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1435 [1435]

K. Hen. 8. Persecution in Windsore. Testwood, Filmer, Person, Marbecke, Bennet.

MarginaliaW. Symons replieth against Person.spake Symons his accuser, standyng within the barre, saying: It is pitie this felow had not bene burnt longe agoe as he deserued. In fayth (quoth Anthony) if you had as you haue deserued, you were more worthye to stand in this place then I: but I trust in the last day when we shall both appeare before the tribunall seate of Christ, that thē it wilbe knowen which of vs ij. hath best deserued this place. MarginaliaThe Papistes ieste at Gods iudgement.Shall I haue so long a day, quoth Symons, holdyng vp his finger? Nay, thē I care not: and so the matter was iested out.

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¶ Robert Testwod.

THen was Testwod called, and his Inditemēt read, whiche was that he should say in the tyme that the Priest was liftyng vp the Sacrament: what wilt thou lyft hym so hye? what yet hyer? Take hede, let hym not fall.

MarginaliaTestwoode aunswereth to hys inditemēt.To this Testwod aunswered, saying it was but a thing maliciously forged of his enemies to bring him to his death. Yes (quoth the Byshop) thou hast ben sene, that when the Priest should lyft vp the Sacrament ouer his head, then wouldest thou looke downe vpon thy booke, or some other way, because thou couldest not abide to looke vpon the blessed Sacrament. I besech you my Lord, quoth Testwod, wheron did he looke þt marked me so well? Mary quoth Bucklayer the kynges Atturney, he could not be better occupied, then to marke such hereticke that so despised the blessed Sacrament.

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¶ Henry Filmer.

MarginaliaFilmers inditement.THen was Filmer called and his Inditement read: that he shoulde say that the Sacrament of the altar is nothyng els but a similitude and a ceremonie: And also if God be in the Sacrament of the aultar, I haue eaten xx. Gods in my dayes.

Here ye must vnderstand, that these woordes were gathered of certaine communication whiche should be betwene Filmer and his brother. The tale went thus.

This Henry Filmer comming vpō a Sonday from Clewer his Parishe Church, in the company of one or two of his neighbours, chaunced in the way to meete his brother (whiche was a very poore labouryng man) & asked him whether he went. To the Church sayd he. And what to do, quoth Filmer? To do, quoth he, as other mē do. Nay, quoth Filmer, you go to heare Masse and to see your God. What if I do so, quoth he? If that be God (should Filmer say) I haue eaten xx. Gods in my dayes. Turne agayne foole and go home with me, and I will read thee a Chapter out of the Bible, that shalbe better thē all that thou shalt heare or or see there. This tale was no sooner brought to Doct. Lōdon by Williā Symons (Filmers vtter enemy) MarginaliaD. London setteth brother agaynst brother.but he sent for the poore man home to hys house, where hee cherished him with meate and money, tellyng him hee should neuer lacke, so long as he lyued: that the selye poore mā (thinkyng to haue had a dayly frend of Doct. London) was contēt to do and say what soeuer he and Symons would haue him say or do agaynst his owne brother. And whē Doct. London had thus wonne the poore mā, he retained him as one of his houshold men, vntill the Court day was come, MarginaliaFilmers owne brother witnes against hym.& then sent hym vp to witnesse this foresayd tale agaynst his brother. Which tale Filmer denied vtterly, saying that D. London (for a litle meate and drinke sake) had set him on, and made him to say what his pleasure was: wherefore my Lord (quod Filmer to the Bishop) I besech your Lordshyp weye the matter indifferently, MarginaliaOne witnes to stand, is agaynst the lawe.for as much as there is no man in all this towne, that can or will testifie with him, that euer hee heard any such talke betwene hym and me: and if he cā bryng forth any that will witnesse þe same with him, I refuse not to dye. But say what he could, it would not preuaile.

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MarginaliaFilmer cast away by hys own brother.Thē Filmer seyng no remedy but that his brothers accusement should take place, he said: Ah brother, what cause hast thou to shew me this vnkindnes? I haue alwayes bene a natural brother vnto thee and thine, and helped you all, to my power, frō time to time, as thou thy selfe knowest: and is this a brotherly part, thus to reward me now for my kindnes? God forgeue it thee my brother, and geue thee grace to repēt. Then Filmer looking ouer his shoulder, desired some good body to let him see the booke of Statutes. His wife beyng at the ende of the Hall, and hearing her husband call for the boke of Statutes, ranne down to the Keper & brought vp the booke and gat in conueied to her husband. MarginaliaThe Byshops condemne men not onely without all law, but also stoppe the lawe that it should not be knowen.The Bishop seyng the booke in his hand, starte him vp from the benche in a great fume, demaunding who had geuen the prisoner that booke, commaundyng it to be takē frō him, and to make search who had brought it, swearyng by the fayth of his body, hee should goe to prison. Some sayd it was his wife, some sayd the Keper. Like enough (my Lord) quoth Symons, for hee is one of the same sorte, and as worthy to bee here as the best, if hee were rightly serued. But how soeuer it was, the truth would not be knowen, and so þe Bishop sat him downe againe. Then sayd Filmer: O my Lord, I am this day Iudged by a law, & why should not I see the law that I am Iudged by? MarginaliaFilmer condemned by one witnes against the lawe: and how do the Byshops then say that they dyd nothing but by a lawe?The law is, I should haue two lawfull witnesses and here is but one, whiche would not do as he doth, but that he is forced therunto by þe suggestion of mine enemies. Nay, quoth Bucklayer the kings Atturney, thine heresie is so heynous and abhorreth thine owne brother so much, that it forceth him to witnesse against thee, which is more thē ij. other witnesses.

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Thus (as ye see) was Filmer brought vniustly to his death, by the malice of Symons and D. London, who had enticed that wretched catiffe his brother, to bee their minister to worke his confusiō. MarginaliaExample of Gods iust punishment vpon a popishe accuser, accusing his owne brother.But God whiche is a iust reuenger of all falsehode and wronges, would not suffer that wretch long to lyue vpon earth, but the next yeare folowyng, he beyng taken vp for a labourer to go to Bullayne, had not bene there three dayes, ere that (in exoneratyng of nature) a Gonne tooke him and tore him all to peeces: And so was these woordes of Salomon fulfilled: A false witneße shall not remaine vnpunished.  

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Proverbs 19: 5.

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Iohn Marbecke.

MarginaliaThe inditement of Marbecke.THen was Marbecke called, and hys Inditement read, which was that he should say: That the holy Masse, when the Priest doth consecrate the body of our Lord, is poluted, deformed, sinful, and open robbery of the glory of God, frō the which a Christian hart ought both to abhorre and flee.  

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The argument below closely follows one of Calvin's arguments in De fugiendis impiorum illicitis sacris (1537), which suggest that this was the work of Calvin's that Marbeck transcribed.

And the eleuation of the Sacrament is the similitude of the setting vp of Images of the Calues in the temple buylded by Ieroboam: and that it is more abhomination then the Sacrifices done by the Iewes in Ieroboams temple to those calues. And that certayne and sure it is that Christ hym selfe is made in the Masse, mens laughing stocke.

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MarginaliaMarbecke aunswereth to hys inditement.To this he aunswered and said, that these wordes whereof they had indited him, were not hys, but the wordes of a learned mā called Ioh. Caluine, & drawne out of a certayne Epistle whiche the sayd Caluine had made, which Epistle he had but onely wrytten out, and that long before the. vj. articles came forth: so that now he was discharged of that offence by the kynges generall pardon, desiring that he might enioye the benefite thereof.

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MarginaliaPartiall dealing in callyng the Iurye.Then was the Iury called, which were all Farmers belonging to the colledge of Wyndesore, wherof few or none had euer seene those men before, vpon whose lyfe and death they went. Wherefore the prisoners (counting the Farmers as partiall) desired to haue the townes men, or such as did know them, and had seene their daily conuersations, in the place of the Farmers, or els to be equally ioyned with them: but that woulde not be, for the matter was otherwyse foreseene and determined.

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Now