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
Wherunto by the cōtentes of this scedule it is not fully answered and therfore you must answere therunto more plainely expresse declare your fayth opinions as touching those poynts in the same bill That is to say whither you hold beleue and affirme that in the sacrament of the aultar after the cōsecration rightly done there remayneth materiall bread or not Item whether you hold beleue and affirme that it is necessary in the sacrament of penaunce for a man to cōfesse his sinnes vnto a priest appoynted by the church The which articles in this maner deliuered vnto him amongst many other thinges he answered plainly that he would make no other declaration or answere therunto thē was conteyned in the sayd Scedule Wherupon we fauoring the sayd sir Iohn with benigne gentle meanes we spake vnto him in this manner Sir Iohn take heed for if you do not playnly answere to these things which are obiected agaynst you within a lawful time now graūted you by the Iudges we may declare you to be an hereticke but the said sir Iohn perseuered as before and would make no other answere Consequently notwithstanding we together with our sayd felow brethren and others of our counsell took aduise and by their counsell declared vnto the said sir Iohn Oldcastle that the sayd holy Church of Rome in this matter following the saying of blessed S. Augustine Ierome Ambrose and other holy men hath determined the which determinations euery catholicke ought to obserue Wherupon the said sir Iohn answered that he would beleue and obserue whatsoeuer the holy Church determined and whatsoeuer god would he should obserue and beleue But that he would in no case affirme that our Lord the Pope the cardinals Archbishops and Bishops or other prelates of the church haue any power to determine any such matters Wherunto we yet fauoring him vnderhope of better aduisement promised the sayd sir Iohn that we would geue him in writing certaine determinatiōs vpon the matter aforesaid Wherunto he should more plainly answere writtē in latin and for his better vnderstanding translated into English wherupon we commaunded and hartily desired him that agaynst monday next folowing he should geue a playne full answere the which determinations we caused to be trāslated the same day to be deliuered vnto him the sonday next folowing The tenor of which determinations here folow in this maner The fayth and determination of that holy Churche vpon the holy Sacrament of the aultar is this That after the consecration done in the masse by that priest that material bread shall be chaunged into the materiall bodye of Christ the materiall wine into the materiall bloud of Christ. Therfore after the consecratiō there remayneth no more any substāce of bread and wine which was there before What doe you answere to this article Also the holy church hath determined that euery christian dwelling vpon earth ought to confesse his sinnes vnto a priest ordeined by the Church if he may come vnto hym How thinke you by this article Christ ordeined S. Peter his Vicare in earth whose seat is in the Church of Rome geuing and graunting the same authority whiche he gaue vnto Peter also to his successours which are now called Hopes of Rome in whose power it is to ordeine and institute prelates in particulare churches As Archbishops bishops curates and other ecclesiastical orders vnto whom the Christian people ought obedience according to the traditiō of the church of Rome This is the determination of the holy church What thinke you by this article Besides this the holy Church hath determined that it is necessary for euery christian to go on pilgrimage to holy places there specially to worship the holy reliques of the Apostles Martirs confessors all sayntes whosoeuer the church of Rome hath allowed What thinke you of this article Upon which monday being the 25. day of the sayd moneth of September before vs and our felow brethrē aforesayd hauing also takē vnto vs our reuerēd brother Benedict by the grace of God Bishop of Bangor by our cōmaundement our counsellers and ministers Master Henry ware officiall of our court of Cant. Philip Morgan D. of both lawes Dowell Kissin Doctor of the decretals Iohn Kempe and William Carlton Doctors of law Ioh Witnā Thomas Palmer Rob. Wombewell Iohn Withe and Robert Chamberlayne Richard Dotington Thomas Walden professors of diuinity Also Iames Cole I. Steuens our notaries appointed on this behalf They all and euery one being sworne vpon that holy gospell of god laying their handes vpon the booke that they shoulde geue theyr faythfull counsell in and vpō the maner aforesayde and in euery such cause and to the whole world By and by appered sir Robert Morley Knight Lieuetenant of the Tower of London and brought with him the foresayde Syr I Oldcastle setting him before vs. Unto whom we gentlye and familiarly rehearsed the actes of the day before passed And as before we tolde him that he both is and was excōmunicate requiring and intreating him that he would desire and receiue in due forme the absolution of the Church Unto whom the said Syr Iohn then and there plainly answered that in this behalfe he would require no absolutiō at our handes but onely of God Then afterward by gentle and soft meanes we desires and required him to make playne answere vnto the articles which were laid against him And first of al as touching the Sacrament of the aultar To the which article besides other thinges he answered and sayd thus That as Christ being here in earth had in him both Godhead manhoode Notwithstanding the Godhead was couered and inuisible vnder the humanity the which was manifest and visible in him so likewise in the sacrament of the aultar there is the very body and very bread bread which we do see the body of Christ hidden vnder the same which we do not see And playnly denyed that the fayth as touching the said Sacrament determined by the Romish church and holy doctors and sent vnto him by vs in the sayd Schedule to be the determination of the holy Church But if it be the determination of the Church he sayd that it was done contrary vnto the scriptures after the church was endowed and that poyson was poured into the Churche and not afore Also as touching the Sacrament of penance and confession he playnly sayd and affirmed thē and there that if any man were in any greuous sinne out of the which he knew not how to rise it were expedient and good for him to go vnto some holy and discreet priest to take counsell of him But that he shoulde confesse his sinne to any proper Priest or to any other although he might haue the vse of him it is not necessary to saluation for so much as by only contrition such sinne can be wiped a way the sinner himselfe purged As concerning the worshipping of
Robert Serle Iohn Berne Esquire and other of his neighbours which came vnto his purgation In like maner Iohn Goddesel of Dichingham parchmentmaker was detected and accused vpon the same articles and thereupon brought before the bishop whereas he denying them purged himselfe by his neighbours as Richard Belward before had done being sworne also in lyke maner as he was and so was dismissed and set at libertie vntill the yeare of our Lord 1428. When as he was againe apprehended accused and abiured as shal be more at large declared in the hystorie when we come to that yeare Syr Hugh Pie also chaplaine of Ludney in the dioces of Norwich was likewise accused and brought before the byshop of Norwich the 5. day of Iuly An. 1424. for holding of these opinions following That the people ought not to go on pilgrimage Item that the people ought not to geue almes but only vnto suche as begge at theyr dores Item that the image of the crosse and other images are not to be worshipped And that the said Hugh had cast the crosse of Bromeholde into the fire to be burned which hee tooke from one Iohn welgate of Ludney Which articles as is aforesayde being obiected against him he vtterly denied Wherupon he had a day appoynted to purge himselfe by the witnes of 3. lay men and 3. priests That so done he was sworne as the other before and so dismissed After this in the yeare of our Lorde 1428. king Henry the 6. sent downe most cruel letters of commission vnto I. Exetor and Iacolet Germaine keeper of the castle of Colchester for the apprehending of Sir William White Priest and others suspected of heresies the tenor wherof hereafter ensueth ¶ The copie of the kings letters directed to Iohn Exeter and Iacolet Germaine keeper of the castle of Colchester for the apprehending of Sir William White priest and other as they called them lollards HEnry by the grace of God king of Englande and of Fraunce Lord of Ireland to his well beloued Iohn Exetor and Iacolet Germaine keeper of the castle of Colchester health Ye shall vnderstand that we fully trusting vnto your fidelitye and circumspections haue appoynted you ioyntly and seuerally to take and arrest William White priest and Thomas late chaplaine of Setling in the countie of Norfolke and William Northampton priest and al other whatsoeuer they be that are suspect of heresy or lollardy wheresoeuer they may be founde within the liberties or without and straight way being so taken to send the vnto our next gaile or prison vnto such time as we shall haue taken other order for their deliuery And therefore wee straightly commaunde you that ye diligently attende about the premisses and fulfill the same in forme aforesayde Also we charge and command all and singuler Iustices of peace Maiors Shriues Bailiffes Cunstables and all other our faithfull officers by the tenoure of these presents that they do assist aide and counsaile you euery of you in the execution of the premisses as it shall be comely for them In witnes whereof we haue caused these our letters patentes to be made Witnes my selfe at Westminster the 6. of Iuly the 6. yeare of our raigne By vertue of which commission we finde in olde Monuments that wythin shorte space after Iohn Exeter which was appointed one of the commissioners attached 6. persons in the towne of Bungay in the diocesse of Norwich and committed them to William Day and William Roe Constables of the towne of Bungay to be sent within 10. dayes folowing vnder safe custodie vnto the castle of Norwich Whose names through the antiquity of the monument were so defaced that we coulde not attaine to the perfecte knowledge of them all onely 3. names partlye remained in the booke to be read which were these ¶ Iohn Waddon of Tenterdon in the countie of kent Bartlemewe Monke of Ersham in the countie of Norfolke Corneleader a martyed man William Skuts These 3. were in the custodie of the Duke of Northfolk at hys castle of Fremingham Besides these we also finde in the said old monuments within the diocesse of Norffolke and Suffolke specially in the townes of Beckels Ersham and Ludney a great nuÌ„ber both of men and women to haue bene vexed and caâ—â—e in prison after their abiuration brought to open shame in churches and markets by the bishop of the sayd diocesse called William and hys Chancellour William Bernham Iohn Exceter being the Register therein so that wythin the space of 3. or 4. yeares that is from the yeare 1428. vnto the yeare 1431. about the number of 120. menne and women are examined and sustained great vexatioÌ„ for the profession of the Christian faithe of whome some were onely taken vppon suspition onely for eating of meates prohibited vpon vigil dayes who of their purgation made escaped more easily away and wyth lesse punishment whose names here follow subscribed The names of them that were taken and examined vpon suspition of heresye RObert Skiruing of Harlstone Wiliam Skiruing Iohn Terry of Ersham Iohn Abtre of Ersham Iohn Middleton of Haluergate Iohn Wayde of Ersham Rich. Clarke of Sething Tho. White of Bedingham M. Rob. Beete of Berry Rich. Page of Clipsly The other were more cruelly handled and some of them were put to death and burned of whoÌ„ we do specially finde mention made of these three Father Abraham of Colchester William white Priest Iohn Waddon priest The residue for a great number of good men and women were forced to abiure sustayning such cruell penaunce as pleased then the sayd Bishop and his Chauncellor to lay vpon them The names of which both men and wonneÌ„ here folow together in this briefe Catalogue to be seene IOhn Beuerley Iohn Wardon Iohn Baker Iohn Midleton Iohn Kynget Margery Backster Iohn Skilley Iohn Godhold Thomas Albecke Iohn Pierce Nicholas Canon of Eye Thomas Pye Iohn Mendham Iohn Middleton Thomas Chatris Thomas Wade William Taylor Iohn Cupper vicar of Tunstall Sir Hugh Pye Priest Bartholomew Tatcher Thomas Iames. Iohn Fouling Bertram Cornmonger Thomas Swerdin Alanus Andrew William Wright William Euerden William Taylor Auis the wiâ—e of Thomas Moone and her daughter Richard Fletcher of Beckles Nicholas Belward Thomas Grenemere Iohn Clarke William Bate William Scherming William Osburne Iohn Rene of Beckles Baldwine Cooper of Beckles Iohn Pert. M Mones seruant Rob. Brigs Iohn Finch Iohn Wropham Thomas Mone Isabell Chaplaine of Martham William Masse of Ersham Iohn Goodwine of Ersham Henry Latchcold of Ersham Henry Boode of Ersham Rich Horne of Ersham Iohn Belward senior of Ersham Iohn Belward iunior of Ersham Iohn Spire of Bungay Rob. Colle of Turning The heard of Shepemedow Isabell Dauy of Costes Sibill wife of Iohn Godefell of Dicham Iohn Pyry of Bartham Iohn Baker Margery Wright Thomas Burrell and his wife Iohn Pert. Edm. Archer The Clarke of Ludney Rich Clarke of Sething Katherine the wife of William Wright William Colin of Southcreke Rich King of
obedience of the foresayd Bishop in this behalfe accordingly Whereof fayle you not vnder payne of C.li. witnesse our selues yeauen at our Mannor of Langley the viii day of Marche the 12. yeare of our Reigne To these aboue rehearsed and other fauourers of Wickliffe within this our countrey of Englande we may adde also the Bohemians for so much as the propagation of the said doctrine of Wickliffe in that Countrey also take roote comming from England to Boheme by thys occasion as in story here followeth There chaunced at that time a certayne student of the coūtry of Bohemia to be at Oxford one of a welthy house and also of a noble stocke Who returning home from the vniuersitie of Oxford to the vniuersitie of Prage caryed with him certayne bookes of Wickliffe De realibus Vniuersalibus De ciuili iure Diuino De ecclesia De questionibus varijs contra clerum c. It chaunced the same time a certayne noble man in the Citty of Prage had founded and builded a great Church of Mathias and Matheus which Church was called Bethleem geuing to it great landes finding in it two preachers euery day to preach both holy day and working day to the people Of the whiche two preachers this Iohn Hus was one a man of great knowledge of a pregnant wit and excellently fauoured for his worthy life amongst them This Iohn Hus hauing familiaritie wyth this yong man in reading and perusing these bookes of Wickliffe tooke such pleasure and fruit in reading therof that not onely he began to defend this author opēly in the schooles but also in his sermons commending him for a good man an holy man and heauenly man wishing himselfe when he should dye to be there placed where as the soule of Wickliffe should be And thus for the spreading of Wickliffes doctrine enough And thus much briefly concerning the fauourers adherentes of Iohn Wickliffe in generall Now particularly in order let vs by Christes grace prosecute the stories and persecutions of the said parties aforenamed as the course of their times shall require first beginning with the valiant champions wil. Swinderby and Walter Brute The history of William Swinderby IN the yeare 1389. William Swinderby priest within the dioces of Lincolne being accused and detected vpon certayn opinions was presented before Iohn bishop of Lincolne and examined vpon certayne articles in the Church of Lincolne after the forme and order of the popes law according to theyr vsuall rite obserued his denouncers were these Fryer Frisby obseruant Frier Hincely Angustine Tho. Blaxton Dominican The articles wherewith they charged him although in forme of wordes as they put thē vp might seeme something straunge here to be recited yet to the entent that all men may see the spitefull malice of these spider Fryers in sucking al things to poyson and in forging that is not true as in processe Christ willing here after shall better appeare by his aunsweres I thought good here to notifie the same That men may aske their debtes by charitie but in no maner for debt to imprison any man and that he so imprisoning is accursed That if parishners do knowe their Curate to be a lechour incontinent and an euill man they ought to withdraw from him their tithes or els they be fautours of his sinnes That tithes purely be almose and in case that Curates be euill men the same may lawfully be conferred to other men That for an euill Curate to curse his suget for withholding of tithes is nothing els but to take with extortiō wickedly and vnduely from them theyr money That no prelate may curse a man except he know before that he is cursed of God That euery Priest may absolute any sinner being contrite and is bound notwithstanding the inhibition of the Bishop to preach the Gospell vnto the people That a Priest taking any annuall pension vppon couenant is in so doing a simoniacke and accursed That any priest being in deadly sinne if he geue himselfe to consecrate the body of the Lord he committeth idolatry rather then doth consecrate That no priest entreth into any house but to euill intreat the wife the daughter or mayde And therefore he admonished the goodman of the house to take heede what priest he let into his house An other conclusion falsly to him obiected That a child is not truely baptised if the priest that baptiseth or the godfather or godmother be in deadly sinne Item that no man liuing agaynst the law of God is a priest how euer he were ordeined priest of any Bishop These articles or conclusions vntruely collected were as cruelly exhibited agaynst him by the Fryers in the Byshop of Lincolnes court The which articles although he neuer preached taught or at any time defēded as appereth more in the processe following yet the Friers with theyr witnesses standing forth against him declared him to be conuict bringing also dry wood with them to the towne to burne him and would not leaue him before he made them promise and sweare for feare of death neuer to hold them teach them nor preach them priuily nor apertly vnder payne of relapse and that he shoulde goe to certayne churches to reuoke the foresayd conclusions which he neuer affirmed As first in the Churche of Loncolne then in S. Margarets Church of Leycester Also in S. Martines Church in Leycester and in our Ladies churches at Newarke and in other Parishe Churches also of Melton Moubray of Haloughton Hareburgh and Lenthburgh Which pennaunce being to him enioyned he did obediently accomplishe with this forme of reuocation whiche they bound him vnto vnder these wordes The reuocation of William Swinderby whereunto he was forced by the Friers I William Swinderby priest although vnworthy of the dioces of Lincolne acknowledging one true Catholique and Apostolique fayth of the holy Church of Rome doe abiure all heresie and errour repugning to the determinatiō of the holy mother church wherof I haue bene hetherto infamed namely the conclusions and articles aboue prefixed and euery one of them to me iudicially obiected by the Commissary of the reuerend father in Christ and Lord L. Iohn by the grace of God Byshop of Lincolne and do reuoke the same euery one of them some as hereticall some as erroneous and false and do affirme and beleue them to be so and hereafter will neuer teach preach or affirme publiquely or priuily the same Neither will make any sermon within the diocesse of Lincolne but asking first and obtayning the licence of the foresayd reuerend father and Lord the Byshop of Lincolne Contrary to the which if I shall presume hereafter to say or doe to holde or preach I shal be content to abide the seueritie of the Canon as I haue iudicially by the necessitie of the lawe sworne and doe sweare c. Thus haue you the conclusions and articles of thys good man falsly obiected to him by the malicious and lying Fryers and also the
that which iustice should perswade And the sayd William appeared neither by himselfe nor by proctor but onely by a seruaunt whose name we know not he sent a certayn schedule of paper made like an indenture vnto vs to excuse him After which schedule sene read and with ripe deliberatioÌ„ wayed and in any wise notwithstaÌ„ding we adiudged the sayd William after he was ofteÌ„ called long euen to the due hour taried for by no meanes appering worthely for his obstinacy for his stubbernnes assigned vnto him the 29. day of Iuly in the Church of Ponsley to appeare before vs with the foresayd sauegard to aunswere more fully to suche articles and otherwise to heare receiue and do as before is noted ¶ The second dayes act Upon Saterday being the 29. of Iuly and in the yeare of the Lord aforesayd we Iohn by Gods permission the fore remembred Bishop in the Church of Pontesbury of our Dioces at sixe of the clock or there about sitting in iudgement made the sayd WilliaÌ„ of Swinderby to be opeÌ„ly called that as was to him appointed aud assigned he should appere before vs to answere to the foresayd articles more fully and to declare the sayd articles as the darknes of his aunsweres did worthely require And that the sayd William being called long for a due time looked for did make no meanes to appere and so we pronounced him to be obstinate and for his obstinatnes to ouercome his malice of our exceeding fauor thought good to appoynt and dyd appoynt the 8. of August theÌ„ next following at Cleobury Mortemere of the same our dioces vnto the sayd William for the same thing ¶ The third dayes act Upon Tewsday the 8. of August the yeare aforesayd I Iohn by Gods permission Bishop of Hereford aforesayd in the Church of Cleobury Morâ—emere about 6. of the clocke sitting in iudgement caused the foresayd WilliaÌ„ Swinderby to be called many times openly to do and receiue about the premisses according to the appoyntment of the same day that iustice should aduise which William did not appeare at all WherupoÌ„ we after that the sayd WilliaÌ„ was called and often proclaymed and long looked for but not appering at all did iudge him worthely as of right apperteined obstinate and for his obstinatnes assigned him the 16. day of the same moneth of August next folowing in the parish Church of Whithorne of the same our dioces to bring forth or to see brought forth all lawes muniments and other kinds of proofes to see also witnesses brought forth admitted and sworne by whom and which thinges we intend to proue the foresayde articles or at least wyse some of the same ¶ The fourth dayes act UpoÌ„ wednesday the 16. day of the moneth of august the yeare aforesaid we Iohn the bishop in the parish Church of Whithorn aforesayd of our dioces sitting in iudgement caused the sayd William Swinderby often times to be called who as is aforesayd appeared not at all whom after that hee was so called proclaymed long looked for yet by no means appering we pronouÌ„ced to be obstinate We receiued also by certayne faithfull Christians and zealous men for the catholicke fayth of our dioces a certayne proces made and had at an other time agaynst the same William before the reuerend father in God and Lord Lord Iohn by the grace of God Bishop of Lincolne confirmed by the hanging on of the seale of the same reuerend father the Lord Bishop of Lincolne The tenor wherof word for word is contayned before And these faythfull Christians moreouer agaynst the obstinatenes of the sayd William Swynderby brought forth discreet meÌ„ M. William Leuiet parson of the parish Churche of Kyuersâ—y and also Edmunde Waterdon parish Chaplaine of the Chappell of N. Roger Newton and Hugh Sheppert lay men of the dioces of Lincolne asking instantly that they might be receiued for witnesses to proue some of the foresayd articles who agaynst the obstinatenes of the sayd William Swinderby we thought good to receiue and did receiue and their othes to the holy Gospels of God being layd handes on corporally in our hand And did diligeÌ„tly â—ramine them in proper person seuerally in forme or law whose sayinges depositions are afterward brought in at the instance of the same faythfull Christians we assigned the second day of SepteÌ„ber then next folowing to the sayd William Swinderby to say and alledge agaynst the sayd proces witnesses and their sayinges in the sayd Church of Whythorne decreeing that a copy should be made for him of these thinges that were brought forth and of the depositions of the witnesses Here we fayle in our copy till the Register come to our handes agayne by the dore but wendith vpon an other halfe he is a night theefe and a day theefe And there he relieth how he that â—ieth from theyr flock is not the shepheard but an hired maÌ„ and it pertayneth not to him of the sheepe ☞ To the second conclusion that he saien is errour or heresy that toucheth taking away of the temporalties and of Lordships of priests that bene euill liuers I say me seemeth that the conclusion is true is thys that it were medefull and leefull to secular Lords by way of charity and by power geuen to them of God in default of Prelates that amend naught by Gods law cursed Curates that openly misuse the goodes of the holye Church that ben poore mens goods and customably ayens the law of God the which poore men Lords ben holden to mayntayne and defend to take away and to draw from such curates poore mens goodes in helpe of the poore and theyr owne wilfull offeringes and theyr bodely almose deedes of worldly goodes and geue them to such as duely seruen God in the Churche and bene ready in vpbearing of the charge that prelats shoulden do and done it not And as anences taking away of temporalties I say thus that it is leefull to Kinges to Princes to Dukes and to Lords of the world to take away from Popes from Cardinals froÌ„ Bishops Prelates and possessioners in the Church theyr temporalties and theyr almes that they haue geueÌ„ theÌ„ vpon conditioÌ„ that they shoulden serue God the better wheÌ„ they verely seen that theyr geuing taking bene coÌ„trary to the law of God contrary to Christes liuing and his Apostles and namely in that that they takeÌ„ vpon theÌ„ that they shouldeÌ„ be next folowers of Christ his apostles in poorenes and meeknes to be secular Lords against the teaching of Christ and of S. Peter Truely me semeth that all Christen men and namely Priestes shoulden take keepe that their doing were according with the law of god either the old law either the new The Priestes of the olde law wern forbidden to haue Lordshippes among theyr brethren for God sayd that he would be theyr part and theyr heritage And Christ that was the highest Priest of the new
in the sayd towne The names of which persons there detected were one Roger Dexter Nicholas Taylor Richard Wagstaffe Michael Scriuener William Smith Iohn Henry Wil. Parchmeanar and Roger Goldsmith inhabitances of the same towne of Leycester These wyth othermoe were denounced to the Archbyshop for holding the opinion of the Sacrament of the aultare of auriculare confession and other Sacraments contrary to that which the Church of Rome doth preach and obserue All whych parties aboue named many other mo whose names are not knowen did hold these heresies and errors here vnder wrytten and are of the Romish church condemned 1. That in the Sacrament of the aultar after the words of consecration there remaineth the body of Christ wyth the materiall bread 2. That images ought not to be worshipped in any case nor that no man ought to set any candles before them 3. That no crosse ought to be worshipped 4. That Masses and Mattens ought not wyth an high and loud voice to be sayd in the Church 5. Item that no Curate or Priest taken in any crime can consecrate heare confessions nor minister any of the Sacraments of the church 6. That the Pope and all prelates of the Churche can not binde any man in the sentence of excommunication vnles they know him to be first excommunicated of God 7. That no Prelate of the church can graūt any pardons 8. That euery lay man may in euery place preach teach the Gospell 9. That it is sinne to geue any almes or charitie to the friers preachers Minorites Augustines or Carmelites 10. That no oblation ought to be vsed at the funeralies of the dead 11. That it is not necessary to make confessyon of oure sinnes to the Priest 12. That euery good man although hee be vnlearned is a Priest These Articles they taught preached affirmed manifestly in the towne of Leceiter other places adioyning Wherupon the saide Archb. monished the saide Roger and Nicholas with the rest on the next day to make answer vnto him in the sayd monastery to the foresayd articles But the foresaide Roger and Nicholas with the rest hid thēselues out of the way and appeared not Whereupon the Archb. vpon All hallow day being the 1. day of Nouember celebrating the high masse at the high aulter in the sayd monasterie being attired in hys Pontificalibus denounced the saide parties with all their adherents fautors fauourers and counsellers excommunicate and accursed whych cyther helde taught or maintained the foresaide conclusions heretical erroneous and that in solemn wise by ringing the bels lighting the candels and putting out the same againe and throwing them downe to the grounde with other circumstances thereunto belonging Upon the morow after being all Soulne day he sent for al the curates other lay men of the towne of Leicester to inquire more diligētly of the verity of such matter as they knewe were able to say against any persons whatsoeuer concerning the foresayd articles as also against the parties before named and specified vpon their others denouncing euery one of them seuerally by their names to be excōmunicated and accursed caused them also in diuers parish churches in Leicester also to be excommunicate And further the said Archb. interdicted the whole Towne of Leycester all the churches in the same so long as any of the foresayde excommunicate persons should remaine or be wythin the same and till that all the lollardes of the towne should returne and amend from such heresies errors obtaining at the sayde Archb. hys handes the benefite of absolution At length it was declared shewed to the sayd Archb. that there was a certain anchoresse whose name was Matilde inclosed wythin the Churchyard of S. Peters church of the sayd towne of Leycester to be infected as they sayd with the pestiferous contagion of the foresaid heretikes lollardes wherupon after that the sayd Archb. had examined the foresayd Matilde touching the foresayde conclusions heresies and errours and founde her not to answerd plainly and directly to the same but sophistically and subtelly gaue and assigned vnto her a day peremptorie personally to appeare before hym in the Monasterie of C. Iames at Northampton more fully to aunswer to the sayde articles heresies and errours which was the 6. day of the sayd moneth of Nouember commanding the abbot of the monasterie of Pratis aforesayd that the doore of the recluse in which the sayd Matild was should be opened and that til his returne he shuld cause her to be put in safe custody That done he sent forth his mandate against the lolardes vnder this forme ¶ William by the permission of God c. To his welbeloued sonnes the Maior bailiffes of the towne of Leicester Dioces greeting Wee haue lately receiued the kings letters graciously graūted vs for the defence of the catholike faith in these wordes folowing Richarde by the grace of God king of England and of Fraunce c. Wee on the behalfe of our holy mother the Church by the kings authoritie aforesaid do require you that you cause the same Richard William Roger and the rest to be arested and sent vnto vs that they wyth their pernicious doctrine doe not infect the people of God c. Geuen vnder our seale c. By an other instrument also in the same Register is mention made of one Margaret Caily Nonne whych forsaking her order was by the sayde Archb. constrayned against her wil againe to enter the same as by thys instrument here vnder insuing may appeare ¶ William by the grace of God c. To our reuereud brother in God Iohn by the grace of God Byshop of Ely greting c. In the visitation of our dioces of Lincolne according to our office amōgst other enormities worthy reformation we found one shepe out of our fold strayed and amongest the briers tangled to witte Margarete Caily Nunne professed of the monasterie of S. Radegonde wtin your Diocesse who casting the habite of her Relygion was founde in secular attire many yeares being an Apostata leading a dissolute life And least her bloud shoulde be required at our hands we haue caused her to be taken and brought vnto you being her pastor and straitly inioyning you by these presents do commaund that you admit the same Margarete againe into her foresayd Monasterie although returned against her wil or els into some other place where for her soules health you shall thinke moste conuenient and that from henceforth she be safely kept as in the straight examination of the same you wil yeld an accompt Geuen vnder our seale c. By sundry other instrumentes also in the same register recorded I finde that the foresaide Matilde the anchoresse vpon the straight examination and handeling of the foresaid Archbishop before whome peremptorily she was enioyned to appeare and till that day of apparance taken out of the recluse and committed to safe custodie as you heard resracted and
assents together Which done he exhorted the Archbishop that for so much as his garrison had bene now long in armour and from home he would therefore discharge the needeles multitude of his souldiers and dismisse them home to their worke and busines and they would together drinke and ioyne hands in the sight of the whole company Thus they shaking hands together the Archbishop sendeth away his souldyers in peace not knowing himselfe to be circumuented before he was immediately arested by the handes of the foresayde Earle of Westmerland and shortly after the king comming with his power to Yorke was there beheaded the monday in Whiâ—sonweeke and with him also Lord Thomas Moubray Marshall with diuers other moreouer of yâ— citie of Yorke which had taken their parts After whose slaughter the King proceedeth farther to persecute the Earle of Northumberland Lord Thomas Bardolph Who then did flie to Barwicke From thence they reincoued to Wales At length within two yeares after fighting against the kyngs part were slayne in the field an 1408. In the which yeare diuers other also in the Northparts for fauouring the foresaid Lords were likewise condemned by the kyng and put to death Among whome the Abbot of Hales for the like treason was hanged The kyng after the sheddyng of so much bloud seeyng himselfe so hardly beloued of his subiects thought to kepe in yet with the Clergy with the Bishop of Rome seeking alwaies his chiefest stay at their hands And therfore was compelled in all things to serue their humour as did appeare as well in condemning William Sawtre before as also in other which coÌ„sequeÌ„tly we haue now to intreat of In the number of whom commeth now by yâ— course of time to write of one Iohn Badby a Tailor and a lay man who by the crueltie of Thomas Arundel Archbishop and other Prelates was brought to his condemnation in this kings reigne an 1409. according as by their owne registers appeareth followeth by this narration to be seene ¶ Iohn Badby Artificer IN the yeare of our Lord. 1409. on Sonday beyng the first day of March in the afternoone The excommunication following of one Iohn Badby Taylour beyng a lay man was made in a certaine house or haull within the precinct of the preaching friers in LondoÌ„ in an vtter cloister vpon the crime of heresie other articles repugnant to the determinatioÌ„ of the erroneous church of Rome before Thomas Arundel Archbishop of Canterbury and other his assistants as yâ— Archbishop of Yorke of London of Winchester of Oxford of Norwich of Salisbury of Bath of Bangor Et meneuensis Episcopi and also Edmond Duke of Yorke Thomas Bewford the Chauncelour of England Lord de Roos the clerke of the rolles a great number of other Lords both spirituall and temporall being then at the selfesame time present Maister Morgan read the articles of his opinions to the hearers according as it is contemed in the instrument read by the foresayd M. Morgan the tenour whereof followeth and in effect is such In the name of God Amen Be it manifest to all men by this present publike instrument that in the yeare after the incarnation of our Lord according to yâ— course and coÌ„putation of the Church of England otherwise in the yere 1409. in the second indictioÌ„ in the third yeare of the Popedome of the most holy father in Christ Lord Lord Gregory xi by that diuine permission Pope the secoÌ„d day of Ianuary in the Chappell Caruariae of S. Thomas Martyr high vnto the Cathedrall Church of Worcester being situate in the said Dioces in the presence of me the publicke Notary and of the witnesses vnder written the foresayd Iohn Badby a lay man of the sayd Dioces of Worcester appearing personally before the reuerend father in Christ and Lord Lord Thomas by the grace of God Byshop of Worcester sitting in the said Chappell for chiefe Iudge was detected of and vpon the crime of heresie being heretically taught openly maintayned by the foresayd Iohn Badby That is that the Sacrament of the body of Christ consecrated by the Priest vpon the aulter is not the true body of Christ by the vertue of the wordes of the Sacrament But that after the Sacramentall words spoken by the Priest to make the body of Christ the materiall bread doth remaine vpon the aulter as in the beginning neither is it turned into the very body of Christ after the Sacramental words spoken of the Priest Which Iohn Badby being examined and diligently demanded by the foresaid reuereÌ„d father coÌ„cerning the premisses in the end did answere that it was impossible that any Priest should make the body of Christ that he beleued firmely that no Priest could make the body of Chrst by such words Sacramentally spoken in such sort And also he said expressely that he would neuer while he liued beleue that any Priest could make the body of Christ sacramentally vnlesse that first he saw manifestlie the like body of Christ to be handled in the hands of the priest vpon the aulter in his corporall forme And furthermore he sayd that Iohn Rakier of Bristoll had so much power authoritie to make the like body of Christ as any priest had Moreouer he said that wheÌ„ Christ sat at supper with his disciples he had not his body in his hand to the intent to distribute it to his disciples and he said expresly that he did not this thing And also he spake many other words teaching fortifieng the heresie in the same place both greeuous and also out of order and horrible to the eares of the hearers sounding against the Catholike faith Upon which occasion the same reuerend father admonished and requested the said Iohn Badby oftentimes and very instantlie to charity for so much as he would willinglie that he should haue forsaken such heresie and opinion holden taught and mainteined by him in such sort against the Sacrament to renounce and vtterly abiure them and to beleeue other things which the holy mother the Church doth beleeue And he informed the said Iohn on that behalfe both gentlie and also laudably Yet the said Iohn Badby although he were admonished and requested both often and instantlie by the said reuerend father said and answered expresselie that he would neuer beleeue otherwise then before he had said taught and answered Wherevpon the foresaid reuerend father Bishop of Worcester seeing vnderstanding and perceiuing the foresaid Iohn Badby to maintaine and fortifie the said beresie being stubborne and proceeding in the same stubbornes pronounced the said Iohn to be before this time conuicted of such an heresie and that he hath bin and is an hereticke and in the end declared it in these words In the name of God Amen We Thomas Bishop of Worcester do accuse thee Iohn Badby being a lay man of our Dioces of and vpon the crime of heresie before vs sitting for cheese iudge being oftentimes confessed
Windeham Tho Plowman Iohn Fellis Tho. Loue of Rokeland Rich Knobbing of Beckles Rich. Grace of Beckles Iohn Eldon of Beckles William Hardy Wil. Bate Iohn Weston Katherine Hobs. Iohn Daw. Rob. Grigs of Martham Wil. Calis Priest Tho. Pert. Priest Katherine Dauy. Iacob Bodhome Margaret his wife Iohn Manning of Marton Iohn Culling of Beemster Rich Fletcher of Beckles and Matild his wife Iohn Eldon of Beckles Rob. Canel Priest Nich. Drey Wil. Hardy of Mundham Iohn Poleyne These forenamed persons and souldiors of Christ being much beatē with the cares and troubles of those dayes although they were constrayned to relent and abiure that is to protest otherwise with their tonges then theyr harts did thinke partly through correction and partly through infirmity being as yet but new trayned Souldiours in Gods field yet for theyr good will they bare vnto the trueth although with theyr tongues they durst not expresse it we haue thought good that theyr names should not be suppressed as well for other sondry causes as especially for this either to stop the mouthes of malignant aduersaryes or to aunswere to theyr ignorance Who folowing rather blinde affection thē the true knowledge of times and antiquities for lacke of knowledge blame that they know not accusing the true doctrine of the worde of God for newelty and carping the teachers therof for new broched brethrē Who if they did as well foresee times passed as they be vnwilling to follow times now present they should vnderstand as well by these storyes as other before how this doctrine of the grace of God lacking no antiquity hath from time to time continually sought to burst out and in some places hath preuayled although in most places through tyrāny and the malice of men Christes procedinges haue bene suppressed and kept vnder from rising so muche as mans power and strength ioyned with craft and subtlery coulde labor to keepe downe the same as here by these good men of Northfolke and Southfolke may well appeare For if the knowledge and the good towardnesse of those good mē had had the like liberty of time with the helpe of like authority as we haue nowe and had not ben restrayned thorough the iniquity of time and tyranny of Prelates it had well appeared how olde this doctrine woulde haue bene which now they contemne and reiect for the newnes therof neither needed Boner to haue asked of Tho. Hawkes and such other where their Church was for xl yeares ago in as much as for xl yeares ago and more within the coūtry of Norfolke and Suffolke was then soūd such plenty of the same professiō like doctrine which we now professe And thus much for the nūber of the names of thesepersōs Now touching theyr Articles whiche they did mayneteine and defend first this is to be considered as I finde it in the registers such society and agrement of doctrine to be amongst them that almost in theyr assertions and articles there was no difference The doctrine of the one was the doctrine of all the other what theyr articles were partly it is shewed in the lease before and partly here followeth to be declared more at large Although it is to be thought concerning these Articles that many of them either were falsly obiected agaynst thē or not truely reported of the notaryes according as the cōmon maner is of these aduersaryes where the matter is good there to make heresy and of a litle occasion to styre vp great matter of slaunder as they did before by the articles of Iohn Wickliffe and Iohn Hus and others mo So in like maner it semeth they did in the Articles of these mē either mistaking that which they said or misunderstanding that which they ment especially in these two articles concerning baptisme and paying of tithes For where as they speaking agaynst the ceremonicall and superfluous traditions then vsed in baptisme as salt oile spittle taper light crisomes exorcising of the water with such other accoūted them as no materiall thing in the holy institution of Baptisme the notaryes slaunderously deprauing this theyr assertion to make it more odious to the eares of the people so gaue out the article as though they should holde that the sacrament of Baptisme vsed in the church by water is but a light matter and of small effect Agayne in speaking agaynst the Christening the midwiues vse in priuate houses agaynst the opinion of suche as thinke suche children to be damned which depart before they come to theyr Baptisme they are falsely reported as though they shoulde say that Christen people be sustiently baptised in the bloud of Christ and nedeth no water and that infants be sufficiently baptised if their parents be baptised before them Whiche thing is so contrary to the manifest worde that it is not to bee thoughte anye to bee so ignoraunt of the gospell that euer would or did affirme the same Moreouer they thought or sayd peraduenture that in certayne cases tithes might be witholden from wicked priestes sometime and be conferred to better vses to the be hoofe of the poore Therfore they are falsly slaundered as saying and affirming that no tithes were to be geuē to the ministers and curates of the churches And likewise for matrimony wherin they are reported to hold and affirme as though it consisted onely in the mutuall consent betwixt the man woman neding no other solemnizing in the publicke church and all because as it is like they denyed it to be a Sacramēt Other articles were obiected agaynst them as these which hereafter folow That auricular confessiō is not to be made vnto a priest but vnto God onely because no priest hath any power to absolue a sinner from his sinne Item that no Priest hath power to make the body of Christ in the sacrament of the aultar but that after the sacramentall words there remayneth pure materiall breade as before Item that euery true christian man is a priest to God Item that no man is bound vnder paine of damnatiō vnto Lent or any other dayes prohibited by the Church of Rome Item that the Pope is Antichrist and his Prelats the Disciples of Antichrist and the Pope hath no power to binde and loose vpon earth Item that it is lawfull for euery Christian to doe any bodely worke sinne onely except vpon holy dayes Item that it is lawfull for priestes to haue wiues Item that the excommunications and ecclesiastical cēsures geuen out by the Prelates are not to be regarded Item it is not lawfull to sweare in priuate cases Item that men ought not to go on pilgrimage Item that there is no honor to be geuē to the Images of the crucifixe of our Lady or any other saynt Item that the holy water halowed in the church by the priest is not holyer or of more vertue then other running or well water because the Lord blessed all waters in theyr first creation Item that the death of Thomas Becket was
the part of K. Richard whome all good men hated as he no otherwise deserued The king hauing perfect knowledge the Earle to be encamped at Tamworth embatled himselfe in a place neare to a village called Bosworth not farre from Leicester appointing there to encounter with his aduersaries Here that matter lay in great doubt and suspense concerning that Lord Stanley which was the Erles father in law had maryed his mother to what part he would encline For although his hart went no doubt with the Earle had secret conference with him the night before yet because of his sonne and heyre George Lord Straunge being then in the hāds of king Richard least the king should attempt any preiudiciall thing against him durst not be seene openly to goe that way where in hart he fauoured and therefore closely kept himselfe betweene both till the push came that hys helpe might serue at a pinch The number of the Erles part exceeded not to the one halfe of the side of king Richard When the time and the place was appointed where the two battailes should encounter and ioyne together fore stripes and great blowes were geuen on both sides and many slayne If number multitude might gouerne the successe of battaile king Richard had double to the erle But God is he not man that geueth victorye by what meanes it seemeth to his diuine prouidence best In what order and by what occasion this field was wonne and lost the certain intelligence we haue not certainly expressed but onely by the historye of Polydore Vergile whom sir Thomas More doth follow word for word In the which history it doth appeare that as these 2. armies were coupling together king Richard vnderstanding by his espials where the earle of Richmond was and how he was but slenderly accompanied and seeing him to approch more neare vnto him he rather caryed with courage then ruled with reason set spurres to the horse and raunging out of the compasse of hys ranckes pressed toward the Erle setting vppon him so sharpely that first he killed sir William Brandon the Erles standard bearer father to the Lord Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke thē after ouerthrew sir Iohn Cheny thinking likewise to oppresse the Erle But as the Lorde by his secret prouidence disposeth the euent of all thinges as the earle with his mē about him being ouermatched began to dispayre of victory sodeinly oportunely came syr William Stanley with 3. thousand well appointed able men whereby king Richardes men were driuen backe he himselfe cruelly fighting in the thick of his enemies was there slaue brought to his confusion and death which he worthely deserued In the meane time the Earle of Oxford who had the guiding of the forewarde discomfited the forefrunt of king Richards hoast and put them to flight in which chase many were slayne of noble men especially aboue other Iohn Duke of Northfolke Lord Ferrers sir Richard Radcliffe and Robert Brakenbury Lieutenaunt of the Tower c. Lord Thomas Haward Earle of Surrey there submitted himselfe and although he was not receaued at first to grace but long remayned in the Tower yet at length for his fidelitie was deliuered and aduanced to his recouered honour and dignitie againe This king Richard had but one sonne who shortly after the cruell murder of king Edwardes sonnes was taken with sicknes and died The wife of the sayd king Richard whether by poyson or by sickenes dyed also a little before the field of Bosworth After whose decease the storie of Polydore of sir Tho. More affirmeth that he intended himself to mary the Lady Elizabeth his own brothers daughter and so to preuent the Earle of Richmond Moreouer as touching the Lord Stanley thus reporteth the story that king Richard being in Bosworth fielde sent for the Lord Stanley by a purseuaunt to auaunce forward with his company and come to hys presence otherwise he sware by Christes passion that he would strike off his sonnes head before dinner The L. Stanley sent word agayne that if he did he had more sonnes aliue Wherupō the kyng immediately commaunded the Lord Strange to be beheaded which was the very time whē both y◠armies were within fight were ready to ioyne together Wherfore the kinges counsailers pondering the tyme and the case perswaded the king that it was now time to sight not to doe execution aduising him to delay the matter tyll the battail were ended And so as God would king Richard breaking hys othe or rather keeping hys othe for he hymselfe was slayne before dyner the Lord Straunge was cōmitted to be kept prisoner within the kinges tente who then after the victory gotten was sought out and brought to his ioyfull father And thus haue ye the tragicall life and end of this wretched king Richard Henry the Erle of Richmond after harty thankes geuen to almighty God for hys glorious victorye obteined proceeded to the towne of Leicester where was brought to him by the Lord Straunge the Crowne and put on the Earles head In the meane time the dead corpes of king Richarde was shamefully caried to the towne of Leicester being naked and despoyled to the skinne being trussed behinde a purseuaunt of armes was caryed like a hog or a dog hauing his head armes hanging on the one side of that horse and the legges on the other side all sprincled with myre bloud And thus ended the vsurped reign of king Richard who reigned two yeares and two monthes Ex Polydo Thom. Moro. King Henry the vij WHen king Henry by the prouidence of God had obtayned this triumphant victory Diademe of the realme first sending for Edward Plantaginet Earle of Warwicke sonne to George Duke of Clarence committing him to safe custody w e in the tower frō Leicester remoued to Lōdon not long after according to his oth promise made before espoused to him the yong Ladye Elizabeth heyre of the house of Yorke whereby both the houses of Yorke and Lancaster were conioyned together to the no little reioysing of all English hartes no lesse quyet vnto the realme which was an 1485. This king reigned 23. yeares and 8. monthes and being a Prince of great pollicie iustice and temperance kept his realm in good tollerable rule order And here interrupting a little the course of our Englishe matters we will now the Lord willing enter the story aboue promised of Maximilian the Emperour matters of the Empire especially such as pertayneth to that Church Maximilian Emperour IN the yeare of our Lord. 1486. Fridericus waxing aged and partly also mistrusting the hartes of the Germayns who had complained before of theyr greuances and could not be heard and therfore misdoubting that hys house after his decease should haue the lesse fauour amonge them for that cause in hys life tyme did associate hys sonne Maximilian to
quin in supremo illo iudicio tuo quum virtutes coelorum mouebuntur omnis eorum ad amussim excutietur causa ante tribunal tuum est tamen aliquid hîc quoque in ecclesia tua causam ipsorum facta vitaeque virtutes caeteras non ignorari Tunc autem ad illos vberior gloria ad nos interea maior redundabit fructus quando ex ipsorum rectè factis integritate innocentia fide ac patientia constarâ— poterit non quid ipsi solum fecerint sed quid nobis eorum sit exemplo faciendum Sed hic rursus dulcissime Iesu opus est benigno fauoris tui praesidio Nos enim qui filij Martyrum tuorum sumus quosque maximè maiores nostros imitari conueniebat nunc nihil serè parentum tenemus praeter vitae solam hanc quam suo partam sanguine reliquerunt libertatem qua etiam ipsa nimium abutimur intemperanter vtiam periculum sit ne non filij modò Martyrum sed ne fratres quidem ipsorum haberi mereamur Quantum enim intersit discriminis quamque prorsus disconuenit ordine toto nostra consuetudo ab illorum vestigijs disciplina pudet profectò referre Sed quid ego tibi referam cuius nihil non perspicit maiestas ac intuetur Quanto illis studio ac curae fuit amore tui caetera quaeque adeoque seipsos ad vitae etiam contemptum abdicare mundum cum omnibus desideriâ—s floccifacere voluptates tanquam nugas spernere Nec sinebant pericula vndique imminentia opibus congerendis multoque minus honoribus cumulandis vacare Contra verò nostra nunc vita studium omnisque adeò contentio quid nisi mundum spirat quid aliud quà m perpetuum quoddam fluxarum rerum opum ac honorum aucupium videtur ambitus At illi quam praeclarè secum actum putassent si vel viuere modò licuisset Ideoque multi fuere eoruÌ„ qui Mariae Reginae facultates possessiones omnes adusque extremum assem obtuleruÌ„t dummâ—do solam ipsis remitteret conscientiam Et quae nos tanta haec habendi intemperies exagitat quibus nec vnus nec mediocris victus possit esse satis Sine modo sine fine opibus sacerdotijs censuique dilatando inhiamus Quanto ambitu amicos fatigamus inimicos non vt viuamus solum verum vt sublimes viuamus honorati De fide de mansuetudine eorum tolerantia simplicitate ac patientia incredibili quid dici satis potest Quanta constantia qua animi alacritate perpessi sunt quicquid infligebatur vindictam omnem deo remittentes cui causam commendabant Nulla vis eos aduersariorum deijcere nec minae frangere non ludibria mouere non pericula non tormenta vlla consternere nec delinire blanditiae potuerunt Componamus nunc nostram cum his mollitiem Sed pudor prohibet Nam quae tam leuis nos tentationis aura afflare possit quae non illico praecipites ac transuersos rapiat in auaritiam in fastum voluptates turpitudinem vindictam in quid non malorum Quae tam leuis obijci poterit iniuriola pro qua non coelum terrae miscemus mariáque turbamus ab imo Ex quo in promptu est colligere quantum ab eo absumus vt mortem simus vnquam tua causa subituri siquando res Martyrium flagitet quum nec affectus quidem istos tuo amputare iussu velimus Quapropter vt Martyrum quidem illorum causa gratias agimus nomini tuo sancto ita nostra vicissim causa deprecamur vt qui largitus sis ipsis vincendi facultatem nobis itidem pia eorundem exempla imitandi foelicitatem aspires sicque ecclesiae tuae affulgeat tua gratia necubi seducti huius mundi illecebris secordiores ipsi in retinenda Euangelij tui victoria quà m illi in comparanda strenui videamur Postremo quoniam historiam hanc tuo nutu ac voluntate aggressi in ea re operam studiumque posuimus quo facta gestaque sanctorum tuorum sanctissime Iesu ad nominis tui gloriam in commodum ecclesiae publicum emergerent adde nunc labori fructum simulque historiae tutelam in te recipias magnopere petimus cui opus ipsum totumque meipsum quem tot modis tuae misericordiae debeo toto corpore anima totisque viribus commendo dedico consecroque cui omne cadat genu omnisque vox lingua confessionis gloriam per omnes ecclesias tribuat personétque Amen ¶ To the Right Vertuous most Excellent and Noble Princesse Queene ELIZABETH our dread Lady by the grace of God Queene of England Fraunce and Ireland Defender of Christes Faith and Gospell and principall Gouernour both of the Realme and also ouer the sayd Churche of England and Ireland vnder Christ the Supreme head of the same c. Iohn Foxe her humble subiect wisheth daily increase of Gods holy spirite and Grace with long raigne perfect health and ioyfull peace to gouerne hys flocke committed to her charge to the example of all good Princes the comforte of his Churche and glory of hys blessed name CHRIST the Prince of all Princes who hath placed you in your throne of Maiestie vnder him to gouerne the Church and Realme of England geue your royall highnesse long to sit and many yeares to raigne ouer vs in all flourishing felicitie to his gracious pleasure and long lasting ioy of all your subiects Amen When I first presented these ACTES and MONVMENTES vnto your Maiestie most deare Soueraigne Queene ELIZABETH our peaceable SALOME which your Maiesties rare clemencie receiued in such gentle part I well hoped that these my trauailes in this kynd of writing had bene well at an ende whereby I might haue returned my studies agayne to other purposes after myne owne desire more fitte then to write histories especially in the English tong But certaine euill disposed persons of intemperant tongues aduersaries to good procedings would not suffer me so to rest fuming and fretting and raising vp such miserable exclamations at the first appearing of the booke as was wonderfull to heare A man would haue thought Christ to haue bene new borne agayne and that Herode with all the Citie of Ierusalem had bene in an vprore Such blustring and stirring was then against that poore booke thorough all quarters of England euen to the gates of Louaine so that no English Papist almost in all the Realme thoght himselfe a perfect Catholike vnlesse he had cast out some word or other to geue that booke a blow Whereupon considering with my selfe what should mooue them thus to rage first I beganne with more circumspect diligence to ouerlooke agayne that I had done In searching whereof I found the fault both what it was and where it lay which was in deede not so much in the Booke it selfe to say the truth as in an other certayne priuy mysterie and
saluation contrary to the working of the holy spirite of God And thus the Church of Rome pretending onely the name of Christ and of his Religion is so farre altered from the truth of that which it pretendeth that vnder the name of Christ it persecuteth both Christ his Religion working more harme to the Church of Christ then euer did the open tirants and persecuting Emperours among the heathen not much vnlike herein to the olde Sinagoge of the Scribes and Phareseis who vnder the name of God crucified the sonne of God and vnder pretence of the law fought against the Gospell and vnder the title of Abrahams children persecuted the childrē of Abraham And as they bragging so highly of the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lorde did in deede destroye the true Temple of the Lord right so these pretensed Catholikes in these dayes after they haue raysed vppe a Catholike Churche of their owne and haue armed the same with lawes and haue gathered vnto them a power of Priestes Prelates Abbats Priors of religious men of Cardinals and also of secular Princes to take their part now vnder the name of the Catholicke Church they persecute the true Catholike church and coloring their procedings still with In nomine Domini most cruelly they put to death which die pro nomine Domini condemning them for heretikes schismatikes and rebles not which deny any part of the creede which they themselues professe nor such whome they can conuince by any Scripture but onely such which will not ioyne wyth their errours and heresies contrary to the honour of God and truth of his worde And lest any should thinke this that we here protest against the corrupt errours manifold deformities of this latter Church of Rome to proceede of any raucor or affection rather then grounded of necessary causes and demōstrations euident my purpose is by the Lordes leaue to take herein some litle paine that as I haue collected a litle before the summe cōtents of S. Paules doctrine where with the old Church of Rome was first seasoned and acquainted so now as in a like summary table to discrye the particular braunches and contents of the Popes doctrine now set foorth to the intent that all true Christian readers comparing the one with the other may discern what great alteration there is betwene the church of Rome that now is and the church of Rome that then was planted by the Apostles in the primitiue time And to the ende to open to the simple reader some waye whereby he may the better iudge in such matters of doctrine not be deceaued in discerning truth from errour first we wil propound certeine principles or general positions as infallible rules or truthes of the Scripture wherby al other doctrines opinions of men being tried and examined as in the touchstone may the more easely be iudged whether they be true or cōtrary whether they make agaynst the scripture or no. ¶ Certeine Principles or generall verities grounded vpon the truth of Gods word ¶ The first principle 1. AS sinne and death came originally by the disobedience of one to all men of his generation by nature so righteousnes and life come originally by the obedience of one to all men regenerated of him by faith Baptisme Rom. 5. ¶ The 2. Principle 2. The promise of God was freely giuen to our first parentes without their deseruing that the seede of a woman should breake the Serpents head Gen. 3. ¶ The 3. Principles 3. Promise was giuen freely to Abraham before he deserued any thing that in his seede all nations should be blessed Gen. 12. ¶ The 4. Principle 4. To the worde of God neither must wee adde nor take from it Deut. 4. ¶ The 5. Principle 5. He that doth the workes of the law shall liue therein Leuit. 18. Gal. 3. ¶ The 6. Principle 6. Accursed is he which abideth not in euery thing that is written in the booke of the law Deut. 27. Gal. 3. ¶ The 7. Principle 7. God onely is to be worshipped Deut. 6. Luc. 4. ¶ The 8. Principle 8. All our righteousnes is like a defiled cloth of a woman Esay 64. ¶ The 9. Principle 9. In all my holy hill they shall not kill nor slay saith the Lord. Esay 11.65 ¶ The 10. Principle 10. God loueth mercy and obedience more then sacrifice Osee. 6.1 Reg. 15. ¶ The 11. Principle 11. The lawe worketh anger condemneth and openeth sinne Rom. 3. ¶ The 12. Principle 12. The end of the law is Christ to righteousnes to euery one that beleueth Rom. 10. ¶ The 13. Principle 13. Whosoeuer beleeueth and is Baptised shall be saued Mat. vlt. ¶ The 14. Principle 14. A man is iustified by faith without workes freely by grace not of our selues Gal. 2. Ephes. 2. ¶ The 15. Principle 15. There is no remission of sinnes without bloud Heb. 9 ¶ The 16. Principle 16. Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14. without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. ¶ The 17. Principle 17. One Mediatour betweene God man Christ Iesus 1. Tim. 2. he is the propitiatiō for our sinnes 1. Iohn 2. ¶ The 18. Principle 18. Who soeuer seeketh in the law to be iustified is fallen from grace ¶ The 19. Principle 19. In Christ be all the promises of God Est Amen 2. Cor. 1. ¶ The 20. Principle 20. Let euery soule be subiect to superiour powers gyuyng to Caesar that which is Cesars to God that which is Gods Rom. 13. These principles and infallible rules of the Scripture as no man can denie so if they be granted the doctrine thē of the Popes Church must needes be found not to be Catholike but rather full of errours and heresies as in the sequele folowing remaineth more expressely and particularly by the grace of Christ to be conuinced ¶ Here foloweth a Summary collection of the errours heresies and absurdities conteyned in the popes doctrine contrary to the rules of Gods vvord and the first institution of the Church of Rome Of Faith and Iustification FIrst as touching the onely meanes and instrumentall cause of our iustificatiō wherby the merits of Christes Passiō be applied to vs made ours ye heard before how S. Paule onely ascrybeth the same to faith as appeareth by all his letters especially to the Romanes Where he excluding al kind of works ascribeth al our saluation iustification righteousnes reconciliation and peace with god onely to faith in Christ. Contrary to which doctrine the Pope and his church hath set vp diuers and sondry other meanes of their owne deuising whereby the merites of Christes passion they saye are applyed to vs and made ours to the putting away of sinnes and for our iustification as hope charitie sacrifice of the Masse auricular confession satisfacion merits of Saintes and holy orders the
Then was the great Dragon the deuill to witte the fierce rage power of his malicious persecuting tied short for a thousand yeres after this so that he could not preuaile in any such sort but that the power and glory of the gospel by little and litle encreasing and spreading with great ioy and libertie so preuailed that at length it got the vpperhand replenished the whole earth rightly verifiyng therein the water of Ezechiel which issuing out of the right side of the aulter the farther it ran the deeper it grew till at length it replenished the whole Ocean Sea healed all the fishes therin No otherwise the course of the Gospell proceeding of small hard beginnings kept still his streame the more it was stopped the swifter it ranne by bloud it seeded by death it quickned by cutting it multiplied through violence it sprong till at last out of thraldome and oppressioÌ„ it brast forth into perfect libertie florished in al prosperitie had it so bene that the christians wisely moderatly could haue vsed this rest libertie not abused the same forgetting their former estate to their own pride pomp worldly ease as it came afterward to passe wherof more is to be seene said the Lord willing in place time conuenient And thus much touching the propheticall numbers in the Apocalips Wherein is to be noted and magnified the eternall wisdome and hie prouidence of almighty God so disposing and gouerning his church that no aduersitie or perturbation hapneth at any time vnto it which his prouident wisedome doth not foresee before preordaine neither doth he preordaine or determine any thing which he doth not most truly perform both foreseing the beginning of such persecutions and limiting the end therof how long to continue and when to cease In much like sort we reade in the bookes of Genesis how the stocke of Israell was 400. yeares in the lande of Egipte During the space of which 400. yeares after the death of Ioseph who beareth a playne figure of Christ they were hardly intreated and cruelly afflicted of the Egiptians about the space of 300. yeares reckning from after the death of Ioseph to their deliuerance out of the boÌ„dage of Egipt semblably as these Christians after Christes time suffered the like bondage vnder the Romane tyrauntes Thus much by the way I thought to insinuate least any should â—â—se or take any offeÌ„ce in himself to see or read of the Church so long so many yeares to be vnder so miserable extreme afflictions Wherin neither chaunce nor fortune nor dispositioÌ„ of man hath had any place but onely the forecounsaile determination of the Lord so gouerned and desposed the same Who not only did suffer theÌ„ to fall and foresee those persecutions before they fell but also appointed the times and yeares how long they should last when to haue an ende As by the foresaide 42. monethes in the 13. and 11. chap. of S. Iohns Apocalips haue beene declared Which monethes conteyning 294. yeares if they be rightly gathered make the full time betweene the first yeare of the persecution of Christ vnder the Iewes Herode till the last yeare of persecution vnder Licinius which was from the natiuitie of Christ an 324. from the fyrst persecution of Christ an 294. as is aforesaide After the which yeare according to the preordinate counsel of God when his seueritie had bene sufficiently declared vpon his own house it pleased him to shew mercy againe to bind vp Sathan the old serpent according to the xx chap. of the Reuelation for the space of a thousand yeares that is froÌ„ this time of Licinius to the time of Iohn Wickleffe and Iohn Husse During all which time albeit certaine conflicts and tumults haue bene among Christian byshops themselues in the church yet no vniuersal murdering persecutioÌ„ was stirring before the preaching of Iohn Wickleffe of Husse and such other as in the further processe of this history Christ willing and aiding vs shall more appeare hereafter Thus hauing at large discoursed these horrible persecutions past and heauy afflictions of Christian Martyrs now by the grace of God coÌ„ming out of this redde sea of bloudy persecution leauing Pharao and his host behynde let vs sing gloriously to the worthy name of our god who through the bloud of the lambe after long tedious afflictioÌ„s at length hath visited his people with comfort hath tide vp Sathan shorte hath sent his meeke Moses gentle Constantine I meane by whom it hath so pleased the Lord to worke deliueraunce to his captiue people to see his seruants at liberty to turne their morning into ioy to magnifie the church of his sonne to destroy the Idoles of al the world to graunt life and liberty and would God also not so much riches vnto them which before were the abiectes of all the world and all by the meanes of godly Constantinus the meeke and most christian Emperour of whose diuine victories against so many tyraunts and Emperours persecutors of Christes people and lastly against Licinius an 324. of whose other noble actes prowesses of whose blessed vertues and his happy birth and progeny part we haue comprehended before part now remaineth Christ willing to be declared This Constantine was the sonne of Constantius the Emperour a good and vertuous childe of a good and vertuous father borne in Britaine as saith Eutropius whose Moother was named Helena daughter in deede of King Coilus although Ambrosius in his funerall Oration of the death of Theodosius sayth was an Inhoulders daughter He was a most bountifull and gracious Prince hauyng a desire to nourishe learning and good artes and did oftentimes vse to read write and study himselfe He had marueilous good successe prosperous atchieuing of al things he tooke in hand which then was and truely supposed to proceede of this for that he was so great a fauourer of the Christian fayth Which faith when he had once embraced he did euer after most deuoutly and religiously reuerence and commaunded by especiall commission and proclamations that euery man shoulde professe the same Religion throughout al the Romaine Monarchy The worshipping of Idoles whereunto he was addict by the allurement of Fausta his wife in so much that he did sacrifice vnto them after the discomfite of Maxentius in battaile he vtterly abiured But Baptisme he deferred euen vnto his olde age because hee had determined a iourneye into Persia and thought in Iordan to haue beene baptised Eusebius lib. 4. de vita Constantini As touching his naturall disposition and wit he was very eloquent a good philosopher in disputation sharp and ingenious He was accustomed to say that an Emperour ought to refuse no labor for the vtilitie of the common weale yea that to aduenture the mangling of hys body for the remedy thereof but if otherwaies it maye bee holpen to cherish the same This Aurelius Victor
  Ocha or Octha   Emenricus or Emericus 26   Ethelbertus the first of the Saxon kings that receyued the fayth by Aug. an reg 35.56 This Ethelbert first of all the Saxons receiued the fayth and subdued all the other vj. kings except onely the king of Northumberland  Edbaldus 24   Ercombertus 24 Ercombert commaunded Lent first to be fasted in his dominion The kings of Kent Egebertus or Edbrieth slayne 9 Egebert killed two Sonnes of his Uncle  Lotharias slayne 12  Eadrichus 6 Unto the time of Eadrick all the bishops of Canterbury were Italians  Nidredus 7 Some Chronicles doe place these two Nidredus and Wilhardus after Edricke and geue to them seuen yeares some agayne do omit them  Wilhardus 7  Withredus 33  Egfertus or Edbert 23  Ethelbert 11   Alricus 34 Betweene the raygne of Alricke and Cuthred some Stories do insert the raigne of Eadbert which raigned two yeares  Eadbertus surnamed Pren. 2  Cuthredus 18  Baldredus expulsed 81  In the raigne of this Baldred the kingdom of Kent was translated to Egbertus otherwise called Egbrict king of the WestsaxoÌ„s who subduing the foresaid Baldred an 832. gaue the said kingdome to Athelstan his younger sonne After whose decease it came to Ethelwolfe the elder sonne of Egbrict and so was vnited to the Westsaxons who then began to be the Monarch of the whole land This kingdom began nere about the yeare of our Lord 456. and continued 342. yeares and had xv kings 478. ¶ The Kings of Southsaxe with the yeares of their raigne Southsaxe Elle or Alle. 31 Cissa Of this Cissa came Cicester which he builded and where he raigned Now called Sussex Nancanleus or Nancanleodus This Nathanleod seemeth by some old stories to be a Britaine the chief Marshall of king Vter whome Porth the Saxon slew  Porth This Porth a Saxon came in at the hauen which now is called of him Porthmouth  Ethelwelfus Because I find but little mention of these two I thinke it rather like to bee the same Ethelwold or Ethelwaldus which after followeth The kings of Sussex Redwallus Condebertus Of Condebertus and Ethelred I find no mention but in one table only supposing therfore that the true names of these were Ercombertus and Egebertus which were kings of Kent the same tyme and peraduenture might then rule in Sussex  Ethelredus or Ethereus  Adelwood or Ethelwaldus slayne This Adelwold was the first kyng of Sussex Christened and as Fabian saith the iiij king of the SouthsaxoÌ„s as other say the vij so vncertain be the histories of this kingdom  Adelbrich or Berethunus slayne 5  Adhumus 15 ¶ This kingdome endured the shortest season of all other and soonest passed into other kingdoms in the dayes as some write of Iue king of Westsaxe and so endured not aboue an hundred twelue yeres vnder seuen or at most xj kings beginning first in the yeare of the Lord 47â— and about the 30. yeare of the first comming of the Saxons Westsaxe 522. ¶ The principall kingdome of the Westsaxons and of their raignes Cerdicus or Credicus 17 This kingdome contained Sommersetshire Barkshire Dorsetshire Deuonshire Cornewall c.  Kenricus 26  Chelingus 30.33 lib. cycl   Celricus or Ceolfricus 5   Celwulfus or Ceolulfus 14   Kynigilsus Quicelinus 32 This Kynigilsus was first Kyng Christened in that prouince conuerted by Birinus after made Monke  Kinewalkins 31   Sexburga â— Â Â Escwynus Ascwynus or Elkwinus 2  The kings of Westsaxe Centwinus dyed at Rome 7  Cedwalla 3 Cedwalla went to Rome and there was Christened and dyed Ina or Iue 35  Edelardus or Athelardus 14 Ina also went to Rome and was made Monke  Cuthredus or Cuthbert 16   Sigebertus or Sigherus slayne 1 Sigebert for his pride and crueltie was deposed of his people And as he had killed before one of hys faythfull counsel geuing him wholesome counsaile so after was he slayne of the same counsellers Swynard as he hid him selfe in a wood  Kynulfus or Kynewlfus slayne 31  Brithricus 13  Egbertus or Egbrichtus otherwise Athelbertê° or Athelbrich c. 37 This Egbert was first expelled by Brithricus who after returning againe and raigning was much deryded and scorned with mocking runes for a coward of Bernulfus king of Mercia At leÌ„gth the sayd Egbert subdued hym first then all the rest to his kingdomeâ— causing the whole land to be called no more Britayne but Anglia Concerning the other kings after him in that Lordship hereafter followeth ¶ This Egebert subdued all the other seuen kingdomes and first began the Monarchie of all the Saxones which after by Alured was perfected as hereafter followeth the lord willing to be declared This kingdom of the Westsaxons began the yere of grace 522. as it subdued all the other so it did the longest continue til about the comming of William Conqueror which is about the tyme of 554. yeares 547. NorthumberlaÌ„d ¶ The Kings of Northumberland with the yeares of their raigne Ida. 12 This Ida of his wife had vj. children Adda Elricus Osmerus Theodledus of concubines other 6. After Ida the kingdome of Northumberland was deuided into two prouinces Deyra and Bernicia  Alle or Elle Deirorum 30 This Alle was the sonne of Iffe raigned in Deyra 30.  Adda Bernicorum 7   Some Chronicles set vnder Adda to raigne in Bernicia these kings Glappa or Claspa Theonulfus or Hussa or Theowalnus Frihulfus Theodoricus  Alricus or Alfricus Deirorum 5 This Alfricus was the sonne of Ida and raigned fiue yeares   This Ethelfridus was he that slew the monkes of Bangor to the number of 2200. whyche came to praye for the good successe of the Britaynes and by hys wife Accan the daughter of Elle had vij sonnes Eaufridus Osualdus Oswius Oslacus Osmundus Osâ— Ofâ—a Flor. Histor.  Ethelfridus BernicoruÌ„  Edwinus Northumberland slaine 17 Thys Edwinus was the first of the Northumberland kings whych was conuerted and Christened by Paulinus Byshop of London  Osricus Deirorum slaine These two are put out of the rase of kings because they reuolted froÌ„ the Christian faith and were both slayne miserablye by Cedwalla a Brittayne which then raigned in Northumberland and in Mercia  Eaufridus Bernicia slaine The kings of NorthuÌ„berland Oswaldus Northumberland slaine This Oswaldus called S. Oswald fought with Cedwalla Penda with a small army and by strength of prayer vanquished theÌ„ in the field He sent for Aedanus into ScotlaÌ„d to preach in hys couÌ„try as he preached in Scottish the king expouÌ„ded in English He was a great geuer of almes to the poore Of his other actes more appeareth hereafter  Oswius Northumberland 28 This Oswius lighting against Penda vowed to make his daughter Elfred
of these noble women which professing Monastick lyfe haue cast of all worldly dignitie and delightes so we should also intreate of such noble men who among the Saxon kings in lyke zeale of deuotion haue geuen ouer themselues from the world as they thought to the contemplatiue life of Monkish profession The names of whoÌ„ as in the Catalogue of the Saxon kings before is described be these to the number of ix A Table of such Saxon Kings as were after made Monkes 1. Kynigilsus king of Westsaxons 2. Iue king of Westsaxons 3. Ceolulfus king of Northumberland 4. Eadbertus king of Northumberland 5. Ethelredus king of Mercia 6. Kenredus king of Mercia 7. Offa king of Eastsaxons 8. Sebbi king of Eastsaxons 9. Sigebertus king of Eastangles Of whiche kynges and their doynges what is to be iudged looke gentle Reader before pag. 133. By these historyes it is apparaunt what mutations what perturbations and what alteratioÌ„ of state hath bene in this Realme of Britayne first from Brittaynes kings to Romaines then to Britaynes agayn afterward to the Saxons First to vij altogether raigning then to one c. And this alteratioÌ„ not onely happened in the ciuile gouernment but also followed in the state Ecclesiastical For as in the Britaynes tyme the Metropolitan sea was in LondoÌ„ so in the Saxons time after the comming of Austen it was remoued to CaÌ„terbury the Catologue and order of which Metropolitanes from the tyme of Austen to Egbertus is thus as in the history of Malmesberiensis described ¶ The names and order of the Archbishops of Caunterbury from Augustine to the tyme of king Ethelbert 1. Augustinus 16. 2. Laurentius 5. 3. Mellitus 5. 4. Iustus 3. 5. Honorius 25. 6. Deus dedit 10. â— Theodorus 22. ¶ Hitherto from Augustine all the Archbishops of Caunterbury were Italians and foreiners 8. Berctualdus English 37 In his tyme the Monasterie of S. Martin was builded in Dorobernia by Witredus hys brother kings of Kent 9. Tacuinus 3 10. Nothelinus 5  11. Cuthbertus 17 This Cutbert after his death forbad all funerall exequies or lamentation for him to bee made William Malm. De vitis Lib. 1. 12. Breguinus 3 13. Lambrihtus or Lambertus 27 In his tyme king Offa translated the Metropolitane sea from Caunterbury to Lichfield by the graunt of Pope Adrian beyng ouercome with Apostolicall arguments as sayth Flores Hist. that is with money  Ethelardus 13 15. Vlfredus 28 16. Fegeldus 3 m. This Ethelardus by his Epistles to Pope Leo obtayned the Metropolitane sea agayne to CaÌ„terbury 17. Celnochus 41 Duryng the course of these 17. Archbishops of Cant. in Rome passed in the meane tyme 34. Popes of whome partly heretofore we haue declared And thus much touching the tyme of the seuen kingdomes of the Saxones rulyng together in Englande from the raygne of Hengist vnto Egbert the first Kyng and Monarche of the whole lande after the expulsion of the Britaynes NOw remayneth by the grace of Christ in the next booke followyng to prosecute the order of such kings as principally raigning alone had this realme in their possession from the tyme of Egbert king of Westsaxons to the comming of William Conqueror the Normand comprehending therin the rest of the next 300. yeares with the actes state of Religion as in that space was in the Church wherin may appeare the declining tyme of the Church and of true ReligioÌ„ preparing the way to Antichrist which not long after followed For here is to be noted that during yet this mean tyme Sathan as is sayd was bound vp from his raging and furious violence counting from the tyme of Constantinus to the next loosing out of Sathan which was foretold by the Reuelation of S. Iohn aboue mentioned to be a thousand yeares Wherof by the order of the history Christ graunting more shall be sayd hereafter The ende of the second Booke THE THIRD BOOKE CONTEINING THE next 300. yeares from the raigne of King Egbertus to the tyme of William Conquerour NOW remayneth likewise as before I did in describing the discent and diuersitie of the seuen kings altogether raigning and ruling in this land so to prosecute in like order the lineal succession of them which after Egbert king of Westsaxones gouerned and ruled soly vntill the conquest of William the Normand first expressing their names afterward importing such acts as in their tyme happened in the Church worthy to be noted Albeit as touchyng the actes and doyngs of these kings because they are sufficiently and at large described and taken out of Latine writers into the English tong by sondry authors and namely in the story or Chronicle of Fabian I shall not spende much trauaile therupon but rather referre the reader to him or to some other where the troublesome tumulis betwene the Englishmen and the Danes at that tyme may be seene who so listeth to read them Onely the Table of their names and raigne in actes done vnder their raigne I haue compendiously abridged vsing such breuitie as the matter would suffer ¶ A Table of the Saxon Kings which ruled alone from King Egbert vnto William Conquerour Egbertus raygned 37. yeares and had issue Athelwulfus raigned 20. yeares had by his wife Osburga Ethelbaldus raigned 5. yeares Ethelbertus raigned 6. yeares Etheldredus raigned 5. yeares Aluredus or Alfredus raigned 28. yeares Edwardus raigned 24. yeares Adelstanus raigned 16. yeares Elfrede and Ethelwaldâ— Edmond raigned 6. yeares Edwin raigned 4. yeares Edgar raigned 16. yeares Edwardus raigned 4. yeares Ethelredus raigned 36. yeares Edmond Irenside raigned 2. yeres Alfredus Edward the Confessor who raigned 24. yeares Edredus raigned 9. yeares Egelwarduâ— Here is to be noted that before the raigne of Edward the confessor the Danes obtayned the crowne vnder their captaine Canutus who raigned yeares 19 Haraldus Harefoote sonne of Canutus 4 Hardeknoutus sonne of Canutus 2 Edwar. the confessor an englishmaÌ„ sonne of Etheldred 24 Haraldus sonne of Erle Godwine an vsurper 1 William Conqueror a Normand ¶ King Egbertus IN the raigne of Brigthricus a little before mentioned about the yere of grace 7â—5 there was in his dominion a noble personage of some called Egbert of some Ethelbert of some Athelbright who being feared of the same Brigthricus because he was of a kingly bloud nere vnto the crowne was by the force conspiracie of the forenamed Brigthricus chased pursued out of the land of Britam into FraÌ„ce where he endured till the death of the sayd Brigthricus After the hearing whereof Egbert sped him eftsoones out of Fraunce vnto his countrey of Westsaxe where he in such wise behaued himselfe that he obteined the regiment and gouernance of the abouesaid kingdom Bernulphus king of Mercia aboue mentioned with other kings had this Egbert in such decisioÌ„ that they made of him diuers scoffing gestes and scorning rimes at which he susteined for a time But when he was more established in his kingdome had
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
benediction The law of God as it promiseth to them that honour father and mother long life so it threatneth the sentence of death to them that curse father mother We are taught by the word of truth that euery one which exalteth himselfe shal be brought low Wherfore my welbeloued sonne in the Lord we meruaile not a little at your wisedome in that you seeme not to shew that reuerence to blessed S. Peter and to the holy church of Rome which you ought to shew For why in your letters sent to vs you preferre your owne name before ours wherin you incurre the note of insolencie yea and rather to speake it of arrogancie What should I here recite vnto you the othe of your fidelitie which you sware to blessed S. Peter and to vs and how you obserue and kepe the same Seyng you so require homage and allegeaunce of them that be Gods and all the sonnes of the high God and presume to ioyne their holy handes with yours working contrary to vs Seyng also you exclude not onely out of your churches but also out of your cities our Cardinals whom we direct as Legates from our side what shall I say then vnto you Amend therefore I aduise you amend for while you go about to obtayne of vs your consecration and crowne to get those things you haue not I feare much your honour will loose the things ye haue Thus fare ye well The aunswer of Frederike the Emperour to the Pope FRederike by the grace of God Romaine Emperour euer Augustus vnto Adrian bishop of the Romaine church and vnto all such that bee willing to cleaue vnto those things which Iesus began to worke and teach greeting The law of iustice geueth to euery person accordingly that which is his Neither do we derogate from our parents of whom according as we haue receiued this our dignitie of the Imperiall crowne and gouernance so in the same kyngdome of ours we doe render their due true honour to them againe And forasmuch as duety in all sortes of men is to be sought out let vs see first in the tyme of Constantine Siluester then being Bishop of Rome what patrimony or regalitie hee had of his owne due to him that he might claime Dyd not Constantine of his liberall benignitie geue liberty and restored peace vnto the church And whatsoeuer regalitie or patrimony the see of your papacy hath was it not by the donation of Princes geuen vnto them Reuolue and turne ouer the ancient chronicles if either you haue not red or neglected that we do affirm there it is to be found Of them which be Gods by adoption and hold our lord ships of vs why may wee not iustly require theyr homage their sworne allegeāce whē as he which is both your maister and ours taking nothing of any king or any man but geuing all goodnes to all men payd toll and tribute for hym Peter vnto Cesar Geuing you example to do the like And therfore salth to you and all men Learne of me for I am meeke and humble of hart c Wherfore eyther render againe your lordships patrimonies which ye hold of vs or els if ye finde them so sweete vnto you then geue that which is due to God to God and that which is due to Cesar vnto Cesar. As for your Cardinals we shut them out both of churches and cities For that we see them not preachers but proylers not repairers of peace but rakers for mony not pillers and vpholders of the church but polers insatiable of the world and moylers of mony and gold What tyme we shall see them to be other men such as the church requireth them to be members and makers of peace shining forth lyke lightes to the people assisting poore and weake mens causes in the way of equitie c. Then shall they finde vs prest and ready to relieue thē with stipends and all things necessary And where as you inferre such questions as these vnto secular men little conducing to religion you incurre therby no little note and blemish of your humilitie which is keeper of all vertues and of your mansuetude Therfore let your fatherhood beware and take heede least in mouing such matters as seme to vs vnseemely for you ye geue therby offence to such as depend of your word geuing eare to your mouth as it were to an euening shower For we cannot but tell you of that we heare seing now the detestable beast of pride doth creepe into the seat of Peter prouiding alwayes as much as we may by gods grace for the peace of the church Fare ye well Upon this Hadrianus the Pope directeth out a Bull against Friderike excommunicating him with publike solemne ceremonies Moreouer conspiring with William duke of Apulia sought all maner of ways to insest the emperour and to set all men agaynst him especially the clergy Amongst many other writing to Hilituns Byshop of Driuers to Arnulphus bishop of Mentz to Friderike bishop of Colen seeketh first to make them of his side His Epistle to them soundeth to this effect THe Empire of Rome was transferred from the Greekes to the Almains so that the king of Almains could not be called Emperour before he were crowned of the bishop Apostolicall Before his consecration he is a king afterward Emperour Whence hath he his Empire then but of vs By the election of his princes he hath the name of a king by our consecration he hath the name of the Emperour of Augustior of Caesar. Ergo by us he raygneth as Emperor Search ancient antiquities Zacharias P. promooted Carolus and made him a great name that he was made and called Emperour And after that euer the king of Almaines was named Emperour and aduocate to the see Apostolicall so that Apulia conquered by him was subdued to the bishop of Rome which Apulia with the citie of Rome is ours and not the Emperours Our seat is at Rome the seate of the Emperour is at Aquis in Arduenna which is a wood in Fraunce The Emperour whatsoeuer he hath he hath it of vs. As Zacharias did translate the Empire frō the Greekes to the Almaines so we may translate it againe from the Almains to the Greekes Behold it lyeth in our power to geue it to whom we will being therfore set vp of God aboue Gentiles and nations to destroy and plucke vp to build and to plant c. And yet further to vnderstand the ambitious presumption of this proud see of Rome it so chaunced this Emperour Fridericus at his first comming vp to Rome dyd behold there in the palace of Lateraue a certaine picture brought forth vnto him how Lotharius the ii Emperour was crowned of the Pope with the inscription of certaine verses in Latin declaryng how the foresayd Emperor cōming to Rome first did sweare to the city after was made the Popes man and so of him receiued the crowne Fridericus offended with this picture
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
Embassadours the king also at Canterb. by letters as it should seeme certified from hys owne ambassadors waited their comming Where the 13. day of May the king receaiued them making vnto them an othe that of and for al things wherin he stode accursed he woulde make ample restitution and satisfaction Vnto whom also all the Lords Barons of England so many as there were with the king attending the Legates coÌ„ming sware in like maner and that if the king would not accoÌ„plish in euery thing the othe which he had taken that then they wold cause him to hold and confirme yâ— same whether that he wold or not or by strength to vse the authors words Then submitted the king himselfe vnto the Court of Rome and to the pope And resigning gaue vp his dominions and realmes of Englande Ireland from him and from his heires for euermore yâ— should come of him Wyth this condition that the king and his heirs should take againe these two dominions of the Pope to forme paying yearely therfore to the Court of Rome a 1000. Markes of siluer Then tooke the King the crowne from hys heade kneeling vpon his knees in the presence of all his Lordes Barons of England to Pandulphe the popes chiefe legate saying in this wise Here I resigne vp the crowne of the realme of England to the Popes hands Innocent the third put me wholy in his mercy and ordinance Then tooke Pandolphe the crowne of king Iohn and kept it 5. daies as a possession seazon taking of these two realmes of England and Ireland Continuing also al things promised by his charter obligatorie as foloweth The copie of the letter obligatorie that K Iohn made to the Pope concerning the yelding vp of the crowne and the Realme of Englande into the Popes hands for a certaine summe of money yearely to be paide TO al christen people throughout the world dwelling Iohn by the grace of God K of England greeting To your vniuersitie known be it that forasmuch as we haue greeued offended God our mother church of Rome forasmuch as we haue neede of the mercy of our Lord Iesu Christ we may nothing so worthy offer coÌ„perent satisfactioÌ„ make to God to holy church but if it were our own body as with our realms of EnglaÌ„d of Ireland Then by the grace of the holy ghost we desire for to meke vs for the loue of him that meked him to the death vpon the crosse And through counsell of the nobles earles Baroâ—â— we offer frely graunt to God to the apostles S. Peter Paul and to our mother church of Rome to our holy father Pope InnoceÌ„t the 3. to al the popes that come after him all the realme patronages of churches of England of Ireland with all the appurtenaÌ„ces for remission of sins helpe health of our kings soules of al christeÌ„ soules So that froÌ„ this time afterward we wil receiue hold of our mother church of Rome as in ferme doing sealtie to our holy father the Pope Innocent the 3. and to all the Popes that come after him in the maner abouesayd And in the presence of the wise man Pandolphe the Popes Southdeacon wee make liege homage as it were in the popes presence we before him were that he himselfe shuld haue done al maner things abouesaid and therto we bind vs all that come after vs our heires for euermore without any gainsaying to the pope eke the ward of the church vacant And in token of this thing euer for to last we will confirme ordaine that he be our speciall renter of the foresaide realmes sauing S. Peter pence in all thing To the mother church of Rome paying by yere a 1000. markes of siluer at 2. times of the yere for al maner customes that we should do for the saide realmes that is to seine at Michelmas at Easter that is for England 700 markes and 300. markes for Ireland Sauing to vs to our heires our iustices and our other franchises And all these things that before ben said we will that it be firme stable without end to that obligation we all our successors our heirs in this maner beth bound that if we or any of our heirs through any presumption fal in any point againe these things aboue sayd and he bene warned and wiâ—l not right amend him he shall then lese the foresaid realmes for euermore and this charter of obligation and our warrant for euermore be firme and stable without gainsaying We shal from this day afterward be true to God to the mother church of Rome to thee Innocent the 3. and to all that commen after thee and the Realmes of Englande and of Ireland we shall mainteine trewlich in all maner pointes against all maner men by our power through Gods helpe Upon this obligation the king was discharged the 2. day of Iuly from that Tirannicall interdiction vnder which he continued 6. yeares and 3. monethes But before the releasement therof first he was miserably coÌ„pelled as hath bene declared to geue ouer both hys crowne scepter to that Antichrist of Rome for the space of 5. daies and his client vassall feudary and tenant to receiue it againe of him at the handes of an other Cardinall being bounde obligatorily both for himselfe for his successours to paie yerely for a knowledge therof a M. marks for England Ireland Then came they thether from all partes of the Realme so many as had their consciences wounded for obeying their liege king as blind Idiotes and there they were absolued euery one of his own bishop except yâ— spirituall fathers and Ecclesiastical souldiours for they were compelled to seake to Rome as captiues reserued to the popes owne fatherhoode In this new ruffeling the King easily graunted that abbots deanes and curates shoulde be elected freely euery where so that the lawes of the realme were truly obserued But against that were the bishops alledging their Canonical decrees and rules synodal determiniâ—g the king therein to haue nothing a do but only to geue his consent after that they had once elected But among this shauen rable some there were which consented not to this wicked errour A sort also there were of the prelates at that time which were not pleased that that lands interdiction shoulde cease til the king had paid al yâ— which their Clergy in all quarters of the realme had demaunded without reason yea what euery saucie sir Iohn for hys part demaÌ„ded euen to the very breaking of their hedges the stealing of theyr appels and their other occasional damages which grew to an incredible summe and impossible to be answered Such was the outragious cruel noyse of that mischieuous progenie Antichrist against their naturall king Notwithstanding that which is vttered afore concerning the bitter malice of the Clergye against their Prince yet
not dissemble this hys mischieuous fact nor content himselfe therewith but that he would deuise and practise yet an other For by reason of those sclaunders whiche a little before I touched of the death and slaughter of hys wife Iola he incited Iohn Brennus his father in laws to make warre agaynst hym who caused the subiectes of his Empire to withdraw from him their allegeance as also the inhabitants of Picenum inhabitantes of Lumberdy And thus ioyning themselues together craued farther ayd of the Frenche king whereby they made a great power That done they deuided theyr host in two armies inuading with the one the Empire with the other the proper territories and ditions belonging in the inheritaunce of Fredericke Iohn Brennus and Pandolphe Sauellanus leading the one as Generals into Campania and the kingdome of Naples and the other with Iohn Columna Cardinals his Legat and that Thomas before conuicted of treason being his Liefetenantes he sendeth into Picenum Of this treason of the Pope agaynst Fredericus both also Mat. Paris make mention during hys warres in Asia Who sayth he purposed to haue deposed him and to haue placed alium quem libet filium pacis obedientiae loco eius subrogare that is any other he cared not whom so that he were the childe of peace and obedience in hys steede And for the more certaintie thereof the said Mat. Paris pag. 71. repeateth the letter which a certayne Earle of Siria wrote vnto him concerning the same which letter here vnder insueth word for word To the high and mighty Prince Fredericus by the grace of God Emperour of Rome and euer Augustus and most puissant king of Sicilia Thomas Earle of Actran his faythfull and trusty subiect in all thing humble salutation After your departure most excellent Prince Gregory the Byshop of Rome publique enemy to your magnificeÌ„ce gathering together a great power host of men By Iohannes Brennius late king of Ierusalem and other stout captaynes whome he hath made generals of the same hys host As a foreigne enemy inuading your dominions and possessions of your highnes subiectes agaynst the lawe of Christianitie hath purposed and determined to vanquish and subdue you with the materiall or temporall sworde whome he cannot maister and ouercome with the spirituall sworde he sayth For the foresayd Iohn Brennus gathering out of Fraunce and other prouinces heare adioyning a great armye geueth vnto them of the treasure he hath gotten by what meanes together I cannot tell great wages in hope to recouer and get from you the Empire And furthermore the same Iohn and others the captaynes of the see Apostolicall inuading your land burne and destroy all as they goe driuing away and taking for their booties all that they can come by as well cattell as other thinges And such as they take prisoners they constrayne by inflicting them with grieuous punishementes to raunsome themselues for great summes of money neither spare they man woman nor childe but take and keepe your townes and castles hauing no regarde that you be in the seruice of Iesus Christ. And further if any make mention of your maiesty vnto him he sayth there is none other Emperour but himselfe Your friends and subiectes most excellent Prince much maruell hereupon yea and also the Clergy themselues of the Empire doe maruell with what coÌ„science or vpon what consideration the Bishop of Rome can doe the same making such bloudy warres and slaughter vpon Christian men especially seeing that Christ commaunded Peter when he stroke with the materiall sworde to put vp the same into the scabbard saying all that strike with the sword shall perish with the sword Or els by what lawe he dayly can excommunicate such pirates burners of mens houses and robbers when he himselfe is the patron and mayntayner of suche himselfe hereat they greatly muse and maruell Wherefore most mighty and renowmed Emperour I beseeche your highnes to coÌ„sider your owne safety for that the sayd Iohn Brennus hath layde and fortifie all the portes and hauens with no small company of men and souldiours that if not knowing therof your grace shold ariue in any of them the same garisons of his shoulde apprehend and take you as a prisoner whiche thing to chaunce GOD forefend Thus whilest the host of this hostile enemy the Pope was encamped in the dominioÌ„s of Fridericke he receaued the letters which Fridericke by his Legates sent into Europa as you heard wherby he vnderstood the good successe he had in Asia Who not onely tooke no delecration at all therin but was also in a vehement perturbatioÌ„ therwith wherby manifestly it may appeare what was the cause meaning of the Pope that he was so solicitous vrgent to haue Fredericke the Emperour make a voiage into Asia Doubtlesse euen the same that Pelias had wheÌ„ by hys instigation he procured Iason with all the chosen youth and floure of Grecia to sayle into Colchus to fetch awaye the golden flease and that by the oportunitie of his absence he might vse or rather abuse hys power tyranny And that Fridericke might either be long afflicted molested in the Asian warre or that he might perish and lose his life therin was that he sought and all that he desired And when he saw that fortune neither fauored his fetthes nor serued to his loÌ„ging lust he was as a man berest of his wits specially at these tidings of the prosperous successe of the Emperour He tare and threw his letters on the ground and with all opprobrious words rebuked reuised the Legates for the Emperor their masters sake which thing also BloÌ„dus himselfe denieth not although he write altogether in the fauour of the Pope And to the intent that he might couer this his rage and vnbridled fury with some cloke colour of iust deserued dolour He fayned him selfe therefore so much to mislike therwith as though the Emperour therein had onely respected his owne priuate coÌ„moditie not regarding the vtilitie of the Christians for yâ— the Saracens had licence although without armour weapoÌ„ to haue repayre vnto the sepulcher of Christ had left for theÌ„ somewhat neare the same an hosterie or lodging place For which occasion sayth Blondus his Lord Pope rebuked the Emperours Legates by the name of traytors and such like other opprobrious wordes Now go to frend Blondus by what strong argumentes proue you your Lord Pope that the peace which the Emperour hath concluded to be either against the Christian common wealth or that the Emperour was a traytour But who is it that seeth not these thinges either by reading of old and ancient writers or els partly by me that haue gathered collected the same out of diuers monuments and historyes plainly perceaueth not the conspâ—racies treasons of your good Lord the Pope so notable and filthy as also hys manâ—est shame and infamie What there be diuers that write how the Pope commaunded
Simon hys sonnes power not knowing of the ouerthrow whiche he had before gaue small credite thereunto till that the said Nicholas the better to view and descrie them went vp to the Abbey steple of Eusham where he might plainly discerne them all and their standerds For by this tyme they were mounted the hill which they laboured to attayne thinking to haue that vauntage when they shold geue theyr charge as they had purposed and had also aduanced agayn his own standerdes and pulled down Simons wherby they were the more easâ—yer descried and knowne Then he cryed aloud to the Earle Simon and said we are all but dead men For it is not your sonne as you suppose that commeth but it is Edward the kinges sonne that commeth from one parte and the Earle of Gloucester from an other part and Roger Mortimer from the third part Then said the Earle The Lorde be mercifull vnto our soules forasmuch as our bodyes and liues are now in their handes commaunding that euery man should make hymselfe redy to God and to fight out the field for that it was their willes to dye for their lawes and in a iust quarrell And such as woulde depart he gaue leaue to goe their wayes that they shoulde be no discomfiture to the rest Then came vnto him his eldest sonne Henry comforted him desiring him to haue no dispaire nor yet mistrust in the good successe of this victory with other such cheerfull wordes No my sonne sayth he I dispayre not but yet it is thy presumption and the pride of the rest of thy brethreÌ„ that haue brought me to this end ye see Notwithstanding yet I trust I shall dye to God and in a righteous quarrel After wordes of comfort geuen to all his host and the oration made as is the maner they all armed themselues The king also whom the Earle alwaies kept with him he armed in an armour of his owne And then deuiding theyr battailes they marched toward theyr enemies but before they ioyned the welchmen ran theyr waies and thinking to scape ouer the riuer of Dee were there some drowned some slayne Then when the battayles ioyned and came to handy strokes within short space many of the Erles part fell and were slayne And the king himselfe being stroken at cryed with a loud voyce to them saying kill me not I am Henry your king And with these the kinges wordes the Lord Adam Monhaut knewe him and saued him At whose voyce and cry came also prince Edward hys sonne and deliuered him to the garde and custody of certayne knightes In the meane season the Earle Simon was hard bestead and beaten downe and also slayne before Edward the prince came at hym Howbeit before he fell when as ye fought for his life HeÌ„ry his sonne other noble men on his part were about hym he brake out in these words vnto hys enemies saying what is there no mercy compassion with you who agayne answered what compassion should there be shewed to traytors Then sayd he the Lord be mercifull to our soules our bodyes are in your hands And as soone as these wordes were spoken they mangled hys body and deuided his members and cut of his head which head Roger Mortimer sent vnto his wife And not farre of from him also was slayne Henry his eldest sonne the lord Hugh Spencer the L. Radulphe Basset the Lord Thomas de Hestele the Lord William Maundeuile the Lord Iohn Bewchampe the Lord Guido Baillofer the Lord Roger Rowley and many other noble men besides with a great multitude of people the Lord knoweth howe many This battail was fought in the moneth of August continued from one of the clocke till it was night in the which was not so much as one man on the Earles part of any estimation fortitude and courage but in that battell lost his life more then the Lord Iohn who by the great grace of God escaped death Neither is this to be forgotteÌ„ that the same day being Tuesday at that instant houre when the battell began whiche was at one of the clocke at after noone there was such a darcknes ouer all such thunder and such tempest that the like before that time was neuer seene being very calme and fayre weather both immemediately before and after which seemed sayth myne author to geue a playne demonstration of that whiche afterward chaunced and followed After this great slaughter and ouerthrow there was a Parliament suÌ„moned at Winchester by the Earle of Gloucester and other of hys part Here by the is to be considered that the king although he was in the camp of the Erle of Leceister being then in custody and his sonne Edward with the Earle of Gloucester yet the king was in that side agaynst his will and therefore in the sayd Parliament the king was restored to his kingly dignitie which was before that tyme vnder the custody of the Barons But after the battaile was ended and done certaine of them that loued the Earle vpon an old ladder gathered vp suche partes of his body as remayned and couering the same with an old gowne brought it to Eusham where they putting the same in a faire linnen cloth buried it in the church But not loÌ„g after by such as thought not themselues sufficiently reuenged with his death to wreke them of the dead corpes took vp the same and threw it in an other place saying that he which was both accursed and a traytor was not worthy of Christen buriall The same yeare also died Walter Cantilupus Byshop of Winchester after whom succeeded Nicholas of Ely the kinges Chauncellor The same yeare the king perceiuing that vnlesse that Castle of Kenilworth were recouered and the boldnes of theÌ„ restrayned that kept the same many euils and inconueniences might ensue therupon to the preiudice of his kingdom for that the number increased euery day more more wasting and spoyling the country all about Therfore he gathered an army and came downe to warwick where he a while taryed expecting the meeting and assembling of hys Marqueses and Lordes with engines and other munition sautable Who when theyr bondes were furnished and mustred and al thinges ready the morow after Midsomer day he displayed hys banner began his vyage marching towardes Kenilworth besieged the same During which siege by the aduise and counsaile of the king the Popes Legate and other noble men 12. persons were chose which should haue the disposing of those thinges that pertayned to the state of the Realme of those that had lost their landes and inheritaunces who amongest other thinges made and established this one prouiso that was commoÌ„ly called Kenelworth decree That all those whieh hast lost their laÌ„des by attaynder although yet not attainted should fyne therfore at the kinges pleasure and take their lands of him agayn paying some three yeares some foure yeares some two yeares reueneues of the same according to the quallitie
also slue and killed aboue 130. Knightes being all men of great possessions and prowesse and tooke other small cities and townes to the number of 300. Yet for all thys Phillip de Ualois the french king durst neither rescue his towns nor relieue his owne men but of hys great armie hee lost which is to be marueiled at being in the midst of his own countrey by famine other inconueniences for want of water more then 20000. men without any battaile by hym geuen Whereupon at the treatie of the sayde Phillip by hys embassadours to the king sent and by the mediation of the Lady Iane sister to the sayd Philip mother to the Earle of Henault whose daughter king Edwarde as you heard had married A truce containing the number of 15. articles for one yeare was concluded the king of Englande being very vnwilling and loth therunto Yet notwythstanding partly by the instance of the foresayd Lady but specially for that the king was greatly disappoynted through the negligence of his officers in England which sent hym not ouer such mony as he neded for the continuance of hys warres and paiment of his soldiors wages the articles being somewhat reasonable he agreeth to the truce therof the coÌ„ditions of which truce there concluded heere followe vnder wrytten 1. First that during the sayde truce no tales or mistrust of either part shall be a detriment or cause of breache of the same 2. Item that during the sayd respite or truce eyther of the Princes their helpers coadiutors and allies whatsoeuer shall remaine and be in the quiete possession of all such possessions holdes territories and landes as at thys preâ—ent day they kepe and enioy within the realme and dominion of Fraunce in what maner so euer they haue atchieued the same during the sayd truce 3. Item that the sayd princes their aiders coadiutors and allies whatsoeuer shall passe safely from one country to an other and all marchants with theyr marchandise as well by sea as by land as accustomably they haue ben wont except such banished men as haue ben banished out of that sayd realmes or any of them for other causes then the warres betwene the sayd princes 4. Item that the said two princes shal not procure either by themselues or any other any practice or other molestation to be made the one to the other by the byshop of Rome or any other belonging to the holy church whatsoeuer eyther for the warres begon or any other cause nor for the seruice of any of their allies coadiutors and aiders or any of them And that our holy father the Pope nor any other shal disturbe or molest either of the sayd two kings during the sayd time 5. Item that immediatly after the truce be proclaimed in both the hostes that they may stand bound of either side to kepe and obserue al and euery such article as shal be therein contained 6. Item that wythin 20 dayes next and immediately ensuing eache of the Princes shall cause to be proclaimed in Gascoyne and Guyen and other their lands these articles of truce to the intent they may be the better obserued kept and knowne 7. Item if by any the sayd princes their allies people or coadiutours any siege be layd in Gascoyne or the Dutchy of Guyen or any other Isles of the sea Gierncley or Gersey or any other that the same sieges be raised so soone as they shall heare of thys truce 8. Item that suche as are theeues and fugitiues out of the Countrey of Flaunders shall not returne during the truce and if they do that then such as appreheÌ„d them shal see iustice done vpon them and forfaite all the goodes they haue in Flaunders 9. Item it is accorded that the debtes due to Arras Tresponois or other titles of Fraunce shal neither be demaunded nor executed during the sayd truce 10. Item that all suche prysoners as haue bene taken during these warres shal be released out of prison sent home vpon theyr faith and othe to returne if they be not raunsomed during the sayd truce And if any shal refuse so to doe that then the Lord vnder whom he is shall constraine him to returne againe to prison 11. Item that all the bandes whatsoeuer they be whyche be made before thys sayde truce in the time of warre whether they be of goods spirituall or temporall be released wtout restitucion during the sayd truce 12. Also that these conditions of truce immediately may take effect betwene the Englishmen Scots their Lords aiders and allies and the same to endure vntill the Natiuitie of S. Iohn Baptist. And that certain persons be appointed by a certaine day to be at the marches of England and Scotland to confirme the same truce vnder such coÌ„ditions as haue bene accustomed in those partes And if the said Scottes refuse so to doe that then they to haue no aide out of Fraunce during the sayd truce 13. Item that this sayd truce be proclaimed in England and in ScotlaÌ„d wythin the 26. dayes after the date therof 14. Item it is accorded that within this truce be contayned Espamels Chatellon Geneuos the Byshop and the towne of Cambrey and castels of the same c. In witnes wherof we Iohn by the grace of God king of Bohemia and Earle of Luxemburgh Adulphe Byshop of Liege Raoule Duke of Loreine Ayemes Earle of Sauoy Iohn Earle of Darminacke on the one party And B. Duke of Brabante C. Duke of Gelre D. Marques of Iuliers sir Iohn of Henault and sir Beawmount on the other party betwixt the high puissant princes of France and England Have scaled thys instrument of truce and peace and deliuered the same accordingly in the church of Espleteline on monday the 25. day of September the yere of grace 1340. This truce thus finished king Edwarde brake vp hys campe remoouing his siege from Tourney came againe to Gaunt FroÌ„ whence very early in the morning he with a small company tooke shipping and by long seas came to the tower of LoÌ„don very few or none hauing vnderstanding thereof And being greatly displeased with diuers of his counsel and high officers for that through their default he was constrained against his will not hauing money to maintaine hys warres to condescende vnto the foresayde truce he commanded to be apprehended and brought vnto him to the tower the Lorde Iohn Stonhore chiefe iustice of England and syr Iohn Poulteney with diuers others and the next morning he sent for the Lorde K. Byshop of Chichester and the Lord Wake the Lorde Treasurer diuers other such that were in authority and office and commanded them al to be kept as prisoners in the said tower onely the sayd byshop excepted whom for feare of the constitution of Pope Clement whych commaunded that no Byshop should be by the king imprisoned he set at libertie suffered him to goe his way in his place substituted sir Roger Bourcher knight
consequently absolue any man confessing hys faulte being contrite and penitent for the same 16. It is lawfull for kinges in causes licenced by the lawe to take away the temporalties from the spiritualty sinning habitualiter that is which continue in the custome of sinne and will not amend 17. Whether they be temporall Lordes or any other men whatsoeuer they be which haue endowed any Churche with temporalties It is lawfull for them to take away the same temporalties as it were by way of medicine for to auoyd sinne notwithstanding any excommunication or other ecclesiasticall censure for so much as they are not geuen but vnder a condition 18. An ecclesiasticall minister and also the Byshop of Rome may lawfully be rebuked of his subiectes and for the profite of the Church be accused eyther of the Clergy or of the Laitie These letters with the articles inclosed being thus receiued from the pope the bishops tooke no litle hart thinking and fully determining with themselues and that in open profession before their prouinciall Councell that all maner respectes offeare or fauour set apart no person neither high nor low should let them neither woulde they be seduced by the intreaty of any mā nor by any threatnings or rewards but that in this cause they would execute most surely vpright iustice and equitie yea albeit presēt danger of life should follow therupon But these so fierce brags stout promise with the subtile practises of these Byshops which thought them so sure before the Lord against whō no determination of mans counsaile can prenayle by a small occasion did lightly confound ouerthrowe For the day of examination being come a certayn personage of the princes court yet of no great noble byrth named Lewes Clifford entring in among the Byshops commaunded them that they shold not proceed with any diffinitiue sentence against Iohn Wickliffe With which wordes all they were so amased and their combes so cut that as in the story is mentioned they became so mute and speachlesse as men hauing not one word in their month to answere And thus by the wonderous worke of God his prouidence escaped Iohn Wickliffe the second time out of the Byshops hands and was by them clearely dismissed vppon his declaration made of his articles as anone shall follow Moreouer here is not to be passed ouer how at the same tyme and in the sayd Chappell of the Archb. at Lamheth where the byshops were sitting vpon Iohn Wickliffe the story writing of the doing therof addeth these wordes saying Non dico ciues tantùm Londinenses sed viles ipsius ciuitatis se impudenter ingerere praesumpserunt in eandem capellam verba facere pro eodem istud negotium impedire confisi vt reor de ipsorum praemissa negligentia praelatorum c. That is I say not onely that the Citizens of London but also the vile abiectes of the Citty presumed to be so bold in that same Chappell at Lamheth where the Byshops were sitting vppon Iohn Wickliffe both to entreat for him and also to let and stoppe the same matter trusting as I suppose vpon the negligence which they sawe before in the Byshops c. Ouer and beside here is not to be forgotten how the sayd Iohn Wickliffe the same time of his examination offered and exhibited vnto the Bishops in writing a protestation with a declaration or exposition of his owne minde vpon the sayd his articles the effect whereof here followeth The protestation of Iohn Wickliffe FIrst I protest as I haue often before done that I doe minde and intend with my whole hart by the grace of God to be a true Christian and as long as breath shal remayne in me to professe and defend the law of Christ. And if it shall happen that through ignoraunce or otherwise I shall fayle therein I desire my Lord God of pardon forgeuenes And now againe as before also I do reuoke and make retractation most hūbly submitting my selfe vnder the correction of our holy mother the church And for somuch as the sentence of my fayth whiche I haue holden in the scholes and els where is reported euen by children more ouer it is caried by children euen vnto Rome Therefore left my deare beloued brethren should take any offence by me I wil set forth in writing the sentēce and Articles for the which I am nowe accused and impeached the whiche also euen vnto the death I will defend As I beleeue all Christians ought to doe and specially the Bysh. of Rome and all other priestes and ministers of the Church For I do vnderstand the conclusions after the sense and maner of speaking of the scriptures and holy doctours the whiche I am ready to expound And if they shall be found contrary vnto the faith I am ready to reuoke and speedily to call them backe agayne An exposition vpon the conclusions of Iohn Wickliffe exhibited by him to the Byshop ALl the race of mankinde here in earth beside Christ hath no power simply to ordayne that Peter c. This conclusion of it selfe is euident for as much as it is not in mans power to stop the cōming of Christ to hys finall iudgement but he must needes come according to the article of our Creede to iudge both the quick and the dead And then as the scripture teacheth shall surcease all ciuill and politicke rule here I vnderstand the temporall and secular dominion pertaining to men here dwelling in this mortall life For so doe the Philosophers speake of ciuill dominion And although the thing which is terminable hath an end is called sometimes perpetuall yet because in holy scripture and in vse of the Church and in the bookes of Philosophers most commonly that is takē to be perpetuall which hath no ende of tyme hereafter to come according to the which sense the Church singeth Gloria Patri c. nunc perpetuum I also after the same signification do take here this woorde perpetually and so is this conclusion consonant to the principles of the Scripture that it is not in mans power to ordayne the course and voyage of the Church here perpetually to last 2. God can not geue to any man c. ¶ To the second conclusion I aunswere vnderstanding ciuil dominion as in the conclusion before And so I hold that God first by his ordinate power cannot geue to any person ciuil dominion here for euer Secondly by his absolute power it is not probable for hym so to doe For so much as he cānot euer detaine his spouse in perpetual prison of thys life nor alwayes deferre the finall beatitude of hys Church 3. To the third conclusion Many wrytings or chartes inuented by men as touching perpetual hereditage ciuile be vnpossible The verity of this conclusion is incident For we must not canonize all maner of Charts what soeuer as Catholicke or vniuersal for then it were not lawful by any meanes to take away
Sigillo all or any of which wordes being vtterly wanting in this place as may be seene in the kinges Recordes of that time it must therfore be done eyther by warrant of this foresayd Statute or els without any warrant at all Whereupon it is to be noted that wheras the said Statute appointed the commissions to be directed to the Sheriffe or other ministers of the kings or to other sufficient persons learned for the aresting of suche persons the sayd commissions are directed to the Archbishop and his Suffragans being as it appeareth parties in the case autorising theÌ„ further without either the wordes or reasonable meaning of the sayde Statute to imprison them in their owne houses or where els pleased them Besides also what maner of law this was by whome deuised and by what authoritie the same was first made and established iudge by that that followeth Viz. In the Utas of S. Michell next following at a parliament summoned and holden at Westminster the sixt yeare of the said king among sondry petitions made to the king by his commons whereunto he assented there is one in this forme Articl 52. Item prayen the commons that wheras an Estatute was made the last parliament in these wordes It is ordayned in this present Parliament that commissions from the king be directed to the Sheriâ—fes and other ministers of the king or to other sufficient persons skilfull and according to the certificates of the Prelates thereof to be made vnto the Chauncerie from time to time to arest all suche preachers theyr fautoures maintenors and abbettours And them to deteine in strong prison vntill they will iustifie themselues according to reasoÌ„ law of holy church And the king willeth and commaundeth that the Chauncellor make such commissions at all times as shal be by the prelates or any of them certified and thereof required as is aforesayd The which was neuer agreed nor graunted by the commens but what soeuer was moued therein was without their assent That the said statute be therfore disanulled For it is not any wise their meaning that either theÌ„selues or such as shal succeed theÌ„ shal be further iustified or bound by the Prelates then were their ancesters in former times whereunto is answered il plâ—ist aa Roy. 1. the king is pleased Hereby notwithstanding the former vniust lawe of Anno. 5. was repealed and the fraude of the framers therof sufficiently discouered yet such meanes was there made by the prelates that this acte of Repeale was neuer published nor euer fithence imprinted with the rest of the statutes of that Parliament In so much as the sayd Repeale being concealed like commissions and other proces were made from time to time by vertue of the sayd Basterd statute aswel during al the raign of this king as euer sithence against the professors of religion As shall hereafter by the grace of God appeare in the second yeare of king Henry the fourth where the Clergy pursued the like practise And now againe to the story of our Oxford Diuines and of the Archbishop to whom the king writeth his letters patents first to the Archbishop then to the Uicechauncellor of Oxford in forme as followeth The kinges letters patentes to the Archbishop RIchard by the grace of God king of England and Lord of Ireland To all those to whome these present letters shall come greeting By the petition of the reuerend â—ather in God William Archb. of Caunterbury Primate of England exhibited vnto vs we right well vnderstand That diuers and sondry conclusions very contrary to wholesome doctrine and redounding both to the subuersion of the Catholike fayth the holy Church and his prouince of Cant. in diuers and sundry places of the same of his prouince haue bene openly and publiquely preached although damnably preached Of the which conclusions some as heresies other some as errours haue bene condemned but not before good and mature deliberation first therein had and vsed and by common counsaile of the said Archbishop his suffragans and many doctors in diuinitie and other clerkes and learned men in the holy Scriptures were sententially and holesomely declared Whereupon the sayd Archbishop hath made his supplication vnto vs that both for the coertion and due castigation of such as shall henceforth of an obstinate minde preach or mayntaine the foresaid conclusions that we would vouchsafe to put to the arme and helping hand of our kingly power We therefore moued by the zeale of the catholicke faith whereof we be and will be defendours and vnwilling that any such heresies or errours shoulde spring vp within the limites of our dominion Geue and graunt speciall licence and authoritie by the tenour of these presentes vnto the foresayd Archbishop and to his Suffraganes to arest and imprison either in their owne prisons or any other all and euery such person and persons as shall either priuely or apertly preach and mayntayne the foresayd conclusions so condemned and the same persons so imprisoned there at their pleasures to detayne till such time as they shall repent them and amend them of suche hereticall prauities or els shall be of suche arestes by vs and our counsaile otherwise determined and prouided Further charging and commaunding all and singuler our liegemen ministers and subiectes of what state and condition so euer they be vpon their fidelitie allegeance wherin they stand bound to vs that by no meanes they eyther fauour counsayle or helpe the preachers or els mayntayners of the sayde conclusions so condemned or their fauourers vpon payn and forfaiture of all that euer they haue But that they obey and humbly attend vpon the said Archbishop his Suffraganes and ministers in the execution of these presentes so that due and manifest publication agaynst the foresaid conclusions and their mayntayners without any perturbation may be done and executed as for the defence of our Realme and catholike fayth shal be thought most meete and requisite In witnesse wherof we haue caused these our letters patentes to be made Witnesse our selfe at Westminster the 16. day of Iune and 6. yeare of our reigne * The kinges letters patentes to the Uicechauncellour THe king To the Chauncellour and the procuratours of the vniuersitie of Oxford which now be or for the time being shall be Greeting Moued by the zeale of christian fayth where of we be and alwayes will be defenders and for our soules health induced thereunto hauing a great desire to represse and by condigne punishmeÌ„t to restraine the impugners of the foresaid fayth which newly and wickedly go about and presume to sow their naughty and peruerse doctrine within our kingdome of England and to preach and hold damnable conclusions so notoriously repugnant and contrary to the same faith to the peruerting of our subiectes and people as we vnderstand Before they any further proceed in their malicious errours or els infect others We haue by these presentes appoynted you to be inquisitour generall all
the olde vnto the young namely men of holy Church breken his hest and few Bishoppes pursuen hem therfore The 15. Article is this that I shoulde haue taught to true men of Christ that on no maner they should worship the Image of him that was done on the crosse or the Image of the blessed mayd his mother or of other Sayntes into honor and worship of the same ordeinet in the minde of them And oft sithes the worshipper of such Image he has reprouet saying and strongly affirming that Church men sinnen and done Idolatry This conclusion haue I not sayd in these termes But this I say with protestation that God commaūdes in his law in diuers places Exod. 20. Leuit. 19. 26. Deut. 5. 7. Tobiae 1. Baruc. 6.2 ad Corin. 10. Esay 45. Iere. 2.6.8 10.22 vltimo Sapient 13. 14. 15. Mac. 5. Threnorum 4. postremo that men should not worshippē grauen Images that ben werkes of mens handes And also he bids that mē should not make to hem grauen Images in likenesse of the thinges that bene in heauen to that end to worshippen hem sethen neither God ne Christ by his manhood gaue neuer commaundement to make thes Images ne expresse counsell ne his Apostles in all his law ne to worship such that bene made But wel I wote that by mens owne relation that haue misbeleuet in hem that many mē sinnen in manmetry worshipping such dead Images Notforthy to tho men bene Images good to whom they bene but kalēdars and through the sight of hem they knowen the better and worshippen oft God and his Saints And to such mē they done harme that settē her hope and trust in hem or done any worship to hem agaynst Gods law his hest Vnde ait Gregorius in Registro libro 10. in Epistola ad Serenum Episcopum Si quis imagines facere voluerit minimè prohibe adorare omnino prohibe Sed hoc solicitè fraternitas tua admoneat vt ex visione rei gestae ardorem compunctionis percipiant vt in adoratione totius trinitatis prosternantur These conclusions poyntes and articles that I haue vnder protestation in this booke affirmed I will stand by hem and maintayne hem with the grace of almighty god to the time that the cōtrary be prouet dewly by Gods law And this protestation I make for my fayth and my beliefe as I did the beginning that whensoeuer this worshipfull or any other Christē man shewes me verayly by gods law the contrary of this I will holy forsake hem and take me to the veray trouth and better vnderstanding of wiser men redy to be amended by the law of Iesu Christ and be a true Christen man faythfull sonne of holy church And of these I beseech you all bere witnes where ye commen Subsequenter vero quia fide dignorum relatione recepimus quod idem Gulielmus Swinderby latitabat quo minus posset in propria person a citari ipsum Gulielmum vijs modis per Edictum publicum ad instar albi praetoris in Ecclesia nostra cathedrali Herfordensi parochialibus ecclesijs de Kington Croste Whitney nostrae diocesis vbi idem Gulielmus solebat commorari citari fecimus prout quemadmodum in modo citatorio continetur cuius tenor sequitur in haec verba ¶ The Citation IOhn by Gods permission Byshop of Hereford to his deare sons our Deane of Leamster to the persons of Croft Almaly and Whitney and also to the Vicars of Kingston Iardersley Wiggemore and Monmouth Clifford and of S. Iohns aultar in our cathedrall Church of Hereford and to the rest of the Deanes Parsons Vicars Chapleines parish Priestes and to other whosoeuer in any place are appoynted through our city and dioces of Hereford sendeth greeting grace and benediction We bid and commaund charging you straitly in the vertue of holy obedience that you cite or cause to be cited peremptorily and vnder the payne of excommunication William Swinderby pretending himselfe to be a Priest That he appeare before vs or our Commissaryes the 20. day of this present moneth of Iuly at North Lodebury within our dioces which the continuance of the dayes following in other places also to be assigned vnto him if it be expedient till such thinges as haue bene and shall be layde agaynst him be fully discussed to aunswere more at large to certayne positions and articles touching the Catholicke fayth and the holy mother Churches determination that haue bene exhibited and ministred vnto the sayd William And to see and heare also many thinges that haue openly in indgement before vs and a great number of faythfull Christians by him bene euen in writing confessed to be condemned as hereticall false schismaticall and erroneous And to see and heare positions and Articles denied by the sayd William to be proued by faythfull witnesses and other lawfull trials against the sayd William And to receiue for his false hereticall erroneous and schismaticall doctrine that iustice shall appoynt or els to shew causes why the premisses shoulde not bee done And if the sayd William lieth priuely or els cannot be so cited in his proper person we will that in your Churches when most people shall then come together to diuine seruice you opēly with a loud voyce and that may be vnderstanded cause the said William peremptorely to be cited vnto the premisses certifying the same William that whether he shall appeare the day and place appointed or no we notwithstanding will proceed vnto the premisses agaynst the sayd William according to the canonicall decrees by forme of law in the absence or contumacy of the sayde William notwitstanding We will moreouer if the sayd William shall appeare at the sayd day and place as is aforesayde before vs frendly heare him and honestly and fauorably as farre as we may with Gods leaue deale with him graunting free licence to come and to go for his naturall liberty without any hurt either in body or goods And see that you fully certify vs of the thinges that you or any of you shall do about the execution of this our commaundement and that by your letters patentes signed with your seale autenticall geuing also faythsully to the sayde William or to his lawfull Proctor if he require it a copye of this our present commaundement Geuen at our house of Whitburne vnder our seale the fift day of the moneth of Iuly in the yeare of our Lord. 1391. ¶ The act of the first day On Thursday the xx of Iuly in that yeare of the Lord aforesaid We in the parish church of North Lidebury afore sayd about 6 of the clocke sitting in iudgement after that it was reported vnto vs how the foresayd Williā was personally taken and lawfully cited Caused the sayd William then and there openly in iudgement to be called out to do heare and receiue such thinges wherto he was afore cited to do otherwise
shall adde hereto seuen folde woundes for your sinnes I shall send amongest you beastes of the field that shall deuour you and your beastes I shall bring you into a field and wayes shuln be desart And if that ye will not receiue lore but wenden agaynst me I will also wenden agaynste you and I shall smite you seuen sithes for your sinnes I shall leade in vpon you sword venger of my couenaunt and vpon the fleen into Cities I shall send pestilence in the middest of you So that tenne women shall bake their bread in one furnace and yeld theÌ„ agayne by wayght and ye shall eat not be fillet If that ye heare me not by these thinges but wenden agaynst me I shall wend in agaynst you in a contrary woodnesse and blame you with seuen plagues for your sinnes so that they shoulen eat the flesh of your sonnes and of your daughters And in so much my soule shall loth you that I shal bring your Cities into wildernesse and your Sanctuaryes I shall make desart ne I shal not ouer that receiue sweet oder of your mouth And I shall disperkle your land and enemies shulen maruell thereon when they shulen inhabite it I shall disperpel you among Heathen and draw my sword after you These vengeaunces and many moe God sayde should fall on them that breake his bidding and dispiseth his lawes and his domes Than sithe Christ become man and bought vs with his hart bloud and has shewed vs so great loue and geuen vs an easy law of the best that euer might be made and to bring vs to the ioy of heauen and we despise it and louen it nought what vengeaunce will be taken here on so long as he has suffered vs and somercifully abidden when he shall come that righteous iudge in the cloudes to deme this worlde Therefore turne we vs to him and leaue sinne that he hates and ouer all thinges mayntayne his lawe that he confirmed with his death For other lawes that men had made shoulde be demed at that day by the iust law of Christ and the maker that them made and then we wonne that long life and that ioy that Paule speaketh of that eye ne see not ne eare heard not ne into mans hart ascended not the blisse and ioy that God hath ordeyned to them that louen him and his lawes Deare worshipfull sirs in this world I beseech you for Christes loue as ye that I trow louen Gods law trouth that in these dayes is greatly borne abacke that they wollen vouchsafe these thinges that I send you written to Gods worship to let them be shewed in the Parliament as your wittes can best conceiue to most worship to our God and to shewing of the trouth and ameÌ„ding of holy Church My conclusions and mine appeale other true matters of Gods law gif any man can finde therein errour falsenesse or default prouet by the law of Christ clearely to christen mens knowledge I shall reuoke my wrong conceit and by Gods law be amendet euer redy to hold with Gods law opeÌ„ly priuely with Gods grace and nothing to holde teach or maynetayne that is contrary to his law Of the proces answeres condemnation of this worthy priest and true seruaunt of Christ WilliaÌ„ Swinderby you haue heard what afterward became vpoÌ„ him I haue not certainly to say or affirme whether he in prisoÌ„ died or whether he escaped theyr handes or whether he was burned there is no certayne relation made This remayneth out of doubt that during the time of K. Richard 2. no great harme was done vnto him Which was to the yeare 1401. at what time K. Richard being wrongfully deposed HeÌ„ry the 4. inuaded the kingdome of England About the beginning of whose reigne we read of a certayn Parliament holden at LondoÌ„ mentioned also of Thomas Walden as is aboue specified in which parliameÌ„t it was decreed that whosoeuer shewed themselues to be fauorers of Wickliffe they should be apprehended who at that time were called Lollards and if so be they did obstinately perseuere in that doctrine they should be deliuered ouer vnto the bishop of the dioces from him should be coÌ„mitted to the correctioÌ„ of the secular magistrate This law sayth the story brought a certaine priest vnto punishmeÌ„t the same yeare who was burned in Smithfielde in the presence of a great number This we haue drawne out of a piece of an old story it is most certaine that there such a Priest was burned for the affirmation of the true faith but it doth not appeare by the story what the Priestes name was Notwithstanding by diuers coniectures it appeareth vnto me that his name was Swinderby that was forced to recant before by the Bishop of Lincolâ—2 Whereby what is to be conicetured by the premisses let other men iudge what they think I haue nothing here of expressely to affirme This is plain for al men to iudge which haue here sene and read his story that if he were burned then the bishops Friers priestes which were the causes thereof haue a great thing to answere to the Lord when he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead seculum perignem ¶ The story and processe agaynst Walter Brute AFter the story of William Swinderby I thought good and conuenient next to adioyne the actes and doinges of Gualter Brute his ioynte fellow and companion being a lay man and learned brought vpp as it seemeth in the Uniuersitie of Oxforde being there also graduate The tractation of whose discourse as it is something long so therein may appeare diuers thinges worthye to be read and considered First yâ— mighty operation of gods spirit in him his ripe knowledge modest simplicitie his valiant constancie hys learned reactations and manifolde conflictes susteyned aagaynst Gods enemies On the contrary part in hys aduersaryes may appeare might against right mans authoritie agaynst plaine veritie against which they hauing nothing directly to aunswere proceede in condemnation agaynst whom they are able to bring forth no confiâ—ation The chiefest occasion that seemed to stirre vp the heart and zeale of this Walter agaynst the pope was the inâ—pudent pardons and indulgenses of Pope 〈◊〉 graunted to Henry Spenser Bishop of Norwich 〈◊〉 against pope Clement mentioned before pag. 428. Secondly the â—oroÌ„gfull condemnation of the articles and conclusions of William Swinderby the whole order wherof in the processe here following more playnly may appeare The processe had by Bohn Byshop of Hereford agaynst Walter Brute lay man and learned of the dioces of Hereford touching the cause of heresie as they called it set forward by the way of the Byshops office c. at the instruction of certain faithful Christians as he termed them but in deed cruell and false promoters IN the name of God Amen To all maner of faithful christian people that shall see and heare this our preseÌ„t proces Iohn by the sufferance of God bishop of
that there do not remain accidencies without substance or subiect after the coÌ„secration of the body of Christ. And touching this matter the doctors holde diuers opinions Furthermore as concerning the Pope he said helde and auouched that he is the very Antichrist because yâ— in lyfe and maners he is contrary to the lawes doctrines and deedes of Christ our Lord. All and euery of these things were done euen as they be aboue writteÌ„ and rehearsed in the yeare of our Lord poÌ„tificall office month day place aforesayd at supper time of the day aforenamed theÌ„ and there being present the worshipful and discrete men sir Walter Ramsbury chiefe chaÌ„ter of the sayde Cathedrall Church of Hereforde Roger Hoore Chanon of the same Church Walter Wall Chaplain of the said church of Hereford being a vicar of the Choral certaine other worthy witnesses of credit that were specially called and desired to the premisses Ex Regist. Herford And I Richard Lee whelar clerke of Worcester being a publike notarye by the authoritie Apostolike was personally present at all and singuler the premisses whilest that as is before rehersed they were done and a doing in the yere of our lord 1391. pontisical office month day place the houre aforesaid I did see write and heare all and singuler those things thus to bee done and haue reduced theÌ„ into this publike maner and forme being desired truely to restifie the premisses haue sealed the sayde instrument made hereupon with mine accustomed scale and name In the name of God Amen Be it plainly knoweÌ„ to all persons by this present publike instrumeÌ„t that in the yere from the incarnation of the lord after the course and coâ—â—pâ—â—tation of the church of England 1391. the indiction fifteene in the 3. yere of the pontifical office of the most holy father in Christ and our Lord Lord Boniface Pope by the prouydeÌ„ce of God the 9. in the 19. day of the month of Ianuary Walter Brute layman of Hereford dioces personally appearing before the reuereÌ„d father in Christ and Lord. Lord Iohn by gods grace B. of Herford in the presence of me being a publike notarie one of the witnesses vnder written did say hold publish affirme the coÌ„clusioÌ„s hereafter written the is to say yâ— christen people are not bouÌ„d to pay tithes neither by the law of Moses nor by the law of Christ. Item that it is not lawful for Christians for any cause in any case to sweare by the creator neither by the creature Item he confesseth openly and of his owne accord that within the same month of Ianuary he did eate drink and communicate with William Swinderby not being ignorant of the sentence of the said reuerend father whereby the same William Swinderby was pronounced an heretique schismatique and a false seducer of the common people Which conclusions the same reuerend father caused to bee writteÌ„ and in writing to be deliuered to the same Walter Which when he had seene and red he sayd also that he did maintaine and iustifie them according to the lawes aforesayd These thinges were done in the chamber oâ— the sayd bishop of Herford at his manor of Whitborne of the sayde dioces of Hereford then being there present the same Byshop abouesaid M. Reynold of Wolsten Canon of Hereford sir Phillip Dileske parson of the parish church of Blamurin Thomas Guldefeld parson of the Church of Englisbyknore Iohn Cresset parson of the church of Whytborne and Thomas Wallewayne housholde seruant for witnesses specially called and desired to the premisses of the dioces of Hereford and S. Asse And I Benedict Come clerke of the dioces of S. Asse publike notary by the Apostolike authoritie of the dioces of S. Asse was personally present together with the witnes before named at all and singuler these and other thinges here premised whilest they were so done and a doing did see heare write those things so to be done as is before mencioned and did write the same and reduce them into this publike forme with my wonted accustomed seale and name haue sealed it being desired and required truly to testifie the premisses At the last the aforesaid Walter Brute did present and cause to be presented to vs at diuers places and times assigned by vs to the same Walter to aunswere to yâ— former conclusions and articles diuers scroules of paper writteÌ„ with his owne proper hand for his aunswers to the same Articles and conclusions aboue written he partly appearing by his owne selfe before vs sitting in our iudgement seat and partly by his messengers specially appoynted to that purpose of which scroules the tenors do follow in order worde by worde and be on this maner In the name of the father and of the sonne and the holy ghost Amen I Walter Brute sinner layman husbaÌ„dmaÌ„ a Christian hauing mine ofspring of the Brittons both by my father mothers side of the Britons haue ben accused to the B. of Hereford that I did erre in many matters concerning the catholike Christen fayth by whoÌ„ I am required yâ— I should write an aunswere in Latin to all those matters whose desire I wil satisfie to my power protesting first of al before God before al the world the like as it is not my mind through Gods grace to refuse the knoweÌ„ truth for any reward greater or smaller yea be it neuer so bigge nor yet for the feare of any temporal punishment eueÌ„ so it is not my mind to maintain any erroneous doctrine for any coÌ„modities sake And if any maÌ„ of what state sect or condition so euer he be wil shew me that I erre in my writings or sayings by the authoritie of the sacred scripture or by probable reason grounded in the sacred scripture I wil humbly and gladly receiue his information But as for the bare wordes of any teacher Christ onely excepted I wil not simply beleue except hee shal be able to stablish theÌ„ by the truth of experience or of the Scripture for because that in the holy Apostles elected by Christ there hath beue fouÌ„d errour by the testimony of the holy scripture because that Paule himselfe doth coÌ„fesse that he rebuked Peter for that he was worthy to be rebuked Galat. the 2. Chapiter There hath ben errors fouÌ„d in the holy doctors that haue ben before vs as they themselues confesse of them selues And oftentimes it falleth out that there is error founde in the teachers in our age who are of contrary opinions among themselues and sâ—me of them do sometimes determine mine one thing for truth and others do condemne the selfe same thing to be heresye or error Which protestation premised I wil here place 1. suppositions or cases for a grouÌ„d and a foundatioÌ„ of all things that I shall say out of which I would gather two probable conclusions stablished vpoÌ„ the same and vpon the sacred Scripture By which coÌ„clusions when as
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
rooted out or otherwise punished by any that hath authoritie and the feare and loue of God And also they are not afrayd openlye to write the same articles and so being written to deliuer thē to your kinglye parliament and obstinately to affirme the same The venemous and disdainfull recitall of which articles vpon good aduisement at this present we passe ouer lest the sufferaunce of such sensualitie might fortune to renue the woūd that reason may heale Yet notwithstanding least so great and contagious an euil should escape vnpunished and that without deserued vexation and also that it might not get more hart and waxe stronger we therefore according to that our office and duetie is where such neglygence and sluggishnes of our prelates being present where this thing is do commit and geue in commaundemēt to our reuerend brethren Canterbury and Yorke Archbishops by other oure letters that they stand vp in the power of God agaynst this pestilent and cōtagious sect and that they liuely persecute the same in forme of lawe roote out and destroy those that aduisedly and obstinately refuse to withdraw their foote frō the same stumbling block any restraint to the contrary notwithstanding But because the assistance counsaile fauour and ayde of your kingly estate highnes are requisite to the execution of the premisses we require exhort and beseech the same your princely highnes by the bowels of the mercy of Iesus Christ by his holy fayth by your owne saluation by the benefit that to all men is common and by the prosperitie assured to euery man and woman that not onelye your kingly seueritie may readily shewe and cause to bee shewed vnto our Archbishops and their Commissaries in this behalfe requyring the foresayd due execution conuenient ayd and fauour as otherwise also to cause them to be assisted But that also you wil enioyne your Magistrates and Iustices of assise and peace more straightly that of their owne good wils they execute the authoritie committed vnto thē with al seueritie against such damned men according as they are boūd by the office which they are put in trust with Against those I mene which haue determyned obstinatly to defile thēselues in their malice and sinnes those to expell banish and imprison and there so long to keepe them til cōdigne sentence shall pronounce them worthye to suffer punyshment For your kingly wisedome seeth that such as they be do not only deceiue poore simple souls or at the least do what they can to deceiue thē but also bring their bodies to destructiō and further prepare confusion and ruinous fall vnto their temporall Lordes Go to therefore my sweete sonne and indeuour your self to worke so in this matter as vndoubtedly we trust you will that as this firebrand burning and flaming ouer sore beganne vnder your president or gouernment so vnder your seuere iudgement and vertuous diligence might fauour and ayde not one sparke remaine hid vnder the ashes but that it be vtterlye extinguyshed and spedely put out ¶ Geuen at our palace of S. Peter at Rome the xv Calendes of October in the sixt yere of our pontificalitie ¶ The Kynges Commission RIchard by the grace of God kyng of Englande Fraunce and Lorde of Irelande To all those vnto whom these present letters shall come greeting Know ye that where as lately at the instance of the reuerend father William Archbishop of Caunterbury Metropolitane of all England and Legate of the Apostolycal seate we for the redresse and amendement of all those whych would obstinately preach or maintaine publiquely or priuely any conclusions of the holy scripture repugnant to the determynatiō of our holy mother the church notoriously redounding to the subuersion of the Catholique faith or cōtaining any heresie or errour within the prouince or bishopricke of Cāterburie Haue by our special letters patents in the zeale of the fayth geuē authoritie and licence vnto the foresayd Archbishop to all and singular his suffraganes to arest all and euerye of them that will preach or maintaine any such cōclusions wheresoeuer they may be found and to cōmit them either to their owne prisons or any others at their owne pleasure and to kepe thē in the same vntill they repēt them of the errours prauities of those heresies or til that of such maner of arests by vs or by our counsayle it shoulde be otherwise determined that is to say to euery one of them and their ministers throughout their cities and dioces And nowe the reuerēd father in god Iohn B. of Herford hath for a certaintie informed vs that although the same B. hath accordinge to iustyce cōuinced a certain felow named W. Swinderby pretending himself to be a chaplaine one Stephē Bell a learned man and hath pronounced thē heretikes and excōmunicate false informers among the cōmon people and hath declared the same by the definitiue sentence of the aforesaid bishop for that they haue presumed to affirme and preach openly in diuers places within the dioces of Herford many conclusions or naughty opinions notoriously redounding to the subuersion of the Catholike sound faith and tranquilitie of our kingdome The same Bishop notwithstandinge neyther by the ecclesiasticall censures neyther yet by the force and strength of our cōmission was able to reuoke the foresaid William and Stephen nor yet to bridle the malice and indurate contumacie of them For that they after that they were vpon such heretical prauitie conuict by the same bishop to the intent they might delude his iudgement and iustice conueyed thēselues by and by vnto the borders of Wales with suche as were their factours and accomplices in keping themselues close vnto whō the force of our said letters doth in no wise extende Whereupon the sayde Bishop hath made supplycation vnto vs that wee will vouchsafe to prouide a sufficient remedye in that behalfe Wee therfore which alwayes by the helpe of almightie God are defēdours of the fayth willing to withstand suche presumptuous and peruerse enterprises by the most safest way and meanes we maye geue and cōmit full power and authoritie to the foresayd bishop and to his ministers by the tenour of these presents to arrest or take or cause to be arrested or taken the foresayde William and Sthephen in any place within the citie dioces of Hereford and our dominiō of Wales with al the speede that may be and to cōmit thē either to our prison or els to the prison of the same bishop or any other prison at their pleasure if such neede bee and there to keepe thē safe And afterwards vnles they will obey the commaundements of the Church with dilygence to bring them before vs and our coūsel or els cause them to be brought That we may determine for their further punishment as we shall thinke it requisite conuenient to be done by the aduise of our coūsell for the defence and preseruation of the Catholike faith And
sayde is no longer bread materiall but that it is turned into verye Christes body and that I sweare here I say that this is false and erroneous c. I say as I sayd c. This being done the 22. day of February aforesayd in the yeare of our Lord 1400. in the chapter house of Sainct Paule in London aforesayd The foresayd Archbishop of Caunterbury in the conuocation of hys prelates Clergy and such lyke men there beeing present caused the fore recited proces of the bishop of Norwich to be read openly publikely to Syr Wil. Sautre otherwise called Chatris And afterward he asked the sayd syr William whether he playnely vnderstood and knew such proces the contents within the same and he sayd yea And further he demaunded of him if he would or could say or obiect any thing agaynst the proces and he sayd no. And after that incontinent the foresayd archbishop of Canterbury demaunded and obiected against the said syr William as diuers others more did That after he had before the Bysh. of Norwiche reuoked and abiured Iudicially diuers errors heresies that among other erroures and heresies by him taught holden and preached he affirmed That in the same sacrament of the aulter after the consecration made by the Priest as he taught there remayned materiall bread which heresie amongst others as erroures also he abiured before the foresayd Bishop of Norwich Hereunto the foresayd William aunswered smiling or in mocking wise saying and denying that he knew of the premisses Notwithstanding he publikely affirmed that he held and taught the foresayd thinges after the date of the sayd processe made by the sayd Bishop of Norwich and that in the same councell also he held the same Then finally it was demaunded of the said sir William why he ought not to be pronounced as a man fallen into heresie and further to proceede vnto his degradation according to the canonicall sanctions whereunto he answered nothing neither could he alledge any cause to the contrary Wheruepon the foresayd Archb. of Cant. by the counsaile and consent of the whole councel and especially by the counsail and assent of the reuerēd fathers and Bishops as also Priours Deanes Archdeacons and other worshipfull Doctours and Clerkes then and there present in the councel Fully determined to proceede to the degradation and actuall deposing of the sayde William Sautre as re-fallen into heresy and as incorrigible according to the sentence definitiue put in wryting the tenoure whereof is in wordes as foloweth In the name of God Amen Wee Thomas by the grace of God Archb. of Cant. Legate of the sea Apostolicall and Metropolitane of all England doe finde and declare that thou William Sawtrie otherwise called Chatris Priest by vs with the counsaile assent of all and singular our felowe brethren and whole Clergy by this our sentence diffinitiue declared in wryting hast bene for heresie conuict and condemned and art being againe fallen into heresy to be deposed and degraded by these presents And from that day being Wedensday there was in the sayde councell prouinciall nothing further prosecuted but was continued with all dependentes till the Friday next insuing Whych Friday approching M. Nicholas Rishton by the commandement of the sayd Archb. of Canterb. being then busied as he said in the Parliament house continued this councel and conuocation with al incidents dependents and occasions growing and annexed therunto to the next day to wit saterday next and immediatly after insuing Upon Saterday being the 26. of the sayd moneth of February the foresayde Archbishop of Canterbury fate in the Byshops seate of the foresayde Church of S. Paule in London and solemnly apparelled in his Pontifical attire sitting with hym as his assistents these reuerend fathers and Bishops of London Lyncolne Harford Exeter Meneuensis Roffensis Episcopi aboue mentioned commaunded and caused the sayd sir W. Sautry apparelled in priestly vestiments to be brought appeare before hym That done he declared and expounded in English to al the clergy and people there in a great multitude assembled that al processe was finished and ended against the said syr William Sautry Whych thing finished before the pronouncing of the sayd sentence of the Relapse against the sayd sir William as is premised he often then and there recited read And for that he sawe the sayde William in that behalfe nothyng abashed He proceded to his degradation and actuall deposition in forme as foloweth IN nomine patris silij spiritus sancti Amen We Thomas by Gods permission Archb. of Cant. Primate of al England and Legate of the Apostolique sea doe denounce thee William Sawtre otherwise called Chautris Chapleine fained in the habite and apparell of a Priest as an heretick and one refallen into heresy by thys our sentēce definitiue by counsaile assent and authoritye to be condemned And by conclusion of all our fellowe brethren fellow byshops Prelates councell prouinciall and of the whole clergy do degrade and depriue thee of thy priestly order And in signe of degradation and actuall depositiō from thy priestly dignity for thine incorrigibility and want of amendment we take from thee the patent and chalice and doe depriue thee of all power authority of celebrating masse and also wee pull from thy backe the Casule and take from thee the vestiment and depriue thee of all maner of Priestly honour Also wee Thomas the aforesayde Archb. by authority counsell and assent which vpon the foresayd William wee haue being Deacon pretensed in the habite and apparel of a Deacon hauing the new Testament in thy hands being an heretique and twise fallen condemned by sentence as is aforesayde doe degrade and put thee from the order of a Deacon And in token of this thy degradation and actuall deposition we take frō thee the boke of the new testament the stole and doe depriue thee of all authority in reading the gospel and of all and all maner of dignity of a Deacon Item we Thomas Archbish. aforesayd by authoritie counsell and assent which ouer thee the foresayde William wee haue being a subdeacon pretensed in the habite vestiment of a subdeacon an hereticke and twise fallen condemned by sentence as is aforesayd do degrade put thee from the order of a subdeacon And in token of this thy degradation actuall deposition we take from thee the albe and maniple and doe depriue thee of all and all manner of subdiaconall dignitie Also wee Thomas Archb. aforesayd by counsaile assent and authority whych wee haue ouer thee the foresayde William an Accolite pretensed wearing the habite of an Accolite and heretike twise fallen by our sentence as is aforesaid condemned do degrade and put from thee al order of an Accolite And in signe and tokē of thys thy degradation and actuall deposition we take from thee the candlesticke and taper and also Vrceolum and doe depriue thee of all and all maner dignity
citation sent by messenger by letters or edict not admitting proofe by witnesses and sentēce definitiue to be we do ordeine will and declare for the easier punishment of the offēders in the premisses and for the better reformation of the church deuided and hurt that all such as are diffamed openly knowne or vehemētly suspected in any of the cases aforesayd or in anye article of the catholicke fayth sounding contrary to good manners by authoritie of the ordinary of the place or other superior be cited personally to appeare cyther by letters publique messenger being sworne or by edicte openly set at that place where the sayd offender commonly remayneth or in hys parish Church if he hath any certayne dwelling house Otherwise in y◠Cathedrall church of the place where he was borne and in the parish churche of the same place where he so preached and taught And afterwardes certificate beyng geuen that the citation was formally executed agaynst the party cited being absent and neglecting hys appearannce it shal be proceeded agaynst him fully and playnly without sound or shew of iudgement and without admitting proofe by witnesses and other canonicall probations And also after lawful informatiō had the sayd ordinary al delayes set apert shall signifie declare and punishe the sayd offender according to the quallitie of his offence and in forme aforesayd and further shall doe according to iustice the absence of the offender notwithstanding Geuen at Oxford ¶ Who would haue thought by these lawes and constitutions so substantially founded so circumspectly prouided so dilligently executed but that the name and memory of this persecuted sort should vtterly haue bene rooted vp neuer could haue stand And yet such be the works of th◠lord passing all mēs admiratiō all this notwithstanding so far was it of that the number and courage of these good men was vanquished that rather they multiplied dayly encreased For so I finde in Registers recorded that these foresayd persons whome the king and the Catholique fathers did so greatly deteste for heretickes were in diuers countries of this realme dispersed and increased especially at London in Lincolnshire in Northfolk in Herefordshyre in Shreusbury in Callice and diuers other quarters mo with whom the Archb. of Caunterbury Thomas Arundell the same time had much ado as by hys own registers doth appeare Albeit some there were that dyd shrinke many did reuolt and renounce for daunger of the law Among whom was Iohn Puruey whiche recanted at Paules Crosse of whom more foloweth the Lord willing to be said in the yeare 1421. Also Iohn Edward priest of the dioces of Lincolne who reuoked in the greene yard at Norwich Richard Herbert and Emmot Willy of Lōdon also Iohn Becket who recanted at London Item Iohn Seynons of Lincolneshyre who was caused to reuoke at Caunterbury The articles of whom which commonly they did hold and which they were constrayned to abiure most specially were these as follow Their Articles First that the office of the holy Crosse ordayned by the whole Church celebrated doth contayne idolatry Item they sayd and affirmed that all they which doe reuerence and worship the signe of the crosse do commit idolatry and are reputed as Idolaters Item they sayd and affirmed that the true fleshe and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ is not in the sacrament of the aulter after the words spoken by the priest truely pronounced Item they sayd and affirmed the sacrament of the aultar to be sacramentall bread not hauing life but onely instituted for a memoriall of Christes passion Item they sayd and affirmed that the body of Christe which is taken on the aulter is a figure of that body of christ as long as we see the bread and wyne Item they sayd and affirmed that the decree of the prelates and clergie in the prouince of Caunterbury in theyr last conuocation with the consent of the king and the nobles in the last Parliament agaynst him that was brent lately in the citty of London was not sufficient to chaunge the purpose of the sayd Iohn when the substance of materiall bread is euen as before in the sacrament of the aultar it was no change being made in the nature of bread * Item that any lay man may preach the Gospel in euery place and may teach it by his owne authoritie without the licence of his Ordinary Itē that it is sinne to geue any thing to the preaching friers to the Minorites to the Augustines to the Carmelites Item that we ought not to offer at the funerals of the dead Item that the confession of sins to the people is vnneedefull Item that euery good man though he be vnlearned is a priest Item that the infant though he dye vnbaptised shal be saued Item that neither the pope nor the prelate neither any ordinary can compell any man to sweare by anye creature of God or by the bible booke Item that as well the Bishop the simple man the priest and the lay man be of like authoritie as lōg as they liue well Item that no man is bound to geue bodily reuerence to any prelate ¶ William Thorpe THus much briefly being signified by the way touching these which haue bene forced in time of this king to open abiuration Next commeth to our handes the worthy history of maister William Thorpe a warriour valiaunt vnder the triumphant banner of Christ with the processe of his examinations before the foresayd Thomas Arundell Archbishop of Caunterb written by the sayd Thorpe and storyed by his owne pen at the request of hys frendes as by hys own words in the processe here of may appeare In whole examination whiche seemeth first to begin an 1407. thou shalt haue good reader both to learne and to merueile To learne in that thou shalt beare truth discoursed and discussed with the contrary reasons of the aduersary dissolued To marueile for that thou shalt beholde here in this man the merueilous force and strength of the Lordes might spirite and grace working and fighting in his souldiors also speaking in theyr mouthes according to the word of hys promise Luke xxi To the rest of the story we haue neither added nor diminished but as we haue receiued it copied out corrected by maister Williā Tindall who had his own handwriting so we haue here sent it and set it out abroad Althoughe for the more credite of the matter I rather wished it in his own naturall speach wherein it was first written Notwithstanding to put away all doubt and scrouple herein this I thought before to premonishe and testifie to the Reader touching the certaintie hereof that they be yet aliue whiche haue seene the selfe same copy in his own old English resembling y◠true antiquitie both of the speach and of the time The name of whom as for recorde of the same to auouche is M. Whithead who as he hath seene the true ancient copy in the hādes of George Constantine so hath he
I say to thee leud losell other quickly cōsent thou to mine ordinance and submit thee to stand to my decrees or by S. Thomas thou shalt be disgraded and follow thy felow in Smithfield And at this saying I stoode still and spake not but I thought in mine hart that God did to me great grace if he would of his great mercy bring me to such an end And in mine hart I was nothing afrayd with this manassing of the Archbishop And I considered there two things in him One that he was not yet sorowfull for that he had made William Sawtre wrongfully to be burnt as I considered that y◠Archbishop thirsted yet after more sheding out of innocēt bloud And fast therfore I was moned in al my wittes for to hold the Archbishop neither for Prelate nor for Priest of God And for that mine inward man was thus altogether departed from the Archbishop me thought I shoulde not haue any dread of him But I was right heauy and sorowfull for that there was no audience of secular men by but in my hart I prayd the Lorde God for to comfort me and strength me agaynst them that there were agaynst the sothfastnesse And I purposed to speake no more to the Archbishop and his clerkes then me need behoued and all thus I prayde God for his goodnesse to geue me then and alway grace to speake with a meke an easy spirit and whatsoeuer thing that I should speake that I might thereto haue true authorities of Scriptures or open reason And for that I stood thus still and nothing spake one of the Archbishops Clerks sayd vnto me What thing musest thou Doe thou as my Lord hath now commaunded to thee here And yet I stood still and aunswered him not And then soone after the Archbishop sayd to me Art thou not yet bethought whether thou wilt doe as I haue sayde to thee And I said then to him Syr my father and my mother on whole soules god haue mercy if it be his will spent mikle mony in diuers places about my learning for the intēt to haue made me a Priest to God But whē I came to yeres of discretion I had no will to be Priest and therefore my frends were right heauy to me and then me thought theyr grudging agaynst me was so paynefull to me that I purposed therfore to haue left theyr company And when they perceiued this in me they spake sometime full fayre pleasaunt wordes to me But for that they might not make me to consent of good hart to be a Priest they spake to me full oftentimes very greuous wordes and manassed me in diuers maners shewing to me full heauy cheare And thus one while in fayre maner an other while in greuous they were long time as me thought full busye about me or I consented to them to be a Priest But at the last when in this matter they would no longer suffer mine excusations but either I should consent to them or I shoulde euer beare their indignation yea theyr curse as they sayde Then I seeing this prayd them that they would geue me licence for to go to them that were named wise Priestes and of vertuous conuersation to haue theyr counsell and to know of them the office the charge of Priesthood And hereto my father and my mother cōsented full gladly gaue me their blessing good leaue to go and also mony to spend in this iourny And so that I wēt to those Priestes whom I heard to be of best name and of most holy liuing and best learned most wise of heauenly wisedome and so I communed with them vnto the time that I perceiued by their vertuous and cōtinuall occupations that their honest and charitable workes passed theyr same which I heard before of them Wherfore Syr by the example of the doctrine of them and specially for the godly and innocent workes whiche I perceiued then of them and in them After my cunning and power I haue exercised me then and in this time to know perfectly gods law hauing a will and desire to liue therafter which willeth that all men and women should exercise themselues faythfully there about If than Syr either for pleasure of thē that are neither so wise nor of so vertuous conuersation to my knowledge nor by cōmon fame to any other mens knowledge in this land as these men were of whom I tooke my counsell information I should now forsake thus sodenly and shortly and vnwarned all that learning that I haue exercised my selfe in this xxx winter and more my cōscience should euer be herewith out of measure vnquieted and as Syr I know wel that many mē women should be there through greatly troubled sclaundered And as I sayd sir to you before for mine vntruth and false cowardnes many a one should be put into full great reproofe yea sir I dread that many one as they might thē iustly would curse me full bitterly and sir I feare not but the curse of God which I shoulde deserue herein woulde bring me to a full euil end if I continued thus And if thorow remorse of conscience I repented me any time returning into the way which you do your diligēce to cōstraine me now to forsake yea sir all the bishops of this lād with full many other Priests would desame me and pursue me as a relapse they that nowe haue though I be vnworthy some confidence in me hereafter woulde neuer trust to me though I could teach liue neuer so vertuously more then I can or may For if after your coūsell I left vtterly all my learning I should hereby first wound defile mine owne soule and also I should here through geue occasiō to many men and womē of full sore hurting yea sir as it is likely to me if I cōsented to your will I should he rin by mine euill example in it as farre as in me were flea many folke ghostly that I should neuer deserue for to haue grace of god to the edifying of his church neither of my self nor of none other mans life and vndone both before God and man But sir by exāple chiefly of some whose names I will not now rehearse of H. of I. P. and B. and also by the present doing of Philip Rampingtō that is now become B. of Lincolne I am now learned as many moe hereafter through Gods grace shal be learned to hate to flee all such sclaunder that these foresayd men chiefly haue defiled principally themselues with And in it that in them is they haue enue nimed all the church of God for the sclaūderous reuoking at the crosse of Paules of H.P. and of B. and how now Philip Rampingtō pursueth Christes people And the faining that these men dissemble by worldly prudence keeping thē cowardly in theyr preaching and communing within the bondes and termes which without blame may be spoken and shewed out to the most worldly liuers
body need to be afrayde though death did folow by one wise or other for to dye out of this world without taking of any Sacrament of these foresayd Christes enemyes since Christ will not fayle for to minister himselfe all Iefull healfull Sacramentes and necessary at all time and specially at end to all them that are in true fayth in stedfast hope and in perfect charity But yet some mad fooles say for to eschew slaunder they wil be shriuen once in the yeare and communed of theyr proper Priestes though they knowe them defouled with slaunderous vyces No doubt but all they that thus do or consent priuely or apertly to such doing are culpable of great sinne since S. Paul witnesseth that not onely they that do euill are worthy of death and damnation but also they that consent to euill doers Also as their slaūderous workes witnesse these aforesayd vicious Priestes despise and cast from them heauenly cunning that is geuen of the holye ghost Wherefore the Lord throweth all such despisers from him that they vse nor do any Priesthood to him No doubt than all they that wittingly or wilfully take or cōsent that any other body should take any Sacrament of any suche named Priest sinneth openly and damnably agaynst all the Trinity and are vnable to any Sacrament of health And that this foresayd sentēce is altogether true into remission of all my sinnefull liuing trusting stedfastly in the mercye of God I offer to him my soule And to proue also the foresayde sentence true with the helpe of God I purposefully for to suffer meekely and gladly my most wretched bodye to bee tormented where God will of whom he will and when he will and as long as he will and what temporall payne he will and death to the praysing of his name and to the edification of his Church And I that am most vnworthy and wretched caytife shall now through the speciall grace of God make to him pleasaunt sacrifice with my most sinnefull and vnworthy body Beseechyng hartely all folke that read or heare this end of my purposed Testament that through the grace of GOD they dispose verely and vertuously all their wittes and able in lyke maner all their members for to vnderstand truely and to keepe faythfully charitably and continually all the commaundementes of God and so than to pray deuoutly to all the blessed Trinitie that I may haue grace with wisedome and prudence from aboue to end my lyfe here in this foresayd truth and for this cause in true fayth and stedfast hope and perfect charitie Amen What was the ende of this good man and blessed seruant of God Williā Thorpe I finde as yet in no story specified By all coniectures it is to be thought that the archbishop Thomas Arundull being so hard an aduersarye agaynst those men would not let him goe Much lesse it is to be supposed that he would euer retract his sentence and opinion which he so valiantly mayntayned before the byshop neither doth it seeme that he had any such recanting spirite Agayne neyther is it founde that he was burned Wherfore it remayneth most like to be true that he beyng committed to some straight prison according as the Archbyshop in his examination before dyd threaten him there as Thorpe confesseth himselfe was so straightly kept that eyther he was secretly made away or els there he dyed by sicknesse The like end also I finde to happen to Iohn Aston an other good folower of Wickliffe who for the same doctrine of the sacrament was condemned by the Bishops And because he would not recant he was committed to perpetuall prison wherein the good man continued till his death An. 1382. ¶ Iohn Puruey FUrthermore in the sayd examinatiō of Williā Thorpe mention was made as ye heard of Iohn Puruey of whom also something we touched before promising of the sayd Iohn Puruey more particularly to entreate in order and processe of time Of this Puruey Tho. Walden writeth thus in his second tome Iohn Puruey sayth he was the Library of Lollordes and gloser vpon Wickliffe He sayde that the worshipping of Abrahā was but a salutatiō And in his third Tome he sayth this Iohn Puruey with Harford a doctour of diuinity were greuously tormented and punished in the prison of Saltwood and at the length recanted at Paules crosse at London Tho. Arundel being then Archb. of Canterbury Afterward agayne he was emprisoned vnder Henry Chicheley Archb. of Canterbury in the yeare of our Lord 1421. Thus muche writeth Walden The workes of this man which he wrote were gathered by Richard Lauingame his aduersarye whiche I thinke worthy to be remēbred First as touching the Sacrament of the last supper the Sacrament of penaunce the Sacrament of orders the power of the keyes the preaching of the Gospell of Mariages of Uowes of possessiōs of the punishing and correcting of the Clergy of the lawes and decrees of the Church of the state and condition of the Pope and the clergy Of all these generally he left diuers monuments grauely and exactly written part whereof here in the end of his story we thought to exhibite being translated out of Latine into English The articles which he taught and afterward was forced to recant at Paules crosse were these hereafter folowing 1. That in the Sacrament of the aultar after the consecration there is not neither can be any accident without the subiect But there verely remaineth the same substaūce and the very visible and incorruptible bread likewise the very same wine the which before the consecration were set vpon the aultar to be consecrate of the Priest likewise as when a Pagan or infidell is baptised he is spiritually conuerted into a member of Christ through grace and yet remayneth the very same man whiche he before was in his proper nature and substaunce 2. Auricular confession or priuate penaunce is a certeyne whispering destroying the libertye of the Gospell newly brought in by the Pope and the Clergye to intangle the consciences of mē in sinne to draw their soules into hel 3. Euery lay man being holy and predestinate vnto euer lasting life albeit he be a lay man yet is he a true Priest before God 4. That diuers Prelates and other of the Clergy do liue wickedly contrary to the doctrine and example of Christ his Apostles Therefore they whiche so liue haue not the keyes neyther of the kingdome of heauen neither yet of hell neither ought any christian to esteme his cēsure any more then as a thing of no force Yea albeit the pope should peraduenture interdite the realme yet could he not hurt but rather profite vs for so much as thereby we should be dismissed from the obseruation of his lawes and from saying of seruice according to the custome of the Church 5. If any man do make an othe or vow to keepe perpetuall chastity or do any thing els whereunto God hath not appoynted him geuing him
first time before the Councell of Constance in the most famous place in the presence of the Pope the Pope beeyng president And finally in the presence of all others which will come to that most famous place and that whosoeuer hath any suspition of me that I haue eyther taught or defended anye thyng contrarye vnto the fayth of Christ let hym come thether also let hym declare there before or in the presence of the Pope and all the Doctors of Diuinitie what erroneous or false doctrine I haue at any tyme followed or holden More if hee shall conuince me of any errour or prooue that I haue taught anye thing contrarie vnto the Christian fayth I will not refuse to suffer whatsoeuer punishment shall be due for an hereticke But I hope and trust euen from the bottome of my hart that God wyll not geue the victory to vnfaithfull and vnbeleeuing men the which do willingly kicke and spurne against the truth The same time Iohn Hus sente his procurers to the Lorde Byshop of Nazareth ordeyned by the Apostolicke Sea Inquisitour of heresie of the Citie and Dioces of Prage requiring hym that if he had found any errour in him he would declare it openly But the sayd Bishop before the sayd procurour and the publike Notary wyth many other credible witnesses aunswered that he had often talked with Iohn Hus and that he neuer knew anye thing in him but as becommeth a godly and faithful man and this his testimonie of Iohn Hus he approoued by his letters the copie whereof is heere vnder written The Byshop of Nazareth hys testimoniall WE Nicholas by the grace of God Byshop of Nazareth and Inquisitor specially deputed by the Apostolicke seate for heresies both of the Citie and Dioces of Prage by these presents we do it to be knowne vnto all men that wee in times past haue often communed and talked with that honorable man mayster Iohn Hus Bacheler of Diuinitie of the famous vniuersitie of Prage and haue had diuers and sondry conferences with hym both of the Scriptures and diuers other matters and in all hys sayings doyngs and behauiour we haue prooued and found him to be a faithfull and a Catholicke man finding no maner of euill sinister or by any meanes erroneous doings in him vnto thys present We doo witnesse and protest moreouer how the sayd Iohn Hus of late in the Cathedrall Church of Prage and in other both Collegiate and Parish Churches and in the Colledges of the Vniuersitie of Prage and in the gates and porches of the most noble Prince and Lord the Lord Wenceslaus King of Romaines and of Boheme Also in the gates of the reuerend father the Lord Conrade Archbyshop of Prage Legate of the Apostolicke Sea and Chauncelour of the Vniuersitie of Prage and of other Princes and Barons then being in the Citie of Prage hath set vp his letters written both in Latine and in the Bohemian tongue containing sententially in effect how the foresayd Mayster Iohn Hus would appeare before the reuerend father the Lord Conrade the foresayd Archbyshop of Prage and all the Prelates and Cleargy of the kingdome of Boheme that shall bee congregated and called together by the sayd Archbyshop at the day appoynted in the sayd Citie of Prage readie alwayes to satisfie euery man that shall desire and require him to shew a reason of his fayth and hope that he holdeth and to see and heare all and euery one which could prooue any obstinacie of errour or heresie lawfully against him vnder the payne to receyue the like punishment vnto whome altogether he would by Gods helpe aunswere in the Councell of Constance which was now at hand before the sayd Lord Archbyshop and vs with all other Prelates and there in Christes name according to the decrees and Canons of the holy Fathers to declare and shew foorth his innocencie After the which letters as is aforesayd by the sayd maister Iohn Hus openly set vp there did no man appeare before vs the which would accuse the sayd Maister Iohn Hus of any errour eyther of any heresie For the euident witnesse of all whyche things we haue commaunded these present letters to be made and confirmed the same with the setting too of our seale Dated in Prage xxx of August an M. iiij C. xiiij Vpon which matter also a publicke instrument was drawne testified with the hand and seale of the publicke Notary named Michel Pruthatietz The copie of whych instrument heere vnder followeth ¶ An Instrument of Recognition or protestation of the Lord inquisitor of Heresies IN the name of God Amen In the yeare of hys natiuitie 1414. the thirtith of August in the fift yeare of the Byshoprike of the most holy Father in Christ Iohn by the grace of GOD Pope the three and twentith of that name in the vppermost parlor of the house of the famous man the Lord Peter of Zwogsta called Znirglits maister of the mynte of the most famous Prince and Lord the Lord Wenceslaus Kyng of Romaines and of Boheme in the greater Citie of Prage about the Abbey of Sainct Iames the Apostle in the presence of me the publique Notary heere vnder written and certayne witnesses heere within written specially called for that purpose There was personally present Mayster Iohn Iessenitz mayster of Art procuror in the name of the honourable man Mayster Iohn Hus Bacheler formed in Diuinitie of the Vniuersitie of Prage He most humblie and earnestly requyred the reuerende father in Christ and Lord Nicholas Byshop of Nazareth Inquisitour of Heresies for the Citie and diocese of Prage specially appoynted by the Apostolike Sea beeing there also present sayeng Reuerend father doe you knowe any error or heresie in Mayster Iohn Husnetz otherwise called Hus. The which sayd Lord Nicholas not compelled or constrained but of his owne will and accord freely and openly did there recognise sayeng these or the like words in the Bohemian tongue I haue often and many times bene conuersant with Mayster Iohn Hus and haue eaten and dronke with him also I haue bene often present at his Sermons and diuers of his collations which he hath made vpon diuers places of the scripture and I neuer found or perceiued in him any errour or heresie but in all his words and deedes I haue found him alwaies a true and a Catholike man neither haue I found any thing that doth sauour of any errour or heresie Againe the said maister Iohn his procurer in the behalfe as aboue required and asked the said Lord Nicholas Byshop and inquisitour whether any man haue accused the said maister Iohn Hus of any heresie before him being inquisitour for heresie and hath conuicted him of heresie He aunswered that since the time he knew Iohn Hus and that he was made inquisitour for heresie in the Citie and diocese of Prage as is afore saide neuer anie man accused either conuinced the said maister Iohn Hus of any heresie before him vnto this present time Adding moreouer that he the
sinne for it is not necessarye that he whiche lacketh grace should continually sinne and offend a new Albeit he be coÌ„tinually in sinne ¶ This following the Maisters of Paris by theyr whole voyce and consent did adde and adioyne vnto these ninetene articles for theyr reason and determination WE affirme that these articles aforesayd are notoriously hereticall and that they are iudicially to be condemned for such and diligently to be rooted out with theyr most seditious doctrines least they do infect other For albeit they seeme to haue a zeale against the vices of the Prelates and the clergy the which the more is the pittye and griefe do but to much abound yet is it not according vnto learning for a sober and discreete zeale suffereth and lamenteth those sinnes and offences whiche he seeth in the house of God that he cannot amend or take away for vyces cannot be rooted out and taken away by other vices and errours for so much as Deuilles are not cast out thorowe Belsabub but by the power of God whiche is the holy Ghost who willeth that in correction the measure and meane of prudence be alwayes kept according to the saying Marke who what where and why by what meanes and when Prelates and Byshoppes are bound vnder greeuous and expresse penaltyes of the lawe diligently and vigilantly to beare themselues agaynst the foresayd errours and such other like and the mayntayners of them for let it alwayes be well vnderstand and noted that the errour which is not resisted is allowed neither is â—here any doubt of prime affinitie or societie of him which slackâ—â— to withstand a manifest mischiefe These things are entermedled by the way vnder correction as by way of doctrine Iohn Gerson Chauncellour of Paris vnwoorthie These things thus declared a man may easily vnderstand that Iohn Husse was not accused for holding any opinion contrary to the Articles of our faith but because hee did stoutly preach and teach against the kingdome of Antichrist for the glorye of Christ and the restoring of the Churche Now to returne vnto the story when as the first 39. articles which I haue before rehearsed were all read ouer together with their testimonies the Cardinal of Cambray cailing vnto Iohn Hus said thou hast heard what greeuous and horrible crimes are laid against thee and what a number of them there are and now it is thy part to deuise with thy selfe what thou wilt do Two waies are proponed and set before thee of the Councell whereof the one of them thou must of force and necessitie enter into First that thou do humbly and meekely subâ—nit thy selfe vnto the iudgement sentence of the Councel that whatsoeuer shall be there determined by their coÌ„mon voice and iudgement thou wilt paciently beare and suffer the same The which thing if thou wilt doe we of our part both for the honour of the most gentle Emperour here present and also for the honour of his brother the King of Boheme for thy owne sauegard and preseruation will intreate and handle thee with as great humanitie loue and gentlenes as we may But if as yet thou art determined to defende any of those Articles which wee haue propounded vnto thee and doest desire or require to be further heard therevpon we will not denie thee power and licence thereunto but this thou shalt well vnderstand that heere are such mance of men so cleare in vnderstaÌ„ding and knowledge and hauing so firme and strong reasons and argumentes against thy articles that I feare it will be to thy greate hurt detriment and perill if thou shouldest any longer will or desire to defend the same This do I speake and say vnto thee to counsaile and admonish thee and not as in maner of a iudge This Oration of the Cardinals many other prosecuting euery man for himselfe did exhort and persuade Iohn Hus to the like vnto whom with a lowly countenance he aunswered Most reuerend fathers I haue often said that I came hither of mine owne free wil not to the intent obstinately to defende any thing but if that in any thing I should seeme to haue conceiued a peruerse or euill opinioÌ„ that I would meekely and paciently be content to be reformed and taught Whereupon I desire that I may haue yet further libertie to declare my minde Wherof except I shall alledge most firme strong reasons I wil willingly submit my selfe as you require vnto your informatioÌ„ Then there start vp one which with a loud voice sayd Behold how craftely this man speaketh Determeth it information and not correction or determination Verely sayd Iohn Hus euen as you will tearme it information correction or determination for I take God to my witnes that I speake nothing but with my hart and mind Then sayde the Cardinall of Cambray forsomuch then as thou doest submit thy selfe vnto the information and grace of this Councell this is decreed almost by threescore Doctours wherof some of them are now departed hence in whole roome and place the Parisians are succeeded and also it is approued by the whole Councell not one man speaking the contrary thereunto First of all that thou shalt humbly and meekely confesse thy selfe to haue erred in these Articles which are alledged and brought against thee Moreouer that thou shalt promise by an othe that froÌ„ hencefoorth thou shalt not reach holde or maintayne anie of these Articles And last of all that thou shalt openly recant all these Articles Upon the which sentence when as many others had spoken their minds at the length Iohn Hus said I once againe do say that I am redy to submit my selfe to the informatioÌ„ of the Councell but this I most humbly require and desire you all euen for his sake which is yâ— God of vs all that I be not coÌ„pelled or forced to do the thing which my conscience doth repugne or striue against or the which I cannot do without danger of eternall damnation that is that I should make reuocation by othe to all the Articles which are alledged against me For I remeÌ„ber that I haue red in the booke of vniuersalities that to abiure is to renounce an error which a man hath before holden And for so much as many of these Articles are sayde to bee myne which were neuer in my mind or thought to hold or teach how shoulde I then renounce them by an othe But as touching those articles which are mine in deed if there be any man which can teach me contrarywise vnto them I will willingly performe that which you desire Then said the Emperour why mayest not thou without danger also renounce all those articles which thou saiest are falsly alleged against thee by the witnesses For I verily would nothing at al doubt to abiure all errors neither doth it follow that therfore by and by I haue professed any errour To whom Iohn Hus answered Most noble Emperour this word to abiure doth signifie much otherwise then your
to haue had diuers prophetical reuelations shewed to him of God Certaine of which his letters and predictions I thought here vnderneath to insert in such sort as neither in reciting all I will ouercharge the volume too much nor yet in reciting of none I wil be so brief but that the reader may haue some taste and take some profit of the Christian wrytings and doings of this blessed man Firste beginning with the letter of the Lorde Clum concerning the safeconduct of Iohn Hus. A letter of the Lorde Iohn de Clum concerning the safeconduict of Iohn Hus. TO all and singulare that shall see and heare these presentes I Iohn de Clum doe it to vnderstande howe maister Iohn Hus Bacheler of diuinitie vnder the safeconduicte and protection of the renowned prince and Lorde Sigismund of Romaines semper Augustus and king of Hungarie c. My gracious Lorde and vnder the protection defence and safegarde of the holy Empire of Rome hauing the letters patent of the said my Lorde king of Romaines c. came vnto Constance to render a full counte of hys faith in publicke audience to al that would require the same This the saide M. Iohn Hus in this Imperiall Citie of Constance vnder the safeconduict of the said my Lord king of Romaines hath bene and yet is deteined And although the Pope with the Cardinalles haue bene seriously required by solemne Ambassadours of the sayd my Lord king of Romaines c. in the kings name behalfe that the said maister Iohn Hus should be set at libertye and be restored vnto me yet notwythstanding they haue and yet do refuse hitherto to set him at liberty to the great coÌ„tempt derogation of the safeconduct of the king of the safegard and protection of the Empire or Emperial maiestie Wherefore I Iohn aforesaide in the name of the king do here publish and make it known that the apprehending and deteining of the sayde M. Iohn Hus was done wholy against the wil of the fornamed king of Romains my Lord seeing it is done in the contempt of the safeconducte of hys subiects and of the protection of the Empire because that the sayde my Lord was then absent farre from Constance and if he had ben there present woulde neuer haue permitted the same And when hee shall come it is to be doubted of no man but that hee for this great iniury and contempt of this safeconducte done to him to the Empire wil greuously be molested for the same Geuen at CoÌ„stance in the day of the natiuitie of the Lord 1414. ¶ In this instrument aboue prefixed note gentle reader 3. things First the goodnes of this gentle Lord Iohn de Clum being so feruent and zelous in the cause of Iohn Husse or rather in the cause of Christ. Secondly the safeconduct graunted vnto the sayde I. Hus vnder the faith and protection of the Emperor and of the Empire Thirdly here is to be sene the contempt and rebellion of these proud prelates in disobeying the authority of their high Magistrate who contrary to his safeconduct geuen and the mind of the Emperor did arest and imprison this good man before the comming of the sayd Emperor before that Iohn Hus was heard Let vs nowe as we haue promised adioyne some of the epistles of this godly man An Epistle of Iohn Hus vnto the people of Prage in his owne vulgare speeche GRace and peace from our Lorde Iesus Christ that you being deliuered from sinne may walke in his grace and may growe in all modesty and vertue and after this may enioy eternall life Derely beloued I beseeche you which walke after the law of God that you cast not away the care of the saluatioÌ„ of your soules wheÌ„ as you hearing the word of God are premonished wisely to vnderstand that you be not deceiued by fals apostles which do not reprehend the sinnes of men but rather doe extenuate and diminish them which flatter the priests and doe not shewe to the people their offences which magnify themselues boast their own workes and maruelously extol their owne worthines but follow not Christ in his humility in pouerty in the crosse and other manifold afflictions Of whome our merciful sauiour did premonish vs before saying false Christes and fals Prophets shal rise and shall deceiue many And when he had forewarned his welbeloued disciples he said vnto them beware and take hede of false Prophets which come to you in shepes clothing but inwardly are rauening wolues ye shal know them by their fruits And truth it is that the faithful of Christ haue much neede diligently to beware and take hede vnto themselues For as our sauiour himselfe doth say the elect also if it were possible shal be brought into error Wherefore my welbeloued be circumspect and watchful that ye be not circumuented with the crafty trains of the deuil And the more circumspect ye ought to be for that antichrist laboureth the more to trouble you The last iudgement is nere at hande death shal swallow vp many but to the electe children of God the kingdome of God draweth nere because for them he gaue his own body Feare not death loue together one an other perseuere in vnderstanding the good wil of God without ceasing Let the terrible horrible day of iudgement be alwaies before your eies that you sinne not and also the ioy of eternal life wherunto you must endeuor Furthermore let the passion of our sauioure be neuer out of youre minds that you may bear with him for him gladly whatsoeuer shal be laid vpon you For if you shal consider well in your mindes his crosse afflictions nothing shal be greuous vnto you patiently you shal geue place to tribulations cursings rebukes stripes and prisonment and shal not dout to geue your liues moreouer for his holy truth if nede require Knowe ye welbeloued that antichrist being stirred vp against you deuiseth diuers persecutions And many he hath not hurte no not the least heire of their heads as by mine owne example I can testify although hee hathe ben vehemently incensed against me Wherefore I desire you all with your praiers to make intercessioÌ„ for me to the lord to geue me intelligence sufferance patâ—ence and constancie that I neuer swarue from his diuine verity He hath brought me now to Constance In all my iourney openly and manifestly I haue not feared to vtter my name as becommeth the seruant of God In no place I kept my selfe secrete nor vsed any dissimulation But neuer did I finde in any place more pestilent and manifest ennemies then at Constance Which enemies neither should I haue had there had it not ben for certain of our owne Bohemians hypocrites deceiuers who for benefits receiued and stirred vp with couetousnes with boasting and bragging haue perswaded the people that I weÌ„t about to seduce them out of the right way But I am in good hope that through the mercy of our God and
by your prayers I shall persiste strongly in the immutable veritie of God vnto the last breath Finally I wold not haue you ignoraÌ„t that wheras euery one here is put in his office I only as an outcast am neglected c. I coÌ„mend you to the merciful Lord Iesu Christ our true God and the sonne of the immaculate virgin Mary which hath redeemed vs by his moste bitter death without all our merites from eternall paines from the thraldome of the Deuill and from sinne From Constance the yere of our Lord. 1415. ¶ An other letter of Iohn Hus to his benefactours MY gracious benefactours and defendours of the truthe I exhort you by the bowels of Iesus Christ that now ye setting aside the vanities of this present world will giue your seruice to the eternall king Christ the Lord. Trust not in Princes nor in the sonnes of men in whome there is no health For the sonnes of men are dissemblers and disceitfull To day they erre to morrowe they pearish but God remaineth for euer Who hath his seruants not for any neede he hath of them but for their owne profite vnto whoÌ„ he performeth that which he promiseth fulfilleth that which he purposeth to geue He casteth of no faithful seruant from him for he sayth where I am there also shal my seruaÌ„t be And that Lorde maketh euery seruaunt of his to be the Lorde of all his possession geuing himselfe vnto him and with himselfe all thinges that without all tediousnesse feare and without al defect he may possesse all thinges reioycing with all Saintes in ioy infinite O happie is that seruaunt whome when the Lorde shall come hee shall finde watching Happy is the seruaunt which shall receiue that king of glory with ioy Wherefore well beloued Lordes and benefactours serue you that king in feare which shall bring you as I trust nowe to Boheme at this present by his grace in health and hereafter to eternal life of glory Fare ye wel For I think that this is the last letter that I shall write to you who to morrowe as I suppose shall be purged in hope of Iesu Christ throughe bitter death from my sinnes The things that happened to me this night I am not able to wryte Sigismund hath done all things wyth mee disceitfully God forgeue him and onely for your sakes You also heard the sentence which he awarded against me I pray you haue no suspition of faithfull Vitus An other letter to the Lord Iohn de Clum MOste gracious benefactour in Christe Iesu dearely beloued yet I reioyce not a little that by the grace of God I maye wryte vnto your honour By your letter which I receaued yesterday I vnderstand first how the iniquitie of the great strompet that is of the malignaunt congregation whereof mention is made in the Apocalips is detected and shall be more detected Wyth the which strumpet the kinges of the earth doe commit fornication fornicating spiritually from Christe and as is there sayde sliding back from the truth and consenting to the lies of antichrist thoroughe his seduction and thoroughe feare or thoroughe hope of confederacie for getting of worldly honour Secondly I perceaued by your letter how the enemies of the truth begin nowe to be troubled Thirdly I perceiued the feruent constancie of your charitie wherewith you professe the truth boldly Fourthly with ioy I perceiued that you minde now to geue ouer the vanity and the painefull seruice of this present world and to serue the Lorde Iesus Christ quietly at home Whome to serue is to raign as Gregory sayeth Whome he that serueth faithfully hath Christe Iesus himselfe in the kingdome of heauen to minister vnto him as hee himselfe sayeth Blessed is that seruaunt whome when the Lorde shall come he shall finde waking and so doing Verely I say vnto you that hee rising shall girde himselfe and shall minister to him This do not â—he kings of this worlde to their seruauntes whome onely they doe loue so long as they are profitable and necessary for their commodities c. Another Epistle of Iohn Hus wherein he declareth why God suffreth not his to perish bringing diuers examples wherwith he doth comfort and confirme both himselfe and other THe Lord God be with you Many causes there were welbeloued in God my deare frends which moued me to thinke that those letters were the last which before I sent vnto you lookinge that same time for instaÌ„t death But now vnderstanding the same to be deferred I take it for great coÌ„fort vnto me that I haue some leâ— ser more to talke with you by letters therfore I write again to you to declare testify at least my gratitude mindfull duty toward you And as touching death God doth know why he doeth defer it both to me and to my welbeloued brother M. Hier. who I trust will die holily and without blame and do know also that he doth and suffereth nowe more valiauntly then I my selfe a wretched sinner God hath geuen vs a long time that we myghte call to memorie our sinnes the better and repent for the same more feruently Hee hath graunted vs time that our longe and greate temptation shuld put away our greuous sinnes bring the more consolation He hath geuen vs time wherin we should remember the horrible rebukes of our mercifull king and Lorde Iesus and shoulde ponder his cruell death and so more paciently myght learne to beare our afflictions And moreouer that we might kepe in remembraunce how that the ioyes of the life to come are not geuen after the ioyes of this world immediatly but through many tribulaâ—ions the Saints haue entred into the kingdoÌ„ of heauen For some of them haue bene cutte and chopt all to peeces some their eies bored through some sodde some rosted some slaine aliue some buried quicke stoned crucified grineded betwixt mill stones drawne hailed hither and thither vnto execution drowned in waters strangled and hanged torne in pieces vexed wyth rebukes before their death pined in prisons afflicted in bands And who is able to recite all the tormentes and suffringes of the holy Saintes which they suffered vnder the olde and newe Testament for the verity of God namely those which haue at any time rebuked the malice of the priestes or haue preached against their wickednesse And it will be a meruaile if any man nowe also shall escape vnpunished who so euer dare boldly resist the wickednesse and peruersity especially of those priests which can abide no correction And I am glad that they are compelled now to reade my bookes in the which their malice is somewhat described and I know they haue reade the same more exactly and diligently then the holy Gospell seeking therein to finde out errours Geuen at Constance vppon Thursday the 28. day of Iune An. 1415. ¶ Another letter of Iohn Hus wherein he rehearseth what iniuries he receiued of the Councel and of the deputies IF my letter be not
sent yet to Boheme keepe it and send it not for hurt may come thereof c. Item if the king doe aske who ought to be my iudge since that the Councel neither did call me nor did cite me neither was I euer accused before the Councell and yet the Councell hath imprisoned me and hath appoynted their proctor against me Item I desire you right noble and gracious Lord Iohn if audience shall be geuen me that the king will be there present himselfe and that I may haue a place appoynted neare vnto him that he may heare me well and vnderstand what I say and that you also with the Lord Henry and with Lord Wenselaus and other mo if you may will be present and heare what the Lorde Iesus Christ my procuratour and aduocate and most gracious iudge will put in my mouth to speake that whether I liue or die you may be true and vpright witnesses with me least lying lips shall say heereafter that I swarued away from the truth which I haue preached Item know you that before witnesses and notaries in the prison I desired the commissioners that they would depute vnto me a proctor and an aduocate who promised so to do and afterward would not performe it Wherefore I haue committed my selfe to the Lorde Iesus Christ that he will be my procuratour and aduocate and iudge of my cause Item know you that they haue as I suppose no other quarell against mee but onely this that I stoode against the Popes Bull which Pope Iohn sent downe to Boheme to sanctifie warre wyth the signe of the crosse full remission of sinnes to all them which would take the holy crosse to fight for the patrimonie of the Romish church against Ladislaus king of Naples and they haue mine owne wryting which was read against me and I do acknowledge it to be mine Secondly they haue also against me that I haue cōtinued so long in excommunication and yet did take vppon mee to minister in the church and say Masse Thirdly they haue against me because I did appeale from the Pope to Christ. For they reade my appeale before me in the which with a willing minde smiling I confessed before them all to be mine Fourthly because I left a certaine letter behind me which was read in the church of Bethleem the which letter my aduersaries haue very euill fauouredly translated and sinisterly expounded in the which I did wryte that I went out without a safeconducte Whereunto you your selues can say and beare me recorde that I in my going out had no safe conducte of the Pope neither yet did knowe whether you should goe out with me when I wrote that letter Item if audience may be geuen to me and that after the same audience the king would suffer me not to be returned againe into prison but that I may haue your counsels others my frends and if it may please God that I may say some thing to my soueraigne Lord the king for the behalfe of Christianitie and for hys owne profite c. ¶ Another letter of Iohn Hus wherein he confirmeth the Bohemians and describeth the wickednesse of that Counsell IOhn Husse in hope the seruaunt of GOD to all faythfull in Boheme which loue the Lord greetyng thorough the grace of GOD. It commeth in my mynde wherein I must needes admonish you that be the faythfull and beloued of the Lord how that the Councell of Constance beyng full of pride auarice and all abhomination hath condemned my bookes written in the Boheme tounge for hereticall whiche bookes they neuer saw nor neuer heard them read And if they had heard them yet they could not vnderstād the same being some Italians some Frenchmen some Britaines some Spanyardes Germaines with other people of other nations moe vnlesse peraduenture Iohn Bishop of Litomishe vnderstoode them whiche was present in that Councell and certaine other Bohemians and Priestes whiche are agaynst me and labour all they may how to depraue both the veritie of God and the honesty of our countrey of Boheme Which I iudge in the hope of GOD to be a Godly land right well geuen to the true knowledge of the Fayth for that it doth so greatly desire the word of GOD and honest maners And if you were here at Constance ye should see the greeuous abhomination of this Councell which they call so holy and such as can not erre Of the which Councell I haue heard it by the Swechers reported that the Citie of Constaunce is not able in 30. yeares to be purged of those wicked abhominations in that Coūcell committed And all be offended almost with that Councell beyng sore greeued to behold such execrable thynges perpetrate in the same When I stoode first to aunswere before myne aduersaries seyng all thynges there done with no order and hearyng them also outragiously crying out I sayd playnely vnto them that I looked for more honest behauiour and better order and discipline in that Councell Then the chief Cardinall aunswered sayest thou so but in the tower thou spakest more modestly To whome sayd I in the Tower no man cryed out agaynst me where as now all doe rage agaynst me My faythfull and beloued in Christ be not afrayde with their sentence in condemnyng my bookes They shall bee scattered hether and thether abroad like light Butterfleis and their Statutes shall endure as Spiderwebbes They went about to shake my constancie from the veritie of Christ but they could not ouercome the vertue of God in me They would not reason with the scriptures against me as diuers honourable Lordes can witnesse with me which being ready to suffer contumely for the trueth of God tooke my part stoutly namely Lorde Wenceslaus de Duba and Lorde Iohn de Clum for they were let in by king Sigismund into the Councell And when I sayde that I was desirous to be instructed if I did in any thing erre then they heard the chiefe Cardinall aunswere againe because thou wouldest be informed there is no remedy but that thou must first reuoke thy doctrine according to the determination of 50. Bachelers of Diuinitie appoynted O high instruction After like maner S. Katherine also shoulde haue denied and reuoked the veritie of God and faith in Christ because the 50. maisters likewise did withstand her which notwithstanding that good virgine would neuer doe standing in her faith vnto death But shee did winne those her maisters vnto Christ when as I can not win these my maisters by any meanes These things I thought good to wryte vnto you that you might knowe howe they haue ouercome me with no grounded Scripture nor with any reason but onely did assay with terrours and disceits to perswade me to reuoke and to abiure But our mercifull God whose lawe I haue magnified was and is with me and I trust so will continue and will kepe me in his grace vnto death Wrytten at Constance after the feast of Iohn Baptist
in prison and in bandes daily looking for death although for the secrete iudgements of God I dare not say whether this be my last Epistle for nowe also almighty God is able to deliuer me Another letter of Iohn Hus wherin he comforteth his frendes and willeth them not to be troubled for the condemnyng of his bookes and also declareth the wickednesse of the Clergy MAister Iohn Husse in hope the seruaunt of God to all the faythfull which loue him and his statutes wisheth the truth and grace of God Beloued I thought it needefull to warne you that you should not feare or bee discouraged because the aduersaries haue decreed that my bookes shall be burnt Remember how the Israelites burned the preachynges of the Prophet Ieremy and yet they could not auoyde the thynges that were Prophecied of in them For after they were burnt the Lord commaunded to write the same Prophecie agayne and that larger which was also done For Ieremie sittyng in prison spake and Baruch which was ready at his hand wrote This is written either in the 35. or 45. chapiter of the Vision of Ieremie It is also written in the bookes of the Machabees that the wicked did burne the law of God and killed them that had the same Agayne vnder the new Testament they burned the Saintes with the bookes of the law of God The Cardinals condemned and committed to fire certaine of S. Gregories bookes had burnt thē all if they had not ben preserued of God by the meanes of Peter Gregories minister Hauing these things before your eyes take heede least through feare you omit to read my bookes and deliuer them to the aduersaries to bee brent Remember the sayings of our mercifull sauiour by whych he forewarneth vs. Math. 24. There shall be sayeth he before the day of iudgement great tribulation such as was not from the beginning vntill this day neither shall be afterwardes So that euen the elect of God shoulde be deceiued if it were possible But for their sakes those dayes shal be shortened Whē you remēber these things beloued be not afraid for I trust in God that that schoole of Antichrist shall be afraide of you and suffer you to be in quiet neither shall the Councell of Constance extende to Bohemia For I thinke that many of them which are of the Councell shall die before they shall get from you my bookes And they shall departe from the Councel and be scattred abroad throughout the partes of the world like storkes and then they shall knowe when winter commeth what they did in sommer Consider that they haue adiudged their heade the Pope worthy of death for many horrible factes that he hath done Go to nowe Aunswer to this you preachers which preach that the Pope is the God of the earth that he may as the Lawyers say make sale of the holy things that he is the head of the whole holy Church in verity wel gouerning the same that he is the heart of the Church in quickening the same spiritually that hee is the well spring from the which floweth all vertue and goodnesse that he is the sonne of the holy church that hee is the safe refuge to which euery Christian mā ought to flie for succour Beholde nowe that head is cutte off with the sworde nowe the God of the earth is bound now his sinnes are declared openly nowe that well spring is dried vppe that sunne darkened that heart is plucked out and throwne away least that any man should seeke succour thereat The Councell hath condemned that head and that for this offence because hee tooke money for indulgences Bishopprickes and other such like But they condemned hym by order of iudgement which were themselues the buiers and sellers of the same marchandise There was present Iohn Byshop of Lytomissia who went twise about to buy the bishoprike of Prage but others preuented him O wicked men why did they not first cast out the beame out of their owne eyes These men haue accursed and cōdemned the seller but they themselues which were the buiers and consenters to the bargaine are without daunger What shall I say that they doe vse in this maner of buying and selling at home in their owne countreis For at Constance there is one Bishop that bought another which sold and the Pope for allowing of both their factes tooke bribes of both sides It came so to passe in Bohemia also as you knowe I woulde that in that Councell God had sayde he that amongst you is without sinne let him geue the sentence against Pope Iohn Then surely they had gone all out of the Councel house one after another Why did they bowe the knee to him alwaies before this his fall kisse hys feete and call him the most holy father seeing they saw apparantly before that he was an hereticke that hee was a mankiller that he was a wicked sinner all which things nowe they haue found in him Why did the Cardinals chuse him to be Pope knowing before that he had killed the holy Father Why suffered they him to meddle with holy thinges in bearing the office of the Popedome for to this ende they are his counsailours that they shoulde admonish him of that which is right Are not they themselues as guiltie of these faults as he seeing that they accoūted these things vices in him and were partakers of some of them themselues why durst no man lay ought to his charge before he had fledde from Constance but assone as the secular power by the sufferaunce of God laide holde vpon him then and neuer afore they conspired altogether that he shoulde not liue any longer Surely euen as at this day is the malice the abhomination and filthinesse of Antichrist reuealed in the Pope and others of this Councell Nowe the faithfull seruaunts of God may vnderstande what our sauiour Christ meant by this saying when you shal see the abhomination of desolation which is spoken of Daniel c. who so can vnderstand it c. Surely these be great abhominatiōs pride couetousnesse symonie sitting in a solitarie place that is to say in a dignitie voide of goodnesse of humilitie and other vertues as we do now clearely see in those that are constituted in any office and dignitie O howe acceptable a thing should it be if time would suffer me to disclose their wicked actes which are nowe apparant that the faithfull seruaunts of God might knowe them I trust in God that he wil send after me those that shall be more valiant and there are aliue at this day that shall make more manifest the malice of Antichrist and shall geue their liues to the death for the truth of our Lord Iesus Christ who shall geue both to you and me the ioyes of life euerlasting This Epistle was written vppon S. Iohn Baptistes day in prison and in colde yrons I hauing thys meditation with my selfe that Iohn was beheaded in his prisone
and bondes for the worde of God ¶ Another letter of Iohn Hus. IOhn Husse in hope the seruant of God to all the faithfull at Boheme which loue the Lord wisheth to stand and die in the grace of God and at last to attaine to eternall life Amen Ye that beare rule ouer other and be rich and ye also that be poore well be loued and faithfull in God I beseeche you and admonish you all that ye will be obedient vnto God make muche of his worde and gladly hearing the same will humbly perfourme that which yee heare I beseeche you sticke fast to the veritie of Gods worde which I haue written and preached vnto you out of his lawe and the Sermons of his Saintes Also I desire you if any man either in publicke Sermon or in priuate talke heard of me any thing or haue read any thing written by me which is againste the verity of God that he do not follow the same Albeit I do not finde my conscience guiltie that I euer haue spoken or wrytten any such thing amongst you I desire you moreouer if any man at any time haue noted any leuitie either in my talke or in my conditions that he doe not follow the same but pray to God for me to pardon me that sinne of lightnes I pray you that ye wil loue your priests and ministers which be of honest behauiour to prefer and honor them before others namely such priests as trauaile in the worde of God I pray you take hede to your selues and beware of malitious and deceitful men and especially of these wicked priests of whom our Sauiour doth speake that they are vnder shepes clothing inwardly are rauening wolues I pray suche as be rulers superiors to behaue them selues gently towardes their poore inferiours and to rule them iustly I beseche the citizens that they will walke euery man in his degree and vocation with an vpright conscience The Artificers also I beseeche that they will exercise their occupations diligently and vse them with the feare of God I beseeche the seruauntes that they wil serue their maisters faithfully And likewise the scholemaisters I beseeche that they liuing honestly will bryng vp their Scholers vertuously and to teach them faythfully First to learne to feare GOD then for the glory of GOD and the publicke vtilitie of the common wealth and their owne health and not for auarice or for worldly honor to employ their myndes to honest Artes. I beseech the Studentes of the Vniuersitie and all Scholes in all honest thynges to obey their Maisters and to follow them and that with all diligence they will study to be profitable both to the settyng foorth of the glory of God and to the soules health as well of themselues as of other men Together I beseech and pray you all that you will yeld most harty thankes to the right honorable Lordes the Lord Wencelaus de Duba Lord Iohn de Clum Lord Henry Lumlouio Lord Vilem Zagecio Lord Nicholas and other Lordes of Boheme of Morauia and Polony that their diligence towardes me may bee gratefull to all good men because that they like valiaunt champions of Gods trueth haue oftentymes set themselues agaynst the whole Councell for my deliueraunce contendyng and standyng agaynst the same to the vttermost of their power but especially Lord Wencelaus de Duba and Lord Iohn de Clum What so euer they shall report vnto you geue credite vnto them for they were in the Councell when I there aunswered many They know who they were of Bohemia and how many false and slaunderous thynges they brought in agaynst me and that Councell cryed out agaynst me and how I also aunswered to all thynges wherof I was demaunded I beseech you also that ye will pray for the kyng of Romaines and for your kyng and for his wife your Queene that God of his mercy would abide with thē and with you both now and henceforth in euerlastyng life Amen This Epistle I haue writtē to you out of prison and in bandes lookyng the next day after the writyng hereof for the sentence of the Councell vpon my death hauyng a full trust that he will not leaue me neither suffer me to deny his truth and to reuoke the errours whiche false witnesses maliciously haue deuised agaynst me How mercyfully the Lord GOD hath dealt with me and was with me in maruailous temptations ye shall know when as hereafter by the helpe of Christ we shall all meete together in the ioye of the world to come As concernyng M. Hierome my dearely beloued brother and fellow I heare no other but that he is remayning in straight bandes lookyng for death as I doe and that for the fayth which he valiauntly mainteyned amongest the Bohemians our cruell enemies of Boheme haue geuen vs into the power and handes of other enemies and into bandes I beseech you pray to God for them Moreouer I beseech you namely you of Prage that we will loue the temple of Bethleem and prouide so long as God shall permit that the word of God may be preached in the same For because of that place the Deuill is angry and agaynst the same place he hath stirred vp Priestes and Canons perceiuyng that in that place his kyngdome should be disturbed and diminished I trust in GOD that he will keepe that holy Church so long as it shall please him and in the same shall geue greater encrease of his worde by other then he hath done by me a weake vessell I beseech you also that ye will loue together and withholdyng no man from the hearyng of Gods word ye will prouide and take care that good men be not oppressed by any force and violence Written at Constance the yeare of our Lord. 1415. ¶ An other right godly letter of Iohn Hus to a certaine priest admonishing him of his office and exhorting him to be faithfull worthy to be red of all Ministers THe peace of our Lorde Iesus Christ. c. My deare brother be diligent in preaching the Gospel and do the worke of a good Euangelist neglect not your vocation labour like a blessed souldiour of Christ. First liue godly and holily Secondly teach faithfully and truely Thirdly be an example to other in well doing that you be not reprehended in your sayings correct vice and set foorth vertue To euill liuers threaten eternall punishmēt but to those that be faithfull and godly set forth the comforts of eternall ioy Preach cōtinually but be short and fruitfull prudētly vnderstanding discretly dispēsing the holy Scriptures Neuer affirme or maintaine those things that be vncertaine and doubtfull least that your aduersaries take holde vpon you which reioyce in deprauing their brethren whereby they may bring the ministers of God into contempt Exhort men to the confession of their faith and to the communion of both kindes both of the body bloud of Christ wherby such as do repent earnestly of their sinnes may the more often come to
sought to by pilgrimages neither is it lawfull for Christians to bow theyr knees to them neither to kisse them nor to geue them any maner of reuerence For the which Articles the Archbishoppe with other Bishops and diuers learned commoning together first condemned the bookes as hereticall and burned them in fire and then because they thought the said Iohn Claydon to be forsworne and fallen into heresy the Archbishop did proceed to his definitiue sentence against the said Iohn personally appearing before him in iudgement his coÌ„fessions being read and deposed against him after this maner IN the name of God Amen We Henry by the grace of GOD Archbishop of Caunterbury primate of all England and Legate of the Apostolicke sea in a certayne cause of hereticall prauity of relapse into the same wherupon I. Claidon lay man of the prouince of Caunterbury was detected accused and denounced in the sayd our prouince of Caunterbury publickely defamed as by publick fame and common report notoriously to vs hath bene known first sitting in iudgement seat obseruing all things lawfully required in this behalfe do proceed to the pronouncing of the sentence definitiue in forme as followeth The name of Christ being inuocated onely set before our eies forasmuch as by the actes and thinges enacted producted exhibited and confessed before vs also by diuers signes euidences we haue found the said Iohn Claydon to haue bene and to be publickly and notoriously relapsed agayne into his former heresye heretofore by him abiured according to the merites and desertes of the sayd cause being of vs diligently searched weyed and pondered before to the inteÌ„t that the sayd I. Claidon shall not infect other with his scab by the consent and assent of our reuerend brethreÌ„ Richard Bishop of LoÌ„don Iohn Bishop of Couentry and Liechfield Steuen Bishop of S. Dauids and of other Doctors as well of diuinity as of both lawes and also of other discreet and learned men assisting vs in this behalfe do iudge pronounce and declare the sayd I. Claydon to be relapsed agayne into his heresy which he before did abiure finally and definitiuely appoynting him to be left vnto the secular iudgement and so do leaue him by these presentes Thus Iohn Claidon receiuing his iudgement condemnation of the Archbishop was committed to the secular power and by them vniustly vnlawfully was coÌ„mitted to the fire for that the teÌ„porall magistrate had no such law sufficient for them to burne any suche man for religion condeÌ„ned of the prelats as is aboue sufficiently proued declared pag. 523. But to be short Quo iurè quaque iniuria Iohn Cleydon notwithstanding by the temporall magystrats not loÌ„g aâ—ter was had to smithfield where meekely he was made a burnt offering vnto the Lord. an 1415. The burning of Iohn Claydon and Richard Turming Robert Fabian and other Chronologers which folow him adde also that Richard Turming Baker of whome mention is made before in the examination of Iohn Claydon was likewise the same time burned with him in smithfield Albeit in the Register I finde no sentence of condemnation geuen against the sayd Turming neither yet in the story of S. Albons is there any such metioÌ„ of his burning made but only of the burning of Iohn Claydon aforesaid wherfore the iudgement hereof I leaue free to the reader Notwithstanding concerning the sayd Turming thys is certaine that he was accused vnto the bishops no doubt was in their handes bands What afterward was done with him I refer it vnto the authors The next yeare after the burning of these two aforesaid and also of Iohn Hus being burnt at Constaunce whiche was an 1416. the Prelates of England seing the dayly increase of the Gospell and fearing the ruine of theyr papall kingdome were busily occupied with all theyr counsel and diligence to mayntayne the same Wherefore to make their state and kingdome sure by statutes lawes constitutions and terrour of punishment as Thomas Arundell and other Prelates had done before so the forenamed Henrye Chichesley Archbishop of Canterbury in his conuocation holden at London maketh another constitutioÌ„ as though there had not enough bene made before agaynst the poore Lollardes the coppy and tenor wherof he sendeth abroad to the bishop of London and to other his Suffraganes by them to be put in straight execution conteyning in words as foloweth HEnry by the grace of God Archbishop of Canterbury Primate of all England and Legate of the chiefest seat to our reuereÌ„d brother in the Lord Richard by the grace of God bishop of London health brotherly loue with continuall increase Lately in our last conuocation in Sayncte Paules Church in London being kept by you and other our brethren and clergy of our prouince we do remember to haue made this order vnderwritten by your consentes When as among many other our cares this ought to be chiefe that by some meanes we take those heretickes whiche like foxes lurke hide theÌ„selues in the Lordes vineyard that the dust of negligeÌ„ce may be vtterly shakeÌ„ from our feete and from the feete of our fellow brethren In thys the sayd conuocation of the Prelats and clergy we haue ordeined and that our fellowe brethren our Suffraganes and Archdeacons of our prouince of Canterbury by theÌ„selues their Officials or Commissaryes in all their iurisdictioÌ„s euery of their charges in theyr country twise euery yere at the least do diligeÌ„tly enquire of such persons as are suspect of heresy And that in euery suche their Archdeaconries in euery parish wherin is reported any hereticks to inhabit they cause three or more of the honestest meÌ„ and best reported of to take their othe vpon the holy Euangelist that if they shall knowe or vnderstand any frequenting either in priuy conueÌ„ticles or els deferring in life or maners froÌ„ the common conuersation of other Catholick men or els that holde any either heresyes or errors or els that haue any suspected bookes in the English tong or that do receiue any such persons suspect of heresyes and errours into theyr houses or that be fauorers of them that are inhabitants in any such place or conuersant with them or els haue any recourse vnto them they make certificats of those persons in writing with all the circumstances wherewith they are suspect vnto the said our Suffraganes or Archdeacons or to theyr Commissaryes so soone with as much speede as possibly they can And that the sayd Archdeacon and euery of their Commissaryes aforesayd do declare the names of all such persons denounced together with all the circuÌ„staÌ„ces of theÌ„ the dioces places secretly vnder theyr seales do send ouer vnto vs the same And that the same diocessans effectually direct forth lawfull proces agaynst them as the quality of the cause requireth that with all diligence they discerne define and execute the same And if perhaps they leaue not such persons
authorised TransubstaÌ„tiation Mariage in the 3. degree forbidden The pope setteth kings and Emperours together by the eares Philip the Emperour deposed Otho the Emperour deposed The councel of Lateran Martyrs of Alsatia to the number of all 100. burned in one day Ex Herm. Mutio. Collectes sent from the brethreÌ„ of Millane to them of Alsatia Obseruant Friers begaÌ„ Dominick Friers vpholders of the popes Church The Minorite Friers discended from Sainct Fraunces Diuers sectes of Franciscans The table of all religious orders A propheâ— for the deeâ— of the Remish church â—ildegardis â—â—ophecying â—rier and â—onkes Crossebearer Fryerâ— Albingenses A letter of the Bishop Portinensis concerning the Albingenses The blind ignorance of fryers described The fruites of Antichrist Antichrist his broode Patience proueth M. Fryer The Fryer must answere according to Gods worde Friers may better breake Gods law then mans lawe There is but one religion The Frier more bound to his habite then the man to his wife If the habite make the Fryer religious as his habit weareth so doth his religion Holines of all hipocrites consisteth in clothing and outward appearaÌ„ce All Fryâ— found 〈◊〉 Fryers be dead men and 〈◊〉 beggaâ— Graâ—es 〈◊〉 for de◠〈◊〉 and noâ— courtly 〈◊〉 Friers 〈◊〉 the kingâ— liege 〈◊〉 Friers 〈◊〉 no mâ—s pâ—ers Friers graâ—ter and beter thé 〈◊〉 O vnchâ—â— table Friâ—â— Friers stealers of meâ— children Shrift anâ— burials 〈◊〉 more gaâ—full then 〈◊〉 ministring of the sacrâ—ments Poore 〈◊〉 haue no soules says my felloâ— Fryer These be they that will not â—â—ter themselues noâ— suffer otheâ— men that would The Frier getteth by In prineâ—â— yet hateth the Gospeâ— Iudas for â— pence but the priest â— Frier for 4. pence selleth Christ. A compariâ—on betwene â—uâ—as the â—rier The Frier writeth beâ—ause God â—orgetteth â— is better â— labour â—eue then â— loiter and â—g M. Frier â—lers begge â—om al men 〈◊〉 make the â—ope rich 〈◊〉 it be imâ—erfectioÌ„ to â—e rich why â—o the friers â—esire to â—ake the â—ope vnperâ—â—ct Fraunces â—der be coÌ„â—ary to Christ his â—â—stament 〈◊〉 is Franâ—s accursed He that is more holy in hand thâ— in heart is false to God A subiect to exempt him selfe from the lawes of his prince smelleth oâ— treason Friers are forced to be theeues Workes of supererogation God is the limiter of nâ—eede and reward and not the Frier Friers will not pray but for them that be of their fraternitie Friers doe make Apostataes The number of Friers are superfluous as necessary as ten fingers on one hande See so fast the Frier followeth Christ in his pouertie Friers are the letters of preaching the Gospell What holynes is in a friers coat The stouter begger the nobler Fryer Why fryers so much desire to haue rich men buryed in their frieries Friers behestes are false deceits Friers desire to be Lordes and Ladies confessors Fryers and Pharises say one and doe another Dilemma Which is the best order of Friers Friers neuer agree one with an other The Fryeâ— thinkes 〈◊〉 rule peâ—â—ter the â—â—stes beeâ—â— be leaâ—â— the one 〈◊〉 follow 〈◊〉 the other Dilemma Fryers 〈◊〉 sit in 〈◊〉 aboue the Apostles Otho the Emperoâ— set vp 〈◊〉 deposed againe by 〈◊〉 Pope A complaint of the nobles of England against the couetousnes of Rome Example reaching neuer to take part against their king with foreigne power Cardinall Otho Legat The pope requireth two prebeÌ„dships in euery cathedrall Church Note the cause why the pope is compelled to craue money of other countries A councell at London called Great rewardes giuen to the Cardinall Contention for sitting on the right hand of the Cardinall Why Saint Paul standeth on the right hand of the popes crosse Why the archb of Cant. hath the right hand and the archb of Yorke the left hande Note the theam of the Cardinall applyed to God howe he applyeth it to him selfe Scripture clerkly applyed A letter of the Cardinal to bishops and archdeacons Censure of the Church well applyed Foure markes to be paide to the Pope of euery procuration Note the craftie practise of the Romish prelats to proyle for money * Note the stile of Rome * mmo malesicium naufragiuÌ„ pecuniae Fredericke the Emperour maried king Iohns daughter The fifth part of euery spirituall mans liuing giuen to the Pope Three hundred Romanes to be placed in the best benefices of England Petrus Râ—beus the Popes ageâ— A Romish sleight of 〈◊〉 pope to geâ— English mâ—ney Exceptioâ—â— alledged foâ— not contributing to the Pope Articles exhibited in the councel of Lugdunâ— for the greuances susteined by the pope The 1. greuance The seconâ— The third The fourth The fifth He meaneth â—ercase Oâ—ho or maiâ—er Martiâ—â—s The sixte The seuenth The Babiloâ—icall captiâ—â—tie slaâ—ery of Englande vnder the Pope The letter of K. HeÌ„ry the third to the Byshops K. Henry the â— commaundeth no taxe nor tallage to be sent to the pope The popes saying against kyng Henry K. Henry againe restraineth the popes taxes The pope taketh against the king The kyng compelled for feare to gyue ouer to the pope The pope asketh the 3 part of the church goods A story of Cardinall Otho at Oxford A skirmish betwene the scholers of Oxford and the Cardinals men The Cardinall runneth away Thirtie scholers taken and had to prison Three score thousand Florens contributed to the pope in one yeare of the clergic Ludouicke the French kyng Ludouicke fighteth against Albingenses Ludouicke besiegeth Tholouse The hand of God fighting for his people Ex Mat. Pariensian vita Henrici 3. The generall of the army slaine The siege against Albingenses broke vp The expugnation of a certaine strong castle of Damiâ—ta in Egypt by the Christians Damieta taken by the christiaÌ„s The story of S. Elizabeth Elizabeth daughter of the kyng of Hungary S. Elizabeth prouoketh her husband to goe and fight for the holy lande The mother of S. Elizabeth accused of adulterye The sentence of a double meaning The 〈…〉 of a 〈◊〉 sentence Elizabeâ—â— Canâ—â—â— Saint 〈◊〉 mayne Ann. 1221. Ex 〈◊〉 pensâ—â— dius 〈◊〉 The grayâ—â—ers â—â—tred into England The 〈◊〉 Gray 〈◊〉 first câ—â—med Ioannes oâ— Egideo Alexanâ—â— de Haâ—â— Charterhouse 〈◊〉 founded by WilliaÌ„ 〈◊〉 Ela soâ—dre 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 of Laâ—â—â—â— Two 〈◊〉 ned at 〈◊〉 cell in Oxford Ex Nic. â—â—uet Dissentâ—â— betweene the Citizâ— of London of Wesminster Wholsome counsayle of the Maior of London refused of wilde heads Constantine executed at London for ryot Hubert lord chiefe iustice of England Ex Math. Parisiensi Discord and contention amoÌ„g church men Ex Math. Paris ex Florilego Whether the monastery of Westminster be exemted from the subiection of the bish of London or not Anno. 1222. horrible teÌ„pest in Englande A woman with 8. of her householde slaine with thunder Grantham church burned with lightning Anno. 1223. Lewes king of Fraunce The French king false of his promise Anno. 1224. Wardship first graunted to the kyng Ex Gisburnensi aelijs Magna