Marginalia1555. Iuly.there was the law and the ceremonyes consented on by the whole people, confirmed with miracles, antiquitie, and continuall succession of Byshoppes from Aarons tyme vntill that present.MarginaliaAll this might be obiected agaynst Christ and his Apostles by the Scribes, and Pharisyes.

Chic. In good fayth M. Bradford, you make to much of the estate of the Church before Christes commyng.

Brad. Therin I do but as Peter teacheth 2. Pet. 2. & Paul very often. You would gladly haue your Church here very glorious, & as a most pleasāt Lady. But as Christ sayd: Beatus est quicunq; non fuerit offensus per me:  

So may his church say: Blessed are they that are not offended at me.

Yorke. Yea, you thinke that none is of the Church but such as suffer persecution.

Brad. What I thinke, God knoweth. I pray your grace iudge me by my wordes and speakyng, & marke that Paule sayth: Omnes qui. &c.  

All that will liue godly in Christ Iesu must suffer persecution. Sometymes Christes Church hath rest here: but MarginaliaThe church commonly not glorious in this world, but poore and persecuted.commonly it is not so, and specially towardes the end her forme wilbe more vnseemely.

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Yorke. But what say you to S. Augustine? where is your Church that hath the consent of people & nations?

MarginaliaConsent of the godly.Bradford. Euen all people and nations that be Gods people haue cōsented with me and I with them in the doctrine of fayth.

Yorke. Lo, ye go about to shift of all thynges.

Bradford. No my Lord: I meane simply, and so speake, God knoweth.

Yorke. Saint Austen doth here talke of MarginaliaSuccession from Peter.succession, euen frō Peters seate.

Brad. Yea, that seate then was nothyng so much corrupt as it is now.

Yorke. Well, you alwayes iudge the Church.

Bradford. No my Lord, MarginaliaChristes people may discerne the Church, though they iudge not the Church.Christes sheepe discerne Christes voyce, but they iudge it not: so they discerne the Churche, but iudge her not.

Yorke. Yes, that you do.

Bradford. No, and it lyke your grace: and yet full well may one not onely doubt, but iudge also of the Romish church: for she obeyeth not Christes voyce, as Christes true Church doth.

Yorke. Wherein.

MarginaliaThe church of Rome swarueth from the voyce of Christ, and wherein.Brad. In Latin seruice, and robbing the laytie of Christes cup in the Sacrament and in many other thyngs, in which it committeth the most horrible sacrilege.

Chic. Why? Latin seruice was in England when the pope was gone.

Brad. True: the tyme was in England when the Pope was away, but not all Popery: as in kyng Henries dayes.

MarginaliaLatin seruice defended.Yorke. Latin seruice was appoynted to be song and had in the Queere, where onely were Clerici, that is, such as vnderstode Latin, the people sittyng in the body of the Church praying their owne priuate prayers: and this may well be yet sene by makyng of the Chauncell and Queere, so as the people could not come in or heare them.  

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Brad. Yea, but both in Chrisostomes tyme, and also in the Latin Church in S. Ieromes tyme,  

MarginaliaAgaynst Latin seruice.all the Church (sayth hee) reboat, Amen. That is, aunswereth agayne mightly, Amen. Whereby we may see that the prayers were made so, that both the people heard them, and vnderstode them.

Chic. Ye are to blame to say that the Churche robbeth the people of the cup.

Bradford. Well my Lord, terme it as please you: all men know that the laytie hath none of it.

Chic. In deede I would wish the Churche would define agayne, that they might haue it, for my part.

Brad. If God make it free, who cā define to make it bōde?MarginaliaThe people robbed of the cuppe.

Yorke. Well Maister Bradford, we leese but labour, for ye seeke to put away all thynges whiche are told you to your good: your Church no man can know.

Brad. Yes, that ye may well.

Yorke. I pray you whereby?

Bradford. Forsooth Chrisostome sayth: MarginaliaThe church knowen onely by the scriptures. Chrisost. in oper. imperfect.Tantummodo per Scripturas,  

alonely by the Scriptures: and this speaketh he very often tymes, as ye well know.

Yorke. In deede that is of Chrysostome in opere imperfecto, which may bee doubted of. The thyng whereby the Church may be knowen best, is succession of Byshops.

Brad. No my Lord: Lyra full well writeth vpō Mathew, that MarginaliaLyra sup. Math.Ecclesia non consistit in hominibus ratione potestatis secularis aut Ecclesiasticæ, sed in hominibus in quibus est notitia vera, & confessio fidei & veritatis,  

That is: The Churche consisteth not in men by reason either of secular or temporall power: but in men indued with true knowledge, and confession of fayth, and of veritie.

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And in Hylarius time, you know hee writeth to Auxentius, MarginaliaHilarius ad Auxentium.that the Churche dyd rather delitescere in cauernis,  

then eminere in primarijs sedibus,   That is, was hydden rather in caues and holes, then dyd glister and shyne in

thrones of preeminence.

Then came one of their seruauntes and tolde them that my Lord of Duresme taried for them at Maister Yorkes house, and this was after that they had taryed three houres with Bradford. And after that theyr man was come, they put vp theyr wrytten bookes of common places,  

and sayd that they lamented his case: they willed him to reade ouer a booke, which dyd Doctor Crome good: and so wishyng him good in wordes, they went theyr way, and poore Bradford to his prison.

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MarginaliaThe comming of 2. Spanish friers to M. Bradford.After this communication with the Bishops ended, within two dayes following came into the Coūter. ij. Spanishe Friers to talke with maister Bradford, sent (as they sayd) by the Earle of Darby. Of whome the one was the kynges Confessor: the other was Alphonsus, who hadde before written a popish booke agaynst herisies,  

the effect of whiche their reasoning here lykewise followeth.  

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MarginaliaThe talke betwene certayne friers and Maister Bradford.VPon the. xxv. of February, about. viij. of the clocke in the mornyng, two Spanishe Friers came to the Counter where Bradford was prisoner: to whom Bradford was called. Then the one Frier, whiche was the kynges Confessor, asked in Latin (for all theyr talke was in Latin)  

of Bradford, whether he hadde not seene nor heard of one Alphonsus that had written against heresies?

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Brad. I do not know him.

Confes. Well this man (pointing to MarginaliaThis Alphonsus had written a booke before in lattin, agaynst heresies.Alphonsus) is he. Wee are come to you of loue and charitye, by the meanes of the Earle of Darby,  

because you desired to conferre with vs.

Brad. I neuer desired your commyng, nor to conferre with you, or anye other. But seyng you are come of charitye, as you say, I cannot but thanke you: and as touching conference, though I desire it not, yet I wyll not refuse to talke with you, if you will.

Alphon. It were requisite that you did praye vnto God, that ye might followe the direction of Gods spirite, that he would inspire you so that ye be not addict to your own selfe will or wyt.

MarginaliaBradford willed to pray, maketh his prayer.Brad. Whereupon Bradford made a prayer, and besought God to direct all theyr willes, wordes and workes, as the wills, wordes, and workes of his children for euer.

Alphon. Yea, you must pray w^t your hart. For if you speake but with tounge onely, God will not geue you his grace.

Brad. Syr, doe not iudge, lest ye be iudged. You haue heard my wordes, nowe charitye woulde haue you to leaue þ^e iudgement of the hart to God.

Alphon. You must be as it were a neuter, and not wedded to your selfe, but as one standyng in doubt: pray and bee ready to receiue what God shall enspire, for in vaine laboreth our toung to speake els.

Brad. Syr my sentence, if you meane it for Religion, must not be in a doubting or vncertaine,MarginaliaNo man ought to be in doubt of his religion. as I thanke God I am certaine in that for which I am condemned: I haue no cause to doubt of it, but rather to bee most certaine of it, and therfore I pray God to confirme mee more in it. For it is hys truth, and because it is so certaine and true that it maye abide the light, I dare be bolde to haue it looked on, and conferre it with you, or any man: in respect wherof I am both glad of your commyng, and thanke you for it.

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Alphon. What is the matter Wherof you were condemned? we know not.

MarginaliaThe cause why Maister Bradford was condemned.Brad. Sir I haue bene in prisō almost two yeares: I neuer transgressed any of their lawes wherefore I might Iustly bee prisoned, and now am I condēned only because I frankely confessed (wherof I repent not) my fayth concerning the sacrament, when I was demaunded in these ij. pointes: one that there is no transubstantiation: the other, that the wicked do not receiue Christes body.

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Alphon. Let vs looke a litle on the first. Do you not beleue that Christ is present really, and corporally in the forme of bread?

Brad. No, I do beleue that MarginaliaChrist present to the fayth of the worthy receauer.Christ is present to the fayth of the worthy receiuer, as there is present bread and wyne to the senses and outward man: as for any such presence of includyng and placyng Christ, I beleue not, nor dare beleue.

Alphon. I am sure you beleue Christes naturall body is circūscriptible. And here he made much a do of þ^e ij. natures of Christ, howe that the one is euery where, and the other is in his proper place, demaunding such questions, as no wyse man woulde haue spent any tyme about. At length, because the Frier had forgotten to conclude, Bradforde put him in minde of it, and thus then at length he concluded: MarginaliaA spanish Argument. Christes body is circumscriptible in heauen: Ergo Christes body is circumscriptible in the bread.how that because Christes bodye was circumscriptible concernyng the humane nature in heauen, therfore it was so in þ^e bread.

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Brad. How hangeth this together? Euen as if you shoulde