that mater but I am sure it wylbe layd against me to my preiudice when I come to iudgement Colle Why then you may speake by protestacion phil But what shal my protestacion auayle in a cause of heresie as you cal it yf I speake otherwyse thē you wil haue me synce that which I spake in the conuocacion house beyng a place priuiledged can not now helpe me London But M. D. Colle maye I not procede agaynst hym for that offence he hath done in my diocese Colle You may cal him before you my lorde yf he be founde in your diocese Phil. But I haue by force ben brought out of myne owne diocese to my lordes require to be iudged of myne owne ordinarie And therfore I knowe M. D. wil not say of his knowledge that your lordship ought to procede agaynst me And here M.D. would saye nothyng worcest Do you not thynke to fynd before my lorde here as good equitie in your cause as before your owne ordinarie Phil. I can not blame my lorde of Londons equitie with whom I thanke his lordship I haue founde more gentlenes synce I came then of myne owne ordinarie I speake it for no flatterie this twelue moneth and thys halfe before who neuer would cal me to answere as his lordship hath done nowe twyse Sed nemo prohibetur vti iure suo But I ought not to be forstalled of my right And therfore I chalenge the same for diuerse other consideracions Londō Now you can not say herafter but that ye haue ben gently cōmuned withall of my lordes here And yet you wylfull and obstinate in your errour and your owne opinions will not shewe any cause why you wil not come into the vnitie of the churche with vs. Phil. My lordes that I do not declare my mynde according to your expectacion is as I haue sayd because I can not speake without present daunger of my lyfe but rather then you should reporte me by this eyther obstinate or selfe willed without any iuste groūde whervpon I stande I wyl open vnto you somwhat of my mynde or rather the hole desyring your lordshippes which seme to be the pillers of the churche of Englande to satisfye me in the same And I wil referre al other causes in the which I dissent from you into one or two articles or rather to one which includeth them both in the which yf I can by the scriptures be satisfied at your mouthes I shall as willyngly agree to you as any other in al pointes London These heretikes com alwayes with their yffs as this mā doeth now sayng yf he cā be satisfied by the scriptures so that he will allwayes haue this exception I am not satisfied although the mater be neuer so playnly proued agaynst him No proofe but prailyng But wil you promise to be satisfied yf my lordes take summe paynes about you Phil. I saye my lorde I wil be satisfied by the scriptures in that I stande And I processe here before God his eternal sonne Iesus Christ my saueour and the holy gost hys angelles you here present that be Iudges of that I speake that I do not stand in any opinion of wilfulnes or singularitie but only vpon my conscience certaynly informed by Goddes worde from the which I dare not goo for feare of damnacion And this is the cause of myne earnestnes in this behalfe London I will trouble my lordes no longer seing that you wil not declare your mynd Phil. I am about so to do yf yt please your lordship to heare me speake Bath Gyue hym leaue my lorde to speake that he hath to saye Phil. My lordes it is not vnknowē to you that the chyef cause why you do count me and suche as I am for heretikes because we be not at vnitie with your churche You saye you are of the true churche And we saye we are of the true churche You say that who is out of your churche is dampned And we thinke veryly on the other syde that yf we departe from the true church wheron we are graffed in Godes worde we should stande in the state of dampnacion Wherfore yf your lordships can bring any better auctorities for your churche than we can do for ours and proue by the scriptures that the church of Rome nowe of the which you are is the true catholike churche as in all your sermons writinges and argumētes you do vpholde And that all christē persons owght to be ruled by the same vnder payne of dāpnation as you saye and that the same churche as you pretend haue auctoritie to entreprete the scriptures as it semeth her good and that all men are bounde to folowe suche interpretacions only I shal be as conformable to the same church as you maye desire me the which otherwyse I dare not Therfore I require you for Goddes sake to satisfie me in this Cole Yf you stād vpō this point onlye you maye sone be satisfied you list Phil. It is the thing that I require And to this I haue sayd I wil stand referre al other controuersies I stande nowe agaynst you wyl put my hande therto yf you mistrust my worde London I praie you maister Philpot what fayth were you of .xx. yeares ago this man will haue euery yeare a new fayth Phil. My lord to tell you plain I thinke I was of no fayth for I was thā a wicked lyuer and knewe not God thā as I owght to do God forgyue me London No were that is not soo I am sure you were of some fayth Phil. My lord I haue declared you on my conscience what I than was and iudge of my selfe And what is that to the purpose of the thing I desire to be satisfied of you London Maister Archdeacon Colle I praye you say your mynd to hym Cole What will you saye yf I can proue that it was decreed by a vniuersall counsel in Athanasius tyme that al the christiane church should folowe the determinacion of the churche of Rome but I do not nowe remembre where phil If you master doctor can shewe me the same graunted to the sea of Rome by the auctoritie of the scripture I will gladlye herken therto But I thinke you be not hable to shewe any such thing for Athanasius was precident of Nicene counsell there was no suche thing decreed I am sure Cole Though it were not than yt might be at an other tyme. Phil. I desire to see the profe therof And vpon this maister Harpesfyld Chaūceler to the bishop of London brought in a boke of Ireneus which certayne leaues turned in layd it before the bishops to helpe them in their perplexitie yf it might be the which after the bishops of Bath Glocester had reade together the bishop of Glocester gaue me the booke Glocest Take the booke master Philpot and loke vpon that place and ther may you see howe the churche of Rome is to be folowed of all men Phil. I toke the
my lord that your grace do reade him any mo places for he estemeth them not Phil. I esteme thē in as muche as they be of force as your lordship dothe heare me deny no doctors you bring but require the true applicacion of them according to the writers meaning as by his owne wordes I do proue Yorke I wil reade him the place and so make an ende After he had red the sentence he said that by fowre speciall pointes here S. Austine proueth the catholike church The first is by the consēt of al nations the secōd by the Apostolike sea the thryd by vniuersalitie the fourthe by this word catholike Chichest That is a notable place in dede and please your grace philpot I pray you my lord of what church doth S. Austine write the same of Rome or not ▪ Yorke Yea he writeth it of the churche of Rome philpot I wil lay with your lordship as muche as I can make it is not so And let the boke be sene Bathe What arte thou hable to laye that hast nothing Yorke Dothe he not make mention here of the Apostolike sea wherby he meaneth Rome Phil. That is very straytly interpreted my lorde as though the Apostolike sea had ben no where els but at Rome But let it be Rome and yet shal you neuer verifye the same onles all the other cōdicions do go ther with as S. Austine dothe procede withall wherof none except the Apostolike sea can nowe be verifyed of the churche of Rome For the faythe which that sea nowe maintayneth hath not the consent of all nations nether euer had besydes that it can not haue the name of catholyke bycause it diffreth from the catholike churches which the Apostles planted almost in all thinges Yorke Naye he goeth about here to proue the catholike churche by vniuersalitie And howe can you shewe your churche to be vniuersall fyftye or an hundred yeres ago phil That is not material neither any thing against S. Austyne For my churche wherof I am were to be counted vniuersall though it were but in .x. persons bicause it agreeth with the same that the Apostles vniuersally did plāte Yorke I perceyue you are an obstinate man in your opinion and will not be taught Wherfore it is but lost labore to talke with you any lenger you are a member to be cut of Chichest I haue heard of you before howe you troubled the good bishop of Winchester before and nowe I see in you that I haue heard Phil. I trust you see no euill in me by this I desire of you a sure ground to build my fayth on and if you shewe me none I pray you speake not yll of him that meaneth well Chichest Thou arte an impudent felow as I haue commoned with all Phil. That is spokē vncharytably my lord to blaspheme him whom you can not iustly reproue Chichest Why you are not God blasphemy is counted a rebuke to God-ward and not to man phil Yes it may be aswel verified of an infamy layed to man speaking in Goddes cause as you nowe do laye vnto me for speaking frely the truthe afore God to mayntayne your vayne religion you are voyde of all good grounde I perceyue you are blinde guydes and leaders of the blind and therfore as I am bound to tel you verye hypocrites tyrānously persecuting the truthe which otherwise by iust order you are hable to do by no meanes Your owne doctors and testimonyes which you bring be euidentlye against you and yet you wil not see the truthe Chichest Haue we this thanke for our good will comming to instructe thee phil My lordes you must beare with me synce I speake in Christes cause and bicause his glory is defaced and his people cruelly and wrongfully slain by you bicause they will not consent to the dishonour of God to hypocrisie with you Yf I told you not your fault it should be required at my handes in the day of iudgement therfore knowe you ye hipocrites in dede that it is the spirite of God that telleth you your synne and not I. I passe not I thanke God of al your crueltie God forgeue it you and gyue you grace to repent And so they departed The same day at night before supper the bishop sent for me into his chappel in the presence of Archdeacon Harpesfild doctor Chadsey in the presence of other his Chaplayns and his seruauntes MAster Philpot I haue by sundry meanes gone about to do you good and I maruail you do so litle considre it By my truthe I can not tell what to say to you Tel me directly whether you wil be a conformable man or no and wher vpon you chifly stand Phil. I haue told your lordship often tymes playne ynough where on I stand chiefly requiring a sure probatiō of the churche wherunto you cal me Harpel S. Austine writing against the Donatistes declareth foure special notes to knowe the church by the cōsent of many nations the faith of the sacraments confirmed by antiquitie succession of bishops vniuersalitie London I pray you master Archdeacō fett the booke hither it is a notable place let him se it And the boke was brought and the bishop red it demaunding howe I could answere the same Phil. My lord I like S. Austins foure points for the tryal of the catholik churche wherof I am For it can abide euery point therof together which yours can not doo Harpes Haue not we succession of bishops in the sea and church of Rome wherfor then do you deny our churche to be the catholike churche Phil. S Austine doth not put succession of bishops only to be sufficient but he addeth the vse of the sacramentes according to antiquitie and doctrine vniuersally taught and receyued of most nations from the beginning of the primatiue church the which your churche is far from But my churche can auouche all these better then yours therfore by S. Austins iudgement which you here bring myne is the catholike churche and not yours Harpes Chad. It is but foly my lord for you to reason with him for he is irrecuperable Phil. That is a good shift for you to runne vnto when you be confounded in your owne sayenges and haue nothing els to say you are euidently deceyued and yet will not see it when it is layd to your face Here ende as many of Iohn̄ Philpots examinacions as came to the printors handes and assone as the rest may be come by thou shalt haue it good reader by the will of God In the meane tyme refreshe thy selfe with this praising God for the perseueraunce of this cōstaūt learned martir and praye hartly for the rest of Christes poore afflicted church Geue God the glorye Iesus is God with vs. An Apologie of Iohan Philpot written for spitting vpon an Arrian with an inuectiue against the Arrians the very natural chyldren of Antichrist with an admonition to all that be faythfull in Christ to beware of them and of other late sprong heresies as of
booke and read the place The which after I had read I sayd it made nothing against me but against the Arriās and other heretiks against whom Ireneus wrote prouīg that they weare not to be credityd because they did teache and folowe after straunge doctrine in Europa that the chefe churche of the same was founded by Peter and Paule and had to his tyme continued by faythfull succession of the faythfull Bishops in preachyng the true Gospel as they had receyued it of the Apostles and nothyng lyfe to the late sprong heretikes c. Wherby he cōcludeth against thē that they were not to be heard neyther to be credited The which thing yf you my lordes be able to proue nowe of the churche of Rome then had you as good autoritie against me in my cause nowe as Ireneus had against those heretikes But the church of Rome hath swarued frō that truthe and simplicitie of the Gospell which it maintained in Ireneus tyme and was vncorrupted frō that which it is nowe Wherfore your lordships can not iustly applie the autoritie of Ireneus to the churche of Rome nowe which is so manifestlye corrupted from the primatiue Churche London So wil you say stil it maketh nothing for the purpose what so euer autoritie we bring and wil neuer be satisfyed Phil. My lorde when I do by iust reason proue that the autorities which be brought against me do not make to the purpose as I haue already proued I trust you wil receyue myne answere worcest It is to be proued most manifestly by al auncient wryters that the sea of Rome hath alwayes folowed the truthe and neuer was deceyued vntil of late certayne heretikes had defaced the same Phil. Let that be proued I haue done worcest Nay you are of suche arrogācie singularitie vayne glorie that you wil not se it be it neuer so wel proued Phil. Ha my lordes is it nowe tyme thynke you for me to folowe singularitie or vaynglorie synce it is nowe vpō daunger of my lyfe and death not onlye presently but also before God to come and I knowe yf I dye not in the true faythe I shall dye euerlastingly again I knowe yf I do not as you would haue me you will kyll me and many thousandes moo Yet had I leuer perishe at your handes than to perishe eternally And at this tyme I haue lost al my cōmodities of this worlde and nowe lye in a colhouse where a man would not laye a dogge with the which I am wel contented Cole Where are you hable to proue that the churche of Rome hath erred at any tyme and by what historie certaine it is by Eusebius that the churche was stablyshed at Rome by Peter and Paule and that Peter was Bisshop .xxv. yeres at Rome Phil. I knowe wel that Eusebius so wryteth but yf we compare that which S. Paule writeth to the Galathiās the first it wil manifestly appere the cōtrarie that he was not halfe so long there He lyued not past .xxxv. yeares after he was called to be an Apostle And Paul maketh mencion of his abidyng after Christes death more then .xviij. yeres Colle What did Peter wryte vnto the Galathians Phil. No I saye Paule maketh mencion of Peter wrytyng to the Galathians of his abiding And further I am hable to proue bothe by Eusebius and other historiographers that the church of Rome hath manifestly erred and at this present doth erre because she agreeth not with that which they wrote The primatiue churche dyd vse according to the Gospel And ther nedeth none other profe but cōpare the one with the other London Hearke my lordes wise parabable I maye compare this man to a certayne man I reade of which fell into a disperation and went into a wood to hang him selfe And when he came there he went vewyng of euery tree and could fynde none on the which he myght vouchesaffe to hang himselfe But I wil not applie it as I myght I praye you maister doctor go forth with him Nother you nor they are hable in this case Colle My lorde there be on euery syde on me that be better hable to answer him And I loue not to falle in disputacion for that nowe a dayes a man shall but sustayne shame and obloquy therby of the people I had leuer shewe my mynde in wrytyng Phil. And I had leuer that you should so do then otherwyse For thē a mā may better iudge of your wordes then by argument And I beseche you so doo But yf I were a ryche man I durst wager an hundreth poundes that you shal not be hable to shewe that you haue sayd to be decreed by a general coūsel in Athanasius tyme. For this I am sure of that it was concluded by a general counsel in Affrica many yeres after that none of Affrica vnder payne of excōmunication should apeale to Rome the which decre I am suer they would not haue made yf by the scriptures it had bene by an vniuersall counsell that all men should abyde and folowe the determinacion of the churche of Rome Colle But I can shewe that they reuoked that errour agayne Phil. So you saye maister doctour But I pray you shewe me where I haue hetherto heard nothing of you for my contentation but bare wordes without any autoritie London What I praye you ought we to dispute wyth you of our fayth Iustinian in the lawe hath a tytle De fide catholica to the contrarie Phil. I am certayne the ciuil lawe hath suche a constitucion but our fayth must not depende vpon the ciuil lawe For as S. Ambrose sayeth Non lex sed fides congregauit Ecclesiam Not the lawe but the gospel sayeth he hath gathered the church together worcest Maister Philpot you haue the spirite of pryde wherwith ye be ledde which wil not let you yelde to the truth Leaue it for shame Phil. Sir I am suer I haue the spirite of fayth by the which I speake at this present Neither am I ashamed to stand in my fayth Glocest What do you thynke yourselfe better learned then so many notable learned men as be here Phil. Elyas alone had the truthe whē there were foure hundreth priestes against him worcest Oh you would be coūted now for Helyas And yet I tel thee he was deceiued For he thought ther had ben none good but him selfe and yet he was deceyued for ther was .vii. hundreth besydes hym Phil. Yea but he was not deceyued in doctrine as the other .vii. hūdreth were worc By my fayth you are greatly to blame that you can not be content to be of the churche which euer hath ben of that faythful antiquitie Phil. My lorde I knowe Rome haue ben there where I sawe your lordship worc In dede I dyd flye from hence thither And I remember not that I sawe you there But I am sorye that you haue ben there for the wyckednes whych you haue sene there peraduēture causeth you to
other vpon the wordes of a statute must not the wordes of the statute iudge and determine the controuersye Ryche No mary the iudges of the lawe maye determine the meaning therof London He hath brought as good example against him self as caÌ„ be And here the bishop thought he had good haÌ„d fast against me and therfore enlarged it with many wordes to the iudgemeÌ„t of the churche The lordes He hath ouerthrowen him selfe by his owne argument Phil. My lordes it semeth to your honores that you haue great aduauntage of me by the example I brought in to expresse my cause but yf it be pondered throughly it maketh holly with me and nothing against me as my lorde of London hath preteÌ„ded For I wil aske of my lorde Ryche here whom I knowe to haue good knowledge in the lawes and statutes of this realme Albeit a iudge may decerne the meaning of a statute agreable to the wordes whether the same may iudge a meaning coÌ„trary to the expresse wordes or no Ryce He can not so do phil Euen so saye I that no man ought to iudge the worde of God to haue a meanyng contrarye to the expresse wordes therof as this false churche of Rome dothe in many thinges And with this the lordes semed to be satisfyed made no further replicacion herin Ryche I maruel theÌ„ why you do deny the expresse wordes of Christ in the sacrament sayeng this is my body yet you wil not sticke to saye it is not his body Is not God omnipotent And is not he hable aswel by his omnipoteÌ„cy to make it his body as he was to make man fleshe of a pece of claye did not he saye this is my body which shal be betrayed for you and was not his verye body betrayed for vs therfore it must nedes be his bodye London My lorde Ryche you haue said wonderful wel and lernedly But you myght haue begon with him before also in the sixt of IohnÌ„ where Christ promised to gyue his body in the sacrament of the altare sayeng panis quem â—go dabo caro mea est The breade which I wil gyue is my fleshe Howe can you answere to that Phil. If it please you to gyue me leaue to answere fyrst my lorde Ryche I wil also answere the obiection Ryche Answere my lorde of London first and after come to me phil My lorde of London may be sone answered that the sayeng of S. IohnÌ„ is that the humanitie of Christ which he toke on him for the redemption of man is the bread of lyfe wherby our bodyes and soules be susteyned to eternal lyfe of the which the sacramentall bread is a lyuely representacion and an effectuall cohabitatioÌ„ to al suche as beleue on his passion and as Christ sayeth in the same syxte of IohnÌ„ I am the bread that came from heauen but yet he is not material neither natural breade Lykewyse the bread is his fleshe not natural or substanciall but by signification and by grace in a sacrament And nowe to my lorde Ryches argument I do not deny the expresse wordes of Christ in the sacrament this is my bodye But I denye that they are naturally and corporally to be taken but sacramentally and spiritually according to the expresse declaracion of Christ sayeng that the wordes of the sacrament which the Capernaites toke carnally as the Papistes nowe do ought to be taken spiritually and not carnally as they falsely ymagine not wayeng what interpretacion Christ hathe made in this behalfe Neither folowe the institution of Christ nether the vse of the Apostles and of the primatiue churche who neuer taught neither declared no such carnal maner of preseÌ„ce as is nowe exacted of vs violently with out any grounde of scripture or antiquitie who vsed to put out of the church al suche as dyd not receaue the sacrament with the rest also to burne that which was left after the receyuyng as by the Canon of the Apostles and by the decre of the counsel of Antioche London No that is not so they were only Cathecumeni which went out of the churche at the celebration of the coÌ„munion and none other Phil. It was not only of suche as were Nouices in fayth but al others that did not receyue London What saye you to the omnipotency of God is not he hable to performe that which he spake as my lord Ryche hath very wel sayd I tel thee that God by his omnipotency maye make hym selfe to be this carpet yf he will Phil. As concerning the omnipotency of God I saye that God is hable to do as the prophet Dauid fayeth what so euer he willeth But he willeth nothing that is not agreable to his worde as that is blasphemy which my lorde of LoÌ„don hath spoken that God may become a carpet For as I haue learned of auncient wryters Non potest Deus facere quae suÌ„t naturae suae contraria That is God can not do that which is contrary to his nature as it is contrary to the nature of God to be a carpet A carpet is a creature God is the creator and the creator can not be the creature wherfore onles you can declare by the worde that Christ is otherwyse present with vs then spiritually and sacramentally by grace as he hath taught vs you pretende the omnipotency of God in vayne London Why will you not saye that Christ is really present in the sacrament or do you denye it Phil. I denye not that Christ is really in the sacrament to the receauer therof according to Christes institution London What meane you by really present Phil. I meane by really present present in dede London Is God really present euerywhere phil He is so London Howe proue you that phil The prophet Esay sayeth that God filleth all places and where so euer be two or thre gathered together in Christes name there is he in the middest of them London What his humanitie Phil. No my Lorde I meane the Deitie according to that you demaunded Ryche My lorde of LondoÌ„ I pray you let maister doctor Chedsey reason with him and let vs see how he can answer him for I tel thee he is a learned man in dede one that I do credit before a great many of you whose doctrine the Quenes maiestie and the hole realme dothe wel alowe therfore heare him London My lordes I praye you wil it please you to drinke You haue talked a great whyle and muche talke is thrustye I wyl leaue maister doctor and him reasoning together a whyle with your leaue wyl come to you by and by agayne They went as I suppose to make rowme for more drinke after the lordes had dronke Riche My lorde Ryche sayd to the lordes I praye you let the poore man drinke for he is thristy And with that he called for a cup of drynke and gaue it me and I dranke before them all God requite it him for I was athirst in dede Afterwardes doctor Chadsey began in this wyse
away And with that D. Chadsey led me a waye by the which we coulde not passe and therfore came backe agayne through the bishops chamber where al these doctours were clustred together And as I was passing the byshop toke me by the gowne sayd Wot you what M. Christoforson telleth me I pray you M. Christoforsō rehearse the sentence in latin And so he dyd The cōtentes wherof was that an heretike would not be wonne Christo S. Paul sayeth Haereticum homis nem post vnam atque alterā admonitionē deuita Flee an heretike after once or twyse warning All the Doc. Yea my lorde it is best you so do and trouble your lordship no more with him Phil. You must first proue me iustlye to be an heretike before you vse the iudgemēt of S. Paul against me for he speaketh of suche as holde opinion agaynst the manifest worde the which you can not proue by me And bycause you want in your profe and be hable to proue nothyng against me therfore you go about falsly to suppose me to be an heretike for the safegarde of your owne coūterfait honesties But afore God you ar the heretikes which so stoutly and stubburnly mayntayne so many thynges directly against goddes word as God in his tyme shall reuele As I went out of his chamber the B. called me asyde and sayd London I praye the in good sadnes what meanest thou by wryting in the beginning of thy Bible Spiritus est vicarius Christi in terris the spirit is the vicar of Christ on the earth I wis you haue some special meanyng therof Phil. My lorde I haue none other meanyng but as I haue tolde you already that Christ sence his Ascēfion worketh worketh al thinges in vs by his spirite by his spirite doth dwel in vs. I pray you my lord let me haue my Byble with other lawfull bokes writinges which you haue of myne wherof many of thē be none of myne but lent to me by my frendes London Your Bible you shal not haue but I wil perhaps let you haue an other after I haue perused the rest you shal haue suche as I thynke good Phil. I praye your lordship thē that you would let me haue candel lyght London To what purpose I pray you Phil. The nyghtes be long I would fayne occupie my selfe about somwhat and not spende my tyme ydlely London You may then praye phil I can not wel saye many prayers without lyght London Can you not saye your pater noster without a cādle I tel you syr you shal haue some meate and drynke of me but candel you get none Phil. I had leuer haue a candel then your meate or drynke but seyng I shall not haue my request the lorde shal be my lyght London Haue hym downe Chadsey I wyl bryng him to his keper my lord Master Philpot I wonder that all these learned men whom you haue talked withall this day can nothing perswade you phil Why M. doctor would you haue me to be persuaded with nothing Or would you haue me build my fayth vpon sand what do you al bring wherby I ought by a sufficient autoritie to be persuaded vnto you Chadsey I am sory you will so wilfully cast away your selfe wher as you might lyue worshipfully do you not thinke other haue sowles to saue as well as you haue Phil. Euery man shall receaue according to his owne doinges sure I am you are disceaued and mayntayne a false religion and as for my casting away I would my burning day were to morowe for this delay is euery day to dye and yet not to be dead Chadsey you are not like to dye yet I can tell you phil I am the more sory therfore But the wil of God be done on me to his glory AMEN The examinacion of Iohn̄ Philpot on wednesdaye the .4 daye of Decembre before the B. of London the B. of worcester and the B. of Bangor IN the morning I was fet downe to the wardrobe adioynyng to the chapel and within a whyle after came thre of the B. chaplaynes vnto me sayeng B. Chap. Maister Philpot my lorde hath sent vs vnto you to desyre you to come to masse certifyeng you that there is a doctor of diuinitie a chaplayne of my lordes a notable learned man called doctor Chadsey goyng to masse Therfore we also praye you good M Philpot be content to come it is euen hard hereby phil I wonder my lorde would trouble you in sendyng you about this mater seyng he knoweth I am a man by your lawe that can not heare masse be cause I stande excommunicate B. Chap. Your excōmunication is vpō but a contumacie and my lorde will dispense with you yf you wil come phil My lorde can not for he is not myne ordinarie and I wil not seke any suche thing at his hādes With this answere they went their waye And after masse the B. called me before him into his Chapel and there in the presence of his register after he had said his mind bicause I woulde not come to masse recyted the articles which he often tymes before had done in that behalfe with the depositiōs of the wytnesses of whō some were not examined London Sir what can you now saye why I should not procede to geue sentence against thee as an heretyke Phil. Why my lorde wil you procede to geue sentence against me before your witnesses be examined that is playne against your owne lawe as al your doynges haue ben hitherto London See what a foole thou arte in the lawe I nede not recite the depositions of the witnes but yf I lyst For I knowe them wel ynough already Phil. It appeareth in dede you may do what you lyst London Tel me I saye whether thou wilt answere or no and whether yf thou were absolued of thyne excōmunicatiō thou wouldest come to masse or no phil I haue answered as muche as I entende to do vntil I be called to lawfull iudgement and as concernyng my conscience I wil not make you God to sit there as yet it is Goddes parte only to be searcher of the heart London Loke howe foolishly he speaketh Art thou God and yet doest thou not syt in thyne owne conscience phil I sit not in myne owne conscience but I knowe it and God there onlye ought to sit and no man else London Thou art a naughtye felowe and hast done muche hurte and hast seduced other poore felowes here in prisō with the by thy cōforting of them in their errours and hast made them reioyse and syng with thee phil Yea my lorde we shal syng when you and suche as you are shall crye vae vae wo wo except you repent London What an arrogaunt fole this is I wil handle the lyke an heretyke and that shortly phil I feare nothyng I thanke God you can do vnto me But God shal destroye suche as thou arte and that shortly as I trust Lond. Haue him away this is a knaue in dede
at knowlege therof procede to depriuacion Phil. Master doctour you knowe that the common lawe is otherwyse And besydes this the statutes of this realme be otherwyse which geueth this benefyte to euery persone though he be an heretyke to enioye his lyuyng vntyl he be put to death for the same Cooke No ther thou arte deceyued Phil. Vpon the lyuyng I passe not But the vniust dealyng greueth me that I should be thus troubled for my conscience contrary to al lawe Cholm Why wyll you not agree that the Quenes maiestie maye cause you to be examined of your fayth Phil. Aske you of master D. Cooke and he wyll tel you that the temporal magistrates haue nothyng to doo with maters of fayth for determinacion therof And S. Ambrose sayth Diuina imperatoriae maiestati non sunt subiecta That the thinges of God are not subiect to the power and authoritie of princes Cooke No may not the temporal power commit you to be examined of your fayth to the bishop That is an other mater Phil. Yea syr I denie not that but you will not graunt that the same maye examine any of theyr owne authoritie Cooke A sure solucion Let hym be had away Phil. Your mastership ê“mised me the last tyme I was before you I should see your commission by what autoritie you do cal me and whether I by the same be bouÌ„de to answere to so muche as you demaunde Roper Let hym see the commission The scribe What thaÌ„ he exhybited it to master Roper and was about to opeÌ„ the same Cooke No what wil you do he shal not see yt Phil. Than do you me wrong to call me and vexe me not shewing your autoritie in this behalfe Cooke Yf we do you wrong coÌ„playne on vs and in the meane whyle thou shalt lye in the lollardes tower Phil. Syr I am a poore geÌ„telmaÌ„ therfore I trust of your gentlenes you will not coÌ„mitte me to so vyle and strayte a place being founde no haynous trespacer Cooke Thou art no gentilman Phil. Yeas that I am Cooke An heretyke is no gentilman for he is a gentelmaÌ„ that hath gentil condicions Phil. The offeÌ„ce can not take away the state of a gentilman as long as he lyueth although he were a traytour But I meane not to boast of my geÌ„tlemanship but wil put it vnder my foote synce you do no more esteme it Storie What wil you suffer this heretyke to prate with you al this daye Cooke He sayth he is a gentilman Storie A gentilman ê™ A he is a vyle heretike knaue Naye he wil not take your name from you For an heretyke ys no gentilman Let the Keper of lollardes tower comme in and haue hym awaye The Keper Here syr Storie Take this man with you to the lollardes tower or els to the bishops Cole howse Phil. Syr yf I were a dogge you could not appoint me a worse and more vyle place But I must be coÌ„tent with what so euer iniurie you do offer me God gyue you a more merciful hart you are verye cruel vpon one that hath neuer offended you I praye you master cholmeley shewe me some freÌ„dship that I be not caried to so vyle a place And he called me asyde and said Cholm I am not skylfull of theyr doyng neyther of theyr lawes I caÌ„ not tel what they meane I would I could do you good Phil. I am content to go whither you will haue me Ther was neuer man more cruelly haÌ„dled than I am at your haÌ„des that without any iust cause knowen should thus be intreated Storie Shal we suffer this heretyke thus to reproue vs haue hym hence Phil. God forgyue you and gyue you more merciful hartes shew you more mercy in the tyme of nede Et quod facis fac citius So quickly that you haue in hande Storie Do you not heare howe he maketh vs Iudases Phil. That is after your owne vnderstaÌ„ding After thys I with .iiij. other moo were brought to the kepers howse where we supped in pater noster rowe and after supper I was called vp to a chaÌ„ber by the archdeacon of Londons seruaunt and that in his masters name he offred me a bedd for that night To whome I gaue thankes sayeÌ„g that yt should be a greffe to me to lye wel one night the next worse Wherfore I would begynne as I am like to continue to take suche part as my felowes doo And with that we were brought through paternoster rowe to my lord of Londons colehowse Vnto the which is ioyned a lytle blind howse with a great payre of stockes apoynted both for hand and foote But thankes be to God we haue not played of those orgaynes yet although som befor vs had tried them And ther we founde a Minister of Estsex a maried priest a maÌ„ of godly zeale with one other pore man And this minister at my comming desyred to speake with me and did greatly lament hys owne infirmitie for that through extremitie of imprisonment he was constrayned by wryting to yeld to the bishop of London Wherupon he was once set at libertie And afterward felt suche a hel in his coÌ„science that he could scarce refrayne from destroyeng hymselfe and neuer could be at quiet vntyl he had gone to the bishopes regester desyring to see hys byl agayne the which as sone as he had receyued he tare yt in peaces And afterward he was as Ioyful as any man might be Of the which when my lorde of LondoÌ„ had vnderstanding he sent for hym and fell vpon hym like a lyon and like a manly bishop buffeted him wel and plucte awaye a great pece of his beard But now thankes be to God he is as Ioyful vnder the crosse as any of vs and verye sorye of his former infirmitie I write thys because I would all men to take heede howe they doo contrary to theyr conscience which is to fal into the paynes of hell Here an ende The maner of my calling fyrst before the bishop of LoÌ„don the secoÌ„d night of my imprisonment in his cole house THe Bishop sent vnto me master IohnÌ„son hys Regester with a messe of meate and a good pott of drynke breade sayeng that my lorde had no knowladge erst of my beyng here for that which he was sorye Therfore he had seÌ„t me my felowes that meat knowing whether I would receyue the same I thanke god for my lordes charitie that it pleased hym to remember pore prisoners desyring almighty God to encreace the same in hym and in all others And therfore I woulde not refuse his beneficence and therwith toke the same vnto my brethern praysing God for his prouidence towards hys afflicted flocke that he stereth our aduersaries vp to helpe the same in theyr necessitie IohnÌ„son My lorde would know the cause of your sendyng hyther for he knoweth nothyng therof and wondreth that he should be troubled with prisoners of other dioceses then hys owne And I declared vnto hym the hole
I am contēt For I am vnder your feete to be troden on as you list God forgyue it you yet am I no heretike neyther you nor any other shal be able to proue that I holde any iote agaynst the worde of God otherwyse then a christian man ought Storie The worde of God forsoth the worde of God Yt is but a follye to reason with these heretiks for they ar incurable and desperat But as I maye reasō with the not that I haue any hope to wynne thee whom will thou apoynt to be iudge of the worde wherto thou standest phil Verely the worde it selfe Storie Do you not see the ignorauncie of this beastly heretike he willeth the word to be Iudge of the worde cā the word speake Phil. Yf I can not proue that which I haue sayd by good auctoritie I wil be cōtent to be coūted an heretike an ygnorāt persō further what you please Storie Let vs heare what wyse auctoritie thou canst bring in phil It is the sayng of Christ in S. Iohn verbū quod locutus sum iudicabit in nouissimo dic The worde which I haue spoken sayth Christ shall Iudge in the last daye Yf the worde shal iudge in the last daye muche more it ought to Iudge our doinges nowe And I am sure I haue my Iudge on my side who shall absolue iustifie me in an other world howsoeuer now it shall please you by auctoritie vnrighteouslye to Iudge of me and others sure I am in an other worlde to Iudge you Storie What you purpose to be a stinking martyr and to syt in Iudgemēt with Christ at the last daye to Iudge the twelue trybes of Israel Phil. Yea syr I doubt not therof hauing the promise of Christ yf I die for righteousnes sake which you haue begon to persecute in me Storie I told you it is but vayne to argue with this heretike he is drowned in his heresies wtout al learning Phil. Syr I haue brought you for that I haue sayd good auctoritie out of Goddes booke to the which you answere nothing but goo about stil to gyue raylīg iudgemēt agaynst me wtout any cause Storie I wil com to you by by when the iudge in westminster halle geueth sentence doth the worde gyue sentence or the iudge tel me phil Ciuil maters be subiect to ciuil mē and they haue autoritie by the worde to be iudge of them But the word of God is not subiecte to mans iudgement but ought to iudge al the wysedome thoughtes and doynges of men And therfore your cōparison disproueth nothing that I haue sayd neither answereth any whyt therto Storie Wilt thou not alowe the interpretacion of the churche vpon the scripture Phil. Yes yf it be according to the word of the true churche and this I saye to you as I haue sayd heretofore that yf ye can proue the churche of Rome wherof ye are to be the true catholyke churche which I ought to folowe I wylbe as ready to yelde therto as long as it can be so proued as you may desire me Storie What a felowe is this he wil beleue nothing but he list him selfe Are we not in possession of the church haue not your forfathers these many hundreth yeres taken this churche for the catholyke churche wherof we are now And yf we had none other profe but this it were sufficient For prescription of tyme maketh a good tytle in the law Phil. You do wel M. doctor to alledge prescription of many yeares That al is nothing but a lye for it is al that you haue to shewe for your selues But you must vnderstande Ex diuinis nulla occurrit praescriptio that prescriptiō hath no place in maters belonging to God as I am hable to shewe by the testimonye of many doctors Storie Wel syr you are lyke to go after your fathers Latimer the Sophister Now Story ye shewe your selfe in your Colours Rydley who had nothyng to alledge for hym selfe but that he had learned his heresie of Cranmer where I came to him with a poore bacheler of art he trēbled as though he had had the palsey as these heretikes haue alwayes some token of feare wherby a man maye knowe them as you may se this mans eyes do tremble in his head But I despatched them And I tel thee that there hath ben yet neuer a one burnt but I haue spoken with him haue ben a cause of his despatche Phil. You haue the more to answere for M. doctor as you shal fele it in an other worlde how moche so euer you do now triumphe of your procedinges Storie I tel thee I wil neuer be cōfessed therof And bicause I cannot now tarye to speake with my lorde I pray you one of you tel my lorde that my cōmyng was to signifye to his lordship that he must out of hande ryd this heretike awaye And goyng away he sayd vnto me I certifye the that thou maist thanke none other man for it but me Phil. I thanke you therfore with al myne hart and God forgeue it you Storie What doest thou thanke me yf I had thee in my study half an houre I thinke I should make you syng an other song Phil. No maister doctor I stande vp on to sure a grounde to be ouerthrowen by you nowe And thus they departed al awaye from me one after an other vntyl I was left al alone And afterwards with my keper goyng to my colehouse as I went I met with my lorde of London who spake vnto me gently as he hath hitherto in wordes sayeng London Philpot yf ther be any pleasure I maye shewe you in my house I pray you require it you shal haue it phil My lorde the pleasure that I will require of your lordship is to hasten my iudgemēt which is cōmitted vnto you and so dispatsche me forth of this miserable worlde vnto my eternal rest And for all his fayre speache I can not attayne hytherto this forthnight space neyther fyer nor candle neyther yet good lodgyng But it is good for a man to be brought lowe in this world and to be counted amongest the vylest that he may in tyme of rewarde receyue exaltacion and glorie Therfore praysed be God that hath humbled me and gyuen me grace with gladnes to be content therwith all Let all that loue the truth saye Amen The fyfth tragedye The sixt examinacion of Iohn Phylpot had before the right honorable lordes lord Chamberleyne to the kinges maiestie the Vicount Hereforde commonly called lord Ferrers my lord Ryche my lord saynt Iohns the lord wyndsore the lord Shandoys Sir Iohn of brydges Lieutenaunt of the tower and two other mo whose names I know not with the bishop of London D. Chedsey the syxt daye of Nouēbre Anno Dn̄i 1555. phil BEfore that I was called before the lordes and whyles they were in sitting downe the bishop of London came asyde to me and whystred in myne care willīg me to vse my selfe
before the lordes of the Quenes maiesties councel prudentlye and to take hede what I sayde And thus he pretēded to gyue me coūcel because he wysshed me to do well as I might nowe do yf I list And after the lordes other worshypfull gentelmen of the Quenes maiesties seruauntes were seit my lorde of London placed hymselfe at th end of the table and called me to hym And by the lordes I was placed at the vpperend agaynst hym where I kneling downe the lordes commaunded me to stād vp and after in this maner the bishop beganne to speake London Master Phylpot I haue hertofore both priuatlye my selfe and openlye before my lordes of the cleargye mo tymes then once cauled you to be talked withall to reforme you of your errours but I haue not foūd you yet so tractable as I would wysshe Wherfore now I haue desired these honorable lordes of the tēporaltie of the Quenes Maiesties coūcel who haue takē paynes with me this daye I thāke thē therfore to heare you what you cā saye that they maye be Iudges whether I haue sought all meanes to do you good or no. And I dare be bold to saye in their behalfe that yf you shew your selfe cōformable to the Quenes maiesties proceadinges you shall finde as muche fauour for your deliueraūce as you cā wisshe I speake not this to fawne vpon you but to bring you home into the churche Nowe let them heare what you haue to saye phil My lord I thāke God of this daye that I haue suche an honorable audience to declare my minde before And I can not but commende your lordships equitie in this behalfe which agreeth with the ordre of the primatiue churche which was yf any body had bē suspected of heresie as I am nowe he should be called before the Archbishop or bishop of the diocese wher he was suspected in the presēs of others his felowships learned elders in the hearing of the laytie where after the iudgemēt of Goddes worde declared with the assēt of other bishops cōsent of the people he was cōdēpned for an heretike or absolued And the secōd poynt of the good ordre I haue founde at your lordships handes already now haue the third fort of men at whose handes I trust to fynd more righteousnes in my cause then I haue foūde with my lordes of the clergie God graūt I may haue at last the iudgemēt of Goddes worde cōcerning the same London Master Philpot I praye you er you go any further tell my lordes here plaīly whether you were by me or by my procuremēt cōmitted to prison or not And whether I haue shewed you any crueltie sythē you haue ben committed to my prison phil Yf yt shall please your lordship to gyue me leaue to declare furth my mater I wil touche that afterward Riche Answere fyrst of all to my lordes two questiōs thē furth procede to the mater Howe saye you were you imprisoned by my lorde or no cā you finde any faulte since with his cruell vsing of you phil I cā not laye to my lordes charge the cause of my imprisonment neither I maye saye that he hath vsed me cruellye But rather for my parte I might saye that I haue founde more gentlenes at his lordships handes then I did at mine owne ordinaries for the tyme I haue bē within his prison for that he hath called me thre or foure tymes to myne answere the which I was not twelue monethe and a halfe before Kyche Wel now go furth to your mater Phil. The materis that I am imprisoned for the disputacion had by me in the conuocaciō house agayne the sacramēt of the altar which mater was not moued principally by me but by the prolocutor with the consent of the Quenes maiestie and of the holl house And the house being a membre of the parliamēt house ought to be a place of fre speche for al mē of the house by the auncient laudable custome of this realme Wherfore I thinke my selfe to haue sustayned hytherto greate iniurie for speaking my conscience frely in suche place as I might laufully do it And I desire your honorable lordships iudgemēts which be of the pliamēt house whether of right I ought to be empeched therfore sustain the losse of my liuīg as I haue done morouer of my life as it is sought Ryche You are deceyued herin for the conuocacion house is no part of the parliament house Phil. My lorde I haue alwayes vnderstanded the contrarie by suche as are more expert men in thinges of this real me then I. And agayne the title of euery acte leadeth me to thinke otherwise which alledgeth the agrement of the spiritualtie tēporaltie assembled together Ryche Yea that is mēt of the spirituall lordes of the vpper house wynsor In dede the conuocation house is called together by one wryt of the sōmons of the parliament of an olde custome notwithstandyng that house is no parte of the parliament house phil My lordes I muste be contented to abyde your iudgementes in this behalfe Ryche We haue tolde you the truthe Mary yet we would not that you should be troubled for any thyng that there was spoken so that you hauyng spokē amisse do declare nowe that you are sorye therfore London My lordes he hath spokē there manifest heresie yea and there stoutly mayntayned the same against the blessed sacrament of the alter and with that he put of his cap that al the lordes myght reuerence and vayle their bonets at that ydol as they dyd And would not alowe the real presence of the bodye an blood of Christ in the same Yet my lordes God forbid that I should go about to shewe him extremitie For so doyng in case he wil repent and reuoke his wicked sayenges And in fayth yf he wyl so do with your lordships consent he shal be released by and by Mary yf he wyl not he shal loke for the extremitie of the lawe and that shortly Chamber My lorde of London speaketh reasonably vnto you take it whiles it is offred you Ryche How saye you wil you acknowlage the real presente of the blood and bodye of Christ as al the learned men of this realme do in the masse and as I do and wyl beleue as long as I lyue I do protest it Phil. My lorde I do acknowlege in the sacrament of the bodye bloud of Christ suche a presence as the worde of God dothe alowe and reache me Ryche That shal be none otherwyse then you lyst Lond. A sacramēt is the signe of a holy thyng So that ther is bothe the signe which is the accidens as the whitnes roundnes and shape of bread and theris also the thing it selfe as very Christ bothe God and man But these heretikes wil haue the sacramētes to be but bare signes Howe say you declare vnto my lordes here whether you do alowe the thing it selfe in the sacramēt or no Phil. I do confesse
the B. calling for .ij. chaires placed by him sayeng M. sherif I would you should vnderstaÌ„d how I do ê“cede against this man M. sherif you shal hear what articles this maÌ„ doth maiÌ„taine And so he red a rablemeÌ„t of fayned articles that I should denye baptisme to be necessarie to them the were borne of christiaÌ„ persoÌ„s That I denied fasting praier al other good dedes And that I maintained only bare faith to be sufficient to saluacioÌ„ what so euer a man dyd besydes And I maintained God to be the author of al synne and wyckednes be fayne to imagine these blasphemous lyes against me you might as wel haue sayd I had killed your father the scriptures say that God will destroy all them that speake lyes And is not your lordship ashamed to say before this worshipfull gentyll man who is vnknowen vnto me that I mayntayne these abominable blasphemies which you haue rehearsed which yf I did mayntayne I were wel worthy to be counted an heretike and to be burned an hundred tymes yf it were possible London I doo obiect them vnto thee to hear what thou wilt say in them howe thou canst purge thy selfe of them phil Then it was not iustly sayd in the beginning of your lordship that I did mayntayne them synce almost I hold none of al those articles you haue red in forme as they are written London How sayst thou wilt thou answere to them or no Phil. I will fyrst knowe you to be myn ordinarie and that you maye lawfully charge me with suche thinges than afterward being lawfully called in iudgement I wil shew my mind fully therof and not otherwise London well then I will make thy fellowes to be wytnes agaynst theÌ„ wher are they come Keper They be here my lord London Com hyther syrs hold them a boke you shal sweare by the coÌ„tentes of that boke that you shall al maner of affections layd aparte say the truthe of al such articles as you shal be demauÌ„ded of concerning this man here present which is a very naughty man take you hede of him that he doth not deceyue you as I am afraid he doth you muche hurte and strengthe you in your errours Prisoners My lord we wil not swere excepte we know wherto we can not accuse him of no euil we haue ben but a whil acquaynted with him phil I wonder your lordship knowing the lawe wil go about contrary to the same to haue infamous persons to be witnesses for your lordship doth take them to be heretikes and by the lawe an heretike can not be a witnes London Yes one heretike agaynst an other may be witnes well ynough And master sherife I wil make one of them to be witnes against an other Phil. You haue the lawe in your owne hande and you wil do what you list My prison felowes No my lorde London No wil I wil make you sweare whither you wil or no. I wene they be Anabaptistes maister sherife they thynke it not lawful to swere before a iudge phil We thinke it lawfull to swere for a man iudicially called as we are not nowe but in a blynde comer London Why then seyng you wil not sweare against your felowe you shal sweare for your selfes and I do here in the presence of M. sheryf obiect the same articles vnto you as I haue don vnto him and do require you vnder the payne of excommunication to answere particulerly vnto euery one of theÌ„ when you shal be examined as you shal be by by examined after by my regester som of my chaplaines My lord Prisoners we will not accuse our selues If any man can lay any thing against vs we are here redy to make answere therto otherwyse we pray your lordship not to burden vs for some of vs are here before you we knowe no iust cause why London M. sherif I wil trouble you no lenger with these frowarde men And so he rose vp and was goyng awaye talkyng with maister sheryf Phil. Maister sheryf I pray you record howe my lorde procedeth against vs in corners without al order of lawe hauiÌ„g no iust cause to laye against vs And after this were all coÌ„maunded to be had awaye And I was commaunded to be put in the stockes where I sat froÌ„ mornyng vntyl nyght the keper at nyght vpon fauour let me out The sondaye after the Bishop came into the colehouse at nyght with the keper and viewed the house sayeÌ„g that he was neuer here afore wherby a maÌ„ may gesse how he hath kept Goddes coÌ„maundement in visiting the prisoners seing he was neuer with them that haue bene so nigh his nose And he caÌ„ not then for any good zeale but to viewe the place and thought it to good for me and therfore after supper betwene eyght and nyne he sent for me sayeng London SYr I haue great displeasure of the Quene and the counsel for keping you so long and for lettyng you haue so muche lybertie And besydes that you be yonder and strengthen the other prisoners in their errours as I haue layd wayt for your doynges and am certifyed of you wel ynough I wil sequester you therfore from them you shal hurt no mo as you haue done And I wil out of haÌ„de dispatche you as I am coÌ„maunded onles you wil be a conformable man Phil. My lorde you haue my body in your custody you may transporte it whither it please you I am content And I would you would make as quicke expedition in my iudgement as you saye I long therfore and as for conformitie I am ready to yeld to al truthe yf any can bryng better then I. London Why you wil beleue no man but your selfe what so euer they saye phil My belefe must notheng vpoÌ„ meÌ„s sayenges wtout sure auctoritie of Goddes worde the which yf any body caÌ„ shew me I wil be pliaÌ„t to yt. Otherwise I caÌ„ not go froÌ„ my certain fayth to an vncertaine Lon. Haue you theÌ„ the truth only Phil. My lorde I wil speake my mynde fully vnto you vpon no malice I bear you before God You haue not the truth neither are you of the church of God But you persecute both the truthe the true church of God for that which cause you caÌ„ not prosper long You see God doth not prosper your doinges according to your exspectation he hath of late shewed his iuste iudgemeÌ„t against one of your greatest doers who by reporte dyed myserably Gardiner I enuye not your authoritie you are in You that haue learning should knowe best how to rule And seyng God hath restored you to your dignitie lyuing agayne vse the same to goddes glorie to the setting forth of his true religioÌ„ other wise it wil not coÌ„tinue do what you caÌ„ London With this sayeÌ„g he was apaused and sayd at lenght that good man was punished for suche as thou arte Where is the keper come let him haue him to
the place that is ê“uided for him Go your waye before And he folowed me calling that keper asyde coÌ„mauÌ„ding to kepe al men froÌ„ me narowly to serche me as the sequel dyd declare brought me to his priuy dore that goeth into the churche and commaunded two of his men to accompany the keper and to see me placed And afterwardes I passed through Paules vp to the lollards tower afterward turned along al the west syde of Paules through the wall and passing through sixe or seueÌ„ dores came to my lodging through many straites where I call to remembrauÌ„ce that straite is the waye to heauen And it is in a tower ryght on the other syde of lollardes tower as highe almost as the battlements of Paules eight foot bredth and thyrten of length And all most ouer the prison where I was before hauing a wyndo opening towards the East by the which I may loke ouer the toppes of a great many of houses but se no maÌ„ passing into theÌ„ And who so walketh in the bishops vtter galery going to his chapel may see my windo me staÌ„ding in the same as I was come to my place the keper pluckt of my gowne searched me very narowly toke away peÌ„nar inkhorne gyrdel knyffe but as God would I had an ynkeling a litle before I was called of my remouing and therupon made an errant to the stole where ful sore agaynst my wil I cast away many a swete letter frendly but that I had writteÌ„ of my last examinacion before I thrust into my hose thinking the next daye to haue made and ende therof with going it was falleÌ„ downe to my legge the which he by feling dyd sone espye asked what that was I sayd they were certaine letters And with that he was very busie to haue theÌ„ out Let me alone sayd I I will plucke them out And with that I put in my hand hauing twoo other letters therin and brought vp the same writing to my codpece and ther left it geuing him the other two letters that were not of any great importauÌ„ce The which for to make a shewe that they had ben wayghtie I beganne to teare as wel as I could tyl they snatched theÌ„ from me and so deluded him I thanke God of his purpose After this he went his waie as he was goyng one of theÌ„ that came with him sayd that I did not deliuer that writinges I had in my hose but two other letters I had in my haÌ„d before No dyd ê™ he I wil go searche him better that which I hearing coÌ„uaied mine examinacioÌ„ I had writteÌ„ into an other place besydes my bed and toke al the letters I had in my purse and was tearing of them when he came againe and as he came I threwe the same out of the windo sayeng that I heard what he sayd Wherfore I did preuent his searching agayne wherof I was right glad God be praysed that gaue me that present shyft to blind their eies from the knowledge of my writinges the which yf they had knowen it would haue ben a great occasion of more straiter keping and loking vnto although they loke as narrowly as they may The next day after my keper came before day in the morning to cal me downe so was brought downe into his wardrobe wher with a keper I was lefte and there contynued al the day But after dyner I was called downe into the chapell before the bishop of London The bishop of S. Dauid M. MordauÌ„t one of the Quenes councell master archdeacon of London and before a great meany mo Balamits the bishop spake vnto me in this wise SYr here I obiect and lay vnto you in the presence of my lord of S. Dauids and of maister MordauÌ„t and of these worship full men· these artycles here in this Libel contayned and openly red them to whom when I would partycularly haue answered to some of his blasphemies he would not permit me but sayd I should haue leasure ynough to saye what I would wheÌ„ he had sayd and to these here I adde an other shedel Also I require the to answere to the cathechisme sett furth in the scysmaticall tyme of king Edward Also I wil the to answer to certayn coÌ„clusions agreed vpon both in Oxforde and Cambryge And I here do bring furthe these wytnesses agaynst thee in thy owne presence namely my lorde of S. Dauids master MordauÌ„t master Harpesfeld with as many of you as were present in the disputacion he made in the conuocacion house willing you to testifie of your othes taken vpon a boke his stubburne and vnreuereÌ„t behaueour he did there vse agaynst the blessed sacrament of the altare gyue me a boke and receyuing one he opened the same sayeng I will teache him here one tricke in our lawe which he knoweth not that is My lord of S. Dauids because you are a B you haue this priuilege that you maye sweare Inspectis euangelijs non tactis by loking on the gospel boke without touching the same And so he opened the boke in his sight and shut it agayne and caused the other to put theyr handes on the boke and toke their othe And wylled them to resort to his regester to make theyr deposicions wheÌ„ they might be best at leasure And afterwards he turned to me sayd Nowe syr shal you answer but in two wordes whether you wil answer to these articles which I haue layd vnto you directly yea or nay phil My lord you haue told a long tale against me contayning many lieng blasphemies which can not be answered in two wordes besides this you promysed me at the beginning that I should say what I could for my defence And nowe wil you not gyue me leaue to speake What lawe is this London Speake yea or nay For you shall say no more at this tyme the cause was as I gesse that he sawe so many there gathered to hear Phil. Then my two words you wold haue me speake shal be that I haue appealed from you and take you not for my sufficient iudge London In dede master MordauÌ„t he hath appealed to the king and to the Quene but I will be so bold with hir maiestie to stay that appeale in myn owne handes phil You wil doo what you list my lord you haue the lawe in your handes London Wilt thou aswere or no Phil. I wil not answere otherwise theÌ„ I haue sayd London Regester note his answere that he maketh Lond Knocke him in the heade with an hatchet or set vp a stake and burne me out of haÌ„d without farther lawe aswel you may do so as do that you doo for al is without order of lawe Suche tyranny was neuer seen as you vse nowe a dayes God of his mercy destroy your cruell kingdome And whiles I spake this the bishop went away in haste S. Dauid Master Philpot I pray you be quiet and haue pacyence with you Phil. My lord I
light The Arrians lurke in corners and be coy to shew ther faith lest his doynges should be reê“ued By this ye may know that these Arrians with other heretikes are borne of that prince of darkenes who walke continually vnder cloudes with great difficultie will shew them selues onles it be to some simple personnes whom they thinke apt to be deceaued Therfore turne your eares froÌ„ them al ye that be vnlearned when they endeuour to depraue your faith with an other Christ and meanes of saluacioÌ„ thaÌ„ you haue heard before of And byd them fyrst shew their new founde saith to the elders and ministers of Christes trew church and afterwarde yf they allow the same as sound and pure you will gladlie harken vnto them otherwise not for no ê‘son ought to take vpoÌ„ him the office of a doctour except he be called thervnto by the ordinarie alowauÌ„ce of the church of God Rom. 10. as S. Paule testifieth how shal they preache except they be seÌ„t Marc. 4. Therfore Christ in S Mark biddeth al ê‘soÌ„nes take hede what they heare There are innumerable sorts of heresies entred into the world so that we may iustly gather these to be the euill daies that Christ spake of before Math. 24 in the which yf it were possible the very electes should be deceaued be ye therfore strong in your faith grouÌ„ded vpon the rocke vnmoueable what soeuer storme come vpon you or mystie winde blowe against you Many inordinat personnes of this tyme do runne Iere. 23. whom the Lord hath not sent as hieremie sayeth and saye the Lorde sayeth thus thus where as the Lorde neuer spake any suche thing as they of their phantastical brayne do ymagine and thorough ignorauÌ„cy do misconstre to deceyue others and themselues also Therfore the Lorde biddeth vs not to harken to their wordes Proue these wandering glittering spirites by this rule which I haue tolde you and than be you assured ye can not be deceaued though there aryse ten thousande more heresies thaÌ„ there be It maye trouble an inconstaunt mynde to se so many at once but he that knoweth the deuils diligence to deface Christes Gospel maye not wonder therat for he knoweth his tyme is but short and seeth the gospel so triumphe thorough the death of faythful martirs that he is wood therat therfore worketh his vttermost trusteth to make some stoute arrogaunt martirs for the stabishement increase of his kingdome that vnder the name of christ as he hath had in tymes past that the simple people might be brought in a mamering of their faith stande in doubte whome they myght beleue that therby he might more lyghtly seduce them into his snares Beholde I haue gyuen you warnyng that ye be not deceaued by these wanderyng starres and emptie cloudes which nowe a dayes are caried about with so vncertayne wyndes that a man can not tel where to fynde them neyther they themselues knowe from whence they came neither whither they would They wil entre into heauen by the wyndow and not by the dore and therfore lyke erraunt theues shal be cast out Beware of curiosite my dere brethren and systerne for she is an vnsatiable beast and the cause of muche infidelitie and wyckednes she is alwayes desirous of alteration to heare newes and can not be permanent on one sure grounde Dyna as it is wrytten in the Genesis beyng ful of curiositie Gene. 34. and desyrous to see the women of a straunge countrey was rauished lost her virginitie and was the destruction of Sichem Dauid was curious to behold the beautie of Bethzabe 2. Reg. 11. and became therby an adulterer a murtherer was the cause of many thousandes destruction 2. Reg. 24. by the curiouse nombring of his people Therfore of experieÌ„ce he geueth good counsel sayeng in the psalmes turne awaye thyne eyes that they se not vanitie Turne I saye awaye from these heretikes shewe not them a cheareful countenaunce lest they receyue an incouragement therby to wynne the vnto them and thou by curiositie be entangled thorough their hipocrisie and peruerse talke As many as abode in the Arke of Noe were not drowned by the flood of Noe. Euen so as many as abyde in the true church of Christ shall receyue no hurte by all the blustering and corrupt waters which the dragoÌ„ that persecuteth the church into wildernesse dothe in thapocalips cast out after her to the ende to drowne her therwith Apoca. 12 You that staÌ„de in doubt of any thyng by the suggestion of these newe founde heretikes runne to the pure catholike churche of Christ for your sure instructioÌ„ which praysed be God at this daye dothe gloriouslye appeare and shyne spyte of the gates of hell in all Germany and in the borders of Fraunce at Geneue and in the kyngdomes of Denmarke and Pole besydes that whiche of late ye haue sene in your owne countrey in Englande now by the wyl of God vnder affliction and persecution aswel for our synnes as for the trial of the people of God for as an auncient father S. Ciprian sayeth He that hath not the churche for his mother hathe not God for his father we haue but one mother sayeth Salomon in his Ballets Cant. 6. and she coueteth to gather vs vnder her winges lyke a louyng heÌ„ne her chekins and yf we abide there we are assured from al the rauening vermyne of heretikes and though there shal fal on euery syde of thee milliaÌ„s yet shall they not aproche nere vnto thee But yf after curiositie thou go out astraye some Kyte or other will snatche thee vp to the prince of the ayre from where thy fal wil be great Yf thou wilt be assured of the eternal kingdome of God be stable in thy faith flee from sectes and heresyes abyde in the vnitie of Christes spouse his true churche Remembre that in olde tyme it was forbydden the people of God to mary with any foreyn nacioÌ„ that was not of the house of Israel in significacioÌ„ that the church of God should neuer ioyne them selues with suche as be of a straunge religioÌ„ and of hereticall opinions contrary the catholike faith cursed is he saith Hieremie that dothe the worke of the lorde negligentlie and with drawith his swerd from blood Iere. 48. In the lawe he is commaunded to be stoned that goeth about to turne vs froÌ„ the lyuing Lord Gent. 13 and to moue vs to worship creatures for the creatour and that the same should cast the first stone at him whom he went about to peruert And what do these Arrians els go about but to wil vs to worshippe their new founde Christ whom they affirme to be but a creature in place of our true Christ the eternall sonne of God our creatour redemer and gouernour who is God to be praised honoured with the father and the holy goost world without ende The Prophet saith in the psalmes there must be no new God among Goddes people but if Christ shoulde be as they say but a made and appoincted God of the father as princes of the earthe be called Gods theÌ„ should he be a new God and so by the worde of God not to be taken of vs for God neyther to be worshipped or called vppon Iere. 17. for as the Prophet Ieremy testifieth cursed is the person which putteth his confidens in man and setteth fleshe to be his strenght These wicked Arrians are worse than the Iewes for they were offended with Christ whom they toke but for a creature for saieng he was the sonne of God But the Arrians blinder than the Iewes taking him for God would haue him to be onlye a creature lyke to them selfes in all poinctes and not very God of Goddes substaÌ„ce They make the Iewes more ryghteous than Christ and do iustifie them for crucifieng of him for the chieffe cause why they crucified him was as it doth appeare by S. Iohn bicause he made him selfe equall with God being but a maÌ„ as they toke him to be onely What ChristiaÌ„s eares do not glome at this great impiety who hauing any zeale of God wil not cry out ah deuil ah Lucefers brood ah Marathans cursed of God vntil his commiÌ„g wo be to the Arius the father of this wicked progeny woo be vnto you vile childerne folowers of his horrible impietie God of his mercy turne froÌ„ you suche as of ignorauncy simplicitie be deceaued but you that be arrogant vncurable in your blasphemy The lord for his glory sake and for example to others to beware of suche detestable impietie consume you with fyer froÌ„ heaueÌ„ as he did Chore Dathan and Abiron let the grounde oh lord open and let hem go downe alyue vnto hell let them be put out of the boke of lyfe and let them not be reckoned amoÌ„g the righteous let theÌ„ haue thy traitour Iudas rewarde let theÌ„ breake a sonder in the middest let their bowelles gushe out to their shame for euer let their guttes issue out behinde as Arrius guts did let them die in their owne dong with their father and be abhorred of al the world for euer let their porcion be with Zodome and Gomor let their stinking smoke be done out neuer let the iust reioyce when they shall see the reuengaunce of the glory of Christ let them praise him one God with the father the holy goost for euer and euer AMEN FINIS Vincit qui patitur