not the holy ghost, it is writtē in the. viij. of the Actes, that Simon receyued water, but would haue receyued the holy ghost for money. MarginaliaThe holy ghost receaued of some before BaptismeAlso that the holy ghost hath come before Baptisme, it is written that Iohn had the holy ghost in his mothers wombe. MarginaliaQ. Mary. An. 1555. August.Cornelius, Paul, and the Queene of Candace seruaunt, with many other receyued the holy ghost before Baptisme. Yea, and although your generation haue set at nought the woord of God, and like swine turned his wordes vpside down, yet must his Church keepe the same in order that he leaft them, which his Churche dare not breake: and to iudge children damned that be not baptised, it is wicked.

Mord. By our Lady sir, but I beleue that if my childe dye without water, he is damned.

Boner. Yea, and so do I, and al Catholike men, good M. Mordant.

Smith. Wel, my Lord, such Catholike, such saluation.

Boner. Well Syr, what say you to the Sacramente of Orders?

MarginaliaThe Sacrament of orders.Smith. Ye may call it the sacrament of misorders: for al orders are appoynted of God. But as for your shauyng, annoynting, greasing, polyng, and roundyng, there are no such thinges appoynted in Gods booke, and therfore I haue nothing to doo to beleue your orders. And as for you, my lord, if ye had grace or intelligence, ye would not so disfigure your selfe as ye do.

MarginaliaBoner shaueth him selfe in anger of Robert Smyth.Boner. Sayest thou so? now by my troth and I wyll go shaue my selfe to anger thee withal: and so sent for his barber, which immediatly came. And before my face at þ^e doore of the next chamber he shaued hym selfe, desiring me before he went, to answere to these articles.

Boner. What say you to MarginaliaHoly bread. Holy water. Annoynting.the holy bread and holy water, to the sacrament of annoynting, and to al the rest of such ceremonies of the church?

Smith. I saye, they be bables for fooles to play withall, and not for the children of God to exercise themselues in: and therefore they may goe among the refuse. Then went away Maister Mordant, and my Lorde wente to shauing, leauyng there certayne Doctours, as he called them, to assay what they coulde doo, of whom I was bayted for halfe an houre: of whom I also asked this question: MarginaliaTalke betwene Rob. Smith and the Doctours.Where were all you in the dayes of Kyng Edward, that ye spake not that which ye speake now?

Doct. We were in England.

Smith. Yea, but then ye had the faces of men, but now ye haue put on Lyons faces againe, as saith s. Iohn: Ye shew your selues now as ful of malice as ye may be. For ye haue for euery tyme a viser: yea and if an other king Edw. should arise, ye woulde then say, Downe with the Pope, for hee is Antichrist, and so are all his angels.

Then was I all to reuiled, and so sent away, & brought in again to come before these men: and one of them that baited me before, asked me if I disobeyed confession?

Smith. To whom I answered: Looke in myne articles, and they shal shewe you what I allow.

Doct. Your articles confesse that you allow not auricular confession.

Smith. I allowe it not because the woord alloweth it not, nor commaundeth it.MarginaliaAgaynst auricular confession.

Doct. Why, it is written, thou shalt not hide thy sinnes & offences.

Smith. No more doo I when I confesse them to almighty God.

Doct. Why, ye can not say, that ye can hide them frō God, and therfore ye must vnderstand the woordes are spoken to be vttered to them that do not know them.

Smith. Ye haue made a good aunsweare: then must the Priest confesse hym selfe to me, as I to hym. For I know his faultes and secretes no more then he knoweth myne. But if ye confesse you to the Priest, and not vnto God, ye shal haue the reward that Iudas had: for he confessed hym selfe to the priest, and yet went and hanged hym selfe by and by:  

Commentary     Close

Smith is basing this claim on Matthew 27:3-5. It is, however, quite a stretch (and an anachronism) to maintain that Judas confessed to the priests.

Doct. What dyd they that came to Iohn to be baptised?

Smith. They came and confessed theyr sinnes vnto almighty God.

Doct. And not vnto Iohn?

Smith. If it were vnto Iohn, as ye are not able to proue, yet was it to God before Iohn, and the whole Congregation.MarginaliaConfessing vnto Iohn in the wildernes, was not to him, but before him to God.

Doct. Why, Iohn was alone in the wildernes.

Smith. Why, and yet the scriptures say he had many Disciples, and that many Pharisees and Saduces came to his Baptisme. Here the scriptures and you agree not. And if they confessed them selues to Iohn, as ye say, it was to all the Congregation, as saint Paul doth to Timothie, and to all that read his Epistle, in openyng to all the hearers,

that he was not woorthy to be called an Apostle, because he had bene a Tyrant. But as for eare confession, ye neuer hearde it allowed by the woorde. For the Prophet Dauid maketh his confession vnto God, and saith: I wil cōfesse my sinnes vnto the Lorde. Daniel maketh his confession vnto the Lorde: Iudith, Toby, Ieremie, Manasses, with all the forefathers dyd euen so. For the Lorde hath sayde: Call vppon me in the tyme of trouble, and I wyll deliuer thee. Knocke, aske, seeke, with suche like, and this is the worde of God. Now bring somewhat of the word to helpe your selfe withal. Then they raged and called me dogge, & said I was damned.

Smith. Nay, ye are dogges, that for because holy thinges are offered, you wyll slaye your frendes. For I maye say with saint Paul: I haue fough with beastes in the likenes of men. For here I haue bene bayted these two dayes, of my Lorde and his great Bulles of Basan, and in his Hall beneath haue I bene bayted of the rest of his bande. With this came my Lorde from shauyng, and asked me howe I lyked hym?

Smith. Forsooth, ye are euen as wise as ye were before ye were shauen.

Boner. How standeth it, maister Doctours, haue ye done any good?

Doct. No by my troth my Lord, we can do no good.

Smith. Then is it fulfilled which is written: How can an euyl tree bring forth good fruite?

Boner. Nay, naughty felowe, I set these Gentlemen to bring thee home to Christ.

Smith. Such Gentlemen, such Christes: and as truely as they haue that name from Christe, so truely doo they teach Christ.

Boner. Wel, wylt thou neither heare them nor me?

Smith. Yes I am compelled to heare you: but ye can not compel me to folow you.

Boner. Wel, thou shalt be burned at a stake in Smithfield if thou wylt not turne.

MarginaliaThe merueylous bouldnes of Rob. Smith geuen him of God against Christes enemies.Smith. And ye shal burne in hel, if ye repent not: but my Lord, to put you out of doubt, because I am weery, I wyll straine curtesie with you. I perceiue ye wyl not with your Doctors come vnto me, and I am not determined to come vnto you, by Gods grace. For I haue hardened my face against you as hard as brasse. Then after many railing sentences I was sent away. And thus haue I leaft þ^e truth of myne answeares in writing (gentle Reader) being compelled by my frendes to do it: that ye may see how the Lord hath, according to his promise, geuen me a mouth and wisedome for to answere in his cause, for which I am condemned, and my cause not heard.

MarginaliaThe last examination of Robert Smith before Byshop Boner with his condemnation in the Consistorye.THe. xij. of Iuly I was with my brethren brought into the Consistory, and myne Articles read before my Lorde Maior and the Sheriffes, with al the assistances: to which I answered, as foloweth.

Boner. By my faith, my Lord Maior, I haue shewed him as much fauor as any man liuyng might do: but I perceiue al is lost, both in hym and al his company.

Smith. At this word which he coupled with an othe, came I in, and taking hym with the maner, said: my Lord, it is written: Ye must not sweare.

Boner. Ah maister controller, are ye come? Loe my Lord Maior, this is Maister Speaker, poynting to my brother Tankerfielde, and this is maister Controller, pointing to me. And then beginnyng to read my articles, he perseuered tyl he came at my tale of the Gentleman of Northfolke, and then demaunded of my Lord Maior, if he heard of the same before. To which he answeared, no. To whom I aunsweared.

Smith.. My Lorde Maior, shall it please you to heare me to recite it, as I heard it & told it, and then shal you heare þ^e truth. For this tale that my Lord hath told, is vntrue.

Boner. How say you good M. Mordant, spake he not this that is here, as it is written? were ye not by?

Mord. Yes my Lord, that it is: I heard hym say it.

Smith. How heard ye me say it, and were not present whē I spake it?MarginaliaSyr Iohn Mordant came in after thys story was told. shoulde such a man make a lye? it is manifestly proued that the Prophet saith: Euen as the king saith, so saith the Iudge, that he may doo him a pleasure againe. And so was brought out my Gayler for tryall thereof, who there openly professed, that neither master Mordant nor the Doctors before mentioned were present when I spake it. At whiche M. Mordant with blushing cheekes, said, he heard them read, and heard me affirme the same, which was also not true. Then proceeded my lord with the rest of mine articles, demaunding of me, if I saide not as was written. To which I answeared, No, MarginaliaThe words of Robert Smith to the Lord Mayor.and turnyng to my Lorde