MarginaliaAn. 1550.
M. Cicill
Winchester.of imprisonment in my house, the bishop of Rochester then being, was sent to me, and after Maister Smyth, and then Maister Cicill: to which maister Cicil, when I had by learning resolued my mynde in the matter, & deliuered it: and he deliuering it to my Lords Grace, wrote me in hys name, thankes for it: MarginaliaWinchester agayn set free.and then it was within the tyme of Lent ere I was discharged of that trouble, and so went to Winchester as a man clearely out of all trauayle of busines.

And wythin. xiiij. dayes after that, or there aboutes, began other trauaile with me vpon a request made by my Lord of Somerset to surrender a Colledge in Cābridge, and diuers letters were written betwene his grace & me in it. Wherin I might perceiue þ^t Secretary in hys pen tooke occasion to pricke me more, then I trusted my Lords grace him self would haue done. And by thys trouble was I deduced to an end. MarginaliaWinchester sent for to the Counsaile.Then shortly after I receiued letters to come to þ^e Counsayle, MarginaliaWinchester sicke.and by reason I alledged my disease, I was respited by other letters, and three dayes before Whitsontide, receiued yet other letters to come, by whych it might seme vnto me, that it was not of all beleued that I was diseased, and therefore wyth all expedition, when I coulde not ryde, MarginaliaWinchester commeth at last in a horselitter.I came in an horselitter, & according to my dutie presented my selfe to my Lordes of the Counsail. Who all then entertayned me secretely among them before the matters were obiected vnto me, as I had bene in the same place with them that I was in our late soueraygne Lordes dayes. Afterwardes my Lorde of Somersets Grace charged me wyth these matters following, and in thys forme, hauing the articles wrytten in paper: MarginaliaWinchester charged with disobedience.Fyrst wyth disobedience that I came not at his sending for. Whereunto I aunswered that I had hys letters of lycence, to stay tyll I might come conueniently, and vpon the last letters, came incontinently in a horselytter.

Then it was obiected that I bare Palmes, & crept the Crosse. Whereunto I aunswered that they were mysinformed, and I trusted they woulde not thinke I durst deny it if I had done it, because ceremonies had such circunstances, as I myght easely be reproued, if it were otherwyse.

Thē it was obiected that at Easter I had a solemne Sepulchre in the Church, and such other ceremonies. I aūswered, that I had euē as many as the kings maiesties proclamations cōmaunded me, declaring plainly, that I thought it not expedient to make any alteration, wherein to offend the kinges Maiesties Proclamation: adding how he that followeth as he is commaunded, is very obedient.

MarginaliaWinchester charged to deface certaine of the kinges Chapleins.It was then obiected vnto me, that I went about to deface two of the kynges Maiesties Chaplaines sent downe to be Canons of the Church of Wynchester. Whereunto I aunswered, declaryng the fact truly as it was, which I am yet able to iustifye. After this matter thus efte obiected and aunswered, I was commaunded to go apart, and being called in agayne, my Lorde of Somersets grace looking vpon a byll of Articles, sayd I had preached how the Apostles went from the presence of the counsail, of the counsail, of the counsayl. Which matter I denyed, adding that it was not my fashion of preaching so to play in iteration of woordes.

MarginaliaReall presence.After that, it was obiected vnto me for preaching of the sacrament, to say: The bodye of Christ was reallye present, being a fault to vse the woord really not comprised in the scripture. Whereunto I aunswered that I dyd not vse the woord really, which nedeth not. For as I once heard my Lorde of Canterburye reason agaynst one Lambart in the presence of the kings Maiesty that dead is: the wordes of scripture, This is my body that shall be betraied for you, do playnly and lyuely expresse the very presence: and so did I set it foorth to the people in my dioces. And this is the effect of al that was sayd agaynst me at my being at the Counsayl,as I can remember. To whom I declared how much I esteemed obedience, and tolde them I had taught in my dioces, how the whole lyfe of a Christian man consisteth in suffering properly. And therfore we may not do our owne wyll, but the wyll of God. And among men we myst eyther suffer the Rulers wyll, or theyr power: theyr wyll to order vs, and theyr power to punish vs. MarginaliaWinchest. commaunded to tary at London.After declaration whereof my Lord of Somerset sayd, ye must tary in the towne. Whereunto I aunswered, I would be contented at theyr commaundement or pleasure to tary: but seyng I was no offender, I desired them I might not tarye as an offender: and for declaration thereof, that I myght haue some house in the countrey about London, to remoue vnto for a shift. In deuising whereof I stacke much to borrow Asshar. My Lord of Somerset said, if he had any, in faith he would lend me one. MarginaliaWinchest. cōmaunded to write hys minde of ceremonies.And in the end my Lord of Somerset desired me to wryte what my mynde was in Ceremonies and to send it vnto hym, and with that departed.

Thus I haue truly opened after what sort I haue bene complayned on, that hath certaynly come to my knowledge. MarginaliaMaister Philpot complained vppon of Winchest.Truth it is that one Philpot in Winchester, whō I accōpted altered in hys wittes (as I heard) deuised tales of me, the specialites whereof I neuer was called to aunswer vnto. Players and Minstrels also rayled on me, and other made ballades and rimes of me, but neuer man had iust cause to complayne of any my sayings, doings, or preachings, or to my knowledge dyd otherwyse, then afore. And if any man shall put me in remembraunce of any other complaint that might in my absence bee made of me: if I haue heard it, I wyll graunt so. MarginaliaWinchest. when and how oft hee hath bene called to coram.But well assured I am, I was neuer complayned on, and called to make aunswer to the complaynt, but this one time in all my whole lyfe by no man of any degree. Once the Lord Cromwel, God pardon hys soule and forgeue him, caused one day and a halfe to be spent in a matter betwene Syr Fraunces Brian and me, which was ended, and I declared an honest man. Which the kings Maiesty that dead is, God pardon hys soule, set forth with hys familiarity to me incontinently. And thys is all the trouble that I haue had in my lyfe, sauing the sending to the Fleete, beyng occasioned by my own letter to the Counsaile vpon a zeale that I had, which they allowed not, and finally, thys sending of me to the Tower, whych was wythout calling me before the Counsayl, to heare what I could say. I am lothe to be forsworne: and therfore accompt all the complayntes in my whole life made agaynst me, wherunto I haue bene made priuie.

Marginalia7. Article.
Winchest. admonished to cōforme hym selfe.Item, that after and vpon occasion of those and many other complayntes and informations, you haue bene sundry times admonished, commaūded, and enioyned to conforme your selfe, as to you duty apperteyned.

MarginaliaAunswere to the 7. Article.To this seuenth article I aunswere: I was neuer a fore the Counsayle called by waye of outward complaynt and information, but onely once in all my whole life, which was at my last comming to London. Wherunto I aunswered (as afore) and haue tolde the forme and processe of speech to serue for furniture of answere to this and that Article: for other than I haue before wrytten, I remember not to haue done or suffered by the hygher powers in all my whole lyfe, tyll my comming into the Tower, without that I haue had any by dmonitions as a mā faulty or negligent, at any time that I remember, for the obseruation of any thing already made or set forth by the kings Maiestye that now is: but haue kept, and caused to be kept to my power the kings Maiesties actes, Statutes, Iniunctions, and proclamations, inuiolably, hauing for that purpose such a Chauncellor, as in orders and ordinances hath bene alwayes hym selfe diligent and precise for the tyme I might haue knowledge of hys doyinges.