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493 [469]

K. Richard. 2. Articles of Will. Swinderby falsly wrested by papistes.

not, sithen it is the office of a priest, by the law of Christ to preach the Gospell? ne nought I did it for presūtion, but for the charge þt I haue of God by priesthood (if al I be vnworthy) & to þe worship of God, & helpe of christen soules, freely without gathering of her goods for my preaching. If I erred in this, I will be amended. And sir touching your maundement that ye sendē to me, there was sēt none. And sir I made neuer yet disobediēce vnto you, ne to your ministers: & yef all I had, me owes more to obeyche to God then to you, in that that ye bidden contrary to Christes bidding. And sir as ye sayne, that I had no minde of my hele, it is to lightly demet: for God forbid, but yef there lye hele more then in your bidding. For God wot for hele I did it, of mine and of the people, and that was in my minde. But sir it seines me that ye charge not by euidence of the punishing so greatly the breaking of Gods hests, as ye done of your own. And sir if it be your wil, in default that the people wanted, you to teache hem (and her curates did not) by the desire of the people that weren hungry and thirsty after gods word, ichone to beare vp others charge as gods law bids: I preached, not for disobedience to you, but sir in fulfilling of þe obediēce that Gods law bids me do in excusing of my selfe to you of that ye blame me of, in opē shewing to holy Church, with þe protestation that I first made, I aunswere thus to the Articles that ye haue put to me.

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Marginalia1. Article. The first is this, that I William of Swinderby, the Monday the first of August, the yeare of our Lorde. 1390. MarginaliaAnno. 1390.preaching to the people in the Church of Whitney of your Dioces, held and affirmed (as ye sayne) that no Prelate of the world, of what state or degree that he be, hauing cure of soules, being in deadly sinne, and hearing confession of his suget, does nought in assoyling him, ne he assoiles him not of his sinne: and also in amending his suget opēly sinning and him for his desertes cursing, his sentence byndes not, but if that Prelate be as cleane out of deadly sinne as was S. Peter, to whom our Lord gaue power of binding and vnbinding.MarginaliaNote here how the papistes vse falsely to wrastle good mēs sayings and articles

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MarginaliaAunswere. I neuer thought this ne spake this, ne heard it to the time that I saw it written in our booke, and that will witnes the Lord of the towne that has the same sermon written and many gentiles and other that heardē me that day: But thus I said, and thus I say with protestation put before: that there is no man, Pope, ne bishop, prelate ne Curate, that bindes soothly, verily and ghostly, but in as much as his binding or vnbinding accordes with the keyes of heauen that God gaue to Peter. MarginaliaThe popes binding how far it extendeth.And as S. Gregory saies that power han they only, that hold together the ensample of the apostles with heere teaching. Illi soli in hac carne positiligandi atque soluendi potestatem habent, sicut sancti Apostoli qui eorum exempla simul cum doctrina tenent: gg. li. quarto sententiarum.MarginaliaGreg. lib. 4. Sent.

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Marginalia2. Article. The second article that is put vpon me, is that, that I should haue sayd, preached, & affirmed in many places before many true men of Christ: that after the Sacramentall wordes sayd of the priest, hauing entention of consecratiō: that in the Sacrament of Gods body, is not very Gods body.MarginaliaAnd what if he had said it?

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MarginaliaAunswere. This sayd I neuer God wote, and true men that haue heard me.

Marginalia3. Article. The third article is this, tht our bishop puts vpō me, that I should haue sayd in many places, and affirmed, that accidents mow not be in the sacrament of the aultar without subiect, and þt material bread leues not therwith Gods body in the sacrament.

MarginaliaAunswere. This conclusion I haue not holdē, ne taught, ne preached: for I haue not medled me of that matter, my wit suffiseth not thereto. But here I tell my beliefe with protestation put before: that the Sacrament of the aultar made by vertue of heauenly wordes, that Christ himselfe sayd in the Cene, when he made this sacrament, that it is bread & christes bodye, MarginaliaBread and Christes body in the sacrament.so as Christ himselfe sayes in the Gospell, & S. Paul sayes, and as Doctors in the common law haue determined to this sentēce. Math. 26. Mar. 14. Lu. 22. Pa. 1. Cor. 10. & 11. de con. distinct. 2. panis: & de consecra. dist. 2. Corpus. Iohn. 6. verus panis.

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Marginalia4. article. The 4. article is this, that our Bishop accuseth me of, that I should haue preached about and sayd: that a Priest being in deadly sinne, may not by the strength of the Sacramentall words make gods body, or none other Sacrament of the Churche, either performe to minister them to members of the same.

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MarginaliaAunswere. Thus I neuer said, thought it, preached it, ne taught it for well I wot, the wickednesse of a Priest may appaire no very sacrament: MarginaliaThe wickednes of the priest impayreth no sacrament.but the wickednes of the priest appayres himselfen, and all that boldnes & example of this sinne cau-sen the people to liuen the worse against Gods law. Vnde Greg. Et si sacerdos in peccatis fuerit, totus populus ad peccandum conuertitur.

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Marginalia5. Article. The 5. article is this, that our bishop puts vnto me: þt all priests ben of euē power in all things, not withstāding that some of this world bene of higher dignity or more passing in highnes of degree.

MarginaliaAunswere. Certes no man would say thus as I suppose, no more did I, ne neuer heard it that I wot of: MarginaliaEqualitye of priestes.But this I say with protestation made before, that what Priest liues most holily next following the law of God, he is most louet of God, and most profitable to the Church. If men speakē of worldly power and Lordships and worships, with other vices that raignen therin, what Priest that desires and has most hereof (in what degree so he be) he is most Antichrist of all the priestes that ben in earth. MarginaliaAug ad Valeriū.Vnde Augustinus ad Valerium scribens ait. Nihil est in hac vita, & maximè hoc tempore facilius & leuius, & hominibus acceptabilius, Episcopi, præsbiteri aut decani officijs: sed si profunctoriè aut adulatoriè, nihil apud Deum miserabilius aut tristius & damnabilius.

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Marginalia6. Article. The sixt Article is this, that onely contrition does away sinne, if a man be duely contrite: and all outward cōfession by word is superfluous and not requiret of need of health.

MarginaliaAunswere. This conclusiō said I neuer that I know of. But thus I say with protestation put before, that veray contrition of hart, that is neuer without charity and grace; dos away al sinnes before done of that man that is verely contrite. MarginaliaConfession.And all true confessiō made by mouth outward to a wise priest, and a good, profiteth much to man, and it is needfull & helping that men shew their life to such, trusting full to gods mercy, and that he forgeues thy sinne. MarginaliaGod forgeueth sinne. Vnde August. de conse. distict. 4. MarginaliaAug. de conse. dist. 4. Nemo tollit peccata mundi nisi solus Christus qui est agnus, tollens peccata mundi.

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Marginalia7. Article. The 7. article is this, that I should say that lower curates haue not here power of binding & assoiling, by mean of pope and bishop, but of Christ without mony. And therfore neither pope ne bishop may reuoke such maner power for time and place at her will.

MarginaliaAunswere. Thus sayd I not, but * Marginalia* Not for thy, that is, notwithstanding.not for thy it seemes me thus, that no man should graunt any thing after his owne will, ghostly, ne bodily. But euerich man should be wel aduiset, that he graunt nothing but if it be the will of God that he so graunt it. And it is no doubt that ne God grauntes *  

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This would seem to indicate that Foxe was working from a copy of the Trefnant register.

Marginalia* Some thing here lacketh in the copy.by meane persons, as does Antichrist to torment Christes people. Vnde & Ioh. 19. ait Pilatus. Nessis quia potestatem habeo dimittere te. Et Christus. Non haberes potestatem aduersum me vllam, nisi esset tibi datum de super.

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Marginalia8. Article. The 8. article that our bishop puts me to, is this: that I should say that the pope may not graūt such maner indulgence of yeares, for there shall not be so many yeres vnto þe day of doome, as bene conteined in his buls, or in þe Popes indulgences: wherof it folowes that indulgences bene not so much worth as they semen and bene preached.

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MarginaliaAunswere, This article I sayd not thus: but I say that the Pope may graunt indulgences written in his letter of yeres, all so farre forth that he may graunt him in Gods law, so farre to graunt, and farther not: yeares may he graunt no moe then God hath set. MarginaliaAgaynst pardons.Yf indulgence ben forgeuenes of sinne, I wot wel all onely God forgeues sinne. Yf it be releasing of paines in Purgatory ordeinet of God, if God haue bidden him release so many, or ordeined that he should release so many, he may then release him: if it be in his own disposing to release whome him likes, & how much, then he may destroy Purgatory and let none come there and release his owne payne, as charity wottes. So it semes he may be liker to be saued, if himselfe list. If any go to Purgatory, thē it semes he full fayles charitye. If Bulles bene the indulgence tht men bringen from the Court, then ben they not so much worth, as they costen there: for lightly they might be lost, drenched, or brend, or a rat might eatē them: his indulgence then were lost. Therefore sir haue me excuset, I know not these termes: teach me these termes by Goddes law, and truely I will learne hem.

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Marginalia9. Article. The 9. Article is this that I should haue sayde: that it is not in the popes power to graūt to any man (doing penaunce) remission from payne, ne from blame.

MarginaliaThe pope proued a blasphemer. Leude I am, but this Article sayd I not thus leudly: But thus I say, that sithen it is onely due to God to geue and to graunt plenary remission from paines & frō blame: that what euer he be, Pope or other,. that presumputuously mistakes upō him that power that is onely due to God: in that ( in as much as in him is) he makes himselfe Christ, & blasphemeth in God, as Lucifer did, when he sayd: Ascendam & ero similis altissimo. Farther I say, if the Pope holde men of armes, in mainteining his temporalties & Lordship to venge him on hem that gilten & offenden him, and

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geues
Ss.j.