MarginaliaAn. 1550. at my last comming to Lōdon. Wherunto I aunswered (as afore) and haue tolde the forme and processe of speech to serue for furniture of aunswer to this and that Article: for other than I haue before written, I remember not to haue done or suffered by the higher powers in all my whole lyfe, till my commyng into the Tower, without that I haue had any by admonitions as a man faulty or negligent at any tyme that I remember, for the obseruation of any thing alredy made or set forth by the kings maiesty that now is: but haue kept, & caused to be kept to my power the kinges Maiesties actes, statutes, iniunctions, and proclamations inuiolably, hauyng for that purpose such a Chancellor, as in orders and ordināces hath ben alwayes himselfe diligent and precise for þ^e time I might haue knowledge of his doyngs.

MarginaliaWinchester inioyned by the kinges Counsell to preach the [illegible text] yeare of the kynges raigne. Item, that after the premisses, and for that those former admonitions and commaundementes notwithstandyng you did yet still shewe your selfe not conformable, and for that also others by your example were much animated, and therby occasion of much vnquietnes ministred amongest the people: you were called before the kinges Maiesties Counsayle in the moneth of Iune, in the second yeare of hys Maiesties reigne, and by them on hys maiesties behalfe, commaunded to preach a Sermon before hys maiesty, and therin to declare the iustnes and godlynes of hys maiesties father in his procedings vppon certayne matters partly mentioned in certayne Articles to you deliuered in writyng, and partly otherwyse declared vnto you: MarginaliaCertayne points inioyned to Winchester to preach vpon.

The effect wherof was touchyng the vsurped power & authority of the bishop of Rome, that the same was iustly & godly taken away in this realme, and other the kinges maiesties dominions: touchyng the iust suppressing and takyng away of monasteries and religious houses: of pilgrimages, reliques, Shrines, Images:

The superstitious goyng about of S. Nicolas bishop, S. Edmond, S. Katherine, S. Clement and such lyke: and iust taking away of chauntries, obites and Colledges: hallowyng of candles, water, ashes, Palme, holy bread, beades: crepyng to the crosse and such lyke.

Also, touching the settyng forth of the kings maiesties authoritie in hys yong yeares to be as great as if hys hyghnesse were of many more yeares.

That Auriculer confession is indifferent, and of no necessitie by the law of God: and touching the procession & common prayer in English.

This Article beyng of so many partes as it is, some true some otherwise, must be aunswered by diuision of it into diuers members, to deuide the one from the other, grauntyng that is true, denying that is otherwise, and opening that is ambiguous, auoyding that is captious, so as accordyng to my othe I may open directly and plainly the truth with sinceritie of conscience. The motion of preachyng was made vnto me in myne owne house byMarginaliaM. Cicill. M. Cicill vpon the duke of Somersets behalfe, after I had bene before the Counsaile, as I haue before sayd: from which Counsaile I departed (as is before rehearsed) as no offender, and therfore when M. Cicill spake to me of preachyng before the kinges Maiestie with request to write my Sermon before, I denied that maner of preachyng, because I sayd it was to preache lyke an offender, and I was none, but departed from the Counsaile otherwise as I haue before shewed. And the sayde M. Cicil did not say to me that I was moued to preach, because I was not conformable: for I had at that tyme no manner of variaunce with the Counsaile, but was in all conformity with them for any thing that I know, as I will aunswere afore God.

As for euil example to any man, I could none geue, for I neuer offended law, statute, or proclamation in this realme ne did euer any acte to the empayring of due obedience to the kings maiesty in all my whole lyfe, but by obseruation of them, and letting inuocations done as much as in me lay, to maintayne obedience.

MarginaliaWinchest. refuseth to preach by other mens papers & prescriptions, and yet he afterward would prescribe other men by papers what they should preach agaynst all conscience & honesty. After M. Cicill had spoken to me of preachyng, and deliuered two papers conteinyng the matters whereupon I should entreat, because I refused to geue my sermon in writyng (which was to me lyke an offender, or to read those papers of an other mans deuise as the conception & sincere maner of vttering of myne owne conscience (which me thought then and since yet a meruailous vnreasonable matter touching both my conscience and honesty) I was then sent for to the Duke of Somersets graces chamber, and came in at a backe dore to himself alone, sauyng he toke to hym as witnes he sayd, the lord nowe of Wiltshire then great Maister, and after many wordes, shewed me certayne Articles subscribed by Lawyers, what a B. might cōmaunde, and what þ^e king might commaunde, and what payne to the disobeyer.

To whom I said plainly and truly how those Lawyers MarginaliaWinchesters aunswere to the duke of Somerset.subscription could not serue in thys case to commaunde one to vtter to the people for myne owne deuise in wordes that is not in deede so: and if I myght speake with these lawyers (I sayd) hys grace should soone perceiue them to agree wyth me. My Lord sayd, I should speake wyth no man, and I should do as I was bydden, or do worse, and bad me aduise me tyll dinner was done. And then was I conueyed by the Lord great Maister to hys chamber, and there left alone to dine, as was in deede honorably prepared. But I tooke my selfe to be in the nature of a prisoner, and a restrayned man.

MarginaliaSyr Tho. Smyth Secretary. And about two of the clocke at after noone came vnto me M. Thomas Smith then Secretary, vnto whome I complayned of the vnreasonablenes of the matter, & shewed hym certayne particularities, who sayd it was not ment so precisely, but to speake of the matters. To whom I sayd I was content to speake of the matters, and then if I speake not according to the truth of them, there shoulde be enough to beare witnes to my condemnation, and if I spake the truth, then they had their desire. And I sayd further, I thought I might with my conscience say so as men ought and should be content & satisfied. And further if I thought that in my maner of the vttering of those matters I should offend the Counsaile, I had rather denye to speake of the thyng, and begyn the contention secretly with them, then to begyn with Pulpit, & so bryng my selfe in further trouble then needed: and therfore if they would haue me preach, I would preach as of my selfe, and of these matters, so as I thought they should be content.

Wherupō I was brought vp to my Lord of Somersets chamber, and there the matter ended thus, that my Lorde of Somerset sayd he would require no writyng of me but remit it to me, so I spake of the matters in the papers deliuered me by M. Cicil. I tolde him I woulde speake of them, sauing for childrens toyes of goyng about of S. Nicolas and S. Clement. MarginaliaWinchest. walketh here subtilly. If that be now gone, quoth I, and forgotten, if I be to busy in rehearsall of them, they wyll say I comber their heades with ceremonies, and thus they will defame me: When ceremonies were plenty, they will say I did nothing but preache on them, and now they be gone I bable of them still. I sayd I woulde touch þ^e chiefe pointes, adding that I would speake of other matters also, and with that, beyng put to my libertie to choose the day, departed: and otherwise I was not spoken with concerning preaching, sauing after M. Cicill came vnto me, wherof I shall speake anone.

As concerning the matters to be spokē of, all such things as be here rehearsed be named in the papers deliuered vnto me, although not altogether after this sort: sauing the setting forth of the kynges maiesties authoritie in hys minoritie, whereof there is no worde in those papers, nor there was neuer any promise made of me to speake of it. Truth it is that after I had signified the day when I woulde preach, M. Cicill came vnto me making the chiefe message to know the day when I would preach: to whome I had sent word before that it shoulde be Saint Peters day, because me thought the Gospell serued wel for that purpose, & in processe of communication he told me that he liked gayly well a word that I had sayde in an other communication,MarginaliaWinchesters opinion of the kynges minority. how a king was as much a king at one yeare of age, as at one hundreth yeares of age, and if I touched it, he thought it would be well taken. I told him agayne, euery mā knew that, and then opened of my selfe the matter further.

MarginaliaM. Cicills repayre agayne to Winchester. And at his next repayre vnto me, which was the Mōday before I preached, the sayd M. Cicill brought me papers of the kynges Maiesties hand, shewing me how hys highnes vsed to note euery notable sentence, and specially if it touched a kyng: and therfore (quoth he) if ye speake of a kyng, ye must ioyne Counsayle withall. Whereunto I made no auswere, but shifted to other matter without makyng hym any promise or denyall, because I woulde neyther binde my selfe nor trouble my selfe to discusse that matter. For albeit it is godly and wisely done of euery Prince to vse counsell, yet speaking of a kynges power by Scripture, I can not by expresse Scripture limite the kynges power by counsayle. And hearing blyndely by report some secrete matter that I wyll not speake of here, I thought not to meddle wyth it in the Pulpit: and yet to the effect to haue our soueraigne Lord now obeyed, of which mynde I was euer, I poynted to our soueraigne Lord there in presence, & said he was onely to be obeyed, and I would haue but one kyng, and other wordes to that purpose. But for any promise to be made by me, I vtterly denye it, and tell playnely the cause why I spake not otherwise of it. There was also in þ^e papers deliuered vnto me occasiō geuē me to speake of the Masse, because of masses satisfactory, as some vnderstād thē. And also there was occasiō to speake of the sacrament of þ^e altar, because of the proclamatiō passed of þ^e