appoint the same to Rome that there and no where els is the foundation of Christes churche But I am fully perswaded that Christes church is euery where founded in euery place where his Gospell is truly receaued effectually followed And in that the churche of God is in doubte I vse here in the wise counsayle of Vyncentinus Lyranensis whō I am sure you will allow who geuing preceptes howe the catholicke churche maye be in all schismes and heresies knowne writeth in thys maner When sayth he one parte is corrupted with heresyes then preferre the whole worlde before that one part but if the greatest parte bee infected then preferre antyquitie In like sort now when I perceaue the greatest parte of Christianitie to be infected with the poyson of the sea of Rome I repayre to the vsage of the primitiue church which I finde cleane contrary to the Popes decrees as in that the Priest receaueth alone that it is made vnlawfull to to the Laitye to receaue in both kindes and such lyke Wherefore it requireth that I preferre the antiquitie of the primatiue church before the nouelty of the Romysh church Lincol. Mayster Ridley these faults which you charge the Sea of Rome withall are in deede no faultes For first it was neuer forbid the Laitie but that they myghte if they demaunded receaue vnder bothe kyndes You know also that Chryst after hys resurrection at what tyme he went wyth hys Apostles to Galile opened hym selfe by breaking of bread You know that saynct Paule after hys longe sayling towardes Rome brake breade and that the Apostles came together in breakyng of bread whiche declareth that it is not vnlawfull to minister the Sacrament vnder the forme of breade onely and yet the churche hadde iust occasion to decree that the laytye shoulde receaue in one kinde onely thereby to take away an opinion of the vnlearned that Chryst was not wholy both flesh and bloud vnder the forme of bread Therfore to take away theyr opinion and to establishe better the peoples faythe the holy Ghost in the churche thoughte good to decree that the Laitie woulde receaue onelye in one kynde and it is no newes for the Church vppon iust consideration to alter rites and ceremonies For you read in the Actes of the Apostles that saynct Paule writyng to certayne of the Gentiles whiche had receaued the Gospel biddeth them to abstayne a suffogato sanguine from thynges stifled and from bloud so that this seemeth to bee an expresse commaundement yet who will saye but that it is lawfull to eate bloudings how is it lawfull but by theyr permission of the Church Ridly My Lord such thinges as saynct Paule enioyned to the Gentiles for a sufferaunce by a little and little to win the Iewes to Christ were onely commandementes of tyme and respected not the successours but Chrystes commaundement do this that is that which he dyd in remembraunce which was not to minister in one kind onely was not a commaundement for a tyme but to perseuer to the worldes end But the Bishop of Lincolne not attending to this answere without any stay proceeded in his Oration So that the Churche seemeth to haue authoritie by the holy Ghost whome Christ sayd he woulde send after hys ascension whiche should teache the Apostles all truthe to haue power and iurisdiction to alter suche poyntes of the Scripture euer reseruing the foundation but wee came not as I sayd before in this sort to reason the matter wyth you but haue certayne instructions ministred vnto vs according to the tenour of the whiche wee must proceede proposing certayne articles vnto the which we require your aunswere directly eyther affirmatiuely eyther negatiuely to euery of them eyther denying them either graunting them without farther disputations or reasoning for we haue already stretched our instructions in that wee suffered you to debate and reason the matter in such sort as wee haue done the whiche articles you shall heare now and to morrow at eyght of the clocke in saynct Maryes Churche we will require and take youre aunsweres and then according to the same proceede if you require a copy of them you shall haue it pen inke and paper also all such bookes as you shall demaunde if they be to be gotten in the Uniuersitie The Articles IN dei nomine Amen Nos Iohannes Lincolne Iacobus Glocest Iohannes Bristol Episcopi per reuerendis dominum Reginaldum miseratione diuina S. Mariae in Cosmedin c. 1 We doe obiecte to the Nic. Ridley and to thee Hughe Latimer ioyntly and seuerally first that thou Nicholas Ridley in this high Uniuersitie of Oxford Anno. 1554. in the monthes of Aprill May Iune Iulye or in some one or moe of thē hast affirmed and openly defended maintayned and in many other tymes and places besides that the true and naturall body of Christe after the consecration of the priest is not really present in the sacrament of the altar 2. Item that in the yeare and monthes aforesayde thou hast publickely affirmed and defended that in the Sacrament of the altar remayneth still the substaunce of breade and wine 3. Item that in the sayde yeare and monthes thou hast openly affirmed and obstinately mayntayned that in the Masse is no propiciatory Sacrifice for the quicke and the dead 4. Item that in the yeare place and monthes aforesayd these thy foresayd assertions solemnly haue bene condemned by the scholasticall censure of this schoole as hereticall and contrarye to the Catholicke fayth by the worshipful M. Doctor Weston Prolocutour then of the conuocation house as also by other learned men of bothe the Uniuersities 5. Item that all and singular the premisses be true notorious famous and openly knowne by publicke fame as well to them neare hand as also to them in distaunt places farre of Examination vppon the sayd Articles ALl these articles I thought good here to place together that as often as hereafter rehearsall shall be of any of them the reader may haue recourse hether and peruse the same and not to trouble the storye with seuerall repeticions thereof Lincolne After these Articles were read the Bishoppes tooke counsayle togethers At the last the Bishop of Lincolne sayde these are the very same Articles whiche you in open disputation here in the Uniuersitie did mayntayn and defend What say you vnto the first I praye you aunswere affirmatiuely or negatiuely Ridly Why my Lorde I supposed your gentlenes had bene such that you would haue geuen me space vntyll to morow that vpon good aduisement I might bring a determinate aunswere Lincoln Yea M. Ridley I meane not that youre aunsweres nowe shall be preiudiciall to your aunsweres to morow I will take your aunsweres at this tyme and yet notwithstāding it shal be lawfull to you to adde diminish alter and chaunge of these answeres to morow what you will Ridly In deede in like maner at our laste disputations I hadde many thinges promised and fewe performed It was sayde
knowledge that your Lordship oughte to proceed agaynst me And here Mayster Doctour would say nothing Worcest Doe you not thinke to finde before my Lord here as good equity in your cause as before your owne Ordinary Phil. I canne not blame my Lorde of Londons equitye with whom I thanke his Lordship I haue found more gentlenes since I came then of mine owne Ordinary I speak it for no flattery this twelue moneth and this halfe before who neuer woulde call me to aunswere as his Lordship hath done now twise Sed nemo prohibetur vti iure suo but I ought not to bee forestalled of my right and therefore I challenge the same for diuers other considerations Boner Nowe you can not saye hereafter but that ye haue bene gently cōmuned withal of my Lordes here yet you be wilfull obstinate in your error and in your owne opinions will not shewe any cause why you will not come into the vnity of the Church with vs. Phil. My Lordes in that I doe not declare my minde according to your expectation is as I haue sayd because I can not speak without present daunger of my life But rather then you shoulde report me by this either ostinate or selfe willed without any iust ground wherupon I stand I will open vnto you somewhat of my minde or rather the whole desiring your lordships which seme to be pillers of the Church of Englande to satisfye me in the same and I will referre all other causes in the which I dissēt from you vnto one or two articles or rather to one which includeth them both in the which if I can by the scriptures be satisfied at your mouthes I shall as willingly agree to you as any other in all poyntes Boner These heretickes come alwayes with their ifs as this man doth now saying if he can be satisfied by the scriptures so that he will alwayes haue this exception I am not satisfied although the matter be neuer so playnly proued agaynst him But wil you promise to be satisfied if my Lordes take some paynes about you Phil. I say my Lord I will be satisfied by the Scriptures in that wherein I stand And I protest here before God his eternall sonne Iesus Christ my Sauiour and the holy ghost and his Angels and you here present that be iudges of that I speak that I do not stand in any opiniō of wylfulnes or singularity but onely vpon my conscience certainly informed by gods word from the which I dare not go for feare of damnatiō and this is the cause of mine earnestnes in this behalfe Boner I will trouble my Lords no longer seing that you will not declare your minde Phil. I am about so to doe if it please your Lordshippe to heare me speake Bathe Geue him leaue my Lord to speake that he hath to say Phil. My Lordes it is not vnknowne to you that the chiefe cause why you do count me and such as I am for hereticks is because we be not at vnity with your Churche You say you are of the true Church and we say we are of the true Church You say that who is out of your church is damned and we thinke verily on the other side that if we depart from the true church wheron we are graffed in Gods word we should stand in the state of dānatiō Wherfore if your Lordship can bring any better authorityes for your church then we can do for ours proue by the scriptures that the Churche of Rome nowe of the which you are is the true Catholick Church as in al your sermons writinges and argumentes you doe vpholde and that all christen persons ought to be ruled by the same vnder pain of damnation as you say and that the same Churche as you pretend hath authority to interprete the scriptures as it semeth her good and that all men are bound to folow such interpretations onely I shal be as conformable to the same Church as you may desire me the whiche otherwise I dare not therfore I require you for Gods sake to satisfy me in this Cole If you stand vpon this poynt onely you may soone be satisfied if you list Phil. It is the thing that I require to this I haue sayd I will stand and refer all other controuersies wherein I stand now agaynst you and will put my hād therto if you mistrust my word Boner I pray you mayster Philpot what faith were you of twenty yeares ago This man will haue euery yeare a new fayth Phil. My Lorde to tell you playne I thinke I was of no fayth for I was then a wicked liuer and knewe not God then as I ought to do God forgeue me Boner No were that is not so I am sure you were of some fayth Phil. My lord I haue declared to you on my cōsciēce what I then was and iudge of my selfe And what is that to the purpose of the thing I desire to be satisfied of you Boner Mayster Doctour Cole I pray you say your mind to him Cole What will you say if I can proue that it was decreed by an vniuersall coūcell in Athanasius time that all the christen church should folow the determinatiō of the church of Rome but I do not now remember were Phil. If you Mayster Doctour canne shewe me the same graunted to the Sea of Rome by the authority of the scripture I will gladly harken thereto But I thinke you be not able to shewe any suche thinge for Athanasius was President of Nicene councell and there was no such thing decreed I am sure Cole Though it were not then it might bee at an other time Phil. I desire to see the proofe thereof And vpon this M. Harpsfield Chauncellor to the Bishop of Londō brought in a booke of Ireneus with certaine leaues turned in and layd it before the Bishops to helpe them in theyr perplexity if it might be the which after the Bishops of Bath and Glocester had read together the Bishop of Glocester gaue me the booke Gloc. Take the booke M. Philpot and looke vppon that place and there may you see how the church of Rome is to be folowed of all men Phil. I tooke the Booke and read the place the which after I had read I sayd it made nothing agaynst me but agaynst the Arians and other Heretickes agaynst whome Ireneus wrote prouing that they were not to be credited because they did teach and folowe after straunge doctrine in Europa and that the chiefe Churche of the same was founded by Peter and Paule and had to this time continued by faythfull succession of the faythfull Bishoppes in preaching the true Gospell as they had receiued of the Apostles and nothing like to the late sprong Heretickes c. Whereby hee concludeth agaynste them that they were not to be heard neither to bee credited the whiche thing if you my Lordes be able to prooue nowe of the Churche of Rome then had
proue that which I haue sayd by good authoritie I will be content to be counted an hereticke and an ignoraunt person and further what you please Story Let vs heare what wise authoritie thou canst bring in Phil. It is the saying of Christe in S. Iohn Verbum quod locutus sum iudicabit in nouissimo die The word which I haue spoken sayth Christ shall iudge in the last day If the worde shal iudge in the last day much more it ought to iudge our doings now And I am sure I haue my iudge on my side who shall absolue and iustifie me in an other world How soeuer now it shall please you by authoritie vnrighteously to iudge of me and others sure I am in an other world to iudge you Story What you purpose to be a stincking Martyr to sit in iudgement with Christ at the last day to iudge the 12. tribes of Israell Phil. Yea sir I doubte not thereof hauing the promise of Christ If I dye for righteousnes sake which you haue begon to persecute in me Story I told you it is but vayne to argue with this hereticke he is drowned in his heresies without all learning Phil. Syr I haue brought you for that I haue sayd good authoritie out of Gods booke to the whiche you answere nothing but go about still to geue rayling iudgement aagaynst me without any cause Story I will come to you by and by When as the Iudge in Westminster hall geueth sentence doth the worde geue sentence or the Iudge tell me Phil. Ciuill matters be subiect to Ciuell men they haue authoritie by the worde to bee iudge of them But the word of God is not subiect to mans iudgemeÌ„t but ought to iudge all the wisedome thoughtes and doynges of men and therefore your comparison disproueth nothing that I haue sayd neither answereth any whit therto Story Wilt thou not allow the interpretation of the church vpon the scriptures Phil. Yes if it be according to the word of the true church and this I say to you as I haue sayd heretofore that if yee can proue the church of Rome wherof ye are to be the true Catholicke Church which I ought to follow I wil be as ready to yeld therto as long as it can be so proued as you may desire me Story What a fellow is this He will beleeue nothing but what he list himselfe Are we not in possessioÌ„ of the church Haue not our forefathers these many hundred yeares takeÌ„ this church for the catholicke church wherof we are now And if we had none other proofe but this it were sufficieÌ„t for prescription of time maketh a good title in the law Philpot. You doe well mayster Doctour to alledge prescription of many yeares for it is all that you haue to shew for your selues But you must vnderstand Ex diuinis nulla occurrit praescriptio that prescription hath no place in matters belonging to God as I am abâ—e to shewe by the testimony of many Doctours Story Well sir you are like to go after your fathers Latimer the Sophister and Ridley who had nothing to alledge for hymselfe but that hee had learned his heresie of Cranmer Where I came to him with a poore Bacheler of Arte he trembleÌ„d as though hee had had the palsey as these heretickes haue alwayes some token of feare whereby a man may know them as you may see this mans eies do tremble in his head But I dispatched them and I tell thee that there hath bene yet neuer a one burnte but I haue spoken with him haue bene a cause of his dispatch Phil. You haue the more to aunswere for Mayster Doctor as you shall feele in an other world how much soeuer you do now triumph of your proceedinges Story I tell thee I will neuer be confessed therof And because I cannot now tary to speake with my Lord I pray one of you tell my Lord that my comming was to signifie to his Lordship that he must out of hand rid this hereticke away And going away he sayd vnto me I certifie thee that thou mayst thanke none other man but me Phil. I thanke you therfore with all mine hart and God forgeue it you Story What doest thou thanke me if I had thee in my study halfe an houre I thinke I should make you sing an other song Phil. No maister Doctour I stand vpon to sure a ground to be ouerthrowne by you now And thus they departed al away from me one after an other vntil I was left al alone And afterwards with my keeper going to my Cole-house as I went I met with my Lord of London who spake vnto me geÌ„tly as he hath hetherto in words saying London Philpot if there be any pleasure I may shewe you in my house I pray you require it and you shall haue it Philpot. My Lord the pleasure that I will require of your Lordship is to hasten my iudgement which is committed vnto you so dispatche me forth of this miserable world vnto my eternall rest And for all this fayre speache I can not attain hetherto this fortnight space neither fire nor caÌ„dle neither yet good lodging But it is good for a man to be brought low in this world to be counted amongst the vilest that hee may in time of rewarde receiue exaltation glory Therfore praised be God that hath humbled me geuen me grace with gladnes to be content there withall Let all that loue the truth say Amen Thus endeth the fift Tragedy * The sixt examination of Iohn Philpot had before the right honourable Lordes Lorde Chamberlayne to the kinges Maiesty the Vicount Herford commonly called Lord Ferrers the Lord Rich the Lord S. Iohns the Lord Winsor the Lord Shandoys Sir Ioh. Bridges Lieutenant of the Tower and two other moe whose names I know not with the B. of London and Doctour Chadsey the sixt day of Nouember An. 1555. PHilpot Before that I was called afore the Lordes and whiles they were in sitting downe the Byshop of LoÌ„don came aside to me and whispered in myne eare willing me to vse my selfe before the Lordes of the queenes maiesties Councell prudently and to take heede what I sayd thus he pretendeth to geue me counsaile because he wished me to do well as I might now do if I list And after the Lordes other worshipfull gentlemen of the queenes Maiesties seruauntes were set my Lorde of London placed himselfe at the end of the table called me to hym by the Lords I was placed at the vpper end agaynst him where I kneeling downe the Lordes commaunded me to stande vp and after in this manner the Byshop began to speake London M. Philpot I haue heretofore both priuately my selfe and openly before the Lordes of the Clergy mo times then once caused you to bee talked withall to reforme you of your errours but I haue not found you yet so
long hath your church stand I pray you Phil. Euen from the beginning from Christ and from his Apostles and from their immediate successors Chaun He will prooue his church to be before Christ. Phil. If I did so I goe not amisse for there was a church before the comming of Christe which maketh one catholicke church Chaun It is so in deede Phil. I will desire no better rule then the same whiche is oftentimes brought in of your side to proue both my faith and the catholicke church that is antiquitie vniuersality and vnitie Lond. Do you not see what a bragging foolish felow this is He would seeme to be very well seene in the Doctors and he is but a foole By what Doctour arte thou able to proue thy Church Name him and thou shalt haue him Phil. My Lorde lette me haue all your auncient wryters with pen and inke and paper and I will prooue both my faith and my Church out of euery one of them Lond. No that thou shalt not haue You shall see howe he lieth S. Cyprian sayeth there must be one high Priest to the which the residue must obey and they will allowe no heade neither Uicar generall Phil. S. Cyprian saith not that there shoulde be a Uicare general ouer al. For in his booke De simplicitate Praelatorū I am sure he saith the contrary Vnus episcopatus est cuius pars in solidum a singulis tenetur i. There is but one bishopricke which is wholy possessed of euery Bishop in part London Fet hether the booke thou shalt see the manifest place against thee D. Chadsey brought the booke and turned to the place in an Epistle wryttē vnto Cornelius then bish of Rome and recited these words in summe that it went not wel with the Church where the high Priest was not obeied so would haue concluded for the confirmation of the Bishops saying Phil. M. Doctour you misconstrue the place of S. Cyprian for he meaneth not thereby the high Priest the bishop of Rome but euery Patriarke in his precincte of whome there were 4. appoynted in his time And in wryting vnto Cornelius he meaneth by the high priest himselfe which was then chief Bishop of Africa whose authority the heretickes began to despise Wherof he complaineth to Cornelius sayth the church can not be well ordered where the chief minister by order after the iudgement of the scriptures after the agreement of the people and the consent of his fellow Bishops is not obeied Lond. Hath not the Bishop of Rome alwaies bene supreme head of the Church and Christes Uicare in earth euen from Peter Phil. No that he was not For by the word of God he hath no more authoritie then the Bishop of London hath London Was not Peter head of the Churche And hathe not the Bishop of Rome which is his successour the same authoritie Phil. I graunt that the B. of Rome as he is the successor of Peter hath the same authority as Peter had but Peter had no more authority then euery one of the apostles had Chauncel Yes that S. Peter had for Christ said specially vnto him Tibi dabo claues regni coelorum I wil geue thee the keies of the kingdom of heauen The which he spake to none other of his Disciples singularly but to him Phil. S. Augustine answereth otherwise to the obiection and sayeth That if in Peter there had not bene the figure of the Church the Lord hadde not saide to him to thee will I geue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen The which if Peter receiued not the Churche hath them not If the Churche hath them then Peter hath them not Lond. What if I can prooue and shew you out of the Ciuill lawe that all Christendome ought to folowe the holy Catholicke Churche of Rome as there is a speciall title thereof De Catholica fide sancta Romana Ecclesia Phil. That is nothing material seeing the things of God be not subiect to mans lawes and Diuine matters must be ordered by the word of God and not of man A Doctour What will you say if I can prooue that Christ builded his Church vppon Peter and that out of S. Cyprian Wil you then beleue that the B. of Rome ought to be supreme head of the Church Phil. I know what S. Cyprian wryteth in that behalfe but he meaneth nothing as you take it A Doctour S. Cyprian hath these woordes Quòd super Petrum fundata fuit Ecclesia tanquam super originem vnitatis That vpon Peter was builded the Church as vppon the first beginning of vnitie Phil. He declareth that in an example that vnitie must be in the church he grounded on Peter his church alone and not vpō men The which he doth more manifestly declare in the booke De simplicitate Praelatorum saying In persona vnius Christus dedit omnibus claues vt omnium vnitatem denotaret In the person of one man God gaue the keyes to al that he in signification thereby might declare the vnitie of all men A Doctour What will you vnderstande S. Cyprian so That were good in deede Phil I thinke you can not vnderstand s. Cyprian better then he doth declare him selfe Lond. I will desire you M. Chauncellour to take some paines with M. Doctor Chadsey aboute his examination for I must go to the Parlament house And I wil desire you to dine with me Phil. Then the D. tooke againe his former authoritie in hand for want of another and would haue made a farther circumstance digressing from his purpose To whome I said he knew not whereabout he went and therewith he laughed And I saide his diuinitie was nothing but scoffing M D. Yea then I haue done with you and so went away Phil. You are too yong in diuinitie to teach me in the matters of my faith Though you be learned in other things more then I yet in Diuinitie I haue ben longer practised then you for any thing I can heare of you therfore be not too hastie to iudge that you doe not perfectly know Chauncel Peter and his successours from the beginning haue bene allowed for the supreme head of the Church and that by the Scriptures for that Christ sayde vnto hym in S. Iohn thrise Feede my sheepe pasce oues meas Phil. That is none otherwise to be taken then Ite praedicate go ye preach which was spoken to all the Apostles as well as vnto Peter And that Christ sayd thrise Pasce oues meas Feede my sheepe it signifieth nothing else but the earnest studie that the ministers of God oughte to haue in preaching the woord God graunt that you of the Cleargie would way your duetie in this behalfe more then you doe Is this a iust interpretation of the Scripture to take pasce oues meas for to be lord of the whole world In this meane while came in a Batcheler of Diuinitie which is a reader
he sweare vnto vs as he did vnto the vnfaythfull Iewes that such Infidells shall not enter into his rest In the administration of the Lordes supper whiche we confessed to be the holye Communion and pertakinge with Christ and his holy Congregation we haue learned Gods holy commaundements and at the rehearsall of euery one of them to ask God mercy for our most grieuous transgressions agaynst them and to aske grace of God to keepe them in time to come that the same may not onelye outwardly sound in our eares but also inwardly by the holy ghost be written in our hartes Wee haue learned also the holye prayer made for the Queenes Maiestie wherein wee learne that her power and authoritie is of God therefore wee praye to God for her that shee and all magistrates vnder her may rule according to Gods worde and we her subiectes obey according to the same Truely most honourable Commissioners we caÌ„not thinke these thinges euill but thinke them moste worthye to be retayned in our Churches and we would think our selues not to haue true subiectes hartes if we shuld go about to put away such godly prayers as put vs perpetually in memory of our bounden obedience duety to God and our Rulers For as we thinke at this present the vnquiet multitude had more neede to haue these things more often and earnestly beaten and driuen into them specially geuen in many places to stirre and trouble then to take from them that blessed doctrine whereby onely they may to their saluation be kept in quiet Furthermore we caÌ„not forsake that blessed partaking of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Iesu Christes institution ministred with such godly prayers exhortatioÌ„s and admonitions teaching vs the knowledge of God the exceeding loue and charity of our louing redeemer Christ breaking hys body vpon the crosse for our sinnes shâ—dding his most precious bloud for our redemption whych we in eating of that blessed breade and drinking of yâ— blessed Cup assuredly beleue that we receiue and be perfectly ioyned with Christ and his holy Catholike Churche into one body and into one vnitie and brotherly loue wherby eche member faithfully embraceth other We must needes confesse thys institution of Christ to be moste holy godly whereof we haue the onely coÌ„fort in conscience against sinne damnation with the assurance of saluation wherof hath ensued reformation of many hainous sinnes much lawinge strife and contention is ended dronkennesse whoredome and other vices in some reformed goodnesse and vertue increased and nourished In the Latine Masse we neuer had no suche edifying but only we saw a great many of ceremonies and strange gestures as tourning of the Prieste crossings blessings breathings washing of handes and spreading abroade of hys armes wyth like ceremonies that we vnderstaÌ„d not And concerninge the Latine tongue wherein the Prieste prayeth we wote not whether hee blesseth or cursseth vs. Wee are not partakers of the Sacrament as Christes institution appoynteth we should be In the ministring of the Sacrament the Priests alter the institution of Christ committing theft and sacriledge robbing vs of the cup of Christes bloud coÌ„trary to Christes commandement saying Drinke yee all of this They rob vs also of Gods woord speaking all thyngs in Latine whych nothing edifieth vs eyther in Faythe or maners Christe commaunded not that his Supper shuld be ministred in an vnknowen tounge but for as much as faith commeth of hearing and hearing commeth of Gods woorde howe can wee beleeue Christes woorde and promise made vnto vs in thys holy Sacrament saying Thys is my bodye broken for you and this is my bloude of the newe Testament whiche is shedde for you for the remission of sinnes if the same promises of Christe either be not at all recited or els so recited in Latine that the Congregation vnderstandeth not or heareth not what is spoken S. Paul saith thus reciting the saying of Esay As truly as I liue sayth the Lorde all knees shall bowe vnto me all tongues shall geue praise vnto God Also he sayeth Al tongues must confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord vnto the glory of God the father The holye Ghost came vppon the Apostles in fiery tongues so that they spake the tongues of all nations vnder heauen S. Paul ministred to the Corinthians and preached to them in theyr owne mother tongue and rebuked the bringyng in of straunge tongues into the congregations Wee can not thincke it to be well that so holy an Apostle rebuked And what soeuer vertue the Latine tongue hath to suche as vnderstand it to vs English men not vnderstandyng it it is altogether without vertue and edifying and therfore vnmeete for our Churches The Priestes complayne that we lay men loue them not nor haue them in honour But it is their owne faulte For how should we loue them that onely seeeke to keep vs in blindnes and ignorance to damne our soules to destroy our bodies to rob and spoyle our goodes and substaunce vnder a colour of pretensed holines We knowe right honourable Commissioners what honour is due to suche Wolues how by the authoritie of Gods word such are to be fledde as pestilences to the Lordes lambes whom they miserably dayly murder But we haue rather chosen by this our meeke supplycation humbly to desire the Queenes maiestie and you her honorable Commissioners to render Gods worde agayn vnto the Churches to permit vs freely to enioye the same For we certainely knowe that the whole Religion lately set out by the holy sainct of God our late most deare king Edward is Christes true religion written in the holy scripture of God and by Christe and his Apostles taught vnto his Church Wherefore we cannot allowe with safe consciences this refusall of it and casting of it out of oure Churches for asmuch as to refuse cast off to reiect is to cast off Christ himselfe and to refuse our part in his blessed body broken for our sinnes and his bloud shed for our redemption Which thing who so doth the same without repentaunce can look for no sacrifice for his sinnes but most fearfully wayte for the iudgement and for that vehement fire that shall destroy Christes aduersaries For if hee that despiseth the law of Moses is without mercye put to death vnder two or three witnesses howe much more greeuous tormentes shall he suffer that treadeth vnder foot the sonne of God and esteemeth the bloud of the Testament wherby he was sanctified as a prophane thing coÌ„tumeliously vseth the spirite of grace Wherefore wee moste humbly praye and beseeche the Queenes gracious Maiestie to haue mercy and pitty vpon vs her poore and faithfull subiectes and not to compel vs to do the thing that is agaynst our consciences and shall so incurably wound vs in hart by bringing into the churche the Latine Masse and seruice that nothing edifieth vs and and casting out of Christes holye Communion and
error for the key that openeth the locke to Gods mysteries and to saluation is the key of faith and repentāce And as I haue heard learned men reason S. Austine and Origen with others are of this opinion Then they reuiled him and laide hym in the stockes all the night Wherewith certaine that were better minded being offended with such extremity willed Allin to keepe his cōscience to him selfe and to folow Baruckes counsel in the 6. chap. Wherfore when ye see the multitude of people worshipping thē behinde and before say ye in your harts O Lord it is thou that ought only to be worshipped Wherewith he was perswaded to goe to heare Masse the next day and sodenly before the sacring went out and considered in the Churchyard with him selfe that suche a litle cake betwene the priests fingers could not be Christ nor a materiall body neither to haue soule life sinnewes bones flesh legs head armes nor brest and lamēted that he was seduced by the place of Barucke which his conscience gaue him to be no Scripture or els to haue an other meaning and after this he was brought againe before syr Iohn Baker who asked why he did refuse to worship the blessed Sacrament of the aultar Allin It is an Idol Collins It is Gods body Allin It is not Collins By the Masse it is Allin It is bread Collins How proouest thou that Allin When Christ sate at his last supper and gaue them bread to eate Col. Bread knaue Allin Yea bread which you cal Christes body Sate he stil at the table or was he both in their mouthes at the table If he were both in their mouthes at the table then had he two bodies or els had a fantasticall body which is an absurditie to say it Sir Iohn Baker Christes body was glorified and might be in mo places then one Allin Then had he more bodies thē one by your own placing of him Collins Thou ignorāt Asse the schoole men say that a glorified body may be euery where Allin If his body was not glorified til it rose againe then was it not glorified at his last supper and therefore was not at the table and in their mouthes by your owne reason Collins A glorified body occupieth no place Allin That which occupieth no place is neither God nor any thing els but Christes body say you occupieth no place therefore it is neither God nor any thing els If it be nothing then is your religion nothing If it be God then haue we iiij in one Trinitie which is the persone of the father the person of the sonne the person of the holy ghost the humane nature of Christ. If Christ be nothing which you must needes confesse if he occupie no place then is our study in vaine our faith prostrate and our hope without reward Collins This rebel wil beleue nothing but scripture How knowest thou that it is the scripture but by the church and so sayeth S. Austin Allin I cannot tell what Austine sayth but I am perswaded that it is Scripture by diuers arguments First that the law worketh in me my condemnation The law telleth me that of my selfe I am dāned and this damnatiō M. Collins you must find in your self or els you shal neuer come to repētance For as this grief sorow of cōscience wtout faith is desperation so is a glorious Romish faith wtout the lamentatiōs of a mās sins presūption The second is the gospel which is the power spirit of God This spirite sayth S. Paule certifieth my spirite that I am the sonne of God and that these are the Scriptures The thirde are the wonderfull woorkes of God which cause me to beleue that there is a God though we glorifie him not as God Rom. 1. The sunne the moone the starres and other his workes as Dauid discourseth in the xix Psalme declareth that there is a God and that these are the scriptures because that they teach nothing els but God and his power maiestie and might and because the scripture teacheth nothing dissonant from this prescription of nature And fourthly because that the woord of God gaue authoritye to the church in paradise saying that the seede of the woman should brast down the Serpents head This sede is the gospel this is al the scriptures and by this we are assured of eternall life and these words The seede of the woman shall braste the serpentes heade gaue authoritie to the church and not the church to the worde Baker I hearde say that you spake against priests and bishops Allin I spake for thē for now they haue so much liuing especially bishops archdeacons and deanes that they neyther can nor wil teach Gods woord If they had a 100. pounds a peece then would they apply their studie now they can not for other affaires Col. Who wil then set his children to schoole Allin Where there is now one set to schoole for that end there would be 40. because that one Bishops liuing deuided into 30. or 40. partes would finde so manye as wel learned men as the bishops be now who haue all this liuing neither had Peter or Paul any such reuenew Baker Let vs dispatch him he wil mar all Collins If euery man had a 100. pounds as he saith it wold make mo learned men Baker But our bishops would be angrye if that they knew it Allin It were for a common wealth to haue such bishoppricks deuided for the further increase of learning Baker What sayest thou to the Sacrament Allin As I sayde before Baker Away with him And thus was he caried to prison and afterward burned And thus much touching the particular storie of Edm. Allin and his wife Who with the v. other martyrs aboue named being vij to wit v. women and ij men were altogether burned at Maidstone the yere and moneth afore mentioned and the 18. day of the same moneth An other storie of like crueltie shewed vpon other 7. Martyrs burnt at Cant. 3. men and 4. women AMong suche infinite seas of troubles in these most dāgerous daies who can withhold himselfe from bitter teares to see the madding rage of these presented Catholickes who being neuer satisfied with bloud to maintaine their carnall kingdome presume so highly to violate the precise law of Gods commandements in slaying the simple pore Lambes of the glorious congregation of Iesus Christ and that for the true testimonie of a good cōscience in confessing the immulate gospell of their saluatiō What heart wil not lamēt the murdering mischief of these men who for wāt of worke do so wreke their tine on seely pore women whose weake imbecillitie the more strēgth it lacketh by natural imperfection the more it ought to be helped or at least pitied and not oppressed of men that be stronger and especially of Priests that should be charitable But blessed be the Lord omnipotent who supernaturally hath indued from aboue such
not onely in churches but also in other assemblies of honest people Tertullian sayeth he vsed sometymes to burne frankincenâ—e in his chamber which was then vsed of Idolaters and is yet in the Romish Churches but hee ioyneth withall Sed non eodem ritu nec eodem habitu nec eodem apparatu quo agitur apud Idola That is to say But not after such a riâ—e or ceremonie nor after such a fashion nor wyth such preparation or sumptuousnesse as it is done before the Idols So that Images placed in Churches and set in honorabili sublimitate that is to say in an honourable place of estimation as S. Augustine sayth and especially ouer the Lordes table which is done vsing the words of Tertullian eodem ritu eodem habitu that is after the same maner and fashion which the Papists did vse especially after so long continuance of abuse of Images and so many beyng blinded with superstitious opinion towardes them cannot be counted a thing indifferent but a most certaine ruine of many soules Epiphanius in his Epistle to Iohn bishop of Hierusalem which epistle was translated out of the Greeke by S. Hierome beyng a likelyhoode that S. Hierome misliked not the doctrine of the same doth write a facte of hys owne which doth most clearely declare the iudgement of that notable learned Bishop concernyng the vse of Images his words are these Quum venissem ad villam quae dicitur Anablatha vidissemque ibi praeteriens lucernam ardentem interrogassem quis locus esset didicissemque esse Ecclesiam intrassem vt orarem inueni ibi velum pendens in foribus eiusdem ecclesiae tinctum atque depictum habens imaginem quasi Christi vel sancti cuiusdam non enim satis memini cuius fuit cum ergo hoc vidissem in Ecclesia Christi contra authoritatem scripturarum hominis pendere imaginem scidi illud c. Et paulò post Et praecepi in ecclesia Christi istiusmodivela quae contra religionem nostram veniunt non appendi c. That is to saye When I came to a village called Anablatha sawe there as I passed by a candle burnyng enquiring what place it was and lerning that it was a church had entred into the same to pray I found there a vaile or cloth hanging at the dore of the same church died and painted hauing on iâ— the image of Christ as it were or of some Saint for I remember not well whose it was Then when I sawe this that in the Church of Christ against the authoritie of the scriptures the image of a maÌ„ did hang I cut it in pieces c. And a little after And commaunded that such maner of vailes or clothes which are contrary to our religion be not hanged in the church of Christ. Out of this place of Epiphanius diuers notes are to be obserued First that by the iudgement of this ancient Father to permit Images in Churches is against the authoritie of the scriptures meanyng agaynst the second commaundement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image c. Secondly that Epiphanius doth reiect not only grauen and molten but also painted Images for so much as he cut in pieces the Image painted in a vaile hangyng at the church dore what would he haue done if he had found it ouer the Lordes table Thirdly that he spareth not the Image of Christ for no doubt that Image is most perillous in the Churche of all other Fourthly that he bid not onely remooue it but with a vehemencie of zeale cut it in pieces followyng the example of the good king Ezechias who brake the brasen serpent and burnt it to ashes Last of all that Epiphanius thinketh it the duetie of vigilant bishops to be carefull that no such kind of paynted Images be permitted in the church Serenus bishop of Massilia broke downe Images destroied them when he did see them begin to be worshipped Greg. in Regist. epist. 109. Experience of the tymes since hath declared whether of these two sentences were better For since Gregories time the Images standyng in the Westchurch hath bene ouerflowed with Idolatry notwithstanding his or other mens doctrine Whereas if Serenus iudgement had vniuersally taken place no such thyng had happened For if no Images had bene suffred none could haue bene worshipped and consequently no idolatry committed by theÌ„ ¶ To recite the processe of histories and councels about the matter of Images it woulde require a long discourse but it shall be sufficient here briefly to touch a few IT is manifest to them that read histories that not onely Emperors but also diuers and sundry Councels in the East church haue condemned and abolished images both by decrees and examples Petrus Crinitus de honesta disciplina lib. 9. cap. 9. ex libâ—is Augustatibus haec verba transcripsit Valens Theodosius Augusti Imperatores praefecto praetorio ad hunc modum scripserit Quum sit nobis cura diligens in rebus omnibus superni numinis religionem tueri Signum saluatoris Christi nemini quidem concedimus coloribus lapide aliáue materia fingere insculpere aut pingere sed quocuÌ„que reperitur locotolli iubemus grauissima poena eos mulctando qui contrarium decretis nostris imperio quicquam tentauerint That is to say Petrus Crinitus in his booke of honest discipline the 9. booke the 9. chapiter wrote out of the Emperours bookes these wordes Ualens and Theodosius the Emperours wrote to the high Marshall or Lieuetenant in this sort Where as wee are very carefull that the religion of almighty God should be in all thinges kept We permit no man to cast graue or paint the Image of our Sauiour Christ either in colors stone or other matter but wheresoeuer it be found wee commaund it to be taken away punishing them most greuously that shall attempt any thing contrary to our decrees and Empire Leo the 3. a man commended in histories for his excellent vertues and godlinesse who as is iudged of some men was the author of the booke De re militari that is Of the feate of Warre beyng translated out of Greeke by sir Iohn Cheeke and dedicated to king Henry the viij your highnes father by publike authoritie commaunded abolishing of Images and in Constantinople caused all the images to be gathered together on a heape burned them vnto ashes Constantine the first his sonne assembled a Councel of the bishops of the East church in which Councell it was decreed as followeth It is not lawfull for them that beleeue in God through Iesus Christ to haue any Images neither of the Creator nor of any creatures set vp in temples to be worshipped but rather that all Images by the law of God and for the auoiding of offence ought to be taken out of churches Which decree was executed in all places where any Images were either in Greece or in Asia But in all these tymes the bishops of Rome rather mainteining the
commoÌ„ly of English women 〈◊〉 1. Tim. â— Ghosâ—â—ly 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 of â—â—ristian 〈◊〉 1. Peter 4. Iohn 12. 1. Cor. 1. Luke 17. Example of Lots wyfe Nothing vseâ— in Q. Maâ—yâ—s 〈…〉 The first note prouing the Church of the Papistes not to be the true Church 2. Note Iohn 10. 3. Note Actes 7. 4. Note to know the Church 5. Note Iohn 5 6. Note to know the Church Ephes. 5. Compare the proceedinges doinges of the Popes Church with the true members of Christs Church and you shall see what they are The Church of the valiant Papistes compared to Nemrod and why The Popes Church standeth all in lying and murdering 3. Reg. 18. Luke 9. The Popes Church vnder payne of damnation is to be auoyded Apoc. 2. Phil. 1. He exhorteth to be bolde in Christ. Math. 13. Worldly Christians resembled to Aesops Cocke Worldly allurements motions of drawing backe by Gods grace with standed Experience of the Lordes assistance in confirming his seruantes M. Glouer coÌ„mitted to the Iayle before any cause was declared Gods mighty consolation vpon Rob. Glouer in prison M. Glouer weepeth for ioy in prison M. Glouer couÌ„selled to put in bondes Rober Glouer refuseth to enter into bondes Worldly persuasions not receiued M. Glouer agâ—yne visited with Gods holy comfort M Glouer reasoning with himselfe M. Glouer taketh courage al 〈◊〉 and daungerâ— set aside M. Glouer resolued in himselfe to abyde the vttermost for the Gospells cause The Papistâ— proceede with M. Glouer agaynst the lawes of the realme Commaundement geuen to the Sumner agaynst Iohn Glouer and not agaynst Robert Glouer This Byshops name was Doct. Banes M. Warren of Couentry persecutor of Rob. Glouer A lesson for all persecutors Luke 16. R· Glouer brought before Banes B. of Lichfield and Couentrye M. Robert Glouer M. of Art in Cambridge R. Glouer charged for not comming to the Church The Bishop refuseth to be iudged by the primatiue Church Robert Glouer and his fellow prisoners remoued from Couentry to Lichfield in the face of the open market Iephcot the Chauncellours seruaunt Papistes keepe no promise Iephcot Persey cruell and straite agaynst M. Glouer Talke betweene M. Glouer and the Chancellor in prison * The Church geueth witnes which be the true bookes and writings of the Apostles as also the olde Sinagogue of the Iewes doth witnes which be the true bookes of the holy Prophetes yet it followeth not thereby that the Iewes haue authority ouer the Scripture The comforts sweete feelinges of M. Glouer in prison M. Glouer assaulted by the enemy in prison concerning vnworthynes Actes 24. Rom. 11. Rom. 4. Iohn 2. Gods election bound to no worthines or person Rom. 10. Psalme 145. It is no arrogaÌ„cye to presume vpon Gods promise Psalm 50. Robert Glouer replyeth against the tentation of the enemy in that he is a sinner M. Glouer brought agayne before the Bishop Reasoning betwene M. Glouer and the Byshop * The true Church is alwayes builded vp on the doctrine of the Apostles which though it appeare not alwaies alyke in outward â—â—ght the faulte is in the tyme not in the Church Tymes do alter and with the tymes the outward face of the Church may alter sometymes appearing more sometymes lesse sometymes very little sometymes nothing at all according as the persecution is Neuertheles the truth of the church abydeth alwayes one Neyther doth it goe by number of meÌ„ but by soundnes of truth Many agreeing in one may make an vnitye but the veritye of the word maketh the Church whether it be in few or in many The first question Power by Gods word in the ministery to remit sinnes 2. questioâ— 3. question Robert Glouer destitute foâ—â— tyme of the Lords comfort The Lord for a tyme may withdraw his comfortes but at leÌ„gth he visiteth his seruantâ— R. Glouer receaueth agayne coÌ„fort of the Lord. Cornelius Bongey Martyr Articles obiected to Cornelius Bongey Hâ—s Aunsweres to the articles Iohn Glouer William Glouer after their deaâ—h condemned and cast out for heretickes A new search made for Iohn Glouer The prouidence of God agayne in sauing Iohn Glouer Agnes Glouer wyfe to Iohn Glouer apprehended D. Dracot not suffering Iohn Glouer to be buryed in the Churchyearde Iohn Glouer after his death iudged of Doct. Dracot to be a damned soule Testimony of this story The maner of handling the body of WilliaÌ„ Glouer after his death Bernard a Popish Curate of Weme Iohn Thorlyne agaynst the burying of W. Glouers brother The letter of Raufe Bayne B. of Chester for the not burying of W. Glouers body The dead corpeâ— of W. Glouer dragged with horse into the field M. Edward Burton not suffered to be buryed in Christian buriall the same day when Q. Elizabeth was crowned Oliuer Richardine in Hartford West Martyr William Wolsey Robert Pigot Martyrs Richard Euerard extreame agaynst WilliaÌ„ Wolsey W. Wolsey commaunded to the Iayle D. Fuller Christopherson D. Yong come to conferre with Wolsey Wolsey putteth a question to the 〈…〉 D. Watsons booke of Sermons or Homelyes D. Fuller agayne resorteth to W. Wolsey The Chauncellour geâ—eth leaue to Wolsey to depart W. Wolsey layd in the Castle of Wisbich Rob. Pigot Painter presented for not coÌ„ming to the Chuâ—ch Talke betweene Syr Clement Higham Iudge and Rob. Pigot Rob. Pigot brought to the Iayle where W. Wolsey 〈◊〉 Anno 1555. October Wolsey and Pâ—got returned to Eley to prison Tho. Goodâ—â—â—e Biâ—â—hop of Eley The Bishops Câ—â—playne a FrenchmaÌ„ 〈◊〉 the prisoners in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Woâ—sey called to iudgment in the Bâ—shops 〈◊〉 Wolseys aunswere to Sâ—â—xton M. Christopherson writeth what he would haue Pâ—got conâ—â—â— of the â—acrâ—ment 〈◊〉 refuseth to 〈◊〉 to Christophersons 〈◊〉 M. Peacoke appoynted to preach at tâ—e burning of Wolsey and Pigot â— Wolsey 〈◊〉 himselfe to be â—ound in all pointes of the scripture belonging to his 〈…〉 The MartyrdoÌ„e of W. Wolsey and Rob. Pigot at Eley Anno 1555. Octob. 16. Bookes burned with Wolsey Pigot The natures of Wolsey and Pigot described The zelous spirite of William Wolsey W. Wolsey desirous of Martirdome Wolsey calleth the day of his Martirdome his glad day Thomas Hodilo Berebruer of Cambridge witnes of this story Richard Denton first conuerter of Wolsey Money sent by Wolsey to Denton Wolsey exhorting Richard Denton to persist in the truth Denton afraydâ— of burning Richard DentoÌ„ burned in his owne house which before would not burne for Christ. Anno. 1564. Aprill 18 Doct. Nicholas Ridley Martyr Nicholas Ridley borne in Noâ—thumberland Nicholas Ridley learned at Newcastle Nicholas Ridley mayster of Pembroke hall in Cambridge Nicholas Ridley made D. of Diuinitye Nicholas Ridley king Henryes Chapleine Nicholas Ridley made Bishop of Rochester Nicholas Ridley made Byshop of LondoÌ„ The fruitefull dilligence of B. Ridley in preaching Gods word B. Ridley of great memory and reading B· Ridley comely of proportion and complexion The fayre conditions of Byshop Ridley tender to his kinred yeâ— not otherwise then truth and right
it remayned in the sea of Rome This if you shall confesse with vs acknowledge with all the realme your errours and false assertions then shall you doe that whiche we most desire then shall we rest vppon the first part of our Commission then shall we receiue you acknowledge you one of the Churche and according to the authoritie geuen vnto vs minister vnto you vpon due repentaunce the benefite of absolution to the whiche the Kyng and Queene their Maiesties were not ashamed to submit them selues although they of them selues were vnspotted and therefore needed no reconciliation yet lest the putrification and rottennesse of all the body myght be noysome and do damage to the head also they as I sayd most humbly submitted them selues to my Lorde Cardinall his grace by hym as Legate to the Popes holynes to bee partakers of the reconciliation but if you shall stubburnely perseuer in your blindnes if you wyll not acknowledge your errours if you as you stande nowe alone wyll be singular in your opinions if by schisme and heresie you wyll styll diuide your selfe from our Churche then must wee proceede to the seconde part of the Commission which we would be loth to do that is not to condemne you for that wee can not doe that the temporall sworde of the Realme and not wee will do but to separate you from vs acknowledge you to be none of vs to renounce you as no member of the Churche to declare that you are filius perditionis a lost chylde and as you are a rotten member of the Churche so to cut you of from the Church and so to commit you to the temporall Iudges permittyng them to proceede agaynst you accordyng to the tenor of their lawes Therefore M. Latimer for Gods loue consider your estate remember you are a learned man you haue taken degrees in the Schole borne the office of a Byshop remember you are an olde man spare your body accelerate not your death especially remember your soules health quiet of your conscience consyder that if you shoulde dye in this state you shall be a stinkyng sacrifice to God for it is the cause that maketh the Martyr and not the death consyder that if you dye in this state you dye without grace for without the Churche can be no saluation Let not vayne glory haue the vpper hande humiliate your selfe captiuate your vnderstandyng subdue your reason submit your selfe to the determination of the Churche doe not force vs to doe all that we may doe let vs rest in that parte whiche wee most hartely desyre and I for my part then the Byshop put of his cap agayne with all my hart exhort you After the Byshop had somewhat paused then M. Latimer lift vp his head for before he leaned on his elbowe and asked whether his Lordshyp had sayd and the Byshop answered yea Lati. Then will your Lordship geue me leaue to speake a worde oâ— two Linc Yea M. Latimer so that you vse a modest kynd of talke without raysing or tauntes Lati. I beseech your Lordshyp licence me to sit downe Linc. At your pleasure M. Latimer take as much ease as you wyll Lati. Your Lordshyppe gentlye exhorted mee in manye woordes to come to the vnitie of the Churche I confesse my Lorde a Catholicke Churche spread throughout all the worlde in the whiche no man may erre without the whiche vnitie of the Churche no man can be saued but I knowe perfectly by Gods woorde that this Churche is in all the worlde and hath not his foundation in Rome only as you say and me thought your Lordshyp brought a place out of the Scriptures to confirme the same that there was a iurisdiction geuen to Peter in that Christe bad hym regere gouerne his people In deede my Lord sainct Peter did well and truely his office in that he was byd regere but since the Byshoppes of Rome haue taken a new kynd of regere In deede they ought to regere but how my Lord not as they will them selues but this regere must be hedged in and digged in They must regere but secundum verbum dei they must rule but accordyng to the worde of God But the Byshops of Rome haue turned regere secundum verbum dei into regere secundum voluntatem suam they haue turned the rule accordyng to the woorde of GOD into the rule accordyng to their owne pleasures and as it pleaseth them best as there is a booke set foorth whiche hath diuers poyntes in it and amongest other this poynt is one whiche your Lordshyppe went about to proue by this woorde regere and the argument whiche he bryngeth foorth for the proofe of that matter is taken out of Deuteronomie where it is sayde if there ryseth anye controuersie amonge the people the Priestes Leuitici generis of the order of Leuiticus shall decide the matter secundum legem dei accordyng to the lawe of GOD so it muste be taken This booke perceyuing this authoritie to be geuen to the Priestes of the olde lawe taketh occasion to proue the same to be geuen to the Byshops and other the Cleargy of the new law but in prouyng this matter where as it was sayde there as the Priestes of the order of Leuiticus shoulde determine the matter accordyng to Gods law that accordyng to Gods law is left out and onely is recited as the Priestes of the order of Leuiticus shall decide the matter so it ought to be taken of the people a large authoritie I ensure you What gelding of Scripture is this what clippyng of Gods coyne With the which termes the audience smiled This is muche like the regere whiche your Lordshyp talked of Nay nay my Lordes we may not geue such authoritie to the Clergie to rule all thynges as they wyll Let them keepe them selues within their commission Now I trust my Lord I do not rayle yet Linc. No M. Latimer your talke is more like tauntes then rayling but in that I haue not red the booke which you blame so much nor knowe not of any suche I can say nothyng therein Lati. Yes my Lorde the booke is open to be red and is intituled to one whiche is Bishop of Glocester whom I neuer knew neither did at any tyme see him to my knowledge With that the people laughed because the Byshop of Glocester sat there in commission Then the Byshop of Glocester stoode vp and sayd it was his booke Lati. Was it yours my Lorde In deede I knewe not your Lordshyp neither euer did see you before neither yet see you now through the brightnes of the Sunne shining betwixt you and me Then the audience laughed agayne and Maister Latimer spake vnto them saying Why my maisters this is no laughyng matter I aunsweare vppon lyfe and death Vae vobis qui redetis nunc quoniam flebitis The Byshoppe of Lincolne commaunded silence and then sayde Linc. M. Latimer if you had kept
declared my iudgemeÌ„t vnto you in this because I caÌ„not speake hereof without the daunger of my life Rich. There is none of vs here that seeketh thy life or meane to take any aduauntage of that thou shalt speake Phil. Although I mistrust not your honorable Lordships yâ— be here of the teÌ„poralty yet here is one that sitteth against me pointing to my Lord of London that wil lay it to my charge euen to the death Notwithstanding seeing youre honours do require me to declare my minde of the preseÌ„ce of Christ in the sacrament that ye may perceaue that I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christe neither doe mayntayne any opinion without probable and sufficient authoritie of the Scripture I will shewe franckly my minde without all colour what soeuer shall ensuâ— vnto me therfore so that my Lord of London wil not let me to vtter my minde Rich. My Lord permit him to say what he can seeyng hee is willing to shew his mind London I am content my Lordes let him say what he can I will heare him Phil. That which I doe entend to speake vnto you right honourable Lordes I do protest here first before God his Angels that I speake it not of vaynglory neyther of singularitie neither of wilfull stubburnes but truely vpon a good conscience grounded on Gods worde against the which I dare not do for feare of damnation which wil follow that which is done contrary to knowledge Neyther do I disagree to the proceedinges of this realme in the religion for that I loue not the Queene whom I loue from the bottome of my hart but because I ought to loue fear God in his word more then man in his lawes thoughe I stand as I seeme to do in this consideration and for none other as God I call to witnes There be two thinges principally by the which the clergy at this day doth deceiue the whole realm that is the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ and the name of the Catholicke church yâ— which both they do vsurpe hauing in deed none of them both And as touching theyr Sacrament which they terme of the aulter I say now as I sayd in the Conuocation house that it is not the Sacramente of Christ neither in the same is there any maner of Chrystes presence Wherfore they deceiue the Queenes maiesty and you of the nobilitie of thys realme in making you to beleue that to be a sacrament which is none and cause you to commit manifest Idolatry in worshipping that for God whiche is no God And in testimony of this to be true besides manifest proofe which I am able to make to the Queenes maiesty and to all you of her nobility I will yeld my lyfe The which to do if it were not vpon a sure grouÌ„d it were to my vtter damnation And where they take on them the name of the Catholicke church wherby they blinde many folkes eyes they are nothing so calling you from the true religion whiche was reuealed taught in K. Edwardes time vnto vaine superstition And this I will say for the tryall hereof that if they can proue themselues to be the catholicke church as they shal neuer be able to do I wil neuer be agaynst their doynges but reuoke all that I haue sayd And I shall desire you my Lordes to be a meane for me to the Queenes maiestie that I may be brought to the iust triall hereof Yea I will not refuse to stand agaynst ten of the best of them in this realme And if they be able to proue otherwise then I haue sayd either by writing or by reasoning with good lawfull authoritie I will here promise to recant whatsoeuer I haue sayd to consent to them in all poyntes And in the declaratioÌ„ of these things more at large which now I write in summe the Bishop of London eftsones would haue interrupted me but the Lords procured me libertie to make out my tale to the great griefe of my Lord bishop of London as it appeared by his dumpes he was in LondoÌ„ It hath bene told me before that you loue to make a long tale Rich. Al heretickes do boast of the spirite of God and euery one would haue a church by himselfe as Ioan of Kent and the Anabaptistes I had my selfe Ioan of Kent a seuen night in my house after the writ was out for her to be burnt where my Lorde of Canterb. and Bishop Ridley resorted almost dayly vnto her but she was so high in the spirite that they could do nothing with her for all theyr learning But she went wilfully vnto the fire was burnt and so do you now Phil. As for Ioan of Kent shee was a vayne woman I knew her well an heretick indeed well worthye to bee burnt because she stoode agaynst one of the manifest artycles of our faith contrary to the scriptures and such vayne spirites be soone known from the true spirite of God hys church for that the same abideth wtin the limites of GODS word and will not go out of the same neither stubburnely mayntaine any thing coÌ„trary to the word as I haue gods word throughly on my side to shew for that I stand in London I pray you how will you ioyne me these ij scriptures together Pater maior me est pater ego vnum sumuê° I must enterprete the same because my Lordes here vnderstand not the Latin that is to saye The Father is greater then I and I and the father are one But I cry you mercye my Lordes I haue mispoken in saying you vnderstande no Latine for the most part of you vnderstand Latin as well as I. But I spake in consideration of my Lord ShaÌ„doys and M. Bridges his brother whom I take to be no great Latin men Now shew your cunning and ioine these two scriptures by the word if you can Phil. Yes that I can right well For we must vnderstande that in Christ there be two natures the diuinitie and Humanitie in respect of his humanitie it is spoken of christ The Father is greater then I. But in respect of hys Deitie he sayd agayne The Father and I be one London But what scripture haue you Phil. Yes I haue sufficient scripture for the proofe of that I haue sayd For the first it is written of Christ in the Psalmes Diminuisti eum paulominus ab Angelis Thou hast made him a little lesser then Aungels It is the xv Psalme beginning Coeli enarrant And there I misreckoned wherwithall my Lord tooke me London It is in Domine Dominus noster Yee may see my Lords how wel this man is vsed to say his Mattins Phil. Though I say not Mattins in suche order as youre Lordship meaneth yet I remember of olde that Domine Dominus noster and Coeli enarrant bee not farre asunder and albeit I misnamed the Psalme it is no preiudice to the truth of that I haue
of all comfort and the father of our Lord Iesus Christ send vnto thee my deare brother Carles the inward consolation of hys holy spirite in all the malicious assaultes and troublous temptations of our common aduersarye the deuill Amen That God geueth you so contrite a hart for your sins I cannot but reioyce to beholde the liuely marke of the children of God whole propertie is to think more lowly and vily of themselues then of any other and oftentymes doe set theyr sinnes before them that they might the more hee stirred to bring forth the fruites of repentance learne to mourne in this world that in an other they might the more be stirred to bring forth the fruites of repentance learne to mourne in this worlde that in an other they might bee glad and reioyce Such a broken hart is a pleasaunt sacrifice vnto God O that I had the like contrite hart GOD mollifie my stony hart which lamenteth not in suche wyse my former detestable iniquities Praysed be God that he hath geuen you this sorrowful hart in respect of righteousnesse I pray you let me be partaker of these godly sorrowes for sin which be the testimony of the presence of the holy ghost Did not the sword of sorrow pearce the hart of the electe blessed mother of our Lord Did not Peter weepe bitterly for his sinnes which was so beloued of christ Did not Mary Magdalen wash the feet of our sauiour with her teares receaued therwithall remission of her seuenfold sinnes Be of good comfort therefore myne owne deare hart in this thy sorrow for it is the earnest peny of eternal consolation In thy sorrow laugh for the spirite of God is with thee Blessed be they sayth Chryst that mourne for they shall be comforted They went forth and wept saythe the prophet such shall come agayne hauing theyr gripes full of gladnes And although a sorrowfull hart in consideratioÌ„ of his sinne be an acceptable sacrifice before God whereby wee are styrred vp to more thankfulnes vnto God knowing that much is forgeuen vs that we might loue the more yet the maÌ„ of God must keep a measure in the same least he be swallowed vp by too much sorow S. Paul would not the ThessaloniaÌ„s to be sory as other meÌ„ which haue no hope suche a sorrow is not coÌ„meÌ„dable but worketh daÌ„nation is far froÌ„ the childreÌ„ of God who are coÌ„tinually sorrowfull in god wheÌ„ they look vpoÌ„ their owne vnworthines with hope of forgeuenes For God to this end by his spirite setteth the sinnes of his elect still before them that where they perceiue sinne to abound there they might be assured that grace shall superabound bringeth them down vnto hell that he might lift theÌ„ vp with greater ioy vnto heauen Wherefore myne own bowels in Christ as long as you are not voyd altogether of hope be not dismayd through your pensâ—â—e hart for your sinnes how huge so euer they haue bene for God is able to forgeue more then you are able to sinne yea and he will forgeue hym which with hope is sory for his sins But know brother that as oft as we doe go about by the helpe of Gods spirite to do that is good the euill spirite Sathan layeth hard wayt to turne the good vnto euil goeth about to mixe the detestable darnell of desperation with the godly sorrow of a pure penitent hart You be not ignoraunt of hys malicious subtletie and howe that continually he assaulteth the good which the grace of God planteth I see the battel betwixt you and hym but the victory is yours yea and that dayly For you haue layde hold vppon the anker of saluation whiche is hope in Christe the which will not suffer you to be made ashamed Be not discomforted that you haue this conflict but be glad that God hath geuen you the same to try your faith that you might appeare dayly worthy of the kingdome of God for the whiche you striue God beholdeth your stryuing faith against Sathan is pleased with your mighty resistance The spirite which is in you is mightyer then al the aduersaries power TeÌ„pt he may lying awayt at youre heelees geue you a fall vnwares but ouercome hee shall not yea he cannot for you are sealed vp already with a liuely fayth to be the childe of God for euer whoÌ„ God hath once sealed for hys owne hym he neuer vtterly forsaketh The iust falleth 7. times but he ryseth agayne It is maÌ„s fraylty to fall but it is the propertie of the deuils child to lye still This strife against sinne is a sufficient testimonye that you are the childe of God for if you were not you shoulde feele no such malice as he now troubleth you withal WheÌ„ this stroÌ„g Goliah hath the hold al things be in peace which he possesseth because he hath you not hee will not suffer you vnassaulted But stand fast hold out the Buckler of fayth with the sword of Gods promises smite hym on the scalpe that he may receiue a deadly wound and neuer be able to stand agaynst you any more S. Iames telleth you that he is but a coward saying Resist the deuill and he will flye away It is the will of God that he should thus long tempt you and not go away as yet or els he had done wyth you long ere this He knoweth already that he shal receiue the foyle at your hands and encrease the crowne of your glory for he that ouercommeth shall be crowned Therefore glory in your temptations since they shall turne to your felicity Be not afraide of your continuall assaults which be occasions of your daily victorie The woorde of God abideth for euer In what houre soeuer a sinner repenteth him of his sinnes they be forgeuen Who caÌ„ lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect Do you not perceiue the manifest tokens of your election First your vocation to the Gospell and after your vocation the manifest gifts of the spirite of God geuen vnto you aboue many other of your condition with godlinesse which beleueth and yeldeth to the authority of the scriptures and is zealous for the same Seeing you are Gods owne dearling who can hurt you Be not of a deiecte minde for these temptations neyther make your vnfained frends to be more sorrowful for you then neede doth require Since God hath willed you at your baptisme in Christ to be carelesse why doe you make your selfe carefull Cast all your care on him Sette the Lorde before your eyes alwaies for he is on your right side that you shall not be mooued Behold the goodnesse of God toward me I am careles being fast closed in a paire of stockes which pinche me for very straitnes and wil you be careful I wil not haue that vnseemely addition to your name Be as your name pretendeth for doubtles you haue none other cause but so to
he were not among the lawyers such a phenix that he had very few or no fellowes to fâ—ye with hym or to followâ— hys steppes But God is to be praysed that although we read of few or none among that sort that dyed as he did yet good witnesse doe spring vpp dayly of the same profession to such towardnes and Godly zeale that some hope already appeareth shortly to come to passe that this godly Phenix shall not flye alone These foresayde notes and gatheringes of his out of the Doctoures were taken from him by Boner being found about hym which was to him no little griefe Hee among the rest was first apprehended but last of them condemned which was the xv day of Ianuary and afterward burned with the other Martyrs the 27. of the same moneth 3. Thomas Browne Martyr THomas Browne borne in the Paryshe of Hyston wythin the Dyoces of Elye came afterwarde to London where hee dwelled in the Parysh of Sainct Brides in Fleetestreete a maryed manne of the age of 37. yeares who because he came not to hys parish church was presented by the Constable of the Parishe to Boner As touching whose articles wherupon he was examined by the sayd Boner with his aunsweres also annexed to the same mention goeth before as in the generall processe of him and of the rest may appeare This Tomas Browne being had to FulhaÌ„ with the other thereto be examined was required vpon Thursday being the xxvi day of September to come into the Chappell to heare Masse whiche he refusing to doe went into the warren and there kneled among the trees For this hee was greatly charged of the Bishop as for an haynous matter because he sayd it was done in despite and contempt of theyr masse which seemed to the Byshop and his Chaplaynes no small offence At length being producted to his last examination before the sayd Bishop xv day of Ianuarye there to heare the sentence diffinitiue agaynst him first hee was required wyth many fayre wordes and glosing promises to reuoke hys doctrine to whome the foresayd Byshoppe speaking these woordes sayde Browne ye haue bene before me many tymes and ofte and I haue trauailed with thee to wynne thee from thyne erroures yet thou and suche like haue and doe reporte that I goe about to seeke thy bloud c. To whome the sayd Thomas Browne aunswered agayne yea my Lord sayd he in deede ye be a bloudsucker I would I had as much bloud as is water in the Sea for you to sucke Boner then proceeding to the articles when he hadde red them vnto him agayne as he had done diuers tymes before asked him whether he was content and willing to relinquishe those hys heresies and erroneous opinions as he called them and returne agayne vnto the vnitie of the catholicke fayth Whereunto he made aunswere again saying if they were heresies he would forsake them They be heresies quoth the Byshoppe Howe will ye proue it sayd Browne for I will not goe froÌ„ mine aunsweres except you caÌ„ proue them to be heresies which ye shal neuer do For that whiche you call heresie is no heresie Wyth that Boner not able or els not disposed to supply the part of a sufficient teacher in prouing that which the other had denyed by good authoritie and doctrine of the scripture went about with wordes and promise of pardon to allure him to renounce those his heresies as he called them and to returne vnto the vnitie of his mother the Catholicke Churche c. To whom the sayd Thomas inferred agayne as followeth Proue it sayd he to be heresie that I do hold and mayntayne and I will turne to you But you condemne me because I wil not confesse and beleue the bread and in the sacrament of the aultar as you call it to be the body of Christ and therfore ye spill myne and such like innocents bloud being the Queenes true subiectes for whiche you shall aunswere and that shortly After this being spoken Boner as hee had done to the other before read in writing the sentence diffinitiue agaynst him The copie and forme of which sentence wherwith the Papistes were wont to condemne all the innocent saynts of Christes is aboue expressed pag. 1417. And so this done he was committed to the Sheriffes to be had away and burned the xxvii day of the sayd moneth of Ianuary constantly abiding with the other the Popes tormentes for the true confession of his Christian fayth 4. Iohn Tudson Martyr THe same daye and tyme when the foresayde Iohn Browne with his fellowes was condemned as is aboue rehearsed being the xv day of Ianuarye was also producted Iohn Tudson with the rest of the sayde company vnto the like condemnation This Iohn Tudson was borne in Ipswich in the Countye of Suffolke after that apprentise in London dwelling with one George Goodyeare of the parishe of saynct Mary Botulphe within the dioces of London who being complayned of to Sir Richard Cholmley and Doct. Story was by them sent vnto Boner bishop of London and was diuers tymes before him in examination The Articles and interrogatories ministred vnto hym as vnto the rest before are specified with hys aunsweres also to the same annexed c. After this hee was brought vnto the open Consistory where the sayd blessed and true seruaunt of the Lord Iohn Tudson appearyng before the sayde byshoppe and his complices was moued with sundry perswasions as theyr maner is to goe from his opinion which they named heresie and to persiste in the vnitie of the Churche which they were of but hee constaÌ„tly persisting in that which he had receiued by the preachers in king Edwardes tyme refused so to doe saying there was no heresie in his answeres For I sayd he defy all heresie The Byshop yet still vsed his olde accustomed perswasions to remoue him promising moreouer all hys offences and erroures as he called them to bee forgeuen hym if he would returne c. Then sayde Tudson Tell me wherein I haue offended and I will returne Then sayd the Byshop In your aunsweres No sayd Tudson agayne I haue not therein offended and ye my Lord pretend Charitie but nothing therof appeareth in your workes Thus after a few wordes the bishop did likewise promulgate agaynst hym sentence of condemnation whiche being red the godly and constant martyr was committed to the secular power and so wyth much pacience finished this life with the other aboue named the xxvii daye of Ianuary 5. Iohn Went Martyr IOhn Went borne in Langham in Essex within the Dyoces of London of the age of 27. a Shereman by occupation first was examined as partly is touched before by Doctor Story vpon the sacrament of his popishe Aultar and because the poore man did not accord with him throughly in the reall presence of the body and bloud of Chryst the sayd Story did send hym vp to Boner Byshop of London Who
by friendshippe onelye and of some other esteemed vnwoorthy of so high a vocation It is first therefore to be noted and considered that the same Thomas Cranmer comming of an ancient Parentage from the conquest to be deducted and continuing sithens in the name and familie of a Gentleman was borne in a Uillage called Arselacton in Notingham shire Of whose saide name and family there remaineth at these daies one Manour and mansion house in Lincolne shire called Cranmer Hall c. Some times of heritage of the saide stocke and familie Who being from his infancie kept at schoole and brought vp not without much good ciuilitie came in processe of time vnto the Uniuersitye of Cambridge there prospering in right good knowledge amongst the better sort of students was chosen fellow of Iesus Colledge in Cambridge And so being maister of Arte and fellow of the same Colledge it chaunced him to marrye a Gentlemans daughter by meanes whereof he lost and gaue ouer his fellowship there and became the reader in Buckingham Colledge and for that hee woulde with more diligence apply that his office of reading placed his sayd wâ—te in an Inne called the Dolphin in Cambridge the wife of the house being of affinitie vnto her By reason wherof and for that his often resorte vnto his wife in that Inne he was muche marked of some Popish marchaunts whereupon rose the slaunderous noyse and report against him after he was preferred to the Archbyshopricke of Canterb. raised vp by the malicious disdaine of certaine malignant aduersaries to Christ and his truth bruting abroad euery where that he was but an Hostler and therfore without all good learning Of whose malicious reportes one of their practises in that behalfe shall heereafter be declared as place and time shall serue But in the meane time to retourne to the matter present Whilest this saide M. Cranmer continued as reader in Buckingham Colledge his wife died in childebed After whose death the maisters and fellowes of Iesus Colledge desirous againe of their old companion namely for his towardnes in learning chose him againe fellow of the same Colledge Where he remaining at his studie became in fewe yeares after the reader of Diuinitie lecture in the same Colledge and in such special estimation and reputation with the whole vniuersitâ—e that being Doctor of diuinitie hee was commonly appoynted one of the heades which are two or three of the chiefest learned men to examine suche as yearely professe in commencement eyther Bachelers or Doctors of Diuinitie by whose approbation the whole vniuersitie licenceth them to proceede vnto their degree and againe by whose disallowance the Uniuersitie also reiecteth them for a time to proceede vntill they be better furnished with more knowledge Nowe Doctour Cranmer euer muche fauouringe the knowledge of the Scripture would neuer admitte any to proceede in Diuinitie vnlesse they were substantially sene in the storie of the Bible by meanes where of certayne friers and other religious persons who were principally brought vp in the studie of schoole authoâ—s wythout regard had to the aucthoritie of scriptures were commonly reiected by him so that hee was greatly for that his seuere examination of the religious sort much hated and had in great indignation and yet it came to passe in the end that diuers of them being thus compelled to study the Scriptures became afterwardes very wel learned and wel 〈◊〉 in so much that when they proceeded Doctours of diuinitie could not ouermuch extol and commend master Doc. Cranmers goodnesse towardes them who had for a time put them backe to aspire vnto better knowledge and perfection Among whom D. Barret a white Frier who afterwardes dwelt at Norwich was after that sort haÌ„dled geuing him no lesse commendation for his happye reiecting of him for a better amendement Thus muche I repeat that our â—pish and popish sort of ignorant priestes may well vnderstande that this his exercise kinde of life and vocation was not altogether Hostlerlike Well to goe forwardes Like as hee was neyther in fame vnknowen nor in knowledge obscure so was hee greatly solicited by Doct. Capon to haue beene one of the felowes in the foundation of Cardinal Wolseis Colledge in Oxforde which he vtterly refused not without danger of indignation Notwithstanding foreseeing that whyche after chaunced to the vtter confusion of many wel affected learned men there without consideration because mans glory was there more sought for then Gods hee stoode to the danger of the sayd indignation whych chaunced more prosperously vnto him within fewe yeares after then hee looked for For whiles hee thus continued in Cambridge The great and weighty cause of king Henry the viij hys diuorce with the Lady Katherine Dowager of Spayne came into question which being many waies by the space of ij or iij. yeares amongst the Canonists Ciuilians and other learned men diuersly disputed and debated it came to passe that this sayde Doct. Cranmer by reason that the plague was in Cambridge resorted to Waltham Abbey to one M. Cresses house there whose wife was of kinne to the sayde M. Cranmer And for that he had ij sonnes of the said Cressey with him at Cambridge as his pupulles he rested at Waltham crosse at the house of the sayd master Cressey with the sayde ij children during that somer time whiles the plague reigned In this somer time Cardinall Campeius and Cardinall Wolsey being in commission from the Pope to here and determine that greate cause in controuersie betweene the K. the Queene his pretended wife dalyed and delaied all the sommer time vntill the moneth of Aug. came in hearing the said cause in controuersie debated When August was come the sayd Cardinals little minding to procede to sentence geuing tooke occasion to finish their commission and not further to determine therein pretending not to be permitted by the lawes to kepe courts of Ecclesiasticall matters in haruest time which sodeine stay geuing ouer of the said commissioÌ„ by both the cardinals being vnknowen to the king it so much mooued him that he taking it as a mocke at the cardinals hands commanded the dukes of Northfolke and Suffolke to dispatch forthw t cardinal Campeius home againe to Rome and so in hast remooued him selfe from London to Waltham for a night or twaine whiles his houshold remooued to Grenewich by meanes wherof it chanced that the harbengers lodged D. Stephens Secretarie and D. Foxe Almosiner who were the chief furtherers preferrers and defendors on the kings behalfe of the said cause in the house of the sayd M. Cressey where the sayd doctor Cranmer was also lodged and resident When supper time came they all iij. Doctors met together Doctor Stephens and Doctor Foxe muche marueiling of Doctor Cranmers being there Who declared to them the cause of his there being namely for that the plague was in Cambridge And as they were of olde acquaintance so the Secretarie and the Almosiner right wel entertained
your part doe handle the matter for the discharging of both our consciences Doctour Cranmer much disabling himselfe to meddle in so weighty a matter besoughte the kings highnesse to commit the trial and examining of this matter by the word of God vnto the best learned men of bothe his Uniuersities Cambridge and Oxforde You say wel said the king and I am content therewith But yet neuerthelesse I wil haue you specially to wryte your minde therein And so calling the Earle of Wiltshiere to him sayde I praye you my Lorde let Doctour Cranmer haue intertainement in your house at Durham place for a time to the intent hee may be there quiet to accomplish my request and let him lacke neither bookes ne any thing requisite for his studie And thus after the kinges departure Doctour Cranmer went with my Lorde of Wiltshiere vnto his house where hee incontinent wrote hys minde concerning the kinges question adding to the same besides the authorities of the Scriptures of generall Councels and of auncient wryters also his opinion which was this that the Bishop of Rome had no suche authoritie as whereby hee myghte dispence wyth the woorde of God and the Scripture When Doctour Cranmer had made this Booke and committed it to the king the king sayd to him wil you abide by this that you haue heere wrytten before the Bishop of Rome That will I do by Gods grace quoth Doctor Cranmer if your Maiestie doe sende me thether Marye quoth the king I will send you euen to him in a sure Ambassage And thus by meanes of doctour Cranmers handling of this matter with the King not onely certaine learned men were sent abroad to the most part of the vniuersities in Christendome to dispute the question but also the same being by Commission disputed by the diuines in both the Uniuersities of Cambridge and Oxforde it was there concluded that no suche matrimonie was by the woorde of God lawfull Whereuppon a solemne ambassage was then prepared and sent to the Bishop of Rome then being at Bononie wherein went the Earle of Wiltshire D. Cranmer D. Stokesley D. Carne D. Benet and diuers other learned men and Gentlemen And when the time came that they shoulde come before the Byshoppe of Rome to declare the cause of their ambassage the Bishop sitting on high in his cloth of estate and in his rich apparell with his sandales on his feete offring as it were hys foote to be kissed of the Ambassadours the Earle of Wiltshiere disdaining thereat stoode still and made no countenaunce thereunto so that al the rest kept themselues from that Idolatrie How be it one thing is not heere to be omitted as a prognosticate of our separation from the Sea of Rome which then chaunced by a Spaniell of the Earle of Wiltshiere For he hauing there a great Spaniel whiche came out of Englande with him stoode directly betweene the Earle and the Bishoppe of Rome When the sayd bishop had aduaunced foorth his foote to be kissed nowe whether the Spaniell perceiued the Bishops foote of an other nature then it ought to be and so taking it to be some kinde of repast or whether it was the will of God to shew some token by the dogge vnto the Bishoppe of hys inordinate pride that his feete were more meete to be bitten of dogs then kissed of Christian men the Spaniell I say when the Bishoppe extended his foote to be kist no man regarding the same straight way as thoughe hee had beene of purpose appoynted thereunto went directly to the popes feet not onely kissed the same vnmanerlye but as some plainly reported affirmed tooke fast with his mouth the great Toe of the Pope so that in haste hee pulled in hys glorious feete from the Spaniell Whereat our men smiling in their sleeues what they thought God knoweth But in fine the Pontificall bishoppe after that sought no more at that present for kissing his feete but without any further ceremonie gaue eare to the Ambassadoures what they had to say Who entring there before the Byshoppe offred on the kings behalfe to bee defended that no manne Iure diuino coulde or ought to marrie his brothers wife and that the Bishoppe of Rome by no meanes oughte to dispence to the contrary Diuers promises were made and sundrye dayes appoynted wherein the question should haue bene disputed and when our parte was readye to aunsweare no manne there appeared to dispute in that behalfe So in the ende the Bishoppe making to our Ambassadoures good countenaunce and gratifying D. Cranmer with the office of the Penitenciarshippe dismissed them vndisputed withall Whereuppon the Earle of Wiltshire and other Commissioners sauing Doctour Cranmer retourned home againe into England And foorthwith Doctour Cranmer went to the Emperour being in hys iourney towardes Uienna in expedition againste the Turke there to aunswere suche learned men of the Emperours counsaile as woulde or coulde say anye thinge to the contrarye parte Where amongest the rest at the same time was Cornelius Agrippa an highe Officer in the Emperours Courte who hauing priuate conference with Doctoure Cranmer in the question was so fully resolued and satisfied in the matter that afterwardes there was neuer disputation openly offered to Doctoure Cranmer in that behalfe For thorowe the perswasion of Agrippa al other learned men there were muche discouraged In so much that after D. Cranmer was retourned into Englande Agrippa fel into suche displeasure wyth the Emperour as some men thoughte that because of the hindering and discouraging so muche the contrary part he was committed to prisone where hee for sorrowe ended his life as it was reported In the meane space while the Emperour returned home from Uienna throughe Germanie Doctour Cranmer in that voyage had conference with diuers learned menne of Germanie concerning the sayde question who very ambiguously heeretofore conceiuing the cause were fully resolued and satisfied by him This matter thus prospering on Doctor Cranmers behalfe aswell touchinge the kinges question as concerning the inualiditie of the Bishop of Romes authoritye Bishop Warrham then Archbishop of Canterburie departed this transitory life wherby that dignity then bring in the kings gift and disposition was immediately geuen to D. Cranmer as worthy for his trauail of such a promotion Thus much touching the preferment of D. Cranmer vnto his dignity and by what meanes he atchieued vnto the same not by flattery not by bribes nor by none other vnlawfull meanes which thing I haue more at large discoursed to stoppe the railing mouthes of such who being themselues obscure vnlearned shame not so to detracte a learned man moste ignominiously with the surname of an Hosâ—ler whome for his godly zeale vnto sincere religion they ought with muche humilitye to haue had in regarde and reputation Nowe as concerning his behauiour and trade of life towardes God and the world being now entred into his sayd dignity and for so much as the
the Catholicke Churche that the Pope is head of There is an other Church But as touching that I aunswere you are sure of that as the Donatistes were for they sayd that they hadde the true Church and that the name of the true Christians remayned onely in Aphricke where onely theyr sedicious sect was preached and as you thinke so thought Nouatus that all they that did acknowledge theyr supreame head at the Sea of Rome were out of the Church of Christ. But here saynt Cyprian defending Cornelius agaynst Nouatus Libro secundo Epistola Sexta sayth on this wise Ecclesia vna est quae cum sit vna intus foris esse non potest So that if Nouatus were in the true Churche then was not Cornelius who in deede by lawefull succession succeeded Pope Fabian Here S. Cyprian entendeth by the whole processe to proue and concludeth thereupon that the true Churche was onely Rome Gather you then what will folow of your fall But you will say peraduenture that ye fell not by heresy and so sayde the Arrians alledging for themselues that they had scripture and going about to perswade their schisme by Scripture for in deed they had more places by two forty which by theyr torture semed to depend vpon Scripture thē the Catholickes had So did the Martians prouoke theyr heresy to Scripture But those are no Scriptures for they are not truely alledged nor truely interpreted but vntruely wrested and wronge according to theyr owne fantasies And therefore were they all iustly condemned for theyr wrong taking of the Scriptures and the Churche replieth agaynst them saying Qui estis vos quando quid agitis in meo non Mei The Churche sayeth what make you here in my heritage From whence came you The Scripture is my inheritage I am right heire therof I holde it by true succession of the Apostles for as the Apostles required mee to holde so do I holde it The Apostles haue receiued me and put me in my right and haue reiected you as bastardes hauing no title thereunto Also ye will denie that you haue fallen by Apostasie by breaking your vow so Vigilantius sayd in so much that he would admitte none to his ministerye but those that had theyr wiues bagged with children What now Shall we say that Vigilantius did not fall therefore Did not Donatus and Nouatus fall because they sayed so and brought Scripture for theyt defence Then let vs beleeue as we list pretending well and say so nay there is no manne so blinde that will saye so For excepte the Church which condemneth them for theyr saye so doe approue vs for to doe so then will shee condemne you also So that your denyall will not stande And therefore I tell you remember from whence you haue fallen and howe low ye shall fall if you holde on as you doe beginne But I trust you will not continue but to reuoke your selfe in time and the remedy foloweth· Age poenitentiam prima opera fac for by such meanes as ye haue fallen ye must rise agayne First your hart hath fallen then your tongue and your penne and besides your owne damage hath caused many more to fall Therfore first your hart must turne and then shall the tongue and the penne be quickely turned Sin minus veniam tibi cito mouebo Candelabrum tuum de loco suo I neede not to teache you a methode to turne you knowe the ready way your selfe But I would God I coulde but exhorte you to the right and trueth then the way should soone be found out For if ye remember howe many he haue brought by abhominable heresy into the way of perdition I doubt not but very cōscience would moue you as muche for them as for your selfe to come againe And so would you spare neither tongue nor penne if hart were once reformed for as touching that poynt the holye Ghost toucheth theyr hartes very neare by the mouth of his holy Prophet Ezechiel when he requireth the bloud of his flocke at the Priestes handes for lacke of good and wholesome foode how much more should this touch your guilty hart hauing ouermuch diligence to teach them the waye of perdition and feeding them with baggage and corrupt foode whiche is heresye Qui conuertere fecerit peccatorem ab errore vitae suae saluam faciet animam suam a morte operiet multitudinem peccatorum suorum He that shall conuert a sinner from hys wicked life shall saue his soule from death and shall couer the multitude of sinnes So that if it be true that hee who conuerteth a Synner saueth a soule then the contrarye must needes be true that he that peruerteth a soule and teacheth him the way of perdition must needes be damned Origenes super Paulū ad Romanos The damnation of those that preacheth heresy doth encrease to the day of iudgement The more that perishe by hereticall doctrine the more grieuous shall theyr torment bee that minister suche doctrine Berengarius who seemed to feare that daunger prouided for it in his life time but not without a troubled and disquiet conscience He did not onely repent but recant and not so much for himselfe as for them whome he had with most pestilent heresyes infected For as he lay in his death bedde vpon Epiphany daye he demaunded of them that were present is this quoth he the day of Epiphany appearing of the Lord They aunswered him yea Thē quoth he this day shall the Lord appeare to me either to my comfort eyther to my discomfort This remorse argueth that he feared the daunger of them whom he had taught and ledde out of the faith of Christ. Origenes vpon him sayth in this wise Although hys owne bloud was not vpon his head for that he did repent and was sory for his former errors yet being conuerted he feared the bloud of them whom hee had infected and who receiued hys doctrine Let this moue you euen at the last poynt In so much as your case is not vnlike to Beringarius let your repentaunce bee like also And what shoulde staye you tell me from this godlye returne feare that ye haue gone so farre ye may not returne nay then I may saye as Dauid sayde Illic trepidauerunt vbi non erat timor Ye feare where you haue no cause to feare For if ye repent and be hartely sory for your former heresy and apostacy ye neede not to feare For as God of his part is mercifull gracious to the repentaunt sinner so is the Kyng so is the Queene mercifull which ye may well perceiue by your owne case since ye might haue suffered a great whiles agoe for treason committed agaynst her highnesse but that ye haue bene spared reserued vpon hope of amendement which she conceiued very good of you but now as it seemeth is but a very desperate hope And what do you thereby Secundum duritiem
Paulum contra vetus nouum TestameÌ„tum and that he Plenitudine potestatis tantum potest quantum Deus That is Agaynst Peter agaynst Paule agaynste the olde and new Testament and of the fulnes of power may doe as muche as God O Lord who euer heard suche blasphemy Iâ— there be any man that can aduaunce himself aboue him let hym be iudged Antichrist This enemy of God and of our redemption is so euydently paynted out in the scriptures by such manifest signes and tokens which all so clearely appeare in him that except a man will shut vpp hys eyes and heart agaynste the light he cannot but know hym and therefore for my part I will neuer geue my consent to the receiuing of hym into this Church of England And you my Lorde and the rest that sit here in Commission consider well and examyne your owne consciences you haue sworn agaynst him you are learned and can iudge of the trueth I pray God you â—e not wilfully blind As for me I haue herein discharged myne owne conscience toward the world and I wil write also my minde to her grace touching this matter The copy of which letter sent to the Queene ye shal finde after in the end of hys story While he in this sorte made hys aunswere ye heard before how Doctor Story and Martin diuers tymes interrupted him with blasphemous talke and would fayn haue had the Byshop of Glocester to put hym to silence who notwithstanding did not but suffered hym to end his tale at full After this ye heard also how they proceeded to examine hym of diuers articles wherof the chief was That at the tyme of hys creating Archbishop of Canterbury he was sworne to the Pope and had his institution and induction from him and promised to mayntayne then the authoritie of that See and therefore was periured wherefore he should rather sticke to his first othe and returne to hys old fold again then to continue obstinately in an othe forced in the tyme of schisme To that he aunswered sauing hys protestation whiche terme he vsed before all hys aunsweres that at suche time as Archb. Warrham dyed hee was Embassadour in Germanie for the K. who sent for hym thereuppon home hauing intelligence by some of his frends who wer nere about the king how he ment to bestow the same Byshoprick vpon hym and therefore counselled him in the case to make haste home he feeling in himself a great inhabilitie to such a promotion and very sory to leaue hys study and especially considering by what meanes he must haue it whiche was cleane agaynst hys conscience whiche hee coulde not vtter without great perill and daunger deuised an excuse to the king of matter of great importaunce for the whiche his longer abode there should be most necessary thinking by that meanes in hys absence that the kyng would haue bestowed it vpon some other and so remayned there by the deuise one halfe yeare after the king had written for him to come home But after that no suche matter fell out as hee seemed to make suspition of the king sent for hym agayn Who after hys returne vnderstanding stil the Archbishopricke to be reserued for hym made meanes by diuers of hys best frendes to shift it off desiring rather some smaller liuing that he might more quietly follow his booke To be briefe when the king himselfe spake with him declaring his full intention for his seruice sake and for the good opinion he conceiued him was to bestowe that dignitie vpon him after long disabling of himself perceiuing he could by no perswasions alter the kinges determination he brake franckly his conscience with him most humbly crauing first his Graces pardon for that he should declare vnto his highnesse Which obtained he declared that if he accepted the Office then he must receaue it at the popes hand whiche he neyther would nor could do for that hys highnesse was onely the supreme Gouernour of this church of England as well in causes Ecclesiasticall as Temporall and that the full right and donation of all manner of Bishoppricks and Benefices as wel as of any other TeÌ„porall dignities and promotions appertayned to hys Grace not to any other forraine authoritie whatsoeuer it was and therfore if he might serue God in that vocation him and his countrey seeing it was his pleasure so to haue it he would accepte it and receaue it of his maiestie and of none other straunger who had no authoritie within this realme neither in any such gifte nor in anye other thing Whereat the king said he staying a while and musing asked me how I was able to proue it At which time I alledged many textes out of the scriptures and the Fathers also approuing the supreme and highest authority of kinges in their realmes and dominions disclosing therewithall the intollerable vsurpation of the Pope of Rome Afterwardes it pleased his highnes quoth the Archb. many and sundry tymes to talke with me of it and perceiuing that I could not be brought to acknowledge the authoritie of the B. of Rome the king himselfe called Doct. Oliuer and other Ciuill Lawyers deuised with them how he might bestow it vpon me inforcing me nothing against my conscience Who therupon informed him that I might do it by the way of protestation so one to be sente to Rome who might take the othe and do euery thing in my name Which when I vnderstood I sayd he should do it Super animam suam and I in deed Bona fide made my protestation that I did not acknowledge his authoritie anye further then as it agreed with the expresse word of God that it might be lawfull for me at al times to speak against him and to impugne his erroures when time and occasion should serue me And this my protestation did I cause to be enrolled and there I thinke it remayneth They obiected to him also that he was maryed whiche he confessed Whereupon D. Martin said that his children were bondmen to the See of Caunterbury At which saying the Archb. smiled and asked him if a priest at his benefice kept a Concubine and had by her bastardes whether they were bondmen to the Benefice or no sayinge I trust you will make my childrens causes no worse After this Doctour Martine demaunded of hym who was supreme heade of the Churche of Englande Marye quoth my Lord of Caunterbury Christe is heade of thys member as he is of the whol body of the vniuersal church Why quoth Doctor Martin you made king Henrye the eight supreme head of the Church Yea sayd the Archbyshop of al the people of England as well Ecclesiasticall as Temporall And not of the church sayd Martin No sayde he for Christ is onely head of hys church and of the fayth and religion of the same The king is head and gouernor of hys people which are the visible churche What quoth Martin you neuer durst tell
me thinketh your apparell doth as much vary from an Apostle So then there spake one of the Bishops Gentlemen My Lord sayd he in mockadge geue him a chaire a toste and drinke and he wil be lusty But the Byshop bad haue him away and cōmaunded him to come before him agayn the next day at an houre appoynted But winchester for lacke of leasure or because of sickenes growing vpon him or for what cause els I know not either would not or could not attend vnto him but returned him agayne to his Ordinary Bishop from whence he came So william Tyms being put of agayne to Bishop Boner was placed together and coupled with the other fiue Martyrs aboue named and with them brought together to publicke examination before the Bishop the 21. day of March first in the Bishops Palace of London where the sayd Bishop after his accustomed maner proceeding agaynst them enquyred of them theyr fayth vpon the Sacrament of the aultar To whom they aunswered that the body of Christ was not in the sacrament of the aultar really and corporally after the wordes of consecration spoken by the Prieste of the whiche opinion they had bene of long time some later some sooner euē as God of his mercy dyd call them vnto the knowledge of his Gospell Then the Bishops Chapleines began to reason with thē but with no great authorities either of the scriptures or of the auncient fathers ye may be sure as other theyr large conferences with the learned do already declare An other examination of Tyms and Drakes and the rest before the Bishop of London THe xxiij day of the same moneth next after the Bishop sent agayne for Tyms and Drakes and Ex officio did obiect vnto them certayne Articles the summe and maner wherof were the same which before obiected to Whittell Greene Tudson Went Burn Eliza◠Foster Lashford looke pag. 1589. And the 26. day of the same month he sent for the other foure ministring vnto thē also the same generall articles Unto the which they all in effect answered in matters touching theyr fayth as did the sayd Bartl Grene and the rest Other appearinges they had as the Bishops common maner of proceding was more as I haue often sayd for order and forme of law thē for any zeale of iustice But in conclusion the xxviij day of this Moneth of March William Tyms and Robert Drakes with the other 4. aboue named were brought to the open Consistory in Paules before the sayd Bishop of London to be condēned for heresy The bishop first began in this or like sort Tyms quoth he I will begin with thee firste for thou art and hast bene the ringleader of these thy companions thou hast taughte them heresies confirmed them in their erroneous opinions and hast indeuored as much as in thee lyeth to make them like vnto thy selfe If thy faulte had not tended to the hurt of other I would thē haue vsed thee more charitably and not haue brought thee to this open rebuke I woulde according to the rule of Christ in the 18. of Mathew haue told thee thy fault betwene me thee if thou wouldest not haue heard me I would not so haue lefte thee but I wyth two or thre other would haue exhorted thee if that would not haue serued then woulde I haue told the Church c. But for that thy fault is open manifest to the world and thou thy selfe remainest stout in thine error this charitable dealing is not to be extended towardes thee I haue therfore thought good to proceed by an other rule whereof S. Paule speaketh 1. Tim. 5. Such as sinne rebuke thē openly that other may feare For this cause art thou brought before me in the face of this people to receiue iudgemēt according to thy deserts Let me see what thou canst say why I should not proceed agaynst thee as thine Ordinary My Lord quoth Tyms will you now geue me leaue to speake yea quoth the Bishop Then sayde Tyms My Lord I maruell that you will begin with a lye You call me the ringleader teacher of this cōpany but how vntruly you haue sayd shall shortly appeare for there is none of all these my brethren whiche are brought hither as prisoners but when they were at liberty and out of prison they dissented from you and your doinges as much as they do at this present and for that cause they are now prisoners So it is euident that they learned not their Religiō in prison And as for me I neuer knew them vntil such time as I by your commaundement was prisoner with them how could I then be their ringleader and teacher So that al the world may see how vntruly you haue spokē And as for my fault which you make so greuous whatsoeuer you iudge of me I am wel assured that I hold none other religiō thē Christ preached the Apostles witnessed the primatiue church receiued now of late the Apostolicall and Euangelical preachers of this realm haue faithfully taught for the which you haue cruelly burned them and now you seeke our bloud also Proceed on hardly by what rule you will I force not I do not refuse you for my Ordinary Then sayd the Bishoppe I perceyue thou wilt not be coūted their ringleader How sayst thou wilt thou submit thy selfe to the catholicke Church as an obedient childe in so doing thou shalt be receiued and do wel enough otherwise thou shalt haue iudgement as an hereticke Then one of the prisoners whose name is not certainly knowne sayd my Lord you are no vpright Iudge for you iudge after your owne lust But if you will iudge vs according to the holy Testament of Christe whiche is the word of truth we will accord to your iudgement for vnto that word we wholy submit our selues But as for your iudgement without that truth God shall condemne And this prisoner was very earnestly in hand with the bishop that they might be iudged by the word of God With this the Bishop was offended calling him busye knaue and commaunded him to holde his toung or els he should be had away to a place of smaller ease Then Tyms aunswered and sayd My Lord I doubt not but I am of the Catholicke Church whatsoeuer you iudge of me But as for your Church you haue before this day renounced it and by corporall oth promised neuer to consēt to the same Contrary to the which you haue receyued into this realme the Popes authority therefore you are falsly periured forsworne all the sort of you Besides this you haue both spoken and written very earnestly agaynst that vsurped power now you do burne men that will not acknowledge the Pope to be supreme head Haue I quoth the bishop Where haue I written any thing agaynst the church of Rome My Lord quoth Tyms the Bishoppe of Winchester wrote a very learned Oration intituled De vera obedientia
there certaine bookes as Psalters Bibles and other wrytings All which bookes with the money were deliuered to the foresaid Priest Thomas Henden parson of Stapleherst and after in the raigne of this Queene an 5. Reg. Elisab was by right law recouered from him againe as in Recordes remaineth to be seene Thus good Edmund Allen and his wife being maliciously accused wrōgfully imprisoned cruelly spoiled and robbed of al their goods were brought as is aforesaid before sir Iohn Baker the iustice to be examined who taūting and reuiling him wtout all mercy and pity asked him if those were the fruits of his gospell to haue cōuenticles to gather people together to make conspiracies to sow sedition and rebellion and thus he began with him to reason The talke or reasoning betwene Sir Iohn Baker Colins his chaplaine and Edmund Allen. BAker Who gaue thee authority to preache interprete Art thou a priest art thou admitted thereunto Let me see thy licence Mart. Collins sir Ihon Bakers scholemaster said surely he is an arrāt heretike worthy to be burned Alen. And it may plese your honor to geue me leaue to answer in the cause of my faith I am persuaded that God hath geuē me this autority as he hath geuē to al other christiās Why are we called christians if we do not folow Christ if we do not read his law if we do not interpret it to others that haue not so much vnderstāding Is not Christ our Father shal not the son folowe the fathers steps is not Christ our master and shal the scholer be inhibited to lern preach his precepts Is not Christ our redemer and shal not we praise his name serue him that hath redemed vs from sin dānation Did not christ being but 12. yeres of age dispute with the doctors interprete the prophet Esay and notwtstāding hee was neither of the tribe of Leuie whiche were Priestes but of the royal tribe of Iuda neither had taken any outward priesthode wherfore if we be christians we must do the same Col. And it shal like your honor what a knaue is this that cōpareth himself with Christ. Baker Let him alone he wil pump out anon an infinite heap of heresies Hast thou any more to say for thy self Alen. Yea that I haue Adam was licēced of God Abraham was cōmanded to teach his children posteritye so Dauid teacheth in diuers psalmes and Salomon also preached to the people as the boke of the precher proueth very wel where he teacheth that there is no immortal felicity in this life but in the next And Noe taught them that were disobediēt in his daies and therfore is called the 8. Preacher of righteousnes in the 2. epistle of Peter Also in the 11. of Numb where Moses had chosen 52. elders to helpe him to teach rule the rest Eldad Medad preached in the tents wherfore Iosua being offended cōplained to Moses the Eldad Medad did preach wtout licēce To whō Moses answered wished that al the people could do the like What shuld I be long most of the priests were not of the tribe of Leuy Aaron Col. These are authorities of the olde testament therefore abrogated but the art a foole knowest no schoole poynts Is not the law deuided into the lawe ceremonial moral iudicial Allen. I graunt that the ceremonies ceased when Christ came as S. Paul proueth to the Heb. to the Col. where he saith Let no man iudge you in any part of a sabboth day new moone or other ceremonies which are figures of things to come for Christ is the body Collins And are not the iudicials abrogated by Christ Allin They are confirmed both by Christ in the 5. of Mathew and by Paule in the 1. Epistle to Timothe 4. The law saith he is not set foorth for the vertuous godly but for men slayers periured aduouterers such like Collins Thou art an hereticke Wilt thou call the Iudicials of Moses againe wilt thou haue adultery punished with death disobedient children to their parēts to be stoned wilt thou haue Legem talionis But thou arte an Asse Why shoulde I speake Latine to thee thou erroneous rebell shall we now smite out eye for eye toothe for toothe thou art worthy to haue thy teeth and tonge plucked out Allin If we had that law we should neither haue disobedient children neither adulterers neither false witnesse bearers neither ruffians Baker Master Collins lette vs returne to our first matter Why diddest thou teach the people whom thou saidst thou didst fede both bodely and spiritually being no Priest Allin Because that we are al kings to rule our affections preests to preach out the vertues woorde of God as Peter wryteth liuely stones to geue light to other For as out of flint stones commeth foorthe that that is able to set al the world on fire so out of Christians shoulde springe the beames of the Gospell whiche should inflame al the world If we must geue a reckening of our faith to euery man and now to you demanding it then must we study the Scriptures practise them What auaileth it a man to haue meate and will eate none and apparell and will weare none or to haue an occupation and to teach none or to be a lawyer and vtter none Shall euery artificer be suffered yea and commended to practise his facultie and science and the Christian forbidden to exercise his Doth not euery lawyer practise his law Is not euery christiā a folower of Christ Shall ignorance which is condēned in al sciences be practised of christians Doth not s. Paul forbid any mās spirit to be quenched Doth he prohibite any man that hath any of these giftes which he repeateth 1. Cor. 14. to practise the same Only he forbiddeth womē but no man The Iewes neuer forbad any Read the Acts of the apostles And the restraint was made by Gre. the 9. pope of that name as I hard one a learned mā preach in K. Ed. daies Col. This villen it like your honor is madde By my Priesthoode I beleeue that her wil saye a Priest hath no more authoritye then an other man Doth not a Priest binde and loose Allin No my sinne bindeth me and my repētance loseth God forgiueth sin only and no priest For euery Christian when he sinneth bindeth himselfe and when he repēteth loseth him self And if any other be losed from his sinne by my exhortation I am saide to lose him and if he perseuere in sin notwtstanding my exhortation I am saide to binde him althoughe it is God that bindeth and loseth and geueth the increase Therefore saith Christ. Mat. 18. Wheresoeuer 2. or 3. are gathered togither in my name there am I in the middest of them whosoeuer sinnes they forgeue they are forgeuen and whosoeuer they retaine they are retained Neither hath the Pope any keies saue the keies of
in me and I in him Arch Then he faced out the matter with Sophistrie and sayde I did eate Christe as that Church was in his eye with many such like mockes but woulde not let me aunswere one woorde Commis Then the Commissarie did aske mee if I did not remember S. Paule which did rebuke the Corinthes for theyr euill behauior and because they made no difference of the Lordes body and brought in to prooue hys matter howe he called him selfe bread in the 6. of Iohn So Paul sayth So oft as ye eate of this breade meaning Christes body vnwoorthely ye eate and drinke your owne damnation because ye make no difference of the Lordes body For thus sayeth Christ The bread that I will geue you is my flesh Now it is no bread but it is his flesh And thus he alledged euery Scripture false to make vp the matter Auns Then I sayde I did beleeue the woordes of Paule very wel euen as he had spoken them For thus he sayeth He that eateth and drinketh vnwoorthely eateth and drynketh hys owne damnation because hee maketh no difference of the Lordes body Commis What is the cause that he eateth his owne damnation Auns I sayd Saint Paule declareth it plainly wyth these woordes If ye had iudged your selues ye should not haue bene iudged of the Lord. Arch. Then the Archdeacon sayde he marueiled whye I would not say that he called the breade hys bodye seeing Cranmer Ridley and Latimer with many other sayd he called it his bodye Auns I saide you haue condemned them as heretickes and you wold haue me say with them because you wold kill me Arch. Then he saide In that they said it was his bodye they did say the truth Auns I asked wherefore they were killed seeing they sayd the truth Bishop Then sayde the Byshop that he had all theyr aunsweres and that they did not beleue as they said For they sayd Christ called it his body but it was not his naturall body but thou shall answere me by and by whether it be his body or not or els I will anger thee Auns Then I sayd I had answeared him by the word already and did beleeue it also therefore if he did condemne me for that my life was not deare vnto me I was sure he should not scape vnpunished for God wil be reuenged vpon such murtherers Arch. Then the Archdeacon intreated mee to be ruled by him take mercy while it was offered for if I were condemned I must needes be burned Yet he would not say but my soule might be saued with many moe wordes and desired me that I would beleue hym for he would speake the truth beginning how Christ fed fiue thousande wyth foure loaues and how he turned the water into wine euen so Christ tooke breade and blest it and when he had done he brake it and sayd This is my body and then he commāded them to eat it and therfore it must nedes be his body Auns Then I desired him to speake the text right or els I would not beleeue him Arch. Then he stoode vp and put off his cap and thanked me for teaching of him and sayde I was a stubberne fellow and tooke scorne to be taught Auns I sayd I ought to holde him accursed if he taught doctrine contrary to Christ and his Apostles Arch. Then he asked me whether I did beleue that Christ did geue that he tooke or not Auns I said I do beleue as much as can be proued by the Scripture and more I will not beleeue Arch. Then he began with Moyses rod howe God commanded him to lay it down and it was turned into a serpent Seing that this was by Moyses being but a man how much more Christ being both God man tooke one thing and gaue to his Disciples an other Ans. I said his comparison was nothing like for Moyses rod when it was laid downe he saw that it was tourned into a verye Serpent in deede but in this Sacrament no mā can see neither qualitie nor yet quantitie to be chāged Bish. Then sayd the Bishop that mine opinion and Faith was like vnto the Capernaites Ans. I sayd theirs was more like theyr opiniō then mine Arch. The Archdeacon asked me whether Christe tooke not one thing and gaue an other Auns I sayde Looke what he brake hee gaue vnto them and had them eate and other answere I will make none contrary to the woorde Arch. Then he sayd he marueiled why I woulde not beleue them seeing this learning had continued this fiftene hundred yeares neither yet did saye as other had before howe Christ did call it his bodye Auns Then I sayde when Cranmer whyche was heere Byshop was in authoritie he sayde that he did holde the truth and commaunded vs to beleeue him and hee hathe geuen his life for his opinion and would you haue me to beleeue you because you say that you holde the truth and that which makes me beleeue chiefly is the scripture which I am sure is the truth in deede Bish. The Bishop sayd he hath spoken the truthe that I would not beleeue him Auns I sayde if he did not nowe speake the truthe I was sure he had spoken the truthe for hee had preached before doctrine cleane contrary vnto this Then were the rest of my articles read which I aunswered and in euery article we had vp this breaden god And they sent for a candle light I thought they woulde haue condemned me but God would not suffer their cruel hearts to haue theyr pleasure at that time blessed he hys name for euermore Amen Arch. Then the Archdeacon was angry began to chide with me because I woulde not desire a day of the byshop and said I was a noughty stubberne felowe and sayde it had bene my duety to haue desired him to haue bene good to me that I might haue a day Auns Then I sayde I haue spoken the truth and therefore I would aske him no day except he would geue me a day of his owne minde Commis Then sayde the Commissarie Doest thou not thinke that thou maiest be deceiued seeing hee may be deceiued that hath gone to study all the daies of his life Auns I saide Yes I mighte be deceiued in that I was a man but I was sure Gods woord could not be deceiued Com. Then hee praied me to be content and confesse that I might learne and said they would be glad to teach me Auns And I sayde I would be as glad to learne as any man And thus they roase vp and went away saying nothing What became of this Mathewe Plaise after whether he died in prison or was executed or deliuered I haue as yet no certaine knowledge The hystorie of ten true godly Disciples and Martyrs of Christ burnt together in one fire at Lewes An. 1557. Iune 22. IN the towne of Lewes were ten faithfull seruauntes of God put in one fire the xxij day of Iune whose names
them for the Sermon Wherunto they made but a small answer Then the Sheriffe made a Bill and so feared the men that 2. or 3. of them set to their hands and one of them neuer ioyed after but it was a griefe to him till he died Then did they take men with them vnto the Parsones house and in the night they tooke him and wyth watchmeÌ„ kept him vntill it was day Then should he haue bene caried the next day to the Counsell but the said Rob. Blomefield was taken so sicke that hee was like to die so that he could not carie him for his life Then the sayd sheriffe sent him to Ipswich againe and there he was for a time Then hee was sent to Burie prison from thence to the Councel and then into the Flete and so he lay in prisone from the beginning of haruest till it was nigh Christmasse and he sayd God gaue him â—uche answeres to make when he was examined that hee was deliuered with quietnes of conscience And hauing his libertie he came againe vnto the foresayd Towne and because he would not goe to Masse his liuing was taken away and he his wife were constrained to flie heere and there for his life conscience In the last yeare of Queene Maries raigne God did take him out of this life in peace Where moreouer is to be noted that this Robert Blomfield aboue named immediately after he had apprehended the saide Browne fell very sicke And though at that time he was a welthy man and of a great substance beside his land which was better then twentie pound a yeare after thys time God so plagued his housholde that hys eldest sonne died and his wife had a pining sickenesse till she departed this life also Then maried he an other a richer widow but all wold not helpe and nothing would prosper For hee had a sore pining sicknesse being full of botches and sores whereby he wasted away both body and goodes till he died So when he died he was aboue ix â—core pounds in det and it was neuer heard of any repentaunce he had But a litle before his death he bragged threatned a good man one Symon Hariston to putte him foorth to the Officers because he did weare no Surplis when he sayd seruice Wherefore it is pitie suche baites of Poperie are lefte to the enemies to take Christians in God take them away or els from them for God knoweth they be the cause of much blindnesse and strife amongest men Furthermore out of the sayde Towne were constrayned to flye Robert Boele and Iohn Trapne because they woulde not goe to Masse and receiue their Sacrament of the aultare Elizabeth Young YE heard before in the treatise of the scourging of Thomas Grene how he was troubled and beaten by doctour Storie for a certaine booke called Antichriste which he receiued of a woman because in no case he woulde detect her This woman was one Elizabeth Young who comming from Emden to England brought with her diuers bookes and sparsed them abroad in London for the which shee being at length espied and laied fast was broughte to examination 13. times before the Catholicke Inquisitours of heretical prauitie O. the which her examinations nine haue come to our handes Wherein how fiercely she was assaulted how shamefully shee was reuiled how miserably handled and what answeres she made vnto the aduersaries in her owne defence and finally after all this how she escaped and passed through the pikes being yet as I heare say aliue I thought to geue the reader here to see and vnderstande The first examination of Elizabeth Young before maister Hussie WHo examined her of many thinges First where she was borne and who was her father and mother Elizabeth Young Syr all this is but vaine talke and very superfluous It is to fil my head with fantasies that I shoulde not be able to aunswere vnto suche thinges as I came for Ye haue not I thinke put me in prison to know who is my father and mother But I pray you goe to the matter that I came hether for M. Hussie Wherfore wentest thou out of the realme Elizabeth To keepe my conscience cleane Hussie When wast thou at Masse Eliz. Not this three yeares Hussie Then wast thou not there iij. yeares before that Eliz. No Syr nor yet iij. yeares more before that for and if I were I had euill lucke Hussie How old art thou Eliz. Fourty and vpwardes Hussie Twentie of those yeares thou wentest to Masse Eliz. Yea and twentie more I may and yet come home as wise as I went thether first for I vnderstand it not Hussie Why wilt not thou go to the Masse Elizabeth Syr my conscience will not suffer me For I had rather that all the world should accuse me then mine owne conscience Hussy What and if a louse or a flea sticke vpon thy skinne and bite thy flesh thou must make a conscience in the taking her off is there not a conscience in it Elizabeth That is but an easie Argument to displace the Scriptures and especially in such a part as my saluation dependeth vppon for it is but an easie conscience that a man can make Hussy But why wilte thou not sweare vpon the Euangelist before a Iudge Eliz. Because I know not what a booke oth is Hussy Then he began to teach her the booke oth Eliz. Syr I do not vnderstand it and therefore I wil not learne it Hussy Then sayde hee thou wilt not vnderstand it and with that rose vp and went his way Her second examination before Doctour Martin WHo sayd to her Woman thou art come from beyoÌ„d the sea and hast brought with thee bookes of heresie and treason and thou must confesse to vs who translated them Printed them and who sent them ouer for once I knowe thee to be but a messenger and in so doynge the Queenes highnesse will be good to thee for shee hath forgeuen greater things then this thou shalt find as much fauour as is possible But if thou be stubborne and wilte not confesse thou wilt be wondrous euill handled for we know the truth already but thus we do only to see whether thou wilt be true of thy woord or no. Eliz. Syr ye haue my confession and more then that I can not say Martin Thou must say more and shalt say more Doest thou thinke that we wil be full answeared by this examination that thou hast made Thou rebell whoore and traitorly heretike thou dost refuse to sweare vpon the Euangelist before a Iudge I heare say Thou shalt be racked inch meale thou traitourly whoore and hereticke but thou shalt sweare afore a Iudge before thou goe yea and thou shalt be made to confesse how many bookes thou hast sold and to whom Eliz. Syr I vnderstand not what an oth is and therfore I will take no suche thing vppon me And no man hathe boughte any bookes of mee
of taking and burning as by the relation of Melancthon writing and witnessing of the same may appeare in the wordes of hys owne story here folowing * The History of Simon Grinaeus collected out of Melancthons Commentaris vpon the x. Chapiter of Daniell WHen I was sayth he at the assembly holden at Spyre in the yeare of our Lord 1529. by chaunce Simon Grynaeus came thither vnto me from the Uniuersity of Hedelberge where he hearde Faber the Byshoppe of Vienna in a Sermon defend and maynteyne certayne detestable errors When the Sermon was done he folowed Faber goyng out of the Church and saluted him reuerently declaring vnto him that he was moued of a good zeale intent somewhat to say vnto him Faber was contented to talke with him Then Grinaeus sayde vnto him that he was very sorry that a man of such learning and authority shoulde openly mayntein such errors as were both contumelious against God also might be refuted by the manifest testimonies of the Scripture Irenaeus writeth sayd he that Polycarpus was wont to stop his cares whensoeuer he heard any erroneous wicked doctrine With what mind then thinke you woulde Polycarpus haue heard you argue and reason what it is that the mouse eateth when shee gnaweth the consecrated host Who would not bewayle such ignorance and blindnes of the Church With this Faber brake of hys talke as he was about to saye more and asked his name This man dissembling nothing gently tolde him that his name was Grinaeus This Faber as many well knew was alwayes tymerous and fearefull in the company of learned men Wherfore he fearing the learning eloquence and feruent zeale of Grinaeus specially in such a matter as this was fayned as though he had bene sent for by the king and that he had no leysure now to reason vpon this matter He pretended that he was very desirous of acquayntaunce and longer talke with Grinaeus intreating him that bothe for hys owne priuate cause and also for the common wealth he would come agayne the next day vnto him and so shewed him his lodgyng and appoynted him an houre when hee should come Grinaeus thinking that he had spoken vnfaynedly promised so to do When he was departed froÌ„ Faber he came straight way vnto vs and was scarsly set at the table for it was supper time reciting a part of his talk with Faber vnto me and others there present when as I sitting with my company was sodeinly called out of the Parler by a certayne auncient fatherly man who shewing a singular grauitye in hys countenance wordes and behauior spake vnto me said that the Sergeantes would by and by come vnto our lodging being sent by the kinges commaundement to carye Grinaeus to Prison whom Faber had accused to the Kynge commaunding that Grinaeus should straight wayes depart out of the towne exhorted me that we shoulde in no case delay the time and so bidding me farewell departed But what olde man this was neither did I know then nor afterward could vnderstand I returning agayne vnto my company bad them rise and told them what the olde man had sayd vnto me By and by we taking Grinaeus in the midst of vs caryed him through the street to the Riuer of Rhene whereas after he had stayd vpon the hether bank a while vntil Grinaeus with his companioÌ„ were caried ouer in a small boat returning agayne to our lodging we vnderstoode that the Sergeants had bene there when we were but a little way gone out of the house Now in what great daunger Grinaeus should haue bene if he had bene caried to prison by this cruelty of Faber euery man easily may coniecture Wherefore we iudged that that most cruell entent and purpose of him was disapoynted by Gods merciful prouidence And as I can not say what olde man it was that gaue me that warning euen so likewise the Sergeants made such quick speede that except Grinaeus had bene couered and defended by Aungels through the maruellous prouidence of God he could neuer haue escaped CoÌ„cerning the truth of this matter there be many good men yet aliue which both knowe the same and also were present at the doing thereof Therfore let vs geue thankes vnto God which hath geuen vs his Angels to be our keepers and defenders wherby with more quiet mindes we may fulfill and do the office of our vocation With such like examples of Gods mighty and mercyful custody the church of Christ in all ages doth abouÌ„d as by manifold experiences may appeare as well among the Germanes as also in all other places and ages but in no place more nor in time more plentifull then in this persecuting time of Queene Mary in this our Realme of Enland as partly hath bene already historyed and parte yet remayneth the Lorde willing moreouer hereunto to bee added ⧠Lady Katherine Duches of Suffolcke STephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester surmising the Ladye Katherine Baronesse of Willoughby and Cresby and Duchesse Dowager of Suffolcke to be one of his auncient enemies because he knew he had deserued no better of her deuised in the holy time of the first Lent in Queene Maries reigne a holy practise 〈◊〉 â—eueÌ„ge first by touching her in the person of her husbaÌ„d M. Richard Berty Esquyre for whom he sent an attachment hauing the great seale at his deuotion to the Sheriffe of Lincolnshyre with a speciall Letter commaunding moste straitly the same Sheriffe to attache the sayd Richard immediatly and without baile to bring him vp to London to his great Lordship M. Berty her husband being cleare in conscience and from offence toward the queene could not coniecture any cause of this straunge processe vnlesse it were some quarell for Religion which he thought coulde not be so sore as the processe pretended The Sheriffe notwithstanding the commaundement aduentured onely to take the bonde of M. Bertye with 2. sureties in a thousand pouÌ„d for his appearance to be made before the Byshop on good Friday folowing at which day M. Berty appeared the Bishop then lying at his house by S. Mary Oueryes Of whose presence when the Byshop vnderstood by a gentleman of his chamber in a great rage he came out of his gallery into his dining chamber where he found a prease of suters saying he woulde not that daye heare any but came forth only to know of M. Berty how he being a subiect durste so arrogantly set at light two former processes of the Queenes M. Berty aunswered that albeit my Lordes woordes might seme to the rest somewhat sharpe towards him yet he conceiued greate comfort of theÌ„ For whereas he before thought it extremity to be attached hauing vsed no obstinacy or contumacy now he gathered of those wordes that my Lord meant not otherwise but to haue vsed some ordinary processe albeit in deed none came to his handes Yea Mary quoth the Byshoppe I haue sent you two subpenas to appeare