thus, as he taught at Capernaū, wherat his diciples murmured saiēg: this is an hard saying. Who can abide the hearing of it? Iesus perceiuing their thoughtes said: doth this offēd you?
Then he raged and sayde: oh, thou wrastest the text for thyne owne purpose. For the disciples did neuer mnrmur, but the vnbeleuers, as thou art.
I sayd: yes, but I perceyue you knowe not the text. Then sayde he with muche raging: I wyll laye my head theron, it is not so.
Then sayde I: I haue done with you. Then sayde he: what shall I tell my Lorde of you? If you haue nothing to tel hym, your errant shal be the soner done, sayde I. And so we parted.
Then on fryday I was brought foorth to receiue iudgemēt. Then the Chauncellour sayd vnto me: are you a newe man, or are you not? I aunswered and sayde: I truste I am a newe man borne of God. God geue grace you be so, sayd he. So he rehersed all my examination, & sayde: How say you? are not these your words? I sayde yes: I wyll not denie them.
[Back to Top]Then he sayde to Doctor Pore, standing by: I praye you talke with him. Then he alledging to me many fayre flattring words, said: take, eate, this is my body. Howe saye you to this? Doe you not beleue that it is Christes body? speake. I sayd: haue you not my mynde? Why doe you trouble me? He sayde: what did Christe geue? was it bread? or was it not? I sayde: Christ tooke bread, and gaue thankes, & gaue it, and they tooke bread, and did eate. And as saint Paule maketh it more manifest, wher he sayeth: so oft as ye shall eate of this bread, & drinke of this cuppe, ye shall shewe foorthe the Lordes death vntill he come. Saint Paule sayeth not here, as you saye: for saint Paule sayeth, so oft as you shall eate of this bread. He doth not saye body. So they entending that I should go no further in the text, sayde: tushe, you go about the bushe. Aunswere me to the first question. Let vs make an ende of that. What saye you to the bread that Christ gaue? Let me haue your mynde in that. I answered, I haue sayde my mynde in it.
[Back to Top]Then the Chauncellour saide: no, wee wyll haue your mynde more plainly. For we intēde not to haue many wordes with you. I sayd: my faithe is fully grounded and stablished, that Christes Iesus the Easter lambe, hathe offered his blessed body a sacrifice to God the father, þe price of my redemption. For by that onely sacrifice are all faithfull sanctified, and he is our onely aduocate and mediatour, and he hathe made perfect our redemption. This hathe he done alone, without any of your dayly oblations. Then Doctor Brigges starte vp and said: truth, your wordes are true in dede. You take well the litterall sense: but this you must vnderstande, that lyke as you sayde, that Christe
[Back to Top]offered his body vpon the crosse, whiche was a bloudie sacrifice, and a visible sacrifice: so lykewyse we daily offer the selfe same bodie that was offered vpon the crosse, but not bloudye and visible, but inuisible vnto God the father. Doe you offer Christes body, I saide? why then Christes sacrifice was not perfect. But Christe is true, when all men shall be lyars. Then he saide: thou shalt not feare him that hath power to kyll the bodie: but thou shalt feare him that hath power to kill both bodie and soule. I aunswered and saide: it is not so. But the texte is thus: thou shalt not feare them that haue power to kill the bodie, and then haue done what they can. But thou shalt feare him that hathe power to kill both body and soule, and caste them bothe into hell fyre, and not them. He aunswered and said: yes. for it is the churche. I answered and sayde: why, Christ saieth: I geue my life for the redemption of the worlde. No man taketh my life from me (saieth he) but I geue it of myne owne power, and soo I haue power to take it agayne. Therfore Christe the sonne of God did offer his blessed bodie once for all. And if you will presume to offer his bodie daily, then your power is aboue Christes power: with that he chafed and saide. what, shal we haue doctrine? Ye ar not hereto appointed.
[Back to Top]Then the Chauncellour stoode vp, and said: will ye tourne from this wicked errour, and be an example of goodnes, as you haue ben an example of euill? For by your wycked reding you haue perswaded symple weomen to bee in this errour: and ye shall haue mercy.
And I saide: it is of God that I dooe craue mercie, whom I haue offended, and not of you.
Then sayde the Chauncellour: When were you at your parysh churche? These two yeares and more you haue stande excommunicate. Wherefore you are condemned. And so I was condemned.
MarginaliaAugust. 5.THus hast thou, gentle Reader, the examinations of this godly young man, set forth and written with his owne hande, who not long after his condemnation, was by the Sherifes and officers there brought to the stake, where with muche pacience and constancie he entred his blessed martyrdome. At the burning of whiche Christian martyr, one Thomas Carman the same time was apprehended, by what occasion, it is yet to vs fully certen whether it was for words, or for praying with him, or for pledging him at his burning: concerninge whiche T. Carman, his story here after followeth in order and place, further to be seen.
See 1563, p. 1655; 1570, p. 2232; 1576, p. 1927 and 1583, p. 2037 for Carman's martyrdom.