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.

Winchester.

To the xi. article for answer and declaration thereof, he sayd: The next day at after noone after he had preached,* 1.1 when he looked for no such matter, came to his house the right worshipfull Sir Anthony Wingfield, and Sir Rafe

Sadler knights, accompanied wyth a great nomber of the gard, and vsed themselues for their part according to theyr worships, and (I doubt not) as they were appoynted, Sir Rafe Sadler begā thus w^t me: My L. (said he) ye preached yesterday obedience,* 1.2 but ye did not obey your selfe, & went forth w^t his message very soberly as he can, and discretely. I asked him wherein I obeied not. He sayde, touching my L. of Somersets letter. Maister Sadler, quoth I, I pray you say to my Lords grace, I would he neuer made men∣tion of that letter, for the loue I beare him. And yet quoth I, I haue not broken that letter, & I was mineded, quoth I, to haue wrytten to my L. vpon the receipt of it, and loe, quoth I, ye may see how I begā, and shewed him (because we were then in my study) the beginning of my letter, and reasoned with him for declaration of my selfe, and told him therwith, I wil not spend, quoth I, many wordes w^t you, for I cā not alter this determination. And yet in good faith quoth I, my maner to you, and this declaration may haue this effecte, that I be gently handled in the prisone, and for that purpose I pray you, make sute on my behalfe.

* 1.3Maister Wingfield laide his hand on my shoulder, and arested me in y^e kings name for disobedience. I asked them whether I shoulde. They sayde to the Tower. Finally I desired them that I might be spoken wyth shortly, & heard what I could say for my selfe, and praied them to be suters in it, and so they saide they would.

After y^t I was once in the tower, vntill it was within 6. dayes of one whole yere, I could heare no maner word, message, comfort, or relief, sauing once when I was sicke, and me thought some extremity towardes me, my Chap∣laine had licence to come to me for one time, & then denied againe, being aunswered that my feuer was but a tertian, which my said Chaplaine tolde me when he came to me at the Easter followinge, and there beinge wyth me from the morning till night on Easter day departed, and for no su••e could neuer haue him since. To M. Lieftenant I made di∣uers sutes to prouoke the duke of Somersets grace to hear me. And if I might haue the liberty of an English man, I would plainly declare I had neither offended law, statute, acte, proclamation nor his own letter neither, but al wold not help, & I shal report me to M. Lieftenāt whether in al this time I maligned, grudged or vsed any vnsemely wor∣des, euer demanding iustice, & to be heard according to iu∣stice. When I had bene thus in the tower one whole yeare within 6. daies or 7. as I remember,* 1.4 came to the Tower the Lord Chancellor of England, now being the L. Trea∣surer, and master Secretarye Peter, who calling me vnto them, as I remember, entred this: They sayde they hadde brought with them a booke passed by the parlament, which they would I should looke on and say my minde to it, and vpon my conformitie in it, my Lord of Somerset would be suter to the kings maiestie for mercy to be ministred to me. Wherunto I answered that I trusted if I might be heard, the kings Maiesties iustice would releue me, which I had longsued for, and could not be heard. And to sue for mercy, quoth I, when I haue not in my conscience offended, and also to sue out of thys place,* 1.5 wher asking of mercy, emploi∣eth a further suspition then I woulde be for all the worlde touched in it, were not expedient. And therefore, quoth I, not guiltie is and hath bene allowed a good plee for a priso∣ner. Then my Lord sayd, why quoth he, were ye not com∣maunded to preache of the kings authoritie in his younge age, & yet did not? I told him I was not commaunded. Is not (quoth he) that Article in the papers yee had deliuered you? I assured him no.

And after communication of the kings Maiesties au∣thority wherein was no disagrement,* 1.6 then my lord Chan∣cellor said I had disobeied my Lordes graces letter. I told him I thought not, and if the matter came to iudgement, it should appeare. And then I sayd to him, my Lord howe many open iniunctions vnder Seale and in open Courte haue bene broken in this Realme? the punishment wherof hath not ben handled after this sort, & yet I would stande in defence y^t I had not broken his letter, waying the words of the letter, wherein I reasoned with M. Peter Secreta∣rie what a controuersie was, and some part what I could say further. But what so euer I canne saye (quoth I) you must iudge it, and for the passion of God do it, and then let me sue for mercy, when the nature of the offence is known if I will haue it.* 1.7 But when I am (quoth I) declared an offender, I will with humilitie of suffering make amendes to the kings Maiestie, so farre as I am able: for I shoulde neuer offend him, and much lesse in his yong age.

My L. Chancelor then shewed me the beginning of the acte for common prayer, how dangerous it was to breake the order of it, I told him that it was true, & therefore if I came abroade, I would be wel ware of it. But it is (quoth I) after in the act how no man should be troubled for this act, vnles he were first indited, and therefore (quoth I,) I may not be kept in prisone for this acte. Ah (quoth he) I perceiue ye knowe the lawe well enough, I tolde hym my Chaplaine had brought it vnto mee the after noone before. Then they required me to looke on the boke, and to say my minde in it. I answeared that I thought not mete to yelde my selfe a scholler to go to schoole in prison, & then slaunder my selfe as though I redemed my faults with my consci∣ence. As touching the law which I know not,* 1.8 I wil honor it like a subiect, and if I keepe it not, I wil willingly suffer the paine of it. And what more conformitie I should shew, I cannot tell, for mine offences be past if there be any. If I haue not suffred enough I will suffer more, if vpon exami∣nation I be found faulty, & as for this new law, if I keepe it not, punish me likewise.

Then my Lorde Chaunceloure asked mee whether I would not desire the kings Maiestie to be my good Lorde. At which worde I sayde: alas my Lorde (quoth I) doe yee thinke that I haue so forgotten my selfe?* 1.9 My duety (quoth I) requireth so, and I will on my knees desire hym to be my good Lord and my Lord Protectour also quoth I, that is wel sayd quoth my Lord Chaunceler. And what will ye say further, quoth my L. Chanceler, In good faith quoth I thys, that I thought when I had preached, that I had not offended at all, and thinke so still, and had it not ben for the article of the supremacie, I woulde haue rather fayned my selfe sicke, then be occasion of this that hathe followed: but going to the Pulpit, I must needes say as I sayde. Well quoth my lord Chanceler, let vs go to our purpose again. Ye will quoth he, desire the kings maiestie to be your good Lord, and my Lord Protectour also, and ye say ye thought not to haue offended. All this I will say quoth I.* 1.10 And yee wil (quoth my Lord Chanceler) submit your selfe to be or∣dered by my Lorde Protector. Nay (quoth I) by the lawe for my Lord Protectour quoth I hath scourged mee ouer∣sore this yere, to put my matter in his hands now. And in the latter poynte I varyed with my Lorde Chauncellour, when I could not refer my order to my Lord Protectour, but to the law, and staying at this poynt they were cōtent to graunt me of their gentlenes to make their sute to pro∣cure me to be heard, and to obtaine me libertie to goe in the galery, and that I should heare of one of them within two daies following. I desired them to remember that I refu∣sed not the boke by way of contempt, nor in no euil maner, but y^t I was loth to yelde my selfe a scholer in the Tower, and to be seene to redeme my faults if I had any, with my conscience. My body I sayde, shoulde serue my conscience, but not contrariwise. And this is the truth vpon my con∣science and othe that was done and said at their comming. There was more sayde to the purposes aforesayde. And I binde not my selfe to the precise forme of wordes, but to the substaunce of the matter and fashion of the intreating. So neare as I can remember, I haue truely discharged mine oth: But I heard no more of my matter in one whole yere after almost wythin 14. dayes notwithstāding two letters wrytten by me to the Counsaile, of most humble request to be heard according to iustice. And then at y^e ende of 2. yeres almost, came vnto me the Duke of Somerset with other of the counsel, which matter because it is left out here, I shall not touch but prepare it in a matter aparte, for declaration of my behauiour at all times.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Answe•••• the 11. 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪
• * 1.2

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.3

  Wynchester 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

  Wynchester committed 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the tow∣er.
• * 1.4

  The Lord Chauncel∣lour and Secretary Peter com∣meth to Wynchester in the tow∣er.
• * 1.5

  Wynchester denyeth to sue for mer∣cy.
• * 1.6

  Take be∣tweene the Lord Chaū∣cellour and Wynchester in the tow∣er.
• * 1.7

  Wynchester will ac∣knowledge no offence.
• * 1.8

  Winchester wil not go to scoole in prison.
• * 1.9

  Wynchester de∣sireth the king to be his good Lord.
• * 1.10

  Winchester yet will not confesse himselfe to be an offender. Winchester will not submit himselfe to the Lord Protector but to the law.