MarginaliaAn. 1555. February.led Eucharistia, A thankes geuyng, because we there geue thankes for our redemption: and it is also a Sacrifice propitiatory for the quicke and the dead: which thou shalt confesse ere thou and I haue done. Then called the Byshop his men, & sayd: MarginaliaWinchesters strong argument: cary him to prison.haue this felow hence, and cary him to the Kinges Bench, and charge the keeper he be straitly kept.

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Then kneeled D. Taylour downe and held vp both his handes and sayd: MarginaliaD. Taylours prayer against the Pope, and his detestable enormities.Good Lord, I thanke thee: & from the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome, and all his detestable errours, Idolatries, and abominations, good Lord deliuer vs: and God be praised for good kyng Edward. So they caried hym to prison to the kynges Bench, where he lay prisoner almost two yeare.

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¶ This is the summe of that first talke, as I saw it mentioned in a letter that Doct. Taylour wrote to a frend of his, thankyng God for his grace, that he had confessed his truth, and was founde worthy for his truth to suffer prison and bandes, besechyng hys frendes to pray for him, that he might perseuer constant vnto the end.

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MarginaliaThe godly behauiour and conuersation of D. Taylour in the prison.Beyng in prison, D. Taylour spent all his tyme in prayer, readyng the holy Scriptures,  

and writyng, and preachyng, and exhortyng the prisoners and such as resorted to him, to repentaunce and amendement of life. Within a few dayes after, were diuerse other learned & godly men in sondry countreys of England cōmitted to prison for Religion, MarginaliaPrisons turned into Churches, and churches into dens of theeues.so that almost all the prisons in England were become right Christian Scholes and Churches, so that there was no greater comfort for Christian hartes, then to come to the prisons, to behold their vertuous conuersation, and to heare theyr prayers, preachynges, most godly exhortatiōs, and consolations.

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Now were placed in Churches, blind and ignoraunt Massemongers, with their Latine bablyngs and apysh ceremonies: who lyke cruell Wolues spared not to murther all such, as any thyng at all, but once whispered agaynst their Popery. As for all þ^e Godly preachers which were in kyng Edwardes tyme, MarginaliaThe lamentable distresse of Gods true worshippers in those dayes.they were either fled the Realme, or els, as the Prophetes did in kyng Achabs dayes, they were priuily kept in corners.  

As for as many as þ^e Papistes could lay hold on, they were sent into prison, there as Lābes waityng whē the butchers would call them to the slaughter.  

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When D. Taylour was come into prison called the Kynges Bench, he found therin the vertuous and vigilant preacher of Gods word, M. Bradford:MarginaliaIoh. Bradford and Doctour Taylour prisonfelowes in the Kinges Bench. which man for his innocent and godly lyuing, his deuout, and vertuous preachyng, was worthily counted a miracle of our tyme, as euē his aduersaries must needes confesse. Findyng this man in prison, he began to exhort him to faith, strength, and patience, and to perseuer constant vnto the end. M. Bradford hearyng this, thanked God that had prouided him such a comfortable prisonfelow: and so they both together lauded God, and continued in prayer, readyng, and exhortyng one the other: In so much that D. Taylour told his frendes that came to visite him, that God had most graciously prouided for him, to send him to that prison where he found such an Angell of God, to be in his company to comfort him.

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¶ After that D. Taylour had lyen in prison a while, he was cited to appeare in the Arches at Bow Church  

to aunswere vnto such matter, as there should be obiected agaynst him. At the day appointed, he was led thether, his keeper wayting vpon him. Where, when he came, MarginaliaD. Taylour defendeth mariage of Priestes.he stoutly and strongly defended his mariage, affirmyng by the Scriptures of God, by the Doctours of the primatiue Church, by both Lawes Ciuill and Canon, that it is lawfull for Priestes to mary, & that such as haue not the gift of continencie, are bound in payne of damnation to mary. This did he so playnly proue, that þ^e Iudge could geue no sentence of diuorce agaynst

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MarginaliaDoctour Taylour depriued of his benefice because of his mariage.him, but gaue sentence he should be depriued of his benefice because he was maried.

You do me wrong then (quoth D. Taylour) and alledged many lawes and constitutions for him self: but all preuailed not. For he was again caried into prison, and his liuinges taken away, and geuen to other. As for Hadley benefice, it was geuen or solde, I wote not whether, to one M. Newealle,MarginaliaSeldom commeth a better. whose great vertues were altogether vnlike to Doct. Taylour his predecessour, as the poore parishioners full well haue proued.  

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MarginaliaThe Papistes rule & raigne.AFter a yeare and three quarters, or therabout, in the which tyme the Papistes got certaine olde tyrannous lawes, which were put downe by king Henry the viij. and by kyng Edward, to be agayne reuiued by Parlament: so that now they might Ex officio cyte whom they would, vpō their owne suspicion, & charge hym with what Articles they lusted, and except they in all thinges agreed to their purpose, burne them: when these lawes were once stablished, they sent for Doct. Taylour with certaine other prisoners, which were agayne conuented before the Chauncellour and other Cōmissioners about the 22. of Ianuary. The purpose and effecte of which talke betwene them, because it is sufficiently described by hym selfe in hys owne letter written to a frend of his, I haue annexed the sayd letter here vnder as foloweth.

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WHereas you would haue me to write the talke betwene the king and Queenes most honourable Counsell and me on Tuesday, the xxij. of Ianuary, so farre as I remember: First my Lord Chauncellour sayd: MarginaliaThe pardō is profered.You, among other are at this present time sent for, to enioy the Kinges and Queenes maiesties fauour and mercy, if you will now rise agayne with vs frō the fall which we generally haue receaued in this Realme, from the which (God be praysed) we are now clearely deliuered, miraculously. If you will not rise with vs now, and receaue mercy now offered, you shall haue iudgement according to your demerites. MarginaliaNote thys answere.To this I aunswered: that so to ryse, should be the greatest fall that euer I could receiue: for I shoulde so fall from my deare Sauiour Christ, to Antichrist.

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MarginaliaThe religion set forth in king Edwardes dayes.For I do beleue that the Religiō set forth in king Edwardes daies, was according to the veine of þ^e holy scripture, which contayneth fully all the rules of our Christian Religion, from the which I do not intend to decline so long as I lyue, by Gods grace.

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MarginaliaSecretary Bourne cauileth against the religion set forth in K. Edwardes dayes.Then Maister Secretary Bourne sayd: which of the Religions meane ye of in king Edwardes daies? For ye know there were diuers bookes of Religion set forth in his daies. There was a Religion set forth in a Cathechisme by my Lord of Canterbury. Do you meane that you wyll sticke to that?

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I aunswered: My Lord of Canterbury made a Cathechisme to be translated into Englishe, which booke was not of his own making: yet he set it forth in hys own name, and truly that booke for the tyme did much good. But there was after that set forth by the most innocent King Edward (for whom God bee praysed euerlastingly) the whole churchseruice, with great deliberation and the aduise of the best learned men of the Realme, and authorised by the whole Parlament, and receiued and published gladly by the whole Realme: which booke was neuer reformed but once, and yet by that one reformation it was so fully perfited, according to the rules of our Christian religion in euery behalfe, that no Christian conscience could be offended wyth any thing therin cōtained: I meane of that booke reformed.

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Then my L. Chauncellour sayd: Diddest thou neuer read the booke that I set forth of the sacrament?

I aunswered that I had read it.

Then he sayd: How likest thou that booke? With that one of the Counsell (whose name I knowe notMarginaliaHis right name might be Syr Iohn Clawbacke.) sayd: My Lord, that is a good question: for I am sure, that