1576 Edition | Book 11 | Page 1606 
CloseWhat follows is a continuation of Bland's letter to his father; the heading was added by Foxe in the 1570 edition.
MarginaliaThe second appearance of M. Bland.THe. 21. day of May I appeared in the Chapter house,
CloseI.e., the chapter house of Canterbury cathedral. This is taking place in May 1554; the heresy law would not be in force for another eight months and this is still an unofficial examination of Bland on charges of heresy.
CloseWord apparently circulated that Harpsfield and Bland would engage in a public disputation; Bland is denying that he started the rumour or knew anything about it.
MarginaliaThe aunswere of M. Bland to M Harpesfieldes wordes.Bland. I do protest before God & you al, that neither is my conscience gilty of any error or heresie, neither that I euer taught any error or heresie willingly. And where your mastership sayth, that I haue fained an open disputation with you, it is not true, as I can thus approue: Vpō saterday I was at Vgdens, & there M. Binghā laid it to my charge, that such an open disputation as ye haue here offered, should be this day betwene you & me: wherat I much marueiled, and said to him, that before that present I neuer hearde any such word, neither would I answere nor dispute: MarginaliaM. Bland cleareth him selfe of the false report of M. Harpesfield.& to this can master Vaghan, master Oxenden, master Seth of Ouerland, and master Vgden witnesse:and further I said to them, that I neuer spake to you of any disputation, nor you to me. Now if your mastership haue any thing to say to me by the lawe, I wyl make answere to it.
[Back to Top]Harps. Heare ye what he saith? his conscience is cleare. I pray thee wheron groundest thou thy conscience? let me heare what thy faith is.
Bland. I know not why ye should more aske me a reason of my faith, then any other man in this open audience?
Harps. Why thou heretike, art thou ashamed of thy faith? if it were a christē beliefe, thou needest not to be ashamed of it.
Bland. I am not ashamed of my faith. MarginaliaTo beleue the 12. articles of our christian fayth neuer so well it will not suffice the Papistes.For I beleeue in God the father almighty, maker of heauen & earth, and in Iesus Christe his only sonne our Lord. &c. with all the other articles of the Creede: and I do beleue al the holy scriptures of God to be most certaine and true.
[Back to Top]Harps. Wilt thou declare no more then this?
Bland. No.
MarginaliaThe Popish fayth of Doctour Harpsfield.Harps. Wel, I will tel thee wheron I ground my faith. I do beleue & ground my faith & conscience vpon all the articles of the Crede, & vpon al the holy scriptures, sacraments, and holy doctors of the church, and vpō all the generall Councels that euer were since the apostles time. Lo hereupon groūd I my faith: with many wordes moe, which I wel remember not. And when he coulde get no other answere of me, thē I had said before, he called for a Scribe to make an act against me. And after much cōmunication, I said: by what law and authoritie will you proceede against me? M. Collins said: By the Canon law.
[Back to Top]Bland. I doubt whether it be in strength, or no.
CloseA good point; the canon law was largely made up of decretals, which depended for their authority on the pope. With the repudiation of the papacy, the canon law lost its authority (which is why the study was forbidden in 1535). Logically a new set of canons should have been drawn up in the king's name, but Cranmer's attempt to do that failed in 1552/53, and it did not eventually happen until 1604. However, because a system of church law was needed, the old law (with all references to the pope deleted) continued in use for routine purposes. When the pope's jurisdiction was restored in January 1555, the canon law had only such jurisdiction as the queen chose to give it, and she did not reactivate it because of her intention to seek reconciliation.
[Back to Top]Harps. Why thou heretike, thou wilt not confesse thy faith to me, that haue authoritie to demaund it of thee, and yet I haue confessed my faith to thee before al this audience. As cōcerning the blessed sacramēt of the altar, thou hast taught, that after the consecration , it is bread and wine, and not the body and bloud of our saueour Iesus Christ. Howe sayest thou? hast thou not thus taught?
[Back to Top]Bland. Syr, as concernyng this matter of the Sacrament, when I was with you and maister Collins, MarginaliaThe Papistes euer false of promise.ye said then it was for other matters that I shoulde come hyther for: and further, that ye woulde be content, at my desire, to conferre scriptures with me, to see if ye coulde wynne me: and ye said, ye would borowe my Lord of Douers Librarie, that I should haue what booke I would: and now ye require me thus to answer, contrary to your promise, ere any conference be had, & seeke rather to bring me into trouble, then to wynne me.
[Back to Top]Harps. I wyll, as God shall helpe me, do the best to thee that I can, if thou wylt be any thing conformable: and I trust to dissolue all thy doubtes, if thou be willyng to heare.
And I also wyl desire these two worshipful men, my Lord of Douer, and maister Collins to heare vs.
Bland. No, ye shall pardon me of that: there shalbe no such witnes. But when we agree, set to our hands. Hereat made the people a noise against me, for refusing the witnes: and here had we many moe woordes, then I can rehearse. But at the last I said: sir, wyll ye geue me leue to aske you one question? And he said, yea with all my hart. For in that thou askest any thing, there is some hope that thou mayest be wonne.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaM. Blandes question to Doctour Harpesfield.Bland. Syr, when it pleased almighty God to sende his aungell vnto þe virgin Mary to salute her, & said: Haile ful of grace. &c. came any substance from God our father into the virgins wombe, to become man? whereat, as well M. Archdeacon, as my Lorde of Douer, and maister Collins staied.
CloseHesitated.
CloseBishop Thornden of Dover.
CloseCyriac Petit had been one of the leaders of the Prebendaries' Plot which sought to destroy Thomas Cranmer; the plotters had had Bland charged with heresy in 1543. It is not surprising that Petit was anxious to settle old accounts; what is startling, and very revealing, is that Petit, who was not a cleric, was taking such an active role in a heresy trial.
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CloseVirtus altissimi obumbrauit
Not translated.
[Who is Siriac Peters?]
Closegenitus fuit ex substantia patris:
Not translated.
he was born of the substance of the father.
Harps. Harke said M. Archdeacon: heare ye this hereticke? Hee thinkes it an absurditie to graunt al the quantities of Christes natural body to be in the sacrament. But it is no absurditie. For euen that naturall body that was borne of the virgin Marie, is glorified, and that same body is in the sacrament after the consecration. But perceiue ye not þe arrogancie of this hereticke, that wil put me to answeare hym, and he wil not answeare me? he thought to put me to a pinche with his question: for I tell you it is a learned question.
[Back to Top]Bland. Sir, if ye be so muche discontented with me, I wyll say no more: yet I woulde all men hearde, that ye say the glorified body of Christ is in the sacrament, after the cōsecration.
Harps. I may call thee grosse ignoraunt. Thou grosse ignorant, MarginaliaHow can the glorified body be in the Sacrament, when the Sacrament was geuen before the body was crucified, and it was crucified before it was glorifiedis not that same body glorified, that was borne of the virgin Mary? is it then any absurditie, to graunt that to be in the sacrament? And whiles he spake many other wordes, I said to maister Petit,
CloseCyriac Petit had been one of the leaders of the Prebendaries' Plot which sought to destroy Thomas Cranmer; the plotters had had Bland charged with heresy in 1543. It is not surprising that Petit was anxious to settle old accounts; what is startling, and very revealing, is that Petit, who was not a cleric, was taking such an active role in a heresy trial.
[Back to Top]Harps. Thou art without all learnyng. Was not Christes body geuen to his Apostles, as in a glorified acte?MarginaliaThe body vnglorified was geuen in the Sacrament, in a glorified act, quoth Harpsfielde. and yet no inconuenience, although his naturall body was not crucified: for whē he was borne of the virgin Mary without paine, was not that the acte of a glorified bodye? And when he walked on the water, & when he came into the house to his apostles, the doores being shut fast, were not these actes of a glorified body?
[Back to Top]Douer. Then my Lord of Douer helped hym to a better place, and said: when Christe was in Mount Thabor, he was there glorified in his apostles sight.
Harps. Ye say truth, my lord, he was glorified in the sight of three of his apostles.
Bland. This me thinke is newe doctrine.
Harps. Well, seeyng he wyll by no other way be reformed, let the people come in and proue these matters agaynste hym. And therewithe the Archdeacon brought foorth a copie of the Byl of complaint that was put against me at Christmas:MarginaliaD. Harpesfield reuiueth the bill of complaint agaynst M. Bland. and about that we talked a litle. And then Maister Archdeacon rose vp, and sayde: see yee good people, that knowe this matter, that ye come in, and proue it agaynste hym. Whereunto aunsweared Thomas Austen: I praye you (saide he) let vs bee no more troubled with hym. And then spake Iohn Austen, and Heath with one eye, and beganne to accuse me: but no answeare they could haue of me, but doo to me what ye can by the law, and I will answeare it. Then sayd Thomas Austen, MarginaliaThomas Austen chargeth Maister Bland with an other vntruth.Bland, ye were once abiured.
[Back to Top]Bland. Ye say not truely, good man Austen, I was neuer abiured. Either, saide he, ye were abiured, or els ye had the kinges pardon.
CloseAusten is referring to Bland having been indicted for heresy in 1543 during the Prebendaries' Plot. But the case against Bland collapsed when Henry VIII supported Cranmer, and Bland was never tried and thus never forced to recant or in need of a pardon.
CloseBabbling, prattling [OED].
CloseAs will appear later in the text, Bland has to make another appearance in the secular courts, as the charges against him in that jurisdiction had not yet been dropped.