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479 [478]

K. Richard. 2. The aunswere of W. Swinderby to the proces

And of the other remission of sinnes Christ speaketh in the Gospell, and sayth. Whose sinnes ye forgiue, they shalbe forgiuen. And mans forgiuenes auayleth litle, but zif God forgiue our sinnes through his grace.

Marginalia6. Conclusiō. ☞ The vj. conclusion teacheth indulgences and pardons, that the Pope graunteth in his Buls, and men callen it an absolution A pœna & a culpa.

MarginaliaDeclaration. Of this maner of speach I cannot finde in the Gospell, ne in no place of holy write, ne I haue not read, that Christ vsed this maner of remission, ne none of his Apostles. But as me semeth, if the pope had such a power, sithē the paynes after a mās death bene much greater thē any bodely paynes of the world:MarginaliaEyther there is purgatory or els the pope is cruel and vncharitable.
The popes power can keepe none from bodely payne.
Ergo muche lesse from spirituall.
me thinketh he should of charitie keepe mē out of such paynes, and then men needed not to finde so many vicious Priestes after theyr lyfe, to bryng their soules out of Purgatory. An other thyng me thincketh, that sithe the Popes power ne may not keepe vs in this world fro bodely paynes as from cold from hunger, from dread, from sorrow, and other such paynes, how should his power helpe vs from spirituall paynes, when we bene dead? But for that no man commeth after his death to tell vs the soothe in what payne they bene, men mowe tell therof what hym lust. S. Iohn sayth in the Apocalips, that he saw vnder the aultar, the soules of them which were slayne for the word of God, and for the testimony which they had. And they dyd cry with a loud voyce, saying: how long Lord holy and true, doest not thou reuenge our blood of them which dwell on the earth.MarginaliaIf the Martyrs beyng dead be not assured from griefe of tarying, much lesse cā they assoyle other frō paynes of purgatory. And whyte stoles were geuē to euery of thē, to rest a while, till the number of their fellow seruauntes & brethren should be fulfilled, which also remayned to be slayne as they were. &c. Here semeth it, that these soules were not assoyled a pœna, that is from payne: for their desire was not fulfilled. And they were bidden abyde a while, and that is a payne. And if Martyrs were not assoyled from payne, it is hard for any mā to say, that he assoyleth other mē a pœna. Also good mēs soules haue not but spirituall blysse, and they want bodely blysse, vntill their resurrection in the day of dome. And after they desiren to haue that blysse, and abyden it, and that is payne to them.MarginaliaThe pope hath no power groūded vpon scripture to bring frō paine of purgatory And I cannot see that the Pope hath power to bryng hym from this payne. But if any man can shew me, that he hath such a power graunted in the troth of holy write, I will gladly leefen it.

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Marginalia7. Conclusiō. ☞ The. vij. point speaketh of the Pope and is this:MarginaliaThe pope maketh himselfe euen with Christ. Sith it is onely due to God, as I haue sayd before, to geue and to graunt plener remission, from payne, and from blame: that what euer he be Pope or other, that presumptiously mistaketh vpon him the power that onely is due to God, in that, in as much as in him is, he maketh himselfe euen with Christ, and blasphemeth God, as Lucifer did, whē he sayd: Ascendam, & ero similis altissimo, That is, I will ascend, and be lyke the highest. &c.

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MarginaliaDeclaration. For that I say, if the Pope hold men of armes in maintainyng of his temporall Lordshyp, to venge him on them that gilten and offenden hym, and geueth remission to fight and to slay them, that contrarien hym,MarginaliaThe Bishop of Norwich Hen. Spenser the popes warriour set vp of the pope to slay his enemies pag. 440. as men sayden he did by the Byshop of Norwich, not puttyng hys sword in hys sheath, as God commaūded to Peter: he is Antichrist. For he doth the cōtrary of the cōmaundement of Iesus Christ, that bad Peter forgeuen to hys brother. 70. sithe. 7. sithe. Well I finde in the Gospell, that when Christ sent his Disciples to Samary, the Samaritanes would not receiuen them. And some of them bidden Christ, that he should make a fire come downe from heauen, to destroy the Citie. And he blamed them and sayd: Nescitis cuius spiritus estis: Filius hominis non venit animas perdere, sed saluare. That is, ye know not of what spirite ye are: The sonne of man is not come downe to destroy, but to saue þe lyues & soules of men. &c.MarginaliaThe pope contrary to Christ. If Christ thē come to saue men, & not to slea them: Who that doth the reuers hereof, is agaynst Christ, and then he isMarginaliaThe pope againe proued Antichrist. Antichrist. Christ bad Peter put his sword in his sheath and sayd: Omnes qui gladium acceperint, gladio peribunt. That is: All which take the sword, shall perish with the sword. And I cannot finde that Peter drew out his sword after that tyme, but suffered as Christ sayd: Cum senueris, alius cinget te, & ducet quò tu non vis. That is: when thou shalt waxe old, an other shal gyrd thee and lead thee whether thou wilt not. And therfore sayd Peter, Christ suffered for vs, leauyng vs example that we should folow his steps. And Paule sayth: Not defendyng your selues, but geue place to anger: leaue reuengyng to me, and I shall reward them. &c. And therefore it seemeth to me, that it is much agaynst Christes lore, that his Vicar should be a fighter, sithen that he mote be a shepheard, that should go before his sheepe, and let them come after him, and not with swordes to driue thē away from him. For as Christ sayth, a good shepheard shal put his lyfe for his sheepe. And zif all that Christ had two swordes when that he was taken of the Iewes, he sayd himselfe, it was for that the Scriptures moten zit be fulfilled:Marginalia2 Swordes neuer geuen to the Pope. Quoniam cum iniquis deputatus est, that is: he was reputed among the wicked: and not to figure two swordes, that men sayen the Pope hath to gouerne wyth the church. And when I see such doings of the Pope, and many other that accorden not with Christes lore, ne his liuyng: And when I read diuers scriptures of holy writ, I am foule astonied whether they shoulden be vnderstanded of him, or of any other. And I pray you for Gods loue tell me the sooth. Christ sayth: Many shall come in my name, saying: I am Christ, and shall seduce many. &c. Christ (I wot well) is as much to say, as he that is annointed, and two annointinges there weren in the law, one of kynges, an other of Priestes. And Christ was both king and priest, and so the Pope sayth that he is.MarginaliaTwo sortes of annointinges in Scripture. And if all that haue ben Emperors of Rome, and other heathen kinges haue bene Antichrists, they come not in Christes name. But who so commeth in Christes name, and fayneth him Christes frend, and he be priuely his enemy, he may lightly beguile many. S. Paule saith: before there commeth a defection first, and the sonne of perdition shalbe reuealed, which is the aduersary, and is extolled aboue all that is named God, or which is worshipped: so that he shall sit in the temple of God, shewing hymselfe as God.MarginaliaA defectiō in Antichristes time. And it followeth in the same place: and now ye know what holdeth till he be reuealed in his tyme, for he worketh already the mistery of iniquitie. Onely he that holdeth, let him holde till he come abroad, and then the wicked one shall be reuealed, whom the Lord Iesus shall slay with the spirite of hys mouth. &c. And S. Iohn sayth in the Apocalips: I saw an other beast ascending out of the earth, and two hornes like to the lambe. He spake like the Dragō, and had the power of the first beast. Many such authorities astonieth me oft sithes: and therfore I pray you for the loue of God, to tell me what they meane.

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¶ The sentence.

MarginaliaMention was made of this schedule before in the first dayes Acte. pag. 452. THe which  

Commentary   *   Close

The sentence condemning Swinderby is copied from Trefnant's register; see Registrum Johannis Trefnant Episcopis Herefordensis, ed. W. W. Capes, Canterbury and York Society 20 (London, 1916), pp. 270-1.

schedule afore mencioned, with the contentes therof diligently of vs perused, we considering that diseases which be not easely cured with gentle remedye, must haue harder plaisters. Considering moreouer these his articles wyth his aunsweres to the same, and to other articles also lastly agaynst him produced, first mature deliberation had before vpon the whole matter with the foresayde maisters and Doctours, as well secular as regular, to a great number, obseruing in the same all things to be obserued in this behalfe, haue geuen sentence against the sayde W. in forme as foloweth.

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MarginaliaThe sētence geuē agaynst hym. The name of Christ being inuocated, we Iohn, by the permission of God, bishop of Hereford, sitting in tribunall seate, hauing God before our eyes, weying and considering the Articles by the foresayd faithfull Christians put vp agaynst the sayd Swinderby, pretēding himselfe to be priest, with hys aunsweres vpon the same, Actis et Actitatis before vs in the cause of hereticall peruersitie, with mature deliberation had before in this behalfe, with maisters and doctours of diuinitie, and also of other faculties, with their counsell and consent: Do pronounce, decree, and declare the sayd W. to haue bene and to be an hereticke, schismaticke, and a false informer of the people, and such as is to be auoyded of faithfull Christians. Wherefore we admonish, vnder payne of the law, all and singular Christians, or what sex, state, condition, or preeminence soeuer: that neither they, nor any of thē within our dioces, or any other, do beleue, receaue, defend, or fauour the said W. till he shall deserue fully to be reconciled to the bosome againe of holy Church.

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¶ The appeale of W. Swynderby from this sentence of the Bishop prefixed, vnto the king and his counsaile.

MarginaliaThe appeale of W. Swinderby from the B. to the K. and hys counsaile. I N nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti, Amen.  

Commentary   *   Close

This appeal of his conviction, by Swinderby to Richard II, and the next document, Swinderby's appeal to Parliament, are copied from Trefnant's register; see Registrum Johannis Trefnant Episcopis Herefordensis, ed. W. W. Capes, Canterbury and York Society 20 (London, 1916), pp. 271-8.

I W. Swynderby priest, knowledge openly to all men, that I was before the Bishop of Hereforde, the third day of October, and before many other good clerkes, to aunswere to certayne cōclusions of the faith that I was accused of. And myne aunswere was this, that if the Bishop or any man couthe shew me by Gods law, that my conclusions or mine aunsweres were errour or heresie, I woulde be amended, and openly reuoke them before all the people.Marginalia* Some thing there lacketh in the copy. *  
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This is another gap caused by flaws in Foxe's transcript of Trefnant's register.

Knowes in any of my conclusions, but sayden singly with worde, that there was errours in them, and bidden me subiect me to þe byshop, and put me into his grace and reuoke mine errour, and shewed me nought by Gods law ne reason, ne proued which they weren. And for I woulde not knowledge me

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giltie,