MarginaliaAn. 1557. Iune.London, and he released thee, and thou promisedst him to be an honest man, and that thou wouldest be of the true catholicke church, which thou hast not fulfylled.

Wood. I promised him nothing but I haue fulfilled it. No man shalbe able to proue the contrary.

Story. Well, it wilbe tried well inough. My Lord, I will take my leaue. I feare me you shall do this man no good.

Chiches. I would not haue you to vse such speach as you doo:MarginaliaNo. But if he should say: the Sacrament of the altar, worshipped might he be: then he were a perfect catholicke. as, the Lord be praysed, and the liuing God, with such like wordes. Can you not say as well, MarginaliaThe Lord, hereticall, our Lorde, catholicke, with the Papistes.our Lord, or our God, as otherwise?

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Wood. I maruaile why you should repoue me therfore, seing it is the wordes of God. I do not refuse to say our God, or our Lord, when I talke the scriptures where it is written. If I should, it must follow that I denied the wordes of God, and must nedes be an hereticke: but I doe not. Wherfore I maruell what you meane to finde fault therin. It semeth to me that you mistrust that I beleue not as you doo.

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Chiches. Yea, that is my meaning in deede.

Wood. I beleue in the liuing God: if you doo not so, then our beliefes be not alike in deede. But if it please you to examine me vpon any particular matter, now or at any other time, I will make you aunswere therto by Gods helpe.

Chiches. Though you beleue in God, I can proue you beleue not as you ought to do, as I can shew you by your hand writing. You haue denied the catholicke church. Wherefore he that erreth from the Church, it can not be sayd that his fayth is good. MarginaliaFallacia equiuoci.
He that erreth frō the church, which church erreth not in the right faith, his fayth can not be good in deede.  

Wherfore be ruled by the church, from the which ye haue erred. I can shew you perilous thinges of your writing, if it should be knowne: but ye shall not be hurt for me, if you will come to any good order. But I promise you, I would not for three thousand pound, some had so much against me, as I can shew agaynst you of your owne hand writing, which you cannot deny.

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Wood. I will not deny my hand, by Gods helpe. For I know well, I haue written nothing at any time but the truth. There may be thinges written agaynst me, reporting it to be mine, and yet be not: but my hand cā not well be counterfeted: there be inow that know my hand.

Chiches. Do you know it your selfe, if you see it?

Wood. Yea that I do. Then he arose, and fet a great bundle of writinges, and opened them, and bad me come see. I looked on them, and it was my hand in deede.

Chiches. MarginaliaWoodman charged with hys owne writinges.How say you? is it not your writing?

Wood. Yes surely is it.

Chic. How say you to this? is not this your hand also?

Wood. I looked, & it was: And I said: yes verely is it.

Chic. Well, you know what it meaneth, I dare say.

Wood. Yea, I know very well: here is a great deale, the which I had thought had bene in my house, but I thanke God that it is here: for in this you shall try whether it be true or not. For in this is contayned all the talke that was betwixt the Commissioners and me MarginaliaRichard Woodman v. times before the Commissioners.when I was before them fiue times, and also before the bishop of London diuers times: & I am sure you nor they shall finde no wordes false therein written: and I thinke the shrieffes men when they searched my house for me, when I was taken, found this, and caried it with them: but I neuer knew it before now. But I am not sory for it, but am rather glad. For herein you may see all the wrong that I receaued at theyr handes, and how long I was in prison, and how I was tossed vp and downe, and how I was deliuered at length, & by this you may trye, whether it be so or not. I dare say they that found it, and they that brought it to you had thought it would haue turned me to displeasure: but in very deede all thinges worke for the best, to them that feare God.

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Chiches. In deede I finde no great fault in this: but here is perilous geare, here is sedicion. This was set

vp vppon the church doore, you know it well inough.

Wood. MarginaliaRichard Woodmās child being baptised by þ^e midwife, was brought out of the house by the Papistes and confirmed in the Church.In deede I wrote it to the Priest, and to other that toke vpō them to fetch my Childe out of my house without my leaue, and vsed it at theyr pleasure, when they knew it was baptised already, as they were well certified before. Wherefore my conscience compelled me to shew them my minde in writing, wherin is conteyned nothing but the scriptures of God, rebuking them for theyr folly.

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Chiches. MarginaliaD. Christopherson Byshop of Chichest. beginneth with fayre wordes to perswade Woodmā from hys doctrine.Yea, but it is terribly ment, and vncharitably. It is such gere coupled together I promise you, as I neuer see the like. But I promise you I will make the best of it. And I protest before god, I would you should doo as well as mine owne soule and body. Be cōtented to bee enformed. God hath done his part on you. Cast not your selfe away. Remember your wife and childrē, and the poore that lacke your occupyng. Meane to follow your vocation. Remember you are not called to be a teacher, nor a preacher. Saint Paul sayth: Let euery man walke wherin he is called, and therin abide. Remēber you are called to an other vocation: for Gods sake walke therin. It is not your office to doo as you haue done. You might doo as much good, by the report of worshipfull men, as any man might doo in all the countrey, by your example: and if you would follow the lawes of the catholicke church, it would be an occasion to bring a great many into the true church, that are out as you are.

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Wood. I would not that you should say that I am out of the church of God. MarginaliaWoodmā not out of þ^e church.For I am not, but doo allow the church of God, according to his word. Yea, if I were abroade, if I could winne any into the true church, that be out, by any meanes that I could vse, I would be very glad. For God knoweth I loue al people as my selfe. And where you say I haue bene a preacher, it is not so. I neuer tooke any such thing vpon me, as it is well knowen. But as for teaching, I can not deny: MarginaliaA man may teach though he be no preacher.for it becommeth euery man to teach and instruct his houshold in the feare of God, and all other (as farre as he can) that desire it of him. And where as you haue blamed me for reading þ^e scripture, MarginaliaReading the Scripture letteth no man to walke in his vocation, but rather doth further hym.and leauing my vocation, as you say, I left not my vocation in reading the scripture. For I trust I followed my vocation the better therefore. And the greatest cause that I was compelled to read the scriptures, was, because the preachers and teachers were so changeable.

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Chiches. No? Did you not preach at a faire?

Wood. No surely, but it was so reported. I was at a fayre in deede. Whilest I was in prison, I had leaue of the Counsell to go home to pay my debtes, and then I went to a fayre to sell cattell, and there met with me diuers poore men that I had set a worke, and of loue asked me how I did, & how I could away with imprisōment. And I shewed them how God had dealt with me, and how he would deale with all thē that put theyr trust in him: and this they called preaching. And since that, MarginaliaLies and sclaunders.it hath bene reported that I haue baptised childrē, & maried folkes, þ^e which I neuer did: for I was neuer minister.  

Wherfore if I had so done, I had done cōtrary to the order of the Apostles, as God forbid I should.

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Chiches. I am well apayde if you be faultles in those thinges, for I haue heard say the contrary.

Wood. I haue shewed you the truth, and that no man liuing shalbe able to proue the contrary.

Chiches. You said you doo not disallow the true catholicke church.

Wood. No, that I doo not. MarginaliaWoodmā dissloweth not the Catholicke Church.

Chiches. Why do you not then go to the church? You come not there, it is enformed me.

Wood. I trust I am in the true church euery day. But to tell you truth, I come not at the church where the most doo resorte. For if I should, I should offende, & be offended. For the last time that I was there, I offended many, and was offended my selfe. Wherefore for conscience sake I would not come there. For I was

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