Then he charged me to speak the truth, or I should die for it.
I told him, "I did speak the truth; and would speak the truth: for,"
said I, "it is better for me to die guiltless than guilty."
Then did he, with great vehemency, charge me again to speak the truth;
and sware by the Catholic Church of Rome, that if I did not, I should
die in fire.
Then I said, "If I died in the faith which I had confessed, I should
die guiltless:" and told him he had made a vain oath. And so I willed
him to use no circumstance to dissuade me from the truth: "for you
cannot prevail. Though I be now in your hands, where you have power
over my body; yet have you no power over my soul." I told him, he made
a long matter far from the truth.
For which, he said I should die.
Then he bade me say what I could to save myself.
Where I replied, as followeth: Touching the manner of the receiving of
Sacraments, where he said "it was like to theirs": "you," said I, "when
you receive the bread, say it is the very body of CHRIST; and likewise
you affirm the wine to be his very blood." Which I denied; saying it
was impossible for a mortal man to eat the material body of CHRIST, or
to drink his blood.
Then he said, I had blasphemed the Catholic Church.
I answered, That I had said nothing against the true Catholic Church;
but altogether against the false Church.
He asked, How I could prove it? saying if I could not prove it, I
should die a most cruel death.
* * * * *
Note, by the way, that when any man is in durance for religion; he is
called to answer before no open assembly: but only in the presence of
the Inquisitor, the Secretary, and the Solicitor whom they term the
Broker. The cause is, as I take it, because they doubt [_fear_] that
very many of their own people would confess the Gospel, if they did but
see and understand their absurd dealing.
* * * * *
Again, to the matter. Because it was so secret, they urged me to speak
the more.
Then he inquired, Whether I had ever been confessed?