preached at his buriall, but also all Englishe men, whiche knewe the name of Bucer, did know it to be contrary.

MarginaliaSingleton maliciously sclaundered and condemned of sedition. So was it layd agaynst one Syngleton Chapplein sometyme to Queene Anne Bullen, that he was the murderer of Packyngton, and afterward, that he was a styrrer vp of sedition and cōmotiō: who also suffered as a traytor for the same: Where in very deede the true cause was for nothyng els, but for preaching the Gospell vnto the people, whose purpose was euer so farre of from styrryng sedition, that he neuer once dreamed of any such matter, as hee hymselfe declared and protested to one R. Lante his scholer, who is yet alyue and can testifie the truth hereof. But this is noe newe practise amongest the Romishe Byshops: wherof enough hath ben sayd before in the story of Syr Ihon Oldecastle, and Syr Roger Acton. &c.

MarginaliaMeriall falsly belyed and misreported of the Papistes. An other lyke practise of such malicious sclaunder wee finde also in one Meriall a Bryckelyr, whose name with his abiuration remanyeth yet in the Registers of the Byshop of London.

The story is this, and not vnworthy to bee remembred. In the yere of our Lord. 1534. whiche was about the first begynuyng of Queene Anne Bullen, at what tyme Purgatory and such trumpery began to grow in contempt,MarginaliaBish. Stokeslets Sermon in the shroudes. Stokesley Byshop of London made a Sermon in the Shrudes vpon the sonday before May day: Where hee preachyng in the commendation and vertue of Masses, declared to the people that for a litle cost, if they procured Masses to be said wyues might deliuer their husbandes, and husbandes their wyues out of the bytter paynes of Purgatory. At this sermon, besides many other, was Thomas Meriall, a zelous fauourer of gods word: who beyng in the watch on May euen, made relation of these wordes of the bishop vnto the company about him, amongst whom then was one Iohn Twyford a furious papist, and who had the same tyme the setting vp of the stakes in Smithfield, whereat the good saintes of god were burned.

MarginaliaTwyford the cōmon tormentor of the Martyrs that suffered in Smithfield. This Twyford which then kept a Tauerne and had an old grudge against the said Meriall for striking his boy, hearing these wordes, allured home to his house certain persons, to the number of x. Beside these he procured also secretly M. Chaumbers Clerke whose name was Bright. And when he had craftily ouercome them with wyne, and made them to report what words he listed, and which they knew not themselues, the Clerke by and by receiued the same in writing.MarginaliaFalse accusation. Wheruppon this article was gathered against Meriall, that he should hold and affirm, that the passion of Christ doth not helpe them which came after hym, but onely them which were in Limbo before: & also that he should say, þ^t his wife was as good as our Lady. Vpō this writyng of the Notary, he was immediately brought to bishop Stokesley,MarginaliaMeriall wrongfully accused and put to penaūce. and there by þ^e deposiciō of these x. false witnesses wrōgfully accused, and also for the same should haue bene condemned, had not Doctor Barret the same tyme, byd hym speake one word (which he knew not, as the sentence was in readyng, wherby the condemnatiō was staid, and he put to do open penaunce & to beare a Fagotte. Notwithstanding the sayd Meriall sware before the Byshop that he neuer spake nor ment any such word as there was layd vnto hym: but only recited the wordes of the byshops sermon reportyng the same in the person of the bishop, and not hys owne. Which also was testified to be true, by the othes of 3. other, to witte, W. Tomson, Gregory Newman, & W. Witte, who beyng in the foresayd watch þ^e same tyme, dyd take vpon their othe before the bishop: that hys wordes were no other, but as is aboue declared. Which 3. witnesses at the second edition hereof were also still liuyng, with the wife of the foresayd Meriall, who would then also be sworn that the same is true. Where as contrary the other x. persons be all gone, and none of them al remainyng. Of whom moreouer the most of all the sayd x. came to a miserable end: where as the other 3. which testified the truth with Meriall, beying liuyng at the 2. edition hereof, did see the end of all the other.MarginaliaGods iust punishment vpon a cruell persecuter. And as for Twyford, which was the executioner to Frith, Bayfild, Baynham, Teukesbery, Lambert, and other good men, he dyed rottyng aboue the ground, that none could abide hym, and so came to a wretched ende. Ex testimon. vxoris Meriall, W. Tomson, Greg. Newman, W. Wit. &c

Of this malicious and peruerse dealyng of these mē, contrary to all truth and honesty, in diffamyng them for heretikes, which in dede are none, & with opprobrious raylyng to slaunder their cause, which is nothyng els but the simple truth of Christes gospel, who so listeth to search further (if these examples hetherto recited do not suffice) let hym read the story of Merindol, & Angrongne pag. 927. 937. Let hym consider the furious Bull of Pope Martine pag. 625MarginaliaPope Leo x.
The Edict of Cæsar.
[illegible text] Carthus.
Hosius,
Lindus,
Genebrardus,
Cochlæus,
Brunus, agaynst the Lutherans. The lyke slaunderous Bull also of Pope Leo x. with the Edict of Charles the Emperour against Luther. Also let him suruey the railyng stories of Surius the Monke of Colen, the bookes of Hosius, of Lindus, the Chronologie of Genebrardus, the story of Cochlæus agaynst þ^e Hussites and the Lutherans, with the Preface of Conradus Brunus the Lawyer prefixed before the same,MarginaliaEx Epist. Conrad. Bruni, qua præfatur in hist. Cochlæi. wherein he most falsely and vntruely rayling against these Protestāts, whō he calleth heretickes, chargeth them to be blasphemers of God, contemners of God and men, Church robbers, cruell false lyers, crafty deceauers, vnfaythfull promise breakers, disturbers of publicke peace and tranquillitie, corrupters and subuerters of common weales, and all els that naught is.

MarginaliaExamples of false accusation. In much lyke sorte was Socrates accused of his countreymen for a corrupter of the youth. Whō Plato notwithstanding defendeth. Aristides the iust lacked not his vniust accusers. Was it not obiected vnto S. PauleMarginaliaAct. 21.
Rom. 3.. that he was a subuerter of the law of Moses, and that we myght do euill that good may come thereof? How was it layd to the Christian Martyrs in the primitiue Church for worshipping an Asses head, and for sacrificing of InfantesMarginaliaRead afore pag. 55. pag. 55? And to come more neare to these our latter dayes, you heard likewise how falsely the Christian congregation of Frenchmen gathered together in þ^e night at Paris, to celebrate the holy communion, were accused of filthy commixtion of men and women together, and the Kyng the same time Henry. 2. was made to beleue that beds with pillowes & mats were found there in the floore where they lay together: wherupon the same time diuers were condemned to þ^e fire and burnedMarginaliaRead afore pag. 891. pag. 891.MarginaliaNo truth safe frō false detraction. Finally what innocēcie is so pure, or truth so perfect, which can be voyde of these sclaunders or criminations, when also our Sauiour Christ himself was noted for a wyne drinker, and a cōmon haunter of the Publicanes? &c.

Euen so likewise it pleaseth our Lorde and Sauiour Christ, to keepe vnder and to exercise his Church vnder þ^e lyke kinde of aduersaries now reigning in the Church, who vnder the name of the church wil needes mainteyne a portly state and kyngdome in this world, and because they can not vphold their cause by playne scripture and the word of God, they beare it out with facyng, rayling, and sclaunderyng, makyng Princes and the simple people beleue, that all be heretickes, schismatickes, blasphemers, rebels, & subuerters of all authoritie and cōmon weales, whosoeuer dare reply with any scripture against their doynges.

MarginaliaSuetonius in Nerone. It is written of Nero, that when he hymselfe had burnt the Citie of Rome sixe dayes and seuen nightes, he made open proclamations that the innocent Christians had set the citie on fire, to styrre the people against them, wherby he might burne & destroy them, as rebels and traytors.

Not much vnlyke seemeth the dealing of these religious Catholickes, who when they be the true heretickes themselues, and haue burnt and destroyed the Churche of Christ, make out their exclamatiōs, Buls, briefes, articles, bookes, censures, letters, and Edicts against the poore Lutherans, to make the people beleue, that they be the heretickes, schismatickes, disturbers of the whole world. Who if they could proue them as they reproue them to be heretickes, they were worthy to be heard.MarginaliaPapistes accuse the Protestantes of heresie, and they be the heretickes themselues. But now they crye out vpon them heretickes, and can proue no heresie: they accuse them of errour: and can proue no errour: they call them schismatickes, and what Churche since the worlde stoode, hath bene the mother of so many schismes, as the mother Church of Rome? They charge them with dissensiō and rebellion. And what dissension can be greater, then to dissent from the scripture, and word of God? or what rebellion is like, as to rebell agaynst the sonne of God, & agaynst the will of his eternall Testament? They are disturbers (they say) of peace, and publicke authoritie: Which is as true, as that the Christians set the Citie of Rome on fire. What doctrine did euer attribute so much to publike authoritie of Magistrates, as do the Protestantes, or who euer attributed lesse to Magistrates, or deposed mo Dukes, Kynges, and Emperours, then the Papistes? They that say, that the Byshop of Rome is no more but the Byshop of Rome, and ought to weare no crowne, is not by and by a rebell against his king and Magistrates, but rather a mainteiner of their authoritie, which in deede the Byshop of Rome can not abyde.MarginaliaA measure betwene the Protestantes and the Papistes, to try whether of thm two be the greater heretickes. Briefly, wilt thou see whether be the greater heretickes, the Protestantes, or the Papistes? Let vs trye it by a measure, and let this measure be the glory onely of the sonne of God, whiche can notMarginaliaComparison betwene the doctrine of papistes and of the Protestantes. fayle. Now iudge I beseche thee, who soeuer knowest the doctrine of them both, whether of these two do ascribe more or lesse to the Maiestie of Christ Iesus our king and Lord: the protestantes which admitte none other head of the Church, nor iustifier of our soules, nor forgeuer of our sinnes, nor Aduocate to his father but hym alone: Or els the papistes which cā abide none of all these articles, but condemne the