Marginalia1555. Iuly.the good and damnation to the wicked,MarginaliaBland speaketh of the right institution of the Sacrament of the Lords supper. I speake of the bread & wyne, affirmyng them to be bread & wyne after the consecration, as yonder Masse booke doth, saying: Panem sanctū vitæ æternæ, et calicem salutis perpetuæ &c.  

Holy bread of eternal life, and the cup of perpetual saluatiō. So that like as our bodyly mouthes eate the sacramental bread & wine, so dooth the mouth of our soules (whiche is our fayth) eate Christes fleshe & bloud. And when I had made an ende of that, MarginaliaHe speaketh of the abuse of the sacrament in the Masse.I spake of the misuse of the sacrament in the masse: so that I iudged it in that vse no sacrament, and shewed how Christ bad vs al eate & drinke: and one onely in the Masse eateth & drinketh, & the rest kneele, knocke, and worship: and after these thinges ended, as briefly as I could, MarginaliaHe declareth how the Masse was patched and peeced together, and by what Popes.I spake of the benefactours of the masse, & began to declare what men made the Masse, and recited euery mans name, & the pache that he put to the masse:   and ere I had rehearsed them al, the Churchwarden and the Bosholder   his sonne in lawe violently came vpon me, and tooke my booke from me, and pulled me down, and thrust me into the Chauncel, with an exceeding rore and crye. MarginaliaM. Bland violently plucked downe in his sermon by the Church Warden.Some cryed, Thou heretike: some, thou traytour: some, thou rebel: and when euery man had said his pleasure, and the rage was somethyng past: be quiete, good neighbours, said I, and let me speake to you quietly. If I haue offended any lawe, I wyl make aunswere before them that are in authoritie to correct me. But they would not heare me, and pulled, one on this side, & an other on that, and began agayne.

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Then Richarde Austen saide: peace Maisters, no more tyl Masse be done: and they ceased. Then sayd I to the Churchwarden and the Bosholder, eyther holding mee by the arme: Maisters, let me goe into the Church yarde tyll your Masse be done. No, quoth the Churchwarden, thou shalt tarry here tyll Masse be done. I wyll not, quoth I, but against my wyll. And they said: thou shalt tary, for if thou go out, thou wylt run away. Then sayd I to the Bosholder: Lay me in the stockes, & then ye shal be sure of me, & turned my backe to the altar. By that tyme Richard Austine had deuised what to doo with me, and called to the Bosholder & the Churchwarden, & bade them put me into a side Chappell, and shut the doore to me, & there they made me tarry tyll masse was ended.MarginaliaM. Bland thrust in a side Chappel til the Masse was done. Whē the Masse was ended, they came into the chappel to me, and searched what I had about me, and found a daggar, and tooke it from me.MarginaliaM. Blandes dagger taken from hym. Then said Thomas Austen churchwardē, after many brablings  

that they made with me: Thou keepest a wife here amongst vs against Gods law and the Queenes. Ye lye, good man Austen, said I: it is not against Gods lawe, nor, as I suppose, against the Queenes.

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Thus they brought me out of the church, and without the doore they rayled on me, without pity or mercy: but anon the priest came out of the Churche, and Ramsy that of late was Clarke, said vnto hym: Sir, where dwell you? MarginaliaRamsey apprehended by Thomas Austen.And therwith Thomas Austen tooke him by the arme and said: Comeon sirha, you are of his opinion, and tooke his daggar from him, & said, he should go with hym. I am content, said he, and a litle mocked them in their enuious talke. By this tyme there came in at the Church style one MarginaliaIohn. Gray of Wingham troubled for a word speaking.Iohn Gray of Wingham, seruaunt to Iohn Smith, and seeing them holde Ramsy by the armes, said to him: how now Ramsy, haue you offended the Queenes lawes? No, quoth he. Then there is no transgression. Therewith Thomas Austen tooke hym, and said: ye are one of their opiniō, ye shal go with them for company, and tooke his daggar from hym, & then demaunded what he dyd there. But after (I thinke) for very shame they let hym go againe. MarginaliaM. Bland and Ramsy caryed to Caunterbury.But they caried me and Ramsy to Canterbury, with. xviij. persons weaponed. A sheete of paper wyll not holde the talke that we had that night with MarginaliaM. Hardes Iustice. M. Oxenden Iustice. M. Spilman M. Tutsam gentlemen against Bland.M. Hardes Iustice, M. Oxenden, M. Spilman, and M. Tutsam.

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The next day they made a Byll againste me, but it serued not their purpose: which was, that they woulde haue had me to prisō.  

But MarginaliaIames Chapman and Bartlemew Ioyes, Suerties for Maister Bland.Iames Chapman and Bartholmewe Ioyes were bounde in twentie poundes eyther of them for myne appearaunce at the next generall Sessions, or in the meane tyme to appeare, if I were sent for, before the Queenes Maiesties Counsayle, or any other Commissioners sent by the Queenes authoritie. And Ramsy was bound to the peace, and to be of good behaueour tyl the next Sessions. His sureties wer MarginaliaHogeking and Symon Barrat Suertyes for Ramsy.Thomas Hogeking, and Simon Barrat.

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Now the. 23. or. 24. of February, sir Thomas Finch knight, and M. Hardes sent for me and my sureties to M. Finches place, MarginaliaM. Bland taken from his Suerties.and tooke me from my sureties, and sent me to the Castle of Canterbury, by MarginaliaSyr Thomas Moyles cōmaundeth M Bland to Caunterbury castle.sir Thomas Moyles commaundement  

(they said) where I lay ten weekes, & then was bayled, and bound to appere at the next Sessions holden at Canterbury: but after they changed it to be at Ashford on the Thursday in Whitson weeke, being the. xix. of

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May: but in the meane tyme the matter was exhibited to the spiritual court.  

THe. xviij. day of May, M. Harpsfielde Archdeacon of Canterbury made the Mayors Sergeant to bring me before him and M. Collins Comissarye, into Christes Church,and they went with me into a chamber in the Suffragan of Douers house. Thē the Archdeacon said: art thou a priest? And I said, I was one. And he sayd: art thou any graduate of any Vniuersitie? And I said, Yea. What degree (said he) hast thou taken? The degree, quoth I, of MarginaliaM. Bland M. of Art of Cambridge.a master of Arte. The more pitie, quoth he, that thou shouldest behaue thy selfe as thou haste done. Thou haste bene a common preacher licenced, hast thou not? And I sayde, I haue bene so. Mary, quoth he, so I vnderstand.

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What hast thou preached?

And I said, Gods woorde, to the edifying (I trust) of his people.

No, no, quoth he, to the destroying of their soules and thine both, except the mercy of God be al the greater. I pray thee, what hast thou preached? tel me.

I told you, quoth I, what I haue preached.

Nay, but tell me, quoth hee, what one matter hast thou preached, to the edifying of the people, as thou sayest? I wyl tel you no particular matter: for I perceiue you would haue some matter against me.  

No by my fayth, quoth he, but þ^t onely I would wyn thee from heresies that thou art bewrapt in, and hast infected other withall. MarginaliaNote how these Papistes seeke for matter, to sucke the bloud of poore men.For thou hast preached, as I am informed, that the blessed Sacrament of the Aultar is not the very body and bloud of Iesus Christe after the consecration. Tell me, hast thou not thus preached? and is not this thyne opinion?

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Sir, quoth I, I perceyue (as I sayde) that ye seeke matter againste me. But seeyng that I am bounde in the Sessions to my good behaueour, for preaching, which may be broken with wordes, and wel I know not with what wordes: and also both myne authoritie to preach, and my liuing are taken from me, I thinke I am not bound to make you an answeare.

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Collins. Maister Bland, do you not remember, that S. Peter biddeth you make answeare to euery man that asketh you a reason of the fayth that is in you?

Bland. I know that, & am content so to answere as that text byddeth: MarginaliaA man not bound to aunswere such as aske of purpose to bring him into trouble.but I knowe that maister Archdeacon doth not aske me after that manner, but rather to bring me into trouble. Then they said, No: ye shal not be troubled for any thing that ye say here.

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MarginaliaM. bland vpon promise talketh with them of the Sacrament.Bland. I am content for knowledge sake to cōmone with you in any matter, but not otherwise. And so they fel in reasonyng more then the space of an houre, of the sacrament, both agaynst me. At the last M. Collins sayd: M. Bland wyl ye come, and take in hand to answeare such matter on monday next, as shall be layd to you?

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Bland. Sir, MarginaliaMarke what fidelitie is in the promise of these men.ye said I should not be troubled for any thing that should be said here for learnyngs sake. And they sayd, Ye shal not, but it is for other matters.

Bland. Sir, I am bounde to appeare, as some tell me, on Thursday next, at Ashford. I am in doubt whether I am or no: yet I haue purposed to be there, & so to go to London to M. Wiseman, for an Obligatiō that he hath, wherby I should receaue certaine mony to pay my dettes withall. Then sayd M. Archdeacon: I wyl write to M. Wiseman that ye shal susteyne no losse.

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Bland. That shall not neede: for I can susteyne no great losse, if I goe not. But I pray you to let me haue a longer day.  

No, quoth he.

Bland. Sir, I can not wel come on monday.

MarginaliaM. Bland warned to appeare agayne before them.Harps. Wilt thou not come, when he so gently speaketh to thee, where he may commaund thee?

Bland. I doe not deny to come, but I desyre a longer day.

Harps. *Marginalia* Note here the extreame dealing of these pretensed Catholickes. Thou shall haue no other day: I charge thee to come on monday.

Bland. Sir, I perceyue it shall be for this, or like matters. Wyl it please you, or maister Collins, for Gods sake to conferre scriptures priuately  

with me in this matter, seeing ye say ye would so gladly wyn me?

Harps. With all my hart wyl I take the paynes, & I wyll also borow my Lord of Douers Lybrarye,  

to haue what bookes thou wylt, and thus they departed.

Now the. xvij. of May, at Ashford I could not be released, although I was called to the spiritual Court for the same matter, but was bounde to appeare at the Sessions holden at Crambroke, the third day of Iuly.