but in fine it came to this conclusion: he was by them commaunded to warde, (it beyng declared vnto him at his departure, that the cause of hys imprisonment, was onely for certayne sommes of money, for the whiche he was indebted to the Queene, and not for religion.) This howe false & vntrue it was, shal hereafter in his place more plainly appeare. The next yeare beyng. 1554. the 19. of March, he was called again to appeare before Wynchester and other the Quenes commissioners: where what for the bishop, and what for the vnruly multitude, when he coulde not be permitted to pleade his cause, he was depriued of his bishopriks: which how and in what order it was done, here now foloweth to be sene by þ^e testimonye and report of one, which beyng present at the doyng, committed þ^e same to writing.

A letter of a certayne godly man concerning what was done the nynetene of Marche. 1554. 

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The London diarist Henry Machyn states that Hooper was deprived on 17 March 1554 (Machyn, p. 58).

in the bishop of Winchesters house, at the depriuacion of Iohn Hooper, bishoppe of Worcester.

FOr so much as a rumor is spread abroad of the talke had at my lord Chauncelors, betwene him with other commissioners there appointed, and Master Hooper, cleane contrary to the veritie and truth therof in dede, and therfore to be iudged rather to be risen of malice for the discrediting of the truth by false suggestions and euill reportes, then otherwise: I thoughte it my duety, beyng present therat my self, in writyng to sette forth the whole effecte of the same: partly that the veritie therof may be knowen to the doutfull people, and partly also to aduertise them how vncharitably maister Hooper was handled at their handes, which with all humilitie, vsed himselfe towardes them, desiring that with pacience he might haue bene permitted to speake: Assuring al men, that where I stode in a mammeryng, and dout, which of these two religiōs to haue credited, either that set forth by the kinges maiestye that deade is, or els that, nowe maintained by the Quenes maiestie, their vnreuerente behauiour towardes maister Hooper, doth moue me the rather to credite his doctrine, then that whiche they with rayling and cruell wordes defended, consideryng that Christ was so handled before. And that this whiche I haue written here was the effecte of their talke, as I acknowledge it to bee true my selfe: so I appeale to all the hearers consciences, that there were present (so they put affection away) for the witnes to the same.

LOrd Chan. At master Hopers commynge in, the lord Chancellour asked whether he was maryed?

Hoper. Yea my lord, and will not be vnmaried tyll deathe vnmarye me.

Duresme That is matter enough to depriue you

Hoper. That it is not my lorde, except ye doo agaynst the lawe.

The matter concerning mariage was no more talked of them, for a great space: but aswel the cōmissioners, as suche as stode by, began to make suche outcries, and laughed, and vsed suche gesture as was vncomely for the place, and for such a matter. The byshop of Chichester called master Hoper hypocrite, with vehement woordes, and scornefull countenaunce. Bekonsall called hym beast: so dyd Smyth one of the clerkes of the counsell, and diuers other that stoode by. At lengthe the bishop of Winchester, whiche was lorde Chancellor, sayd, that all men myght lyue chaste that woulde, and broughte in this text, Castrauerunt se propter regnum cælorum, Ther be that haue gelded them selues for the kyngdome of heauen. Hoper sayd, that text proued not, that all men coulde lyue chaste, but suche onely to whome it was geuen: And redde that whyche goeth before in the texte. But there was a clamour and cry, mockyng and scornyng, with callyng hym beast, that the text coulde not be examined. Than mayster Hoper sayd, that it dyd appere by the olde Canons, that mariage was not forbidden vnto priestes, and named the Decrees: but the byshop of Wynchester sente for another parte, namely the Clementines, or the Extrauagantes. And Hoper sayd, that boke was not it which he named. Then cryed out the bishop of Winchester, and sayde: you shall not haue any other, vntyll ye bee iudged by this. And than beganne suche a noyse tumulte and speakyng together of a great many, that fauoured not the cause, that nothynge was doone ne spoken orderly, nor charitablye. Afterwardes iudge Morgan MarginaliaThis Morgan shortly after fell into a phrenesy, and madnes, and dyed of the same.began to rayle at maister Hooper, a longe tyme, with manye opprobrious and foule woordes, of his doyng at Gloucester, in punishing of men, and sayde: there was neuer suche a tyraunt as he was. After that, the byshoppe of Chichester sayde, that the councell of Ancyra, whyche was before the Councell of Nice, was againste the mariage of priestes.

Then cryed out my lorde Chauncellour, and manye with hym, that maister Hooper had neuer redde the councels.

Yes my lorde (quoth master Hoper) and my lord of Chichester knoweth that the great councell of Nice, by the meanes of one Paphnutius, decreed, that no minister shoulde bee separated from his wyfe. but suche clamoures and cryes were vsed, that the Councell of Nice was not seene.

After this long brutishe talke, the byshop of Duresme, asked maister Hooper whether he