MarginaliaAn. 1549.would not obey your hyghnes lawes, nor acknowledge the Statutes made by your Maiestie to be auaylable till ye come to the age of xx. yeares) and this not onely beyng so, but the same thyng being commaunded by your sayd Maiestie amongest other Iniunctions and Articles geuen in writyng to the sayd Edmund Boner, to bee preached in his last Sermon, as by the same Iniunctions may appeare, of the which the true copye we haue when nede is to be shewed: MarginaliaBoner left out of hys Sermon the Article of the kinges authoritie.yet all this notwithstādyng, the sayd Boner, of what zeale or minde we cannot tell, whether fauouryng the opinion of the sayd rebels, or contemnyng your hyghnes commaundement declared to him, hath not onely left out to declare the sayd Article, which we most and chieflye expected and looked for, but also in all the rest of his Sermons did not so fully and apartly declare the sayd Iniunctions and Articles as to our iudgement did appeare they ought to haue ben declared, and was of no light ground loked for, intreatyng of other farre distant and diuers from the Articles vpon the which he was commaunded to entreate, and such as most should moue and styrre vp the people to disorder and dissension, willingly leauyng out those thynges whiche should haue made quiet and obedience. Wherfore not moued of any malice, grudge, enuy, or euill will to the person of the Bishop, but constreined by the loue and zeale which we beare towardes your highnes, and of our duetie and allegeance to your Maiestie, whose honour and sauetie with tranquilitie, quietnes and good gouernance of this your Realme, we doe most desire, and for the discharge of our most bounden dueties, to auoyde all the daungers that might ensue of the concealment thereof, we most humbly do denounce and declare the same to your highnes, to the intent that your Maiestie by the aduise aforesaid, may, if it please your highnes, at this our humble denunciaton call the sayd Byshop to aunswere to the premisses, the which we are readye to auowe and proue, and thē your highnes to take further order herein as to your Princely wisedome shall seme most conuenient: whose long lyfe and most prosperous gouernement, God almighty lōg continue, for the which we shall pray duryng our liues.

The kynges Maiestie hauyng thus by the information of these two credible persons, perfect intelligence of the contemptuous and peruerse negligence of this Byshop in accomplishyng his highnes commaundement geuen him by Iniunction, thought it most necessary withall conuenient spede (for the auoidyng of farther inconueniences) to looke more seuerely vnto the due punishment of such daungerous rebellious obstinacie, & MarginaliaCommission directed downe by the kyng agaynst Boner.therfore by the aduise of the Lorde Protectour and the rest of his honorable Counsaile, immediatly he directed forth his Commission vnder his broad Seale, vnto the Archbishop of Cāterbury, the Byshop of Rochester, and to other graue and trustie personages and Coūsellers, MarginaliaCōmissioners appoynted.appointing & authorising all thē, or certain of thē, by vertue of the same, to call before them, aswell the Bishop of London, as also the foresayd denoūcers, and vpon due examinatiō and proufe of the premisses, or any other matter otherwise to be obiected, farther to procede agaynst him summarely & de plano, accordyng to law and Iustice, either to suspension, excommunicatiō, committyng to prison, or depriuation (if the qualitie of the offence so required) or otherwise to vse any other censure Ecclesiasticall, which for the better hearyng & determinyng of that cause, myght to their wisedomes seme more pertinent, as appeareth more amply by the tenour of the Cōmission here ensuyng.

MarginaliaThe copie of the kinges Commission for Boners examination.EDwarde the sixt. &c. To the most reuerent father in God Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitane and Primate of all England, the right reuerend father in God Nicolas Bishop of Rochester, our trusty and right welbeloued Counsellers Sir William Peter and Syr Thomas Smith knightes our two principall Secretaries, and William Maye Doctor of the Law Ciuile and Deane of Paules, greetyng. It is come to our knowledge, that where we by the aduise of our most entirelybeloued vncle Edward Duke of Somerset, gouernour of our persō, & Protector of all our Realmes, dominions & subiectes, & the rest of our priuy Counsaile, did gyue to þ^e right reuerend father in God Edmund Byshop of London, vpon certaine cōplaintes before made vnto vs and other great considerations, certaine Iniunctions to bee folowed, done, and executed, and in a Sermon appoynted to hym to preach by vs with certaine Articles, and for the more sure knowledge, kepyng, and obseruyng, did exhibite the same in writyng vnto him by the hands of our sayd Vncle, in the fulfillyng of our counsell: all this notwithstandyng the sayd Byshop hath in contempt of vs (as it may appeare) ouerslipped and not obserued certeine of the said things so by vs enioyned, and other so peruersely and negligently done that the things minded of vs to reformatiō & for a good quiet of our subiectes & our whole realme, be cōuerted by the wilfull negligence or peruersitie of him, to a great occasiō of sclaūder, tumulte and grudge amongest our people, as it hath bene denounced to vs in writyng by certeine honest and discrete persons and otherwise called. The which things if they be so, we tendryng the wealth, quietnes, good order and gouernement of our people haue not thought conuenient to bee let past vnpunished and vnreformed, and therefore by the aduise aforesayd haue appoynted you v. iiij. or iij. vpō whose fidelities, wisedomes, dexterities and circumspections we haue full cōfidence, to call before you, aswell the denouncers of the sayd faultes, as also the sayd Byshop, and with due examinations and processe, accordyng to the law & Iustice, to heare the sayd matter & all other matters of what kind, nature, or conditiō so euer they shalbe, that shalbe obiected agaynst the sayd Byshop, summarely & de plano, or otherwise as to your discretions shalbe thought most meete, with full power and authoritie to suspend, excommunicate, commit to prison or depriue the sayd Byshop, if the offence shal so appeare to merite, or to vse any other censure Ecclesiasticall which for the better hearyng and determinyng of the cause, shalbe requisite and apperteine, any law, statute, or act to the contrary notwithstand. In witnes wherof we haue caused these our letters to bee made patētes. Witnes our self at Westminster the viij. of September in the third yeare of our reigne.

MarginaliaThe Commission deliuered.Thys Commission beyng sealed wyth the Kinges broad seale, was by hys highnes Counsail foorthwyth deliuered at þ^e Court vnto the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the rest of the Commissioners mencioned in the same, being there all together present. Who vpon the receipt thereof, determined by vertue of the same, to syt at the Archbishops house at Lambeth the wedensdaye then next ensuing, whych was the tenth day of that present moneth of September, and therefore appoynted the bishop of London to be sommoned to appeare before them, as at that tyme and place. The maner of whose behauiour at hys appearance, because it both declareth the frowarde nature and stubborne condition of the person, and also what estimation and authoritie he thought the Commissioners to bee of, I thought not vnmeete fyrst, before I enter into the processe, somwhat to note and discribe vnto you.

MarginaliaThe stubborne behauiour of Boner before the Commissioners.At his first entrye into the place within the Archbyshops house at Lambeth, where the Archbishop and other of the Commissioners sat, he passed forth directly by them wyth hys cap vpō his head (making as though he saw them not) vntill one plucking hym by the sleeue, wylled hym to do reuerence vnto the Commissioners. Whereat hee laughingly turned hym selfe, and spake vnto the Archbishop on this wyse: what my Lord, are you here? By my trouth I sawe you not. No, sayde the Archbishop, you would not see. Well (quoth he) you sent for me: haue you any thing to say to me? Yea sayd the Commissioners, we haue here authority from the kings highnes to call you to accompt for your Sermon you made lately at Paules crosse, for that you did not there publish vnto the people the article which you were commaunded then to preach vpon. At whych wordes the Bishop, either for that hee did not greatly like to heare of that matter, or els because hee woulde make hys friends beleue that he was called to accompt onely for hys opinion in religion (as afterwards in the