forgeuenes of our foredone sinnes, and grace to abstaine vs hereafter from sinne. And but if we inforce vs to do this wilfully and in conuenient tyme, the Lord (if he wil not vtterly destroy and cast vs away) will in diuers maners moue tyrauntes agaynst vs, for to constrayne vs violently to do penaunce, which we would not do wilfully.MarginaliaThe cause why persecution is suffered to come. And trust that this doyng is a speciall grace of the Lord, and a great token of life & mercy. And no doubt, who euer will not apply him selfe (as is sayd before) to punish himselfe wilfully, neither will suffer paciētly, meekely, and gladly the rod of the Lord, howsoeuer that he will punish him: their wayward wils & their impacience, are vnto them earnest of euerlasting damnation. But because there are but few in number that do able them thus faythfully to grace, for to liue here simply and purely, and without gall of malice and of grudgyng, herefore the louers of this world hate and pursue them that they know pacient, meeke, chaste, and wilfully poore, hatyng and fleyng all worldly vanities and fleshly lustes. For surely, their vertuous conditions are euen contrary to the maners of this world.

MarginaliaThe third cause. The thyrd thyng that moueth me to write this sentēce is this. I thought I shall busie me in my selfe to do faythfully, that all men and women (occupying all their busines in knowyng and in keepyng of Gods commaundementes) able them so to grace that they might vnderstand truely the truth, and haue and vse vertue and prudence, and so deserue to be lightened from aboue with heauēly wisedome: so that all their wordes & their workes may be hereby made pleasaunt sacrifices vnto the Lord God:MarginaliaEdification of other necessary to be considered. and not onely for helpe of their owne soules, but also for edificatiō of all holy church. For I doubt not, but all they that will apply them to haue this foresayd busines, shall profite full mekill both to frēdes & foes. For some enemies of the truth through the grace of God, shall through charitable folkes be made astonied in their conscience, and peraduenture conuerted from vices to vertues: and also, they that labour to know and to keepe faythfully the biddynges of God, and to suffer paciently all aduersities, shall hereby comfort many frendes.

MarginaliaThe 4. cause. And the fourth thyng that moueth me to write this sentēce is this: I know my sodein & vnwarned apposing and aunsweryng, that all they that will of good hart without faining, able themselues wilfully and gladly after their cunnyng and their power, to folow Christ paciently, trauelyng busily, priuely and apertly in worke and in word, to withdrawe whom soeuer that they may from vices, planting in them (if they may) vertues, comforting them & furtheryng them that stand in grace, so that therewith they be not borne vp in vayne glory, through presumption of their wisedome, nor inflamed with any worldly prosperitie: but euer meeke and paciēt, purposing to abyde stedfastly in the will of God, suffering wilfully and gladly without any grutchyng what soeuer rod the Lord will chastise thē with: That then, this good Lord will not forget to comfort all such men and women in all their tribulations, and at euery poynt of temptation that any enemy purposeth for to do agaynst them. To such faithfull louers specially, & pacient followers of Christ, the Lord sēdeth by his wisedom frō aboue, to them: which the aduersaries of the truth, may not know nor vnderstand. But through their old and new vnshamefast sinnes, those tyraunts and enemyes of southfastnes, shalbe so blinded and obstinate in euill, that they shall wene themselues to do pleasaunt sacrifices vnto the Lord God in their malicious and wrongfull persewyng and destroying of innocent mens and womens bodyes:MarginaliaThe assistence of God neuer fayleth them that are persecuted. which men and women, for their vertuous liuyng, and for their true knowledgyng of the truth and their pacient wilfull and glad suffering of persecutiō for righteousnes, deserue through þ^e grace of God, to be heyres of the endles blisse of heauen. And for the feruent desire and the great loue that those men haue, as to stand in southfastnes and witnes of it, though they be sodeinly & vnwarnedly brought forth to be apposed of their aduersaries: the holy Ghost yet that moueth and ruleth them through his charitie, will in that houre of their aunsweryng, speake in them and shew his wisedome, that all their enemies shall not agayne say nor agaynst stand, lawfully.

And therfore, all they that are stedfast in the fayth of God, yea, which thorough diligent keepyng of his commaundemētes, and for their pacient sufferyng of whatsoeuer aduersitie that commeth to them, hope surely in his mercy, purposing to stand continually in perfect charitie. For those mē and womē, drede not so the aduersities of this life, that they will feare (after their cunnyng and their power) to knowledge prudently the truthe of Gods word, when, where, and to whom they thinke their knowledgyng may profite. Yea, and though therefore persecution come to them in one wise or an other, certes they paciently take it, knowyng their cō uersation to be in heauen. It is an high reward and a speciall grace of God, for to haue and enioy the euerlasyng inheritaunce of heauen, for the sufferyng of one persecution in so short tyme as is the terme of this life. For loe, this heauenly heritage & endles reward, is the Lord God himselfe, which is the best thyng that may be. Thys sentence witnesseth the Lord God himselfe where as he sayd to Abrahā, I am thy meede. And as the Lord sayd, he was and is the meede of Abraham: so he is of all his other Saints. This most blessed and best meede, he graunt to vs all for his holy name, that made vs of naught, and sent his onely most deare worthy sonne, our Lorde Iesu Christ for to redeme vs with his most precious hart bloud. Amen.

MarginaliaExamination of Wylliam Thorpe before Tho. Arundell Archb. KNowen be it to all men, that read or heare this writing, that on the Sōday next after the feast of S. Peter, that we call Lammesse, in the yeare of our Lord. 1407. I Williā Thorpe beyng in prison in the Castle of Saltwode, was brought before Thomas Arundell Archbishop of Canterbury and Chauncellour then of England. And when that I came to him, he stode in a great chamber and much people about him: and when that he saw me, he went fast into a closet biddyng all secular men that followed him to go forth from him soone, so that no man was left than in that closet, but the Archbyshop himselfe & a Phisitian that was called Malueren, person of S. Dunstanes in London, and other two persons vnknowen to me which were ministers of the law. And I standyng before thē, by and by the Archbyshop sayd to me: William, I know well that thou hast this xx. Winter and more, traueled about busily in the North countrey and in other diuers countreys of England,MarginaliaLoytering prelates, cā not abyde trauelyng preachers. sowyng about false doctrine, hauyng great businesse if thou might with thyne vntrue teachyng and shrewd will, for to infect & poyson all this land. But through the grace of God thou arte now withstāded and brought into my ward,MarginaliaThe grace of God and of my Lord of Cant. be 2. thynges. so that I shall now sequester thee from thyne euill purpose, and let thee to enuenime the sheepe of my prouince. Neuertheles S. Paul sayth: If it may be, as much as in vs is, we ought to haue peace w^t all men. Therfore Williā, if thou wilt now meekely and of good hart, without any fayning, kneele down and lay thy hād vpon a booke and kisse it, promising faythfully as I shall here charge thee, that thou wilt submit thee to my correction, and stand to myne ordinaunce,MarginaliaYour ordinaunce, and why not to Gods ordinaunce if it please your grace? and fulfill it duely by all thy cunnyng and power, thou shalt yet finde me gracious vnto thee. Than sayd I to the Archbyshop. Syr, since ye deme me an heretike & out of beleue, wil ye geue me here audiēce to tell my beleue. And he sayd, yea tell on. And I sayd.

I beleue that there is not but one God almighy, and in this Godhead, & of this Godhead, are three persons, that is, the father, the sonne, and the sothfast holy Ghost. And I beleue, that all these three persons are euen in power and in cunnyng, and in might, full of grace and of all goodnes. For whatsoeuer that the father doth or can or will, that thyng also the sonne doth and can and will: and in all their power, cunnyng and will, the holy Ghost is equall to the father and to the sonne.

Ouer this I beleue, that through counsell of this most blessed Trinitie, in most cōuenient tyme before ordained for the saluation of mankynde, the second person of this Trinitie, was ordained to take the forme of mā, that is, the kinde of mā. And I beleue, that this secōd person our Lord Iesu Christ, was conceaued through the holy ghost, into the wōbe of the most blessed virgin Mary, without mans seede. And I beleue, that after ix. monethes Christ was borne of this most blessed virgin, without any payne or breakyng of the closter of her wombe, and without filth of her virginitie.

And I beleue, that Christ our Sauiour was Circumcised in the eight day after his byrth, in fulfillyng of the law, and his name was called Iesus, which was so called of the Aūgell, before that he was conceiued in the wombe of Mary his mother.

And I beleue that Christ, as he was about xxx. yeare old, was Baptised in the floud of Iordane of Iohn Baptist: and in the likenes of a Doue the holy Ghost descended there vpon him, & a voice was heard from heauen, saying: Thou art my welbeloued sonne, in thee I am full pleased.

And I beleue, that Christ, was moued then by the holy ghost, for to go into desart, and there he fasted fourty days and fourty nightes without bodely meate and drinke. And I beleue, that by and by after his fasting, when the māhoode of Christ hungered, the feend came to him, and tempted him in glottony, in vayne glory, & in couetise: but in all those tēptations, Christ cōcluded the feend, and withstode him. And