MarginaliaAn. 1558. Iune.Byshop began with him.
Hollād, I for my part do wish well vnto thee, & the more for thy frendes sake. And as Doct.Standish telleth me, you and he were both borne in one Parish, and he knoweth your father to be a very honest Catholicke Gentleman. And M. Doctour told me that he talked with you a yeare a go, and found you very wilfully addict to your owne conceite. Diuers of the Citie also haue shewed me of you, that you haue bene a great procurer of mens seruantes to be of your Religiō, and to come to your congregations: but since you be now in the daunger of the lawe, I would wish you to play a wise mans part: So shall you not want any fauour I can do or procure for you, both for your owne sake, and also for your frendes, which be mē of worship and credite, & wish you well, and by my trouth Roger so do I.
[Back to Top]Then sayd one M. Egleston a Gentlemā of Lankeshyre and nere kynsmā to Roger, beyng there present: I thanke your good Lordship: your honor meaneth good vnto my cosin, I besech God he haue the grace to follow your counsaile.
Holland. Syr, you craue of God you know not what. I besech God open your eyes to see the light of hys word.
Egleston. Roger, hold your peace, lest you fare the worse at my Lord handes.
Holland. No, I shall fare as pleaseth God: for man can do no more then God doth permit him.
Then þe Byshop & the Doctors, with Iohnson the Register, casting their heades together, in the end saith Iohnson: Roger, how sayest thou? MarginaliaRog. Holland willed to submit him self to the Byshop.wilt thou submit thy selfe vnto my Lord before thou be entred into the booke of contempt?
Holland. I neuer ment but to submit my selfe vnto the Magistrate, as I learne of S. Paul to the Romaines the xiij. chap. and so he recited the text.
Chedsey. Then I see you are no Anabaptist.
Holland. I meane not yet to be no Papist: for they and the Anabaptistes agree in this poynt, not to submit them selues to any other Prince or Magistrate, thē those that must first be sworne to mainteine them and their doynges.
Chedsey. Roger, Remember what I haue sayd and also what my Lord hath promised he will performe, with further frēdshyp. Take heed Roger, for your ripenes of wit hath brought you into these errours.
Holland. M. Doctor, I haue yet your wordes in memory though they are of no such force to preuaile wt me.
Then they whispered together agayne, and at the last sayd Boner: Roger I perceiue thou wilt be ruled by no good counsell for any thyng that either I or your frendes or any other can say.
Holland. I may say to you my Lord, as Paul said to Fœlix and vnto the Iewes, as doth appeare in the 22. of the Actes, and in the 15. of the first Epistle to the Corinth. It is not vnknowen vnto my Master whom I was prentise withall, MarginaliaRog. Holland first a great papist.that I was of this your blynd Religion that now is taught, and therin did obstinatly and wilfully remayne, vntill the later end of kyng Edward in maner, hauing that liberty vnder your auricular confession, that I made no conscience of sinne, but trusted in the Priestes absolution, he for money doyng some penaunce also for me: which after I had giuen, I cared no further what offences I did, no more then he passed after he had my money, whether he fasted bread and water for me or no: so that lechery, swearyng and all other vices I accompted no offence of daunger, so long as I could for money haue them absolued. So straitly did I obserue your rules of Religion, MarginaliaThe wickednes of Rog. Holland before he was called to the gospell.that I would haue ashes vpon Ashwensday, though I had vsed neuer somuch wickednes at night. And albeit I could not of conscience eate flesh vpon the Friday, yet in swearyng, drinkyng, or dicyng all the night long, I made no conscience at all. And thus was I brought vp, and herein haue I continued till now of late, that God
[Back to Top]hath opened the light of his word, and called me by his grace to repentaunce of my former idolatry and wicked lyfe: for in Lankeshyre their blyndnes and whoredome is ouermuch more, then may with chast eares be heard. Yet these my frendes which are not cleare in these notable crimes, thinke þe Priest wt his Masses can saue thē, though they blaspheme God, and keepe concubines besides their wiues, as long as they liue. Yea I know some Priestes, very deuout, my Lord, yet such as haue vj. or vij. children by iiij. or v. sundry wemen. MarginaliaAt these examinatiōs diuers of Roger Hollandes frends and kinsfolke being men of worship, were present both of Lankeshire and Cheshire.
[Back to Top]M. Doctour, now to your antiquitie, vnitie, and vniuersalitie (for these D. Chedsey alledged as notes and tokens of their Religion). I am vnlearned. I haue no Sophistry to shift my reasons withall: but the truth I trust I haue, which nedeth no paynted colours to set her forth. The antiquitie of our Church is not from Pope Nicolas or pope Ioane, but our Church is from the begynnyng, euen from the tyme that God sayd vnto Adam that the seede of the woman should breake the Serpentes head: and so to faythful Noe: to Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, to whom it was promised that their sede should multiplie as the starres in the skyke: and so to Moses, Dauid and all the holy fathers that were frō the begynnyng, vnto the byrth of our Sauiour Christ. All they that beleued these promises were of þe church, though the number were oftentymes but few & small, as in Helias daies whē he thought there was none but he that had not bowed their knees to Baal, when God had reserued. 7000. that neuer had bowed their knees to that Idoll: As I trust there be seuen hundreth thousand more then I know of that haue not bowed their knees to that Idoll your Masse and your God Maozim: the vpholdyng whereof is your bloudy crueltie, whiles you dayly persecute Helias & the seruauntes of God, forcing thē (as Daniell was in his chāber) closely to serue the Lorde their God: and euen as we by this your crueltie are forced into the fieldes to pray vnto God that his holy word may be once agayne truly preached amongest vs, and that he would mitigate and shorten these Idolatrous and bloudy dayes, wherin all crueltie reigneth. Moreouer, our Church haue bene þe Apostles & Euangelistes, the Martyrs and Confessors of Christ that haue at all tymes and in all ages bene persecuted for the true testimonie of the word of God. But for the vpholdyng of your Church and Religion, what antiquitie cā you shew? Yea the Masse, MarginaliaThe Masse how olde it is.that Idol and chief piller of your Religiō, is not yet foure hundreth yeares old, and some of your Masses are yonger, as that Masse of S. Thomas Becket the traitor, wherin you pray that you may be saued by the bloud of S.Thomas.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaLatine seruice.As for your Latine seruice, what are we of the laity the better for it? I thinke he that should heare your priestes mumble vp their seruice, although he did well vnderstād latin, yet should he vnderstand few wordes therof: the Priestes doe so champe them and chaw them, and posteth so fast, that neither they vnderstand what they say, nor they that heare thē: and in þe meane tyme the people whē they should pray with the Priest, are set to their beades to pray our Ladyes Psalter. So crafty is Sathan to deuise these his dreames (which you defend with Fagot and fire) to quench the lyght of the word of God: which (as Dauid sayth) should be a lanterne to our feete. And agayne, wherin shall a yong man direct his wayes, but by the word of God? and yet you will hyde it from vs in a toūg vnknowen. S. Paul had rather in the Church to haue fiue wordes spoken with vnderstanding, then ten thousand in an vnknowē toung: and yet will you haue your Latin seruice and praying in a straunge toung, wherof the people are vtterly ignorant, to be of such antiquitie?
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe Greke Church differing from the Latine.The Greeke Church and a good part of Christendome besides, neuer receiued your seruice in an vnknowen toung, but in their owne naturall language which all the people vnderstand, neither yet your transubstantion, your receiuyng all alone, your Purgato-