Marginalia1555. March.the same, & so cōmitted thē agayne to prison. The copy of which articles here vnder followeth.

MarginaliaArticles layd by B. Boner to Maister Higbed & M. Caustō.FIrst, that thou Thomas Cawston (or T. Hygbed) hast bene and art of the dioces of London, and also of the iurisdiction now of me Edmund Byshop of London.

Item, that thou was in tyme past, according to the order of the Church of England, baptised & christened.

Item, that thou haddest Godfathers and Godmother, according to the sayd order.

Item, that the sayd Godfathers and Godmother dyd then promise for thee, and in thy name, the fayth and religion, that then was vsed in the realme of England.

Item, that that fayth and religion, which they dyd professe, and make for thee, was accompted and taken to be the fayth and religion of the church, and of the christen people: and so it was in very dede.

Item, thou commyng to the age of discretion, that is to say, to the age of xiiij. yeares, dyddest not mislyke nor disallow that fayth, that religion, or promise then vsed and approued, and promised by the sayd Godfathers and Godmother, but for a tyme dyddest continue in it, as other (takyng themselues for christen people) dyd likewise.

Item, that at that tyme, and also before, it was taken for a doctrine of the church, catholike and true, and euery where in Christēdome thē allowed for catholike & true, and to be the profession of a Christen man, to beleue that in the sacrament of the aulter, vnder the formes of bread and wyne, after the consecration, there was and is, by the omnipotent power and wyll of almighty God, and hys word, wythout any substaunce of bread and wyne there remayning, MarginaliaThe reall presence.the true and naturall body and bloud of our Sauiour Iesus Christ in substaunce, which was borne of the virgyn Mary, and suffred vpon the crosse, really, truely, and in very deede.

Item, that at that tyme thy father & mother, all thyne auncestors, all thy kyndred, acquaintance and frendes, and thy said Godfathers and Godmother did then so beleue, and thynke in all the same, as the sayd Church dyd therein beleue.

Item, that thy selfe had no iust cause or lawfull ground, to depart or swarue from the sayd religion or fayth, nor no occasion at all, except thou wilt follow and beleue the erronious opinion or belief, that hath bene agaynst the common order of the church, brought in by certayne discordred persons of late, and at the vttermost within these xxx. or xl. yeares last past.

Item, that thou dost know, or credibly hast heard and dost beleue, that Doct. Robert Barnes, Iohn Fryth, Thomas Garrard, Hierome, Lassels, Anne Askew, Iohn Hooper late Byshop of Gloucester, Sir Laurence Saunders priest, Iohn Bradford, Sir Iohn Rogers priest, Sir Rowland Tailour priest, Sir Iohn Laurence priest, William Pygot, Steuen Knight, William Hunter, Thomas Tomkyns, and Thomas Hawkes haue bene heretofore reputed, taken, and accompted as hereticks, and also condemned as hereticks, and so pronoueed openly and manifestly: specially in holding and beleuing certayne damnable opinions, agaynst the verity of Christs body and bloud in the sacrament of the altar, MarginaliaThis Syr Edmund Boner priest before the death of Cromwell, seemed to be of the opinion, and was sworn twise against the Pope.and all the same persons, sauing Iohn Bradford, Sir Iohn Laurence, William Pigot, Steuen Knight, William Hunter, Thomas Tomkins, and Thomas Hawkes, haue suffred paines of death by fyre, for þ^e mayntenaunce and defence of their sayd opinions and misbeliefe.

Item that thou doest know, or credibly hast heard and doest beleue that Thomas Cranmer late Archbishop of Canterbury, and Nicholas Ridley, namyng him selfe bishop of London, Robert Ferrar late Byshop of s. Dauies, and Hugh Latimer, sometyme bishop of Worcester, haue bene, and are at this present reputed, accompted and taken as hereticks, and misbeleuers in mayntayning and holding certayne damnable opinions, agaynst the veryty of Christes body and bloue in the Sacrament of the aultar.

Item, that thou hast commended and praysed all the sayd persons,  

Commentary     Close

This charge suggests that Causton and Higbed came to the attention of the authorities for publically praising Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer and Ferrar.

Item, that thou, hauing heard, knowen, and vnder-

standed all the premisses, thus to bee, as is aforesayd, hast not regarded all or any part thereof, but contrary to the same and euery part thereof, hast attempted and done, condemning, transgressyng, and breakyng that promise, fayth, religion, order, and custome aforesayd: and hast becommen, and art an heretick and misbeleuer in the premisses, MarginaliaVerity taken for heresie of misbeleuing heretickes.denying the verity of Christs body and bloud in the sacrament of the altar, and obstinately affirmyng, that the substaunce of materiall bread and wyne are there remayning, and that the substaunce of Christs body and bloud taken of the virgyn Mary, are not there in the sayd sacrament, really and truely beyng.

Item, that all the premisses be true, notorious, famous, and manifest, and that vpon all the same, there haue and bee amongest the sad and good people of the City of London and dioces of the same in great multitude, commonly and publickely, a common and publike fame and opinion, and also in all places where thou hast bene, wythin the sayd Dioces of London.

These Articles beyng geuen to them in writyng by the Byshop, the next day folowyng was assigned to them to geue vp and to exhibite their aunsweres vnto the same.

¶ The thyrd daies Session vpō the examination of M. Causton and M. Higbed.  

Commentary     Close

The accounts of the sessions in Consistory Court, together with the articles charged againt Causton and Higbed, and their answers, are taken from Bishop Bonner's official records, probably a court book which has now been lost.

MarginaliaThe thyrd dayes session.Vppon the which day beyng the first day of March, the sayd Tho. Causton, and Tho. Higbed Gentlemen beyng brought before the Byshop in the Consistory, there exhibited their aunsweres to the Articles aforesayd: the tenour of which aunsweres here foloweth.

MarginaliaThe answeres of the Martyrs to the Articles.TO the first, they aunswere and confesse the same to be true.

To the second, they aunswere and beleue the same to be true.

To the third, they aunswere and beleue the same to be true.

To the fourth, they aunswere and thinke the same to be true.

To the fift, vnto this clause (and so was it in very dede) they aunswere and beleue the same to be true. And vnto that clause (and so was it in very deede) they aunswere negatiuely, & beleue that it was not in very deede.

To the sixt, seuenth, and eight, they aunswere and beleue the same to be true.

To the nynth they aunswere and say, that they thinke they haue a iust and lawfull cause and ground to swarue and go from the sayd fayth and Religion, because they haue now read more of Scripture, then either them selues, or their Parentes & kynsfolke, Godfathers or Godmothers haue read or sene heretofore in that behalfe.

To the tenth, they aunswere, say, and beleue, that the sayd persons articulate, haue bene named, taken, and counted for heretickes, and so condemned for heretickes: yet about three yeares past, they were taken for good Christian persons. And for so much as these Respondentes did euer heare them preach concernyng the Sacrament of the aultar, they say that they preached well, in that they sayd & preached that Christ is not present really and truly in the sayd Sacrament,MarginaliaTransubstantiation denyed. but that there is remainyng the substaunce of bread and wyne.

To the eleuenth, they aunswer and say, that how soeuer other folkes do repute and take the sayd persons articulate: yet these Respondentes them selues dyd neuer, nor yet doe so accompt and take them. And further they say, that in case the sayd persons articulate named in this article haue preached, that in the sacrament of the aultar is very materiall wyne, and not the substaunce of Christes body and bloud, vnder the formes of bread & wyne, then they preached wel and truly, and these Respondēts themselues do so beleue.

To the twelfth, they aunswere and say, that where other folke haue dispraysed the sayd persons articulate, and disalowed their opinions, these Respondentes (for ought that they at any tyme haue heard) did like and allow the sayd persons, and their sayinges.

To the thirtenth, they aunswere and say, that they haue not brokē or condemned any promise made by their