MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iune.commit you to the holy ghost. Geuen at Chelmysford the xxvij. day of Apryll. Anno. 1555.

Your good Lordships most assured,MarginaliaThe names of the Iustices.

Now when the Byshop had receiued him, how he vsed him it is easie (by his cōmō practises with others) to iudge. What his priuate conferences were I know not: but what was publickely done in the Consistory at Paules (the cōmon Stage for these tragedies) you shall here see.

¶ The first appearaunce of Thomas Wattes in the Byshops Consistory.  

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The accounts of Wats's appearance in Consistory court, along with the letter from the Essex justices, and the articles objected against him with his answers, are taken from official documents, probably a court book, which is now lost.

MarginaliaThe first appearance of Thomas Wats in the Byshops Consistory.FIrst vpon Thursday, beyng the second day of May, Thomas Wattes was brought thether before the Byshop of London, and there beyng examined vppon his wordes had before the Lord Rich and others (as is conteined in their letters) he did earnestly affirme the same to be true. Whereupon the Byshop obiected, and examined him vppon these Articles folowyng, to the which hee aunswered, as vnder may appeare.

¶ Articles obiected agaynst Thomas Wattes of Byllerica in the Countey of Essex, within the Dioces of London, by Boner Byshop there, as ensueth.  

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The accounts of Wats's appearance in Consistory court, along with the letter from the Essex justices, and the articles objected against him with his answers, are taken from official documents, probably a court book, which is now lost.

MarginaliaArticles agaynst Thomas Wattes.1 FIrst that the sayd Thomas Wattes was of Billerica and so of the iurisdiction of the B. of London.

2. Item, that he beleued not in þ^e Sacramētes of þ^e holy & Catholicke church, as þ^e catholicke church of Rome & all other Churches mēbers of the same,MarginaliaThe sacraments of the Church of Rome. euer hetherto hath beleued & is taught of all good and faithfull people, nor hath allowed the said Sacramentes, rites, vsages, or ceremonies of the sayd Church, but hath despised the same.

3. Item, that he beleueth and also hath taught others, that MarginaliaThe substance of the Sacrament.the substaunce of materiall bread & wyne do remain in the Sacrament of the aultar after the cōsecration, and that the sayd materiall bread & wyne are the signes and tokens of Christes body hanged vpon the Crosse, and of the bloud there shed, & that in the sayd Sacrament there is onely a memory or remembraunce of Christes body and bloud and nothyng els.

4. Itē, that he beleueth, and doth precisely affirme, that MarginaliaThe presence in the sacrament.the very true presēce of Christes body and bloud in substaunce, is not in the Sacrament of the aultar, but onely in heauen, and no where els.

5. Itē, that he beleueth, affirmeth, & saith, that MarginaliaThe Masse abominable.the Masse now vsed in the church of Rome here in England, and other places, is full of idolatry, abomination, and wickednes, & that Christ did neuer institute it, nor ordayne it, nor yet allowe it as a good and laudable thing to be vsed in hys Church.

6. Item, that he beleueth and affirmeth, that auricular cōfession to be made vnto the Priest, is not necessary, but superfluous: MarginaliaConfession to God.& that it is inough for a man to beleue onely, & to confesse him selfe vnto God, without any Priest or Minister, at any tyme, though he may haue the Priest to confesse him vnto.

7. Item, that he beleueth MarginaliaDefence of Martyrs.that Luther, Wickleffe, Doct. Barnes, and all others that haue holden agaynst the Sacrament of the aultar, and suffered death by fire or otherwise for the maintenaunce of the sayd opiniō, were good men, and faythfull seruauntes and Martyrs of Christ in so beleuyng and dying.

8. Item, that he hath and doth beleue, that to fast, pray, or to do almes deedes,MarginaliaFasting, praying, and almes deedes. is a thyng vtterly vnprofitable: for if a man shalbe saued, he shalbe saued without doyng of them: and if he shal bee damned, they shall not helpe hym, or do him any good at all.

9, Item, that the sayd Wattes of late commyng into opē Court at the Sessions before the Lord Riche, Syr Henry Tyrell Knight, Anthony Browne Esquier, and others, and beyng then and there examined, dyd openly confesse, that he had refused to come to the Church, and to heare there the diuine seruice, and to receaue the Sacrament of the aultar, accordyng to the order of the Church: MarginaliaQ. Maryes seruice reproued.because that lyke as the seruice of the Church set out in the dayes of the late kyng Edward the vj. was sayd and alledged to bee abominable, hereticall, schismati-

call, and all nought: so hee the sayd Thomas Wattes then and there sayd openly before the sayd Commissioners, that all that is now vsed and done in the Church is abominable, hereticall, schismatical and all together nought: And that he did also then vtter before the sayd Commissioners, other erroneous and arrogant wordes, to the hurt of his soule, and to the euill example of the people there present.

10. Item, that he the sayd Thomas, by reason of the premisses, was and is to be MarginaliaWattes reputed by the lawes for an hereticke.taken, had, reputed, and iudged as a manifest and open hereticke, and for the same, by the order of Ecclesiasticall lawes is to bee declared accursed: and beyng obstinate & incorrigible, is to be deliuered to the secular power, there to be punished as an hereticke.

11. Item, that he ouer and besides al these offences, and trespasses aforesayd, had also added this trespasse, that is to wytte: that he had beleued and deliberatly spokē, that MarginaliaThe Church of Rome a Sinagoge of Sathā.the Church of Rome in her rites, ceremonies, Sacramentes, constitutions, and traditions, is the Sinagoge of Sathan, & therfore that he had consented and agreed in opinion and belief with one Iohn Tooly, of late hanged at Charing Crosse, who at the tyme of his executyng desired the people to pray to be deliuered from the tyranny of þ^e Bishop of Rome, with all his enormities: as who should say, that his authoritie and doyngs were tyranny, and had all enormities and iniquities in them.

12. Item, that the premisses and euery part therof, be true, notorious, manifest, and openly spoken, and talked of amongest þ^e honest and credible persons in great multitude, and that of all and singular the same within Billerica aforesayd, and other places there about, beyng of the Dioces of London, there is a common voyce and fame therof.

¶ The answere of the sayd Thomas Wattes to the foresayd articles.  

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The accounts of Wats's appearance in Consistory court, along with the letter from the Essex justices, and the articles objected against him with his answers, are taken from official documents, probably a court book, which is now lost.

MarginaliaHis aunswers to the Articles.TO the first he sayd and confessed the same to be true in euery part thereof.

To the second article, he answered that he beleueth in all the sacraments according to Christes institution, and the catholicke church: but not according to the Bishop of Romes church: and farther sayd, that he doth not beleue now as he had done in tymes past: for in tyme past he beleued as the Church then beleued, but now he doth not so beleue: for the Church of Rome had deceaued vs, and therefore he sayd he did not beleue as the Church of Rome beleueth, but as Christ hath taught hym: And farther sayd, that he was so taught to beleue by preaching of one MarginaliaTho. Wats first wonne to the Gospell by M. Aluey.M. Aluey, & other whose names he remembred not: which Aluey hee sayd did preach the word of God truely and sincerely.

To the thyrd he answered, that he hath and doth beleue that Christes body is in heauen, and no where els: and farther, that he will neuer beleue that Christes body is in the sacrament.

To the fourth article he aunswered, confessing and firmely beleuing the same to be true.

To the fifte, that he did beleue, that the Masse is abominable: and that he will not go one iot from that his beliefe.

To the sixt, that he neither did, nor yet doth beleue that the Priest can absolue hym of hys sinnes: Howbeit, he denieth not but it is good to aske counsell at the Priestes mouth.

To the seuenth he sayd, that he knoweth not what the opinions of the sayd persons named in the sayd article were: and in case the sayd persons dyd beleue that the body and bloud of Christ were reall and in very deede in the sacrament of the aultar, then that they were not good men. But in case they did beleue, that the body and bloud of Christ was not in the sacrament of the aultar really and truely, then he beleued that they were good christian men.

To the eyght, that he had not spoken, as is contayned in this article, but sayd, that he hath and doth beleue that fasting, prayers, and almes deedes be workes of a liuely fayth.

To the ninth he cōfessed, that he did vtter and speake as in this article is contayned, and farther desired God þ^t he might dye in that fayth & belief, wherin he now is.