Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 14 · Examination 5
¶A communication betweene D. Brokes, and D. Ridley, in M. Irysh his house, the xv. day of October, at which tyme he was degraded.
IN the meane season vponupon the 15. day in the mornyng, and the same yeare aboue sayd,October. 15. the Byshop of Glocester Doct. Brokes, and the Uicechauncelour of Oxford Doct. Marshall,The talke betweene D. Brookes B. of Glocester and D. Ridley, vponupon his degradation. with diuerse other of the chiefe and heades of the same Uniuersitie, and many other moe accompanying with them, came vntounto M. Irish his house then Maior of Oxforde, where D. Ridley, late Byshop of London was close prisoner. And when the Byshop of Glocester came into the chamber where the sayde D, Ridley did lye, he told him for what purpose their comming was vntounto him, saying:No mercy to be had without consenting to iniquitye. that yet once agayne the Queenes Maiestie did offer vntounto hym by them, her gracious mercy, if that he woulde receiue the same, and come home agayne to the fayth which he was Baptised in, & reuoke his erroneous doctrine that he of late had taught abroad to the destructiō of many. And further said, that if he would not recant, and become one of the Catholicke Churche with them, then they must needes (against their willes) proceede according to the lawe, which they would be very loth to do, if they might otherwise. But (sayth he) we hauehave bene often tim…s with you, and hauehave requested that you would recant this your fantasticall & deuilish opinion, where hytherto you hauehave not, although you might in so doing winne many, and do much good. Therefore good M. Ridley, consyder with your selfe the daunger that shall ensue both of body and soule, if that you shall so wilfully cast your selfe away in refusing mercy offered vntounto you at this time.
My Lord, quoth D. Ridley, you know my mynd fully herein: and as for the doctrine which I hauehave taught,Answere o… D. Ridley▪ to Bishop Brookes. my conscience assureth me that it was sounde, & accordyng to Gods word (to his glory be it spoken) the which doctrine the Lord God beyng my helper, I wyll mayntaine so long as my tongue shall wagge,O worthy champion of Christes Church. and breath is within my body, and in confirmation thereof, seale the same with my bloud.
Brok.
Well, you were best, M. Ridley, not to do so, but to become one of the Church with vsus. For you know this well enough, that whosoeuer is out of the Catholike church, can not be saued: therefore I say once agayne, that whiles you hauehave time and mercy offered you, receiue it, and confesse with vsus the Popes holynes to be be the chiefe head of the same Church.With that their caps went of, but D. Ridley held on his cap.
Rid.
I marueyle that you wyll trouble me with any suche vayne and foolysh talke. You know my mynd concerning the vsurped authoritie of the Romishe Antichrist. As I confessed openly in the Scholes, so do I nowe, that both by my behauiour and talke I do no obedience at all vntounto the Byshop of Rome, nor to his vsurped authoritie, and that for diuers good and godly considerations. And here Doct. Ridley would hauehave reasoned with the sayde Brokes Byshop of Glocester,B. Ridley commaunded to silence, when otherwise he could not be reuinced. of the Byshop of Romes authorities, but could not be suffered, and yet he spake so earnestly agaynst the Pope therein, that the Byshop told hym, if he would not hold his peace, he should be compelled agaynst his wyll. And seeyng sayth he, that you wyll not receiue the Queenes mercy now offered vntounto you, but stubburnly refuse the same, we must, against our wils, proceede according to our Commission to disgradyng, takyng from you the dignitie of Priesthode. For we take you for no Byshop, and therefore we will the sooner hauehave done with you: so, committing you to the secular power, you know what doth follow.
Rid.
Do with me as it shall please God to suffer you, I am well content to abide the same with all my hart.
Brok.
Put of your cap M. Ridley, and put vppon you this surples.
Rid.
Not I truly.B. Ridley refuseth to put on the surples.
Brok.
But you must.
Rid.
I wyll not.
Brok.
You must: therefore make no more a do, but put this surples vponupon you.
Rid.
Truly if it come vponupon me, it shalbe against my wil.
Brok.
Will you not do it vponupon you?
Rid.
No, that I will not.
Brok.
It shalbe put vponupon you by one or other.
Rid.
Do therein as it shall please you. I am well contented with that, and more then that: the seruaunt is not aboue his Maister. If they delt so cruelly with our Sauiour Christe, as the Scripture maketh mention, and he suffered the same patienly, howe muche more doth it become vsus his seruaunts? and in saying of these wordes they put vppon the sayde Doctor Ridley the surples, with all the trinkettes appertaynyg to the Masse, and as they were puttyng on the same,B. Ridley inueyeth agaynst the Bishop of Rome, and his foolish apparrell. The surples here is called a foolish apparrell. Maister Edridge geueth counsell that B. Ridley should be gagged. Doctor Ridley did vehemently inuey against the Romysh Byshyp and all that foolysh apparell, callyng hym Antichrist, and the apparell foolysh and abominable, yea to fond for a Uice in a play, in so muche that Brokes was exceeding angry with him, and bad hym holde his peace. For he dyd but rayle. Doct. Ridley aunsweared agayne, and sayde: so long as his tounge and breath woulde suffer hym, he woulde speake agaynst their abominable doynges, what so euer happened vntounto hym for so doyng.
Brok.
Well, you were best to holde your peace, lest your mouth be stopped. At which wordes one Edridge, the reader then of the Greeke Lecture standing by, sayd to Doct. Brokes: Syr, the lawe is he should be gagged, therefore let hym be gagged. At which wordes Doct. Ridley lookyng earnestly vponupon him that so sayd, wagged his head at hym, and made no aunswere againe, but with a sigh sayd: Oh well, well, well.
So they proceeded in their doinges: yet neuerthelesse D. Ridley was euer talkyng things not pleasant to their eares,… although one or other bad hym hold his peace, least he should be caused against his wyll.
…When as they came to that place where as D. Ridley should hold the chalice and the wafer cake (called …he singyng bread) they bade hym holde the same in hys hande. And Doct. Ridley sayd: they shal not come in my hands, for if they do,… they shall fall to the ground for all me. Then there was one appoynted to hold them in his hand, while Bishop Brookes red a certaine thyng in Latine, touching the degradation of spirituall persones, accordyng to the Popes law.
Afterward they put a booke in hys hand, and withall red (as is before sayd) a certayne thing in Latin, the effect therof was: We do take from you the office of preachyng the Gospel,… &c. At which wordes, D. Ridley gaue a great s…gh, lookyng vp toward heauen, saying: Oh Lorde God forgeue them this their wickednes.
And as they put vppon hym the Masse geare, so they began with the vppermost garment, in taking it away agayne, reading a thyng in Latine, accordyng to the order contayned in the sayd booke of the Popes law. Now whē all was taken from him sauing onelyonly the surples left on his backe, as they were readyng and takyng it away, D. Ridley sayd vntounto them: Lord God, what power be you of, that you can take from a man that which he neuer had? I was neuer singer in all my lyfe, and yet you will take from me that which I neuer had.
So when all this their abhominable and ridiculous degradation was ended very solemnely,… D. Ridley sayde vntounto D. Brookes, hauehave you done? If you hauehave done, then geue me leaue to talke with you a little, concernyng these matters. Brookes answered and said: M. Ridley, we may not talke with you, you be out of the Church, and our law is that we may not talke with any that be out of ye church. Then M. Ridley sayd: seeyng that you will not suffer me to talke, neyther will vouchsafe to heare me, what remedy but patience? I referre my cause to my heauenly Father, who will reforme thynges that be amisse, when it shall please hym.
At which words they would hauehave bene gone, but that M. Ridley sayd: My L. I would wish that your Lordship would vouchsafe to read ouer and peruse a litle booke of Bertrams doyngs concernyng the Sacrament, I promise you, you shall finde much good learnyng therein, if you will read the same with an indifferent iudgement.A prayse of Bertrams … vponupon the Sacrament. D. Brookes made no aunswer to this, but would hauehave bene gone away. Then M. Ridley sayd: Oh, I perceyue that you cannot away with this maner of talke. Well, it bootes not, I will say no more, I wil speake of worldly affaires. I pray you therfore (my Lord) heare me, and be a meane to the Queenes maiestie, in the behalfe of a great many of poore men, and especially for my poore sister and her husband, which standeth there. They had a poore liuing grā ted vntounto them by me,Note the charitye of the Papists. whiles I was in the Sea of London, and the same is taken away from them, by hym that now occupieth the same roume, without all law or conscience.
Here I hauehave a Supplication to the Queenes maiestie in their behalfes. You shal heare the same red: so shal you perceyue the matter the better. Then he red the same, and when he came to the place in the Supplication, that touched hys Sister by name, then he wept, so that for a little space he could not speake for weepyng. After that hee had left of weepyng, he sayde: This is nature that mooueth mee. But I hauehave now done, and with that read out the rest, and deliuered the same to hys Brother, commaundyng hym to put it vp to the Queenes Maiestie,B. Ridleys … put from her house by B. Boner. and to sue, not onelyonly for hymselfe, but also for suche as had any Leases or Grauntes by hym, and were put from the same by Doctour Boner then Byshop of London, whereunto Brookes sayd: In deede Maister Ridley your request in this Supplication is very lawfull and honest: therfore I must needes in conscience speake to the Queenes Maiestie for them.
Ridley.
I pray you for Gods sake do so.
Brookes.
I thinke your request will be granted, except one thyng let it, and that is (I feare) because you do not allow the Queenes proceedyngs, but obstinately withstand the same, that it will hardly be graunted.
Ridley.
What remedy, I can doe no more but speake and write, I trust I hauehave discharged my conscience therein, and Gods will be done.
Brokes.
I will doe what lyeth in me.
The copy of this supplication written to the Queene, here followeth.