Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 2] 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.

*The fift examination of Richard Woodman, had before the Bishop of Winchester, the Archdeacon of Cant. Doct. Langdale, with a fat headed Priest and other whose names I know not, with certain al∣so of the Cōmissioners, at S. Maryes Oueries church in Southwarke, in the presence, of three C. people at the least, the xv. day of Iune. An. 1557.

WInchester.

* 1.1Woodman, you were before vs the last day and would not be acknowne in anye wise that you were sent to prison for heresie, and called for your accusers and stoode stoutly in defending of your selfe, and in youre departing I had thought you had spoken agaynst priestes Mariages, thinking by youre wordes wee shoulde haue found you an honest man, and conformable when we had called you before vs agayne. You tolde such a fayre tale for your selfe, as though you had bene free from all that was layd to your charge. For you sayde it was all lyes that I tolde agaynst you: but since I haue proued the contrarye, as here is your owne hand to shew. By the which I haue proued that you reproued not the priest for lacking of au∣thoritie, and because he had not put away his wife, but be∣cause you liked not hys preaching. For in deede I tooke it that you reproued him for because hee was not lawfully authorised, but I haue proued the contrary since.

Wood.

I told you not that I did either reproue hym for lacke of authoritie, or because I liked not his preachynge, but I told you wherefore I was first sent to prison. For you sayd I was sēt to prison for heresie, & made a long tale agaynst me. And in deede I told you that there was neuer a word of your sayinges true, but was all lyes, as it was in deed. For I neuer was sent to prison for heresie, neither held I any then, nor do now. I take heauen and earthe to witnesse, but I tolde you I was sent to prison vppon the breach of a Statute, which was for speaking to a Priest in the Pulpit, and for that cause the Iustices of that country had thought I had offended the Statute, and called me be¦fore them, and would haue had me to haue bene bound to my good abearing, and because I refused it, they sent me to prisō. And these be y^e wordes of the Statute, as I told you y^e last day. If any man do interrupt any preacher or prea∣chers, lawfully authorised by the Queenes Maiestie, or by any o∣ther lawfull Ordinary,* 1.2 that then euery partie that so offendeth, shall suffer three monthes imprisonment, and furthermore be brought to the quarter Sessions, and there being sorye for the the same, aad also bound for his good abearing, one whole yeare, to be released, or els to remayne to prison agayne.

And when I was in prison, I bought a Statute book which when I had perused ouer,* 1.3 I founde by the wordes therof that I had not offēded, because he was not lawful∣ly authorised, as the Bishop of London was certified by the handes almost of xxx. men: both Esquiers, Gentlemen and Yeomen, the chiefest in all that Countrey. For he had not put away his wife, and therefore the Statute took no place on me, as I told you the other daye. Wherefore my Lord of London seeing me hauing so muche wrong, dyd like a good man to me in that matter, & released me. Now when I had tolde you this matter, you bad the Sheriffe haue me away: You sayd you were glad I h••lde agaynst Priestes Mariages, because I aunswered to the question you asked me.

The fat Priest.

My Lord, do you not heare what he sayth by my Lord of London?* 1.4 He sayth he is a good man in that he released him, but he meaneth that hee is good in nothyng els.

Wood.

What? can you tell what I meane? let euerye man say as he findeth: he did iustly to me in that matter. I saye if he be not good in any thing els, as you say, he shal aun∣swere for it, and not I: for I haue nothing to doe wyth o∣thers mens matters.

Winc.

Well, how say you? howe liked you his preaching? I pray you tell vs.

Wood.

That is no matter how I liked it. How soeuer I liked it, I offended not the Statute.* 1.5 Wherefore you haue nothing to say to me for that I am sure.

Winc.

Well, how like you this then? Here is youre owne hand writing: I am sure you will not denye it. Will you looke on it?

Wood.

It is mine owne handy worke in deede, the which by Gods helpe I will neuer denye, nor neuer did yet, I prayse God therefore.

Winchester.

And heare is good geare I tell you. I praye you harken wel to it: these be the wordes, before the Com∣missioners. How say you? Doe you not beleeue, as soone as the wordes be spoken by the Priest, that there remay∣neth neyther bread nor wyne, but onely the verye bodye of Christ, both flesh and bloud as he was borne of the vir∣gine Mary? these were the wordes of the Commissio∣ners.

And then thou saydest: thou durst not saye otherwise then the scripture sayth.* 1.6 I cannot finde (sayde you) that it is the body of Christ before it is receaued by fayth, bring∣ing in the xxii. of Luke, saying: Christ sayde, take, eate, this is my body: so I cannot proue that it is his bodye before it is eaten. Then sayd the Commissioners: did not Iudas eate Christes body? And if you can proue that Iud••s is saued (sayd you) I must graunt that he eate his body. For christ sayth in the sixt of Iohn: Who so eateth my fleshe and dryn∣keth my bloud, hath eternall lyfe, and I will rayse hym vp at the last day: which words prooue (said you) that if Iudas eate the body of Christ, he must needes be saued. How say you now? did Iudas eate the body of Christ, or no?

Wood.

Then I perceiued they went about nothyng but to catch words of me in his Dioces, to condemn me with.* 1.7 Though I should confound him neuer so much, I per∣ceiued that he was fully bent thereto. To whom I answe∣red and sayd:

I will answer you to no such thing, for I am none of your Dioces: Wherfore I will not answer to you.

Winchester.

Thou art within my Diocesse, and thou hast offended within my Dioces: and therefore I will haue to do with thee.

Wood.

Haue to do with me and you will:* 1.8 but I wil haue nothing to do with you. I tell you plainly: For though I be now in your Dioces, I haue not offended in your dio∣ces: if I haue, shew me wherein.

Winc.

Mary here is thine owne hand writyng, the which thou affirmedst in my Dioces.

Wood.

I do not deny, but it is myne owne hand writing: but that prooueth neuer the more that I haue offended in your Diocesse: for that doth but declare what talke there was betwixt the Commissioners and me, the which you haue nothing to do withall.

Winchest.

No? hold hym a booke, and thou shalt sweare, whether thou holdest it now or not, & whether thou wro∣test it not in my Dioces, as I thinke thou didst: Lay thy hand on the booke.

Wood.

I wil not be sworne for you:* 1.9 for I am not of your Dioces, and therfore you haue nothyng to doe with mee. And as for the writing of that same, I neuer wrote worde of it in your Dioces.

Lang.

No? did you not? my Lord let me see: I wyll finde where you wrote it.

Wood.

Then he tooke it & looked on it, and anone he found that I was sent for out of the Kings bench, to come before the Commissioners.

Lang.

My Lord, here you may see it was in the Kinges Bench, the which is in your Dioces.

Wood.

Although I were fet out of the Kings Bench, that

prooueth not that I wrote it there, nor I did not, I pro∣mise you truly.

The fat Priest.

Where wrote you it then?

Wood.

Nay, I owe you not so much seruice to tell you: find it out as well as you can: For I perceiue you go a∣bout to shed my bloud.

Winchester.

It is no great matter where it was written: it is here, and he denyeth not but he wrote it. You shall heare more of it. Here the Commissioners asked you whe¦ther Iudas did eate any more thē bare bread, and you an∣swered, that he eate more then bare bread.

Whereupon they sent you away backe to the Kynges Bench agayne, and asked you not what more, for y^e whiche cause (as you haue written here) you had a hell burnyng in your conscience.* 1.10 For you had thought they would haue sent a discharge to the Kinges Benche, and so let me goe (sayd you) and Register my name in their bookes, that I had graunted that Iudas did eate the body of Christe, and so the Gospell should haue bene slaundered by me. For the which cause I was in such case, I could scantly eat, drink, or sleepe for that space, as all my prison fellowes can testi∣fie. If al you (I say) that go to the Church of Sathan, and there heare the detestable doctrine, that they spit, and spue out in their Churches, and Pulpits to the great dishonor of God, if all you (I say) that come there, hadde such a hell burning in your conscience for the time, as I hadde till I came before thē agayne & had vttered my conscience, more playnely. I dare saye you woulde come there no more. All this is your writing is it not? how say you?

Woodman.

I do not deny, but it was mine owne deed.

Winch.

And I pray you, where is there such spitting and spuing out of false doctrine as you speake of?

Wood.

In the sinagogue of Sathan, where God is disho∣noured with false doctrine.

Winc.

And I pray you, where is one of them?

Wood.

Nay, that iudge your selfe: I came not hether to be a iudge.

Winc.

Wel, here you haue affirmed that Iudas (your M.) eate more then bread: but yet he eate not the body of Christ as you haue declared by your wordes. For you had a hell burning in your conscience, because you were in doubt, y^t the commissioners vnderstoode by your wordes y^t Iudas had eaten the body of Chryst, because you sayd, he eat more then bread. Therefore thou haddest a great sorte of Deuils in thee, for in hell he many Deuils: and therefore y^e Deuil, and Iudas is thy mayster, by thyne owne wordes.

Wood.

Nay, I defie Iudas, and the Deuill, and his ser∣uauntes: for they bee youre maysters and you serue them, for any thing that I can see, I tell you truth.

Winchest.

Nay, they bee thy may∣sters.* 1.11 For y^e deuill is mayster wher hell is, and thou saydest thou hadst a hell burning in thee. I pray thee tell me howe thou canst auoyde it but that the Deuill was in thee by thine owne saying.

Wood.

The hell that I hadde, was the louing correction of GOD to∣ward me, to call me to repentance that I should not offend God and his people in leauing thinges so darke, as I left that. For y^e whiche cause, my consciēce bare me record I had not done wel, as at al times I haue felte the sting of it when I haue broken the commaundemēts of God by any meanes, as al gods people do, I dare say, and it is the louing kindnes of god towardes them, to driue them to repentaunce. But it is to be thought that your conscience is neuer troubled, how wickedly soeuer you do. For if it were, it shoulde not be so straunge to you as you make it, which declareth playnely whose seruaunt you be.

Winch.

What a naughty fellow is this? This is such a per¦uerse villayne as I neuer talked with in all my lyfe. Hold him a booke, I will make him sweare, to aunswere dy∣rectly to such thinges, as I will demaund of him: and if he will not aunswere, I will condemne him.

Wood.

* 1.12Call you me a fellow? I am suche a fellowe, I tell you, that will driue you all to hell if you consent to the shedding of my bloud, and you shall haue bloud to drynke as sayd S. Iohn in his Reuelation the ix. chapter and be∣ing in hell, you shall be compelled to say for payne of con∣science: this is the man that we had in derision, & thought his life madnes, and his ende to be without honour, but now we may see how he is counted among the sayntes of God, and wee are punished. This shall you see in hell, if you repent it not, if you do condemne me. This you shall finde in the fift chapter of the booke of wisedome, & there∣fore take heede what you doe, I geue you counsell.

Winchester.

Wisedome? What speakest thou of wisdome? thou neuer haddest it: for thou art as very a ••oole as ••uer I heard speake.

Wood.

Do you not know that the foolishe thin••es of thys world must confound the wise thinges?* 1.13 Wher••ore it gree∣ueth me not to be called a foole at your hand.

Winchest.

Nay thou art none of those fooles: thou art an obstinate foole, and an heretike. Lay hand on the booke, and aunswere to suche thynges as I wyll laye agaynst thee.

Woodman.

I will not laye hand on the booke for none of you all, You be not my Byshop, and therefore I wil haue nothing to do with you.

Winch.

I wyll haue to doe with you.* 1.14 This man is with out law, he careth not for the king nor Queene, I dare say for he will not obey theyr lawes. Let me see the Kynges Commission. I will see whether hee will obeye that or not.

Wood.

I would you loued the king and Queenes Maie∣sty, no worse then I do, if it pleased God: You would not do as you doe then.

Winch.

Holde him a booke, he is a ranke hereticke. Thou shalt aunswere to suche thynges as I wyll demaund of thee.

Wood.

I take heauen and earth to recorde I am no here∣ticke, neither can I tell wherfore I am brought to prison, no more then any man can here tel, and therwith I looked round about on the people, and sayde to the Bishoppe: If you haue any iust cause agaynst me, worthy of death ••ay it agaynst me, and let me haue it: for I refuse not to dye (I praise God) for the truthes sake, if I hadde x. liues. If you haue no cause let me goe home (I pray you) to my wife & children to see them kept, and other poore folk y^t I would set a worke by the helpe of God. I haue set a worke a hun∣dreth persons ere this, all the yeare together, and was vn∣iustly taken from them: but God forgeue them that dyd it if it be his will.

Winchester.

Do you not see how he looketh about for help: But I would see any man shewe thee a cheereful counte∣naunce, and especially you that be of my Dioces.* 1.15 If any of you bid God strengthen him, or take him by the hand, or embrace him, or shew hym a chearefull countenaunce, you shall be excommunicated, and shall not bee receaued in a∣gayne, till you haue done open penaunce, and therfore be∣ware of it.

Wood.

I looke for no helpe of men, for God is on my side I prayse him therefore, and therefore I neede not not care who be agaynst me, neither do I care.

Then they cryed: away with him, and bring vs an o∣ther. So I was caryed agayne to y^e Marshalsea, where I am now mery (I prayse God therfore) as a sheep appoin∣ted to be slayne. But for lack of time, I haue left out much of our talke, but this is the chiefest of it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The fift exami∣nation of Ri∣chard Woodmā, before the B. of Winchester, and diuers other. Iune. 15. Anno. 1557.
• * 1.2

  The wordes of the statute.
• * 1.3

  No breach of this Statute, & why.
• * 1.4

  The Priest scannet•• vpon the meaning of Woodman.
• * 1.5

  See how neerly these men seeke matter a∣gaynst him whereby to trap him.
• * 1.6

  Luke. ••••. W••odman charged with his aunsweres before the Commissi∣oners at his last exami∣nation.
• * 1.7

  D. White B of Win∣chester bent to haue the bloud of Woodman.
• * 1.8

  Richard Woodman appealeth from the B. of Winche∣ster, to his owne Or∣d••nary.
• * 1.9

  Woodman refuseth to sweare or aunswere before Win∣chester be∣ing not his Ordinary.
• * 1.10

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.11

  *The Bishops Argument.

  The deuill is maister in hel•• Woodman felt a burning hell in his 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Ergo, the deuill was Wood∣•••••• Maister.

  *Aunswere.

  Hell is takē in Scripture two wayes, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for the place where damned spi∣•••••• and soules be tormented for euer 〈…〉〈…〉 this lyfe: or els for Gods correc∣•••••• and anguish of the soule in this life 〈◊〉〈◊〉 somtime is felt so sharpe, that it ••••••embled to hell it selfe. As where 〈◊〉〈◊〉: The Lord bringeth to hell and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 out agayne. &c. Tob. 13. The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of hell haue found me. &c. Psal. ••••.
• * 1.12

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.13

  1. Cor. ••.
• * 1.14

  Rich. Woodman agayne refuseth to sweare or aunswere before the Bishop be∣ing not his Or∣dinary.
• * 1.15

  A charitable commaundemēt of a Catholicke Prelate vnder paine of excom∣munication, no man to say: God strengthen him.