had sene and perused well, he gaue them great thākes for their paynes, saying it did behoue hym to looke vpō it, for the Priest had preached heresie and should be punished. Then Filmer declared vnto the Byshop, the forme of hys talke he had with the Priest, and the end thereof: and how the matter beyng renued agayne by Symons, forced hym and hys company to trouble hys Lordshyp therewith. Well, sayd the Byshop, ye haue done lyke honeste men. Come to me soone agayne, and ye shall know more, and so they departed from the Bishop to their Inne. MarginaliaSymons and the Vicar come to Salisbury.And while they were there reposing them selues, Symons with his company came to the towne, and (not knowing the other to be come) gat thē vp to the Byshop in all post hast, takyng the Priest with them.
[Back to Top]The Bishop hearing of moe Windsore mē, demaūded what they were, & beyng enformed how it was þe Vicar of þe towne with other moe, he caused þe Vicar to be brought in. To whō he sayd: Are you the Vicare of Windsore? Yea forsoth my Lord, quoth he. MarginaliaThe Vicar of Windsore rebuked of the Byshop.How chaūceth it, quoth the Bishop, that you are cōplained on: for here hath bene with me certaine honest men of your towne which haue deliuered vp a bil of erroneous doctrine against you. If it be so, I must nedes punish you, and opening the bill, he read it vnto him. How say you quod the Byshop, is this true or no? The Vicare could not denye it, but humbly submitted him selfe to the Byshops correction. Thē was his company called in, and when the Byshop saw Symons, he knew him well and sayd: Wherfore come you M. Symōs? MarginaliaThe wordes of Symons to the Byshop.Pleaseth it your Lordshyp (quoth he) we are come to speake in our Vicars cause, whiche is a man of good conuersation and honestie, and doth his duety so well in euery point, that no man can finde faute with him, except a lewde felow we haue in our towne called Filmer, whiche is so corrupt with heresie, that hee is hable to poyson a whole countrey: And truely my Lord (quod Symons) there is no man that can preach or teach any thyng that is good and godly, but he is ready to controll it, and to say it is starke naught. Wherefore we shall besech your Lordship, he may be punished, to the ensample of other, that our Vicare may do his duetie quietly, as hee hath done before this busie felow troubled hym. And that your Lordshyp shall the better credite my sayinges, I haue brought with me these honest men of the towne, and beside all that, a testimoniall from the Maior and hys brethren to confirme the same, and so held out the writyng in his hand.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaB. Capons aunswer to Symons.Then sayd the Byshop: So God helpe me M. Symons, ye are greatly to blame and most worthy to bee punished of all men, that will so impudently go about to maintayne your Priest in hys errour, which hath preached heresie and hath confessed it: wherfore I may not nor will not see it vnpunished. And as for that honest man Filmer, on whom ye haue complained, I tell you playnly, he hath, in this poynt, shewed hym selfe a great deale more honester man then you. But in hope you will no more beare out your Vicar in his euill doynges, I will remit all thynges at this tyme: MarginaliaFryer Milster caused to recant hys Sermon.sauyng that he shal the next Sonday recant his Sermon openly before all his Parishioners in Wyndsore Church: and so the Byshop called in Filmer and his company whiche wayted without, and deliuered the Priestes recantation vnto them, with a great charge to see it truly obserued in all poyntes. MarginaliaThe grudge of Symons agaynst Filmer. Then Symons tooke his leaue of the Bishop, and departed with a flea in hys eare, disapoynted of his purpose, and sore ashamed of þe foyle. For this cause, Symōs could neuer brooke Filmer, but when he met hym at any tyme after, would hold vp his finger (as his maner was where he ought displeasure) and say: I wilbe euen with you one day, trust me.
[Back to Top]THere was a certayne Priest named Anthony Person, whiche frequented much to Wyndsore, about MarginaliaThe trouble of Anth. Person, Prieste.the yeare of our Lord. 1540. and vsing the talent that God had giuē hym in preachyng, was greatly estemed among the people: who flocked so much to his sermōs which he made both in þe town & countrey, that þe great Priestes of þe Castle, with other Papistes in the towne MarginaliaW. Symons persecuter of Anth. Person, and of many other.(specially Symons) were sore offēded: In somuch that Symons at the last, began to gather of his Sermons, and to marke his auditours: whereof ensued the death of diuers, and trouble of many honest men. For about a yeare and more after, MarginaliaD. London Warden of new Colledge in Oxforde, a minister of Sathan.a minister of Sathā called D. London, Warden of the newe Colledge in Oxford, was admitted one of the Prebendaries of Wyndsore: who at his first comming to Wyndsore, began to vtter his stomacke and to shew hys affection. For at his first residence dyner which he made to the Clerkes (which cōpany for þe most part, at that tyme fauoured the Gosspel) all his whole talke to two Gentlemen straungers at hys boorde (till the table was a takyng vp) was nothing els but of heretickes, and what a desolation they would bryng þe realme vnto, if they might be so suffred. MarginaliaD. Londons wordes to the Clerkes of Windsore.And by S. Mary, masters (quoth he to the Clerkes at the last) I can not tell, but there goeth a shrewed report abroad of this house. Some made aūswere, it was vndeserued. I pray God it be, quoth he. I am but a straūger and haue small experience among you: but I haue heard it sayd before I came hether, that there be some in this house, that wil neither haue prayer nor fastyng.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaTestwoode aunswereth for the Clerkes.Thē spake Testwod: By my trouth Syr (quoth he) I thinke þt was spokē but of malice, for prayer (as your maistership knoweth better then I) is one of the first lessons that Christ taught vs. MarginaliaGospellers falsely sclaundered of the Papistes.Yea mary Sir (quoth he) but the heretickes will haue no inuocation to Saints, which all the old Fathers do allow. What the old fathers do allow, quoth Testwod, I cā not tel, but Christ doth appoynt vs to go to his father, and to aske our peticions of hym in Christes name. Then ye wyll haue no meane betwene you & God, quoth Doctour London. Yes Syr, quoth Testwod, our meane is Christ, as Saint Paule sayth: There is one Mediatour betwene God and man, euen Iesus Christ.
1 Tim. 2: 5.
MarginaliaD. London a malicious persecuter.When Doctor London had bene in Wyndesore a whyle among his catholike brethrē, and learned what Testwod was: and also of Simons (who shewed hym our Ladies nose, as he called it)
That is, the nose of the statue of the Virgin Mary, in St George's Chapel, that Testwood had chopped off.
Simon Haynes, a zealous evangelical reformer, had been championing reform among the Windsor canons and was a staunch opponent of London's. As Foxe makes clear below, canons of Exeter cathedral had also joined in denouncing their uncomfortably radical dean.
Then had they priuy spies to walke vp and downe