☞ And I sayde: Syr, owe we to beleue, that the liuinge of the Apostles, and the teaching of Christ, and all the Prophetes, are true whiche are written in the Bible, for the health and saluation of good people?

¶ And he sayd yea.

☞ And I sayd: Syr, owe all Christen men & women after their cunning and power, for to conforme all their liuing, to the teaching specially of Christ, and also to the teaching and liuing of his Apostles and of Prophets, in all thinges that are pleasaunt to God, and edification of his Church?

¶ And he sayd, yea.

☞ And I sayd: Syr ought the doctrine, the bidding, or the counsell of any body, to be accepted or obeyed vnto: except this doctrine, these biddings, or this counsel, may be graūted and affirmed by Christes liuing and his teaching specially, or by the liuing and teaching of his Apostles & Prophetes?

¶ And þ^e Archbishop said to me: Other doctrine ought not to be accepted, nor we owe not to obey to any mans bidding or counsell, except we can perceiue that his bidding or counsell, accordeth with the life and teaching of Christ, and of his Apostles and Prophets. Marginalia And why compel you this man to the contrary

☞ And I sayd: Syr, is not all the learning, and biddings and counsels of holy Church, meanes and healefull remedies, to know and to withstand the priuy suggestions, and the aperte temptations ot the fiende? and also wayes and healeful remedies, to slea pride and all other deadly sinnes, and the braunches of them, and souereign meanes to purchase grace, for to withstand and ouercome all the fleshlye lustes and mouinges? Marginalia Thorpe cōtent to submit himself to the ordinaunceof councels.

¶ And the Archbishop sayd, yea.

☞ And I sayd: Syr, whatsoeuer thing ye or any other body bid or counsel me to do, accordingly to this forsayd learning, after my cunning & power, through the helpe of god, I will meekly with all my hart obey therto.

¶ And the archbishop sayd to me: Submit thee than now here meekly and wilfully, to the ordinance of holy church, which I shall shew to thee.

☞ And I sayd: sir, accordingly as I haue here now before you rehearsed, I will nowe be ready to obey full gladly to Christ the head of the holy Church, & to the learning and biddinges, and counselles of euerye pleasing member of him.

¶ Thē the archbishop striking with his hand fiercely vpō a cupborde, Marginalia If Boner had bene here, hee would not haue strokē the cupbord spake to me with a great spirit saying: By Iesu, but if thou leaue such additions, obliging thee now here without any exceptiō to mine ordinance (or that I go out of this place) I shall make thee as sure, as any theefe that is in the prison of Lanterne. Aduise thee now what thou wilt do. And then as if he had bene angred, he went fro the cupborde where he stood, to a window.

Marginalia The multitude is not to be folowed in euil.¶ And then Malueren and an other Clerke came nearer me, and they spake to me many words full pleasantly: and on othe while they manassed me, and counselled full busily to submitte me, or els they sayd I shoulde not escape punishing ouer measure: For they sayd, I should be degraded, cursed, and burned, & so then damned. But now they sayd, thou mayst eschew all these mischiefes, if thou wilt submit thee wilfully and meekely to this worthye prelate, that hath cure of thy soule. And for the pitty of Christ (sayde they) bethinke thee, howe great Clerkes the Bishop of Lincolne, Hereford, and Puruey were, and yet are, and also B. that is a well vnderstanding man. Which also haue forsaken & reuoked, all the learning and opinions, that thou and such other hold. Wherfore, since each of them is mikle wiser thē thou art, we counsell thee for the best: that by the example of these foure Clerkes, thou follow them submitting thee as they did. Marginalia See what man is, God geuing him vp to himselfe.

And one of the Bishops Clerkes sayd then there, that he heard Nicholl Hereford say: that since he forsook & reuoked all the learning & Lolards opiniōs, he hath had mikle greater fauour and more delite to hold agaynst them, then euer he had to hold with them, while he held with them.

Marginalia As cleane from thrift as from sin. And therefore Malueren said to me: I vnderstand and thou wilt take thee to a Priest, and shriue thee cleane, forsake all such opinions, & take the penance of my Lord here, for the holding & teaching of them: within short time, thou shalt be greatly comforted in this doing.

☞ And I sayd to the Clerkes, that thus busily counselled me to folow these foresayd men: Sirs, if these mē of whom ye counsell me to take example, had forsakē benefices of tēporall profite, & of worldly worship, so that chey had absēted them, and eschewed from al occasions of couetousnes & of fleshly lustes, and had taken upon them simple liuing, & wilfull pouerty: they had herein geuen good example to me and to many other, to haue folowed thē. But now, since all these foure men, haue slaunderously and shamefully donethe contrary, consenting to receiue and to haue and to hold tēporall benefices, liuing now more worldly & more fleshly then they did before, conforming them to the maners of this world: I forsake them herein, and in all their foresayd slaunderous doing. For I purpose with the helpe of God (into remissio of my sinnes, and of my foule cursed liuing) to hate and to flee priuily and apertly, to follow these men, teaching and counselling whome so euer that I may, Marginalia Other mens examples are so to be folowed, as they be the followers of Christ. for to flee & eschew the way that they haue chosen to go in, which will lead them to the worst end, (if in conuenient time they repent them not) verely forsaking and reuoking opēly the slaunder that they haue put, and euery day yet put, to Christes Church. For certayne, so open blasphemy and slaunder as they haue spoken and done, in their reuoking & forsaking of the truth, ought not nor may not priuily be amēded, duely. Wherfore sirs, I pray you that you busy not for to moue me to follow these mē, in reuoking and forsaking the trueth, and sothfastnes as they haue done, and yet doe: wherein, by open euidence they stirre God to great wroth, and not onely agaynst themselues, but also agaynst all thē that fauor them, or consent to them herein, or that communeth with them, except it be for their amendement. For where as these mē first were pursued of enemies, now they haue obliged them by othe for to slaūder and pursue Christ in his members. Wherfore (as I trust stedfastly in þ^e goodnes of God) the worldly couetousnes, and the lusty liuing and the sliding from the truth of these runnagates: shall be to me and to many other men and women, an example & an euidenee, to stand more stifly by the truth of Christ.

For certayne, right many men and women, doe marke and abhorre the foulnes and cowardnes of these foresayd vntrue men, how that they are ouercome & stopped wyth benefices, and withdrawen from the truth of Gods word, Marginalia Promotions commonly and great liuinges, choke truth. forsaking vtterly to suffer therfore bodely persecution. Marginalia Men folowing the wayes of Balaam. For by this vnfaythfull doing and apostasye of them (specially that are great lettered men) and haue knowledged openly the truth: and now, either for pleasure or displeasure of tyrauntes, haue taken hire and temporall wages to forsake the truth and to hold agaynst it, slaundering and pursuing them that couet to followe Christ in the way of righteousnes, many men and womē therefore are now moued. But many mo thorow the grace of God, shall be moued hereby for learne the truth of God, and to doe thereafter, and to stand boldly thereby.

¶ Then the Archbishop sayd to his clerkes. Busye you no lenger about him, for he and other such as he is, are cōfedered together, that they will not sweare to be obedient, & to submit them to prelates of holy church. Marginalia Thorpes felow refuseth to sweare to the prelates. For now since I stoode here, his fellow also sent me word that he will not sweare, and that this fellow counselled hym that he should not sweare to me. And losell, in that thing that in thee is, thou hast busied thee to lose this young man, but blessed be God, thou shalt not haue thy purpose of him. For he hath forsaken all thy learning, submitting him to be buxum & obedient to the ordinaunce of holy church, and weepeth full bitterly, and curseth thee full hartily for the venemous teaching which thou hast shewed to him, counselling hym to do thereafter.

And for thy false counselling of many other & him, thou hast great cause to be right sory. For long time thou hast busied thee to peruert whomsoeuer thou mightest. Therfore, as many deathes thou art worthye of, as thou hast geuen euill counselles. And therefore by Iesu, thou shalt go thether, where Nicoll Harford & Thom. Puruay were harbered. And I vndertake, or this day viij. dayes, thou shalt be right glad for to doe what thing that euer I bid thee to do. And Losell, I shal assay, if I can make thee there as sorowfull (as it was tolde me) thou wast glad of my last goyng out of England. By S. Thomas, I shall turne thy ioy into sorow. Marginalia Vide supra. pag. 497.

☞ And I sayd: Syr there can no body proue lawfully that I ioyed euer, of the maner of your going out of this land. Marginalia Arundell the Archb. going out of England.

But Syr, to say the soth, I was ioyfull when ye were gone: for the bishop of London Marginalia The gentlenes of the B. of Lōdon to Thorpe. in whose prison ye left me, found in me no cause for to hold me lenger in his prisō but at the request of my frēdes, he deliuered me to them, asking of me no maner of submitting. Marginalia So promised Winchester in Queene Maries time, but that passed his power to performe.

¶ Then the archbishop sayd to me. Wherefore that I yede out of England, is vnknowne to thee: But be this thinge well knowne to thee, that God (as I wote well) hath called me agayn, and brought me into this land, for to destroy thee and the false sect that thou art of: as by God, I shall pursue you so narowly, that I shall not leaue a slip of you in this land.

Marginalia A notable aunswer of Thorpe to the Byshop, promising to destroy all the Gospellers. ☞ And I sayd to the archbishop: Syr, the holy Prophette Ieremy sayd to the false Prophet Anany. When the word that is the prophecy of a Prophet, is knowne or fulfilled: