MarginaliaAnno 1557. Iune.ceiued the Sacrament, that was prepared to shewe foorth the Lordes death: and because he presumed to eat without fayth, he eat the deuill withall, as the wordes of Christ declare: after he eate the soppe, the Deuill entred into hym, as you cannot deny.

Winc. Hold him a booke. I will haue you aunswere dyrectly whether Iudas did eate the body of Christ, or no.

MarginaliaRichard Woodman agayne refuseth Winchester to be his iudge.Wood. I will answere no more: for I am not of your Dioces: wherfore I will haue nothing to do with you.

Winc. No, you be in my Dioces, and you be of my Dioces because you haue offended in my Dioces.

Wood. I am not of your Dioces, although I am in your Dioces: and I was brought into your Dioces against my will: and I haue not offended in your Dioces: if I haue, tell me wherein.

MarginaliaTruth taken for heresie.Winchester. Here is your owne hand writing, the whiche is heresie. These be the wordes. I cannot find (say you) þ^t it is the body of christ to any, before it be receiued in faith. How say you? is not this your owne hand writing?

Wood. Yea, I do not deny but it is mine owne hand wryting: but when, or where it was written, or where wer the wordes spoken?

Before the Commissioners: and here is one of them: MarginaliaM. Roper Commissioner, and witnes agaynst Woodman.Maister Roper, the words were spoken before you. Were they not?

Roper. Yes in deed, that they were Woodman. I am sure you will not deny them: MarginaliaWoodmans hand writing brought in agaynst him.for you haue written the wordes euen as you spake them.

Wood. No sir, in deed I will not deny but that I spake thē and I am glad that you haue seene it. For you may see by that whether I lye or not.

Roper. In deede the wordes be written word by word as we spake them.

Winchest. Well, here you affirme þ^t it is your owne deede. How say you now? will you be sorie for it, and become an honest man?

Wood. My Lord, I trust no man can say, but that I am an honest manne: and as for that, I maruell that you wil lay it to my charge, knowing that my Lorde of London dyscharged me of all matters that were layde agaynst me, when I was released of him.

Winc. You were released, and it might fortune, it was not layd to your charge then: MarginaliaWoodman first released, and yet called to accompt agayne, agaynst all good order.therfore we lay it to your charge now because you be suspected to be an hereticke: and wee may call you before vs, and examine you vpon your faith vpon suspicion.

Wood.In deede S. Peter willeth me to render account of my hope that I haue in God, and I am contented so to do, if it please my Bishop to heare me.

Chichester. Yes I pray you let vs heare it.

Wood. I do beleue in God the father almighty, maker of heauē & of earth, and of al things visible & inuisible, and in one Lord Iesus christ, my sauiour very God and man. I beleue in God the holy Ghost, the comforter of al Gods elect people, and that he is equall with the father, and the sonne I beleue the true Catholicke church, and all the sacraments that belongeth thereto. Thus I haue rendered accompt of my hope that I haue of my saluation.

MarginaliaSacrament of the Aultar.Winch. And how beleue you in the blessed sacrament of the aulter? And with that word they all put of their cappes to that abhominable Idoll.

Wood. I pray you be contented: for I will not aunswere to any mo questions: for I perceaue you go about to shed my bloud.

Winc. No, hold him a booke. MarginaliaWoodman made an Anabaptist, because he will not sweare before him that is not his Ordinary.If he refuse to sweare, he is an Anabaptist, and shall be excommunicated. 

Commentary    Close

The anabaptists held that swearing oaths was forbidden by scripture.

Wood. I will not sweare for you, excommunicate me if you will. For you be not meete to take an oth, for you laid heresies to my charge in yonder pulpite, the whiche you are not able to proue: wherfore you bee not meete to take an othe of any man. And as for me, I am not of your Dyoces, nor will haue any thing to doe with you.

Winchester. I will haue to do with thee: and I saye thou art a strong hereticke.

MarginaliaAll truth is heresie, with these men.Wood. Yea, all trueth is heresie with you: but I am content to shew you my minde, how I beleue on the sacramēt of þ^e body and bloud of Iesus Christe, without flattering. For that you looke for, I am sure. But I will meddle no further: But what I holde my selfe of it. I will not meddle of any other mans beliefe on it.

N. Harp. Why? I am sure al mens fayth ought to be alike.

Wood Yea, I graunt you so, that all true Christians faith ought to be alike. But I will aunswere for my selfe.

N Harp. Well, let vs heare what you say to it.

MarginaliaWoodmans confession of the Sacrament.Wood. I do beleue that when I come to receaue the Sacrament of þ^e body and bloud of Iesus Christ, if it be truly ministred according to Christes institutiō, I comming in fayth, as I truste in God I will, whensoeuer I come to

receiue it, I beleuing that Christ was borne for me: & that he suffered death for the remission of my sinnes, and that I shalbe saued by his death and bloudshedding, and so receaue the Sacramente of bread and wine in that remembraunce, that then I doe receiue whole Christ, God and man, mistically, by fayth. This is my beliefe on the sacrament.

Then they spake all at once, saying: MarginaliaMistically.mistically by faythe The fat prieste. What a foole art thou? mistically by faythe thou canst not tell what mistically is?

Wood If I be a foole, so take me: Marginalia1. Cor. 1.But God hathe chosen such fooles of this world to confound such wise things as you are.

The fat priest. I pray thee what is mistically?

MarginaliaWhat is Mistically.Wood. I take mistically to be the fayth that is in vs, that the world seeth not, but God onely.

winch. He cannot tell what he sayth. Aunswere to the Sacrament of the aulter, whether it be not the body of Christ before it bee receaued, and whether it be not the bodye of Christ to whom soeuer receaueth it. Tell me, or els I will excommunicate thee.

Wood. I haue sayd as much as I wil say: excommunicate me if you will. I am none of your Dioces. MarginaliaWoodman agayne appealeth to his Ordinarye.The Bishop of Chichester is mine Ordinary. Let him do it, if you will needs  

Cattley Pratt    Close

Cattley/Pratt, VIII, Appendix: ref page 372, line 27

{Cattley/Pratt alters 'needs' to 'allgates' in the text.} "Allgates" is an Anglo-Saxon word signifying "at all events," and is used in Wycliffe's version of Rom. xi. 10. See Prompt. Parv. p. 9, Boucher's Glossary, and Halliwell's Dictionary. It is here restored from the first Edition, p. 1580: subsequent Editions read "needs."

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MarginaliaM. Christopherson B. of Chichester his Ordinary, not yet consecrated.Chichest. I am not consecrated yet, I tolde you when you were with me. 

Commentary    Close

At this point, Christopherson had been appointed bishop of Chichester but his appointment had not been confirmed by the pope and he had not been consecrated. This created legal problems for the prosecution of Woodman.

Wood. No in deede, your kine bringe foorth nothing but Cow calues, as it chaunceth now: 

Cattley Pratt    Close

Cattley/Pratt, VIII, Appendix: ref page 372, line 31

{Cattley/Pratt alters 'as it chaunceth now' to 'as it chanced yet now' in the text.} This is the reading of the first Edition.

Then they were al in a great rage with me, and called me altonought, and sayd I was out of my wit, because I spake feruently to euery mans question: all the whiche I cannot remember: but I sayd:

So Festus sayd to Paule when he spake the words of sobernes and truth out of the spirite of God, as I do. But as ye haue iudged me, you be your selues. You will go to hell all the sorte of you, if you condemne me, if you repent it not with speede.

MarginaliaWoodman for his feruent speach rebuked.Wood. Then my keeper and the Sheriffes deputie Fuller, rebuked me, because I spake so sharpely to them. And I sayde: I praye you let me alone: I aunswere for my life.

Then there was muche adoe, that I shoulde keepe silence, and so I held my peace. Then spake the Bishop of Winchester and the Archdeacon of Caunterbury, saying: we go not about to condemne thee, but goe aboute to saue thy soule, if thou wilt be ruled and doe as we would haue thee.

Wood To saue my soule? nay you can not saue my soule. My soule is saued already, I praise God therefore. There can no man saue my soule, but Iesus Christ: and hee it is that hath saued my soule before the foundation of þ^e world was layd.

MarginaliaThis fatte Priest well seene in the Scriptures.The fat Priest. What an heresie is that my Lorde? here is an heresie. He sayth hys soule was saued before the foundations were layd. Thou canst not tell what thou saiest. Was thy soule saued before it was?

Wood. Yes I prayse God, I can tell what I say, & I say þ^e truth. Looke in the first of the Ephesians, and there you shall finde it, where Paule sayth: MarginaliaEphes 1.Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, whiche hath bless d vs with all maner of spirituall blessinges in heauenly thinges, by Christ, according as hee hathe chosen vs in himselfe before the foundation of the earth was layd, that we shuld be holy and without blame before him, through loue, and thereto were wee predestinated. These be the wordes of Paule, and I beleue they be moste true. And therefore it is my fayth, MarginaliaIesus Christ onely Sauiour of mans soule, and not man.in and by Iesus Christe that saueth, and not you or any man els.

The fat priest. What? fayth without workes? Saint Iames sayth: faythe without workes is dead, and wee haue free will to do good workes.

MarginaliaGood workes not disallowed.Wood. I would not that any of you should think that I do disallow good workes. For a good fayth cannot be w^tout good workes. Yet not of our selues, but it is the gift of God, as sayth S. Paule to the Phillippians, the 2. Chapt. MarginaliaPhil. 2.It is God that worketh in vs both the wil and also the deed, euen of good will.

Winchester. Make an ende: aunswere to me. Here is your Ordinary, the Archdeacon of Caunterbury: MarginaliaThe Archdeacon of Canterbury made Ordinary by the Cardinall to examine Richard Woodman.hee is made your Ordinary by my Lord Cardinall: and he hath authoritie to examine you of your fayth vppon a booke, to aunswere to such Articles as he will laye to you. And I praye you refuse it not: for the daunger is great if you do. Wherfore we desire you shew your selfe a subiect in this matter.

Then they spake al, and said: loe, my Lord desireth you gently to aunswere to him, and so we do all. For if you refuse to take an othe, hee may excommunicate you. For my