The first exa­minarion of the wor­thye seruaunt of God mastres Vnne Askewe the yōger dough ter of Sir Wyllyam Askewe knyght of lyncolne shyre / late­lye martyred in Smith felde. by the Romysh popes vpholders.
The censure or iudge­mēt of Iohan Bale therupon, after the sacred Scriptures and Chronycles.

Of no lesse Christen con­stancie was thys fayth­full wytnesse and holye martys of God, Anne As kewe, nor no lesse a fast membre of Christ by her myght ye persystēce in hys veryte at thys tyme of myschefe, than was the afore na med. Blandina in the prymatyne chur­che. [Page] Thys shall wele apere in her it. [...] mynacyons or tyrannouse handelynge [...] here folowynge, whome she wrote with her owne hāde, at the instāt desyre of [...] ten faythfull men and womē, yea rath [...] at the secrete mocyon of God, that the truth theroff myght be knowne the worl de ouer. Vs within short space yt wyll be [...] yf the latyne speche can cayrye yt. Marke wele the cōmunycacyōs here both of her and of her examyners, so prouynge their spretes as S. Iohan the Apostle geueth Spretes yow counsell. 1. Io. 4. And than shall ye knowe the tree by his frute, and the man by hys worke.

To satisfie your expectatiō, good people (sayth she) this was my first examynacyon in the yeare of oure Lorde M. D. xlv and in the moneth of Marche, first Christofer dare examyned me at Sadlers hall, beynge one Christofer dare. of the quest, and asked yf. I ded not beleue that the sacrament [...]angynge ouer the aultre was [Page 2] the verye bodye of Christ real­ye. Then I demaunded thys qestyon of hym, wherfore S. Steuen was stoned to deathe: And he sayd, he coulde not tell. Then I answered, that nomore wolde I assoyle hys vayne ques­tyon.

A sacrament (sayth Saynt Augusty­ne) ys a sygne, shappe, or symylytude of that yt represeutyth, and no God nor yet thynge represented. Thys worde reall or reallye, ys not of beleue, for yt ys not in all the sacred scriptures. Onlye ys yt Reallye. sophystycallye borowed of the paganes Iernynge by wynchestre & hys fellawes, to corrupt our Christen saythe. Be ware of that fylthye poyson. The perfyght beleue of Steuen, A [...]torum vij. of Paule Act. 17. and of Salomon, 3. Regum 8. et 2. Parali. 6. was, that God dwelleth not in temples made with handes. Agreable vnto thys was the faythe of thys god­lye woman, whych neyther coulde bele­ue that he dwelleth in the boxe. God The [...]ors sayth, Esaie [...]vj. Heauen is my seate, [Page] not the boxe. Dauid sayth, Psalm. 113 [...] oure God is in heauen, not in the pixt [...] Christ taught vs to saye, whā we praye [...] Matth. 6. Luce 11, our father which art in heauen, and not our father which art in the boxe. Now discerne and iudge.

Secondly he sayd, that the­re was a woman, whych ded te­styfye, that I shuld reade, how God was not in temples made Temples. with handes. Then I shewed hym the vij. and the xvij. chap­tre of the Apostles actes, what Steuen & Paule had sayd ther in. Wherupon he asked me, how I toke those sentēces? I answered, that I wolde not throwe pearles amonge swyne, for acornes were good ynough.

An ignoraūt woman, yea a beast without faythe, ys herin allowed to iudge the holye scriptures heresye, and agaynst all good lawes admitted to accuse thys [Page 3] godlye woman the seruaūt of Christ, for [...]n haynouse heretyke, for the onlye rea­ [...]inge Accuser [...]. of them. As peruerse and blasphe [...]nouse was thys qwestmonger as she, & [...]s beastlye ignoraūt in the doctryne of [...]elthe, yet is neyther of them iudged yll [...]f the worlde, but the one permitted to [...]accuse thys true membre of Christ, and the other to cōdempne her. Wherfor her answere out of the vij. chaptre of Mat­thew, was most fytt for them. For they are no better than swyne, that so contem pne the precyouse treasure of the Gos­pell, for the myre of mennys tradycyons.

Thirdly he asked me, wher­for I sayd, that I had rather to reade fyue lynes in the Bib­le, than to heare fyue masses in Masse [...] the temple. I confessed, that I sayd no lesse. Not for the dys­prayse of eyther the Epistle or Gospell. But bycause the one ded greatlye edyfye me, & the other nothinge at all. As saynt Paule doth witnesse in the xiiij [Page] chaptre of hys first Epistle to the Corinthes, where as he doth saye. If the trumpe geueth an vncertayne sounde, who wyll prepare hymselfe to the battayle?

A commaundement hath Christ ge­uen vs, to serche the holye scriptures, Io han. 5. for in them onlye is the lyfe eter­nall. Blessed is he (sayth Christ vnto Io­han) whych readeth and heareth the wor des of thys prophecye, Apo. 1. But of the latyne popysh masse, is not one worde in all the Byble, and therfor it perteyneth not to faythe. A strayght cōmaundemēt haue almyghtye God geuen, Deutro. 12. that nothynge be added to hys worde, nor yet taken from it. Put thu nothynge vnto Gods worde. his wordes (saith Salomon, Prou. 30.) least thu be foūde in so doynge, a reproba te persone and a lyar. S. Paule wylled nothynge to be vttered in a dead speche. 1. Corin. 14. (as are your masse and mat­tens) but sylence alwayes to be in the congregacyons, where as is no interpre­tour, for fyue wordes (sayth he) auayleth [Page 4] more to vnderstādynge, than x. thousan­de wordes with the tonge. Thys proueth tēple seruyce of the papystes all the yea­re, to be worth nothynge.

Fortlye he layed vnto my char ge, that I shuld saye, If an yll The prest prest mynystred, it was the de­uyll and not God. My answ [...] re was, that I neuer spake so­che thynge. But thys was my sayenge, That what so euer he were, whych mynystred vnto me, hys yll condycyons coulde not hurte my faythe. But in sprete I receyued neuer the les­se, the bodye and bloude off Christ.

Christ sayth, Ioan. 6. Haue not I cho­sen yow xij. and yet one of yow is a deuyll? meanynge Iudas that false & vnfayth Iudas. full prest. No lesse sayth Peter. 2. Pet. 2. of those lyēge curates, by whome the tru­the is blasphemed, and the people made [Page] merchaundyce of in their couetousnesse. If the yll frute than, be all one with the yll tree in noughtynesse, the worke of a deuyll must be deuylysh. God sayd vnto the wycked prestes, [...]sa. j. Licr. 6. Amos 5. and Mala. 2. that he abhorred their sacryfyces, and also hated them, euen at the verye hart, wyllynge both heauen & Sacryfy­c [...]s. earthe to marke it. Into Iudas entered Sathan, after the soppe was geuē hym, Io [...]. 13. where as the other Apostles re­ceyued the bodye and bloude of Christ. The table was all one to them both, so was the breade which their mouthes re­ceyued. The inwarde receyuynges i [...]an in Peter and in Iudas, made all the dy­uersyte, whych was beleue and vnbeleue, or faythe and vnfaythfulnesse, as Christ largelye declareth in the vj. of Iohan, The vj. of Iohan. where as he shewed afore hande, the full doctryne of that mystycall supper. Onlye he that beleueth, hath there the promes of the lyfe euerlastinge, and not he that eateth the materyall breade. Of God are they taught, and not of men, whych trulye vnderstande thys doctryne.

[Page 5] Fiftly he asked me, what I sayd cōcernynge confession? I Cōfession answered hym my meanynge, whych was as Saynt Iames sayth, that euerye man ought to acknowlege hys fa [...]tes to o­ther, & the one to praye for the other.

Thys cōfessyon onlye do, the scripture appoynt vs, Iac. 5. as we haue offended our neyber: But yf we haue offēded God, we must sorowfullye acknowlege it befo­re hym-And he (sayth Saynt Iohan, 1. Iohan. 1. hath faythfullye promysed to forgeue vs our synnes, yf we so do, and to clense vs from all vnryghtousnesse. If the lawe of truthe be in the prestes mou­the, Prestes. he ys to be sought vnto for godlye coū sell, Mala. 2. But yf he be a blasphemou se hypocryte or superstycyouse fole, he ys to be shourned as a most pestilēt poyson.

Sixtly he asked me, what I sayd to the kynges boke? And The tyn­ges boke, I answered hym, that I coulde [Page] saye nothynge to it, bycause I neuer sawe it.

All craftye wayes possyble, fought thys quarellynge qwestm [...]nger, or elsthe de­uyll in hym, to brynge thys poore inno­cent lambe to the slaughter place of An­tichrist. Moche after thys sort sought the wycked Pharysees by sertē of their owne Phary­sees. faccyon or hyered satellytes with the Be rodyanes, to brynge Christ in daunger of Cesar, & so to haue hym slayne, Mat. 22. Mar. 12. Luce 21.

Seuenthly he asked me, if I had the sprete of God in me? I answered if I had not, I was but a reprobate or cast awaye.

[...]lecte are we of God (sayth Peter) through the sanctyfyenge of the sprete. j. Petri j. In euerye true Christen beleuer dwelleth the sprete of God. Io. 14. Their The spre te. sowles are the sanctyfyed temples of the holye Ghost. 1. Corin. 3. Be that hath not the sprete of Christ (sayth Paule) is non of Christes, Roma. 8. To them is the ho­lye [Page 6] Ghost geuē, whych heareth the Gos­pell and beleueth it, and not vnto them whych wyll be iustyfyed by their workes, Gala. 2. All these worthye scryptures cō firme her saynge.

Then he sayd, he had sent for a prest to examyne me, whych was there at hāde. The prest as­ked Ap. me, what I sayd to the Sa cramēt of y^e aul [...]e? & requyred mo [...]he to knowe therin my me a ninge. But I desyred hym agay ne, to holde me excused concer­nynge that matter. Non other answere wolde I make hym, be cause I perceyued hym a papyst.

Mockynge prestes (sayth Esaye) hath rule of the lordes people. Whose voyces Mockers. are in their drūc [...]nnesse. Byd that maye be bydden, forbyd that maye be forbyddē. kepe backe that maye be kept backe, here a lyttle and there a lyttle. Esaie xxviii. A plage shal come vpon these, for why, they haue chaunged the ordynaun­ces, and made the euerlastinge testa­ment [Page] of nō effect. Esa. 24. They withol­de (sayth S. Paule) the veryte of God in vnryghtousnesse, Roma. 1. They brede cockatryce egges (sayth Esaye) and we­ [...]e A serpēt ryseth. the spyders webbe. Who so eateth of their egges, dyeth. But if one treadeth vpon them, there cometh vp a serpent, Esaie 59.

Eyghtly he asked me, if I ded not thynke, that pryuate masses ded helpe sowles depar­ted. And I sayd, it was great Idololatrye to beleue more in thē, than in the deathe whych Christ dyed for vs.

Here, ryseth the serpent of the cockatry ce egges, worckemālye to fulfyll the afo re alleged prophecye. If their Masses had bene of Gods creacyon, ordynaunce Masses pryuate. or commaundement, or if they had bene in anye poynt necessarye for mannys be­houe, they had bene regestred in the boke of lyfe, whych is the sacred Byble. But therin is, neither mencyon of Masse pry [Page 7] uate nor publyque, seuerall nor commen, syngle nor double, hygh nor lowe, by fore not on horse backe, or by note as they call it. If they be thynges added by mannys inuencyon (as they can be non other, not beynge there named) thā am I sure that the scriptures call them fylthynesse, rust, chaffe, draffe, swylle, dronckēnesse, forny­cacyon, mēstrue, mannys dyrt, adders eg­ges, poyson, snares, the breade of wycked lyes, and the cuppe of Gods curse. Their orygynall grounde shulde seme to be ta­ken of the Druydes or pagane Prestes, Druydes. whych inhabyted thys realme longe afo­re Christes incarnacyon, and had than practysed sacryfyces publyque and pry­uate. Loke Cornelius Tacitus, Caius Iu lius, Plinius, Strabo, & soch other au­thours. That name of pryuacyon added vnto their Masse, clerelye depryueth it of Christen communyon, where one man eateth vp all, & dystrybuteth nothynge.

How soche ware shulde helpe the sow les departed, I can not tell. But wele I wote, that the woūded man betwixt Hie For sow­les. rusalē and Hierico, had no helpe of thē, Luce 10. The Samarytane whych was rekened but a pagane amōge them, was [Page] hys onlye cōfort. In the most popysh tyme was neuer more horryble blasphemye, than thys is. Thys wyckednesse impug­neth all the promyses of God concernyn ge faythe and remyssyon of synnes. It re­pugneth also to the whole doctryne of the Gospell. The applycacyō of Christes sup per, auayleth them onlye that be alyue, takynge, eatynge, and drynkynge that [...]s therin mynystred. Nomore can the pres­tes receyuynge of that sacrament pro­fyght an other man, thā can hys receyuyn [...] pres­tes recey uynge. ge of Baptysme or of penaunce, as they call it. If it profyteth not the qwyck, how can it profyght the dead? No sacri­fyce is the Masse, nor yet good worke, but a blasphemouse prophanacyō of the Lor des holye supper, a manyfest wyckednesse, an horryble Idololatrye, and a fowle ab­homynacyon, beynge thus a ryte of wor­shyppynge without the worde, yea aga­ynst the expresse worde of God.

Then they had me frō thens, vnto my lorde Mayre. And he Mayre. examyned me, as they had be­fore, and I answered hym dy­rectlye [Page 8] in all thynges, as I an­swered the qweste afore.

After thys sort was Christ ledde from the examinacyon of the clergye to Pyla­te, Matth. 17. In that the examynacyon of the qweste and of the Mayre was all one, ye maye wele knowe that they had both one scole mastre, euen the brutysh byshopp of London. The ignoraūt magy Bonner. strates of Englāde wyll neyther be god lye wyse with Dauid & Salomō, nor yet enbrace the ernest instruccyons of God, to be lerned in the scriptures, Psa. 2. Sa piē. 6. but styll be wycked mynysters, and cruell seruaunt slaues to Antichrist and the deuyll, Apoc. 17. More fyt are soche wytlesse mayres and gracelesse offycers, Ignoraū ce. as knoweth not whyght from blacke, & lyght frō darkenesse. Esa. 5. to fede swy­ne or to kepe kaddowes, than to rule a christen commynalte. A terryble daye aby deth them, whych thus ordereth the in­nocent. Iaco. 2.

Besydes thys my lorde may­re layed one thynge vnto my [Page] charge, which was neuer spokē of me, but of them▪ And that was, whether a mouse eatynge the hoste, receyued God or no? Thys questyonded I neuer aske, but in dede they asked it of me, wherunto I made them no an­swere, but smyled.

Is not here (thynke yow) wele fauerd & wele fashyoned dyuynyte, to establysh an artycle of the Christen faythe? Wylye wynchestre answereth thys questyon as folysh as it is, in hys wyse detectyō of the Wynche­stre. deuyls sophystrye, fo. 16. Beleue (sayth he) that a mouse can not deuoure God. Yet reporteth he after, in fo. 21. that Chri stes bodye maye as wele dwell in a mouse as it ded in Iudas. Than foloweth fryre fynke, fryre Peryn I shuld saye, a bache­lar of the same scole. And he answereth Peryn. in the ende of hys thirde sermon, that the Sacrament eaten of a mouse, is the verye and reall bodye of Christ. And whan he hath affermed it to be no dero­gacyon to Christes presens, to lye in the [Page 9] mawe of that mouse. He deuydeth me Diuisio the one from the other, the sacramēt frō Christes bodye, cōcludinge. That though the sacrament be digested in the mouses mawe, yet ys not Christes bodye there cō sumed. O blasphemouse beastes, & blynde bloderynge Balaamytes.

Bycause these ij, workemen be scant wyttye in their owne occupacyon, I shal brynge them forth h [...]re ij. olde artyfycers of theirs to helpe thē, Guimundus Auer Guimundus. Walde­nus. sanus a byshopp, to helpe byshopp Ste­uen, & Thomas walden a fryre, to helpe fryre Peryn. The sacramentes (saye they both) are not eaten of myce, though they seme so to be in the exteryour symylytu­des. Forthe vertues (sayth Guimundus) of holye men, are not eaten of beastes, whan they are eaten of them, li. 2. de c [...] ­pore & sanguine d [...]i. No marrye (quoth walden) nomore is the paynters occupacyon destroyed, whan a picture is destro­yed. Marke thys gere for your lernynge. But now cometh Algerus a monke, more Algerus. craftye than they both, and he sayth li. 2 cap. 1. de Eucharistia, that as wele is thys meate spirytuall, as materyall, be­cause Dauid calleth it the breade of An­gels, [Page] and a breade from heauen, Psa. 77. That whych is materyall in thys breade (sayth he) is consumed by dygestyon, but that whych is spirytuall remayneth vn­corrupted.

If we wolde attende wele vnto Chri stes dyuynyte, and lete these oyled dyuy­nes dyspute amonge olde Gossypes, we shuld sone dyscharge myce and rattes, weake stomakes and parbreakynge dron­kardes, of a farre other sort thā thus, he that eateth my fleshe (sayth Christ Io. 6. Christus. and dryncketh my bloude, dwelleth in me & I in hym. Thys eatynge is all one with the dwellynge, & is neyther for myce nor rattes, brent chauncels not dronken pres­tes. For as we eate we dwell, and as we dwell we eate, by a graunded and pe [...] ­fyght faythe in hym. The substaunce of that most godlye refeccyon lyeth not in the mouth catynge nor yet in the bellye seadynge, though they be necessarye, but in the onlye spirytuall or sowle eatynge. No wyse man wyll thynke, that Christ wyll dwell in a mouse, nor yet that a Faythe. mouse can dwell in Christ, though it be the doctryne of these doughtye dowse­pers, [Page 10] for they shall fynde no scriptures for it. If these men were not enemyes to faythe and fryndes to Idolatrye, they wolde neuer teache soche fylthye lernyn­ge. More of thys shall I wryte (God N [...]ta▪ wyllynge) in the answere of their bokes.

Then the Byshoppes chaun­celler rebuked me, & sayd, that I was moche to blame for vt­terynge the scriptures. For S. Paule (he sayd) forbode women Women. to speake or to talke of the wor­de of God. I answered hym, that I knewe Paules meanyn­ge so well as he, whych is, j. Co­rinthiorum xiiij. that a woman ought not to speake in the con­gregacyon by the waye of tea­chynge. And then I asked hym, how manye women he had sea­ne, [...]go into the pulpett and preache, He sayde, he neuer [Page] sawe non. Then I sayd, he ought to fynde no faute in poore wo­men, except they had offended the lawe.

Plēteouse ynough is her answere here, vnto thys quarellynge, and (as apereth) vnlerned chancellour. Manye godlye wo men both in the olde lawe and the newe, Scriptu­re wo­men. were lerned in the scriptures, and made vtteraūce of thē to the glorye of God. As we reade of Helisabeth. Marye, and An na the wydowe, Lu. 1. & 2. yet were they not rebuked for it. yea, Marye Christes mother retayned all, that was afterwar de written of hym, Luc. 2. yet was it not imputed vnto her an offence. Christ bla med not the woman that cryed whyls he was in preachynge, happye is the wombe that bare the, Luce 11. The wo­men whych gaue knowlege to hys dyscy Women ples, that he was rysen from deathe to ly fe, dyscomfyted not he, but solaced them with hys most gloryouse aperaūce. Mat. 28. Io. 20. In the prymatyue churche, spe­cyallye in Saynt Hieromes tyme, was it a great prayse vnto women to be lerned [Page 11] in the scriptures. Great commendacyōs [...]eueth our Englysh Cronycles to Hele­ [...]a, Englysh women Vrsula, and Hilda, women of our na [...]yon, for beynge lerned also in the scrip­ [...]ures. Soche a woman was the seyd Hil [...]a, as openlye dysputed in them agaynst [...]he superstycyons of certen byshoppes. But thys chancellour by like, chaunced [...]pon that blynde popysh worke whych [...]alter Hunte a whyte fryre, wrote iiij. Walter hunte. [...]core yeares a go, Contra doctrices mu­ [...]ieres, agaynst scole women, or els some [...]ther lyke blynde Romysh beggeryes.

Then my Lorde mayre com­maunded me to warde. I asked Preson. hym, if suretees wolde not ser­ue me, And he made me short an swere, that he wolde take non. Then was I had to the Coūtre, and there remayned xij. dayes, no frynde admytted to speake with me.

Here is Christ yet troden on the hele, by that wycked serpent whych tempted Christ [...]ro [Page] Eua. Gene. 3. Hys faythfull membre for beleuynge in hym, is here throwne in pre dē on the hele. son. And no maruele, for it was hys owne promes, ye shall be brought before rulers & debytees (sayth he) for my truthes sake Mat. x ye shall be betrayed of your owne nacyon and kyndred, & so throwne in pre son, Luc. 21. If they haue persecuted me, thynke not but they wyll also persecute yow, Io. 15 Thys serpēt is agayne become the prynce of thys worlde, & holdeth the gouerners therof captyue, Io. 14. Suer­tees wolde haue bene taken for a thefe or a mourtherer, but not for Christes mēbre, the byshoppes chaūcellour beynge at hā ­de, nor yet her fryndes permytted to con­fort her.

But in the meane tyme the­re was a prest sent to me, whych A prest. sayd that he was cōmaūded of the byshopp to examyne me, & to geue me good coūsell, whych he ded not But first he asked me for what cause I was put in the Coūter: And I tolde hym I coul de not tell. Then he sayd, it was [Page 12] great pytie that I shulde be the­re without cause, and cōcluded that he was verye sorye for me.

O temptacyon of Sathan. Christ beyn ge in the solitarye wyldernesse alone, was after thys flatterynge sort assaulted first of hys enemye, Matt. 4. Thys Iudas was sent afore to geue a fryndelye kysse, the Iuda [...]. more depelye to trappe the innocēt in sna re. But Gods wysdome made her to per­ceyue what he was. A false prophete is sone knowne by hys frutes, amonge them that are godlye wyse. Mat. 7. She consy dered with Salomon, that more to pro­fyght are the strypes of a frynde, thā the fraudolent kysses of a deceytfull enemye. Prouerb. 27.

Secondly he sayd, it was tol­de hym, that I shuld denye the sa The Sa­crament. cramēt of the aultre. And I an swered hym agayne, that that I had sayd, I had sayd.

In thyobrefe answere, she remēbred Sa [Page] lomōs coūsell, Answere not a fole, all af­ter hysfolyshnesse. Beware of thē (sayth Christ) whych come in shepes clothynge, for inwardlye they are most rauenynge wolues, Mat. 7. God destroyeth the craf tes of the wycked (sayth Iob) so that they are not, hable to perfourme that they ta­ke in hande. Iob 5

Thirdly he asked me, if I were shryuen, I tolde hymno. Then he sayd, he wolde brynge one to me, for to shryue me. And I tol­de hym, so that I myght haue o­ne Shriff [...]e. of these in, that is to saye, doc tor Crome, syr Gyllam, or Hun tyngton, I was contented, by­cause I knewe them to be men of wysdome. As for yow or a­nye other, I wyll not dysprayse, bycause I knowe ye not. Then he sayd, I wolde not haue yow thynke, but that I or another that shall be brought yow, shall be as honest as they. For if we [Page 13] were not, ye maye be sure, the Kynge wolde not suffer vs to preache. Thē I answered by the saynge of Salomon. By com­monynge Prechers. with the wyse, I maye lerne wysdome, but by talkyn­ge with a fole, I shall take ska­the, Prouer. f.

Se how thys aduersarye cōpaseth lyke a rauenynge lyon, to deuoure thyslambe 1. Pet. 5. Now tempteth he her with Cō fessy [...]n, whych hath bene soche a bayte of Confessyō theirs, as hath brought in to their net­tes and snares the myghtyest prynces of the worlde, both kynges and emprours. Se here if they leaue anye subtylte vn­sought, to obtayne their praye. Se recke ned by thys to wynne hys purpose, which waye so euer she had taken. If she had Practyse bene confessed to hym, he had knowne whych waye she had bene bent. If she had vtterlye refused confessyon, he had more matter to accuse her of. O [...] sede of the serpēr. Thys part played your olde generacyon the Pharysees and pres­tes [Page] with Christ, to brynge hym in daūger of the lawe, Mat. 2 [...]. & Io. 8. [...]o Christē erudycyon bryngeth thys prest, nor yet good counsels of the scripture. But as Esaye sayth. The hypocryte ymagyneth hypocryte a bhomynacyon agaynst God, to famysh the hungrye, and witholde drynke from the thirstye. Yet shall not the eyes of the seynge be dymme, nor the eares of the hearynge be deffe, Esa. 32. If the kynge admyt so he preachers (as I can not thyn Prechers ke it) a sore plage remayneth both to hym and to hys people.

Fortly he asked me, if the host The host. shuld fall, and a beast ded eate it, whether the beast ded recey­ue God or no? I answered, Se­ynge ye haue taken the pay­nes to aske thys questyon, I de­syre yow also to take so moche payne more, as to assoyle it your selfe. For I wyll not do it, by­cause I perceyue ye come to tēp t [...] me▪ And [...]e sayd, it was aga­ynst [Page 14] the ordre of scoles, that he whych asked the questyon, shuld answere it. I tolde hym. I was but a woman, & knewe not the course of scoles.

Beastlye was that questyon, and of a more beastlye brayne propouned to thys womā. Lyttlenede shall other men haue to manyfest their blasphemouse folyes. whan they do it so playnelye their selues. Who euer hearde afore, that their host A fallyn [...] ge God. was a God, and myght fall, and be ea­ten of a beast, tyll they now so beastlye tolde the tale? Though Saynt Paule, where as it is ryghtlye mynystred, doth call it the bodye of the Lorde. j. Corin. 11. Yet doth he not call it a God. Though Christ sayth, Thys is my bodye, Matth. 26. Marei 14. Luce 22. yet sayth he not thys is a God. For God is a sprete, and no bodye, Ioannis 4. Where God is ea­ten, it is of the sprete, and neyther of mouse nor ratte, as Wynchestre and Pe­ryn, Wynches tre. Peryn. with other lyke popysh heretykes haue taught now of late by their owne hande wrytynges. Oure God is in [Page] heauen, and cannot fall nor yet be eaten of beastes. If they haue soche a God, as maye both fall, and so be eaten, as thy [...] prest here confesseth, it is some false or counterfert God of their owne makynge. An Idoll If he maye putryfye or be consumed of wormes, moule, rust, beast, or fyre, Ba­ruch sayth, it is an Idoll, & no God, Ba ruch 6.

These witlesse ydolatours haue no gra­ce in thys age, to hyde their olde leger­demaynes. They fare lyke those dronken Gossypes, whych tell more than all, wh [...] their heades be full of wele gyngerde­ale. Lyke olde Gossyp­pes. The proude crowne of the dronken Ephraemytes (sayth Esaye) shall be tro den vnder fote. The prestes and the pro­phetes do stacker, they are so ouerseane with wyne, Esa. 28. They stomble in the stretes, and haue stayned thēselues with bloude. Treno. 4. All the dwellers of Iu­da (sayth the lorde) shall I fyll with drō ckennesse, both the kynges and the pres­tes. Dronckē ­nesse. I wyll neyther perdon them, spare them, nor yet haue pytie on them, Hierc. 13. And where as that dronckennesse is (sayth Salomō) there is no coūsell kept, Pro. 31. In the ende, thys hypocryte full hypocryte [Page 15] lyfe hymselfe, allegeth to thys woman, a maner vsed of hys olde predecessours in the scholes of falsehede. But frō the scole of truthe he bryngeth nothynge to the confort of her conscyence. He declareth full workemanlye in thys, what he and hys generacyon seketh, by soche their spy­rituall and iustyfyenge workes, ex opere operato.

Fyftly he asked me, if I In­tended to receyue the sacramēt Howsell at easter, or no: I answered, that els I were no Christen woman, and that I ded reioyce, that the tyme was so nere at hāde. And thā he departed thens, with manye fayre wordes.

Thys hongrye wolfe practyseth by all craftye wayes possyble, to sucke the blou­de Spiritu­allye. of thys innocent lambe. Is not that (thynke yow) an holye congregacyon, whych is thus spyrytuallye occupyed? Some godlye wyse men wyll wondre, that they be not ashamed. But maruele [Page] not of it. For the holye Ghost sayth, in hy [...] fore iudgemētes, that the same holye mo thet whych hath hatched thē vp in oyles & in shauynges; is an vnshame fast who­re, A whore. Apo. 17. et Dan. 8. Than of verye na­ture must her whelpes be shamelesse chyl dren. Soche shamelesse dogges are they Dogges. (sayth Esaye) as be neuer satisfyed. Es. 56. whā they kylle yow (sayth Christ) they shall thynke they do God good ser uyce, Io. 16. so greatlye haue their malyce blynded them, Sapiē 2. whych is partlye the drokennesse a fore spoken of.

And the xxiij. daye of Mar­che, my cosyne Brittayne came into the Counter to me, and as­ked there, whether I myght be put to bayle or no: Then went he immedyatlye vnto my lorde Baylyn­ge. Mayre, desyerynge of hym to be so good lorde vnto me, that I myght be bayled. My lorde an­swered hym, and sayd, that he wolde be glad to do y^e best that in hym laye, howbeyt he coul­de [Page 16] not bayle me without the cō ­sent of a spirytuall offycer. So requyrynge hym to go and spea ke with the chaūcellour of Lon don. For he sayd, lyke as he coul de not commytt me to pryson without the consent of a spiry­tuall offycer, nomore coulde he bayle me without cōsent of the same.

True is it here, that is written of S. Iohan in the Apocalyppes, that Anti­christ antichrist is worshypped of the potentates & kynges of the earthe, Apo. 13. The mayre of London, whych is the kynges liefe te­naunt, and representeth there hys owne persone, standeth here lyke a dead Idoll, or lyke soche a seruaunt slaue as can do nothynge within hys owne cytie con­cernynge their matters. Who is ly­ke the Beast (sayth Saynt Iohan) who The beast is able to warre with hym: He hath brought all lādes and their kyngedomes in feare (sayth [...]saye) the strength of their cytic [...] hath he taken awaye, and [Page] restrayned the delyueraunce of their pre­soners, Esa. 14. The parētes of hym that was borne blynde, feared thys spyrituall tyrannye or captyuyte of theirs, soch ty­me Exāples as they were examyned of the byshop pes for the syght of their sonne. Ioan. 9. Soche as beleued in Christ amonge the chefe rulers of the Iewes, wolde not be acknowne therof, for feare of lyke vyolen ce, Ioan. 12. No newe thynge is it than I custo­me. in that spirytuall generacyon, but a cu­stome of olde antyquyte. Both Christ and hys Apostles haue suffered lyke tyrannye vnder them. But neuer ded they yet my­nystre it to anye creature after their ex­emple.

So vpon that he went to the chancellour, requyrynge of hym as he ded afore of my lorde may The chaū celler. re. He answered hym, that the matter was so haynouse, that he durst not of hymself do it, without my Lorde of London were made preuye therūto. But he sayd, he wolde speake vnto [Page 17] my lorde in it. And bad hym re­pare vnto hym the next morowe and he shuld wele knowne my lordes pleasure.

Ryghtwysnesse iudge they synne, & syn ne ryghtwysnesse, Es. 5. so vnperfyght is their syght, Io. 12. in that God hath ge­uen them vp to their owne lustes, Rom. j. What an haynouse matter is it holden here, to beleue in Christ after the scriptu Fayth in Christ, res, & not after their superstycyouse ma­ner? For non other cause coulde they laye to thys woman, as ye haue hearde here afore, and as ye shall here after perceyue more largelye. What so euer it be to offen de God or man, their offence maye be no lesse than pryson and deathe. The Turke Tyrānye, is not more vēgeable, than is thys spyght full spirytuall generacyon. Yet boast they Christes religion, and the holye mother churche.

And vpon the morowe after, he came thydre, and spake both with the chauncellour, & with [Page] lorde byshopp of London. My lorde declared vnto hym, that he was verye wele contended that I shuld come forth to a cō ­munycacyon. And appoynted me to apere afore hym the next daye after, at iij. of the clocke, at after none. More ouer he sayd vnto hym, that he wolde there shulde be at that examy­nacyon, Wylye. Wylye. soche lerned men as I was affeccyoned to. That they myght se, and also make report, that I was handeled with no rygour. He answered hym, that he knewe no man that I had more affeccyon to than other. Than sayd the bysh opp. Yes, as I vnderstande, Subtyle. she is affeccyoned to Doctor Crome, Sir Gyllam, Whyte­heade, and Huntyngton, that they myght heare the matter. For she ded knowethē to be ler­ned, [Page 18] and of a godlye iudgemēt.

A foxysh fauer was thys, both of the chauncellour & byshopp, and soche a beny uolent gētylnesse, as not onlye sought her bloude, but also the bloude of all them whych are here named, yf they had than come to thys examynacyon. For the A wolfe, euenynge afore (as I am credyblye in­fourmed) the Byshopp made boast amon ge hys owne sort, that if they came thy­dre, he wolde tye them a great dele shor­ter. A voyce was thys full lyke to hym that vttered it. For therby he apereth, not one that wyll saue and fede, but rather soche a one as seketh to kyll and de stroye. Iohannis 10. The foxes runne Foxe [...] ouer the hyll of Syon (sayth [...]iere­mye) because she is fallen from God. Threnorum 5. O Israel (sayth the Lor­de) thy prophetes are lyke the wylye foxes vpon the drye feldes, Ezechielis 13. The Poete hath a byworde, that hap­pye is he whych can take hede by another mannys hurte. I adde thys here, that ye shuld be ware, if ye come in lyke [Page] daūger of anye soche foxish byshopp. By one of hys daye deuyls, whom thys Cay­phas sent to commen with the woman in A prest. preson, he knewe part of her meanynge, and what they were also whych fauered her opynyons. Yea, he craftelye vnder­myned thys gentylman whych intreated for her, if ye marke it wele. Trust not to moche in the flatterouse faunynge of soche wylye foxes.

Also he requyred my cosyne Bryttayne, that he shulde ernest lye persuade me to vtter, euen the verye bottom of my harte. And he sware by hys fydelyte, A thefe. that no man shuld take anye ad uauntage of my wordes. Ney­ther yet wolde he laye ought to my charge, for anye thynge that I shuld there speake. But if I sayd anye maner of thynge a­mys, He with other more wolde be glad to reforme me therin, with most godlye counsell.

O vengeable tyraunt and deuyll. How subtyllye sekyst thu the bloude of thys innocent woman, vndre a coloure of fryn­delye Iudas. handelynge. God ones commaun­ded the ernestlye, in no case to compasse thy neyber with deceyt, to the effusion of hys bloude, Leu. 19. But hys commaun­dement, thu reckenest but a Caunterbu­rye tale. By swearynge by thy fydelyte, thu art not all vnlyke vnto Herode, whō Herode. Christ for lyke practyses, first to put Io­han, and than hym to deathe, called also a most craftye cruell foxe, Luce 13. Thu laborest here, to haue thys woman in snare, with serten of her fryndes. But God put in her mynde at thys tyme, to recken the a dogge and a swyne. Matth. 7. and therupon to haue fewe wordes.

On the morowe after, my lor­de of London sent for me, at one of the clocke, hys houre beynge appoynted at thre. And as I ca A false lyar.me before hym, he sayd, he was verye sorye of my trouble, & de­syred [Page] to knowe my opynyon in soche matters, as were layed a­gaynst me. He requyred me al­so in anye wyse, boldelye to vt­ter the secretes of my harte, byd dynge me not to feare in anye poynt. For what so euer I ded O trayte: saye within hys house, no man shuld hurte me for it. I answe­red. For so moche as your Lor­deshypp appoynted iij. of the clocke, and my fryndes shall not come tyll that houre, I desyre yow to pardon me of geuynge answere tyll they come.

In thys preuentynge of the houre, maye the dylygent reader perceyue the gredyneffe of thys Babylon Byshopp, or bloudrhurstie wolfe, cōcernynge thys A tyra [...]t. praye. Swyft are their fete (sayth Da­uid) in the effusion of innocent bloude, whych haue fraude in their tunges, ve­nym in their lyppes, and most cruell ven­geaunce in their mouthes. Psal. 13. Da­uid [Page 20] in that Psalme moche marueleth in the sprete that takynge vpon them the spi rytuall gouernaunce of the people, they can fall in soche frencsye or forgetful­nesse Murthe rers. of themselues, as to beleue it lau­full thus to oppresse the faythfull, and to deuoure them with as lyttle compas­syon, as he that gredylye denoureth a pece of breade. If soche haue redde anye thynge of God, they haue lyttle mynded their true dewtye therin. More swyft (sayth Hieremye) are our cruell perse­cuters, than the egles of the ayre. They Egles. folowe vpon vs ouer the mountaynes, and layepre [...]ye wayte for vs in the wyl­dernesse. Trenorum 4. He that wyll kno­we the craftye haukynge of Byshoppes to brynge in their praye, lete hym lerne it here. Iudas (I thynke) had neuer the x. part of their connynge warke­manshyppe. Marke it here, and in that whych foloweth.

Then sayd he, that he thougt Morel [...] bes to deuoure. it mete, to sende for those iiii. men whych were afore named, & ap­poynted. Then I desyred hym, [Page] not to put thè to the payne. For it shuld not nede, by cause the [...]. gentylmen whych were my fryn des, were able ynough to testy­fye that I shuld saye. Anon af­ter he wēt into his gallerye with mastre Spylman, and wylled hym in anye wyse, that he shuld exhort me, to vtter all that I thought.

Christ sheweth vs in the vii. chaptre of Mathew, & in other places more of the Gospell, how we shall knowe a false pro­phete or an hypocryte, and wylleth vs to be ware of them. Their maner is as the Lyfe the deuyll. deuyls is, flatteryngly to tempt, & deceyt fullye to trappe, that they maye at the lattre, most cruellye [...]ee. Soche a won (sayth Dauid) hath not hynge in hys tun ge, but playne deceyt. He layeth wayte for the innocent, with no lesse cruelte than the lyon for a shepe. He lurketh to rauysh vp the poore. And whan he hath gottē hym into hys nette, than throweth he hym downe by hys autoryte, Psalm. 9. [Page 21] Thys is the thirde temptacyon of thy [...] byshopp, that the woman shuld vtter, to her owne confusyon.

In the meane whyle he com­maunded hys Archebeacon to Archedea con. commē with me, who sayd vnto me. Mastres wherfor are ye ac­cused? I answered. Axe my ac­cusers, for I knowe not as yet. Thē toke he my boke out of my hande, and sayd. Soche bokes as thys is, hath brought yow to the trouble ye are in. Be ware (sayth he) be ware, for he that made it, was brent in Smyth­felde. Then I asked hym, if he were sure that it was true that he had spoken. And he sayd, he knewe wele, the boke was of Io han frithes makynge. Then I A Lyar. asked hym, if he were not asha­med for to iudge of the boke be fore he sawe it within, or yet kne [Page] we the truthe therof. I sayd al­so, that soche vnaduysed & has­tye iudgement, is a token appa­rēt of a verye slendre wytt. Thē I opened the boke & shewed it hym. He sayd, he thought it had bene an other, for he coulde fyn de no faulte therin. Thē I desy­red hym, nomore to be so swyft in iudgemēt, tyll he through ye knewe the truthe. And so he de­parted.

Here sendeth he fourth an other Iu­das of hys, to betraye this true seruan̄t of Iudas. God. Marke the good workemanshypp hardelye, and tell me if they be not the of sprynge of the serpent. Moche are they offēded with bokes, for that they so play nelye do manyfest their myschefes. Io­han Frith is a great moate in their eyes, Iohan Frith. for so turnynge ouer their purgatorye, and heauynge at their most monstruo­se Masse, or mammetrouse Mazon, whych sygnyfyeth breade or feadynge. Notwithstandynge Daniel calleth it Maozim, betokenynge strēgth or defen­ce, [Page 22] Dan. 11. because the false worshyp­pyng [...]s therof shuld be so myghtelye de­fended by worldlye autoryte and power. No newe thynge is it, that good men & Bokes cō dempned. their bokes are destroyed now a dayes, whā they toucht the myschefes of that ge neracyō. For Ioakim the kynge of Iuda, cutt Hieremyes prophecyes in peces with a penne knyfe, & in hys madnesse threwe them into the fyre, commaundynge both Hieremye whych taught them, and Ba­ruch that wrote them, to be put to deathe. Hieremie 36. Whan kynge Antiochus had sett vpon the aultre of God, the ab­homynable Idoll of desolacyon (whych is now the poyshmasse, Mat. 24) the bo kes of Gods lawe commaunded he to be Bokes brent. torne in peces and brent in the fyre, sen­dynge fourth therupon, thys cruell pro­clamacyon. That what so euer he was, whych had a boke of the Lordes Testa­ment founde about hym, or that ende­uoured themselues to lyue after the la­wes of God, the Kynges commaunde­ment was, they shuld be put to death. 1. Machabe [...]rum 1.

[Page] Immedyatlye after came my cosyne Bryttayne in with dy­uerse Her fryn des. other, as Mastre Hawe of Grayes inne, & soche other lyke. Then my lorde of London per­suaded my cosyne Bryttayne, as he had done oft before, which was, that I shuld vtter the bot tom of my harte in anye wyse.

Thys is the fort temptacyon, or craf­tye callynge vpō, to vtter her mynde, that he myght saye of her, as Cayphas sayd Cayphas of Christ. Matt. 26. what nede we anye more witnesses? Lo, now ye haue hearde a blasphemye or an heresye. How saye ye now to it, whych are her fryndes? Is she not gyltye of deathe? If they shuld haue sayd naye, vnto thys, they shuld haue be­ne so, in as depedaunger as she. Thys ser pentyne practyse, was as wele to trappe Practyse. them as her, [...]ete it not be vnmarked.

My lorde sayd after that vn­to me, that he wolde I shuld cre dyte the coūsell of my fryndes [Page 23] in hys behalfe, whych was, that Sathan. I shuld vtter all thynges that burdened my conscyence. For he ensured me, that I shuld not ne de to stande in doubt to saye a­nye thynge. For lyke as he pro­mysed them (he sayd) he promy sed me, & wolde perfourme it. Whych was, that neyther he, nor anye man for hym, shuld ta ke me at aduauntage of anye word I shuld speake. And ther­for Tempter he bad me, saye my mynde without feare. I answered hym, that I had nought to saye. For my conscyence (I thāked God) was burdened with nothynge.

Styll foloweth thys ghostlye enemye, hysformer temptacyon, and calleth vpon mortall vtteraunce, or vtteraunce full of deathe, that he myght crye with Cay­phas, Luc. 22. what nede we further te­stymonye? Cayphas Her owne mouthe hath accu sed her. We are able withnesses therof, [Page] sea our owne eares haue hearde it. Thus laye they wayte for bloude (sayth Sa­lomon) and lurke payuelye for the in­nocent, without a cause, Prouerbierū 1. Consent not (sayth he) vnto soche ty­rauntes, if they entyce the. For though enemyes. their wordes apere as honye, Prouerbio rum 16. Yet shalt th [...] fynde them in the ende, so [...]ytter as wormewode, Prouer­bio [...]um 5. Though that whorysh gene­racyen pretendeth a coloure of gentyl­nesse, yet byteth it at the lattre lyke a serpent, and styngeth lyke an adder, throwynge fourth poyson. Prou. 23.

Then brought he fourth thys vnsauerye symylytude, That if a man had a wounde, no wyse surgeon wolde mynystre helpe surgerye. vnto it, before he had seane it vncouered. In lyke case (sayth he) can I geue yow no good counsell, vnlesse I knowe wher with your conscyence is bur­dened. Counsell. I answered, that my cō science was clere in all thyn­ges. [Page 24] And for to laye a playstre vnto the whole skynne, it might apere moche folye.

Hath not he (thynkeyow) moche nede of helpe, whych seketh to soche a surgeon. Vncircumspect is that pacyent, and most commonlye vnfortunate, whych goeth to a commen murtherer to be hea led of hys dysease. Christ had vs euer­more A mu [...] ­therer. to be ware of all soche, vnlesse we wolde be woryed, Matth [...] 7. The natu­re of these, Lorde (sayth Dauid) is not to make whole, but to persecute them whom thu hast smytten, and to adde woū des vnto wounde, Psalmo 68. Their ow­ne Botches. botches are insanable, Efaie 1. for the multytude of their myschefes, Hiere. 30. The prest and the Leuyte, whych trauay­led betwin Hierusalem and Hierico, healed not the wounded man, yet were they no wounders. Lu. 10. Who can thyn ke that he wyll vnburden the cōscyence, whych stodyeth nothynge els but to ouer loade it with most greuouse and daūge­rouse burdens; Math. 23.

Then ye dryue me (sayth he) to laye to your charge, your ow ne report, whych is thys. Ye ded saye, he that doth receyue the sa Gathe­red store. crament by the handes of an yll prest or a synner, he receyueth the deuyll, & not God. To that I answered, that I neuer spake soche wordes. But as I sayd afo re both to the qwest and to my Lorde Mayre, so saye I now a­gayne, that the wyckednesse of the prest shuld not hurte me, but in sprete and faythe I receyued Sinon caste. no lesse, the bodye and bloude of Christ. Then sayd the byshopp vnto me, what a saynge is thys? In sprete. I wyll not take yow at that aduauntage. Then I an swered, My lorde without fay­the and sprete, I can not recey­ue hym worthelye.

[Page 25] Now sheweth thys Cayphas where about he Goeth, for all hys false flatte­rynge colours afore. And seynge he can winne non aduaūtage to hys cruel pur­pose, of her owne cōmunycacyon, he sha­feth the howgettes of hys prouyded Iu Bowget­tes. dases and betrayers of innocent bloude He bryngeth fourth soche stuffe and sto­re, as that wycked qwest had gathered of her answere to them, to flatter and to please hys tyrannye therwith. It ys to be feared, that as farre was the feare of God here from thē, as from hym / Psal. 13. for as wele practysed they thys mys­chefe agaynst her, as he. Marke here the natural workynge of a verye full Anti­christ. Anti­christ. Be defendeth synne in hys o [...]w ge neracyō, and condēneth vertue in Chri stes dere mēbre. Malice, pryde, whore­dome, sodometrye, with other most de­uylysh vyces, reckeneth he not to hurte the mynystracyon of a prest / yet iudgeth it he an heresye, no lesse worthye than deathe, to beleue that Christes fleshe and bloude is receyued in faythe and sprete. What though it be Christes most A sore h [...] resie. ernest doctryne, Ioan. 6. what a sa [...]nge (sayth thys Bishopp) is thys? In s [...] ­te. [Page] I wyll not take yow at the worst, sayth he. As though it were a most hay­nouse heresye. But most dyscrete and godlye was the womannys answere, de­clarynge her a ryght membre of Christ. Prestes. where as those prestes, whō he here de fendeth, are vnworthye receyuers and members of the deuyll, Ioan. 13. & i. Co rin. 11. Thus is an Antichrist here know ne by hys frutes. For he vttereth blas­phemyes agaynst God, Daniel 7. Apoc. 13. he calleth euyll Good, and Good cuyll, Esa. 5. & Prouerbiorum 3.

Then he layed vnto me, that I shuld saye, that the sa­crament remaynynge in the pixte, was but breade. I ans­wered that I neuer sayd so: But in dede the qwest asked me Breade. soche a qwestion, wherunto I wolde not answere (I sayd) tyll soche tyme as they had assoyled me thys questiō of myne. Wher for Steuen was stoned to dea­the. Steuen. [Page 26] They sayd, they knewe not Then sayd I agayne, nomore wolde I tell them what it was.

O Idolouse shepehearde (sayth Zach.) thu sekest not to heale the wounded, but to eate the fleshe of the fatte. Zach. 11. The watche men of Israel (sayth the lorde) are verye blynde beastes, and Beaste [...]. shamelesse dogges. They haue no vnder standynge, but folowe their owne beast­lye wayes for couetousnesse, Esaie 56. Whoeuer redde in the scripture or autorysed Chronycle, that breade in a boxe shuld be Christes bodye? Where or whā commaunded he hys most holye bodye, so to be bestowed? What haue ye to laye for thys doctryne of yours? Are ye not The boxe. yet ashamed of your vnreuerent and blasphemouse beastlynesse? wyll ye styll pluc ke our Christen beleue from the ryght hande of God the eternall father, and sende it to a boxe of your braynysh deuy­synge?

[Page] The first boxer of it, was pope Hono­rius the thyrde in the yeare of our lorde. Honorius M. CC. XVI. after the many foldereue­lacyons of dyuerse relygyouse w [...]men. Neyther was there anye great honour geuen vnto it of the common people, tyll a sorye solytarye syster or Ankorasse in the lande of Leodiū or Luke, called Eua Eua re­clusa after serten visions, had procured of po pe Urbanus the fort, in the yeare of our Lorde. M. CC. LXIIII. the feast of Corpus Christi to be holden solempne all Christendome ouer. Astestyfyeth Arnol dus Bostius, Epist. 6. ad Ioannem Pa­leenydorum. Bostius In al the xij. hondred yea­res a fore that, was it neyter boxed nor pixed, honoured nor sensed vnyuersallye And se what an horrible worke here is now, for the boxinge therof, and what a great heresie it is to beleue that Christ dwell not therin, contrarye both to hys owne and to hys Apostles doctryne. Mar Iudases. ke also how thys Gods creature is han­deled here for it, and how subtyllye she is betrayed of the Byshoppes begles and lymmes of the deuyll.

[Page 27] Then layd it my Lorde vnto me, that I had alleged a serten text of the scripture. I answe­red that I alleged non other but S. Paules owne saynge to the Athenianes, in the xvii. cha ptre of the Apostles actes. That God dwelleth not in tēples ma­de with handes. Then asked he Temples me. what my faythe and be­leue was in that matter? I an swered hym. I beleue as the scripture doth teache me. Then A tēpter. enquired he of me, what if the scripture doth saye, that it is the bodye of Christ? I beleue (sayd I) lyke as the scripture doth teache me. Then asked he agayne, what if the scripture doth saye, that it is not the bo­dye of Christ? My answere was styll. I beleue as the scripture infourmeth me. And vpon thys argument he carryed a great [Page] whyle, to haue dryuen me to make hym an answere to hys mynde. Howbeit I wolde not, but concluded thus with hym, that I beleued therin and in all other thynges, as Christ and hys holye Apostles ded leaue them.

Se what an horryble synne here was. She alleged the scripture for her bele­ue, whych is a sore and a daungerouse Scriptu­re. matter. For it is against the popes ca­non lawes, and agaynst the olde custo­mes of holye churche. Seus kynge Hen­ryes dayes the fort, hath it bene a bur­nynge matter, onlye to reade it in the Englysh tunge, and was called wy­cleues lernynge, tyll now of late years. And it wyll not be wele with holye churche, tyll it be brought to that poynt agayne. For it maketh manye herety­kes agaynst holye churche. O insipi­ent [Page 28] papystes. These are your corrup­ted practyses and abhomynable sto­dyes, practyses to dryue the symple from God, and yet ye thynke, he seyth yow not, Psalme 13. Saynt Paule sayth (Roma. 15.) what so euer thynges are written in the scriptures, are written for our ler nynge, that we through pacyence and cō fort in them, myght haue hope, and ye wyll robbe vs therof. Christ commaun­ded Christ. all peoples, both men and women (Iohan. 5.) to serche the scryptures, if they thynke to haue euerlastynge lyfe, for that lyfe is no where but in them. Yet wyll yow in payne of deathe kepe them styll from them.

For ye take vpon ye to sytt in Gods In Gods stede. stede, and thynke by that vsurped offy­ce, that ye maye turne ouer all, 2. Thes. 2. But Christ bad vs to be ware both of yow and your chaplaynes, whan he sayd. There shall aryse false Christes and fal­se prophetes, workynge manye great wō ders, and saynge. Lo, here is Christ, and there is Christ. Beleue them not. Matt. [...]4. And therfor alleged thys womā vnto [Page] your q [...]estmongers (the dogges that Christ warned vs of, Mathe [...] 7.) and now vnto yo [...] that saynge of S. Panle, Ato. 17. That God dwelleth not in t [...] ­ples Temples, made with handes / whych also we re the wordes both of Salomon longe a­fore 3. Reg. 8, and of Steuen, Acto. 7. in hys tynie. That scripture so moche of­fēded yow, that ye wolde nedes knowe therof the vnderstādynge. For soche tex tes as agre not with the cloynynges of your cōlrrers, and the conueyaunces of your sorcerers, must nedes be seasoned with Aristotles Physyckes, and sawced with Iohan Sonses subtyltecs. Here Arystotle Sons. make ye a wonderfull turm [...]lynge to wrynge out of thys Womānis beleue in that matter, that she myghe eyther bec [...] me a creature of your olde God the pope, or els be burned, yet haue she not ones re moued her fote from the harde founda­ [...]on or sauyuge rocte Ihesus Christ. 1. Corinth. 11. Blessed be hys holye name for it.

Then he asked me, whye I had so fewe wordes? And I an fewe wordes. [Page 29] swered. God hath geuen me the gyfte of knowlege, but not of vt teraunce. And Salomon sayth, that a woman of fewe wordes, is a gyfte of God, Prouer, 19.

Whā Christ stode before Cayphas, he asked hym, moche aftet thys sort, wher for he had so fewe wordes? Thu answe rest not (sayth he) to those thynges whi ch are layed Here agaynst the of these men. Neuerthelesse he helde hys peace. Sylence. Mar. 14. But whā he was ones through lye compelled by the name of the lyuyn­ge God, to speake, and had vttered a verye fewe wordes, he toke hym at soche aduauntage, though they were the eter­nall veryte, as he was able through them, to procure hys deathe, Matth. 26. lyke as thys bloudye Bishopp. Bonner, Bonne [...] of the same wycked generacyon, ded at the lattre, by thys faythfull woman.

Thirdlye my lorde layed vn­to my charge, that I shuld saye, that the Masse was ydolatrye [Page] I answered hym. No, I sayd not so. Howbeyt (I sayd) the qwest ded askeme, whether pry uate Masses ded releue sowles departed, or nor Unto whome Pryuate Masses. than I answered, O Lorde, what ydolatrye is thys? that we shuld rather beleue in pryua temasses, than in the helthsom deathe of the dere sonne of God Than sayd my lorde agayne. What an answere was that: Though it were but meane (sayd I) yet was it good yuough for the questyon,

About the lattre dayes of Iohan wy­cleue, in the yeare of our lorde a M. CCC. LXXXII. as Henrye Spenser than Henrye Spenser. Byshopp of Norwych, was with a great nombre of Englysh warryours besiegyn ge the Towne of Bypers in flaunders, in the quarell of pope Urbanus the [...]. [Page 30] The vessels of perdycy on or verye orga­nes [...]rires. of Sathan, the iiij. orders of beg­gynge fryres, preached all Englande ouer, that that most holye father of theirs, had lyberallye opened the welle of mercye, and graunted cleane re­myssyon to all them that wolde eyther fyght, or geue anye thynge towar­des the mayntenaunce of those war­res in that quarell of holye churche a­gaynst scysmatykes and heretykes. For than was thys matter of their popysh Masse. Masse, in great controuersye lyke as it is now. More ouer they promysed by ver tu of hys great pardons, to sende the sowles departed, to heauen. And dyuer­se of them sayd, they had scane them flye vp, out of the churche yeardes from their graues thydre warde.

Thys most deuylysh blasphemye with soche other lyke, prouoked the Iohan [...]cleue seyd Iohan wycleue, the verye orga­ne of God, and vessell of the holye Ghost not onlye to replye than agaynst them at Oxforde in the open scooles, but al­so to write a great nombre of bokes agaynst that pestylent popysh kyngedo­me [Page] of theirs. lyfe as Martyne Luther hath done also in our tyme, with manye other godlye men. And lyfe as those fal­se prophetes the fryres ded than attribu te vnto the popes pardons, the remyssy­on of synnes, the deliueraunce from dāp Pardons. nacyon, and the fre enteraunce of heauē, whych peculyarlye belongeth to the pre­cyouse payment of Christes bloude. i. Pe­tri 1. & 1. Ioā. 1. So do these false anoyn ted, or blasphemouse Eyssoppes and prestes now, attrybute them agayne [...]n to theyr pryuate and publique Masses, Druydes. the popes owne wares as prowlynge and pelferynge as the pardons, with no lesse blasphemye. The deuylyshnesse of thys newe doctryne of theyrs, shall be re felled in my bokes agaynst fryre Peryn and Wynchestre, and therfor I write Perin. the lesse here.

Then I tolde my lorde, that there was a prest, whychded hea re what I sayd there before my lorde mayre and them. with that the chaunceller answered, whych was the same prest. So Chaunce ler. [Page 31] she spake it in verye dede (sayth he) before my lorde the mayre and me. Then were there serten prestes as doctor Standysh and other, whych tempted me Stādysh. moche to knowe my mynde. And I answered them alway­es thus. That I haue sayd to my lorde of London, I haue sayd.

By thys ye maye se, that the Byshoppes haue euery wher ther wachmē. least the kynges offycers shuld do anye thynge, Watche­men. contrarye to their bloudye behoue. Thys Chauncellour wolde not haue thus an­swered hardelye, so agreablye to her ta­le, had it not bene to their aduauntage agaynst her, as here after wyll apere. Marke here the fashyon of these temp­tynge serpentes, Standysh and hyssel­lawes, And tel me if they be not lyke vn­to these rypers whelpes whych came to Iohans Baptym, Matthei 3. and to Vypers, Christ Iesus preachynge, Luce 11. I thynke ye shall fynde them the same ge­generacyon.

And then doctor Standish A temp­ter. desyered my lorde, to byd me saye my mynde, concernynge that same text of S. Paule. I answered, that it was agaynst saynt Paules lernynge, that I beynge a woman, shuld inter­prete the scriptures, specyallye where so manye wyse lerned men were.

It is not yet halfe a score of yeares a go, sens thys blasphemouse Idyote [...]dish. Standish, compared in a lewde ser­mon of hys, the dere pryce of our redemp cyon, or precyouse bloude of Christ, to the bloude of a fylthye swyne, lyke hymselfe a swyne. And for hys good doynge, he is now becomen a dawe, a doctor I shuld saye, of the popes dyuynyte, and a sco­las [...]: Doctor. cal interpretour of the scriptures to hys behoue. Here wolde the swynysh gē [Page 32] tylman haue proued, both that S. Ste­uen dyed an heretyke, and S. Paule [...] scysmatyke, for teachynge that God dwelleth not in tēples made with hādes Act. 7. & 17. if he myght haue reasoned out the matter with thys woman. But Swyne▪ she toke a swyne for a swyne, and wolde laye no pearles afore hym, as Christ had charged her afore. Matthei 7. for all their interrogacyons are now about the temple and the temple wares. Mat­thei 26.

Then my lorde of Londō sayd he was infourmed, that one shul de aske of me, if I wolde recey­ue the Sacrament at Easter, Acenser▪ and I made a mocke of it, Then I desyered that myne accuser myght come fourth, whych my lorde wolde not. But he sayd a­gayne vnto me. I sent one to ge ye yow good counsell, and at [Page] the first worde ye called hympa pyst. That I denyed not. for I perceyued, he was no lesse. yet made I non answere vnto it.

No confortable scriptures, nor yet a­nye thynge to the sowles consolacyon, maye come out of the mouthes of these spyrytuall fathers, But dogges rheto­ryck Dogges rhetoryck and curres curtesye, narrynges, brawlynges, and quarellynges Whan she was in the myddes of thē, she myght wele haue sayd wyth Dauid. Delyuer me lorde from the quarelouse dealynges of men, that I maye kepe thy cōmaunde­mētes. I deale with the thynge that is lawfull and ryght, O geue me not ouer to these oppressers, lete not these proude quarellers do me wronge. Psalm. 118, Quarel­lers. But amonge all these quarellynges, her accusers myght not be seane / whych we­re the grounders of them.

Thē he rebuted me, and sayd, that I shuld report, that there Thre sco­re prestes were bent agaynst me, thre sco­re [Page 33] prestes at Lyncolne. In de de (quoth I) I sayd so. for my fryndes tolde me, if I ded come to Lyncolne, the prestes wol­de assault me and put me to great trouble, as therof they had made their boast. And whā I hearde it, I went thydre in dede, not beynge afrayed, be cause I knewe my matter to be good, More ouer I remayned there. vi. dayes, to se what wol­de Prestes. be sayd vnto me. And as I was in the mynster, readynge vpon the Byble, they resorted vnto me by ij. and by ij. by v. & by vi. myndynge to haue spokē to me, yet went they theyr way es agayne with out wordes speakynge.

Rebukes in that generacyō, are moch more redye at hande, than eyther Chri­sten admonyshmentes, or gentyll exhor­tacyons, [Page] though they be all spyrytuall [...] And that cometh by reason of their lo [...] ­de shyppes, whych wāteth due fournysh­ynge Lordshyp out, vnlesse they haue tyrannouse bragges and braulynges. Herin folowe they the examples of their naturall pre decessours the Iewysh byshoppes, pha­rysees, and prestes, Ioan. 7. and 9. She myght full wele saye, that the prestes were agaynst her. Forhypocresye & Ido latrye were neuer yet with hym, whose Hypocre­sye. blessed quarell she toke. Marke the fort chaptre of Iohan, and so fourth almost to the ende of hys Gospell. Beholde also how [...] Apostles & disciples were han deled of the prestes, after hys gloryouse as [...]yon, Acto. 4. and all that boke folo wynge, & ye shall fynde it no new thynge The seruaūt is no better than her mastre whych suffred of that malygnaunt gene racyon lyke quarellynges and handelyn­ges, Ioan. 15. Se here how they wonde­red vpō her by couples, for readynge the Wonde­rers. Byble, as their fore fathers wondered vpon Christ for preachynge and doynge miracles.

[Page 34] Then my lorde asked, if there were not one that ded speake vnto me. I tolde hym, yeas, that there wa [...] one of them at A prest. the last, whych ded speake to­me in dede. And my lorde thait asked me, what he sayd? And I tolde hym, hys wordes were of so small effecte, that I ded not now remembre them.

So farre was not Lyncolne from London, but the Byshopp there had knowlege of thys tragedye. Hereby maye ye se their spirytuall occupyenge Occupy­enge. agaynst Christ and hys faythfull mem­birs. God, is the stody (sayth S. Iohan) of that congregacyon, whych is a spiry­tualte, called Sodome and Egypte. They reioyce in myschefes amonge thē selues, and sende massenges one to an other agaynst Gods wytnesses, whan they are vexed by them, Apoca. 11.

[Page] Then sayd my lorde, There are manye that reade & knowe the scripture, & yet do not folow it, nor lyue therafter. I sayd a­gayne. Scriptu­re. My lorde, I wolde wyshe, that all men knewe my conuersacyon & lyuynge in all poyntes, For I am so sure of my selfe thys houre, that there are non able to proue anye dyshonestie by me. If yow knowe anye that can do it, I praye yow brynge them fourth.

I maruele that Byshoppes can not se thys in themselues, that they are also no folowers of the scriptures. But para uenture they neuer reade them, but as Folowers they fynde them by chaunce in their po­pish portyfolyoms and maskynge bokes. Or els they thynke all the scriptures fulfylled, whan they haue sayd their mat­tens and their masses. Christ sayd to the hypocryte. Whye seist thu a moate in thy neybers eye, and consyderest not the great beame that is in thyne owne [Page 35] eye? Luce 6. Matth. 7. Christ forbode hys Byshoppes vndre payne of dampna Lordshyp pes posses syons. cyon to take anye lordshyppes vpō them. Luce ii. How is thys folowed of our pre lates? He comman̄ded them also to pos sesse neyther golde nor syluer. Matth. 10. How is thys cōmaundemēt obeyed? If we loked so ernest lye to Christes in­stytucyons, as we loke to the popes to be obserued, these wolde also be seane to, by acte of parlement, so wele as prestes marryage whom Christ neuer inhiby­ted. Marrya­ge. I doubt it not, but thys wyll also be one daye scane to. Godly ded thys wo man in defendynge here her innocencye. For S. Peter sayth, j. Petri 4. Se that non of yow suffre as an euyll doer. But in your harde sufferynges, committ your sowles vnto God with wele doynge, a [...] vnto your faythfull creator,

Then my lorde went awaye, and sayd, he wolde entytle sum­what of my meanynge. And so he writte a great cyrcumstaun ce. But what it was. I haue He wri­teth. not all in memorye. For he wol­de [Page] not suffre me to haue the cop pie therof. Onlye do I remem­bre thys smal porcyon of it.

Here wrote he serten artycles of the popes Romish faythe, wyllynge her to subscrybe vnto thē, & so blaspheme God or els to burne. Hys sekynge was here, to make her to worshyp the first beast, Worshyp the beast, whose deadlye wounde is healed agayne Apoc. 13. But she wolde not so haue her name raced out of the lābes boke of lyfe. Apoca. 20. Rather wolde she contende to the ende, hopynge by the myght of hys sprete, at the last to ouercome, and so to be clothed wyth the promysed whyte aparell, Apoca. 3.

Be it knowne (sayth he) to all men, that I Anne Askewe, do confesse thys to be my faythe and beleue, notwithstandynge my reportes made afore to the contrarye. I beleue that they Holye le cherye, whych are howseled at the han­des [Page 36] of a prest, whether hys con­uersacyon be good or not, do re­ceyue the bodye and bloude of Christ in substaunce reallye. Al so I do beleue it after the conse cracyō, whether it be receyued or reserued, to be no lesse than the verye bodye and bloude of Christ in substaunce. Fynallye I do beleue in thys and in all papysty [...] other sacramētes of holye chur che, in all poyntes accordynge to the olde catholyck faythe of the same. In witnesse wherof, I the seyd Anne haue subscry­bed my name. There was sum­what more in it, whych because I had not the coppie, I cānot now remembre.

All the worlde knoweth, that neyther in Christes tyme, nor yet in the dayes of hys Apostles, was anye soche confession Newe [...] of faythe, Neyther yet in the churche [Page] that folowed after, by the space of moche more than a M. yeares, What haue Christen mennes conscience than to do with soche a progydyouse confessyon? Are not Christ and hys Apostles, tea­chers suffycyent ynough for our Christē beleue, and their holye doctrynes law­full, but we must haue these vnsauerye brablementes? We must now beleue in the bawdrye of prestes, or that their Sodometrye and Whoredome for want of marryage, can be no impediment to Canony­sed Ieche­rie. their Godmakynge. What is it els to be sworne vnto the beleue of soche artycles, but to honour their abhomynable Ieche­rye? O most swynish sacryfyers of Baal peor, Psalme 105. Yow is it that the Apostle Iudas, in hys canonycall epystle speaketh of. Ye haue turned the grace of God, into your Iecherie, denyenge our onlye gouernour Ihesus Christ. The ho­lye Priapy­stes. Ghost sheweth vs. Apoca. 21. & 22. that nō are of the newe hallowed cytie or congregation of the lorde, whych worketh abhomynacyon or maynteyneth lyes, as ye do them both here.

[Page 37] Then he redde it to me, and asked me, if I ded agre to it. An [...] I sayd agayne, I beleue so moche therof, as the holye scri pture doth agre to. Wherfor I Scriptu­re. desyre yow, that ye wyll adde that therunto. Then he an­swered, that I shuld not teache hym what he shuld write, With that, he went forth in to hys great chamber, and redde the same byll afore the audyence, whych enuegled and wylled me to sett to my hande, saynge also that I had fauer shewed me.

In euerye matter concernynge our Christen beleue, is the scripture recke­ned vnsuffycyent of thys wycked genera Vnsuffy­cyent. cyon. God was not wyse ynough in set­tynge the order therof▪ but they must adde therunto their swybber swylle, that he maye abhorre it in vs, as he ded the Iewes ceremonyes, Esa. 1. Hiere. 7. Zacha. 7. Amos 5. Michee 6. But thys [Page] godlye woman wolde corrupt her fayth [...] with no soche beggerye, least she in so doynge shuld admitt them and [...]ir po pe to sytt in her conscyence aboue the e­ternall God, whych is their daylye sto­dye, The pope 2. Thes. 2, A vyrgyne was shein that behalf, redemed frō the earthe & folow­ynge the lambe, & hauynge in her fore head the fathers name written. Apoca­lypsys 14.

Then sayd the Byshopp, I myght thanke other & no [...] my selfe, of the fauer I founde at Fauer▪ hys hande. For he consydered (he sayd) that I had good fryn des, and also that I was come of a worshypfull stocke. Then answered one Christofet, a ser­uaunt to mastre Dēnye. Rather ought ye (my lorde) to haue done it in soche case. for God [...] sake than for mannys.

[Page 38] Spirytuall wyll these fathers be na­med. Falshed [...] and yet they do all to be seane of men, Math. 23. Their olde condycyons wyll they change, whan the blacke mo­reane change hys skynne, and the catte of the mountayne her spotres. Hiere­myc 13. If I sought to please mē (sayth S. Paule) I were not the seruaunt of Christ. Gala. 1. Whan thys tyrannouse Byshopp can do nomore myschefe, than flattereth he the worlde, sekynge to ha­ue thankes where he hath non deserued. Flattery [...] And as concernynge the loue or true feare of God (as is herelayed vnto hym) he hath non at all, Psal. 13.

Then my lorde sate downe, and toke me the wrytynge to sett therto my hande, and I writte after thys maner, I Anne Askewe do beleue all maner thynges contayned in the faythe of the Ca­tholyck catholick churche. Then becau­se I ded adde vnto it, the Ca­tholyck [Page] churche, he flonge into hys chambre in a great furye. With that my cosyne Brittay­ne folowed hym, desyerynge hym for Gods sake to be good lorde vnto me. He answered that I was a woman, and that he was nothynge deceyued in A womā. me. Then my cosyne Brittayne desyred hym to take me as a wo man, and not to sett my weake womannys wytt, to hys lords­hyppes great wysdome.

Was not thys (thynke yow) a sore mat ter to be so greuoslye taken of thys prela te? But that they are naturallye geuen to soche quarellynges, Matth. 23. Thys worde Catholyck was not wonte to of­fende Catholick them. How becometh it than now a name so odyouse? Parauēture through thys onlye occasyon. They knewe not tyll now of late years (for it come of the Greke) the true sygnyfycacyon therof. As that it is so moche to saye in the. En glysh, as the vnyuersall or whole. Afore [Page 39] tyme, they toke it to meane their oyled cō gregacyō alone. But now they perceyue Frō oyle. that it includeth the layte so wel as thē no lōgar they do esteme it. Other cause can I non coniecture, whye they shuld now more contempne it than afore.

Then went in vnto hym do­ctor weston, and sayd, that the cause whye I ded write there Weston. the Catholyck church, was, that I vnderstode not the churche written afore. So with moche a do, they persuaded my lorde to come out agayne, & to take my name with the names of my suerties, which were my cosyne Brittayne and mastre Spyl­man of Grayes inne.

For an holye churche wyll they be ta­ken, Layte. and seme moche to differ from the lewde lowsye layte or prophane multytu de of the common people, by reason of their holye vnceyons and shauyng [...]s [Page] whych came from their pope. Most spe cyallye because they haue nothynge a do with marryage, reckened a most cōtagy ouse poyson to holye orders, as their fore seyd Romysh father hath taught, whych bryngeth vp all hys chyldrē in Sodome & Gomor. Iude 1. Apoc. 11. And thys Sodomy­tes. poynt haue they lerned of their predeces sours the olde pharysees and prestes, whych were not, sicut ceteri hominū, as the cōmon sort of men are, but holye, spi­rytuall ghostlye fathers, Luce 18. Wher for they wyll not now be called a catho­lyck, but an holye spirytual churche.

Thys beynge done, we thought that, I shuld haue bene put to bayle immedyatlye, accor­dynge to the order of the lawe. Manye delayes. Howbeit he wolde not so suffre it, but commytted me from thens to preson agayne vntyll the next morowe. And than he wylled me to apere in the guyl de halle, & so I ded. Notwith­standynge [Page 40] they wolde not put me to bayle there neyther, but redde the Bishoppes witynge vnto me as before, and so com­maunded me agayne to preson.

A verye seruitute of Egipte is it, to be in daunger of these papystyck Bys­hoppes, as in thys acte doth apere. Se what cauyllacyōs thys Pharao ded seke here to holde thys Christē womā styll vn Phara [...] dre hys captiuite, solouth is the gredye wolfe to depart from hys desyred praye Ioan. 10. These delayes & these sendyn ges from Cayphas to Pilate, and frō Py late agayne to Annas in Paules, were not els but to seke more matter agaynst Practyse. her, and to knowe more depelye who were her fryndes and maynteners. They that shall conferre the fashyons of thys termagaunt Byshopp concer­nynge thys woman, with the cruell ma ners of great Pharao in the deliueraun ce of the people of Israel at Gods com maūdemēt, Exo. 5. or with the hādelyn ges of the Iewes spirytualte cōcernynge [Page] Christ, Math. 26. and Iohan. 18. they shall not fynde them all [...]nlyke.

Then were my suerties ap­poynted to come before them on the next morowe in Paules churche, whych ded so in dede. Not withstandynge they wol­de ones agayne haue broken of with them, by cause they wolde [...]nauerye spirytuall not be bounde also for an other womā at their pleasure. whom they knewe not, nor yet what matter was layed vnto her charge. Notwithstandynge at the last, after moche a do & rea­sonynge to and fro, they toke a bonde of them of recognysaun ce for my fourth commynge. And thus I was at the last, delyuered. Written by me An­ne Askewe.

No veryte (sayth O seas the Prophete) [Page 41] no mercye, nor yet knowlege of God, is now in the earthe, but abhomynable vy­ces haue euerye where gotten the ouer­hande, one bloudgyltynesse folowynge With pre stes. an other, Osce 4. Thynke yow that the Byshoppes and prestea coulde take so cruell wayes, & wolde worke so false fea tea, if they had the true feare of God, or yet reckened to fele a ryghtwyse iudge at the lattre daye? Suppose it not. Not onlye mynded they to shewe no mercye Tyraūtes to thys woman, but also to werye all her fryndes and acquayntaunce, whych is most extreme cruelte and malyce.

The other woman, whom they wol­de here most craftelye haue delyuered with thys (as I am credyblye infour­med) was a sertē popysh queane, whych they had afore prouyded both [...]etraye her, and accuse her. In more depedaun­ger Practyse of the lawe at that tyme, was thys for her false accusement without recor­de, than was the other whych was so fal selye accused. Fayne wolde the prelates therfor haue had her at lyberte, but they feared moche to be noted parcyall. Marke thys craftye poynt for your ler Subtylte [Page] nynge, and tell me if they be not a sub­tyle generacyon. More of their spiry­tuall packynges and conueya [...], for the deathe of thys faythfull woman, and most dere membre of Christ Anne Askewe, shall ye wele perceyue in the lattre part here folowynge, by her owne confession and hande writynge also to the honoure of God and their great dishonour. So be it.

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