Marginalia1557. October.bread that is yonder in the pixe, is not God. God dwelleth not in temples made with handes, neither will be worshipped with the workes of mens handes. And therfore you doo very euill to cause the people to knele downe, and worship the bread: for God did neuer bid you holde it vp aboue your heades, neither had the Apostles such vse.

Then sayd the Chauncellor: he denith the presence in the sacrament. Write thys article also. He is a very hereticke.

Then sayd I: the seruaunt is not greater then his master. For your predecessors killed my master Christ, the Prophets, and Apostles, and holy vertuous men, and now you also kill the seruauntes of Christ, so that all the righteous bloud that hath bene shed, euen from righteous Abel vntill thys day, shall be required at your handes.

Well, sayd the Chauncellor: haue him away.

MarginaliaAn other examination of Thomas Spurdāce before the Byshop.THe Bishop sayd: sirrha, doost thou not beleue in the catholicke fayth of holy church?

And I sayd: I beleue Christes catholicke church.

Yea sayd he? in Christes church, of the which the Pope is þ^e head. Doost thon not beleue that the Pope is supreame head of the catholicke church?

And I sayd, no. I beleue not that he should be aboue the Apostles if he take them to be his predecessors. For when there came a thought among the Apostles, who should be þ^e greatest whē their master was gone, Christ answered them vnto their thoughtes: MarginaliaLuk. xxij.The kinges of the earth beare dominion aboue other, but ye shall not so do, for he that will be greatest among you, shall become seruaunt vnto you all. How is it then (sayd I) that he will clime so high aboue his fellowes? And also we were sworne by my maister K. Henryes tyme, that we should to the vttermost of our power, neuer consent to him againe. And therefore as he hath nothing to do here in England, so neither in hys owne countrey more then a Bishop hath in hys dioces.

Yea sayd the Byshop? what of that? MarginaliaThe Popes supremacie.We were then in error and sinne, now we are in þ^e right way againe, and therefore thou must come home agayne with vs, and knowledge thy fault and become a Christian man, and be sworne vnto the Pope as our supreme head. Wilt thou be sworne vnto the Pope? How saist thou?

Then I sayd: no I warrant you, by the grace of God, not as long as I liue. For you can not proue by the scriptures, that the Pope is head of the church, and may do therein what hym list.

No, sayd he?: yes I trow: For as the Belweather, which weareth the Bell, is head of the flocke of sheepe, euen so is the Pope the head of the church of Christ. And as the Bees in the hieue haue a master Bee when they are gone out, to bring them home agayne to the hieue: euen so the Pope, when we be gone astray, and wandred from the folde, from the hieue. &c. then is ordeined our head by succession of Peter, to bring vs home agayne to the true church: as thou now my good fellow, has wandred long out of the way, lyke a scattered sheepe. &c. Heare therfore þ^e Belweather, the master bell. &c. and come home with vs to thy mother the true Church agayne.

Vnto whom I aunswered: My Lord, all this is but naturall reason, and no Scripture: but since ye can not proue the Pope to be authorised by Scripture, ye aunswere not me, as I thought ye would.

Ha, said he: I see well ye be stout and will not be aūswered: therefore ye shall be compelled by law whether ye will or no.

My Lord sayd I: so did your forefathers intreate Christ and his Apostles. MarginaliaThe Phariseis law.They had a law, and by theyr law they put hym to death: and so likewise, you haue a law, which is tyranny, and by that would ye inforce me to beleue as you do. But þ^e Lord, I trust, will assist me

against all your beggerly ceremonies, and make your foolishnes knowen to all the world one day.

Then sayd he: when were ye at church and went in procession, and did the ceremonies of the church?

And I sayd: neuer since I was borne.

No, sayd he: how old are you?

And I sayd: I thinke about xl.

Why sayd he, how did you vse your selfe at church xx. yeares ago?

I sayd: as you do now.

And euen now, sayd he, you sayd you did not the Ceremonies since you were borne.

No more I did, said I, since I was borne a new: as Christ sayd vnto Nicodemus, except ye be borne a new, ye can not enter into the kingdome of heauen.

Then sayd a Doctor that sat by: he is a very Anabaptist: for that is their opinion playne.

No syr, you say falsly, sayd I, for I am no Anabaptist: for they deny children to be Baptised, and so do not I.

Well, sayd the Byshop: why doest thou not goe to the church, and do the Ceremonies?

And I sayd: because they be cōtrary to Gods worde and lawes, as you your selfe haue taught: but now you say it is good agayne: and I thinke if there were a returne to morrow, you would say that is false agayne which you hold now. Therefore I may well say there is no truth in you.

Then sayd the Bishop: thou art a stubborne fellow, and an hereticke, and a Traitor.

No sayd I: I am no Traitor, for I haue done, I thinke, better seruice to the crowne imperiall of England then you.

If you had done so good seruice (sayd he) you would be obedient to the lawes of the realme.

So I am, sayd I. There is no man a liue (I thanke God) to accuse me iustly that euer I was disobedient to any ciuill lawes. But you must consider my Lord, that I haue a soule and a body: MarginaliaObedience to princes, how farre.and my soule is none of the Queenes, but my body & my goods are þ^e Queenes. And I must geue God my soule, and all that belongeth vnto it: that is, I must do the law and commaundementes of God, and who so euer commaundeth lawes contrary to Gods lawes, I may not do them, for losing of my soule, but rather obey God then man.

And he sayd: why doest thou not these lawes then? are they not agreeble to Gods law?

And I sayd: no, you can not proue them to be Gods lawes.

Yes sayth he: that I can.

Then sayd I: if you can proue me by the word of God, that you should haue any grauen MarginaliaImages.Images made to set in your churches for lay mens bookes, or to worship God by them, or that ye should haue any ceremonies in your church as you haue, proue them by the word of God, and I will do them.

Then sayd he: it is a good and decent order to furnish the church: as when you shall goe to dinner, you haue a cloth vpon the table to furnish the table before the meate shall come vpon it: so are these ceremonies a comely decent order to be in the church among Christen people.

These sayd I, are inuentions and imaginations out of your owne brayne, without any word of God to proue them. For God sayth: looke what you thinke good in your owne eyes, if I commaund the contrary, it is abominable in my sight. And these Ceremonies are against Gods lawes: for Saint Paul saith they be weake and beggarly, and rebuketh the Galathians for doing of them.

Well, sayd he: if you wyll not do them, seing they be the lawes of the realme, you are an hereticke and disobedient: and therefore come home agayne and confesse your fault with vs, that you haue bene in errour &c. Will you do so?