Marginalia1555. February.named Alhallowes in Breadstreete. Then mynded he to giue ouer his Cure in þ^e coūtrey: and therfore after he had taken possession of his benefice in London, he departed from London into the countrey, clearely to discharge him selfe therof. And euen at that tyme began the broile about the clayme that Queene Mary made to the crowne, by reason wherof he could not accomplish his purpose.

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In this trouble, and euen among the begynners of it (such I meane as weare for the Queene) MarginaliaThe constant purpose of Maister Saunders.he preached at Northampton, nothing medlyng with the estate,  

but boldly vttered his conscience agaynst Popish doctrine and Antichristes dānable errours, which were like to spryng vp agayne in England as a iust plague for the litle loue which þ^e English nation did beare to þ^e blessed worde of God, which had bene so plentifully offred vnto them. The Queenes men which were there & heard him, were highly displeased with him for his Sermon, and for it kept him among them as prisoner. But partly for loue of his brethren & frendes, which were chief doers for the Queene among them,   partly because there was no lawe broken by his preachyng, they dismissed him. He seyng the dreadfull dayes at hand, inflamed with the fire of godly zeale, preached with diligence at both those benefices, as tyme could serue him, seyng he could resigne neither of them now, but into the hand of a Papist.

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Thus passed he to and fro in preachyng, vntill that proclamation was put forth, of which mētion is made in the begynnyg. At which tyme he was at his benefice in the countrey, where he (notwithstandyng the proclamation aforesaid) taught diligently Gods truth, confirmyng the people therin, and armyng them against false doctrine, vntil he was not onely commaunded to cease, but also with force resisted, so that he could not procede there in preachyng. Some of his frendes perceiuyng such fearefull manassynges, counseled hym to flie out of the Realme, MarginaliaMaister Saunders refuseth to flye the Realme.which he refused to do. But seyng he was with violence kept from doyng good in that place, he returned towardes London, to visite the flocke, of which he had there the charge.

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On Saterday, the xiiij. of October, as he was commyng nigh to the Citie of London, Syr Iohn Mordant a Counsellour to Queene Mary, did ouertake him, and asked him whether he went. I haue (said Saūders) a Cure in London, and now I go to instruct my people accordyng to my duety. If you will folow my counsel, quoth M. Mordant, MarginaliaMaister Mordant disswadeth Laurence Saunders from preaching.let them alone, & come not at them. To this Saunders aunswered: how shall I thē be discharged before God, if any be sicke and desire cōsolatiō, if any want good counsell & neede instruction, or if any should slippe into errour and receaue false doctrine? Did not you, quoth Mordant, preach such a day, and named the day, in Breadstreete in London? Yes verely, sayd Saunders, that same is my Cure. I heard you my selfe, quoth M. Mordant: and will you preach now there agayne? If it please you, sayd Saunders, to morow you may heare me agayn in that same place, where I wil confirme by the authoritie of Gods word, all that I sayd then, and what soeuer before that tyme I taught them.

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I would counsell you (quoth þ^e other) not to preach. If you can, and will forbyd me by lawfull authoritie, then must I obey, sayd Saunders. Nay, quoth hee, I will not forbyd you, but I doo geue you counsell. And thus entred they both the Citie, and departed ech from other. M. Mordant of an vncharitable mind, wēt to geue warnyng to Boner Byshop of London, that Saunders would preach in his Cure the next day. Saūders resorted to his lodgyng, with a minde bent to do his duetie. Where because he semed to be somewhat troubled, one which was there about him, asked hym how he did. In very deede (sayth he) MarginaliaMaister Saunders in prison, till he was in prison.I am in prison till I be in prison: meanyng that his mynd was vnquiet vntil he had preached, & that then he should haue quiet-

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nes of mind, though he were put in prison.

MarginaliaM. Saunders Sermon at Alhallowes.The next day, which was Sonday, in the forenoone he made a Sermō in his Parish, entreatyng that place which Paul writeth to the Corinthians: Marginalia2. Cor. 11.I haue coupled you to one man, that ye should make your selues a chast Virgin vnto Christ. But I feare lest it come to passe, that as the Serpent beguiled Eue: euen so your wittes should be corrupt from the singlenes which ye had towardes Christ. He recited a summe of that true Christiā doctrine, through which they were coupled to Christ, to receiue of him free iustification through faith in his bloud. The Papisticall doctrine he compared to the Serpentes deceiuyng: and lest they should be deceiued by it, he made a comparison betwene the voyce of God, and the voyce of the Popish Serpent, descendyng to more particular declaration therof, as it were to let them playnly see MarginaliaDifference betwene the seruice vsed in K. Edwardes time, and in the tyme of Q. Mary.the difference that is betwene the order of the Church seruice set forth by kyng Edward in the English toung: comparyng it with the Popish seruice then vsed in the Latine toung.

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The first he sayd was good, because it was accordyng to the worde of God. 1. Corinth. 14. and the order of the primatiue Church. The other he sayd was euill, and though in that euill he entermingled some good Latine wordes: yet was it but as a litle hony or milke myngled with a great deale of poyson, to make them to drinke vp all. This was the summe of hys Sermon.

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In the after noone hee was ready in his Church to haue geuen an other exhortation to his people: but the Byshop of London interrupted him,MarginaliaM. Saunders apprehēded by B. Boner at his Sermon. by sendyng an officer for him. This officer charged him vpon the payne of disobedience and contumacie, forthwith to come to the Byshop his maister. Thus, as the Apostles were brought out of the Tēple where they were teachyng, vnto the rulers of the Priestes: so was Laurence Saūders brought before this Bishop in his Palace of London, who had in his cōpany the aforenamed MarginaliaSyr Iohn Mordant accuser of Laurence Saunders.Syr Iohn Mordāt and some of his Chapleins. The Byshop layd no more to Laurēce Saunders charge, but MarginaliaPreaching of Gods word, made treason with byshop Boner.treason for breakyng the Queenes proclamation: heresie and sedition for his Sermon.

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The treason, and sedition, his charitie was content to let slip, vntill an other tyme. But an hereticke he would now proue him, and all those, he sayd, which did teach and beleue that the administration of the Sacramentes and all orders of the Church are most pure, which do come most nigh to the order of the primatiue Church. For the Church was then but in her infancy, and coulde not abyde that perfection, which was afterward to be furnished with ceremonies. And for this cause Christ him selfe, and after him the Apostles did in many things beare with the rudenes of the Church. To this Laurence Saunders aunswered with the authoritie S. Augustine, that MarginaliaCeremonies inuented only for weake infirmity.ceremonies were euē from the begynnyng inuented and ordained for the rude infancie & weake infirmitie of mā, and therfore it was a token of the more perfection of the primatiue Church, that it had few ceremonies, and of the rudenes of the Church Papistical, because it had so many ceremonies, partly blasphemous, partly vnsauery & vnprofitable.

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After much talke had concernyng this matter, the Bishop willed him to write what he beleued of transubstantiation. Laurence Saunders did so, saying: MarginaliaB. Boner seeketh the bloud of M. Saunders.My Lord ye do seeke my bloud, and ye shall haue it. I pray God that ye may be so Baptised in it, that ye may therafter loth bloudsuckyng, and become a better mā. This writyng the Byshop kept for his purpose, euen to cut the writers throte, as shall appeare hereafter. The Byshop when he had his will, sent Laurence Saunders to the Lord Chauncellour, MarginaliaM. Saunders sent from Annas to Caiphas.as Annas sent Christ to Cayphas: and like fauour found Saunders, as Christ his Maister did before him. But the Chauncellour beyng not at home, Saunders was cōstrained to tary for him by the space of iiij. houres, in the vtter chamber, where

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