MarginaliaAn. 1556. Ianuary.I sayd, the certifying of the truth.

M. Welch. With that M. Welch rose vp, desiring leaue to talke with me alone. So hee taking mee aside into an other chamber, sayd, MarginaliaPersuasion of M. Welch to M. Grene.that hee was sory for my trouble and would gladly see me at liberty: he marueled, that I being a yong man, would stand against all the learned men of the realme, yea and contrary to the whole determination of the Catholicke church from CHRISTES tyme, in a matter wherein I could haue no great learning. I ought not to thinke myne owne wit better then all mens, but should beleue them that were learned. I promise you (quoth he) I haue red all Peter Martyrs booke,  

and Cranmers,   and all the rest of them, and haue conferred them with the contrary, as Roffensis   and the Bishop of Winchester.   &c. and could not perceaue, but that there was one continuall truth which from the beginning had ben maintayned: and those that at any tyme seuered from this vnitie, were aunswered and aunswered agayne. This was the sūme of his tale, which lacked neyther witte nor eloquence.

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M. Grene. Then spake I. MarginaliaAunswere of M. Greene to M. Welch.For asmuch as it pleaseth your Mastership to vse me so familiarly (for hee so behaued him selfe towardes me, as though I had bene his equall) I shall open my mynd freely vnto you, desyring you for to take it in good worth. MarginaliaModestie of M. Greene.I consider my youth, lacke of wit and learning, which would God it were but a little vnder the opinion that some men haue of me. But God is not bound to tyme, witte, or knowledge, but rather chooseth infirma mundi, vt cōfunderet fortia.  

Neyther can men appoint bondes to Gods mercy: For, MarginaliaRoma. 9.I will haue compassion (sayth hee) ou whom I will shewe merey. There is no respect of persons wyth God, whether it bee olde or younge, ritch, or poore, wyse, or foolish, Fisher or Basketmaker. God geueth knowledge of his truth, through his free grace, to whom he list. Iames. i. Neyther do I thinke my selfe only to haue the truth, but stedfastly beleue that Christ hath his spouse the Catholicke and vniuersall church dispersed in many realmes where it pleaseth hym: spiritus vbi vult spirat:  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Bartlet Greene in a letter, quoting from St. John, 3. 8.

Foxe text Latin

spiritus vbi vult spirat

Foxe text translation

Not translated.

Translation (Wade 2003)

The spirit breathes when it wants

Actual text of St. John, 3. 8 (Vulgate)

Spiritus ubi vult spirat

[Accurate citation -cf. the same citation above on page 1841, column 1, line 11 and below on page 2122, column 1, line 40.]

MarginaliaThe spirite of God addicted neyther to person, nor place.no more is he addicted to any one place, then to the person and quality of one man. Of this church I nothing doubt my selfe to be a member, trusting to be saued by the fayth that is taught in the same. MarginaliaThe end of all controuersies is to know the true church.But how this church is knowen, is in a maner the end of all controuersies. And the true markes of CHRISTES church is the true preaching of hys word, and ministring of his Sacramentes. MarginaliaMarkes of the true church.These markes were sealed by the Apostles, and confirmed by the auncient fathers, till at the length they were through the wickednes of men and the Deuill, sore worne and almost vtterly taken away. But God be praysed that he hath renued the print, that his truth may be knowē in many places. For my selfe, I call God to witnes, I haue no hope in mine owne wit and learning, which is very small: but I was perswaded thereto by hym, as by an *Marginalia* By this instrument, he meaneth Pet. Martyr. instrument, that is excellent in all good learning and liuing. And God is my record, MarginaliaM. Greene seaking hys knowledge of God with teares.that cheifly I sought it of hym by continuall prayer wyth teares.

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Furthermore, what I haue done herein, it is not nedeful for me to speake: but one thing (I say) I wish of god w^t all my hart, þ^t al men which are of cōtrary iudgement, would seke the truth in lyke maner. Now I am brought hether before a great many of Bishopes and learned men, to bee made a foole and laughing stocke: but I way it not a rushe: For God knoweth that my whole study is to please hym: besydes that, care I not for mans pleasure or displeasure.

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M. Welch. MarginaliaM. Welch replyeth to M. Grene.No M. Grene (quoth he) thinke not so vncharitably of any man, but iudge rather that men labour for your soules health as for their own. And alas, how wyll you condemne all our forefathers: Or how can you thinke your self to bee of the catholicke church, wythout any continuance, and contrary to the iudgement of all learned men?

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Grene. Then sayd I, Syr I haue no authoritye to

iudge any man: neuertheles, I doubt not, but that I am of the true catholicke church, how so euer our learned men here iudge of me.

Welch. Why, then (said he) do you suppose your own wit and learning better then all theirs? If you do not geue credite onely to them, other learned men shall resort vnto you that shall perswade you by the scriptures and Doctours.

Grene. Syr (quoth I) God knoweth that I refuse not to learne of any childe, MarginaliaM. Grene content to geue place in all other thinges, saue only in fayth.but I woulde embrace the truth from the mouth of a naturall foole, in anye thyng wherein I am ignorant, and that in all thinges sauyng my fayth. But concernyng the truth, wherein I am throughly perswaded, I cānot submit my self to learne, vnlesse it be, as you mastership sayd, that ye perused þ^e bookes on both sides: For so might I make my selfe an indifferent iudge: otherwyse I may be seduced.

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And here we fell out agayne in a long talke of the church, wherein hys learning and wyt was much aboue myne: but in the end when I told him I was perswaded, and that he dyd but lose hys labour:

Welch. Why then (quoth he) what shall I report to my Lord?

Grene. Euen as please you (quoth I) or els you may say that I would be glad to learne, if I had bookes on both sides. So he going in, the Bishops (euen then risen, and ready to depart) asked how he lyked me? Hee aunswered: in fayth my Lord he wyll be glad to learne. Which wordes when they were taken, lest they should mystake his meaning and mynde, I said: yea my Lord, so that I may haue bookes on both sides, as Caluin, & my Lord of Canterburies booke, and such other. Well (quoth my Lord) I wyl satisife thy mynde therin also: and they all were in great hope, that shortly I shoulde become a good Catholicke, as they call it.

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Then was I brought into my Lordes inner chamber (*Marginalia* Where Philpot was, he meaneth, to whom he wrote this letter. where you were) and there was cōmitted to master Dee, who entreated me very frendly. That nyght I supped at my Lordes table, and lay with M. Dee in the chamber you dyd see. On the morrowe I was serued at dynner from my Lordes table, and at nyght dyd eate in the hall with hys Gentlemen: where I haue bene placed euer sithence, and fared wonderfull well. MarginaliaFrendly enterteinment of M. Grene in Bishop Boners house for a time.Yea, to say the truth, for my liberty wythin the bondes of his Lordships house, for my lodging and fare, scarce haue I bene at any tyme abroade in better case so long together, and haue found so much gentlenes of my Lord and his Chaplaynes, and other seruauntes, that I should easily haue forgotten that I was in prison, were it not that this great cheare was often pouthered with vnsauery sawces of examinations, exhortations, posinges, and disputations.

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MarginaliaM. Grene had in priuate examination before the Bishop.For shortly after supper the first Monday at nyght I was had into my Lordes bed chamber, and there he would know of me how I cam first into these heresies. I sayd I was persuaded thereto by the scriptures and authorities of the Doctours, alleadged by Peter Martyr in his Lectures vpon the. xj. Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, whylest he intreated there on that place De cœna domini, by the space of a moneth together. MarginaliaM. Grene vrged with the literall sense of the wordes [this is my body.]But then my Lord enforced the playnnes of CHRISTES wordes and hys almighty power, demaunding of me, what reason should moue me frō the literall sense of the wordes: but I hauing no lust to those matters, woulde haue alledged that there were bookes sufficient of that matter, as Pet. Martyr, Cranmer, & Oecolampadius: neuertheles when this shift wold not serue, but I was cōstrained to say somwhat, MarginaliaCauses mouing M. Grene from the literall sense of the wordes aforesaid.I sayd I was moued from the literall sense by the maner of speaking, by the circumstance, and by conferēce of other places of the Scriptures. It is euident that CHRIST tooke bread, and that he shewed them (they seyng it) bread, which he affirmed to be hys body.

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MarginaliaArgumēt.CHRIST affirmed that bread was hys body:

But that affirmation taken literally, can by no