MarginaliaAnno. 1555. October.dynges at Westminster,  

to receiue: and yet when your table was constituted, you could neuer be content, in placyng þ^e same nowe East, now North, now one way, now an other, vntill it pleased God of his goodnes to place it cleane out of the Church.

Rid. Your Lordships vnreuerent termes do not eleuate the thing. Perhaps some mē came more deuoutlie from puddings thē other mē now do frō other things.

Linc. As for that, M. Ridley, you ought to be iudge of no man: but by this your reasonyng you cause vs to stretch and enlarge our instructions. Wee came not to reason, but to take your determinate aunsweres to our Articles: MarginaliaThe Articles red again to M. Ridley.and eftsoones  

he red the ffrste Article in maner aboue specified.

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Now M. Ridley, what saie you to the first Article? if you haue brought your aunswere in writyng, wee will receiue it: but if you haue written any other matter, we will not receiue it.

Rid. Then M. Ridley tooke a sheete of paper out of his bosome, and began to read that which he had written: but the B.of Lincolne commaunded the Bedle to take it from hym. But he desired licence to read it, saying, that it was nothing but his aunswere, MarginaliaB. Ridley not suffered to read his owne aunswere.but the Bishop would in no wise suffer hym.

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Rid. Why my Lord, will you require myne aunswer, and not suffer mee to publishe it?MarginaliaNote extreme dealing of these catholike men. I beseeche you my Lordes, let the audience beare witnes in this matter. Your Lordships may handle it at your pleasures: therfore let the audience be witnes to your doynges.

Linc. Well M. Ridley, wee will firste see what you haue written, and then if we shall thinke it good to bee red, you shall haue it published: but except you will deliuer it first, we will take none at all of you.

With that M. Ridley seyng no remedy, deliuered it to an Officer, which immediatly deliuered it to the Bishop of Lincolne, who after hee had secretly communicated it to the other two bishops, declared the sense, but would not reade it as it was written, saying, that it cōteined words of blasphemie: MarginaliaThe deputies durst not read out the writing of Bishop Ridley.therefore he would not fill the eares of the audience therwithall and so abuse their pacience: notwithstanding M. Ridley desired very instantly to haue it published, saiyng that except a line or two, there was nothing conteined but the aunciēt Doctors saiynges for the confirmation of his assertions.

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After the said Bishops had secretly vewed þ^e whole, then the Bishop of Lincolne said: In the first part M. Ridley, is nothyng contained but youre protestation, that you would not haue these your aunsweres so to be taken, as though you seemed thereby to consent to the authoritie or iurisdiction of the Popes holines.

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Rid. No my Lorde, I praie you reade it out that the audience may heare it: but the Bishoppe of Lincolne would in no wise, because (he said) there were conteined wordes of blasphemy.

MarginaliaTo the first Article.Then the Bishop of Lincolne recited the firste Article, and required M. Ridleys aunswere to it. Then M. Ridley said, that his aūswere was there in writing, and desired that it might be published: but the Bishop would not read the whole, but here and there a peece of it. So the Notaries tooke his aunswere, that he referred him to his aunswere in writyng exhibited now, and also before at the tyme of disputation, M. Doct. Weston beyng prolocutor.

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MarginaliaTo the second Article.In likewise the Bishop of Lincolne recited the second article, and required an aunswere, and M. Ridley referred him to his aunswer in writing, exhibyted now, and also before at the tyme of disputatiō: and like aunsweres were taken to all the residue of the articles.

These aunsweres in maner rehearsed, taken, and penned of the Notaries, the Bishop of Glocester begā an exhortation to moue M. Ridley to turne.

MarginaliaThe wordes of exhortation of Brokes Bishop of Glocester to M. Ridley.Glo. If you would once empty your stomacke, captiuate your senses, subdue your reason, and together with vs consider what a feble ground of your religion you haue, I do not doubt but you might easely be perduced to acknowledge one Church with vs, to confesse one faith with vs, and to beleue one religion with vs. For what a weake and feble stay  

in religion is this I pray you? Latimer leaneth to Cranmer, Cranmer to Ridley, and Ridley to the singularitie of his owne wit: so that if you ouerthrewe the singularitie of Ridleyes witte, then must needes the Religion of Cranmer and Latimer fall also. You remember well M. Ridley, that the Prophet speaketh moste truely, saiyng: væ, væ wo, wo bee to them whiche are singular and wise in their owne conceytes.

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But you will saie, here it is true that the Prophet saith: but how know you that I am wise in myne owne conceit? Yes M. Ridley, you refuse the determination of the catholike Churche: you muste needes be singular and wise in youre owne conceite, for you bryng scripture for the probation of your assertions, and wee also bring Scriptures: you vnderstande them in one sense, and wee in an other. Howe will you knowe the truth herein? If you stand to your own interpretation, then are you singular in your owne conceit: but if you say ye will folowe the mindes of the Doctors and auncient fathers, semblably you vnderstande them in one meanyng, and wee take them in an other: howe will ye knowe the trueth herein? MarginaliaB. Ridley vntruely charged with singularitie.If you stande to your owne iudgemēt, then are you singular in your owne conceit, then can not you auoide the væ and wo which the Prophet speaketh of.

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Wherefore, if you haue no staie but the catholicke church in matters of controuersie, except you will rest vpon the singularitie and wisdom of your owne brain, if the Prophet most truely saieth, Væ, væ wo, wo bee to them that are wise in their owne conceite: then for gods loue M. Ridley stand not singular, be not you wise in your owne conciete, please not your selfe ouermuche. Howe were the Arrians, the Manicheis, the Futichians,  

with other diuers Heretickes whiche haue bene in the church, how I pray you were they suppressed and conuinced? by reasonyng in disputations? No truely, the Arrians had mo places of Scriptures for the confirmation of their heresie, then the Catholickes for the defence of the truthe. Howe then were they conuinced? MarginaliaThe determination of the church is onely that, wherupon our catholicke men doe groūd their faith.onelye by the determination of the Churche. And in deede except we do constitute the church our foundation, stay, and Iudge we can haue no end of controuersies, no ende of disputations. For in that we all bryng scriptures and Doctors for the probation of our assersions, who should be iudge of this our controuersie? If we our selues, then be we singular & wise in our owne conceites, then can not we auoide the wo that the Prophet speaketh of.

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It remaineth therefore that we submitte our selues to the determination and arbitrement  

of the Churche, with whom God promised to remaine to the worldes end, to whom he promised to send the holy ghost which should teache it the truth. Wherfore M. Ridley, if you will auoid the wo that the Prophet speaketh of, be not you wise in your iudgement: if you will not be wise and singular in your owne iudgement, captiuate your own vnderstandyng, subdue your reason, and submit youre selfe to the determination of the Church.

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This is briefly the summe of the Oration of the byshop of Glocester, by the whiche he endeuored in many mo wordes, amplifiyng and enlarging the matter eloquently with sundry pointes of Rethorick, to moue affections, to perswade master Ridley to recant and forsake his religion.

To whom M. Ridley aunswered in few words, MarginaliaA briefe aunswere of B. Ridley to Bishop Brokes tale.that he said most truly with þ^e Prophet, wo be to him which is wise in his owne conceit, but that he acknowledged no such singularitie in him, ne knewe any cause why he should attribute so much to him self. And where as he said that Maister Cranmer leaned to hym, that was moste vntrue, in that he was but a yong scholer in comparison of Maister Cranmer. For at what time he was a yong scholer, then M. Cranmer a Doctor, so that hee confessed that M. Cranmer might haue bene his scholemaster these many yeres. It seemed that hee woulde haue spoken more, but the Bishop of Glocester interrupted hym, saiyng:

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Glo. Why M. Ridley, it is your owne confession, for M. Latimer at the tyme of disputations, confessed hys learnyng to lye in M. Cranmers bookes, and Master Cranmer also said that it was your doyng.

Linc. Likewise the Bishop of Lincolne with manie words and gentle, holding his cap in hand, desired him to turne. But M. Ridley made an absolute aunswere, MarginaliaBishop Ridley could not for his conscience yeld to the Popes doctrine.that he was fully perswaded, the religion which he defended to be grounded vpon Gods word, and therfore without great offence towardes God, great perill and damage of his soule, hee coulde not forsake his master and Lord God, but desired the bishop to performe his graunt in that his Lordship sayed the day before, that he should haue licence to shewe the cause why he coulde not with a safe conscience admit the authoritye of the Pope: but the Bishop of Lincolne said, that where as then he had demaunded licence to speake three wordes,

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