II.

deed, and also to approve my doing herein, I take to wit- BOOK ness the law of God, the law of nature, and the civil laws, till three hundred years after Christ's ascension; the example of Christ's apostles, St. Paul's counsil to the Corinthians; and in many other places; the council of Nice, and all the fathers of the church to the second Carthage council, which was 420 years after Christ's ascension.

no flat

terers.

Afterwards speaking of king Edward's reign, and the 147 preachers then, thus he wrote. The rulers themselves took Preachers in king Edus so much contrary to flatterers, and men-pleasers, that ward's days they did much blame us of too bold and plain rebuking their sins. Insomuch, that they would at the last hear no more sermons. Which was a manifest token that God's plague was at hand: as indeed it shortly followed upon them and the whole realm. And for the lordly loitering prelats, with all their sentinel of dumb dogs, I trust they will bear us witness, we flattered them no deal, &c.

the pro

And then in excuse of the flight of professors in those Flight of times. But is it any mervail that we run away from the testants cruel claws of these wild beasts, in whose hands there is no justified. mercy? We fled not, because we did suspect our doctrine; but because we knew well their cruelty. We went not away, because we would not abide by our doctrine, and prove it true; but for that truth could not be heard with indifferent judgment. I pray you make this practice, and look, if the like were found in any history. They cast the chiefest learned men in prison, or commanded them to keep their houses, or not to come abroad; or banished them the realm: as P. Martyr, John a Lasco, with others. And when they be sure of them, that they shall not meddle, (for they were not able to abide their learning,) then they blind the eyes of the people: they pretend a disputation; and call the matter into question, when there is no man to answer them, as they think: and also when they be already determined, let the truth appear never so plain to the contrary, what they will decree.

Then cryeth a stout champion at Paul's Cross boldly, A stout Where be our new preachers how? Why do they not now at Paul's

champion

Cross.

BOOK come forth, and dispute? Think you this lusty roisterkin II. doth not know full well that they be fast enough? They

Convoca

tion house.

Not a

learned

left alive.

may not come to answer him. Yet by those whom God hath delivered out of their hands, although they be nothing to be compared in learning with them they have locked fast up, it shall plainly appear to all indifferent men, that their doctrine is true, and may easily be maintained by the scripture and testimony of the antient fathers of Christ's church and that the contrary cannot be defended, neither by God's word, the antient church, nor by no honest way. And therefore they are drove, and with shame enough, to bolster and keep it up with fire and sword; with, Thus will we, and thus it shall be. And because they would seem in the face of the world to do it by learning, and the consent of most part of learned men of the realm; they gather a sort of blind priests together into the convocation house; whose living hangeth, as they called it, of making Christ's body; and of pretenced chastity; being for the most part unlearned asses, and filthy whoremongers. And these with a shout, Yea, yea, yea, or Nay, nay, nay, must determine these matters.

Another practice, (which in very deed was that moved me to save my self from them, by fleeing out of the realm,) they have not lately invented, but derived from their forefathers, the Jewish pharisees, and yet put not in ure of many years: and that is, they will not leave alive one learned man to be man in the realm, which is not of their own sect. No, nor yet ere they have done, one nobleman that now liveth. Although they will not pretend religion to be the cause, but invent some other weighty matter. I must needs here give the noblemen warning of that I heard, because I love them, and am sory to hear of strangers this dishonour of them; that they are not able to rule themselves; and therefore must desire a pole-shorn bishop to govern them, and the whole realm.

Nor noble

man.

At my last being at London, waiting, at the parlament house, on my lords of the council, as I was commanded, I met with a familiar acquaintance of mine; although not of

II.

set up the

laity.

my opinion in religion; but one that for matters of religion BOOK doth favour the popish bishops: and is both familiar with the best of them, and also taken to be a wise man, and of great foresight, as he is indeed. He asked me of my state, saying thus unto me, Did not I tell you, that your religion would not continue? And so would have persuaded me to give place, and revoke my opinion. Wherein when he saw he prevailed not, he said friendly, He was sory for me, and wished that he were of power to do me plesure. To whom 148 I said, It was sufficient for me, that he would continue his familiar friendship with me. And thereupon I charged him, as I was often wont, of friendship to tell me, what he thought of our bishop-like proceedings. Whereto he answered, As to matters of religion, very well. But in other matters, nothing so. For, saith he, I have entred talk with Purpose to some, that be most nigh of their counsil; and I perceive clergy this by all their proceedings and purposes, that they are above the fully bent to set up the power of the clergy as high as ever they were above the laity and I have good reason that moves me also to think this to be true. Whereunto I said, That can never be brought to pass. For although the noblemen do favour their religion; yet they will never suffer them to climbe so high again. Tush! said he; they shall first of all help them to bring to pass at this parlament that they would and then they will have their heads off one after another. What! said I; they will never so do: for the nobility favoureth them. Yea, said he; and they favour some of them again. But they love none of them so well, but they love themselves better. They see that the whole youth of the realm, and especially of the nobles and the worshipful, are affected with this heresy and new learning: and they shal hereafter undoe again all that they now do: and then the latter end shall be worse than the beginning. And therefore will they chop off the heads of the fathers. And thereby both their children are disinherited, and shall be hable to do no harm. And also they may in their place make noblemen of their own kindred and friends.

BOOK

II.

Durham,

What! said I; it were too much cruelty. Whereunto he saith, Yea, yea, they think it is better, an inconvenience than a mischief. God deliver the noble bloud of England out of the danger of these dissembling wolves: and let the noblemen consider, how many of their own friends, and most dear darlings, with whom they were joyned in confederacy for the bishop of Rome, wretched Winchester and devilish dreaming Duresm have brought to confusion: and they shall have sufficient warning how they may trust these Bishop of bloudy butchers. If Dr. Ridley were alive, the bishop of Horn's fa- Durham's chaplain, and one hand, he would vouch it to tal enemy. his face, as he did the last time he ever did speak to him: that he careth not whose bloud he shed, to bring his purpose about. What would this unsatiable bloudsucking hypocrite have cared, to have wrought my destruction, whom he took to be an enemy to his devilish devices? He invented all the ways he could, to bring me to revoke the truth. He caused two noblemen to charge me with preaching, as he termed it, heresy. He himself accused me that I had infected the whole dioces with new learning. But when that would not serve, because I had done nothing but that was confirmed by the laws of the realm, he was not ashamed to lay to my charge, that I was not an Englishman born: that I had exercised his office in his bishoprick: that I had brought a wife of mine own into that church, wherein never woman came before. And then the lord chancellor chargeth me with contempt of the queens highness; as though I should have received three letters of commandment to repair, and make mine appearance before the council; and Winchester would appear for none of them. If both these butchers had been so well known to king Henry VIII. for rank traitors to the crown of England, as they were indeed; which now they shew plainly,

Falsely accused by

and Dur

ham.

Clears it to himself.

(As I am well known to be a mere natural Englishman,) they should never have brought that noble realm now in danger to be overrun and conquered by strangers. The which thing men that be half blind may plainly see they go about. I never meddled with his office. I was in danger of

II.

of Durham.

much displesuré, as the honourable council did well know, BOOK because I would not take upon me his office. And herein he uttereth his malicious hypocrisy, and what an unshamefaced baud he hath been, is, and will be to the monks of Durham, when he saith, there never came woman within that house before my wife came there. For he knoweth right The church well that the church of Durham was replenished with maried priests. For bishop William, by the help of Lanfrank, archbishop of Canterbury, did obtain licence from pope Hildebrand, to banish the maried priests, and to bring monks from Warmouth and Jarrow, [the former place in Northumberland, the latter in Durham.] And also it is not 149 unknown to him, nor to his chancellor, nor to any one The monks of his officers, that every monk of them all for the most their conpart hath a concubine in the town: who hath come, and the town. doth come to their church and chamber, and no fault found. And the honest men of the town, and also of the country, are offended therewith; but dare say nothing, for fear of the great baud their patron. Yea, the bishop and his monks know well enough, that I did know too much of their juggling. And therefore it is time to rid me out of

the way.

there had

cubines in

But when Winchester came in also with his false accusation, (for I never received one letter nor token of commandment from her highness, nor from her honorable council; but a letter the post delivered me by the way, as I was coming to London,) and laid it earnestly to my charge, as though I had been a stubborn rebell; I perceived they would serve me, as they had done others; I mean, to punish me for religion, and pretend treason; and suborned two or three false witnesses, (and they have plenty in store,) False witnesses ready to affirm that I had made some offence to the queen's high- to accuse ness, &c. Wherefore I thought it best to deliver my self him of treaout of their hands, by forsaking my native country; seeing' there was neither equity nor just judgment to be looked for; although my doctrine was never so pure, my behaviour never so upright, and I never so able to answer with truth to that was objected.

son.