MarginaliaAn. 1555. October.Shall I speake to the Sea thereof, wherein of late I was placed almost, and not fully by the space of. iij. yeares? But what may I say to it, being (as I heare say I am) deposed & expulsed by iudgement as an vniust vsurper of that roome. MarginaliaB. Ridley deposed from the Sea of london, without right or iudgement.O iudgement iudgement. Can this be iust iudgement to condemne the chief minister of gods word, the pastour and bishop of the dioces, and neuer bryng hym into iudgement, that he might haue heard what crimes were layde to his charge, nor neuer suffer him to haue any place or time to answere for him selfe? Thinkest thou that hereafter when true iustice shall haue place, this iudgement can euer be allowed eyther of God or of man? Well, as for the cause and whole matter of my deposition, and the spoyle of my goodes which thou possessest yet,  

I referre it vnto God which is a iust iudge: and I besech God, if it be hys pleasure, that that whych is but my personall wrong, be not layd to thy charge in the latter day: thys onely can I pray for.

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MarginaliaThe Sea of London worthely rebuked.O thou now wicked and bloudy Sea, why doest thou set vp agayne many altares of Idolatry, which by the worde of God were iustly taken away? Why hast thou ouerthrowne the Lords table?  

Why doest thou daily delude thy people, maskyng in thy Masses in the steede of the Lordes holy supper, whych ought to be commen aswell (sayth Chrysostome, yea the Lorde him selfe) to the people as to the priest? How darest thou denye to the people of Christ, contrary to his exprest commaundement in the gospell, his holy cuppe? Why bablest thou to the people the common prayer in a straunge tongue, wherein S. Paule commaundeth in the Lords name, that no man should speake before the congregatyon, except it should be by and by declared in theyr common tongue, that all might be edifyed? Nay, harken thou whorysh Baud of Babylon, thou wicked limme of Antichrist, thou bloudye Wolfe, why slayest thou downe, and makest hauocke of the Prophetes of God? Why murtherest thou so cruelly Christes pore seely   sheepe whych will not heare thy voyce because thou art a straunger, and will follow none other but theyr owne pastour Christ his voyce?MarginaliaThe bloudy Sea of London. Thinckest thou so to escape, or that the Lord will not requyre the bloud of his Saintes at thy handes? Thy God, which is the worke of thy handes, and whom thou sayest thou hast power to make,   that thy deafe and dumme God (I say) wil not in dede, nor cannot (although thou arte not ashamed to call hym thy maker) make thee to escape the reuenging hand of the hygh and almightye God. But be thou assured that the liuing Lord our Sauyour and redemer, which sytteth on the right hand of his father in glory: MarginaliaB. Ridleys prophesi vpon the Episcopall Sea of London.he seeth all thy wicked wayes and cruelty done to hys deare members, and he will not forgeth his holy ones, and hys handes (O thou whorish drabbe) shalt thou neuer escape. In steed of my farewell to thee now I say, fye vpon thee, fye vpon thee filthy drabbe,   and all thy false Prophets.

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MarginaliaTo the city of London.Yet thou O London, I may not leaue thee thus. Although thy Episcopall Sea, now being ioyned in league with the seat of Sathan, thus hath now both handled me and the Sainctes of God: yet I doe not doubte but in that great Citye there be many priuy mourners which doe dayly mourne for that mischiefe, the which neuer did nor shall consent to that wickednes, but doe detest and abhorre it as the wayes of Satan. But these preuy mourners here I will passe by and bidde them farewell with theyr fellowes hereafter, when the place and occasion shall more conueniently require. Among the worshipfull of the city, and specially which were in office of the Mairalty, yea and in other Citizens also (whom to name now it shall not be necessary) in the time of my Ministerie, which was from the later parte of sir Rowland Hilles yeare vnto sir George Barnes yeare  

and a great part therof, I doe acknowledge that I found no small humanity & gentlenes, as me thought: but (to say the truth) that I doe esteeme aboue all other for true christian kindnes which is shewed in Gods cause and done for his sake. Wherfore MarginaliaCommendation of syr Richard Dobbes, Alderman and knight.O Dobbes, Dobbes, Alderman and Knight, thou in thy yeare diddest winne my hart for euermore, for that honorable act, that most blessed worke of God of the erection and settyng vp of Christes holy hospitals, and truely religious houses   whych by thee, and through thee were begone.   For thou like a mā of God, when the matter was moued for the reliefe of Christes poore selye members to be holpen from extreme misery, hunger and famyne, MarginaliaThe erecting of the hospitall by B. Ridley, and syr Richard Dobbes, Mayor of London.thy hart (I say) was moued with pity, and as Christes high honourable officer in that cause, thou calledst together thy Brethren the Aldermen of the City, before whom thou brakest the matter for the poore: thou diddest pleade theyr cause, yea, and not only in thyne owne person thou diddest set forth Christes cause, but to further the matter thou broughtest me into the counsell Chamber of the City before the Aldermen alone, whom thou haddest assembled there together to heare me speake what I could say as an aduocate by office and duety in the poore mens cause. The Lorde wrought wyth thee, and gaue thee the consent of thy brethren: whereby the matter was brought to the common counsell, and so to the whole body of the City, by whom with an vniforme consent, it was committed to be drawne, ordered, and deuysed by a certayne number of the most witty Citizens and politique, endued also wyth godlynes, and wyth ready harts to set forward such a noble act, as could be chosen in all the whole City, and they like true and faythfull ministers both to theyr Citye and theyr Master Christ, so ordered, deuysed, and brought forth the matter, that thousandes of seely poore members of Christ, whych els for extreme hunger and misery should haue famyshed and peryshed, shall be relieued, holpen and brought vp, and shall haue cause to blesse the Aldermen of that time, the common Counsell and the whole body of the City, but specially thee O Dobbes, and those chosen men, by whom this honorable worke of God was begone and wrought, and that so long through out all ages, as that godly worke shall endure: which I pray almighty God may be euer vnto the worldes ende, Amen.

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And thou O Syr George Barnes (the truth is to be confessed to Gods glory, and to the good example of other) thou wast

in thy yeare not only a furtherer and continuer of that whych before thee by thy predecessor was well begon:  

MarginaliaCommendation of Sir George Barnes Mayor of London.but also diddest laboure so to haue perfyted the worke, that it should haue bene an absolute   thing and a perfect spectacle of true charity and godlynes vnto all Christendome. Thine endeuour was to haue set vp an house of occupations, both that all kind of pouerty being able to worke, should not haue lacked whereupon profitably they myght haue bene occupied to theyr owne reliefe and to the profite and commodity of the commen wealth of the Citye, and also to haue retired thither, the pore babes brought vp in the Hospitals when they had come to a certaine age and strength, and also all those which in the Hospitalles aforesayd had bene cured of theyr diseases. And to haue brought this to passe, thou obtainedst (not without great diligence and labor both of thee and thy brethren) of that godly king Edward, that christian and pierles Princes hand, MarginaliaBridewell obtayned of king Edward by sir George Barnes, to set pore people a worke.hys princely place of Bridewell,   and what other things to the performance of the same, and vnder what condition it is not vnknowne. That this thine endeuour hath not had like successe, þ^e fault is not in thee, but in the condition and state of the time, which the Lord of his infinite mercy vouchsafe to amend when it shalbe his gratious will and pleasure.

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MarginaliaTo the Citizens of London.Farewel now all ye Citizens that be of God, of what state and condition so euer ye be. Vndoubtedly in London ye haue heard Gods word truely preached. My hartes desire and daily prayer shall be for you (as for whom, for my time, I know to my Lord God I am countable) that ye neuer swarue, neither for losse of life nor worldly goodes, from Gods holy word, and yelde vnto Antichrist: wherupon must nedes folow the extreme displeasure of god, and the losse both of your bodyes and soules into perpetuall damnation for euermore.

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Now that I haue gone through the places where I haue dwelt any space in the time of my pilgrimage here vpon earth, remembring that for the space of king Edwards raigne, which was for the time of mine office in the Seas of London and Rochester, I was a member of the higher house of the parliament: MarginaliaTo the higher house and temporall Lordes of the Parlament.therefore (seing my god hath geuen me leysure and the remembrance therof) I will bid my Lordes of the temporalty farewell. They shall haue no iust cause (by Gods grace) to take it that I entend to say, in ill parte. As for the spirituall Prelacy that now is, I haue nothing to say to them, except I should repete againe a great parte of that I haue sayd before now already to the Sea of London. To you therefore my Lordes of the temporaltye will I speake, and this would I haue you first to vnderstande, that when I wrote this, I loked daily when I should be called to the chaunge of this life, and thought that this my wryting should not come to your knowledge, before the time of the dissolution of my body and soule should be expired, and therefore know ye, that I had before mine eyes only the feare of God, and christian charity toward you, which moued me to wryte: for of you hereafter I loke not in thys world, either for pleasure or displeasure. If my talke shall do you neuer so much pleasure or profite, you cannot promote me, nor if I displease you, ye can not hurt me or harme me, for I shall be out of your reach. Now therefore if you feare God, and can be content to heare the talke of him that seketh nothing at your hāds, but to serue God and to doe you good: hearken what I say. I say vnto you, as S. Paule sayth to the Galathians: MarginaliaGal. 3I wonder my Lordes what hath bewitched you, that ye so sodenly are fallen from Christ vnto Antichrist, from Christes gospell vnto mens traditions, from the Lord that bought you, vnto the bishop now of Rome. MarginaliaA good warning or lesson to the temporal Lordes.I warne you of your perill: be not deceyued, except you will be found willingly consenters vnto your owne death. For if ye thinke thus: We are lay men, this is a matter of religion, we follow as we are taught and led, if our teachers and gouernors teach vs and lead vs amisse, the fault is in them, they shall beare the blame: My Lordes this is true (I graunt you) that both the false teacher, and the corrupt gouernour, shall be punyshed for the death of theyr subiect, whom they haue falsly taught and corruptly led, yea and his bloud shall be required at theyr handes: but yet neuertheles shall that subiect dye the death himselfe also, that is, he shal also be dāned for own his sinne: MarginaliaEzech. 3. Luke. 6.for if the blynd lead the blynd, Christ sayth not the leader onely, but he sayth: both shall fall in the dytch. Shall the Sinagoge and the Senate of the Iewes (trow ye)  

which forsoke Christ and consented to his death, therefore be excused, bicause Annas, and Cayphas, with the Scribes & Phareseis and theyr clergy, did teach them amisse? yea and also Pilate theyr gouernour and the Emperours Lieuetenant by his tyranny did without cause put him to death? MarginaliaIgnorance will not excuse the temporalty being seduced in religion.Forsoth no my Lordes, no. For notwithstanding that corrupt doctrine, or Pilates washing of his hands, neither of both shall excuse either that Sinagoge and Seigniory, or Pilate: but at the Lordes hand, for the effusion of that innocent bloud, on the latter day all shall drinke of the deadly whip.   Ye are witty   and vnderstand what I meane: therefore I will passe ouer this, and returne to tell you how ye are fallen from Christ to his aduersary the bishop of Rome.MarginaliaThe Lords of the parlamēt be fallē from Christ to Christes enemy.

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And lest, my Lordes, ye may peraduenture thinke, thus barely to call the byshop of Rome Christes aduersary, or (to speake it in plaine termes) to call him Antichrist, that it is done in mine anguish, and that I do but rage, and as a desperate man doe not care what I say, or vpon whom I do raile:  

therfore, that your Lordships may perceiue my mind, and therby vnderstand that I speake the wordes of truth and of sobrietie (as S. Paule sayd vnto FestusMarginaliaAct. 2. 6.) be it knowne vnto your Lordships all, that as cōcerning the bishop of Rome, I nether hate the person nor the place. For I ensure your lordships (the liuing lord beareth me witnes, before whō I speake) MarginaliaMany good men in the sea of Rome. So long as the sea of Rome folowed the rules of the Apostles, it could be called Peter or Paules chayre.I do thinke many a good holy man, many martyrs and Sayncts of God, haue sitte and taught in that place Christes gospell truely, which therfore iustly may be called Apostolici, that is, true disciples of the Apostles, & also that church and congregation of Christians to be a right Apostolike church, yea & that certayne C. yeres after the same was first erected and builded vpon Christ,

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