were accused of sedition making, yet were they most peaceable mē. MarginaliaLuke. 23.
Iohn. 19.Both Daniel and Christ prophecied that such a troublous time should come, as hath not ben yet since the worldes beginning. MarginaliaMath. 24.And this prophecie is partly fulfilled in your dayes and doinges. MarginaliaProphecy.For many haue ye slayne already, and more wyl ye slea hereafter, if god fulfill not hys promise. Christ sayth also, if those dayes of yours were not shortened, scarsly should any flesh be saued. MarginaliaProphecy.Therefore looke for it iustly, for God will shorten your dayes. MarginaliaPriestes. Deacons.Moreouer, though priestes and deacons for preaching of Gods woord, and for ministring the sacramentes, with prouision for the poore, bee grounded in Gods law: yet haue these other sects no maner of groūd hereof, so farre as I haue read.

Then a doctour of law, called maister Iohn Kempe, plucked out of his bosome a copy of the bill whych they had afore sent him into the Tower, by the Archbishops cousell, thinking thereby to make shorter worke wyth him. MarginaliaMark this working of Sathā.For they were so amased with his answers (not all vnlike to them which disputed with Steuen) MarginaliaActes. 6.that they knew not well how to occupye the time, their wits and sophistrie (as God would) so fayled them that day.

My Lord Cobham (sayth this doctour) we must brieflye knowe your mynde concerning these foure poyntes here folowing. MarginaliaThe first Article.The first of them is this. And than he red vpon the bill: The fayth & determination of holy church touching the blessed Sacrament of the aultar is thys. MarginaliaTransubstantiation of breade into the body.That after the sacramentall wordes be once spoken of a priest in his Masse, the materiall bread that was before bread, is turned to Christes very body. And the materiall wyne is turned into Christes bloud. And so there remayneth in the Sacrament of the aultar from thence forth, no material bread, nor material wine, which were there before the sacramentall wordes were spoken. Sir, beleue ye not this?

MarginaliaThe L. Cobhās beliefe in the Sacrament.The Lord Cobham sayde: Thys is not my beliefe. But my fayth is (as I sayd to you afore) that in the worshipfull sacrament of the aultar, is very Christes bodye in fourme of bread.

Then sayd the Archbishop: Syr Iohn, ye must say otherwyse.

The Lord Cobham sayde: Nay, that I shall not, yf God be vpon my side (as I trust he is) but that there is Christes body in forme of bread, as the cōmon belief is.

The read the doctour agayne.

MarginaliaThe second Article.The second pointe is this. Holy church hath determined, that euery Christian man liuinge here bodely vpon earth, ought to bee shriuen of a prieste ordeyned by the church, if he may come to him: sir what say you to this?

The Lord Cobham aunswered and sayd: A diseased or sore wounded man, had nede to haue a sure wise Chirurgian and a true, knowing both the grounde and the daunger of the same. MarginaliaConfession of sinne to God only.Most necessary were it therfore, to be first shriuen vnto God, which onely knoweth our diseases and can helpe vs. I deny not in this the goinge to a priest, if he be a man of good life and learning. For the lawes of God are to be required of the prieste, which is godly learned. MarginaliaMalachi. 20.But if he be an idiote, or a man of vicious liuing that is my curat, I ought rather to flee from him than to seke vnto him: For soner might I catche euill of him that is nought, then any goodnes towardes my soules health.

Then read the doctour againe.

MarginaliaThe iii. Article.The third poynt is this. Christ ordeined S. Peter the Apostle, to be his vicar here in earthe whose See is the church of Rome. And he graunted that the same power which he gaue vnto Peter, should succede to all Peters successors, whiche we call nowe Popes of Rome. By whose special power in churches particular, be ordeined Prelates and Archebishops, persons, curates, and other degrees more. Vnto whome curates and other degrees more. Vnto whome christen men ought to obey after thelawes of the church of Rome. This is the determinatiō of the holy Church. Syr, beleue ye not thys?

MarginaliaWho is next vnto Peter?To this he answered and sayd: He that foloweth Peter most nighest in pure liuing, is next vnto hym in succession. But your Lordly order esteemth not greatly the lowly behauiour of poore Peter, whatsoeuer ye prate of him. MarginaliaSuccession not of place but of condicions maketh Peters heyre.Neyther care ye greatly for the humble maners of them that succeeded him, til the time of Siluester, which for the more part were Martyrs, as I told you afore. Ye can let al their good conditions go by you, and not hurt your selues with them at all. All the world knoweth this wel inough by you, and yet ye can make boast of Peter.

With that, one of the other doctours asked him: thā what doo ye say of the Pope?

The Lord Cobham answered. As I sayd before. He and you together maketh whole the great Antichrist. MarginaliaAntichriste hed, body and taile.Of whom he is the great head: you bishops, priestes, prelates and monkes are the body: and the begging Friars are the tayle, for they couer the filthines of you both, w^t their subtile sophistry. Neither wil I in conscience obey any of you all, till I see you with Peter folow Christ in conuersation.

Than read the doctour agayne.MarginaliaThe iiii. Article.The fourth point is this. Holy churche hath determined that it is meritorious to a Christen man, to go on pilgrimage to holy places. MarginaliaPilgremage.And there specially to worship holy reliques and images of Saintes, Apostles, Martyrs, cōfessours, and all other sayntes besides, approued by the church of Rome. Sir, what say ye to this?

Whereunto he aunswered. I owe them no seruice by any commaundement of God: & therfore I mind not to seeke them for your couetousnes. MarginaliaWhat is to be done with images.It were best ye swept them fayre from copwebs and dust, and so laid them vp for catching of scathe. Or els to burye them fayre in the ground, as ye do other aged people which are Gods images. MarginaliaSaintes are become now couetous beggers.It is a wonderfull thing, that saintes nowe beinge dead, should become so couetous and nedy, and therupon so bitterlye begge, which all the life time hated all couetousnesse, and begging. But this I say vnto you, and I would all the world should marke it. That with your shrines and Idolles, your fayned absolution and pardons, ye draw vnto you the substaunce, wealth and chief pleasures of all christen Realmes.

Why sir (sayd one of the clerkes) MarginaliaA whelp of the same heare.will ye not worship good images?

MarginaliaImages not to be worshipped.What woorship should I geue vnto them? sayde the Lord Cobham.

Then sayde Frier Palmer vnto hym. Sir ye wyll worship the crosse of Christe, that he dyed vpon?

Where is it, sayd the Lord Cobham?

The frier sayd. I put ye þ^e case Syr, that it were here euen now before you?

MarginaliaThe crosse whether it is to be worshipped.The Lord Cobham aunswered. This is a great wise man, to put me an earnest question of a thyng, and yet he him self knoweth not where the thing it selfe is. Yet once agayne aske I you, what worship I should do vnto it?

A clerke sayd vnto hym. Such worship as Paul speaketh of, and that is this. God forbid that I should ioy, but onely in the crosse of Iesu Christ.MarginaliaGala. vi.

Then sayd the Lord Cobham: and spread his armes abroade. This is a very crosse, yea, and so much better then your crosse of wode, in that it was created of God. Yet will not I seke to haue it worshipped.

Then sayd the Bishop of London. Syr, ye wot well that he dyed on a materiall crosse.MarginaliaThe materiall crosse is not materiall to our faith.

The Lord Cobhā sayd. Yea, and I wot also that our saluation came not in, by that material crosse, but alone by him whiche dyed therupon. MarginaliaWhat it is to reioyse, in the cros of Christ.And wel I wot, that holy S. Paul reioysed in none other crosse, but in Christes passion and death onely, and in his own sufferinges of lyke persecution with hym, for the same selfe veritie that hee had suffred for afore: