Marginalia1555. March.Cheltam priest, for ministring of the sacrament of the altar to the people at the place and time specified in this article, MarginaliaThe order of Flowers striking the Priest at the aultar.he did smite & strike the same priest with his hanger or woodknife, as wel vppon his head, as vppon other partes and places of his body, which he remembreth not, whereby the bloud ran out, and was shed in the said Church, as he beleueth, hauyng, as he saith, none other cause or matter so to doo, but onely that his conscience was offended and greeued, MarginaliaNote that the sayd W. Flower afterward in his next appearaunce. corrected and reformed this answerein that the same Priest dyd so geue and minister the said Sacrament to the people: whiche people he beleeueth was greatly abashed and offended with his said facte and doyng, and were enforced and compelled to go out of the Church, and to repayre to an other to receyue the saide sacrament. and further, being then demaunded and examined, whether he did then mynde and intende to haue kylled the said priest or not? MarginaliaFlower will not answere whether he entended to kill the priest.he sayd he would not answeare thereunto. And being further examined whether he dyd well or euyl in striking the said Priest? he would make no answere therunto, as he said.

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To the sixt he answereth & saith, that whether he be so excommnnicate or accursed, as is conteined in this article, he referreth hym selfe herein to the Ecclesiastical lawes.

To the seuenth he aunsweareth and saith, that by the space of sixe and twentie yeares now past, he hath alwayes bene, and yet is of this opinion touching the saide Sacrament of the aultar, as foloweth, videlicet, that in the sacrament of the aultar, after the wordes of consecration, there is not really, truely, and in very deede conteyned vnder the forme of bread, the very true naturall bodye of our sauiour Iesus Christ.

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To the eight he answereth, and beleueth the same to be true in euery part therof.

To the ninth he answeareth, & herein hee referreth hym selfe to the said lawes, custome, and ordinaunce specified in this article, that is to say, the Canonical lawes.

To the last he answeareth & beleueth, that those things before by hym confessed be true, and those which he hath denyed, be vntrue: and that the said common voyce and fame hath and doth only labour and go vpon those things by him before confessed.

By me William Flower,
alias Branch.

MarginaliaW. Flower exhorted to recant.After this examination done, the bishop began after the best sort of his fine Diuinitie to instruct hym, and to exhorte hym to returne againe to the vnitie of his mother the Catholike church, with such reasons as he is commonly wont to vse to others, promising many fayre things if he would so do, besides the remitting of that was past.

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To this William Flower answearing againe, thanked hym for his offer: MarginaliaW. Flower refuseth to reuoke his fayth and doctrine.and where it was in his power to kyll or not to kyl his body, he stoode therwith contented, let hym do therein what he thought: yet ouer his soule he had no such power, whiche beyng once separated from the body, is in the handes of no man, but onely of God, eyther to saue or spyll. As concernyng his opinion of the sacrament, he saide, he would neuer go from that he had spokē, do he with him what he would.

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Then the Bishop assigned hym againe to appeare in the same place at after noone, betwixt three or foure. In the meane tyme to aduise hym selfe of hys former answers, whether he woulde stande to the same his opinions, or no: which if he so did, he would further procede agaynst him. &c.

MarginaliaAn other appearaunce of W. Flower before B. Boner.At after noone the saide William Flower appeared agayne before the saide bishop, the houre and place appoynted. To whom the Bishop sittyng in his Consistorie, spake these wordes: Branch, ye were this forenoone here before me, and made aunsweare to certayne Articles: and thereuppon I respited you tyll nowe, to the entente you shoulde consider and weigh wyth your selfe your state, and to remember while you haue tyme, both your abominable acte, and also that euyll opinion whiche ye haue conceyued touchyng the veritie of Christes true naturall body in the sacrament of the aultar.

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MarginaliaW. Flower standeth to his doctrine.To whom the sayde Branch answeared agayne, and said as foloweth: That which I haue said, I wyll stande to: and therefore I require that the lawe maye proceede against me. Whereupon the Bishop commaunded his Notarie (Harward by name) to reade to hym agayne his articles, as before. Which beyng read, the said W. Flower persisting in his godly sentence, answeared to all partes of the articles, as in the forenoone before, saue only that he requested the Bishop concerning the fift article, he might alter something his answere therin, after this tenor and maner of words: to wyt: And  

moreouer confesseth & saith, that wher as he strake the Priest on Easter day last past in S. Margaretes church in Westminster, he hath since that tyme, and yet doth mislike hym self in that doyng, and doth now iudge

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and beleue that the same his act was euyl and nought.MarginaliaFlower misliked his owne act in striking the Priest. Howbeit he saith and beleueth, that as for the matter and cause wherfore he so stroke the said Priest (which was for ministring of the sacrament of the aultar, which he taketh and iudgeth abominable) he did nor dooth mislike hymselfe at all therein.

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Moreouer, he desireth of the saide Bishop licence to be graunted hym, to alter and take out somewhat of the. ix. article, and in place therof these wordes to be placed: to wyt, MarginaliaFlower reformeth his answere to the 9. Article.Herein he referreth hym selfe to the lawes custome, and ordinance specified in this article. &c. At which request Boner graunted to the altering of both the articles, according as he desired, and so put in the actes.

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After this, the bishop turning againe to his old maner of exhorting, went about with wordes ( and wordes onely) to perswade hym to submit hym selfe to the Catholique Church, and to the faith therof. Which al his perswasions notwithstanding, William remained styl in the constancie of his sentence, saying, that he would not be remoued frō that he had spoken, to dye therfore. Wherupon the Bishop assigned hym þ^e next day (being the. xx. of April) to appeare in the same day & place, betwixt the houres of. viij. and. ix. before noone, there and then to heare the sentence pronounced, in case he would not relent. &c.

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MarginaliaThe last appearaunce of William Flower, before B. Boner.IN the which day, houre, and place the said William Flower, as he was appoynted, was brought by his keeper, belonging to the warden of the Fleete, before Boner: who after his wonted maner of perswasion going about to reduce hym to his Catholike church, and the vnitie therof, that is, from Christ to Antichrist: sometimes with fayre promises alluring, sometime with manasses and terrors fearing him &c. To this William answearing, said on this wise: Doo what ye wyll, I am at a poynt: MarginaliaW. Flowers constancye.For the heauens shall as soone fall, as I wyl forsake myne opinion. &c. Whereupon the Bishop after he had commaunded these woordes to be registred, called for the depositions of certaine witnesses, producted for the better information of this matter, the names of which witnesses were these: MarginaliaWitnes produced against W. Flower.William Genings, I. Bray, Rob. Graunt, Richard Dodde, William Pampion, Robert Smalwood, the parish priest of S. Margaretes at Westminster.  

The summe and effect of whose depositions being taken, published, and denounced (as in the booke of our first edition is expressed at large, pag. 1131.) the said bishop speaking to William Flower, asked hym, if he knew any matter or cause why his sentence should not be reade, and he to be pronounced as an heretike.

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Wherunto William Flower answeared againe, as foloweth: I haue nothing at all to say. For I haue nothing at all to say. For I haue already said vnto you all that I haue to say: and that I haue said, I wyl not goe from, and therfore do what ye wyl. &c.

Whiche when he had spoken, the Bishop proceeded to the sentence, MarginaliaSentence of condemnation and degradation pronounced agaynst William Flower.condemnyng and excommunicating hym for an heretike, and after pronounced hym also to be disgraded, and so committed hym to the secular power. Vpon the foure and twenty day of the foresaid moneth of April, which was S. Markes euen, he was brought to the place of martyrdome, which was in S. Margarets churchyard at Westminster, where the fact was committed, and there comming to the stake where he should be burned, first he maketh his prayer to almighty God, with a confession of his Christian fayth, in maner as foloweth.

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MarginaliaFlowers Prayer.OH eternal God, most mighty and mercyful father, who hast sent downe thy sonne vppon the earth, to saue me and all mankinde: who ascended vp into heauen againe,and leaft his bloud here vppon the earth behynde hym for the redemption of our sinnes, haue mercy vpon me, haue mercy vppon me, for thy deare sonne our saueour Iesus Christes sake, in whom I confesse onely to be all saluation and iustification, and that there is none other meane, nor way, nor holynes, in which or by which any man can be saued in this worlde. This is my fayth, which I beseeche al men here to beare witnes of.

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Then he said the Lords prayer, and so made an ende.

MarginaliaTalke betwene W. Flower and M. Cholmley.Then M. Cholmley came to hym, willyng hym to recant hys heresie, whereby he might doo good to the people, or els he would be damned.

Flower aunsweared as foloweth. Syr, I beseeche you for Gods sake be contented: for that I haue sayde, I haue said, and I haue bene of this fayth frō the beginning: