Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 18 · Examination 9
An other conference betwene the Byshop and M. Philpot and other prisoners.
PHil.
The next day after, an houre before day,An other dayes talke of the Bishop with Iohn Philpot and other prisoners. Iohn Philpot denyeth to come before the Bishop for feare of some priuy practise. the Bishop sent for me againe by the Keeper.
The Keeper.
M. Philpot arise, you must come to my Lord.
Phil.
I wonder what my Lorde meaneth, that he sendeth for me thus earely. I feare he will …se some violence towardes me, wherfore I pray you make him this answer, that if he send for me by an order of lawe, I will come and answer: otherwise, since I am not of his dioces, neither is hee mine Ordinarie, I will not (without I be violently constrained) come vntounto him.
Keeper.
I will go tell my Lord what answere you make: and so he wēt away to the bishop, and immediatly returned wt two of the Bishops men, saying that I must come whether I would or no.
Phil.
If by violence any of you will enforce me to go,Iohn Philpot brought to the Bishop by violence. then must I go, otherwise I wil not: and therwith one of them tooke me with force by the arme, and led me vp into the bishops gallerie.
Lond.
What? thou art a foolish knaue in deede: thou wilt not come without thou be …et.
Phil.
I am brought in deede (my Lord) by violence vntounto you, and yo…r crueltie is suche, that I am afrayde to come before you. I would your lordship would gently procede against me by the lawe.
London.
I am blamed of the Lordes the Bishoppes,Note here the iust dealinges of these Bishops. for that I hauehave not dispatched thee ere this. And in Faith I made sute to my Lorde Cardinal, and to all the Conuocation house, that they would heare thee? And my Lorde of Lincolne stode vp, and said yt thou wert a frantike fellow, and a man that wil hauehave the last worde.This Bishop of Lincolne was D. White. And they all hauehave blamed me, because I hauehave brought thee so oftē before the Lordes openly: and they say it is meat & drinke to you to speake in an open audiēce, you glory so of your self. Wherfore I am commaunded to take a farther order with thee, and in good faith if thou wilt not relent, I will make no farther delay. Mary if thou wilt be cōformable, I wil yet forgeue thee all that is past, & thou shalt hauehave no hurte for any thing that is all ready sayd or done.
Phil.
My Lord,Iohn Philpot being Archdeacon excommunicated B. White for preaching fal…ed doctrine. I hauehave answered you already in this behalfe, what I will do. And as for report of master White, Bish. of Lincolne, I passe not: who is known to be mine enemie, for that I being Archdeacon, did excommunicate him for preaching naughty doctrine. If Christ my maister were called a mad man, it is no maruell though ye counte me frantike.
London.
Haddest not thou a pig brought thee the other day with a knife in it? Wherefore was it (I pray thee) but to kil thy selfe? Or as it is told me (Mary I am counselled to take hede of thee) to kil me? but I feare thee not. I trow I am able to tread thee vnderunder my feete: do the best thou cāst.
Philpot.
My Lorde, I can not denie but that there was a knife in the Pigges belly that was brought me.Matter made of a knife sent to Iohn Philpot in a Pigs belly. But who put it in, or for what purpose I know not, vnlesse it were because he that sent the meate, thought I was without a knife, and so put it in. But other things your Lordshippe nedeth not to feare: for I was neuer without a knife since I came to prisone. And touching your owne persone, you should liue long if you should liue vntil I go about to kill you: and I confesse, by violence your Lordship is able to ouercome me.Articles agayne put to Iohn Philpot.
London.
I charge thee to answere to mine articles. Hold him a booke. Thou shalt sweare to aunswere truely to all such Articles, as I shall demaunde thee of.
Phil.
I wil first know your Lordship to be mine Ordinarie, before I sweare herein.
London.
What, we shall hauehave an Anabaptist of thee, which thinketh it not lawfull to sweare before a Iudge.
Phil.
My Lorde, I am no Anabaptist, I thinke it lawfull to sweare before a competent Iudge, being lawfully required. But I refuse to sweare in these causes before your Lordship, because you are not mine Ordinarie.
London.
I am thine Ordinary, & heere do pronounce by sentence peremptory,B. Boner of mere power and authoritye pronounceth himselfe to be Philpots Ordinary. that I am thine Ordinary, and that thou art of my dioces: and here he bad cal in more to beare witnes. And I make thee (taking one of his seruaunts by the arme) to be mine notarie. And now hearken to my articles, to the which (when he had read them) he monished me to make answere, and said to the keeper, fet me his fellowes, and I shall make them to be witnes against him.
In the meane while came in one of the sheriffs of London, whom the Bishop (calling for two chaires) placed by him, saying: M. Sheriffe I would you should vnderstand how I do procede against this man.False articles: fayned a…aynst Iohn Philpot. M. sheriffe, you shal heare what Articles this man doth maintaine: and so red a rablement of fained Articles: that I shoulde deny Baptisme to be necessary to them that were borne of Christian parentes, that I denied fasting and Prayer, and all other good deedes, & I maintained only bare faith to be sufficiēt to saluation what so euer a man did besides, & I maintained God to be the author of all sinne and wickednes.
Phil.
Ha my Lord, hauehave ye nothing of truth to charge me withal, but ye must be faine to imagin these blasphemous lies against me? You might as well hauehave sayd I had killed your father. The Scriptures say, That God wil destroye all them that speake lies. And is not your Lordshippe ashamed to saye before this woorshipfull Gentleman (who is vnknowen to mee) that I maintaine these abhominable blasphemies whiche you hauehave rehearsed: whyche if I did maintaine, I were wel worthy to be counted an heretick, and to be burned an hundred times if it were possible.
London.
B. Boner taken with an vntruth.I doe obiect them vntounto thee, to heare what thou wilt say in them, and howe thou canst purge thy selfe of them.
Philpot.
Then it was not iustly sayd of your Lordship in the beginning, that I did maintaine them, since almost I hold none of these Articles you hauehave read, in form as they are wrytten.
London.
Howe sayest thou? wilt thou aunswere to them or no?
Phil.
I will first know you to be mine Ordinary, and that you may lawfully charge me with suche things, and then afterward being lawfully called in iudgemēt, I wil shew my minde fully thereof, and not otherwise.
London.
Well, then I wil make thy fellowes to be witnes against thee:Other prisoners called in to beare witnes agaynst Iohn Philpot. where are they? come.
Keeper.
They be heere my Lord.
London.
Come hether Syrs, holde them a booke, you shall swere by the contents of that booke, that you shal (all maner of affections laid a part) say the truth of all such Articles as you shalbe demanded of, concerning this mā here present, which is a very naughty man, and take you hede of him yt he doth not deceiue you, as I am afraid he doth you much hurt, and strengtheneth you in your errours.
Prisoners.
My Lord, we will not sweare except we know whereto:The prisoners refuse to be sworne agaynst M. Philpot. we can accuse him of no euill, we hauehave bene but a while acquainted with him.
Phil.
I wonder your Lordship knowing the law, wil go about contrary to the same, to hauehave infamous persones to be witnesses, for your Lordship doeth take them to be heretickes, and by the law an hereticke can not be a witnes.
London.
Yes, one hereticke against an other may be well inough.B Boner agayne doth agaynst the lawe. And master Sheriffe, I will make one of them to be witnesse against an other.
Phil.
You hauehave the lawe in your hande, and you will doe what you list.
Prisoners.
No my Lord.
London.
Note how the Bishops make Anabaptistes.No will? I will make you sweare, whether you will or no. I weene they be Anabaptists, M. sheriffe, they thinke it not lawfull to sweare before a Iudge.
Phil.
Wee thinke it lawfull to sweare for a man iudicially called, as we are not now, but in a blinde corner.
London.
Whye then, seeing you will not sweare againste your fellowe, you shall sweare for your selues, and I doe heere in the presence of maister sheriffe obiect the same Articles vntounto you, as I hauehave done vntounto him, and do require you vnderunder the paine of excommunication, to answer particularly vntounto eueryevery one of them when you shalbe examined, as you shall be by and by examined after by my Register and some of my Chaplaines.
Prisoners.
My Lord, we wil not accuse our selues. If any man can laye any thing against vsus, we are heere ready to answere thereto: otherwise we pray your Lordship not to burden vsus: for some of vsus are heere before you, we knowe no iust cause why.
London.
Maister Sheriffe, I will trouble you no longer with these froward men. And loe he rose vp and was going away, talking with maister sheriffe.
Philpot.
Maister Sheriffe,B. … seeketh …. I pray you recorde howe my Lorde proceedeth against vsus in corners without all order of lawe, hauing no iust cause to lay against vsus. And after this were all commaunded to be put in the stockes, where I set from morning vntill night, and the Keeper at night vponupon fauour let me out.