Marginalia1555. Febr.a mynde bent to do his duetye. Where because he seemed to be somwhat troubled, one which was there about him, asked him how he did. In very deede (sayth he) MarginaliaMaister Saūders in prison, till he was in prison.I am in prison till I be in prison: meanyng þ^t his minde was vnquiet vntil he had preached, and that then he should haue quietnes of mynde, though he were put in prison.

The next day which was Sonday, in the forenone hee made MarginaliaM. Saūders Sermon at Alhallowes.a Sermō in his Parish, entreatyng that place which Paul writeth to the Corinthians: Marginalia2. Cor. 11.I haue coupled you to one man, that ye should make your selues a chast Virgin vnto Christ. But I feare lest it come to passe, that as the Serpent beguiled Eue: euen so your wittes should be corrupte from the singlenes whiche ye had towardes Christ. He recited a summe of that true Christian doctrin, through whiche they were coupled to Christ, to receiue of him free iustification through fayth in his bloud. The Papisticall doctrine he compared to the Serpentes deceiuyng: and lest they should be deceiued by it, he made a comparison betwene the voyce of God, and the voyce of the Popish Serpent: descending to more particular declaration therof, as it were to let them playnely see the difference that is betwene the order of the Churche seruice set forth by kyng Edward in the English tongue: comparyng it with the Popish seruice then vsed in the Latine toung.

The first he sayd was good, because it was accordyng to the word of God. 1. Corinth. 14. and the order of the primatiue Churche. The other he sayd was euill, and though in that euill he intermingled some good Latine woordes: yet was it but as a litle hony or mylke mingled with a great deale of poyson, to make them to drynke vp all. This was the summe of his Sermon.

In the after noone hee was ready in hys Church to haue geuen an other exhortation to his people: but the Byshop of London interrupted himMarginaliaM Saunders apprehēded by B. Boner at his sermon. by sendyng an officer for him. This officer charged him vppon the payne of disobedience and contumacie, forthwith to come to the Byshop his maister. Thus, as the Apostles were brought out of the Temple where they were teaching, vnto the rulers of þ^e priestes: so was Laurence Saunders brought before this Byshop in his Palace of London, who had in his cōpany the aforenamed MarginaliaSir Iohn Mordant accuser of L. Saunders.Syr Iohn Mordant and some of his Chapleins. The byshop layd no more to Laurence Saunders charge, but MarginaliaPreachinge of Gods word, made treason with B. Boner.treason for breakyng the Queenes proclamatiō, heresie and sedition for his Sermon.

The treason, and sedition, his charitie, was content to let slip, vntill an other tyme. But an hereticke he would nowe proue him, and all those, hee sayd, whiche did teache and beleue that the administration of the Sacramentes and al orders of the Church are most pure, which do come most nigh to the order of the primatiue Church. For the Church was then but in her infancy, and could not abyde that perfection whiche was afterward to bee furnished with ceremonies. And for this cause Christ himselfe, & after him the Apostles did in many thinges beare with the rudenes of the Church. MarginaliaCeremonies inuēted only for weake infirmitie.To this Laurence Saūders aunswered with the authoritie of S. Augustine, that ceremonies, were euen from the begynnyng inuented and ordayned for the rude infancie and weake infirmitie of man, and therfore it was a token of the more perfection of the primatiue Churche, that it had fewe ceremonies, and of the rudenes of the Churche Papistical, because it had so many ceremonies, partly blasphemous, partly vnsauery and vnprofitable.

After much talke had concernyng this matter, the Byshop willed him to write what hee beleued of transubstantiation. Laurence Saunders did so, saying: MarginaliaB. Boner seeketh the bloud of M. Saunders.My Lorde ye do seeke my bloud, and ye shall haue it. I pray God that ye may be so baptised in it, that ye may therafter loth bloudsuckyng, and become a better man. This wrytyng the byshop kept for his purpose, euen to cut the writers throte, as shall appeare hereafter. The Byshop when he had his wil, sent Laurence Saunders to the Lord Chaūcellour, MarginaliaM. Saūders sent frō Annas to Cayphas.as Annas sent Christ to Cayphas: and lyke fauour found Saunders as Christ his Maister dyd before him. But the Chauncellour beyng not at home. Saunders, was constrayned to tary for him by the space of iiij. houres, in the vtter chamber, where he found a Chaplein of the Bishops very merily disposed with certeine gentlemen playing at the Tables, w^t diuers other of the same family or house, occupyed there in the same exercise.  

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This detail emphasizes Gardiner's ungodliness by indicating the irreverance of his household and especially his chaplain.

All this time Saunders stode very modestly and soberly at the screene or Cupbord, bareheaded, Syr Iohn Mordant his guide or leader walking vp and down by him: who (as I sayd before) was then one of the Counsell. At the last the B. returned from the court, whom, as soone as he was entred, a great many suters met and receiued: so þ^t, before he could get out of one house into an other, halfe an houre was passed. At þ^e last hee came into the chāber where Saunders was, and went through into an other chāber: where in þ^e

meane way Saunders leader gaue him a wryting contayning the cause, or rather the accusation of the sayd Saunders, which when he had perused, where is the man, sayde the Byshop? Then Saunders being brought forth to the place of examination, firste, most lowly and meekely kneeled downe, and made curtesie before the Table where the Byshoppe did sitte: Vnto whom the Bishoppe spake on this wise.

MarginaliaWinchesters talke with M. Saunders.How hapneth it (sayd hee) that notwithstandinge the Queenes Proclamation to the contrary, you haue enterprysed to preach?

Saunders denyed that hee dyd preach: Saying, that MarginaliaM. Saunders aunswere to Winchester.for so much as he saw the perillous tymes now at hande, he did but, accordyng as he was admonished, and warned by Ezechiel the Prophet, exhort his flocke and Parishioners to perseuer and stand stedfastly, in the doctrine which they had learned, saying also, that hee was moued and pricked forwarde thereunto by that place of the Apostle wherin he was commaunded rather to obey God then man: and moreouer that nothing more moued or stirred him therunto, then his owne conscience.

MarginaliaWinchester.A goodly conscience surely sayd the Bishop. This your conscience could make our Queene a Bastard or misbegotten: Would it not I pray you?

MarginaliaM. Saunders.Then sayd Saunders: we (sayd he) do not declare or say that the Queene is base or misbegotten, nether goe about any such matter. MarginaliaA priuie nippe to Winchester.But for that let thē care, whose writinges are yet in the handes of men, witnessing the same, not without the great reproch & shame of the Author: priuely taunting the Bishop him selfe, which had before (to get the fauour of Henry 8.) written & set forth in print MarginaliaWinchesters booke de vera obedientia.a booke of true obedience, wherin he had openly declared Queen Mary to be a Bastard. Now M. Saunders going forwardes in his purpose sayd: We do onely professe & teach þ^e sincerity & puritie of the word, þ^e which albeit it be now forbidden vs to preach with our mouthes: yet notwithstāding I do not doubt, but that our bloud hereafter shal manyfest the same. The Bishop being in thys sort pretily nipped and touched, sayd: MarginaliaNote how Winchester confuteth M. Saunders.Cary away this frensie foole to pryson. Vnto whome M. Saunders aunswered, that he dyd geue God thankes which had geuen hym at the laste, a place of reste and quietnesse, where as hee myght pray for the Byshoppes conuersion.

Furthermore, hee that did lye with him afterwardes in pryson in the same bed, reported that he heard hym say that MarginaliaA notable example of the Lord comforting hys seruauntes in their troubles.euen in the time of his examination, he was wonderfully comforted, in so much as not only in spirite, but also in body, he receiued a certayn tast of that holy Cōmunion of saints, whilest a most pleasant refreshing did issue from euery part and member of the bodye vnto the seate and place of the hart, and from thence dyd ebbe and flow to and fro, vnto all the partes agayne.

This Saunders continued in prison a whole yeare and 3. monthes.MarginaliaM. Saunders in prison a yeare & iij. mōthes. In al which space he sent diuers letters to diuers men: as one to Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer: and other to his wyfe and also to others, certifiyng them both of the publike calamitie of the tyme, and also of hys priuate afflictions, and of sondry his conflictes with his aduersaries: As in writyng to his friend, he speaketh of Weston conferring with hym in prison, wherof you shall heare anone (by the leaue of the Lord) as followeth in the story. In þ^e mean tyme the Chauncellour, after this litle talke with M. Saūders (as is aforesaid) sent him to the prison of the Marshalsey. &c. For the Caiphas (Winchester I meane) did nothing but bait hym with some of his currish eloquence, and so cōmitted him to the prison of the Marshalsey, where he was kept prisoner one whole yeare and a quarter. But of his cause and estate, thou shalt now see, what Laurence Saūders himselfe did write.

¶ A parcell of a Letter of Laurence Saunders sent to the Byshop of Winchester, as an aunswere to certayne thinges wherewith he had before charged him.  

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After it was first printed in 1563, this letter was reprinted in Letters of the Martyrs, pp. 201-03, and edited by Bull in the process. Bull's version was then reprinted in all subsequent editions of the Acts and Monuments. Ecl 260, fol. 123r-v is a copy of this letter, which was used by Bull as his cast-off.

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MarginaliaA fragmēt of M. Saunders letter.TOuchyng the cause of my imprisonment, I doubt whether I haue broken any law, or proclamation. In my doctrine I did not, for asmuch as at that tyme it was permitted by the MarginaliaHe meaneth the proclamation of which mention is made before.proclamation to vse according to our consciēces, such seruice as was then established. My doctrine was then agreable vnto my conscience and the seruice then vsed. The Act which I did (he meaneth publike teaching of gods worde in his owne parish, called Alhallowes in Breadstrete in the Citie of London) was such, as beyng indifferently weyed, sounded to no breaking of the proclamation, or at the least no wilfull breaking of it, MarginaliaSatis peccauit qui resistere nō potuit.forasmuch as I caused no Bell to be rong, neither occupied I any place in the Pulpit, after the order of Sermons or Lectures. But be it that I did breake the