In the beginning of 1532 he was summoned to appear
before Stokesley, the Bishop of London, on the ground of
his having preached in St. Abb's Church in the city with-
out the bishop's permission, and, moreover, for his alleged
defence of Bilney, and his cause. His friends expressed
anxiety for him, and he himself was not without concern,
as he knew very well that the real aim of the bishop was
to get him into the hands of the Convocation, and to deal
with him summarily for his free speech as to the corrupt-
ness of the clergy. He pleaded in excuse the length of
the journey, the deep winter, and the miserable condition
of his health. 3 He appealed, at the same time, to his own
ordinary, Sir Ed. Baynton, the chancellor of the diocese of
Sarum, and it is from this long and interesting letter on this
subject that we gather these facts, and the state of his

1 He had been induced to recant.
2 " Not only exercised with my old disease in my head and side, but also
with new — both the colic and the stone." — Foxe, p. 485.
