Marginalia1555. October.MarginaliaWinchesters opinion of ceremonies.Ceremonies serue to moue men to serue God, and as long as they be vsed for that purpose, they may bee well vsed in the church: but when man maketh him self seruaunt to them and not them to serue him, then bee our cerimonies brought to an abuse. MarginaliaCeremonies how and when they are abused.If by ouer much familiarity of them men abuse them, they do euill. For wee must not serue creatures, but Deo. We had Monkery, Nunry, Fryery of a wondrous number, much variety of garmentes, variety of deuises in dwelling, many sondry orders and fashiōs in mouing of the body. These thinges were first ordayned to admonish them to their duety to God, to labour for the necessity of the poore, and to spare from their owne bellies to the poore, and therfore was theyr fare ordeyned and prepared. And because they abused these thinges, and set them in an hyer place then they ought to do,MarginaliaCeremonies seruauntes to men, not men to ceremonies. not taking monition therby the better to serue God, but esteming perfection to consist in them, they were dissolued, their houses and garmentes were taken away.

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But one thing king Henry would not take away, that was the MarginaliaVowe of chastitie.vow of chastity. The vow of obedience he conuerted to himselfe: the vow of chastity he willeth still to remayne with them.

We had many Images whereto pilgremages were done, and many tombes that men vsed to visit, by reason wherof, they fell in a fancy of Idolatry & superstitiō, aboue the thinges that they might haue bene taken for, & because they had not the vse that they were ordeined for, they were left. MarginaliaWinchest. neuer agaynst the taking downe of Images being abused with Idolatrie.When men put the Images in a higher place then they serued for: then were they taken cleane away: as giue a chyld a gay booke to learne vppon, and then if he gase vpon the gorgeousnes of his booke, and learne not his lesson according to the intent that þ^e boke was geuen for, the booke is taken away from him agayne. So the Images, when men deuysed and fell to haue them in hygher place & estimation then they were first set vp in the Church for, then they might bee taken away: and I was neuer of other mynd, nor neuer had other opinion of thē. Diuers things there be in þ^e church which be in the liberty of the ruler to order as he seeth cause, and he that is ruler may eyther let thē stand or els may cause them to be taken way.

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Marginalia2. maner of reformations, one where the thinges cānot be takē away, but the abuse: the other where both the things and the abuse may be taken away.There be two maner of reformations. We haue had of both sortes. There be thinges in the church the which if they be abused, may not be takē away. As for baptisme, if it be abused, there may not an other thing bee put in the place of it, but the thing must be reformed & brought to the right vse agayne. Also preaching, if it be abused, may not bee taken away, but must bee reformed and brought to the right vse: but there be other thinges vsed in the church in which the Rulers haue liberty, either to reforme them or to take them away.MarginaliaTo take away all Images lyeth in the liberty of the rulers. We haue had many Images, which be now all taken away, for it was in the liberty of the Rulers for the abuse of them, eyther to reforme thē, or to take thē away. And because it was an easier way to take them away, then to bring them to the right vse that they were ordayned for, they were all cleane taken away, and so they might be. Yea Sir will ye say, but ye haue maintayned and defended them and haue preached against such persons as despysed them.MarginaliaIf abusing of Images to dolatrie be cause sufficient to take away images, why did Winchester hold with them before? if it be not cause sufficient, why doth he now graunt to the taking of them away, being no more wantonly abused thē they were before time? It is truth, I haue preached agaynst the despysers of them, and haue sayd, that Images myght bee suffered and vsed in the church as lay mens bookes, yet I neuer otherwise defended them, but to be vsed for such purpose as they were first set vp in the church for: but now that mē be waxed wanton, they are cleane takē away, wherin our religion is no more touched then when bookes were taken away for abusing of them.

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There was an order taken for bookes not to be vsed, wherein some might haue said, the bookes are good, and I know how to vse them, I may therefore vse them wel ynough, I will therefore vse them though they be forbidden: but if thou haue any charity, thou oughtest to be cōtented rather to haue them cleane taken away, then to declare thy self to haue an other opinion then thou oughtest to haue.

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As touching ceremonies, I esteeme them all as Paule estemeth them, thinges indifferent, where he sayth: Regnum Dei non est esca et potus.  

So of ceremonies. Neuertheles we haue tyme, place, and number, as a certayne number of Psalmes to be sayd at tymes, which may be vsed without superstition: but these thinges must serue vs, and not we serue them. Yet if an order be set in them by such as haue power, we must follow it, and we must obey the Rulers that appoynt such tyme, place, and nūber to be kept. Ye may not say, if þ^e time will serue me, then I will come an houre after. No Syr ye must kepe

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this tyme and this houre, because it is so appoynted by the rulers, not for the thinges, but for the order that is set. I haue bene euer of this opinion.

We had palmes and candels takē away, which things may indifferently haue eyther of the two reformations aboue sayd.MarginaliaTaking away of Palmes and Candles. When they were in place, they should haue put men in remembraunce of their duety and deuotion towardes God, but because they were abused, they were and myght be taken away. But the religion of CHRIST is not in these exercises, and therefore in taking away of them, the religion of CHRIST is nothing touched nor hindered. But men must in such things be conformable, not for the ceremony, but for obedience sake. S. Paul saith, that we should rebuke euery brother that walketh inordinately. I haue tolde you myne opinion, and MarginaliaB. Gardiner speaketh accordyng to hys vnconstant conscience.my conscience telleth me that I haue spoken playnly, that ye may know what I am, and that ye may not be deceyued in mee, nor bee sclaundered in me, nor make no further search to know my hart.

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MarginaliaWinchester liketh well the communion.I like well the communion because it prouoketh men more and more to deuotion. I lyke well the proclamation, because it stoppeth the mouthes of all such as vnreuerently speake or rayle agaynst the Sacrament. I lyke well the rest of the Kinges maiesties procedinges concerning the Sacrament.MarginaliaB. Gardiner liketh well K. Edwardes procedinges. I haue now told you what I lyke. But shall I speake nothing of that I mislike? ye will then say I speake not playnely. I wil therfore shew my conscience playnely.

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MarginaliaB. Gardiner misliketh the preachers in K. Edwardes time, & why?I mislyke that preachers which preach by the Kinges lycence, & those readers which by the Kinges permission and suffraunce do read open lectures, do openly and blasphemously talke agaynst the Masse, and agaynst the Sacrament. And to whom may I lyken such readers and preachers? I may lyken them vnto Postes, for the prouerbe sayth, that Postes do beare truth in their letters & lyes in their mouthes:MarginaliaB. Gardiner compareth preachers to Postes carying truth in theyr letters and lyes in their mouthes. and so do they, & to speake so agaynst the Sacrament, it is the most marueilous matter that euer I saw or heard of. I would wish therfore that there were a stay and an order in this behalfe, and that there might be but one order or rule, for as the Poet sayth (I may vse the verse of a Poet well ynough, for so doth Paule of the great Poet, οὔκ ἄγαθον πολυκοιρανίη· εἶς κοίρανος ἔστω..  

And let no man of his own head begin matters, nor go before þ^e king;. They call it going before the King, and such make them selues Kinges. Well what mislyketh me els?

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MarginaliaB Gardiner misliketh the breaking of a Vowe of chastitie.It mislyketh mee that Priestes and men that vowed chastity, should openly mary and auow it openly: which is a thing that since the beginning of the church hath not bene seene in any tyme, that men that haue bene admitted to any ecclesiastical administration should marry. We read of married Priestes, that is to say: of married men chosen to be priestes and Ministers in the church. And in Epiphanius wee read, that some such for necessity were wincked at. But that men being priestes already should mary, was neuer yet seene in CHRISTES church from the beginning of the Apostles tyme. MarginaliaB. Gardiner against mariage of Priestes.I haue written in it, and studied for it, and the very same places that are therein alleadged to mayntayne the mariage of Priests, being diligently read shall playnely confound them that mayntayne to mary your Priests, or at the farthest, with in two lynes after.

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Thus haue I shewed my opinion in order, proceeding from the inferiours, and in order proceeding from the higher powers. And thus I haue (as I trust) plainly declared my selfe, without any couering or counterfayting. And I besech your most excellent maiesty to esteme and take me as I am, and not to be sclaūdered in me, for I haue told you the playne truth as it is, and I haue opened my conscience vnto you. I haue not played the Post with you, to cary truth in my letters, and lyes in my mouth: for I would not for all the world make a lye in this place: but I haue disclosed the playne truth as it lyeth in my mynd. And thus I commit your most excellent Maiesty and all your most honorable Councellours with the rest of the deuout audience here present, vnto God. To whom be all honour, laud, and glory, world without end.M

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Thus hauyng comprised the summe & chief purpose of hys Sermon, with other such matter aboue storyed, wherein may appeare the double faced doynges of this Byshop in matters of Religion: MarginaliaB. Gardiner agreing to reformation of Religion how farre and wherein.now for þ^e more fortificatiō of that which hath ben sayd, if any shall deny this foresayd Sermon, or any part therof to be true, to con-

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