Marginalia1555. February.ing thē ouermatched wyth popish and bloudy bishops, called him to accompt for his sermon:MarginaliaM. Rogers called to accompt for his Sermō at Paules Crosse. to whō he made a stout, wittie, and godly aunswer, and yet in such sort handled hym selfe, that at that tyme he was clearly dimissed: but after that Proclamation was set foorth by the Queene to prohibite true preaching, he was called agayne before the Counsel,MarginaliaM. Rogers againe called before the Counsell, & commaunded to keepe hys house. (for the bishops thirsted after his bloud). The Counsail quarelled with him concerning hys doctrine, and in conclusion commaunded hym as prisouer to keepe his own house, and so he did: although by flying he myght easely haue escaped theyr cruell handes, and many thynges there were whych myght haue moued hym thereunto. He dyd see the recouery of religion in England for that present, desperate: he knew he could not want a lyuing in Germanie, and he could not forget his wyfe and ten children, and to seeke meanes to succour them. But all these thynges set a part, after hee was called to aunswere in Christes cause, he would not depart, but stoutly stoode in defence of the same, and for the triall of that truth, was content to hassard his lyfe.

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Thus he remayned in hys own house as prisoner a long time,  

till at the length, through the vncharitable procurement of Boner B. of London, who could not abyde such honest neyghbours to dwell by him,   he was MarginaliaM. Rogers sent to Newgate.remoued from hys own house to þ^e prison called Newgate, where he was lodged amōgest theeues and murtherers for a great space: duryng which tyme what busines he had wyth the aduersaries of Christ, al is not knowen, neyther yet any certainty of hys examinatiōs, further then he hym selfe dyd leaue in wryting, which God would not to bee lost, but to remaine for a perpetuall testimony in the cause of Gods truth, as here followeth recorded and testified by his own writyng.

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MarginaliaExamination & aunswere of M. Iohn Rogers.FIrst the Lord Chauncellor sayd vnto me thus. Syr ye haue heard of the state of the Realme in which it standeth now.

Rogers. No my Lord, I haue bene kept in close prison, and except there haue bene some generall thyng sayd at þ^e table whē I was at dynner or supper, I haue heard nothing: and there haue I heard nothing wherupon any speciall thyng might be grounded.

L. Chan. Thē sayd þ^e L. Chaūcellor: Generall things, generall things, mockingly? Ye haue heard of my Lord Cardinals cōmyng, & that the Parlament hath receaued his blessing, not one resistyng vnto it, but one man which did speake agaynst it. Such an vnity and such a miracle hath not bene seene. And al they (of which there are viij. score in one house,  

sayd one that was by, whose name I know not) haue with one assent and *Marginalia* Full sore agaynst there wils if they could other wyse haue chosen. consent receaued pardon of their offences for the schisme that we haue had in England, in refusing the holy father of Rome to be head of the holy Catholicke Church. How say ye, are ye content to vnite and knit your selfe to the fayth of the Catholicke Church with vs in the state in which it is now in England? will ye do that?

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Rog. The Catholicke Church I neuer did nor will dissent from.

L. Chaun. Nay, but I speake of the state of the Catholicke Church, in that wise in which we now stand in England, hauyng receaued the Pope to bee supreme head.

MarginaliaNo head of the Catholicke churche, but Christ.Rog. I know none other head but Christ, of his Catholicke Church, neither will I acknowledge the Byshop of Rome to haue any more authoritie, then any other Byshop hath, by the word of God, and by the doctrine of the old and pure Catholicke Church iiij. hundreth yeares after Christ.

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L. Chaun. Why didst thou then acknowledge kyng Henry the eight to bee supreme head of the Church, if Christ be the onely head?

MarginaliaThe supremacie of Kyng Henry 8. how it is to be taken.Rog. I neuer graunted him to haue any supremacy in spirituall thinges, as are the forgeuenes of sinnes, giuyng of the holy Ghost, authoritie to be a Iudge aboue the word of God.

L. Chaun. Yea sayd he, and Tonstall Byshop of Duresme, & MarginaliaTonstall B. of Duresme. N. Bish. of Worcester.N. B. of Worcester, if thou haddest sayd so in his dayes (and they nodded the head at me, with a laughter) thou haddest not bene a lyue now.

Rog. Which thyng I denyed, and would haue told how he was sayd and ment to be supreme head. But they looked and laughed one vpon an other, and made such a busines, that I was constrained to let it passe. There lieth also no great waight therupon: MarginaliaThe meaning why Kyng Henry was titled supreme head.for all the world knoweth what the meanyng was. The Lord Chauncellour also sayd to the Lord William Haward that there was no incōuenience therin, to haue Christ to be supreme head, and the Byshop of Rome also: and when I was ready to haue aūswered, that there could not be two heades of one Church, & haue more playnly declared the vanity of that his reason, the L. Chaūcellour sayd: what sayst thou? make vs a directed aūswer, whether thou wilt be one of this Catholicke Church, or not, with vs in the state in which we are now?

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Rog. My Lord, wythout fayle I can not beleue, that ye your selues do thincke in your hartes, that hee is supreme head, in forgeuing of sinne. &c. (as is before said) MarginaliaThe Byshops contrary to their former doinges and writinges.seing you, and all the Bishops of the realme haue now xx. yeares long preached, and some of you also wrytten to the contrary,  

and the Parlament hath so long agone condescēded vnto it. And there he interrupted me thus.

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L. Chan. Tush that Parlament was with most great cruelty constrained to abolish and put away the primacie from the bishop of Rome.

Rog. Wyth cruelty? MarginaliaAnd why then do you cōstrain mens consciences by crueltie to your religion.Why then I perceiue that you take a wrong way, with cruelty to perswade mens consciences. For it should appeare by your doinges now, that the cruelty then vsed hath not perswaded your consciences. How would ye then haue our consciences, perswaded wyth cruelty?

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L. Chan. I talke to thee of no cruelty, MarginaliaAs who should say, that men were not called vpō in this last Parlament with lyke and greater forcement to receiue the Pope.but that they were so often and so cruelly called vpon in that Parlament, to let that Act go forward, yea and euen wyth force driuen thereunto, where as in thys Parlament it was so vniformely receiued, as is aforesayd.

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Rog. Here my Lord Paget tolde me more plainly, what my Lord Chauncellour ment. Vnto whom I aūswered: My Lord, what wyll ye conclude therby? that the fyrst Parlament was of lesse authority, because but few condescended vnto it, & thys last Parlamēt of great authority, because more condescended vnto it? MarginaliaTruth goeth not by nūber, nor by the greater part.It goeth not (my Lord) by the more or lesser part, but by the wyser, truer, and godlier part: and I would haue said more, but the Lord Chauncellour interrupted me with his question, willing me once agayne to aunswere hym. For (sayd hee) we haue moe to speake wyth then thou, which must come in after thee. And so there were in dede MarginaliaX. prisoners out of Newgate to be conuented before Gardiner.ten persons moe out of Newgate, besides two that were not called. Of which ten one was a Citizen of London, which graunted vnto them: and nine of the countrey: which all came to prison again, and refused the Cardinals blessing, and the authoritie of hys holy Fathers church: Marginalia9. of these prisoners refused the Popes authoritie: the tenth yelded,sauing that one of these. ix. was not asked the question otherwyse then thus: whether he would be an honest man as hys Father was before him: and aunswering yea, he was so discharged by the friendship of my Lord William Haward (as I haue vnderstanded). He bad me tell hym what I would do: whether I woulde enter into one Church wyth the whole Realme, as it is now, or not? No, sayd I, I will first see it proued by the Scriptures. Let me haue penne, incke, and bookes. &c. And I will take vpon me playnly to set out the matter, so that the con-

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