Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 18 · Examination 19
¶The last examination of Mayster Iohn Philpot.
AT which day and time, Mayster Philpot being there presented before the bishops of London,The last examination of Iohn Philpot. Bath, Worcester, and Liechfield, Boner Bishop of London began hys talke in this maner.
London.
My Lorde Stokesley, my predecessour, when he went about to geue sentence agaynst an hereticke, vsed to make this prayer.
Deus qui errantibus vt in viam possint redire iustitiae veritatis tuae lumen ostendis, B. Stokesleys prayer when he gaue sentence vponupon any.da cunctis qui Christiana professione cē sentur, & illa respuere quae huic inimica sint nomini, & ea quae sint apta sectari per Christum dominum nostrum, Amen. Which I will folow. And so he read it with a loud voice in Latin. To the which Mayster Philpot sayd:
Philpot.
I would ye would speak in English, that all men might heare and vnderstand you: for Paul willeth that all things spoken in the congregation to edify, should be spoken in a toung that all men might vnderstand.
Wherupon the Bishop did read it in English: & when he came to these wordes: to refuse those thinges which are foes to this name, Philpot said:
Phil.
B. Boner prayeth against himselfe.Then they all must turne away from you: for you are enemies to that name (meaning Christes name) and God saue vsus from such hypocrites as would hauehave thinges in a toung that men cannot vnderstand.
London.
Whom do you meane?
Phil.
You and al other that be of your generation and sect. And I am sory to see you sit in the place that you now sitte in, pretending to execute iustice, & doe nothing lesse but deceiue all men in this Realme.
And then turning himselfe vntounto the people, he farther sayd: oh all you Gentlemē, beware of these men (meaning the Bishops) and al theyr doinges, which be contrary vntounto the primatiue Church. And I would knowe of you my Lord by what authority you do proceed agaynst me?B. Boner hath no authoritye by right to proceed agaynst M. Philpot.
Lond.
Because I am Bishop of London.
Philpot.
Well, then ye are not my Bishop nor I hauehave not offended in your Diocesse: and moreouer I hauehave appealed from you, and therefore by your owne law you ought not to proceed agaynst me, especially being brought hither frō an other place by violence.
Lond.
Why? who sent you hither to me?
Philpot.
That did Doctor Story and Doctor Cooke, with other the king and Queenes Commissioners: & my Lord, is it not enough for you to werry your owne sheep, but ye must also meddle with other mens sheepe?
Then the Bishop deliuered vntounto Philpot two books, one of the ciuill law, and the other of the Canon, out of the which, he would hauehave proued that he had authority to proceede agaynst him in such sorte as he did. M. Philpot then perusing the same, and seeing the small and slender proofe that was there alledged, sayd vntounto the Bishop.
Philpot.
I perceiue your law and Diuinity is all one: for you hauehave knowledge in neither of them: and I woulde ye did know your owne ignoraunce: but ye daunce in a net, and thinke that no man doth see you. Hereupon they hadde much talke, but what it was, it is not yet knowne. At last Boner spake vntounto him and sayd:
Lond.
Philpot, as concerning your abiections agaynste my iurisdiction, ye shall vnderstand that both the Ciuill & Canon lawes make against you: and as for your appeal, it is not allowed in this case. For it is written in the law: A iudice dispositionem iuris exequente, non est appellandum.
Phil.
My Lord it appeareth by your interpretation of the law, that ye hauehave no knowledge therin,B. Boner noted to … ignorant … the lawe. nor that ye do vnderstand the lawe: for if ye did, ye would not bring in that Text.
Hereupon the Bishop recited a law of the Romaines that it was not lawful for a Iew to keepe a Christian man in captiuity, and to vse him as his slaue,This law seemeth eyther blindly c… pared of the Bishop, or els not rightly collected of his Register. laying then to the sayd Philpots charge. that he did not vnderstand the law, but did like a Iew. Wherunto Philpot aunswered:
Phil.
No, I am no Iewe: but you my Lord are a Iewe. For you professe Christ and mainteine Antichrist: you professe the Gospell, & maynteine superstition, & ye bee able to charge me with nothing.
Lond. and other Bish.
With what can you charge vsus?
Phil.
You are enemies to all truth, and all your doinges be noughte full of Idolatrye, sauing the Article of the Trinity.
Whilest they were thus debating the matter, there came thither syr William Garret knight then Maior of Londō,The Lord Maio… with the Sh…ef…e assistan… to B. Boner against M. Philpot. Sir Martin Bowes knight, and Thomas Leigh, then Shiriffe of the same City, and sat downe with the sayd byshops in the sayd Consistory, where and what time bishop Boner spake these wordes in effect as foloweth.
Lond.
Philpot, before the comming of my Lord Maior, because I would not enter with you into the matter wherewith I hauehave heretofore & now intend to charge you with all, vntill his comming, I did rehearse vntounto you a prayer both in English and in Latin, which bishop Stokesly my predecessor vsed when he entended to proceede to geue sentence agaynst an hereticke.
And here they did agayne reade the sayd prayer both in English and also in Latin: which being ended, he spake agayne vntounto him and sayd:
Lond.
Philpot, amongest other I hauehave to charge you especially with three thinges.
1. First, where you hauehave fallen from the vnity of Christs catholicke church,The 3. ar…cles agaynst Iohn Philpot agaynst repeated. you hauehave therupon bene inuited and required, not onelyonly by me, but also by many & diuers others catholicke Bishops, and other learned men, to return and come agayne to the same: and also you hauehave bene offred by me: that if you would so returne and confesse your errors and heresyes, you should be mercifully receiued, and hauehave so much fauour as I could shew vntounto you.
2. The second is, that you hauehave blasphemously spoken agaynst the sacrifice of the Masse, calling it Idolatry and abomination.
3. And thirdly that you hauehave spoken and holden agaynst the Sacrament of the aulter, denying the reall presence of Christes body and bloud to be in the same.
This being spoken, the Bishop recited vntounto him a certayne exhortation in English, the tenour and forme wherof is this.