neyther fayth godlines nor trueth deceiue thy poore sheepe Howe long shal the sonne of perdition reigne ouer thy flocke who being but a man lifteth vp him selfe aboue Kings yea aboue Angels and aboue the heauen of heauens and hath caused men to dispute that hee is not * Pope Innocentius De transl C. quanto Prohoem Clement Glossa Papa stupor mundi The Pope is the wonder of the world simply a man but a partaker of the diuine nature with Christ and that he hath the fountaine roote of the spirite of Christ in him To be short whereas thou O Christ hast submitted thy self vnder heauen earth and hell he wil cōmaund kings angels Gloss extrau de sede ad Apostolatus Distinct 40. C. si Papa deuils all vnder colour of the key of the word which thou hast deliuered to thy ministers I aske thou being God and made man for the saluation of the worlde how it can bee that this man which maketh himselfe God shoulde be any other then that sonne of perdition come for the perdition of the worlde Thou that hast bene wounded for our transgressions and smitten for our iniquities with whose stripes we are healed gouerne helpe and succour thy flocke let Antichrist perish and be discomfited by the breath of thy holy mouth and abolished by the brightnesse of thy blessed wished comming Come Lorde Iesu come quickly for thy names sake Let all the people saye Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS ¶ Jmprinted at London by Christopher Barker Printer to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie Anno 1581.
it me and I shall haue it and in the hauing of it I shall magnifie thy Name extoll thy power marueile at thy mercy Thou hast had speciall regard to my fraile estate and safetie of my soule I had once lost the precious pearle of thy blessed Gospell Matth. 13.45 46. which is the true iewel of all christian ioy but by thy gratious gift I haue found it againe in consideration whereof Christian duety bindeth me to take the sacrifice of thankesgiuing Psal 116.12 13. and burne the same vpon the altar of an humble heart that the redolent perfumed incense thereof ascending vp into heauen Psal 51.17 may be acceptable to thy diuine Maiestie whose speciall delight is in such a burnt sacrifice and oblation A discouerie or laying open of my zeale in Poperie and howe I preached before that Antichrist of Rome and also of the causes of my most happie conuersion to the trueth IT is not yet a twelue-moneth past good Christian audience welbeloued brethren in our sauiour Christ since that before some of you nowe prysoners and thē my scholefelowes I preached as you knowe commaunded by our superiours at Rome in defence of the Romishe Religion which nowe God be thanked therefore being reduced by the godly and dayly counsell of the ryght worshipfull Syr Owyn Hopton Knight Lieutenant of her Highnesse Towre of London the strōg pith thy perswasions of learned Preachers which through his meanes and permission had accesse vnto me and the hearing of their fruiteful sermons confirmed by the true and liuely word of Christ Iesus I vtterly detest How earnest I was then in perswading the English Students to embrace Papistrie and in exhorting you sometimes my Scholefellowes as the Popes Apostles faythfully to doe your message constātly to take the crosse of Christ vpon you in all troubles and afflictions and couragiously to abide Martyrdome I thinke you haue in remembrance About halfe a yeere past Anno. 1580. I was also requested by the Prefect or Master of the English Studēts named father Peter Iesuite a Spaniarde borne to make a Sermon in the Latin tongue vpon the festiual day of Peter ad Vincula certayne English Doctours of the citie and some of the Popes Chappel with other strāgers being present at dinner I preached then contrary to the true Religion against faith the buckler of our defence the Towre of refuge the enemie of desperatiō the comfortresse of the afflicted and the perfecte way to saluation I preached also repugnantly to maintaine popish idolatrie against the heauenly Gospell the newe Testament and last wil of our Sauiour Christ Thus dyd I wilfully fyght agaynst Gods worde albeit my conscience cryed within me day night This is not the right way to get eternall life thou must worship God Apoc. 22.9 and not a stocke or stone Well it pleased God of his mercifull goodnesse to visite me with grieuous sicknesse both of bodie and minde two dayes after I made this Latin Sermon which was the Wednesday after S. Peter ad Vincula his day August 5. Truely then lying very sicke in my bedde and more like to die then liue conscience so pricked and disquieted me that I feared condemnation my conscience alwayes suggesting and as it were telling me Papistrie to bee an idolatrous and superstitious religion Yet for all that I thought that religion to haue bene best although I disputed often against the same insomuch that many of my scholefelowes suspected me to haue bin an heretike for so terme they Protestantes Act. 24.14 One of you that was prefecte of our chamber in the Englishe Seminarie may easely gather that I was no true louer of the Gospel when as I so sharply spake and preached against the professors therof And how vnwisely I slept in the coldest time of the yere the last winter vpon hard boards forsaking my bedde 1. Reg. 18.28 Luk. 18.12 howe I scourged my selfe with whipcordes and how I fasted twise in the weeke you may coniecture by this that I was a Papist which woulde seeke so to shorten mine owne life you knowe also how I tooke thereby a vehement cough with continuall spitting which since your departure grewe to a dangerous disease wherof I thanke God I am nowe recouered My Confessor dyd aduise me to such and so extreme discipline and correction of my bodie as had I stil followed his directions I had bene dead yer nowe and put in the grotte for graues haue they none at Rome but Vawtes If this be good or wholsome counsel for a man so to correct himself that hee shall bee the cause of his owne death iudge you But I left those superstitions and suffered reason to rule my wil before it was too late and hauing recouered my health I presented my selfe before the Pope and obteyned leaue to goe to Rheims for that the ayre there was more tēperate I had before that time made an Oration a Sermon in the Latin tongue presēted before the Pope and foure Cardinals and before all them that were with the Pope in the Consistorie If you my brethren yet prisoners within the Towre deny the assertion thereof yet to your shame and my credit they that shall goe to Rome for pleasure sake may safely goe to the Popes Protonotary dwelling fast by Saint Peters church in the inquisitory palace or to any of his clarkes and there make inquisition of my name which is registred in three great paper volumes of such as are alwaies present wryting in chambers to whom all men without daunger may resorte where turning to my name they shall finde the Sermon and Oration conteyning tenne sheetes in Paper for the which the Pope gaue me great thankes and so did the Cardinals with all the rest Moreouer which I had almost forgotten being before the Pope I had a wallet for foure Priestes and a Doctor others full of Agnus deis Grana benedicta Medellas Crosses and Beades with other trasshes and forasmuch as I had neuer before that tyme seene the Pope blessing wallets I did hold the wallet before him and would haue had him to hold it vpon his lappe and so to haue blest it with his red cappe Well I neuer drewe backe my hand from him vntill extraordinarily he had blest it three times which before that time as I thinke was neuer seene So that England is happie which hath gotten such a wallet with so many blessings wherby perhaps they may deliuer their Grandsiers apace out of purgatory it is a strange thing to see what vertue may be thrust into a wallet O vnwise people that trust to such trasshes If I had money plentie I would get you a thousand blessings but God blesse vs all from such hypocriticall benedicities Well concerning my iourney I forsooke Fraunce came not at Rheins but traueiled thorowe Germany and arryued in Englande and was within eight dayes taken prisoner and brought to the Towre and being there kept in prison