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began, Hoper being called in, to tell him, how he had been

the day before called before him and certain others of the

King's and Queen's privy council, especially appointed

thereto, and then exhorted to acknowledge the errors and

heresies of his past life and perverse doctrine, and to return

with the rest to the unity of the Church ; and that if he

were willing to do so, the pardon of his past errors and

wickedness was offered him. But Hoper then, undauntedly,

(indurato animo, say the Acts,) refused to return. There-

fore now he was called into the public court of justice, to

answer before him certain articles concerning heretical pra-

vity; offering him yet, if he would be reconciled, that he

should be willingly received into the bosom of the holy

mother Church : which Hoper then did not only refuse,

but broke out into some blasphemies, say the Acts, (that is,

no more than that he spake against some of their doctrines.)

181 Then, among many other articles, specially the Bishop ob-

jected to him these that follow :

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 287

First, That being a priest, and of a religious order, ex- CHAP,

pressly professing a rule approved by law, he took a certain XX11 -

woman to be his wife, dejacto, whereas de jure he ought Anno 1554.

not, and cohabited with her in wicked and unlawful mar- Articles ob_
. - _ . jected to
nage; and preached, taught, and by books set forth, pub-bim: with

lished, and defended such pretended marriages to be lawful ,s an "

' r o swers.
and valid by God's law ; and so asserted and believed still.

All which Hoper confessed, and was ready, he said, to

defend.
Secondly, That he asserted, preached, taught, published,

and defended, in books set forth, and still so believed and

held, that by reason of the sin of fornication or adultery

committed, persons lawfully married may, by the word of

God, and by his authority, and the ministry of the ma-

gistrates, be separated from the bond of matrimony, and

divorced from one another : and that so it may be lawful

for the man to take another wife, and the woman another

husband ; on this account, because the woman is no longer

the wife of the former man ; nor the former man any more

the husband of the former wife. To this he answered af-

firmatively ; and that he was ready to defend it to be true,

both by divine and human right, against all adversaries.
Thirdly, That he asserted, held, published, and in books

set forth, taught, and defended, and so believed, asserted,

and held still, that in the Eucharist, or sacrament of the

altar, is not truly the true and natural body of Christ, and

his true and natural blood, under the species of bread and

wine; and that there is there material bread and material

wine only, without the truth and presence of the body and

blood of Christ. To which article he answered in these

words, that the very natural body of Christ is not*really

and substantially in the sacrament of the altar ; saying also,

that the mass is the iniquity of the devil; and that the

mass is an idol. This was the work on Monday.

On the next day, being Jan. 29, the Bishop of Win-

chester, assisted with the bishops above named, together

with George bishop of Chichester, persuaded and exhorted

Hoper with many reasons to reconcile himself. But he, ac-

288 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP, cording to the language of the Acts, persisted in his ob-

stinacy and malice, and brake out into blasphemies, saying,

Anno 1554. that matrimony is none of the seven sacraments. And,

that if it be a sacrament, he can prove seven score sacra-

ments. So, at this session, Winchester pronounced and read

the definitive sentence against him, condemning him for an

heretic and excommunicated : and consequently delivered

him to the secular court, and into the hands of David

Woodroff and William Chester, sheriffs of London; who

carried him away with them. Then the Bishop bade the no-

taries to make an instrument of what was done, and prayed

those that were present to be witnesses: who were those

noblemen, and knights, and others before mentioned, and

these moreover ; Clement Higham, Richard Dobbes, knights ;

Tho. H ungate, esq. John Seton, Tho. Watson, professors

of divinity ; Nicolas Harpesfield, David Pole, Hugh Coren,

doctors of the laws; Henry Jollif, Philip Morgan, bache-

lors of divinity ; Francis Allen, William Smyth and John

Vaughan, esqrs. and many more. If any be minded to see

the form of the sentence pronounced by the mouth of the

Bishop against this holy martyr, let him have recourse to

Number the Catalogue.

XXVIII.

B*

With Hoper I must join John Rogers, alias Matthew, a

Ro er ' learned prebendary of St. Paul's, and vicar of St. Sepul-
tenet and chre's, London, condemned the same day with him, and of
t i 0I1 " the same courage and constancy. Who, when Bishop Gai--
Foxii MSS. diner exhorted him, as he had done Hoper the same day, to
reconcile himself, and return to the unity of the Church ;
he replied, " My Lord, where you say, ye wyllyd me to
" ryse ageyn with you, and so to come to the vnity of
" Christ's Church, I take you, by those your words, that
" you wyllyd me to fall. For I do understand the Church
" otherwise than you do. For I do understand the Church
" of Christ, and you do understand the Romish Church of
u Antichrist. And, I say, that the Pope's Church, which
" you believe, is the Church of Antichrist. 11 Also he said,
as touching his belief in the sacrament of the altar, that he
believed that Christ was in heaven, and believed not that

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 289

his very body and blood is really and substantially in the CHAP,

sacrament of the altar. Also, he said, that in that he being ' ' '

a priest did marry, he offended no law. And also, that the Anno 1554.

bishops maintain herein one false faith, one false doctrine,

and one false word. This was done on Monday. On

Tuesday being brought forth again before the Bishop, he

again, with sundry arguments, endeavoured to persuade

him, and excited him to reconciliation ; but to no purpose :

the Bishop therefore looking upon him as an obstinate here-

tic, pronounced the definitive sentence upon him, as he had

done that same morning upon Hoper ; giving the same or-

der to the notaries, and requiring the same witnesses.
Two other learned and eminent divines, of the re-T he P r °-

formed persuasion, were tried and condemned this sessions Wlt |, Dr.

of the Bishop's commissioners: whom I will mention also. T. a ^? T .'. «„
1 Foxn MSS.
The one was Rowland Taylor, doctor of laws, one that had

been chaplain to Archbishop Cranmer, and one of the com-

missioners appointed by Parliament in King Edward's

reign, for purging the canon law, and drawing up a body

of wholesome ecclesiastical laws for the use of this church

and kingdom. This reverend man, on Jan. 29, was called

before the said commissioners. Then Bishop Gardiner, as

he had done the others, exhorted him to be reconciled : but

he stiffly persisted in his former judgment. Then did the

Bishop object two articles to him, as just matter, no doubt,

to make him an heretic. The one was, that he asserted, be-

lieved, preached, and published, that it was lawful for any

religious man, though he were expressly professed, and for

any priest, after he had taken on him the profession of

priesthood, and before he had taken it upon him, to marry,

and with the person so married to cohabit, as with his law-

ful wife. The other was, that he asserted, believed, preached,

and defended, that in the Eucharist is not truly the true and

natural body and blood of Christ, under the species of

bread and wine ; and that material bread and material wine

are there only. These articles Taylor freely confessed,

saying, that so he still believed, and was ready to defend ;

saying, moreover, judicially, that transubstantiation is a
VOL. III. u

290 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP, conjuring word; concomitantia another juggling word.

And that the Bishop of Rome is against God. And that

Anno 1554. Jig made, by a juggling ivord, the body and blood of Christ

of bread and wine. And that to worship it with honour due

to God, is idolatry. Then the Bishop assigned him to ap-

pear there again between three and four in the afternoon.

What was done then, appears not. But Jan. 30. he ap-

peared again before the Bishop of Winchester, and the

183 Bishops of Durham, Wigorn, Ely, London, Bath and

Wells, Lincoln, Norwich, Litchfield and Carlisle, co-asses-

sors. Then Winchester, beginning after his usual way, of-

fered to receive him into favour, and the unity of the

Church, if with a penitent mind he would return. But he

more stiffly persisting in his perverse opinions, (I use the

words of the Acts,) brake out into very many blasphemies ;

saying, that there be but two sacraments, baptism and the

sacrament of the body and blood of Christ. And that after

consecration, the bread and wine remains. He denied tran-

substantiation ; and said, that the natural body of Christ

is not here, but in heaven ; and that Chrisfs body could not

be in two places at once. After long disputations, the Bishop

asked him again, whether he would return to the unity of

the Catholic Church ? He answered, That he would not

come to Antichrists Church. Then the Bishop read the

sentence definitive against him, condemning him for an

heretic, and excommunicate. And so delivered him to the

Sheriff of London. Present, and witnesses at this time,

were Thomas Duke of Norfolk, the Lord Wharton, the

Lord Lumley ; Leonard Chamberlayn and Robert Drury,

knights ; Tho. Husey, John Vaughan, Tho. Martyn, esqrs.

R. [it may be, Edward] Wotton and John Warner, doctors

in physic ; Hugh Coren, David Poole, Nicolas Harpesfield,

doctors of law ; Tho. Watson, John Seton, doctors of

divinity ; Philip Morgan, John Boxal, Seth Holland,

bachelors in divinity ; Richard Chandler, archdeacon of Sa-

rum, and very many others. And thus they made a rid-

dance of Dr. Taylor.

Let me here add this note of this reverend man at part-

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 291

ing, which Dr. Turner, clean of Wells, his countryman, CHAP,

and spiritual father in Christ, wrote of him to Mr. Fox. XXIL

"Doctor Taylerus, qui Hadlcei exustus est, &c. Doctor Anno 1554.

" Tayler, who was burnt at Hadley, was born in North um- Tay]ois ,
J , J . country and
" berland, in the town of Rothbury, not far from Riddis- conversion.
" dale. With this man I lived for many years in great fa-
" miliarity, [in the University, as it seems,] and often and
" earnestly admonished him to embrace the evangelical
" doctrine; and that he might the easier be brought to
" think as we did, I privately got him the book called Unto
" Dissidentium ; by which, and the sermons of Latymer,
" he was taken, and easily came over to our doctrine."
The other was Lawrence Saunders, a learned also and Proceedings

holy divine ; whom archbishop Cranmer had placed rector sauuders.

of Alhallows, Breadstreet, in London, not long before. Him Fox - MSS -

the aforesaid Bishop had counselled by many reasons to

reconcile himself, and return to the unity of the Catholic

Church : but because he obeyed not this advice, the Bishop

proceeded, according to his method, to object against him,

that he had in his diocese, and in many other places, asserted,

preached, and published, that in the Eucharist there is not

indeed the true and natural body and blood of Christ, and

that there is material bread and material wine there only.

To which objection the said Lawrence answered affirm-

atively, and that he had subscribed such an article before

the Bishop of London : and did also publicly affirm, that he

would defend and maintain whatsoever he had hitherto

preached in that behalf. Moreover, the Bishop of Winton

objected to him, that yesterday, and that present day, be-

tween his coming thither and going back, he used a sedi-

tious exhortation to the people, saying to them, that if an

angel of heaven come amongst you, and preach and teach

you otherwise than I have done of the sacrament, believe

him not. Which Saunders did not deny, but said, / did

but speak my conscience. After much dispute, and many 1 84

exhortations given him by the Bishop, the definitive sen-

tence was read also against him, and he was condemned for

an obstinate heretic, and delivered to the secular power.

u 2

292 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP. XXIII.
A further relation of Mountain's troubles.

Anno 1554. _[q t ] iege four j, e f ore mentioned, I add a fifth persecuted

scut to London preacher, namely, Mountain ; of whom something

Cambridge. j las k een s ^ under the last year. Then we left him in the

Marshalsea. But being reported to have been with the

Duke of Northumberland in Cambridge, when he went to

oppose Queen Mary, it was thought convenient by Chan-

cellor Gardiner to send him to be tried at the assizes there.

Of whose journey thither, and what befell him, and his de-

liverance after much trouble, I had rather the reader should

take from Mountain's own narration, which was as fol-

lows :

Takes his a ^\^ eY& n n the Marshalsea] I remained, until such tyme
leave of the L J ~
prisoners. " as my Lord Chancellor sent a writ to remove me from

" thence to Cambridge castel. And over night I had warn-

" ing to prepare my self against the next day in the morn-

" ing. Short warning I had, but there was no remedy. In

" the morning, I made me ready betimes, and reckoned

" with my keeper ; went down and took my leave of all my

" fellow-prisoners, with the rest of my friends, moving them

" and exhorting them, as the time did serve, to be constant

" to the truth, to serve God and fear him, and to be obedi-

" ent unto the death, and not to resist the higher powers ;

" having always with you the testimony of a good con-

" science; believing that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified

" for your sins, letting all other trash and trumpery go :

" yea, and though an angel should come from heaven, and

" preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we

" have preached already in the days of King Edward, be-

" lieve him not, but hold him accursed. For there is a

'* way which some men think to be right, but the end

" thereof leadeth unto death. Christ is therefore your only

" way and mean unto God the Father. He is truth and life.

" He is alone our mediator and advocate, sitting at the

" right hand of his Father. It is he, as St. Paule saith, that

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 293

"is our only redemption, salvation, justification, and re- CHAP.

" conciliation. Take you heed, therefore, my dear bre-____

" thren, lest you be abused and led away from the truth by Anno 1554.

" false prophets. Let them not make you to shoot at a

" wrong mark. For they only labour to make shipwrack

" of your faith, and to bring you to perdition. You see

" what a sort of grievous wolves are already entred in among

" Christ's flock to devour them.

" Stay there, Sir, I pray you, and make an end, said the His prayer

" under-marshal ; you have talked long enough, I trow, if patting.

" that be good. To whom I said, Sir, I thank you most

" heartily for your gentleness, in that you have so patiently

" suffered me freely thus to speak, and to take my leave of

" this house. I trust I have not spoken any thing here in

" your presence, that hath offended other God, or any good

" man. Wei, said he, dispatch, I pray you, for the writ is

" come, and they tary for you at the door. With that I fell

" prostrate to the ground, and said, O heavenly Father, if

" it be thy blessed will and pleasure, deliver me out of this

" trouble, and suffer me not to be tempted above my

" strength, I beseech thee ; but in the midst of the temp-

" tation, make such a way for my deliverance, as shall be

" most to thy glory, my comfort, and the edifying of my

" brethren. Nevertheless, thy wil be don, and not mine.

" Give me patience, O Father, for Christ's sake. To this

" they al said, Amen. So I kissed the earth, and rose up,

" bidding them al farewell, desiring them to pray for me,

" and not to forget what I had said unto them, as they

" would answer afore God.
" Then went I out of the doors, finding there, between the A charge

" gates, six tal men in blew coats, with swords and bucklers f rom tne

" and javelins in their hands. And one of them brought under " mar "

" unto me a gelding, desiring me to light on him quickly.

" For the day is far spent, said he. Content I am so to do ;

" and being on horseback, one, of good wil, brought me a

" cup of wine to comfort me with. So I took it, and drank

" to all the people that were present there, and thanked

" them al heartily for their gentlenes. The under-marshal
u3

294

MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

Baits at

Ware.

CHAP. " then took me fast by the hand, and rounded me in the

XXIII. . .
_!____ " ear, saying thus, Sir, I am commanded by my Lord
Anno i554.« Chancellor to charge you, in the King and Queen's name,
" that you do keep your tongue as you do ride thorow the
" city, and quietly to pas the same, as you will answer to
" the contrary before the Council. And thus much more
" I say unto you, I fear I shal hear of this day's work for
" your sake. Nevertheles, God strengthen you in that same
" truth whereunto he hath called you: for I perceive, and
" also believe, that you are in the right way. Fare you
" wel, for I dare stand no longer with you. Pray for me,
" and I wil pray for you. And thus we parted at ix. of the
" clock in the forenoon.
" Then three of them rid afore me, and the other three
" behind me, til I came to Ware : and then we alighted at
" the sign of the Crown ; and I was brought into a fair
" parlar, a great fire made afore me, and a table covered.
" They asked me, if that I were not weary and a hungred ?
" Not greatly, said I. Wel, said they, cal for what you
" wil, and you shal have it, if it be to be gotten for gold ;
" for so are we commaunded ; and be of good cheer, for
" God's sake : I trust you shal have none other cause. So
" down I sat at the board, said grace, and made, as I
" thought, a good meal; and, so far as I remember, the
" reckoning came to an eight or nine shillings, beside our
" horsemeat. So grace being said, and the table taken up,
" the chiefest of these six serving-men said unto me, Sir,
" how are you minded now ? any otherwise than you were
" when you came out of London ? No truly, said I : I
" thank God I am even the same man now that I was then ;
" and I trust in God so to remain unto the end, or els I
" would be sory, and also ashamed. And I tel you true,
" that / am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ; for
" it is the power of God unto salvation to as many as do
" believe. And to tel you further, if this gospel be hid, it
" is hid from those that shal perish ; for unto the good it is
" the savour of life unto life, and unto the wicked and un-
" godly it is the savour of death unto death. Take you al

His good

discourse to

those that

guarded

him.

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 295
" heed therefore, dearly beloved, beware in time, lest both CHAP.

" you and your teachers have their portion in the fiery lake .

"among the hypocrite, where there is weeping, wayling, Aaao1554 '

" and gnashing of teeth ; wheras the worm of conscience 1 86
" shall never dy, but you to dwel in pain so long as God
" raigneth in glory. O ! what should it profit a man to
" have this whole world at wil, and to leese his own soul ?
" and when it is lost, wherewithal wil you redeem it again ?
" I tel you, this is no massing matter ; neither yet wil any
" pardons, purgatory, or pilgrimages serve your turn. No,
" and my Lord Chancellor, or the Pope himself should
" say mas for one of you, and sing trentals for you, it
" would not go for payment before God : for, as the pro-
" phet David saith in the psalm, there is no man that can
" male agreement to God for his brother : he must let that
" alone ; for it cost more than so. And, if one man sin
'* against another, days-men may be judges ; but if a man
" sin against the Lord, who will be his days-man ? You
" are dearly bought, saith St. Peter, not with corruptible
" gold and silver, pearl or precious stone, but by the most
" precious and innocent bloud-shedding of Jesus Christ,
" the only begotten Son of God.
" Then said they one to another, Never let us talk any Proceeds in

" longer with him. It is but lost labour. You se that hef rom Ware.

" is at a point. There is no good to be don of him. I per-

" ceive that he will dy in his opinions. Yea, said I, I trust

" in God so : for it is written, Happy and blessed are al

" they that dy in the Lord ; for they shal be certain and

" sure of a joyful resurrection. Arise therefore, I pray you,

'* and let us be going. So to horseback we went ; a great

" number of people being in the yard and in the streets, to

" se and behold me the poor prisoner, that came from Lon-

" don. Every man spake their fancy ; and some brought

" me wine to comfort me with : for the which I gave them

" most hearty thanks, desiring them al to pray for me, and

" I would pray for them. And thus, with tears of all

" hands, we parted from Ware ; and so came to Royston ^ m g *^°
u 4

296 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP. " to our bed. Wheras they made me great cheer, and

XXII

" spared for no cost.
Anno 15.54. a Then they once again did assault me, desiring me to