"What is thy calling?" "While in this country, I have followed the weaver's craft." "Art thou a lettered man?" "I am." "Try him," said one of the Bishops. A Latin book was handed up to Gerhardt, from which he readily construed some sentences, until the Council declared itself satisfied on that point. This man before them, whatever else he might be, was no mere ignorant peasant. "Are the rest of thy company lettered men?" "No. They are mostly peasants." "Have they gone about preaching, as thou hast?" "The men have done so." "And how can ignorant peasants teach abstruse doctrines?" "I do not think they attempted that. They kept to the simple doctrines." "What understandest thou by that?" Gerhardt was beginning to answer, when the Bishop of Winchester interposed with another question. He was Prince Henry of Blois, the brother of King Stephen, and a better warrior than a cleric. "Art thou a priest?" "I am not." "Go on," said the Bishop of Lincoln, who led the examination. "What meanest thou by the faith of Christ? What dost thou believe about Christ?" Gerhardt's reply on this head was so satisfactory that the Bishop of Worcester--not long appointed--whispered to his brother of Winchester, "The man is all right!" "Wait," returned the more experienced and pugnacious prelate. "We have not come to the crux yet." "You call yourselves Christians, then?" resumed Lincoln. "Certainly we are Christians, and revere the doctrines of the Apostles." "What say you of the remedies for sin?" "I know of one only, which is the blood of Christ our Lord." "How!--are the sacraments no remedies?" "Certainly not." "Is sin not remitted in baptism?" "No." "Is not the blood of Christ applied to sinners in the holy Eucharist?" "I utterly refuse such a doctrine." "What say you of marriage? is that a sacrament?" "I do not believe it." "Ha! the man is all right, is he?" whispered old Winchester satirically to his young neighbour, Worcester. "Doth not Saint Paul term marriage `_sacramentum magnum_'?" "He did not write in Latin." This was awkward. The heretic knew rather too much. "Are you aware that all the holy doctors are against you?" "I am not responsible for their opinions." "Do you not accept the interpretation of the Church?"