MarginaliaAn. 1555. February.really and substantially.

I aunswered, I had often told him that it was a matter in which I was no medler, and therefore suspected of my brethren to be of a contrary opinion. Notwythstanding, euen as the most part of your doctrine in other poyntes is false, & the defence therof onely by force & cruelty: so in this matter I thinke it to be as false as the rest. For I can not vnderstand [really & substantially] to signifie otherwise thē corporally: MarginaliaActes. 3.but corporally Christ is onely in heauen, and so can not Christ be corporally also in your sacrament. And here I somewhat set out his charity after this sort: My Lord (quoth I) ye haue delt wyth me most cruelly. MarginaliaCrueltie shewed without a cause.For ye haue set me in pryson wythout law, and kept me there now almost a yeare and a halfe.MarginaliaM. Rogers a yeare and a halfe in duraunce. For I was almost halfe a yeare in my house, where I was obedient vnto you (God knoweth) and spake with no man. And now haue I bene a full yeare in Newgate, at great costes and charges, hauyng a wyfe and x. children to finde, and I had neuer a peny of my liuings, which was agaynst the law.

He aunswered, that Doctor Rydley which had geuen them me, was an vsurper, and therefore I was the vniust possessour of them.

Was the Kyng then an vsurper (quoth I) whych gaue Doctor Ridley the Bishopricke?

MarginaliaSte. Gardiner calleth Kyng Edward an vsurper.Yea (quoth he) and began to set out the wronges that the Kyng had done to the bishop of London, and to him self also. But yet I do misuse my termes (quoth he) to call the king vsurper. But the word was gone out of the aboundance of the hart before: and I thinke that he was not very sorye for it in hart. I myght haue sayd more concerning that matter, but I did not.

I asked hym wherefore he set me in prison. He sayd because I preached agaynst the Queene.

I aunswered that it was not true: and I would be bound to proue it, and to stand to the triall of the lawe, that no man should be able to proue it, and thereupon would set my lyfe. MarginaliaM. Rogers imprisoned against all law and ryght.I preached (quoth I) a Sermon at the Crosse,  

Commentary     Close

I.e., Paul's Cross.

Yea, but thou didst read thy lectures after (quoth he) against the cōmaundement of the Counsell.

That dyd I not (quoth I): let that be proued and let me dye for it. Thus haue ye now against the law of God and man handled me, and neuer sent for me, neuer conferred wyth me, neuer spoke of any learning, tyll now that ye haue gotten a whip to whip me wyth, and a sword to cut of my necke, if I will not condescend vnto your mynde. This charitie doth all the world vnderstand.

I might and would haue added, if I could haue bene suffered to speake, that it had bene time inough to take away mens liuinges, and thereto to haue prisoned thē, after that they had offended lawes. For they bee good Citizens that breake not lawes, and worthy of prayse, and not of punishment.MarginaliaM. Rogers punished before any law was broken. But theyr purpose is to keepe men in prison so longe, vntill they may catch them in their lawes, and so kyll them. I could and would haue added the example of Daniel, which by a crafty deuised law was cast into þ^e Lions denne. Item, I might haue declared, that I most humbly desired to bee set at libertie, sending my wife to hym wyth a Sulpplicatiō, being great with child, and wyth her, eyght honest women, or therabout, to Richmond, at Christmas was a twelue moneth, whyles I was yet in my house.

Item, I wrote two Supplications to hym out of Newgate, and sent my wyfe many times to him. Maister GosnoldMarginaliaM. Gosnolde laboured for M. Rogers. also that worthy man, who is now departed in the Lord, laboured for me, and so did diuers other worthy men also take paynes in the matter. These thinges declare my L. Chauncellours Antichrichristian charitie, which is, that he hath and doth seeke

my bloud, and the destruction of my poore wife and my ten Chyldren.

Thys is a short summe of the wordes whych were spoken the. xxviij. day of Ianuary at after none, after that Maister Hooper had bene the first, & M. Cardmaker the second in examinatiō before me. The Lord graunt vs grace to stand together, fighting lawfully in hys cause, till wee bee smitten downe together, if the Lordes wyll be so to permit it. For there shall not a heare of our heades perish agaynst his will, but wyth hys wyll. Whereunto the same Lord graunt vs to bee obedient vnto the end, and in the end, Amen: Sweete, myghty, and mercyfull Lord Iesus the Sonne of Dauid and of God. Amen, Amen, let euery true Christian say and pray.

Then the clocke being (as I gessed) about foure, the L. Chauncellour sayd, that he and the church must yet vse charitie with me (MarginaliaGreat mercy of Winchest. no lesse thē the Foxe hath to the chickens, or the Wolfe to sucke the bloud of Lambes.what maner of charitie it is, all true Christians do well vnderstand, as to wit, the same that the Foxe doth with the Chickens, and the Woolfe with the Lambes) and gaue me respite tyl to morow, to see whether I would remember my selfe wel to morow, & whether I would returne to þ^e catholike church (for so he calleth his Antichristian false church) againe, and repent, and they would receiue me to mercy.

I sayd that I was neuer out of the true Catholicke Church, nor would be: but into his Church, would I, by Gods grace, neuer come.

MarginaliaThe popes Church is the Church of Antichrist.Well (quoth he) then is our Church false and Antichristian.

Yea, quoth I.

And what is the doctrine of the Sacrament?

False, quoth I, and cast my handes abroad.

Then said one, that I was a player. To whom I aūswered not: for I passed not vpon his mocke.

MarginaliaM. Rogers warned to appeare the next day.Come agayn, quoth the Lord Chauncellour, to morow betwene nine and ten.

I am ready to come agayne, when so euer ye call, quoth I.

And thus was I brought by þ^e Shriffes to the Coūter in Southwarke, Maister Hoper goyng before me, and a great multitude of people beyng present, so that we had much to do to go in the streetes.

Thus much was done the xxviij. day of Ianuary.

THe second day, which was the xxix. of Ianuary, MarginaliaM. Rogers & Maister Hooper brought againe before the Chauncellour.we were sent for in the mornyng about ix. of the clocke, and by the Shriffes fetched frō the Counter in Southwarke, to the Church agayne, as to wyt, to S. Mary Oueries, where we were the day before in the after noone, as is sayd. And when Maister Hoper was condemned (as I vnderstode afterward) then sent they for me. Then the Lord Chauncellour sayd vnto me:

MarginaliaGardiners wordes to Maister Rogers.Rogers (quoth hee) here thou wast yesterday, and we gaue thee libertie to remember thy selfe this night, whether thou wouldest come to the holy Catholicke Church of Christ agayn or not. Tel vs now what thou hast determined, whether thou wilt be repentaunt and sory, and wilt returne agayne and take mercy.

MarginaliaAnswere of M. Rogers to the B. of Winchest.My Lord, quoth I, I haue remembred my selfe right well, what you yesterday layd for you, and desire you to geue me leaue to declare my minde what I haue to say thereunto, and that done, I shall aunswere you to your demaunded question.

MarginaliaM. Rogers not suffered to defend him selfe by wryting.When I yesterday desired that I might be suffered by the Scripture and the authoritie of þ^e first, best, and purest Church to defend my doctrine by writyng (meanyng not onely of the primacie: but also of all the doctrine that euer I had preached) ye aunswered me that it might not, nor ought not to bee graunted me, for I was a priuate person: and that the Parlament was aboue the authoritie of all priuate persons, and therefore the sentence therof might not be found fautie & valureles by me, beyng but a priuate person. And yet my Lord, quoth I, I am able to shew examples, that