Mary. A. D. Woodman :-" I will lay hand on the book for none of you all. You be not my bishop; and therefore I will have nothing to do with you." Winchester:-"I will have to do with you. This man is without law, he 1557. careth not for the king nor queen, I dare say; for he will not obey their laws. Let me see the king's commission. I will see whether he will obey that, or not." Woodman again refuseth to answer before the bishop. Woodman :-" I would you loved the king and queen's majesty no worse than I do, if it pleased God: you would not do as you do then." Winchester:-" Hold him a book; he is a rank heretic. Thou shalt answer to such things as I will demand of thee." Woodman :-" I take heaven and earth to record I am no heretic, neither can I tell wherefore I am brought to prison, no more than any man here can tell." And therewith I looked round about on the people, and said to the bishop, "If you have any just cause against me worthy of death, lay it against me, and let me have it; for I refuse not to die (I praise God) for the truth's sake, if I had ten lives. If you have no cause, let me go home, I pray you, to my wife and children to see them kept, and other poor folk that I would set awork by the help of God. I have set on work a hundred persons ere this, all the year together, and was unjustly taken from them: but God forgive them that did it, if it be his will." Winchester:-" Do you not see how he looketh about for help? But I would see any man show thee a cheerful countenance, and especially you that be of my diocese. If any of you bid God strengthen him, or take him by the hand, or embrace him, or show him a cheerful countenance, you shall be excommunicated, and shall not be received in again, till you have done open penance; and therefore beware of it!" Woodman:-" I look for no help of men, for God is on my side, I praise him there-for; and therefore I need not to care who be against me, neither do I care." Then they cried, "Away with him, and bring us another." So I was carried again to the Marshalsea, where I am now merry (I praise God there-for) as a sheep appointed to be slain.-But for lack of time, I have left out much of our talk; but this is the chiefest of it. The Sixth and last Examination of Richard Woodman, written and copied with his own hand. Be it known unto all men by this present writing, that I Richard Woodman, sometime of the parish of Warbleton, in the county of Sussex, was condemned for God's everlasting truth, anno 1557, July 16, by the bishop of Winchester, in the church of St. Mary Overy's in Southwark, there sitting with him the same time the bishop of Chichester, the archdeacon of Canterbury, Dr. Langdale, master Roper, with a fat-headed priest, I cannot tell his name. All these consented to the shedding of my blood, upon this occasion, as hereafter followeth. I affirmed, that Judas received the sacrament with a sop, and the devil withal; and because I would not be sworn upon a book, to answer directly to such articles as he would declare to me; and because I would not believe that there remained neither bread nor wine after the words of consecration, and that the body of Christ could not be received of any but of the faithful, for these articles I was condemned, as hereafter shall follow more at large, by the help of God. First, the bishop of Winchester said when I came before him, "You were before us on Monday last past; and there you affirmed certain heresies. say you now? Do you hold them still, or will you revoke them?" Woodman:-"I held no heresies then, neither do I now, as the Lord knoweth." How Winchester:-" No? did you not affirm, that Judas received bread? which is no heresy, unless you tell what more than bread.” Woodman:-" Is it heresy to say, Judas received no more than bread? I said, he received more than bare bread, for he received the same sacrament that was prepared to show forth the Lord's death; and because he presumed to eat (1) A charitable commandment of a catholic prelate under pain of excommunication. No man to say, "God strengthen him." without faith, he ate the devil withal, as the words of Christ declare; after he Mary. ate the sop, the devil entered into him, as you cannot deny.” Winchester:-" Hold him a book. I will have you answer directly, whether Judas did eat the body of Christ or no." A.D. 1557. man Woodman:-"I will answer no more, for I am not of your diocese; where- Woodfore I will have nothing to do with you." Winchester:-"No? you be in my diocese; and you be of my diocese, because again reyou have offended in my diocese." fuseth Winches Woodman:- "I am not of your diocese, although I am in your diocese, and ter to be his judge. I was brought into your diocese against my will: and I have not offended in your diocese: if I have, tell me wherein." Winchester:-" Here, in your own hand-writing, the which is heresy. These Truth be the words: 'I cannot find,' say you, 'that it is the body of Christ to any, taken for before it is received in faith.' How say you? is not this your own hand- heresy. writing?" Master Master Roper commissioner, and wit Woodman :-" Yea, I do not deny but it is mine own hand-writing. But when or where was it written, or where were the words spoken?" Winchester:-" Before the commissioners, and here is one of them. Roper! the words were spoken before you: were they not?" Roper :- "Yes indeed that they were. Woodman, I am sure you will not deny them; for you have written the words even as you spake them." Woodman ::-"No sir, indeed I will not deny but that I spake them, and I ness am glad that you have seen it: for you may see by that, whether I lie, or not." against Roper :- "Indeed the words be written word by word as ye spake them." Winchester:-" Well, here you affirm, that it is your own deed. How say you Woodnow? will you be sorry for it, and become an honest man?" Woodmau. man's hand Woodman::-" My lord, I trust no man can say, but that I am an honest writing man; and as for that, I marvel that you will lay it to my charge, knowing that brought my lord of London discharged me of all matters that were laid against me, ag when I was released of him." in against man first Winchester:-66 :-"You were released, and it might fortune, it was not laid to Woodyour charge then; therefore we lay it to your charge now, because you be sus- released, pected to be a heretic: and we may call you before us, and examine you upon and yet your faith upon suspicion." called to account Woodman:-" Indeed St. Peter willeth me to render account of my hope again, that I have in God; and I am contented so to do, if it please my bishop to against hear me." Chichester:-"Yes, I pray you let us hear it." Woodman:- -"I do believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and of earth, and of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ my Saviour, very God, and very man. I believe in God the Holy Ghost, the Comforter of all God's elect people, and that he is equal with the Father and the Son. I believe the true catholic church, and all the sacraments that belong thereto. Thus have I rendered account of my hope that I have of my salvation." all good order. Winchester ::-" And how believe you in the blessed sacrament of the altar?" SacraAnd with that word they all put off their caps to that abominable idol. Woodman:-"I pray you be contented, for I will not answer to any more questions; for I perceive you go about to shed my blood." Winchester:-"No? Hold him a book. If he refuse to swear, he is an anabaptist, and shall be excommunicated." 1 Woodman:-" I will not swear for you, excommunicate me if you will; for you be not meet to take an oath; for you laid heresies to my charge in yonder pulpit, the which you are not able to prove: wherefore you be not meet to take an oath of any man. And as for me, I am not of your diocese, nor will have any thing to do with you." ment of the altar. Winchester:-"I will have to do with thee, and I say thou art a strong heretic." Woodman :-"Yea, all truth is heresy with you; but I am content to show All truth you my mind, how I believe on the sacrament of the body and blood of Jesus is heresy Christ, without flattering: for that you look for, I am sure. But I will meddle these no further, but what I hold myself of it. I will not meddle of any other man's men. belief on it." (1) Woodman is made an anabaptist, because he will not swear before him that is not his ordinary! with Mary. Harpsfield: :-"Why? I am sure all men's faith ought to be alike." Woodman :-" Yea, I grant you so, that all true Christians' faith ought to be A.D. alike. But I will answer for myself." 1557. Woodman's confes sion of Harpsfield:" Well, let us hear what you say to it." Woodman :-" I do believe, that when I come to receive the sacrament of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, if it be truly ministered according to Christ's institution, I coming in faith, as I trust in God I will, whensoever I come to the sacra- receive it, I believing that Christ was born for me, and that he suffered death for the remission of my sins, and that I shall be saved by his death and bloodshedding, and so receive the sacrament of bread and wine in that remembrance, that then I do receive whole Christ, God and man mystically by faith: this is my belief on the sacrament." ment. Mystically. What is 'mystically.' Wood man Then they spake all at once, saying, "Mystically by faith!" The fat Priest:-"What a fool art thou: mystically by faith!' Thou canst not tell what mystically' is." Woodman:-"If I be a fool, so take me. But God hath chosen such fools of this world, to confound such wise things as you are." Winchester:-" He cannot tell what he saith. Answer to the sacrament of the altar, whether it be not the body of Christ before it be received, and whether it be not the body of Christ to whomsoever [he be that] receiveth it? Tell me, or else I will excommunicate thee." Woodman :-" I have said as much as I will say. Excommunicate me if you will: I am none of your diocese. The bishop of Chichester is mine ordinary. again appealeth to Let him do it, if you will needs have my blood, that it may be required at his his ordi- hands." nary. Christo pherson, bishop of Chichester, his ordinary, not yet consecrated. Wood man, for his fervent speech, rebuked. Jesus Chichester:- "I am not consecrated yet; I told you when you were with me.' Woodman :-"No indeed! your kine bring forth nothing but cow-calves, as it chanceth now;" meaning thereby he had not his bulls from Rome. Then they were all in a great rage with me, and called me all to naught; and said I was out of my wits, because I spake fervently to every man's question; all the which I cannot remember, but I said, "So Festus said to Paul, when he spake the words of soberness and truth out of the Spirit of God, as I do. But as you have judged me, you be yourselves. You will go to hell, all the sort of you, if you condemn me, if you repent it not with speed." Then my keeper, and the sheriff's deputy Fuller, rebuked me, because I spake so sharply to them. And I said, "I pray you let me alone; I must answer for my life." Then there was much ado that I should keep silence, and so I held my peace. Then spake the bishop of Winchester and the archdeacon of Canterbury, saying, "We go not about to condemn thee, but go about to save thy soul, if thou wilt be ruled, and do as we would have thee." Woodman:-"To save my soul! Nay, you cannot save my soul. My soul is saved already: I praise God there-for. There can no man save my soul, but Jesus Christ; and he it is, that hath saved my soul, before the foundation of the world was laid." The fat Priest:-" What a heresy is that, my lord! here is another heresy ! He saith his soul was saved before the foundations of the world were laid." Thou canst not tell what thou sayest. Was thy soul saved before it was?" Woodman :-"Yes, I praise God I can tell what I say, and I say the truth. Look in Ephesians i., and there you shall find it, where Paul saith, Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which hath blessed us with all manner of spiritual blessings in heavenly things, by Christ, according as he hath chosen us in himself before the foundation of the world was laid, that we should be only Sa- holy and without blame before him, through love; and thereto were we predestinated.' These be the words of Paul, and I believe they be most true. man's And therefore it is my faith, in and by Jesus Christ, that saveth; and not you, soul, and not man. or any man else." Christ viour of The fat Priest: :-"What! faith without works? St. James saith. Faith without works is dead,' and we have free will to do good works." (1) 1 Cor. i. (2) This fat priest is well seen in the Scriptures! A. D. 1557. Woodman: :-"I would not that any of you should think that I disallow good Mary. works: for a good faith cannot be without good works. Yet not of ourselves, but it is the gift of God, as saith St. Paul to the Philippians, chap. ii. It is God that worketh in us both the will and also the deed, even of good will.'' Winchester:-" Make an end: answer to me. Here is your ordinary, the The archarchdeacon of Canterbury: he is made your ordinary by my lord cardinal, and deacon of he hath authority to examine you of your faith upon a book, to answer to such bury articles as he will lay to you. And I pray you refuse it not; for the danger is made orgreat, if you do. Wherefore we desire you to show yourself a subject in this dinary to matter." Canter examine Wood Then they spake all, and said, "Lo! my lord desireth you gently to answer man. to him, and so we do all. For if you refuse to take an oath, he may excommunicate you. For my lord cardinal may put whom he will in the bishop's office, until he is consecrated." Woodman:-"I know not so much. If you will give me time to learn the truth of it (if I can prove it to be as you say), I will tell you my mind in any thing that he shall demand of me, without any flattering." Priest:-" My lord, and all we, tell thee it is true; and therefore answer to him." lengeth Woodman::-"I will believe none of you all, for you be turncoats and Woodchangelings, and be wavering-minded, as saith St. James; you be neither hot man chalnor cold, as saith St. John, therefore God will spew you out of his mouth. his judges Wherefore I can believe none of you all, I tell truth." you Winchester: "What! be we turncoats and changelings; what meanest and thou by that?" to be all turncoats change Woodman:-"I mean, that in king Edward's time you taught the doctrine lings. that was set forth then, every one of you, and now you teach the contrary; and therefore I call you turncoats and changelings, as may well enough:" which words made the most part of them to quake. Winchester:-" Nay, not all, as it chanced." Woodman:-"No! I pray where were you then?" Winchester: "I was in the Tower, as the lieutenant will bear me record." Woodman:-"If you were in the Tower, it was not there-for, I dare say; it was for some other matter." Then they all took heart of grace, and said, "My lord, he cometh to examine you, we think: if he will not answer to the articles, you were best to excommunicate him." Winchester:-" He is the naughtiest varlet-heretic that ever I knew. I will read the sentence against him." Then they spake all at once, and I answered them as fast as I could. But The free not, speech of Woodman to Then they that stood by rebuked me, and said, "You cannot tell to whom the you speak, I think." bishops and Woodman :-"No! think you so? They be but men. I am sure I have priests. spoken to as good as they be, and better than they will ever be, for any thing that I can see, if they repent not with speed." Winches to read Winchester :- "Give ear; for I will read sentence against you." Woodman:-"Will you so? wherefore will you? You have no just cause ter about to excommunicate me; and therefore if you do condemn me, you will be con- the sendemned in hell, if you repent not; and I praise God, I am not afraid to die for tence. God's sake, if I had a hundred lives." Winchester ::-" For God's sake? nay, for the devil's sake! Thou sayest thou art not afraid to die: no more was Judas that hanged himself, as thou wilt kill thyself wilfully, because thou wilt not be ruled." Woodman:-"Nay, I defy the devil, Judas, and all their members. And Judas's flesh was not afraid, but his spirit and conscience were afraid, and therefore [he] despaired and hung himself. But I praise God, I feel no loathsomeness in my flesh to die, but a joyful conscience, and a willing mind thereto. Wherefore my flesh is subdued to it, I praise God; and therefore I am not afraid of death." Chichester:-"Woodman, for God's sake be ruled. You know what you said to me at my house. I could say more, if I would." Mary. A. D. 1557. No man can re ceive the body of Christ unworthily. 1 Cor. ix. ed. What it meaneth, to make no differ Woodman :-" Say what you can; the most fault that you found in me was, because I praised the living God, and because I said, I praise God, and the Lord which you ought to be ashamed of, if you have any grace; for I told you where the words were written." Winchester:-"Well, how say you? will you confess that Judas received the body of Christ unworthily? tell me plainly." Woodman:-" My lord, if you, or any of you all, can prove before all this audience, in all the Bible, that any man ever ate the body of Christ unworthily, then I will be with you in all things that you will demand of me; of the which matter I desire all this people to be witness." Priest:-"Will you so? then we shall agree well enough. St. Paul saith so." Priest:-" In 1 Cor. xi. he saith, Whoso eateth of this bread, and drinketh of this cup unworthily, eateth and drinketh his own damnation, because he maketh no difference of the Lord's body.' 6 Woodman :-" Do these words prove that Judas ate the body of Christ expound- unworthily? I pray you let me see them." They were contented. Then said I, "These be the words even that you said: (good people, hearken well to them) Whoso eateth of this bread and drinketh of this cup unworthily.' He saith not, whoso eateth of this body unworthily, or drinketh of this blood unworthily: but he saith, Whoso eateth of this bread, and drinketh of this cup unworthily,' (which is the sacrament), eateth and drinketh his own damnation,' because he maketh no difference between the sacrament which representeth the Lord's body, and other bread and drink. Here, good people! you may all see they are not able to prove their sayings true. Wherefore I cannot believe them in any thing that they do." ence of of the Lord's body. Winches Winchester:-"Thou art a rank heretic indeed. Art thou an expounder? Now I will read sentence against thee." Woodman :-" Judge not, lest you be judged: for as you have judged me, ter read you be yourself." Then he read the sentence. "Why," said I, "will you read the sentence against me, and cannot tell wherefore?" Winchester:-" Thou art a heretic, and therefore thou shalt be excommunicated." eth sentence against Wood man, and can not tell wherefore. Woodman carried to Woodman :-" I am no heretic, I take heaven and earth to witness; I defy all heretics; and if you condemn me, you will be damned, if you repent not. But God give you grace to repent all, if it be his will." And so he read forth the sentence in Latin, but what he said, God knoweth, condemn- and not I. God be judge between them and me! When he had done, I would ed and have talked my mind to them, but they cried, " Away! away with him!" So I the Mar- was carried to the Marshalsea again, where I am, and shall be as long as it shalsea, shall please God. And I praise God most heartily, that ever he hath elected being not and predestinated me to come to so high dignity as to bear rebuke for his name's speak. sake; his name be praised there-for, for ever and ever. Amen. suffered to And thus have you the examinations of this blessed Woodman, or rather Goodman; wherein may appear as well the great grace and wisdom of God in that man, as also the gross ignorance and barbarous cruelty of his adversaries, especially of Dr. White, bishop of Winchester. Now followeth likewise the effect of his letter. A godly Letter of Richard Woodman, written to a Christian Woman, Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and from his Son our alone Saviour Jesus Christ, by the operation and working of the Holy Ghost, be multiplied plenteously upon you, dear sister Roberts, that you may the more joyfully bear the cross of Christ that ye are under, unto the end, to your only comfort and consolation, and to all our brethren and sisters that are round about you, both now and ever. Amen. In my most humble wise I commend me unto you, and to all our brethren and sisters in those parts, that love our Lord unfeignedly, certifying you, that I and (1) Read in the first examination of Woodman, page 342 of this volume. |