Marginalia1555. Decemb.Phil. If it shall please your Lordshyp to geue me leaue to declare forth my matter, I will touch that afterward.
Rich. Aunswere first of all to my Lordes two questiōs, and then proceede forth to the matter. How say you? were you imprisoned by my Lord or no? can you finde any fault since with his cruell vsing of you?
Phil. I can not lay to my Lordes charge the cause of my imprisonement,MarginaliaB. Boner not the cause of M. Philpots imprisonment. neither I may say that hee hath vsed me cruelly, but rather for my part I might say that I haue founde more gentlenesse at his Lordshyppes handes then I dyd at myne owne Ordinaries for the tyme I haue beene within his prison, for that hee hath called me three or foure tymes to myne aunswere, to the whiche I was not called tweluemoneth and a halfe before.
[Back to Top]Rich. Well, now go forth to your matter.
Philpot. The matter is, that I am imprisoned for the disputation had by me in the Conuocation house agaynst the Sacrament of the aultar, whiche matter was not moued principally by me, but by the Prolocutor, with the consent of the Queenes Maiestie and of the whole house, and that house beyng a member of the Parlament house, ought to be a place of free speeche for all men of the house, by the auncient and laudable custome of this Realme. Wherfore I thinke my selfe to haue sustained hetherto great iniury for speaking my conscience freely in such a place as I might lawfully do it: and I desire your honorable Lordshyppes iudgementes which be of the Parlamēt house, whether of right I ought to be empeached therfore, and sustaine the losse of my lyuyng (as I haue done) and moreouer of my life, as it is sought.
[Back to Top]Rich. You are deceiued herein: MarginaliaThe conuocation no part of the Parlament house sayth the Lord Rich.for the Conuocation house is no part of the Parlament house.
Phil. My Lord, I haue alwayes vnderstanded the contrary by such as are more expert men in thynges of this Realme then I: and agayne, the title of euery Act leadeth me to thinke otherwise, whiche alledgeth the agreement of the spiritualtie and temporaltie assembled together.
Rich. Yea, that is ment of the spirituall Lordes of the vpper house.
MarginaliaWhether the Conuocation be part of the Parlament house or no: yet free libertye was geuen by the Queene, euery man to speake his conscience.Winsor. In deede the Conuocation house is called together by one writte of the Summons of þe Parlament of an olde custome: notwithstandyng that house is no part of the Parlament house.
[Back to Top]Phil. My Lordes, I must be cōtented to abide your iudgementes in this behalfe.
Rich. We haue told you the truth. Mary yet we would not that you should bee troubled for any thyng that there was spokē, so that you hauing spoken amisse, do declare now that you are sory therefore.
Lond. My Lordes hee hath spoken there manifest heresie, yea and there stoutly maintained the same agaynst the blessed Sacrament of the aultar (& with that he put of his cap that all the Lordes might reuerence & vayle their bonets at that Idole as they did) & would not allow the reall presence of the body and bloud of Christ in the same: yet my Lordes, God forbid that I should go about to shew him extremitie for so doyng, in case he will repent & reuoke his wicked sayinges: & in fayth if he will so do, with your Lordshyps consent he shalbe released by and by: Mary if he wil not, he shal looke for the extremitie of the law, & that shortly.
[Back to Top]Chamb. My Lord of Londō speaketh reasonably vnto you: take it whiles it is offered you.
Rich. How say you? will you acknowledge the reall presēce of the bloud and body of Christ, as all the learned mē of this Realme do in the Masse, and as I do, and will beleue as long as I liue, I do protest it?
Phil. My Lord, I do acknowledge in the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ such a presence, as the word of God doth allow and teach me.
Rich. That shall be none otherwise then you lyst.
London. A Sacramēt is the signe of a holy thyng: MarginaliaHow Boner taketh in the Sacrament, to be both the signe and the thing signified.So that there is both the signe which is the accident (as the whitenes, roūdnes, and shape of bread) and their is also the thyng it selfe, as very Christ both God and man. But these heretickes will haue the Sacramentes to bee but bare signes. How say you? declare vnto my Lordes here whether you do allow the thyng it selfe in the Sacrament or no?
[Back to Top]MarginaliaBoth the signe and the thing signified in due respectes, be in the Sacrament.Phil. I do cōfesse that in þe Lordes Supper there is in due respectes both the signe and the thyng signified,
Foxe appears to have altered this passage. The original printed version of Philpot's examinations reads 'I do confesse the sacrament bothe to be a signe and the thing it selfe' (John Philpot, The examinacion of that constaunt martir of Christ, J. Philpot [Emden: 1556?], STC 19892, fo. 45v). Philpot's wording could be read as an admission of the Real Presence.
[Back to Top]London. You may see how he goeth about the bush (as hee hath done before) with my Lordes of the Clergy, and dare not vtter his mynde playnly.
Rich. Shew vs what maner of presence you allowe in the Sacrament.
Philpot. If it shall please you my Lord of London, to geue me leaue to proceede orderly thereunto, and to let me declare my mynde without interruption, I will throughly open my mynde therein.
L. Shand. I pray you my Lord, let him speake his minde.
Phil. My Lordes, that at the first I haue not playnely declared my iudgement vnto you is this, because I can not speake hereof without the daunger of my life.
Rich. There is none of vs here þt seeketh thy life,MarginaliaYe say ye seeke not hys lyfe, and yet ye know to aunswere to that ye aske will be his death. or meane to take any aduantage of that thou shalt speake.
Phil. Although I mistrust not your honorable Lordshyps þt be heare of þe temporallity: yet here is one that sitteth agaynst me (pointing to my Lord of London) that will lay it to my charge euen to the death.
Actually the reverse was true; Bonner was desperately seeking Philpot's recantation, while the privy council was pressuring Bonner to conclude the matter as swiftly as possible, if necessary with Philpot's condemnation.
As long as.
Rich. My Lorde, permit him to say what he can, seyng hee is willing to shew his minde.
London. I am content my Lordes, let him say what he can I will heare him.
Phil. That whiche I do entend to speake vnto you (right honorable Lordes) MarginaliaThe protestation of Iohn Philpot before the Lords.I do protest here, first before God and his Aungels, that I speake it neyther of vaynglory, neither of singularitye, neyther of willfull stubburnes, but truelye vpon a good conscience grounded on Gods word, agaynst þe which I dare not do for feare of damnation whiche will follow that which is done contrary to knowledge. Neyther do I disagree to the procedinges of this Realme in Religiō for that I loue not the Queene (whome I loue from the bottom of my hart) but because I ought to loue and feare God in his woorde more then man in his lawes, though I stand as I seeme to do, in this consideration, and for non other as God I call to witnes.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaTwo thynges wherein the Clergie deceyueth the whole Realme.There be two things principally, by the which the Clergy at this day doth deceyue the whole realm: that is, the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ, and the name of the Catholicke church: the which both they do vsurpe, hauyng in deede none of them both.MarginaliaThe Papistes haue neyther the Sacrament of the Lordes body nor the true Church. And as touching their Sacrament, which they term of the aultar, I say now as I sayd in the Conuocation house, that it is not the Sacrament of Christ, neither in the same is there any maner of Christes presence. Wherefore they deceiue the Queenes maiesty: and you of the nobility of this realme, in making you to beleue that to be a Sacrament whiche is none, and cause you to commit manifest Idolatrye in worshippyng that for God, which is no God. And in testimony of this to bee true, besides manyfest proofe which I am able to make to þe quenes maiesty and to all you of her nobilitye, I will yeld my life. The which to do if it were not vpon a sure ground, it were to my vtter damnation.
[Back to Top]And where they take on them the name of the Catholicke ChurchMarginaliaPapistes vntruly vsurpe the name of the Church. (wherby they blynd many folkes eyes) they are nothing so, callyng you from the true religion whiche was reueled and taught in K. Edwardes time, vnto vayne superstition. And this I will say for the triall hereof, that if they can proue them selues to be the Catholicke Church (as they shall neuer be able to do) I will neuer be agaynst their doynges, but reuoke all that I haue sayd. And I shall desyre you (my Lordes) to be a meane
Be a medium, a means of communication.
Repeatedly.
London. It hath ben tolde me before, that you loue to make a long tale.
Rich. All heretickes do boast of the spirite of God, and euery one woulde haue a Churche by him selfe: as Ioan of Kent
Joan Boucher was burned in Edward VI's reign, in 1550, for her anabaptist religious convictions.
Phil. As for Ioan of Kent, shee was a vayne woman (I knew her wel & an heretick in dede, wel worthy to be burnt because she stode agaynst one of the manifest articles of our fayth, contrary to the scripture:
Joan Boucher had denied the incarnation and the virgin birth.