Marginalia1550.And I was bold to accompt vnto them mery tales of my miserie in prison, which they seemed content to heare: and then I told them also (desiryng them not to be miscontent with that I should say:) wh? I remember ech of them alone, I coulde not thinke otherwise of them but they were my good Lordes: and yet wh? they meete together, I feele no remedy at their handes. I looked, quoth I, when my Lord of Somerset was here to go out within two dayes, MarginaliaWinchesters farewell feast lost in the Tower.and made my farewell feast in the Tower and all, since which tyme there is a moneth past or therabout: and I agreed with th?, and now agree with you, and I may fortune be forgotten. My Lord Treasurer sayd nay, I should heare from th? the next day, and so by their speciall commaundement came out of the chamber after them, that they might be seene depart as my good Lordes: and so was done. By which processe doth appeare how there was in me no contempt, as is sayd in this Article, but such a subscription made as they were content to suffer me to make, which I tooke in my conscience for a whole satisfaction of the Kynges Maiesties letters, which I desire may be demed accordyngly. And one thyng was sayd vnto me further that other woulde haue put in many moe Articles, but they would haue no more but those.

Marginalia13. Article.Item, that you hauing eftsones certaine of the kings Maiesties honorable Counsaile sent vnto you the. xij. of Iuly in the sayd. iiiij. yeare with the sayd submission, and being on his maiesties behalfe required and commaunded to consider agayne and better the sayd submission & to subscribe the same, stoode in iustification of your selfe, and would in no wyse subscribe thereunto.

MarginaliaAunswere to the 13. Article.To the. xiij. article hee sayd: The next day after the being in the Tower of the sayd Lorde Treasurer, the Earle of Warwike and other: came vnto me Syr William Harbert and Maister Secretary Peter, to deuise wyth me how to make some acknowledging of my fault (as they sayd) because the other forme lyked me not. MarginaliaWinchest. still standeth vpon reputation of hys innocencie.Whereunto I sayd I knew my selfe innocent, and to enter wyth you to entreate of a deuise to empayre my innocency in any point by my wordes or writings, it can haue no policye in it. For although I dyd more esteeme libertye of body, then the diffamation of my selfe: yet (quoth I) when I had so done wyth you, I were not so assured by you to come out. For wh? I were by my own * Marginalia* Your putting to the penne in thys matter would not haue made you naught, but your naughtines would not put to your penne.penne once made an naughty man, then were I not the more sure to come out, but had locked my selfe the more surely in. And a smal pleasure were it to me to haue my bodye at libertye by your procurement, & to haue my c?science in perpetuall prison by mine own act. Many more wordes there were & perswasions on their parties, which caused me to requyre of them, for the passion of God, that my matter myght take an end by iustice, and so departed, then being no contempt or faction of disobedience shewed on my behalfe, but only allegation for my defence of mine innocencye in the best maner I could deuise, as I trust they wyll testifie.

Marginalia14. Article.Item, that after all this videlicet the. xiiij. day of Iuly in the sayd iiij. yeare, the kinges Maiestye sent yet agayne vnto you certayne of hys maiesties honorable Counsaile wyth an other submmission, and diuers other articles, wylling and commaunding you to subscribe your name therunto: which to do you vtterly refused.

MarginaliaAunswere to the 14. Article.To the. xiiij. article hee sayd, that on the Monday in the morning following came the bishop of L?don, Sir Willi? Harbert, Maister Secretary Peter, & an other whom I know not, MarginaliaOther Articles offered to Winchest.who brought with them a paper, wyth certayne articles written in it, which they required me to subscribe. Whereupon I most instantly requyred that my matter might be tried by iustice, which although it were more greuous, yet it hath a commoditye with it, that it endeth certaynly the matter. And I could neuer yet come to my assured stay, and thereforerefused to meddle wyth any more articles, or to trouble my selfe with the reading of them, and yet they desired me so instantly to reade them, that I was content, and did reade, and to shew my perfect obedient minde, offered incontinently vpon my deliuerye out of prison, to make aunswer vnto them, all such as I woulde abyde by and suffer paine for, if I haue deserued it. MarginaliaThe Byshop of Londons wordes of Winchester.I would in deede gladly haue bene in hand with my Lord of L?don, but hee sayd hee came not to dispute, and sayd it was the hande of God that I was thus in pryson, because I had so troubled other men in my time. Finally my request was, that they woulde in this forme make my aunswer to my Lords of the Counsel as followeth: MarginaliaWinchester refuseth to be deliuered by way of mercy.That I most humbly thanke them of their good wyll to deliuer me by way of mercye, but because in respect of myne own innocent conscience I had rather haue iustice, I desired them, seing both was in the kinges Maiesties handes, that I might haue it, which if it happen to me more greeuous, I wyll impute it to my selfe, and euermore thanke them for their good wyll, and so departed I with them, as I trust they wyll testifie, and no mysbehauior or demeanor to haue bene vsed on my behalfe.

Marginalia15. Article.Item, that after all this, videlicet the. xix. day of Iuly, in the sayd fourth yeare, you being personally called before the kinges maiesties priuy Counsayle, and hauyng the sayd submission and articles openly and distinctly read vnto you, & requyred to subscribe the same, refused for vniust considerations by you alledged to subscribe the same.

MarginaliaAunswere to the 15. Article.To the. xv. article, I graunt, that vppon a Saterday at after noone, eu? at such tyme of the day as they were at Euensong in the Chappell at the Court, I was brought thether, and at my comming the Lordes of the Counsale sayd they were all my Iudges by speciall commission, and entended to procede thys wyth me: That I should subscribe certayne articles whych were then read, and I must directly make a?swere, whether I woulde subscribe them or no. I aunswered on my knees in this wyse: For the passion of God my Lordes be my good Lordes, and let me be tried by iustice whether I be faulty or no: and as for these articles, as soone as ye deliuer me to my libertie, I woulde make aunswere to them whether I would subscribe them or no. MarginaliaWinchester required again to subscribe, refuseth.Th? they hauing further to say, I a?swered, these articles were of diuers sortes: some be lawes which I may not qualifie: some be no lawes but learning and fact, which may haue diuers vnderstandinges, and a subscription to them without telling what I meane, were ouer daungerous: MarginaliaWinchesters shiftes.and therfore I offered for the more declaration of myne obedience to all theyr requestes, that if they would deliuer me the articles into the pryson wyth me, I woulde shortly make them particular aunswere, and suffer the paynes of the law, that by my aunswere I might incurre vnto. Whereupon I was commaunded to go a part, and they sent vnto me the Lord Treasurer and Maister Secretarye Peter, who communed with me of a meane way, and that liked not the Lordes. And then I was called forth agayne, & my absolute subscription required agayne, and I agayne made offer to aunswere particularly, for I coulde not with my conscience subscribe then as they were, absolutely. And these my considerations, I trust be iust, seing no m? for any commaundementes ought to offend hys conscience, as I must haue done in that case.

Marginalia16. Article.Item, that for your sondry and manyfold contemptes and disobedi?ces in this behalfe vsed, the fruites of your bishopricke were then by speciall commission of his maiesty iustly and lawfully sequestred.

MarginaliaAunswere to the 16. Article.To the. xvj. article, I denye contemptes, and disobedience of partes, & say that my doings can not so be termed, because it is taught in this realme for a doctrine of obedience, that if a king commaund that is contrary