Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Appendix · Account 16
¶A note of a certayne good man troubled in Bulloyne the first yeare of king Edward the sixt for the Gospell.
THe examination of me William Hastlen Gunner in the Castle of high Bulloyne, in the yeare of our Lorde 1547. and the first yeare of the reigne of king Edward the sixt. As I was in the church at Bulloyne called the stals, vponupon the 10. of Aprill being Easter Tuesday, reading of a godly booke called the lamentation of a Christian, against the citizens of London betweene the houres of three and foure at after noone, there came certaine men to me as I stoode at an alter in the Churche reading to my selfe, and asked me what good booke I had, and I sayd they should heare if they pleased, thē they desired me to read out yt they might heare, and so did I very gladly, but I had not read long but the Priestes and Clearkes were at theyr Latine Euensong, and I reading mine English book there came a tipstaffe for me, taking my two bookes from me and commaunded me to go with him, for he sayde I must goe before the counsayle of the towne, then went I forthwith with him, and a little without the Church doore, sir Iohn a Briges met vsus, and bad the tipstaffe cary me to sir Leanard Beckwith Knight to be examined, and comming before his presence, hee asked me what bookes they were that I had at the church and was reading of one of them, openly in the Church to the people, and I sayd so farre as I hadde read them they were good godlye bookes, and he said they were heresie, and with that he asked me how I did beleeue of the Sacrament of the aultar, whether I did not beleue yt to be the very body of Christ, flesh, bloud, and bones, and I asked him whether hee ment that, that was in the pixe or no, and he sayde yea? euen that in the pixe, and I said that since I had sure knowledge of scriptures I did not beleeue it to bee the body of Christ, but a bare peece of bread, nor by Gods helpe I will neuer beleue it otherwise to be, then he sayd I was an hereticke, & asked me what I made of the sacrament, and I sayd, if it were duely ministred according to Christes institution▪ that then I did beleue that the faythfull Communicantes, in receiuing that blessed Sacrament, did receaue into their inward man, or soule, the very body and bloud of our sauiour Iesus Christ. Then sayd he, doest thou not beleeue …t to remaine the very body of Christ after the wordes of consecration pronounced by the priest, and I sayd no. Thē said he, what doest thou make of the Churche, I said as it is now vsed, it is a den of theeues, and the sinagogue of Sathan, thou hereticke sayd he, there remaineth the very body of Christ. But I saide that Christ being God and man, dwelleth not in temples made with mens handes: much other communication had we at that time but thys was the effecte that daye. Then hee asked me whether I would be forth comming till to morrow, and I saide Sir if you think that I will not, you may lay me where as I shall so be, then he let me goe for that night, and sayde we shall talke farther with thee to morrow, so I departed home. And about the space of two houres after, Mayster Hountington the preacher (which did muche good wyth his preaching in Bulloyne at that time) came to me, and sayde that hee heard me spoken of at my Lorde Grayes, which was then Lord Debitie of the towne and Country of Bulloyne, and I perceaue sayd he that you are in great daunger of trouble, if you scape with your lyfe, for there are some of the counsayle, merueilously bent agaynst you, I sayd the Lordes will be done: well said he, without you feele in your selfe, a full purpose by Gods helpe to stand earnestly to the thing that yee hauehave spoken, you shall doe more hurt then good, wherefore said he if you will goe to Callis, I will send you where you shall be well vsed, and be out of this daunger. Then I thanked M. Hountington, saying I purpose by Gods assistance to abide the vttermost that they can do vntounto me, well then sayd he, I can tell you, you wil be sent for to morrow betimes before the whole Counsaile: that is sayd I the thing that I look for. Then rose I betimes in the morning and went into the market place, that I might spye whiche way the Officer should come for me, I had not taryed there longe, but I spyed a tipstaffe, and went toward him and asked hym whome he sought, and he sayde a Gunner of the great ordinaunce in the Castle of Bulloyne, and I sayd that I am he, thē said he you must go with me to my Lords, & I said therefore I looked. When I came there, I saw my Lorde and the whole Counsaile were assembled together in a close parlour, doing my duetie to them, my Lord saide to me, it is informed me that thou hast seditiously congregate a companye together in the Churche, and there in the time of seruice thou didest read vntounto them an heretical booke, and hast not reuerently vsed silence in the time of ye diuine seruice, what sayest thou to this? I sayd, & it please your honour, I was in the church a good while before any seruice began, and no body with me, reading to my self alone, vponupon a booke that is agreable to Gods worde, and no heresie in it that I red, and when it drewe toward seruice time, there came men to the church, and some of then comming to me whō I knewe not, asking me what good booke I had, I sayd it was a new booke that I hauehave not yet read it ouer, then they prayed me that I would read so that they might heare some part with me, and so I did, not calling, pointing, nor assembling any company to me. And for the seruice being in latine, that for the strangenes of the tongue, besides muche superstition ioyned with it was not vnderstood of the most part of them, that saide or soung it, much lesse of them that stood by and did heare it, where as by the word of God all thinge in the Churche or congregation shuld be done to the edifying of the people, and seeing I could hauehave no such thing by theyr seruice, I did endeuour to edifie my selfe, and other that were desirous of reading of godly bookes. And because the Churche is so abused contrary to the worde of God, being beset round about, with a sorte of abhominable Idols, before whome no man ought to kneele, nor doe no maner of reuerence, because the scriptures doth curse, both the Idoll and the Idoll maker, and all that doth any worship or reuerence, vntounto them, or before them, for that cause I vsed no reuerence there. Well sayd my Lorde, I woulde thou couldest aunswere to the rest as well as thou hast done to this, but I feare me thou canst not, for it is tolde me that thou hast spoken agaynst the blessed sacrament, and I said and it please your Lordship, that did I neuer in al my life, nor neuer wil doe by the grace of God. With that my chief accuser sir Leonard Becksmith knight, sayd to me, diddest thou not say to me yesterday, that thou diddest not beleue the sacrament of the aulter after the wordes of consecration by the priest, to be the very body of Christ, flesh bloud & bones, as it was borne of the virgine Mary. It is true in deede that I sayd so, for neyther do I beleue it to remayne Christes body, nor neuer will by the grace of God beleue it so to be, for I beleue that christ with that body that was conceaued and borne of the virgine Mary did ascend vp into heauen, and there (according to our beliefe) he sitteth on the right hand of God the father, and from thence that body shal come at the day of iudgement to iudge the quick and the dead, and yet in the meane while I beleue (that ye sacrament duely ministred according to Christes institution) that the faithfull receauers of this sacrament lifting vp the eyes of theyr minde into heauen where Christes body is, that they do receaue in that sacrament into theyr soule or inward man, the very body of our sauiour Iesus Christ, yea and I beleeue further, that Christ concerning his diuine power or the power of his godhead is whersoeuer two, or three be gathered together in his name, that he is in the middest euen amongest them, and that hee is so with his faythfull flocke euen to the worldes end, then they layed theyr heades together and had priuie talke, after that two of them said to me that it was rancke heresie that I did beleue it to remayne bare bread after the Priest had consecrated it, and not to beleue it to be the very body of Christ, I was worthy to be burned, then sayde I earnestly vntounto thē, thinke you not though I be a vile abiecte in your sight, and he that is most busie among you to seek my bloud, but that my bloud shall be required at hys, or theyr handes. Then had they priuy talke together againe, after the which my Lord sayd vntounto me, thou hearest that they here lay heresie to thy charge, and I am a manne of warre, & hauehave no skill in such high misteries, wherefore thine accusers say that thou must suffer here as an hereticke, that all the rest of the garrisene may beware by thee yt they fal not into the like heresie, and so cast away themselues. Then sayd I, I appeale from this Counsayle, to the Counsayle of England, then sayd my Lord I am very glad that thou hast appealed to the Counsayle of England, for there are learned menne, and Diuines, that can skil of such matters, thether shalt thou be sent or it be long. Then was I caryed to sir Iohn Abriges house, and hauing pen and incke, I was bidden to write mine articles, which were in effecte those poyntes of Religion that you hauehave heard before in my examination, then on the morow being Thursday, and the fiftene of Aprill I was brought to the prison in the towne called the Marshalsea, where I was very gently vsed, for a good gentleman one Maister Waghan was the keeper there, at that time, but surely when I was apprehended, I had not so much as one peny to helpe my selfe with, for we had bene longe vnpayd, furthermore I thought in that towne of warre, that there was very few or none that fauoured the word of God, for I looked for no helpe there, but to be hated and despised of all menne there, for I knewe not past two or three there, that hadde any louelove to the Gospell, till I was in prison, and then there came very many souldiours vntounto me that I neuer knew before, and gaue me mony, so that I hadde as good as a three pound geuen me in a smale tyme that I was in prison. The fourthtene day of May toward night, I was sent into Englande, one Mayster Messenger, and one other man brought me to London, euen the same day being sonday at night, and 15. daye of May, there was a great talke ouer all the Cittye of one Doctor Smith that recanted that daye, they brought me to the Marshalsea, and there left me, I hearing no more of them that brought me thether: but Mayster Huntington as a faythfull minister of Iesus Christe, that gaue me warning before of all this trouble, came from Bullyn to London, causing my Articles to be seene, so that by his paynefull dilligence to the Counsayle for me, after that I had bene there little more then one …oneth, I was dyscharged forth of prison, and bed get me home to Bullin to my liuing agayne.
But surely if I hadde not appealed to the Counsayle of Englande I hadde bene burned in Bullyn, for it was tolde me of them that knew muche in that matter that it was already determined, shortly to hauehave bene accomplyshed if I had not appealed: for the whiche deliueraunce I geue prayse to the euerliuing God.