persuaded with nothing? or would you have me build my faith upon sand? What do you all bring whereby I ought, as by any sufficient authority, to be persuaded by you?

Chad. I am sorry you will so wilfully cast away yourself, whereas you might live worshipfully. Do you not think others have souls to save as well as you have?

Phil. Every man shall receive according to his own doings. Sure I am you are deceived, and maintain a false religion; and as for my casting away, I would my burning day were to-morrow, for this delay is to die every day, and yet not to be dead.

Chad. You are not like to die yet, I can tell you.

Phil. I am the more sorry. But the will of God be done of me, to his glory. Amen.

The twelfth Examination of John Philpot, on Wednesday, the fourth of December, before Bonner, bishop of London, the bishop of Worcester, and the bishop of Bangor.

In the morning I was brought down to the wardrobe adjoining the chapel, and soon after came three of the bishop's chaplains unto me saying:

"Master Philpot, my lord hath sent us unto you, to desire you to come to mass, certifying you that there is a doctor of divinity, a chaplain of my lord's, a notable learned man, called Doctor Chadsey, going to mass; therefore, we also pray you, good Master Philpot, be content to come: it is close hereby.'

Phil. I wonder my lord troubles you in sending you about this matter, seeing he knows I am a man that cannot hear mass by your law, because I stand excommunicated.

Chap. Your excommunication is but upon a contumacy, and my lord will dispense with you, if you will come.

Phil. My lord cannot, for he is not my ordinary, and I will not seek any such thing at his hands.-With this answer they went their way. And after mass the bishop called me before him in his chapel, and there, in the presence of his registrar, after he had said his mind, because I would not come to mass; he recited the articles, which he oftentimes before had done, with the depositions of the witnesses, of whom some were not examined.

Bon. Sir, what can you now say, why I should not proceed to give sentence against you as a heretic?

Phil. Why, my lord, will you proceed to give sentence against me before your witnesses are examined? That is plainly against your own law, as all your doings hitherto have been.

Bon. See what a fool thou art in the law. I need not recite the depositions of the witnesses unless I please, for I know them well enough already.

Phil. It appears, indeed, that you may do what you list. Bon. Tell me, I say, whether thou wilt answer or not, and whether, if thou wert absolved of thine excommunication, thou wouldst come to mass or not?

Phil. I have answered as much as I intend to do, until I am called to lawful judgment; and as concerning my conscience, I will not make you as God to sit there as yet. It is God's part only to be the searcher of my heart.

Bon. Look how foolishly he speaks. Art thou God? and yet dost thou not sit in thine own conscience?

Phil. I sit not in mine own conscience; but I know it, and God only ought to sit there, and no man else.

Bon. Thou art a naughty fellow, and hast done much hurt, and hast seduced other poor fellows here in prison with thee, by thy comforting of them in their errors, and hast made them rejoice and sing with thee.

Phil. Yea, my lord, we shall sing, when you and such others as you are, shall cry "Woe, woe," except you repent. Bon. What an arrogant fool is this! I will handle thee like a heretic, and that shortly.

Phil. I fear nothing, I thank God, that you can do to me. But God shall destroy such as thou art, and that shortly, as I trust.

Bon. Have him away: this is a knave indeed.

I was had into the wardrobe again by my keeper, and within an hour after was sent for to come before him and the bishops of Worcester and Bangor.

Bon. Sir, I have talked with you many times, and have caused you to be talked with by many learned men, yea and honourable, both temporal and spiritual, and it availeth nothing with you. I am blamed that I have brought thee before so many; for they say, thou gloriest to have many to talk with. Well, now it lies upon thee to look to thyself; for thy time draws near to an end, if thou do not become conformable. And at this present time we

are sent from the synod to offer you this grace, that if you will come to the unity of the church of Rome with us, and acknowledge the real presence of Christ in the sacrament of the altar with us, all that is past shall be forgiven, and you shall be received to favour.

Wor. Master Philpot, we are sent, as you have heard, by my lord of London, from the synod to offer you mercy, if you will receive it; and of the good will I bear you, I wish you to take it whilst it is offered, and be not a singular man against a whole multitude of learned men, who now, in fasting and prayer, are gathered together to devise things to do you good. Many learned men have talked with you: why should you think yourself better learned than them all? Be not of such arrogancy, but have humility, and remember there is no salvation but in the church.

Bang. My lord hath said wonderfully well unto you, that you should not think yourself so well learned, but that other men are as well learned as you, neither of so good wit, but others are as wise as you, neither of such good memory, but others have as good memories as you. Therefore mistrust your own judgment, and come home to us again. I never liked your religion, because it was set forth by violence and tyranny, and that is no token of true religion. And I was the same manner of man then that I am now, and a great many more. Marry, we held our peace for fear, and bare with that time. Wherefore, Master Philpot, I would that you did well, for I love you; and therefore be content to come home with us again into the catholic church of Rome.

Phil. My lord, you say that religion is to be misliked which is set forth by tyranny: I pray God you give not men occasion to think the same of yours at this day, which has no other argument to stand by but violence. If you can show me by any good sufficient ground, whereby to satisfy my conscience, that the church of Rome, whereunto you call me, is the true catholic church, I will gladly be of the same; otherwise I cannot so soon change the religion I have learned these many years.

Ban. Where was your religion, I pray you, a hundred years ago, that any man knew of it?

Phil. It was in Germany, and in divers other places apparent.

* Understanding.

Wor. (with a profane exclamation.) Will you be still so singular a man? What is Germany compared to the whole world?

Bon. My lords, I pray you give me leave to tell you, that I sent for him to hear mass this morning. And wot you what excuse he made unto me? forsooth, that he was accursed; alleging his own shame. He playeth as the varlet Latimer did at Cambridge: when the vice-chancellor sent for him (intending to have excommunicated him for some of his heresies), and as the chancellor was coming to his chamber, he hearing that the chancellor was coming, made answer, that he was sick of the plague, and so deluded the chancellor! Even so this man saith, he is accursed, because he will not come to mass.

Wor. My lord here behaves himself like a father unto you: therefore be admonished by him, and by us, who now come friendly unto you, and follow your fathers before you.

Phil. It is forbidden us of God by the prophet Ezekiel, to follow our fathers, or to walk in their commandments. Wor. It is written also in another place: "Ask of your fathers."

Phil. We ought to ask, indeed, our fathers who have more experience and knowledge than we respecting God's will, but no more to allow them than we perceive they agree with the Scripture.

Wor. You will be a contentious man, I see well: and St. Paul saith, that neither we nor the church of God have any such custom.

Phil. I am not contentious but for the verity of my faith, in which I ought to contend with all such as impugn the same without any just objection.

Wor. Let us rise, my lord, for I see we shall do no good.

Bon. Nay, I pray you tarry and hear the articles I lay to his charge. And after he had recited them they arose, and after standing, they reasoned with me awhile.

Wor. Master Philpot, I am very sorry that you will be so singular. I never talked with any yet in my diocese, but after once communication had with me, they have been contented to revoke their errors, and to teach the people how they were deceived, and so did much good, as you may, if you list. For, as I understand, you were archdeacon of Winchester, which is the eye of the bishop, and

you may do much good in that country if you would forsake your errors, and come to the catholic church.

Phil. How you so soon persuaded them to your will I see not. I hold no error that I know: of the catholic church I am sure I am.

Wor. The catholic church acknowledges a real presence of Christ in the sacrament, and you will not.

Phil. That is not so: for I acknowledge a very essential presence in the duly using of the sacrament.

Wor. What, a real presence?

Phil. Yea, a real presence by the Spirit of God in the right administration.

Wor. That is well said: and do you agree with the catholic church also?

Phil. I agree with the true catholic church.

Wor. My lord of London, this man speaks reasonably

now.

Bon. You agree in generalities, but when you shall come to particulars, you will far disagree.

Wor. Well, keep yourself here, and you shall have other learned bishops to commune further with you, as my lord of Durham, and my lord of Chichester, whom (I hear say) you like well.

Phil. I like them as I do all others that speak the truth. I have once already spoken with them, and they found no fault with me.

Wor. Pray in the mean season for grace to God.

Phil. Prayer is the most comfortable exercise I feel in my trouble; and my conscience is quiet, and I have peace of mind, which cannot be the fruits of heresy.

Wor. We will bid you farewell for this time.

After dinner they called for me again, and demanded of me whether I meant as I spake before dinner, and would not go from it. To whom I answered that I would not go from what I had said.

Wor. You said at my departing from you before dinner, that if we burnt you, we should burn a catholic man. Will you be a catholic man, and stand to the catholic church?

Phil. I will stand to the true catholic church.

Wor. Will you stand to the catholic church of Rome? Phil. If you can prove the same to be the catholic church, I will be one thereof.

Wor. Did not Christ say unto Peter, and to all his