Augustine's expression; but there too Ridley made good his interpretation so soundly and convincingly that he was glad to shift his ground again, and, adverting to their instructions, proceeded to allege the visibility and universality of his church; and to plead that an acknowledgment of the fancied supremacy could not be prejudicial to the crown, since the king and queen had renounced what he termed the usurped power, taken by their predecessors. He set forth that there were two powers, of the sword and of the keys: the former being given to kings and rulers, the latter delivered by Christ to Peter, and of him left to all his successors. As touching their worldly goods, possessions, and lives, he said they acknowledged themselves subjects to the king and queen; but in spiritual and ecclesiastical matters they owned another head. To this doctrine he finally called on Ridley to subscribe, after the example of their majesties, who had yielded to it; assuring him that, by so doing, he would delight the pope and all Christendom, bringing quietness and health to his soul; while they would gladly receive him again, as no longer a rotten but a lively member of Christ's church. Otherwise they must do their duty, by delivering him up to the temporal judges, to receive at their hands the punishment due for his heresy. In conclusion he added these words, "Wherefore, Mr. Ridley, consider your state, remember your former degrees, spare your body, especially consider your soul, which Christ so dearly bought with his precious blood: do not you rashly cast away that which is precious in God's sight: enforce us not to do all that we may do, which is only to publish you to be none of us, to cut you off from the church. We do not nor cannot condemn you to die, as most untruly hath been reported of us; but that is the temporal judge's office we only declare you to be none of the church, and then must you, according to the tenor of them, and pleasure of the rulers, abide their determination; so that we, after we have given you up to the temporal rulers, have no further to do with you. But I trust, Master Ridley, we shall not have occasion to do that we may. I trust you will suffer us to rest in that point of our commission which we most heartily desire, that is, upon recantation and repentance to receive you, to reconcile you, and again to adjoin you to the unity of the church.”

After much interruption, bishop Ridley obtained a hearing, and spoke as follows: "My lord, I acknowledge an

unspotted church of Christ, in the which no man can err,* without the which no man can be saved, the which is spread throughout all the world; that is, the congregation of the faithful: neither do I alligate or bind the same to any one place, as you said; but confess the same to be spread throughout all the world. And where Christ's sacraments are duly ministered, his gospel truly preached and followed, there doth Christ's church shine as a city upon a hill, and as a candle in the candlestick: but rather it is such as you that would have the church of Christ bound to a place, and appoint the same to Rome, that there and nowhere else is the foundation of Christ's church. But I am fully persuaded that Christ's church is everywhere founded in every place where his gospel is truly received, and effectually followed. And in that the church of God is in doubt, I use herein the wise counsel of Vincentius Lirinensis, whom I am sure you will allow, who giving precepts how the catholic church may be, in all schisms and heresies, known, writeth in this manner: When, saith he, one part is corrupted with heresies, then prefer the whole world before that one part; but if the greatest part be infected, then prefer antiquity.

"In like sort now, when I see the greatest part to be infected with the poison of the see of Rome, I repair to the usage of the primitive church, which I find clean contrary to the pope's decrees; in that the priest receiveth alone, that it is made unlawful to the laity to receive in both kinds, and such like. Wherefore it requireth that I prefer the antiquity of the primitive church before the novelty of the Romish church."

The bishop of Lincoln contended that the faults thus alleged against the church of Rome were no faults. He absurdly adduced the fact of our Lord's manifesting himself after his resurrection, in the breaking of bread, of Paul breaking bread on the passage towards Rome, and of the apostles' coming together to break bread, as warrants for obliging the laity to receive in one kind only: adding that it was rightly done to compel the people to believe that Christ was wholly, both flesh and blood, under the form of bread. To establish the right of the church thus to alter commandments, he referred to Paul's injunction to the Gen

* He obviously means, that no one being a child of God, and taught of him, will be permitted finally and fatally to err from the truth.

tiles, to eat no blood; and asked by what authority it was now made lawful to the Gentile Christian to eat blood, unless by the permission of the church. Ridley replied, that St. Paul's injunctions to the Gentiles were meant as a sufferance, by little and little to win the Jews to Christ. They were for the time, not respecting those who should come after. But Christ's commandment, " Do this," applied to what He then did, which was not to minister in one kind only; neither was it a commandment for a time, but to be persevered in to the world's end.

But Lincoln affected not to hear this, and proceeded in his oration, setting forth, that power had been vested by the Holy Ghost in what he called the church to alter scripture. He then declared that they did not come to reason the matter with the accused, but to propose certain articles, to each of which he must answer either affirmatively or negatively, either denying them or granting them, without farther disputation or reasoning. These articles he must answer by eight o'clock the next morning, for which purpose he might have a copy of them, with pen, ink and paper, and such books as he might demand, if they were to be had in the university.

The articles were then read, as follows:

I. We do object to thee, Nicholas Ridley, and to thee, Hugh Latimer, jointly and severally, first, that thou, Nicholas Ridley, in this high university of Oxford, An. 1554, in the months of April, May, June, July, or in some one or more of them, hast affirmed, and openly defended and maintained, and in many other times and places besides, that the true and natural body of Christ, after the consecration of the priest, is not really present in the sacrament of the altar.

II. Item, that in the year and months aforesaid, thou hast publicly affirmed and defended, that in the sacrament of the altar there remaineth still the substance of bread and wine.

III. Item, that in the same year and months, thou hast openly affirmed, and obstinately maintained, that in the mass is no propitiatory sacrifice for the quick and the dead.

IV. Item, that in the year place and months aforesaid, these, the aforesaid assertions, solemnly had been condemned by the scholastical censure of this school, as hereti cal and contrary to the catholic faith, by the worshipful Dr.

Weston, prolocutor then of the convocation house, as also by other learned men of both the universities.

V. Item, that all and singular the premises be true, notorious, famous, and openly known by public fame, as well to them near hand, as also to them in distant places far off.

When the paper had been read, Lincoln, after private conference with the other bishops, asked Ridley what he said to the first; requiring him to answer, either affirmatively or negatively. He replied, "Why, my lord, I supposed your gentleness had been such that you would have given me space until to-morrow, that upon good advisement I might bring a determinate answer.' Lincoln assured him that what he might then say should not be prejudicial to his answers on the morrow; but that he should have liberty to add, diminish, alter and change of his answers what he would. Ridley replied, "Indeed, in like manner, at our last disputation I had many things promised, but few performed. It was said that after disputation I should have a copy thereof, and license to change mine answers as I should think good; it was meet also that I should have seen what was written by the notaries at that time. So your lordship pretended great gentleness in giving me a time; but this gentleness is the same that Christ had of the high priest. For you, as your lordship saith, have no power to condemn me, neither at any time to put a man to death: so in like sort the high priest said, that it was not lawful for them to put any man to death, but committed Christ to Pilate, neither would suffer him to absolve Christ, although he sought all the means therefore that he might."

On this Dr. Weston exclaimed, "What! do you make the king Pilate?" "No, Mr. Doctor," replied the bishop, "I do but compare your deeds with Caiaphas' deeds, and the high priest's, which would not condemn any man to death, as ye will not, and yet would not suffer any man to absolve and deliver Christ."

Lincoln, unabashed by the just severity of this exposure of their treacherous deeds, renewed his demand for immediate answers, and his hollow promise of liberty to change on the morrow; Ridley, seeing them resolved on entrapping him, made this declaration: "I require the notaries to take and write my protestation, that in no point I acknowledge your authority, or admit you to be my judges, in which point you are authorized from the pope. Therefore, what

soever I shall say or do, I protest, I neither say it neither do it willingly, thereby to admit the authority of the pope; and if your lordship will give me leave, I will show the causes which move me thereunto."

As may be supposed, Lincoln refused such permission. "No, Mr. Ridley, we have instructions to the contrary; we may not suffer you." "I will be short," said the martyr, "I pray your lordship suffer me to speak in few words." "No, Master Ridley, we may not abuse the hearers' ears." Why, my lord, suffer me to speak three words." "Well, Mr. Ridley," said Lincoln, "to-morrow you shall speak forty. The time is far past; therefore we require your answer determinately. What say you to the first article?” -which he thereupon rehearsed.

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Bishop Ridley, renewing his protestation against the pope's usurped authority and theirs, made answer to the first article, showing that while they and he confessed one thing in words that in the sacrament is the very true and natural body and blood of Christ, they differed altogether in the manner of its presence. Ridley held it to be there by spirit and grace, so that whosover worthily receiveth that sacrament, receiveth effectually Christ's body, and drinketh his blood; that is, he is made effectually partaker of his passion. But the papists made a grosser kind of being, enclosing a natural, lively and movable body, under the shape or form, of bread and wine. This he twice repeated, varying his expressions to enable the notaries the better to take in his exact meaning, and they then penned his answer affirmatively.

To the second article, again reserving his protestation, he replied, "In the sacrament is a certain change, so that that bread which was before common bread, is now made a lively presentation of Christ's body; and not only a figure, but effectually representeth his body, that even as the mortal body was nourished with that visible bread, so is the internal soul fed with the heavenly food of Christ's body, which the eye of faith seeth, as the bodily eyes see only bread. Such a sacramental mutation I grant to be in the bread and wine, which truly is no small change, but such a change as no mortal man can make, but only that omnipotency of Christ's word."

The bishop of Lincoln, not satisfied with this, desired him to give a direct answer, either affirmatively or negatively: he then replied more distinctly, that notwithstand