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 12. article for answer therunto, he graunted that about the time mentioned in this Article, the Lorde Trea∣surer, the Erle of Warwike lord great maister,* 1.1 sir William Harbert, and M. Secretary Peter, came to the tower: and called me before them, and deliuered vnto me the Kynges maiesties letters which I haue to shew, and receiued them at the handes of the lord Treasurer vpon my knees, kissed them as my duety was, and still vpon my knees red them, where as they right gently required me to take more ease, & to go apart with them, & consider them, which after that I had throughly read, I much lamented that I should be commaunded to say of my selfe as was there wrytten, and to say otherwise of my selfe then my conscience will suffer me, & where I trust my dedes wil not condemne me, ther∣to condemne my selfe w^t my tongue, I should sooner (quoth I to them) by commaundement: thinke if ye would bid me to tumble my selfe desperately into the Thames.

My lord of Warwicke seeing me in that agonye, sayde: What say ye my Lorde, quoth he, to the other Articles? I aunswered that I was loth to disobey, where I might o∣bey

and not wrast my conscience, destroying the comfort of it, as to say vntruely of my selfe. Well, quoth my Lorde of Warwicke,* 1.2 will ye subscribe to the other Articles? I tolde him I would. But then, quoth I, the Article that toucheth me, must be put out. I was answered that needeth not, for I might wryte on the one side what I woulde say vnto it: and then my Lorde of Warwicke entertained mee verye gently,* 1.3 and would needes whiles I should write, haue me sit downe by him, and when hee sawe me make somewhat straunge so to do, he pulled me nearer him, and said we had ere this sit together, & trusted we should do so againe. And then hauing pen & inke geuen me, I wrote as I remem∣ber, on the Article that touched me, these words: I can not with my conscience say this of my selfe, or such like words. And there folowed an Article of the kings Maiesties pri∣macie, and I began to write on the side o•• that, & had made an I, onward as may appere by the articles, & they would not haue me do so, but write onely my name after theyr ar∣ticles: which I did. Whereat because they shewed them∣selues pleased and content:* 1.4 I was bold to tel them merely that by this meane, I hadde placed my subscription aboue them all, & therupon it pleased them to entertein me much to my comfort.

And I was bold to accōpt vnto them mery tales of my miserie in pryson, which they seemed content to heare: and then I tolde them also (desiring them not to be miscontent with that I should say:) when I remember eache of them alone, I could not thinke otherwise of them but they were my good Lords: and yet when they meete together, I feele no remedy at their hands. I looked quoth I, when my L. of Somerset was heere to goe out wythin two dayes, and made my fare well feast in the Tower and all, since whych time there is a moneth past or thereabout: and I agree w^t them,* 1.5 and now agree with you, and I may fortune be for∣gotten. My Lorde Treasurer sayde nay, I shoulde heare from them the next day, and so by their special commande∣ment came out of the chamber ofter them, that they myght be seene depart as my good Lordes: and so was done. By which processe doth appeare how there was in me no con∣tempt, as is sayd in this article, but such a subscriptiō made as they were content to suffer me to make, whiche I tooke in my cōscience for a whole satisfaction of the kings maie∣sties letters, whiche I desire may be deemed accordinglye. And one thing was said vnto me further that other would haue put in many moe Articles, but they woulde haue no more but those.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The kings letter deliuered to Winchester in the tower.
• * 1.2

  Other articles put to Winche∣ster.
• * 1.3

  The article which touched him, was the first article, prescri∣bing him to subscribe, which article he wi∣sheth here to be put out.
• * 1.4

  Winchester subscribeth to the kinges arti∣cles.
• * 1.5

  Winchesters farewell feast lost in the tow∣er.