1570 Edition | Book 11 | Page 2020 
Marginalia1555. Decemb.MarginaliaIohn Philpot denieth to come before the B. for feare of some priuy practice.Phil. I wonder what my Lord meaneth that he sendeth for me thus earely. I feare he wil vse some viol?ce towardes me: wherfore I pray you make hym this a?swere, that if he send for me by an order of law, I will come and aunswere: otherwise, since I am not of hys Dioces neither is he myne ordinary, I will not (without I be violently constrained) come vnto him.
[Back to Top]Keper. I will goe tell my Lord what aunswere you make: and so hee went away to the Bishop, and immediatly returned with two of the Bishops men, saying that I must come whether I would or no.
Phil. If by violence any of you will enforce me to go, then must I go, otherwise I will not: MarginaliaIohn Philpot brought to the B. by violence.and therwith one of them tooke me with force by the arme, and led me vp into the Byshops Gallery.
Lond. What? thou art a foolish knaue in deede: thou wilt not come without thou be fet.
Phil. I am brought in deede (my Lord) by violence vnto you, and your crueltie is such, that I am afrayed to come before you. I would your Lordship would g?tly procede agaynst me by the law.
London. I am blamed of the Lordes the Byshops for that I haue not dispatched thee ere this.
CloseThis is yet another indication of the official pressure on Bonner to resolve Philpot's case expeditiously.
Phil. My Lord, I haue answered you already in this behalfe, what I wil do. And as for report of M. White B. of Lincolne, I passe not:
CloseI do not comment.
CloseThis comment provides our only knowledge of the incident. At the time, White was the rector of Cheyton, Surrey and he was imprisoned in Edward VI's reign for his conservative religious opinions.
MarginaliaMatter made of a knife sent to Iohn Philpot in a Pigs bely.London. Haddest not thou a pig brought thee thother day with a knyfe init? Wherefore was it (I pray thee) but to kill thy selfe? Or as it is tolde mee (mary I am counselled to take heede of thee) to kill mee?
CloseActually the knife was probably being smuggled in to Philpot so that he could sharpen quills or some other writing implement. A bladder containing dried ink was smuggled into Philpot at the same time.
Phil. My Lord, I can not deny but that there was a knyfe in the pigges belly that was brought me. But who put it in, or for what purpose, I know not, vnlesse it were because he that sent the meate thought I was without a knyfe, and so put it in.
CloseIf Bonner was being paranoid in thinking that the knife was intended to be used in killing him, Philpot was being disingenuous in suggesting that the knife was to be used for eating.
MarginaliaArticles agayne put to Iohn Philpot.London. I charge thee to aunswere to myne articles. Hold him a boke. Thou shalt sweare to answere truely to all such articles, as I shall demaund thee of.
Phil. I will first know your Lordship to bee myne Ordinary, before I sweare herein.
London. What? we shall haue an Anabaptist of thee, which thinketh it not lawfull to sweare before a Iudge.
Phil. My Lord, I am no Anabaptist. I thinke it lawfull to sweare before a competent iudge, being lawfully requyred. But I refuse to sweare in these causes before your Lordship, because you are not myne Ordinary.
MarginaliaB. Boner of meere power and authoritie pronounceth himselfe to be Philpots Ordinary.London. I am thine Ordinary, and here do pronounce by sentence peremptory, that I am thyne Ordinary, and that thou art of my dioces: and here he bad call in more to beare witnes. And I make the (taking one of hys seruaunts by the arme) to be myne Notary. And nowe harken to my articles, to the which (when hee had red them) he monished me to make aunswere, and sayd to the keeper, fet me his fellowes, and I shall make them
[Back to Top]to bee witnes agaynst him. In the meane whyle came in one of the Shriffes of L?don, whom the Bishop (calling for two chayres) placed by hym, saying: M. Sheriffe I would you should vnderstand how I do proceede agaynst this man. M. Sheriffe you shall heare what articles this man doth mayntayne: MarginaliaFalse Articles fayned against Iohn Philpot.and so he red a rablem?t of fained articles: that I should deny baptisme to be necessary to them that were borne of Christian parents, that I denyed fasting and prayer., and all other good deedes, and I maintayned onely bare fayth to be sufficient to saluation what soeuer a man did besydes, and I maintayned God to be the authour of all sinne and wickednes.
[Back to Top]Phil. Ha my lord, haue ye nothing of truth to charge me withall, but ye must be fayne to imagine these blasphemous lyes agaynst me? You might as well haue sayd I had killed your father. The scriptures say, that God will destroy all them that speake lies. And is not your Lordship ashamed to say before this worshipfull gentleman (who is vnknowen vnto me) that I mayntayne these abominable blasphemies which you haue rehearsed: which if I did mayntayne, I were well worthy to be counted an hereticke, and to bee burned an hundred tymes if it were possible?
[Back to Top]London. MarginaliaB. Boner taken with an vntruth.I do obiect them vnto thee, to heare what thou wilt say in them, and howe thou canst purge they selfe of them.
Phil. Then it was not iustly sayd of your Lordship, in the beginning, that I did mayntayne them, since almost I hold none of these articles you haue red, in forme as they are written.
London. How sayest thou? wilt thou answere to them or no?
Phil. I will first know you to be myne Ordinary, and that you may laufully charge me with such things, and then afterward being laufully called in iudgem?t, will shew my mynd fully thereof, and not otherwise.
London. MarginaliaOther prisoners called in to beare witnes agaynst Iohn Philpot.Well, then I will make thy fellowes to bee witnes against thee: where are they? come.
Keeper. They be here my Lord.
London. Come hether sirs, hold them a booke, you shall sweare by the contentes of that booke, that you shall (all maner of affections layd apart) say the truth of all such articles as you shall be demaunded of concerning this man here present, which is a very naughty man, and take you heede of him that he doth not deceiue you, as I am afeard he doth you much hurt, and strengtheneth you in your errours.
[Back to Top]Prisoners. MarginaliaThe prisoners refuse to be sworne against M. Philpot.My Lord, we will not sweare except we know whereto: we can accuse him of no euill, we haue bene but a whyle acquaynted with him.
Phil. I wonder your Lordship knowing the law, will go about, contrary to the same, to haue infamous persons to be witnesses, for your Lordship doth take them to be heretickes, and by the law an hereticke can not be a witnes.
London. Yes, one hereticke against an other may bee well inough.MarginaliaB. Boner agayne doth agaynst the law. And M. Sheriffe, I will make one of them to be witnes aganst an other.
Phil. You haue the law in your hand, and you wil doe what you list.
Prisoners. No my Lord.
Lond. No will? I will make you sweare, whether you will or no. I weene they be Anabaptistes, M. Shriffe:MarginaliaNote how the Bishops make Anabaptistes. they thinke it not lawfull to sweare before a iudge.
Phil. We thinke it lawful to sweare for a man iudicially called, as we are not now, but in a blind corner.
Lond. Why then, seyng you will not sweare agaynst your felow, you shall sweare for your selues, and I do here in the presence of M. Shriffe obiect the same Articles vnto you, as I haue done vnto him, and do require you vnder the payne of excommunication, to aunswere particularly vnto euery one of them when you shall be examined, as you shall bee by and by examined after by my Register and some of my Chapleins.
[Back to Top]Prisoners. My Lord, we will not accuse our selues. If any man can lay any thyng agaynst vs, we are here ready to aunswere thereto: otherwise we pray your Lordshyp not to burden vs: for some of vs are here before you, we know no iust cause why.
Lond. Master Sheriffe, I will trouble you no longer