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1018 [1017]

K. Henry. 8 The examination and condemnation of Rich. Bayfilde, Martyr.

pell of the bishop of Norwich hys place, and there it was newly enioyned hym in part of penaunce, that he should prouide him an habite conuenient for his order & profession, within 8. dayes then next followyng, which he had not done.

That it was there agayne enioyned him, that he should depart from the city, diocesse, and iurisdiction of London, and no more to come within it, without the speciall licence of the bishop of London, or hys successor for the time being, which he had not fulfilled.

The aunswer of Richard Bafild to the Articles prefixed.

MarginaliaThe aunswere of Richard Bayfilde, to the Articles. TO the first Article he confessed that he was professed a Monke in the monastery aforesayd in the yeare. 1514.

To the. ij. Article he aunswered that he was a priest, and toke orders. An. 1518.

To the thyrd Article he confessed the byll and scedule to be wryiten with hys hand, which is annexed therunto, and that he brought ouer the sayd bookes and workes a yeare and a half past, and a great number of euery sort. Being further demaunded for what intent he brought them into the realme, he aunswered, to the intent that the gospel of Christ might be set forward, and God the more glorified in thys realme amongst Christen people, and that he had solde and dispersed many of those bookes before named, to sondry persons within thys Realme, and to diuers of the diocesse of London. Beyng further demaunded whether Martin Luther were condemned as an heretike by the Pope, he answered that he heard say, that Martin Luther with all his sect and adherents, were and are condemned as heretikes by the Pope. And beyng demaunded, whether Zwinglius was of Luthers sect: he aunswered, that he neuer spake with hym. Beyng asked whether Zwinglius was a Catholicke: he aunswered, that he could not tell. Beyng inquired whether the bookes contayned in the scedules, did contayn any errors in them: he sayd: he could not tell, neither could he iudge. Also he confessed that the common fame hath bene within these ij. or iij. yeres, that Oecolampadius and Zuinglius be heretikes: also that such as leane to Martin Luther be heretikes. Also he confessed, that beyng beyond the sea, he heard saye before he brought into this realme the bookes contained in the sayd bils, that the kyng had by proclamation prohibited that no man should bryng into this realme any of Martine Luthers bookes, or of hys Secte. Which confession thus ended, the Bishop appoynted hym to appeare the next daye.

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Saterday beyng the. xi. day of Nouember, Richard Baifield appeared and acknowledged the aunswers, that he had made in the Session the day before. Which thyng done, the Officiall obiected the 4. Article vnto him: wherunto he answered, that he could not tell whether there be any heresies in them, for he had read no heresies in them. And beyng demaunded whether he had read any of those bookes, he aunswered, that he had read the greater part of them here and there, but not throughout.

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He was demaunded, whether he beleued the forenamed bookes to be good, and of the true fayth. He answered that he iudged they were good, and of the true fayth. Being enquired, what bookes he read in the realme: he said that he had read the new Testament in Latine, and other bookes mentioned in the bils, but he read none translated:MarginaliaThe booke of Thorpes examination.
The booke of I. Fryth against Purgatory.
The practise of Prelates, & wicked Mammon.
notwithstanding he did confesse that he read a booke called Thorpe, in the presence and audience of others, and also a booke of Iohn Frithes purgatory, which he had read to hymselfe alone as he sayd, and also had read to hymselfe a booke called the practise of Prelates, and also sayd, that he had read a booke called the parable of the wicked Mammon, but in the presence and hearyng of others, which he knewe not.

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MarginaliaThe booke of obedience.
The summe of holy Scripture.
A Dialogue betwene the plowman and the gentleman.
Also he confessed that he had read the obedience of a christian man, and the summe of scripture amng company, and also the dialogue betwixt the Plowman and the Gentlem? among company, as he thought: also he had read a piece of the answer of Tindall made to sir Thomas More: likewise he had read the dialoge of Frith to himself: he had read also the Prologues of the. v. bookes of Moses contayned in the longe scedule, and in company, as he thought.

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Al which bookes he had read vnder maner aforesayde within these. ij. yeres last past. And as for the new testamēt in english, he read it before he had these bookes specified in the scedules before rehersed.

To the third article, as touching Zuinglius and others, he supposed that they held þe same doctrine that Luther did, but that he thought them to vary in some pointes.

The 16. day of Nouember, Richard Baifeld appeared again before the bishop, who inquired of hym of what sect Zuinglius was. He said, he thought that he held with Luther in some poyntes. &c.

Also he confessed that first he brought bokes of the sortes aboue named into this realm, about Midsomer was xij. moneth, and landed them at Colchester, and afterward brought part of them to this city, and some he dispersed and solde in this city. The second tyme that he brought bookes, was about all Hollowtide was xij. month, and landed them at s. Catherines, the which bookes the L. Chauncelor toke frō hym. Also that at Easter last, was the 3. time þt he brought ouer the bookes now shewed vnto hym, and contayned in these two bils, and landed with them in Norfolke, & from thence brought them to the city of London in a male.

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To the. v. vi. and vij. articles, he aunswered and confessed them to be true.

To the viij. he aunswered, that it was enioyned hym, as is conteyned in the Article, the which iniunction he fulfilled.

To the ix. he answered, that he dyd not remember it.

To the x. he aunswered, that it was adioyned hym that he should go to the Abbey of Bery, and there continue: the which he sayd he did 3. tymes, but he did not weare his mōkes cowle, as he was enioyned.

The xi. Article he confessed.

For the xii. Article that he dyd were his monkes habite according to the abiuration, he referred hymselfe to þe actes whether he were so enioyned or no.

To the xiij. Article he said, þy he dyd not remēbre þe contēts therof, but referred him selfe to the actes. Notwithstandyng he confessed, that he had no licence of the Byshop of London, to come to the Citie or diocesse of London, nor to make any abode there. Ex Registro Lond.

The sentence geuen agaynst him in a case of relapse.

MarginaliaThe sentence geuē agaynst Richard Bayfilde. IN the name of God, Amen. We Iohn by the sufferaunce of God, Byshop of London, in a case of inquisition of heresie and relaps of the same, first begon before M. Rich, Foxfard, Doctor of both lawes, our officiall  

Commentary   *   Close

Richard Foxford was chancellor and vicar general of the diocese of London.

, now dependyng before vs vndecided, agaynst þe Rich. Bayfeld Priest and Monke, professed to the order and rule of S. Benedict, in the Monasterye of S. Edmondus Bery in the dioces of Norwich, and by meanes of the causes within written vnder our iurisdiction, and withall fauour rightly and lawfully procedyng, with all fauour possible þe merites and circumstances of the cause of this inquisition heard, wayed, vnderstand and fully discussed by vs the sayd Byshop, reseruing vnto our selues, that whiche by law ought to be reserued: haue thought good to procede in this maner to the pronouncyng of our definitiue sentence.

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For somuch as by the Actes enacted, inquired, propounded, and alledged and by thee iudicially cōfessed, we do finde that thou hast abiured certeine errours and heresies & damnable opinions, by the confessed, aswel particularly as generally, before our reuerent fellow and brother, then thy Ordinary, accordyng to the forme and order of the Churche and that one M. Luther together with hys adherentes & complices, receiuers and fauourers what so euer they bee, was condempned as an hereticke by the authoritie of Pope Leo the x, of most happy memory, and by the authoritie of the Apostolicke Sea, and the bookes & all writings, scedules and Sermons of the sayd M. Luther, his adherentes and complices whether they be found in Latine or in any other languages, imprinted or translated, for the manyfolde heresies and errours, and damnable opinions that are in them, are condemned, reproued, and vtterly reiected, and inhibition made by the authoritie of the sayd Sea to al faithfull Christians, vnder the payne of excommunication and other punishementes in that behalfe to bee incurred by the law, that no man by any meanes presume to read, teache, heare, imprint, or publishe, or by any meanes do defend, directly or vndirectly, secretly or openly, in their houses or in any other publicke or priuat places, any such maner of wrintinges, bookes, errours or Articles, as are contayned more at large in the Apostolicke letters, drawne out in forme of a publicke instrument, whereunto and to þe contentes thereof, we referre our selues as farre as is expedient, and no otherwise: And for somuch as we do perceiue that thou diddest vnderstande the premisses, and yet these thinges notwithstandyng, after thy abiuration made (as is aforesaid) thou haste brought in diuers & sondry tymes, many books of the sayd Martine Luther and his adherentes and complices, and of other heretickes, the names, titles, and authors of whiche bookes here folow and are these,MarginaliaA cataloge of the bookes brought in by Richard Bayfilde. Martine Luther of the abrogating of the priuate Masse. The declarations of M. Luther vpon þe Epistles of Peter. Luther vpon the Epistles of Paul and Iude. Luther vppon monasticall vowers. Luthers commentary vpon the Epistle of S. Paul to the Galathians.

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