16. John Philpot
Explanatory Notes
The church . . . saints: this gloss stresses the figurative nature of Latimer's epigrammatic utterance.
156 'Lord, Lord, receive my spirit': a free translation of the Latin text of Luke
23: 46.
evil: unskilful.
goss: gorse employed as kindling.
fire burned . . . the wood: the fire smouldered beneath the piled faggots without igniting sufficiently to kill Ridley.
poise: weight.
15. STEPHEN GARDINER
158 the nineteenth day of October: the chronology is problematic because Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, died on 25 August 1554, long in advance of the execution of Latimer and Ridley and putative onset of Gardiner's illness on 19 October 1555. In actual fact, Bishop Gardiner addressed Parliament on 21 October 1555.
159 like: apparent.
16. JOHN PHILPOT
160 advowson: preferment to a benefice.
Doctor Ponet: having succeeded Stephen Gardiner as Bishop of Winchester during the reign of Edward VI, Doctor John Ponet appointed John
Philpot to serve as Archdeacon of Winchester Cathedral. Ponet lost episcopal office and fled into exile during the reign of Mary I.
161 room and degree: office and rank.
the Archdeacon of London's servant: the servant of John Harpsfield.
blind: closed in.
163 God's commandment in visiting the prisoners: an ironic comment on a cleric's obligation to visit prisoners.
164 The true report of the disputation: published anonymously, Philpot's The True Report of the Disputation Had and Begun in the Convocation House at London, which concerns a debate that began 17 October 1553, was printed during the following year at Emden. This East Frisian seaport provided a safe haven for the printing of propaganda written by English Protestants.
A false imprint misleadingly assigns publication to a printer in Basle named A. Edmunds.
true ancient Catholic fathers: the Fathers of the Church.
Bishop of Bath: Gilbert Bourne, Bishop of Bath and Wells.
166 lay my gown to gage: offer my gown as a forfeit.
limbo: strict confinement.