holy Church, and lay thy hand vpon a booke touchyng the holy Gospell of GOD, promising not onely wyth thy mouthe, but also with thine hart to stand to my Lordes ordinaunce?

MarginaliaTo touch a booke is to sweare by a booke. ☞ And I said: Sir, I haue not told you here, how that I heard a maister of diuinitie say: that in such case it is all one to touch a booke, and to sweare by a booke?

¶ And the Archb. sayd: There is no maister of diuinitie in England so great, that if he hold this opinion before me, but I shall punish hym as I shall do thee, except thou sweare as I shall charge thee.

MarginaliaIt is happy that he called not for a candle, and made a Sceuola of him, as Boner did of Tomkins. ☞ And I sayd: Sir, is not Chrisostome an ententife Doctour?

¶ And the Archb. sayd, yea.

☞ And I sayd: If Chrisostome proueth hym worthy great blame, that bringeth forth a booke to sweare vpon: It must nedes follow, that he is more to blame that sweareth on that booke.

¶ And the Archb. sayd: If Chrisostome ment accordingly to the ordinance of holy church, we will accept hym.MarginaliaIt is happy that Chrisostome was not here, or els ye would haue had him by the backe. ☞ And then sayd a clerke to me. Is not the word of God & God himself equipollent, that is, of one authoritie?

¶ And I sayd, Yea.

☞ Then he said to me, Why wilt thou not sweare then by the gospell of God, that is Gods word, since it is all one to sweare by the word of God, and by God himselfe.

MarginaliaBut that worde cannot be touched. ¶ And I sayd. Sir, since I may not now otherwise be beleued, but by swearing: I perceiue (as Austen saith) that it is not spedefull that ye that should be my brethrē should not beleue me:MarginaliaThorpe refuseth not to sweare. therfore, I am redy by the word of God (as the lord commaunded me by his word) to sweare.

☞ Then the Clearke sayd to me. Lay then thine hand vpon the booke, touchyng the holy Gospell of God and take thy charge.

¶ And I said: Sir I vnderstand that the holy Gospell of God may not be touched with mans hand.

☞ And the Clearke sayd, I fonded, and that I sayde not truth.

¶ And I asked this clerk whether it were more to read the Gospell or to touch the Gospell.

☞ And he said it was more to read the Gospell.

MarginaliaWhether the booke be the Gospell.
Ierom saith the gospel is not the gospell for reading, but for beleuing. ¶ Then I sayd. Sir, by authoritie of S. Hierome, the gospell is not the gospell for reading of the letter, but for the beliefe that men haue in the word of God. That it is the Gospell that we beleue, and not the letter that we read: for because the letter that is touched with mans hand, is not the Gospell, but the sentence that is verily beleued in mās hart, is the Gospel. For so S. Hierome sayth.MarginaliaThe gospell is not the leaues of the booke, but the roote of reason. The Gospell, that is þ^e vertue of Gods word, is not in the leaues of the boke, but it is in the roote of reason. Neyther the Gospell (he sayth) is in the writing aboue of the letters, but the Gospell is in the markyng of the sentence of Scriptures. This sentence approueth S. Paule, saying thus.MarginaliaS. Paule. The kingdome of God is not in word but in vertue. And Dauid sayth. The voyce of the Lord that is his worde, is in vertue. And after Dauid sayth.MarginaliaDauid. Through the word of God the heauēs were formed, and in the spirit of his mouth is all the vertue of them. And I pray you sir, vnderstand ye well how Dauid sayth, then in the spirit of the mouth of the Lord, is all the vertue of angels and of men?

And the clerke sayd to me. Thou wouldest make vs to fond with thee. Say we not that the Gospels are written in the Masse booke?

MarginaliaThis clarke was well seene in the Masse booke. ☞ And I sayd. Sir, though men vse to say thus, yet it is vnperfect speech. For the principal part of a thing is properly þ^e whole thyng. For lo, mans soule þ^t may not now be sene here, nor touched with any sensible thyng, is properly man. And all the vertue of a tree is in the roote thereof that may not be sene, for do away the roote, and the tree is destroyed. And sir, as ye sayd to me right now, God and his word are of one authoritie:MarginaliaThe gospell is not the letter but hid in the letter. And sir, S. Hierome witnesseth, þ^t Christe (very God and very mā) is hid in the letter of his law: thus also sir, the gospell is hid in the letter. For sir, as it is ful likely, many diuers men and women here in the earth, touched Christ and saw him, and knew his bodily person, which neither touched, nor saw, nor knew ghostly his godhead: Right thus sir, many men now touch and see, and write, and read the scriptures of gods law, which neither touch, see, nor read effectually the gospell. For as the Godhead of Christ (that is the vertue of God) is known by the vertue of beliefe, so is the Gospell, that is, Christes word.

¶ And a clarke sayd to me. These be full misty mattersMarginaliaMisty matters for your blynde eyes. and vnsauery that thou shewest hereto vs.

☞ And I sayd: Sir, if ye that are maisters, know not plainly this sentence, ye may sore dread that the kingdom of heauen be taken from you, as it was from the princes of priests and from the elders of the Iewes.

¶ And then a Clerke (as I gesse) Malueren, sayd to me. Thou knowest not thyne equiuocations: for the kyngdome of heauen hath diuers vnderstandinges. What callest thou the kyngdome of heauen in thys sentence, that thou shewest here?

MarginaliaThe kingdom of God taken for the vnderstāding of Gods word. ☞ And I sayd. Sir, by good reason and sentence of doctors the Realme of heauen is called here, the vnderstandyng of Gods word.

¶ And a clerke sayd to me. From whom thinkest thou that this vnderstanding is taken away?

☞ And I sayd: Sir (by authoritie of Christ himselfe) the effectuall vnderstanding of Christes worde is taken away from all them chiefly, which are great lettered men, and presume to vnderstand high things, and will be holden wisemen, and desire maistership and high state and dignitie: but they will not conforme them to the liuyng and teachyng of Christ and of hys Apostles.

MarginaliaThis salte was somewhat too sharpe for their rotten fleshe to abyde.. ¶ Thā the Archb. said. Well, wel, thou wilt iudge thy soueraignes. By God, the king doth not his duety, but he suffer thee to be condemned.

☞ And than an other Clerke sayd to me. Why (on Friday that last was) counsailedst thou a man of my Lordes, that he should not shriue hym to no man but only to God?

MarginaliaHelpe downe with hym sir Iohn. ¶ And with this askyng I was abashed: And then by and by I knew that I was subtilly betrayed of a mā that came to me in prison on the Friday before, commonyng wyth me in this matter of confession.MarginaliaNote here the crafty practise of thys holy church. And certayne, by his wordes I thought, that this man came then to me, of full feruent and charitable will: But now I know he came to tempt me and to accuse me, God forgeue him if it be his will. And with all myne hart when I had thought thus, I sayd to this clerke. Sir, I pray you that ye would fetch this man hether: and all the wordes as nere as I can repete them, which that I spake to him, on Friday in the prison, I will rehearse now here before you all, and before him.

☞ And (as I gesse) the Archbishop said then to me. They that are now here, suffise to repete them. How saydest thou to hym?

¶ And I sayd: Sir, that man came and asked me in diuers thinges, and after his asking, I aunswered hym (as I vnderstoode) that good was:MarginaliaA false brother. And as he shewed to me by his wordes, he was sory of hys liuyng in court, and right heauy for hys owne vicious liuyng, and also for the viciousnesse of other men, and specially of priestes euill liuyng: and herefore he sayd to me with a sorowfull hart (as I gessed) that he purposed fully within short tyme for to leaue the court, and to busie him to know Gods law, and to conforme all his life therafter. And when he had sayd to me these wordes & moe other, which I would rehearse and he were present, he prayed me to heare hys confession. And I sayd to him, sir, wherfore come ye to me, to be cōfessed of me, ye wote wel that þ^e Archb. putteth and holdeth me here, as one vnworthy either to geue or to take any sacrament of holy church.

☞ And he sayd to me. Brother I wote well, and so wote many other mo, that you and such other are wrongfully vexed, and therfore I common with you the more gladly. And I sayd to hym. Certayne I wote well, that many mē of this court, and specially the priestes of this houshold wold be full euill apayd both with you and with me, if they wiste that ye were confessed of me. And he sayd, that he cared not therfore, for he had full little affection in them:MarginaliaA crafty trayne of a popishe dissembler. And as me thought, he spake these wordes and many other, of so good will and of so high desire, for to haue knowen and done the pleasaunt will of God. And I sayd then to hym, as with my foresayd protestation I say to you now here: Sir, I counsaile you, for to absent you from all euill company, & to draw you to them that loue and busie them to know and to keepe the preceptes of God: And then the good spirite of God will moue you for to occupy busily all your wittes in gatheryng together of all your sinnes, as farre as ye can bethinke you, shamyng greatly of them and sorowing hartely for them: Yea sir, the holy ghost will then put in your hart a good wyll and a feruent desire for to take and to hold a good purpose, to hate euer and to flie, (after your cunnyng and power) all occasion of sinne: and so then, wisedome shall come to you from aboue, lightenyng (with diuers beames of grace and of heauenly desire) all your wittes, enfourmyng you howe ye shall trust stedfastly in the mercy of the Lord: knowledging to hym onely all your vicious liuyng, praying to hym euer deuoutly of charitable counsell and continuance. Hopyng without doubt, that if ye continue thus, busiyng you faithfully to know and to keepe his biddings, that he wyll (for he onely, may) forgeue you all your sinnes. And thys man sayd to me.MarginaliaAuriculer confession. Though God forgeue men their sinnes, yet it behoueth men to be assoyled of priestes, and to doe the pe-