sir, that ye busie you for to drawe him towarde you, the more contumax he is made, and the farther fro you.

And then Malueren sayde to mee: MarginaliaTake my lords blessyng and stande vp.William, kneele downe, and praye my Lorde of grace, and leaue all thy fantasies, and become a childe of holy church.

And I sayd: Sir, I haue prayed the Archbishop oft, and yet I pray him for the loue of Christe, that he wyll leaue his indignation that he hath against me: and that he wyll suffer me after my cunning and power, for to do mine office of priesthood, as I am charged of God to do it. For I couet nought els, but to serue my God to hys pleasing in the state that I stand in, & haue taken me to.

And the Archbishop said to me: If of good hart thou wilt submit thee now here meekely, to be ruled frō thys time forth by my counsell, obeing meekely and wilfully to myne ordinaunce, thou shalt finde it most profitable and best to thee for to do thus. Therefore tarye thou me no lenger, MarginaliaMy Lorde hath haste, for being benighted.graunt to doo this that I haue sayde to thee now here shortly, or denie it vtterly.

And I sayd to the Archbishop: Sir, owe we to beleue that Iesu Christ was and is, very God and verye man?

And the Archbishop said: Yea.

And I sayd: Sir, owe we to beleue, that all Christes liuing and his teaching, is true in euery point?

And he sayd yea.

And I sayd: Sir, owe we to beleue, that the liuing of the Apostles, and the teaching of Christ, and all the prophets, are true which are wrytten in the Bible, for the health and saluation of good people?And he sayd, yea.

And I sayd: Sir, owe all Christen men and women after their cunning and power, for to conforme al their liuing, to the teaching specially of Christ, and also to the teaching and liuing of hys Apostles and of Prophetes, in all thinges that are pleasaunt to God, and edification of hys church? And he sayd yea.

And I sayde: Sir, ought the doctrine, the bidding, or the counsell of any body, to be accepted or obeyed vnto: except this doctrine, these biddings, or this counsel, may bee graunted and affirmed by Christes liuing and hys teaching specially, or by the liuing and teaching of hys Apostles and Prophetes?

And the archbishop said to me: Other doctrine ought not to be accepted, nor we owe not to obey to anye mās bidding or counsell, MarginaliaAnd why compell you thys man to the contrary.except we can perceiue that his bidding or counsell, accordeth with the lyfe and teaching of Christ, and of hys Apostles and Prophetes.

And I sayd: Sir, is not all the learning, and biddings, and counsels of holy church, means and healfull remedies, to know and to withstand the priuye suggestions, and the aperte temptacions of the feend? and also wayes and healefull remedies, to slea pride and all other deadlye sinnes, and the braunches of them, and soueraygne meanes to purchace grace, for to withstande and ouercome all the fleshly lustes and mouinges?

And the archbishop sayd yea.

MarginaliaThorpe contēt to submit hym selfe to the ordinance of councels.And I sayd: Sir, whatsoeuer thing ye or anye other body bid or coūsel me to do, accordingly to this foresayd learning, after my cunnyng and power, thorow the help of God, I wyll meekely wyth all my hart obey thereto.

And the archbishop sayde to mee: Submit thee than now here meekely and wylfully, to the ordinaunce of holy church, which I shall shew to thee.

And I sayd: Sir, accordinglye as I haue heere now before you rehearsed, I wyll now be readye to obey full gladly to Christ the head of the holy church, and to the learning and biddinges, and counsels of euery pleasing member of him.

Then the archbishop striking with his hand fiercely vpon a cupborde, MarginaliaIf Boner had bene here, he would not haue stroken the cupbord.spake to mee wyth a great spirite saying: By Iesu, but if thou leaue such additions, obliging thee nowe here without anye exception to myne ordinaunce (or that I go out of this place) I shall make theeas sure, as any theefe that is in the prison of Lanterne. Aduise thee now what thou wilt do. And thē as if he had bene angred, he went fro the cupborde where he stoode, to a wyndowe.

And then Malueren and an other clerke came nerer me, and they spake to me many wordes full pleasauntly: and an other whyle, they manased me, and counselled full busilye to submit me, or els they sayde I shoulde not escape punishing ouer measure: For they sayd, I should be degraded, cursed, and burned, & so then damned. But now they sayd, thou mayst eschew al these mischiefes, if thou wylt submit thee wylfully and meekely to thys worthy prelate, that hath cure of thy soule. And for the pity of Christ (said they) bethinke thee, how great clerkes the bishop of Lincolne, Hereforde, and Puruey were, and yet are, & also B. that is a wel vnderstanding man. Which also haue forsaken & reuoked, all the learning and opinions, that thou & such other held. Wherefore, since eche of them is mikle wyser then thou art, we counsell thee for the best: that by the example of these. 4 clerkes, thou follow them, submitting thee as they dyd.MarginaliaThe multitude is not to be followed in euil

And one of the bishops clerkes sayde then there, that he heard Nicoll Herford say: that since hee forsooke and reuoked all the lerning & Lolards opinions, he hath had mikle greater fauour & more delite to holde against thē, then euer he had to hold w^t them, whyle he held with thē.

And therefore Malueren sayde to me: I vnderstande & thou wilt take thee to a prieste, and shriue thee cleane, forsake all such opinions, and take thy penaunce of my lord heere, for the holding and teaching of them: MarginaliaSee what mā is, God geuing him vp to hym selfe.wythin short time, thou shalt be greatly cōforted in this doyng.

And I sayd to the clerkes, that thus busily counselled me to folow these foresayde men: Sirs, if these men of whom ye counsell me to take example, had forsaken benefices of temporall profit, and of worldly woorship, so that they had absented them, and eschewed from all occasions of couetousnes and of fleshly lustes, and had taken vpon them simple liuing, and wylfull pouerty: MarginaliaAs cleane from thrift as from sin.they had herein geuen good example to me & to many other, to haue folowed them. But now, since al these foure mē, haue sclaunderously and shamefully done the contrary, consenting to receiue and to haue and to hold temporal benefices, liuing now more worldlye and more fleshelye then they did before, conforming them to the maners of this world: I forsake them herein, and in all their foresayd slaunderous doing. MarginaliaOther mēs examples are so to be folowed as they be the followers of Christ.For I purpose with the help of God (into remission of my sinnes, and of my soule cursed liuing) to hate and to flee priuely and apertly, to follow these men, teaching and counsellyng whom so euer that I may, for to flee & eschew the waye that they haue chosen to go in, which will leade them to the worst end, (if in conuenient time they repent them not) verely forsaking and rouoking openlye the slaunder that they haue put, and euery day yet put, to Christes church. For certayn, so open blasphemy and slaunder as they haue spoken and done, in their reuoking & forsaking of the truth, ought not nor may not priuily be amended, duly. Wherfore sirs, I pray you that you busye not for to moue me to folow these men, in reuoking & forsaking of þ^e truth, & soothfastnes as they haue done, and yet do: wherin, by open euidence they styrre God to great wroth, & not onely agaynst them selues, but also agaynst all them that fauour them, or consent to them herein, or that comoneth with them, except it be for their amendment. For, where as these men first were pursued of enemies, now they haue obliged them by othe for to slaunder and pursue Christ in hys members. Wherefore (as I trust stedfastly in the goodnes of God) the worldly couetousnes, and the lustye lyuing, and the sliding from the truth of these runnagates: shal be to me and to many other men and women, an example and an euidence, to stande the more stifly by the truth of Christ.