MarginaliaPromotiōs commonly and great liuings, choke truth.For certain, right many men and women, do marke and abhorre the foulnes and cowardnes of these forsayd vntrue men, how that they are ouercome and stopped w^t benefices, and withdrawen frō the truth of Gods worde, forsakyng vtterly to suffer therfore bodely persecution. For by this vnfaithful doyng and apostassie of them (specially that are great lettred men) and haue knowledged openly the truth: MarginaliaMen following the wayes of Balaam.and now, other for pleasure or displeasure of tyrauntes, haue taken hyer and temporall wages to forsake the turth and to hold agaynst it, sclaundering and persewyng them that couete to folowe Christ in the way of rightuousnesse, many men and women therfore are nowe moued. But many mo thorowe the grace of God, shalbe moued hereby for to learne the truth of god, and to do thereafter, and to stand boldly thereby.

Then the Archbyshop sayd to his clerkes. Busy you no lenger about him, for he and other such as he is, are confedered so together, that they wil not sweare to be obedient, and to submit them to prelates of holy churche. MarginaliaThorpes felow refuseth to sweare to the prelatesFor now since I stoode here, hys felow also sēt me word þ^t he will not swere, & that this fellow counseled him that he should not sweare to me. And losell, in þ^t thyng that in thee is, thou hast busied thee to lose this yong man, but blessed be god, thou shalt not haue thy purpose of hym. For he hath forsaken all thy learnyng, submittyng hym to be buxum & obediēt to the ordinaunce of holy church, and wepeth full bitterly, and curseth the full hartely for the venemous teachyng which thou hast shewed to him, counselyng him to do thereafter.

And for thy false counsellyng of many other and him, thou hast great cause to be right sory. For long tyme þ^u hast busied thee to peruert whom soeuer thou mightest. Therfore, as many deathes thou art worthy of, as thou hast geuen euil counsels. And therfore by Iesu, thou shalt go thether, where Nicoll Harford and Thom Puruay were harbered. And I vndertake, or this day viij. dayes, thou shalt be right glad for to do what thing that euer I byd thee to do. And losell, I shall assay, if I can make thee there as sorowful (as it was tolde me) þ^u wast glad of my last goyng out of Englād. MarginaliaVide supra pag. 614.By S. Thomas, I shall turne thy ioy into sorow.

MarginaliaArundel the Archb. goyng out of EnglandAnd I sayd. Syr, there can no body priue lawfully that I ioyed euer, of the manner of your goyng out of this land.

But Syr, to say the soth, I was ioyful when ye were gone: MarginaliaThe gentlenes of the bishop of London to Thorpe.for the Byshop of London in whose prison ye left me, founde in me no cause for to holde me lenger in hys prison, but at the request of my frēds, he deliuered me to them, askyng of me no maner of submittyng.

Then the Archbishop sayd to me. Wherefore that I yede out of England, is vnknowen to thee: MarginaliaSo promised Winchester in quene Maries tyme, but that passed hys power to performe.But be thys thyng well knowen to thee, that God (as I wote well) hath called me agayne, and brought me into this land, for to destroy thee and the false secte that thou art of: as by God, I shall pursue you so narowly, that I shall not leaue a slip of you in this land.

And I sayd to the Archbishop. MarginaliaA notable aunswser of Thorpe to the bishop, promising to destroye all the gospellers.Syr, the holy Prophet Ieremye sayd to the false Prophete Anany. When the worde that is the prophecie of a Prophete, is knowen or fulfilled: then it shall bee knowen, that the Lord sent the Prophet in truth.

And the Archbishop (as if he had not ben pleased with my saying) turned him away ward hither and thether, and sayd. By God, I shall set vpon thy shynnes a payre of pearles, MarginaliaSuch perles would better beseme my Lord your goldē shoes.that thou shalt be glad to chaunge thy voyce.

These & many mo wonderous & conuicious wordes, were spoken to me, manassyng me and all other of the same secte, for to bee punished and destroyed vnto the vttermost.

And the Archbishop called then to hym a clerke, and rowned with hym: and that clerke went forth, and soone he brought in the Cōstable of Saltwode Castell, and theArchbishop rowned a good while with him: And then the Constable went forth, and then came in diuers seculers, and they scorned me on euery side, & manassed me greatly. MarginaliaAt illi clamabant dicentes tolle tolle, crucifige eum. Luke. 23.And some counselled the Archbishop to burne me by and by, and some other counselled hym to drowne me in the Sea, for it is neare hande there.

And a clerke standyng beside me, there knewled down to the Archbyshop, praying hym that he would delyuer me to hym, for to say Mattines with him: and he would vndertake, that within iij. dayes I should not resiste any thyng that were commaunded me to do of my prelate.

And the Archbishop sayd, that he would ordeyne for me hym selfe.

And then after, came agayne þ^e Constable & spake priuely to the Archb: And þ^e Archb. cōmaunded the Constable to lead me forth thence with him, and so he did. And whē we were gone forth thence, we were sent after agayne. And when I came in agayne before the Archbyshop: a clerke bad me knele downe and aske grace, and submit me lowly, and I should finde it for the best.

And I sayd then to the Archbyshop. MarginaliaObedience to God and to his lawe would not serue.Syr, as I haue sayd to you diuers tymes to day, I wil wilfully and lowly obey and submit me to be ordeined euer after my connyng and power, to god and to his law, and to euery mēber of holy churche, as farre forth as I can perceiue that these members accorde with their head Christ, and will teache me, rule me, or chastise me by authoritie, specially of gods law.

And the Archbyshop sayd. I wiste well he would not without such additions submit him.

And then I was rebuked, scorned and manassd on euery side: and yet after this, diuers persons cryed vpon me to knele downe and submit me, but I stode still & spake no worde. MarginaliaIn patience & silence posses your soules.And then there was spoken of me and to me many great woordes, & I stode and heard them manase, curse, and scorne me: but I sayd nothyng.

Then a while after, the Archbishop sayd to me. Wilt thou not submit thee to the ordinaunce of holy church?

And I sayd. Syr, I will full gladly submit me, as I haue shewed you before.

And then the Archbyshop bad the Constable, to haue me forth thence in hast.

MarginaliaThorp cast in prison.And so then I was led forth, and brought into a foule vnhonest prison, where I came neuer before. But thanked be God, when all men were gone forth then frō me, and had sparred fast the prison dore after them: By and by after, I therin by my self, busied me to thinke on god, & to thanke him of his goodnesse. MarginaliaThorpe comfortted and strēgthned of the lord, after his cōflict with the Bisshop.And I was then greatly comforted in all my wittes, not onely for that I was then deliuered for a tyme from the sight, from the hearing, from the presence, from the scorning, and from the manasing of mine enemies: but much more I reioysed in the Lorde, because that thorowe his grace he kept me so, both among the flatteryng specially, and among the manasing of mine aduersaries, that without heuynesse and anguishe of my conscience I passed away from thē. For as a tree layd vpon an other tree, ouerwharte or on crosse wise, so was the Archbishop and his three clerkes alwayes contrary to me, and I to them.

Now good god for thyne holy name, and to the praysing of thy most blessed name: make vs one together, if it be thy will (by authoritie of thy word, that is true perfite charitie) and els not. And that it may thus be, all that this writyng read or heare, pray hartly to the Lord god, that he for his great goodnesse that can not be with toūg expressed, graunt to vs and to al other, which in the same wise, and for the same cause specially, or for any other cause bee at distaunce, to be knit and made one in true fayth, in stedfast hope, and in perfite charitie. Amen.

¶ Besides this examinatiō here aboue described, came an other treatise also to our hands of the same William Thorpe, vnder the name and title of his testamēt: which