MarginaliaAn. 1556. Iune.Fort. Then sayd I: if you knew how these wordes do reioyce my hart, you would not haue spoken them.

Fost. Why thou foole, doest thou reioyce in whyppyng?

Fort. Yea, sayd I, for it is writtē in the Scriptures, and CHRIST sayth: thou shalt be whipped for my names sake: and since the tyme that þ^e sword of tyranny came into your hāds, I heard of none that was whypped. Happy were I, if I had the maydenhead of this persecution.

Away with him then (sayd he): for he is ten tymes worse then Samuell: and so was he caried to prison agayne.

WHen I came before the Byshop, he asked me if I did not beleue in the Catholicke Church. I sayd: I beleue that Church wherof CHRIST is the head.

Then sayd the Byshop: doest thou not beleue that the Pope is supreme head of the Church? And I sayd: no, CHRIST is the head of the true Church.

Bysh. So do I beleue also: but the Pope is Gods Vicar vpon earth, and the head of the Church, and I beleue that he hath power to forgeue sinnes also.

Fort. Then sayd I: the Pope is but a man, and the Prophet Dauid sayth: MarginaliaPsal. 49.that no man can deliuer his brother, nor make agreement for hym vnto God: For it coste more to redeme their soules, so that hee must let that alone for euer.

Bysh. And þ^e Byshop agayne fetching about a great circūstance, sayd: MarginaliaThe Pope likened to a Belwether or a master Bee.like as þ^e Belwether weareth þ^e bell, and is þ^e head of þ^e flocke of sheepe: so is the Pope our head. And as the hiues of Bees haue a master Bee that bringeth the Bees to the hiue agayne: so doth our head bryng vs home agayne to our true Church.

Fort. Then I asked hym whether the Pope were a spirituall man: and he said yea. And I said agayne: they are spitefull  

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Due to a printer's error this was rendered as 'spiritual' in the 1563 edition; it was corrected to 'spiteful' in the 1570 edition.

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In 'xvi days' in the 1563 edition; this was changed in the 1570 edition.

Bysh. It is maliciously spoken (sayd he): for thou must obey the power and not the man. And thus was the Pope denyed to be supreme head.

Well, sayd he, MarginaliaCeremonies of the church.what sayest thou to the ceremonies of the Church?

Fort. And I aunswered: MarginaliaMath. 15.All thinges that are not plāted by my heauenly father, shalbe plucked vp by the rootes, sayth CHRIST. For they were not from þ^e begynning, nether shall they continue to the end.

Bysh. They are good and godly, and necessary to be vsed.

Fort. S. Paul called them weake and beggarly.

Bysh. No, that is a lye.

Fort. I hearyng that, sayd: that Sainct Paule writeth thus in the fourth to the Galathians: MarginaliaGal. 4.Ye foolish Galathians (sayth he) who hath bewitched you, that ye seeke to be in bōdage to these weake and beggarly ceremonies? Now which of you do lye? you or S. Paul? And also it is sayd, that workes instituted and enioyned without the commaundemēt of God, perteine not to þ^e worship of God, accordyng to the text: In vayne do men worshyp me with mens traditiōs and commaundementes. And S. Paul sayth: wherfore do ye cary vs away from the grace of CHRIST to an other kinde of doctrine? MarginaliaMath. 15.And CHRIST openly rebuked the Scribes, Lawyers, Phariseis, Doctours, Priestes, Byshops and Hypocrites, for makyng Gods cōmaundementes of none effect, to support their owne tradition.

Bysh. Thou lyest, there is not such a word in all the Scriptures, thou naughtie hereticke. Thou art worse then all other heretickes: for Hoper (sayd he) and Bradford allow them to be good, and thou doest not. Away with him.

¶ Here you may perceiue, how that the Catholicke

Church can not erre, MarginaliaIt is pitie that popish prelates can not lie.but what soeuer they say, must nedes be true. And so my Lord Byshop can not lye, as it may appeare to all men most plainly in the text.

MarginaliaAn other examination of Iohn Fortune.THe next day I was brought before the sayd Byshop agayn, where he made a Sermon vppon the vj. Chapter of S. Iohns Gospell of CHRISTES wordes: I am the bread that came downe from heauē. &c. and therupon had a great bibble babble to no purpose. So in the end I was called before him, and he sayd to me.

Bysh. MarginaliaSacramēt of the Altar.How beleuest thou in the Sacrament of the aultar? doest thou not beleue that after þ^e consecration, there is the reall substaunce of the body of CHRIST?

Fort. And I aunswered him, that it is the greatest plague that euer came into England.

Bysh. Why so?

Fort. I sayd: if I were a Bishop, and you a poore man as I am, I would be ashamed to aske such a question. For a Byshop should be apt to teach and not to learne.

Bysh. I am appointed by the lawe to teach, so are not you.

Fort. And I sayd: Your law breaketh out very wel: for you haue burned vp the true Byshops & preachers, and maintained lyers to be in their stede.

Bysh. MarginaliaCatholicke prelates obsequious to hyer powers so long as they make for their dignitie, but when they do otherwise, then they excōmunicate them.Now you may vnderstand that hee is a traytour: for he denieth the higher powers.

Fort. I am no traitour: for S. Paul sayth: All soules must obey the hyer powers, and I resist not the hyer powers, concernyng my body, but I must resiste your euill doctrine wherwith you would infect my soule.

A. Doct. Then said a Doctour: my Lord, you do not well: let him aunswere shortly to his Articles.

Bysh. How sayest thou? make aunswere quickly to these Articles.

Fort. S. Paul sayth: MarginaliaHeb. 10.CHRIST did one sacrifice once for all, and set him downe on the right hand of his father, triumphing ouer hell and deeath, making intercession for sinnes.

Bysh. I aske thee no such question, but make aunswere to this Article.

Fort. If it be not God before the consecration, it is not God after: for God is without beginnyng & without ending.

Bysh. Then sayd he: lo, what a stiffe hereticke is this? He hath denied altogether: how sayest thou? Is it Idolatrie to worshyp the blessed Sacrament or no?

Fort. God is a spirite, and wil be worshipped in spirite and truth.

Bysh. I aske thee no such question: aunswere me directly.

Fort. I aunswere that this is the God Mauzzim,MarginaliaDan. 11. that robbeth God of his honour.

Bysh. It is pitie that the groūd beareth thee, or that thou hast a toung to speake. Then sayd the Scribe: here are a great many more Articles.

Bysh. The sayd the Byshop: Away with him, for he hath spoken to much.

MarginaliaOther talke betwene Iohn Fortune and the Bishop of Norwich.ANd when I came to mine examination agayne, the Bishop asked me if I would stand vnto myne aunswere that I had made before: and I sayd, yea, for I had spoken nothyng but the truth. And after that hee made a great circumstaunce vppon the Sacrament. Then I desired him to stand to the text, and he red the Gospell on Corpus Christi day, which sayd: MarginaliaIohn. 6.I am the bread which came downe from heauen: beleuest thou not this? And I sayd: yea truly.

And he sayd, why doest thou denie the Sacrament?

Because your doctrine is so false, sayd I.