Marginalia1557. Iune.Londō, and he released thee, and thou promisedst hym to be an honest man, and that thou wouldest be of the true Catholike church, which thou hast not fulfilled.

Wood. I promised him nothing but I haue fulfilled it. No man shalbe able to proue the contrary.

Story. Well, it wyll be tried well enough. My Lorde, I wyll take my leaue. I feare me you shall doo this man no good.

Chich. I would not haue you to vse such speache as you doo:MarginaliaNo but if he should say: the Sacrament of the altar, worshipped might he be: then he were a perfect catholicke. as the Lord be praysed, and the liuyng God, with such like words. Can you not say as wel, MarginaliaThe Lord, hereticall, our Lord, Catholicke, with the Papistes.our Lord, or our God, as otherwise?

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Wood. I marueile why you shoulde repoue me therefore, seeing it is the words of God? I doo not refuse to say our God, or our Lord, when I talke the scriptures where it is written. If I should, it must folowe that I denyed the words of God, and must needes be an heretike: but I do not. Wherefore I marueile what you meane to finde fault therin. It seemeth to me, that you mistrust that I beleue not as you do.

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Chich. Yea, that is my meanyng in deede.

Wood. I beleue in the liuyng GOD: if you do not so, then our beliefes be not alike in deede. But if it please you to examine me vppon any particular matter, nowe, or at any other tyme, I wyl make you aunsweare therto by Gods helpe.

Chich. Though you beleue in God, I can proue, you beleue not as you ought to do, as I can shewe you by your hand writing. You haue denied the catholike church. Wherfore he that erreth frō the church, it can not be said, that his faith is good. MarginaliaFallacia equiuoci.  

He that erreth from the Church, which church erreth not in the right fayth, his fayth can not be good in deede.Wherfore be ruled by the Church, from the which ye haue erred. I can shewe you perilous thinges of your writing, if it should be knowē: but ye shal not be hurt for me, if you wyll come to any good order. But I promise you, I would not for three thousand pound, some had so much against me, as I can shew against you of your owne hand writing, which you can not deny.

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Wood. I wyll not deny my hand, by Gods helpe. For I know well, I haue written nothing at any tyme but the truth. There may be things written against me, reporting it to be myne, and yet be not: but my hand can not well be counterfeited: there be enow that know my hand.

Chich. Do you know it your selfe, if you see it?

Wood. Yea, that I do. Then he arose, and fet a great bundle of writings, and opened them, and bade me come see. I looked on them, and it was my hand in deede.

Chich. MarginaliaWoodman charged with his owne writinges.How say you? is it not your owne writing?

Wood. Yes surely is it.

Chich. How say you to this, is not this your hand also?

Wood. I looked, & it was: And I said: Yes verily, is it.

Chich. Well you know what it meaneth, I dare say.

Wood. Yea, I knowe it very well: here is a great deale, the whiche I had thought had bene in my house, but I thanke God that it is here: for in this you shall trie whether it be true, or not. For in this is conteyned all the talke that was betwixt the Commissioners and me when I was before them fiue tymes,MarginaliaRichard Woodman v. tymes before the Cōmissioners. and also before the Bishop of London diuers tymes: and I am sure you nor they shall finde no words false therin written: and I thinke the sheriffes men when they searched my house for me, when I was taken, found this, and caried it with them: but I neuer knew it before now. But I am not sory for it, but am rather glad. For herein you may see all the wrong that I receyued at their handes, and howe long I was in prison, and how I was tossed vp and downe, and how I was deliuered at length, and by this you may trie whether it be so or not. I dare say, they that found it, and they that brought it to you, had thought it would haue turned me to displeasure: but in very deede al thinges worke for the best, to thē that feare God.

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Chich. In deede I find no great fault in this: but here is perilous geare, here is sedition. This was set vp vpon the church doore, you know it wel enough.

Wood. MarginaliaRichard Woodmans childe being baptised by the midwife, was brought out of the house by the papistes and confirmed in the Church.In deede I wrote it to the Priest, and to other that tooke vppon them to fetche my childe out of my house without my leaue, and vsed it at their pleasure, when they knewe it was baptised alreadye, as they were well certified before. Wherefore my conscience compelled me to shewe them my mynde in writing, wherein is conteyned nothing but the Scriptures of GOD, rebuking them for their folly.

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Chich. Yea, but it is terribly meant, and vncharitably. It is such geare, coupled together, I promise you, as I neuer see the like. But I promise you, I wyll make the best of it. And I protest before God, I would you shoulde doo as well as myne owne soule and body. Be contented to be enformed. God hath done his part on you. Cast not your selfe away. Remember your wife and children, and the poore

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that lacke your occupying. Meane to folow your vocation. Remember you are not called to be a teacher nor a preacher. S. Paul saith: Let euery man walke wherin he is called, and therin abide. MarginaliaD. Christopherson B. of Chichester beginneth with fayre words to perswade Woodman from his doctrine.Remember you are called to an other vocation, for Gods sake walke therin. It is not your office to do as you haue done. You might doo as much good, by the report of worshipfull men, as any man might do in all the Countrey, by your example: and if you would folowe the Lawes of the Catholike church, it would be an occasion to bring a great many into the true Churche, that are out, as you are.

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Wood. I would not that you should say, that I am out of the Church of God. MarginaliaWoodman not out of the church.For I am not, but do allow the church of God, according to his word. Yea, if I were abroad, if I could wynne any into þ^e true Church, þ^t be out, by any meanes that I could vse, I would be very glad. For God knoweth I loue all people as my selfe. And where you say, I haue ben a Preacher, it is not so. I neuer tooke any suche thing vpon me, as it is wel knowen. But as for teaching, I can not deny: MarginaliaA man may teach though he be no preacher.for it becōmeth euery man to teach & instruct his houshold in the feare of God, & all other (as farre as he can) that desire it of hym. And where as you haue blamed me for reading the scripture, MarginaliaReading the Scripture letteth no man to walke in his vocation, but rather doth further hym.& leauyng my vocation, as you say, I leaft not my vocatiō in reading the scripture. For I trust I folowed my vocation the better therefore. And the greatest cause that I was cōpelled to reade the scriptures, was, because the preachers & teachers were so changeable.

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Chich. No? Did you not preach at a Fayre?

Wood. No surely, but it was so reported. I was at a Fayre in deede. Whilest I was in Prison, I had leaue of the Counsaile, to go home to pay my debtes, & then I went to a Fayre to sel cattell, and there met with me diuers poore men that I had set aworke, and of loue asked me howe I dyd, and howe I could away with imprisonment. And I shewed them howe GOD had dealt with me, and howe he would deale with all them that put their trust in hym: and this they called preachyng. And since that, MarginaliaLies and sclaunder.it hath bene reported that I haue baptised children, and maried folkes, the which I neuer dyd: for I was neuer Minister.  

Wherfore if I had so done, I had done cōtrary to the order of the apostles, as God forbyd I should.

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Chich. I am wel apayd, if you be faultles in those things, for I haue heard say the contrary.

Wood. I haue shewed you the truth, and that no man liuyng shalbe able to proue the contrary.

Chich. You said, you do not disallowe the true Catholique church.

Wood. No, that I do not. MarginaliaWoodman disalloweth not the Catholicke Church.

Chich. Why do you not thē go to the Church? You come not there, it is enformed me.

Wood. I trust I am in the true church euery day. But to tell you truth, I come not at the Church where the moste do resort. For if I should, I should offend, & be offended. For the last tyme that I was there, I offended many, and was offended my selfe. Wherefore for conscience sake I would not come there. For I was sent to prison for my commyng there, & nowe I am sent to you for bidyng thence. So they wyll not be pleased any way with me, for they seeke my lyfe. Wherefore looke you to it, for I am now in your handes, and you ought to be a house of defence against myne enimies. MarginaliaThe Byshop charged with his office.For if you suffer them to kyll me, my bloud shalbe required at your handes. If you can finde any iust cause in me worthy of death, by Gods word, you may condemne me your selfe, and not offend God: wherfore looke to it. The matter is weighty: deliuer me not into their hands, and thinke so to be discharged.

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Chichest. I tell you truth, I can doo litle in the matter. For I haue not full authoritie, as yet of myne office: but I wyl send for you and talke with you, if I wist I should do you any good.

Wood. I would be glad to talke with you and to shew you my mynd in any thing that you shal demaund of me, now or at any other tyme.

Chich. So then he desired the Sheriffes men to tary dinner with hym: MarginaliaThe Byshop biddeth Woodman to dinner.that this man (said he) may dyne with me also: for it is possible that he may haue no great store of meate whither he shal go.

Wood. So we tarryed dynner with hym, and had no further talke, neither howe to proue where the true church of God is, nor of the Sacraments nor of any other thyng perteinyng to meward, not for the space of two houres or more: MarginaliaTalke betwene Richard Woodman and the Byshop about Priestes mariage.but he entred in talke with me, howe I vnderstoode many Scriptures, and for Bishops and Priestes Mariages, and whether Paul had a wyfe or not. To whom I answered: It is a thing that I haue litle to doo with, as concernyng Mariages: but I am very well content to talke with you in the matter, as farre as my poore learnyng wyl serue. So when he had talked with me of diuers Scriptures, he liked

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