CHAP.

V.

very

"conclusion was such with them, that in deed they "moved me nothing, and so left me as desperate to be Anno 1556. "reconciled as their desire was; and so continued, until "it pleased God to put in the Queen's Majesty's mind, of ❝ her grace, mercy, and charity, to prove me yet better. "And her Grace, not knowing, sent unto me one, who, in "King Edward's time, being in prison in that same place "where I was now, by order that was given then, was "fetched out to be examined afore me. To whom I shewed "that courtesy the case could require; but I could not 66 bring him to mine opinion. And the selfsame man now 66 was the mean to bring me utterly unto his; and fetched me out of the Tower to come afore my Lord Legate; "which in truth I did desire.

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"Beginning now to incline to the Catholic sentence; "but not so far as to make any manner of confession of ❝mine error, or open recantation, (wherein I desired my "Lord Legate to have compassion of my frailty ;) but after "twice communication in one day of the same matter, at "last, God of his mercy was stronger in me, and made me, as I did in the doctrine, submit my reason and sense "to the doctrine of the Church: so also my person I sub"mitted to be ordered, as it should be thought best for 66 my soul's wealth, of them whom God had given autho"rity in the Church upon such offenders. And this being 66 my Lord Legate's order, that I should appear in this place to confess and retract my pernicious sentence, in "this I thank Almighty God, first, with an humble and ❝contrite heart, that it hath pleased him to use this mercy "with me; and afterwards the Queen's Highness, that "she vouchsafed first to bear with my infinite offences, and "to send unto me such men as she did, to direct me, and "confirm me in the right way; and finally, to be content "to let me come to her presence; and so withal to my "Lord Legate that gave the order, and all that have been "ministers therein.

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mouth

"And for an assured token, that I say with my "that which I think with my heart, being fallen into the

"error which Berengarius fell into, I make the selfsame SECT. "recantation that he did, only changing the name.

V.

"Distinct. ii.

"I, Sir John Cheke, Knight," &c. The tenor of which Anno 1556. was, that he pretended with heart and mouth to profess, Decret. iii. that he acknowledged the true catholic and apostolical faith, and did execrate all heresy, and namely that wherewith he lately had been infamed, as holding that the bread and wine upon the altar, after the consecration of the Priest, remained only a sacrament, and were not the very body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, neither could be handled or broken by the Priest's hands, or chewed with the teeth of the faithful, otherwise than only in manner of a sacrament. That he consented now to the holy and apostolical Church of Rome, and professed with mouth and heart to hold the same faith touching the sacrament of the Lord's Mass, which Pope Nicolas, with his Synod* at Rome* Met anno 1058, did hold, and commanded to be held by his evangelical and apostolical authority: that is, that the rengarius. bread and wine upon the altar, after consecration, are not only a sacrament, but also are the very true and selfsame body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, felt and broken with hands, and chewed with teeth: swearing by the holy Evangelists, that whosoever should hold or say to the contrary, he should hold them perpetually accursed; and that if he himself should hereafter presume to teach against the same, he should be content to abide the severity and rigour of the Canons, &c.

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"Thus you have heard mine open and plain confession : "which it may please Almighty God so to accept, that not only it be to the wealth of my soul, but of as many as "hear it. Upon which trust I came the gladlier hither; "nothing more desiring at this time, than that it may 66 please the goodness of God to give me time and grace, "that, as mine example, holding my perverse opinion, hath "been cause of ruin and slander of many, that either, by "my occasion, or by another, be fallen in the like error, or yet be in any wavering in their opinion of the blessed "Sacrament; which, that it may be better eschewed, I

chiefly a

gainst Be

V.

CHAP. "shall adjoin (pleasing you to hear it) the very beginning "of my fall; which is none other than the same beginning Anno 1556. “ that bringeth men to all kind of heresy. And that was "pride, which stood in confidence of mine own wit, "making myself a master and judge of the doctrine of the "Church: whereas I was not come to the perfectness to "be a good scholar. But when I heard other men begin "to put a doubt in this article of the Sacrament, and also "afore I heard them doubt, I began myself to make doubt "to myself, seeing that doctrine so far beyond all reason " and sense, whether this were a figurative speaking, as 66 many other be in Scripture like, or else a plain literal 66 sense, as the words sounded; and seeing divers places, "both in Scripture, and in some other Doctors that "seemed to favour the opinion of a figurative speaking; "seeing also that, taking it in that sense, it should not be "so much abhorred commonly of men, of what religion 66 soever they were, nay, of the Jews themselves; which, "if they did take the thing, that Christ made himself “victima paschalis for us, would never abhor this manner "of sacrifice to be a figure of that. Upon this ground, "hearing and reading what was written at this time of "learned men in Germany, and what a great number were "fallen into this opinion, this confirmed me utterly in the 66 same: especially seeing (as I took it) the providence of "God had wrought, that also it was accepted in the whole “realm, all masses cast away, and condemned as a sacri"fice of idolaters; whereby I was so confirmed. Seeing 66 withal, that many places of Scripture, being more illus"trate than they were in our fathers' days; and the whole "Scripture more read, and the intelligence of it more 66 sought, than it was these years past, when this opinion "was less doubted of; I thought this was one greater "light given to the world, which by the more study of the "word of God was more revealed; and that the other was "brought in when men began to fall from studies of Scriptures, and gave them to their own inventions: which "was after the Apostles' times and the primitive Church,

V.

" which I took utterly to be of mine opinion. And that SECT. "when men were more deceived, as they relented from "the life and doctrine of the primitive Church, which Anno 1556. "I took most of all to be in our days, when the Clergy 66 were so far gone from the ensample of life of their first “fathers, and gave themselves more to all kind of studies "than to the Scriptures. Which experience greatly con"firmed me to think that God had blinded them, and with "the study of Scriptures had brought in more light; and

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especially in this article of the Sacrament of the Altar: "wherein I judged them utterly blinded, that had not so "well boulted the Scriptures as they have done in Ger66 many, which hold most this opinion that I was in.

"So that you see now how I fell: which I counted no "fall; but that all other fell, that held the contrary opin

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ion; I standing in the true faith of the primitive Church : thinking withal, that Lanfrancus, Archbishop of Canter- Lanfrank, Archbishop 66 bury, which was one of the first writers that set forth of Canter"the opinion of the real presence of the body and blood of bury. "Christ, impugning the contrary, did defend his own opin❝ion, and not that of the Church; and that opinion which "he defended began with him, when all true knowledge "was much obscured, and the life of the Clergy more de"formed.

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"Thus far I was gone: which was not only to go in “consilio impiorum, et stare in via peccatorum, but to "firm my seat in cathedra irrisorum et pestilentiæ. Which "I did, making myself judge of the catholic doctrine and "the Doctors; scorning the same in the greatest article "of all, touching the Sacrament; and infecting with my pestilent opinion as many as I was conversant withal. "In the which chair I was so fixed, that no power, but 66 only God, could subvert the same, to make me know "myself. Which so now the hand of God, by his mira"culous power, as I do knowledge it, hath done of his "high mercy, both for mine own self, and, as I trust, for "the edification of many, whom I had afore ruinate, sitting "in my chair of pestilence. In which hope standeth now

V.

CHAP. "all the joy of my life. And this is that tempereth the "sorrow of my mind, that I take for mine horrible offence; Anno 1556.❝ trusting that God will turn all the more to his glory. "Without the which trust, now that I know my fault, I "were not able surely to bear myself. But if I have any

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part of contentation in this life, all standeth in this, as I may see God glorified by my sin, giving me true repent66 ance thereof, that the good may be confirmed in their 66 good faith, and the ill returned to the same; as I trust "this day the same grace that hath worked in me shall "work in many.

"This only I will warn all that have been tempted with "the same false doctrine that I have been, and now shew "themselves outwardly to refuse the same, that they be "well ware of another great temptation, and a pernicious "counsel, which to follow is more odious to God, than to "profess openly the false opinion; that is, if they should, "for policy sake, shew themselves to follow the Prince's "opinion, which is catholic; and to think otherwise in "their mind of God: which we have seen hath lighted

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upon some already for nihil est occultum, quod non "revelabitur. And this is a more mocking of Christ, and "more dishonouring, than when the Jews saluted him, "saying, Ave Rex Judæorum! with their mouth, the same "time they brought him to be crucified as a malefactor. "Wherefore let all men beware of this; whereof I do the 66 more earnestly warn you, because there hath not lacked "that would have given like counsel to me: from the "which the mercy of God hath utterly delivered me, and "maketh me the more earnestly warn you of the same.

"Now having none other thing to say at this present, "but to desire you all, upon my knees prostrate, and "especially my noble Mistress, that it will please her to

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give thanks for me to God, for recovering a servant of "hers that was utterly lost. And though I am not worthy "of myself to be remembered, yet if the angels in heaven "make more joy of one sinner converted, than of so many “just men, my conversion, being to the glory of God, is