MarginaliaAnno. 1558. Iune.in the daunger of the lawe, I would wish you to play a wise mans part: So shal you not want any fauour I can do or procure for you, both for your own sake, and also for your frendes, which be mē of worship and credite, & wish you well, and by my trouth Roger so do I.

Then sayd one M. Egleston a Gentlemā of Lankeshyre and nere kynsman to Roger, beyng there present: I thanke your good Lordship: your honor meaneth good vnto my cosin, I besech God he haue the grace to follow your counsaile.

Holland. Syr, you craue of God you knowe not what. I besech God open your eyes to see the light of hys word.

Egleston. Roger, hold your peace, lest you fare the worse at my Lordes handes.

Holland. No, I shall fare as pleaseth God: for man can doe no more then God doth permit him.

Then the Byshop and the Doctors, with Iohnson the Register, casting their heades together, in the end saith Iohnson: Roger, how sayest thou? MarginaliaRoger Hollād willed to submit him selfe to the Bishop.wilt thou submit thy selfe vnto my Lord before thou be entred into the booke of contempt?

Holland. I neuer ment but to submit my selfe vnto the Magistrate, as I learne of S. Paul to the Romaines the xiij. cap. and so he recited the text.

Chedsey. Then I see you are no Anabaptist.

Holland. I meane not yet to bee no Papist: for they and the Anabaptistes agree in this point, not to submit them selues to any other Prince or Magistrate, then those that must first be sworne to mainteine them and their doynges.

Chedsey. Roger, Remember what I haue sayd and also what my Lord hath promised hee will performe, with further frendship. Take heed Roger, for your ripenes of wit hath brought you into these errours.

Holland. M. Doctor, I haue yet your wordes in memory though they are of no such force to preuaile w^t me.

Then they whispered together agayne, and at the last sayd Boner: Roger I perceiue thou wilt be ruled by no good counsel for any thyng that either I or your frendes or any other can say.

Holland. I may say to you my Lord, as Paul said to Fœlix and vnto the Iewes, as doth appeare in the 22. of the Actes, and in the 15. of the first Epistle to the Corinth. It is not vnknowen vnto my Master whom I was prentise withal, MarginaliaRoger Hollād first a great papist.that I was of this your blynd Religion that now is taught, and therin did obstinatly and wilfully remayne, vntill the later end of kyng Edward in maner, hauing that liberty vnder your auricular confession, that I made no conscience of sinne, but trusted in the Priestes absolution, he for money doyng some penaunce also for me: which after I had giuen, I cared no further what offences I did, no more then he passed after he had my money, whether he fasted bread and water for me or no: so that lechery, swearyng and all other vices I accompted no offence of daunger, so long as I could for money haue them absolued. So straitly did I obserue your rules of Religion, MarginaliaThe wickednes of Roger Holland before he was called to the Gospell.that I would haue ashes vpon Ashwensday, though I had vsed neuer so muche wickednes at night. And albeit I could not of conscience eate flesh vpon the Friday, yet in swearyng, drinkyng, or dicyng all the night long, I made no consciēce at all. And thus was I brought vp, and herin haue I continued till now of late, that God hath opened the light of his word, & called me by his grace to repentaunce of my former idolatrie and wicked lyfe: for in Lankeshyre their blyndnes and whoredome is ouermuch more, then maie with chast eares be heard. Yet these my frendes which are not cleare in these notable crimes, thinke þ^e Priest w^t his Masse can saue thē, though they blaspheme God, and keepe concubines besides their wiues, as long as they liue. Yea I know some Priestes, very deuout, my Lord, yet such as haue vi. or vij. children by iiij. or v. sundry women. MarginaliaAt these examinations of Roger Hollandes frendes and kinsfolke beyng men of worship, were present both of Lankeshire and Cheshire.

M. Doctor, now to your antiquitie, vnitie, and vniuersalitie (for these D. Chedsey alledged as notes and tokens of their Religion.) I am vnlerned. I haue no Sophistry to shift my reasons withall: but the truth I trust I haue, which nedeth no paynted colours to set her forth. The antiquitie of our Church is not from Pope Nicolas or pope Ioane, but our Church is frō the begynnyng, euen from the tyme that God sayd vnto Adam that the seede of the womā should breake the Serpentes head: and so to faithful Noe: to Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, to whom it was promised that their sede should multiplie as the starres in the skye: and so

to Moses, Dauid & al the holy fathers that were from the begynnyng, vnto the byrth of our Sauiour Christ. All they that beleued these promises were of þ^e church, though the number were oftentymes but few & small, as in Helias daies whē he thought there was none but he that had not bowed their knees to Baal, whē God had reserued 7000. that neuer had bowed their knees to that Idol: as I trust there be seuen hundreth thousand more then I know of that haue not bowed their knees to that Idoll your Masse and your God Maozim: the vpholdyng whereof is your bloudy crueltie, whiles you dayly persecute Helias & the seruauntes of God, forcing thē (as Daniel was in his chāber) closely to serue the Lorde their God: and euen as we by this your crueltie are forced into þ^e fieldes to pray vnto God that his holy word may be once agayne truly preached amongest vs, and that he would mitigate and shorten these Idolatrous and bloudy daies, wherin al crueltie reigneth. Moreouer, our church haue bene þ^e Apostles & Euangelistes, the Martyrs and Cōfessors of Christ that haue at all times and in all ages bene persecuted for the true testimonie of the word of God. But for the vpholdyng of your Church and Religion, what antiquitie cā you shew? Yea the Masse, MarginaliaThe Masse how olde it is.that Idol and chief piller of your Religiō, is not yet four hundreth yeares old, & some of your Masses are yonger, as that Masse of S. Thomas Becket the traitor, wherin you pray that you may be saued by the bloud of S.Thomas.

MarginaliaLatine seruice.As for your Latine seruice, what are we of the laity the better for it? I thinke hee that should heare your priestes mumble vp their seruice, although he did well vnderstād latin, yet should he vnderstand few wordes therof: the Priestes do so champe them and chaw them, and posteth so fast, that neither they vnderstand what they say, nor they that heare them: and in the meane time the people whē they should pray with the Priest, are set to their beades to pray our Ladies Psalter. So crafty is Sathan to deuise these hys dreames (which you defend with Fagot and fire) to quench the lyght of the word of God: which (as Dauid saith) should be a lanterne to our feete. And agayne, wherin shall a yong man direct his wayes, but by the word of God? and yet you will hyde it from vs in a toūg vnknowen. S. Paul had rather in the Church to haue fiue wordes spoken with vnderstanding, then ten thousand in an vnknowē toung: and yet will you haue your Latin seruice and praying in a straunge toung, wherof the people are vtterly ignorant, to be of such antiquitie?

MarginaliaThe Greeke Church differing from the latine.The Greeke Church and a good part of Christendome besides, neuer receiued your seruice in an vnknowen toung, but in their owne naturall language which all the people vnderstand, neither yet your transubstantiation, your receiuyng all alone, your Purgatory, your images &c.

As for the vnitie which is in your Church, what is it els but treason, murther, poisonyng one an other, Idolatry, superstition, wickednes? What vnitie was in your Church, when there was three Popes at once? Where was your head of vnitie when you had a woman Pope? Here he was interrupted and could not be suffered to procede, but saith the Byshop: Roger these thy wordes are very blasphemy, and by the meanes of thy frendes thou hast bene suffered to speake, and art ouer malepert to teach any here: Therfore keeper take hym away.

MarginaliaThe 2. examinatiō of Roger Holland.THe day that Henry Pond & the rest were brought forth to bee againe examined, D. Chedsey sayd: Roger, I trust you haue now better considered of the Church then you did before.

Holland. I consider thys muche: That out of the church there is no saluation, as diuers auncient Doctours say.

Boner. That is well sayd. M. Egleston I trust your kynsman wil be a good Catholicke man. But Roger, you meane, I trust, the church of Rome.

Holland. I meane that church which hath Christ for her head: which also hath his word, and hys Sacramantes accordyng to his word and institution.

Chedsey. Then Chedsey interrupted him, and sayd: is that a Testament you haue in your hand?

Holland. Yea M. Doctour, it is the new Testament. You wil find no fault with the translation (I thinke.) It is of your owne translation: it is accordyng to the great Bible.