Marginalia1555. Iuly.Oh my Lord, what honor should it haue bene both to God and your selfe, and also edefication to all good people (though al worldly men and heretickes would therfore haue laught you to scorne) if you consideryng your great offences toward God, and his goodnes againe toward you, would like as you haue offended in the face of the world, to the damnation of many, likewise haue shewed your selfe penitent in the face of the world, to the edification of many, & not onely to haue celebrate for vanitie Pontificaliter, but also for a tyme to haue abstained for reuerence totaliter from the aultar, according to the olde custome of the churche. The which I haue also seene obserued of some honest men, not being therto enioyned of any man. But that which is past can not be called againe. And I thought it not my parte to leaue your Lordship mine old frend and maister in the myre. Wherfore I ceased not to solicite your cause with my lords Grace, tyl at the last I obteined of his Grace for your lordship MarginaliaPower to geue absolution graunted to the Bishop of Douer from the Cardinall.all the faculties, of the whiche I sende you a copie here inclosed, partly for your owne consolation, and partly for other, desiryng your Lordship so to vse them to the honour of God, that there come to me thereof no rebuke: not publishing them to any person, but to such that you knowe wyl gladly receiue them. For hetherto there is neuer a Bishop in Englande, who hath graunted him so great authoritie concerning those the which be vnder his cure. Onely M. Archdeacon hath the like, & in one thing more greater then be these your Lordships.  

Wherefore your Lordship shall doo well to remit vnto hym all suche Priestes as haue cure of soule, whether they be benificed men, or parishe priestes. For he hath not onely authority to absolue them as you haue, but also to geue thē authoritie to absolue such as be vnderneath their cures. And thus I commit your Lordship to the protection of almighty God. Written at Brussel the. xvi. of Iune. 1554.

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Your Lordships beadman  

Thomas Goldwel.

And thus muche concernyng the Bishop of Douer, by way of digression. Now to returne againe  

to the examinations of M. Bland, let vs heare his owne report of his answeres, as foloweth.

¶ Here foloweth mine answere, as nie as I can cal to remēbrance, euery woorde and sentence: yet if any that was present can helpe to perfect it, I would be glad. But yet this dare I say, that there is neuer one sentence, but it was openly spoken, the ninth of March, in the Chapter house of Crechurche, in the presence of as many as they had chosen, the Mayor of the Citie being called to be assistance and all other shut out.

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MarginaliaThe aunsweres of M. Bland to the clergy men.MAister Collins said: Maister Bland, ye knowe that ye are presented vnto vs, as one suspected of heresie. How say ye, be ye contented to reforme your selfe to the Lawes of the Realme, and of the holy church?

MarginaliaMaister Bland vniustly suspected of heresie, and more vniustly punished.Bland. I deny that I am suspected iustly of heresie: and that ye heard when I was presented, that I denyed the suspition to be iust, but to defend the vniust punishmēt that I haue suffered: neither can ye approue that any occasion hath bene geuen by me, wherby any man should suspect me therein. But if you haue any lawe or authoritie to proceede against me for any thing done for an whole yeare agoe and more, I wyl answere to it.

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Col. Ye were conuented before maister Archdeacon & me, and matter of heresie laid to your charge.

Bland. That matter was done and said an whole yeare agoe, and for that I haue bene in prison this yeare & more. If ye haue any thing against me by any lawe, I desire you to let me know the law and the matter, and I wyl answere accordyng to the lawe.

Then saide my Lorde Suffragan:  

but that I am one of the Iudges, I woulde ryse, and stande by thee, and accuse the to be a Sacramentarie, and bring witnesse to proue it: yea, and further, that thou hast called the masse an abominable Idole.

Bland. You (my Lorde) neuer hearde me say so: MarginaliaThe B of Douer once abhorred the Masse.But I heard you once say, that in your conscience ye had abhorred the Masse three yeares. Thou lyest (quoth he) I neuer sayde so.

Bland. My Lord, if they might be heard, I can bring witnes to approue it, with the day, tyme, and place: and I once did heare MarginaliaCollins the Cōmissary professed before the true doctrine of free Iustification by Christ.M. Collins at a Visitation in Wingam say, that Christ was a full satisfaction for all sinne present, past, and to come, contrary to that he saith now.

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And here we had more wordes of this matter, which I let passe for lacke of good remembrance.

Master Collins said, this is but a drift.  

You were better answere now: for els you shall to prison againe, and be called on monday, and haue articles laide to you, & if ye then answere not directly, ye shalbe condemned pro confesso,     and that wyl be woorse for you.

Bland. Sir, I doo not nowe, nor wyll not then denye to answeare to any thing that ye can laye to my charge by the lawe: wherfore I trust ye wyll let me haue the benefite of the Lawe.

Collins. This is the lawe, that if ye be required of your Ordinary, Reddere rationem fidei,  

  then may ye not deny it: And that we do nowe.

Bland. To that then I wyll aunsweare. MarginaliaM. Bland confesseth all the Articles of his CreedFor I beleeue in God the father almighty, maker of heauen & earth, and in Iesus Christe his onely sonne our Lorde, with all the other Articles of the same Creede:MarginaliaIf the fayth of the Sacrament be in the scripture and so necessary a thyng, why did not the Apostles then put it in the Creede, and make 13. Articles? If it be not in the scripture, nor yet put in the Creede, why then doth the Pope so extremely bind vs vnto it? And I beleeue all the Articles conteyned both in the Creede called the masse Creede, and in the Creede of Athanasius: And I doo beleue, that all the holy Scriptures, and al thinges therein conteyned, are most true.

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Collins. This wyll not serue you: ye must aunsweare to all suche Articles in all these, as shall be layde to you, or asked of you.

Bland. Let me know the law that is in that force (without any iuste cause of suspition proued againste me) and I wyll answeare.

Collins. How say ye, wyl ye answere?

Bland. Sir, I haue answered you. Haue him away, saide my Lord of Douer: he had better haue answered.

Bland. My Lord, I am ready to answeare if ye haue any thing against me by the lawe.

B. Douer. Ye haue preached many heresies in Adisham, where I am parson nowe: and therfore ye must make answere to them.

Bland. Lay them to my charge by the law, and I wyl answere them, if ye can approue that I am bound to answere to that was done a yere & more ago:  

for if ye may do that, ye may also lay to my charge, and compell me to answere to all thinges done in al my life, I trowe.

Collins. It is not a yeare ago since ye were before M Archdeacon and me.

Bland. It is truth: it is a yeare and tenne weekes since the wordes were spoken: and I haue bene a prisoner euer since, and MarginaliaM. Bland appeared at v. Sessions, and could not haue his cause tryed.haue bene at fiue Sessions, and neuer coulde haue any cause tryed. Me thinke your charities should thinke it punishment enough, if I had bene giltie.

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Collins. All this wyll not serue you: you muste needes aunsweare, and it wyll be better for you to aunsweare now, then an other tyme. Wyll ye refourme your selfe, and goe to the Churche, and woorship Christe in the blessed Sacrament of the Aultar, and be obedient vnto all the queenes Lawes?

Bland. I pray you, wherfore am I brought hither?

MarginaliaM. Bland called before the spirituall iudges not for any matter they had but that they would haue agaynst hym.Collins. To answeare to such thinges as are demaunded of you.

Bland. Sir, I thought ye had had some matters against me by the law.

Collins. Wel, on monday at. ix. of the clocke ye shal see the law and haue articles laid vnto you.

Then they had spyed Maister Cockes the Lawyer, and called hym in, and saide: Here is a Lawyer can tel you are bounde by the law to aunsweare: and he saide, as they had saide.

Collins. Doo ye not beleue that after the consecration of the blessed Sacrament of the aultar there remayneth no substance of bread, but the substance of Iesus Christe both God and man.

Bland. Maister Commissary, I know not by any lawe, why ye shoulde aske me that question, more then any other man here. And after a litle talke, my Lord of Douer asked me this question: Doest thou not beleue after the consecration, that it is the body of Christ? MarginaliaM. Bland denieth the realtie of Christes presence in the Sacrament.And I said, No, I doo not so beleue: for the scriptures do not teach me, that there should remaine the fleshe of Christ, to eate as a man should eate mans flesh?

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Then maister Glasier saide, that was the opinion of the Capernaites:  

MarginaliaThe Capernaites tooke Christ to speake literally of his body, and so do the Papistes, and not the Protestantes. there is no man here of that opinion, and spake long of cutting of Christes body, as men cut fleshe in the Shambles.  

Then Maister Doctor Faucet said: Maister Bland, for as muche as you and I were brought vp both in one house, and borne both in one Parishe, I would be as glad as any man aliue, to do you good: but ye maye not thus stand against the Church. For Christ saith: ye must humble your selfe, and take vp his Crosse, and folowe hym. And to humble your selfe in this place, is to be content, and not

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