Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 18 · Examination 10
An other priuate conference betwene the Bishop and Maister Philpot in the Colehouse.
PHil.
The Sonday after,An other priuate talke or cō ference betweene him and the Bishop. the bishop came into the Colehouse at night with the Keeper, and viewed the house, saying that he was neuer here afore: whereby a man may gesse how he hath kept Gods commandement in visiting the prisoners, seeing he was neuer wt them that hauehave bene so nigh his nose: And he came not then for any good zeale, but to view the place, & thought it too good for me, … therefore after supper betwene 8. and 9. he sent for me, saying.
Lond.
Sir,B. Boner vewing his Colehouse. I hauehave great displeasure of the Queene & the Counsell for keeping you so long, and letting you hauehave so much libertie. And besides that, you be yōder, and strengthen the other prisoners in their errours, as I hauehave layde waite for your doings, & am certified of you well inough: I wil sequester you therfore from them, and you shal hurt no mo as you hauehave done, and I wil out of hand dispatche you, as I am commaunded, vnlesse you will be a conformable man.
Phil.
My Lorde, you hauehave my body in your custodye: you may transport it whither it please you: I am content. And I wold you wold make as quicke expeditiō in my iudgement, as you say, I long therfore, and as for cōformitie, I am ready to yeld to all truth, if any can bring better thē I.
London.
Why? you wil beleue no man but your self, what so euer they say.
Phil.
My belief must not hang vponupon mens sayings, without sure authority of gods word, yt which if any can shew me, I wil be pliant to the same: Otherwise I can not goe from my certaine faith, to that which is vncertaine.
London.
HaueHave you then the truth onelyonly?
Phil.
My Lord, I will speake my minde freely vntounto you, and vpō no malice I beare to you, before God. You hauehave not the truth, neither are you of ye church of God: but you persecute both the truthe and the true churche of God, for the which cause you cā not prosper long. You see god doth not prosper your doinges according to your expectation. He hath of late shewed his iust iudgement against one of your greatest doers, who by reporte died miserably. I enuie not your authority you are in. You that hauehave learning should know best howe to rule. And seeing God hath restored you to your dignity and liuing againe,He meaneth Steuē Gardiner Bishop of Winchester. Good coū sell geuen to B. Boner. vse the same to Gods glory, & to the setting foorth of his true religion: otherwise it wil not continue, do what you can. With this saying he was apaused, and sayd at length.
Lon.
That good man was punished for such as thou art. Where is the Keeper? Come let him hauehave him to the place that is prouided for him. Go your way before.
Phil.
And he followed me, calling the Keeper aside, commaunding to keepe all men from me, & narowly to search me (as the sequele did declare) and brought me to his priuy dore that goeth into the church, and commaunded two of his men to accompany the Keper, and to see me placed.
And afterwardes I passed through Paules vp to Lollardes tower,Iohn … a clo…e tower ioyning to Paules Church. and after that turned a long al the West side of Paules throughe the wall, and passing through 6. or 7. dores, came to my lodging thorough many straits: where I called to remembrance that strait is the way to heauen. And it is in a Tower right on the other side of Lollardes tower, as high almost as the battlements of Paules, viij. foote of bredth, and xiij. of length, and almost ouer the prison where I was before, hauing a windowe opening towards the East, by the which I may looke ouer the tops of a greate many of houses, but see no manne passing into them: and who so walketh in the Bishoppes vtter gallery going to his Chappell, may see my windowe & me standing in the same.…
And as I was come to my place, the Keeper pluckt of my gowne, & searched me very narowly, and tooke away penner, inkhorne, girdle and knife, but (as God would) I had an inckeling a little before I was called, of my remouing, and therupon made an errant to the stole, where ful sore against my will I cast away many a sweete letter and friendly: but that I had wrytten of my last examination before, I thruste into my hose, thinking ye next day to hauehave made an ende therof, and with going it was falne downe to my legge, the which he by feeling did soone espie, and asked what that was. I sayd they were certaine letters: and with that he was very busie to hauehave them out. Let me aloue (sayde I) I will plucke them out,… with that I put in my hande, hauing two other letters therein, and brought vp the same wryting to my codpeece, and there lefte it, geuing him the other two letters that were not of any great importance. The which for to make a shewe that they had bene weightie, I began to teare aswel as I could, til they snatched them from me, & so deluded him (I thanke God) of his purpose.
After this hee went his way, and as he was goynge, one of them that came with him, sayd, that I did not deliuer the wrytings I had in my hose, but two other letters I had in my hād before. No did quoth he? I wil go search him better: the which I hearing, conueied mine examination I had writtē, into an other place besides my bed, and tooke all the letters I had in my purse, and was tearinge of them when he came again, and as he came I threw the same out of my window, saying that I hard what he said: wherefore I did preuent his searching againe, whereof I was right glad. God be praised that gaue me that present shift to blinde their eyes from the knowledge of my wrytings, the which if they had knowen, it would hauehave bene a great occasion of more straiter keeping and looking vntounto, although they looke as narowly as they may.