Marginalia1555. February.Yes my Lord (quoth M. Hoper) and my Lord of Chichester D. Day knoweth that þ^e great Councell of MarginaliaThe Councell of Nice permitteth priestes mariage.Nice, by meanes of one Paphnutius, decreed that no Minister should be separated from his wife. But such clamours and cryes were vsed, that the Councell of Nice was not seene.

After this long brutish talke, Tunstall bishop of Duresme asked Maister Hooper whether he beleued the corporall presence in the sacrament? and Maister Hoper sayd playnly that there was none such, neither did he beleue any such thyng.

Then would the bishop of Duresme haue read out of a booke, for hys purpose belike (what booke it was, I can not tell): but there was such a noyse and confuse talke on euery side, that he did not reade it. Then asked Winchester of M. Hooper, what authority moued hym not to beleue the corporall presence? He sayd the authority of Gods word, and alledged this text: MarginaliaThe corporall presence.Quem oportet cœlum suscipere, vsq; ad tempus restaurationis omnium. i. Whom heauen must holde vntyll the latter day.

Then the bishop of Winchester would haue made that text to haue serued nothing for hys purpose, and he sayd he might be in heauen, & in the sacrament also.

M. Hooper would haue said more to haue opened þ^e text, but al men that stoode next about the bishop, allowed so hys saying with clamors and cryes, that Maister Hooper was not permitted to say any more agaynst þ^e bishop. Wherupon they bad þ^e Notaries write that MarginaliaArticles taken against M. Hooper.he was maryed, & sayd that he would not go frō his wyfe, and that he beleued not the corporall presence in the Sacrament, wherefore he was worthy to be depriued from hys bishopricke.

This is the truth of the matter (as farre as I can truly remember) of the confuse and troublesome talke, that was betwene them, and except it were hasty and vncharltable wordes, that is the whole matter of theyr talke, at that tyme. Atq; hæc ille hactenus.

¶ The true report of M. Hoopers entertainment in the fleete, written with his own hand the seuenth of Ianuary. 1554.  

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This letter was printed in the Rerum (pp. 286-87), 1563; Letters of the Martyrs (pp. 128-30) and all subsequent editions of the Acts and Monuments.

MarginaliaMaister Hoopers report of his imprisonment in the Fleete.THe first of September. 1553. I was cōmitted vnto the Fleete from Richmount, to haue the liberty of the prison: and within sixe dayes after, I payed for my libertye fiue poundes sterling to the Warden for fees: who immediately vpon the payment therof, complayned vnto Steuen Gardiner bishop of Winchester, and so was I committed to close prison one quarter of a yeare in the Tower chamber of the Fleete, vsed very extremely. Then by the meanes of a good MarginaliaThis good gentlewoman is thought to be Mistres Wilkinson.gentlewoman, I had libertie to come downe to dinner and supper, not suffered to speake with any of my frendes: but as soone as dynner and supper was done, to repayre to my chamber againe. Notwithstanding whilest I came down thus to dinner and supper, the Warden and hys wyfe picked quarels with me, and complayned vntruly of me, to their great frend the bishop of Winchester.

After one quarter of a yeare and somwhat more, MarginaliaBabingtō Warden of the Fleete a wicked tyrant to Gods people.Babington the Warden and hys wyfe, fell out wyth me for the wycked Masse: and therupon the Warden resorted to the bishop of Winchester, and obtained to put me into the Wardes, where I haue continued a long tyme, hauing nothing appointed to me for my bed, but a litle pad of straw, & a rotten couering with a tyke and a few feathers therin, the chamber being vile and stinking, vntyll by Gods meanes good people sent me bedding to lye in. Of the one syde of which pryson is the syncke, and filth of all the house, and on the other side, the towne ditch: so that the stinch of the house hath infected me with sondry diseases.

During which time I haue bene sicke: & the dores, barres, haspes, and chaynes being all closed, and made fast vpon me, I haue mourned, called and cryed for helpe. But the Warden, when hee hath knowen me

many tymes ready to dye, and when the poore men of the Wardes haue called to helpe me, MarginaliaThe barbarous cruelty of the Warden of the Fleete.hath commaūded the doores to be kept fast, and charged that none of hys men should come at me, saying: let hym alone, it were a good riddance of him. And among many other times he did thus þ^e 18. of Octob. 1553. as many cā witnes.

I payed alwayes like a Baron, to the said Warden, as well in fees as for my boorde, which was. xx. shyllyngs a weeke, besides my mans table, vntyll I was wrongfully depriued of my Bishopricke: and sithens that tyme I haue payed hym as the best Gentleman doth in his house: yet hath he vsed me worse and more vilely, then the veriest slaue that euer came to the Hall commons.

The sayd Warden hath also emprisoned my man MarginaliaW. Downton M. Hoopers man.William Downton, & stripped him of his clothes to search for letters, and could finde none but onely a litle remembrance of good peoples names that gaue me their almes to relieue me in pryson: and to vndoe them also, the Warden deliuered the same bil vnto the sayd Steuen Gardener, Gods enemies and myne.

MarginaliaM. Hooper 18. monethes in prison.I haue suffered emprisonment, almost eightene monethes, my goods, lyuyng, frendes, and comfort taken from me, the Queene owyng me by iust accompt foure score poundes or more.MarginaliaQueene Mary indebted to M. Hooper. She hath put me in prison, and geueth nothing to fynde me, neither is there suffered any to come at me, whereby I might haue reliefe. I am wyth a wicked man and woman: so that I see no remedy (sauing Gods helpe) but I shall be cast away in prison before I come to iudgement.  

Commentary     Close

This last sentence does not appear in the Rerum or 1563 versions of the letter. It first appears in Letters of the Martyrs (p. 130) and is reprinted in the subsequent editions of the Acts and Monuments. This suggests that Bull found a different copy of the letter from the one Foxe used orthat he invented this closing sentence. Its reprinting in the Acts and Monuments demonstrates how Foxe followed Bull's version of letters, even letters which he had previously printed.

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MarginaliaM. Hooper agayne conuented before the Byshop of Winchester.THe. 22. of Ianuary following. 1555. Babington the Warden of the Fleete, was commaunded to bring Maister Hooper before the bishop of Winchester, wyth other Bishops and commissioners at the said Winchesters house at S. Mary Oueries, whereas in effect this much was done.

The bishop of Winchester, in the name of him selfe and the rest, moued Maister Hooper earnestly, to forsake the euyll & corrupt doctrine (as he termed it) preached in the dayes of king Edward. 6. MarginaliaGardiner exhorteth M. Hooper to returne to the Popes church.and to returne to the vnitie of the catholicke church, and to acknowledge the Popes holynes to be the head of the same Church, according to the determination of the whole Parlament, promising that as he hym selfe, wyth other hys brethren had receyued the Popes blessing and the Queenes mercy: euen so mercy was ready to be shewed to hym and others, if he would arise with them, and condescend to the Popes holynes.

Maister Hooper aunswered: that for asmuch as the Pope taught doctrine altogether contrary to the doctrine of Christ, MarginaliaThe Pope not worthy to be a member of Christes Church.he was not worthy to be accompted as a member of Christes church, much lesse to bee head therof: wherefore he would in no wyse condescend to any such vsurped iurisdiction, neither estemed he the Church wherof they call him head, to be the catholike church of Christ: for the church onely heareth the voice of her spouse Christ, and flyeth the straungers. Howbe it (saith he) if in any poynt to me vnknowen, I haue offended the Queenes Maiestie, I shall moste humbly submit my selfe to her mercy, if mercy may bee had with safety of conscience, and without the displeasure of God.

Aunswere was made that MarginaliaQueene Mary will shewe no mercy but to the Popes frendes.the Queene woulde shewe no mercy to the Popes enemies. Wheruppon Babington was commaunded to bring him to the Fleete againe: who did so, and shifted hym from his former chamber into an other, nere vnto the Wardens owne chamber, where hee remained. 6. daies: and in the meane time, his former chamber was searched by Doct. Martyn and others, for writings and bookes which Maister Hooper was thought to haue