Marginalia1555. Febru.After this long brutish talke, Tonstall Bishop of Duresme asked M. Hooper, whether he beleued the corporall presence in the sacrament. And maister Hooper said plainly that there was none such, neither did he beleue any suche thing.

Then would the bishop of Duresme haue read out of a booke, for his purpose belike (what booke it was, I can not tel:) but there was such a noyse and confuse talke on euery side, that he dyd not reade it. Then asked Winchester of M. Hooper, what authoritie moued hym not to beleue the corporal presence? He said, the authoritie of gods word, and alleged this text: MarginaliaThe corporal presence.Quem oportet cœlum suscipere, vsq; ad tempus restaurationis omnium. i. Whom heauen must hold vntyl the latter day.

Then the bishop of Winchester would haue made that text to haue serued nothing for his purpose, and he said, he might be in heauen, and in the sacrament also.

Master Hooper would haue said more to haue opened the text, but al men that stoode next about the Bishop, allowed so his saying with clamors and cryes, that Mayster Hooper was not permitted to saye any more againste the Bishop. Whereupon they bade the Notaries write that MarginaliaArticles taken agaynst M. Hooper.he was maryed, and sayd, that he would not go from his wife, and that he beleued not the corporall presence in the sacrament, wherefore he was woorthy to be depriued from his Bishoprike.

This is the truth of the matter (as farre as I can truly remember) of the confuse & troublesome talke, that was betweene them, and except it were hastye and vncharitable words, this is the whole matter of their talke, at that time. Atque hæc ille hactenus.

The true report of M. Hoopers entertaynement in the Fleete, written with his owne hande, the seuenth of Ianuary. 1554.  

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This letter was printed in the Rerum (pp. 286-87), 1563; Letters of the Martyrs (pp. 128-30) and all subsequent editions of the Acts and Monuments.

MarginaliaM. Hoopers report of his imprisonment in the fleete.THe first of September. 1553. I was committed vnto the Fleete from Richmount, to haue the libertie of the prison: and within sixe dayes after, I payd for my libertie fiue poundes sterling to the Warden for fees: who immediately vpon the payment therof, cōplained vnto Ste. Gardiner bishop of Winchester, & so was I committed to close prison one quarter of a yeare, in the Tower chamber of the Fleete, vsed very extremely. Thē by the meanes of a good MarginaliaThis good gentlewoman is thought to be Misteris Wilkinson.Gentlewoman, I had libertie to come downe to dinner and supper, not suffered to speake with any of my frendes: but as soone as dynner and supper was done, to repayre to my chamber againe. Notwithstanding whilest I came down thus to dinner and supper, the Warden and his wife picked quarrels with me, and complayned vntruely of me, to their great frend the bishop of Winchester.

After one quarter of a yeare and somewhat more, MarginaliaBabington Warden of the Fleete a wicked Tyrant to Gods peopleBabington the Warden and hys wife fell out with me for the wicked Masse: and thereupon the Warden resorted to the bishop of Winchester, & obteyned to put me into the wards, where I haue cōtinued a lōg tyme, hauing nothing apointed to me for my bed, but a litle pad of strawe, and a rotten couering with a tyke and a fewe feathers therin, the chamber being vile and stinking, vntyll by Gods meanes good people sent me bedding to lie in. Of the one side of whiche prison is the synke, and filth of all the house, and on the other side, the towne ditche: so that the stinche of the house hath infected me with sundry diseases.

Duryng which time I haue ben sicke: and the doores, barres, haspes, and chaynes being all closed, and made fast vpon me, I haue mourned, called and cryed for helpe. But the Warden, when he hath knowen me many tymes readye to dye, and when the poore men of the wardes haue called to helpe me, MarginaliaThe barbarous cruelty of the Warden of the Fleete.hath commaunded the doores to be kept fast, & charged that none of his men should come at me, saying: let him alone, it were a good riddance of him. And among many other tymes, he did thus the. 18. of Octob. 1553. as many can witnes.

I payed alwayes like a Baron, to the said Warden, as well in fees, as for my boord, which was. xx. shillinges a weeke, besides my mans table, vntyl I was wronfully depriued of my Bishoprike: and sithens that tyme I haue payed hym as the best Gentlemā doth in his house: yet hath he vsed me worse & more vilely, then the veryest slaue that euer came to the hal Commons.

The said Warden hath also imprisoned my man MarginaliaW. Downton M. Hoopers man.William Downton, and stripped him out of his clothes to search for letters, and could find none but only a litle remembrance of good peoples names, that gaue me their almes to relieue me in pryson: and to vndoo them also, the warden deliuered the same byll vnto the said Ste. Gardiner, Gods enemie and myne.

I haue suffered imprisonment, almost eighteene mo-

MarginaliaM. Hooper 18. monethes in prison.nethes, my goodes, lyuyng, frendes, and comfort taken from me, the Queene owyng me by iust accōpt foure score poūds or more.MarginaliaQ. Mary indebted to Maister Hooper. Shee hath put me in prison, and geueth nothing to find me, neither is there suffred any to come at me, wherby I might haue reliefe. I am with a wicked man & woman: so that I see no remedie (sauing Gods helpe) but I shall be cast away in prison before I come to iudgment.  

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This last sentence does not appear in the Rerum or 1563 versions of the letter. It first appears in Letters of the Martyrs (p. 130) and is reprinted in the subsequent editions of the Acts and Monuments. This suggests that Bull found a different copy of the letter from the one Foxe used orthat he invented this closing sentence. Its reprinting in the Acts and Monuments demonstrates how Foxe followed Bull's version of letters, even letters which he had previously printed.

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MarginaliaM. Hooper agayne conuented before the Byshop of Winchester.THe. xxij. of Ianuary folowyng. 1555. Babington the Warden of the Fleete, was commaunded to bring Master Hooper before the Bishop of Winchester, with other Bishoppes and Commissioners at the said Winchesters house at S. Mary Oueries, whereas in effect thus much was done.

MarginaliaGardiner exhorteth M. Hooper to returne to the Popes Church.The Bishop of Winchester, in the name of hym selfe and the rest, moued Maister Hooper earnestly, to forsake the euyll and corrupt doctrine (as he termed it) preached in the dayes of king Edward the sixt, and to returne to the vnitie of the Catholique Church, and to acknowledge the Popes holynesse to be head of the same Church, accordyng to the determination of the whole Parlament, promising that as he hym selfe, wyth other his brethren had receyued the Popes blessing and the Queenes mercye: euen so mercy was ready to be shewed to hym and others, if he would arise with them, and condescende to the Popes holynes.

Maister Hooper aunswered: that for as muche as the Pope taught doctrine altogether contrarye to the doctrine of Christ, MarginaliaThe Pope not worthy to be a member of Christes church.he was not worthy to be accompted as a member of Christes Church, much lesse to be head therof: wherfore he would in no wise condescend to any such vsurped iurisdiction, neither esteemed he the Church, wherof they cal hym head, to be the Catholique Church of Christ: for the Church only heareth the voyce of her spouse Christ, and fleeth the strangers. Howbeit (saith he) if in any point to me vnknowen, I haue offended the Queenes Maiestie, I shall moste humbly submit my selfe to her mercy, if mercy may be had with safetie of conscience, and without the displeasure of God.

Aunswere was made, that MarginaliaQ. Mary will shewe no mercy but to the Popes frendes.the Queene woulde shewe no mercy to the Popes enemies. Whereupon Babington was commaunded to bring hym to the Fleete againe: who did so, and shifted him from his former chamber into an other, neare vnto the Wardens owne chamber, where he remayned sixe dayes: and in the meane tyme, his former chāber was searched by Doctor Martin and others, for writinges and bookes which Mayster Hooper was thought to haue made: but none was found.

Here foloweth an other examination of maister Hooper.  

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An account of this examination, copied from a now lost act book, is among Foxe's papers (BL, Harley MS 421, fos. 36r-39r). Foxe, however, is following an eyewitness account which he printed in the Rerum and then in all versions of the Acts and Monuments.

MarginaliaAn other examination of M. Hooper before the Byshop of Winchester and his fellowes.THe. xxviij. of Ianuary, Winchester and other the Commissioners, sat in iudgement at Saint Marye Oueries, whereas Mayster Hooper appeared before them at after noone againe, and there after much reasoning and disputation to and fro, he was commaunded aside, tyll Master Rogers (which was then come) had bene likewise examined. Examinations being ended, the two Sheriffes of London were commaunded about. foure of the clocke, to cary them to the Counter in Southwarke, there to remaine vntyll the morowe at ix. a clocke, to see whether they would relent, and come home againe to their Catholike Church. So maister Hooper went before with one of the Sheriffes, and master Rogers came after with the other, and being out of the Churche doore, mayster Hooper looked backe, and stayed a litle, tyll maister Rogers drew neare, vnto whom he said: MarginaliaM. Hoopers wordes to M. Rogers.Come brother Rogers muste we two take this matter first in hand, and begin to fry these fagots? Yea sir (sayd M. Rogers) by Gods grace. Doubt not (said M. Hooper) but God wyl geue strength. So going forwardes, there was such a prease of people in the streates which reioyced at their constancie, that they had much adoo to passe.

By the way the Sheriffe sayd to Maister Hooper I wonder that ye were so hastie and quicke with my Lord Chauncellour, and dyd vse no more pacience? MarginaliaM. Hooper earnest in his Maisters cause.He answered: Mayster Sheriffe, I was nothing at all impacient, although I was earnest in my maysters cause, and it standeth me so in hande, for it goeth vpon life and death: not the life and death of thys world onely, but also of the world to come. Then were they committed to the keeper of the Counter, and appoited to seuerall chambers, wyth cōmaun-