otherwyse called Vsher Tunstall, who for hauyng a booke with the Pater noster, the Aue and Crede in English, and for certayn other articles of fasting, confession and inuocatiō contrary to the determination of the Romish church, after much vexation for the same, was caused to abiure & sustain such penaunce, as the other before hym had done.

MarginaliaMargery Backster. AN other was Margery Backster, wyfe of Wil. Backster Wright in Martham, the same yere accused:MarginaliaA woman brought in for witnes in the popes court. against whom one Iohn Cliffeland was brought in by the bishop, and compelled to depose, and was made to bring in, in forme followyng.

First, that the sayde Margery Backster dyd informe this deponent that she should in no case sweare, saying to her in English,MarginaliaThe Bee will stinge. dame beware of the Bee, for euery Bee wyll styng, and therefore take heede you sweare not, neyther by God, neither by our Lady, neyther by none other saint: and if ye do the contrary, the Bee will sting your tong, & venom your soule.

Itē, this deponēt beyng demaūded by þ^e said Margery, what she dyd euery day at church, she answered þ^t she kneled downe, & sayd v. Pater nosters, in worshyp of the crucifixe, & as many Aue Maries in worship of our Lady.MarginaliaAgaynst Images. Whō Margery rebuked, saying: you do euil to knele or pray to such Images in þ^e churches, for God dwelleth not in such churches, neither shal come down out of heauē, & wil geue you no more reward for such prayer, then a candle lighted and set vnder þ^e couer of the font, wil geue light by night to those which are in the church: saying moreouer in English, lewd Wrightes, of stockes hew and forme such crosses and Images, and after that, lewd painters glere them with colours. And if you desire so much to see the true crosse of Christ, I wyll shew it you at home in your own house. Which this deponent beyng desirous to see, the sayd Margery stretching out her armes abrode, sayd to this deponent, this is the true crosse of Christ, and this crosse thou oughtst and mayest euery day behold and worship in thine owne house, and therfore it is but vayne to run to the Church to worship dead crosses and Images.

Itē this deponent beyng demaunded by the said Margery how she beleued touchyng the sacrament of the aulter, sayd that she beleued the Sacrament of the aulter after the consecration, to be the very body of Christ in forme of bread. To whom Margery sayd:MarginaliaThe sacrament is not God. your beliefe is nought, For if euery such Sacrament were God, & the very body of Christ there should be an infinite number of Gods, because that a thousand priestes and more do euery day make a thousande such Gods, and afterward eate them, and voyd them out agayn by theyr hinder partes filthily stinking vnder the hedges, wheras you may find a great many such Gods, if you wyll seke for them. And therfore know for a certainty, that by the grace of God it shall neuer be my God, because it is falsly and deceitfully ordayned by the priestes in the church, to induce the simple people to idolatry, for it is onely materiall bread.

MarginaliaTho. Becket a traytour. Moreouer the sayd Margery sayd to this deponēt, that Thomas of Canterbury, whom the people called S. Thomas, was a false traytor and damned in hell, because he iniuriously endowed the churches with possessions, and raysed vp many heresies in the church, which seduce the simple people, and therfore if God be blessed, the sayd Thomas is accursed, and those false priestes that say that he suffred his death paciently before the aulter, doe lye:MarginaliaTho. Becket slayne, not before the aulter, but in hys flying. For as a false cowardly traytor he was slayne in the church dore as he was flyeng away.

Moreouer, this deponent sayth, that the sayd Margery told her that the cursed Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, and bishops, and specially the bishop of Norwich and others that supporte and maintayne heresies and Idolatry, raigning and rulyng ouer the people, shall shortly haue the very same or worse mischiefe fall vpon them, then that cursed mā Thomas of Canterbury had. For they falsly and cursedly deceiue the people with their false mammetries and lawes, to extort mony of the simple folke to sustayne their pride, riot and idlenes: And know assuredly, that the vengeaunce of God will spedely come vpon them, which haue most cruelly slayne the children of God,MarginaliaFather Abraham, W. White, I. Wadden. Father Abraham, and Williā White, a true preacher of the law of God, and Iohn Wadden, with many other godly men: which vengeance had come vpon the sayd Cayphas, the Bishop of Norwich and his ministers, which are members of the deuill, before thys tyme, if the Pope had not sent ouer those false pardons vnto these parties, which the sayd Cayphas had falsly obtay ned to induce the people to make procession for the state of them and of the church. Which pardons brought the simple people to cursed idolatry.

MarginaliaAgainst the popes fasting dayes. Item the sayd Margery sayd to this deponent, that euery faythfull man or woman is not bound to fast in Lent, or other dayes appoynted for fasting by the church, and that euery man may lawfully eate flesh and all other meates vpon the sayd dayes and tymes: and that it were better to eat the fragments left vpon Thursday at night on þ^e fasting dayes, then to go to the market to bring themselues in debt to buy fish: and that Pope Siluester made the Lent.

Item the sayd Margery sayd to this deponent, that W. White was falsly condemned for an heretike, & that he was a good and holy man, and that he willed her to follow him to the place of execution,MarginaliaW. White willing to speake at the stake was stroken on the mouth. where as she saw that whē he would haue opened his mouth to speake vnto the people to instruct them, a deuill one of bishop Caiphas seruantes strake hym on the lips, and stopped his mouth, that he could in no case declare the wil of God.

Item this deponent sayth, that þ^e sayd Margery taught her that she should not go on pilgrimage, neither to our Lady of Falsingame, nor to any other saint or place.

Also this deponent sayth, that the sayd Margery desired her that she and Ione her mayde would come secretly in the night to her chamber, and there she should heare her husband read the law of Christ vnto them, Which law is written in a booke that her husband was wont to reade to her by night, and that her husband is well learned in the christian veritie.

Also that the same Margery had talked with a womā named Ione West, and that the sayd woman is in a good way of saluation.

Also that the said Margerye said to this deponēt: Ione, it appeareth by your countenaunce, that you intend to disclose this that I haue sayde vnto you: and this deponent sware þ^t she would neuer disclose it, without þ^e said Margery gaue her occasiō. Then said Margery vnto this deponēt if thou do accuse me vnto the Bishop, I will do vnto thee, as I did once vnto a certain Frier Carmelite of Yarmouth which was the best learned Frier in all the country. Then this deponent desired to know what she had done to the Frier. Vnto whom Margery aunswered, that she had talked with the sayd Frier, rebuking hym because he did beg, saying that it was no almes to geue hym any good thyng, except he would leaue his habite and go to the plough, and so he should please God more, then following the lyfe of some of those Friers. Then the Frier required of the said Margery whether she could teach hym or tell hym any thing els. Then the said Margery (as she affirmed to this deponent) declared to this Frier the Gospels in English, and thē the Frier departed from her. After this the same Frier accused the sayd Margery of heresie, and she vnderstandyng that the Frier had accused her: accused the Frier agayne, that he would haue known her carnally, and because she would not consent vnto hym, the Frier had accused her of heresie. And moreouer she sayd that her husband would haue killed the Frier therefore: and so the Frier for feare helde his peace, and went hys way with shame.

This Margery also sayd that she had oftentimes bene faynedly confessed to the Deane of the fieldes, because he should thinke her to be a woman of good lyfe, and therefore he gaue the sayd Margery oftentymes money. Then this deponent asked her whether she had confessed her sinnes to a priest or not.MarginaliaAgaynst auricular confession. And she aunswered that she had neuer offended any priest, and therfore she would neuer confesse her self to any priest, neither obey him because they haue no power to absolue any man from their sinnes, for that they offende dailye more greiuously then other men, and therefore that men ought to confesse themselues onely vnto God and to no priest.

MarginaliaAgaynst Image worship. Item, the sayd Margery sayd to this deponent, that the people dyd worshyp deuils which fell frō heauen with Lucifer, which deuils in their fall to the earth, entred into the Images which stand in the Churches, and haue long lurked & dwelled in them, so that the people worshyppyng those Images, commit Idolatrie.

Item, she sayd more to this deponent that holy bread & holy water were but trifles of no effect or force, and that the belles are to be cast out of the Church, and that they are excommunicate which first ordained them.

Moreouer that she should not be burned, although she were conuict of Lollardy, for that she had a charter of saluation in her body.

Also the said deponent sayth, that Agnes Bethē her seruaunt beyng sent to the house of the said Margery the Saterday after Ashwēsday, the said Margery not being w^tin,