content with you, and so takyng the bookes of his mā, called for a chamber, vp to the whiche he caried the prisoner, and castyng the bookes from him vpon a bed, sat him downe and sayd: MarginaliaTalke betwen Winchesters gentlemā & Marbecke in prison.
The name of this gentlemā was Maister Knight.Marbecke, my Lorde doth fauour thee well, for certayne good qualities thou hast, and hath sent me hether, to admonishe thee to beware and take heede lest thou caste awaye thy selfe wylfullye. If thou wylt be plaine, thou shalt do thy self much good: if not, thou shalt do thy selfe much harme. I assure thee, my Lord lamenteth thy case, for as much as he hath alwaies heard good report of thee: wherefore now see to thy selfe, and play the wyse man. Thou art acquainted with a great sort of heretickes (as Hobby and Haynes with other moe) and knowest muche of their secretes: if thou wylt nowe open them at my Lordes request, he wyll procure thy deliueraunce out of hand, and preferre thee to better liuing.

Alas Sir, quoth he, what secretes do I know? I am but a poore man, and was neuer worthye to be so conuersant, either with maister Hobby or M. Haynes, to know any part of their mindes. Well, quod the gentleman, make it not so straunge, for my Lorde doth know well enough in what estimation they had both thee and Anthony Person for your religion. Of Anthony Person, quoth he, I cā say nothing, for I neuer saw him with them in all my lyfe. And as for my self, I can not deny, but that they haue alwayes (I thanke them) taken me for an honest poore man, and shewed me much kindnes: but as for their secretes, they were to wyse to commit them to any such as I am.

MarginaliaMarbecke can not bee perswaded to detecte others.Peraduenture, quoth the gentleman, thou fearest to vtter anye thing of them, because they were thy frendes, lest they hearing thereof, might hereafter withdraw their frendship from thee: which thou needest not to feare I warrant thee, for they are sure enough, and neuer like to pleasure thee more, nor no mā els. With that the water stoode in Marbecks eyes. Why weepest thou, quoth þ^e gentlemā? Oh Sir, quoth he, I pray you pardon men: these men haue done me good, wherefore I beseche the liuing God to comfort them, as I would be comforted my selfe.

Well, quoth the gentleman, I perceiue thou wylt play the foole: and then he opened one of the bookes, and asked him if he vnderstood any latine. But a litle Sir, quoth he. How is it then, quoth þ^e gentleman, that thou hast translated thy booke out of the latin Concordance, and yet vnderstandest not the tong? I wyll tell you, quoth he. In my youth I learned the principles of my Grammer, wherby I haue some vnderstanding therein, though it be very smal. Then the gentleman began to trie him in the latine Concordance and English Bible, which he had brought: and when he had so done, and was satisfied, he called vp hisman to fet away the bookes, and so departed, leauing Marbecke alone in the chamber, the doore fast shut vnto hym.

MarginaliaAn other talke betwene Winchesters gentleman and Marbecke.About a two houres after, the Gentleman came agayne with a shete of paper folded in his hand, and sat him downe vpon the beds side (as before) and said: By my troth Marbecke, my Lord seeth so much wilfulnes in thee, that he sayth it is pitie to doo thee good. When wast thou last with Haynes? Forsooth, quoth he, about a three weekes agoe, I was at dinner with him. And what talke, quoth the gentleman, had he at hys boorde? MarginaliaHow Winchester hūteth for D. Haynes.I cā not tell now, quoth he. No, quoth the gentleman, thou art not so dull witted, to forget a thing in so short space. Yes Sir, quoth he, such familiar talke as mē do vse at their boordes, is most commonly by the next day forgotten, and so it was with me. Diddest thou neuer, quoth the Genleman, talke with him, nor with none of thy fellowes, of the Masse, or of the blessed Sacrament? No forsooth, quoth he. Now forsooth, quoth the gentleman, thou lyest, for thou hast bene seene to talke with Testwod and other of thy fellowes an houre together in the Church, when honest men haue walked vp and downe beside you, & as euer they haue drawen neare you, ye haue stayed your talke tyll they haue bene past you, because they should not heare whereof you talked. I deny not, quoth he, but I haue talked w^t Testwod and other of my fellowes, I cannot tell howe oft, which maketh not that we talked either of þ^e Masse or of the sacrament: for men maye common and talke of many matters, that they would not that euery man should heare, and yet farre from any such thing: there-therefore it is good to iudge the best. Well, quoth the Gentleman, thou must be playner with my Lord then this, or els it will be wrong with thee, and that sooner then thou weenest. How plaine will his Lordship haue me to be Sir, quoth he? There is nothing that I can do and say wyth a safe conscience, but I am readye to do it at his Lordships pleasure. What tellest thou me, quoth the gentleman of thy conscience? MarginaliaConscience litle passed of among these Papistes.Thou mayest with a safe conscience vtter those that be heretickes, & so doing thou canst doo God & the king no greater seruice. If I knew Sir, quoth he, who were an heretike in deede, it were a thing: but if I should accuse hym to be an hereticke that is none, what a woorme woulde that be in my conscience, so long as I lyued: yea it were a great deale better for me to be out of this life, then to lyue in such torment. In faith, quoth the gentleman, thou knowest as well who be hereticks of thy felowes at home, and who be none, as I do knowe this paper in my hand: but it maketh no matter, for they shall all be sent for & examined: and thinkest thou that they will not vtter and tell of thee all that they can? yes I warrant thee. And what a foolish dolt art thou, that wilt not vtter aforehand what they bee, seing it standeth vpon thy deliuerance to tell the truth? What soeuer, quoth he, they shall say of mee, let them doo it in the name of God, for I wyll saye no more of them, nor of no man els, then I know. MarginaliaMarke here the wyles of Winchester.Mary, quoth the Gentleman, if thou wylt doo so, my Lorde requireth no more. And for as much as now peraduenture, thy wyts are troubled, so that thou canst not call things euen by and by to remēbraunce, I haue brought thee ynk and paper, that thou mayest excogitate with thy selfe, and write such things as shall come to thy minde. O Lord, quoth Marbecke, what wyll my Lord do? Will hys lordship compell me to accuse men, and wot not whereof? MarginaliaMarbecke vrged to accuse hys brethren.No, quoth the gentleman, my Lord compelleth thee not, but gentlye entreateth thee to say the trouth. Therefore make no more a do but write, for my Lorde wyll haue it so, and so layd downe the ynke and paper, and went his way.

MarginaliaMarbecke brought to great distresse.Now was Marbecke so full of heauines and wo, that he wyst not what to do, nor how to set the pen to the booke, to satisfie the bishops mynde, vnles he did accuse men, to the wounding of hys own soule. And thus being compassed about with nothing but sorrowe and care, hee cryed out to God in his hart, falling downe wyth weeping teares and sayd:

MarginaliaMarbeckes prayer vnto God.O most mercifull father of heauen, thou that knowest the secrete doings of all men, haue mercy vpon thy poore prisoner, which is destitute of all helpe and comfort. Assist mee (O Lord) with thy speciall grace, that to saue this frayle and vile body which shall turne to corruption at his time, I haue no power to say or to wryte any thing, that may be to the casting away of my Christen brother: but rather (O Lord) let thys vyle flesh suffer at thy wyll and pleasure. Graunt thys O most mercifull father, for thy deare sonne Iesus Christes sake.

Then he rose vp and began to search his conscience what he might write, & at last framed out these words: MarginaliaMarbeckes wordes written in Winchesters paper.Where as your Lordship wyll haue me to write suche thinges as I knowe of my fellowes at home: pleaseth it your Lordship to vnderstand, that I cannot call to remembraunce anye maner of thing, whereby I might iustly accuse any one of them, vnles it be that the reading of the newe Testament (which is common to all men) be an offence: more then this I know not.

Now the gentleman, about hys houre appoynted, came agayne, and founde Marbecke walking vp and