Marginalia1555. Decemb.hym for that offence he hath done in my Dioces?

Cole. You may cal hym before you, my lord, if he be found in your Dioces.

MarginaliaM. Philpot agayne appealeth from B. Boner to his OrdinaryPhil. But I haue by force ben brought out of mine own Dioces to my Lordes, and required to be iudged of myne owne Ordinarye: and therefore I knowe maister Doctor wyll not say of his knowledge, that your lordship ought to proceede againste me. And here Maister Doctour woulde say nothing.  

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Worcest. Doo you not thinke to finde before my lorde here as good equitie in your cause, as before your owne Ordinarye?

Phil. I can not blame my Lorde of Londons equitie, with whom (I thanke his Lordship) I haue found more gentlenes since I came, then of myne owne Ordinarye (I speake it for no flatterie) this tweluemoneth and this halfe before, who neuer would call me to aunsweare, as his Lordship hath done nowe twise. Marginaliai. No man is forbid to vse his owne right due vnto hym.Sed nemo prohibetur vti iure suo:  

but I ought not to be forestalled of my right, and therefore I challenge the same for diuers other considerations.

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Boner. Nowe you can not say hereafter, but that ye haue bene gently communed withal of my lords here, and yet you be wilful and obstinate in your error, and in your owen opinions, & wil not shew any cause why you will not come into the vnitie of the Church with vs.

Phil. My lordes, in that I doo not declare my minde according to your expectation, is (as I haue said) because I can not speake without present daunger of my life. But rather then you shoulde report me by this, either obstinate or selfe willed, without any iust ground, wherupon I stande: I wyl open vnto you somewhat of my minde, or rather the whole, desiring your lordships, which seeme to be pillers of the Churche of England, to satisfie me in the same: and I wil referre al other causes in the which I dissent from you, vnto one or two articles, or rather to one, whiche includeth them both: in the which if I can by the scriptures be satisfied at your mouthes, I shall as willingly agree to you as any other, in al poyntes.

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Boner. These heretikes come alwayes with their ifs,MarginaliaNay rather these Catholicke Prelates will be satisfied with no reasonable offer. as this man doth now, saying: if he can be satisfied by the scriptures: so that he wyll alwayes haue this exception, I am not satisfied, although the matter be neuer so plainly proued against him. But wil you promise to be satisfied if my lords take some paines about you?

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Phil. I say (my lorde) I will be satisfied by the Scriptures in that wherein I stand. And I protest here before God and his eternall sonne Iesus Christ my Saueour, and the holy ghost and his angels, and you here present that be iudges of that I speake, that I do not stand in any opiniō, of wilfulnes, or singularitie, but only vpon my conscience, certainly infourmed by Gods word, frō the which I dare not go for feare of damnation: and this is the cause of mine earnestnes in this behalfe.

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Boner. I wyl trouble my lordes no longer, seeing that you wil not declare your mynd.

Phil. I am aboute so to doo, if it please your Lordship to heare me speake.

Bath. Geue hym leaue (my lorde) to speake that he hath to say.

Phil. My lordes, it is not vnknowen to you, that the chiefe cause why you do count me and such as I am for heretikes, is because we be not at vnitie with your Churche. MarginaliaThe chiefest controuersie in the church of Christ now, is to know which is the true church of Christ.You say, you are of the true Church: and we say, we are of the true Church. You say, that who is out of your church, is damned: and we thinke verily on the other side, that if we depart from the true church, whereon we are graffed in Gods word, we should stand in the state of dānation. Wherfore if your lordship can bring any better authorities for your church, then we can do for ours, & proue by the Scriptures that the Church of Rome now (of the whiche you are) is the true Catholike Church, as in all your sermons, writinges, and argumentes you doo vpholde, and that all Christen persons ought to be ruled by the same vnder paine of damnation (as you say) and that the same Churche (as you pretende) hath authoritie to interprete the scriptures, as it seemeth her good, and that all men are bound to folowe suche interpretations onely: I shalbe as conformable to the same Churche as you may desire me, the whiche otherwise I dare not: therfore I require you for Gods sake to satisfie me in this.

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Cole. If you stand vpon this poynt onely, you may soone be satisfied if you list.

Phil. It is the thing that I require, & to this I haue said I wyl stand, and referre al other controuersies wherein I stand now against you, and wyl put my hand thereto, if you mistrust my worde.

Boner. I pray you, maister Philpot, what faith were you

of xx. yeares ago?MarginaliaS. Paul 20. yeares before his conuersion, and S. Peter before his calling, was of an other fayth then they were afterward: and yet it followeth not that they would haue euery yeare a new fayth.This man wyll haue euery yeare a newe faith.

Phil. My Lord, to tell you plaine, I thinke I was of no faith: for I was then a wicked liuer, and knewe not God then, as I ought to do. God forgeue me.

Boner. No were? that is not so. I am sure you were of some faith.

Phil. My lord, I haue declared you on my cōscience what I then was and iudge of my selfe. And what is that to the purpose of the thing I desire to be satisfied of you?

Boner. Maister Doctour Cole, I pray you say your mind to him.

Cole. What will you say, if I can proue that it was decreed by an vniuersall Councel in Athanasius time: that al the Christen church should folow the determination of þ^e church of Rome?MarginaliaThe determination of the primitiue Church, and of the church of Rome as it is now, is not all one.MarginaliaAthanasius misalleged.but I do not now remember where.

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Phil. If you Maister Doctour, can shew me the same, graunted to the See of Rome, by the authoritie of the scripture, I will gladly harken thereto. But I thinke you be not able to shewe any suche thing: for Athanasius was President of Nicene Councel,  

and there was no such thing decreed, I am sure.

Cole. Though it were not then, it might be at an other time.

Phil. I desire to see the proofe thereof. And vpon this M. Harpsfield Chancelour to the Bishop of London, brought in a booke of Irenæus, with certaine leaues turned in, and laide it before the Bishops to helpe them in their perplexitie, if it might be: the which after the Bishops of Bath and Glocester had read together, the Bishop of Glocester gaue me the booke.

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Gloc. Take the booke M. Philpot, and looke vpon that place, and there may you see howe the church of Rome is to be folowed of al men.

Phil. I tooke the booke, and read the place,MarginaliaA place of Irenæus alledged. the which after I had read, I saide it made nothing againste me, but againste the Arians and other heretikes, againste whom Irenæus  

wrote, prouing that they were not to be credited, because they did teach and folowe after straunge doctrine in Europa, and that the chiefe Church of the same was founded by Peter and Paul, and had to his time continued by faithfull succession of the faithfull Bishoppes, in preaching the true Gospell, as they had receiued of the Apostles, and nothing like to the late sprong heretikes. &c. Whereby he concludeth against them, that they were not to be heard, neither to be credited, the whiche thing if you my lordes be able to proue nowe of the Churche of Rome, then had you as good authoritie againste me in my cause nowe, as Irenæus had againste those heretikes. But the Churche of Rome hath swarued from the truth and simplicitie of the Gospell, whiche it mainteined in Irenæus time, and was vncorrupted from that whiche it is nowe:MarginaliaThe Church of Rome not now as it was then. wherefore your lordships can not iustly applie the authoritie of Irenæus to the church of Rome now, whiche is so manifestly corrupted from the Primitiue church.

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Boner. So will you say still, it maketh nothing for the purpose, what soeuer authoritie we bring, and wil neuer be satisfied.

Phil. My lord, when I doo by iust reason proue, that the authorities which be brought againste me doo not make to the purpose (as I haue already proued) I trust you wil receiue mine answeare.

MarginaliaThe Church of Rome neuer deceaued.Worc. It is to be proued most manifestly by all auncient writers, that the See of Rome hath alwaies folowed the truth, & neuer was deceiued, vntil of late certaine heretikes had defaced the same.

Phil. Let that be proued, and I haue done.

Worcest. Nay, you are of suche arrogancie, singularitie, and vaine glorye, that you wil not see it, be it neuer so well proued.

Phil. Ha my Lordes, is it nowe time (thinke you) for me to followe singularitie or vaine glorie, since it is nowe vppon daunger of my life and death, not onely presentlye, but also before God to come? and I knowe, if I die not in the true faith, I shall die euerlastingly, and againe I knowe, if I do not as you woulde haue me, you wil kill me and many thousandes moe: yet had I leuer perishe at your handes, then to perishe eternally. And at this time I haue lost al my commodities of this world, and now lie in a Colehouse, where a man would not laie a dogge, with þ^e whiche I am wel contented.

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Cole. Where are you able to proue, that the Church of Rome hath erred at any time? and by what Historie? certaine it is by Eusebius, that the Church was stablished at Rome by Peter and Paul, and that Peter was bishop. 25. yeares at Rome.

Phil. I knowe well that Eusebius so writeth: but if we compare that which saint Paul writeth to the Galathians