These things before this time might in no wise be touched, nor yet talked of by anie man,The bishops sticke hard a|gainst these billes. except he would be made an heretike, or léese all that he had. For t hebishops were chancellors, and had all the rule about the king, so that no man durst once presume to attempt anie thing contrarie to their profit or com|moditie. But now, when God had illuminated the eies of the king, and that their subtile dooings were once espied; then men began charitablie to desire a reformation: and so at this parlement men began to shew their grudges. Wherevpon the burgesses of the parlement appointed such as were learned in the law, being of the common house, to draw one bill of the probats of testaments, another for mortuaries, and the third for non residence, pluralities, and ta|king of farmes by spirituall men. The learned men tooke much paines, and first set foorth the bill of mor|tuaries, which passed the common house, and was sent vp to the lords. To this bill the spirituall lords made a faire face, saieng; that suerlie priests and cu|rats tooke more than they should, and therefore it were well done to take some reasonable order: thus they spake, bicause it touched them little.

But within two daies after was sent vp the bill concerning probats of testaments; at the which the archbishop of Canturburie in especiall, and all other bishops in generall both frowned and grunted, for that touched their profit. Insomuch as doctor Iohn Fisher bishop of Rochester said openlie in the parle|ment chamber these words: My lords, you sée dailie what billes come hither from the common house,The saieng of Iohn Fi|sher bishop of Rochester and all is to the destruction of the church. For Gods sake sée what a realme the kingdome of Boheme was; and when the church went downe, then fell the glorie of the kingdome: now with the commons is nothing but Downe with the church; and all this me séemeth is for lacke of faith onlie. When these words were reported to the commons of the nether house, that the bishop should saie, that all their dooings were for lacke of faith, they tooke the matter gréeuouslie, for they imagined that the bishop estéemed them as heretikes, and so by his slanderous words would haue persuaded the temporall lords, to haue restrai|ned their consent from the said two billes, which they before had passed, as you haue heard before.

Wherefore the commons, after long debate, deter|mined to send the speaker of the parlement to the kings highnesse,A complaint made to the king against the bishop of Rochester. with a gréeuous complaint against the bishop of Rochester. And so on a daie, when the king was at leasure, Thomas Audleie speaker for the commons, and thirtie of the chéefe of the common house, came to the kings presence in his palace at Westminster, whi [...]h before was called Yorke place; and there verie eloquentlie declared what a dishonor to the king and the realme it was, to saie, that they which were elected for the wisest men of all the shires, cities, and boroughs, within the realme of England, should be declared, in so noble and open presence, to lacke faith: which was equiualent to saie, that they were infidels, and no christians, as ill as Turkes, or Saracens, so that what paine or studie soeuer they tooke for the common wealth, or what acts or lawes soeuer they made or stablished, should be taken as la [...]es made by Painims and heathen people, and not woorthie to be kept by christian men. Wherefore he most humbly besought the kings highnesse to call the said bishop before him, and to cause him to speake more discréetlie of such a number as was in the com|mon house.