1576 Edition | Book 11 | Page 1724 
MarginaliaAn. 1555. December.and Asseheades, not able to maintayne that which of an arrogant obstinacie they do stand in.
Phil. M. Doctor, I am cōtent to abyde your railing iudgement of me now. Say what you will, I am content, for I am vnder your feete to be troden on as you list. GOD forgeue it you: yet am I no hereticke. Neither you nor any other shall be able to proue that I hold any iote agaynst the word of God, otherwise then a Christian man ought.
[Back to Top]Story. The word of God? forsoth the worde of God. It is but a folly to reason with these heretickes, for they are incurable and desperate.MarginaliaThe Papistes will not be ruled by the scriptures without their owne iudge. But as I may reason wyth thee, not that I haue any hope to wyn thee, whom wilt thou appoint to be iudge of the word whereto thou standest?
[Back to Top]Phil. Verely the word it selfe.
Story. Do you not see the ignoraunce of this beastly hereticke? He willeth the word to be iudged of the worde. Can the word speake?
Phil. If I can not proue that which I haue sayd by good authoritie, I will be content to be counted an hereticke and an ignoraunt person, and further what you please.
Story. Let vs heare what wise authority thou cāst bring in.
Phil. It is the saying of Christ in S. Iohn: Verbum quod locutus sum, iudicabit in nouissimo die.
verbum quod locutus sum, iudicabit in nouissimo die. The word which I haue spoken (sayth Christ) shall iudge in the last day. sermo quem locutus sum ille iudicabit eum in novissimo die. [Is Philpot translating from the Greek or recalling the passage from memory?]
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MarginaliaM. Doctor hauing not to aunswere, falleth to rayling.Story. What? you purpose to be a stinckyng Martyr, and to sit in iudgement with Christ at the last day to iudge the xij. tribes of Israell.
Phil. Yea Syr, I doubt not thereof, hauyng the promise of Christ, if I dye for righteousnes sake, whiche you haue begon to persecute in me.
Story. I told you it is but vayne to argue with this hereticke: he is drowned in his heresies without all learnyng.
Phil. Syr, I haue brought you for that I haue sayd, good authoritie out of Gods booke, to the whiche you aunswere nothyng, but go about still to geue rayling iudgemēt against me without any cause.
Story. I will come to you by and by. When the Iudge in Westminster hall geueth sentence, doth the word geue sentence, or the Iudge? tell me.
MarginaliaGods iudgement, and ciuil iudgement not lyke.Phil. Ciuill matters be subiect to Ciuill mē, and they haue authoritie by the word to be iudge of them. But the worde of GOD is not subiect to mans iudgement, but ought to iudge all the wisdome, thoughtes, and doynges of men, and therfore your comparison disproueth nothyng that I haue sayd, neither aunswereth any whit thereto.
[Back to Top]Story. Wilt thou not allow the interpretation of the Church vpon the Scripture?
MarginaliaThe iudgement of the Church, how farre it serueth.Phil. Yes, if it be according to the word of the true Church: and this I say to you, as I haue sayd heretofore, that if ye can proue þe Church of Rome (whereof ye are) to be þe true Catholicke Church which I ought to follow, I will be as ready to yeld thereto (as long as it can bee so proued) as you may desire me.
[Back to Top]Story. What a fellow is this? He will beleue nothyng but what he lyst him selfe. Are we not in possessiō of the church? MarginaliaPrescription of tyme.Haue not your forefathers these many hundred yeares takē this church for the Catholicke church wherof we are now? And if we had none other proufe but this, it were sufficiēt: for prescription of tyme maketh a good title in the law.
[Back to Top]Philpot. You do well (Maister Doctour) to alledge prescription of many yeares, for it is all that you haue to shewe for your selues. MarginaliaPrescription of tyme maketh no tytle in Gods matters.But you must vnderstand, Ex diuinis nulla occurrit præscriptio,
ex diuinis nulla occurit praescriptio that prescription hath no place in matters belonging to God
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Story. Well Syr, you are like to goe after your fathers Latymer the Sophister, and Ridley, who had nothyng to alledge for hym selfe but that hee had learned his heresie of Cranmer. Where I came to him with a poore Bacheler of Arte, he trembled as though he had had the palsey, as these heretickes haue alwayes some token of feare whereby a mā may know them, as you may see this mans eyes do tremble in his head.
CloseThis is hardly an unbiased or accurate description of Ridley's behavior at his trial, but it is interesting to have a catholic perspective on it.
Phil. You haue the more to aūswere for, Maister Doctour, as you shal feele in an other world, how much soeuer you do now triumph of your proceedynges.
Story. I tell thee I will neuer be confessed therof. And because I can not now tary to speake with my Lord, I pray one of you tell my Lord, that my commyng was to signifi to his Lordshyp, that he must out of hand rid this heretick
CloseThis is the first indication of a tendency that will become progressively noticeable during Philpot's examinations; the impatience of the Marian authorities with the length of time Bonner was spending in trying to get Philpot to recant.
Phil. I thanke you therefore with all myne hart: and God forgeue it you.
Story. What? doest thou thanke me? if I had thee in my study halfe an houre, I thinke I should make you sing an other song.
Phil. No M. Doctour, I stand vpō to sure a ground to be ouerthrowen by you now. And thus they departed all away from me one after an other, vntill I was left all alone.MarginaliaIohn Philpot left post alone. And afterwardes with my Keeper goyng to my Colehouse (as I went) I met with my Lord of London, who spake vnto me gently, as he hath hetherto in wordes, saying:
[Back to Top]London. Philpot, if there be any pleasure I may shew you in my house, I pray you require it, and you shall haue it.
Philpot. My Lord, the pleasure that I wil require of your Lordshyp is to hasten my iudgement whiche is committed vnto you, and so dispatch me foorth of this miserable world, vnto my eternall rest. MarginaliaThe strait handling of Iohn Philpot in prison, for all the Byshops fayre wordesAnd for all his fayre speach I can not attaine hetherto this fortnight space, neither fire nor candle, neither yet good lodgyng. But it is good for a man to be brought low in this world, & to be counted amongest the vilest, that he may in tyme of reward receiue exaltation & glory. Therfore praysed be God that hath humbled me, and geuen me grace with gladnes to be content there withall.
[Back to Top]Let all that loue the truth say, Amen.
CloseThe notes are at the end of the examinations were written Philpot, not by Foxe.
CloseThis is the first of Philpot's examinations in which his interrogators are laymen not clerics. This examination is still relatively informal, and the goal is still Philpot's recantation, rather than his condemnation. But the presence of these peers is a significant indication of the importance of Philpot's case.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe 6. examination of M. Philpot before certayne Lords, and the Byshop of London.PHil. Before that I was called afore the Lordes, and whiles they were in sittyng downe, the Byshop of London came aside to me and wispered in myne eare, willing me to vse my selfe before the Lords of the Queenes Maiesties Counsell prudently, and to take heede what I sayd: and thus hee pretended to geue me counsaile because hee wished me to doe well, as I might now doe if I list.
CloseWish.
London. MarginaliaThe wordes of Byshop Boner to M. Philpot.M. Philpot, I haue heretofore both priuately my selfe, and openly before my Lordes of the Clergy, mo tymes then once caused you to bee talked withall to reforme you of your errours, but I haue not founde you yet so tractable as I would wishe: Wherefore now I haue desired these honorable Lordes of the temporaltie and of the Queenes Maiesties Counsaile, who haue taken paynes with me this day (I thanke them therefore) to heare you what you can say, that they may be Iudges whether I haue sought all meanes to do you good or no: and I dare bee bold to say in their behalfe, that if you shewe your selfe conformable to the Queenes Maiesties proceedynges, you shall finde as much fauour for your deliueraunce, as you can wishe. I speake not this to fawne vppon you, but to bryng you home into the Church. Now let them heare what you can say.
[Back to Top]Phil. MarginaliaM. Philpots answere to the Byshop.My Lord, I thanke GOD of this day, that I haue such an honorable audience to declare my mynde before. And I can not but commende your Lordshyppes equitie in this behalfe, whiche agreeth with the order of the primatiue Church: which was, if any body had bene suspected of heresie (as I am now) he should be called, first before þe Archbyshop or Byshop of the Dioces where hee was suspected, secondly in the presence of others his felow byshops & learned elders, & thirdly in the hearing of the laytie: where after the iudgemēt of Gods word declared, & with the assent of other Byshops & consent of the people he was condemned to exile for an hereticke,
CloseFoxe's marginal note, that heretics in the early church were exiled, has nothing to do with Philpot's argument; it is a reflection of Foxe's deep-seated opposition to using the death penalty against heretics. (See the biography of Foxe which introduces this edition).
CloseOnce again, Philpot is stating that Bonner has no jurisdiction to try him.
London. Maister Philpot. I pray you ere you goe any further, tell my Lordes here playnly whether you were by me or by my procuremēt committed to prison or not, and whether I haue shewed you any crueltie sithen ye haue bene cōmitted to my prison.