Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 14 · Examination 3
¶Here foloweth the second Session.
The next …THE next day followyng (which was the fyrst daye of October) somewhat after eyght of the clocke, the sayde Lordes repayred to S. Maries Churche, and after they were set in a high throne well trimmed with clothe of tissewe and silke,October. 1. then appeared M. Ridley, who was set at a framed table a good space from the Bishops feete, which table had a silke clothe cast ouer it, the which place was compassed about with framed seates in quadrate forme, partly for Gentlemen which repaired thither (for this was the Session day also of Gaile deliuery) & heades of the Uniuersitie to sit, and partly to keepe of the preasse of the audience: for the whole body as well of the Uniuersitie as of the towne,D. Ridleys appearan…e … the …. came thither to see the end of these two persons. After M. Ridleyes appearaunce, and the silence of the audience, the Bishoppe of Lincolne spake in maner folowyng.
Linc.
The words … M. …, to B. ….M. Ridley, yesterday when that we challenged you for not vncoueryng your head, you excused your selfe of that whereof no man accused you, in saying you dyd not put on your cap for any obstinacie towarde vsus, whiche as touchyng our owne persons desired no suche obedience of you, but onelyonly in respect of them whose persons we beare: neyther (you sayde) for any contempt that you beare to this worshipfull audience, whiche although iustly may, yet in this case require no such humilitie of you: neither for any derogation of honour to my Lorde Cardinalles grace, in that he descended from the regall bloud, in that he is a man most noble, both for his excellent qualities & singular learnyng: for as touching those pointes, you sayde you with all humilitie woulde honour, reuerence, and worshyp his grace: but in that he is Legate to the most reuerent father in God the Popes holynes (with that the Bishop with all then present put of their cappes, but M. Ridley moued not his) you sayd you ne coulde ne would by any meanes be induced to geue him honor:… but for as muche as this is the poynt as we tolde you yesterday, why we require honour and reuerence of you, we tel you nowe as wee did then, except you take the paynes to moue your bonet, we will take the paynes to cause your bonet to be taken from you, except you pretend sicknesse, as yesterday you did not.
Rid.
I pretende now none other cause,B. Ridley refuseth to put of his cap to the Pope or to them which come frō the Pope. then I did yesterday, that is, onelyonly that hereby it may appeare that not onelyonly in worde and confession, but also by all my gesture and behauiour, in no poynt I agree or admit any authoritie or power that shall come from the Pope, and nor for any pryde of mynde (as GOD is my iudge) neyther for contempt of your Lordshyps, or of this worshypfull audience, neither for derogation of honour due to my Lorde Cardinalles grace as concernyng those poyntes whiche your Lordshyp spake of, that is, his noble Parentage and singular graces in Learnyng. And as for takyng my cap away, your Lordshyp may doe as it shall please you: it shall not offende me, but I shall be content with your ordinance in that behalfe.
Linc.
For as much as you do aunswere now as you did yesterday, we must doe also as we did then, and forthwith one of the Bedles very hastely snatched his cap from his head.
¶After this the Bishop of Lincolne began the examination in sense folowyng.
Linc.
Maister Ridley, yesterday wee tooke your aunswere to certayne Articles,The last examination of Bishop Ridley. which we then proposed vntounto you: but because wee coulde not be throughly satisfied with your aunsweare then to the fyrste Article, neyther coulde the Notaries take any determinate aunsweare of you,The wordes of the B. of Lincolne. we (you requiryng the same) graunted you lycence to bryng your aunswere in wryting, and thereupon commaunded the Maior that you shoulde hauehave penne, paper, and inke, yea any bookes also that you woulde require, if they were to bee gotten: we licenced you then also to alter your former aunsweares this day at your pleasure: Therefore we are come nowe hether to see whether you are in the same mynde nowe that you were in yesterdaye, (whiche we woulde not wyshe) or contrary, contented to reuoke all your former assertions, and in all poyntes content to submitte your selfe to the determination of the vniuersall Churche, and I for my part moste earnestly exhort you (and therewith he put of his cappe) not because my conscience pricketh me as you sayde yesterday, but because I see you a rotten member and in the way of perdition.
Yesterday I brought foorth amongest other S. Austen, to proue that authorite hath alwayes bene geuen to the sea of Rome, and you wrested the woordes farre contrary to S. Austens meanyng, in that you woulde hauehave totus mundus to be applyed onelyonly to Europe, whiche is but the thirde part of all the worlde, where as in deede the processe of S. Augustines woordes wyll not admitte that your interpretation. For he sayth not totus mundus Christianus in transmarinis. &c. but first,The place of S. Austen again repeated, Totus mundus. &c. totus mundus Christianus Romanae Ecclesiae subiectus est: All the Christian world is subiect to the Church of Rome, and afterwarde addeth in transmarinis partibus, beyond the Sea, but onelyonly to augement the dominion of the sea of Rome.
Rid.
But M. Ridley still perseuered in his former aunswere, saying:Aunswere of D. Ridley to the place of S. Austen as before. I am sure my Lorde you hauehave some skill in Cosmography, in the whiche you shall vnderstande that there is a sea called Mare mediterraneum, cast betweene Europe and Africa, in the which he ment Europe beyond the Sea, euen as I shoulde say the whole worlde beyond the Sea, exceptyng England in the which I stand: and here many woordes were spent vponupon the interpretation of the same place of S. Austen.
Lin.
After long disceptation, the Byshoppe of Lincolne sayde, that the meanyng of S. Augustine myght be knowen by the consent of other the Doctors, and rehearsed diuers.
Rid.
But M. Ridley required the rehersall of the places, and to reade the very wordes of the Doctors, saying, that perhaps those which the Bishop rehearsed,How the Catholickes vse to alledge the Doctours. beyng proponed in other termes in the Doctors, would admitte a contrary meanyng and interpretation: but in that booke out of the which the Bishop rehearsed them, was none of the Doctors, but only the sentences drawn out of ye Doctors of some studious man: he could not recite the very words of the Doctours.
Linc.
Then after he came to Cyrillus, which (as he said) made agaynst M. Ridley in the Sacrament,A place of Cyrillus alledged by Melancthon. Scripture bookes burned at Oxford. euen by Philippe Melancthon his owne alledging in his common places, and forthwith called for Melancthon, but in vaine, because all such bookes were burned a litle before, wherefore he passed it ouer.
Cyrillus also in an other place pro…ing to the Iewes that Christe was come, vseth this reason, *Argumentum á contrario sensu ex Cyrillo contra …udaeo….Altars are erected in Christes name in Britaine and in farre countreyes: Ergo, Christ is come. But we may vse the contrarye, of that reason: Altars are plucked downe in Britaine: Ergo, Christe is not come. A good Argument á contrarijs: I wyll stande to it in the Scholes by and by with any man. Ye see what a good argument this your docrine maketh for the Iewes, to proue that Christ is not come.*Altars be erected in Christes remembrance in Britayne. Ergo Christ is come. Altars be now plucked downe in Britayne: Ergo, Christ i… not come. Aunswere. This argument is not a sensu contrario. For erecting of altars in the Antecedent▪ and plucking downe altars in the consequent, be not contrary. In the Antecedent, Cyril meaneth the table, or els the celebration of the Lordes Supper in his remembrance. In the consequent by plucking downe of altars▪ is ment the taking away of places and monumentes, seruing not to the Lordes Supper, but to Idolatry, whereby the true table of the Lordes Supper in his remēbrance may be erected agayne.
D. Ridley smilyng, aunsweared: your Lordshyp is not ignoraunt that this worde Altare in the Scripture signifieth aswell the Altar whereupon the Iewes were wont to make their burt Sacrifices, as the table of the Lordes Supper. Cyrillus meaneth there by this worde Altare, not that the Iewysh Altar, but the Table of the Lorde, and by that saying (Altars are erected in Christes name, Ergo Christ is come) he meaneth that the Communion is ministred in his remembraunce, Ergo Christe is come: for the strength of his argument is, because the remembraunce of a thyng can not be, except the thing it selfe be past: then coulde not all Countreys celebrate the Communion in the remembraunce of Christes passion, except Christe had bene come and suffered. As for the taking downe of the Alters, it was done vponupon iust considerations, for that they seemed to come to nigh to ye Iewes vsage. Neither was the supper of the Lorde at any tyme more better ministred, more duely receiued, then in these latter dayes when all thynges were brought to the rites and vsage of the primatiue Church.
Linc.
A godly receiuing I promise you, to set an Oyster table in steede of an Altar, and to come from Puddynges at Westminster, to receiue: and yet when your table was constituted, you coulde neuer be content, in placing the same now East, nowe North, nowe one way, nowe another, vntill it pleased GOD of his goodnesse to place it cleane out of the Church.
Rid.
Your Lordshyppes vnreuerent termes doo not eleuate the thyng.*B. White blasphemously calleth the bord of the Lordes Supper, an Oyster table. Perhappes some men came more deuoutely from Puddynges then other men nowe do from other thynges.
Lin.
As for that, M. Ridley, you ought to be iudge of no man: but by this your reasonyng you cause vsus to stretch and enlarge our instructions. We came not to reason, but to take your determinate aunsweres to our Articles: and eftsoones he red the first Article in maner aboue specified.The articles read agayne to M. Ridley.
Now M. Ridley, What say you to the first Article? if you hauehave brought your aunswere in writing, we wyll receiue it: but if you hauehave written any other matter, we will not receiue it.
Rid.
Then M. Ridley tooke a sheete of paper out of his bosome, and beganne to read that whiche he had written: but the B. of Lincolne commaunded the Bedle to take it from hym.B. Ridley not suffred to reade his owne aunswere. But he desired licence to read it, saying that it was nothyng but his answers, but the Bishop would in no wise suffer him.
Rid.
Why my Lord, will you require my aunswere, and not suffer me to publysh it? I beseeche you my Lorde, let the audience beare witnes in this matter. Your Lordships may handle it at your pleasures: therfore let the audience be witnes to your doynges.Note the extreme dealing of these catholicke men.
Linc.
Well M. Ridley, we wyll first see what you hauehave written, & then if we shall thinke it good to be red, you shal hauehave it published: but except you wyll deliuer it first, we wyll take none at all of you.
With that M. Ridley seeing no remedy, deliuered it to an Officer, which immediatly deliuered it to the Bishop of Lincolne, who after he had secretly communicated it to the other two Bishops, declared the sense, but would not read it as it was written,The deputies durst not read out the writing of Bishop Ridley. saying, that it conteined wordes of blasphemie: therefore he would not fill the eares of the audience therewithall and so abuse their pacience: notwithstandyng M. Ridley desired very instantly to hauehave it published, saying, that except a line or two, there was nothing conteyned but the auncient Doctors sayinges for the confirmation of his assertions.
After the sayd Bishops had secretly vewed the whole, then the Bishop of Lincolne sayd: In the first part master Ridley, is nothyng conteyned but your protestation, that you would not hauehave these your aunsweres so to be taken, as though you seemed thereby to consent to the aucthority or iurisdiction of the Popes holines.
Rid.
No my Lord, I pray you reade it out that the audience may heare it: but the Byshoppe of Lincolne woulde in no wise, because (he sayd) there were conteyned wordes of blasphemie.
Then the Byshop of Lincolne recited the firste Article,To the 1. article. and required maister Ridleis aunsweare to it. Then M. Ridley sayd, that his answere was there in writyng, and desired that it might be published: but the Byshoppe woulde not reade the whole, but here and there a peece of it. So the Notaries tooke his aunswere, that he referred him to his aunsweare in writing exhibited now, and also before at the tyme of disputation, M. Doctor Weston beyng prolocutor.
In likewise the Byshop of Lincolne recited the second Article, and required an aunswere,To the 2. Article. and M. Ridley referred him to his aunswere in wryting, exhybited now, and also before at the time of disputation: and like aunsweres were taken to all the residue of the Articles.
These aunsweres in maner rehearsed, taken, and penned of the Notaries, the Byshop of Glocester began an exhortation to moue M. Ridley to turne.The words of exhortation of Brookes Bishop of Glocester to M. Ridley.
Glo.
If you would once empty your stomacke, captiuate your senses, subdue your reason, and to gether with vsus consider what a feeble ground of your religion you hauehave, I doe not doubt but you might easely be perduced to acknowledge one Churche with vsus, to confesse one fayth with vsus, and to beleue one religion with vsus. For what a weake and feeble stay in religion is this I pray you? Latimer leaneth to Cranmer, Cranmer to Ridley, & Ridley to the singularitie of his owne witte: so that if you ouerthrowe the singularitie of Ridleyes wit, then must needes the Religion of Cranmer and Latimer fall also. You remember well M. Ridley, that the Prophet speaketh most truely, saying: vae, vae, wo, wo be to them which are singular and wise in their owne conceytes.
But you wyll saye, here it is true that the Prophete sayth: but how know you that I am wyse in myne owne conceyte? Yes Maister Ridley, you refuse the determination of the Catholike Churche: you muste needes bee singular and wyse in your owne conceyte, for you bryng Scripture for the probation of your assertions, and wee also bryng Scriptures: you vnderstande them in one sense, and wee in an other. Howe wyll ye knowe the trueth herein? If you stande to your owne interpretation, then you are singular in your owne conceyte: but if you say you wyll followe the myndes of the Doctors and auncient Fathers, semblably you vnderstande them in one meanyng, and wee take them in another: howe wyll ye knowe the trueth herein?B. Ridley vntruely charged with singularity. If you stande to your owne iudgement, then are you singular in your owne conceyte, then can you not auoyde the vae and woe which the Prophete speaketh of.
Wherfore, if you hauehave no stay but the Catholike church in matters of controuersie, except you wyll rest vponupon the singularitie and wysedome of your owne brayne, if the Prophet most truely sayth, vae, vae, wo, wo be to them that are wyse in their owne conceite: then for Gods louelove M. Ridley stand not singular, be not you wyse in your owne conceite, please not your selfe ouermuch. Howe were the Arrians, the Manicheis, the Futichiās, with other diuers Heretickes which hauehave bene in the Church, how I pray you were they suppressed and conuinced? by reasonyng in disputations? No truly, the Arrians had mo places of Scriptures for the confirmation of their heresie,The determination of the Church is only that, whereupon our catholicke men do ground theyr fayth▪ then the Catholickes for the defence of the trueth. Howe then were they conuinced? onelyonly by the termination of the Church. And in deede except we do constitute the Churche our foundation, stay, and iudge, we can hauehave no ende of controuersies, no ende of disputations. For in that we all bryng Scriptures and Doctors for the probation of our assertions, who shoulde be Iudge of this our controuersie? If we our selues, then be we singular and wise in our owne conceites, then can not we auoyde the woe that the Prophet speaketh of.
It remayneth therefore that we submitte our selues to the determination and arbitrement of the Churche, with whom God promised to remayne to the worldes ende, to whom he promised to sende the holy Ghost which shoulde teache it the trueth. Wherefore M. Ridley, if you will auoyd the wo that the prophet speaketh of, be not you wyse in your iudgement: if you wyll not be wyse and singular in your owne iudgement, captiuate your owne vnderstanding, subdue your reason, and submit your selfe to the determination of the Church.
This is briefly the summe of the Oration of the Byshop of Glocester, by the which he endeuored in many mo woordes, amplyfiyng and enlargyng the matter eloquently with sundry poyntes of Rethoricke, to moue affections, to perswade Maister Ridley to recant and forsake his Religion.
To whom M. Ridley aunswered in few wordes,A briefe answere of B. Ridley to B. Brokes ta…le. that he sayd most truly with the Prophet, wo be to him which is wyse in his owe conceite, but that he acknowledged no suche singularitie in hym, ne knewe any cause why he shoulde attribute so muche to him selfe. And where as he sayde Maister Cranmer leaned to hym, that was moste vntrue, in that he was but a young Scholer in comparison of Maister Cranmer: for at what tyme he was a young Scholer, then Maister Cranmer a Doctor, so that he con…essed that M. Cranmer might hauehave ben his Scholemaister these many yeares. It seemed that he woulde hauehave spoken more, but the Bishop of Glocester interrupted hym, saying.
Glo.
Why M. Ridley, it is your owne confession, for M. Latimer at the time of his disputations confessed his learnyng to lye in M. Cranmers bookes, and M. Cranmer also sayd, that it was your doyng.
Linc.
Likewyse the Byshoppe of Lincolne with many woordes and gentle holding his Cappe in hand, desyred him to turne.… But M. Ridley made an absolute aunswere, that he was fully perswaded, the Religion whiche he defended to be grounded vponupon Gods worde, and therefore without great offence towardes God, great peryll and damage of his soule, he coulde not forsake his Maister and Lorde God, but desired the Byshop to performe his graunt in that his Lordshyp sayde the day before, that he shoulde hauehave licence to shewe his cause why he coulde not with a salfe conscience admitte the authoritye of the Pope: but the Byshop of Lincolne sayde, that where as then he had demaunded licence to speake three woordes, he was contented then that he shoulde speake .xl. and that graunt he would performe.
D. We…ton ….Then stepped forth D. Weston, which sate by and sayd, why my Lord, he hath spoken foure hundred already.
M. Ridley confessed he had, but they were not of his prescribed number, neither of that matter. The Bishop of Lincolne bad him take his licence: but he shoulde speake but .xl. and he would tell them vponupon his fingers, and eftsoones M. Ridley began to speake:… but before he had ended halfe a sentence, the Doctours sittyng by cryed and sayd, that his number was out, and with that he was put to silence.
After this the Bishop of Lincolne which sat in the middes, began to speake as foloweth.
Linc.
Now I perceiue M. Ridley, you will not permit ne suffer vsus to stay in that point of our Commission which we most desired: for I ensure you, there is neuer a worde in our Commission more true then, dolentes & gementes. For in deede I for my part, I take God to witnesse, am sory for you. Whereunto M. Ridley aunswered:
Rid.
I beleue it well my Lord, for as much as one day it will be burdenous to your soule.
Linc.
Nay not so M. Ridley, but because I am sory to see suche stubbornesse in you, that by no meanes you may be perswaded to acknowledge your errours, and receiue the truth: but seeyng it is so, because you will not suffer vsus to persist in the first, we must of necessitie proceede to the other part of our Commission. Therefore I pray you harken what I shall say,Sentence of … …ead … D. …ley. and forthwith did read the sentence of condemnation, which was written in a long processe: the tenour of which because it is sufficiently already expressed before, we thought meete in this place to omitte, forasmuche as they are rather wordes of course, then thinges deuised vponupon deliberation.… Howbeit in deede the effecte was, that for as much as the sayd Nic. Ridley dyd affirme▪ maintaine, and stubbornely defende certaine opions, assertions, and heresies, contrary to the worde of God, and the receiued fayth of the Churche, as in denying the true and naturall body of Christe, and his naturall bloud to be the Sacrament of the Altar: Secondarily in affermyng the substaunce of bread and wine to remayne after the wordes of the Consecration: Thirdly in denying the Masse to be a liuely Sacrifice of the Churche for the quicke and the dead, and by no meanes woulde be perduced and brought from these his heresies, they therefore the sayde Iohn of Lincolne, Iames of Glocester, Iohn of Bristowe, did iudge and condemne the sayd Nic. Ridley, as an Hereticke, and so adiudged hym presently both by woorde and also in deede to be degraduated from the degree of a Byshoppe, from Pristhoode and all Ecclesiasticall order: declaryng moreouer the sayde Nic. Ridley to be no member of the Churche, and therefore committed hym to the secular powers, of them to receyue due punishment accordyng to the tenour of the temporalll lawes: and further excommunicatyng hym by the great excommunication.