shewe for this murder happeneth for no other cause then for the seruice of God which when it is done purely the deuil can in no wise abide it and for this occasion he pricked Caine forward to put his brother to death to the end that by that meanes the word of God and his pure doctrine might be extinguished And this déede sheweth sufficiently howe vehement the ire anger and rage of this subtil Sathan is howe great enuie it is that he hath borne to our first parents so that Caine béeing moued by him conceiued the same anger against his brother Now here God giueth vs alwayes to note what care he hath of those that be his which although he séemeth to giue ouer into the hands and will of the wicked and that whilest there is no body bringeth euidence or accusations against the wicked for their misdealinges yet he worketh so that by one meane or other the reuenge of his seruants is wrought 3 Seth was substituted in Abel his roome vnto the ministerie and had a sonne whom he called Enos and then did men begin to cal vpon the name of the euerlasting Whereby we haue to vnderstand that this word D'inuoquer to inuocate or call vpon doth comprehend all the true seruice of God Then is it very true that God was before that time called vpon honored and serued but the true religion went to wracke through the Cainish Church and there was then no more any semblance of the true Church the which was redressed in the time of Enos Seth was borne in the yeare of Adam and Eue 130. And liued with Adam his father 800. yeares and Seth liued 912. yeares Gene. 5. 4 Enos was borne in the yeare of his Father Seth 105. He liued 905. yeares Adam his grandfather liued with him 695. yeares Cainan was born in the yeare of Enos 90. He liued 910. yeares and Adam liued with him 605. yeares Malalehel was borne in the yeare of Cainan or kenan 70. He liued 895. yeares and Adam with him 535. yeares Iared was borne in the yeare of Malalehel 65. He liued 962. yeares And Adam with him 470. yeares 5 Henoch was borne in the yeare of Iared 162. He liued 365. yeares and was transported by God out of this miserable life to an euerlasting life God would that the faithful should learne hereby to waite for another life wherevnto they shal be translated The scriptures do beare witnesse that this man was one of the most exellent Doctors of the Church amongst the fathers and that he published with great feruencie a farre of the promise of the séede of the woman and that he sustained great combats against the mischieuous doctrine of the Cainishe Church and against the superstitions and idolatries then vsed in as much as they doe giue him great praise and do beare of him one excellent testimony aboue others the fathers where as it is said he walked before God and was no more séene Likewise the Epistle of Saint Iude doth shewe well with what vehement zeale and ardent affection he exhorted men in his time vnto repentaunce and reproued the sinnes of the wicked for marke what S. Iude saith Enoch the seuenth man after Adam prophecied two yeares saying Beholde the Lord wil come with his Saints which are by millions to execute iudgement vpon al men and to reproue all the vngodly for all the workes of wickednesse that they haue wrought vnfaithfully and for all the filthy wordes that the vnbeléeuing sinners haue vttered forth against God Adam liued with this Henoch 308. yeares 6 Mathusalem was borne in the yeare of Henoch his father 65. He liued 969. yeres There was no man that liued so long as he since the creation of the world He dyed in the yere of the vniuersal floud Adam liued with him 243. yeares 7 Lamech was borne in the yeare of Mathusalem 187. Gen. 5. He liued 777. yeares Adam liued with him 55. yeares These before named great and excellent personages were in the time of Adam and helped him in the workes of the Church and to set foorth and publish the doctrine of the promise made of the séede of the woman and to instruct the true seruants of God Thus Adam gouerned the Church of God together with his newe workfellowes the space of 930. yeares After them succeeded in the gouernement of the Church 8 Noe was borne in the yeare of his father Lamech 182. Gen. 5. This man ought of right to be named amongst the principall Doctours and Bishops of the Church of God It is easie to be considered what disdaine what iniuries and persecutions he hath abidden for to maintaine the doctrine of God for at that time men did greatly begin to be multiplyed vpon earth and to waxe froward and to excel in all manner of sinnes and iniquities And as it is saide in Genesis chap. 6. vers 5. That God sawe the malice of man that it was very great vpon earth and that al the imaginations of his heart was at al times none other but euill By this thē is declared that they liued dissolutely in dishonest manners in despising the worde of God and his seruice applying themselues vnto leacherie adulterie and tyrannie and to all sortes of wickednesse For this cause did the Lorde God threaten the world and purposed to confound and destroy it by a deluge of waters And one hundreth yeres before this thing came to passe Noe preached vnto them to the end that they might conuert and be saued Nowe when Noe with his wife and his thrée sonnes Sem Cham and Iaphet and their wiues were entred as God had cōmanded them into the Arke with some of al sortes of liuing creatures the inundation or floud came and slue and destroyed the residue both of men and beastes And there were after the creation of the world vntill the floud one thousand sixe hundred fiftie and sixe yeares What man is there able to expresse the bitter dolours that this good and mightie personage hath endured when he sawe before his eyes all mankind to perish through the deluge of waters and howe that onely he with a fewe moe was saued and further after that this so horible and dreadfull a punishment men forgetting all the euils that were passed fell againe into all impietie and into all maner of mischiefes and abhominable beastlines For he liued after the floud 350. yeares Thus we may sée that these Fathers were greatly martyred and haue suffered grieuous torments through the impietie of the wicked 9 Sem was borne in the yeare of Noe his father 500. Like as Noe was a true Doctour of the Church of God so there is no doubt but that Sem his sonne was also a true Doctour in his roome for that he had instructed his children in the true doctrine of God of the promise already made from the beginning of the world concerning the Messias to come And moreouer he hath bene able to declare also that which he had séene before
At Constantinople was assembled a councell by the aforenamed Emperour in the fourteneth yeare of his Empyre whereas were 300. and thirtie bishops there was commaundement giuen that all the images of sainctes shoulde be taken away and burned Also the Emperour made his subiects to sweare that they shoulde no more worshippe any image of God nor of sainctes but condemned to the death al those that shoulde call vppon the virgin Marie for helpe and those that should haue in their houses any reliques of sainctes He commaunded the Monkes to marry and the Nonnes to follow the estate of marriage Sig. Afterwards he sent to the Pope the conclusions of this councell commaunding him to cast the images out of Churches Sabin king of Bulgarie caused all the images in his kingdome to be beaten downe after the example of Constantine wherupon he gat fauour with the Emperour Naucl. 112 In the yeare 782. or thereaboutes after the natiuitie of our Lorde Iesus Christ wās Alcuin otherwise called Albin the disciple of worthie Beda a monke and afterwardes Abbot of S. Martins in Tours maister to Charlemaigne he composed thrée bookes of the trinitie and many other bookes At that time raigned Constātine the sixte of that name the 76. Emperour of Constantinople the son of Leo the fourth who against the will of his mother Hierene caused the images of the temples to be beaten downe about the which not long before she had assēbled a councel at Nice at the request of Pope Adrian and of Therasius Archebishop of Constantinople as Sig. In this councel there were 325. bishops Naucl. And there it was decréed not onely that they should haue images but also that they shoulde of right be worshipped and that all the gainsayers shoulde be excomunicated But this decrée was shortly abolished by Constantine as is afore saide Chron. Euseb Moreouer within a while after that is to say in the yeare 792. was holden a Synode in Spaine in a citie called Elyberis or Granato whereas did assemble ninetene bishops thirtie and sixe priestes or ministers Felix Bishoppe of Aquitaine was there president There it was concluded especially amongst other poynts that that there should not be in Churches any images or payntings 113 During the raigne of Charlemaigne king of Fraunce who was Emperour though that hee had not gotten the imperiall crowne in the yeare of our Lord Iesus Christ 801. was Ansegisus the Abbot who made foure bookes of the decrées of Charlemaigne of Lewis his sonne Amongst all other things and aboue al things hee would that the Bishopps shoulde preache vnto the people the true doctrine gathered out of the holy scriptures and no otherwise alleaging therefore the saying of Gregorie That a minister who is without the sunne of preaching kindleth against himselfe the wrath of the hidden iudge He also ordeined that no person shoulde make profession of Monachisme without lycence of the king for to shunne many deceypts He would that there should be but a fewe feasts ordeyned he repressed the superfluitie of ministers ordeyning that they shoulde be nourished with the reuenewes of the Church with the poore Furthermore in the time of Charlemaigne and in the meane time whilest he passed his Winter at Francfort vpon the Meine a Councell was holden of a great multitude of Bishops in which the decrée of the councell of Nice concerning worshipping of images holden by Hierene as is aforesaide was pronounced false and condemned of all men c. Charlemaigne caused to be published a booke in his name against images the which agréed with the articles of the saide Councell Furthermore hée made aunswere to two bookes which were founde to haue bene written by Adrian the Pope to Therasius the Patriarch and to the Emperour of Constantinople By this writing Charlemaigne taxed and secreatly condemned Adrian without naming of idolatrie There was also one councell holden at Cauaillon vnder Charlemaigne in which amongst other superstitions that were there condemned the going of Pilgrimage for religions sake was sharpely repressed in the 45. Canon alleaging the saying of S. Hierome No man ought to be praysed for that hée hath séene Ierusalem but for that hee hath lyued well c. It is saide of Charlemaigne that he reproued the Archbishoppe of Mayence named Boniface because hée had a crosse all couered with golde beset with pretious stones for occasion so offering hee checked him and saide that it was rather the furniture of an Emperour then of a pastour 114 Haymo Byshop of Albastat scholler of Alcuinus did write vpon all the bookes aswell of the olde as of the newe Testament as is euident yet at this present He dyed in the raigne of the Emperour Lewis the sonne of Charlemaigne in the yere of Christ 834. In his time was also Rabanus who was first a Monke of the order of S. Benit and Abbot of Fulden afterward he was archbishop of Mayence who was also a disciple of Alcuinus he also made commentaries vpon all the bookes of the Byble He dyed in the yeare of our Lorde 855. Strabus was his scholler of whom it is founde written that he was the first that collected the ordinary glose of the writings of the fathers and doctours the which glose was afterwarde augmented by many others who added sentences therto 115 Bertrand a Priest a learned man well instructed in the true Godlynesse flourished in the time of the Emperour Lotharie in the yeare 840. He wrote many good workes of which it is saide that they did not come all to our hands He wrote a very commendable worke to King Charles the brother of Lotharie that is one booke of predestination and one other of the bodie bloud of our Lorde Iesus Christ The cause why he composed that booke wherein he writeth very learnedly of the supper of the Lorde was by the aduise and commaundement of King Charles le chauue that he might bring the people into one and the true opinion who were then deuided touching the said misterie So that one sort saide that Christ was therein taken and eaten in misterie and was figured vnder the Elements of breade and wine some saide on the contrarie that all that which was séene in the saide misterie was chaunged and conuerted and as many doe say vnto this day transubstantiated into the body and bloud of Christ Some said that it was figuratiuely or euidētly this was the proper bodie of Christ which he tooke of the wombe of the virgin Mary with the which he is ascended into heauen others saide that it was the spirituall bodie that is the misterie representation figure vnderstanding and spirituall apprehension of the proper bodie and bloude of Christ deliuered to the death for our sinnes and risen againe for our iustification All which opinions are founde remayning till this present for some holde still transubstantiation others impanatiō others a metaphore but somewhat reall Others there were who acknowledged nothing els but méere breade and wyne all which doubtes be
his eyes to wit the iust iudgementes that God had wrought-vpon the whole face of the earth washing men from their hortible and abhomible sinnes the which they had vnreasonably committed He also was able to shew foorth the great goodnesse and mercy of God in that he would not that all mankinde should be drowned and destroyed All the time that Sem liued was 600. yeares Gen. 11. 10 Arphaxad was borne the second yeare after the floud in the yeare of his father Sem 100 Gen. 11. He liued 438. yeares Sale was borne in the yeare of his father Arphaxad 35. He liued 433. yeares Gen. 11. Heber was borne in the yere of his father Sale 30. Gen. 11. He liued 464. yeares Phaleg was borne in the yere of his father Heber 34. He liued 239. yeares Reu was borne in the yeare of his father Phaleg 30. He liued 302. yeares Sarug was borne in the yeare of his father Reu 30. He liued 230. yeares Nachor was borne in the yeare of his father Sarug 30. He liued 148. yeares Thare was borne in the yeare of his father Nachor 29. And when he was seuentie yeares olde he begat Abraham He liued 205. yeares Gen. 11.32 Nowe these be here recited by Moses as being the chiefest of those that were in their time whereas we may vnderstand that although the world was filled with all impietie yet notwithstanding God still hath wonderfully conserued some the haue kept the instruction of the true heauenly doctrine to the end that the Church and the promise made thereto should not be wholy extinguished which doctrine was also immediately renued vnto Abraham their successour This is the first order of the Doctours of the Church of God that is to say of the Fathers whose gouernement endured about the space of 2023. yeres The second order of the gouernours of the Church of God is of the Patriarches 11 Abraham was borne in the yeare of his father Thare 70. Gen. 11. He went from his countrie and from his kinsfolke in the yeare after the floud 367. and in the yeare of the world 2023. He with his posteritie bare rule and gouerned the Church In his time was the promise of the séede of the woman renued which is the redéemer and deliuerer of mankinde and it was declared by manifest promises that this deliuerer or redéemer ought to be looked for of his posteritie Furthermore Abraham being of the age of 99. yeares Gen. 17. receiued Circumcision the signe of the aliance betwixt God and him which signe representeth to the Church two things to wit that al what so euer is of man is vicious and must be cut away and that saluation must procéede from the roote of Abraham He liued 175. yeares Gen. 25. Isaac was borne in the yeare of Abraham his father 100. Gen. 21. of whose séede is borne our Lord Iesus Christ Isaar liued 180. yeares 12 Iacob was borne when his father was 60. yeares of age Gen. 25. This man was a Prophete of the Church of GOO and he tooke that heauenly doctrine from his predecessors and of his father Isaac at whose handes also he obtained the blessing of God he was surnamed Israel Gen. 32. And for this cause they that descended of him were called the people of Israel Iacob being 130. yeares olde went downe into Egypt Gen. 47. whereas he might teach the true doctrine of God He liued 147. yeares After this the twelue Patriarches with their children and successors gouerned the church of God in Egypt by the space of 215. yeares Leui was borne but a few yeares before Ioseph He liued 137. yeares After his death the children of Israel were in Egypt 121. yeares And after the death of Leui vntill the natiuitie of Moses was 41. yeares In which time Cahat the sonne of Leui and Amram the sonne of Cahat and father of Moses did gouerne the Church 13 Vnder the guyding of Moses the sonne of Amram of the house of Leui the people was brought out of Egypt Exod. 12. Then was the Lawe giuen published diuinely great miracles wrought yea such as the like had not bene séene nor heard of before amongst the people The lawes also of cere monies were giuen them by God by the hand of Moses so were all sortes of oblations sacrifices and burnt offerings Whereby is to note that the Ceremonies appointed by God to the Fathers were as a preaching and secret kinde of doctrine for to instruct them into what condemnation they were fallen by reason of their sinne and howe that there was no hope of deliuerance and blessing except they had alwayes in their heartes a certaine regarde vnto the mercy of GOD declared in the promise of the séede of the woman promised aforetime to the first parentes and shortly after renued to the Fathers their successors that by the saide séede all the nations of the earth shall be blessed as it is written in the 12. chap. of Genesis And thus the mercy of God was more and more manifested vnto them by meane of the Messias whose office was figured and represented in the saide ceremonies with the whole mysterie of our redemption Moses then with his brother Aaron who was older then he gouerned the Church And God in many sortes and by diuers meanes declared howe greatly he liked the ministerie charge to them committed For as it is written in the 16. chapter of Numbers After that Corah Dathan Abiron and 250. men of the children of Israel had murmured against Moses refusing to be gouerned by him they were all swallowed vp quicke Likewise the people beginning to murmur against Moses and Aaron as though they had bene cause of the punishment sent vpon them GOO reuenged the outragious grudging of them by fire sent from heauen wherewith a great number were deuoured to wit aboue fouretéene thousand This is an example worthie to be remembred of the wrath of GOD against rebels and seditious persons which enuyed and grudged at not so much Gods seruants as against God him selfe Aaron liued 123. yeares and Moses 120. yeares he being inspired by the spirite of God composed fiue Bookes the which be called vntil this day The fiue Bookes of Moses 14 Iosue was borne in the yeare of Moses his age 42. He liued 110. yeares and after the death of Moses he was ordained guide of the people through whose conduct they entred into the land of Canaan the inhabitants whereof he vanquished and put to foyle and lastly he deuided the lande amongest the tribes of Israel He gouerned the people by the space hath heard neither could the vnderstanding of man at any time comprehend to wit the full possession and enioying of glory in the triumphant kingdome of our Lord Iesus the euerlasting Priest and King of whome may be séene in his Psalmes many good and excellent propheties Vnder this King and Prophet as well the ecclesiasticall gouernement as the ciuill was most worthily guided and ordered Loe those that were with him committed
of the supper the accidents be not without the subiect that is to say that the whitenesse and roundnesse of the breade be not without the bread to wit that contrary to transubstantion which the priests haue forged the breade abideth bread and the wine contynueth in the proper substance Moreouer the conclusions proposed by him at the towne of Lambeth be these If that any Princes or Lordes or any others haue made any donations vnto the mynisters of the Church there is therin a secreate condition to wit that God shoulde be honoured and that the faithfull should be edified And if this condition ceasse then they may take away from wicked pastours that which they had giuen them any excommunication or other whatsoeuer to the contrary notwithstanding That if these dealinges of men were let alone the cleargie which were of couetous persons will bring all the world into their hands Also that the Pope may lawfully be reproued by those whom he kéepeth in obedience vnder him and that for the vtilitie of the Church he may be accused both of the clearks and lay people That the Pope as great a Lord as he reporteth himselfe to be must thinke that he is a brother vnto others and that if he sinne he ought to be brotherly corrected and heare corrections brotherly And when as by the holy scripture his heresie or errour is shewed him he ought not to be obstinate And by many other conclusions he shewed euidently the abuse of the Pope and of the cleargy and how that their possessions of so great reuenewes be vniust To conclude he was assaulted by many and amongest others the begging monkes who rose against him by greate flockes But the Lorde gaue him for a protectour the Kinge Edwarde vnder whose raigne he had some lybertie to speake the truth Richarde the successour of the said Edwarde persecuted and banished him Within a while after he was called again from banishment and returned vnto the parrishe of whiche he was pastour and there like a lustie champion of the Lorde he aboade alwayes constant euen vntill the death he died in the yeare of our Lorde 1388. fortie and one yeares after his death he was digged vp againe by the commandement of the Pope and his bones were burned and the ashes thereof cast into the water but Iesus Christ dieth not in his faithful ones vse the tyrants what cruelty they can He composed many bookes the which were burned in the citie of Oxenford in the yere 1410. there be certaine notwithstanding reserued still for to declare that God hath alwayes some faithfull seruantes who doe resist the errours of the world Amongest his writinges there is an Epistle which he sent to Pope Vrbane He that woulde sée more at large of him and of his historie let him looke in the booke of Martyrs 134 In the persecution raysed vp against Wiclief and in the yere 1400. Sautree a priest imbraced with zeale of true pure religion craued and requested in the ful Parliament the audience might be granted him for the cōmon profit of all the Realme Then albeit that his request was honest and ciuill and that he gaue to vnderstande that he coulde bring great profite yet he was not hearde for the bishops perceiuing that he came caused him to be attached of heresie and for the seauen articles condemned disgraded and burned him Looke Fabius in his Chronicles and Iohn Crespin in the booke of martyrs William Thorpe an Englishman was also a valiant martyre of our Lorde Iesus Christ He sustayned great assaultes of many prelats of of the Church of Rome without forsaking his vocation which was to instruct the people according to the pure word of God And therefore he woulde not agrée to preach the superstitions and humaine inuentions which he declared to be contrarie to the institution of the holy scriptures he was condemned hauing yeelded a testimonie of his faith Nowe of many pointes well worth the noting vpon the interrogations propounded to him I will recite for to auoyde great prolixitie one onely that is that he being demaunded of the Archbishop of Canterburie primate of Englande and Chauncelour of the whole Realme what the Church did signifie he answered that it is Iesus Christe and the companie of saincts Which thing the said Archbishop confessed to be true in respect of heauen but he demaunded further what the Church was here below on earth It is deuided into two partes answered the said Williā Thorp the one of the two parts which is the better hath obtained victorie ouer the enemies and triumpheth nowe with Christe in great ioy the other part fighteth here still on earth by the sworde of faith against the continuall bulwarkes of Sathan of the fleshe and of the worlde There is no strength so violent no pompe so proud no fire of afflictions and persecutions so burning no tyrannie so cruel no reasons of Doctours so discording nor opinions so diuerse which can withdrawe them from the right rule of faith and of the holy scriptures For they be fortyfied by the worde of God in Christ and firmely stablished as vppon a sure rocke that can not be remoued Looke Iohn Crespin in his booke of martyrs Within a while after the death of Iohn Wiclief there arose greate persecution in Englande against the faithfull for the truth of the Gospell which then began to take déepe rooting The worthiest men in the Realme were not then spared the lord Cobham a knight of the order one of the peeres of England was there apprehended but he was executed after these that we nowe speake off And therefore according to the order of time we will hereafter speake of him more at large for he was an excellent martyr of our Lorde Iesus Christ King Henrie then by publike ordinaunce made an edicte and set foorth through the persuasions of the bishoppes and prelates terrible punishmentes for all them that should follow the doctrine of Wicliefe vsing so great seueritie against them that he helde them not onely for heretikes but also as guiltie of treason And for this cause it was ordeined that they should be punished with two sortes of punishmentes that is that they should be both hanged and burned and there was neither fréedome nor any priuiledge whereby they coulde enioye profite so maliciously were they bente againste the faithfull séeking all meanes againste them and in that time they called al them Wicleffians who read the scriptures in the vulgar tongue and which made their assemblies in secrete places in the darke preaching in woodes and bushes Then the Bishops being armed with this edicte of the king exercised great tyrannie against manie good people and many poore innocentes and amongest other against Roger Acton a knight of the order and a true nobleman adorned with great vertues he abhorred the wicked traditions of the Pope had his affections withdrawen from him and from all his assistants For that cause it is reported that he was hated amongest the
due alone vnto him whom al the saintes must honour and reuerence and do put their trust in them which ought to be transserred to God onely and more ouer séeing they are so affectioned towards those images that they like better of and be more deuoute to one them then to another mine opinion is said he the of such do commit Idolatry and a deadly sinne against God vnto whom doth belong all honour glorie and praise Lastly hee saide that hee was thus perswaded that there dwelled none here below vpon earth but was in a pilgrimage either to goe vnto life or els to tende vnto torments That whoso doth so order his life that hee transgresseth the commaundements ordinances of God whither that he knoweth them not or will not knowe them hee must not hope for saluation albeit that hee raunge abroade to all the corners of ths worlde Contrariwise hee that shall kéepe the holy ordinances of God cannot perishe although hee neuer make voyage nor pilgrimage in his life vnto any place whither disordered men haue vsed to goe on pilgrimage There be also founde of his other principall articles as of the two natures in Christ diuine humaine and that like as his diuinitie was here béelowe on earth hidden and couered vnder humanity so in the sacrament of the Eucharistie there is bread and the bodie giuen vs to wit the breade which we sée and the bodie of Christ which wee sée not thus expressed hee his Faith touching the Sacrament c. Also that it is not necessarie for the obtayning of saluation to confesse his sinnes to his owne Curate or any other priest whilest he liueth Also hee denyed not onely the worshipping of Images but also that which we call the holy Crosse Furthermore he saide concerning the power of the keyes and touching the Pope Archbishoppes Bishops and other Prelates that the Pope is very Antichrist and that these Archbishops Bishops and other Prelates be his members and the fryers the tayle of Antichrist like as the Pope is the heade to whome no man ought to obey that is to say to the Pope Archbishops Bishoppes and other Prelats except they be followers of Christ and Peter in life and manners and in conuersation and that hee which is the best lyuer most pure in conuersation is the successour of Peter not otherwise It is reported moreouer that the saide Lorde Oldcastel saide with a loude voyce stretching his handes abroade and perswading those that were present These who iudge and woulde condemneme will beguile you all and leade both you themselues into hell and therefore beware of them To make short sentence of death was pronounced against him not withstanding he forbode a while after as it were banished and was sent away by a wile And at the last hee being taken againe and remayning constant without denying the trueth which he saw conteined in the holy scriptures was condemned to be burned And thus this valiant Doctour and Martyr fynished the course of his life and recommending his soule vnto God and praying for his ennimies after that hee had exhorted the people to applie themselues vnto the true faith and pure religion yelded vp his spirite vnto the Lord. He that woulde sée of him more at large let him read the booke of Martyrs 139 In the same time also that is 1418. 19. 20. and so consequently the Lord shewed sufficiently that the bloude of Iohn Hus and Hierome of Prague and of other good doctours and Martyrs of the Church fell not to the grounde for to be swallowed vp and come to nothing as some pretended but it did greatly fructifie with an incredible commoditie not onely in Englande and in Bohemia but also in Germanie and Fraunce and generally in other realmes countries and prouinces For God hath much more since that time shewed a clearer chaunge of thinges causing tongue to be renewed as messengers and arts to bee as forerunners to Dame veritie who immediately came forth with the brightnesse of the most cleare sunne that is the preaching of the Gospell wherein many times they haue excelled being fortified with all necessaries against darknesse Many haue dealt verie valiantly and haue not onely brought againe diuinitie to his naturall and first puritie but haue also endured martyrdome for a more ample witnessing thereof Amongst others one named Grunfelder a priest called to the order of Iesus Christ was burned in the citie of Rinsbourg in the yeare of our Lorde 1420. William Tayler an Englishe man a master in artes was also martyred The princial cause of the furie raysed vp against him was because hee had composed a booke against calling vpon or praying to saincts For that cause hee was burned in the citie of London in the yeare 1422. hee abode the fire verie constantly Henry Radtgeber of the order of Popish priests first did valyantly fight and endured a cruell death for the profession of the Gospel in the foresaide citie of Rinsbourg this was in the yeare 1423. Iohn Drandorfe of a noble house in the countrey of Misne was executed at Wormes in the yere following 1424. Peter Toraw was afterwarde martyred in the Citie of Spira anno 1426. Iohn Bale an English writer speaketh hereof in his booke of the famous men of England 140 In the yeare 1425. there was a Priest called William Wight an English man who hauing vsed to reade the sermons of Wicliefe chaunged his life wholly and acknowledging the filthinesse of his former life he forsooke his benefice whereby he had receiued large reuenewes After that hee following the holy ordinaunce of God tooke a wife Being maryed he applied himselfe to studie and teaching either publikely or priuately labouring to profite all men At the laste hee was taken in the citie of Norwich and there they layed against him thirtie articles for the which hee was cruelly burned by the procuring of the Bishop and this was in the yeare 1428. His wife following the example of her husband ceassed not according to her facultie for to instructe euery bodie and for this cause she was very hardly intreated by the saide Bishop Also in the yeare 1430. Richarde Houenden an English man and a Citizen of London could by no meanes bee withdrawen from the trueth for any perswasions that coulde bée alleaged and therefore he was condemned to be burned néere vnto the tower of London 141 Many good personages of dyuers Realmes haue greatly beene afflicted and persecuted in the yeares following because they spake and mainteined the pure trueth and haue spilte euen the vttermost drop of their bloude God notwithstanding assisted them the they might make the aduersaries of the puritie of his holy and diuine seruice the more ashamed In the Realme of Bohemia Paul Crau in the yeare 1431. was deliuered to the seculer power by a Bishoppe for to bee burned and that because hee blodly withstoode the wicked opinions of the people touching the Eucharistie inuocation of sainctes auricular confession and