there came a thought amōg the Apostles, who should be the greatest, whan their maister was gon, christ answered thē vnto their thoughtes.

The kynges of the earthe beare dominion aboue other, but ye shall not so do. for he þ^t wil be greatest among you, shal become seruaunt vnto you all. Howe is it then, sayde I, that he wil clyme so high aboue his fellowes? And also we were sworne by my maister kyng Henries tyme, that we shoulde to the vttermost of our power, neuer to consent to him againe. And therfore he hath no more to do here in Englād, then a Byshop hath in his dioces. yea sayde the Byshop, what of that? We were then in error and sinne, now we are in the right way again, and therfore thou must come home again with vs, and knowledge thy fault and become a cristen man, and be sworne vnto the Pope as our supreme head. wylt thou be sworne vnto the Pope? Howe sayest thou? Than I sayde: no, I warrant you by the graceof God, not as longe as I lyue. For you can not proue by the scrypture, that the Pope is head of the churche, and may doe therein what him list. No sayd he? yes I trowe: for as the bell weather, which weareth the bell, and is head of the flocke of shepe, euen so is the Pope the head of the churche of Christ: & as the bees the in hieue, hauing a master bee, when they are gone out, to bryng thē home agayn to þ^e hieue: euen so is the Pope our head, which when we be gone astray, & wādred from þ^e fold frō the hieue. &c. thē is he ordeined by succession of Peter, to bring vs home again to the true churche, as thou now my good fellowe, has wandered long out of the waye, lyke a scattered shepe &c. Heare therfore the bel weather, the maister bell &c. & come home w^t vs, to thy mother, the true churche again. Vnto whō I answered: my Lord, all this is but natural reason, and no scripture: but since ye can not proue the Pope to be autorized by scripture, ye aunswer not me, as I thought ye woulde. Ha sayd he: I see well ye be stout and will not bee aunswered. therfore ye shall be compelled by lawe whether ye will or no. My Lorde sayde I: so did your forefathers intreat Christe and his Apostles. they had a lawe, and by their law they put him to death: so likewise, you haue a lawe which is tyranny, and by that would ye inforce me to beleue as you do. but the Lord I trust will assiste me against all your beggerly ceremonies, and make your folishnes knowen to all the world one daye. Then sayd he: when were ye at church and went in procession, and did the ceremonies of the churche? And I sayd: neuer since I was borne. No, sayd he? how old are you? and I sayde: I thinke about xl. Why sayd he, howe did you vse your selfe at churche xx. yeares ago. And I sayd: as you doe nowe. and euen nowe sayde the byshop you sayd you did not the ceremonies since you were borne.

No more I did said I, since I was borne a newe as Christ said vnto Nicoldemus, except ye bee borne a newe, ye can not enter into the kingdome of heauen. Then sayd a Doctor that sate by: he is a very Anabaptist, for that is their opinion plaine. No syr, you say falsly. for I am no Anabaptist. for they deny children to be baptised, and so doe not I. Well sayd the byshoppe: why doest thou not goe to churche, and do the ceremonies? And I sayde. because they be contrarie to Gods worde and lawes, as you youre selfe haue taught: but nowe you saye it is good againe, and I thinke if there were a returne to morrowe, you would saye that is false againe whiche yow hold now. therfore I may wel see there is no truthe in you. Then saide the Byshop: thou art a stubborne fellowe, and an heretike, and a traitor. No sayd I: I am no traitor. for I haue done, I thinke, better seruice to the crowne imperiall of England, then you. And if you had done so good seruice, saide he, you would be obedient to the lawes of the realme. So I am, said I: there is no man aliue (I thāke God) to accuse me iustly that euer I was disobedient to any ciuill lawes: but you must consider, my Lord, that I haue a soule and a body: and my soule is none of the Queenes, but my bodie and my goodes are the Queenes. and I must geue God my soule, and all that belōgeth vnto it: that is, I must doe the lawe and commaundementes of God, and who so euer commaundeth lawes contrarie to Gods lawes, I may not doe them, for losing of my soule, but rather obey God than man. And he sayd: why doest thou not these lawes then? are they not agreable to gods lawe? And I saide: no, you can not proue thē to be gods lawes. Yes saieth he: that I can. Then saide I: if you can proue me by the worde of God, that you should haue any grauen images made to set in your churches, for lay mennes bokes, or to worshippe God by them, or that ye shoulde haue any ceremonies in your church as you haue, proue them by the worde of God, and I will do them. Then saide he: it is a good and decent order to furnishe the churche, as when you shall goe to dyner, you haue a clothe vpon the table to furnish the table before the meate shall come vpon it. so are these ceremonies a comly decēt order to be in þ^e churche among Christen people. Why said I: these are your inuentions and imaginations, made of your mynde, and not the word of God to proue them. for God saieth: looke what you thinke good in your owne eyes, if I commaūde the contrarie, it is abhominable in my sight, &. these ceremonies are against gods lawes. for saint Paul saith they be weake and beggarly, and rebuketh the Galathiās for doing of them.

Well sayed he: if you wyll not dooe them seing they be the lawes of the Realme, you are an heretyque and disobedient: and therefore