Marginalia1555. Iuly.honour toke hym, yet was hee assured of his meanyng, that no feare but the feare of periurie made hym vnwillyng to aunswere. For as for my death my Lord (quoth he) as I knowe there are xij, houres in the day, so with the Lord my tyme is appointed. And when it shalbe hys good tyme, then shall I depart hence: but in the meane season I am safe inough, though all the people had sworne my death. Into hys handes I haue committed it, and do: his good will be done. And sauyng myne oth, I will aunswere you in this behalfe that the oth agaynst the Byshop of Rome was not, nor is not agaynst charitie.

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L. Chaunc. How proue you that.

Brad. Forsoth, I proue it thus.

Fe-	Nothyng is againste charitie, whiche is with Gods word, and not against it.
sti-	The othe agaynst the Byshop of Romes authoritie in England, is with Gods word, and not agaynst it:
no.	Ergo, the othe against the Bishop of Romes authori- tie in England is not against charitie.

L. Chaunc. Is it not agaynst Gods woorde that a man should take a kyng to be supreme head of the Church in his Realme?

MarginaliaA king how he may be taken for supreame head of the church in his owne dominion.Brad. No, sauyng styll myne oth, it is not agaynst Gods woorde, but with it, beyng taken in such sense, as it may be wel taken: that is, attributyng to the kinges power the soueraignitie in all his dominion.

L. Chaunc. I pray you, where finde you that?

Brad. I finde it in many places, but specially in the. xiij. to the Romanes, where saint Paul writeth: MarginaliaRom. 13.Euery soule to be subiect to the Superiour power, but what power? Quæ gladium gestat:  

The power veryly whiche beareth the sworde, which is not the Spiritual, but the Temporal power. MarginaliaBishops Prophets, and Apostles, subiect to tēporall Magistrates.As Chrysostome ful wel noteth vpō the same place, which your honour knoweth better then I. He (Chrysostome I meane) there plainly sheweth, that Bishops, Prophets, & Apostles are obedient to the temporal magistrats.

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L. Chaunc. Here yet more the Lord Chauncelour was styrred, and sayd, howe that Bradford went about to deny all obedience to the Queene for his othe: and so (quoth he) this man would make Gods woorde a warrant of disobedience, for he wyll answeare the Queene on this sort, that when shee sayth, nowe sweare to the Bishop of Rome, or obey his authoritie: no (wyl he say) for I am forsworne, and so make the Queene no Queene.

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Brad. No, I goe not about to deny all obedience to the Queenes highnesse, but denying obedience in this part, if shee should demaund it.MarginaliaRefusing of the Popes obedience, being sworne agaynst hym, is no denying of obedience to the Queene. For I was sworne to kyng Edward, not simply, that is, not only concernyng his own person, but also concernyng his successors, and therefore in denying to doo the queenes request herein, I deny not her authoritie, nor become disobedient.

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L. Chanc. Yes that thou doest: and so he began to tel a long tale, how if a man shoulde make an oth to pay to me an hundred pounds by such a day, and the man to whom it was due would forgeue the det, the dettor would say, No, you can not doo it, for I am forsworne then.MarginaliaThe preposterous iudgment of Winchester, to care so litle for an othe to God, and so much for his vowe to the Pope.

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Brad. Here Bradford desired my Lord Chancelor not to trifle it,  

saying, that he wondred his honor would make solemne othes made to God, trifles in that sort: and make so great a matter concernyng vowes (as they cal it) made to the Bishop for Mariage of Priestes.

L. Chaunc. At these wordes the Lord Chauncelour was much offended, and sayd, he dyd not trifle: but (quoth he) thou goest about to deny obedience to the Queene, which nowe requireth obedience to the Bishop of Rome.

Brad. No, my Lorde, I doo not deny obedience to the queene, if you would discerne betweene Genus and Species.  

MarginaliaArgument A specie ad genus negatiue non valet.Because I may not obey in this: Ergo I may not obey in the other, is no good reason. As if a man let or sel a peece of his inheritance, yet this notwithstandyng, al his inheritance is not let or sold: and so in this case al obedience I deny not, because I deny obedience in this branch.

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L. Chaunc. I wyll none of these similitudes.

Brad. I woulde not vse them, if that you wente not about to perswade the people, that I meane that whiche I neuer meant: for I my selfe not onely meane obedience, but wyll geue ensample of all most humble obedience to the Queenes highnesse so long as she requireth not obedience agaynst God.

L. Chaunc. No, no, all men may see your meanyng well enough. There is no man though he be sworne to the kyng that doth therfore breake his othe, if he afterwards be sworne to the French king and to the Emperour.

Brad. It is true my Lorde: but the cases be not like.

For here is an exception: thou shalt not sweare to the Bishop of Rome at any tyme. If in like manner we were sworne: thou shalt not serue the Emperour. &c. you see there were some alteration and more doubt. But I beseeche your honor remember what ye your selfe haue written, answering þ^e obiections here against in your booke De vera obedientia: Vincat modo diuini verbi veritas.  

i. Let Gods word, and the reason therof beare the bell away.  

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L. Chaunc. Here the Lord Chauncelour was throughly moued, and sayd styll, how that Bradford had written seditious letters, and peruerted the people therby, MarginaliaWinchester pretendeth as though Bradford for feare durst not aunswere.and did stoutly stand, as though he would defend the erroneous doctrine in kyng Edwards tyme, agaynst al men: and now (quoth he) he sayth, he dare not aunswere.

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Brad. I haue written no seditious letters. I haue not peruerted the people, but that whiche I haue written and spoken, that wyll I neuer denye, by Gods grace. And where your Lordshyp saith that I dare not answere you: that all men may knowe I am not afrayde, sauyng mine othe, aske me what you wyl, and I wyl plainly make you answeare by Gods grace, although I now see my lyfe lyeth theron. But Oh Lord, into thy handes I commyt it: come what come wyll, onely sanctifie thy name in me, as in an instrument of thy grace. Amen. MarginaliaBradford ready to render a reason of his fayth.Now aske what you wyl, and you shal see I am not afrayd, by Gods grace, flatly to answeare.

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L. Chaunc. Well then, howe say you to the blessed Sacrament? Doo you not beleeue there Christ to be present concernyng his natural body?

Brad. My Lorde, I doo beleue that Christ is corporally present at and in the due administration of the sacrament.MarginaliaChrist present corporally in the Sacrament to fayth. By this worde (Corporally) I meane that Christ is there present corporally vnto fayth.

L. Chaunc. Vnto fayth? we must haue many mo words to make it more playne.

Brad. You shall so: but first geue me leaue to speake two wordes.

L. Chaunc. Speake on.

Brad. I haue bene nowe a yeare and almost three quarters in prison, and of al this tyme you neuer questioned with me hereabout, when I might haue spoken my conscience frankly without peryl: MarginaliaNote well the Popes way to bring men to fayth.but nowe haue you a lawe to hang vp and put to death, if a man answer freely, and not to your appetite: and so nowe you come to demaund this question. Ah my Lorde, Christe vsed not this way to bring men to fayth. No more dyd the Prophetes or Apostles. Remember what Bernard writeth to Eugenius the Pope: MarginaliaThe Popes iudging and condemning men for their fayth reproued by Bernarde.Apostolos lego stetisse iudicandos, sedisse iudicantes non lego. Hoc erit, illud fuit. &c.  

that is, I reade, that the Apostles stoode to be iudged, but I reade not, that they sate to iudge. This shal be: that was. &c.

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L. Chaunc. Here the Lorde Chauncelour was appalled, as it seemed, and sayde most gently, that he vsed not this meanes. MarginaliaWinchester blamed without a cause.It was not my doyng (quoth he) although some there be, that thinke this to be the best way. For I for my part haue bene chalenged for being too gentle oftentymes. Which thing the Bishop of London confirmed, and so dyd almost al the audience, that he had bene euer too myld and too gentle.

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Brad. At which words Bradford spake thus. My lord, I pray you stretch out your gentlenes, that I may feele it, for hitherto I neuer fealt it.

L. Chaunc. As soone as euer he had spoken thus, the lord Chancelor, belyke, thinking that Bradford would haue had mercy and pardon, saide that with al his hart, not onely he, but the Queenes highnes would stretch out mercy, if with them he would returne.

Brad. Returne my Lord? God saue me from that going backe: I meane it not so, but I meane, MarginaliaBradford three quarters of a yeare in the Tower kept from pen and inke.that I was three quarters of a yeare in the Tower: you forbad me paper, pen, and ynke, and neuer in all that tyme, nor sithens dyd I feele any gentlenesse from you. I haue rather hytherto found, as I looked for, extremitie. MarginaliaM. Bradford imprisoned not for matter they had, but for matter they would haue agaynst him.And I thanke God that I perceyue nowe you haue kept me in prison thus long, not for any matter you had, but for matter you woulde haue. Gods good wyl be done.

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Here was nowe diuers tellyng my Lorde it was dynner tyme. And so he rose vp, leauyng Bradford speakyng, and saying that in the after noone they would speake more with him. MarginaliaBradford kept in the Vestery till darke night.And so was he had into the Vestrie, and was there all that day tyll darke night, and so was conueyed againe to prison.

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In the meane tyme, about. iiij. of the clocke the same after noone, a gentleman called Maister Thomas Hussey of Lincolnshyre, whiche was once an officer in the Duke of Northfolkes house, dyd come into the Reuestry to enquire for one Stoning: and when it was aunswered hym by the vndermarshals officers of the Kynges Bench, that

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