Austin came again, four days later, with yet further bad news. Bishop Bonner had sent his sumner to lay hands upon Mr Holland’s shop and goods, and Mrs Holland had suffered some ill usage, because she could not, or would not, tell where her husband was gone. They had not, however, apprehended her; and for Mr Holland, who was expected to return to London that week, Austin was on the look-out.
“Isoult,” said her husband to her that night, “when this befell, I was about to tell thee that methought I had now laid up a sufficiency of money for our returning to Bradmond. What sayest thou?”
“O Jack! how can we?” cried Isoult. “Could we leave Robin in prison? and could we either forsake Mrs Rose and Thekla in their extremity, or carry them with us into Cornwall? But what is thine own thought?”
“Truly, dear heart,” he answered, “my thought is that the Lord hath spoken to us reasonable plain, and hath said, ‘Tarry where ye are until I bring you word again.’”
“Yes,” said she after a pause; “I think we must.”
“And take for thy comfort, sweeting,” said he tenderly, “one word that hath been much laid upon mine heart of late: ‘I know where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is.’ God’s letters be never wrong directed.”
On the 10th of January, Austin came again, and brought some notes of Mr Rose’s examination before Gardiner. It was plain that Mr Rose had stood forth boldly, and braved the Bishop to his face.
“I wonder, my Lord,” said he, “that I should be troubled for that which by the Word of God hath been established, and by the laws of this realm hath been allowed, and by your own writing, so notably in your book De Vera Obedientia, confirmed.”
“Ah sirrah, hast thou gotten that?” said the Bishop, who now could not bear to hear of his heretical work.
“Yea, my Lord,” calmly answered Mr Rose, “and do confess myself thereby confirmed.”