—Spake of ye new art of printing, and its possible consequents.
—Of ye active and fertile minds at present turning up new ground and ferreting out old abuses.
—Of the abuse of monachism, and of ye evil lives of conventualls. In special, of ye fanaticism and hypocrisie of ye Dominicans.
Considered ye evills of ye times such, as that societie must shortlie, by a vigorous effort, shake 'em off.
Wondered at ye patience of the laitie for soe manie generations, but thoughte 'em now waking from theire sleepe. The people had of late beganne to know theire physickall power, and to chafe at ye weighte of theire yoke.
Thoughte the doctrine of indulgences altogether bad and false.
Father sayd, that ye graduallie increast severitie of Church discipline concerning minor offences had become such as to render indulgences ye needfulle remedie for burdens too heavie to be borne.—Condemned a Draconic code, that visitted even sins of discipline with ye extream penaltie.—Quoted how ill such excessive severitie answered in our owne land, with regard to ye civill law; twenty thieves oft hanging together on ye same gibbet, yet robberie noe whit abated.
Othermuch to same purport, ye which, if alle set downe, woulde too soone fill my libellus. At length, unwillinglie brake off, when the bell rang us to matins.
At breakfaste, William and Rupert were earneste with my father to let 'em row him to Westminster, which he was disinclined to, as he was for more speede, and had promised Erasmus an earlie caste to Lambeth; howbeit, he consented that they sd pull us up to Putney in ye evening, and William sd have ye stroke-oar. Erasmus sayd, he must thank ye archbishop for his present of a horse; "tho' I'm full faine," he observed, "to believe it a changeling. He is idle and gluttonish, as thin as a wasp, and as ugly as sin. Such a horse, and such a rider!"
In the evening, Will and Rupert made 'emselves spruce enow, with nosegays and ribbons and we tooke water bravelie—John Harris in ye stern, playing the recorder. We had the six-oared barge; and when Rupert Allington was tired of pulling, Mr. Clement tooke his oar; and when he wearied, John Harris gave over playing ye pipe; but William and Mr. Gunnel never flagged.