MarginaliaAn. 1558. Nouember.that Christ did say, ouer the bread: This is my body, and ouer the cup: This is my bloud?

Wom. Yes forsooth, he sayd so, but he ment that it is hys body and bloud not carnally, but Sacramentally.

Byshop. Lo, she hath heard pratling among these new preachers, or heard some peuish booke. Alas poore woman, thou art deceiued.

Wom. No my Lord, that I haue learned was of godly preachers, and of godly bookes which I haue heard read. MarginaliaReasons shewing why the Sacrament of the Lordes body is not to be worshipped.And if you will geue me leaue I wil declare a reason why I will not worship the Sacrament.

Bysh. Mary say on, I am sure it will be goodly geare.

Wom. Truly such geare as I will lose this poore life of myne for.

Bysh. Then you wilt be a Martyr, good wife.

Wom. In deede if the denying to worship that bready God be my Martyrdome, I will suffer it with all my hart.

Bysh. Say thy minde.

Wom. You must beare w^t me a poore womā, quoth she.

Bysh. So I will, quoth he.

Wom. I will demaund of you whether you can deny your Crede which doth say that Christ perpetually doth sit at þ^e right hand of his father both body & soule vntill he come agayne, or wether he be there in heauē our aduocate, & do make praier for vs vnto God his father. If it be so, he is not here in þ^e earth in a peece of bread. If he be not here, & if he do not dwell in tēples made with handes but in heauen, what shall we seeke him here? if he did offer his body once for all, why make you a new offring? if with once offring he made all perfect, why do you with a false offring make all vnperfect? if he be to be worshipped in spirite and truth, why do you worship a peece of bread? if he be eaten and drunken in faith and truth, if his fleshe bee not profitable to bee among vs, why do you say you make his body and flesh, and say it is profitable for body and soule? Alas I am a poore woman: but rather then I would doe as you do, I would liue no longer. I haue sayd Syr.

Bysh. I promise you, you are a iolly Protestant. I pray you in what scholes haue you bene brought vp?

Wom. I haue vppon the Sondayes visited the Sermons, and there I haue learned such thinges, as are so fixed in my brest, that death shall not separate them.

Bysh. O foolish womā, who will waste his breath vpō thee, or such as thou art? But how chaūceth it that thou wentest away from thy husband? if thou were an honest womā, thou wouldest not haue left thine husbād & children, and runne about the coūtrey like a fugitiue.

Wom. Syr, I laboured for my liuyng: And as my master Christ counselleth me, when I was persecuted in one Citie I fled vnto an other.

Bysh. Who persecuted thee?

Wom. MarginaliaThe wife persecuted by husband and children.My husband and my children. For when I would haue him to leaue Idolatrie & to worship God in heauen, he would not heare me, but he, with his children, rebuked me, & troubled me. I fled not for whoredome, nor for theft, but because I would be no partaker with him & his, of that foule Idoll the Masse. And where soeuer I was, as oft as I could, vpō sondayes & holydayes I made excuses not to go to þ^e popish church.

Bysh. Belike then you are a good houswife, to flye frō your husband and also from the Church.

Wom. My houswifry is but small: but God geue me grace to go to the true Church.

Bysh. The true Church? what doest thou meane?

Wom. Not your Popish Church, full of Idols and abominations, but where iij. or iiij. are gathered together in the name of God, to that Church will I go as long as I liue.

Bysh. Belike then you haue a Church of your own. Well, let this mad woman be put downe to prison, vntill we send for her husband.

Wom. No, I haue but one husband, which is here already in this Citie and in prison with me, from whom I will neuer depart, and so their cōmunication for that

day brake of. Blackstone and others persuaded the Bishop that she was a mased creature and not in her perfect witte (which is no new thyng, for the wisedome of God to appeare foolishnes to carnal mē of this world): and therfore they consulted together, that she should haue libertie and goe at large. So the keeper of the Byshops prison had her home to his house, where she fell to spinnyng and cardyng, and did all other worke as a seruant in þ^e sayd keepers house, & went about the Citie, when & whether she would, & diuers had delight to talke with her. And euer she continued talking of the Sacrament of the altar. Which, of all thyng they could lest abyde. Then was her husband sent for, but she refused to go home with him, with the blemishe of the cause and Religion, in defence wherof she there stoode before the Byshop and the Priestes.

MarginaliaTalke betwene the womā and the priestes about the sacrament.Then diuers of the Priests had her in handlyng, persuading her to leaue her wicked opinion about the Sacrament of the altar, the naturall body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ. But she made them aunswere that it was nothyng, but very bread and wyne, and that they might be ashamed to say that a peece of bread should be turned by a man into the naturall body of Christ, which bread doth vinow, and mice oftētimes doe eate it, and it doth mould and is burned: And (said she) Gods owne body will not be so handled nor kept in prison, or boxes, or aumbries. Let it be your God: it shall not be myne: for my Sauiour sitteth on the right hand of God and doth pray for me. And to make that Sacramentall or significatiue bread instituted for a remēbraunce, the very body of Christ, and to worship it, it is very foolishnes and deuilish disceate.

Now truly (sayd they) the deuill hath deceaued thee.

No (sayd she) I trust the liuyng God hath opened myne eyes, and caused me to vnderstand the right vse of the blessed Sacrament, which the true Church doth vse, but the false Church doth abuse.

MarginaliaTalke betwene the womā and a Fryer.Then stept forth an old Frier and asked what she sayd of the holy Pope.

I say (sayd she) that he is Antichrist and the deuill.

Then all they laughed.

Nay (sayd she) you had more neede to weepe then to laugh, and to be sory that euer you were borne to be the Chaplaines of that whore of Babylon. I defie him and all his falshode: and get you away from me: you do but trouble my conscience. You would haue me follow your doings: I will first lose my life. I pray you depart.

Why, thou foolish womā (sayd they): we come to thee for thy profite and soules health.

O Lord God (sayd she) what profite riseth by you that teach nothyng but lyes for truth? how saue you soules, when you preach nothyng but damnable lyes, and destroy soules?

How prouest thou that (sayd they?)

Do you not damne soules (sayd she) when you teach the people to worship Idoles, stockes, and stones, the worke of mens handes? and to worship a false God of your owne making, of a piece of bread? and teach that the Pope is Gods Vicar, and hath power to forgeue sinnes? and that there is a Purgatory, when Gods sonne hath by his passion purged all? and say you make God and sacrifice him, when Christes body was a sacrifice once for all? MarginaliaFalse doctrine of the Papistes reproued.Do you not teath the people to nūber their sinnes in your eares, and say they be damned if they confesse not all: when Gods word sayth: Who can nūber his sinnes? Do you not promise them Trentales and Diriges, and Masses for soules, and sell your prayers for money, and make them bye pardons, and trust to such foolish inuentions of your own imaginations? Do you not altogether against God? Do you not teach vs to pray vpon beades, and to pray vnto saintes, and say they cā pray for vs? Do you not make holy water and holy bread to fray deuils? Do you not a thousād more abominations? And yet you say you come for