All the Examinations of the Martyr John Bradford, Examination 3
¶The effect and ſumme of the laſt examinacion of that faithfull inſtrument of God Iohn Bradforde in the Churche of Saincte Marie Oueries the 29. daie of Ianuarii .1555.
AFter the excommunicacion of Laurēce Saūders, Iohn Bradford was called in, and being broughte before the Lorde Chauncelour and other biſhops there ſittinge: the Lorde Chancelour began to ſpeak thus in effecte, that Bradforde beynge now eftſones com before thē, wold aunſwere with modeſtie and humylitye, and conforme hymſelfe to the Catholyke Churche wyth theym. And ſo yet myghte duplicate page duplicate page he find mercy, becauſe thei would be loth to vſe extremite. Therfore he concluded with an exhortaciō, yt Bradforde woulde recante his doctrine. After the lorde Chancellor had ended his longe oracion, Bradforde began to ſpeak thus. As yeſterday I beſought your honour, to ſet in your ſighte the maieſtie and preſence of God, to follow him which ſeketh not to ſubuert the ſimple by ſubtil queſtiōs: ſo, quoth he, I humblye beſeche eueryevery one of you to daie, for yt you knowe that giltles bloud wil crie vengeaunce. And thus, quoth he, I praie not your Lordſhip to do, as one that taketh vponupon me, to cō demne you vtterly herin, but that you might bee the more admonyſhed to doe, that which none doth, ſo much as he ſhould do. For our nature is ſo much corrupt that we are very obliuious and forgetfull of god. Again, ꝙ Bradford, as yeſterdaie I pretended my othe and othes againſte ye B. of Rome, that I ſhould neuer cōſent to the practiſing of any iuriſdiccion for him, or in his behalfe in the realme of Englande: ſo againe this day leſt I ſhould be periured. And laſt of al, as yeſterday the anſwer I made was by proteſtacion and ſauynge my oth: ſo would I your honours ſhould knowe, that myne ſhal be this daie. And this I do that when death, whiche I loke for at youre handes, ſhall come: I ſhall not be troubled with the giltines of periury. At theſe words ye lord Chancelor was wroth, & ſaid that they had geuē him reſpite to deliberate vntil this day, whether he would recāt the hereſies of the bleſſed ſacrament, whiche yeſterday (ꝙ the lord Chancelor, before vsus you vttred. My lord (ꝙ Bradforde) you gaue me no time of any ſuch delyberacion, neither did I any thing of the ſacrament, which you didde diſalow. For when I had declared a preſence of Chriſt to bee there to the faithful: you went frō the matter to purge your ſelfe yt you were not crewel, and ſo went to dinner. What, I perceiue (ꝙ my lord Chā celour) we muſt begin all agayne with thee: d…d I not yeſterday tell thee plainely, that thou madeſt a conſcience where none ſhould be? Did I not make it plaine that the othe againſt the Biſhop of Rome was an vnlawfull othe?
No (ꝙ Bradford) In dede my lord you ſaid ſo, ꝙ he, but proued is not nor neuer can do. Oh lord god (ꝙ the lorde Chauncelour) what a felowe arte thou? Thou wouldeſte goe about to bringe into the peoples heades, that we, al the lords of the parliamēt houſe, ye knights, Burgieſſes, and all the whole, is periured. Oh what an hereſye is thys? Here good people ye may ſee what a Churliſhe hereticke thys felowe is. If I ſhoulde make an othe, I would neuer helpe my brother, or lende hym money in hys nede, were this a good aunſwere to tell my neyghboure, deſyringe my helpe that I hadde made an othe to the contrarye, I coulde not dooe it? Heare the lorde Chauncelor made muche a do, & a long time was ſpēt about othes, which wer good & which wer euil, he capciouſly aſking of Bradford often anſwer of things cōcerning othes, which Bradford would not geue ſimply, but with diſtincciō, wherat the lord Chancelour was ſore offended. But Bradford ſtyll kept him at the baye: that the oth againſte the B. of Rome, was an vnlawfull othe, vſing therto, the Chancelors owne boke de Vera obedientia ▪ For confirmaciō: at the length thei came to this iſſue, who ſhould iudge of the lawfulnes of of the othes. And Bradford ſaid, the worde of God, accordynge to Chriſtes owne woordes. Iohn .12. ſaying: My word ſhal iudge. And according to the teſtimonie of Eſai .2. & Micheas .4. That goddes word coming out of Ieruſalē ſhal geue ſentēce amongſt ye gentiles. By theſe wordes my lord ꝙ he, I will proue the othe againſt ye B. of Romes auctorite, to be a good, a godli, & a lawful oth. So therof the lord Chauncelor left his hold, ſayīg yt as ye other day he p̄tēded denyal of the Queenes aucthoritie & obedience to her highneſſe: ſo did he now. But Bradford, as the day before proued, that obedience in this point are particuler to the Quenes highnes. If ſhe ſhold demaūde an othe to the .B. of Rome beinge denied, it was a generall deniall of her aucthoritie and obedience to her, no more (quoth he) then the gift or leaſe of a ſole pece of a mans inheritance proueth, a ſale, gift, or leaſe of the whole inheritance. And thus muche a doe was made about the matter. The lord Chancelor talking muche, & vſing many examples of dette, of going out of the towne to morow by othe, yet tarying tyll Fridaye & ſuche like, whiche triflinge talke Bradford did touche, ſaying, that it was a wonder, that his honour did wey cōſcience no more in this, and would be ſo earneſt in vowes for mariage of Prieſtes, made to biſhops, and bee careleſſe for Solemne othes made to God and the prince. Summa this was the ende, the lorde Chauncelour ſayde, the Queene might diſpence with it: & did it to al the whole realme. But Bradford ſaid, the Queenes highnes, could do no more but remitte her right. And as for the oth made to God, ſhe coulde neuer remytte. For as muche as it was made to God. At which woordes the lord Chancelour chafed wonderfully, and ſaid that in plaine ſentence he ſlandered the hole realme of periury: and therfore (ꝙ he) to ye people, you may ſe how this felow taketh vppon hym, to hauehave more knowledge & cōſcience, then al the wiſe men of England, & yet (ꝙ he) he hath no conſcience at al. Wel (ꝙ Bradforde) my lord let al the ſtā ders by ſee, who hath conſcyence. I hauehave bene a yere & a half in pryſon, now before all this people declare, wherfore I was priſoned, or what cauſe you had to puniſh me▪ you ſayde the other daye in youre owne houſe, my Lord of London witneſſing with you, that I toke vppon me to ſpeake to the people vndeſyred. There he ſytteth by your Lordſhip, I meane my lord Biſhop of Bath, which deſired me hīſelf, for ye paſſiō of Chriſt I wold ſpeake to the people, vponupon whoſe wordes I commyng in to the pulpit: had like to hauehave bene ſlaine wt a naked dagger, which was hurled at me, I thinke, for it touched my ſleaue. He eftſones praied me, I woulde not leaue him, & I promiſed, as long as I liued, I would take hurt ye day before him, and ſo went out of the pulpit, & at length broughte him ſafe to a houſe. Beſides this: in ye after noone I prech at Bow church, & goyng vp into the pulpitte, one wylled me not to reꝓue ye people for ye fact (for ꝙ he) you ſhal neuer come downe aliue if you do it. And yet (ꝙ Bradford) notwithſtanding, I did in ye Sermond, reproue their fact, & called it ſedicion, at the leaſt .xx. tymes. For all whiche my doinge, I hauehave receiued this recompence, priſon a yere & a half & more, & death, now which you go about. Let al mē (ꝙ Bradford) nowe iudge, wher conſciēce is. In ſpeking theſe words: ther was ye ēdeuored to hauehave letted it, but Bradford ſpake on, & let thē ſpeake what they would. And the lord Chancelour ſaid, yt for al his faire talke his fact at ye Croſſe was naught. No (ꝙ Bradford) my fact was good, as you youre ſelfe did bear witnes wt me. For when I was firſt before you in ye Towre you your ſelfe did ſaye yt the facte was good, but, ꝙ you, the mynde was euyll, wel then ꝙ I, my lord, in that you alowe my facte & condemne my mynde in it, I can not otherwiſe declare my mynd to mā thē by ſaying & doīg, god, I truſt, one day will open to my comforte what my mynde was, and what yours is. Here the lord Chauncelour was offended & ſaide, that he neuer ſaid ſo, I (ꝙ hee) had not ſo litle wit, I trow, as not to diſcerne betwixt meaning & doyng, and ſo brought forth, litle to ye purpoſe, many examples, that mē conſtrue thynges, not by the meanynge of mā, but by their doings. But whē this coulde not ſerue: then cometh he to another matter, and ſaid, he was put in priſon at the firſt, becauſe he woulde not yelde, nor bee confirmable to the Queenes religion. Why (quoth Bradford) your honour knoweth, that you would not then reaſō with me in religiō, but you ſaide a time ſhould afterward be found out, whē I ſhould be talked wt al. But (ꝙ Bradford) if it were as your lordſhip ſaith, yt I was put in for religion, in yt my religiō was thē auctoriſed by the publike lawes of the realm, could cōſciēce puniſh me or caſt me into priſō th…rfore? Wherfore let al mē iudge in whō conſcience wanteth. Here cōmeth forth M. Chāberlain of Woodſtocke, & ſaid to the Lord Chancelor, yt Bradforde had bene a ſeruing mā, & was with M. Harington. True (ꝙ the lord Chancelour) & did deceiue his M. of .27 poundes, & becauſe of this, he wēt to bee a goſpeller, and a preacher (good people) and yet you ſe how he pretendeth cōſciēce. My lord, ꝙ Bradford, I ſet my fote to his fote whoſoeuer he be, yt cā come furth, & iuſtly vouch to mi face yt euer I deceiued my M. And as you ar chief iuſtices by office, in Englād, I deſire iuſtice vpō them yt ſo ſlander me, becauſe they cannot proue it. Here my lord Chauncelour & M. Chamberlain wer ſtroke blanke, & ſaid thei heard it, but, ꝙ the lord Chauncellour, you hauehave an other maner of matter then this, for you are an heretike. yea, quoth ye B. of Londō, he did write letters to. M Pendleton▪ whiche knoweth his hand as wel as his own▪ your honor, quoth ye biſhop to the lorde Chancelour, did ſe them. That is not true, quoth Bradforde, I dyd neuer write to Pendleton ſithe I came into priſone, therefore I am not iuſtlye ſpoken of. yea but you indited it, quoth the B. of Londō. I did not, quoth Bradforde, nor know not what you meane, & that I offer to proue. Here commeth a nother, I trowe thei call him M. Allin one of the Clarks of the coū ſell, putting my lord in rememberance, of letters ſent into Lanke… ſhire. It is true, quoth the Lorde Chancelor vntounto him, for we hauehave his hand to ſhew. I denie ye quoth Bradford, yt you hauehave my hande to ſhewe, of letters ſent into Lankeſhire, otherwiſe, then before you all I will ſtande vp and proue thē to be good and lawfull. Here was al anſwered, & therefore the lorde Chancelour began a new matter. Sir, quoth he, in my houſe the other day, you did moſte contempteouſly contempne the Queenes mercy, & further ſaid, you woulde maynteine the erronious doctrine in king Edwardes daies, againſt al men, & this you did moſt ſtoutly. Well (quoth Bradforde) I am glad that al men ſee, you had no matter to impriſon me afore that daie, iuſtlye: nowe ſaye I, that I did not contētuouſly contemne ye Queenes mercy, but wolud hauehave had it with gods mercy, that is, without ſaying and doynge anye thing, againſt god and his truth▪ And as for maintenaūce of doctrine (becauſe I cānot tel how you wil ſtretche this woorde maintenāce) I will repete again yt which I ſpake. I ſaid I was more confirmed in the religion ſet foorth in king Edwardes dayes, then euer I was, & if god ſo would, I truſt I ſhould declare it, by geuing my life for the confirmacion and teſtificacion therof. So I ſaide then, & ſo I ſay again now, ꝙ Bradford. As for otherwiſe to mainteine it, then pertayneth to a priuate perſon: by cōfeſſiō (I thought not nor thinke. Well (ꝙ the lord Chancelor) yeſterday thou diddeſt mayntain falſe hereſy, cōcernyng ye bleſſed ſacramēt, & therfore we gaue ye reſpite til this day, to deliberate. My lord (ꝙ Bradford) as I ſayde at ye firſt, I ſpake nothinge of the Sacramēt, but yt which you allowed, & therfore reꝓued it not, nor gaue me no time to deliberate. Why (ꝙ he) diddeſt thou not denye Chriſts preſence in the ſacramēt? No (ꝙ Bradford) I neuer denyed nor taught, but that to the fayth, whole Chriſts body & bloud was as preſente, as breade & wyne to the dewe receyuer. yea, but doeſt thou not beleue that Chriſtes bodye naturallye and reallye is vnderunder the forme of bread and wyne? My Lord (ꝙ Bradforde) I beleue Chriſt is preſēt there, to faith of ye dewe receyuer, as for tranſubſtanciacion, I plainely and flatlye tell you I beleue it not. Here was Bradford called a deuil or ſclanderer for we axe no queſtiō, ꝙ ye lord Chancelor, of tranſubſtanciacion, but of Chriſts bodily preſēce. Why quoth Bradford, I denye not hys preſēce to the faith of the receuer, but denye that he is included in ye bred, or that the bred is tranſubſtanciated, If he be not īcluded ꝙ the B. of Worceſter, how is he then preſēt? Forſothe (quoth Bradford) my faith knoweth howe, though my tōg cannot expreſſe it, nor you otherwiſe thē by faith heare it or vnderſtand it. Heare was much a doe now, one Docter ſtarting vp & ſpeking this, another that, & the lord Chancelor talking muche, of Luther, zwīglius, & Oecolāpadiꝰ. But ſtil Bradford kept thē at this point, that Chriſt is preſēt to faith and yt there is no tranſubſtanciacion nor including of Chriſt in the bread, but al this would not ſerue thē. Therfore an other biſhop aſked this queſtiō, whether ye wycked man receiued Chriſtes verye bodie or no? & Bradford anſwered plainly, no. Where the lord Chancelor made a long oracion, howe yt it could not be yt Chriſte was preſent, excepte that the euill man receiue hī. But Bradford put his oracion away in few woordes: that grace was at ye preſent offred vntounto his lordſhip, although he receiued it not. So yt, ꝙ he, yt receyuing maketh not the preſens as youre lordſhip would affirme, but gods grace, trueth, & power, is ye cauſe of the preſence, the which the wicked yt lacketh faith cannot receue. And here Bradforde prayed hym not to deuorce that, whiche God hathe coupled together, he hathe coupled al this together: take eate this is my bodye, he ſaieth not ſee pepe, this is my bodye, but take eate. Here the lorde Chancelour & the reſte of the Biſhoppes made a great a do, that Bradforde hadde founde out a toy, that no man els euer did, of the condicions, & the lord Chancelor made many words to the people, here aboute. But Bradford ſaid this, My lord ꝙ he, are not theſe woordes take eate, a cōmaundement? and are not theſe woordes, this is my bodye a promyſe? If you wil challenge the ꝓmiſe, & do not ye cōmandemēt, may you not deceue your ſelf? Here the lord Chancelor denied Chriſte to hauehave cōmāded any thīg in ye ſacramēt, or ye vſe of it. Why, ꝙ Bradford my lord I pray you tel the people, what mode accipite manducate is, it is plain to childrē that Chriſt in ſo ſaying cōmandeth. At theſe wordes, the lorde Chauncellor made a great toying & trifling at the imperatiue mode, & fel to propoſing or examining as though he ſhuld teach a child, & ſo cōcluded that it was no cōmandement, but ſuch a phraſe as this, I praye you geue me drink which is no commandemēt I trow. But Bradford prayd him to leaue toying & trifling and ſaid thus: my lord, ꝙ he, if it be not a commandemēt of Chriſt to take & to eate the ſacramēt, why do any take vpō thē to cōmaund & make of neceſſity, that which god leueth free? as you do in making it a neceſſary commandemēt, that once a yere for al that be of lawful diſcrecion to receiue the ſacramēt. Here the lord Chancelour calleth him againe Diabolus or ſlaunderer, & ſo began out of theſe woordes,Cori. 10. let a man proue himſelf & ſo eate of the bread (the bred ꝙ Bradford?) and drink of the cup, that was no cō mandemēt, for then, ꝙ he, if it wer a cōmandemēt, it ſhould bynde al men in al places, & at al tymes. O my lord, quoth Bradford, diſcerne betwene cōmandementes, ſome be generall that thei binde alwaies in all places and all perſones, ſome be not ſo generall as this is of the ſupper: The ſacramente of Baptiſm: of the appearing before the lord at Ieruſalē: Abrahās offring Iſaac. Here the lord Chancelor ſaid, what ſay you that Baptiſme is cōmanded: thē, quoth he, we ſhal hauehave .xi. cōmandementes. In dede, quoth Bradford, I think you thinke as you ſpeake, for els you would not take the cup from the people, ſeyng yt Chriſte ſayeth, drink of it al. But howe ſaye you my lord quoth, Bradford, Chriſte ſayth to you biſhops ſpecially, ite predicate euangelium, goe & preache the goſpel, fede Chriſtes flocke, is this a cōmandement or not. Here was the lord Chancelor in a great chafe & ſaid as pleaſed him. Another I wene the B. of Durham, aſked him when Chriſt began to bee preſent in the ſacrament, whether before the receyuer receiued it or no? Bradforde anſwered that the queſtiō was curious, & not neceſſary, & further ſaid as the ſaid cup was the new teſtamēt, ſo the bred was Chriſts body: to him that receiueth it duely. But yet ſo ye bred is bred, for in al ye ſcripture ye ſhal not find this propoſiciō, non eſt panis ther is no bred, & ſo he brought forth ſ. Chriſoſtō, Si in corpore eſſemus Summa much a do was here about, thei calling Bradford heretike: & he deſired them to procede a gods name, he loked for yt whiche god appointed thē to do. Loe (ꝙ the lord Chancelor) this felowe is now in a nother hereſy of fatal deſteny, as though all thynges wer ſo tyed together, yt of mere neceſſitie al thinges muſt come to paſſe. But Bradford praide him to take things as they were ſpoken, & not wreſte them into a contrary ſence. your lordſhippe (quoth hee) doth diſcerne betwixt god and manne, things are not by fortune to god at any time, thoughe to man they ſeme ſo ſome times. I (ꝙ Bradforde) ſpake but as the Apoſtles ſpake lord (ꝙ he) ſee howe Herode & Pōcius Pilate wt the Prelates, ar gathered together againſt thee Chriſt, to do ye, which thy hande & counſell hath before ordained thē to do. Here began the lord Chācelor, to read ye excōmunicaciō & in ye excōmunicaciō when he came to ye name of Bradford, laicus, lay mā. Why (ꝙ he) ar you no prieſt? No (ꝙ Bradford) nor neuer was, eyther prieſt, eyther beneficed, either maried, either any precher, afore publike auctoritie had eſtabliſhed religion, but preached after publike auctoritie had eſtabliſhed religiō, & yet (ꝙ he) I am thus handled at your handes, but god I doubt not will geue his bleſſing where you curſe. & ſo he fel doun on his knees & hartely thāked god, yt he coūted him worthy to ſuffer for his ſake, & ſo praide god to geue thē repentance & a good mind. After the excommunicacion was red, he was deliuered to the ſheriffes of London, and ſo had to the clinke, from thence to the coūter in the pultry, where he remaineth cloſe, without al company, bokes, paper, penne or ynke, loking for the diſſolucion of his bodye, in ye which god grant to hym hys ſweete mercye: throughe Chriſte oure Lorde. Amen.