so done and that I wil make good on thy body traytour and therewith geuing a great rap on the boord for a token or watchword one cryed treason without and forthwith the chamber was full of harneysed men The protector then approchyng to the L. Hastinges arrested him as a traytour An other let flye at the Lord Standley who to auoyd the blowe shronke vnder the table or els his head had bene cleft a sonder notwithstanding he receaued such a wounde that the bloud ranne about hys eares There were in that counsaile the same time the Archbishop of Yorke and Doctour Morton Byshop of Ely by whose procurement afterward king Henry the vii was sent for into England and he made archbishop after that of Canterbury these with the Lord Standley diuersly were bestowed in diuers chambers The Lorde Hastinges was commaunded to speede and shriue hym a pace for before dinner the protector sware by S. Paule that he should dye and so incontinently without farther iudgement his head was striken of by whose counsayle the Queenes kindred were at the same time and daye beheaded at Pomfret After this tyrannous murder accomplished the mischienous protectour aspiring still to the crowne to set his deuises forward first through giftes and fayre promises dyd subordinate Doctor Shaw a famous preacher then in Lōdon at Paules Crosse to insinuate to the people that neyther king Edward with his sonnes nor the Duke of Clarence were lawfully begotten nor the very children of the Duke of York but begotten vnlawfully by other persons in adultery on y◠Duches their mother and that he alone was the true and onely lawfull heyre of the Duke of York Moreouer to declare and to signifie to the audience that K. Edward was neuer lawfully maried to the Queene but hys wife before was dame Elizabeth Lucy and so the 2. childrē of king Edward to be base and bastardes and therfore the title of the crown most rightly to pertaine to the Lord protector That this false flatterer and loud lying preacher to serue the protectors humour shamed not most impudently to abuse that holy place that reuerent auditorye the sacred word of God taking for hys theame Adulterae plantationes nō dabūt radices altas c which he most impiously did apply against the innocent children right heyres of this realm Whereupon such grudge and disdayne of the people wyth worldly wonder followed him that for shame of the people crying out of him in few dayes after he pyned way When this sermon would take no effect with the people the protector vnmercifully drowned in ambitiō rested not thus but wtin few dayes after excited the Duke of Buckingham first to breake the matter in couert talke to the Mayor and certayne of the heades of the Cittie picked out for the purpose that done to come to the Guildhall to moue the people by all flattering and lying perswasions to the same which shameles Shaw before had preached before at Paules Crosse. Whiche the Duke with all dilligence and helpes of eloquence being a man both learned and well spoken endeuored to accomplish making to the people a long and artificiall Oration supposing no lesse but that the people allured by his crafty iusinuations would cry king Rich. K. Ric. But there was no king Rich in their mouthes lesse in their hartes Wherupon the Duke looking to the Lord Mayor and asking what the silence ment contrary to the promise of the one the expectation of that other It was then answered of the Mayor that the people peraduenture wel vnderstood him not wherfore the Duke reiterating his narration in other wordes declared agayne that he had done before Likewise the thyrd time he repeted hys Oration againe and agayn Then the commons which be fore stood mute being now in a mase seeing this importunitie began to mutter softly among themselues but yet no king Richard could sound in their lips saue onely that in the nether end of the Hall certayn of the Dukes seruantes with one Nashfield and other belonging to the protector thrusting into the Hall among the prease began sodaynly at mens backes to cry king Richard k. Rich throwing vp theyr cappes whereat the cittizens turning back theyr heades marueiled not a little but sayd nothing The Duke and the Lord Mayor with that side taking this for sufficient testimony incontinent came blowing for hast to the protector then lying at Baynardes Castle Where the matter being made before was now so contriued that forsooth humble petition was made in the name of the whole commons and that with 3 sundry sutes to the humble and simpel protector that he although it was vtterly against his will to take it yet would of his humilitye stoupe so low as to receane the heauy kingdome of England vpon his shoulders At this their tender request and sute of the Lords and commōs made ye must know how the milde Duke seing no other remedy was contented at length to yeld although fore against his will ye must so imagine and to submit himselfe so low as of a protector to be made king not much herein vnlike to our prelates in that Popish churche who when they haue before well compounded for the popes Buls yet must they for maner sake make curtesy and thrise deny that for whiche they so long before haue gaped and so sweetly haue payed for King Richard the third vsurper ANd thus Richard Duke of Gloucester tooke vpon to be made proclaymed king of England the yeare aforesayd an 1483. in the mōth of Iune Who then comming to the Tower by water first made his sonne a childe of x. yeare old prince of Wales Iohn Haward a man of great industry seruice he aduaūced to be Duke of Northfolke Sir Tho. Haward his sonne he ordained Erle of Surry Also William Lord Barckeley was appoynted Earle of Notingham Frances L. Louell was made Uicunt Louell L. Stanley for feare of his sonne was deliuered out of the Tower and made Steward of the kings houshold Likewise the Archbishop of Yorke was set free but Morton Bishop of Ely was committed to the Duke of Buckingham by whome was wrought the first deuise to bring in Henry Erle of Richmond into England and to cōioin mariage betweene Elizabeth king Edwardes daughter and him whereby the two houses of Yorke and Lancaster were vnited together After the kingdome of England was thus allotted to king Rich. the vsurper as in maner aboue remembred he taried not long for hys coronation which was solemnised the month next ensuing the 6. day of Iuly The triumph and solemnitie of this vsurped coronation being finished al thinges to the same appertayning this vnquiet tyraunt yet coulde not thinke himselfe safe so long as yong Edward the right king hys brother were aliue Wherefore the next enterprise which he did set vpon was this how to rid these innocent babes out of
retractation whereunto they by force compelled him wherby it may likewise be coniectured what credite is to be geuen to the articles and conclusions which these caueling Fryers wrasting all thinges to the worst haue obiected and imputed both to Wickliffe all other of that sort whoÌ„ they so falsly do infame so slannderously doe bely and so maliciously doe persecute After these thinges thus done and wrought in the diocesse of Lincolne it so befell the sayd W. Swinderby to remoue to the diocesse and countery of Herford where he was as much or more molested by the friers again by Ioh. Tresnant B. of Herford as by the processe story here ensuing set out at large out of their owne registers may appeare Here followeth the processe of Iohn Tresnant Bishop of Herford had against the aforesaid William Swinderby in the cause of hereticall prauitie as the popishe heretickes cal it THe glorious name of the prince of peace and his counsaile whose counsailour no man is whose prouideÌ„ce in his disposition is neuer deceaued being inuocated To all and singuler beleuers of Christ which shall see or heare this our processe vnderwritten Iohn by the subâ—erance of God B. of Herford greeting and peaceable charitie in the Lord. Forasmuch as God the creator of all things the keper of iustice the louer of right and the hater of malice beholding from the high throne of his prouidence the sonnes of men now through the fall of their first father prone and and declining to dishonest and filthy detestable mischifes and to keep vnder their malice which wicked transgressioÌ„ did first gender hath appoynted diuers presidentes of the world stablished in sundry degrees by whome and theyr circumspect prouidence mans audacitie should be restrayned innocency should be nourished amongst the good terror should be striken into the wicked not to deceiue also that their power to hurt theyr insolency should be brydled in all places And whereas amongst many kindes of cares whiche come to our thoughtes by the duety of the office committed vnto us we are specially bound to extend our streÌ„gth chiefly that the catholicke fayth may prosper in our tymes and hereticall prauity may be rooted from out of the borders of the faythfull we therfore being excited through the information of many credible and faythfull Christians of our dioces to roote out pestiferous plantes as sheep diseased with an incurable sicknes going about to infect the whole and sound flocke are by the care of the shepheard to be remoued from the flock that is to say Preachers or more truely execrable offendours of the new sect vulgarly called lollardes which vnder a certayn cloked shew of holynes running abroad through diuers places of our diocesse endeuoring to cut a sunder the Lords vnsowed coat that is to say to rent the vnity of the holy Church of the Catholicke fayth and also to teare in peeces with their teÌ„pestious blasts the power of S. Peter that is to say to weaken the streÌ„gth of the ecclesiasticall states and degrees and the determination of the same holy church haue wickedly presumed do presume from day to day to speak to teach to mayntayne and that which is more horrible to be vttered to preach openly many things hereticall blasphemies schismes and sclaunderous diffaminges euen quite contrary to the sacred Canons and decrees of the holy fathers so that they knowe not to direct their pathes in the wayes of righteousnes and trueth in that that they expounde to the people the holy scripture as the letter soundeth after a Iudiciall sort otherwise then the holy Ghost will needs haue it wheras the words wander from their proper significations and appeare to bryng in by gessing new meanings whereas the wordes must not be iudged by the sense that they make but by the sense whereby they be made where as the constructioÌ„s is not bound to Donates rules where as fayth is farre placed from the capacitie of reason But they labour by their pernitious doctrines teachings puâ— like and priuy to boyle out the poysoÌ„ of schismes betwene the clergie and the people We to encounter agaynst suche kinde of preachers nay rather deceauers and horrible seducers amongest the people aduauncing and rowzing vp ourselues in Gods behalfe and holy mother Churche with the spirituall sword whiche may strike them wisely and wounde them medicinably for theyr health and welfare and namely William Swynderby Priest so pretending himselfe to be as a teacher of suche kinde of pernicious doctrine and an horrible seducer amongst the people to whom personally appearing before vs on the wednesday to wit the 14. of the month of Iune in the parishe Church of Kington of our diocesse in the yeare of our Lord. 1391. he being vehemently diffamed to vs of heresie schisme and his peruerse doctrines both manifest and priuy we therefore haue caused many cases and articles coÌ„cerning the catholicke fayth to be ministred vnto him that he should answere to the same at a day and place for him meet and conuenient of his owne choyse and freewill that is to say on the Friday being the last of the same month of Iune next following assigned to him at the Churche of Bodenhame of the same our diocesse Of whiche cases and articles exhibited vnto vs by many of Christes faythfull people zelous followers of the catholike fayth to make information to our office which cases and articles also were by vs administred as is before sayd to the same William Swinderby the tenor therof followeth and is thus ¶ Reuerend father and high Lord Lord Iohn by gods sufferance bishop of Hereford It is lamentably declared to your reuerend fatherhood on the behalf of Christs faythful people your deuout children of your diocesse of Herford that notwithstaÌ„ding the misbeliefe of very many lollards which hath to long a time sprong vp here in your diocesse there is newly come a certayn child of wickednes named William Swinderby who by his horrible perswasions mischieuous endeuours and also by his open preachings and priuate teachinges doth peruert as much as in him is the whole ecclesiasticall state and stirreth vp with all hys possible power schisme betwene the clergy and the people And that your reuerend fatherhood may be the more fully informed who and what maner of man the same William Swinderby is there be proposed and exhibited herafter to the same your fatherhood on the behalf of the same faithful people of Christ against the same William Swinderby cases and articles Which if the same William shall deny theÌ„ shall the same cases and articles most euidently be prooued against him by credible witnesse worthy of beliefe by other lawfull proofe and euidences to the end that those being proued the same fatherhood of yours may do and ordeine therin as to your pastorall office belongeth ¶ In primis the same William Swinderby pretending himselfe priest was opeÌ„ly and publiquely
d 26 Henry Ramsey Martyr 12 1557  e 27 Thomas Thyrtle Martyr 12 1557 4 f 28 Margaret Hyde Martyr 12 1557  g 29 Agnes Stanley Martyr 12 1557  A 30 William Nicholl Martyr  1558 ¶ May hath 31. dayes The Moone xxx Dayes of their death Yeare of our Lord. 11 b 1 Phillip and Iacob Apostles    c 2 Iohn Hus Martyr  1415 19 d 3 Hieronymus Sauonarola Martyr 23 1499 8 e 4 Dominike Martyr 23 1499  f 5 Siluester Martyr 23 1499 16 g 6 Frier Roy Mar.  1531    Rob. Kyng mar  1532 5 A 7 Robert Debnam Martyr  1532  b 8 Nicholas Marsh Martyr  1532 13 c 9 〈◊〉 Cardmaker aliâs Taylour Preacher Martyr 31 1555 2 d 10    e 11 Iohn Warne mar 31 1555 10 f 12 Margaret Ellis confessor 13 1556  g 13 Hugh Laâ—erocke Martyr 15 1556 18 A 14 Iohn Apprice mar 15 1556 7 b 15 Katherine Hut Widow Martyr 16 1556  c 16 Elizab. Thackuell martyr 16 1556  15 d 17 Ione Hornes mar 16 1556 4 e 18 A blind boy and another with him mar 5 1556  f 19 Thomas Spycer Martyr 21 1556 12 g 20 Iohn Denny mar 21 1556 1 A 21 William Poole Martyr 21 1556    Iohn Slesh confessor 30 1556  b 22 William Norant Martyr 29 1557 9 c 23     d 24 Steuen Gratwike martyr 29 1557 17 e 25 Iohn Thurstone confessor  1557 6 f 26 William Seaman martyr 19 1558  g 27 Thomas Carman martyr 19 558 14 A 28 Thomas Hudson Martyr 19 1558 3 b 29 William Harries Martyr 26 1558  c 30 Rich. Day mar 26 1558 11 d 31 Christian George Martyr 26 1558 ¶ Iune hath 30. dayes The Moone xxix Dayes of their death Yeare of our Lord.  e 1 〈…〉 martyr 1 1416 19 f 2 Anne Askew Martyr Ioh. Lassels gent. Mar. Nich. Belman Mar.  1546 8 g 3 Tho. Hawkes Mar. Tho. Waâ—tes Mar. â—â— 1555 16 A 4 Iohn Simplon Mar. Iohn Ardlâ—y Mar. Nic. Chamberlain mar 14 1555 5 b 5 Tho. Hosmond mar W. Bramford Mar. Tho. Harland Mar. 15 1555  c 6 Iohn Osward Mar. Tho. Read Mar. 6 1556 13 d 7 Tho. Abington Mar. Tho. Wood minist Mar. Tho. Milles Mar. 20 1556 2 e 8 Wil. Adherall Minister confessor 23 1556    Iohn Clement confes 25 1556  f 9 A merchants seruaunt Martyr 26  10 g 10 H. Adlington mar Lau. Pâ—â—nam mar Hen. Wic mar 27 1556  A 11 W. Halliwell mar 27 1556    Th. Bowyer mar George Serle mar 27 18 b 12 Edm. Hurst mar 27 1556    Lion Cawch mar Rafe Iackson mar 27  7 c 13 Ioh. Derifall mar Iohn Roth. mar  1556  d 14 Eliz. Pepper mar 27     Agnes George mar Tho. Parret confes 27 1556 15 e 15 Hunt Ambrose confes Ioh. Morice confes 28 1556 4 f 16 Rog. Bernard mar 29 1556    Adam Foster mar Rob. Lawson mar 30 1556  g 17 Walter Apleby Petronill his wife mar 18 1557 12 A 18 Edm. Allen and Katharine his wyfe mar Io. Bradbrige mar   1 b 19 I. Manning mar Eliz. a blind maid mar Tho. Moore mar 18 1557  c 20 Nich. White mar Nich. Pardâ—â—e mar 19 1557 9 d 21 I. Fishcocke mar Barbara Final mar Bradbriges wid Mar.    e 22 Bendens wife and Wilsons wife Mar. 19 1557 17 f 23 Rich. Woodman mar      Nat. of S. Iohn Bap.   6 g 24 G. Stephens W. Mainard Alexander Hosmans man Martyrs 22 1557  A 25 Tomasin a Woods maid Margery Morice Iam. 22 1557 14 b 26 Morice sonne Dennis Burges Asdowns wife Groues wife Martyrs   3 c 27 Henry Pond mar R. Estland mar 27 1558  d 28 Ro. Southam mar Mat. Ricarby mar      Peteâ— and Paule   11 e 29 Iohn Lloyd mar 27 1558  f 30 Iohn Holyday mar Rog. Holland mar   ¶ Iuly hath 31. dayes The Moone xxx Dayes of their death Yeare of our Lord. 19 g 1 Henry Uoz Mar. Iohn Esch mar â— 1522 8 A 2 〈…〉 Martyr 4 1523  b 3 Andrew Hewet Martyr   16 c 4 Anthony Person Martyr   5 d 5 Robert Testwood Martyr H. Finnemore mar 18 1543  e 6 Iohn Bradford preacher Martyr 1 1555 13 f 7    2 g 8 Iohn Leafe mar Iohn Polley Mar.    A 9 Will. Ming Minister Mar. Richard Hooke Mar. 2 1555 10 b 10 Iohn Blande Preacher Mar. 12 1555  c 11 Iohn Franke mar Humfrey Middleton Mar. 12 1555 18 d 12 Nich. Shetterden Martyr 12 1555 7 e 13 William Dighel Martyr    f 14 Dirike Caruer mar Iohn Launder mar 2 1555 15 g 15 Thomas Iueson Martyr 3 1555 4 A 16 Nich. Hall Mar.    b 17 Iohn Alewoorth confessor      Iohn Carelesse confessor Iohn Gwin mar 1 1556 12 c 18 Iulius Palmer a schoole-maister and Askine Martyrs â—6 1556 1 d 19 Katharine Cauches and Paratiâ—e Massy with her child not one hower old and Guillemine Gilbert Mar. 17 1556  e 20   9 f 21 Thomas Dungate mar    g 22 Iohn Foreman Martyr 18 1556 17 A 23 Symon Miller Mar. Elizabeth Cooper Martyr 13 1556 6 b 24 Mary Magdalene    c 25 Richard Yeoman Minister mar 10 1558 14 d 26 William Pikes Mar. 14 1558 3 e 27 Iames Apostle    f 28 Stephen Cotton Martyr 14 1558    Iohn Slade mar â—4 1558 11 g 29 Stephen Wight Mar. Rob. Milles mar 14 1558  A 30 Rob. Dines mar 14 1558 19 b 31 Tho. Benbricke Gentleman mar 19 1558 ¶ August hath 31. dayes The Moone xxx Daies of their death 〈…〉 our Lord. 8 c 1 Leonard Keyfer Martyr 16 1527 16 d 2 Iames Abbes mar 2 1555 5 e 3 Iohn Demy Gentleman mar 8 1555  f 4 Iohn Newman Martyr â—8 ibid. 13 g 5 Patrike Patingham mar 28 ibid. 2 A 6 Will. Coker mar 23 ibid.    Wil. Hopper mar 23 ibid.  b 7 Henry Laurence Martyr 23 ibid. 10 c 8 Richard Collier Martyr 23 ibid.  d 9 William Steere Martyr 23 ibid. 18 e 10 Richard Wright Martyr 23 ibid. 7 f 11 Elizabeth Warne martyr    g 12 George Tankerfield mart 26 ibid. 15 A 13 Richard Smith Martyr 8 ibid. 4 b 14 8 ibid.  c 15 Stephen Horwood martyr 30 ibid.    Thomas Fusse mar 30 ibid. 12 d 16 William Haile Martyr 31 ibid.  e 17 Robert Samuell Preacher mar 31 1555  f 18 Ioane Waste Mar.  1556 9 g 19 William Bongeor martyr 2 1557  A 20 Robert
Turkes or Infidels or in their doctrine were any Idolatrous impitie or detestable iniquitie in their liues if they went about any deadly destruction or priuy conspiracies to oppresse your liues or by fraudulent dealing to circuÌ„uent you then had you some cause to coÌ„plaine and also to reuenge Now seing in their doctrine ye haue neyther blasphemy idolatry superstition nor misbeliefe to obiect vnto them seing they are baptised in the same beliefe and beleue the same articles of the Crede as ye do hauing the same God the same Christ sauiour the same baptisme and are ready â—s conâ—erre with you in all kinde of Christen doctrine neyther do refuse to be tryed by any place of the scripture how then riseth this mortall malice of you agaynst them If you thinke them to be herâ—tickes then bring forth if ye can any one sentence which they arrogantly hold contrary to the minde of holy scripture expounded by the censure of most auncient Doctours Or what is there in all yâ— scripture to be required but they acknowledge confesse the same See try the order of their liues doinges what great fault find you They serue God they walke vnder his feare they obey his law as men may do and though they be transgressors toward him as other men are yet toward you what haue they done what haue they committed or deserued why you should be so bitter agaynst them What offended the poore habitants of Merindal Cabriers when the bishop of Aix the Cardinall of Turon and other Bishops of France wrasting from Fraunces the French king a commission sent Menâ—rius with his Captayne Iohn de Gay to destroy theyr countrey an 1530. who driuing the poore people there into a barn ful of straw set the barn on fire burned vp men women and children And likewise in a church exercised the like crueltie vpon them where were murdered the same time to the number of a thousand yong and old women children and yong infants besides vii whole townes with the most part of the dwellers thering being murdered burnt in the sayd country of ProueÌ„ce Also before that what offended the Cittizens of Tholouse and Auinion when Pope Gregory the ix set Lewes the French king to warre agaynst them and agaynst Raymundus their Earle without cause where also the sayd kyng died at the siege Or to speake of later yeres what hurt or harme did the poore Protestantes in the towne of Uassy who peaceably being at a Sermon were miserably slayne and cut men women and children by the Duke of Guyes and hys armed souldiours besides other infinite examples almost not to be numbred of like crueltie in Calabria Apulia Bohemia Fraunce and now of late in Flaunders and in other countryes moe But to let other countryes passe let vs turne now to the peaceable gouernment in this realme of England vnder this our so milde gracious Queene now presently reigning Under whome you see howe gently you are suffered what mercy is shewed vnto you how quietly ye liue What lacke you that you woulde haue hauing almost the best rowmes and offices in all the realme not onely without any losse of lyfe but also without anye feare of death And though a few of your Archâ—lerkes be in custody yet in that custody so shrewdly are they hurt that many a good Protestant in the realme would be glad with all their hartes to chaunge rowmes and dyet with them if they might And albeit some other for their pleasure haue slipt ouer the seas if their courage to see countries abroade did so allure them who coulde let them yet this is certayne no dreade there was of death that draue them For what papist haue you seen in all this land to lose eyther life or limme for papistry during al these xii yeares hetherto since this Queenes reigne And yet all this notwithstaÌ„ding hauing no cause to complayne so many causes to geue God thaÌ„ks ye are not yet content ye fret and fume ye grudge and mutter and are not pleased with peace nor satisfied with safety but hope for a day and fayne would haue a chaunge And to preuent your desired day ye haue conspired and rise vpp in open rebellion agaynst your Prince whom the Lord hath set vp to be your gouernour And as you haue since that nowe of late disturbed the quiet and peaceable state of Scotland in murdering most trayterously the gentle and godly Regent of Scotland who in sparing the Queenes life there when he had her in his handes hath now therfore lost his own so with like fury as by your rebellion appeareth would disturbe the golden quiet and tranquilitie of this Realme of England if ye might haue your willes Which the mercifull grace of almightie for Christ his sonnes sake our Lord forfend and vtterly disapoynt Amen Wherfore these premises coÌ„sidered my question is to aske of you know what iust or reasonable cause ye haue of these your vnreasonable doinges of this your so mortall and deadly hatred fury and malice you beare agaynst these your euenchristened of these your tumultes coniurations gaping and hoping rebellions mutteringes murders wherewith you trouble and disquiet the whole world Of all which mischiefes if the true cause were well known the truth would be found doubtles to be none other but onely the priuate cause of the Bishop of Rome that he is not receiued and the dignity of his Church exalted Touching which cause how vnreasonable and vniust it is more shal be sayd the Lord willing in reply according as I shal see theyr answere if it shall so please theÌ„ or any of theÌ„ to answere this question In the meane time this for a briefe note shall suffice that it standeth not with the scripture but contrary to the scripture that the Bishop of Rome should so reuenge his owne priuate cause If his title plantatioÌ„ be good of God why doth he not refer it vnto god And no doubt but if it be so God will maintein it though the whole world sayd no. If it be otherwise it will fall be rooted out though all the world sayd yea yea the greatest argument to proue this plantation of the Popes supremacy not to be of God is that the Pope fighting in his owne priuate cause by outward worldly force seeketh his owne glory Christ our sauior being here refused himselfe yet neither reuenged his cause nor sought his owne glory but only the glory will of his father thus speaking of himself Si ego glorifico meipsuÌ„ gloria mea nihil est pater meus est qui glorificat me c. Ioan. 8. i. If I glorify my selfe my glory is nothing my father is he that glorifyeth me c. Euen so I saye with scripture that if the Popes procâ—edings were planted of God he would not so wrastle for his glory as â—e doth But forsomuch as he seeketh by such cruelty and bloudshed to exalt himselfe
vs with their praiers preachings they persecute vs. Whervpon after that Brocmayl being ouercome did flee awaye the king commaunded his men to turne their wepons against the sely vnarmed Monkes of whome he slewe the same time or rather Martired .1100 onely fiftie persons of that number did flee and escape awaye with Brocmayl the rest were all slaine The authors that write of this lamentable murder declare saye howe the forespeaking of Austen was here verefied vpon the Britanes which because they would not ioine peace with their frends he said should be destroied of their enimis Of both these parties the reader may iudge what he pleaseth I can not see but both together were to be blamed And as I cannot but accuse the one so I cannot defend the other First Austen in this matter can in no wise be excused who being a monke before therfore a scholer professor of humilitie shewed so litle humilitie in this assembly to seuen Byshops an Archbishop coÌ„ming at his coÌ„maundement to the Councell that he thought scorne once to stirre at their comming in Much lesse would his Pharisaicall solemnity haue girded himselfe washed his brethrens feete after their trauaile as Christ our great maister did to his Disciples seyng his Lordship was so hie or rather so heauy or rather so proude that coulde not finde in his hart to giue them a little moouing of his body to declare a brotherly humble hart Againe the Britaynes were much or more to blame who so much neglected their spirituall duety in reuenging their temporal iniury that they denyed to ioyne vnto their helping labour to turne the Idolatrous Saxons to the way of lyfe and saluatioÌ„ In which respect all priuate cases ought to geue place and to be forgotten For the whiche cause although lamentable to vs yet no great meruaile in them if the stroke of gods punishment did light upon theÌ„ according to the wordes of Austen as is before declared But especially the cruell king in this fact was most of all to blame so furiously to flee vpon them which had neither weapoÌ„ to resist him nor yet any will to harme him And so likewise the same or like happened to himselfe afterward For so was he also slayne in the field by Christian Edwine who succeeded him as he had slayne the Christians before whiche was about the yeare of our Lord. 610. But to returne to Austen agayne who by report of authors was departed before this cruelty was done after he had baptised and christened x. thousand Saxons or Angles in the West riuer that is called Swale beside Yorke on a ChristeÌ„masse day perceauing hys end to draw neare he ordayned a successor named Laurentius to rule after him the Archbishops sea of Dorobernia Where note by the way Christian Reader that wheras Austen baptised then in riuers it followeth there was then no vse of fontes Agayne if it be true that Fabian sayth he baptised x. thousaÌ„d in one day the rite theÌ„ of Baptising at Rome was not so ceremoniall neither had so manye trinkets at that tyme as it hath had since or els it could not be that he coulde baptise so many in one daye In the meane season about this time departed Gregory Byshop of Rome of whom it is sayd that of the number of al the first Bishops before him in the primitiue time he was the basest of all them that came after him hee was the best About whiche tyme also dyed in Wales Dauid Archbishop first of Kayrleion who then translated the sea from thence to Meneuia and therefore is called Dauid of Wales Not long after this also deceased the foresayd Austen in England after he had set there xv or xvi yeares by the which count we may note it not to be true that Henry Huntington and other doe witnesse that Austen was dead before that battaile of Ethelfride agaynst the MoÌ„kes of BaÌ„gor For if it be true that Polycronicon testifieth of this murder to be done about the yeare of our Lorde 609. and the comming of Austen first into the Realme to be an 596. then Austen enduring xvi yeares could not be dead at thys battell Moreouer Galfridus Monumetensis declareth concerning the same battell that Ethelbert the king of Kent beyng as is sayd conuerted by Austen to Christes fayth after he saw the Britaynes to disdayne and deny their subiection vnto Austen neyther would assist him with preaching to the English nation therefore stirred vp he the foresayd Ethelfride to warre agaynst the Britaynes But that seemeth rather suspicious then true that he being a Christen king eyther could so much preuayle with a Pagan Idolater or els would attempt so farre to commit such a cruell deede But of vncertayne things I haue nothing certainly to say lesse to iudge About this present tyme aboue prefixed which is 610. I read in the story of Ranulphus Cestrensis the writer of Polychronicon of Iohn the Patriarche of Alexandria who for his rare example of hospitality and bountifulnes to the poore I thought no lesse worthy to haue place amongest good men then I see the same now to be followed of few This Iohn beyng before belike a hard and sparing man as he was at hys prayer vpon a tyme it is sayd there appeared to him a comely virgine hauing on her head a garland of Oliue leaues which named her selfe mercy saying to him and promising that if he would take her to wiâ—e he should prosper well This whether it were true or not or els inuented for a moralitie I would wish this florishing damsell so to be maryed to moe then to this Iohn that shee should not liue so long a virgine now as she doth because no man will marry her But to returne to his Patriarch who after that day as the story recordeth was so merciful and so beneficiall especially to the poore and needy that he counted them as hys maysters and himself as a seruaunt and steward vnto them This Patriarch was wont commonly twise a weeke to sit at hys doore all the day long to take vp matters and to set vnitie where was any variaunce One day it happened as he was sitting all the day before hys gate and saw no man come lamented that all that day hee had done no good To whome his Deacon standing by aunswered agayne that hee had more cause to reioyse seeing he had brought the Cittie in that order and in such peace that there needed no reconcilement amongest them An other time as the sayd Iohn the Patriarche was at the Seruice and reading the Gospell in the church the people as their vsed maner is went out of the church to talke and iangle he perceauing that went out likewise and sat amongst them wherat they marueyling to see him do so My children said he where the flocke is there ought the shepherd to be wherefore either come you in that I may also
time was yerely leuied to the great impouerishing of the people Hee subdued the Scottes and Welshmen which in their borders began to rebell against him In much peace he continued his reigne hauing no forreine enemie to assault him Albeit as some Chronicles do shewe certaine Danes and Norgwaines there were which entended to set vpon Englande But as they were taking shipping there was brought to them first one bowle then an other of meede or methe to drinke vpon a bon viage Thus one cup comming after an other after drinke came dronkennes after dronkennes followed iangling of iangling came stryfe and strife turned vnto stripes whereby many were slayne and the other returned to their home agayne And thus the mercifull prouidence of the Lord dispatched that iourny In the time of this Edward Emma his mother was accused to be familiar with Alwyn the Byshop of Winchester vpon which accusation by counsayle of Earle Godwyn he tooke from her many of her iewels and caused her to be kept somedele more straightly in the Abby of Warwel and the Byshop committed to the examination of the clergy Polydore sayth they were both in prison at Winchester where she sorrowing the defame both of her selfe and of the Byshop and trusting vpon her conscience desireth them of iustice offering her selfe ready to abide any lawfull triall yea although it were with the sharpest Then diuers of the Byshops made labour to the king for thē both and had obtayned had not Robert thē Archbishop of Cant. stopped the sute Who not well contented with their labour sayd vnto them My brethren how dare ye defend her which is no woman but a beast she hath defamed her owne sonne the king and taken her lecherous leman the Byshop And if it be so that the woman will purge the priest who shall then purge the woman that is accused to be consenting to the death of her sonne Alphred and procured venim to the poysonyng of her sonne Edward But whether she be giltie or giltles if she will goe barefooted for her self foure steps and for the Bishop fiue continually vpon ix plough shares fire hote then if she escape harmeles he shal be assoyled of this challenge and she also To this she graunted the day was appointed at which day the king and a great part of his nobles were present except onely Robert the Archbishop This Robert had bene a monke of a house in Normandie an helper of the king in his exile and so by the sēding for of the king came ouer and was made first Bishop of London after Archbishop of Cant. Then was she led blindfield vnto the place betwene two men where the yrons lay brenning hot and passed the ix shares vnhurt At last sayde shee good Lorde when shal I come to the place of my purgation whē they then opened her eyes and shee sawe that shee was past the paine she kneeled downe geuing God thankes Then the king repented sayeth the story and restored vnto her that he had before taken from her and asked her forgeuenes But the Archbyshop fled into Normandie Neare about this time about the x. yere of his raigne◠fell passing great snow from the beginning of Ianuary to the 17 day of Marche After which insued a great mortalitie of men morrian of cattel by lightning the corne was wonderfully blasted and wasted Not lōg after this a certaine Earle of Bologne who had married king Edwardes sister came into Englande through the occasion of whom when execution should be done vpon the citizens of Douer for a fray betwene them and the Earles men variance happened betweene Kyng Edward and Earle Godwyne Who perceauing that he could not wstand the kings malice although he gathered a great company to worke therein what he could fled into Flanders was outlawed with his 5. sonnes King Edward repudiated his wife the daughter of the sayde Godwine but the second yere after by mediators he was recōciled to the king againe and called from banishment And for his good a bearing he gaue for pledges his two sōnes Byornon and Tostius which were sent to the Duke of Normandy there to be kept During the time of the outlawry of Godwyn William Bastard Duke of Normandy came with a goodly company into England to see king Edwarde was honorably receaued To whom the king made great cheare at hys returne inriched him with great gifts and pleasures And there as some wryte made promise to him that if he died without issue the said William should succeede him in the kingdome of England In this kinges raigne liued Marianus Scotus the story writer As concerning the end of erle Godwin the cruell murderer of Alphred and of the Normandes although diuers histories diuersly do vary Yet in this the most part do agree that as he sate at the table with king Edward at Winsor it happened one of the cupbearers one of erl Godwins sonnes to stumble and recouer againe so that he did shed none of the drinke wherat Godwin laughed sayd howe the one brother had sustained the other With whych wordes the King calling to minde his brothers death that was slaine by Godwine beheld the erle saying so should my brother Alphred haue holpē me had not Godwin ben Godwine then fearing the kinges displeasure to be newly kindled after many words in excusing himselfe sayde So mought I safely swalow this morsel of bread as I am giltles of the deede But assoone as hee had receiued the bread forthwith he was choked Then the king commanded him to be drawne from the table so was cōueyed by Harolde his sonne to Winchester and there buried About the 13. yere of this kings reigne the sayde King Edward sent Aldred bishop of Worceter to the Emperour Henricus the 4. praying him that he would send to the king of Hungary that his cosin Edward sonne of Edmund Ironside might come to England for so much as he intended to make him King after him which was called Edward outlawe The which request was fulfilled so that he came into Englande with his wife Agatha and with hys children to witte Edgar Adeling Margarete and Christina But the yeare after his returne into the realme thys Edwarde deceased at London and was buryed at westminster or as Iornalensis sayeth at Paules church in London After whose decease the King then receaued Edgar Adeling his sonne as his owne childe thinking to make him his heire But fearing partly the vnconstant mutabilitie of the Englishmen partly the pride and malice of Harold the sonne of Godwine of other perceauing therby that he could not bring that his purpose so wel to passe directed solemne Embassadors vnto Williā Duke of Normandy his kinsman admitting assigning him to be hys lawfull heire next to succeede after him to the crowne After the death of Godwin Harolde his sonne waxed so in the kings fauour that he ruled the moste and
Monuments of bookes were consumed In the time whereof the Danes by fauour of some of the citizens entred the citie and slew more then iii M. of the Normanes But not long after King William chased them out and droue them to the ships tooke suche displeasure with the inhabitauÌ„tes of that countrey that he destroied the land from Yorke to Durham so that 9. yeres after the prouince lay wast and vninaâ—â—red onely except S. Iohns land of Beuerley the people theroft so straitly being kept in penurye by the warre of the king that as our English storie sayeth they eate rats cats and dogs and other vermine Also in the fourth yeare of this king Malcolyn king of Scots entred into Northumberland destroyed the couÌ„trey slew there much of the people both of men women and children after a lamentable sorte and tooke some prisoners But within 2. yeares after king William made such warre vpon the Scottes that he forced Malcolyn theyr king to doe him homage And thus much concerning the outwarde calamities of this Realme vnder this forreine Conquerour Whych is nowe the fifth time that the sayd land with the inhabitaunce thereof hath bene scourged by the hande of God First by the Romaines in the time of Iulius Cesar. Then by the Scottes and Pictes as hath bene shewed afterwarde by the Saxons Againe the Saxons or Englishmen did not enioy the possession of Britain with long quiete but were brought in as much subiection themselues vnder the Danes as they had brought the Britaines before and that muche more in so muche that throughe all England if an Englishe man had mette a Dane vppon a bridge he might not stirre one foote before the Lord Dane otherwise Lurdane were past And then if the Englishe man had not geuen lowe reuerence to the Dane at hys comming by he â—as sure to be sharpely punished wyth more as aboue hath bene declared And this subiection almoste continued from the reigne of Kinge Ethelwolfus 230. yeares till the reigne of king Edwarde And yet the indignation of God thus ceased not but stirred vp the Normandes against them who Conquered and altered the whole Realme after their owne purpose in somuche that besides the innouation of the lawes coignes and possessions there was in no Church of England almoste anye English bishop but only Normands forreiners placed through all their Dioces To suche miserie was this lande then brought vnto that not onely of all the English nobilitie not one house was standing but also it was thought reprochfull to be called an English man This punishmeÌ„t of God against the English nation writers do assigne biuersly to diuers causes as partly before is touched of whoÌ„ some assigne this to be cause as foloweth in the wordes of the storie In primitiua Angliae Ecclesia religio clarissimè splenduit ita vt Reges Reginae Duces Episcopi vel MonachatuÌ„ vel exilium pro Dei amore appeterent processu verò temporis adeo omnis virtus in eis emarcuit vt gentem nullam proditione nequitia sibi parem esse permitterent c. The meanyng whereof is that whereas Kings and Queenes Dukes and Prelates in the primitiue time of the English church were ready for Religion to forsake either liberty or countrey and giue themselues to a solitarie life In processe of time they grew to such dissolutenes that they left no other realme like vnto them in iniquity c. Again some writing of the vision of king Edward a litle before the inuasion of the NormaÌ„ds testify how the king reporting of his owne vision should heare that for the great enormitye and misbehauior of the heade Dukes Bishops and Abbats of the realme the kingdome should be geuen to the hand of their enemies after the decease of him for the space of a C. yeres and one day Which space was also seene by William conquerour to be a hundreth yeres fiftie and that his progenie so long should continue Againe some wryters entreating of this so great wrath of God vpon the Englishe people declare the cause therof as foloweth Nam ficut Angl Britones quds Deus disterminate proposuerat peccatis suis exigentibus humiliuerant a term Angliae minus iniustè fugauerant sic ipsi duplici persecutione c. Like as the Englishmen did subdue the Britons whom God proposed for theyr deseruings to exterminate and them vniustly did dispossesse of their land so they should likewise be subdued and scourged with a double persecution first by the Danes and after by the Normanes c. Moreouer to these iniuries and iniqnities done and wrought by the English men hetherto recited let vs adde also the cruell villanie of this nation in murdering and tything of the innocent Normans before who comming as straungers wyth Alfrede the lawfull heire of the Crowne were despitefully put to death Which seemeth to me no little cause why the Lorde whose doings be alwaies iust right did suffer the Normans so to preuaile By the coÌ„ming in of the which Normans and by their quarel vnto the Realme iii. things we may note learne First to consider and learne the righteous retribution and wrath of God from heauen vpon all iniquitie and vnrighteous dealing of men Secondly we may thereby note what it is for Princes to leaue no issue or sure succession behinde them Thirdly what daungers often do chaunce to Realmes publiquely by foreine mariage with other Princes c. In the same fourth yeare of this king betwene Easter and Whitsontide was holden a solemne councell at Winchester of that clergy of England At the which counsell were present two Cardinals sent from Pope Alexander 2. Peter Iohn In this counsell the king being there himselfe present were deposed diuers bishops Abbots and priors by the meanes of the king wtout any euident cause to the intent his Normans might be preferred to the rule of the Church as he had preferred his knightes before to the rule of the teÌ„poraltie therby to stand in more surety of the land Amongest whoÌ„ also Stigandus Archb. of Cant. was put downe for 3. causes against him pretended The first was for that he had holden wrongfully that byshoprike while Robert the Archbishop aboue meÌ„tioned pag. 156. was liuing The seconde was for that he had receiued the palle of Benedict byshop of Rome the fifth of that name Whyche Benedict for buying his Popedome had bene deposed as is shewed before The thirde cause for that he occupied the said palle wtout license and lawfull autoritie of the court of Rome Then Stigandus wel proued the beneuolence of king William For where before the king seemed in frendly couÌ„tenance to make much of him and did vnto him great reuerence then he chaunged all his mildenes into sternes excused himselfe by the bishops of Romes autority So that in the ende Stigandus was depriued of his dignitie and kept in
if he would do the other promiseth to bring about that Den. shuld depart w e his army into Germany whereunto the people of Rome also did lykewise mooue him To whom Gregory answered that he was content so to do but vpon condition that the emperor would submit himself to aske pardon to amend hys fault and to promise obedience The Emperour not agreyng to those conditions went to Senas taking Clement new stalled Pope with hym After the returne of the Emperor the foresayd Robert Buiscardus approching w e his souldiours brast in at one of the gates and spoileth the Citie And not long after deliuereth Hildebrand out of his enemies hands and caried him away to Campana where he not long continuyng after dyed in exile Antoninus writeth that Hildebrand as he did lie a dying called to hym one of his chief Cardinals be wailing to him his fault misorder of his spirituall ministery in stirring vp discord warre dissension wherupon he desired the Cardinall to go to the Emperor and desire him of forgeuenes absoluing from the danger of excommunication both him and all his partakers both quicke and dead Thus hast thou gentle Reader the full history of pope Gregory 7. called Hildebrand which I haue laid our more at large desire thee to marke because that frō this Pope it thou marke wel springeth all the occasion of mischiefe of pride pompe stoutnesse presumption tiranny which since that tyme hath raigned in his successours hetherto in the cathedral church of the Romish clergy for here came first the subiectiō of the temporal regiment vnder the spiritual iurisdictiō And Emperors which before were their maisters now are made their vnderlings Also here came in the suppression of priests mariage as is sufficiently declared Here came in moreouer the authoritie of both the swords spiritual secular into spiritual mens hands So that christian magistrates could do nothing in election in geuing bishoprikes or benefices in calling Councels in hearing correcting the excesses of the clergy but only the Pope must do all Yea moreouer no bishop nor Pastor in his owne parish could excommunicate or exercise any discipline amongst his flocke but onely the Pope chalenged that prerogatiue to himselfe Finally here came in the first example to persecute Emperors kings with rebellion excommunication as the clergy themselues hereafter doe testifie and witnes in proceeding against Paschalis Thus these notes beyng well obserued let vs by the grace of Christ now repaire again to our coūtry history of englād About the death of Pope Hildebrād or not long after folowed the death of king William Conqueror in the yere of our Lord 1090. after he had raigned in Englād the space of 21. yeares and 10. moneths The cause of his sicknes and death is said to be this For that Phillip the French king vpon a tyme iesting sayd that king William lay in child bed and nourished his fat belly with this the foresaid william hearing therof aunswered againe and sayd when he should be Churched he would offer a thousand candels to hym in Fraunce wherewithall the kyng should haue litle ioy whereupon king William in the month of Iuly when the corne fruite grapes were most flourishing entered into Fraunce set on fire many Cities and townes in the westside of Fraunce And lastly commyng to the Citie of Meaux where he burning a woman beyng as a recluse in a wall inclosed or as some say two mē Anachorites inclosed was so seruent and furious about the fire that with the heate partly of the fire partly of the tyme of yeare therby he fell into sicknes and dyed vpon the same By the life actes of this king it may appeare true as stories of him report that he was wise but guilefull riche but couetous a faire speaker but a great dissembler glorious in victory strong in armes but rigorous in oppressing whom he ouercame in leuiyng of tasks passing all other In so much that he caused to bee enrolled numbred in his treasury euery hide of land and owner therof what fruit reuenewes surmounted of euery Lordship of euery township castel village field riuer wood within all the realme of England Moreover how many parish Churches how many liuing cattell there were what and how much euery Baron in the realme could dispend what fees were belonging what wages were taken c. The tenour contents of which taskment yet remaineth in rolles After this tasking or nūbring which was the yere before his death folowed an exceding moreine of cattell barennes of the ground with much pestilence and hote feuers amōg the people so that such as escaped the feuer were cōsumed with famine Moreouer at the same season among certain other Cities a great part of the City of London with the church of Paules was wasted with fire an 1085. In hunting and in parkes the foresayd king had such pleasure that in the country of Southhamptō by the space of 36. miles he cast downe churches and Townships and there made the new forest louing his Decre so dearely as though he had bene to them a father making sharp lawes for the increasing thereof vnder payne of loosing both the eyes So hard he was to Englishmen and so fauorable to his owne country that as there was no English Byshop remainyng but onely wolstane of Worcester who beyng commaunded of the king and Lancfrank to resigne vp his staffe partly for inhabilitie partly for lacke of the French tongue refused otherwise to resign it but only to him that gaue it and so went to the tombe of king Edward where he thought to resigne it but was permitted to enioy it stil so likewise in his daies there was almost no English mā that bare office of honour or rule In so much it was half a shame at that tyme to be called an English man Notwithstanding he some deale fauoured the citie of London graunted vnto the Citizens the first charter that euer they had written in the Saxon with greene waxe sealed and conteined in few lynes Among his other conditiōs this in him is noted that so geuen he was to peace and quiet that any maiden being laden with gold or siluer might passe thorough the whole realme without harme or resistance This William in his tyme builded two monasteries one in England at Battail in Suffex where he wan the field against Harold called the abbey of Battail an other beside named Barmōdsey in his countrey of Normandy After the life story of K. William thus briefly described with the acts order of battail betwene him K. Harold although much more might haue bene written of that matter if the booke had come sooner to my hands which afterward I sawe now remaineth in the end of his story to describe the names of such Barons nobles of Normandy which enterd with him into this land as well of them which were embarked
what is the price and reward of breaking the iust commaundement of God After him likewise Richard his sonne who was called Richard Coeur de Lyon rebelled agaynst his father And also Iohn his youngest sonne did not much degenerate from the steps of his brethren In somuch that this foresayd Richard like an vnkinde childe persecuting and taking part agaynst his father brought him to such distresse of body and minde that for thought of hart he fell into an ague and within foure dayes departed after he had raigned 35. yeares whose corps as it was caried to be buried Richard his sonne coÌ„ming by the way meeting it beginning for compassion to weepe the bloud brast incontinent out of the nose of the king at the comming of his sonne geuing therby a certayne demonstration how he was the onely author of his death After the death and raigne of which king his children after him worthely rewarded for their vnnaturalnesse against their father lacking the successe which their father had lost all beyond the sea that their father had got before And thus much concerning the raign of Henry the second and the death of Thomas Becket whose death as is aforesayd happened in the dayes of pope Alexander the thyrd which pope vsurping the keies of Ecclesiasticall regiment 21. yeares or as Gisburgensis writeth 23. yeares gouerned the Church with much tumult striuing and contending with Fredericke the Emperour not shaming like a most proud Lucifer to tread with his foote vpon the necke of the sayd Emperour as is aboue described pag. 205. This Pope among many other his acres had certain Councels as is partly before touched some in Fraunce some at Rome in LateraÌ„ by whom it was decreed that no Archbishop should receiue the palle vnlesse he should first sweare Concerning the solemnity of which palle for the order and maner of geuing and taking the same with obedience to the pope as it is coÌ„teined in their own words I thought it good to set it forth vnto thee that thou mayest well consider and vnderstand their doings therein ¶ The forme and maner how and by what wordes the Pope is wont to geue the pâ—lle vnto the Archbyshop AD honorem omnipotentis Dei beatae Mariae virginis beatorum Petri Pauli Domini nostri N. Papae sanctae Romana Ecclesiae see non N. Edeâ—◠〈…〉 tradimus 〈…〉 pon 〈…〉 diebus qui 〈…〉 concessis That is in English To the honor of almighty God and of blessed Mary the virgine and of 〈◊〉 â— Peter and Paule and of our Lord Pope â— and of the holy Church of Rome and also of the Church of â— committed to your charge we geue to you the 〈…〉 froÌ„ the body of S. Peter as a 〈◊〉 of the office 〈◊〉 which you may weare â—in your owne church 〈◊〉 dayes whiche be expressed in the priuiledges of the sayd church graunted by the sea Apostolicke ¶ Notes vpon the same ¶ To the honour c. with what confidence durst the Pope â—â—uple the honor of almighty God and the honor of Mary of S. Peter and of the Pope and of the Romish Church altogether if he had not bene a presumptuous Lucifer equalling himselfe not onely with faith Saints but also euen with him which is God alenÌ„e to be blessed for euer Taken from the body c. If S. Peters body be not all consumed let him shew it if he canâ— if he can not shew â—t how then is this palle tâ—â—en from the body of S. Peter â—or if he meane it to be of S. Peters owne wearing the 〈◊〉 S Peter had a godly wardrop of palles when euer Archbishop in all Christondome receiueth from the Pope 〈◊〉 palle As a fulnes of the office c. Rather he might say the fulnesse of his owne purfe when as Archbishops payd so sweetly for it In so much that 〈◊〉 the Archbishop of Mentz as is aboue touched pag. 172. a litle before in the councell of Basile where the price was wont to be but a thousand florences could not obtein it without 26. thousand florences Vpon certayne dayes c. This difference there was betwene the Pope and other Archbyshops For the Pope might weare the palle at all times and in all places at his pleasure Archbishoppes might not weare it but vpon certayne dayes and in their church onely within their prouince Moreouer this posse should not be asked but with great instaunce and within three monethes with out which palle he is not to be named Archbishop But may be deposed hauing it not after three monethes And the same palle must also be buried with him when he dieth And when it is geueÌ„ some priuiledge must be geuen withall or the olde renued In like-maner proceedeth the othe of euery Byshop swearing obedience to the Pope in like wordes as followeth EGo N Episcopus N ab hac hora in aâ—tea fidelis obedieÌ„s ero beato Petro sanctaequè Apostoneae Romanae Ecclesiae Domino meo D N. Papae suisque succelloribus canonicè intrantibus Non ero in consilio seu auxilio coÌ„sensu vel faeto vt vâ—am perdant aut membrum seu capiantur mala capatione Consiltrum verò quod mihi credturi sunt per se aut per â—uncium feu literas corum me sciente nemini pandam Papatum Romanum Regalia S. Petri adiutor eis ero ad retinendum defendendum saluo meo ordine contrá omnem hominem Legatum Apostolicae sedis in cundo redeundo honorificè tractabo in suis necessitatibus adiuuâ—bo Vocatus ad synodum veniam nisi praepeditus fuero canonica praepeditione Apostolorum limina singulis trenniis visitabo â—ut per me aut per meum nunclum â—â—â— Apostolica absoluar licentia Possessiones verò ad mensam mei Episcopatus pertinentes non-vendam neque donabe neque oppignorabo neque de nouo infeudabo nec aliquo modo alienabo inconsulto Rom. pontifice sic me Deus adiuuel sancta Dei Euangelia That is in English IN. Bishop of N. from this houre henceforth wil be faythful and obedient to blessed S. Peter and to the holye Apostolicke Churche of Rome and to my Lord N. the pope I shal be in no councell nor help either with my coÌ„sent or deed whereby either of them or any member of theÌ„ may be unpayred or wherby they may be taken with any euill taking The councell which they shall commit to me either by theÌ„selues or by messenger or by their letters wittingly or willingly I shall vtter to none their hindrauÌ„ce and damage To the remining and maintening the papacy of Rome and the regalities of S. Peter I shal be an arder so mine order be salued agaynst all persons The Legate of the Apostolicke sea both in going and comming I shal honorably entreat and help him in all necessities Being called to a â—â—hode I shal be ready to câ—me vnlesse I be let by
set vpon certain of his townes and castels in Normandy and put him to much disquietnes But he the Lord so prouiding which is the geuer of all victory had such repulse at the Englishmens handes that they pursuing the Frenchmen in their flight did so follow them to their hold so enforced vpon them that not onely they tooke the sayd Arthur prisoner with many other of the Frenchmen but also gaue such an ouerthrow to the rest that none was there left to beare tidings home This Arthur was nephewe to king Iohn sonne to Geffrey which was the elder sonne to Iohn For king Henry the 2. to make the matter more euident had viij children one W. which died in his childhoode the seconde Henry which died also his father being yet aliue the third Geoffrey Erle of Britain which likewise deceassed in his fathers daies leauing behind him two children Arthur Brecca The fourth Richard coeur de Lyon King the v. Iohn now reigning and 3. other daughters besides The same Arthur being thus taken in warre was brought before the King at the castell of Falesic in Normandie who being exhorted with many gentle words to leaue the French king and to incline to his vncle answered againe stoutly with great indignation requiring the kingdom of England withal the other dominions therto beloÌ„ging to be restored to him as to the lawfull heire of the crowne By reason whereof he prouoking the kings displeasure against him was sent to the tower of Roan where at length whether by leaping into the ditch thinking to make his escape or whether by some other priuy hand or by what chaunce els it is not yet agreed vpon in stories hee finished his life By occasion whereof the foresaide K. Iohn was had after in great suspicion whether iustly or vniustly the Lord knoweth The yere folowing Historiographers write that king Iohn for lacke of rescue lost all his holdes and possessions in Normandy through the force of the French king After these losses came other troubles vpon him with other as great or more greater enemies that is wyth the Pope and hys Popelings by occasion of chusing of the Archb. of Cant. as in this history followeth by Christ hys grace to be declared The yeare of our Lord 1205. about the moneth of Iuly Hubert the Archbishop of Canterbury deceased whose decease after it was in Cant. to the Monks knowen and afore his body was yet committed to the earth the yonger sort of the monkes there gathered themselues together at midnight and elected their superior Reignold and without the kings licence or yet knowledge priuely placed him in the Metropolicall seate singing Te deum at midnight And because the king shuld not make their electioÌ„ of none effect they charged him by vertue of his othe to kepe al secret by the way and to shew nothing what was done before he came to the pope but he contrary to his oth so sone as he came in Flanders opened all abroad the matter and vttered their counsel whereupon the monkes being not a litle agreued with him sent him priuely to the court of Rome out of hand The next day the elder monks sent to the king desiring him of his gracious licence Canonically to choose their Archb. The king most gently fauorably graunted their petition requiring them instantly and desiring that for his sake they would shewe fauour to Iohn Gray then B. of Norwich as they did in dede erecting him into that seat of their high primacy Moreouer because the authority of kings and princes was then but small in their owne dominion without the Popes consent confirmation to the same he sent also to Rome of his own charges to haue the foresaid election ratified by the pope The suffraganes of Canterbury then being not a litle offended at these two elections sent speedely to Rome to haue them both stopped for that they had not bene of counsell with them And hereupon at the last grew a most prodigious tumult The next yeare after the suffraganes of the prouince of Canterbury on the one side and the Monkes of Canterbury on the other side came afore the Pope with their brawling matter First the Monkes presenting Reignold their superiour desired that their election might be confirmed The Suffraganes likewise complained that the Monkes wold presume to chuse the Archbishop without their consent and therefore desired by diuers reasons the first election to be of none effect The Pope deciding the matter betwene both pronounced with the Monkes charging the suffraganes and Bishops to meddle no more with that election but to let the monkes alone The monkes of Cant. nowe hauing the whole election in their owne hands fell also at square among themselues the yonger sort with the elder The yonger sort which had chosen Reignolde theyr superior would that election to stand The elder sort of the Monks replied againe saying that the first election was done by stealth and by night and by the yonger part also without the counsell of other monkes ouer and besides it was done wythout the kings liceÌ„ce or appoyntment and without the one solemnitie therunto belonging And as concerning our election said they it was done in the cleare light of the day by which it had authoritie in presence of our liege Lord the king and his counsell being willing to the same This allegation thus proponed the suffraganes proctour or man of law stode â—orth proued the former election to be good and this latter to be voyde and of no value after this sort Whether the first election saith he were iust or vniust ye ought first by the law to haue condemned it afore ye should haue presumed to the second but thus yet did not Therefore is this your latter doing no election at al and the first therfore is rather to be ratified than yours When they had thus multiplied talke on both sides with many friuolous allegations a long time and coulde not agree vpon one person Pope Innocent condemned both their elections coÌ„maunding them to chuse Stephen LaÌ„gton then Cardinal of S. Chrisogone for their Archb. The monkes then answered that they durst not so do without coÌ„sent of their king and for that it was preiudiciall to their ancient liberties The Pope by and by sayeth the text as one in a furie taking the words out of their mouthes said thus vnto them We wil ye to know that we haue ful power and authority ouer the church of Cant. neither are we wont to tary the consent of princes therfore we command you in paine of our great curse that ye chose him only whom we haue appoynted The Monkes at these wordes abashed and terrified though they much murmured in their hearts yet consented they all in one and therupon sang Te Deum Only doctour Helias Brantfield withdrew himselfe from that election whome the king had sent for the admission of the Bishop of
the monke what he had brought He said of his frute and that very good the best that he did euer tast Eate said the king and he toke one of the peares which he did know and did eate Also being bid to take an other did eate lykewise sauerly And so likewise the third Then the king refraining no longer tooke one of the poysoned peares and was therewith poysoned as is before c. In the raigne of this king Iohn the citizens of London first obtained of the king to chose yerely a Maior In whose time also the bridge of London was first builded of stone which before was of woode Rastall * King Henry the third AFter this king Iohn had raigned as some say 17. yeres or as some say though falsly 19. yeres was as is abouesaid poisoned died Thys king left behinde him 4. sonnes and 3. daughters first Henry second Richard and he was Earle of Cornwall Third William of Valentia Fourth Guido Disenay He had also an other sonne who afterward was made bishop Of his daughters first was Isabel maried afterward to Fredericke the Emperour The second named Alinour maried to William earl Marshal The third to Mounfort the Earl of Leicester c. An other story sayth that he had but two daughters Isabel and Elionore or as an other calleth her Ioane which was after Queene of Scotland Ex Chronico vetusto Anglic. This king Iohn being deceased which had many enemies both of Earles Barons especially of the Popish Clergie Henric hys eldest sonne was then of the age of 9. yeares At what time the most of the Lordes of England did adhere to Ludouike or Lewes yâ— French kings sonne whom they had sent for before in displeasure of king Iohn to be their king and had sworne to him their allegeaunce Then William Earle Marshall a noble man and of great authority and a graue and a sound couÌ„seller friendly and quietly called vnto him diuers Earles and Barons and taking this Henry the young prince sonne of king Iohn setteth him before them vsing these words Behold saith he right honourable and well beloued although we haue * persecuted the father of this yong Prince for his euil demeanour worthely yet this yong childe whome here ye see before you as he is in yeres tender so is he pure and innocent from these his fathers doings Wherfore in as much as euery man is charged only with the burthen of his owne workes and transgressions neither shall the childe as the Scripture teacheth vs beare the iniquity of his father we ought therefore of duetie and conscience to pardone this young and tender Prince and take compassion of his age as ye see And now for so much as he is the kings natural and eldest sonne and must be our soueraigne and king and successor of this kingdom come and let vs appoynt him our king and gouernour and let vs remoue from vs this Lewes the French kings sonne suppresse his people which is a confusion and a shame to our nation and the yoke of their seruitude let vs cast off from our shoulders To these words spake answered the Earle of Glocester And by what reason or right sayd he can we so do seeing we haue called him hether haue sworne to him our feaultie Whereunto the Earle Marshall inferred againe and sayd Good right and reason we haue and ought of duety to do no lesse for that he contrary to our minde and calling hath abused our affiance and feaulties Truthe it is we called him c ment to prefer him to be our chieftaine and gouernor but he estsones surprised in pride hath contemned and despised vs and if we shal so suffer him he will subuert and ouerthrow both vs and our nation and so shall we remaine a spectacle of shame to all men and be as outcastes of all the world At these words all they as inspired from aboue cried altogether with one voice be it so he shal be our king And so the day was appoynted for his coronation which was the day of Simon Iude. This coronation was kept not at Westminster for as much as Westminster the same tune was holdeâ— of the Frenchmen but as Glocester the safest place as was thought at that time in the realme an 1216. by Swallow the Popes Legate through counsel of all the Lords and Barons that held with his rather king Iohn to witte the Bishop of Winchester Bishop or Barn Bishop of Chester and Bishop of Worcester the Earle Radulph of Chester William Earle Marshal William Earl of Pembroke William Tren Earle of Feres William de Bruer Serle or Samarike de mal Baron These were at the crowning of the king at Glocester Many other lords and Barons there were which as yet helde wyth Lewes the French kings sonne to whom they had done their homage before And immediatly after the crowning of thys king he held his couÌ„cell at Bristow at S. Martines least where were assembled 11. Byshops of England Wales with diuers Earles Barons and knights of England All which did sweare feaultie vnto the king After which homage thus done to the king the legate Swalo interdicted Wales because they held with the foresaid Lewâ—es and also the Barons al other as many as gaue help or counsell to Lewes or any other that moued or stirred any war against Henry the new king he accursed them All which notwithstanding the sayde Lewes did not cease but first laid siege to the Castel or Douer xv daies when he could not preuaile there he tooke the castel of Berkhamsted and also the castel of Hartford doing much harme in the countreis in spoiling robbing the people where they went by reason wherof the Lordes and Commons which held with the king assembled theÌ„selues together to driue Lewes and his men out of the land But some of the BaroÌ„s with the Frenchmen in the meane season went to Lincoln and tooke the Citie and held it to the vse of Lewes Which being knowen ensoones a greate power of the kinges parte made thether as the Earle Ranolfe of Chester William Earle Marshal and William de le Brues Earle of Feres with many other Lords and gaue battaile vnto Lewes and his party so that in conclusion Lewes lost the field and of his side were slaine the Earle of Perchis Saer de Quincy Earle of Winchester Henry de la Bohon Erle of Herford and syr Robert le Fizwater with diuers other moe Wherupon Lewes for succour fled to London causing the gates there to be shut kept waiting there for more succour out of France Which assoone as the king had knowledge off immediatly sent to the Maior and Burges of the Citie willing them to render them and their Citie to him as their chiefe lord and king promising to graunt to them againe all their fraunchises and liberties as in times past to confirme the same by his great
valiauntly that they chased him to Perusium Then hauing no other remedie wherewith to reuenge his persecutors fiersly did excommunicate them Ex Mat. Paris pag. 69. ¶ Heere by the way is to be obserued and considered Christian reader not only by this sedition but by so many other schismes diuisions tumults fightings braules and contentions in the Church of Rome from the first beginning of the popes vsurped power that not only within the Citie of Rome but vniuersally almost in all Popish Monasteries Collegies Churches and Couents vnder the Pope subiected continually raigning amongst them what is to be thought of their religion holines hauing so litle peace so great disquietnes dissentions and wrangling amongst them as in stories both manifest it is to behold and wonderous to consider And for as much I haue eutred here into the mention of this schisinatical commotion betwene the none and his citizens it followeth moreouer in the history of Parisiensis who maketh relation of a like brawling matter which befell the same yeare time An. 1228. betwene the prior and couent of Durham and this king Henry the â— vpon this occasion After the death of Richard Bishop of Durham the Prior and Chapter of the said church came to the king to obteine license for the electing of their bishop The king offered to them one Lucas a Chaplaine of hys requiring them instauntly to elect him for their Bishop To this the Monkes answered that they would receaue no man but by their order of Canonicall election Meaning belike by their Canonical election that is when as they elect either some Monke out of their own company or els some monkish priest after their owne liking Contrary the king againe sendeth word vnto them and bound it with an oth that they should tary 7. yeares without a Byshop vnlesse they would admit the foresayd Lucas to that place of that dignitie All which notwtstanding the monkes proceding in their election refused the sayde Lucas and preferred an other clerk of theirs named William archdeacon of Worcester and him they presented to the king But the King bringing in exceptions and causes against the party would not admit him Then the monkes in al hasty â—pede sent vp to Rome certain of their Couent to haue their electioÌ„ ratified by the authoritie Apostolicall On the other side the king likewise hearing sendeth also to Rome against the Monkes the Bishop of Chester and the Prior of Lentonie on his behalfe to withstande the purpose of the monks And so the matter being trauised with great alteration on both sides did hang in suspense sayeth mine author till at length thus it was coucluded betwene both that neither master William nor yet Lucas shoulde be taken but that Richard Byshop of Sarum should be translated to Durham and be Byshop there An. 1228. ex Mat. Parisiens The like stirre also happened both the same yeare and for the like matter betwene the monkes of Couentry and the Canons of Lichfield about chusing of theyr Byshop which of them should haue the superior voyce in the election of their Prelate Aftermuch a doe the cause at length being hosted vp to Rome had this determination that the monks of Couentry and the Church of Lichfield shoulde chuse their Bishop by course eche part keeping his turne the one after the other prouided notwithstadyng that the Prior of Couentry should alwaies haue the first voyce in euery election where as the old custome was sayth mine author that the Couent wyth the Prior of Couentry was wont to haue the whole election of the bishop without the Canons This was An. 1228. Ex Parisiens pag. 68. In the which yeare died Stephen Langton Archb. of Cant. by whome as is recorded by Nic. Triuet the Chapters of the Bible in that order and number as we nowe vse them were first distincted The sayde Langthon aâ—so made Postiles vpon the whole Bible The same moreouer builded the new hall in the palace of Canterbury After the death of thys Langthon insued an other variance about the election of the Archbishop of Canterbury betwene the monkes of Canterbury and the kâ—ng The purturbation whereof as it was no lesse seditious so the determination of the same was much more costly After the death of Stephen Langthon the monkes of Canterbury obtaining licence of the king to procede in the election of a new archbishop did chuse one of their own society named master Walter Demesham Whom when the monks had presented to the King he after long deliberation began to obiect against that election saying first that the monkes had elected such one as neyther was profitable to hym nor to his kingdom Secondly he obiected against the party elect that his father was conuict of felony hanged for yâ— same Thirdly that he stode in causes against his father k. Iohn in the time of the interdict Moreouer the bishops his suffraganes charged the partie elect that hee had lien wyth a certaine Nunne and had children by her adding farther that the election of the archbishop was without their presence which ought not to be c. But the archbishop againe stoutly standing to his electioÌ„ appealed vp to Rome and estsoones taking with him certaine monks presented him selfe to the popes owne proper person there to sue his appeale instantly intreating that hys election might stande confirmed by his authority pontificall But the pope vnderstanding that the said election was resisted by the king the bishops differred the matter till he did heare farther of the certeinty therof The king the bishops hauing intelligence that the Archb. with hys monkes were gone to Rome thought good to articulate the foresayd obiections aboue alledged or wryting and sealing the same wyth the seales both of the king and of the bishops to exhibite them to the Bishop of Rome The messengers of these letters were the Byshop of Rochester of Chester and the Archdeacon of Bedforde maister Iohn c. who comming to Rome and exhibiting their message with their letters vnto the Pope consideration being had vppon the same were commanded to wait attendance against the next day after Ash wednesday then to haue a resolute answer coÌ„cerning the cause which was the 2. day of March the yere next folowing videlic An. 1229. In the meane season the kings proctors ceased not with all instance to labour the Pope and his Cardinals to be fauorable to the kings side But fineding them somewhat hard straite in the matter as is the guise of that Court they began to misdout their speeding Wherfore consulting together with themselues vpon the premisses they came 〈◊〉 the Pope promising in the kings behalf to be geuen and granted to him out of the realmes both of England and Scotland the rith or tenth part of al the goods within the sayd Realmes mooueable to susteine his warres against the Emperor so that he would incline fauorably to the kings
contrary to holy scripture the which forbiddeth any such to be made ministers or pastors which are not sufficient to driue away the wolues And moreouer it is also openly mayntayned because it is manifestly borne abroad and coÌ„maunded with chartes imbulled both with waxe lead And finally it is stifly defended for if any man shall dare to presume to withstand the same he is suspensed and excommunicated and open warre cryed out agaynst him Therfore to whom the whole definitioÌ„ of an heretick doth agree he is a very heretick But euery faythfull Christian man ought to set himselfe agaynst an heretick as much as he may wherefore he that can resist him and doth not he sinneth and seemeth to be a fautor thereof according to the saying of Gregory He lacketh not coÌ„science of secret societye which ceaseth to resist open impietye But the Friers both Franciscanes and Dominicks are most chiefly bouÌ„d to withstand such seing both of them haue the gift of preaching coÌ„mitted to them by their office and be more apt to the sayd office by reason of their pouerty And therfore do not onely offend in not resisting such but also are to be rouÌ„ted mayntayners of the same according to the sentence of the Apostle to the Romains saying Not only they which commit such things but also they that consent are worthy of death wherefore it may be concluded that as well the Pope vnlesse he cease froÌ„ that vice as also the same Friers vnlesse they shew themselues more earnest and studious in repelling the same are both worthy of death that is perpetuall damnation Item sayth the Canon decretal that vpon this vice of heresy the Pope both may ought to be accused After this the vehemency of his disease more more increasing and because the nightes were something loÌ„ger the third night before his departure the bishop feeling his infirmity to grow vpon him willed certaine of his clergy to be called vnto him therby to be refreshed with some coÌ„ference or communicatioÌ„ unto whom the bishop mourning and lamenting in his minde for the losse of soules through the auarice of the Popes court sayd on this wise as by certayne Aphorismes 1. Christ came into the world to saue and win soules Ergo he that feareth not to destroy soules may he not worthely be counted Antichrist 2. The Lord created the whole world in sixe dayes but in restoring of man he labored more then 30. yeres wherfore he that is a destroier of that about which the Lord so long labored is not he worthy to be couÌ„ted the enemy of God and Antichrist 3. The Pope shameth not impudently to adnihilate and disanull the priuileges of his holy predecessors of Romain Bishops by this obstacle Non obstante which is not done without the preiudice and manifest iniury of them For in so doing he doth reproue and destroy that which so many and so holy men haue builded vp before and thus semeth he to be a contenmer of the Saints worthely therefore he that contemneth shall be contemned according to the saying of Esay woe to thee that doest despise for shalt not thou thy selfe be despised And who shall keepe his priuiledges which so breaketh the priuiledges of others 4. The Pope answering hereunto thus defeÌ„deth perhaps his error He that is equall hath no superiority ouer his equall Therfore no Pope hath power to binde me being pope as well as he To this I answere agayne quoth the Bishop It seemeth to me that he that now presently is sayling in the dauÌ„gerous seas of this world and he that is safely ariued in the hauen hauing past all ieopardyes are not both like and equall GrauÌ„t that some Popes be saued God forbid any should say contrary Then sayth our sauiour He that is least in the kingdome of heaueÌ„ is greater then Iohn Baptist a greater theÌ„ whom did neuer rise amongst the children of men Is not therefore some Pope greater being a giuer and coÌ„firmer of priuileges then this that is aliue Truely me thinkes he is greater Therefore he hath dominion ouer his inferior 5. Doth not the Pope thus say speaking of all his predecessours for the most part This our predecessor and thys our predecessor of most worthy memory c. And agayne we sayth he cleauing to or following the steppes of our predecessors c. And why then doe such Popes as â—me after destroy these foundations which their predecessors haue layd 6. Many Apostolicke men comming after haue confirmed some priuiledge being graunted by other before And be not many Bishops being already saued by the grace of God to be counted greater and better then one Byshopp which hath not yet atteined but standeth in dauÌ„ger to obtayne that which the other haue got already 7. Also our former fathers bishops of yâ— Apostolical sea in prefermeÌ„t of time go before the other which in time come after And those whom the estimatioÌ„ of auncient time doth aduaunce such are we bouÌ„d to esteme and to haue in more reuerence This did the holy man Benedict well consider who in his rule preferreth such as came first in time what so euer men they were before them which albeit being more auncient in yeares come after them into the order commaundeth them to be theyr superiors and to haue the preheminence which being so as it is true and certayne how commeth then this iniurious and rash presumption which dare repeale and disanull the old priuileges of many auncient holy Bishops in time and in reuerence going before them 8. Moreouer and though many Popes haue bene grieuous to the Churche yet this Pope most specially hath brought it most into seruitude manifold wayes hath daÌ„nified the same For these Caursini these open vsurers whoÌ„ our holy forefathers and doctors whom we haue seene and namely our learned maister in Fraunce preacher also the Abbot of Flay a Cistercian maister Iacobus de veteri and maister Steph. Archbishop of Cant. in the time of his banishment And also maister Rob. Curcun with his preaching banished out of Fraunce for before that time these kinde of â—surers were neuer knowne in England the same Caursini these wicked vsurers I say were by thys Pope induced supported and mayntayned so that if any do speak against them he is miserably tossed and troâ—â—sed for his labor wherof partly Roger bishop of London hath some experience 9. The world doth know that vsury is counted a detestable thing in both the TestameÌ„ts and is forbidden of God But now the Popes usurers or Exchaungers the very Iewes crying out agaynst them being openly suffered in London to exercise their vsury to the great damage detrimeÌ„t of all ecclesiasticall persons but especially houses of religion compelling such as be in pouerty to counterfeit and to put to their scales vnto forged writinges which is no lesse then to commit Idolatry and to abrenouÌ„ce the veritye whiche is God himselfe As for example I
Archb. Who there required day and place to deliberate vpon the conclusions aforesayd and to geue their answere vnto the same in wryting And also required to haue a copie of the sayde conclusions to be deliuered vnto them The which copy the sayd Nicholas Philip being openly read vnto them receiued Also the foresayd M. Iohn Ayshton lykewise was examined and iudicially admonished by the said Archbishop by vertue of his othe that hee setting aside all sophisticall words suttelties he fully and plainly would say his minde vpon the conclusions aforesayd And being asked moreouer by the said Archbishop whether he would haue a further day to deliberate vpon his answers as the foresaid Nicholas and Philip had before said expresly that he would not but would answer presently to those coÌ„clusions And so for finall aunswere sayde as concerning all these conclusions containing them all together that hys iudgement was in this behalf to hold his peace Wherfore the foresaid Archbishop reputing the saide Iohn herein to be suspected admonished him in form of words as foloweth We admonish thee Iohn Ayshton whome we repute to be defamed notoriously suspected of heresie the first the second and third time that in our prouince of Canterbury hereafter thou do not preach publickely or priuately wtout our speciall licence vnder paine of the greater curse which we denouÌ„ce here by these presents against thy person if thou obey not our monitions for nowe as for then And consequently for as much as the sayd Iohn being asked of the Archb. confessed that hee had heard before of the publication of the Archbyshops Mandate wherein was inhibited that no person prohibited or not sent should preach hereafter the foresayde Archb. assigned to him Friday next folowing which was the 20. day of the same moneth after dinner to appeare before hym either at Lamheth or in the same place to say for himselfe wherefore he myght not be pronounced for an heretick for such a one to be denounced through hys whole prouince Also the said Archbishop assigned to the foresaid Nicholas and Philip the saide day place to answer peremptorily and to say fully plainly to the conclusions aforesayde all sophistication of woordes and disputation set a part ¶ The names of the Friers that sate vpon them Friers preachers 7. Thom. Barnwel William Swynherd William Pitworth Tho. Whatley Laurence Grenham Iohn Leigh Iohn Haker Carmelites 3. Walter Dish Iohn Kinningham Iohn Louey Augustine Frier Thomas Ashborne Doctour In the 20. day aforesaid of the said month of Iune the yere and place aboue prefixed before the foresayde Archbyshop sitting in his tribunall seat in the presence of diuers Doctours of Diuinitie and lawyers both Ciuil and Canon personally appeared M. Nicholas Herford Phillip Repindon Bachelers of Diuinity and Iohn Ayshton maister of Arte. Where the foresaid Nicholas and Philip being required by the sayd Archb. to answere and say fully and plainly their iudgements vppon the conclusions prefixed whereunto the sayde Archbyshop had assigned to the sayd Nicholas and Philip the same terme did exhibite to the sayd Archbyshop there iudicially sitting certaine aunsweres in wryting contained after the maner of indeÌ„ture the tenour whereof here vnder is contained and after the same forme answered to the sayd conclusions The tenour of which Indenture containing the foresaide conclusions vnto them moued as afore foloweth in these wordes ¶ The protestation of Nicholas Philip and Iohn with their Articles and aunsweres to the same WE protest here as before publikely in these preseÌ„ts that we intend to be humble and faithful children to the church and holy scripture and to obey in all things the determinations of the Church And if it shall chaunce vs at any time which god forbid to swarue from this our intention we submit our selues humbly to the correction of our reuerend father Lorde Archbishop of Cant. and primate of all England and of all other which haue interest to correct such swaruers This protestatioÌ„ premised thus we answere to the conclusions aforesayd That the substance of material bread and wine remaineth in the Sacrament of the aulter after consecration After the sense contrary to the Decretall beginning Firmiter credimus we graunt that it is heresie That the accidents doe not remaine wythout the subiect after consecration of the Sacrament Aâ—ter the sense contrary to that Decretall Cum Marthe We graunt that it is heresie That Christ is not in the sacrament the selfe same truly and really in hys owne corporall presence Although this conclusion as the words stand sound to be probable and intelligible yet in the sense coÌ„trary to the decretal in Cle Si dudum We graunt that it is heresy And briefly concerning this whole matter of the Sacrament of the aulter as touching also all other thyngs we professe that we will both in worde and sense holde wyth the holy Scripture with the determination of the holy church and sayings of the holy Doctours Obstinatly to affirme that it hath no foundation in the Gospell that Christ ordained the Masse We graunt that it is heresie That God ought to obey the deuill In this sense that God in hys owne person or essence ought to obey the deuil with the obedience of necessity We graunt that it is heresie If a man be duely contrite that all externall confession is to him superfluous and vnprofitable We graunt that it is heresie If the Pope be a reprobate an euill man and consequeÌ„tly a member of the deuil He hath no power ouer the faithful of Christ giueÌ„ to him of any vnleast it be of Cesar. We graunt that it is heresie That after Pope Urbane the 6. none is to be receyued for Pope but that wee ought to liue after the maner of the Grecians vnder our owne lawes We graunt that it is heresie To say that it is against the holy Scripture for ecclesiasticall persons to haue temporall possessions If obstinacie be ioyned withall wee graunt that it is heresie That no Prelate ought to excommunicate any man vnles he know him before to be excommunicate of God We graunte that it is an errour Understandyng thys knowledge to meane an experimental knowledge so that heerewith may stand the Decree of the Church 11. q. 3. Nemo Episco That he which doth so excommunicate is thereby an hereticke or excommunicate After the sense agreeing with the other before we graunt to be an errour That a Prelate excommunicating a clerke whych appealeth to the king or counsell of the realme in so doing is a traitor to God the king and the realme We graunt it is an errour That they whych leaue off to preache or to heare the word of God the gospel preached for the excommunication of men are excommunicate and in the day of iudgement shal be counted for traytors to God Understanding this coÌ„clusion vniuersally so as scripture and lawes do vnderstand such indefinit propositioÌ„s We graunt it is an errour To
thus vnto Eugenius I feare no other greater poyson to happen vnto thee then greedy desire of rule and dominion This Wickliffe albeit in his life time had many greeuous enemies yet was there none so cruell vnto him as the Clergy it selfe Yet notwithstanding he had many good frends men not onely of the base and meanest sort but also nobility amongst whom these meÌ„ are to be nuÌ„bred Iohn CleÌ„bon Lewes Clifford Richard Sturius Thomas Latimer William Neuell Bohn Mountegew who plucked downe all the Images in his Church Besides all these there was the Earle of Salisbury who for conteÌ„pt in him noted towardes the Sacrament in carying it home to his house was enioyned by Radulph Ergom Bishop of Salisbury to make in Salisbury a crosse of stone in which all the story of the matter should be writteÌ„ and he euery Friday during his life to come to the crosse barefoot and bare-head in his shyrt there kneling vpon his knees to do penance for his fact Ex Chron. Mon. D. Albani in vita Ric. 2. The LoÌ„diners at this time somewhat boldly trusting to the Maiors authority who for that yeare was Ihon of NorthamptoÌ„ Took vpoÌ„ them the office of the Bishops in punishing the vices belonging to Ciuill law of suche persons as they had found and appreheÌ„ded in committing both fornication and adultery For first they put the womeÌ„ in the prison which amongst theÌ„ then was named DoliuÌ„ And lastly bringing them into the market place wher euery man might behold them cutting of their goldeÌ„lockes from theyr heads they caused them to be caryed about the streets with bagpipes and trumpets blowne before them to the intent they should be the better knowne their coÌ„panyes auoyded according to the maner then of certayne the eues that were named Apellatores accusers or pechers of others that were guiltles which were so serued And with other such like opprobrious and reprochfull contumelyes did they serue the men also that were taken with them in coÌ„mitting the forenamed wickednesse and vices Here the story recordeth how the sayd Londiners were incouraged hereunto by Iohn Wickeliffe and others that folowed hys doctrine to perpetrat this act in the reproch of the Prelats being of yâ— clergy For they sayd that they did not so much abhoâ—re to see the great negligence of those to whom that charge belonged but also their filthye auarice they did asmuch detest which for gredynes of money were choked with bribes and winking at the penaltyes due to such persons by the lawes appoynted suffered such fornicators and incestuous persons fauourably to continue in their wickednes They sayd furthermore that they greatly feared least for such wickednes perpetrated within the city and so apparantly dissimuled that God would take vengeance vpoÌ„ theÌ„ destroy their city Wherfore they said that they could do no lesse then to purge the same least by the sufferaunce thereof God would bring a plague vpon them or destroy theÌ„ with the sword or cause the earth to swallow vp both them and theyr City Haec ex Chron. Mon. D. Albani This story gentle Reader albeit the author therof whom I folow doth geue it out in reprochfull wise to the great discoÌ„mendation of the LoÌ„dyners for so doing Yet I thought not to omitte but to commit the same to memory which semeth to me rather to tend vnto the worthy coÌ„mendation both of the Londiners that so did to the necessary example of all other Cityes to follow the same After these things thus declared let vs now adioyne the testimoniall of the Vniuersity of Oxford of Iohn Wickliffe * The publicke testimony geuen out by the Vniuersity of Oxford touching the commendation of the great learning and good life of Iohn Wickliffe VNto all and singular the Children of our holye Mother the Church to whom this present Letter shall come the Vicechauncellor of the Vniuersity of Oxford with the whole congregation of the Maisters wish perpetuall health in the Lord. Forsomuch as it is not commonly seene that the Actes and Mmonumentes of valiaunt men nor the prayse and merites of good men should be passed ouer and hidden with perpetuall sileÌ„ce but that true report and fame should continually spread abroad the same in straunge farre distant places both for the witnes of the same and example of others Forsomuch also as the prouident discretion of mans nature being recompensed with cruelty hath deuised and ordayned this buckeler and defence against such as do blaspheme and slaunder other mens doings that whensoeuer witnes by word of mouth can not be present the penne by writing may supply the same Hereupon it followeth that the speciall good will and care which we bare vnto I. Wickliffe sometime childe of this our Vniuersity and professor of Diuinity mouing and stirring our minds as his maners and conditions required no lesse with one mind voyce and testimony we do witnesse all his conditions doings throughout his whole life to haue bene most sincere commeÌ„dable whose honest maners and conditions profoundnes of learning and most redolent renowme and fame we desire the more earnestly to be notified known vnto all faithful for that we vnderstand the maturity and ripenesse of his couuersation his diligent labors and trauels to tend to the prayse of God the helpe sauegarde of others and the profite of the Church Wherefore we signify vnto you by these presents that his coÌ„uersatioÌ„ euen froÌ„ his youth vpwards vnto the time of his death was so praise worthy and honest that neuer at any time was there any note or spot of suspition noysed of him But in his aunswering reading preaching and determining he behaued himselfe laudably and as a stout and valiaunt champion of the fayth vanquishing by the force of the Scriptures all such who by theyr wilfull beggery blasphemed and slaundered Christes Religion Neither was this sayd Doctor conuict of any heresy either burned by our Prelates after his buriall God forbidde that our Prelates should haue condemned a man of such honesty for an hereticke who amongest all the rest of the vniuersitye had written in Logicke Philosophye Diuinitye Moralitye and the Speculatiue art without peere The knowledge of which all singular things we do desire to testify and deliuer forth to the intent that the fame and renowne of this sayd Doctor may be the more euident and had in reputation amongest them vnto whose handes these present letters testimoniall shall come In witnes wherof we haue caused these our letters testimonial to be sealed with our coÌ„mon seale Dated at Oxford in our congregation house the fift day of October in the yeare of our Lord. 1406. The testimony and wordes of Maister Iohn Hus as touching maister Iohn Wickliffe VErely as I do not beleue neither grauÌ„t that M. Iohn Wickliffe is an horeticke so do I not deny but firmly hope that he is no hereticke For so much as in all matters of doubt I
6. Item that euery Priest may absolue euery sinner being contrite and is bound to preach the Gospell vnto the people notwithstanding the prohibition of the Bishops pag. 467. 7. Item that a priest receiuing by bargaine any thing of yearely annuity is in so doing a schismaticke and excommunicate pag. 467. 8. Item he doth assuredly beleeue as he auoucheth that euery priest being in deadly sinne if he dispose himselfe to make the body of Christ doth rather commit idolatry theÌ„ make Christes body pag. 467. 9. Item that no priest doth enter into any house but to handle ill the wife the daughter or the mayd and therfore c. pag. 467. 10. Item that the child is not rightly baptised if the priest c. ibid. 11. Item that no maner of person if he liue agaynst Gods law c. ibid. 12. Item the same William agaynst the thinges premised and his reuocation and abiuration not to his hart coÌ„uerting but from euill to worse peruerting did turne aside into our dioces where running to and fro in diuers places hath of his owne rash head presumed to preach or rather to peruert c. 467. 13. Item after that we had heard diuers rumors slaunders of very many we directed diuers monitions and coÌ„maundementes comminatorye to be sent abroade by our Commissaries to sundry places of our dioces that no person of what estate degree or condition so euer he were of should presume to preach or to teach the sacred scripture to the people in places holy or prophane within our dioces c. page 466. 14. Item that the same sort of monitions inhibitions and precepts confirmed by our seale came to the true vndouted knowledge of the sayd William 15. Item the same William vnmindefull of his owne saluation hath sithens agaynst those monitions inhibitioÌ„s and preceptes and that which is more abhominable to be spoken in contempt of the high Bishops dignity to the slauÌ„der offence of many people presumed in diuers places of our sayd dioces to preach or rather to peruert to teach the forementioned other heretical erroneous and schismaticall deuises 16 Item the same William in preaching to the people on monday to wit the first of August in the yere of our Lord 1390. in the Church of Whitney in our dioces held and affirmed that no Prelate of the world of what state prehemineÌ„ce or degree soeuer he were of hauing cure of soule being in deadly sinne c. pag. 466. 17. Item the same William in many places sayd affirmed in the presence of many faythfull â—hristian people after the sacramentall words vttered by the priest hauing the intent to consecrate there is not made the very bodye of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist pag. 466. 18. Item that accidences cannot be in the sacrameÌ„t of the aulter without theyr subiect that there remayneth materiall bread Concomitanter with the body of Christ in the sacrament Vide supra pag. 466. 19. Item that a priest being in deadly sinne cannot by the power of the sacrameÌ„tall words make the body of Christ c. pag. 466. 20. Item that all priests are of like power in all poynts notwithstanding that some of them are in this worlde of higher dignity degree or preheminence pag. 466. 21. Item that contrition onely putteth away sinne if a man shall be duely contrite and that all vocall confession and exercise is superfluous and not requisite of necessitye to saluation Ibidem 22. Item that inferior Curates haue not theyr power of binding and loosing mediatly from the pope or bishop but immediately of Christ. c. pag. 466. 23. Item that the pope cannot graunt such kind of annuall pardons because there shall not be so many yeares to the day of iudgement as is conteyned in the popes buls or pardons Whereby it followeth that pardons are not so much worth as they are noysed and praysed to be Ibid. 24. Item that it is not in the Popes power to graunt to any penitent body forgeuenes of the paine or of the trespasse pag. 466. 25 Item that one geuing his almes to any bodye which as he iudgeth hath no neede thereof doth sinne in so geeuyng it pag. 466. 26 Item that it standes not in the power of any prelate of what priuate religion soeuer he bee to geue by letters benefites of their order Neither do such kind of benefits geuen profit them to whom they be geuen for the saluatioÌ„ of soules Vide supra pag. 466. 27 Item that the same William vnmindfull of his owne saluation hath many times and often resorted to a certain desert wood called Derwalswood of our dioces and there in a certayne vnhallowed Chappell nay a prophane cottage hath presumed of his owne propre rashnesse to celebrate c. pag. 466. 28 Item the same William hath also presumed to do the like thinges in a certayne prophane chappel situate in the parke of Newton nigh to the towne of Leyntwardyn in the same our dioces pag. 466. ¶ Which thinges being done the same faithful Christen people and specially sir Walter Pride the penitentiarie of our Cathedrall Church of Hereforde personally appearing before vs sittyng in our iudgement seate in the parish Church of Whiteborne of our diocesse brought forth and exhibited two publique instruments against the same Walter Brute in the case of cursed heresie aforsaid of which instrumentes here followeth the tenours and Articles in this sort In the name of God Amen Be it euidently knoweÌ„ to all persoÌ„s by this preseÌ„t publike instrumeÌ„t the in the yeare froÌ„ the incarnatioÌ„ after the course and coÌ„putation of the church of England 1391. the indiction xv of the pontifical office of our most holy father and Lord in Christ Lord Boniface the ix by Gods Wisedome Pope the second yeare the xv day of the month of October in the dwelling house of the worshipful maÌ„ maister Iohn Godemoston Chanon of the Cathedral Church of Hereford in the presence of me the publique Notary vnder written and of witnesses subscribed Walter Brute lay man learned of Hereford dioces personally appearing sayde auouched and stifly maintayned that the sayde Bishop of Hereforde and his assistaunces which were with him the third day of the foresayde month of October the yeare of our Lord aforesayd in the Church of Hereford did naughtely wickedly peruersly and vniustly condemne the aunsweres of sir William Swinderby Chaplaine geuen by the same sir William to the same Lord byshop in wryting and also the articles ministred by the same sir William And furthermore he sayd held and aduouched that the same conclusions geuen by the same sir WilliaÌ„ euen as they were geuen are true and Catholike Item as touching the matters obiected agaynst hym by them that stoode by concerning the sacrament of the aulter he sayd that after the sacramentall words there doth remaine very bread and the substance therof after the coÌ„secration of the body of Christ and
Christian fayth whych was preached at Rome Who beleeued straightwayes and sent to Rome to Eleutherius for men skilfull to informe hym more fully in the very fayth it selfe at whose comming he was ioyfull and was baptised with his whole kingdom And after the receiuing of the fayth they neuer forsooke it neyther for any maner false preaching of other neyther for any maner of tormēts or yet assaults of the Paynims as in other kindomes it hath come to passe And thus it seemeth to me the Britons amongst other natiōs haue ben as it were by the spirituall election of God called conuerted to the fayth Of them as me seemeth did Esay prophecy saying For they did see to whō there was nothing told of him they did behold that had not heard of him And againe behold thou shalt call a nation which thou knewest not natyons that haue not knowen thee shall runne vnto thee for the lord thy God the holy one of Israel shall glorify thee Of this kingdome did S. Iohn in the Apocalips prophecy as me semeth where he said The Dragō stode before the woman which was about to be deliuered of child to the intent that when she had brought it forth into the world he might deuour vp her sōne she brought forth her child which was a māchild who should gouern al natiōs with an yron rod. And the same sonne was taken vp to God to his throne And the womā fled into the wildernes wheras she had a place prepared of God that they may feede her 1260. dayes And agayne in the same chapter after that the Dragon saw that he was cast out vpō the earth he did persecute the womā which brought forth the manchild And there were geuen to the womā two wings of a great Egle that she might flee into the wildernesse into her place where as she is fostred vp for a time times a halfe time from the face of the Serpent And the Serpent did cast as it were a floud of water after the woman to the intēt that he might cause her to be drowned by the floud and the earth opening her mouth did heare the woman did swallow vp the floud which the Dragon did cast out of his mouth Let vs see how these sayinges may bee applyed vnto this kingdom rather then to other kingdomes It is wel knowen that this kingdome is a wildernes or a desert place because that the Philosophers wisemen did not passe vpon it but did leaue it for a wildernes and desert because it is placed without the clymates Vnto this place fled the woman that is to say the Church which by fayth did spiritually bring forth Christ into the world where as she was fed with the heauenly bread the flesh and bloud of Iesus Christ for 1260. daies seing that for so many daies taking a day for a yere the Brytons cōtinued in the faith of Christ which thing cannot be found so of any Christen kingdome but of this desert and wel is it said that she flew to this place For whom the East came the faith into Brytaine not by walking in iourney nor yet by sayling for then should it haue come by Rome Italy Almaine France which cānot be found therefore she flew ouer those places rested not in them euen as a birde flying ouer a place resteth not in the same but rested in thys wildernes for a time times and halfe a time that is 1260. yeres from the first comming of the faith into Britaine vntill this present In saying for a time times and halfe a time there is a going forwarde from the greater to the lesse The greatest time that we name is a 1000. yeres there is a time and the next time that is lesse in the singuler number is one 100. yere In the plural number times signifie that there be mo hundreths then one at lest 200. yeres Wherefore if they be put vnder a certaine number it must nedes be that they be two but the same two cānot fitly be called some times except they be hundreths For in that that there is a goyng downe from the greater to the lesse when as it is sayde a time times and half a time and that the number of a 1000. is likely assigned for a time it must nedes folow that times must be taken for hundreths and half a time for 60. because it is the greater halfe of an hundreth yeres though that 50. be the euen half And when that the serpent sent the water of the persecution after the woman to cause her to be drouned of the floud then did the earth that is to wit the stablenes of faith helpe the woman by supping vp the water of tribulation For in the most cruel persecution of Dioclesian and Maximiane against the Christians when as christianity was almost euery wher roted out yet did they in this kingdom stand continually in the faith vnmoueable And so considering that the Britons were conuerted to the faith of Christ as you would say by an election and piking out amongst all the nations of the heathen and that after they had receiued the faith they did neuer starte backe from the faith for no maner of tribulation It is not to be meruailed it in their place y◠calling of the Gentiles be made manifest to the profiting of the gospell of Iesus Christ by the reuealing of Antichrist But besides this me seemeth that Ezechiel doth specially speake of them whereas hee speaketh of the fall of the prince of Tyre saying for asmuch as thy heart is lifted vp as if it were the hart of God therfore beholde I wil bring vpon thee some of the strongest of the heathen they shall draw their naked swords vpon the beauty of thy wisdom and they shall defile thy comelines and they shall slay thee and pull thee out and thou shalt die in the slaughter of the slaine persons in the heart of the sea This prince who sayth that he himself is God doth sit in Gods chaire in the heart of the sea doth signify as most likely it seemeth to me that Antichrist shal be destroyed by the most mighty persons of the Gentils folke through the sworde of the worde of God Because that amongst the other Gentiles there haue bene none more strong then the Britones either in their body or their faith in their bodely warres there haue bene none more mighty then they For neuer in warres haue they bene vanquished but by their owne sedition or treason But how many kingdoms haue they conquered Yea and nother by the most mighty city of Rome could they be driuen out of their kingdome vntill that God sent vppon them pestilence and famine whereby they being wasted were compelled to leaue their country which thing I haue not hard of any other people Now in the faith haue they bene amongst all the people the strongest as before is sayd because that
the light of perfection It was not said vnto them All people that shal take the sword shal perish with the sworde What if Iohn the Baptist disallowed corporal fightings and corporall warfare at such time as the souldiours asked him saying And what shall we do Who sayth to them See that you strike no man neither picke ye quarels against any and be yee contented with your wages Thys saying of Iohn alloweth not corporal warfare amongest Christians For Iohn was of the Priests of the olde Testament and vnder the law neyther to hym it appertayneth to follow the lawe but to warne the people to the perfect obseruation of the lawe For he being like wyse demaunded of the publicanes what they should doe sayde vnto them Doe no other thyng then is appoynted vnto you But Christ the author of the newe Testament and of greater perfection then waâ— the perfection of the old law which gaue newe things as it plainly appeareth by the Gospel So that Christians ought to receiue information of Christ not of Iohn For of Iohn also doth Christ speak Uerely I say vnto you there hath not risen amongest the children of women a greater then Iohn Baptist but hee that is lesse in the kingdome of heauen is greater then he In which saying Christ sheweth that those that be least in the kingdome of heauen in the tyme of grace are placed in greater perfection theÌ„ was Iohn which was one of them that were the elders he liued also in that time of the law in greater perfection And wheÌ„ as certain of Iohns disciples sayd vnto him maister he that was beyoÌ„d Iordan to whoÌ„ thou gauest witnesse beholde hee baptiseth and all people come vnto him Iohn answered and sayde A man cannot take any thing vppon him vnlesse it shall bee geuen him from aboue You your selues doe beare me recorde that I sayde I am not Christ but that I was sent before hym He that hath the bride is the bridegrome as for the bridegromes frende who standeth and heareth him reioyceth wyth greate ioy to heare the voyce of the bridegrome Thys therefore my ioy is fulfilled he must increase and I must bee diminished Hee that commeth from an hie is aboue all Hee that is of the earthe is earthy and speaketh of the earthe Hee that commeth from heauen is aboue all folkes that which hee hath seene and heard the same doth he witnesse and yet his witnessing doth no body receiue But he that receiueth his witnessing hath put to his Seale that God is true For he whome God hath sent speaketh the wordes of God By whych things it plainely appeareth that credence is to be geuen neither to Iohn nor yet to angell if he teach any thing that is not agreeable to Christes doctrine For Christ is aboue the Aungels because that God infinitely passeth them in wisdome Nowe if Moses the seruaunt of God a minister of the old testament was so much to be beleued that nothing could be added nor yet any thing diminished from the commandements that were geuen by hym for so Moses had sayd the thyng that I commaund thee that do thou onely to the Lorde neither adde thou any thing nor diminish How much more ought we not to adde nor to take away from the commandements geuen by God himselfe and also the sonne of God In the primitiue Churche because the Christians had seruent loue and charity they obserued these precepts as they were geueÌ„ but their feruent charitie afterward waxing luke warme they inuented gloses by drawing the commaundementes of God backe to their own deedes which they purposed to iustifie and mayntayn that is to say warres against the infidels But that they by warres should be conuerted to the fayth is a fact faithlesse inough because that by violence or vnwillingly no body can beleue in Christ nor be made a christian neither did he come to destroy them by battaile that beleued not in him for he said to his disciples you knowe not what spirite you are of The sonne of man came not to destroy mens liues but to saue them Then to graunt pardons and forgeuenes of sinnes to those that kill the infidels is to much an infidels fact seducing many people For what greater seducing can there be then to promise to a man forgeuenes of sinnes and afterwarde the ioye of heauen for setting himselfe against Christes commaundementes in the killing of the Infidels that would not be conuerted to the fayth where as Christ doth say not euery one that sayth to me Lord Lord shal enter into the gidgdome of heauen but he that doth the will of my father which is in heauen this person shall enter into the kingdome of heauen Now the will of the father is that we should beleue in his onely sonne Iesus Christ and that we would obey him by obseruing of those thinges which he himselfe hath commaunded Wherefore Christes preceptes of pacience must be fulfilled Warres fightinges and contentions must be left because they are contrary to charitie But peraduenture some man wil thus reason against Christ The saintes by whome God hath wrought myracles do allow warres as well against the faithfull people as also against the infidels And the holy kings were warriours for whose sakes also miracles haue bene shewed as well in theyr death as also in their life yea in the very time wherin they were a warfare Wherfore it semeth that their factes were good and lawfull For otherwise God would not haue done miracles for them To â—â—is agayne I say that we for no miracles must do contrary to the doctrine of Christ. For in it can there be no errour but in myracles there oftentimes chaunceth error as it is plaine as well by the old as by the new testament God forbid then that a Christian should for deceiuable miracles depart from the infallible doctrine of Christ. In Exodus the 7. chapter it is manifest howe that the wicked wise men of the Egiptians through the inchauntments of Egipt and certayne secret workinges threw theyr wands vpon the earth which were turned into Dragons eueÌ„ as Aaron before time in the prefeÌ„ce of Pharao threw his wand vpon the earth which by the power of God was turned into a serpent In the third of the kinges the 22. chap. Micheas did see the Lord sitting vpon his throne and all the hoste of heauen standing about him on the right hand and on the left And the Lord sayd who shall deceaue Achab the king of Israel that he may go vp and be slayn in Ramoth Gilaad And one sayd this way and an other otherwise now there went forth a spirit and stood before the Lord said I will deceiue him To whoÌ„ the Lord spake by what meanes And he sayd I will go forth and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophetes And the Lord sayd thou shall deceiue him and preuaile go thy wayes forth and do euen so Thus also is it
that the foresayde William and Stephen beinge succoured by the aide of their factours or fauourers should not bee able to flye or escape to their accustomed starting holes and that the sharpnes of their paines so aggrauated may geue them sufficient cause to returne to the lap againe of their holy mother the church we strayghtlye charge and commaunde all and singular our Shrifes Bailifes Barones and al other our officers in the Citie and Dioces of Hereford in any other place being within our dominion of Wales by the tenour of these presentes that from time to time where they thinke it most meete they cause it openly to be proclaimed in our name that none of what state degree preeminence kind or other coÌ„dition he shal be of do cherish opeÌ„ly or secretlye the foresayd William and Steuen vntil the time that they repent theÌ„ of their heresies and errours and shal be recoÌ„ciled vnto the holy Church of God Neither that any person or persons be beleuers fauorers or receiuers defendours or in any case wittinglye instructours of the said William or Stephen or any other of the residue of the heretikes that are to be coÌ„uinced vpon the forfaiture of all that euer they haue And that also they geuing their attendance be obedient aunswerable to the foresayd bishop and his deputies in this behalfe for the execution of the premisses and that they certify vs and our counsel distinctly and plainly from time to time of the names of all and singular persons which shall fortune to be found culpable in this behalfe vnder their seales In witnes whereof we haue caused these out letters patentes to be made Witnesse our selfe at Westminster the ix day of Marche in the xv yeare of our reigne Farington ¶ An other letter of the sayd kyng agaynst Walter Brute RIchard by the grace of God kyng of England and of Fraunce and Lorde of Irelande To hys beloued and faythfull Iohn ChauÌ„dos knight Iohn Eynfore knight Renold de la Bere knight Walter Deueros knight Thomas de la Bare knight William Lucie knight Leonard Hakelute knight and to the Maior of the Citie of Hereford to Thomas Oldcastle Rich Nash Roger Wygmore Thomas Waylwayne Iohn Skydmore Iohn VpHarry Henry Motton and to the Shiriffe of Hereford sendeth salutations For asmuche as it is aduertised vs that one Walter Brute and other such children of iniquitie haue damnably holden affirmed and preached certaine articles and conclusions being notoriously repugnaunt against the holy Scripture of the which some of them as heresies and the rest as errours are finally by the Church condemned and that in diuers places within the dioces of Hereford and partes neare adioyning both priuely openly and obitinately which thing wee perceiue not onely to redounde to the subuersion in a maner of the Catholicke faith which as well we as other catholicke Princes ought of duety to maintaine but also to forewarne vs of the subuersion of our faithfull Diocesans And that the sayd Bishop vpon the good deliberation and aduisement of a great number of Doctours in Diuinitie and other learned skilfull men in the Scriptures of speciall deuotion according to his bounden duetie purposed to begin and make diuers and sundry processes by law to be sent vnto the foresayd Walter and hys accomplices to appere personally before him and other the Doctours aforesaid in the cathedrall church of Hereford the morow after the translation of S. Thomas of Hereforde next ensuing and to procede in the same place against the same Walter in the foresaide articles and conclusions for the amendement of his soule Now a fresh because that the sayd Walter and others of their retinue cleaning and confederating with him might not suffer condigne paines according to their demerites indeuour themselues to make voide and frustrate the sayde godly purpose of the same Bishop in such correction execution as should haue bene done and with force doe resist and let the same with all the power they may to the great contempt of vs and of our crowne and to the breaking and hurting of our peace and pernicious example of others Doe appoynt you and euery of you immediatly as soone as this our commission shall be deliuered vnto you in our behalfe and name to make open proclamation in the diocesie and partes aforesayde where ye shall thinke it most meete and conuenyent That no man be so hardy hencefoorth of what state or condition soeuer he shall be within the Dioces and partes aforesayde vpon paine of forfaiture of all that euer hee hath to make or leauie any conuenticles assemblies or confederacies by any colour or that they presume to attempt or procure any other thing wherby our peace may be hurt or broken or that the same Bishops and Doctors aforesaid may be by any meanes molested or let in the execution of suche correction as is to be done according to the Canonical sanctions and to arest all those which ye shal finde or take offending in this behalfe or that keepe themselues in any suche conuenticles And that they being committed to prison be there kept till you shall haue other commaundement from vs and our counsel for their deliueraunce And that ye distinctly and plainly certifie vs and our sayd counsell of all your doing in thys behalfe vnder your seales or else the seales of some of you And therefore we straightly charge and commaunde you and euery of you that ye diligently attende vpon the premisses and that in your deedes yee execute the same with all diligence and carefull indeuour in the forme and maner aforesaide And further wee geue straight charge and commaundement to all and singular Shriffes Maiors Bailiftes Constables and other our faithfull subiectes by the tenour of these presents that they be attending vpon you counselling and aiding you and euery of you as is meete and conuenient in the doing and execution of the premisses In witnesse whereof we haue caused these our letters patents to be made Witnesse my selfe at Westminster the 22. day of September in the 17. yeare of our raigne ¶ By the same King and Counsell Thus king Richard by the setting on of W. Courtney Archb. of Canterb. and his fellowes taking part wyth the Pope and Romith Prelates waxed something strait and harde to the poore Christians of the contrary side of wyckleffe as by these letters aboue prefixed may appeare Allbeit durâ—ng all the life of the saide king I finde of none expresly by name that suffered burning Notwythstanding some there were which by the foresaide Archbish. William Courtney and other Bishops had bene condemned and diuers also abiured and did penance as well in other places as chiefly about the towne of Leycester as followeth here to be declared out of the Archbyshoppes register and recordes At what time the saide Archbishop W. Courtney was in his visitation at the towne of Leycester certaine there were accused and detected to him by the monks and other Priestes
recanted her foresayd articles and opinions For the which she being enioyned 40. dayes penance was againe admitted into her foresaid recluse in Leycester The Byshops letter to the Magistrates of the towne thus beginneth Willielmus permissione diuina c. dilectis filijs c. Also by an other letter of the foresayde Archbish. to the Deane of the Cathedrall church of our Ladye of Leycester being registred I finde that of the number of those 8. persons before recite◠whom the Archbishop himselfe at high Masse did in hys Pontificalibus so solemnely curse wyth booke bell and candle After certeine proces being sent out against them or els in the meane time being apprehended taken two of them recanted their opinions to wit William Smith and Roger Dexter But in the meane tyme Alyce the wife of the sayde Roger Dexter takyng holde of the foresaid articles with her husband also together wyth the said William Smith abiured the same For these be the wordes of the instrument Subsequenter verò praefati Wilielmus Rogerus Alicia reatus suos respicientes se nostro conspectul praesentarunt c. Notwythstanding whether they presented thēselues willingly or els were brought against their wils as most like it was hard penance was enioyned them before they were absolued These be the wordes of the instrument Sancta mater ecclesia c. i. Seeing our holy mother the church denieth not her lap to any penitēt childe returning to the vnitie of her but rather profereth to them the same we therefore do receiue againe the sayd William Roger Alice to grace And further haue caused them to abiure all and singular the aforesaide articles opinions before they receiued of vs the benefit of absolution were loosed from the sentence of excōmmunication wherein they were snarled inioyning vnto them penance according to the quantitie of the crime in forme as foloweth that is to say That euery one of them the sonday next after their returning to theyr proper goodes they the sayd William Roger Alice holding euery one an image of the crucifix in their right hands and in their left handes euery one of them a taper of waxe waying half a pound waight in their shirts hauing none other apparel vppon them doe goe before the Crosse three times during the procession of the Cathedrall Churche of our Lady of Lecester that is to say in the beginning of the procession in the middle of the procession and in the latter end of the procession to the honor of hym that was crucified in the memoriall of his passion and to the honor of the virgin his mother who also deuoutly bowing their knees and kneeling shall kisse the same crucifixe so helde in theyr handes And so with the same procession they entring againe into the church shall stand during all the time or the holy Masse before the image of the Crosse with their Lapers and crosses in their handes And when the Masse is ended the sayde William Roger Alice shall offer to him that celebrated that day the Masse Then vpon the Saterday next insuing the sayd William Roger and Alice shal in the full and publique market within the towne of Leicester stande in like manner in their shirtes without any more clothes vpon their bodies holding the foresayd crosses in their right hāds which crosses three tunes they shal during the market deuoutly kisse reuerently kneelyng vppon their knees that is in the beginning of the market in the middle of the market and in the ende of the market And the sayde William for that hee some what vnderstandeth the Latine tounge shall say this Antheame wyth the collect Sancta Katharina and the foresayde Roger and Alice being vnlearned shall say deuoutly a Pater noster and an Aue Maria. And thirdly the Sonday next immediatly after the same the sayde William Roger and Alice in theyr parish Church of the sayd towne of Leicester shall stand and do as vppon the Sonday before they stoode and dyd in the cathedrall Church of our Ladie aforesayde in all thynges Which done the foresayd William Roger and Alice after Masse shall offer to the Priest or chaplaine that celebrated the same with all humiliti and reuerence the waxe tapers which they shall carie in their handes And because of the colde weather that now is least the foresaid penitents myght peraduenture take some bodely hurt standing so long naked being mindful to moderate partly the sayd our rigor we geue leaue That after their entrance into the churches aboue sayde whilest they shall be in hearing the foresayde masses that they may put on necessary garments to keepe them from cold so that their heads and feete notwithstanding be bare and vncouered Wee therefore will and commaund you together and a part that you denounce the said William Roger and Alice to be absolued and restored againe to the vnitie of our holy mother the church and that you call them forth to do their penance in maner and forme aforesayde Giuen at Dorchester the 17. day of Nouember in the yeare of our Lorde God 1389. and the 9. yeare of our translation Unto the narration of these aboue sayd we will adioyne the story of one Peter Pateshul au Austen Frier who obtaining by the Popes priuiledge through the meanes of Walter Dis confessour to the Duke of Lancaster libertie to chaunge his coat and religion and hearing the doctrine of Iohn Wicklesse other of the same fort began at length to preach opēly and to detect the vices of his order in such forte as all men wondered to heare the horrible recyting thereof This being brought to the cares of hys order they to the number of 12. cōming out of their house to the place where he was preaching thought to haue withstode hym perforce Among whome one especially for the zeale of hys religion stoode vp openly in his preaching and contraried that which he said who then was preaching in the Church of S. Christopher in London This when the faithfull Londoners did see taking griefe hereat were mooued with great ire against the said Frier thrusting him with hys other brethren out of the church whome they not onely had beaten and fore woūded but also followed them home to their house mineding to haue destroied their mansion with fire also and so would haue done had not one of the sheriffes of London wyth two of the Friers of the sayde house well knowen reported amongst the Londiners wyth gentle wordes mitigated their rage and violence After thys Peter Pateshull thus disturbed as is aforesayd was desired by the Londiners for so much as he could not well preach amongest them to put in writing that which he had sayde before and other things more that he knew by the Friers Who then at their request wryting the same accused the friers of murther cōmitted against diuers of their brethren And to make the matter more apparant credible he declared
prists neither ruling the people mainteining ne defending fro enemies as it falleth to knights neither traueling on the earth in diuerse craftes as it falleth to labourers Whan the day of rokening commeth that is the end of this life right as he liued here withouten trauaile so he shall there lack the reward of the pense that is the endles ioie of heauen And as he was here liuing after none state ne order so he shall be put than in that place that no order is in but euerlasting horror and sorow that is in hell Herfore eueriche man se to what state God hath cleped him and dwell he therin by trauaile according to his degree Thou that art a laborer or a crafty man do this truelly If thou art a seruaunt or a bond man be suget and lowe in drede of displeasing of thy Lord If thou art a marchaunt disceiue nought thy brother in chaffering If thou art a knight or a Lord defend the poore man and needy fro handes that will harme them If thou art a Iustice or a Iudge go not on the right hand by fauour neyther on the left hand to punish any man for hate If thou art a priest vndernine praye and repreue in all maner patience and doctrine Vnderuime thilke that ben negligent pray for thilke that bene obedient reproue tho that ben vnobedient to God So euery man trauaile in his degree For whan the euen is come that is the end of this worlde than euerye man shall take reward good or euill after that he hath traualled here The wordes that I haue taken to make of my sermon be thus muche to say Yelde reconing of thy bayly Christ autour of pitye and louer of the saluation of his people in the proces of this gospell enfourmeth euery man what is his baylye by maner of a parable of a bayly that he speaketh of to aray him to answer of the goodes that God hath taken him when the day of straight reconing shall be come that is the day of dome And so I at this tyme throwe the helpe of God folowing him that is so great a maister of autoritie because that I know nothing that should more drawe away mans vnreasonable loue fro the passing ioy of thys world then the minde of the dreadfull reconing As much as suffice I shall shewe you how ye shall dispose you to auoide the vengeaunce of God when ther shal be time of so straight doome that we shall geue reconing of euery idle word that we haue ispoken For than it shal be said to vs and we shall not flee it Yelde reconing of thy bayly But for forther proces of this first party of this sermon yee shall wete that there shall be three bay lifes that shall be cleped to this straight reconing Twaine to answer for them selfe and for other that bene priests that haue cure of mens soules temporal mē that haue gouernayle of people and the thirde baylyf shall acount onely for himselfe and that is euerye Christen man of that he hath receiued of God And euery of these shall aunswer to three questions To the first question how hast thou entred The second how hast thou ruled And to the third how hast thou liued And if thou canst well assoile these three questions was there neuer none earthly Lord that euer so well rewarded his seruant without comparison as thy Lord God shal reward thee that is with blisse and ioye and life that euer shall last But on that other side and thou wilt now be recheles of thine owne welfare and take none heede of this reconing If that day take thee sodainly so that thou passe hence in deadly sinne as thou worst neuer what shall fall thee all the toungs that euer were or euer shall be mow not tell the sorrowe and wo that thou shalt euer be in and suffer Therefore the desire of so great ioy and the dread of so great paine thoughe loue ne dread of God were not in thine hart yet should that make thee afeard to sinne for to thinke that thou shalt giue reconing of thy bayly Therefore as I say to thee the first question that shall be proposed to the first bayly that is a prelat other a Curat of mens soules is this How hast thou entred Math. xxij Friend how entredst thou hether Who brought thee in to this office Truth or Symony God or the Deuill Grace or mony The flesh or the spirit Giue thou thy reconing if thou canst If thou canst not I rede that thou tary for to learne For vp hap ere night thou shalt be cleped And if thou stande dombe for vnkunning or els for confusion of thy conscience thou fall into the sentence that anon followeth Binde his handes and his feete and cast him in to the vtter warde of darknes there shall be weeping and grenning of teethe Therfore I rede thee that thou aduise thee how thou shalt answer to this question How hast thou entred whether by cleeping or by thine owne procuring for that thou wouldest trauaile in Gods gospell other for thou wouldest be richly arayed Answere now to thy owne conscience as thou shalt answer to God thou that hast take now the order of prieste whether thou be curate or none who stirred thee to take vpon thee so high an estate Whether for thou wouldest liue as a priest ought to do studying of Gods law to preach and most hartely to pray for the people or for to liue a delicious life vpon other mens trauayle and thy selfe trauaile nought Why also setten men theyr sonnes either their cousins to schole Whereto but for to get them great aduancements or to make them the better to knowe howe they shoulden serue God This men may see openly by the sciences that they set them to Why I pray you put men their sonnes to the law ciuill or to the kings court to write letters writs rather thā to Philosophy or Diuinity but for the hope that these occupations shoulde be euer means to make them great in the world I hope that ther wil no man say that they ne shoulde better learne the rule of good liuing in the booke of Gods law than in any bookes of mans worldly wisedome But certes now it is so the that Iohn Chrisostom saith Mothers be louing to the bodies of their children but the soule they despise they desire them to wel fare in this world but they take none hede what they shall suffer in the tother Some or deinen fees for their children but none ordeine them to godward The lust of their bodies they wol deere by but the health of their soule the reke nought of If they see them poore or sicke they sorrow and sigheth but though they see them sinne they sorrowe not And in this they shew that they brought forth the bodies but not the soules And if we take heede truly what abhominations be scattered and
body The Lord Cobham asked how they could make good that sentence of theirs They aunswered him thus For it is agaynst the determination of holy Church Then sayd the archbishop vnto him Syr Iohn we sēt you a writing concerning the fayth of this blessed Sacrament clearely determined by the church of Rome our mother and by the holy Doctors Then he sayd agayne vnto him I know none holyer then is Christ and his Apostles And as for that determination I wore it is none of theyrs for it standeth not with the scriptures but manifestly against them If it be the Churches as ye say it is it hath bene hers onely since she receaued the great poyson of worldly possessions and not afore Then asked they him to stop his mouth therwith If he beleued not in the determination of the Church And he sayd vnto them No forsooth for it is no God In all our Creede this word in is but thrise mentioned concerning beleue In God the father in God the sonne in in God the holy Ghost three persons and one God The byrth the death the buriall the resurrection and ascension of Christ hath none in for beleue but in him Neyther yet hath the Church the sacramentes the forgeuenes of sinne the latter resurrection nor yet the life euerlasting nor anye other in then in the holy ghost Then sayd one of the Lawyers Such that was but a word of office But what is your beliefe concerning holy Church The Lord Cobham aunswered My beliefe is as I sayd afore that all the scriptures of the sacred Bible are true All y◠is grounded vppon them I beleue throughly For I know it is Gods pleasure that I shuld so do But in your Lordly lawes and idle determinations haue I no beliefe For ye be no part of Christes holy churche as your open deedes doth shew But ye are very Antichristes obstinately set agaynst his holy law and wil. The lawes that ye haue made are nothing to his glory but onely for your vayne glory and abhominable couetousnes This they sayd was an exceeding heresie and that in a great fume not to beleeue the determination of holye Church Then the Archbishop asked hym what he thought of holy Church He sayd vnto him my beliefe is that the holye Churche is the number of them which shal be saued of whō Christ is the head Of this churche one part is in heauen wyth Christ an other in purgatorye you say and the thyrd is here in earth This latter part standeth in three degrees in knighthoode priesthoode and the communaltie as I sayd afore playnely in the confession of my beliefe Then sayd the Archbishop vnto hym Can you tell me who is of this church The Lord Cobham answered Yea truely can I. Then sayd Doctor walden the Prior of the Carmelits It is no doubt vnto you who is thereof For Christ sayeth in Mathewe Nolite iudicare presume to iudge no man If ye be here forbidden the iudgement of your neighboure or brother much more the iudgement of your superiour The Lorde Cobham made him this aunswere Christ sayth also in the selfe same chapter of Mathew that like as the euill tree is knowne by hys fruit so is a false Prophet by his works appeare they neuer so glorious But that ye left behind ye And in Iohn he hath this text Operibus credite belecue you the outwarde doinges And in an other place of Iohn Iustum iudicium iudicate when wee knowe the thing to be true we may so iudge it and not offend For Dauid sayd also Rectè iudicate filij hominum Iudge rightly alwayes ye children of men And as for your superiority were ye of Christ ye shoulde be meeke ministers and no proud superiours Then said Doctor walden vnto him ye make here no difference of iudgementes Ye put no diuersitie betwene y◠euill iudgementes whiche Christ had forbidden and the good iudgementes which he hath cōmaunded vs to haue Rash iudgment and right iudgement al is one with you So swift iudges alwayes are the learned schollers of Wicklisse Vnto whom the Lord Cobham thus aunswered It is wel sophistred of you forsooth Preposterous are your iudgementes euermore For as the Prophet Esay sayth ye iudge euill good and good euill And therefore the same prophet concludeth that your wayes are not Gods waies nor Gods wayes your wayes And as for that vertuous man wicklisse whose iudgementes ye so highly disdayne I shall say here of my part both before God and man that before I knew that despised doctrine of his I neuer abstayned from sinne But since I learned therin to feare my Lorde GOD it hath otherwise I trust bene with me so muche grace coulde I neuer finde in all your glorious instructions Then said Doctor Walden agayne yet vnto him It were not well with me so many vertuous men liuing so many learned men teaching the scripture being also so open and the examples of fathers so plenteous If I thē had no grace to amend my life till I heard the deuil preach S. Hierome sayth that he whiche seeketh suche suspected Maysters shall not finde the midday light but the mid-day deuill The Lord Cobham sayd Your father 's the old Phariseis ascribed Christes miracles to Belzebub and his doctrine to the deuil And you as their natural children haue still the selfe same iudgement concerning his faythfull followers They that rebuke your vicious liuing must needs be heretickes and that must your doctors proue whē you haue no scripture to do it Then sayde he to them all To iudge you as you be we neede no further go then to your owne proper actes Where do ye find in all Gods law that ye shold thus sit in iudgement of any Christen men or yet geue sentence vppon any other man vnto death as ye doe here dayly No grounde haue ye in all the Scriptures so Lordly to take it vppon you but in Annas and Cayphas which sat thus vpon Christ and vppon his Apostles after hys ascension Of them onely haue ye taken it to iudge Christes members as ye doe and neither of Peter nor Iohn Then sayd some of the Lawyers yes forsooth syr for Christ iudged Iudas The Lord Cobham sayd No Christ iudged him not but he iudged himselfe and thereupon went forth so did hange himselfe But in deede Christ sayde woe vnto him for that couerous act of hys as he doth yet still vnto many of you For since the venune of him was shed into the church ye neuer followed Christ neither yet haue ye stande in the perfection of Gods law Then the Archbishop asked him what he ment by that venune The Lord Cobham sayd your possessions and Lordeships For then cried an aungell in the ayre as your owne Chronicles mentioneth wo wo woe this day is veuime shed into the church of God Before that time all the Byshops of Rome were martyrs in a manner And
saying to him Thou art Peter vpon this rocke I will build my church c. Mat. 16. And agayne he sayth feede my sheepe Ioan. vlt. That is to say be thou Peter the head ouer thy brethren Tedious it were to recite all the bibblebabble of these doctors in this their long responsall Who so lisâ—eth to see the bottome of their profounde writing knowledge may resort either to the history of Siluius or els to M. Cochleus in his first booke De hist Hussit Thus then M. Iohn Hus being driuen out of Prage as is afore touched by the motion of these Doctours and moreouer being so excoÌ„municate that no Masse nor other must be sayd there where he was present The people begaÌ„ mightily to grudge and to cry out agaynst the Prelates other popish priests which were the workers therof accusing theÌ„ to be Simoniacks couetous whoremaisters adulterers proud sparing not to lay opeÌ„ their vices to their great ignominy and shame And much crauing a reformation to be had of the clergy The king seing the inclination of the people being also not ignorant of the wickednes of the clergy vnder pretence to reforme the church began to require greater exactions vpon such Priestes and men of the Clergy as were knowne and accused to be wicked liuers Whereupon they on the other part that fauored Iohn Hus taking that occasion present complayned of all accused many and spared none Whomsoeuer they knew to be of the Catholicke faction or enemies to Iohn Hus. By reason wherof the priests of the popish Clergy were brought such as were faultye into great distresse and such as were not faulty into great feare In so much that they were glad to fall in at least not to fall out with the Protestantes being afrayd to displease them By this meanes maister Hus beganne to take some more liberty vnto him to preach in his church at Bethleem none to controll him by the same meanes the people also receiued some comfort and the king much gayne mony by the reason And thus the popish Clergy while they went about to persecute Iohn Hus were in wrapped theÌ„selues in great tribulation and afflicted on euery side as wel of lay meÌ„ as of learned men of the clergy In so much that womeÌ„ also children were agaynst theÌ„ And by that same reasoÌ„ wherwith they thought to entangle him they were ouerthrown theÌ„selues For the Doctors which before condemned this doctrine in Iohn Hus for an intollerable heresye cried out so much agaynst him for teaching the teÌ„porall Lords might take away teÌ„porall liuings froÌ„ the clergy sinning habitualiter that is lying and continuing still in the custome of iniquity now when the king and the Lords temporall began to mearse them and berieue them of their teÌ„poralties for their transgressions the sayd Doctors did keepe silence durst speake neuer a word Agayne where the foresayd doctors before could not abide in Iohn Hus that tithes wer to be couÌ„ted for pure almes now comming to the Guildhal were faine to entreat for theyr temporall goodes not to be taken from them pleading the same temporalties to be mere almose and deuotion of good men geuen vnto the church Ex Cochleo And thus now did they themselues graunt the thing which before they did condemne The more that the popes clergy was pinched the more grudge hatred redounded to Iohn Hus although he was in no cause therof but onely their owne wicked deseruinges for the which cause Stephen Paletz and Andraeas de Broda being the chiefe champions of that faction though they could not remedy the case yet to ease theyr mindes wrote sharpe and cruell letters to Maister Hus. And to helpe the matter forward the Pope also here must helpe at a pinche who likewise writeth hys letters to Wenceslaus king of Bohemia which was brother to Sigismund Emperor for the suppressing of Iohn Hus of his doctrine Which was in the fifth and last yere of his Popedome an 1414. The tenour of whose letters to king Wenceslaus in this wise proceedeth ¶ The letter of Pope Iohn to K. Wenceslaus IOhn Bishoppe seruaunt of Gods seruanntes to his welbeloued sonne in Christ Wenceslaus King of Romaines and of Boheme greeting and apostolicall benediction Among other desires and delightes of our hart who although vnworthy to represent the roome of Christ here in earth this doth chiefly redounde to our singular comfort fo often as we do heare of the brotherly entreaty of peace and of concord by which concord kingdoms do encrease as contrary by discorde they are deminished which is betweene your honour and our welbeloued in the Lord Sigismund your brother germane cosin for the noble king of the Romans c. And furthermore it foloweth in these words And as we haue cause to ioy at the premisses so likewise agayne the heauy rumors which are here do trouble and dampe our mindes For we heare that in diuers places vnder your dominioÌ„ there be certain which do folow and leane to the errors of that archhereticke Wickliffe whose bookes haue bene long since condemned in the generall Romain councell to bee erroneous hereticall and swaruing from the catholicke fayth And furthermore whiche is worst of all the sayd persons cleauing to the opinions of the heretickes least they should be corrected of their superior powers for their exces to couer theyr naughtines and stubbernesse in despising the commaundements of the Apostolicall seat do openly teach disobedience and contempt of the keies and ecclesiasticall censure to the subuersion of the Apostolicall dignity setting at nought the decrees of the holy fathers canons Wherefore we do exhort your The description of the Popes councell holden at Rome in which appeared a monstrous Owle to the vtter defacing of the Pope and all his Clergy worship for the mercy of our God as hartely as we may or caÌ„ that it would please you as we desire hope you will so effectuously to shew forth your regall power both for the glory of God defence of the catholicke fayth which you go about to defend and for the conseruation of your kingly name state and honor for the prosperous safe gouernement of your kingdome and dominions as it becommeth a catholicke prince whereby this blot of heresye which doth so lamentably and miserablye spring and creepe in those partes and doth so infect the mindes of mortall men to the destruction of their soules and doth sequester them from the congregation of the pure and catholick fayth and truth may be rooted out c. Geuen at Bononia in the Ides of Iune in the v. yeare of our popedome c. In this epistle of Pope Iohn aboue prefixed forsomuch as mention is made of a certaine councell before holden at Rome which was 4. yeares before agaynst the articles books of Iohn Wickliffe it shall not be impertineÌ„t nor out of purpose to repeat a certayn mery history worthy otherwise to
destroyed This most holy and godly labour O most noble Prince was reserued only for thee vpon thee it doth only lye vnto whome the whole rule and ministration of iustice is giuen Wherfore thou hast established thy praise renowne euen by the mouthes of infants sucking babes for thy praises shall be celebrate for euermore that thou hast destroied ouerthrowne such and so great enimies of the faith The which that thou maist prosperously happely perfourme bring to passe our Lord Iesu Christ may vouchsafe to grant thee his grace help who is blessed for euer euer Amen When this Sermon was thus ended the Procurer of the Councell rising vp named Henricus de Piro required that the processe of the cause against Iohn Hus might be continued and proceed vnto the difinitiue sentence Then a certaine Byshop whych was appointed one of the Iudges declared the processe of the cause which was pleaded long since in the Court of Rome and elsewhere betweene Iohn Hus and the Prelates of Prage At the last he repeated those articles which we haue before remembred amongst the which he rehearsed also one article that I. Hus shoulde teach the two natures of the Godhead and manhead to be one Christ. Iohn Hus went about briefly with a word or two to aunswer vnto euerie one of them but as often as he was about to speake the Cardinall of Cambray coÌ„manded him to hold his peace saieng heereafter you shall answere to all together if you will Then said Iohn Hus how can I at once aunswere vnto all those things which are alledged against me wheÌ„ as I cannot remember them all Then sayde the Cardinall of Florence we haue heard thee sufficiently But wheÌ„ as I. Hus for all that would not hold his peace they sent the officers which should force him therunto Then began he to intreate pray and beseech therâ—â—hat they woulde heare him that such as were present â—ight not credite or beleeue those things to be true which were reported of him But when all this would nothing preuaile he kneeling downe vpon his knees committed the whole matter vnto God and the Lord Iesus Christ for at their handes he beleeued easely to obtaine that which he desired When the articles abouesaid were ended last of all there was added a notable blasphemy which they all imputed vnto Iohn Hus. That is that he saide there shoulde be a fourth person in diuinitie and that a certaine Doctour did heare him speake of the same When Iohn Hus desired that the Doctour might be named the Bishop which had alledged the article said that it was not needefull to name him Then said Iohn Hus O miserable and wretched man that I am which am forced and compelled to beare such blasphemy and slaunder Afterward the Article was repeated how he appealed vnto Christ and that by name was called hereticall whereunto Iohn Hus answered O Lord Iesu Christ whose word is openly condemned heere in this Councell vnto thee againe I do appeale which when thou wast euill intreated of thine enimies diddest appeale vnto God thy father committing thy cause vnto a most iust Iudge that by thy example we also being oppressed with manifest wrongs and iniuries should flee vnto thee Last of all the Article was rehearsed as touching the contempt of the excommunication by Iohn Hus. Whereunto he answered as before that he was excused by his aduocates in the court of Rome wherefore he did not appeare when he was cited and also that it may be proued by the actes that the excommunication was not ratified and finally to the intent he might cleare himselfe of obstinacie he was for that cause come vnto Constance vnder the Emperours safeconduct When he had spoken these words one of them which was appointed Iudge reade the definitiue sentence against him which followeth thus word for word The sentence or iudgement of the Councell of Constance geuen against Iohn Husse THe most holy and sacred generall Councell of Constance being congregate and gathered together representing the Catholike Church for a perpetuall memory of the thing as the veritie truth doth witnes an euill tree bringeth forth euill seuite hereupon it commeth that the man of most damnable memory Iohn Wickleffe through his pestiferous doctrine not through Iesu Christ by the Gospell as the holy Fathers in times past haue gotteÌ„ faithfull children but coÌ„trary vnto the holesome faith of Iesus Christ as a most venemous roote hath begotten many pestilent wicked children whome he hath left behind him successours and folowers of his peruerse and wicked doctrine against whome this sacred Synode of Constance is forced to rise vp as against bastards and vnlawfull children and with diligent care with the sharpe knife of the Ecclesiasticall authoritie to cut vp their errours out of the Lords field as most hurtfull brambles and briers least they should growe to the hurt and detriment of others For somuch then as in the holy generall Councell lately celebrated and holden at Rome it was decreed that the docrine of I. Wickleffe of most damnable memory should be condemned that his bookes which coÌ„teined the same doctrine should be burned as hereticall this decree was approued confirmed by the sacred authoritie of that whole CouÌ„cell neuertheles one Iohn Hus here personally present in this sacred Councell not the Disciple of Christ but of Iohn Wickliffe an Archheretike after and contrary or against the coÌ„demnation and decree hath taught preached affirmed the Articles of Wickleffe which were condemned by the Church of God and in times past by certaine most reuerend fathers in Christ Lords Archbishops and Byshops of diuers kingdomes Realmes Maisters of diuinitie of diuers Uniuersities especially resisting in his open Sermons and also with his adherents and complices in the scholes the condemnation of the said Articles of Wickleffes oftentimes published in the said Uniuersitie of Prage and hath declared him the said Wickleffe for the fauour and commendation of his doctrine before the whole multitude of the Cleargy and people to be a Catholicke man and a true Euangelical Doctour He hath also published and affirmed certaine many of his Articles worthely condemned to be Catholicke the which are notoriously conteined in the bookes of the said Iohn Hus. Wherfore after diligent deliberation full information first had vpon the premisses by the reuerend fathers and Lords in Christ of the holy Church of Rome Cardinals Patriarkes Archbishops Bishops and other Prelates Doctours of â—â—â—nitie and of both lawes in great number assembled and gathered together this most sacred holie Councell of Constance declareth determineth the articles aboue said the which after due conference had are found in his bookes written with his owne hand the which also the said Iohn Hus in opeÌ„ audience before this holy Councell hath confessed to be in his bookes not to be Catholicke neither worthy to be taught but that many of
should not want a ruler At the same time also Ericius king of Denmarke Peter Instant brother to the king of Portingal and father of Iames Cardinall of S. Eustachius came vnto y◠Emperour being both very expert men in the affaires of warre which did augment the Emperours host with their aid and power Wherupon they straightway pitched their camp before Lutemperge a towne of Morauia and continued the siege by the space of ii moneths There was at that time a certaine Knight at Prage surnamed Aqua which was very rich and of great authority This mā forsomuch as he had no child of his owne adopted vnto him his sisters sonne named Procopius whom when he was of meane stature and age he caried with him into France Spayne and Italy and vnto Ierusalem and at his returne caused hym to be made Priest This man when the Gospell began to flourish in Boheme tooke part with Zisca and for somuch as he was strong and valiant and also painefull he was greatly esteemed This Procopius for his valiaunt actes was afterward called Procopius Magnus and had committed vnto him the whole charge of the prouince of Morauia and the defence of the Lutemperges who receiuing a great power by force maugre all the whole power which lay in the siege carried vittailes into the towne which was besieged and so did frustrate the Emperours siege The Emperour before this had deliuered vnto the Marquesses of Misnia the bridge and towne of Ausca vpon the riuer of Albis that they should fortifie them with their garrisons Wherupon Zisca besieged Ausca and Fridericke the Marquesse of Misnia with his brother the Lantzgraue of Turyng gathering together a greate army out of Saxonia Turing Misnia and both the Lusaces determined to rescue and ayde those which were besieged There was a great battaile fought before the Citie and the victory depēded long vncertaine but at last it fel on the Protestantes part There were slaine in that battaile the Burgraues of Misnia or Chyrpogenses the Barons of Glychen and many other nobles beside ix thousand cōmon souldiours and the Towne of Ausca was taken and vtterly rased At the last dissention rising betweene Zisca and them of Prage they of Prage prepared an army against him wher with he perceiuing himselfe ouermatched fled vnto the Riuer of Albis and was almost takē but that he had passage through the town of Poggiebras but they of Prage pursuing the taile of y◠battaile slue many of his Thaborites At the length they came vnto certaine hils whereas Zisca going into the valley knowing the straights of the place that his enimies could not spread their army he commanded his standerd to stand still and exhorting and encouraging his souldiours he gaue them battaile This battaile was very fierce and cruell but Zisca hauing the vpper hande slue 3000. of them of Prage and put the rest to flight and straightwaies tooke the Citie of Cuthna by force which they of Prage had repaired and set it on fire then withall speed he went with his army to besiege Prage and incamped within a bowe shoote of the towne There wer many both in the City and also in his host which grudged sore at y◠siege some accusing Zisca othersome them of Prage There was great tumultes in the campe the souldiours saieng that it was not reasonable that the City should be suppressed which was both the head of the kingdome and did not dissent frō them in opinion saieng that the Bohemians power would soone decay if their enimies should know that they were deuided within themselues also that they had sufficient warres agaynst the Emperour and that it was but a foolish deuise to moue warres amongst themselues This talke came vnto the eare of Zisca who calling together his armie standyng vpon a place to be heard spake these words BRethren be yee not agreeued against me neither accuse hym which hath sought your health and sauegard The victories which ye haue obteined vnder my conduict are yet fresh in memorie neither haue I broughte you at anye time vnto any place from whence you haue not come victours You are become famous and rich and I for your sake haue lost my sight and dwell in darkenesse Nothing haue I gotten by all these fortunate battailes but only a vaine name For you haue I fought and for you haue I vanquished neither do I repente me of my trauailes neyther is my blindnesse greeuous vnto me but onely that I can not prouide for you according to my accustomed manner Neither do I persecute them of Prage for mine owne cause for it is your bloud that they thirst and seeke for and not mine It were but small pleasure for them to destroy me being now an old man and blind it is your valiantnesse and stoute stomackes which they feare Either must you or they perish who whilest they seeme to lye in wait for me do seeke after your liues You must rather feare ciuill warres then foreine and ciuill sedition ought first to be auoided We will subdue Prage and banish the seditious Citizens before the Emperour shall haue any newes of this sedition And then hauing but a few of his faction left we may wyth the lesse feare looke for it better then if these doubtfull Citizens of Prage were still in our campe But because ye shall accuse me no more I geue you free libertie to do what you will If it please you to suffer them of prage to liue in quietnesse I will not be against it so that there be no treason wrought If you determine to haue warre I am also readie Looke which part you will decline vnto Zisca will be your ayde and helper When he had spoken these words the souldiours minds were changed and wholly determined to make wars so that they ran by and by to take vp their armour and weapon to run vnto the walles to prouoke their enemies to fight for the gates of the citie Zisca in the meane time prepared all things ready for the assault There is a little from Pelsina acertain vilage named Rochezana In this place there was a child borne of poore and base parētage whose name was Iohn he came vnto Prage and got his liuing there by begging and learned Grammer Logick When he came to mās state he became y◠Scholemaster of a noble mans child and for so much as he was of an excellent wit and ready toung he was receiued into the Colledge of the poore and last of all being made Priest he began to preach the word of God to the Citizēs of Prage and was named Iohannes de Rochezana by the name of the Towne where he was borne This mā grew to be of great name and authoritie in the towne of Prage Wherupon when as Zisca besieged Prage he by the consent of the Citizēs went out into the camp and reconciled Zisca againe vnto the Citie When as the Emperour perceiued that all things came
to passe according vnto Zisca his will and minde and that vpon him alone the whole state of Boheme did depend he sought priuie meanes to recōcile and get Zisca into his fauour promising him the gouernance of the whole kingdom the guiding of all his hostes armies and great yearely reuenues if he would proclaime him King and cause the Cities to be sworne vnto him Upō which cōditions whē as Zisca for the performance of the couenants went vnto the Emperour being on his iourney at the Castle of Priscouia he was stricken with sicknesse and died It is reported that when he was demaunded beyng sicke in what place he would be buried he commaunded the skinne to be pulled off from his dead carkase and the flesh to bee cast vnto the foules and beastes and that a drumme should be made of his skinne which they should vse in their battailes affirming that as soone as their enimies should heare the sound of that drumme they would not abide but take their flight The Thaborites despising all other Images yet set vp the Picture of Zisca ouer the gates of the Citie ¶ The Epitaphe of Iohn Zisca the valiant Captaine of the Bohemians I Iohn Zisca not inferiour to any Emperour or Captain in warlike policie a seueare punisher of the pride and auarice of the Clergy and a defender of my countrey do lie heere That which Appius Claudius by geuing good counsell and M. Furius Camillus by valiantnesse did for the Romaines the same I being blinde haue done for my Bohemians I neuer slacked oportunitie of battaile neither did fortune at any time faile me I being blinde did foresee all oportunitie of well ordering or doing my businesse Eleuen times in ioining battaile I went victour out of the field I seemed to haue worthely defended the cause of the miserable and hungry against the delicate fatte and glotonous Priests and for that cause to haue receiued help at the hande of God If their enuy had not let it without doubt I had deserued to be numbred amongst the most famous men Notwithstanding my bones lye heere in this halowed place euen in despite of the Pope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ¶ Iohn Zisca a Bohemian enemy to all wicked and couetous Priestes but with a godly zeale And thus haue you the actes and doings of this worthy Zisca and other Bohemians which for the more credite we haue drawne out of Aeneas Syluius onely his rayling tearmes excepted which we haue heere suppressed All this while the Emperour with the whole power of the Germaines were not so busie on the one side but Martin the Pope was as much occupied on the other side who about the same time directed downe a terrible Bull full of all poison to all Byshops and Archbyshops agaynst all such as tooke any part or side with Wickleffe Iohn Hus Hierome or with their doctrine and opinions The copie of which Bull which I found in an olde written monument I wish the reader throughly to peruse wherein he shall see the Pope to poure out at once all his poison The Bull of Pope Martine directed foorth against the followers of Iohn Wickliffe of England of Iohn Husse of Boheme and Hierome of Prage MArtine Bishop the seruant of Gods seruants to our reuerend brethren the Archbishops of Salzeburgen Gueznen and Pragē to the Bishops of Dlumcen Luthomuslen Bambergen Misnen Patauiē Uratislauien Ratisponen Cra. ouien Poznamen and Nitrien also to our beloued children the Inquisitours appointed of the Prelates aboue recited or where else soeuer vnto whome these present letters shall come greeting and Apostolicall benediction Amongst all other pastorall cares where with we are oppressed this chefly and specially doth inforce vs that heretikes with their false doctrine and errours being vtterly expulsed from amōgst the cōpany of Christen mē and rooted out so farre forth as God will make vs able to do the right and Catholike faith may remaine sound and vndefiled and that all Christian people immoueable and iuiolate may stande and abide in the sinceritie of the same fayth the whole vayle of obscuritie being remoued But lately in diuers places of the world but especially in Bohemia and the Dukedome of Morauia and in the straights adioining thereunto certaine Archheretickes haue risen and sprong vp not against one only but against diuers sundry documēts of the Catholike faith being landlopers schismatikes and seditious persons fraught with diuelish pride Woluish madnes deceiued by the subtlety of Sathan and frō one euill vanity brought to a worse Who although they rose vp sprang in diuers parts of the world yet agreed they all in one hauing their tailes as it were knit together to wit Iohn Wickliffe of England I. Hus of Bohemia Hierome of Prage of dammable memorie who drew with thē no small nūber to miserable ruine and infidelitie For when as those such like pestiferous persons did in the beginning of their poisoned doctrine obstinately sow and spread abroad peruerse false opinions the prelates who had the regiment execution of the iudiciall power like dumme dogs not able to barke neither yet reuenging speedely with the Apostle all such disobediēce nor regarding corporally to cast out of the lords house as they were enioined by the canons those subtill and pestilēt Archheretickes and their Woluish fury and cruelty with all expedition but suffering their false and pernicious doctrine negligētly by their ouerlong delaies to growe and waxe strōg a great multitude of people in stead of true doctrine receiued those things which they did lōg falsly pernitiously and damnably sow among them and geuing credite vnto them fell from the right faith and are intangled the more pitie in the foule errors of Paganisme In so much that those Archheretickes and suche as spring of them haue infected the Catholicke flock of Christ in diuers climates of the world and parts bordering vpon the same and haue caused them to putrifie in the filthie dunghill of their lies Wherefore the generall Synode of Constance was compelled with Sainct Augustine to exclaime against so great and ruinous a plague of faythfull men and of the sound and true faith it selfe saieng what shall the Soueraigne medicine of the Church do wyth motherly loue seeking the health of hir sheepe chasing as it were amongst a companie of men franticke and hauing the disease of the Lethargie What shall she desist and leaue off hir good purpose No not so But rather let hir if there be no remedie be sharpe to both these sorts which are the greenous enemies of her wombe For the Phisition is sharpe vnto the man bestraught and raging in his frensie and yet is he a father to his owne rude and vnmanerly sonne in binding the one in beating the other by shewing therein his great loue vnto them both But if they be negligent and suffer them to perish sayth Augustine this mansuetude is rather to be supposed
you no more reward for such prayer then a candle lighted let vnder the couer of the font wil geue light by night to those which are in the church saying moreouer in english lewd wrightes of stockes hew and forme such crosses and Images and after that lewd paynters glere thē with colours And if you desire so muche to see the true crosse of Christ I will shew it you at home in your owne house Which this deponent being desirous to see the sayd Margery stretching out her armes abroad sayd to this deponēt this is the true crosse of Christ this crosse thou oughtest and mayst euery day beholde and worship in thine owne house and therfore it is but vayne to run to the Church to worship dead crosses and Images Itē this deponent being demaunded by the said Margery how she beleued touching the sacramēt of the aulter sayd that the beleued the Sacrament of the aulter after the consecratiō to be the very body of Christ in forme of bread To whom Margery sayd your beliefe is nought For if euery such Sacrament were God the very body of christ there should be an infinite number of Gods because that a thousand priests and more doe euery day make a thousand such Gods and afterward eat them and voyd them out again by theyr hinder partes filthily stincking vnder the hedges whereas you may find a great many such Gods if you will seek for them And therfore know for a certaynty that by the grace of God it shall neuer be my God because it is falsly and deceitfully ordeyned by the priests in the church to induce the simple people to idolatry for it is onely materiall bread Moreouer the sayd Margery said to this deponēt that Thomas of Canterbury whom the people called S. Thomas was a false traytor and damned in hell because he iniuriously endowed the churches with possessions and raised vp many heresyes in the church which seduce the simple people and therefore if God be blessed the sayd Thomas is accursed and those false priests that say that he suffered his death patiently before the aulter do lye For as a false cowardly traytor he was slayne in the church dore as he was flying away Moreouer this deponent sayth that the sayd Margery told her that the cursed Pope Cardinals Archbishops and bishops specially the bishop of Norwich others that support and mayntayne heresies and Idolatry raigning ruling ouer the people shall shortly haue the very same or worse mischiefe fall vpon them thē that cursed mā Thomas of Canterbury had For they falsly and cursedly deceiue the people with theyr false mammetries lawes to extort mony of the simple folke to sustayn theyr pride riot and idlenes And know assuredly that the vengeance of God will speedely come vpō them which haue most cruelly slayne the children of God Father Abraham William White a true preacher of the law of God and Iohn Wadden with many other godly men which vengeaunce had come vpon the sayd Cayphas the Bishop of Norwich his ministers which are members of the deuill before this time if the Pope had not sent ouer those false pardons vnto these parties which the sayd Cayphas had falsly obteyned to induce the people to make procession for the state of them and of the church Which pardōs brought the simple people to cursed idolatry Item the sayd Margery sayd to this deponent that euery faythful man or woman is not bound to fast in Lent or other dayes appoynted for fasting by the church that euery man may lawfully eat flesh and all other meates vpon the sayd dayes and times and that it were better to eat the fragments left vpō Thursday at night on the fasting dayes thē to go to the market to bring themselues in debt to buy fish and that Pope Siluester made the Lent Item the sayd Margery sayd to this deponēt that W. White was falsly condēned for an hereticke that he was a good and holy mā and that he willed her to folow him to the place of execution Whereas she saw that whē he would haue opened his mouth to speak vnto the people to instruct them a deuill one of bishop Cayphas seruants strake him on the lips and stopped his mouth that he could in no case declare the will of God Item this deponent sayth that the sayd Margery taught her that she should not goe on pilgrimage neither to our Lady of Walsingame nor to any other saynt or place Also this deponent sayth that the sayd Margery desired her that she Ioane her mayde would come secretly in the night to her chamber there she should heare her husband read the law of Christ vnto them which law is written in a booke that her husbande was wont to reade to her by night and that her husband is well learned in the Christian verity Also that the same Margery had talked with a woman named Ione West and that the sayde woman is in a good way of saluation Also that the said Margery said to this deponēt Ione it appeareth by your countenaunce that you intend to disclose this that I haue sayde vnto you and this deponent sware that she woulde neuer disclose it without the sayde Margery gaue her occasion Then sayde Margery vnto this deponent if thou do accuse me vnto the Bishop I wil do vnto thee as I did once vnto a certayne Frier a Carmelite of Varmouth which was the best learned Frier in all the country Then this deponēt desired to know what she had done to the frier Unto whom Margery answered that she had talked with the sayd Frier rebuking him because he did beg saying that it was no almes to geue hym any good thing except he would leaue his habite and go to the plough and so he should please God more then folowing the life of some of those Friers Then the Frier requyred of the sayd Margery whether she could teach him or tel him any thing els Thē the sayd Margery as she affirmed to this deponent declared to this Frier the gospels in enlish and then the Frier departed from her After this the same Frier accused the sayd Margery of heresy and she vnderstanding that the Frier had accused her accused the Frier agayne that he would haue knowne her carrally and because she would not consent vnto him the Frier had accused her of heresy And moreouer she sayd that her husbād would haue killed the Frier therefore and so the Frier for feare held his peace and went his way for shame This Margery also sayd that she had oftentimes bene faynedly confessed to the Deane of the fieldes because he should thinke her to be a woman of good life and therfore he gaue the sayd Margery oftentimes money Then thys deponent asked her whether she had confessed her sinnes to a priest or not And she answered that she had neuer offended any priest therfore she would
make the Pope subiect vnto the Church for it is conuenient that the lesse perfect be subiect vnto the more perfect There be also many other testimonies reasons wherof we will now somewhat more entreate If authoritie be sought for sayth S. Hierome for I willingly occupie my selfe in his senteÌ„ces as in a most fertile field the world is greater then a Citie What then I pray you Hierome Is the Pope mighty because he is head of the Church of Rome His authoritie is great notwithstanding the vniuersall Church is greater which doth not onely coÌ„preheÌ„d one Citie but also the whole world Hereupon it followeth that if the Churche be the mother of all faithfull then she hath the Bishop of Rome for her sonne Otherwise as S. Augustine saith he can neuer haue God for his father which will not acknowledge the Church for his mother The which thing Anacletus vnderstandyng called the vniuersal Church his mother as the writers of the Canons do know And Calixtus sayth as a sonne he came to doe the will of his father so we do the will of our mother which is the Church Whereby it appeareth that how much the sonne is inferiour to the mother so much the Church is superiour or aboue the Bishop of Rome Also we haue sayd before that the Churche was the spouse of Christ the Pope we know to be a Vicare but no maÌ„ doth so ordaine a Vicar that he maketh his spouse subiect vnto him but that the spouse is alwayes thought to be of more authoritie then the Vicar for somuch as she is one body with her husbaÌ„d but the Vicar is not so Neither will I here passe ouer the wordes of S. Paule vnto the Romaines Let euery soule sayth he be subiect vnto the higher powers Neither doth he herein except the pope For albeit that he be aboue all other meÌ„ yet it seemeth necessary the he should be subiect to the Church Neither let him thinke himselfe hereby exeÌ„pt because it was said vnto Peter by Christ whatsoeuer thou bindest c. In this place as we wil hereafter declare he represeÌ„ted the person of the Church for we finde it spoken afterward vnto theÌ„ Quaecunque ligaueritis super terraÌ„ ligata eruÌ„t in coelis i. Whatsoeuer ye shal binde vpoÌ„ earth shall be also bounde in heaueÌ„ And furthermore if all power be geueÌ„ of Christ as the Apostle writeth vnto the CorinthiaÌ„s it is geuen for the edifiyng of the Church not for the destruction therof why then may not the Church correct the Pope if he abuse the keyes and bring all thinges vnto ruine Adde hereunto also an other argument A man in this life is lesser then the aungels for we read in Mathew of Iohn Baptist that he whiche is least in the kingdome of heauen is greater then he Notwithstanding Christ sayth in an other place that amongest the children of women there was not a greater then Iohn Baptist. But to proceede meÌ„ are forced by the exaÌ„pâ—e of Zacharias to geue credite vnto auÌ„gels least through their misbelief they be striken blind as he was What more The Bishop of Rome is a maÌ„ Ergo he is lesse then the aungels and is bound to geue credite to the aungels But the aungels learne of the Church and do reuereÌ„tly accorde vnto her doctrine as the Apostle writeth vnto the EphesiaÌ„s Ergo the pope is bouÌ„d to do the same who is lesse then the aungels and lesse then the Churche whose authoritye is suche that worthely it is compared by S. Augustine vnto the Sunne that lyke as the Sunne by his light doth surmount all other lightes so the church is aboue all other authority and power Wherupon S. Augustine writeth thus I would not beleue the Gospel saith he if the authority of the church did not more me thereunto the which is not in any place souÌ„d to be spoken of the bishop of Rome who representing the Church and being minister thereof is not to be thought greater or equall to hys Lorde and maister Notwythstanding the wordes of our Sauiour Christ do specially proue the Byshop of Rome to be subiect to the church as we will hereafter declare For he sending Peter to preach vnto the church sayd go and say vnto the Church To the confirmation of whole authoritye these wordes do also pertaine hee that heareth you heareth me The which wordes are not onely spoken vnto the Apostles but also vnto their succesaurs and vnto the whole Church Wherupon it foloweth that if the Pope do not harken geue eare vnto the Church he doeth not geue eare vnto Christ consequently he is to be counted as an Ethnicke Publicane For as S. Augustine affirmeth when as the Church doth excommunicate he which is so excommunicate is bounde in heauen and when the Church looseth he is loosed Likewise if he be an heretike which taketh away the supremacie of the Churche of Rome as the Decrees of the councel of Coustance doth determine how much more is he to be counted an hereticke which taketh away the authoritye from the uniuersall Church wherein the Church of Rome and all other are conteined Wherefore it is now euident that it is the opinion of al men before our daies if it may be called an opinion which is confirmed by graue authors the the Pope is subiecte vnto the vniuersall church But this is called into question whether he ought also to be iudged of the general Councel For there are some which whether it be for desire of vaine glory or that thorough their flattery they looke for some great reward haue begon to teach new and strange doctrines and to exempt the byshop of Rome from the iurisdiction of the generall Councel AmbitioÌ„ hath blinded them wherof not only this present Schisme but also all other Schismes euen vnto thys day haue had their originall For as in times past the gredy desire ambition of the papacy brought in that pesriferous beast which through Arrius then first crept into the church euen so they do specially norish and mainteine this present heresie whych are not ashamed to begge Of the which number some cry out say the workes of the subiects ought to be iudged by the Pope but the Pope to be reserued only vnto the iudgemeÌ„t of God Others said that no man ought to iudge the high and principall Seate and that it can not be iudged either by the Emperour either by the Clergy either by any king or people Other affirme that the Lord hath reserued vnto himselfe the depositions of the chiefe Bishop Others are not ashamed to affirme that the Byshop of Rome although hee cary soules in neuer so great number vnto hell yet hee is not subiect vnto any correction or rebuke And because these their words are easily resolued they runne straight waies vnto the Gospell and interprete the wordes of Christ not according to the sense and meaning of the holy Ghost
The most of this Hūgary is nowe vnder the Turk which Turks first came into Europe An. 1211. BOhemia Praga Pilzen Thabor Buduuis Kolin or Koelu Egra Kuttenberg Leimiritz Laun. Rakonicke Glataw Bern. or Beraun Bruck Most Gretz Hradetz Aust. Maut Myto Hof Iaromir Dub. Biela Lantzhut Gilowy Krupka Krumaw Pardubitz Chumitaun Loket Teplitz Hantzburg Zbraslau Labe. Vltawa After the deathe of Ladislaus the kingdome of Boheme fell to George Pogiebracius aboue mentioned whō Pope Innocent the eight did excommunicate and depose for hys religion as is afore declared Furthermore the kingdome of Hungary was geuen to Mathias sonne of Huniades who was in captiuity as is sayd with king Ladislaus and should haue bene put to death after his brother had not the king before bene preuented wyth death as is aboue recorded Moreouer heere is to be noted that the sayde king Ladislaus thus dying wythout wife and issue left behinde hym two sisters aliue to witte Elizabeth which was maried to Casimirus king of Polonia and Anna maried to William duke of Saxonie Elizabeth by her husbande Casimirus king of Polonia had Uladislaus who at length was king both of Boheme and Hungarie This Casimirus first was maryed to Beatrix wife before to Mathias Then being diuorced from her by the dispensation of Pope Alexander maryed a newe wife a Countesse of Fraunce by whome he had two children Lewes and Anna Lewes which was heire of both kingdomes of Boheme and Hungarie was slayne fighting against the Turkes Anna was maried to Ferdinandus by whome he was Archduke of Austria kyng of Boheme c. Sigismundus left onely ouedaughter Elizabeth wife to Albertus Emperour Who had 3. children Ladislaus king of Hungarie Boheme and Austria Elizabeth wyth of Casimirus kynge of Polonie who had Anna wyfe to William Duke of Saxon. Vladislaus kyng of Baheme and Hungary who by hys seconde wife Countesse of Fraunce had Ludouicus King of Boheme Hungarie Anne wife to Ferdinandus Father to thys Maximilian nowe Emperour Ye heard before howe after the decease of Ladislaus the Hungarians by their election preferred Mathias surnamed Coruinus which was sonne of Huniades to the kingdome of Hungary For which cause dissention fel betwene Friderick the Emperor and him for that the said Friderick was both nominated himselfe by diuers vnto that kyngdom also because he had the crown of Hungary then remaining in his hands which Elizabeth mother to K. Ladislaus had brought to the Emperor as was before declared But this warre betweene them was ceased by the intercessiō of the Princes of Germany so that Mathias ransomed that crowne of Fridericke for 8000. Florences Not long after Pope Innocent being displeased with George Pogiebracius or Boiebracius king of Bohemia for fauouring of Iohn Hus his Religion that is to say for playing the part of a godly Prince dyd excommunicate depose him conferring his kingdome to Mathias But for somuch as Fridericke the Emperour would not thereto consent and especially after the death of the foresayde George when the Emperour and the Bohemians leauing out Mathias did nominate Uladislaus sonne of Casimirus king of Polonie and of Elizabeth to be kyng of Boheme therefore great warre and trouble kindled betweene him and Fridericke the Emperour wherein the Emperour had vtterly gone to ruine had not Albertus Duke of Saxonie rescued the Emperour and repressed the vehemencie of Mathias The noble actes of Iohn Huniades and of this Mathias hys sonne were not onely great stayes to Hungary but almost to al Christendom in repelling backe the Turke For beside the other victories of Iohn Huniades the father afore mentioned thys Mathias also his sonne succeeding no lesse in the valiantnes then in the name of hys father did so recouer Sirmium and the confines of Illyrica from the hands of the Turks so vanquished their power that both Mahometes and also Baiazetes hys sonne were enforced to seeke for truce Ouer and besides the same Mathias conducting hys army into Bosna which lyeth South from Hungary recouered againe Iaitza the principall towne of that kyngdome from the Turkes possession Who if other Christen Princes had ioyned their helpes withal would haue proceded farther into Thracia But behold here the malitious subtilty of Sathan working by the Pope For while Mathias was thus occupied in hys expedition agaynst the Turkes wherein he should haue bene set forward and aoded by Christen Princes and Byshoppes the Byshop of Rome wickedly and sinfully ministreth mater of ciuil discord betwene him Pogiebracius aforesayd in remouing him from the right of hys kingdome and transferryng the same to Mathias Wherupon not only the course of victory against the Turkes was stopped but also great warre and bloudshed followed in Christen realmes as well betweene thys Mathias and Pogiebracius wyth hys two sonnes Uictorinus and Henricus as also betweene Casimirus Uladislaus and Mathias warring about Uratislauia till at length the matter was taken vp by the Princes of Germanie Albeit for al the execrable excōmunication of the Pope against Pogiebracius a great part of Boheme would not be remooued from the obedience of their King whome the Pope had cursed and deposed yet Mathias toke from him Morauia and a great portion of Slesia and adioyned it to his kingdome of Hungarie An. 1474. ¶ Where this by the way is to be noted that the Religion in Bohemia planted by I. Hus could not be extinct or suppressed withall the power of foure mightie Princes Uenceslaus Sigismundus Albertus and Ladislaus notwithstanding they wyth the Popes did therein what they possibly coulde but still the Lorde maintained the same as ye see by thys Pogiebracius king of Boheme whome the Pope coulde not vtterly remooue out of the kingdome of Bohemia This forementioned Mathias beside his other memorable actes of chiualry is no lesse also commended for hys singulare knowledge and loue of learning and of learned men whom he with great stipends procured into Pannonia where by the meanes of good letters and furniture of learned mē he reduced in short space the barbarous rudenesse of that countrey into a flourishing common wealth Moreouer such a Library he did there erect and replenish with all kinde of authors sciences and hystories which he caused to be translated out of Greeke into Latine as the like is not thought to be foūd next to Italy in all Europe beside Out of which Librarye we haue receaued diuers fragments of wryters as of Polybius and Diodorus Siculus which were not extant before Ex Peucer The constante fortitude also of Georgius Pogiebracius king of Boheme is not vnworthy of commendation of whom also Pope Pius himselfe in Descriptione Europae doth honestly report as a Pope may speake of a protestāt in these words wryting Magnus vir alioqui rebus bellicis clarus c. Who although Pope Innocent did execrate with hys children yet hee lett not of the profession of the veritie knowledge which he had
Rome Pope Iohn had his eyes put out and so put to death Pope Gregory restored Vii electours of themperors ordayned in Germany and who they be Ex Chronico Martini King Egelred Anno. 979. The life of Egelred Anno. 981. The coronation of Egelred The prophecie of Dunstane as monkishe storyes geue it The Danes recoursed to England Houeden lib. continuationum London coÌ„sumed with fire The king warred against the Byshop of Rochester An. 990. The bloudy flixe and hote feuers reigned in this land The death of Dunstane Ethelgarus Elfricus Siricius Elphegus Archb. of Canterb. An. 995. The Byshops sea of Dyrham London besieged of the Danes The Dane spoyled the land Great tribute leuied of the Englishmen Danegelt The sorrowfull affliction of the English nation What disseÌ„tion and discorde doth amoÌ„g the nobles in a realme The pride and wretchednes of the Danes toward the Englishmen Lord Dane Lurdaine Anno. 1000. Henrie Archidiat lib. 6. The first ioyning betweene the Norm and Englishe men King Egelred marieth Emma the Dukes daughter of Normandy Richard Duke of Normandy The Danes by secret coÌ„mission slayne in euery towne of England Suanus K. of Denmarke ariueth in England Exeter beat down Norwiche spoyled and wasted by the Danes Anno. 1004. A tribute payd to the Danes of xxx M. pound to haue peace The persecution of Turkillus a Dane Euill counsell about a king what hurt it doth The second returne of Suanus into England The persecution of Suanus king of Danes Caunterbury besieged Treason of a false Deacon Caunterbury takeÌ„ and brent The tything of the Monkes of Caunterbury A cruell murther of the Danes Elphegus the Archb. of CauÌ„t stoned to death Anno. 1013. King Egelred driuen 〈…〉 I le of Wigâ—â— from then 〈◊〉 Normandy The vertue of Christen mens prayer The death and end of Suanus The Abbey of S. Edmundelburie builded King Egelred returneth into England Canutus cutteth of the noses and handes of hys pledges Canutus taketh Westsaxon A lessen for all Iudges and Iustices Brybes Euill Iudges worse in a common wealth then bloudy enemies Wicked officers Agaynst wicked Iudges A wicked Iudge deposed and depriued by the king Anno. 1016. Edmund Ironside sunne of Egelred king Canutus sonne of Swanus king The battayles betweene Edmundus and Canutus A witty oration to stay bloud betweene 2. armyes Two 〈◊〉 fight 〈◊〉 to hand The 〈◊〉 murtherd king Edmund Two soâ—ne of Edmund Yâ—onside Flattery 〈◊〉 fidelity 〈◊〉 vntrueth in English Lordes False vnfaythfulnes and vnconstant mobilitie in Englishe Lordes and rewarded Duke Edrike the false traytor and murtherer of 〈◊〉 king worthely rewarded for hys wicked falshode The end of pernicious traytours The brother of Edmund Yronside banished reconciled and lastly slayne Edmund and Edward two sonnes of Edmund Yronside sent out to be slayne Canutus K. of Denmarke Canutus maryeth Emma wife before of Egelred Lawes of K. Edgar Hâ—rold Harefoot K. of EnglaÌ„d a Dane Anno. 1039. Hardecknout king last of the Danes that reigned in England Erle Godwyn The miserable wretchednes of Godwyn agaynst the Normands The Normandes tythed and yet the tenthes retithed agayn Alfredus sonne of Egelred right heyre of the crowne tormented with cruell death The cause expended why God suffered this land to be conquered by the Normandes Example of Gods righteous iudgement The death of K. Hardeknout The sonnes of Erle Godwyn The story of Alfred repeated Taken out of the english story or chronicle compiled of certayne englishe Clerkes Alfred of Alâ—red sonne of K. Egelred Ex historia ignati autoriâ— Gunilda wife to Henricus the Emperour Canutus went to Rome The hospitall builde at Rome for English pâ—â—grimes Rome shote confirmed by Canutus The Cathedral Churche of Wintchest inritched by Canutus S. Benets in Norfolke builded Bury Abbey turned to Monkes Flatterers and clawbackes about Princes Canutus chargeth the sea to stand backe but it would not be A lesson notable for kinges and Princes God onely the king of all kings and Lord of Lordes The kinges crowne put on a roode Kinges of England haue as much right in causes spirituall as temporall Certaine lawes of K. Canutus for the ordering of matters ecclesiasticall Adultresse woman to loose their eares and noses Anno. 104â— King Edward the conâ—ellour England aâ—flicted by the Danes the space of 255. yeares K. Edward crowned Holy king Edward a virgine iâ— maryage Methe iâ— Greeke signifieth drâ—kennes Aceasation of the Archbish. against Emma the kinges mother False accusation purged by hote yron A straunge thing if it were true and without false conueyance Great snow and mortalitie in England Variaunce betweene the king and Godwyn Godwyn with hys v. sonnes outlawed Godwyn reconciled to the king vpon pledges geuen William D. of Normandy came into England to king Edward Marianus Scotus wheÌ„ he liued The end and death of vngodly Godwyn Ex lorna Malmesberiensi Polydor. Fabiano alijs Gods iust punishment vpon Godwyn for the murthering of Alphred Periurie plagued Edward the outlawe sonne of Edmund Yronside sent for to England Anno. 1056. The death of Edward sonne of Edmond Yronside William Duke of Normandy admitted heyre to the crowne The enuy and discorde of brethren Vngracious children of a wicked father A place of Polydorus Virg. examined Harold taken of the Normands Harold promiseth Duke William to marry hys daughter and to keepe the realme for hys behoofe Erle Leofricus euer true and faythfull to hys prince How Couentry was made free Godina wife to Leofricus The Abby of Couentry builded by Leofricus Edward the outlaw Edgar Edeling Margaret Queene of Scottes Matilde Queene of England Dauid King of Scots The death of King Edward Westminster repayred Guliel Malmesber Ex lornalen Ex Historia Richardi 2. iussu composita The lawes of K. Edward Ex Mathaeo pariensi William Conquerour sworne to K. Edwardes lawes yet went from it Ex libro Reg. antiquorum in praetorio Londinensi The office of a king described in the lawes of K. Edward A king the vicare of God in earth The limits of the kingdome of England how farre they doe extend The office of a king farther described 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 king 〈◊〉 to haue 〈…〉 iecâ—ion Anno. 1066. Harold 〈◊〉 K. of Saxons Harold king of Denmarke and Tostius slayne The Pope sendeth a banner to Duke W. vpon bone vâ—age into England Duke William landeth at Hâ—stinges Three causes why Duke William entred England Three conditions offered to Harold by D. William The fight betweene Harold and Duke William K. Harold slayne The consanguinitie betweene K. Edward and William Conquerour Murther iustly recompensed Archbishops of Caunterb Liningus Egelmothus Robertus Stigandus The decay of the Church Pope Siluester 2. Siluester the. 2 a soule sorcerer Ioannes Stella Platina Petrus Praemostratensis Nancleâ—us Antoninus Robertus Barnus Ioannes Baleus Ex Ioan Stella An admonition for sorcerers and wicked coniuâ—ers The feast of all soules brouâ—ht into the church Benedictus the 9. Gregorius the 6. A constitution no pope to be chosen but by the
it giueth to the church Peter not the cause of Ananias death Actes 3. Ioh. 1â— Like a pulled Heâ—â—e Math. 16. The Popes vsurped power falâ—â— founded vpon scriptures Dist. 9. â—â— Iâ—a Demâ—nus â—â—cter The place of Christ geâ—â—ng the keyes to Peter Mat. 16 â—â—tly expounded Math. 18. Iohn 20. Christ oneâ—â— the head of the church 1. Cor. 3. Galat. 2. Aâ—â—s â— The thirde errour Other Apostles had the power to bynd and to loose as Peter had Actes 2. Romans 1. Peter ruled 3. Churches Actes 1. Actes 2. Acts 3.4.5 Peter gouerned the Church at Ierusalem 4. years before he gouerned Antioche Galatians 2. The keyes of Christes kyngdome Absolution Three things required in popish absolution Contrition Confession Satisfaction Two things required on his part that geueth popish absolution Deâ—ret de â—oenitenâ—â—â— Iohn 3. Iohn 5. Math. 25. The saintes shal iudge with Christ. Corinth 4. Iohn 20. The ministeriall power to remit sin belongeth as well to one priest as to an other The keyes of the kingdome of heauen The keyes mistaken in the Pope Chanonâ— Fayth and hope be the keyes of heauen 2 Cor. 15. Iohn 12. Children departing before baptismâ—â— condemned Auriculer confession Iames 5. Deâ—eni◠〈◊〉 cap. multiplex misericordia dei 〈◊〉 53. Iohn 1. Confession â—â—to God â—â—ticular confession â—â—truely â—â—ounded â—â—on the â—â—pture â—â—ke 17. The autors of the Canon law reproued Iohn 3. Luke 5. The story of the leapers expounded to make â—othing for â—uticular confession The clensing of the leprey the clensing of the priest in auricâ—â— lar confession agree not The popes power in absoluing from sinnes not founded in scripture The pope can absolue none from punishment The pope in his pardons deceaueth men 3. maner of wayes The pope promising pardons for sinne induceth men to sinne in simony Deadly sinne and debte The pope saith he can remitte the debte to God And yet can not remitte the debte to maÌ„ The pope harder to pardon a priest leauing his matters vnsaid then for breaking the commaundemeÌ„t of God Absolution to be sought at the handes of God onely Ex regist latÃno Episc. Herford Notes Examples declaring what warres hath bene stirred vp by popes Iohn 6. Galath â— Iustification by fayth and not by the law Rom. 5. Iohn 6. True eating of Christ is true beleuing in him Eating of the flesh of Christ what it is Math. 26. Luke 22. This is my body expouÌ„ded Note well gentle Reader Bread by similitude Bread substantially and the body Sacramentally The bread which the Lord gaue entreth not into the bodies but the body which he gaue entreth into the mindes of the disciples Paule calleth it materiall bread Note reader The vayne prayer of the priestes at their Masse The people greatly deceued in the sacrameÌ„t The priestes seeke their owne honor in their transubstaÌ„tiatioÌ„ Marke here ye good priestes The makers of the Canon law contrary to theÌ„selues De consec 2. cap. Prima quidem inquit De consec dist 2 cap. Omnia quaecunque voluit Contrarietie in the popes Canons De consecrat dist 2. cap. Ego Berengarius The recantation of Berengarius is hereticall The Sacrament left by the priestes negligence to be eateÌ„ of a mouse returneth againe from body to bread Whether externall signes in a priest be the signe of Antichrist or els be grounded vpon Christ. Three orders or sortes of priestes 1. Aaronicall 2 Eternall 3. Christian. Leuiticall priestes deuided from the people by kindred office and inheritance The priesthoode of Christ differeth from the Leuiticall priesthoode how and wherein 1. In kindrede 2. In othe taking 3. In durabilitie 4. In maâ—â—â— of 〈◊〉 5. In place of sacrificing The law bringeth none to perfection The priesthoode of Christ differeth from all other priesthood The third priesthoode The name of Sacerdos or priest not vsed in the new Testament of Christ. The fourthe priesthoode which is the Romane priesthoode The office of priestes after the popes order The body of Christ not left to be a sacrifice for sinne but onely for a Sacrament How the memoriall of the sacrament came to the realtie of the sacrifice it selfe The order and office of prayer The Lordes prayer Math. 6. The aâ—tes of Necromancie Southsaying with craftes how froÌ„ whoÌ„ they came Against exorcising of Priestes Coniuring or halowing in the popish church Holy water coniured Exorcistae The absurditie abhominatioÌ„ in the popish exorcismes detected Where was the popes holy water then in the great pestilence in the tyme of K. Edward 3. Iames. 4. Remish coniurers The good lyfe of a priest a great matter to deale in Gods matters The prayer of a vitious priest little anay leth before God Remembraunce of Christes passion needeth not to God but to man Priestes more bound to lay Masse coÌ„maded by man then to preaching commaÌ„ded of God Spirituall fornication Ieronymus Whether priests may bargen to sing for soules departed Ieronymus Selling of prayer abhominable Religious men and women deuourers of wydowes houses Praying for soules in Purgatory Euil gotten laÌ„des as euil bestowed for praying for soules in Purgatory Bying and sellyng of prayers in the Popes Church Bying and selling of pardons ParsoÌ„ place apparell curiositie or eloquence of prayer not regarded of God The prayer of the pharisie and of the PublicaÌ„e coÌ„pared Prayer that doth more for money then for charitie disproued Selling of pardons Selling of orders Selling of church halowinges Selling of discipline Selling of fraternitie Selling of Ditiges yere mindes confessions weddinges buriynges Selling of Sermons c. Example to be taken by the fall of Babylon The citie of Rome Babilon Apoc. 18 The temporall dominioÌ„ of the citie of Rome The spirituall dominioÌ„ of the citie of Rome The fourth beast in the prophesie of Daniel meaneth Rome The beast with 7. heades in the A poc signifieth Rome The feete of the Image in the dreame of Nabuchodonozar signifieth Rome The beast with two hornes lyke the Lambe signifieth the spirituall dominion of Rome Iesus is Christ two maner of wayes as King and priest The double sword of the Pope The Bish. of Rome secketh to be worshipped as God The commaundementes of the pope more regarded then Christes In euery Sacrament 2. thinges conteyned Caueat emptor The rewardes of the beast The number of the name of the beast Dux cleri Martinus poenitenliarius Mo wicked popes then Emperours Matters of Idolatry Images Othes how far they are tollerable Whether temporall goods may be taken away from ecclesiasticall persons offending Popes take from Emperours their benefactors temporall dominion when they offend Ergo much more may Emperours take from popes temporall dominion wheÌ„ they offend A prophecie of Walter Brute that temporall goods shall be taken away froÌ„ the clergie for the multitude of their sinnes Walter Brute againe commanded to aâ—peare Byshops â—â—tors â—â—h 10. Bachelors â— divinitie â— monkes â— Doctors â—lars sitâ—â—â— vppon Walter Bâ—re Nicholas Herford but also present The Wriâ—â—ges of Walter 〈◊〉 ex 〈◊〉 The tenor
into Hungary The crueltie of the turke vpon hys wiues brother Belgradum besieged of the turke IoaÌ„nes Huniades Vaiuoda Fiue victories of Ioan. Huniades against the turke gotten in one day The great Baslaor duke of the turkes ouerthrowen by Huniades The victory of Huniades against Carambeis the great captaine of the turkes The great turk brought to a great distresse Amurathes seketh truce of the Christians The conditions betweene Ladislaus kyng of Polonie and Amurathes Truce betwene the Christians the turkes for x. yeares Amurathes returneth into Asia The Popes dispensation and absolution abused The popes rashe counsayle pernicious to Christendome Nothyng prospereth that is taken in hand by the popes setting on The pope breaketh truce made betwene the Christians and the turke The pope moued Ladislaus to breake truce The false dealing of the Italian Nauie The battell of Varna betwene Ladislaus king of Polonie and Amurathes The popish prelats were the cause of losing the field A iust punishment vpon the popish prelates for their vniust dealing Iulianus the Cardinall slaine in the warre and spoyled Huniades escapeth The worthy commendation of Iohn Huniades Amurathes taketh his viage against the G. ecians * Peloponesus Sycione Patris with all the partes of Thessaha Achaia brought vnder the turke The memorable actes of Scanderbeius against Amurathes * This Epyrus is a countrey in Grecia bordering neare to the partes of Macedonia Vij captaines of the turkes ouercome by Castrioâ—us Scanderbeius Amurathes renounced his dominion made himselfe a turkish monke Two Christian warriers in Europe stirred vp of God to vanquish the turks This Iohn Huniades is reported of 20. battels with the turke to lose but two Epyrus Macedonia defended by Scanderbeius Amurathes ouercome by ScaÌ„derbeius Ianizari among the turkes A lamentable slauery of Christian mens children vnder the turke Mahumetes the 9. turke after Ottomannus The tyranny of Mahumets in murthering hys brethren Halibassa a traitour to his maister Horrible paricide of the abhominable turke Gods prouidece can fetch out of the deuils mouth whom he list to saue Note here gods punishment vpon the betraer of innocent bloud Mahumete first setteth vpon Athâ—â— The fury of Mahumete the turke agaynst the Citie and schoole of Athens Athens destroyed The siege taking of Constantinople Vid. supra pag. 708. Ex Ioanne Ramo lib. 2. rerum Turcicarum Vid. supra pag. 67. Ex Ramo An image of the Crucifix in Constantinople What ossences be giuen to the infidels by Images in Christian Churches Vienna admonished The cruell murther by the turkes in the citie of Constantinople A lamentable destruction of the Citie of Constantinople The bloudie cruelty of the turk against the Christian captiues The citie of Pera yeldeth it selfe for feare to the turke The citie of Pera spoyled Dronken Mahumete false of promise The mercifull prouidence of God in sauing his people Constantinople made the imperial seat of the turke The siege of Belgradum in Hungary Ioan. Huniades 40000. turkes slain at the siege of Belgradum Ex Hier. Zieglero in lib. de illustrab virts Germa câ— 98. The noble act of a Bohemian in defence of his countrey The towne of Belgradium valiauntly defended from the turke 200. thousand turkes at the siege of Belgradum The decease of Ioannes Huniades The turkes war against Vsumcassanos The turke agayn returneth against the Christians Synope Paphlagonia Trapezuntus gotten of the turkes Dauid Emperour of Trapezuntus with hys two sonnes and vncle cruelly killed of the turke Corinthus Mitylene Lesbos Lemnus subdued of the turke The falshood â—â— the wretched turke agaynst the Prince of Mysia The crueltie of the turke against the kyng of Mysia The siege of Chalcis in Euboia The cruell tyraÌ„ny of the turke against the City of Chalcis Ex Ioanne Ramo de rebus Turcicis The noble stratageme of women in defending that Citie Peloponesus Achaia Messenia Laconia Argolica Archadia Christen prouinces in Grecia subdued of the turke Capha taken of the turke The counsayle of Scanderbeius how to fight against the turke A notable example of singular courage in a Captaine The commendation of Scanderbeius agaynst the turkes Mathias the sonne of Huniades Stiria Carinthia taken of the turke Rhodes besieged Lencadia Cephalenia Zacinthus Fauelona taken of the turke The pope flyeth for feare of the turke Hydruntum taken These two Empires were Constantinople and Trapezunce Of these Ianizarites read before pag. 636. Baiazetes slayeth his brothers mother and his two nephewes Readbefore pag 734. False treasoÌ„ worthely recompensed Lithostomus Moncastrum Christian fortes subdued o the turke The turke ouerthrowen at Tarsus Dyrachium taken of the turke The turke against the Venetians The Christians caryed away captiues Peloponesus agayne inuaded by the turke Methone taken of the turkes and miserably destroyed Coron Pilus CrisseuÌ„ yelded to the turkes Châ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 Lâ—â—◠〈…〉 Ilan◠〈…〉 red of 〈◊〉 by the 〈◊〉 Truce 〈◊〉 the Vâ—â—â—â— the 〈◊〉 Warre 〈◊〉 Sophus 〈◊〉 iazetes Caragius the turkes captayne taken prisoner slaine of Sophus Halibassa the turkes captayne slaine Rest geuen to the Christians by the discorâ— of the turkes Zelymus made Emperour against his fathers will What these Ianizarites mere read pag. 736. The counsaile of Baiazetes to his sonne Zelymus The displeasure of Baiazetes against his sonne Zelymus The dissembling wordes of Zelymus to his father Zelymus the sonne poysoneth his father Zelymus the 11. after Ottomannus The crueltie of Zelymus against his father and his bretheren The crueltie of Zelymus against his cousins Ex Christ. Richerio Zelymus the turke warreth against his brother The crueltie of Zelymus against his brother The two sonnes of Acomates flie away from the tyrannie of Zelymus the turke The prouideÌ„ce of God in stirring vp occasions for his people Warre betweene Zelymus and Sophus the PersiaÌ„ king Warre betweene Zelymus and Aladulus an other turke PreparatioÌ„ of warre betweene Zelymus c the Christians The turke called away from the Christians A turkishe vowe Campson the Sultane or ruler of the Egiptians Mamalucy Caierbeius â—alse to his maister Campson slaine TomouÌ„beius made Sultane of Egipt TomouÌ„beius executed A worthy destruction of the Mamaluci forsaking their faith and religion Note againe the prouidence of God The death of Zelymus The beastly crueltie of Zelymus against his kinred The cruelty of Zelymus against his sonne Solyman A note of Gods prouidence for the reformation of religyon SolymaÌ„nus the 12 after OttomaÌ„nus Read in the pag. 738. Belgradum againe besieged of the turke Read before pag 743. Discorde amongest Christian princes what mischiefe it bringeth The pope so busie against Luther that he neglecteth the ruine of ChristeÌ„ dome True compassioÌ„ lacking in the Pope The city of Belgrade wonne of the turke Rhodes besieged Christian princes negligent in helping their felowes Rhodes wonne of the turke Christen warres against the turke neuer speede well vnder the guiding of Popishe prelates Christians were the speciall gunners to the turke The rathe archbishop slaine king Ludouicke perished in war