then without tarying, Iesu began to preach and to say vnto the people: do ye penaunce, for the Realme of heauen is now at hand.

I beleue that Christ in all his tyme here liued most holily, and taught the will of his father most truly: and I beleue that he suffered therfore, most wrongfully, greatest repriefes and despisinges.

And after this, when Christ would make an end here of his tēporall life, I beleue that in the day next before that he wold suffer passiō on the morne: In forme of bread and of wyne, he ordained the Sacrament of his flesh and his bloud,MarginaliaThat is, vnder the creatures of bread and wyne. that is, his owne precious body, and gaue it to his Apostles for to eate: commaūdyng them, and by them all their after commers, that they should do it in this forme that he shewed to them, vse themselues, and teach and comon forth to other men and womē this most worshypfull holyest Sacramēt, in mindfulnes of his holyest liuyng, and of his most true teachyng, and of his wilful and patient sufferyng of the most paynfull passion.

And I beleue, that this Christ our Sauiour, after that he had ordained this most worthy Sacrament of his owne precious body: he went forth wilfully agaynst his enemies, and he suffered them most paciently to lay their handes most violently vpon him, and to bynde him, and to lead him forth as a theefe, and to scorne him, and buffet him, and all to blow or file him with their spyttynges. Ouer this, I beleue that Christ suffred most meekely and paciently his enemies, for to dyng out with sharpe scourges the bloud þ^t was betwene his skinne and his flesh: yea, without grudgyng Christ suffered the cruell Iewes to crowne him with most sharpe thornes, and to strike him with a reede. And after, Christ suffered wicked Iewes to draw him out vpon the crosse, & for to nayle him therupon hand and foote. And so through his pityfull naylyng, Christ shed out wilfully for mans lyfe, the bloud that was in his vaynes. And then Christe gaue wilfully his spirit into the hāds or power of his father, & so, as he would, & when he would, Christ dyed wilfully for mās sake vpon the crosse. And notwithstādyng that Christ was wilfully, paynefully, and most shamefully put to death, as to the world: there was left bloud and water in his hart as before ordained, that he would shed out this bloud and this water for mās saluation. And therfore he suffred þ^e Iewes to make a blynd Knight to thrust him into the hart with a speare, and this the bloud and water that was in his hart, Christ would shed out for mans loue. And after this, I beleue that Christ was taken downe from the crosse and buried. And I beleue that on the third day by power of his Godhead, Christ rose agayne from death to lyfe. And the xl. day therafter, I beleue that Christ asc?ded vp into heauen, and that he there sitteth on the right hand of the father almighty. And the fifty day after this vp goyng, he sent to his Apostles the holy Ghost, that he had promised them before. And I beleue that Christ shall come & iudge all mankynd, some to euerlastyng peace, & some to euerlastyng paynes.

And as I beleue in the father and in the sonne, that they are one God almighty, so I beleue in the holy Ghost that he is also with them the same God almighty.

And I beleue an holy Church,MarginaliaWhat is the holy church. that is, all they that haue bene, and that now are, and alwayes to the end of the world shalbe, a people the which shall endeuour them to know and to keepe the commaundementes of God, dredyng ouer all thyng to offend God, and louyng and seekyng most to please him. And I beleue, that all they that haue had and yet haue, and all they that yet shall haue the foresayd vertues, surely standyng in the belief of God, hopyng stedfastly in his mercyfull doynges, continuyng to their end in perfect charitie, wilfully, paciently and gladly sufferyng persecutions, by the example of Christ chiefly and his Apostles, all these haue their names written in the booke of life.

MarginaliaThe true notes of the true church. Therfore I beleue, that the gatheryng together of this people, liuyng now here in this life, is the holy Church of God, fighting here on earth agaynst the feend, the prosperitie of the world, and their fleshly lustes. Wherfore seing that all the gatheryng together of this Church before sayd, and euery part therof, neither coueteth, nor willeth, nor loueth, nor seeketh any thing but to eschew þ^e offēce of God & to do his pleasing will: meekely, gladly, and wilfully w^t all myne hart, I submit my self vnto this holy church of Christ, to be euer buxsome & obedient to þ^e ordinaunce of it, and of euery member therof, after my knowledge and power by the helpe of God. Therfore I knowledge now and euermore shall, if God will, that with all my hart and with all my might, I will submit me onely to the rule and gouernaunce of them, whom after my knowledge, I may perceiue by the hauyng and vsing of the before sayd vertues, to be members of the holy Church. Wherfore, these articles of belief and all other (both of the olde law and of the new, which after the commaundement of God any man ought to beleue) I beleue verely in my soule, as a sinfull deadly wretch of my cunning and power, ought to beleue: praying the Lord God for his holy name, for to encrease my beliefe, and helpe my vnbeliefe.

And for because to the praysing of Gods name, I desire aboue all thynges to be a faithfull mēber of holy church,MarginaliaWhat heresie in this beliefe, I pray you my Lord? I make this protestation before you all foure that are now here present, couetyng that all men and women that now be absent, knew the same: that is, what thyng soeuer before thys tyme I haue sayd or done, or what thyng here I shall do or say, at any tyme hereafter.MarginaliaThe olde Testament and new. I beleue, that all the olde law and the new law geuen and ordeyned by the counsaile of the three persons of the Trinitie, were geuen and written to the saluatiō of mankinde. And I beleue, that these lawes are sufficient for mans saluation. And I beleue euery article of these lawes, to the entent, that these articles ordeined and commaunded of these iij. persons of the most blessed trinitie, are to be beleued.

And therfore to the rule & the ordinaunce of these, Gods lawes, meekely, gladly and wilfully, I submit me with all myne hart: that whosoeuer can or wyll by authoritie of Gods law, or by open reason, tell me that I haue erred or nowe erre, or any tyme hereafter shall erre in any article of beliefe (from which inconuenience God keepe me, for hys goodnesse) I submit me to be reconciled and to be buxum & obedient vnto those lawes of God, and to euery article of them. For by authoritie, specially of these lawes, I wyll, thorow the grace of God, be vnied charitably vnto these lawes. Yea sir, and ouer this, I beleue & admit all the sentences, authorities and reasons of the saintes & doctours, according vnto holy scripture, and declaryng it truely.

MarginaliaDoctours so to be folowed, as they folow the worde. I submit me wilfully and meekely to be euer obedient after my cunnyng and power, to all these saintes and Doctours, as they are obedient in worke and in worde to God and to hys law, and further not (to my knowledge) not for any earthly power, dignitie or state, thorow the helpe of God. But sir I pray you tell me, if after your biddinge, I shall lay my hand vpon the booke, to what entent: to sweare thereby? And the Archb. sayd to me, yea, wherefore els? And I sayd to him.MarginaliaTo sweare by a booke whether it be lawfull. Syr a booke is nothyng els but a thing coupled together of diuers creatures, and to swere by any creature both Gods law and mans law is against it.

MarginaliaHow, where, & whē to swere. But Syr, thys thing I say here to you before these your clerkes, with my foresayd protestatiō, that how, where, when, and to whom, men are bound to sweare or to obey in any wyse after Gods law, and saintes, and true Doctours, according wyth Gods law: I will thorow Gods grace be euer ready thereto, with all my cunnyng and power. But I pray you sir for the charitie of God, that ye wyll before þ^t I sweare (as I haue here rehearsed to you) tell me how or whereto, that I shall submit me: and shew me wherof that ye will correct me, and what is the ordinaunce that ye wyll thus oblige me to fulfill.

¶ And the Archbyshop sayd vnto me, I wyll shortly that now thou sweare here to me, that thou shalt forsake all the opinions which the secte of Lollardes holde, and is sclaundered wyth: so that after this tyme, neither priuely nor apertly, thou holde any opinion which I shall (after that thou hast sworne) rehearse to thee here. Nor thou shalt fauour no mā nor woman, young nor olde, that holdeth any of these foresayd opinions: but after thy knowledge and power, thou shalt force thee to w^tstand all such distroublers of holy church in euery dioces, that thou commest in: and them that will not leaue their false and damnable opinions, thou shalt put them vp, publishing them and their names, and make them knowen to the byshop of the dioces that they are in, or to the byshops ministers. And ouer this I will, that thou preach no more vnto þ^e tyme that I know by good witnes & true, that thy conuersation be such, that thy hart and thy mouth accorde truely in one, contrarying all the leude learnyng that thou hast taught here before.

☞ And I hearing these wordes, thought in my hart, that thys was an vnlefull asking: and demed my selfe cursed of God, if I consented hereto, & I thought how Susan sayd: Anguishe is to me on euery side. And in that I stoode still and spake not, the Archbishop sayd to me. Aunswere one wise or an other.MarginaliaBeholde the popishe procedinges whereto they tende. And I sayd: Syr, if I consented to you thus as ye haue here before rehersed to me, I shuld become an appealar, or euery byshops espye, somonour of all Englād. For and I should thus put vp, and publishe the names of men and women, I shoulde herein deceiue full many persons: Ye syr, as it is lykely by the dome of my conscience, I should herein be cause of the death both of men and women, ye both bodely and ghostly. For many men and womē that