Marginalia1555. February.one man hath come into a generall Counsell, and after the whole had determined and agreed vpon an Acte or Article, that some one mā commyng in afterward, hath by the word of God declared so pithely that MarginaliaWhole Councells turned by priuate persons.the Counsell had erred in decreeing the sayd Article, that he caused the whole Counsell to chaūge and aulter theyr Acte or Article before determined. And of these examples (said I) I am able to shew two. I can also shew the authoritie of S. Augustine, MarginaliaContra Maxentiū Lib. 3. cap. 14.that when he disputed with an hereticke, he would neither him self, nor yet haue þ^e hereticke to leane vnto the determination of two former Councels, of the which the one made for him and the other for the hereticke that disputed agaynst hym: but sayd that he would haue the Scriptures to be their iudge, which were common and indifferent for them both, and not proper to either of them.

MarginaliaExtran. De Appel. Cap. Significasti.Item, I could shew (sayd I) the authoritie of a learned Lawyer Panormitanus, which sayth: that vnto a simple lay man that bryngeth the worde of God with him, there ought more credite to be geuen, then to a whole Councell gathered together. By these thynges will I proue that I ought not to be denyed to say my mind, and to be heard against a whole Parlamēt, bringyng the word of God for me, and the authoritie of the old Church 400. yeares after Christ, albeit that euery man in the Parlament had willingly and without respect of feare and fauour agreed therunto (which thyng I doubt not a litle of, specially seyng the lyke had bene permitted in that old Church, euen in generall Councells, yea and that in one of the chiefest Councels that euer was, vnto which neither any Actes of this Parlament, nor yet any of the late generall Councels of the Byshops of Rome, ought to be compared). MarginaliaA case put to the B. of Winchest.For, sayd I, if Henry the viij. were alyue, and should call a Parlament, and begyn to determine a thyng (and here I would haue alledged the example of the Acte of making the Queene a Bastard, & of makyng hym selfe the Superiour head, but I could not, beyng interrupted of one, whom God forgeue) then will ye (poyntyng to my Lord Chauncellour) & ye & ye, and so ye all (poyntyng to the rest of the Byshops) say: Amen, yea and it lyke your grace, it is meete that it be so enacted. &c.

Marginalia This was Sir Anth. Browne.Here my Lord Chauncellour would suffer me to speake no more: but bad me sit down mockingly, saying that I was sent for to be instructed of them, & I would take vpon me to be their Instructour.

MarginaliaM. Rogers not suffered to speake.My Lord (quoth I) I stand and sit not: shall I not be suffered to speake for my lyfe?

MarginaliaMarke well the spirite of thys Prelate.Shall we suffer thee to tell a tale and to prate, quoth he? and with that he stode vp, and began to face me, after his old arrogāt proud fashion: for he perceiued that I was in a way to haue touched them somwhat: which thyng he thought to hinder, by dashyng me out of my tale, and so he did. For I could neuer be suffered to come to my tale againe, no not to one word of it: but he had much like cōmunication with me as he had the day before, and as his maner is, taunt vpon taunt, & checke vpon checke. For in that case (beyng Gods cause) I told hym he should not make me afrayd to speake.

L. Chaun. See what a spirite this felow hath, sayd he, findyng fault at myne accustomed earnestnes, and harty maner of speakyng.

MarginaliaThe godly spirite of Maister Rogers.Rog. I haue a true spirite, quoth I, agreeyng and obeying the word of God, and would further haue sayd, that I was neuer the worse but the better, to be earnest in a iust and true cause & in my Maister Christes matters: but I might not be heard. And at the length he proceeded towardes his excommunication and condemnation, after that I had told hym, that his Church of Rome was the Church of Antichrist,MarginaliaThe church of Rome is the church of Antichrist, meaning the lawes and doctrine now vsed in Rome. meanyng the false doctrine and tyrannicall lawes, with the maintenaunce therof by cruell persecutiō vsed by the Bishops of the sayd Church (which the B. of Winchester & the rest of his felow Bishops that are now in Englād, are the chief members): Of lawes I meane (quoth I) and

not of al womē which are in þ^e Popes church. Likewise when I was sayd to haue denyed their Sacrament (wherof he made his wonted reuerent mention, more to maintaine his kyngdome thereby, then for the true reuerence of Christes institution: more for his owne and his Popish generations sake, then for Religion or Gods sake) I told him after what order I did speake of it (for the maner of his speakyng was not agreeyng to my wordes, which are before recited in the communication that we had the. 28. of Ianuary): wherwith he was not contented, MarginaliaHow the Byshop of Winchester seeketh for bloud.but he asked the audience whether I had not simply denyed the Sacrament. They would haue sayd, and did what he lusted: for the most of them were of his own seruauntes, at that day, the. 29. day of Ianuary I meane. At the last I sayd, I will neuer deny that I sayd, that is, that your doctrine of the Sacramēt is false: but yet I tell you after what order I sayd it.

To be short, hee read my condemnation before me particularly, mentionyng therein but two Articles, first that I affirmed the Romish Catholicke Church to be þ^e Church of Antichrist: and that I denyed the reality of their Sacrament. He cursed me to be disgraded and condemned, and put into the handes of the Laity, and so hee gaue me ouer into the Shriffes handes, which were much better then his.

¶ The copie of which hys condemnation here I thought to put down in English, to the intent that the same being here once expreßed, may serue for all other Sentences condemnatory through the whole story to be referred vnto.

¶ The Sentence condemnatory agaynst Maister Rogers.  

Commentary     Close

A copy of this sentence survives in Foxe's papers: BL, Harley 421, fos. 40r-41r. This text was copied on Foxe's behalf from an official record of the proceedings against leading heretics which Bishop Gardiner conducted at the end of January 1555; this record is now lost.

MarginaliaThe Sentence definitiue agaynst M. Rogers.IN the name of God Amen. We Steuen by the permission of God bishop of Winchester, lawfully and rightly proceding with all godly fauour by authority and vertue of our office, against thee Iohn Rogers Priest, aliâs called Mathew, before vs personally here present, being accused and detected, and notoriously sclaundered of heresy, hauing heard, sene, and vnderstand, & with al diligent deliberation wayed, discussed, and considered the merites of the cause, all things being obserued, which by vs in this behalfe in order of law ought to be obserued, sitting in our iudgement seate, the name of Christ beyng first called vpon, and hauing God onely before our eyes: because by the actes enacted, propounded, and exhibited in this matter, and by thine own confession iudicially made before vs, we do finde that thou hast taught, holden, and affirmed and obstinately defended diuers errors, heresies, and damnable opinions contrarye to the doctrine & determination of the holy Church, as namely these: MarginaliaHis Articles.That the catholique church of Rome is the church of Antichrist: Item, that in the Sacrament of the aultar there is not substantially nor really the naturall body, and the bloud of Christ: the which foresaid heresies and damnable opinions being contrarye to the law of God, and the determination of the vniuersall and Apostolicall church, thou hast arrogantly, stubburnely, and wittingly mayntained, helde, and affirmed, and also defended before vs, as well in this iudgement, as also otherwyse, and with the like obstinacie, stubburnnes, malice and blindnes of hart both wittingly and wyllingly hast affirmed, that thou wylt beleue, maintayn and hold, affirme, and declare the same: We therefore Steuen Wint. B. Ordinary and Diocesan aforesayd by the consent and assent aswel of our reuerend brethrē þ^e L. Bishops here present and assistent, as also by the counsel and iudgemēt of diuers worshipfnll Lawyers and professors of diuinitie, wyth whom we haue communicated in this behalfe, do declare and pronounce thee the said Iohn Rogers, othrewyse called Mathew, through thy demerites, transgressions, obstinacies, and wylfulnesses (which thou manyfold waies hast incurred by thyne own wicked and stubburne obstinacie) to haue bene and to be gilty in the detestable, horrible, and wycked offence of heretical prauity and execrable doctrine, and that thou hast before vs sundry tymes spoken, mayntayned, and wyttingly and stubburnly defended the said cursed and execrable doctrine in thy sundry confessions, assertions, and recognitions here iudicially before vs oftētimes repeated, and yet stil doost maintain, affirme and beleue the same, and that thou hast bene and art lawfully and ordinarily conuicted in thys