Marginalia1550. by the law of God to obey all his Maiesties said lawes, Iniunctions and procedinges concernyng religion and orders in the sayd church.

To the third article the sayd bishop aunswereth affirmatiuely, and graunteth it. MarginaliaWinchester hath sworne obedience to the kynges supremacie. Item that you Steuen B. of Winchester, haue sworen obedience to his maiesty as supreme head of this church of England and also of Ireland. To the fourth Article, the sayd bishop aunswereth affirmatiuely, and graunteth it. Item, that all and euery hys graces subiectes, that disobey any his sayd maiesties lawes, Iniunctions, ordinaunces, and proceedinges already set forth and published, or hereafter to be set forth and published, ought worthely to be punished accordyng to hys Ecclesiasticall law vsed within this hys realme. To this fift article, the sayd bishop aunswereth affirmatiuely, and graunteth it. MarginaliaWinchester complayned of. Item that you the sayd bishop, as well in the kinges maiesties late visitation within your dioces, as at sondry tymes haue bene complayned vpon and sondry informations made against you for your doyngs, sayings, and preachings against sondry Iniunctions, orders, and other proceedings of his maiesty, set forth for reformation of errours, supersticions, and other abuses in religion. This article toucheth other mens factes: who, or howe they haue complayned or enformed, I can not thorowly tel. For at the tyme of the kynges Maiesties visitatiō I was in the Fleete, and the morrowe after twelfe day I was deliuered at Hampton Court, my Lord of Somerset, and my Lord of Canterbury then beyng in Counsell with many other Counsaylours, and was deliuered by these woordes:MarginaliaWinchester released out of the Fleete by the kings generall pardon. The kynges Maiestie hath graunted a generall pardon: & by the benefite therof I was discharged. Wherunto I aunswered, that I was learned neuer to refuse the kinges Maiesties pardon, and in strength as that was, And I would and dyd humbly thanke his maiestie therfore:MarginaliaThe Article of Iustification put to Winchester. and then they began with me in an article of learnyng touchyng iustification, whereunto they willed me to saye my mynde, adding therewith, that because other learned men had agreed to a forme deliuered vnto me, that I should not thinke I coulde alter it: whiche I receiued of them, and promised the thursday after to repayre to my Lorde of Sommersets house at Sheene, with my mynd written: which I did, and that day seuennight following, appearyng before him and other of the Counsell,MarginaliaWinchester prisoner in his owne house.
Winchester denyeth to subscribe to the article of Iustification was cōmitted to my house for prisoner, because I refused to subscribe to the forme of words & sentences that other had agreed vnto (as they sayd.) In whiche timeMarginaliaM. Cicill sent to Winchester. of imprisonment in my house, the byshop of Rochester then beyng, was sent to mee, and after Maister Smith, and then Maister Cicill: to whiche Maister Cicill, when I had by learnyng resolued my mynde in the matter, I deliuered it, and he deliueryng it to my Lordes Grace wrote me in his name, thankes for it:MarginaliaWinchester agayne set free. and then it was within the tyme of Lent ere I was discharged of that trouble, and so went to Winchester as a man clearely out of all trauayle of busines.

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And within. xiiij. dayes after that, or there aboutes, began other trauaile with me vpon a request made by my Lord of Somerset to surrender a Colledge in Cābridge, and diuers letters were writtē betwene his grace and me in it. Wherein I might perceiue the Secretary in his pen tooke occasion to pricke me more, then I trusted my Lords grace him selfe would haue done. And by this trouble was I deduced to an end.MarginaliaWinchester sent for to the counsaile Then shortly after I receiued letters to come to the Counsayle,MarginaliaWinchester sicke. & by reason I alledged my disease I was respited by other letters, & three dayes before Whitsontide, receiued yet other letters to come by which it might seeme vnto me, that it was not of all beleued that I was diseased, and therfore with all expedition, when I coulde not ryde,MarginaliaWinchester commeth at last in a horselitter. I came in an horslitter, and according to my dutye presented my selfe to my Lords of the Counsayle. Who all then entertayned mee secretely among them before the matters were obiected vnto me, as I had ben in the same place with them that I was in our late soueraigne Lords daies. Afterwardes my Lorde of Somersets Grace charged me with these matters following, and in this forme, hauing the articles wryttē in paper:MarginaliaWinchester charged with disobedience.Fyrst w^t disobedience that I came not at his sending for. Whereunto I aunswered that I had his letters of lycence, to stay til I might come cōueniently, & vpon the last letters, came incontinently in a horselytter.

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Then it was obiected that I bare Palmes, & crept the crosse. Wherunto I aūswered that they were misinformed, and I trusted they woulde not thinke I durst denye it if I had done it, because ceremonies had such circumstaunces, as I myght easely be reproued, if it were otherwise.

Then it was obiected that at Easter I had a solemne sepulchre in the Church, and such other ceremonies. I aunswered, that I had euē as many as the kings maiesties proclamatiōs cōmaūded me, declaryng plainly, that I thought it not expedient to make any alteration. Wherein to offende the kings maiesties proclamation: adding how he that followeth as he is commaunded, is very obedient.

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MarginaliaWinchester charged to deface certaine of the kinges chapleines. It was then obiected vnto me, that I went about to deface two of the kings maiesties chaplaynes sent downe to be Canōs of the church of Wynchester. Wherunto I aunswered, declaring the fact truely as it was. Which I am yet able to iustifie. After thys matter thus efte obiected & aunswered, I was cōmaūded to go apart, and being called in agayne, my Lord of Somersets grace looking vpon a byll of articles, sayd I had preached how the Apostles went from the presence of the Counsaile, of the counsaile, of the counsayle. Which matter I denyed, adding that it was not my fashion of preaching so to play in iteration of wordes.

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MarginaliaReall presence. After that, it was obiected vnto me for preaching of the Sacrament, to say: The bodye of Christ was really present beynge a faulte to vse the worde really, not comprised in the Scripture. Whereunto I aunswered that I did not vse the word really, which needeth not. For as I once heard my Lord of Cāterbury reason against one Lambart in the presence of the kyngs Maiesty that dead is: the wordes of scripture, This is my body that shall be betrayed for you, do playnly and lyuely expresse the very presence: and so did I set it forth to the people in my dioces. And this is the effect of all that was sayd against me at my being at the coūsayle, as I cā remember. To whom I declared how much I esteemed obedience, and tolde them I had taught in my dioces, how the whole life of a Christian man consisteth in sufferyng properly. And therfore we may not do our owne wyll, but the will of God. And among men we must either suffer the rulers will, or theyr power: theyr wyll to order vs, and their power to punishe vs.MarginaliaWinchest. commaunded to tary at London. After declaration wherof my Lord of Somerset sayde, ye must tarye in the towne. Wherunto I aunswered, I would be contented at their cōmaundement or pleasure to tary: but seeyng I was no offender, I desired them I might not tary as an offender: and for declaration therof, that I myght haue some house in the countrey about London, to remoue vnto for a shift. In deuising whereof I stacke much to borrow Asshar. My lord of Somerset said, if he had any, in fayth he woulde lend me one.MarginaliaWinchest. commaunded to wryte his minde of ceremonies. And in the end my Lorde of Somerset desired me to wryte what my mynde was in Ceremonies and to sende it vnto him, and with that departed.

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Thus I haue truly opened after what sort I haue been complayned on, that hath certainely come to my knowledge.MarginaliaM. Philpot cōplayned vpon of Winchester. Truth it is that one Philpot in Winchester, whom I accompted altered in hys wittes (as I heard) deuised tales of me, the specialites wherof I neuer was called to aunswere vnto. Players and minstrels also rayled on me, and other made ballades and rimes of me, but neuer man had iust cause to cōplaine of any my sayings, doings, or preachings, or to my knowledge did otherwise, then afore. And if any man shall put me in remembraunce of any other complaynt that might in my absence be made of me: if I haue heard it, I will graunt so.MarginaliaWinchest. when & how oft he hath bene called to coram. But well assured I am, I was neuer complayned on, and called to make aūswere to the cōplaint, but this one tyme in all my whole lyfe by no man of any degree. Once the Lord Cromwel,God pardon his soule and forgeue him, caused one day & a halfe to be spent in a matter betwene Syr Fraunces Brian & me, which was ended, & I declared an honest mā. Which þ^e kings maiestye that dead is, God pardō his soule, set forth with his familiarity to me incontinently. And this is all the trouble that I haue had in my life, sauing the sending to the Fleete, beyng occasioned by my owne letter to the Counsaile vpō a zeale that I had, which they allowed not, and finally, this sending of me to þ^e Tower, which was wythout calling me before the Counsaile, to heare what I could say. I am loth to be forsworne: and therfore accompt all the complayntes in my whole lyfe made agaynst me, wherunto I haue bene made priuie.

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MarginaliaWinchest. admonished to conforme hymselfe. Item, that after and vpon occasion of those and many other complayntes and informations, you haue bene sundry times admonished, commaunded, and enioyned to conforme your selfe, as to you duty apperteyned.

To this seuenth article I aunswere: I was neuer a fore the Counsayle called by way of outward complaynt and information, but onely once in all my whole life, which was