¶ v. And because he sayth that I had men going on pylgrimage in deriseon, I have set to the scripture that dampneth worshippyng of images." The next page begins: Here foloweth the Pryours letters The Superscription. To our moste Reverend father in Christ and speciall good Most Reuerende father in god, dew recommendations had to you with humble obedience: I, your spirituall chylde, louing subget, and daily bedaman, is gladde to here of your prosperous welfare, yo which I and my brethern dayly praye to god to continew. And where as your lordship wrote your louynge letters, wyllynge them to be kepte secrete: so I beseche your lordshyp, that these symple letters of myne may be kepte secrete vnto your selfe. Also, where as my Lorde your suffragane informed your lordship one master Joye, by ye knowledge that he had of me, what erroneus opуnyons he hylde: forsothe some be oute of my mynde, and some I haue called to my mynde by the reason of your letters. Una opinio erat, &c." Here the cautious prior proceeds to detail the errors and heresies in Latin, but as we have already had a synopsis of them, we may skip rather more than a page, and take him up when he again becomes English. "But for these and diuerse other we haue bene sumtyme sine charitate propter circumstantes and sedentes. And sumtime I haue geuen him exhortation openly, and sumtyme secretely, that he shuld leue such Lutronus opinions. Also M. Chaunceler made serche for him diuerse times when he came into the contre; but the he was euer at Cambrig in Peter house. And M. Chaunceler gaue vnto me strait commaundement in your lordshipes name that I shuld not suffer him to preche in none of your churches without your licens and writing with your sealle; and so he came no more at me; nor I praye to god that he do not, except he amende, quia dictum vulgare infectionis with heresi, iulisy, and frensy, &c., but I beseche your lordship that no creature maye know that I, or any of mine, do shew you of these thinges for then I shall leusse the fauor of many in my contre. But I am, & haue ben, & wyll be euer at your commaundement. Et sic valeatis in Christo Jesu sicut cor in corpore meo. Your louing subget and dayly orator Johannes More ouer I haue harde sume reporte that when he haue ben among lay persons at festis or yonkeres in the contre he hath had many lewde opinions among the people & some good folkys would murmur and grugge at his saynges and some wold reioyse therein." Having thus given the prior's letters, (or as we should now say, letter,) George Joye proceeds to confute his charges point by point; but this is not to our purpose; we are not discussing the Lutheran opinions charged on him, but inquiring how far he was a credible witness as to matters of fact; and the part which concerns us is a sort of postscript, which he entitles 66 The storie of my state after the bishop and which begins thus: "On the Saterdaye seuennyght before aduent sondaye, the yeare of our Lorde M.D.XXVII. there were letters sent as from the Cardinall by one of hys offycers to Cambrydge, delyuered to the vyce Canceller called Doctour Edmonds master of Peter college, where I was then felowe. In whyche letters he was commaunded to sende me up to appeare at Westminster ye wendesdaye folowyng [the 27th of November] at ix. of the clok with Bylney and Arture, for certayne erroneous opynyons, &c. Our master sent for me on the morow in to the contrey, and I came to hym, on the mondaye. He shewed me the letters; I red them, and sawe the Cardinals sygne manuell subscrybed in great letters, and his seale. I gote me horse when it snewed, and was colde, and came to London, and so to Westmynster, not longe after my howre, when Bilney and Arture were in examinacyon. Whyche thynge when I harde of, and knewe but those two poore shepe among so many cruel wolues, I was not ouer hastye to thruste in amonge them; for there was a shrewd mayney of bishops beside the Cardinal with other of theyr faction. And I thought to heare how these two lytell lambes shulde spede, yere I wold put myselfe into these lyons mouthes. I went to my diner and taried walkyng in the cyte. "At last, on the Saterday, I came to a Master of myne called Syr Wyllyam Gascoingue, the Cardinales tresurer: and shewed him my errende, but he knewe all the conuayaunce of my cause better than I (for I beleue yet he was the author of all my trouble) and he bad me go in to the chamber of presence, and there Doctour Capon should present me to the Cardinall. I was but a course courtyer, neuer before hearynge this terme chamber of presence,' ne knew where it was; and I was halfe ashamed to aske after it; and went into a longe entrye on the lefte hande; and at laste happened vpon a dore, and knocked, and one opened it; and when I loked in, it was the kichen. Then I went backe into the hall, and asked for the chamber of presence; and one poynted me up a payer of stayers. There stode I in the chamber of presence, when I wold wyth all my harte haue ben absent, waytynge for Doctour Capon almost an hower; for I was not ouer hasty to aske after hym. There no man knew me, nor I them. There was a great fyer in the chamber, the wether was colde, and I saw now and then a Bishop come out; but I durste not stand nyghe the fyer, for feare of burnyng. Theyr was in all aboute a dozen bishops, whose solemne and lordely lokys pleased me not. Whom when I behelde, betwene me and the fyer, as they passed forbye, in good faythe me though[t] I saw nothing els but the galouse and the hangman: but, as grace was, none of them knew me. Then the tresurer sent for me downe into his chamber; and there he told me, that the Cardynal sente not for me. Then I beganne to smell theyr secrete conuayaunce, and how they had counterfeted theyr lordes, the Cardinales, letters. And here the tresurer sent me to the bishope of Lyncolne, tellynge me that a suffragane had accused me. Whych suffragane I neuer see nor knew. I went a good pase toward the bishops place, and ouertoke hys chaunceler, called Doctour Rains, shewing him yt I wold speake wyth my lord. He shewed my lord of me, and said that I must come againe the mornyng at .vi. of the clocke. I dyd so, and wayted for my lorde at the stayers fote til it was about.viii. My lord came down, and I dyd my dutye to hym. He asked me, 'Be you M. Joye?' 'Ye forsothe my lorde,' quod I. 'Abyde,' said he, wyth my Chaunceler tyll I come agayne;' (for my lord with all the bishopes toke theyr barges to wayte upon the Cardinall that mornyng to Grenewiche to the kyng,) I desired my lord to be good lord unto me, and shew me his pleasure, what hys lordshype wold with me, and wherfore I am thus sent unto hym; and he answered me like a lord, and bad me tary with his chaunceler, and sayd I shuld wayte vpon his laiser. There toke I my leue of my lord, and saw him no more. "Then, bycause M. Gascoigne rode home the same day into Bedfordeshier, and bad me ouer euen to come againe on the morow and tell him how I sped, I desyerde M. Chaunceler to [let me] go to him, promisyng to come agayne at such a time as he wold apointe me at my lordes coming home; for he tolde me that my lorde wold come agayne the same day about .ii. or .iii. of the cloke. I came to M. Gascoing, whych I perceyued by his wordes fauored me not, and he rebuked me because I studied Arigene, [Origen] 'Whych was an heretike,' said he; and he said that I helde such opinions as did Bilney and Arture: which discomforted me very sore, when I perceyued him to be my enemye, whom I toke for my good master. There I saw hym laste. Then came I to the byshopes place agayne at my houre, and shewed my selfe to M. Chaunceler. And there daunsed I a colde attendance tyll all most nyght; and yet my lord was not come. Then I went to M. Chaunceler wyth whom was Watson the scribe, desyryng him that I mought departe; for I though[t] my lord wold not come home that nyght, sayng that I had farre to my lodging, and I loued not to walke late. Lothe they were, I perceyued, and especially the scribe, that I shulde go: but they wolde nether byd me to supper, nor promyse me lodgynge; and I made haste, sayng that I wold come agayne on the morow to se and my lord were come home. Then sayd the scribe, 'Where is your lodging?' And here I was so bold to make the scribe a lye for hys asking; telling hym that I laye at the grene drogon toward Bishopsgate, when I laye a myle of, euen a contrary waye; for I neuer trusted scribes nor pharisais, and I perceyued he asked me not for any good. Here I bad them bothe good nyght. "As I went now I thought thus with my selfe, I am a scholer of Cambridge under only the vice chauncelers iurisdiction, and under the great God the Cardinal; and M. Gascoigne said the Cardinall sent not for me; I wyll take a brethe yere I come to these men agayne. On the morowe I was not ouer hastie to come to the chaunceler; but as I walked in the citie, I met with a scoler of Cambrydge; and he tolde me that the bisshop of Lincolne had sent hys seruaunt besely to enquire, and to seke me; 'What is the matter' quod I. Mary,' quod he, 'it is sayde that he wold geue you a benefice for preachyng in hys diocese.' A benefice,' quod I, 'ye a malefice rather, for so rewarde they men for wel doynge.' Then I gote me horse and rode fro my benefice, and lefte college, and all that I had, and conuayed me selfe towarde the seaside ready to flee farther yf need were. But many a foule, jeoperdouse, and sorowfull, iourny had I yere I came there. And, in my traueling, I mette with a good felowe of mi olde acquaintaunce, which merueled gretly to see me in so straunge a countrye, to whome I opened my minde shewyng him partely of my hateful state, troublouse and paynfull iournes that I had both by vnknowne waies, and also be night many times. Be my trowthe,' quod he, 'I meruel ye be not robbed so many theueshe wayes as you have ryden.' And then he warned me of a theueshe place that I must nedes ride bye, and [I] asked him agayne, Know you the place, and what great men dwel theraboutes?' 'Ye well,' sayd he. Then quod I, 'But dwel ther any bishopes that waye?' (for I had leuer have mette with .xx. theues then wyth one bishope.) 'Nay,' quod he. Then was I glad, and rode on my waye, and euer blessed me from byshopes. "But the bishop of Lincolne layed prevey wait for me to be taken, and my fete bound under an horse bely to brought in him. The be as the great bishop of Ely our visitour, angry supra modum*; and yet he wolde haue cyted me viis et modis, expulsed me my college when I was gone, had my flyght preuented his comyng. Sed benedictus dominus qui non dedit me in captione dentibus eorum. [Ps. cxxiv. 6.] Amen. " Nowe M. priour, if there be any thyng in thys my answere that offendeth you, blame your selfe, not me. You firste rolled the stone; I am not yet (thanked be God) so feabled, but that by Gods helpe, I am able to rolle it you agayne; not to hurte you, as you hurted me; but rather to heale your ignoraunce wyth the trewe knowleg of goddes word. And where as I am not so pacient in my answere as I ought to be, and as you desyre, I praye you impute it vnto the commune decease of all men borne of Adam whose childe I am, yet staned with those carnal affectes souked out of him fro my conception and can not be fully mortified but by death, then to be perfite, renued in spirit, and made lyke oure brother Chryste, the fyrste begoter among hys many brotheren. But yet of thys one present conforte we are here al sure that beleue in goddes promise; • The text appears to be corrupt. I give it as it stands. that is to say, al our infirmities and synne (of the whych as longe as we are in this mortal fleshe we can not be perfitly deliuerd) to be swelowed in christes deth thorow our faith, nether shall they be imputed vnto us, Christ being our ryghtuousnes, wysdome, holines, our redemption, and our satisfaction before his father," &c. The reader will bear in mind that we are not discussing the question, whether George Joye had a right to deceive his persecutors; or, indeed, how far what he did was morally right or wrong. That is, no doubt, a very important question; but it is not the one now under consideration. We are at present only inquiring how far he, or any member of the sect of which he was a leader, may be relied on as an authority in matters relating to that sect. He tells us, without any appearance of hesitation or compunction, that he said what was false to others. May he not be doing the same to us? May we, for instance, believe that the prior's letter is genuine? I should think so; but, I must say, rather from internal evidence than on his authority; and perhaps, without entering upon technical reasons for the opinion, I may say, that I believe the date from Strasburgh to be merely a blind, and that the book was printed in London. With regard to deception of that kind, it is notorious that the puritan party had no scruple. Having said thus much of Cambridge, and Cambridge men, let me (to borrow Strype's words) "here take in . . . . "what progress the other University of Oxford made about the same time also in religion; Thomas Garret, Curate of Honey-lane, London, and who was burnt in the same fire with Dr. Barnes, was the great instrument thereof there. Who brought thither sundry books in Latin, treating of the Scripture, with the first part of 'Unio Dissidentium,' and Tyndal's first translation of the New Testament; which was about the year 1525, or 1526; which books he sold at Oxon, and dispersed them among the students. Cardinal Wolsey and the Bishop of London had intelligence of this man, and that he had a number of these heretical books, as they called them, and that he was gone to Oxford to vend them; and a privy search was intended to be made for him in that University. But one Cole, of Magdalen college, afterwards Cross-bearer unto the Cardinal, gave secret warning of this to a friend or two of Garret's, and advised them to persuade him to be gone. And now a great many in Oxon became suspected in religion; as they might well be; for they fell very hard upon reading these books, and gathered much light in religion from them; namely, Delaber, of Alban hall; Clark, Sumner, Bets, Taverner, Radley, Frith, Cox, Drum, and others, of St. Frideswyde's college, or the Cardinal's college, now Christ's Church; Udal, and Diet, and others, of Corpus Christi; Eeden of |