This article toucheth other mens actes, who or how they are complayned or enformed, I cannot throughly tel. For at the tyme of the kings Maiesties visitation, I was in the Fleete, and the morrow after twelfe day I was de∣liuered at Hampton court, my L. of Somerset, and my L. of Caunterbury then being in counsaile with many other counsailors, & was deliuered by these words: The kings maiesty hath granted a generall pardon, and by the benefit thereof, I was discharged. Wherunto I answered, that I was learned neuer to refuse the kings maiesties pardon,* 1.1 and in strength as that was: and I would & did humbly thanke his maiesty therfore, and then they began with me in an article of learnyng touching iustification, whereunto they willed me to say my mynd, adding therwith, that be∣cause other learned men had agreed to a forme deliuered vnto me, that I should not thinke I could alter it: which I receiued of them, and promised the Thursday after to re∣payre to my L. of Somersets house at Sheene, with my mynd written: which I did, and that day seuennight fol∣lowyng, appearing before hym and other of the counsaile, was committed to my house for prisoner, because I refu∣sed to subscribe to the forme of words & sentēces that other had agreed vnto (as they said.) In which tyme of impri∣sonment in my house, the Bish. of Rochester then being as sent to me, and after M. Smith, & then M. Cecil, to which M. Cecil, when I had by learnyng resolued my mynde in the matter, I deliuered it, and he deliuering it to my lords Grace, wrote me in hys name, thanks for it: and then it was within the tyme of Lent, ere I was discharged of ye trouble, and so went to Winchester as a man clearely out of all trauell of busines.
And within 14. daies after that, or there abouts, began other trauell with me, vpon a request made by my Lord of Somerset to surrender a colledge in Cambridge, & diuers letters were written betwene his grace & me in it. Wher∣in I might perceiue the Secretary in his pen tooke occasiō to pricke me more, then I trusted my Lords grace himself would haue done. And by this trouble was I deduced to an end. Then shortly after I receiued letters to come to ye counsaile,* 1.2 & by reason I alledged my disease, I was respi∣ted by other letters, & three days before whitsontide, recei∣ued yet other letters to come, by which it myght seeme vn∣to me, that it was not of all beleued that I was diseased, & therfore with all expeditiō when I could not ride, I came in an horselitter, and according to my duetie presented my selfe to my Lordes of the counsaile, who all then entertai∣ned me secretly among them before the matters were ob∣iected vnto me, as I had bene in the same place with them that I was in our late soueraigne lords days. Afterwards my L. of Somersets Grace charged me with these matters followyng, & in this forme, hauing the articles written in a paper. First, with disobedience that I came not at hys sending for. Wherunto I answered, that I had his letters of licence,* 1.3 to stay til I might come conueniently. And vpō the last letters I came incontinently in a horselitter.
Then it was obiected yt I bare Palmes, & crept to the crosse. Wherunto I answered, that they were misinformed and I trusted they would not thinke I durst deny it, if I had done it, because ceremonies had such circumstaunces, as I might easily be reproued, if it were otherwise.
Then it was obiected, that at Easter I had a solemne sepulchre in the church, and such other ceremonies. I aun∣swered, that I had euen as many as the kings Maiesties proclamations commanded me, declaring plainly, that I thought it not expedient to make any alteration, wherein to offend the kings maiesties proclamation, adding how he that followeth as he is commanded, is very obedient.
It was then obiected vnto me, yt I went about to deface two of the kings maiesties chaplens, sent down to be Ca∣nons of the church of Winchester. Wherunto I answered, declaring the fact truly as it was,* 1.4 which I am yet able to iustify. After this matter thus oft obiected & aunswered, I was commanded to go apart, and beyng called in againe, my L. of Somersets grace looking vpon a bill of Articles, sayd I had preached how the Apostles went from the pre∣sence of the counsaile, of the counsail, of the counsail, which matter I denied▪ addyng that it was not my fashion of preaching so to play in i••eration of words.
After that, it was obiected vnto me for preaching of the Sacrament, to say: the bodye of Christ was really present being a faulte to vse the worde really, not comprised in the Scripture. Whereunto I aunswered that I did not vse the word really, whiche needeth not.* 1.5 For as I once heard my Lord of Caunterbury reason agaynst one Lambert in the presence of the kinges Maiestie that dead is: the words of scripture, This is my body that shalbe betrayed for you, do playnely and liuely expresse the very presence: and so did I set it forth to the people in my dioces. And this is the effect of all that was sayd agaynst me at my being at the Coun∣sayle, as I can remember. To whome I declared howe much I esteemed obedience, and tolde them I had taught in my dioces, how the whole life of a Christian man consi∣steth in suffring properly. And therfore we may not do our own wil, but ye will of God. And among men we must ey∣ther suffer the rulers will, or their power, their will to or∣der vs, & their power to punish vs. After declaratiō wher∣of my Lorde of Somerset sayde, ye must tary in the towne. Whereunto I aunswered,* 1.6 I woulde be contented at theyr commaundement or pleasure to tary: but seeing I was no offender, I desired them I might not tary as an offender: and for declaration thereof, that I might haue some house in the country about London, to remoue vnto for a shifte. In deuising whereof I stack much to borrow Asshar. My Lorde of Somerset saide, if he had any in fayth he woulde lend me one.* 1.7 And in the end my Lord of Somerset desired me to write what my minde was in ceremonies and to send it vnto him, and with that departed.
Thus I haue truely opened after what sorte I haue bene complayned on, yt hath certaynly come to my know∣ledge. Truth it is that one Philpot in Winchester,* 1.8 whome I accompted altered in his wittes (as I heard) deuised tales of me, the specialties whereof I neuer was called to aunswere vnto. Players and minstrels also rayled on me, & other made ballades and rimes of me, but neuer mā had iust cause to cōplaine of any my sayings, doinges, or prea∣chings, or to my knowledge did otherwise, then afore. And if any man shall put me in remembraunce of any other cō∣playnt that might in my absence be made of me: If I haue heard it. I wil graūt so. But well assured I am▪ I was ne∣uer complayned on, & called to make answer to ye cōplaint, but this one time in all my whole lyfe by no man of anye degree. Once ye Lord Cromwell,* 1.9 God pardon his soule & forgeue him, caused one day & a half to be spent in a matter betwene sir Frances Brian & me, which was ended, & I declared an honest man which the kings maiesty that dead is, God pardon hys soule, set forth with his familiaritie to me incontinently. And this is all the trouble yt I haue had in my life, sauing ye sending to the Fleete, beyng occasioned by my owne letter to the counsail vpon a zeale that I had, which they allowed not, and finally, this sending of me, to ye Tower, which was without calling me before the coun∣saile, to heare what I could say. I am loth to be forsworn: and therfore accompt all the complaints in my whole lyfe made against me, wherunto I haue bene made priuy.