MarginaliaAn. 1556. July.And first the sayd Peter Moone was commaunded to come before the Byshop, where he was examined of three sondry Articles,Marginalia3. Articles obiected to Peter Moone. to witte: 1. Whether the Pope were supreme head: 2. Whether Kyng Philippe and Queene Mary were right inheritours to the crowne. 3. And whether in the Sacrament of the aultar was the very body of CHRIST substancially and really there present.

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Vnto the which, MarginaliaPeter Moone graunteth to the bishops articles through infirmitie.the sayd Peter being timerous and weake, fearyng more the face of man then the heauy wrath of God, affirmed and in maner graunted vnto þ^e demaūdes. Wherupon þ^e Bishop being in good hope that although he had not come to the Church, nor receiued their Sacrament of the altar, nor bene ready to do his duety as the law had commaūded: yet there shewing his minde, sayd, that he liked well þ^e man: for such as haue ben (said he) earnest in euill things, will also be earnest in þ^t that is good & godly, of once they be wonne.

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Thus as this spirituall father was commendyng his carnall child, and rather preferring him to hell fire, then vnto the sincere word and commaundementes of God, it chaunced amongest many others in the chamber, was one of the portmen of the same towne named Sharpe,  

MarginaliaCommendation of Sharpe of Ipswich. an earnest member of their Romish law, doyng of a very consciēce that he did, who after the death of Queene Mary liued not many yeares, MarginaliaRich. Sharpe of Ipswich repenteth hys Popery at hys death.but rendred his life in godly repentaunce, protestyng that if God should suffer him to liue, he would neuer be the man he had bene before, what lawes soeuer should come againe: so that before the time of his sickenes, he frequētyng earnestly the Sermons made in the same towne by diuers godly learned, would wepe as it had bene a child, beyng notwithstandyng of courage as stoute a man as any was in Ipswiche. Such is the maruelous mercy of God, in callyng to his kyngdome, whom, and when he pleaseth.

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This portman aforesayd, perceauyng the Byshop thus, as it were, at an end with the said Moone, and so he like to be discharged, said vnto þ^e Bishop: MarginaliaSharpe accuseth Moones wife.my Lord, in dede I haue a good hope in the man, and that he will be conformable: but my Lord, he hath a perillous woman vnto his wife. For I will tell you my Lorde, she neuer came to Church yet, since the Queenes reigne, except it were at euensong, or when she was churched. And not then vntill Masse were done. Wherfore your good Lordshyp might do a good deede to cause her to come before you, and to see if ye could do any good. And therfore I besech your good Lordshyp to commaunde him to pray her to come before your Lordship.

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At the which wordes, Moone was somwhat stirred in that he sayd, commaund him to pray her to come before your Lordship. And he sayd vnto him, vnder my Lordes correction I speake, I am as able to commaūd her to come before my Lord, as ye are to commaunde þ^e worst boy in your house. Yea my Lord, said þ^e other, I cry your Lordshyp mercy: I haue informed your Lord ship with an vntroth, if this be so. But if he be so able as he sayth, he might haue commaunded her to haue come to Churche in all this tyme, if it had pleased him. Well sayd the Byshop, looke ye come before me agayne at after noone, MarginaliaPeter Moone commaunded to bring hys wife before the Byshop.and bryng your wife with you: I will talke with her.

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As my Lordes dyner at that tyme was seruyng vp, Moone departed and taried not to take part therof, hauing such an hard breakfast giuen him before to digest. At after noone Moone delayd and waited his tyme, bethinkyng when he might most cōueniently come, especially when his accuser and his wiues should not haue bene there. And accordyng to commaundement came with his wife, which was not so secretly, but his accuser had knowledge therof, and came with all expeditiō in such post speede, that in a maner he was wyndlesse entryng into the Bishops chamber.

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The Bishop hearyng that Moone & his wife were come, called for them, and said to Moone: Is this your

MarginaliaMoone & hys wife brought before the Byshop.wife Moone? Yea my Lord, said he. O good Lord (said the Bishop) how a man may be deceaued in a woman. I promise you a mā would take her for as honest a woman, by all outward appearaunce, as can be. Why my Lord, said Moones wife, I trust there is none that can charge me with any dishonestie, as concernyng my body. I defie all the world in that respect.

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Nay (quoth the Bishop) I meane not, as cōcernyng the dishonesty of thy body: but thou hadst bene better to haue geuen the vse of thy body vnto xx. sondry men, then to do as thou hast done. MarginaliaB. Hopton preferreth xx. men cōmitting adultery, before one woman transgressing the Popes ordinaunces.For thou hast done as much as in the lyeth, to plucke the King & the Queenes Maiesties out of their royall seates, through thy disobedience, in shewyng thy selfe an open enemy vnto Gods Lawes, and their procedinges.

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Then began the Bishop of examine the said Moone agayn, with the aforesaid Articles, & his wife also. And hearyng her husband relent, dyd also affirme the same, which turned vnto either of them no small trouble of mind afterward, but yet neither were they like thus to escape, but that in the meane tyme Dunnyng the Bishops Chauncelour came vp in great hast, and brought newes to the Bishop, that there were such an nomber of heretickes come, of which some came from Boxford, some from Lanham, and about from the cloth countrey, that it would make a man out of his wittes to heare them, and there are among them both heretickes and Anabaptistes, sayd he. And thus Doct. Dunnyng with his blosteryng wordes interruptyng Moones examination, went downe agayne as the deuil had driuē him, to keepe his sturre among them, and to take order what should be done with them.

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The Byshop beginnyng to bewayle the state of the countrey, in that it was so infected with such a number of heretickes and rehearsing partly their opinions to those that were at that tyme in the chāber, Moones wife had a young child, which she her selfe nursed, and the child beyng brought into the yarde vnder the Byshops chamber cryed, so that she heard it, and then sayd: My Lorde, I trust ye haue done with me. MarginaliaMoones childe a part of Gods prouidence in their deliueraunce from further trouble.My child crieth beneth, I must go giue my child sucke, with such like wordes. And the Bishop being, as it were, out of mynd to talke with thē any more, sayd: go your way, I will talke with you in the mornyng: looke ye bee here againe in the mornyng: with this they both departed.

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And beneath in the stone hall of the same house, the Chauncelour Dunnyng beyng very busie about hys bloudy busines, espyed Moone and his wife comming, and must nedes passe by the place where he stoode, and sayd: Nay soft, I must talke with you both: for ye are as euil as any that are here to day. To whom Moones wife answered: My Lord hath had vs in examination, and therfore ye shall haue naught to do with vs. Nay, quoth he, ye shall not so escape. I must talke with you also. Vnto whom Moone aunswered: MarginaliaMoones aunswere to the Byshops Chauncellor.In the presence of the more, þ^e lesse hath no power: My Lord hath takē order with vs, and therefore we are as hys Lordshyp hath appoynted, and must repayre before him agayne to morow. MarginaliaMoone & hys wife escaped frō the Bishop and his Chauncellour.At þ^e which he let them go, although he was earnestly procured by þ^e partie aboue specified, to haue shewed his qualitie, which was nothing els but tirāny.

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So departed Moone and his wife without hurt of body: MarginaliaMoone & his wife cōfounded in cōscience for their deniall.but afterward when they with Peter the Apostle beheld the face of CHRIST, they were sore wounded in cōsciences, ashamed of their doinges, and also at the doore of desperation. In so much, that when the sayd Moone came home to hys house, and entryng into a parlour alone by him selfe, cōsideryng his estate, and saw where a sword of his did hang agaynst a wall, was earnestly allured by the enemy Sathan to haue taken it down, MarginaliaMoone seeketh to kill him selfe, but by Gods mercifull prouidence was preserued.and therwith to haue slayne hym self: but God, who casteth not away the penitent sinner repentyng his fall with hart, defēded his vnworthy seruannt from that temptation, & hath (I trust) left him to the amendement of lyfe by the assistaunce of his holy spirite

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