and to stand therby after my cunning and power: I said to the Archbishop, Sir if the truth of Gods word might now be accepted as it should be, Marginalia If the touchstone might try: truth should be knowne. I doubt not to proue by likely euidence, that they that are famed to be out of the fayth of holy church in Shrewsbury, & in other places also, are in the true fayth of holy Church. Marginalia The description of the right Christians in Shreuesbury. For as theyr wordes sound, and theyr workes shew to mans iudgement (dreading and louing faythfully God) theyr will, their desire, ther loue & theyr busines are most set to dread, to offend God, & to loue for to please him in true & faythfull keeping of his cōaūdementes. And agayne, Marginalia The Catholikes of Shreuesbury. Shreusbury, except thou turne frō thy wicked wayes, thou canst not receiue the trueth. they that are sayd to be in the faith of holy Church in Shrewsbury & in other places, by open euidence of their proud, enuious, malicious, couetous, lecherous, and other foule words & workes: neither know, nor haue wil to know, nor to occupy their wits truely and effectuously in the right fayth of holy Church. Wherefore all these, nor none that folow theyr maners, shall any time come verely in the fayth of holy church, except they inforce them more truely to come in the way which now they despise. For these men and women that are now called faithfull and holden iust, nother know, nor will excercise thēselfe to know (of faythfulnes) one commaundement of God.

And thus full many men and womē now, and specially mē that are named to be principall lims of holy church, styre God to great wrath, & deserue his curse for that they call or hold them iust mē, which are full vniust, as their vicious wordes, their great customable swearing, and theyr slaunderous and shamefull works shew openly and witnes. And therfore, such vicious men & vniust in theyr own confusion, call them vniust men & womē, which after their power and cunning busy themselues to liue iustly after the cōmaundement of God. And where sir ye say, that I haue distroubled the cōminalty of Shrewsbury, & many other men and women with my teaching: If it this be, it is not to be wondred of wise men, Marginalia Ierusalem troubled by the preaching of Christ. since all the communalty of þ^e City of Ierusalem was distroubled of Christes own person, that was very God and man, and most prudent preacher that euer was or shalbe. And also all the Sinagoge of Nazareth was moued agaynst Christ, & so fulfilled with ire towards him for his preaching, that the men of the Sinagoge rose vp and cast Christ out of theyr City, & led him vp to the top of a moūtayn for to cast him down there head ling. Also accordingly hereto, the Lord witnesseth by Moises, that he shall put dissention betwixt his people, and the people that cōtrarieth and pursueth his people. Who sir is he, that shall preach the truth of Gods word to the vnfaithfull people, and shall let the sothfastnes of the Gospell, and the prophecy of God almighty to be fulfilled?

¶ And the Archbishop sayd to me. It foloweth of these thy wordes, that thou and such other thinkest: that ye do right well for to preach and teach as ye do, without authority of any Bishop. For ye presume, that the Lord hath chosē you onely for to preach, as faythful disciples and speciall folowers of Christ.

☞ And I sayd: Syr by authorityof Gods law and also of Sayntes and Doctors I am learned to deme, Marginalia The worde of God ought truly to be preached. that it is euery Priestes office and duty for to preach busilye, freely & truely the word of God. For no doubt euery Priest should purpose first in his soule, &couet to take the order of priesthood chiefly for to make knowne to the people the word of God, after his cunning and power: approuing his words euey to be true by his vertuous works, and for this intent we suppose that Bishops & other Prelates of holy church, should chiefly take and vse their prelacye, and for the same cause Bishops should geue to Priestes their orders. Marginalia If this lesson had bene well folowed, the world had not bene brought to such darknes by blind & dumme priestes. For Bishops should accept no man to Priesthood, except that he had good wil and ful purpose, & were wel disposed, and wel learned to preach. Wherfore sir, by þ^e bidding of Christ, & by the example of his most holy liuing, & also by the witnessing of his holy Apostles and Prophets, we are bounde vnder full great payn, to exercise vs after our cunning and power (as euery Priest is likewise charged of God) to fulfil duely the office of priesthood. We presume not here of our selues for to the estemed (neither in our owne reputatiō nor in none other mās) faythful disciples, & special folowers of Christ. But sir, as I sayde to you before, we deeme this by authority chiefly of Gods word, that it is the chief duety of euery priest, to busy thē faythfully to make the law of God knowne to his people, & so to commune the cōmaūdement of God charitably, how that we may best, where, whē, and to whom that euer we may, is our very duety. And for the will & busines that we owe of due debt to do iustly our office through the styrring and speciall helpe (as we trust) of God, hoping stedfastly in his mercy: we desire to be þ^e faythfull disciples of Christ, Marginalia An effectuous prayer, God graunt in all ministers. and we pray this gracious Lord for his holy name, that he make vs able to please him with deuout prayers, & charitably Priestly works, that we mayobtaine of him to folow him thankefully.

¶ And the Archbishop sayd to me: Leud losell, whereto makest thou such vayne reasons to me? Asketh not Saynt Paule, how shoulde Priestes preache, except they be sent? Marginalia Why hee preached without the byshops licence. But I sent thee neuer to preache. For thy venemous doctrine is so knowne throughout England, that no Bishop will admitte thee to preache by witnessing of theyr letters. Why thē lewd Idiot, willest thou presume to preach, since thou art not sent nor licensed of thy soueraigne to preache. Sayth not S. Paul, that subiects ough to obey theyr soueraignes, and not onely good & vertuous: but also tiraunts that are vicious?

☞ And I sayd to the Archbishop: Marginalia He answereth to the question cōcerning the letter of licence. Sir, as touchiong your letter of licence or other Bishops, which ye say we shoulde haue to witnes that we were able to be sent for to preache: We know wel that neither you sir, nor any other bishop of this land, wil graūt to vs any such letters of licence, but if we should oblige vs to you, and to other bishops by vnlefull othes, for to passe not the bondes and termes which ye sir, or other bishops will limit to vs. And since in this matter your termes be some to large, & some to strait: we dare not oblige vs thus to bee bounden to you for to keepe the termes, which you will limit to vs, as you do to Friers, & such other Preachers. Marginalia The incōueniences of seeking of the bishops letter or lycence. And therefore, though we haue not your letter sir, nor letters of any other bishops writtē with inke vpon parchmēt: we are not therfore leaue þ^e office of preaching (to which preaching, all Priests after their cunning and power are boūd: by diuers testimonies of Gods law, and great Doctors) without any mention making of Bishops letters. For as mikle as we haue taken vpon vs the office of Priesthood (though we are vnworthy thereto) we come and purpose to fulfill it with the helpe of God, by authority of his own law, and by witnesse of great doctors and Sayntes, accordingly hereto trusting stedfastly in the mercy of God. For that he commaūdeth vs to do the office of Priesthood, he will be our sufficient letters and witnes, if we by example of his holy liuing and teaching, specially occupy vs faythfully to do our office iustly: yea þ^e people to whom we preach (be they faythfull or vnfaythfull) shall be our letters, that is our witnesse bearers: Marginalia The witnes of the preachers, is the good life of the folowers. for þ^e truth where it is sowne, may not be vnwitnessed. For all þ^t are conuerted & saued by learning of Gods word, & by working there after: are witnes bearers: that the trueth and sothfastnesse which they heard and did after, is cause of theyr saluation. And agayne, all vnfaythfull men and women which heard the truth told out to them, and would not do therafter: also all they that might haue heard the truth, & would not hear it, because that they would not do therafter.

All these shall beare witnes agaynst themselues, & the truth which they woulde not heare, or els heard it & despised to do therafter, through theyr vnfaythfulnes, is & shalbe cause of theyr damnation. Therfore sir, since this aforesayd witnessing of God, and of diuers Sayntes and Doctors, & of al the people good & euill, suffiseth to al true preachers: we thinke that we doe not the office of Priesthood, if that we leaue our preaching, because that we haue not, or may not haue duely Bishops letters, to witnesse that we are sent of them to preach. This sentence approueth Saint Paul, where he speaketh of himselfe, & of faithfull Apostles and disciples saying thus. We need no letters of commendatiō as some preachers do, which preach for couetousnesse of temporall goods, and for mens praysing. And where ye say Syr, that Paule biddeth subiectes obey theyr soueraignes, that is soth, and may not be denied. Marginalia Two maner of soueraignes. But there is two maner of soueraignes, vertuous soueraignes and vicious tyrauntes. Marginalia He meaneth prelates that be vnuertuous. Therfore, to these last soueraignes, neither mē nor womē that be subiect, owe to obey in two manners. To vertuous soueraignes & charitable, subiectes owe to obey wilfully and gladly, in hearing of their good counsel, in cōsenting to their charitable biddinges, and in working after their fruitfull workes.

This sentence Paul approueth where he sayth to subiectes. Be ye mindefull of your soueraignes, that speake to you the word of God, & follow you the fayth of thē, whose cōuersation you know to be vertuous. For as Paul sayth, after these soueraignes, to whom subiectes owe to obey in following of the maners: worke besely in holy studying, how they may withstand and destroy vices, first in thēselues, and after in all their subiectes, and how they may best plāt in them vertues. Also these soueraignes, make deuout and feruēt prayers for to purchase grace of God, that they and their subiects may ouer all thing, dread to offend hym, and to loue for to please him. Also these soueraigns to whō Paul biddeth vs obey, as it is said before, liue so vertuously: that all they that will liue well, may take of them good example, to know & to keep the cōmaundements of God. But in this foresayd wise, subiects ought not to obey nor