Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.

¶An other appearaunce of M. Bland before the Archdeacon, and his felowes.

THe 21. day of Maye I appeared in the Chapter house, wher was a great multitude of people,* 1.1 vnlooked for of me: & M. Archdeacō sayd thus to me. Ye are come here, ac∣cording as ye were appointed: and the cause is, that it hath pleased the Quenes highnes, here to place me, to see gods holy word set forth, & to reforme those that are here fallē in to great & heinous errors, to the great displeasure of god, & the decay of Christes sacramēts,* 1.2 & cōtrary to the fayth of y^e catholick church, wherof thou art notably knowne to be one, that is sore poysoned with the same, & hast infected & deceiued many with thy euil preaching, which if thou wilt renounce & come home agayn to the catholick church, both I and many other moe would be very glad: and I for my part shalbe right glad to shew you the fauour that lyeth in me, as I sayd vnto you when you were appoynted hither, because ye then refused to satisfy agayne the people that ye had deceiued. And wheras it is fayned by you, y^t I should openly dispute the matter with you this day,* 1.3 although I did neither to intēd nor appoynt, yet I am cōtēt to dispute the matter with thee, if thou wylt not without disputatiō helpe to heale the soules that are brought to helwarde by thee? What sayst thou?

Bland.

I do protest before God & you all that neither is my conscience guilty of any error or heresy,* 1.4 neither that I euer taught any error or heresy willingly. And where your ma∣stership sayth, that I haue fayned an open disputatiō with you, it is not true, as I can thus approue: vpon saterday I was at Ugdens, & there M. Binghā laid it to my charge, that such an opē disputation as ye haue here offred, should be this day betwene you & me: wherat I much marueiled, & sayd to him,* 1.5 that before that present I neuer hearde any such word: neither would I answere nor dispute: & to this can master Uaghan, master Oxenden, master Seth of O∣uerland, and master Ugden witnes: and further I sayd to them, that I neuer spake to you of any disputatiō, nor you to me. Now if your maystership haue any thing to say to me by the law, I will make answere to it.

Harps.

Heare ye what he sayth? his conscience is cleare. I pray thee wheron groundest thou thy conscience: lette me heare what thy fayth is.

Bland.

I knowe not why ye should more aske me a reason of my fayth, then any other man in this open audience?

Harps.

Why thou heretick, art thou ashamed of thy faith? if it were a christē beliefe, thou nedest not to be ashamed of it.

Bland.

I am not ashamed of my faith.* 1.6 For I beleue in god the father almighty, maker of heauen & earth, and in Iesus Christ his onely sonne our Lord. &c. withall the other arti∣cles of the Creed: and I do beleue all the holy scriptures of God to be most certayne and true.

Harps.

Wilt thou declare no more then this?

Bland.

No.

Harps.

Well, I will tell thee wheron I groūd my fayth▪ I do beleue & groūd my fayth & cōscience vpō all the articles of the Creed, & vpon all the holy scriptures, sacramentes,* 1.7 & holy doctors of the church, & vpon all the generall coūcels that euer were since the apostles time. Loe hereupō groūd I my fayth: with many wordes moe, which I well remē∣ber not. And when he coulde get no other answere of me, thē I had sayd before, he called for a Scribe to make an act agaynst me. And after much cōmunicatiō I sayd: by what law and authority wil ye proceed agaynst me? M. Collins sayd: By the Canon law.

Bland.

I doubt whether it be in strength, or no.* 1.8 Yet I pray you let me haue a Counseller in the law, and I will make answere according to the law.

Harps.

Why thou hereticke, thou wilt not confesse thy fayth to me, that haue authority to demaund it of thee, and yet I haue confessed my fayth to thee before all this audience. As cōcerning the blessed sacramēt of y^e aultar, thou hast taught that after the consecration it is bread and wine and not the body and bloud of our Sauiour Iesus Christ. How sayest thou?* 1.9 hast thou not thus taught?

Bland.

Syr, as concerning this matter of the Sacramēt, when I was with you and mayster Collins, ye sayd then it was for other matters that I shoulde come hither for: and further, that ye would be content, at my desire, to con∣••erre scriptures with me, to see if ye coulde winne me: and ye sayd, ye woulde borowe my Lord of Douers Librarye, that I should haue what booke I would: and now ye re∣quire me thus to answere, cōtrary to your promise, ere a∣ny conference be had, & seek rather to bring me into trou∣ble, then to winne me.

Harps.

I will, as God shall helpe me, doe the best to thee that I can, if thou wilt be any thing conformable: and I trust to dissolue al thy doubtes, if thou be willing to heare. And I also will desire these two worshipful men, my Lord of Douer, and mayster Collins to heare vs.

Bland.

No, ye shall pardon me of that: there shalbe no such witnesse. But when we agree, sette to our handes. Hereat made the people a noyse against me, for refusing y^e witnes: and here had we many moe wordes, then I can rehearse. But at the last I sayd: sir will ye geue me leaue to aske you one questiō? And he sayd, yea, with all my hart. For in that thou askest any thing, there is some hope that thou mayest be wonne.* 1.10

Bland.

Syr, when it pleased almighty God to send his an∣gell vnto the virgine Mary to salute her, & sayd: Haile ful of grace. &c. came any substance from God our father into the virgins wombe to become man? whereat as well M. Archdeacon, as my Lord of Douer, and mayster Collins stayd. But my Lord spake the first, and sayd: the holy ghost came to her: and ere he had brought out his sentence, may∣ster Syriac Peters sayd: Virtus altissimi obumbrauit. Truth, sayd mayster Archdeacon: it was the power of God, sent by the holy Ghost. They had forgotten, that genitus fuit ex substantia patris: Or els they perceiued wherunto this que∣stion tended:* 1.11 and so both I and they left it: by what words I can not tell, but I sayd: sir, shall I aske one other? And he sayd, yea. Is there in the sacrament, after the consecra∣tion, Christes naturall body, with all the qualities of a na∣turall body, or no.

Harps.

Harke, sayd mayster Archdeacon: heare ye this he∣reticke? He thinkes it an absurdity to graunt all the quan∣tities of Christes natural body to be in the sacrament. But it is no absurditye. For euen that naturall body that was borne of the virgin Mary, is glorified, and that same body is in the Sacrament after the consecration. But perceyue ye not the arrogancy of this hereticke, that will put me to answere him, and he will not aunswere me? he thought to put me to a pinche with his question: for I tell you it is a learned question.

Blad.

Syr, if ye be so muche discontented with me, I will say no more: yet I woulde all men hearde, that ye say the glorified body of Christ is in the Sacrament, after the con∣secration.

Harps.

* 1.12I may call thee grosse ignorant. Thou grosse igno∣raunt, is not the same body glorified, that was borne of the virgin Mary? is it then any absurdity, to graunt that to be in the sacramēt? And whiles he spake many other words, I sayd to mayster Petit, that the Sacrament was institu∣ted, deliuered, and receiued of his apostles, before Christes body was crucified: and it was crucified before it was glo∣rified: which saying mayster Petit partly recited to maister Archdeacon.

Harps.

Thou art without all learning. Was not Christes body geuen to his Apostles, as in a glorified acte? and yet no incōuenience, although his naturall body was not cru∣cified: for when he was borne of the virgin Mary without payne, was not that the acte of a glorified body? And whē he walked on the water, and when he came into the house to his apostles, the dores being shut fast, were not these a∣ctes of a glorified body?

Douer.

Then my Lorde of Douer helped him to a better place, and sayd: when Christ was in Mount Thabor, he was there glorified in his apostles sight.

Harps.

Ye say truth, my Lord, he was glorified in the sight of three of his apostles.

Bland.

* 1.13This me thinke is new doctrine.

Harps.

Well, seing he will by no other way be reformed, let the people come in and proue these matters agaynst hym. And therewith the Archdeacon brought forth a copy of the Byll of complaint that was put agaynst me at Christmas: and about that we talked a litle. And then Mayster Arch∣deacon rose vp, and said: see ye good people,* 1.14 that know this matter, that ye come in, and proue it agaynst him. Where∣vnto aunswered Thomas Austen: I pray you (sayde hee) let vs be no more troubled with him. And thē spake Iohn Austen, and Heath with one eie, and began to accuse me: but no aunswere they could haue of me, but do to me what ye can by lawe, and I will aunswere it. Then sayde Tho∣mas Austen, Bland, ye were once abiured.

Bland.

Ye say not truely, goodman Austen, I was neuer abiured. Either, sayde he, ye were abiured, or els ye had the kinges pardon. Neither of both: ye speake this of ma∣lice: with many other brabling woordes moe. Then M. Archdeacon departed, and le••t maister Collins to cōmaūd me to appeare the nexte day. Howbeit for certayne other vrgent businesse that I had, I did not appeare, but wrote a letter to M. Cōmissary, desiring him to respite the mat∣ter till my comming home agayne: and if he would not, I would be content to submitte my selfe to the lawe when I came home.

Now about the xxviij. day of Iune I came to mayster Commissary, to shewe him of my returne, and offered my selfe to satisfy the law, if it were proceeded agaynst me, be∣fore M. Cockes of Sturray, and Markes the Apparitor: but M. Commissary sayd gently, he had done nothyng a∣gaynst me.* 1.15 And so appoynted me to appeare before hym the friday seuennight after. Nowe in the meane time was the Sessions holden at Crambroke, where I was bounde to appeare: and carying suretye with me, to hee bounde agayne (for I looked for none other) did appeare the thyrd day of Iuly.* 1.16

And sir Iohn Baker sayde: Bland ye are, as we heare say, a Scot: where were ye borne and brought vp? And I sayd, I was borne in England. And he sayd, where? And I sayd, in Sedber, and brought vp by one Doct. Lupton, Prouost of Eton Colledge. Wel, said he, I know him wel. Remayne in your bond till after noone.

Then sayd sir Thomas Moyle, Ah Bland, thou art a stiffe harted felow. Thou wilt not obey the lawe, nor aun∣swere when thou art called. No will, quoth sir Iohn Ba∣ker? Mayster Shiriffe, take him to your warde: and the Bayliffe set me in the stockes, with other and woulde not heare me speake one word: & so we remayned in the gayle of Maidston, till a fourtnight before Michaelmas, or ther∣about: & then we were caried to Rochester to Assise holden there, where we were among the prisoners two dayes: & when we were called, & the Iudges of Assise asked our cau¦ses, when my cause was rehearsed, M. Barrow Clarke of peace sayd, that I was an excommunicate person.

Then M. Roper of Linsted talked with the Iudges, but what, I am not able to say. But the Iudge of Assise sayd. Take them to Maidston agayne,* 1.17 and bring them to the Session that shalbe holden nexte at the towne of Mal∣din: howbeit, the Shiriffe did not sende for vs, so that wee taryed at Maydstone till the Sessions holden at Grene∣wich the xviij. and xix. of Februarye, I and other beyng within the Barre amongst the felons, and yrons vpō our armes, were called out the latter day by the Gaoler & Bai∣liffes, and eased of our yrons, and caryed by them into the towne, to sir Iohn Baker, master Petit, maister Webbe, & other two, whom I know not.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The second appearanc•• of M. Blād▪
• * 1.2

  M. Har••••••fieldes worde••▪ M. Blan••.
• * 1.3

  False sur∣mise 〈…〉〈…〉 M. Bla••••▪
• * 1.4

  The a••••••swere o•• Bland 〈◊〉〈◊〉 wordes.
• * 1.5

  M. Bland cleareth himselfe o•• the false r••••port of M. Harpsfield▪
• * 1.6

  To 〈◊〉〈◊〉 12. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of our 〈…〉〈…〉 neuer 〈◊〉〈◊〉 well 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪
• * 1.7

  The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fayth 〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.8

  M. Bla•••• requir•••• haue hi•• Counse••••
• * 1.9

  The Papist•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 false 〈◊〉〈◊〉 promise.
• * 1.10

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.11

  An other ••uestion of M. Bland to D. Ha••ps∣••••eld.

  ••he aun∣••were of D. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••o the que∣••••ion.
• * 1.12

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.13

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.14

  Thomas Austen chargeth M. Bland wit•• an other vntruth.
• * 1.15

  M. Bland ap∣pearing at Ses∣sions in Cram∣broke.
• * 1.16

  Sir Iohn Bakers talke with M. Bland.

  M. Bland brought vp by D. Lupton Prouost of Ea∣ton Colledge. Syr Thomas Moyles wordes. M. Bland layd in Maydstone Gayle.

  M. Bland cary∣ed to the Assise at Rochester.
• * 1.17

  M. Bland cary∣ed agayne to Maydstone Castle.

  M. Bland ap∣peareth at Sessi∣ons in Greene∣wich.