Marginalia1555. March.Atwell sayd, I perceiue your mynde well inough, you are one of them that misliketh the Queenes lawes, and therefore you came from London, I heare say. You learned these wayes at London, but for all that, sayd father Atwell, MarginaliaThe Catholickes can not abyde the Bible.you must turne an other leafe, or els you and a great sorte moe heretickes wyll broyle for this geare, I warrant you. To the which wordes William sayd: God geue me grace that I may beleue his word and confesse his name, whatsoeuer come therof. Confesse his name, quoth old Atwell? no, no, ye wyll go to the deuill all of you, and confesse hys name.

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What, sayd William? you say not well father Atwell. At the which wordes he went out of the Chappell in a great fury, saying: MarginaliaAtwell not able to reason, but he is able to accuse the innocent.I am not able to reason w^t thee, but I will fetch one straight way which shall talke with thee, I warrant thee thou hereticke. And hee leauyng William Hunter reading in the Bible, straight wayes brought one Thomas Wood, who was then Vicar of Southweild, which was at an Alehouse euen ouer agaynst the sayd Chappell: Who hearing olde Atwell say that William Hunter was reading of the Bible in the Chappell, came by and by to hym, MarginaliaThe vicar of Southweild angry with William Hunter for reading in the Bible.and finding hym reading in the Bible, tooke the matter very haynously, saying: Sirha who gaue thee leaue to read in the Bible and to expound it?

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Then Williā aunswered: I expound not the Scriptures Syr, but read them for my comfort. What medlest thou with them at all, sayd the Vicar? It becommeth not thee nor none such, to medle with the Scriptures. But William aunswered: I will read the Scriptures God willing, while I liue, and you ought (M. Vicar) not to discourage any man for that matter, but rather exhort men diligently to read the Scriptures for your discharge and their owne.

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Vnto the which the Vicar aunswered: MarginaliaThe Catholickes in no wise will be controlled.It becommeth thee well to tell me what I haue to do. I see thou art an hereticke, by thy wordes. William said, I am no hereticke for speakyng the truth. But the Vicar sayd, it is a mery world when such as thou art, shall teach vs what is the truth. Thou art medlyng, father Atwell tels me, with the vj. of Iohn, wherein thou mayest perceiue, how Christ sayth: Except that ye eate the flesh of Christ, and drinke his bloud, ye haue no lyfe in you. Williā sayd, I read the vj. of Iohn in deede: howbeit, I made no exposition on it.

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Thē sayd father Attewell, when you read it, I said, that you there might vnderstād how that in the Sacrament of the aultar is Christes very naturall body and bloud: vnto the which you aunswered, how that you would take the Scriptures as they are, and that you woulde medle with no great exposition, excepte that ye were dispensed withall.

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Ah, sayd the Vicar? MarginaliaWilliam Hunter examined of the Sacrament.what say you to the blessed sacrament of the aultar? beleuest thou not in it, and that the bread and wyne is transubstantiated into the very body and bloud of Christ? William aunswered, I learne no such thing in the vj. of Iohn, as you speake of. Why sayd the Vicar, doest thou not beleue in the sacrament of the aultar? I beleue, sayd William Hunter, all that Gods word teacheth. Why, said the Vicar, thou maiest learne this which I say, plainly in the sixt of Iohn.

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Then said William, you vnderstand Christs words much like the carnall MarginaliaThe Catholickes like to the Capernaites.Capernaites,  

which thought that Christ would haue geuen them hys flesh to feede vpon: which opinion our Sauiour Christ corrected, when he sayd: The wordes which J speake to you, are spirite and life.

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Now, quoth the Vicar, I haue found you out: now I see that thou art an hereticke in deede, and that thou doest not beleue in the sacrament of the aultar.

Then sayd William Hunter, where as you doubt my beliefe, I would it were tryed whether that you or I would stand faster in our fayth. MarginaliaHeresie mistaken with the Papistes.Yea thou hereticke (sayd the Vicar) wouldest thou haue it so tried? William Hunter aunswered, that which you call heresie, I serue my Lord God withall.

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Then sayd the Vicar: canst thou serue God wyth heresie? But William aunswered, I would that you and I were euē now fast tyed to a stake, to proue whether that you or I would stand strongest to our fayth. But the Vicar aunswered: It shal not so be tryed. No, quoth William, I thinke so: for if it might, I thinke I know who would soonest recāt, for I durst set my foote against yours euē to the death. That we shall see, quoth the Vicar, and so they departed, the Vicar threatning William much, how that he would complaine of hym: with much other communication, which they had together.

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MarginaliaThe Vicar complaineth to Iustice Browne of W. Hunter.Immediately after, this Vicar of Weild  

tolde M. Browne of the communication which William Hunter and he had together. Which when M. Browne vnderstoode, MarginaliaIustice Browne sendeth for Hunters father.immediately he sent for Williams father and the Constable, one Robert Salmon. For immediately after William Hunter and the Vicar had reasoned together, he tooke his leaue of his father and fled, because Woode the Vicar threatned him. Now when the Constable and Williams father were come, and were before M. Browne, he asked where William Hunter was. His father aūswered, saying: if it please you Syr, I know not where he is become. No, quoth M. Browne? I will make thee tel where he is, and fetch hym forh also ere I haue done with thee. Syr sayd Williams father, I know not where he is become, nor where to seeke for him.

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Then sayd M. Browne, why diddest thou not bryng him when thou haddest hym? MarginaliaThe fruite of the Popes doctrine, to set the father against the sonne.I promise thee if thou wilt not fetch hym, I will send thee to prison till I shall get hym. Wherfore see that thou promise me to fetch him, or els it is not best to looke me in þ^e face any more, nor yet to rest in Burntwood. Well, quoth M. Browne to Williams father, see that thou seeke hym forth and bryng hym to me.

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Williams father aunswered: Syr, would you haue me seeke out my sonne to be burned?MarginaliaAn vnreasonable reqeust of Iustice Browne. If thou bring him to me, quoth M. Browne, I will deale well enough for that matter: thou shalt not nede to care for the matter. Fetch him & thou shalt see what I wil do for him. Moreouer, if thou lackest money, quoth he, thou shalt haue some, and bad the Constable M. Salmon to geue hym a crowne, but Williās father tooke none of him. Howbeit M. Browne would neuer rest till Williams father had promised him to seeke out his sonne. And thus M. Browne sent the Cōstable home againe, and Williams father, commaundyng hym to seeke out William Hunter, and then to come agayne and bryng hym to him.

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After that olde father Hunter had rydden a two or three dayes iourneyes to satisfie M. Brownes expectation,MarginaliaThe father pretendeth to seke the sonne. The sonne meeteth wyth him in the way. it happened that William mette wyth hys father in the hygh way as he trauailed, and first he seyng hys father, came to hym, and spake to him, and tolde hym how that he thought that hee sought for hym: and then his father confessing it, wept sore and said, that M. Browne charged hym to seeke hym, and bryng hym to hym: howbeit, sayd he, I will returne home agayne, and say I cā not find you. MarginaliaThe working of nature betwene the father and the sonne.But William said: father, I will go home with you and saue you harmeles, what soeuer commeth of it.

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And thus they came home together: but Williā as soone as he was come home, was taken by þ^e said Constable & layd in þ^e Stockes till the next day. M. Browne hearyng that William Hunter was come home, sent for hym to the Constable, who brought hym immediatly to M. Browne.

MarginaliaW. Hunter brought before Iustice Browne.Now when William was come, M. Browne sayd to hym, ah syrha, are ye come? and then by and by he commaunded the Byble to be brought, and opened it, and then began to reason with William on this maner, saying: I heare say you are a Scripture man, you: and can reason much of the sixt of Iohn and expound as pleaseth you, and turned the Bible to the sixt of Saint Iohn, and then hee layd to hys charge, what an ex-

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