Nicholas Bishop of London, Thomas Byshop of Ely, and Henry Byshop of Lincolne, Syr William Peter Knight, one of our said soueraigne Lordes two principall secretaries, Sir Iames Hales knight, one of our sayd so∣ueraigne Lordes Iustices of his common plees, Griffith Leison and Iohn Oliuer, Doctors of the Ciuill lawe, Ri∣chard Goodrike & Iohn Gosnold Esquiers, delegates, and Iudges assigned & appointed, rightfully & lawfully pro∣ceeding according to the forme & tenor of ye said commissi∣on, for the hearing, examinatiō, debating, & finall determi∣nation of ye causes and matters in the said commisson men∣tioned and conteined, and vpon the contentes of the same, and certeine articles obiected of office against you Steeuen Bishop of Winchester, as more plainely and fully is men∣cioned and declared in the said commission and articles, all which we repute & take here for to be expressed: & after son∣dry iudiciall assemblies, examinations, & debatings of the said cause & matters, with all incidents, emergents, & cir∣cumstances to the same or any of them belonging, and the same also beeing by vs ofte heard, seene, and well vnder∣standed, and with good and mature examination and deli∣beration debated, cōsidered and fully wayed and pondred, obseruing all such order and other things as by the lawes, equitie, and the said commission ought or needed heerein to be obserued, in the presence of you Steeuen Bishop of Winchester, do proceede to the geuing of our finall iudge∣ment and sentence diffinitiue in this maner following:
For asmuch as by the actes inacted, exhibites, and allega∣tions purposed, deduced, & alleaged, & by sufficient proofes with your owne confession in the causes aforesaid had and made, we do euidently finde and perceiue that you Steuen Bishop of Winchester haue not only transgressed the com∣maundements mencioned in the same, but also haue of lōg time, notwithstanding many admonitions and comman∣dements geuen vnto you to the contrary, remained, a per∣son much grudging, speaking, and repugning against the godly reformations of abuses in religion set foorth by the kings highnes authoritie within this his realme: and for∣asmuch as we do also finde you a notable, open, and con∣temptuous disobeyer, of sondry godly and iust commande∣ments geuen vnto you by our sayd soueraigne Lorde and by his authoritie, in diuers great and weighty causes, tou∣ching and cōcerning his princely office, the state and com∣mon quietnes of this his Realme: and for asmuch as you haue and yet do contemptuously refuse to recognise your notorious negligences, & misbehauiours, contempts, and disobediēces, remaining still after a great number of seue∣rall admonitions alwaies more and more indurate, incor∣rigible, and without all hope of amendement, cōtrary both to your oth sworne, obedience, promise, and also your boū∣den duety of allegiance: and for the great sclaunder and of∣fence of the people, arise in many partes of the Realme, through your wilfull doings, sayings, and preachings, contrary to the common order of the Realme, and for son∣dry other great causes by the actes, exhibites, your owne confession, and proofes of this processe more fully appea∣ring, considering withall that nothing effectually hath ben on your behalfe alleaged, purposed, and proued, ne by any other meanes appeareth, whiche doth or may empayre or take away the proofes made against you, vpon the sayde matters and other the premisses:
Therefore we Thomas Archbyshop of Caunterbury, Primate of all England and Metropolitane, Iudge dele∣gate aforesayd, calling God before our eyes, with expresse consent and assent of Nicholas B. of London, Tho. bishop of Ely, Henry B. of Lincolne, sir Wil. Peter Knight, Sir Iames Hales Knight, Griffith Leison, and Ioh. Oliuer, doctors of the ciuill law, Rich. Goodricke, and Iohn Gos∣nold, Esquires, Iudges, and Colleagues with vs in the matters aforesaid, and with the counsaile of diuers learned men in the lawes, with whome we haue conferred in and vpon the premisses, do iudge and determine you Steeuen Bishop of Winchester, to be depriued and remooued from the Bishopricke of Winchester, and from all the rightes, authoritie, emoluments, commodities, and other apurte∣naunces to the sayde Byshoprike in any wise belonging, whatsoeuer they be, and by these presentes we doe depriue and remoue you from your sayd Bishopricke, and all rites & other commodities aforesaide: and further pronounce & declare the sayd Byshopricke of Winchester to all effectes and purposes, to be voyde by this our sentence definitiue, which we geue, pronounce, and declare in these writings.
This sentence diffinitiue being geuen, the sayd Byshop of Winchester vnder his former protestatiōs, dissented frō the geuing and reading thereof, and frō the same as vniust of no efficacy or effect in law: and in that that the same con∣teineth excessiue punishmēt, and for other causes expressed in his appellation aforesayd, did then and there apud Acta, immediately after the pronouncing of the sētence, by word of mouth, appeale to the kinges Royall maiestie, first, se∣condly and thirdly, instantly, more instantly, most instant∣ly, & asked apostles, or letters dimissorials to be geuen and granted vnto him: And also vnder protestation not to re∣cede from the sayd appellation, asked a copy of the sayd sē∣tence, the Iudges declaring that they would first knowe the kinges pleasure and his counsell therin: vpon the rea∣ding and geuing of which sentence, the promoters willed Will. Say and Thomas A••gall to make a publicke In∣strument and the witnesses then and there present to beare testimony thereunto. &c.
And thus haue ye the whole discourse and processe of Steuen Gardiner late bishop of Winchester, vnto whome the Papisticall cleargy doth so much leane, as to a mighty Atlas: an vpholder of their ruinous Religion. And though I haue not here withal so fully expressed all his letters, an∣sweres, preachinges, examinations, defensions, exhibites & attestations, with the depositions of all suche witnesses as he could and did produce for the most aduantage of hys owne cause, with such notes also and collections gathered vpon the same, as here I might, and as before I haue don I must intreate ye reader to cōsider first ye greatnes of this volume which would not well beare the tedious tractatiō thereof: and secondly to content himself in resorting to our first history, where not onely he may peruse the whole dis∣course of this bishops doinges set foorth at large: but also may briefely read in a few summarye notes collected, the whole course of his doctrine and Iudgement, touchyng what poyntes of religion he did consent and agree, or not agree vnto. pag. 862.
And thus an end of Winchester for a while, til we come to talke of his death hereafter. Whome as wee number a∣mongest good Lawyers, so is he to be reckoned amongest ignoraunt and grosse Diuines, proud Prelates and blou∣dy persecuters: as both by his cruell life and Pharisaicall doctrine may appeare, especially in the article of the Sa∣crament, and of our iustification and Images, and also in crying out of the Paraphrase, not considering in whose person the things be spoken, but what the Paraphrast vt∣tereth in the person of Christ, or of the Euangelist, and not in his own, that he wrasteth vnto the author, and maketh thereof heresie, and abhomination.
The like impudency and quarrelling also hee vsed a∣gaynst Bucer, Luther, Peter Martyr, Cranmer, & almost agaynst all other true Interpreters of the Gospell. So blinde was his iudgement, or els so wilfull was his mind in the truth of Christs doctrine, that it is hard to say whe∣ther in him vnskilfulnes or wilfulnes had greater predo∣mination. But agaynst this doct. Gardiner we will now set and match on the cōtrary side, D. Redman, for so much as he departing this transitory life the same present yeare 1551. commeth now by course of history here to be mentio∣ned. Who for his singular life and profounde knowledge, being inferiour in no respect to the sayde Gardiner, shall stand as great a frend in promoting the gospels cause, as the other seemeth an enemy by all maner of wayes to em∣payre and deface the same. For the more assured declaratiō whereof, we will hereto adioyne (the Lorde willing) the learned communication betweene the said Doct. Redman lying in his deathbed, and M. Wilkes, mayster Alexander Nowell, Doct. Yong, and other witnesses moe. Whereof the sayd M. Wilkes thus recordeth, speaking in his owne person and his owne wordes as followeth.