"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 gainst Beevangelical 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.

"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; 66 nothing more desiring at this time, than that it may "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

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chiefly a

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,

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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 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

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 "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 "sought, than it was these years past, when this opinion 66 was less doubted of; I thought this was one greater 66 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 Scrip"tures, and gave them to their own inventions: which 66 was after the Apostles' times and the primitive Church,

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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 "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 Germany, which hold most this opinion that I was in.

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

"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 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

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126

THE LIFE OF

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; more to his glory.

Anno 1556.❝ trusting that God will turn all the "Without the which trust, now that were not able surely to bear myself.

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

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" 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

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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,

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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 "more earnestly warn you, because there hath not lacked of the same. "that would have given like counsel to me: from the "which the mercy of God hath utterly delivered me, and 66 maketh me the more earnestly warn you "Now having none other thing to say at this present, "but to desire you all, upon my knees prostrate, and

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especially my noble Mistress, that it will please her to "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

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make more joy of one sinner converted, than of so many

just men, my conversion, being to the glory of God, is

V.

"not unworthy to be remembered on earth, with due SECT. "thanks to the goodness of God, by whose grace I am "returned. In the rest, submitting myself with all humi- Anno 1556. "lity to all the order of penance and satisfaction, that it "will please my Lord Legate to put unto me: which can"not be so sore, as I trust God shall give me grace and "will to fulfil it to the uttermost.

“And thus Almighty God, that hath begun to shew his mercy on me, of the same his infinite mercy, may do the "like upon all the rest that be either contrary or waver"ing. Amen."

SECT. VI.

Observations upon Cheke's recantations. The Queen grants him lands in exchange.

wards

I SHALL not make observations upon these foregoing Popish rirecantations, though many might be made; only I cannot gors tobut observe two or three things en passant. As, how ri-Cheke. gorously these Popish masters dealt with Cheke, now they had got him into their power, in putting him to make one long recantation after another: and in them prescribing him words and sentences, so grievous and grating upon his very heart; whereby he was fain so to belie and bespatter himself, as in effect to accuse himself to be one of the vilest wretches on earth: viz. "That he blasphemed "the name of God, and persecuted the name of Christ, "and that more than they that crucified him; and that "the ignorance of the Jews that killed Christ was more "excusable than his. That he did what he could to bring "the whole realm into blindness. That since he came " into the Tower, he never came into place where he had 66 more cause to thank God. And that for an assured "token to the auditors, that what he said with his mouth "he thought with his heart, they put the very words of Berengarius's recantation into his mouth, to own all the "absurdities of transubstantiation; and divers such like "expressions."

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