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
Vrbanus 6. 11. 8. Clement 11 Bonifacius 9. 14. 9. Benedictus 13. 26. Innocentius 8. 2. 0.   Gregorius 12. 2. 7   Alexander 5. 0. 11.   Iohannes 13. 5. 10   As touching thys pestilent most miserable schisme it would require heere an other Ileade to comprehend in order all the circumstaunces and tragicall partes thereof what trouble in the whole Church what partes taking in euery Countrey what apprehending and imprysoning of priests prelates takē by land and sea what sheddyng of bloud did folow therof How Ottho duke of Brunsewyke Prince of Tarentum was taken and murthered Howe Ioane Queene of Hierusalem and Sicilia his wife who before had sent to Pope Urbane beside other gifts at hys coronation xl M. Duckets in pure gold after by the sayd Urbane was committed to prison and in the same pryson strangled What Cardinalles were racked and miserably wythout all mercy tormented on gibbettes to death what slaughter of men what battails were fought betwene the two Popes whereof 5000. on the one side were slaine beside the number of them which were taken prisoners Of the beheading of 5. cardinals together after long tormēts and how the bishop Aquilonensis being suspected of pope Urbane for not riding faster with the Pope his horse being not good was there slaine by the Popes commaundement sending his soldiours vnto him to slay him and cut hym in peeces All whych things with other diuers moe acts of horrible cruelty happening in the time of thys abhominable schisme because they are aboundantly discoursed at full by Theodorike Niem who was neare to the sayde Pope Urbane and present at all his doings therefore as a thing needlesse I here pretermit referring them who couet to be certified more amply herein vnto the 3. bookes of the sayd Theodorike aboue mentioned About the same time also about 3. yeres after there fel a cruell dissention in England betwene the common people and the nobilitie the which did not a little disturbe and trouble the common wealth In thys tumult Symon of Sudbury Archbyshop of Canterbury was taken by the rustical rude people and was beheaded In whose place after succeeded William Courtney which was no lesse diligent then his predecessor had ben before him in doing his diligence to roote out heretickes Notwithstanding in the meane season Wickleffes secte increased priuely and daily grewe to greater force vntill the time that William Barton Uicechancellor of Oxford about the yeare of our Lord 1380. had the whole rule of that vniuersitie who callyng together 8. monastical doctors and 4. other with the consent of the rest of hys affinitie putting the common seale of the vniuersitie vnto certaine wrytings he set foorth an Edict declaring vnto euery man and threatning them vnder a greeuous penaltie that no men should be so hardie hereafter to associate thēselues wyth any of Wickliffs fautors or fauourers and vnto Wickliffe himselfe he threatned the greater excommunication and farther imprisonment and to all his fautors vnles that they after 3. dayes canonical admonitiō or warning or as they cal it peremptory did repent amend The which thing whē Wickliffe vnderstood forsaking the pope all the clergy he thought to appeale vnto the kings maiestie but the Duke of Lancaster comming betweene forbad hym that he shoulde not heereafter attempt or begin any such matters but rather submit himselfe vnto the censure and iudgement of his ordinary Whereby Wickliffe being beset wyth troubles and vexations as it were in the middest of the waues he was forced once againe to make cōfession of his doctrine in the whych his confession to auoid the rigor of things he aunswered as is aforesaide making his declaration and qualifying his assertions after such a sorte that he did mitigate and asswage the rigor of hys enemies The next yere after whych was 1382. by the commandement of William Arch. of Cant. there was a conuocation holden at London where as Iohn Wickliffe was also commanded to be present But whether he there appeared personally or not I find it not in story certainly affirmed The mandate of the Archb. Wil. Courtney sent abrode for the conuenting together of this councell heere followeth vnder wrytten truely copied out of his owne registers Memorandum that where as well amongest the nobles as commons of this realme of England there hath a certain brute ben spread of diuers cōclusions both erroneous also repugnant to the determination of the Church which tend to the subuersion of the whole Church and to our prouince of Canterburie and also to the subuersion of the whole realme being preached in diuers sundry places of our sayd prouince generally commonly publikely We William by Gods permission Archbishop of Canterbury Primate of all England and Legate of the sea Apostolicall beeing minded to execute our office and duetie heerein haue conuocated or called together certaine our fellow brethren others a great many as well Doctours and Bachelers of diuinitie as doctours of the Canon and ciuil law and those whome we thought to be the most famous men skilfullest men and men of soundest iudgemēt in religion that were in all the realme whose names here vnder ensue And the same being the 17. day of the month of May in the yere of our Lord 1382. in a certaine chamber within the territories of the priory of the friers preachers of London before vs and our foresayd fellow brethren assembled then and there personally present After that the sayd conclusions the tenour whereof here vnder ensueth were opēly proponed and distinctly and plainly read We burdened our foresayd fellow brethren doctours and bachelers in the faith wherin they stode bound to our Lorde Iesus Christ and as they would aunswer before the hygh iudge in the day of iudgement that they shuld speake their opinions touching the sayde conclusions and what euery of them thinketh therein And at length after good deliberation had vppon the premisses the foresaid our brethren the bishops doctours Bachelers reassembled before vs the 21. day of the same moneth in the foresayd chamber the foresayde conclusions being againe and againe repeated and plainly read by vs and by the common consents of vs all it remaineth published and declared that some of the said conclusions are hereticall and other some erroneous and contrary to the determination of the Church as heereafter most manifestly shall appeare And for as much as by sufficient information we finde perceiue that the sayd conclusions in many places of our sayde prouince haue bene as is sayde bothe taught preached and that diuers other persons do hold and maintaine the same and be of heresie vehemently and notoriously suspected haue thought good as wel generally as specially to send out thys processe vnder wrytten ¶ The names of the Iurers were these IN primis viij Bishops Canterbury Winchester Durram Exeter Herforde Sarum Rochester and Fryer Botlesham B. Item 3.
griefes waxe great what gronest thou now Sayd some of them againe In schoole aduised well art thou Whom there thou puâ—st to payne 35 Behold we pay and now make good as many thousande stripes As when with weeping eyes we stoode In daunger of thy gripes 36 Art thou now angry at thy bande that alwayes cried writâ— write And neuer wouldst that our right hand Should rest in quiet plyte 37 We had forgot our playing times Thou churle deniedst vs of We now but pricke and point our lines And thus they grinne and scof 38 Correct good sir your viewed verse If ought amisse there be Now vse thy power and then rehearse that haue not marked thee 39 Christ pittying this groaning man With tormments torne and tyred Commaundes his hart to breake euen then And life that was then hyered 40 He yeeldes againe to him that gaue And thus he makes exchaunge Immortall for mortall to haue That in such payne did â—aunge 41 This is saith he that this plesure Thou so beholdst Oh gâ—â—t Of Cassianus Martir pure Doth preach I doe protest 42 If thou Prudence haue ought in store In pietie to deale In hope of iust reward therefore Now shew thy louing zeale 43 I could not but consent I weepe Hys tombe I doe embrace Home I returne and after sleepe This pittifull preface 44 I write as a memoriall For euer to endure Of Cassianus scolemaster All others to allure 45 To constancy vnder the crosse Of their profession Accompting gaine what euer losse For Christ they take vpon No lesse admirable then wonderfull was the constancy also of woemen and maidens who in the same persecution gaue their bodyes to the tormentes their liues for the testimony of Christ with no lesse boldnes of spirite theÌ„ did the men themselues aboue specified to whome howe much more inferiour they were in bodely streÌ„gth so much more worthy of prayse they be for their constant standing Of whom some examples here we minde Christ willing to inferre such as in our stories and Chronicles seem most notable first beginning with Eulalia whose story we haue taken out of the foresayd Prudentius as followeth In the West part of Spaine called Portingall is a City great and popâ—lous named Emerita wherein dwelt and was brought vp a virgine borne of noble parentage whose name was Eulalia which Emerita although for the apte situation therof was both rich famous yet more adourned and famous was the renowne therof by the martyrdome bloud and sepulture of this blessed virgine Eulalia Twelue yeares of age was shee and not much aboue when she refused great and honourable offers in mariage as one not skilfull nor yet delighting in courtly daliaunce neyther yet taking pleasure in purple and gorgeous apparell or els in precious balmes or costly ornamentes and iuels But forsaking and despising all these and such lyke pompeous allurements then shewed she her self most busie in preparing her iourney to her hoped inheritance and heauenly patronage Which Eulalia as she was modest and descrete in behauiour sage and sober in conditions so was she also witty and sharp in aunswering her enemies But when the 〈◊〉 rage of persecution inforced her to ioyne her self amongest Gods Children in the houshold of faith and when the Christians were commaunded to offer incense and sacrifice to deuils or dead Gods Then began the blessed spirite of Eulalia to kindle and being of a proâ—tipt ready wit thought forthwith as a couragious captayne to geue a charge vpon this so great and disordered a battayle and so she silly woeman pouring out the bowels of her innocent hart before God more prouoketh therby the â—orce and rage of her enemies agaynst her But the godly care of her parentes fearing least the willing minde of the Damsel so ready to dye for Christes cause might make her gilty of her owne death hid her and kept her close at their house in the countrey being a great way out of the Citty She yet misliking that quiet life as also detesting to make such delay softly stealeth out of the doores no man knowing therof in the night and in great hast leauing the common waye openeth the hedge gappes and with werye feete god knoweth passed through the thorny bryery places accompanied yet with spirituall garde although darke dreadfull was the silent night yet had shee with her the Lord guider of light And as the children of Israel comming out of Egipt had by the mightye power of God a cloudy piller for their guide in the day a flame of fire in the night so had this godly virgine traueling in this darke night when she fleing forsaking the place where al filthy idolatry abounded hastened her heauenly iourney was not oppressed with the dreadfull darknes of the night But yet she before the day appeared in this her speedy iourney with her selfe considered mused on a thousand matters more In the morning betime with a bould courage she goeth vnto the tribunall or iudgement seat in the midst of them all with a loud voice crying out sayde I praye you what a shame is it for you thus rashely and without aduisement to destroy and kill mens soules and to throwe their bodies aliue against the rocks and cause them to deny the omnipotent god Would you know O you vnfortunate who I am behold I am one of the Christians an enimie to your deuilish sacrifices I spurne your idols vnder my feete I confesse God omnipotent with my hart and mouth Isis Apollo and Uenus what are they Maximinus himselfe what is he The one a thing of naught for that they be the workes of mens hands the other but a cast away bicause he worshippeth the same worke Therfore friuolous are they both and both not worthy to be set by Maximinus is a Lorde of substaunce and yet he himselfe falleth downe before a stone and voweth the honor of hys dignitie vnto those that are much inferior to his vassals Why then doth he oppresse so tirannically more worthye stomacks and courages then himselfe He must neds be a good guid and an vpright iudge which fedeth vpon innocent bloud and breathing in the bodies of godly men doth rent and teare their bowels and that more is hath his delight in destroying and subuerting the faith Go to therfore thou hangman burne cut and mangle thou these earthly meÌ„bers It is an easie matter to breake a britle substance but the inward mind shalt not thou hurt for any thing thou canst do The pretor theÌ„ or iudge wyth these words of hers set in a great rage saith hangmaÌ„ take her and pull her out by the heare of her head torment her to the vttermost Let her feele the power of our countrey gods and let her know what the Imperiall gouernement of a Prince is But yet O thou sturdy girle faine woulde I haue thee if it were possible before thou dye to
Pomponius Letus Ignatius write of him And Aelius Lampridus saith writing vppon the life of Heliogabalus that Constantinus was woont to saye that an Empire was giuen by the determinate purpose of God that he to whom it was giuen should so imploy his diligēce as he might be thought worthy of the same at the hands of the gyuer Which same saiing also Augustine noteth in his 3. booke against Cresconius epist. 49. and 50. He first entred into the Empire by the mercifulnes of God minding after long waues of dolefull persecution to restore vnto his church peace and tranquilitie an 311. as Eusebius accompteth in his Chronicle His raigne cōtinued as Eutropius affirmeth 30. yeares Letus saith 32. yeares lacking 2. monethes Great peace and tranquilitie enioied the Churche vnder the raigne of this good Emperour which tooke great paine and trauell for the preseruation thereof First yea and that before he had subdued Licinius he set forth many edictes for the restitution of the goods of the church for the reuoking of the Christians out of exile for taking away the dissension of the Doctours out of the Church for the setting of them free from publike charges and such like euen as the copies of his constitutions here vnder declare which Eusebius in his 10. booke and 5. chapter repeateth in this wise The copy of an Epistle of Constantinus sent to his subiectes inhabiting in the East VIctor Constantinus Maximus Augustus to our louing subiectes inhabiting throughout the east parts sendeth greting The thing it selfe which in the sure and most firme law of nature is conteyned doth giue vnto all men euen as God hath ordeyned the same sufficient perseueraunce and vnderstanding both of such things as man ought to foresee as also what things presently he ought to meditate Neither is there any thing therein to be doubted of such as haue their mindes directed to the scope or marke of perfect vnderstanding so that the perfect comprehending of sound reason and the perseuerance thereof be compared with the knowledge of God being the true and perfect vertue Wherefore let no wise man be troubled although he see diuers men of diuers dispositions For wisdome which springeth of vertue cannot abide or acquaint her selfe with fonde ideotes vnles that on the other side the malice of peruerse lithernes prolong her daies and cause the same Ideocie to suruiue Wherfore assuredly the crowne and price of vertue lieth open vnto all men the moste mightie God ordereth the iudgement of the same I vndoubted as manyfestly as possible is will endeuour my selfe to testifie and confesse vnto you al the hope which is in me I think verily that the Emperours which before this time haue latelye bene euen for their tiranny had the Empire taken from them my father onelye exercising and vsing al meekenes and lenity in his affaires calling vpon God the father with great deuotion humility hath beene exalted to the same And all the rest as men wanting their wits and in comparison as sauage beastes rather did giue themselues to like cruelty then vnto any lenitie gentlenes towards their subiects in which tyranny euery one for his time being nooseled vtterly subuerted the true and vnfallible doctrine And so great malice was their kindled in their brestes that when all things were in peaceable tranquilitie they made and raysed most cruell and bloudy intestine or ciuill warres It is credibly informed vs that in those daies Apollo gaue aunsweres but not by any mans mouth but out of a certaine caue darke place saying that he was much disquieted by those that were the iust men and liuers vpon the earth so that he could or would not for them declare a truth of such things as others demaunded hereby it came to passe that such false deuinations were geuen from the golden tables in Apollos temple And this thing did his propheticall priest complayne of when he tooke vp againe the heare of his head that other had cōtemptuously cast down that the neglecting of his diuination was the cause of so many euils amongst men But let vs see what was the ende hereof we now boldly without all feare inuocate worship the omnipotent God when I was a childe I heard that he which then was chiefe Emperour of Rome vnhappy yea most vnhappy man being seduced and brought into errour by his souldiers curiously inquired who were those iust men vpō the earth that Apollo ment and one of his priests which was nere about him made answere that they were the christiās This answere hereupon vnto him beyng as delectable as hony vnto the mouth drew the sword giuen vnto him to be a reuenger vpon euill doers and malefactours against the professors of the irreprehensible sanctimony and relygion And straight way he gaue forth a commission to bloudy homicides as I may well cal them gaue commaundement to all the Iudges that they should endeuour themselues with all the cunning they had to the deuising of more greeuouser sharper punishments against the poore Christians Then then I say a man myght haue seene how greatly the honest professors of that religion were molested with cruelty and daily suffered no smal iniuries and contumelies and that also they suffered and sustained the same with such tēperancy as though they had had no iniuries done vnto them at all Which temperancie and patience of theirs was the cause why the furious citizens were the more madder raging against them What fires what tortures what kinde of torments were there but they without respecte either of age or sexe were enforced to feele Then did the earth without doubt herselfe bewayle her children and the round worlde which conteineth all things beyng sprinkled and imbrued with their bloud made dolefull lamentation for them and the daye it selfe prouoked for to mourne was made amased for them But what is this to purpose Now the very barbarous nations reioyce for their sakes which receaued and harboured them when they were afraid and fled from vs keping them as it were in most louing amiable captiuity And they saued not onely their liues but also were a defence for their religion And now also the Romaine nation remembreth and hath before there eies this blame and spotte which the Christians that were of that time worthely gaue vnto them when they by them were banished as vnfitte members of their common wealth amongst the barbarous people What needeth to make further rehearsall of the mourning lamentation which the heathen people themselues throughout all the world made for the pittifull murther and slaughter of them After this it came to passe that they which were authors of all these mischiefes died also and were cōmitted for there reward to the most filthy horrible dungeon of hel They being so intangled with intestine and ciuile warres left aliue neyther name nor kinsmen of their owne which thing vndoubtedly
by the occasions therof of the sacrifices of the old Egiptians permitted of God vnto the Israelits the ende 〈…〉 thereof being altered c. He sendeth also an other letter to the foresaid Austen wherein he warneth him not to be proude or puft vp for the myracles wrought of God by him in conuertyng the people of Englande but rather to feare and tremble least so much as he were puft vp by the outward work of miracles so much he shoulde fall inwardly through the vayne glory of his hart and therfore wisely exhorteth him to represse the swelling glory of hart with the remembraunce of his sinnes rather against God whereby he rather hath cause to lament then to reioyce for the other Not all the elect of God saith he worketh miracles and yet haue they their names written in the booke of life And therefore he shoulde not count so much of those miracles done but reioyse rather with the Disciples of Christ labor to haue his name written in the booke of life where al the electe of God be contained neither is there any ende of that reioycing And whatsoeuer miracles it hath pleased god by him to haue beene done he shoulde remember they were not done for him but for their conuersion whose saluation god sought thereby c. Item he directed an other Epistle to king Ethelbert as is expressed at large in the Chronicle of Henry Huntyngton Lib. 3. in the which Epistle first he praised God then commendeth the goodnes of the king by whom it pleased god so to worke such goodnes of the people Secondly exhortteth him to persist and continue in the godly profession of Christes faith and to be feruent and zealous in the same in conuerting the multitude in destroying the temples and works of idolatry in ruling and gouerning the people in all holines godly conuersation after the godly example of the Emperour Constantinus the great Lastly cōforting him with the promises of lyfe and reward to come wyth the Lord that raigneth and liueth for euer premonishyng him besides of the terrours distresses that shall happen though not in his dayes yet before the terrible daye of Gods iudgement wherfore he willeth him alwaies to be sollicitous for his soule and suspectfull of the houre of hys death and watchfull of the iudgement that he may be alwaies prepared for the same when that iudgement shall come In the ende he desireth him to accept such presentes as giftes which he thought good to sende vnto him from Rome c. Austen thus receyuing his palle from Gregory as is aboue said and now of a Monke beyng made an Archbyshop after he had baptised a great part of Kent hee after made two Archbyshops or Metropolitanes by the commaundement of Gregory as witnesseth Polychronicon the one at London the other at Yorke Mellitus of whō mention is made before was sent specially of the Eastsaxons in the prouince of Essex where after he was made Bishop of London vnder Sigebert kyng of Essex which Sigebert together with his vncle Ethelbert first built the church and minster of saint Paule in Londō and appointed it to Mellitus for the byshops sea Austē associate with this Mellitus and Iustus through the help of Ethelbert assembled and gathered togither the Byshops Doctours of Britaine in a place which taking the name of the sayd Austen was called Austens Oke In this assēbly he charged the sayd Byshops that they should preach with him the word of God to the Englishmen also that they should among themselues reforme certayne rytes and vsages in their church specially for keping of their Eastertyde baptising after the maner of Rome and such other lyke To these the Scotes and Brytons woulde not agree refusing to leaue the custome which they so long time had contynued wythout the assent of them all which vsed the same Here the stories both of Bede Cestrensis in Polychron Huntyngtonensis Iornalensis Fabianus and other moe write of a certaine miracle wrought vpon a blinde Englishe man whom when the Britons could not helpe Austen kneeling downe and praying restored the blynde man to sight before them all for a confirmation as these authours saye of hys opinion in keeping of Easter But concerning the credite of this miracle that I leaue to the authours of whom I had it Then Austen gathered an other Synode to the which came seauen Byshops of Brytons with the wisest men of that famous Abby of Bangor But first they tooke counsell of a certayne wyse and holye man amongest them what to doe and whether they shoulde be obedient to Austen or not And he saide if he be the seruaunt of god agree vnto him But howe shall wee knowe that sayde they To whom he aunswered againe If he be meeke and humble of hart by that know that he is the seruant of god To this they said againe how shal we know him to bee hūble meeke of hart By this quoth 〈◊〉 seing you are the greater number if he at your comming 〈◊〉 your Synode rise vp courteously receaue you 〈…〉 him to bee an humble and a meke man But if he shall contemne and despise you being as ye are the greater part despise you him agayne Thus the Brytaine Byshops entring into the Counsell Austen after the Romishe maner keeping hys chaire would not remoue Whereat they being not a little offended after some heate of words in disdain great displeasure departed thence To whō then Austen spake and said that if they would not take peace with their brethren they should receaue war with their enimies And if they disdained to preach with them the way of life to the English nation they should suffer by their handes the reuenge of deth Which not lōg after so came to passe by the meanes of Ethelfride king of Northumberlande who being yet a Pagan and stirred with a fierce fury against the Britanes came with a great army against the city of Chester where Brocmayl the Consull of that Citie a fryend and helper of the Britaines side was readye with his force to receaue him There was at the same time at Bangor in Wales an exceding great Monastery wherin was such a number of Monkes as Galfridus with other authors doe testifie that if the whole company were deuided into seuen parts in euery of the seuen parts were conteined not so few as 300. Mōkes which al did liue with the sweat of their browes and labor of their owne hands hauing one for their ruler named Dinoe Out of this Monastery came the Monks to Chester to pray for the good succes of Brocmayl fighting for them against the Saxons Thre daies they cōtinued in fasting and praier When Ethelfride the foresaide king seing them so intent to their praiers demaunded the cause of their comming thether in such a cōpany When he perceaued it was to pray for their Consull then saith he although they beare no weapon yet they fight against
Images inuented of the Diuel the which all men that beleue on Christ ought of necessitie to forsake and detest least they should be an offence to those Iewes that were amongst the Gentiles For this cause dyd S. Paule Circumcise Timothie for this cause did hee sacrifice in the temple and did shaue his head with Aquila and Priscilla at Corinth all which thinges were done to none other purpose then to eschue the offeÌ„ce of the Iewes Hereupon also said Iames to Paule thou seest brother howe many thousand Iewes do beleue all these be zealous notwithstanding of the law Yet seing the Gospell is so manyfestly preached in the worlde it is not lawfull for the faithfull to bee Circumcised neither to offer sacrifice oâ— carnall things to God Therefore Iohn according to the custome of the law the xiiij day of the first moneth at euening did begin the celebration of the feast of Easter nothing respecting whether it were relebrated in the Sabboth or in any other feriall day But Peter when hee preached at Rome remembring that the Lord did arise from death on the first day after the Sabboth giuing thereby an hope to the world of the resurrection thoughht good to institute Easter on the day not after the vse and precepts of the law that was the xiiij day of the first moneth Euen so Iohn looking for the Moone at night if it did arise the next day after were Sonday which was then called the Sabboth then did he celebrate the Easter of the Lord in the euening like as wee vse to do eueÌ„ at this day But if Sonday were not the next day after the xiiij day but fel on the xvi day or xvij or on any other day vnto the xxi he taried alwayes for it and did begin the holy solemnitie of Easter on the euening nexte before the sabboth And so came it to passe that Easter was alwaies kept on the Sonday and was not celebrated but from the xv day vnto the xxj Neither doth this tradition of the Apostle breake the law but fulfilled the same In the which it is to be noted that Easter was instituted froÌ„ the xiiij day of the first moneth at euening vnto the xxj day of the same moneth at euening the which manner all S. Iohns successours in Asia after his death did follow and the Catholike Church throughout the whole worlde And that this is the true Easter and onely of all Christians to be obserued it was not newly decred but confirmed by the Councell of Nice as appeareh by the Ecclesiasticall history Wherupon it is manifest that you Colman do neither folow the example of S. Iohn as ye thinke nor of S. Peter whose tradition you do willingly resist nor of the church nor yet of the gospel in the celebration of Easter For S. Iohn obseruing Easter according to the preceptes of the law kept it not on the first daye after the Sabboth But you precisely keepe it onely on the first day after the Sabboth Peter did celebrate Easter from the xv daye of the moone to the xxj day but you keepe Easter from the xiiij vnto the xx day so that you begin Easter oftentimes the xiij day at night of which maner neither the law nor the Gospell maketh any mention But the Lord in the xiiij day either did eate the olde passouer at night or els did celebrate the sacraments of the new Testament in the remeÌ„braunce of his death and passioÌ„ You doe also vtterly reiect from the celebration of Easter the xxj daye the whiche the law hath chiefly willed to be obserued And therfore as I saide in the keeping of Easter you neither agree wyth S. Iohn nor with Peter nor with the lawe nor yet with the Gospel Then Colman againe aunswered to these things saying Did then Anatholius a godly man and on much coÌ„mended in the foresaid Ecclesiasticall history agaynst the law the Gospell who writeth that the Easter was to be kept froÌ„ the xiiij day vnto the xx or shal we thinke that Columba our reuerend father and his successors being meÌ„ of God who obserued the Easter after this maner did against the holye Scripture where as some of them were men of such godlines and vertue as was declared by their wonderful miracles And I hereby nothing doubting of their holines do endenor to fallow their life order dyscipline Then saide Wilfride it is certaine that Anatholius was both a godly and a learned man and worthy of great commendation but what haue you to do with him seyng you obserue not his order For he following the true rule in keping his Easter obserueth the circle of xix yeares The which either you know not or if you do you coÌ„temne the common order obserued in the vniuersal church of Christ. And moreouer the saide Anatholius doth so count the xiiij day in the obseruation of Easter as he confesseth the same to â—e the xv day at night aâ—ter the maner of the EgiptiaÌ„s and likewise noteth the xx day to be in the feast of Easter the xxi in the euening the which distinctioÌ„ that you know not by this may appeare for that you keepe the Easter on the xiij daye before the full Moone Or otherwise I can aunswere you touching your father Columba and his successors whose order you say you follow moued therto by their miracles on this wise that the Lorde will aunswere to many that shall say in the day of iudgement that in his name they haue prophesied cast out deuils haue done many miracles c. that he neuer knew theÌ„ But God forbid that I should say so of your fathers bicause it is much beter to beleue wel of those we know not then ill WherevpoÌ„ I deny not but they were the seruaunts of God and holy men the which loued the Lord of a good inteÌ„t though of a rude simplicitie And I thinke that the order whiche they vsed in the Easter did not much hurt them so long as they had none amongst them that could shew theÌ„ the right obseruation of the same for them to follow For I thinke if the truth had beene declared vnto them they woulde as well haue receiued it in this mater as they did in others But you and your felowes if you refuse the order of the apostolicall sea or rather of the vniuersal Church which is confirmed by the holy scripture without al doubt you doe sinne and though your forefathers were holy meÌ„ * what is their fewnes being but a corner of an IlelaÌ„d to be preferred before the vniuersall Churche of Christ dyspersed throughout the whole world And if Columba your father ours also being of Christ were mighty in miracles is he therefore to bee preferred before the Prince of the holy Apostles to whom the Lord said thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I builde my Church and the gates of hell shal not preuayle against it
tyme which was Archbishop of Canterbury being no moÌ„ke For all the other before him were of the profession of Monkes of whoÌ„ a great part had bene ItaliaÌ„s vnto Berctualdus Notwithstanding this Odo beyng also a stranger borne after he was elected into the bishoprike to aunswer to the old custome of others before him sayled ouer into France and there at Floriake after the vsuall maner aboue mentioned of Englishmen receiued the profession and habite of monkish religion as sayth my foresayd author And like as the sayd Odo first beyng no monke was made Archbishop of Canterbury So also Ulstanus the same tyme beyng bishop of Yorke and of Worcester differed from diuers his predecessours before him in profession and in habite of whome the forenamed author thus writeth in his iij. booke speaking of Ulstanus qui sanctitate discrepabat habitu that is he differed in sanctimonie and in habite Whereby is to be collected that in those dayes was a difference in habite garment not only betwene monkes bishops but also betwene one Bishop and an other Albeit what difference it was yet I do not finde But I returne agayne to Odo who by the description of his maners might seeme not to be the worste that occupied that place were it not that our lying histories faining false miracles vpon him as they do of other make him in deede to seeme worse then he was As where they imagine that he should see from heauen a sworde fall into the scabberd of king Ethelstane IteÌ„ where he should couer and defend the church of Canterbury with his praiers from raine And also where he should turne the bread of the aulter as the writer termeth it into liuely fleshe from flesh into bread againe to confirme the people which before doubted in the same Where note agayn good Reader that albeit this miracle were true as no doubt it is vntrue yet is it to be noted that in those dayes was a great doubt among englishmen of the popish sacrament that transubstantiatioÌ„ was not receiued into the christiaÌ„ creed The like iudgement is to be geueÌ„ also of that where our English writers testifieng of the same Odo say that hee should prophesie long before of Dunstan to be his successor in the church of Canterbury But to let these fantasies and idle stories passe this which we find of Odo his own writing is certain that the said Odo in the raigne of kyng Edmund had a synode commensed of the chiefe Prelates and meÌ„ of the clergy in his time to whom he directed this letter here following the copy whereof I thought to expresse for the Reader to see what zelous care raigned in Archbishops then toward the Church of the Lord. The wordes of his epistle proceed in this tenour The letter or an Epistle of Odo Archbishop of Caunterbury sent to the other Bishops and men of the Clergy MIrabili cunctipotentis polorum praesulis clementia opitulante Ego Odo ecclesiae Saluatoris Domini nostri Iesu Christi Archiepiscopus Douerniensis ciuitatis Metropolitanus coepiscopis fidei catholicae compagatoribus spirituali charitatis rigore meis confratribus Praesentium prosperitatem aethereique decoris beatitudinem c. The same in English By the deuine grace of God I Odo of the church of our lord and sauiour Iesus Christ Archbishop Metropolitane of the citie of Douer to my fellow bishops and fellow planters of the catholike fayth and my fellow brethren in the spirituall bonde of charitie with greeting wish prosperitie in this world present in the world to come felicitie If it were so or by any meanes could be that all the riches of this world were layd before myne eyes so that I beyng Emperour had all things vniuersally vnder my subiection all those things gladly would I geue yea and my selfe also would offer willingly for the health of your soules as which also do desire and trust likewise my self to be strengthened with the feruencie of your holynesse as appertayning to those things wherin the Lord our God hath set vs to be workmen c. And after a few other wordes of like effect wherein he doth declare the heauy burden of his office it followeth after this maner Wherfore most humbly and one vnworthy but yet a deuouâ— fellow brother of yours I beseech and exhort your holines that you will not shew your selues cold and negligent in the cure and regiment of soules so that in the tyme of the feareful iudgement the Lord doe not complaine of you saying my shepeheards did not feed my flocke but they fed theÌ„selues And agayne they were princes of my flocke and I knew not of it But rather let vs take heede and be diligent ouer the houshold of the Lord ouer which he hath set vs to be the leaders to geue them meate true measure of corne in tyme conuenient that is to say wholesome doctrine And although vpon myne owne demerites or worthinesse I do not presume to comfort or exhort any man but as one beyng vnworthy faultie in transgressions innumerable am glad and stand in neede rather to be strengthened by your brotherly admonitions yet for the auncient authoritie of my predecessors as of Augustine of happy memory and also of all other saintes by whose industrie the rule of christianitie did first florish and spring from this Metropolitane sea vnto all quarters of England Therefore I haue thought good to direct vnto you these my letters to the profit of you all especially for that our renowmed princely king Edmond with all his people doth ioy to folow that which he heareth in you and of you and also forsomuch as all his subiectes which be vnder his Imperiall dominion doe loue and delight to follow most ioyfully the same and report of your sincere conuersation c. This Odo continued bishop the space of 20. yeres After whom Elsinus was elected and ordained by the kyng to succeede through fauour and money but in goyng to Rome for the Popes palle in his iourney thorough the Alpes he decayed and died for cold Whereupon succeeded Dunstane as in tyme and place by the leaue of Christ foloweth to be declared This Edmund gaue to S. Edmund the Martyr before mentioned the towne of Bredrichâ—ehworth which is now called S. Edmondesbury with great reuenues and lands appertainyng to the same But concerning the friuolous miracles which our Monkish storywriters here â—ayne of this good Edmund by the way or rather out of the way I let them passe And thus much concerning the raign of king EdmuÌ„d who after he had raigned vj. yeres and half was slaine as is sayd at Pulchorchurch and buried at Glastenbury of Dunstane leauing behynd him two children Edwine Edgar by his wife Elgina But because the foresaid children were yet yong vnder age therfore Edrede brother to king Edmund and vncle to the children gouerned as Protector about the space of 9.
and here againe I take his regall gouernment from him charging and forbidding all christen men that haue bene sworne vnto him whom I discharge here of their oth that hereafter they obey him in nothing but to take Rodolphus to their king who is elected by many princes of the Prouince For so right it is and conuenient that as Henry for his pride stubburnes is depriued of his dignitie and possession so Rodolphus being gratefull to all men for his vertue and deuotion be exalted to the Imperiall throne domination Therfore O you blessed prince of the Apostles graunt to this and confirme with your authoritie that I haue sayd so that all meÌ„ may vnderstand if you haue power to bynd and loose in heauen you haue also power in earth to geue take away Empires kingdoms principallities and whatsoeuer here in earth belongeth to mortall men For if yov haue power to iudge in such matters as appertain to God what then should we thinke you haue of these inferior prophane things And if it be in your power to iudge the angels ruling ouer proud princes what then shall it be seen â—â—â— you to do vpon their seruants Therfore let the kings vnderstand by this example all other princes of the world what you be able to do in heauen what you are with God that thereby they may feare to contemn the commaundement of holy church And now doe you exercise this iudgement quickely vpon Henricus whereby all men may see this sonne of iniquitie to fall from hys kingdome not by any chaunce but by your prouision and onely worke Notwithstanding this I would craue of you that he being brought to repentance through your intercession yet in the day of iudgement may finde fauour and grace with the Lord. Actum Romae Nonis Martij indictione 3. Furthermore Pridebrand Driveur and not yet content with this interditeth deposeth also Guibertus Archb. of RaueÌ„na for taking the Emperors part commaunding all priestes to geue no maner obedience to him and sendeth thether to Rauenna an other Archb. with full authoritie After vpon this Henricus Rodulphus to try the matter by the sword coped together in battaile not without bloudshed where Henricus by the fauour of God against the iudgement of Hildebrand had the victory Rodulphus there greatly wounded in the conflict was had out of the army and caried to Hyperbolis where he commaunded the bishops chief doers of his conspiracy to be brought before him when they came he listed vp his right hand in which he had taken his deadly wound and sayd This is the hand which gaue the oth and sacrament vnto Henricus my Prince and which through your instigatioÌ„ so oft hath fought against him in vaine Now go and performe your first othe allegeance to your king for I must to my fathers and so dyed Thus the Pope gaue battaile but God gaue the victory Henricus after his enemy beyng thus subdued and warres being ceased in Germany forgate not the old iniuries receiued of Hildebrand by whom he was twise excommunicate expulsed from his kingdom and iii. daies making humble sute yea that in sharpe winter coulde find no fauour with him Besides that he incited moreouer aided his enemy against him wherfore calleth together a councell or assembly of diuers bishops of Italy LoÌ„bardy and Germany at Brixia an 1083. where he purged himself accused the bishop Hildebrand of diuers crimes to be an usurper periured a Necromanser Sorcerer a lower of discord complaining moreouer of wrongs iniuries done by the bishop and church of Rome in that the church of Rome preferred the bishop before him wheÌ„ that his father being emperor before him had inthronised set in diuers sundry bishops there by his assignment with out all other electioÌ„ And now this bishop contrary to his oth promise made thrust in himself without the wil and knowlege of him being their king and magistrate For in the time of his father Henricus 3. This Hildebrand wyth other bound themselues with a corporall oth that so long as the Emperour and his sonne now beyng kyng should liue they should neither themselues presume nor suffer any other to aspire to the Papal seat without the assent and approbation of the foresayd Emperours which now this Hildebrand contrary to his corporal oth had done wherfore the foresaid councel with one agrement condeÌ„ned this Gregory that he should be deposed The tenor of which condemnation is thus expressed in Abbate Vrspergensi The Sentence of the Councell of Brixia against Hildebrand BEcause it is not vnknown this bishop not to be elected of God but to haue intruded himselfe by fraud and money who hath subuerted all Ecclesiasticall order who hath disturbed the gouernment of the Christian Empery manasing death of body and soule against our catholike peaceable king who hath set vp maintayned aperiured kyng sowyng discorde where concorde was causing debate amongst friends slaÌ„ders offences amongest brethrenne diuorcementes and separation amongest the maried for he tooke away the mariage of priests as Henricus Mutius witnesseth and finally disquieting the peaceable state of all quiet lyfe therefore we here in the name authoritie of God congregate together with the Legates handes of 19. Bishops the day of Pentecost at Mentz doe proceed in Canonicall iudgement against Hildebrand a man most wicked preaching sacriledge and burning maintaining periury and murthers callyng in question the Catholike fayth of the body and bloud of the Lord a follower of diuination and dreames a manifest Necromancer a Sorcerer and infected with a Pythonicall spirite and therefore departed from the true fayth we iudge hym to be deposed expelled And vnlesse he hearyng this shall yelde and depart the seate to be perpetually condemned Inacted vij Calend. Iulij feria 5. indictione 3. This being enacted sent to Rome they elected Guibertus Archbishop of Rauena in the place of Hildebrand to gouerne the Church of Rome named Clemens 3. But when Hildebrand neither would geue ouer his hold nor geue place to Clement the Emperour gathering an army to send to Italy came to Rome to depose Gregory and to place Clement But Hildebrand sendyng to Matilda the Countesse before in eÌ„tioned required in remission of al hee sinnes to withstand Henry the Emperor and so she did Notwithstanding Henricus preuailyng came to Rome where he besieged the Citie all the Lent and after Easter got it the Romaines being compelled to open the gates vnto him so he comming to the temple of S. Peter there placeth ClemeÌ„t in his Papacy Hildebrand straight flieth into Adrians tower with his adherents where he beyng beset round about at length sendeth for Robert Guiscardus his frend a Norman in the mean time while Robertus collecteth his power the Abbot of Chiniake couferryng with Gregory exhorteth him to crowne Henricus emperor in Lateran which
be no Purgatory nor that the Suffrages of the Church do auaile the dead either to lesse the paine of them that be destinate to hell or to increase the glory of them that be ordained to saluation 7. Item they hold that the soules out of the bodies departed whether they haue done good or euill haue not their perfect paine nor glory but are reserued in a certain place till the day of iudgement 8. Item they condemne the church of Rome for mixting cold water in their sacrifice 9. Item they condemne the Church of Rome for that as wel women as priests annoynt children when they baptise them on both shoulders 10. Item Dicunt panem nostrum panagiam i. They call our bread Panagia 11. Item they blame the Church of Rome for celebrating their Masse on other daies beside Sondaies and certaine other feastes appoynted 12. Also in this the Greeke Church varieth from the Latine for they haue neither creame nor oyle nor sacrament of confirmation 13. Neither do they vse extreme vnction or anoyling after the maner of the Romane church expounding the place of S. James of the spirituall infirmitie and not corporall 14. Item they enioyne no satisfaction for penance but only that they shewe themselues to the Priests annoynting them with simple oyle in token of remission of sinnes 15. Item onely on maundy Thursday they consecrate for the sicke keeping it for the whole yeare after thinking it to be more holy vpon that day consecrate then vppon any other Neither doe they fast any saterday through the whole yeare but onely on Easter euen 16. Item they geue but onely 5. orders as of Clearkes Subdeacons Deacones Priestes Byshops when as the Romaine Church geueth ix orders after the ix orders of Aungels 17. Moreouer the Greciās in their orders make no vow of chastitie alledging for them the 5. Canon of N. * Ego praesbyter vel Diaconus vxorem causa honestatis non reijciam c. i. I. N. Priest or Deacon will not forsake my wife for honestie sake 18. Item euery yeare the Grecians vse vpon certaine dayes to excommunicate the Church of Rome and all the Latines as heretickes 19. Item among the sayde Grecians they are excommunicate that beate or strike a Priest Neither doe their religious men liue in such Priestly chastitie as the Romane Priests doe 20. Item their Emperour among them doeth ordaine Patriarches Bishops and other of the Clergy and deposeth the same at his pleasure also geueth benefices to whō he lusteth and retaineth the fruites of the same benefices as pleaseth him 21. Item they blame the Latine Churche because they cate not flesh egges and chese on Friday and do eate flesh on Saterdaies 22. Item they holde against the Latine men for celebrating without the consecrated Churche either in the house or in the field And fasting on the Sabboth day And for permitting menstruous wemen to enter into the Church before their purifying Also for suffering dogges and other beastes to enter into the Church 23. The Grecians vse not to knele in all their deuotions yea not to the body of Christ as the register termeth it but one day in the whole yeare saying and affirming that the Latines be goates and beastes for they are alwayes prostrating themselues vpon the ground in their praiers 24. The Grecians moreouer permit not the Latines to celebrate vpon their altars And if it chaunce any Latine Priest to celebrate vpon their altar by and by they washe their altare in token of abomination false sacrifice And diligently they obserue that whē soeuer they do celebrate they do but one Liturgie or masse vpon one altar or table that day 25 Item they dissent from the Church of Rome touching the order and maner of the proceding of the holy Ghost These Articles wherein is declared the difference betwene the East and West church of the Grecians and Romanes as I found them articulate and collected in an ancient autentical register of the churche of Hereforde so I thought heere to inserte them leaue them to the consideration of the Reader Other foure articles moe in the same Register be there expressed concerning sunonie vsurie not w e them forbidden and touching also their Emperour and how they teach their children to hurt or danify by any maner of way the Latine priestes c. Which articles for that either they seme not truly collected out of their teachings or els not greatly pertinent to the doctrine of Religion I ouerpasse them To the purpose now of our storie againe When certaine of these aboue prefixed were mooued in the foresaid Councel to be discussed namely concerning the assertion of proceeding of the holy Ghost and concerning leauened bread in the ministration of the Lords Supper Anselme as is aboue sayd was called for who in the tracration of the same Articles so besturred him in that councell that hee well liked the Pope and them about him as mine author recordeth Wherupon touching the matter of vnleauened bread how indifferētly he seemed there to reason and what he writeth to Valerane Byshop of Nurenburgh therof ye shal beare by a pece of his letter sent to the sayd Byshop the copie whereof here insueth ¶ Anselme Seruant to the Church of Canterburie to Valtram Bishop of Nurenburgh Epistola 3 25. post initium AS concerning the sacrifice in which the Grecians thinke not as we doe it semeth to many reasonable Catholike men that which they do not to be against the Christian faith for bothe he that sacrificeth vnleauened and leauened sacrificeth breade And where it is red of our Lord whē he made his body of bread that he tooke bread and blessed it is not added vnleauened or leauened Yet it is certaine that he blessed vnleauened bread peraduenture not because the thing that was done required that but because the supper in which this was done did geue that And wher as in an other place he called himselfe and his flesh bread because that as many as liue tēporally with this bread so with that bread he liueth for euer He sayth not vnleauened or leauened because both alike are breade For vnleauened leauened differ not in substance as some thinke like as a new man afore sinne an olde rooted man in the leanen of sinne differ not in substance For this cause therefore only he might be thought to call himselfe and his flesh bread and made his body of breade because that this breade vnleauened or leauened geueth a transitorie life and his bodie of bread because that this bread vnleauened or leauened giueth a transitorie life and his body geueth euerlasting life not for that it is either leauened or vnleauened Although it be a cōmandement in the lawe to eate vnleauened breade in the passeoner where all things are done in a figure that it might be declared that Christ whom they loked for was pure cleane and we that should eate his body were admonished to be likewise
honor of the holy Martyr S. Steuen to keepe him from the hands of his enemies that day When the morrow was come beyng Tuesday there came to hym the Bishops Prelates counsailyng and perswadyng hym couertly by insinuation for apertly they durst not that he would submit hymselfe with all hys goodes as also his Archbishoprike to the wyll of the kyng if peraduenture his indignation by that meanes myght swage Adding moreouer that vnlesse he would so do periury would be layd agaynst hym for that he beyng vnder the othe of fidelitie to keepe the kyngs lawes and ordinaunces now would not obserue them To this Becketh the Archbishop answereth again Brethren ye see and perceyue well how the world is set agaynst me and how the enemy riseth and seeketh my confusion And although these things be dolorous and lamētable yet the thing that grieueth me most of all is this the sonnes of mine owne mother be pricks thornes agaynst me And albeit I do holde my peace yet the posteritie to come will know and report how cowardly you haue turned your backs and haue left me your Archbishop Metropolitane alone in this conflict And how you haue sittē in iudgemēt against me although vnguilty of crime now ii dayes together and not that only in the ciuil spirituall court but also in the temporal court ready to doe the same But in generall this I charge and command by the vertue of pure obedience and in peril of your order that ye be present personally in iudgement against me And that yee shal not faile so to do I here appeale to our mother the refuge of all such as be oppressed the church of Rome and if any secular men shall lay hands vpon me as it is rumord they will I straightly enioyne and charge you in the same vertue of obedience that you exercise your cēsure ecclesiastical vpon them as it becommeth you to doe for a father an Archbishop And this I doe you to vnderstande that though the world rage the enemy be fierce and the body trembleth for the flesh is weake yet God so fauoring me I will neither cowardly shrinke nor vily forsake my flock committed to my charge c. But the bishop of London contrary to this commandement of the archbishop did incōtinent appeale frō him And thus the bishops departed from him to the court saue only two Henry Winchester and Ioceline of Salisburie who returned with him secretly to his chamber and comforted him This done the Archbishop which yesterday was so sore sick that he could not stirre out of his bed now addresseth him to his masse of S. Steuen with all solemnity as though it had bene an hie festiual day with his Metropolitane Pall which was not vsed but vpon the holy day to be worne c. The office of his masse began Sederunt principes aduersum me loquebantur that is Princes sate and spake against me c. the kings seruauntes being also there and beholding the matter For this masse Gilbert bishop of London accused Becket afterward both for that it was done per artem magicam in cōtemptum regis as the wordes of Houeden purport that is both by arte magike and in contempt of the king c. The masse being ended the Archbyshop putting of his pall his miter and other robes procedeth to the kings Court but yet not trusting peraduenture so greatly to the strength of his masse to make the matter more sure he taketh also the sacrament priuily about him thinking thereby himselfe sufficiently defenced against al bugs In going to the kings chamber there to attend the kings comming as he was entring the dore he taketh from Alexander his crosier the crosse with the crosse staffe in the sight of al that stoode by and carieth it in himselfe the other Bishops following him saying he did otherwise then became him Amongst other Robert bishop of Hereford offred himselfe to beare his crosse rather then he shoulde so doe for that it was not comely but the Archbish. woulde not suffer him Then sayde the bishop of London to him if the king shall see you come armed into his chamber perchaunce hee will drawe out his sworde against you which is stronger then yours and then what shal this your armour profite you The Archb. aunswereth againe if the kings sworde do cut carually yet my sword cutteth spiritually striketh down to hell But you my lord as you haue plaid the foole in this matter so you will not yet leaue of your folly for any thing I can see and so he came into the chamber The king hearing of his comming and of the maner thereof taryed not long but came where Becket was set in a place by himself with his other Bishops about him First the crier called the prelates and all the lordes of the temporaltie together That being done and euery one placed in his seate according to his degree the king beginneth with a great complaint against the Archb. for his maner of entring into the court not as sayeth he a subiect into a kings court but as a traitor shewing himself in such sort as hath not ben sene before in any christen kings court professing christiā faith To this all there present gaue witnes with the king affirming him alwaies to be a vain a proud man and that the shame of his fact did not only redound against the prince himself but also against his whole realme Moreouer they sayde that this had so happened to the king for that he had done so much for such a beast aduauncing him so highly in such a place and roume next vnder himself And so altogether with one crie called him traitor on euery side as one that refused to geue terrene honour to the king in keeping as he had sworne his lawes and ordinaunces at whose handes also he had receiued such honour and great preferments and therefore was well worthy sayde they to be hādled like a periured traitor and rebell Wherupon great doubt and feare was what should befall vpon hym The Archb. of Yorke comming downe to his men said he could not abide to see what the archb of Cant. was like to suffer Likewise the Tipstaues and other ministers of the assemblie comming downe with an outcrie against him crossed them to see his hauty stubburnnesse and the busines there was about him Certaine there were of his disciples sitting at his feete comforting him softly and bidding him to lay his curse vppon them Other contrary bidding him not to curse but to pray and to forgeue them and if he lost his life in the quarell of the church and the liberty therof he should be happy Afterwarde one of them named Ioannes Stephani desired to speake something in his care but could not be suffred by the kings Marshal who forbade that no man should haue any talke with him Then he because he could not otherwise speake to
Church Brethren seeke not to confound your selues and the church of God so much as in you is but turne to me you shal be safe For the Lord sayth I will not the death of a sinner but rather he should conuert and liue Stand with me manfully in the warre take your armour and your shield to defend me Take the sword of the word of the mighty God that we altogether may withstand more valiauntly the malignant enemies such as goe about to take away the soule of the church which is her liberty without which liberty she hath no power agaynst them that seeke to incroche to their inheritaunce the possession of Gods sanctuary If ye will heare and follow me know ye that the Lord will be with you and with vs all in the defence of the libertye of his church Otherwise if ye will not the Lord iudge betwixt me and you and require the confusion of his Church at your handes Which church whether the world will or no standeth firmely in the word of the Lord whereupon she is builded and euer shall till the houre come that she shall passe from this world to the Father For the Lord euer doth support her with his hand Wherefore to returne to the matter brethren remember well with your selues which thing ye ought not to forget what daunger I was brought vnto and the Church of God also while I was in England at my departing out of England and after my departure from thence also in what daunger it standeth at thys present day But especially at that time when as at Northampton Christ was iudged agayne in my person before the iudgement seat of the high president Who euer heard the Archb. of Canterbury being troubled for iniuries done to him and to his church and appealing to the Pope of Rome to be iudged condemned appealed and put to his sureties and that of his owne suffraganes Where is this law seene or the authority nay rather peruersity of this Canon heard of And why yet shame ye not at this your enormity Why are ye not confounded Or why doth not this confusion worke in you repentaunce and repentance driue you to due satisfaction before God and men For these and suche other iniuries done to God and to his church and to me for gods cause which with a good conscience I ought to suffer because that without daunger of soule I ought not to dissemble them I choose rather to absent my selfe for a season and to dwell quietly in the house of my Lord then in the tabernacle of sinners vntill the time that their iniquity be complete the hartes of the wicked and the congitations of the same shal be opened And these iniuries were the cause both of my appeale from the king and of my departure from thence which ye terme to be sodaine But if ye will speake the truth which ye know it ought no lesse then to be sodaine least being foreknowne it might haue bene preuented and stopped And as God turned the matter it happened for the best both for the honor of the king ard better safety of them which seeking my harme should haue brought slaunder to the king If such troubles followed vpon my departing as ye say let them be imputed to him which gaue cause the fault is in the worker not in the departer in him that pursueth not in him that auoydeth iniuries what would ye more I presented my selfe to the court declaring both the causes of my comming and of my appeale declaring also the wronges and iniuries done to me to my Church and yet could haue no auÌ„swere neither was there any that layd any thing agaynst me before we came to the king Thus while we stood wayting in the court whether any would come agaynst me or not they sent to my officials charging them not to obey me in my temporalities nor to owe any seruice to me or to any of mine After my appellation made in the Court my Church was spoyled we and they about vs depriued of our goods outâ—awed both of the Clergy and of the layty men women and infantes the goods of the Church that is the patrimony of the crucifix confiscate and part of the mony turned to the kinges vse part to your owne cofers Brother Byshop of London if this be true that we here of you and that to the vse of your owne Churche ye conuert this money we charge you and require you forthwith by vertue of obedience that within fourtye dayes after the sight of these letters all delaye and excuse set aâ—ide ye restore agayne within the time aforesayd all suche gooddes and percelles as you haue taken away For it is vnmeete and contrarye to all lawe one Churche to be enriched with the spoil of an other church If ye stand vpon the authoritie that set you a worke you must vnderstand that in matters concerning the church goods he can geue no lawfull autoritie which committeth violent iniurie c. What authoritie and what scripture geueth this prerogatiue to PrinceÌ„s vpon Church goodes which you would attribute to them What will they lay for them the remedie of appeale God forbid It were euill with the Church of God if when the sacrilegious extorcioner hath violently inuaded other mennes goodes especially the goods of the church he shoulde after defend him with the title of appeale c. Doe not brethren so confounde altogether the right of the Church and of the temporall regiment For these two are muche differeÌ„t one borowing his authority of the other Read the scriptures and ye shall finde what and how many kings haue perished for taking vpon them the priestly office Therefore let your discretion prouide least for this your doing Gods punishmeÌ„t light vpon you which if it come it will be hard for you very easely to escape Prouide also and see to your king whose fauour ye prefer before the wealth profit of the Church least if it happen which God forbid that he doth perish with all his house after the example of them which for the like crime were plagued And if yee cease not off from that ye begin with what conscience can I dissemble or forbeare but must nedes punish you let him dissemble with you who list hauing authoritie so to doe truely I will not there shal be no dissimulation found in me And where you write in your letters coÌ„cerning my promotion that it was against the voice of the whole realme that the church did reclaime against it What should I say to you but that ye knowe right well the lie which the mouth doeth willingly speake killeth the soule but especially the wordes of a Priestes mouth ought euer to goe with verity As touching this matter I appeale to your own coÌ„scieÌ„ce whether the forme of my election stoode not fully with the consent of them all to whome the election belonged hauing also the assent of the prince by his
perisheth in the Church of God for want of preachers all that shal be demaunded of them at the day of iudgement As Iacob confesseth to Laâ—an whose sheep he fedde Genesis 31 I did restore all thy losse and that which was stolne I made aunswere for I will demaund his bloud at thy handes Ezechiell 3. This is sayd to the Pastor or Prelate But if the other thinges which we haue spoken of before could not mooue the Prelates and Cardinals this at the least should mooue them Because that then the spirituall power which doth consist for the most part in the exercise of preaching in hearing confessions enioyning of penaunce shall be taken away froÌ„ them by litle little For by piece mele doth the wolfe dâ—nour the poore needy man 3. q. cap 1. when the authority Ecclesiasticall therfore shall be quite taken from them and disposed to other such as either by their order or Apostolicall grauÌ„t do challenge to haue the same Then doubtles shall neither the iurisdictioÌ„ of ciuile causes and pleadings nor any authority that such Prelates haue yet remaining neither yet the possessions of the temporall goodes of the Church any longer remayne amongest them Shall suche haue the temporall goods of the church which minister not the spirituall treasure thereof 1. Cor. 9. Know ye not that they which kill the sacrifice ought to eate of the sacrifice they that serue at the aultar are partakers of the aultar For as the body without the soule cannot stand so corporall thinges without spirituall things cannot continue 1. q. 1. if any shall take away the same Thus haue you had the 39 arguments for the which both he was coÌ„demned and his bookes burned In the dayes of this Guilielmus there was a most detestable and blasphemous booke set forth by the Friers mentioned also in Math. Parisiens which they called Euangelium aeternum or Euangelium spiritus sancti That is the euerlasting Gospell or the Gospell of the holy Ghost In which book many abhominable errors of the Friers were conteyned so that the Gospell of Iesus Christ was vtterly defaced which this booke sayd was not to be compared with this euerlasting Gospel no more then the shell is to be coÌ„pared with the carnell then darknes to light c. More ouer that the Gospell of Christ shal be preached no longer but fifty yeares and then this euerlasting Gospell should rule the Church c. Item yâ— whatsoeuer was in the whole Bible was in the saide Gospell contayned At length this Friers Gospell was accused to the Pope and so 6. persons chosen of the whole vniuersitye to peruse and iudge of the booke as Christianus Canonicus Baluacensis Odo de Doaco Nicholaus de Baro Ioannes de Sicca Vella Anglus Ioannes Belim Gallus Among whom this Guilielmus was one who mightely impugned this pestiferous and deuillish booke These 6. after the perusing of the booke were sent vp to Rome The Friers likewise sent their messengers withall where they were refuted and yâ— errors of the booke condemned but so that the Pope with the Cardinals commaunded the sayd booke to be abolished and condemned not publickly tendering the estimation of the religious orders as of his own most chiefe champions but that they should be burned in secret wise and the books of the foresayd â—uilielmus to be burnt with all Besides other his bookes 2. Sermons we haue of his yet remayning one vpon the Gospell of S. Luke of the Pharisy and the Publicane the other vpon the Epistle redde in the Church on May day where in the first he resembleth the Phariseis to our Monkes and that he proueth by all the properties of the Phariseis described in the Gospell The Publicane he resembleth to the Laity such as for because the sooner they are reduced to acknowledge their sinnes the more hope they haue of mercy The other because they stand confident in their own righteousnesse are therefore farther from their instification In the latter sermoÌ„ he setteth forth and declareth what perils and dauÌ„ders be like to fall vpon the Church by these religious orders of Monkes and Friers Among the other besides of that age which withstood the bishops of Rome his Antechristian errors was one LaureÌ„ce an Englishman and maister of Paris An other was Petrus Ioannes a Minorite Of whome the foresayde Laurence was about the yeare of our Lord. 1260. who in his teaching preaching writing did stoutly defeÌ„d yâ— part of the forsayd Guilielmus the rest of his side agaynst the Friers Against the which Friers he wrote 2. bookes One in the defence of William afore meÌ„tioned the other vpoÌ„ this argument and title To beware of false prophets c. Certayn other things also he wrote wherin by diuers proofes and testimonies he argued proued that Antichrist was not farre of to come The other Petrus Ioannes was about the yeare of our Lord. 1290. which taught and maintained many things agaynst the Pope prouing that he was Antichrist and that the sinagogue of Rome was great Babilon He wrot vpon Mathew vpon the Epistles and vpon the Apocalips Mention of this Petrus Ioannes is made in Nicholaus Emericus in Lib. Inquisitionum c. And sayth moreouer that Miâ—hael Cesenas of whoÌ„ Christ willing shall followe hereafter took of him a great part of his opinioÌ„s And because the pope could not burne him aliue after his death he caused his bones to be taken vp and burned To these and with these aboue specified is to be added Robertus Gallus who being borne of a right noble parentage for deuotion sake was made a Dominicke Frier about the same yeare of our Lord aboue touched an 1290 This man as appeareth by his writing had diuers and sundry visions whereof part is annexed with the visions and prophecy of Hildegardis His visions al tend against the spiritualty of Rome where in the fift chapter he calleth playnely the Pope an Idoll which hauing eyes seeth not neither lusteth to see the abhominatioÌ„s of his people nor the excessiue enormity of ther voluptuousnes But only to see to the heaping vp of his own treasure hauing a mouth speaketh not but sayth I hane set good men ouer them which is sufficieÌ„t for me to do them good either by my selfe or by some other And foloweth in the same chapter wo to that Idoll woe to the mighty and proud who shall be equall in all the earth to that Idoll He that exalted vp his name in earth saying who shall bring me vnder Is not my house compared with the mighty Potentates of the land I am higher then Dukes Knightes on their horsebacke do seruice vnto me That which my Fathers had not before me yâ— haue I done to me My house is strowed with siluer gold and pearle are the pauement of my palace c. Agayn in the 12. chapter and also in the first vnder the name of a SerpeÌ„t he paynteth out the Pope whom he
Margaret the daughter of our progenitour Henry the third at our Citty of Yorke in the feast of Christmas at whiche tyme the sayd Alexander dyd hys homage to our sayd progenitour who reigned in this Realme 56. yeares And thereford betweene the homage made by the sayd Alexander king of Scotland and the homage done by Alexander sonne to the sayd king of Scots to vs at our coronation at Westminster there was about 50. yeares At which tyme the said Alexander kyng of Scottes repayred to the sayd feast of our coronation and there did he his duety as is aforesayd ¶ Besides these letters of the king the Lordes temporall also in the name of the whole communaltie and Parliment wrote an other letter to the pope answering to that where as the pope arrogated to hym to be iudge for the title of the realme of Scotland whiche the king of England claymed to hymselfe whiche letter I thought also here to annexe contayning as in the wordes of the same here foloweth to be read and seene * The Lordes temporall and the whole Baronie of England to the Pope THe holy mother Churche by whose ministery the Catholicke fee is gouerned in her deedes as we throughly beleeue and holde proceedeth with that ripenes in iudgement that she will be hurtfull to none but like a mother would euery mans right to be kept vnbroken as well in other as in her selfe Whereas therefore in a generall Parliament called at Lincoln of late by our most dread Lord Edward by the grace of God the noble kyng of England the same our Lorde caused certayne letters receaued from you to be read openly and to be declared seriously afore vs about certayne businesses touching the condition state of the realme of Scotland We did not a little muse and maruaile with our selues hearing the meaninges concerning the same so wondrous and straunge as the like we haue not heard at any time before For we know most holy father and it is well knowne as well in this realm of England as also not vnknowne to other persons besides that from the first beginning of the Realme of England the certayne and direct gouernement of the Realme of Scotland in all temporall causes from tyme to tyme belonged to the kynges of the same Realme of England and Realme of Scotland as well in the times both of the Brittaines as also of Englishmen Yea rather the same Realme of Scotland of olde tyme was in see to the Auncetours of our foresayd Lordes Kynges of England yea and to hymselfe Furthermore the Kynges of Scottes and the Realme haue not bene vnder any other then the kynges of England and the Kinges of England haue answered or ought to aunswere for theyr rightes in the foresayd Realme or for any hys temporalities afore anye Iudge Ecclesiasticall or secular by reason of free preheminence of the state of hys royall dignitie and custome kept without breach at all tymes Wherefore after treatie had and dilligent deliberation of the contentes in your foresayd letters this was the common agreeing and consent with one mynde and shall be without fayle in tyme to come by Gods grace that our foresayd Lord the Kyng ought by no meanes to aunswere in iudgement in any case or shoulde bring hys foresayd rightes into doubt nor ought not to send any proctors or messengers to your presence specially seeing that the premisses tend manifestly to the disheriting of the right of the Crowne of Englande and the playne ouerthrow of the state of the sayd Realme and also hurt of the liberties customes and lawes of our fathers For the keeping and defence of whiche we are bounde by the duety of the othe made And we will mayntayne them with all power and will defend them by Gods helpe with all strength And farther we will not suffer our foresayd Lord the king to doe or by anye meanes to attempt the premisses being so unacustomed vnwont and not heard of afore Wherefore we reuerently and humbly beseech your holines that ye would suffer the same our Lord king of Englande who among other Princes of the worlde sheweth himselfe Catholicke and deuour to the Romishe Churche quietly to enioye hys rightes liberties ' customes and lawes aforesayde without all empayring and trouble and let them continue vntouched In witnesse whereof we haue set our seales to these presentes aswell for vs as for the whole communaltie of the foresayd Réalme of England Dated at Lincolne in the yeare of our Sauiour 1031. anno Edwardi primi 28. The yeare following which was from Christ an 1303. the sayd Pope Boniface the eight of that name taking displeasure with Phillip the Frenche king did excite king Edward of Englad to warre against him promising hun great ayd thereunto But he as mine author sayth little trusting the Popes false vnstable affection toward him well proued before put him of with delayes Ex Rob. Auesb. wherupon the French king fearing the power of king Edward whom the Pope had set agaynst hys friendship restored vnto him agayn Wascone which he wrongfully had in his hands deteined Concerning this variaunce here mentioned between the Pope and the French kyng how it begā first and to what end it fell out the sequell hereof Christ willing shall declare after that first I haue finished the discourse begon betweene England and Scotland In the yeare 1303. the foresayd Willa Waleys which had done so many displeasures to the king before continuing still in his rebellion gathered great multitudes of the Scottes to wtstand the king til at length the yeare following he was taken and sent vp to Londō and there executed for the same After which thinges done the king thē held his Parliament at Westminster whether came out of Scotland the Bishop of S. Andrewes Robert Bruse aboue mentioned Earle of Dunbarre Earle of Acles and Syr Iohn comming with diuers other The which volūtarily were sworne to be true to the king of England and to keep the land of Scotland to his vse agaynst at persons But shortly after the sayd Robert Bruse who as is sayd maried the second daughter of Earle Dauid forgetting his othe before made vnto the king within a yeare or two after this by the counsell of the Abbot of Stone and Bishop of S. Andrewes sent vp vnto Pope Clement the 5. for a dispensation of his othe made unsinuating to him that King Edward vexed and greued the realme of Scotland wrōgfully Whereupon the pope wrote vnto the king to leaue of such doinges Notwithstanding whiche inhibition of the Pope the king prosecuting hys owne right after he had the vnderstanding of the doings of the Scots of the mischiefe of Robert Bruys who had slayne with hys owne handes Syr Iohn Comyng for not consenting with him and other Lordes at hys Parliament areared his power strength of men preparing himselfe toward Scotlād where he ioyning with the said Syr Robert and all the power of Scotland in a
the grape when it waxeth great and full is neare to the making of wine and the floure when it shooteth abroad it hasteth to the fruit So the saluation of the world in the swelling and growing of the virgins wombe began to draw nigh to mankinde For then appeared the grace and bengnity of our Sauior when his mother was foūd to haue in her wombe by the holy Ghost as is declared in that as followeth by the Angell saying for that which is borne of her is of the holy Ghost Touching the 2. part of that which is sayd vt veniat this may be applyed to the contemplation of the mistery of Christes comming in the flesh Wherof speaketh Aggeus the Prophet 2. He shal come who is desired and looked for of all nations c. Albeit the same also may be applied to the second Aduent spoken of the 3. of Esay The Lord shall come to iudgemēt c. In memoriall wherof the 4. sonday was dedicate in the olde time of the fathers And of this day of iudgement is writtē in the Prophet Sophon cap. 1. The day of the Lord is neare great mighty it is approching at hande wondrous shoort c. And albeit not in it selfe yet it may be expoūded in tribulatiōs that go before as preambles vnto the same as Greg. saith The last tribulation is preuēted with many sundry tribulations going before although the end of al be not yet Wherfore now cōming to the 3. part of my sermō or the am let vs see of those tribulations that go before the last comming of Christ if there be any such tribulation approching nigh at hand wherof this last part of my theame may be verified where is said vt reueletur that my righteousnes shal be reuealed to wit the righteousnes primitiue that righteousnesse may be brought and the Prophesy of Daniel fulfilled Dan. 9. Concerning which matter 4. thinges here come in order to be declared First concerning the reuealing of tribulation according to that part of my theame Vt reueletur c. Secondly concerning the nearenes of the tribulatiō cōming according to the part of my theame Quia iuxta est c. Thirdly of the false opinions of some vpon this part of my theame Vt veniat c. Fourthly what meanes and consultation we ought to take Vt iuxta est salus As for the first it is so notorious and so commō in the scriptures that the church should suffer and abide tribulation that I need not here to stand in alleadging any thing touching either the causes to be weid or the terme to be coniectured thereof As concerning the which causes I will geue 2. rules to be noted before for the better opening of that to follow The first rule is that by the 2. kingdomes of the nation of Hebrues which were in the olde time to wit by the kingdome of Israel whose head was Samaria is signified in the prophets the erronious sinagoge And by the second kingdome of Iuda of whose stock came Christ whose head metropolitane was Ierusalem is signified the true Church And this rule is not mine but is an authentike glose of S. Ierome and also is the rule of Origene in the last Homely vpon the olde testament and is approued by the church The second rule is that by the brodell house and fornication mentioned in the Prophets is signified simony and abused dispēsations and promotions of persons vnworthy for lukers sake or els for any other partiall fauour whiche by vnlawfull wayes by al lawes of the world to come to office and honor Merx dicitur namque a merendo that is for gaine or price is deriued of gaining For the which gayne or price that is solde which by nature ought not to be solde Therefore to geue any thing for respect of gayne or hier which ought to bee geuen freely for vertues sake is a kinde of spirituall corruption as a man would say an whorish thing wherof the prophet Esay complayneth speaking of Ierusalem and saying The Citty which once was faythfull and full of iudgement how is it now become an whorish city And in like maner Osee also the prophet chap. 9. Ierusalem thou hast fornicated and gone an whoring frō thy God Thou hast loued like an harlot to get gayne in euery barne of corne And in many other places of Scripture where fornication can not be otherwise expounded These two rules thus premised now let vs marke the Scriptures and according to the same iudge of the whole state of the Church both that is past and that is to come first intreating of the causes of tribulation to come secōdly of the vicinity of time of the sayd tribulation to come And first concerning the state of the Church of causes of tribulation Thus sayth the Lord in the prophet Ezechiel 16. cap. speaking to the Church vnder the name of Ierusalem In the day of thy byrth I came by thee and saw thee troden downe in thine owne bloud c. Here he speaketh of the time of the martyrdome of the Church Then it followeth After this thou wast clensed frō thy bloud that wast growne vp waxen great thē washed I thee with water I purged thy bloud from thee speaking of ceasing of persecution I annoynted thee with oyle I gaue thee chaunge of rayments I girded thee with white silke I decked thee with costly apparel I put ringes vpon thy fingers a chayn about thy neck Spangs vpon thy forehead and Earinges vpon thine eares Thus wast thou deckt with siluer gold a beautifull crowne set vpon thine head Meruelous goodly wast thou beautifull euen a very queen wast thou For thou wast excellēt in my beuty which I put vpon thee sayth the Lord God c. This prophecy or rather history speaketh of and declareth the prosperity of the church And now heare the corruptiō and transgression of the churche for so it followeth But thou hast put confidence in thine own beauty and playd the harlot when thou haddest gotten thee a name Thou hast committed whoredome with all that went by thee and hast fulfilled their desires Yea thou hast taken thy garments of diuers coulors and decked thine altars therwith whervpon thou mightest fulfill thy whoredome of such a fashion as neuer was done nor shall be Which whoredome can in no wise be expounded for carnall but spirituall whoredome And therfore see how liuely he hath paynted out the corruption and falling of the Church And therefore followeth now the correction and punishmēt of the Church It followeth Beholde I stretch out my hand ouer thee and will diminish thy store of foode and deliuer thee ouer into the willes of the Philistines and of such as hate thee And they shall breake downe thy stues and destroy thy brodell houses that is the place wherein thou didst exercise this wickednesse they shall strippe
the sayd Iohn Wickliffe to be apprehended and cast in prison And that the king and the nobles of England should be admonished by them not to geue any credite to the saide Iohn Wickliffe or to his doctrine in any wise c. ¶ Beside this Bill or Bull of the Pope sent vnto the Archbyshop of CaÌ„terbury and to the Byshop of London bearyng the date 11. Kalend. Iuni. and the 7. yeare of the raigne of the Pope I finde moreouer in the sayd story two other letters of the Pope concernyng the same matter but differyng in forme sent vnto the same Byshops and all hearyng the same date both of the day yeare and moneth of the raigne of the sayd Pope Gregory Whereby it is be supposed that the Pope either was very exquisite and solicitous aboue the matter to haue Wickliffe to be appreheÌ„ded which wrote three diuers letters to one person and all in one day about one businesse or els that he did suspect the bearers thereof the scruple wherof I leaue to the iudgement of the Reader Furthermore beside these letters writteÌ„ to the Uniuersitie and to the Byshops he directeth also an other Epistle bearyng the same date vnto kyng Edward as one of my stories sayth but as an other sayth to the kyng Richard whiche soundeth more neare to the truth forasmuch as in the 7. yeare of Pope Gregory the xi which was the yeare of our Lord. 1â—78 Kyng Edward was not aliue The copy of his letters to the kyng here followeth The copy of the Epistle sent by the Byshop of Rome to Richard kyng of England to persecute Iohn Wickliffe VNto his welbeloued sonne in Christ Richard the most noble kyng of England health c. The kyngdome of England which the most highest hath put vnder your power and gouernaunce beyng so famous and renowmed in valiancy and strength so aboundaunt and flowyng in all kynde of wealth and riches but much more glorious resplendent and shynyng through the brightnesse and clearenesse of all godlynesse and fayth hath accustomed alwayes to bryng forth men endued with the true knowledge and vnderstandyng of the holy Scriptures graue in yeares feruent in deuotion and defenders of the Catholicke fayth The which haue onely directed and instructed their own people through their holesome doctrine and preceptes into the true path of Gods commaundementes but also as we haue heard by the report and information of many credible persons to our great grief hart sorow that Iohn Wickliffe Parson of Lutterworth in the Dioces of Lincolne professor of diuinitie I would to God he were no author of heresie to be fallen into such a detestable and abhominable madnes that he hath propounded and set forth diuers and sundry conclusions full of errours and coÌ„teinyng most manifest heresie the which do tende vtterly to subuert and ouerthrow the state of the whole Churche Of the whiche some of them albeit vnder coloured phrase and speache seeme to smell and sauour of peruerse opinions and the foolishe doctrine of condemned memory of Marsilius of Padua and Iohn of Ganduno whose bookes were by Pope Iohn the 22. our predecessour a man of most happy memorye reproued and condemned c. ¶ Hetherto gentle reader thou hast heard how Wickliffe was accused by the Byshop Now you shall also heare the Popes mighty reasons and argumentes by the which he did confute him to the kyng It followeth Therefore for so much as our Reuerend brethren the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Byshop of London haue receiued a speciall commaundement from vs by our authoritie to apprehend and committe the forenamed Iohn Wickliffe vnto prison and to transporte his confession vnto vs If they shall seeme in the prosecution of this their businesse to locke your fauour or helpe we require and most earnestly desire your maiestie euen as your most noble predecessors haue alwayes bene most earnest louers of the Catholicke fayth whose case or quarell in this matter is chiefly handled that you woulde vouchsafe euen for the reuerence of God and the fayth aforesayd and also of the Apostolicke seat and and of our person that you will with your helpe and fauour assist the sayd archbishop and all other that shall goe about to execute the sayd busines Wherby besides the prayse of men you shall obtayne a heauenly rewarde and great fauour and good will at our hand and of the sea aforesaid Dated at Rome at S. Mary the greater the 11. Kal. of Iune in the 7. yeare of our Byshoprick an 1378. The Articles included in the popes letters whiche he sent to the Bishoppes and to the king against Wickliffe were these as in order do follow The conclusions of Iohn Wickliffe exhibited in the conuocation of certayne Bishops at Lambeth ALl the whole race of mankinde here on earth besides Christ hath no power simply to ordayne that Peter and all his ofspring should politickely rule ouer the world for euer 2. God cannot geue to any man for him and hys heyres anye ciuill dominion for euer 3. All writinges inuented by men as touching perpetuall heritage are impossible 4. Euery man being in grace iustifiyng hath not onely right vnto the thing but also for his time hath right in deede aboue all the good thinges of God 5. A man cannot onely ministratoriously geue any temporal or continuall gift eyther as well to his naturall sonne as to his sonne by imitation 6 If God be the temporall Lordes may lawfully and meritoriously take away the riches from the Church when they do offend habitualiter 7. We know that Christes Vicar cannot neyther is able by hys Bulles neyther by his owne will and consent neither by the consent for his colledge eyther make able or disable any man 8. A man cannot be excommunicated to his hurt or vndoyng except he be first and principally excommunicate by himselfe 9. No man ought but in Gods cause alone to excommunicate suspend or forbid or otherwise to proceede to reuenge by anye ecclesiasticall censure 10. A curse or excommunication doth not simply binde but in case it be pronounced and geuen out agaynst the aduersarye of Gods law 11. There is no power geuen by any example eyther by Christ or by his Apostle to excommunicate any subiect specially for the denying of any temporalties but rather contrariwise 12. The disciples of Christ haue no power to exact by anye ciuill authoritie temporalties by censures 13. It is not possible by the absolute power of God that if the Pope or any other Christian doe pretend by any meanes to bynd or to lose that thereby he doth so bynde and loose 14. We ought to beleue that the Vicar of Christ doth at suche tymes onely bynde and loose when as he worketh conformably by the law and ordinaunce of Christ. 15. This ought vniuersally to be beleued that euery priest righly and duely ordered according vnto the law of grace hath power according to his vocation whereby he may minister the sacramentes and
friers preachers Syward Parris Langley Item 4. minorites Foluile Carlel Frisley Bernwel Item Augustine Friers foure Ashborne Bowkyn Woldley Hornyngton Item Carmelites 4. Glanuile Dis Loney Kynnyngham Item Monkes 4. Wels Ramsey Bloxam Marton Item doctours of the Canon and Ciuill lawe 14. Appelby Waltrom Baketon Chadesden Tregision Stow Blaunchard Rocombey Lidford Welbourne Flayneburgh Motrum Brandon and Prophet Item Bachelers of Diuinitie 6. Humbleton Pickweche Lindlow Wich Chiselden Tomson The Articles of Iohn Wickleffe heere aboue specified wherof some were 10. which were by these Friers cōdemned as heretical y◠rest as erroneous here in order follow and are these Although it may be thought that some of them were made worsse by their sinister collecting then he ment them in his owne workes and wrytings ¶ The articles of Iohn Wickliffe condemned as hereticall 1. THe substance of material bread wine doth remaine in the Sacrament of the aulter after the consecration 2. The accidents doe not remaine wythout the subiect in the same Sacrament after the consecration 3. That Christ is not in the Sacrament of the altar truly and really in hys proper and corporall person 4. * That if a Byshop or a Priest be in deadly sinne hee doth not order consecrate nor baptise 5. That if a man be duely and truely contrite penitent all exteriour and outer confession is but superfluous and vnprofitable vnto hym 6. That it is not found or stablished by the Gospell that Christ did make or ordaine masse 7. If the pope be a reprobate and euil man consequently a member of the deuill he hath no power by any maner of meanes geuen vnto him ouer faithfull Christians except peraduenture it be geuen him from the Emperour 8. That since the time of Urbane the 6. there is none to be receaued for Pope but to liue after the manner of the Greekes euery man vnder his owne law 9. To be against the Scripture that ecclesiasticall ministers should haue any temporall possessions ¶ The other Articles of Iohn Wickleffe condemned as erroneous 10 THat no Prelate ought to excommunicate any man except he knew him first to be excōmunicate of God 11. That hee which doeth so excommunicate any man is therby himselfe either an hereticke or excommunicated 12. That a Prelate or Bishop excommunicating any of the clergy which hath appealed to the king or to the counsel is thereby himselfe a traytor to the king and realme 13. That all such which do leaue of preaching or hearyng the worde of God or preaching of the Gospell for scare of excōmunication they are already excommunicated and in that day of iudgement shal be counted as traytors vnto god 14. That it is lawful for any man either deacon or priest to preach the word of God without the authority or licēce of the Apostolicke sea or any other of his Catholickes 15. That so long as a man is in deadly sinne he is neyther Byshop nor Prelate in the Church of God 16. Also that the temporal lordes may according to theyr owne will and discretion take away the temporall goodes from the Church men whensoeuer they do offend 17. That tenthes are pure almose and that the Parishioners may for the offence of their curates deteine and keepe them backe bestow them vpon others at their own wil and pleasures 18. Also that all speciall praiers applied to any priuate or particular person by any Prelate or religious man do no more profite the same parson then generall or vniuersall prayers doe profite others whych be in lyke case or state vnto hym 19. Moreouer in that any man doeth enter into any priuate religion whatsoeuer it be hee is thereby made the more vnapt and vnable to obserue and keepe the commādements of God 20. That holy men which haue instituted priuate Religions whatsoeuer they be as well such as are indued and possessed as also the order of begging Friers hauing no possessions in so doyng haue greeuously offended 21. That religious men beyng in their priuate religions are not of the Christian Religion 22. That Friers are bounden to get their liuing by the labour of their handes and not by beggyng 23. That whosoeuer doth geue any almose vnto Friers or to any begging obseruaunt is accursed or in daūger therof ¶ The letter of the Archbyshop directed to the Byshop of London agaynst Wickleffe and his adherentes WIlliam by Gods permission Archbyshop of Canterbury Metropolitane of all England and of the Apostolicall sea Legate To our reuerend brother by the grace of God Byshop of London salutation The Prelates of the Churche ought to be so much the more vigilant and attentiue about the charge of the Lordes flocke committed vnto them how much the more they shall vnderstand the Wolues beyng clothed in sheepes apparell fraudulently to goe about to woory and scatter the sheepe Truly by the continuall cry and bruted fame which it greeueth me to report it is come to our knowledge that although by the canonicall sanctions no man beyng forbidden or not admitted should either publickely or priuily without the authoritie of the Apostolicall sea or Byshop of that place vsurpe or take vpon him the office of a Preacher Some notwithstandyng such as are the children of damnation beyng vnder the vale of blynde ignoraunce are brought into such a dotyng mynde that they take vppon them to Preache and are not affrayde to affirme and teach diuers and sundry propositions and conclusions here vnder recited both hereticall erroneous and false condempned by the Church of God and repugnaunt to the decree of holy Churche whiche tend to the subuertyng of the whole state of the same of our prouince of Canterbury and destruction and weakenyng of the tranquilitie of the same and that as well in the Churches as in the streetes as also in many other prophane places of our sayd prouince generally cōmonly and publikely do preach the same infecting very many good Christians causing thē lamentably to wāder out of the way frō the catholick Church without which there is no saluation We therfore considering that so pernicious a mischiefe whych may creepe amongest many wee ought not to suffer and by dissimulation to passe ouer which may with deadly contagion slea the soules of men least their bloud be required at our hands are willing so much as God wil permit vs to do to extirpate the same Wherefore by the counsaile and consent of many of our brethrē and Suffraganes we haue conuented diuers and sundry Doctours of Diuinitie as also professours and other Clerkes of the Canon and Ciuill lawes the best learned wythin the Realme and of the most soundest opinion and iudgement in the Catholicke faith to geue their opinions and iudgements cōcerning the foresayde conclusions But for as much as the sayde conclusions and assertions being in the presence of vs and our fellowe brethren and other conuocates openly expounded and diligently examined and in the end found by common counsaile
Archb. Who there required day and place to deliberate vpon the conclusions aforesayd and to geue their answere vnto the same in wryting And also required to haue a copie of the sayde conclusions to be deliuered vnto them The which copy the sayd Nicholas Philip being openly read vnto them receiued Also the foresayd M. Iohn Ayshton lykewise was examined and iudicially admonished by the said Archbishop by vertue of his othe that hee setting aside all sophisticall words suttelties he fully and plainly would say his minde vpon the conclusions aforesayd And being asked moreouer by the said Archbishop whether he would haue a further day to deliberate vpon his answers as the foresaid Nicholas and Philip had before said expresly that he would not but would answer presently to those coÌ„clusions And so for finall aunswere sayde as concerning all these conclusions containing them all together that hys iudgement was in this behalf to hold his peace Wherfore the foresaid Archbishop reputing the saide Iohn herein to be suspected admonished him in form of words as foloweth We admonish thee Iohn Ayshton whome we repute to be defamed notoriously suspected of heresie the first the second and third time that in our prouince of Canterbury hereafter thou do not preach publickely or priuately wtout our speciall licence vnder paine of the greater curse which we denouÌ„ce here by these presents against thy person if thou obey not our monitions for nowe as for then And consequently for as much as the sayd Iohn being asked of the Archb. confessed that hee had heard before of the publication of the Archbyshops Mandate wherein was inhibited that no person prohibited or not sent should preach hereafter the foresayde Archb. assigned to him Friday next folowing which was the 20. day of the same moneth after dinner to appeare before hym either at Lamheth or in the same place to say for himselfe wherefore he myght not be pronounced for an heretick for such a one to be denounced through hys whole prouince Also the said Archbishop assigned to the foresaid Nicholas and Philip the saide day place to answer peremptorily and to say fully plainly to the conclusions aforesayde all sophistication of woordes and disputation set a part ¶ The names of the Friers that sate vpon them Friers preachers 7. Thom. Barnwel William Swynherd William Pitworth Tho. Whatley Laurence Grenham Iohn Leigh Iohn Haker Carmelites 3. Walter Dish Iohn Kinningham Iohn Louey Augustine Frier Thomas Ashborne Doctour In the 20. day aforesaid of the said month of Iune the yere and place aboue prefixed before the foresayde Archbyshop sitting in his tribunall seat in the presence of diuers Doctours of Diuinitie and lawyers both Ciuil and Canon personally appeared M. Nicholas Herford Phillip Repindon Bachelers of Diuinity and Iohn Ayshton maister of Arte. Where the foresaid Nicholas and Philip being required by the sayd Archb. to answere and say fully and plainly their iudgements vppon the conclusions prefixed whereunto the sayde Archbyshop had assigned to the sayd Nicholas and Philip the same terme did exhibite to the sayd Archbyshop there iudicially sitting certaine aunsweres in wryting contained after the maner of indeÌ„ture the tenour whereof here vnder is contained and after the same forme answered to the sayd conclusions The tenour of which Indenture containing the foresaide conclusions vnto them moued as afore foloweth in these wordes ¶ The protestation of Nicholas Philip and Iohn with their Articles and aunsweres to the same WE protest here as before publikely in these preseÌ„ts that we intend to be humble and faithful children to the church and holy scripture and to obey in all things the determinations of the Church And if it shall chaunce vs at any time which god forbid to swarue from this our intention we submit our selues humbly to the correction of our reuerend father Lorde Archbishop of Cant. and primate of all England and of all other which haue interest to correct such swaruers This protestatioÌ„ premised thus we answere to the conclusions aforesayd That the substance of material bread and wine remaineth in the Sacrament of the aulter after consecration After the sense contrary to the Decretall beginning Firmiter credimus we graunt that it is heresie That the accidents doe not remaine wythout the subiect after consecration of the Sacrament Aâ—ter the sense contrary to that Decretall Cum Marthe We graunt that it is heresie That Christ is not in the sacrament the selfe same truly and really in hys owne corporall presence Although this conclusion as the words stand sound to be probable and intelligible yet in the sense coÌ„trary to the decretal in Cle Si dudum We graunt that it is heresy And briefly concerning this whole matter of the Sacrament of the aulter as touching also all other thyngs we professe that we will both in worde and sense holde wyth the holy Scripture with the determination of the holy church and sayings of the holy Doctours Obstinatly to affirme that it hath no foundation in the Gospell that Christ ordained the Masse We graunt that it is heresie That God ought to obey the deuill In this sense that God in hys owne person or essence ought to obey the deuil with the obedience of necessity We graunt that it is heresie If a man be duely contrite that all externall confession is to him superfluous and vnprofitable We graunt that it is heresie If the Pope be a reprobate an euill man and consequeÌ„tly a member of the deuil He hath no power ouer the faithful of Christ giueÌ„ to him of any vnleast it be of Cesar. We graunt that it is heresie That after Pope Urbane the 6. none is to be receyued for Pope but that wee ought to liue after the maner of the Grecians vnder our owne lawes We graunt that it is heresie To say that it is against the holy Scripture for ecclesiasticall persons to haue temporall possessions If obstinacie be ioyned withall wee graunt that it is heresie That no Prelate ought to excommunicate any man vnles he know him before to be excommunicate of God We graunte that it is an errour Understandyng thys knowledge to meane an experimental knowledge so that heerewith may stand the Decree of the Church 11. q. 3. Nemo Episco That he which doth so excommunicate is thereby an hereticke or excommunicate After the sense agreeing with the other before we graunt to be an errour That a Prelate excommunicating a clerke whych appealeth to the king or counsell of the realme in so doing is a traitor to God the king and the realme We graunt it is an errour That they whych leaue off to preache or to heare the word of God the gospel preached for the excommunication of men are excommunicate and in the day of iudgement shal be counted for traytors to God Understanding this coÌ„clusion vniuersally so as scripture and lawes do vnderstand such indefinit propositioÌ„s We graunt it is an errour To
Iohn Asheton what his iudgement opinion was touching the foresaid conclusions prefixed and assigned vnto the said Thomas for that time demaunding the same deliberation and day 8. dayes after that is to say the 28. of the said month that he appeare before the Bishop of Cant. wheresoeuer within his said prouince of Canterbury he should then happen to be to declare playnely and fully what his iudgement and opinion was touching the foresaid conclusions Ex Regist W. Courtney The names of Friers and Doctors assistent at the examination aforesaid Friers Obseruantes Botlesham B. of Nauaton frier Iohn Langley William Suard Friers of Dominickes order Iohn Kyngham Iohn Louey Peter Stokes Walter Dish Friers Carmelites Thomas Ashburn Baukine Robert Walbey Doctors and Fryers Augustines M. Iohn Barnet M. Thomas Backton M. Iohn Blanchard M. Iohn Shillingford M. Lydford M. Thomas Southam The Friday next following that is to say the 28. day of Iune the foresaid M. Nicholas Phillip and Thom. Hilman appeared before the said Archb. and lord Inquisitour of Canterbury in the chappell of his manor of Otfurd in the Dioces of Canterbury there sitting in his Tribunall seat To whom the sayd bishop of Canterbury saying that for because at that time he had not the presence assistence of the doctors in diuinitie and of the Canon and ciuil law He continued the sayd busines touching the sayd Nicholas Phillip and Thomas in the same state wherin theÌ„ it was till Tewesday next immediately ensuing that is to say the first day of Iuly the yeare of the Lord abouesayd and prefixed vnto the said Nicholas Phillip and Thomas Hilman the same day to appeare before him wheresoeuer within his prouince of Caunterb he should then chaunce to be to do that whiche vppon the sayd 28. day they were purposed to doe together or a part Which Tuesday being come the foresaid Archb. in the chiefe house of his Churche at Canterbury before the houre of 9. with the doctours whose names are vnder conteined and other Clerkes a great multitude Expected the foresaid Nicholas Phillip and Thomas longâ—ime by the bedle calling them and looking after them who neuerthelesse appeared not before two of the clocke after dinner the same day continuing the foresayd busines in the pristine state til the same houre At which houre the foresaid Archbishop of Cant. hauing assistentes the doctors clerkes vnder recited examined the foresayd maister Thomas Hilman theÌ„ and there iudicially appearing what his opinioÌ„ was touching the foresayd conclusions who at them and the meaning of them somewhat stammering at last to all and singuler the same conclusions then to him red and expounded thus aunswered I suppose and iudge all singuler those conclusions lately condemned by my Lord of Canterbury that now is together with the couÌ„saile and consent of hys clerkes to be hereticall and erroneous eueÌ„ as the same my Lord of Caunterbury and other doctours of Diuinitie of the Canon and ciuill law by common consent counsaile haue supposed and thought And that the same being for hereesies and errours as before is sayd condemned doe as much as in me is condemne protesting that I will holde and affirme the contrary of those coÌ„clusions in the same sayth liue and dye Then sayd the archbishop of Caunterbury then there sitting as Tribunall or iudge pronouncing the said maisters Nicholas and Phillip long in court called before and taried for and yet not appearing guilty of contumacy and disobedience excommunicated them for the penaltie of this their coÌ„tumacie in tenor of these words following We William by the grace of God archbishop of Caunterbury Primate of Englande Legate of the Apostolicall see and thorough all our prouince of Canterbury of al hereticall prauitie chiefe Inquisitour Do pronounce maister Nicholas Herford and maister Phillip Repingdon professours of diuinitie hauing this day and place by our prefiction appoynted to heart decree in this busines of hereticall prauitie being in Court by our Bedle long called taried for and yet not appearing to be stubburne and disobedient persons and for the penalty of this their contumacie we do excommunicate them and either of them by these presentes * The denouncing of the excommunication agaynst Nicholas Herford and Phillip Reppington WIlliam by Gods permission Archb. of Caunterb c. To our beloued sonne in Christ whosoeuer he be that this instaunt sonday shall preach at Paules crosse in London SalutatioÌ„ grace and blessing For asmuch as we prefixed a certaine competent day and place to maister Nicholes Herford and maister Phillip ReppingtoÌ„ Canon Regular of the Monastery of our Lady of Leicester beyng Doctours of Diuinitie and of heretical prauitie vehemeÌ„tly suspected After certayne aunsweres not fully made but impertinently and nothing to the purpose as also hereticall and erroneous In diuers places of our said prouince commonly generally and publikely taught and preached and therfore that they should iudicially appeare before vs to doe to receaue peremtorily in that behalfe what thing soeuer the quallitie of that busines shoulde moue vnto vs and that we haue for their contumacie in not appearing before vs at that day and place iudicially appoynted as right therein required We by these presentes commaund commit vnto you firmely enioyning you that when all the multitude of people shal be gathered together to heare your sermoÌ„ that in the day and place appoynted you publikely and solemnly denouÌ„ce the foresaid Nicholas Phillip holding vp a crosse and lighting vp a candle and then throwing downe the same vpon the ground to haue bene so and in such maner excommunicated and still be Fare ye well In our Manour house at Lambeth the 13. day of Iuly the yeare of our Lord. 1382. and first yeare of our translation * The Citation agaynst the sayd Nicholas and Phillip WIlliam by the grace of God c. To our welbeloued sonne M. Robbert Rigge chauncellour of the Vniuersitie of Oxford salutation c. For as muche as we haue prefixed a competent day and place to M Nicholas Heerford and M. Phillip Reppington c. as before We straightly charge and commaund you that you publiquely and solemnly denounce in the church of our Lady and in the scholes of the Vniuersity the foresayd Nicholas and Phillip to haue bene by vs excommunicated and still is And that you further cite or cause to be cited peremptorily the foresayd Nicholas and Phillip that they and euery of them appeare before vs within 15. dayes after the date of this citation wheresoeuer it shall fortune vs within our sayd prouince of Caunterbury then to be To heare and see how we meane to proceed against them and euery of them concerning the foresayd hereticall and erroneous conclusions according to the forme of retroactions and quallitie of the busines in this behalfe had and vsed And that both of the day of the receipt of this present citation of the maner and forme thereof or
reforme theyr liues Whereby it appeareth that if euery of the fiue and forty Articles conteyneth in it wholly the thing that is false and vntruth the same is either playnelye or darckly condemned in the holye Scriptures Secondly it followeth by the sentence and minde of this holy man that if the condemation of the fiue and forty Articles be profitable the same is founde in the holy scriptures And where as agayne Saynt Augustine writeth vnto Saynt â—ierome in his â—ight Epistle and the ninth Distinction I sayth he haue learned to attribute this honor and reuerence vnto those writers onely which are called Canonicall that I dare affirme none of them to haue erred in theyr workes or writinges As for all other writers I doe so read them that although they abound wyth ueuer so much holynesse or excell in doctrine I do not by and by thinke it true because they themselues do so iudge but if they can by other Canonicall Authors or probable reasons perswade or proue that they doe not degresse froÌ„ the trueth Also the sayd Augustine in his booke De vnico Baptismo Lib. 2. sayeth thus Who doeth not knowe or vnderstande that the holy canonicall scripture to be contayned in hys owne bondes and limittes and the same to be preferred before all other letters and decrees of Bishops c. And a litle after he hath the like saying as for the letters of other Bishops which haue bene written or be written after the Canon being confirmed they may lawfully be reprehended and reproued both by the word of them that be more skilfull in that matter and also by the auncient authority of other Bishops or by the prudeÌ„ce and wisedome of such as be better learned or more expert or els by generall couÌ„sels if it so chaunce that they in any poynt haue erred and gone a stray from the sincere truth By these sayings of S. Austen and other like c. The Vniuersity of Prage hath concluded and determined that they will not receiue the condemnation of the fiue and forty Articles made by the Doctors in their councel house as iust and true except they which condemned them will proue theyr condemnation by the holy Scriptures and probable reasons vpoÌ„ euery of the fiue and forty Articles Wherefore for the dew examination of the foresayd coÌ„demnation whether it be effectuall or no we will at thys present take in hand the fouretenth Article of the number of the fiue and forty which Article is this They which leaue of preaching and hearing of yâ— word of God for feare of excommudication of men are alreadye excommunicate and in the day of iudgement shal be counted the betrayers of Christ. This Article conteineth first that all priests omitting the preaching of the word of God for feare of the excommunication of men they are already excommunicate Secondly it conteineth that all such as doe omitte the hearing of the word of God for feare of excommunicatioÌ„ are already excommunicated Thirdlye that both these sortes of men in the daye of iudgement shal be counted traitors of Christ. As concerning the first poynt it is presupposed that the preaching of the word of God is commaunded vnto the Apostles and theyr followers as it appeareth in Mathew the tenth where it is sayd Iesus sent his xii Disciples commaunding them and saying goe and preach that the kingdome of heauen is at hand Also in the last of Mathew and the tenth of Luke Whereupon Peter the Apostle of Christ acknowledging this precept and commaundement for himselfe and for the other Apostles and successors in the 10. of the Actes sayth thus he commaunded vs to preach and to testifye that it is he which is ordayned of God the iudge both of the quicke and the dead This commaundement also the other Apostles did acknowledge specially the chosen vessell pronouncing vnder a great threatning in the first Corinthians 9. chap. Wo be vnto me if I do not preach the Gospell And Pope Nicholas considering that great threatning in 43. Distinction sayeth the dispensation and distribution of the heauenly seade is commaunded and enioyned vnto vs. Woe be vnto vs if we doe not sow it abroode or if we hold our peace Whiche thing when as the vessell of election did feare and cry out vpon how much more ought all other inferiours to feare and dread the same To the same purpose doth S. Gregory write in his pastorall in the distinction Sit rector It is also euident by many other doctours and holy men as by S. Augustine Hierome Isidore Bernard whose words it were here to long to rehearse As touching the second poynt that the hearing of the word and law of God is commaunded vnto the people it is euident both by the olde and new law for it is sayd in the 28. of the Prouerbes he that turneth away his eare will not heare the law of God his prayer shall be cursed And our Sauior rebuking the Scribes and Pharesyes concludeth thus in the 8. of S. Iohn saying he that is of God heareth Gods word But forsomuch as you are not of God therfore you heare not his word Thirdly it is to be noted that excommunication is a seperation from the Communion the 11. Question 3. Nihil cap Canonica And 27. question first Viduas 34. Question 3. Cum sacerdos And this excommunication is double that is to say either secret or manifest The secret excommunication is whereby a man is seperated from the misticall body of Christ and so from God through sinne according vnto the 59. Psalme Your iniquities haue made seperation betwene your God and you And with this excommunicatioÌ„ doth the Apostle excommunicate euery man which doth not loue the Lorde Iesu Christ. Saying in the first Corinth and the last Chapter If any man do not loue the Lord Iesu Christ let him be accursed The manifest and apert excommunication may be deuided into a manifest excommunication by God Whereof it is spoken Math. 25. go ye curied c. And often times els in the lawe of God Also into a manifest excommunication by men whereby the Prelate doth either iustly or vniustly cast out any man from the participation of the Communion of the Church Whereof this shall suffise at this present Then as touching the first part of the article it is thus argued c. Whosoeuer forsaketh or leaueth the commaundemeÌ„ts of God vndone they are excommunicate of God But the Priestes which leaue of the preaching of the word of God for feare of the vniust excommunication of men do leaue the coÌ„maundement of God vndone Ergo those Priests which do leaue of preaching of the word of God are excommunicated of God The first part of this Article is true The maior appereth by the Psalme Cursed be they which doe decline and swarue from thy preceptes The Minor is euident by the first proposition which proueth that the preaching of the word of God is the
vnto conscience doth edefy vnto eternall damnation As it is said as touching the restitutioÌ„ of the spoyled goods Chap. Literas porro But to omit the hearing of the word of God for feare of excommunicatioÌ„ of men is a thing which is done against conscience Therefore to omit the hearing of the worde of God for excoÌ„munication doth edefy vnto eternal damnatioÌ„ And therfore coÌ„sequeÌ„tly ought not to be done for feare of any excommunication Wherfore a woman being iudged vnto a man whom she knoweth to be within the degrees of coÌ„sanguinity which Gods law hath prohibited ought not to obey that iudgement least that she offend against God but meekly patiently to sustain the excommunication as it appereth in the chapter before alledged So likewise all true christians ought rather then to offend agaynst God meekly to suffer the excoÌ„munication of men theÌ„ to omit the hearing of the word of God To this purpose also serueth that which is spoken in the 11. quest 3. He that feareth the omnipoteÌ„t God will not presume by any meanes to do any thing contrary vnto the gospell or apostles either contrary vnto the Prophetes or the institutions of yâ— holy fathers By these premises the 2. part o. this article is manifest that all such as do omit the hearing of the word of God for feare of excommunication of men they are already excommunicated And forsomuch as all christians being of lawfull age not repenting at the end shal be counted in a maner as traitors of Christ in the day of iudgement because that they were vnfaythfull seruauntes of Christ. Therefore they which through feare omit the preaching hearing the word of God for the excommunication of men shall be counted as trayers of Christ and shall render account therof vnto the Lord whereupon Chrisostome touching both those sorts in the 41 Homely shewing how the Lord woulde haue some to be teachers and other some to be disciples sayth thus For vnto those which he would haue to be teachers he speaketh thus by his Prophet Esay Ye priestes speak in the harts of the people for if the priestes do not manifest all the truth vnto the people they shall reÌ„der accouÌ„t therof at the day of iudgemeÌ„t And likewise if the people do not learne the truth they shal also geue an account at the day of iudgemeÌ„t It is also made more euideÌ„t by him vpoÌ„ the tenth of Mathew Do not feare them which kill the body least that through the feare of death you do not frely speak that which you haue heard neither boldly preach that vnto all meÌ„ which you alone haue heard in your eares So that hereby alone it is euideÌ„t that not onely he is a betrayer of the truth which transgressing the truth doth openly speak lyes in the stead of truth But he also which doth not freely pronounce or doth not freely defend the truth which he ought boldly to defeÌ„d is also a traytor vnto the truth For like as the Priest is a debter to preach the truth which he hath heard of the Lord eueÌ„ so the lay man is bound to defend the truth which he hath heard of the minister approued by the scriptures which if he do not then is he a traytor vnto the truth For stedfast beliefe with the hart preuayleth vnto righteousnes the confession which is made with the mouth helpeth vnto saluation Thus much writeth Chrisostome Who together with the people meekely bearing the excommunication of the Bishops freely preached truth and the people heard him and so by hys word and his workes he freely taught the truth least he should be a Traytor vnto the truth consequently be counted as a Traytour vnto our Lord Iesu Christ in the day of iudgement And thus the third part of the Article aforesayde is manifest ¶ The defension of the xv Article of Iohn Wickliffe by Iohn Husse IT is lawfull for any Deacon or Priest to preach the worde of God without the authority of the Apostolicke Sea or of his Catholickes Fir I vnderstand here by the authority of the Apostolicke Sea properly his speciall consent authorising And likewise I vnderstand by authority of the Bishop a speciall consent of the Bishop authorising the sayde Deacon or Priest to preach Now as touching the truth of this Article I thus argue like as after matrimony once complete the man and wife may lawfully without any speciall liceÌ„ce of the Pope or Bishop procreate carnall children So likewise Deacons or Priestes by the motion of God through the Gospell of Iesu Christ may lawfully without any speciall licence either of the Pope or Bishoppe generate spirituall children Ergo this Article is true and the antecedent is thus proued For as it is an acceptable worke vnto God for man and wife without the speciall licence of the Pope or Bishop to generate carnall children so it is acceptable vnto him that Deacons or Priests by the motion of God through the Gospel of Iesu Christ should lawfully generate spirituall children without the speciall licence of the Pope or of any other Byshop Ergo the assumptio is true But if any man wil deny this similitude let him shew the diuersitye Yea seing it is worse not to receiue or to choake the seed of Gods word then the carnall seed So contrarywise is it better to receiue and sow abroad that seed of the word of God whereby children might be raysed vp vnto God then to receiue or geue such seede whereby carnall children may be gotten Whereupon our Sauiour in the 10. of Mathew sayth thus whosoeuer doth not receiue you neither heareth your wordes wype of the duste from your feete verelye I say vnto you that in the daye of iudgement it shal be more better vnto the Lande of Sodome and Gomer then to that City Also a Deacon or Priest being sturred by the spirite of Iesus Christ may preache the word of God without the speciall licence of the Pope or Bishop Ergo it is lawful for him so to do The consequent is thus manifest for so much as the spirite of God mooâ—ing the Deacon or Priest vnto the preaching of the Gospell is of greater force then anye prohibition of Pope or Bishop inuented by man Ergo according vnto the rule of the Apostles they ought infallibly to be obedieÌ„t vnto the spirit of Christ which doth so moue them therunto and rather to obey God then man Actes 5. Also by like reason as Heldad and Medad vpon whom the spirit of God did rest did lawfully prophecy without requiring any licence at Moyses handes as it is written Numery 11. by the same reason may the meeek minister of Christ vpon whom the spirite of God doth rest without the requiring any licence either of the Pope or Bishoppe may lawfully preache the worde of God vnto the people And would to God in this behalfe all Prelats had the spirite of Moyses for it is sayd Numeri 11. That when as
and that all auriculer and outward confessioÌ„ is superfluous and not requisite of necessitie to saluation 11. Item inferior Curates haue not their power of hynding and losing immediately from the pope or Bishop but immediately from Christ. And therfore neither can the pope nor bishop reuoke to themselues such kind of power wheÌ„ they see time and place at their lust and pleasure 12 Item that the pope cannot graunt such kinde of annuall yerely pardons because there shall not be so many yeares to the day of iudgement as are in the Popes bulles or pardons contayned Wherby it followeth that the pardoÌ„s are not of such like value as they speake of praysed to be 13. Item it is not in the popes power to graunt vnto any person penitent forgeuenes of the punishment or of the faulte 14. Item that person that geueth his almes to any whiche in his iudgement is not in necessitie doth sinne in so geuing it 15. Item that it stands not in the power of any Prelate of what religion soeuer he be of priuately to geue letters for the benefite of his order neither doth suche benefite graunted profite them to the saluation of their soule to whom they be graunted 16. Item that the same William vnmindeful of his own saluation hath many and oftentimes come into a certayn desert wood called Derualdwood of your diocesse there in a certain chappell not hallowed or rather in a prophane cottage hath in contempt of the keyes presumed of hys own rashnes to celebrate nay rather to prophanate 17. Item the same William hath also presumed to doe such thinges in a certayne prophane Chappell being situate in the park of Newton nigh to the town of Leintwarbin of the same your dioces VPon Friday being the last of the month of Iune in the yeare abouesayd about 6 of the clocke in the sayd parishe Churche of Bodenhone hath the sayd William Swinderby personally appeared before vs. And he willing to satisfie the terme to him assigned as before specified hath read out word by word before all the multitude of faythfull christian people many answeres made and placed by the same William in a certayne paper booke of the sheete folded into foure partes to the sayd Articles and the same answers for sufficient hath he really to vs exhibited aduouching them to be agreable to the lawe of Christ. Whiche thing beeing done the same William without any moe with him dyd departe from our presence because that we at the instaunce of certayne noble personages had promised to the same William free accesse that is to wit on that day for the exhibiting of those aunsweres and also free departing without prefixing of anye terme or without citation or els anye other offence or harme in bodye or in goodes ¶ As for the tenour of the same answers exhibited vnto theÌ„ by the same William as is before specified we haue here vnder annexed word for worde and in the same olde language vsed at that time when it was exhibited And followeth in these wordes The protestation of William Swinderby with hys aunsweres to the articles by the promotors layd agaynst him to the bishop of Herford taken out of the Registers in the same olde Englishe wherein he wrote it IN the name of God amen I William Swinderby priest vnworthy couenting and purposing wholy with all my hart to be a true christian man with open confessioÌ„ knowledging mine owne defaultes and vnwise deedes making openly this protestation cleping god to record here before our worshipfull Bishop Iohn through the sufferaunce of God Bish. of Herford with witnesse of all this people that it is not mine intent any thing to say or affirme to mayntain or to defend that is contrary to holy writte agaynst the beliefe of holy church or that should offend the holy determination of Christes Church or the true sentences of holy doctors And if I haue here before through mine vncunning bene vnordered or by euill counsaile bene deceiued or any thing sayd preached holden mayntayned or taught contrary to the law of God wholly and fully for that tyme for now and euer with ful will I reuoke it and withdraw it as euerich christen man should Praying and beseeching â—che christen man to whom this writing shal come to that gif I ought erre as God forbid that I do or euer erred in any poynt contrary to holy writ that it be had and holden of them as for thing nought sayd And all the trothes that I haue sayd according with the law of God that they mayntayne them and stand by them for life or death to Gods worship as a true Christen man shoulde submitting me meekely to the correction of our Byshop that here is or of any other christen man after Christes lawes and holy writ in will euer ready to be amended and with this protestation I say and aunswere to these conclusions and articles that here followen after the which bene put to me to aunswere to The first is this that I William of Swinderby pretending he sayth my selfe a priest was iudicially conuented of certain articles conclusions of error false schismatick heresie by me in diuers places tymes preached he sayth before multitudes of the true christen men the sâ—â—e articles and coÌ„clusions by need of law reuoked for sworn some as heresies and some as erroures and false suche I affirmed and veleued them to be And that none of them from that time forth I should preach teach or affirme openly or priuily ne that I should make no sermon to the people ne preache but by lawfull leaue asked and gotten And if I would presume in doing or affirming the contrary then to the seueritie of the lawe I should be buxom as by nede of the law I swore To this I say witnessing God that is in heauen to my wit and vnderstanding that I neuer preached helde ne taught these conclusions and articles the whiche falsely of Friers were put vpon me and of lecherous priestes to the Bishop of Lincolne For I was ordayned by processe yet sayd of theyr law by the byshop and his commissaryes so as I graunted them to bring my purgation of 13. priestes of good same And so I did with a letter 12. scales therby from the Mayor of Leycester and from true Burgeses and 30. men to witnes with me as the Duke of Lancaster knew and heard the Erle of Darby and other many great men that were that tyme in the towne that I neuer sayd them taught them ne preached them But when I should haue made my purgation there stooden forth fiue friers or moe that some of them neuer sawe me before ue heard me and three lecherous priestes openly knowne some liuing in their lechery xx yeare men sayden or more as by their childer was openly known Some of these they clepinden denounciations and some weren cleped comprobations that weren there falsely forsworne they suing busily and
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
6. Item that euery Priest may absolue euery sinner being contrite and is bound to preach the Gospell vnto the people notwithstanding the prohibition of the Bishops pag. 467. 7. Item that a priest receiuing by bargaine any thing of yearely annuity is in so doing a schismaticke and excommunicate pag. 467. 8. Item he doth assuredly beleeue as he auoucheth that euery priest being in deadly sinne if he dispose himselfe to make the body of Christ doth rather commit idolatry theÌ„ make Christes body pag. 467. 9. Item that no priest doth enter into any house but to handle ill the wife the daughter or the mayd and therfore c. pag. 467. 10. Item that the child is not rightly baptised if the priest c. ibid. 11. Item that no maner of person if he liue agaynst Gods law c. ibid. 12. Item the same William agaynst the thinges premised and his reuocation and abiuration not to his hart coÌ„uerting but from euill to worse peruerting did turne aside into our dioces where running to and fro in diuers places hath of his owne rash head presumed to preach or rather to peruert c. 467. 13. Item after that we had heard diuers rumors slaunders of very many we directed diuers monitions and coÌ„maundementes comminatorye to be sent abroade by our Commissaries to sundry places of our dioces that no person of what estate degree or condition so euer he were of should presume to preach or to teach the sacred scripture to the people in places holy or prophane within our dioces c. page 466. 14. Item that the same sort of monitions inhibitions and precepts confirmed by our seale came to the true vndouted knowledge of the sayd William 15. Item the same William vnmindefull of his owne saluation hath sithens agaynst those monitions inhibitioÌ„s and preceptes and that which is more abhominable to be spoken in contempt of the high Bishops dignity to the slauÌ„der offence of many people presumed in diuers places of our sayd dioces to preach or rather to peruert to teach the forementioned other heretical erroneous and schismaticall deuises 16 Item the same William in preaching to the people on monday to wit the first of August in the yere of our Lord 1390. in the Church of Whitney in our dioces held and affirmed that no Prelate of the world of what state prehemineÌ„ce or degree soeuer he were of hauing cure of soule being in deadly sinne c. pag. 466. 17. Item the same William in many places sayd affirmed in the presence of many faythfull â—hristian people after the sacramentall words vttered by the priest hauing the intent to consecrate there is not made the very bodye of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist pag. 466. 18. Item that accidences cannot be in the sacrameÌ„t of the aulter without theyr subiect that there remayneth materiall bread Concomitanter with the body of Christ in the sacrament Vide supra pag. 466. 19. Item that a priest being in deadly sinne cannot by the power of the sacrameÌ„tall words make the body of Christ c. pag. 466. 20. Item that all priests are of like power in all poynts notwithstanding that some of them are in this worlde of higher dignity degree or preheminence pag. 466. 21. Item that contrition onely putteth away sinne if a man shall be duely contrite and that all vocall confession and exercise is superfluous and not requisite of necessitye to saluation Ibidem 22. Item that inferior Curates haue not theyr power of binding and loosing mediatly from the pope or bishop but immediately of Christ. c. pag. 466. 23. Item that the pope cannot graunt such kind of annuall pardons because there shall not be so many yeares to the day of iudgement as is conteyned in the popes buls or pardons Whereby it followeth that pardons are not so much worth as they are noysed and praysed to be Ibid. 24. Item that it is not in the Popes power to graunt to any penitent body forgeuenes of the paine or of the trespasse pag. 466. 25 Item that one geuing his almes to any bodye which as he iudgeth hath no neede thereof doth sinne in so geeuyng it pag. 466. 26 Item that it standes not in the power of any prelate of what priuate religion soeuer he bee to geue by letters benefites of their order Neither do such kind of benefits geuen profit them to whom they be geuen for the saluatioÌ„ of soules Vide supra pag. 466. 27 Item that the same William vnmindfull of his owne saluation hath many times and often resorted to a certain desert wood called Derwalswood of our dioces and there in a certayne vnhallowed Chappell nay a prophane cottage hath presumed of his owne propre rashnesse to celebrate c. pag. 466. 28 Item the same William hath also presumed to do the like thinges in a certayne prophane chappel situate in the parke of Newton nigh to the towne of Leyntwardyn in the same our dioces pag. 466. ¶ Which thinges being done the same faithful Christen people and specially sir Walter Pride the penitentiarie of our Cathedrall Church of Hereforde personally appearing before vs sittyng in our iudgement seate in the parish Church of Whiteborne of our diocesse brought forth and exhibited two publique instruments against the same Walter Brute in the case of cursed heresie aforsaid of which instrumentes here followeth the tenours and Articles in this sort In the name of God Amen Be it euidently knoweÌ„ to all persoÌ„s by this preseÌ„t publike instrumeÌ„t the in the yeare froÌ„ the incarnatioÌ„ after the course and coÌ„putation of the church of England 1391. the indiction xv of the pontifical office of our most holy father and Lord in Christ Lord Boniface the ix by Gods Wisedome Pope the second yeare the xv day of the month of October in the dwelling house of the worshipful maÌ„ maister Iohn Godemoston Chanon of the Cathedral Church of Hereford in the presence of me the publique Notary vnder written and of witnesses subscribed Walter Brute lay man learned of Hereford dioces personally appearing sayde auouched and stifly maintayned that the sayde Bishop of Hereforde and his assistaunces which were with him the third day of the foresayde month of October the yeare of our Lord aforesayd in the Church of Hereford did naughtely wickedly peruersly and vniustly condemne the aunsweres of sir William Swinderby Chaplaine geuen by the same sir William to the same Lord byshop in wryting and also the articles ministred by the same sir William And furthermore he sayd held and aduouched that the same conclusions geuen by the same sir WilliaÌ„ euen as they were geuen are true and Catholike Item as touching the matters obiected agaynst hym by them that stoode by concerning the sacrament of the aulter he sayd that after the sacramentall words there doth remaine very bread and the substance therof after the coÌ„secration of the body of Christ and
written in Deuteronomium If there shall arise a Prophet amongest you or one that shall say hee hath seene a dreame and shall foretell a signe and a wonder if that shall come to passe that he hath spoken and he shall say vnto thee Let vs go and follow straunge Goddes whom thou knowest not and let vs serue them thou shalt not harken vnto the wordes of that Prophet or dreamer for the Lord your God tempteth you to make it known whether ye loue him or no with all your hart and with all your soule In Ieremy the 12. chap. Are not my wordes euen lyke fire sayth the Lord and like an hammer that breaketh the stone Therfore behold I wil come against the Prophets whiche haue dreamed a lye sayth the Lorde whiche haue shewed those things and haue seduced the people through theyr lies and their miracles when as I sent theÌ„ not neyther commanded them which haue brought no profit vnto this people sayth the Lord. In Marke the 13. chapter sayth Christ For there shall arise false Christes and false Prophetes and shall shewe great signes and wonders to deceiue if it were possible euen the very elect Paule in hys second Epistle to the Corinthians the xi chap. Suche false Apostles are deceitfull workers transforming themselues into the Apostles of Christ and no maruayle For euen Sathan transformeth himselfe into an angell of light therefore it is no great thing though his ministers transforme themselues aâ— though they were the ministers of righteousnes whose end shal be according to their works In the Apocalips the 13. chap. Iohn saw a beast ascending vp out of the earth and it had two hornes like a lamb but he spake like the Dragon and he did all that the first beast could do before him and he caused the earth and the inhabitantes therof to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed and did great wonders so that he made fire come downe from heauen on the earth in the sight of men and deceiued theÌ„ that dwell on the earth by meanes of the signes which were permitted to him to do in the sight of the beast By these thinges it is most manifest and playne that in miracles this manifold errour oftentimes happeneth thorough the working of the deuill to deceiue the people wtal Wherfore we ought not for the working of miracles to depart from the commaundements of God I woulde to God that they which put confidence in miracles would geue heed vnto the word of Christ in the 7. chap. of Math. thus speaking Many shall say vnto me in that day Lord Lord haue we not in thy name prophecied and in thy name cast out deuils and in thy name done many great workes c. I wil professe vnto them I neuer knew you depart from me all ye which worke inquitie By this saying it is most manifest that the seruauntes of Christ are not discerned by the working of miracles but by the working of vertues departing from iniquitie and obeying the coÌ„maundements of God Wherfore it is woÌ„derful that any in this life dare presume to preuent the day of the iudgement of God to iudge by meanes of miracles that some are Saints whom men ought to worship whoÌ„ peraduenture God will in the last iudgement condemne saying depart from me all ye which worke iniquitie If any man could here on earth iudge sinners to be condemned then if this iudgement were certayne Christ shoulde not iudge the 2. tyme and what soeuer such iudges bynde in earth the same ought to be bound in heauen But if such a iudgement be vncertayne then it is perillous and full of deceit when as by it men on earth may in steede of saintes worship suche as are damned with the fellowship of the deuils and in prayer require their ayde who euen like as the deuils their companions are more ready and more of might to euill then to good more to hurt then to profite I wonder they marke not what Christ sayd when his kinswoman came vnto him desiring and requiring something of him and saying Commaund that these my two sonnes may sit one vpon thy right hand and the other vpon thy left hand in thy kingdome But Iesus aunswering sayd Ye know not what ye aske can ye drinke of the cup whiche I shall drink of they sayd vnto him we cna He sayd vnto them Of my cupp in deede ye shall drinke but to sit at my right hand or at my left it is not mine to geue but vnto whom it is prepared for of my father Christ being equall vnto the father according to his God head exceeding all maner of men according to his manhode namely in goodnes and wisedome sayde to sit my right hande or at my left is not mine to geue but vnto whome it is prepared of my father If it were none of his to geue to sit at the right hand or at the left c. How then is it in the power of anye sinnefull man to geue vnto any man a seate eyther on the right hand or on the left in the kingdome of God whiche sinnefull man knoweth not whether suche haue anye seate prepared for theÌ„ of the father in his kingdome They much extoll themselues which exercise this iudicial power in geuing iudgement that there are some sayntes which ought to be honoured of men by reason of the euidency of dreames or of deceitfull miracles of which men they are ignoraunt whether God in hys iudgement will condemne them or not together with the deuils for euer to be tormented Let them beware for the vnfallible truth sayth that euery one that exalteth himselfe shall be brought low By these thinges is gathered that the warres of Christians are not lawfull for that by the doctrine and life of Christ they are prohibited by reason of the euidency of the deceitfull miracles of those whiche haue made warres amongest the Christians as well agaynst the Christians as also agaynst the infidels Because Christ could not erre in his doctrine for as much as he was God And forasmuch as heauen and earth shall passe awaye but the wordes of Christ shall not passe away He therefore whiche establisheth his lawes allowing warres and the slaughter of meÌ„ in the warre as well of Christians as of Infidels doth he not insâ—â—ie those thinges which are contrary vnto the gospell law of Christ Therefore in this he is against christ and therfore Antichrist seducing the people making men beleeue that to be lawfull meritorious 〈◊〉 them which is expressedly prohibited by Christ. ¶ And thus much concerning the first parte touching peace and warre wherin he declareth Christ and the pope to be contrary that is the one to be geuen al to peace the other all to warre and so to proue in conclusion the Pope to be Antichrist Where in the meane time thou must vnderstand gentle reader his meaning rightly not that hee so thinketh no kind
him by the priest except the sayde penaunce be released by a superiour power for all priestes as they say haue not equall authoritie to absolue sinnes The chiefe priest whome they call Peters successour hath power fully and wholy to absolue But the inferior priests haue power some more some lesse The more as they are neare him in dignitie The lesse as they are farther from the degree of his dignitie All this is declared by proces in the decrees butnot by the expresse doctrine of Christ or any of his Apostles For although Christ absolued men from their sinnes I do not find that he did it after the maner of a iudge but of a sauior For Christ sayth God sent not his sonne into the world to iudge sinners but that the worlde should be saued by him Iohn chap. 3. Wherupon he spake vnto him whom he healed of the palsie Beholde thou art made whole go thy wayes and sinne no more And to the woman taken in adultery Christ sayd woman where be thy accusers hath no man condemned thee who sayd No man Lord. To whom then Iesus thus said No more wil I condemne thee go and now sinne no more By which words and deedes of Christ and many other places of the scripture it appereth he was not as a Judge at his first coÌ„ming to punish sinners according to the quaÌ„titie of their offences but that day shal come hereafter where in he shall iudge all men according to their workes as in Mat. 25. where he sayth When the sonne of man shal come in his maiesty and all his aungels with him then shall he sit vpon the seat of his maiesty and all nations shal be gathered together before him and he shall seperate them one from an other as a shepheard seperateth the sheepe from the Goates c. Neither shall he iudge alone but his Saintes also with him For he sayth you that haue followed me in this generation when the sonne of man shall sit in the seat of his maiestie shal sit also vpon 12. seats and iudge the 12. tribes of Israell If then sith Christ came not as a Iudge why doe the Priestes say that they supplye the roome of Christ on earth to iudge sinners according to the quantitie of theyr offences And yet not onely this but it is more to be maruailed at how the Byshop of Rome dareth to take vpon him to be a Iudge before the day of iudgement and to preuent the time iudging some to be saintes in heauen to be honoured of men and some agayn to be tormented in hel eternally with the deuils Would God these men wold wey the saying of S. Paule Corin. 4. Iudge ye not before the time vntill the comming of the Lorde who shall make light the darcke and secret places and disclose the secretes of hartes and then euery one shall haue his prayse Let the Byshop of Rome take heede lest that in Ezechiell be spoken by him because thy hart is eleuate and laydst vnto thy selfe I am God I haue sitten in the seat of God in the hart of the sea when thou art but man and not God It is manifest that the remission of sinnes principallye belongeth to God who through grace washeth awaye our sinnes For it is sayd the lamb of God taketh away the sinnes of the world And vnto Christians it belongeth as the Ministers of God For in the 20. of Iohn Christ sayth Receaue vnto you the holy Ghost whose sinnes you shall remit they are remitted vnto them and whose sinnes you shal retain they are reteined Seing therfore that all Christians that are baptised in the name of the Father and of the sonne of the holy Ghost receaue the holy ghost it appeareth that they haue power geueÌ„ vnto them of Christ to remit sinnes ministerially Hath not euery Christian authoritie to baptiseâ— and in the baptisme all the sinnes of the baptised are remitted Ergo they that doe baptise do remit sinnes And thus ministerially all suche haue power to remitte sinnes Therfore to say that one man hath more authoritie to remit sinnes then al other Christians haue is to much to extol him to place him euen in Gods seat I pray you how are the sinnes remitted him that is baptised of the Prieste yea although he were of the pope himselfe baptised more then if he were baptised of an other Christian Surely I thinke no more For seing that before Baptisme he remayneth a sinner and of the kingdome of the deuill by sinne after baptisme he entreth into the kingdome of heauen It appeareth that he that doeth baptise openeth the gate of the kingdome of heauen to him that is baptised the whiche he cannot do wtout the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Therfore euery one that both baptise hath the keyes of the kingdome of heauen as well the inâ—eriour Priest as the Pope But these keyes are not the knowledge to discerne power to iudge because these doe nothing anayle in baptisme Ergo there are other keyes of the kingdome of heauen theÌ„ these Wherfore it seemeth that the authors of the Canons erred in mistaking the keyes wherupon they ground the authoritie iudiciall of the Clergy Now a little errour in the beginning graunted groweth to great incoÌ„uenience in the end Wherfore in my iudgement it seemeth that the keyes of the kingdome of heauen are sayth and hope For by fayth in Iesus Christ and hope in him for the remission of sinnes we enter the kingdome of heaueÌ„ This faith is a spiritual water springing from Iesus Christ the fountayne of wisedome wherein the soule of the sinner is washed from sinne With this water were the faithfull Patriarches baptised before the lawe and the faythfull people of the Hebrewes and the faythful Christians after the law Wherfore I greatly maruell of that saying in the decrees which is ascribed vnto Augustine that litle children that are not baptised shal be tormented with eternall fire although they were born of faithfull parents that wished them with all their hartes to haue bene baptised as though the sacrament of Baptisme in water were simply necessary to saluation when neuerthelesse many Christians are saued without this kinde of Baptisme as Martirs If that kinde of Sacrament be not necessary to one of elder yeres how theÌ„ is it necessary to an infant born of the faythfull Are not all baptised with the holy Ghost and with fire But yet not with materiall fire no more is the lotion of water corporally necessary to washe awaye sinnes but onely spirituall water that is to say the water of fayth Are not the quicke baptised for them that are dead as witnsseth Paule 2. Corin. 15. If the dead arise not at all why are the liuing then baptised for them If the liuing be baptised for the dead Why then is not the infant saued by the baptisme of his parentes seeing the infant it selfe is impotent at the time
Item in the same Parliament was put vp by publike petion that the popes collector should be commaunded to auoyd the Realme within 40. dayes or els to be taken as the kinges enemy and that euery such collector from henceforth may be an Englishman and sworn to execute the statutes made in this Parliament Moreouer in the sayd Parliament the yere abouesayd of the king the 26. of Ianuary M. Iohn Mandour Clark was charged openly in the parliament that he should not passe ne send ouer to Rome ne attempt or doe any thinge there touching the Archdeaconry of Durham in preiudice of the king or of hys lawes or of the party presented thereto by the king on perill that might ensue The next yeare following whiche was the 14. of thys kinges raigne it was enacted first touching the staplers that after the feast of the Epiphany next ensuing that the staple should be remoued from Calice into England in suche places as are contayned in the statute made in 27. Edw. 3. the which statute should be fully executed and further that euery Alien that bringeth merchaundise into the Realme should finde sufficient surety to buy and cary awaye commodities of the Realme to halfe the value of his sayd merchaundise Item in the same parliament petition was made that agaynst the horrible vice of vsury then termed shifts practised as well by the clergie as laitie the order made by Iohn Notte late Mayor of Londō might be executed throughout the Realme Moreouer in the 15. yeare of the raigne of the foresayde king it was accorded for that syr W. Brian knight had purchased from Rome a Bull directed from the Archbshop of Cant and Yorke to excommunicate suche as had broken vp his house and had taken away diuers letters priuilegies and charters The same Bull being red in the parliament house was adiudged preiudicial to the kings crown and in derogation of the lawes for the whiche hee was by the king and assent of the Lordes committed to the Tower there to remayne at the kinges will and pleasure In the sayd Parliament also W. Archb. of Canterbury maketh his protestation in the open parliament saying that the pope ought not to excommunicate any bishop or to entermeddle for or touching anye presentment to anye ecclesiasticall dignitie recorded in any the kinges courtes He further protested that the pope ought to make no translation to any Byshopricke within the realme against the kinges will for that the same was to the destruction of the realme and crowne of England whiche hath alway bene so free as the same hath had none earthly soueraigne but onely subiecte to God in all thinges touching regalties and to none other The which protestation he prayd might be entred In the 17. yeare of the raygne of the king aforesayd it was desired that remedy might be had agaynst suche religious persons as caused their villains or vnderlinges to mary free women inheritable wherby the lands came to those religious mens handes by collusion Item that sufficient persons might be presented to benefices who may dwell on the same so as theyr stocke for want therof do not perish Item that remedy might be had agaynst the Abbotes of Colchester and Abinton who in the townes of Colchester and Colnham clayme to haue sanctuary To come to the parliament holden in the 20. yeare of this kinges raigne we finde moreouer in the sayd rolles how that the Archb. of Cant. and York for themselues and the clergy of their prouinces declared to the king in open parliamēt that forasmuch as they were sworn to the pope and see of Rome if any thing were in the parliament attempted in restraynt of the same they woulde in no wise assent therto but verily withstand the same the which theyr protestation they require to be enrolled Upon the petition of the begging Friers there at large it was enacted that none of that order shoulde passe ouer the seas without licence of his soueraigne nor that he shoulde take vppon him no order of M. of Diuinitie vnlesse he were first apposed in his Chapter prouinciall on payne to be put out of the kinges protection Item that the kings officers for making arests or attachementes in Churchyardes are therefore excommunicated wherof remedy was required In the yeare of the same kinges raygne 21. the Parliment being holden at Westminster we find how the commons in full Parliament accused Thomas Arundell archbishop of Caunterbury for that he as Chauncellor procured and as chiefe doer executed the same commission made trayterously in the tenth yeare of the king And also that he the sayd Archbishop procured the Duke of Gloucester and the Earles of Arundell and Warwicke to encroth to themselues royall power and to iudge to death Simon de Burley and sir Iohn Berners without the kings assent Wheron the Commons required that the same archbish might rest vnder safe keeping wherunto for that the same impeachementes touched so great a person they would be aduised Item the 25. day of September the Commons prayed the king to geue iudgement agaynst the sayd Archbishop according to his desertes The king aunswered that priuately the sayd Archbishop had confessed to him howe he mistooke himselfe in the sayd Commission and therefore submitted himselfe to the kings mercy Wherfore the king Lordes and sir Thomas Percy proctor for the clergie adiudged the facte of the sayd Archbishop to be treason and hymselfe a traytour and therfore it was ordered that the sayd Archbishoppe shoulde be banished his temporalties seased his landes and goodes forfeyted as well in vse as in possession The king further prescribed that the sayd Archbishop shoulde take hys passing on Friday within 6. weekes of Michaelmas at Douer towardes the parts of Fraunce Thus hauing hitherto sufficiently touched and comprehended such thinges as haue happened in the raygne of this king necessary for the Church to knowe by course of story we come nowe to the 22. yeare of King Richardes raygne which is the yeare of our Lord 1399. In the which yeare happened the strange and also lamentable deposing of this king Richard the second aforesayd from hys kingly scepter Straunge for that the like example hathe not often bene seene in seates royall Lamentable for that it cannot be but grieuous to any good mans hart to see him eyther so to deserue if he were iustly deposed or if he were vuiustly depriued to see the kingly title there not able to hold his right wher by force it is compelled to geue place to might As concerning the order and processe of whose deposing for that it neither is greatly pertinent to my argument and is sufficiently contayned in Robert Fabian and in the kinges recordes in the Chronicle of S. Albons and in other histories at large it were here tedious and superfluous to entermedle with repeting therof What were the conditions and properties of this king partly before hath bene
Richard againe in the raigne of this king that many yeares after he was rumored to be aliue of them which desired belike that to be true which they knew to be false for the which diuers were executed For the space of sixe or vij yeares together almost no yeare passed without some conspiracy against the king Long it were here to recite the bloud of all such Nobles and other which was spilt in the raigne of this king as the Earle of Kent Earle of Salisbury Earle of Huntington named Iohn Holland c. as writeth the story of S. Albans But the English writers differ something in their names and make mention of 4. Earles of Surrey of Excester of Salisbury and Lord Spenser Earle of Gloucester Ex Lib. cui tit Calendarium Bruti And the next yeare following Syr Ihon Clarendon knight with two of his seruauntes the Priour of Laund with 8. friers were hanged and quartered And after these Henry Percy the younger the Earle of Worcester named Thomas Percy his vncle Lord of Kinderton and L. Richard de Uernoua The Earle of Northumberland scarce escaped with his pardon an 1403. In the which yeare the prison in Cornhill called the tonne was turned into the conduit there now standing To let passe other moe hanged and quartered the same time as Blount knight Benet Kely knight and Thomas Wintersel Esquier Also the same yeare was taken and executed sir Bernard Brokes knight sir Iohn Shilley knight Syr Iohn Mandelyn and William Frierby After all these L. Henry Earle of Northumberland and L. Bardolfe conspiring the kings death were taken in the North and beheaded which was in the 8. yere of this king Henry This ciuil rebellion of so many nobles other against the king declared what grudging heartes the people then bare towarde this king Henry Among whome I cannot pretermit heere also the Archb. of Yorke named Richarde Scrope who with the L. Moubrey Marshal of England gathered a great company in the North countrey against the foresaid king to whom also was adioyned the helpe of L. Bardolfe Henry Percy Earle of Northumberland Ex Chron. D. Albani And to stirre vp the people more willingly to take their partes they collected certaine Articles against the said king to the number of 10. and fastned them vpon the doores of Churches and Monasteries to be read of all men in English Which articles if any be disposed to vnderstand for somuch as the same also containe a great part of the doings betweene king Henry king Richard aforesayde I thought for the better opening of the matter heere vnder to inserte the same in such forme as I founde them in the historie of Scala mundi expressed ¶ Articles set vp on Church doores against king Henry the fourth IN the name of God Amen Before the Lorde Iesus Christ iudge of the quicke and dead c. We A.B.C.D. c. not long sithens became bounde by othe vppon the sacred Euangelicall booke vnto our soueraigne Lorde Richarde late king of England and France in the presente of many prelates potentates and nobilitie of the realme that wee so long as we liued should beare true allegeance and fidelity towardes hym and his heires succeding hym in the kingdom by iust title right and line accordyng to the statutes and custome of this realme of England By vertue wherof we are bound to foresee that no vices or hainous offences arise in the common weale do take effect or wyshed ende but that we ought to geue our selues and our goodes to wtstand the same without feare of sword or death whatsoeuer vpon paine of periurie which paine is euerlasting damnation Wherfore we seing perceiuing diuers horrible crimes and great enormities daily without ceassing to be committed by the children of the deuill and sathans soldiours against the supremacie of the Church of Rome the libertie of the church of England and the lawes of the realme against the person of king Rich. and his heires against the prelates noble men religion and comminaltie and finally against the whole weale publike of the realme of England to the great offence of the maiesty of almighty God and to the prouocation of his iust wrath and veÌ„geance towards the realme and people of the same And fearing also the destruction both of the Churche of Rome and England the ruine of our couÌ„try to be at hand hauing before our eyes the iustice the kingdom of God calling alwaies on the name of Iesus hauing an assured confidence in his clemency mercy and power haue here taken vnto vs certain articles subscribed in forme folowing to be proponed tried and heard before the iust iudge Iesus Christ and the whole world to his honour the deliuery of the church the cleargy and comminalty and to the utility profite of the weale publick But if which God forbid by force feare of violence of wicked persons we shal be cast in prison or by violent death preuented so as in this worlde we shall not be able to proue the saide articles as we would wish then do we apeale to the high celestiall iudge that he may iudge discerne the same in the day of his supreme iudgement 1. ¶ First we depose say except and entend to proue against the Lord Henry Derby sonne of the Lord Iohn of Gaunt late Duke of Lancaster and commonly called king of England himselfe pretending the same although without all right and title thereunto and against his adherents fautours and complices that euer they haue bene are and will be traytors inuaders and destroyers of Gods Church in Rome England Wales and Ireland and of our soueraigne Lord Richard late King of England his heires his kingdom and common wealth as shall hereafter maniâ—estly appeare 2. Secondarely we depose c. against the said Lord HeÌ„ry for that he had conceaued deutied conspired certaine hainous crimes and traiterous offences against his sayd soueraigne Lord Richard his state and dignitie as manifestly did appeare in the contention betwene the said Lord Henry and yâ— Lord Thomas Duke of Northfolke begon at Couentry but not finished throughly Afterwards he was sent in exile by sentence of the said king Richard by the agreement of his father the Lord Iohn Duke of Lancaster by the voice of diuers of the Lords temporall nobilitie of the realme and also by his owne consent there to remaine for a certaine time appointed vnto him by the said Lords and withall he was bound by othe not to returne into EnglaÌ„d before he had obteined fauour grace of the kyng Not long after when the king was departed into Ireland for reformation of that countrey apperteining to the crowne of England but as then rebelling agaynst the same the sayd Lord Henry in the meane time contrary to his oth and fidelitie and long before the time limited vnto him was expired with all his fautours and inuaders secretly entred into the Realme swearing
lying other vnlawful meanes likewise ought to debar their golde to the proud Priest of Rome which doth poyson all Christendome with Simony and heresy Further that it is a great abhomination that Bishops mōks and other prelates be so great Lords in this world where as Christ with his Apostles and disciples neuer took vpon thē secular dominion neither did they appropriat vnto them churches as these men do but led a poore life gaue a good testimony of theyr priesthood And therfore all Christians ought to the vttermost of theyr power and strength to sweare that they will reduce such shauelings to the humility and pouerty of Christ and his Apostles And whosoeuer thus doth not consenteth to theyr heresy Also that these two chapiters of the immunitye of Churches are to be condemned that is cap. Non minus and cap. Aduersus Because they doe decree that temporall Lordes may neyther require tallages nor tenthes of any Ecclesiasticall persons Now to the correction of the clergy By the law of god and by reason the king and all other Christians may take reuenge of Italye and of all the false Priests and Clerkes within the same and to reduce them vnto the humble ordinaunce of Iesus Christ. Also that the law of Siluester the Pope which is declared in 2. q. 5. cap. Praesul and cap. Nullam is cōtrary to the law of Christ either testament And that proud and ambitious Siluester by this lawe so defended two Cardinals which were not to be defended by the law of Christ that by no meanes they might be conuinced although they were both vicious euil And although christ susteined and suffered the iudgemēt of vniust temporal iudges Our mitred prelates in these dayes so magnify themselues beyond christ and his Apostles that they refuse and will none of such iudgements Also that those decretals of accusations cap. Quādo Qualiter Which do prohibite that any clerkes should be brought before a secular iudge to receiue iudgement do contayne both heresy blasphemy and error and bringeth great gayne and commodity to Antechristes cofers Furthermore that all Christian kinges and Lordes ought to exclayme agaynst the Pope and those that be hys sautors and banish them out of theyr landes till such time as they will obey God and his Gospell Kings and other ministers of Gods iustice Also that bishops and theyr fauourers that say it appertayneth not to kings and secular Lordes but vnto them and theyr Officials to punish adultery and fornicatiō do fall into manifest treason agaynst the king and heresy agaynst the scripture Also that it appertayneth to the king to haue the order both of priests bishops as these kings Salomon and Iosaphat had Furthermore that chapter Nullus iudicium de foro conpetenti by the which secular iudges are forbidden without the Bishops commandement to condemne any Clerk to death Is manifestly agaynst the holy scripture declaryng that kinges haue power ouer clerkes priestes to punish thē for their deserued crimes Also that the decree of Boniface de poenis in 6. cap. foelicis made agaynst the persecutors strikers and imprisoners of Cardinals as contrary both to the holy scripture to all reason Also that by the law of God and reason a secular Lord may lawfully take a Cardinal put him in prison for committing the crime of open sunony adultery manifest blasphemy Also that the chapier Si Papa dist 40. which sayth that the Pope ought to be iudged of none vnles he be deuius a fide is cōtrary to the gospell which sayth If thy brother sinne agaynst thee correct him Also where as S. Gregory and S. Augustine called themselues the seruaunts of Gods seruants this proud bishop of Rome which will not be iudged by his subiects which be in very deed his Lordes if they be iust good men doth destroy the order of Gods law and all humility and doth extoll himself aboue God and his Apostles Also that christian kings ought not onely to iudge this proud bishop of Rome but also to depose him by the example that Cestrensis lib. 6. cap. 8. declareth of Otho the Emperour which deposed Iohn the xii and did institute Leo in his place And further he maketh an exhortation to the Princes to iudge the Church of Rome which he calleth the great and cursed strompet of whom S. Iohn writeth in the Apocalips chap. 17. Lastly touching the lawes and determinations of the church Christians haue reasonable excuses and causes to repell the statutes of the pope and of his shauelings which be not expresly grounded in the holy scriptures or els vpon reason ineuitable Also he sayth that that law whiche is set forth of consecration distinctione 2. cap. Seculares cap. Omnis homo cap. Et si non frequentius cap. In coena domini That such secular men as do not receiue the sacrament ot the aultar at Christmas Easter and Whitsontide are not to be counted amongest the number of Christians nor are to be estemed as christiās wherby it followeth that all Clerkes and lay men that obserue not the same it seemeth they go strait to hell But if this law be of no force for that the custome and vse in receiuing is contrary to the same then may we blesse such rebellion disobediēce to the pope and his law for otherwise we should flee to hel without any stay or let Wherby we may conclude that all Christiās ought well to practise this schoole of disobedience against the Pope and all his lawes not founded vpon the holy scripture which do let men to clime to heauen by the keping of charity and the liberty of the Gospell Also that Christian men haue great cause to refuse the lawes and statutes of these worldly clerkes which the people call the papal lawes and bishoplike statutes for the couetousnesse and voluptuousnesse of them without the which the church congregation of God might safely run towards heauē by the sweet yoke of the Lord as it did 1000. yeres before the said lawes were prescribed and sēt to the Uniuersities and withdrew mē from studiyng of the holy scripture for the desire of benefices and worldly goods Also that simple men do reuerētly receiue the sentences of the Doctors and other lawes so farre forth as they be expresly groūded vpon the holy scripture or good reason Also that where as the Popes lawes lawes of his ministers clerks be both cōtrary to them selues and haue not theyr foūdation neither vpon the scripture nor yet vpon reason simple mē ought to bid thē farewell Also that when all the apostles faith fayled thē in the time of the Lords passiō fayth thē rested in the blessed virgin much more might that proud priest of Rome with all his rabble easily erre in the fayth and yet is the Christian fayth preserued whole and safe in the faythful members of Christ which are his true Church But the
First for that they should the rather dreade God and leaue their sinne As it is writ their sickenes hath bene multiplied and after they haue hyed to Godward For we see oft men in sicknes know their God that neuer would haue turned to him whyle they had beene whole Also God sendeth them sicknes oft to agast other men lest they follow their sin As the sickenes of kyng Antioche whome God smote with such a sickenes that wormes fell out of hys body whyle he lyued in so farforth that he stanke so foule that his frends were so wearye of it that they might not suffer it And at the last when he himselfe might not suffer his owne stinch then he began to know himselfe and sayd It is rightfull to be subiect to God and a deadly man not to hold himselfe onely euen with God and the story saith he asked mercie of God and made a vowe to God that he would make the Citie of Ierusalem free and the Iewes to make them as free as the men of Athens and that hee would honour Gods temple wyth pretious ary and multiply the holy vessels and finde of his owne rent and spenses perteining to the sacrifice And he would become a Iew and go ouer all the lond to preach Goddes might And yet God gafe him not such mercy as he desired And I trow certein that it was for good In as much as God knew he would not afterward hold his couenaunt or els for he axket it too late What mede was it for him to forsake his wickednes whan hee was vnmightie to doo good or euill Neuertheles I trow he was not dampned in as much as he had such repentaunce for repentaunce in this life come neuer too late if it be trew But by thys vengeaunce that God tooke on thys king should men see what it is to be vnobedient to God And also it is to take heede that whan euer sickenes commeth euer it sheweth that hee that suffreth this deadly shall nedes dye For though he may skape of his sicknes yet hee may not skape death And so thou must needs come giue rekening of thy bayly The second somnour that shall clepe thee to this particuler doome is elde or age And the condition of him is this though that he tarie with thee he will not leue thee till he bring thee to the thirde that is death But there be many that though they haue this somnour with them they take none hede though they see ther he are hore her back crook her breth stynke her teeth fayle her yen derk her visage riuely her crene wexit heuy to her What meneth all this but that age sunneth to the dome But what more madhead may be than a man to be cleped and drawe to so dreadfull a reckenyng there where but he aunswere well he forfeteth both body and soule to damnation for euer If seing a litle wordly merth on the way he thinketh so mekill theron that he forgetteth who draweth him or whether he draweth So doth he that is smiten with age and liketh so on the false world is wealth that he forgetteth whether he is away Herefore sayth an holy Doctour that among all abusions of the world most is of an old man that is obstinate for he thinketh not on his out going of this world ne of passing into the lyfe that is to come he heareth messengers of death and he leueth hem not and the cause is this for the threfold cord that such an old maÌ„ is bounden with is hard to breke This cord is custome that is of three plightes that is of idel thought vnhonest speach and wicked deede the whiche if they groweth in a man from the childhood into mans age they maketh a treble cord to bynde the old man on custome of sinne Herefore sayth Esay breake the bondes of sinne Thinke herefore whosoeuer that thou be that art thus sumned that thou might not scape that thou ne shalt yeld the rekenyng of thy baily The third somner to this reckenyng is death And the condition of him is that whan euer he come first other the secoÌ„d other the last houre he ne spareth neither power ne yougth ne he dreadeth no thretning ne he ne taketh hede of no prayer ne of no gift ne he graunteth no respit but withouten delay he bringeth forth to the dome Herefore seyth Sainct Austen Well ought euerie man drede the day of his death For in what state a mans last day findeth hym whan he dyeth out of this worlde in the same state he bringeth hym to hys dome Herfore seyth the wise man Sonne thinke on thy last day and thou shalt neuer sinne Therfore I rede that thou thinke that thou shalt geue reconing of thy bayly I sayd also that there shall be another doome to the which all men shall come together and this shall be vniuersall And right as to the other dome euery man shall be cleped with these three sumnours so to this dome all this world shall be cleped with three generall clepers And right as the other three messengers tell a mans end so these tell the end of the world The first cleper is the worldly sicknes the second cleper is feblenes and the third is the ende The sicknes of the world thou shalt know by charitie a cooling His elde and febles thou shalt knowe by tokens fulfilling and hys end thou shalt know by Antichristes pursuing First I sayd thou shalt knowe the worldes sicknes by charitie a cooling Clerkes that treate of kynde sayne that a bodie is sicke when his bodely heate is to lite or when his vnkindely heate is too muche Sythe then all mankynde is one bodye whose kindly heate is charity that is loue to God and to our neighbors vnkindly heate is lustfull loue to other creatures When therefore thou seest that the loue of men to Godwaâ—de and to their neigbour is litle and faynt and the loue of worldlye thynges and lustes of the flesh is great and feruent then wit thou well that vnkindly heate is too great and kindly heate is too little That this be acknowlich of this sicknes I may proue by autoritie of Christ. For he himselfe gaue them as a signe of the drawing to the ende of the world For that wickednes shall be in plente charitie shall acoole Therfore whan thou seest charitie this little in the worlde and wickednes encrease know well that this world passeth and hys welth and that this somner is come And thus seyth Seint Poule Wit ye well that in the laste dayes shall come perilous times and there shall be men louing them selfe that is to say their bodyes couetous by pride vnobedient to father and mother vnkynd fellons withouten affection withouten peace blamers incontinent vnmylde withonten benignitie traytours rebels swelling louers of lustes more then of God hauing a lykenes of pietie and denying the vertue thereof And these flee thou If thou seest
com coÌ„paruit Ideo presentibus coronatoribus com predicti vtlagatâ— fuit per quod inquiratur de terra catallis suis. ¶ Notes or considerations vpon the Inditement and Commission aboue prefixed Die Mercurij proximo post festuÌ„ Epiphaniae c. ¶ First here is to be noted considered good reader the day and date of geuing out the Commission then of the Verdict presented by the Iurers which was both in one day that is on the Wednesday next after the Epiphanie in the first yeare of the reigne of kyng Henry 5. which was the x. day of the moneth of Ianuary as the date of the Commission sayth an 1413. after the vse of EnglaÌ„d or after the Romish vse an 1414. So that after the vse euer we count whether it be an 1413. or els an 1414. the Dominicall letter begynning at the first day of Ianuary to chauÌ„ge must needes be G. for the yeare so necessarily make Wednesday next after the Epyphanie to be the x. day of the sayd moneth of Ianuary Thus then this present Wednesday which was the tenth day of the moneth being well noted and borne in minde on the which day both the Commission was directed also the Verdict presented let vs now proceede further in the foresayd Iuditement It foloweth Per SacrameÌ„tum xij iuratorum extitit praesentatum c. ¶ If there had bin true dealing in this the Iurers should haue bene named But it is not like that there was euer any such Inditement found by any Iurers and therefore they did best not to name the Iurours least they would haue denied this Iuditement to be their Acte it foloweth more in proces of the Inditement Et dictum Ioan. Oldcastel Regentem Eiusdem regni constituere c. ¶ If there were no other argument this were sufficient to disproue the manifest vntruth of this surmised Inditement When as the king was not yet gone to Fraunce nor determined to go how could they conspire then to make a Regent For the king went in Iuly folowing vidz the second yeare of his raigne leauing behinde him the Queene his mother in law for Regent whereby it may be gathered that this matter was vntruly entred and stolen into the Records with an antedate or els at the least there appeareth manifest vntruth that they should conspire to make a Regent when a Regent was not thought vpon vnlesse it were all ready run into the heads of the Cleargie who shortly after fearing their temporalities as Caxton saith perswaded the King to make warres in Fraunce This word Regent therefore proceedeth of the secret spirit of the Cleargy and maketh the whole matter very suspicious to be grounded altogether vpon the malice of the Cleargie and their vntrue surmises It foloweth moreouer Quasi gens sine capite in finalem destructionem c. ¶ Now doth this stand with that goeth before that they conspired to make a Regent except you will say that to make a Regent is to be a people without an head It foloweth Cum quam pluribus rebellibus dicti regis ignotis ad numerum viginti millium hominum c. ¶ A straunge matter that they should knowe of the conspiracie of twentie thousand and yet knowe of no moe names of the rebels but the Lord Cobham onely or one or two mo And all the rest were ignoti Priuatim insurgentes c. ¶ This smelleth of the Cleargies owne penning without any great aduise of learned counsaile for otherwise such as had bene herein skilfull would neuer haue put in priuatim insurgentes Die Mercurij proximo post festum Epiphaniae D. anno R.R. praedicto c. ¶ This Wednesday next after the Epiphanie was the x. day of the moneth of Ianuary and the same day when both the conspiracie was put in execution and the same day when the commission was giuen out to enquire also when the fact was by enquirie presented Whereby it may seeme a strange thing that so great a conspiracy knowne beforehand was not suppressed nor enquired of by any commission but ouely by a commission bearing date of the same day vpon which day by the purport of the Inditement the conspiracie should haue bene put in execution by open rebellion as it is aforesayd Praedictum D. nostrum Regemfratres suos videl Thomam Ducem Clarentiae Ioannem de Lancastre Humfredum de Lancastre c. ¶ If the kings learned counsaile had dealt in this Inditement as in case of treason they should haue done if it had bene a matter of truth they would neuer haue handled it so slenderly and wrongly as to name the Dukes of Bedford and of Gloucester Iohn of Lancaster and Dumfrey of Lancaster who were made Dukes in the 13. yeare of the raigne of King Henry the fourth their father as appeareth by Caxtones Chronicle Et ibidem versus campum praedictum modo guerrino arriati proditorie modo insurrectionis contra ligeantias suas equitauerunt ad rebellandum dictum D. nostrum regem c. ¶ This is falsified by plaine euidence of histories And Cope hymselfe confesseth no lesse For he so sayth and confesseth page line That Sir Iohn Oldcastle was not there in person but onely that his consent and good will was there Againe seeing this equitation or riding toward Saint Giles field was vpon the Wednesday next after the feast of Epiphany as in this Inditement and processe of outlawry is aboue testified which was the tenth daye of Ianuary and commission also the same day was charged and the Iewry moreouer impanelled the same daye yet no Iewrer named Item the verdict the same day presented how all these can concurre together and all in one day let the reader after he haue well considered the matter vse his iudgement therin not only whether it be like but also whether it be possible Ouer and beside all this it is to be noted that if thys matter had bene truely and duly handled as touching the reason then had it not bene needefull to haue brought sir Iohn Oldcastle into the Parliament house before the Lords to haue had his iudgement For by the outlawrie if it had bene true he was 〈◊〉 and without ame more adde should hauâ— had iudgement in the Kings Bench as a Traytor But the chiefe Iustice knowing the handling of the matter durst not belike enterprise so far Wherefore iâ— was deuised that he should certifie the record 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 which he did together with the Bishops 〈◊〉 filed to the â—ecord which was verie strange And thereupon the Lords gaue such a iudgement as was not due for a Traytor For that they gaue no iudgement that he should be drawne hanged and set downe aliue and then 〈◊〉 weâ—led and quarâ—ered which is the iudgement of a Traytor And albeit the Parliament might haue attainteâ— him without any more ado And by the same Act of atteinder
the contents of whych his wrytings do folow Hubertus Dei gratia Cant. Archiepiscop totius Angliae primas dilectis in Christo frat Episco per prouinciam Cant. Sal grat benedictionem D. Papa sicut ex literis ipsius manifestè perpéditur de conuersatione meritis moribus b. Gilberti magistri ordinis de Sempringham miraculis a Deo per eum factis per testes testimonia sufficienter instructus de consilio fratrum Cardin. ipsum mag Catalogo sanctorum decreuit ascribi solemnitatem eius constituit mandauit per Cant. prouinciam solemniter celebrari Insuper corpus eius cum requisiti fuerimus praecepit ad honorem Dei gloriam eleuari Vestra igitur vniuersitas huic mandato cum deuotione congaudeat secundum formam in ipso mandato praescriptam praedicti confessoris Domini depositionem annuam faciatis cum reuerentia solemniter obseruari vt apud Dominum ab illo vestra debeat possit deuotio commēdari necnon ipsius sancti supplex intercessio vobis proficiat ad salutem Valete The summe of the whiche wryting of the Archb. tendeth to thys effecte That forsomuch as the Pope hearyng of the life and myracles of Gilbert Maister of the order of Sempringham by sufficiēt witnes and testimonies hath in his letters commanded him by the aduise of hys Cardinals that the sayde Gilbert should be canonised ascribed in the Cataloge of saintes and that his solemnity shoulde be celebrate solemnely throughout al the prouince of Canterb And also hys body to be taken vp and shrined to the honour and glory of God He therefore at the Popes commaundement wryting vnto them wylleth all the Suffraganes within his prouince of Canterb. yearely to solemnise and cause to be solemnized reuerētly the deposition of the sayd Saint Gilbert Confessor to the entent that theyr deuotion may be commended of the Lord and of him And also that the humble intercession of the sayd Saint may profite them to their saluation Furthermore for the more full canonising canuising I had almost sayd of this new made saint the saide Pope Innocent writing to Hubert aforesayd adioyneth withall a collect of his owne making which is this Plenam in nobis aeterne saluator tuae vertutis operare medelam vt qui praeclara beati Gilberti confessoris tui merita veneramur ipsius adiuti suffragijs a cunctis animarum nostrarum languoribus liberemur Quiviuis regnas c. That is worke in vs O eternal sauior full remedy of thy vertue that we which worship the worthy merites of blessed Gilbert thy confessour being succoured by his suffrages may be deliuered from all languors diseases of our soules who liuest and raignest c. The cōsecration of this one Saint who perhaps was not the worst I thought here to cōmemorate to the intent that the reader measuring by this one the Canonisation of al the rest may iudge the better vpō this cōparison of master Cope whether of vs doth vendicate more impudent authoritie the Pope in his Callender or I in mine or to make the comparison more fit whether is more impudent the pope in his Callendar or els maister Cope in his Dialogues more doltishe But briefly to make an end of this matter with you to canonise or to authorise any saintes for man it is presumptuous to prescribe any thing here to be worshipped beside God alone it is idolatrous to set vp any mediatours but Christ onely it is blasphemous And whatsoeuer the pope doth or hath done in his Calendar my purpose in my Calendare was neither to deface any old saint or to solemnise any new In my booke of Actes and Monuments entreating of matters passed in the churche these latter fiue hundreth yeares I did regulate out a Callendare not for any Canon to constitute Saintes but onely for a table of them which within the same time did suffer for the testimony of the word whom I did and doe take to be good and godly men If any haue other iudgement of them I binde no man to my opinion as the pope doth to his The day will come which shall iudge both them and you In the meane season it shall be best for you M. Cope in my iudgement to keepe a good thing in your head and to quiet your rayling mode A hard thinge it is to iudge before the Lord. Mans iudgement may faile and is vncertayne the iudgement of God is alwayes sure Best is therfore either to be sure by the word and iudgement of God before what you do say or els to say the best Of such slaunderous and intemperate rayling can come no good neither to whome ye rayle vpon nor to your selfe whiche rayleth nor to the church of God that heareth you rayle For them you can not hurt they are gone To your selfe and thoughe your matters be true yet little honesty it will bring to be counted a rayler and if it be vncertayne your state is daungerous and if be false most miserable And as to the Church what great edification can proceede of suche contentions brawling and barkinge one against an other I doe not greatly see And if the zeale of the bishop of Romes church haue so much swallowed you vp that ye cannot but stamp and stare at traytours when ye see them put in Calenders first M. Cope be ye sure first that they be traytours wisdome would whome you call traytours And if ye can so proue thē as ye haue not yet then let your Irenaeus or Critobulus tell me why doth not this flagrant zeale of yours as hote as purgatory burne out and flame as wel against your owne traytors hauing so many in your own Calendare and Church at home And if there be such a Catholicke zeale in you that hath set your gentle brest on such a pelting chase why then is not this your Catholicke zeale equally indifferent Why take ye on so fell on the one side agaynst sir Iohn Oldcastle sir Roger Acton M. Browne c A man wold think you played Hercules furens in Orchestra On the other syde agayne ye are Oleo tranquillior What indiffirencie maister Cope call you this Or what zeale make you this to be Albeit your zeale I iudge not as I know it not Swifte iudgement shall not become me which go about to correct the same in you But this I exhorte you to beware maister Cope that by your owne fruites and doinges euident ye do not bewray this zeale in you to be Non secundum scientiam nor such a zeale as fighteth Pro Domo Dei sed pro demo Pontificis As I sayde I iudge you not You haue your iudge to whome ye stand or fall My counsayle is that ye do not so zeale the Byshop of Rome that for his sake ye lose your owne soule Ye remember the olde vulgar voice it is not good Ludere cum sanctis worse it is Illudere
iudgement and that if the byshop did suspect the kingdome of Boheme to be infected with anye heretical or false doctrine that he shold send his ambassadors the which might correct and ameÌ„d the same if there be any errour or fault in them And that all this should be done at the onely costes and charges of the king of Boheme and to promise in his name that he would ayde and assiste the Bishops Legates with all hys power and authoritie to punishe all such as shoulde be taken or found in any erroneous doctrine In the meane season also Iohn Husse before his day appointed sent his lawfull and meete procurators vnto the court of Rome and with most firme and stronge reasons dyd proue hys innocency whereupon he trusted so that he thought he shoulde haue easely obtayned that he should not haue bene compelled by reason of the great daÌ„ger to appeare the day appoynted But when as the Cardinall de Collumna vnto whose will and iudgement the whole matter was committed would not admit no defeÌ„ce or excuse Iohn Husse his procurators appealed vnto the high Bishop yet notwithstanding this last refuge did not so much preuaile with Cardinall de Collumna but that he would opeÌ„ly excommunicate Iohn Husse as an obstinate hereticke because he came not at hys day appoynted vnto Rome Nothwithstanding for so much as his procurators had appealed vnto the high bishop they had other iudges appointed vnto them as cardinal Aquileianus and cardinal â—enetus with certayne others The which iudges after they had prolonged and differred the matter by the space of one yere and a halfe at the last they returned to the senteÌ„ce and iudgement of cardinall de Columna and confirming the same commaunded Iohn Hus his Procurators that they should leaue of to defend him any more for they would suffer it no longer Wherupon when his Procurators would not cease theyr instant sute certayne of them were cast into prisoÌ„ and greuously punished the other leauing theyr busines vndone returned into Boheme The Bohemians notwithstandinge little cared for all this but continuing stil as they grew more in knowledge so the lesse they regarded the Pope complayning dayly agaynst him and the Archb. for stopping the word of God and the gospel of Christ to be preached saying that by their indulgences and other practises of the court of Rome and of the bishops Consistory they sought their owne profit not of Iesus Christ that they pluckt from the sheepe of Christ the wool and milke and did not feed them neyther with the word of God nor with good examples Teaching moreouer and affirming that the commauÌ„dements of the Pope and Prelates are not to be obeyed but so far as they follow the doctrine and life of Christ and of his Apostles and that lay men ought to iudge the workes of the prelates as Paule iudged the workes of Peter in correcting him Gal. 2. Furthermore they had amongst theÌ„ certayne notes and obseruations whereby they might discerne how far wherin they might obey theyr prelates they derided also scorned the Popes iurisdiction because of the schisme that was then in the church wheÌ„ there were 3. popes together one striuing agaynst another for the papacy Ouer and besides this at the same time Iohn Hus did propouÌ„d publickly and by the Notaries caused to be written 3. doubtfull questions the tenor wherof foloweth here word for word is this Forasmuch sayth he as it is good for men being in doubt to aske counsell whereby all dubitatioÌ„ remoued they may be able the more firmly to adhere the truth 3. doubtes here arise to be solued The first doubt is whither we ought to beleeue in the Pope The second whither it be possible for any man to be saued which confesseth not with his mouth vnto a mortal priest The third doubte is whither any of the doctors doe holde or say that some of Pharaos host being drowned in the red sea and of the Sodomites being subuerted besaued As concerning the first he did hold negatiuely alleadging the saying of â—ede vpon this place of the Apostle To him that beleeueth vpon him which iustifieth the wicked his fayth is imputed to righteousnes Rom. 4. Vpon thys place sayth â—ede Aliud est credere in deum aliud credere deo aliud credere deum c. The second doubt sayth he the maister of the sentence doth answere lib. 4. dist 17. cap. 11. in these wordes What is then to be holden or sayd herein Certes that without the confession of the mouth and assoyling of the outward payne sinnes be forgeuen through contrition and humility of the hart c. For the third doubt he brought in the wordes of S. Ierome vpon the Prophet Nahum speaking of the Egiptians destroyed in the sea and of the Sodomites destroyd with fire of the Israelites destroyed in the desert Know you sayth Ierome that God therfore punished them for their sinnes here temporally because they should not be punished hereafter perpetually therfore because they were here punished they shall not be punished hereafter for els the scripture should lie which is not to be graunted These 3. questioÌ„s belike Iohn Hus did bring in to declare howe the doctors doe not agree in all things neither with the church of Rome neither are to be followed in all poyntes of all men It foloweth moreouer after the death of the Archbish. Swinco aboue mentioned that one named CoÌ„radus was placed by the pope there to be chief general which CoÌ„radus conferring with the diuines and doctors of the vniuersity of Prage required their aduises and counselles what way they might best take to asswage the dissentions discordes betwene the clergy and the people Whereupon a certayne councell was deuised to be holden after this sort and maner as foloweth 1. First that all doctors and maisters of the vniuersity of Prage should be asseÌ„bled in the court of the Archb. and in his presence that euery doctor and maister shoulde sweare not to holde or mayntayne any of the 45. articles of Iohn Wickliffe before condemned 2. Item concerning the 7. sacraments of the Church the keyes censures of the church the maners rites ceremonies customes and liberties of the church concerning also the worshipping of reliques and indulgeÌ„ses the orders religions of the church that euery one shall sweare that he doth hold beleue mayntayn and will maintayn as doth the church of Rome and no otherwise of the which church of Rome the Pope is the head the colledge of Cardinals is the body who are the true and manifest successours of blessed S. Peter prince of the Apostles and of the colledge of the other Apostles of Christ. 3. Item that euery one shall sweare that in euery catholicke matter belonging to the Church that he will stand to the determination of the Apostolicall sea and that he wyll obey the prelates in all maner of thinges wheresoeuer the thing which is pure
infect and trouble the Church of God as also concerning the occasions through the which he hath presumed might doe the same because the Prelates do abuse the ecclesiasticall censures as well the Prelates as those that are vnder them d ee not keepe and obserue the order of the churche whych is appoynted them by God whereby it commeth to passe that whylest they themselues do walke the broken vnknowne paths their flocke falleth headlong into the ditch Wherefore let our soueraigne Lord the Pope and this most sacred Councel ordaine and depute Commissioners the which may examine the sayd Iohn Hus vpon all afore wrytten and other thyngs in the presence of them whych knowe the matter Let there be also certaine Doctors and Maisters appoynted to reade ouer and peruse hys bookes which he hath written whereof some are here present that the churche may be spedily purged and cleansed from these errours Upon this hys accusation they ordeined and appoynted 3. commissioners or iudges that is to say the patriark of Constantinople and the byshop of Castle the byshop of Lybusse The which prelates being thus deputed hard the accusation the witnes which was brought in by certaine babling priestes of Prage confirmed by theyr othes afterward recited the sayd accusation vnto the sayd Hus in the prisone at suche time as hys ague was feruent and extremely vpō him Uppon thys Iohn Hus required to haue an aduocate to answer for hym the whych was plainly and vtterly denied him And the reason that the masters Commissioners brought against it was this that the plain canon doth forbid that any man should be a defender of any cause of hys which is suspect of any kind of heresy The vanity and foly of the witnesses was suche that if in case they had not bene both the accusers and iudges themselues there shuld haue needed no distinct confutation I would haue rehersed the testimonies in thys place but that I knew them to to be such as the prudent and wise reader coulde not haue red without great tediousnes Nowheit some of them shal be declared when we come to the processe of hys iudgement Afterwarde when Iohn Husse had recouered lyttle strength or health by the commandement of the three commissioners there was presented vnto hym certaine Articles many in number which they sayd they had gathered out of his booke which he made of the Churche of whych articles some were forged and inuented by maister Palletz other some were gathered onely by halues as shall be more plainly declared hereafter whē we come to speake of the iudgement pronounced and geuen against the sayde Hus. Thus Iohn Hus remained in the prison of the couent of the Franciscanes vntill the Wednesday before Palme Sonday and certaine appoynted to keepe hym and in the meane season to employ and spende his time wythall he wrote certaine bookes That is to say of the ten commandements of the loue and knowledge of God of Matrimony of Penaunce of the three enemies of mankinde of the prayer of our Lord and of the Supper of our Lord. The same day Pope Iohn the 23 chaūged his apparell conucyed himselfe secretly out of Constance fearing the iudgemēt by the which afterward he was depriued of his Papall dignitie by meanes of most execrable abhominable forfaites and doynges This was the cause that Iohn Hus was trāsported and caried vnto an other prison for the Popes seruauntes which had the charge and keeping of Iohn Hus vnderstanding that their Maister was fled gone deliuered vp the keyes of the prison vnto the Emperour Sigismund and to the Cardinals and followed their Maister the Pope Then by the whole cōsent of the Councell the sayd Iohn Hus was put into the handes of the Byshop of Constance who sent him to a Castle on the other side of the Riuer of Rhine not very farre from Cōstance whereas he was shut vp in a Tower with fetters on his legges that he could scarse walke in the day tyme and at night hee was fastened vp to a racke agaynst the wall hard by his bed In the meane season certaine noble men and Gentlemen of Pole Boheme did al their indeuour to purchase his deliueraunce hauing respect to the good renowne of all the Realme the which was wonderfully defamed and slaundered by certaine naughty persons The matter was growne vnto this pointe that all they which were in the towne of Constance that seemed to beare any fauour vnto I. Hus were made as mockyng stocks and derided of all men yea euen of the slaues and base people Wherfore they tooke counsell and cōcluded together to present their request in writing vnto the whole Coūcell or at the least vnto the foure nations of Almaine Italie Fraunce and England this request was presented the 14. day of May. an 1415. The tenour here ensueth ¶ The first schedule or Bill whiche the nobles of Boheme deliuered vp to the Councell for the deliueraunce of Iohn Hus the 14. day of May. Anno. 1415. MOst reuerēd Fathers and Lordes The Nobles and Lordes of Boheme and Pole here present by this their present writynges doe shew and declare vnto your Fatherly reuerences how that the most noble Kyng and Lord the Lord Sigismund kyng of Romaines alwayes Augustus kyng of Hungary Croatia Dasmatia c. hearyng of the great dissention that was in the kyngdome of Boheme as heyre Kyng and Lord successour willyng mynding to foresee and prouide for his owne honour he sent these Noble men Maister Wenceslate de Duba and Iohn de Clum here present that they would bryng and assure Maister Iohn Hus vnder the kyng his name and safe conduct So that he would come to the sacred generall Councell of Constance vnder the safe conduct of the sayd kyng and the protection of the sacred Empire openly geuen and graunted vnto the sayd Maister Iohn Hus that hee might purge himselfe and the kyngdome of Boheme from the slaunder that was raysed vpon them and there to make an open declaration of his Fayth to euery man that would lay any thyng to his charge The which the sayd Nobles with the forenamed Maister Iohn Hus haue performed and done accordyng to the kynges commaundement When as the sayd Maister Iohn Hus was freely of his owne accorde come vnto Constance vnder the sayd safe conduct greuously imprisoned before he was heard and at this present is tormented both with fetters and also with hunger and thirst Albeit that in tymes past at the Councell holden at Paysan 1410. yeare of our Lord the heretickes whiche were condemned were suffered to remayne there at libertie and to depart home freely Notwithstandyng this Maister Iohn Husse neither beyng conuicted nor condemned no not so much as once heard is taken and imprisoned when as neither any kyng or any Prince Elector either any Embassadour of any Uniuersitie was yet come or present And albeit the Lord the Kyng together
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
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
thinges shall come to passe and be brought by little and little in order of times dispensed of God for the same purpose And this God doth and will do for his owne goodnes and mercy and for the riches of his great longanimity and pacience geuing time and space of repētance to them that haue lōg line in theyr sins to amend and flye from the face of the Lordes fury whyle that in like manner the carnall people and carnal priestes successiuely and in time shall fall awaye and be consumed as with the moth c. ¶ An other letter of Iohn Husse MAister Martin my deare brother in Christ I exhorte you in the Lord that you feare God keepe hys commaundementes and flee the company of women and beware of hearing their confessions least by the hipocrisie of women Sathan deceiue you trust not their deuotion You know how I haue detested the auarice and the inordinate life of the Clergy wherefore through the grace of God I suffer now persecution which shortly shal be consummate in me neither doe I feare to haue my hart powred out for the name of Christ Iesus I desire you hartely be not greedy in seeking after benefices And yet if you shal be called to anye cure in the country let the honour of God the saluation of soules and the trauaile therof moue you therunto and not the hauing of the lining or the commodities thereof And if you shall be placed in any such benefice beware you haue no yong womā for your cook or seruant least you edifie and encrease more your house then your soule See that you be a builder of your spirituall house being gentle to the poore and humble of mind and waste not your goodes in great fare I feare also if you do not amend your life ceasing from your costly and superfluous apparell least you shal be greuously chastised as I also wretched mā shal be punished which haue vsed the like being seduced by custome of euill men and wordly glory wherby I haue bene wounded agaynst God wyth the spirite of pride And because you haue notably knowne both my preaching and outward conuersation euen from my youth I haue no neede to write many thinges vnto you but to desire you for the mercy of Iesus Christ that you do not followe me in anye such leuitie and lightnes whiche you haue in seene in me You knew how before my priesthoode whiche greueth me nowe I haue delighted to playe oftentimes at chesse and haue neglected my time and thereby haue vnhappily prouoked both my self and other to anger many times by that play Wherfore besides other my innumerable faultes for thys also I desire you to inuocate the mercy of the Lord that he will pardon me and so directe my life that hauing ouercome the wickednes of this present life the flesh the world and the deuill I may finde place in the heauenly country at the least in the day of iudgement Fare ye well in Christ Iesus with all them which keepe hys law My gray coate if you will keepe to your selfe for my remembraunce but I thinke you are ashamed to wear that gray colour therfore you may geue it to whō you shall thinke good My white coate you shall geue the minister N. my scholer To George or els to Zuzikon 60. groates or els my gray coate for he hath faythfully serued me ¶ The superscription I pray you that you doe not open this letter before you be sure and certayne of my death The consolation of Mayster Hierome to Mayster Hus. MY maister in those thinges which you haue both written hetherto and also preached after the law of God agaynst the pride auarice an other inordinate vices of the Priestes goe forward be constant and strong And if I shall know that you are oppressed in the cause and if neede shal so require of myne own accorde I will folow after to helpe you as much as I can BY the lyfe actes and letters of Iohn Hus hetherto rehearsed it is euident and playne that he was condemned not for any errour of doctrine which they coulde well proue in hym who neyther denyed their popishe transubstantiation neither spake against the authoritie of the church of Rome if it were well gouerned nor yet the 7. Sacraments also sayd masse himself and almost in al their popish opinions was a papist with them but onely of euil wil was accused of his malicious aduersaries because he spake agaynst the pompe pride and auarice other wicked enormities of the pope Cardinals Prelates of that Church and because he could not abide the high dignities liuings of the Churche and thought the doinges of the pope to be Antichristlike For this cause he procured so many enemies false witnesses agaynst him Who strayning and picking matter out of hys bookes and writinges hauing no one iust article of doctrine to lay vnto him yet they made hym an hereticke whether he would or no and brought him to hys condemnation This can hatred and malice do where the charitie of Christ hath no place Whiche being so as thy charitie good reader may easely vnderstand in perusing the whol course of hys story I beseech thee thē what cause had Iohn Cochleus to write his 12. bookes agaynst Iohn Hus and Hussites In which bookes how bitterly intēperately he misuseth hys penne by these few words in hys second booke thou mayst take a little tast which wordes I thought here briefly to place in English to the ende that all English men may iudge thereby with what spirite and truth these Catholickes he caryed Hys wordes be these Lib. 2. Hist. Dico igitur Ioan Huss neque sanctum neque beatum habendum esse sed impium potius c. That is I say therfore Iohn Husse is neither to be counted holy nor blessed but rather wicked and eternally wretched insomuche that in the day of iudgement it shal be more easie not onely with the infidell Pagans Turks Tartarians and Iewes but also with the most sinfull Sodomites the abhominable Persians which most filthily doe lye with their daughters sisters or mothers yea also with most impious Cain killer of hys owne brother with Thyestes killer of hys own mother and the Lestrygones other Andropophagi which deuour mans flesh yea more easie with those infamous murderers of infants Pharao Herode then with him c. These be the words of Cochleus Whose rayling books although they deserue neyther to be read nor aunswered yet if it pleased God it were to be wished that the Lord would stir vp some towardly yong man that hath so much leasure to defend the simplicitie of thys Iohn Hus whiche cannot now aunswere for himselfe In the meane tyme something to satisfie or stay the readers mynde agaynst thys immoderate hyperbole of Cochleus in like fewe wordes I wyll bryng out Iohn Hus to speake and to cleare hymselfe agaynst this slaunder whose wordes in
that hee had almost perswaded them So liuely and likely their hatred was detected that almost no trust was geuen to their testimonies saue onely for the cause and quarrell wherein they stood touching the popes doctrine All mens mindes here were moued and bending to mercye towardes hym For he told them how that he of hys owne accord came vp to the Councell and to purge hymselfe he did open vnto them all hys life and doinges being full of vertue godlines This was sayth he the old maner of auncient and learned meÌ„ and most holy Elders that in matters of fayth they did differ many times in argumentes not to destroy the fayth but to finde out the veritie So did Augustine and Hierome dissent not onely being diuers but also contrary one from the other yet wtout al suspition of heresy All this while the popes holy Councell did wayt still when he would beginne to excuse himselfe and to retracte those thinges whiche were obiected agaynst him and to craue pardon of the Councell But he persisting still in hys constant oration did acknowledge no errour nor gaue any signification of retractation At last entring into the prayse commendation of M. Iohn Hus he affirmed that he was a good iust and holy man and much vnworthy that death whiche he did suffer Whom he did know from his youth vpward to be neither fornicator drunkard neither anye euill or vicious person but a chast sober man a iust and true preacher of the holy Gospell and whatsoeuer things mayster Iohn Hus and Wicklyff had holden or written specially agaynst the abuse and pompe of the clergie he would affirme euen vnto the death that they were holy and blessed men and that in all pointes of the Catholicke fayth he doth beleue as the holy Catholicke Church doth hold or beleue And finally he did conclude that al such articles as Iohn Wickleffe Iohn Hus had written put forth agaynst the enormities pompe and disorder of the Prelates he would firmely steadfastly without recantation hold defend eueÌ„ vnto the death And last of all he added that al the sinnes that euer he had coÌ„mitted did not so much gnaw and trouble his conscience as did that onely sinne whiche he had committed in that most pestiferous fact when as in his recantation he had vniustly spoken against that good and holy man his doctrine specially in coÌ„senting vnto his wicked coÌ„deÌ„nation concluding that he did vtterly reuoke deny that wicked recantatioÌ„ which he had made in that most cursed place that he dyd it through weakenes of hart and feare of death And moreuer that whatsoeuer thing he hath spokeÌ„ against that blessed man he hath altogether lyed vpoÌ„ him and that he doth repent him with his whole hart that euer he did it And at the hearing hereof the hartes of the hearers were not a little sory For they wished and desired greatly that such a singular man shold be saued if otherwise their blind superstition would haue suffered it But he continued still in his prefixed sentence seeming to desire rather death then lyfe And persisting in the prayse of Iohn Husse he added moreouer that he neuer mayntayned anye doctrine agaynst the state of the Church but onely spake agaynst the abuses of the clergye against the pride pompe and excesse of the Prelates For somuch as the patrimonies of the churches were first geuen for the poore then for hospitality and thirdly to the reparations of the Churches it was a griefe to that good man sayd he to see the same misspent and cast away vpon harlots great feastings and keping of horses and dogges vpoÌ„ gorgeous apparell and such other things vnseming Christian Religion And herein he sheweth him selfe marueilous eloquent yea neuer more And when his oration was interrupted many tymes by diuers of them carping his sentences as he was in speaking yet was there none of all those that interrupted hym which scaped vnblanckt but he brought them all to confusion and put them to silence When any noise began he ceased to speake after began againe proceeding in his Oration and desiring them to geue him leaue a while to speak whoÌ„ they hereafter should heare no more neither yet was his mind euer dashed at all these noyses and tumults And thys was marueilous in him to behold notwithstanding he continued in strait prison 340. dayes hauing neither booke nor almost light to read by yet how admirably his memory serued him Declaring howe all those paynes of his strait handling did not somuch greeue him as he did wonder rather to see their vnkind humanitie towardes him When he had spoken these and many other thinges as touching the prayse of Iohn Wickleffe Iohn Hus they which sat in the Councell whispered together saying by these his wordes it appeareth that he is at a poynt with hym selfe Then was he agayne caried into prison greeuously settered by the hands armes and feete with great chaines and fetters of yron The Saterday next before the Ascension day early in the morning he was brought with a great number of armed men vnto the Cathedral Church before the open congregation to haue his iudgement geuen hym There they exhorted him that those thinges which he had before spokeÌ„ in the open audience as is aforesayde touching he prayse and commendation of M. Iohn Wickleffe and M. Iohn Hus confirming and establishing their doctrine he would yâ—t recant the same but he merueilous stoutly without all feare spake agaynst them amoÌ„gst other things said vnto them I take God to my witnes and I protest here before you all that I do beleeue and holde the articles of the fayth as the holy Catholicke Church doth hold and beleue the same but for this cause shall I now be condemned for that I will not consent with you vnto the condemnation of those most holy and blessed men aforesayd whome you haue most wickedly condemned for certaine articles detetesting and abhorring your wicked and abhominable life Then he confessed there before them all his beliefe and vttered many thinges very profoundly and eloquently in so much that all men there present could not sufficiently coÌ„mend prayse hys great eloqueÌ„ce excellent learning and by no means could they induce or perswade him to recant Then a certayne bishop named the Bishop of Landy made a certayne sermon exhortatiue agaynst M. Hierome perswading to his condemnation After the Byshop had ended the sayd sermon M. Hierome sayd agayn vnto them You shall condemne me wickedly and vniustly But I after my death will leaue a remorse in your conscience and a nayle in your hartes ET CITO VOS OMNES VT RESPONDEATIS MIHI CORAM ALTISSIMO ET IVSTISSIMO IVDICE POST CENTVM ANNOS that is And here I cite you to aunswere vnto me before the most high and iust Iudge within a C. yeares No penne can sufficiently write or note those
wherwith heretickes are punished or are wont and are commaunded by canonical sanctions to be vsed and if they be clerkes by degradation doe correcte and punishe and cause them to be corrected and punyshed with all dilligence Furthermore that you do rise vp stoutly and couragiously agaynst such heretickes and the goodes as well of them as of the lay men according to the canonicall sanctioÌ„ made agaynst heretickes and their followers vnder the which we will and commaunde them and their partakers to be subiect And also such persons as shall be infamed of the heresies or errors aforesayd or any of the premisses shall be bounde to purge themselues at your arbitrement but the other which either be witnesses or by their owne confessions or other allegations or probations shal be conuicted of the foresaid heresies or articles or of any the premisses they shal be compelled to reuoke and abiure publikely and solemnly the sayd articles and erroures and to suffer condigne penaunce and punishment yea euen to perpetuall imprisonment if need be for the same And to the intent that they shall not nourish any kinde of heresies hereafter either in word deede or gesture or shall induce other either in worde or deede priuely or apertly directly or indirectly to beleeue the same they shal be forced to put in sufficient suretie Who if it so chaunce that they wil not publikely and solemnly renounce and abiure their articles and errors and take at your handes condigne penaunce though it be to perpetual or teÌ„poral punishment according to your discretion neither wil be coÌ„tented to put in sufficient suretie that they will not hereafter holde nor nourish those erroures and heresies neither wil induce other by word or deed priuily or apertly directly or indirecly or by any other maner of colour to beleue the same that then you shall proceede agaynst them according to the qualty of their erroures and demerites yea and if you see it so expedient as against heretickes as infected with heresie by our authoritie according to the canonical sanctions suâ—marily and simply and plainly sine strepitu figura iudicij of office all appellatioÌ„ or appellations whatsoeuer ceasing and that you punish the same according to the sanctions traditions canonicall yea if neede be in leauing and committing them to the secular power and agayinst such as be superiors or learned doctors laying the censures of ecclesiasticall excoÌ„munication al appellation set aside also innocating if neede shall require ayd of the secular arme The constitution as wel of our predecessor P. Boniface 8. of blessed memory wherein is decreed that no man without hys City or dioces except in certayne cases or in places being one daies iornye distant from thence where he inhabiteth shal be called into iudgement that no man do presume to depute iudges froÌ„ the sea Apostolicke wtout the city dioces where they are deputed to proceede agaynst any or do presume to coÌ„mit their authority to any other person or persoÌ„s or to fetch remoue any man beyond one dayes iorny froÌ„ out his Dioces where he dwelleth or at most two dayes iourny if it be in a generall councell as also all other constitutions of any byshop of Rome touching as well Iudges delegate as persons not to be called to iudgement beyond a certaine number or els any other edict indulce priuelege or exemption generall or special graunted from the Apostolike sea for anye person or persons not to be interdicted suspended or excommunicated or cited vp to iudgement without the compasse of certaine limites or els what soeuer thing otherwise may hinder stop or impeache your iurisdiction power and free proceeding herein by anye meanes to the contrary notwithstanding Dat Constant. the first yeare of our popedome ¶ This bloudy and abhominable commission of pope Martine which I haue copied out of a certaine olde monument remaining in the handes of Maister Hackluyt student in the Temple seemeth to be directed and geuen out to the publike destruction of all faithful Christen men about the latter end breaking vp of the councel of Constance an 1418. By the which the prudent reader hath this to note and consider what labour what pollicie what couÌ„saile what lawes haue bene set what wayes haue bene takeÌ„ what seueritie hath bene shewed how mens power wit and authoritie of the whole world haue conspired together from time to time coÌ„tinually by all maner meanes to subuert and supplant the worde and way of the Lorde And yet notwithstanding man hath not preuayled but all his force deuised pollicies haue bene ouerthrown dispatched and with the councell of Achitophell and Ammon haue bene brought to nought and contrary to the furye of the world the gospell of Christ hathe still increased Neither yet for all this will the Pope cease to spurne and rebell still against the kingdome of Christe and of hys Gospell agaynst which neyther he nor yet the gates of hell shall euer preuayle The Lord of hostes be mercifull to hys poore persecuted flocke Amen Agaynst this pestilent Bull and Inquisition of Pope Martine the great antechrist I thought good here to adioyne and annexe an other contrarye writing of the Bohemians bearing the name and subscription of Procopius Conradus and other Captaynes of the Bohemians which seemeth not long after the death of Zisca to be written agaynst the pestiferous sea of Rome the tenour whereof here followrth A fruitfull and Christian exhortation of the Bohemianes to kinges and princes to stir them vp to the zeale of the Gospell THe almighty God the father by hys welbeloued sonne Iesus Christ may in hys holy spirite open the vnderstanding both of you and of all Christians lighten your hartes with the light of hys doctrin of righteousnes and may make you to continue therin surely established to the end This we desire of you for your saluation all ye honourable wise honest noble men al the Comminaltie ye rich and poore heare and consider with dilligent heede the wordes of this present letter which is sent vnto you from the Country of the Bohemianes It is manifest and well knowne to you and many other citties Kynges princes and Lordes that now a certayne number of yeares there hath ben great discord betwixt vs and you and there haue bene some which haue moued you by letters and prouoked you to make warre against vs and to destroy vs. And as well on your part as on ours many men as wel noble as vnnoble haue foolishly lost their lyues Yet neuer hetherto haue ye in any parte vnderstoode our fayth by our owne confession neither whether we be able to proue the same out of the scriptures yea or no and yet in the meane time kinges Princes Lordes and Citties haue sustayned great dammage And hereof we greatly meruaile that ye do so much trust and beleue the pope and hys priestes which geue you drinke full of poyson and
February vppon the which day the 4. orders were appoynted to declare theyr censure vppon the Articles in the chapiter houses of Paules first appeareth Frier Tylle for the Blacke Friers then Frier Winchelsey then Frier Low After Frier Ashwel eche Frier for his order seuerally bringing his heresy as is aboue specified Thus the verdict of these 4. orders being geuen vp to the Archb. and seuerally eche order comming in with hys heresye which was the 20. day of February Hereuppon commeth downe a wryt from the king directed to the lord Maior and Sheriffes of London De heretico comburendo dated the 1. day of March Anno 1. of his raigne The copic whereof remaineth in the recordes of the Tower beginning thus Rex Maiori vicecomitibus Wherupon the sayd William Tailour condemned as a relapse first was disgraded and after to be burned and so was committed to the seculare power who their being had to Smithfield the 1. day of Marche with Christian constancie after long imprisonment there did consummate his Martyrdom 1422. The maner of his disgrading was all one with the disgrading of Iohn Hus before for the Papistes vse but one forme for all men First disgrading them from Priesthode by taking from them the chalice and patine From deaconship by taking from them the gospell booke and tunicle From Subdeaconship by taking from them the Epistle booke and Tunicle From Accoluteship by taking from them the Cruet and Candlesticke From an Exorcisie by taking away the booke of Exorcismes or Graduall From the Sextonship by taking away the churchdoore key and surplis And likewise from Benet in taking away the surplis and first tonsure c. Al which they orderly accomplished vpon this godly Martyr before his burning Iohn Florence a Turner IDon Florence a Turner dwelling in Shelton in the Diocesse of Norwich was attached for that he helde and taught these heresies heere vnder wrytten as they called them coÌ„trary to the determination of the Church of Rome In primis that the pope and Cardinals haue no power to make or constitute any lawes Item that there is no day to be kept holy but onely the Sonday which God hath halowed Item that men ought to fast no other time but of the Quatuor temporum Item that Images are not to be worshipped neyther that the people ought to set vp any lightes before them in the Churches neither to go on pilgrimage neither to offer for the dead or with women that are purified Item that Curates should not take the tithes of theyr parishioners but that such tithes shuld be deuided amoÌ„gst the poore parishioners Item that al such as sweare by their life or power shal be damned except they repent The displing of Iohn Florence Upon wensday being the second day of August in the yeare of our Lorde 1424. the sayde Iohn Florence personally appeared before William Bernam Chauncellour to William byshoppe of Norwich whereas he proceding against him obiected the first article touching the power of the Pope and Cardinals to which Article the sayde Iohn Florence answered in thys manner If the pope liued vprightly as Peter liued he hath power to make lawes otherwise I beleeue hee hathe no power But being afterward threatned by the iudge he acknowledged thathe had erred and submitted himselfe to the correction of the church and was abiured taking an othe that from that time forward he should not hold teach preach or willingly defend any errour or heresie contrary to the determination of the church of Rome neither maintaine helpe or aide any that shal teach or hold any such errors or heresies either priuely or apertly and for his offence in thys behalfe done hee was enioyned thys penance following Three Sondaies in a solemne procession in the cathedral Church of Norwich he should be displed before al the people The like also shuld be don about his parish church of Shelton three other seuerall Sondaies hee being bare headed bare footed bare nâ—cked after the maner of a publicke penitentiarie his body being couered wyth a canues shirt and canues breches carying in his hande a taper of a pounde waight and that done he was dismissed Richard Belward of Erisam in the Dioces of Norwich RIchard Belward of Erisam in the Diocesse of Norwiche was accused for holding and teaching these errours and opinions heere vnder wrytten contrary to the determination of the church of Rome In primis that Ecclesiasticall ministers and Ordinaries haue no power to excommunicate neither can excommunicate And all be it that a Bishop doe excommunicate any man God doth absolue him Item that he held the erronious opinions and conclusions that Syr Iohn Oldcastle helde when he was in prison affirmed that Syr Iohn Oldcastle was a true Catholicke man and falsly condemned and put to death without any reasonable cause Item that such as go on pilgrimage offering to images made of woode and stone are excommunicate because they ought to offer to the quicke and not to the dead and that the Ecclesiasticall Ministers that is to say the curates do sell God vppon Easter day when as they receiue offerings of such as should communicate before they do minister the Sacrament vnto them Item that he counselled diuers women the they should not offer in the Churche for the dead neither wyth women that were purified Item that he blamed diuers of his neighbors that refused his doctrine saying vnto theÌ„ truly ye are sooles that deny to learne the doctrine of my sect for your neighbours which are of my sect are able to confound and vauquish al other that are of your sect Item that the Saintes whych are in heauen ought in no case to be prayed vnto but onely God Item that the sayd Richard keepeth schooles of lolardy in the English tong in the towne of Dychingham and a certaine Parchment maker bryngeth hym all the bookes containing that doctrine from London The 5. day of July 1424. the sayde Richarde Belward was brought before Iohn Byshop of Norwich sitting in place of iudgement wheras the foresaid Articles were obiected against the sayde Richarde whych he there denyed whereupoÌ„ the bishop appoynted him an other day to purge himselfe the monday next after the feast of S. Marget vpon which day being the 24. of Iuly in the yeare aforesayd he appeared againe before the Bishop and brought wyth him 9. of his neighbors to purge hym vpon those articles and there did solemnely purge himselfe And afterwarde for somuch as the said Bishop suspected the sayd Richarde Belward greatly of lolardie hee commaunded him there presently to sweare vpon the Euangelistes that from that day forwarde he should not wittingly preach teach or defend any error or heresy contrary to the churche of Rome neither aide assist fauour or maintaine priuely or apertly any maner of person or persons that should hold or maintaine the sayde errours or heresies In the presence of M. William Bernam Iohn Wadden
by any man whych peraduenture shall inculcate feare vnto you whereas there is nothing at all to be doubted or that doe perswade you this to be no lawful councel I know I shuld offend your holines if I shuld go about to proue the contrary but it is better that I do offend you a litle in words and profit you in my deedes for a Phisition layeth a burning corrisiue vnto the disease and healeth the sore For the medicine can not profit except it be sharpe and bitter in tast Vâ—der this hope and confidence I will not feare to declare the truth That it being knowen your holines may the better prouide both for your selfe and the church it dependeth vppon the councell of Constance whether this councell be lawfull or not If that were a true councel so is this also No man semeth to dout whether that councel were lawfull and likewise whatsoeuer was there decreed to be lawful for if any man will say that the decrees of that councel are not of force he must nedes graunt that the depriuation of Pope Iohn which was done by the force of those decrees to be of no effect If that depriuation were not of effecte Neither was the election of Pope Martine of any force which was done he being yet aliue If Martin were no true Pope neither is your holinesse which was chosen by the Cardinalles that hee made wherefore it standeth no man more vpon to defend the decrees of that couÌ„cel then your holines for if any decree of that councel be called into doubt By like meanes may all the rest of the decrees be reuoked And by like meanes shall the decrees of any other councell be of no force and effect for by like reason as the faith of one councell is weakened all the rest shal also be weakned according to S. Augustins saying in the 9. distinction capitulo Si ad scripturas Then sayeth he both the faithe and all other sacraments shall be put in doubt if that there be once any doubt made of the force and power of any councell lawfully coÌ„gregate There was a decree made in the councel of Constance intituled frequens Whereby it was ordained that the first councel after that should be holden within 5. yeres and another within 7. yeres after that again The councel of Constance being ended and the 5. yeres passed the councel of Papia or Sene was holden after which 7. yeares being also run ouer this councell is begon to be celebrate To what ende then is it expressed in the Bull of the dissolution amongest other causes that the 7. yeare is already past When as of necessitye it ought to be passed before the councell can be celebrate For these wordes from 7. yere or 5. yere signify according to the law that all partes of time should be passed and the last day looked for Wherefore it behoued that 7. yeres to be fully complete before this councel of Basil should begin Like as 5. yeares was fully expired before that the councell of Papia did begin but peradueÌ„ture some man will say that it ought to haue begun the first day after the 7. yere was expired For otherwise the terme of the councell is passed But heereunto we may answer that it is not contained in the chapter Frequens that except it were holden the first day it should not be holden at al neither can it be gathered either by the wordes or meaning For it is only required that it should be holden after 7. yeares expired but whether it be the 2. or 3. day or the 3. or 4. moneth after the 7. yere it doth satisfy the chapter Frequens For wheÌ„ the first day is come then beginneth the power and liberty to celebrate the councell but not afore but it is not prohibited to celebrate it after neither doth this word In quinquennium That is to say against 5. yeare next following which is alleaged in the chapter Frequens and semeth to be repeated Also for the 7. yeres for it is not vnderstaÌ„d that it is necessary to be holden the first day precisely after the 7. yere but because it should not be vnderstand of other 7 yeares to come For in speaking simply of 7. yere it is vnderstand of 7. yeare next ensuing Admit also that in the chapter FrequeÌ„s any of these wordes had bene ioyned with immediatly following as by by out of haÌ„d immediatly or straightwaies after or such other words yet ought they to be vnderstand with a certaine moderation and distance of time that assone as might be coÌ„uenient as these wordes are expounded by the lawes and the doctors for they are enlarged and restrained according to the subiect and diuers circuÌ„staunces of the matters and affaires For it is not by any meanes likely that it was the mindes of those which made the decree that considering the long iourneis and harde preparation of suche affaires and also the manifolde impedimentes which may happen that they woulde restraine so precise a time euen at the first daye that if it were not then celebrated it should not be holden at all for by such subtill meanes it shuld also be holden euen in the first moment and very instant after the same yere But forsomuch as wordes are ciuilly to be vnderstand this fence or vnderstanding is to farre disagreable For if any man will say then it is commaunded to be proroged that is also forbidden in the chapter frequeÌ„s He that doth so argue doth not vnderstaÌ„d himselfe nor the force of the woordes It is not proroged if it be begon the 2. or 3. month but rather a continuation or execution of that which is in their power For if it were a prorogation then for so muche as a progation doth sauour of the nature of the firste delay it could not be begon in the first month but in the 2. and 3. it is not therby concluded that it could not be begon in the first but if there had ben any prorogation made til the secoÌ„d month then it coulde not haue bene begon in the first as for example I promise to geue a hundred after Easter afore Easter it can not be required but by and by after Easter it may be required and all be it that I be not vrged for it notwythstanding I doe not cease to be bounde and if so be I bedemanded it in the 2. or 3. month after it is not therby vnderstand that ther is any prorogation made Neither doth it followe but that it might haue bene demaunded in the beginning which could not haue ben done that there had ben any prorogation made Also it is nature of prorogation to bee made before the first terme or day be passed For otherwise it is no prorogation but anew appoyntment And albeit it may be saide that then it may be long delaide it is aunswered that in thys poynt we must stande vnto the iudgement of the Churche which considering diuers circumstances wold think the time mete
king and to put him beside his cusshion And although for a time he dissembled his wrathfull mood till he might spye a time conuenient and a world to set forwarde his purpose at last finding occasion somewhat seruing to his mind he breaketh his hart to his two brethren to witte the Marques Mountacute the Archbishop of Yorke conspiring with them how to bring hys purpose about Then thought he also to proue a farre of the mind of the duke of Clarence king Edwards brother likewise obteined him geuing also to him his daughter in Mariage This matter being thus prepared agaynst the kyng the first flame of this cōspiracy began to appeare in the north country Where the Northrenmen in short space gathering thēselues in an open rebellion finding certaines of their wicked purpose came down from Yorke toward London Against whom was appoynted by the king W. lord Harbert Earle of Penbroke with the Lord Stafford and certayne other Captaynes to encounter The Yorkeshyre mē geuing the ouerthrow first to the lord Stafford thē to the Earle of Penbrok and his company of Welchmē at Banbery fielde at last ioyning together with the army of the Earle of Warwicke and Duke of Clarence in the dead of the night secretly stealing one the kinges field at Wolney by Warwick killed the watch and tooke the king prisoner who first being in the castle of Warwicke then was conueyed by night to Midleham Castle in Yorkeshyre vnder the custody of the Archbishop of Yorke where he hauinge loose keeping and liberty to go on hunting meeting wyth syr William Standley syr Thomas of Brough and other his frendes was to good for his keepers and escaped the hands of his enemies and so came to York where he was well receiued from thēce to Lankester where he met with the Lord Hastinges his Chamberlayne well accompanied by whose helpe he came safe to London After this tumult when reconciliation could not come to a perfect peace vnity although much labor was made by the nobility the Earle of Warwick raiseth vp a new war in Lincolnshyre the captaine wherof was Sir Rob. wels knight who shortly after being taken in battell wyth hys father and sir Thomas Dunocke were beheaded the residue casting away their coates ran away and fled geuing the name of the field called Losecoat field The erle of Warwicke after this put out of comfort and hope to preuayle at home fled out of England An. 1470. first to Calice then to Lewes the French king accompanyed with the Duke of Clarence The fame of the Earle of Warwicke and of his famous actes was at that time in great admiration aboue measure and so highly fauoured that both in England Fraunce all men were glad to behold his personage Wherfore the comming of this Earle of the Duke of Clarence was not a litle gratefull to the French king and no lesse oportune to Queene Margaret King Henryes wife and Prince Edward her sonne who also came to the Frenche Courte to meete and conferre together touching their affayres where a league betwene thē was cōcluded moreouer a mariage betwene Edward prince of Wales Anne the secōd daughter of the Erle of Warwick was wrought Thus all things fasting luckely vpō the Erles part beside the large offers and great promises made by the Frenche king on the best maner to set forwarde their purpose the Earle hauing also intelligence by letters that the harts almost of all men went with him and lōged sore for his presence so that there lacked now but onely hast with al speed possible to returne he with the duke of Clarence wel fortified with the French nauy set forward toward England For so was it betwene them before decreed that they two should proue the first venture and then Queen Margaret with Prince Edward her sonne should folow after The ariuall of the Earle was not so soone heard of at Dartmouth in Deuonshyre but great cōcourse of people by thousands went to him from all quarters to receiue welcome hym who immediatly made proclamation in the name of kyng Henry the sixt charging all men able to beare armour to prepare themselues to fight agaynst Edwarde Duke of Yorke vsurper of the Crowne Here lacked no freendes strength of men furniture nor pollicy conuenient for such a matter When king Edwarde who before not passing for the matter nor seking how either to haue stopped his iāding or els straight wayes to haue encountred with him before the gathering of his frendes but passing forth the time in hunting in hauking in all pleasure daliance had knowledge what great resort of multitudes incessantly repaired more and more dayly about the Erle and the Duke began now to prouide for remedy when it was to late Who trusting to much to his friendes and fortune before dyd nowe right well perceiue what a variable and inconstant thyng the people is especially here of Englād whose nature is neuer to be contēt long with the present state but alwayes delighting in newes seketh new variety of chaunges eyther enuying that which stādeth or els pitying that which is fallen Which inconstant mutability of the light people chaunging with the winde and wauering with the reede did well appeare in the course of this kinges story For he through the people when he was down was exalted now being exalted of the same was forsaken Wherby this is to be noted of all princes that as there is nothing in this mutable world firme and stable so is there no trust nor assurance to be made but onely in the fauor of God and in the promises of his word onely in Christ his sonne whose only kingdome shall neuer haue ende nor is subiecte to anye mutation These thinges thus passing in England on the Earles side agaynst king Edward he accompanyed with the Duke of Glocester his brother and the Lord Hastings who had maried the erle of Warwicks sister and yet was neuer vntrue to the king his maister and the Lord Seales brother to the Queene sent abroad to all his trusty frendes for furniture of able souldiors for defence of his person to wtstand his enemies Whē litle rescue few in effect would come the king himselfe so destitute departed to Lincolneshyre where he perceiuing his enemyes dayly to encrease vpon him all the countryes about to be in a tore making fiers singing songs crying king Henry king Henry a Warwicke a Warwicke and hearing moreouer his enemyes the Lancastrians to be within halfe a dayes iourney of him was aduised by his frendes to flie ouer the Sea to the Duke of Burgoyne which not long before had maryed king Edwardes sister ¶ Here might be thought by the common iudgement and pollicy of man peraduētnre that king Edward as he had in his handes the life of king Henry of his Queene and Prince so if hee had dispatched them out of the way
8. Cammels and 8. Moyles laden with treasure and also got two red Guidons wyth a whole great peece of rich cloth of gold and with an other fayre and straunge Iewell The horse of this foresayd turkish captayn was betrapped and decked most richly The sadle wherof had the pommell and the backe part couered ouer with plate of fine Arabicke golde and the rest of the sadle beside the sitting place was plated with siluer very fayre gilded The seate of the sadle was couered with purple veluet the trappers and bridle beset with little Turkeys and Rubies Which horse was sent to Uienna vnto the Emperour Maximilian for a present Although the Earle would very fayne haue saued the Captayn not knowing what he was yet the Ianizarites labouring to carry away their captayne so stiffly defended thēselues that the Earle with his company was constrayned to kill both them and theyr Captayne From whome the said Erle of Serin the same time got xv thousand Turkish and Hungarish Ducates which mony was brought for the payment of the Turkishe souldiours in the towne aforesayd of Finffenkyrchen c. All which be good begynninges of greater goodnes to be hoped for hereafter thorough the grace of Christ our Lord especially if our Christian rulers and potentates first the churchmen prelates for theyr partes then the ciuile powers princes for their partes with holding theyr affections a little will turne their brawles variance into brotherly concord and agrement which the Lord of peace put in theyr mindes to doe Amen Or otherwise if it will so please the Lorde that the turke come further vpon vs so as he hath begonne for our punishment castigation his grace then geue to the flock of his poore Christians constancie of fayth pacience in suffering and amendmēt of life For so I vnderstand by publicke fame although vncertaynly rumored by the voyce of some that the Turkes power of late this present yeare of our Lord 1566. hath perced the parties of Apulia within Italy wasting and burning the space of an 100. myles toward Naples Which if it be certaine it is to be feared that the Turke hauing thus set in his foote feeling the sweetnes of Italy wil not so cease before he get in both head and shoulders also so farre into Italy that he will display hys banners within the walles of Rome do with old Rome the like as Mahumete his great granfather did with newe Rome the city of Constantinople and as the Persians did with Babylon The causes why we haue so to iudge he diuers first y◠the sea of Rome hath bene defended hetherto and mayntayned with much bloud and therefore it may seeme not vncredible but that it will not long continue but be lost with bloud agayne according to the verdict of the Gospell He that striketh with the sword shall perish with the sword c. An other cause is the fulfilling of the 18. chapter of the Apocalips where is written that great Babilon shall fall be made an habitation of deuils and a denne of vncleane spirite and a cage of filthye and vncleane byrdes the fall wherof shal be like a milstone in the sea that is which shal not rise agayne And this to come before the day of iudgement the text of the sayd chapter doth apertly declare where the wordes do follow shewing that the kynges of the earth and the marchantes which had to doe with the whoorishe City standing a farre of for feare of the heate and beholding the smoke of the sayd Cittie flaming and burning with fire shall be wayle and rue her destruction and desolacion c. What citty is this called great Babilon whiche like a mylstone shall fall and burne and be made an habitation of vncleane spirites and beastes let the reader construe This is certayn and playne by these her kinges and marchantes standing a far of for feare and beholding her burning that the destruction of this city what cittye soeuer it be shall be seene here in earth before the comming of the Lordes iudgement as may easely be gathered by these iij. circumstances that is by the stāding the beholding and be wayling of her marchauntes By the which marchauntes and kynges of the earth peraduenture may be signified the Pope the rich Cardinalles the great prelates and fat doctours and other obedienciaries of the Romish sea who at the comming of the Turkes will not auenture theyr liues for theyr Church but will flee the citty no doubt and stād a farre of from daunger and when they shal see with their eyes and heare with theyr cares the city of Rome to be set on fire and consumed by the cruell Turks the sight thereof shall seeme to them piteous and lamentable to behold the great and fayre city of Rome the tall castle of S. Angell the Popes mighty sea where they were wont to fishe out such riches dignities treasures and pleasures so to burne before theyr eyes and to come to such vtter desolacion which shal neuer be reedefied agayne but shall be made an habitation of deuils and vncleane spirites that is Turkes and heathen Sultans and barbarous Saracens c. This I say peraduenture may be the meaning of that prophetical place of the Apoc. not that I haue here anye thing to pronounce but onely geue my gesse what may probably be coniectured But the end at length will make this and all other thinges more playne and manifest For mistical prophesies lightly are neuer so well vnderstand as when the euent of them is past and accomplished An other cause concurring with the causes aforesayde may be collected out of Paulus Iouius who writing ofy e subuersion of Rhodes which was as ye heard an 1522. vpon Christmas day sayth that it chaunced sodenly the same day in Rome that as Pope Hadrian the vi was entring into the church to his seruice sodeinly ouer hys head the vpper frontier or toppe of the chappel dore which was of marble immediately as the pope was entring fel downe and slue certayne of hys garde wayting vpon hym Whereby peraduenture may be ment that the ruine of Rome was not long after to folow the losse of Rhodes The fourth cause I borowe out of Ioannes Auentinus who in his thyrd booke alledging the names but not the wordes of Hildegardis Brigitte and other propheticall men hath these wordes Si vera sint carmina vaticinia D. Hildegardae Brigittae Sybillanum Germaniae Bardorum fatidicorū qui ea quae nostro aeuo completa vidimus longo ante tempore nobis cecinerunt A grippinensis Colonia nolimus velimus Turcarū caput erit c. That is if the sayings and prophesies of Hildegarde of Brigitte of other propheticall persōs be true which beyng foretold long before we haue seene now in these our dayes accōplished the town of Colen wil we nil we must needes be the head city of the turks c. And this I write
pudenda Belly cheare of yl disposed prelats and of Monasteries not to be nourished with temporalties and appropriations Correction of the clergie 2 q. 5. Praesul Ibid Nallam Punishing of adultery belongeth to secular magistrates rather then to prelates Good kings ought to depose wicked Popes De censecratione id est 2. cap. Seculares The Popes lawes contrarye to themselues The pope his Cardinals no part of the true Church The Canon lawe full of heresie Math. 20. The sermon of K. Wimbeldon The calling of God is â—iuers Iob. 10 2. Cor. 7. 1. Peter 2. 1. Thes. 4. Prou. 8. 2. Tim. 4. Nota Three questions The first Second Third Against Simony Questio Solutio Questio Solutio Iohannes Chrisostomus Homelia 27. Note The rashe making of ministers Ose. 4. Bernardus Esa. 22 quis in bio aus quasi quid his Iere. 31. Sap. 6. Kingeâ— Princes and magistrates admonished How thou hast entred Osâ— 8. 2. Para. 10. How hast thou ruled Deut. 9. Pro. 13. Math. 7. How hast thou liued Rom. 5. Susan Socrates Valerius Maximus libro 7. The third Baily Austen The third admonition in generall to euery christé man Moralli Greg. 8. â—atha 6. Expositio Eccl. 5. Iob. 22. Against couetise Gregory August de conflictu Sortutis Socorum Bartholomeus de proprietatibus rerum Austen Augustin Psal. 54. Innocentius Nume 22. Iosne 7. 4 Reg. 5. Acts. 5. Ambrosius de sue libello de Naboth Iohn 24. Math. 27. 3. sumners Sicknesse Age. Death Iob. 14. Deutero Corinth 12. Tobi. 2. Antioche The second somnet Properties of death Esaye The third somner distinstio mortis Augustinus The day of Iudgement In knowen the worlds sicknes Math. 21. â— Tim. 3. Luke 12. 1. Co. 10. Chrisostom A proper similitude Ioachim Maide Hildegar Augustine Math. 24. Note Antichrist to come an 1400. This sermon ergo was made an 1389. Apo. 6. Expositio Nero. Constantinus magnus Siluester The 3. seale Expositio The 4. seale Expositio The 5. seale The 6. seale The 7. seale Apoca. Note Conclusion Vide supra pag. 429. Vrbanus 3. Bonifacius 9. Innocentius 7. Gregorius 12. The Cardinals deuise to cease the schisme The vow othe of the Cardinals made for the schisme The oth and vow of pope Gregory 12. Ex Chron. D. Albani The pope falsely periured Cardinals leaue the periured pope Ann. 1409. King Henry 4. to pope Gregory 12. 2. hundred thousand slaine by schisme of Rome 30 thousaÌ„d slaine in campe fighting for the bishoprick of Leodium King Henry 4. to the Cardinals Concilium â—â—sanum Exchro D. Albani Anno. 1410. Concilium Pisanum Pope Alexander 5. 3. popes togeather The vaine remissioÌ„ by the popes indulgence Pope Alexander dead Pope Iohn 23. Ex IoaÌ„ Chocleâ— De historia Hussiaru lib. 1. The Gospell beginneth to take roote in Bohemia The letter of pope AlexaÌ„der 5. to the Archbish Swinco of Bohemia The Popes cruell bull against Iohn Hasse Ihon Husse obiecteth against the popes cruell Bull. Tbe popes Bull coÌ„trary to christ The notable iudgement of God in striking the aduersaries of the Gospell The Gospel seldom times long quiet Pope Iohn 23. The pride and glory of the clergie of England in those dayes XI dayes of pardon geuen by Tho. Arundel Archb. Ringing of Curphew * If this be not blasphemous derogatory to Christ let the reader iudge These men make a Bellona of our Ladie False helpe fought and set vp of Idolaters * The Papists would sucke our Ladies pappes * Will you stand to this doctrine yee Catholikes * Popishe blasphemy fighting against the grace of Christ. Ringing of Curphew XI dayes pardon for 5. Aues Heaping vp ceremonies in the church The pompe of the popes Church noted Churches of London suspended for not ringing at the comming of the Archb. * Oh iniurious enemies to Christ his humilitie Organs suspended in the Church because the belles dyd not ryng Ex Regist. Tho. Arundels Variance betweene the B. and Prior of Worcester for not ringing at the Bishoppes comming Ringing in the Archb. at S. AlboÌ„s Ex. Regist. Hem. Chicheley Fol. 365. W. Courtney Archb. of Cant. Ex Regist. W. Courtney Ex Registro W. Courtney Mark ye Gramarians litera for littour Ex Regist. W. Courtney Archbish Cant. Penance enioyned for bringing straw to Lords horse Excommunication and absolution abused Notes of this kings parliaments The popes iurisdiction excluded out of this realme Ex Anno. 1. Reg. Henrici Act. 27. Anno. Reg. Henr. 4. Ast. 29. An. 8. Reg. Henri 4. Act. 116. An 8. Reg. Hen. 4. act 114. Ibide act 37 Ex Rotulo Parlamenti an 9. Henrici 4. The wickednes of popes prouisors in citing and depriuing beneficed men in England their citation being not knowen in the realme Ann. 9. Regis Henrici 4. act 43. Ex Chronic. D. Albani Fabiano alijs A computation of Churche goods to how much they doe mount Ann. 1413. The kyng had a prophecie that he should die in Ierusalem Prophecies deceiueable Ex vetust Chron. Anglico cui initium est That al men called The prophecie of pope Syluester 2. King Henry â— Great tempest at the coronatioÌ„ of the new king A synode called at London S. George and S. Dunstanes day made double feast The feast of the popes church described and deuided Festum duplex Principale duplex Maius duplex Minus duplex Inferius duplex Constitution against councell Ex tab festorum Simplex festum in the popes church Trouble of the Lord Cobham Ex Chron. Monac Albanensis Vid. pag. 508. Walden in fasciculo Zizaniorum Wicleui The L. Cobham accused for maintayning the Gospel of Christ. The L. Cobham accused for his Christen belefe Processe against him A spiritual practise The kyng speaketh for him His gentle promise The kinges admonishment to the L. Cobham The aunswere of the L. CobhaÌ„ to the king Rom. 13. 1. Pet. 2. L. Cobham obedient to the king A most christen obedience 2. Thesl. 2. Math. 24. The L. CobhaÌ„ forsaken of the king Lord Cobham sommoâ—ed by the Archb. Iohn Butles playeth Iudas part Citation set vp against the Lord Cobham The citatioÌ„s takeÌ„ downe False accusations against the Lord Cobham L. Cobham excommunicated L. Cobham againe cited L. Cobham confesseth his God before men The Apostles faith The commoÌ„ creede of Christians A doclaratioÌ„ of his belief 1. Iohn 5. Galla. 4. Iohn 1. Luke 2. Christ is the onely head of his Church The church deuided in three partes Contrary wrote he ad parliamétuÌ„ Ex Waldeno The church militant deuided in three What the priestes should be Knighthood what it should doe Marke here a most christen hart What the commoÌ„ peoought to doe Beliefe of the L. Cobham concerning the Sacramentes The Sacrament of the aulter Gods law to be preferred before mans lawe A Christen desire of the L. Cobham This request was lawfull Obedience vnto his king The Christen stomacke and maÌ„hoode of the L. Cobham No reasonable offer would serne L. Cobham appealeth froÌ„ the Archb to the
generall councell The councell of Constance decreeth the Pope to be vnder the Councell The actes of the Apostles The cauncell of Nice The title of the Councels The constitutions of the B. of Rome are not the lawes of the church By the church the councell is vnderstand Simons obedience necessary in the Byshops of Rome The fauourers and mainteiners of the pope goe about to mainteine preferre the pleasure profit of one before a common commoditie The pope can abide no generall Councels Non obstante In the Popes Bulles The councel to be aboue the pope The full iudgemét of the church is not to be found but in the generall Councel No appealâ— to be made froÌ„ the couÌ„cel to the P. Acts 13. Gal. 2. Peter constrayned to obey the generall councell The decree of the councel of Constance The pope bound vnder the obedience of the generall Councel Diuers places rehearsed out of the Gospels and Apostles for authoritie of the Church and generall councels aboue the Pope Weight is matters intreated but onely in generall councels The Pope not sufficient of him selfe to connince or iudge heretickes The pope may erre Whether the pope may be deposed by the councell or not The places Tibi dabo claues regniâ—exlorum Pasce oues meas make nothing for the popes supremacye The Popes supremacie consuted Peter representeth the person of the church and not of the Pope The keyes geueÌ„ to the church and not to one man Pope Boniface erreth The B. of Rome vnproperly called the head of the Church The dote which say that the pope cannot be deposed for any other cause then for heresie Fruiteles braunches are to be cutt of If the pope be vnsauery salt he is to be cast away A note for all naughty prelats The wordes of â— Peter to Clement The epistle of Clement to Iames doubted The pope may and ought to be both accused punished for ill doing Whether the pope may be deposed by the counsell or no. The pope is rather to be called the vicar of the Church then of Christ. Pope Iohn 23. deposed and yet for no heresie Whether councells may be coÌ„gregated without the authority of the Pope They erre that say the Pope ought onely to appoint the councells Marke wherefore the popes will haue no generall couÌ„cell The first councell of the apostles The 2. couÌ„cell of the Apostles The 3. couÌ„cell of the Apostles The 4. couÌ„cell of the Apostles Generall councells in tymes past coÌ„gregated by Emperours not by popes If the greater part of the Church do consent a councell may be holdeÌ„ whether the Pope will or no. How the Pope is a schismaticke The Pope can not dissolue a generall councell against the will of the same The saying of Macrobius Whether the pope in certaine cases may dissolue the councell The definition of faith The definition of the catholicke faith Rom. 3. Catholicke what it is The councel of CoÌ„stance Vid. supra pag. 650. The wordes of the councel of ChalcedoÌ„ where by he is declared an hereticke that holdeth any opinion contrary to the councell Panormitan is noted and veriâ— well nipped by his owne supposition Tell the church that is to say the generall councell The Byshop of Burgen Panormitanes oration Foure thinges to be considered in euery request Panormitane would haue dignitie to be coÌ„sidered in couÌ„cell not voices Panormitane seemeth to delay the proces against the pope The 3. part of Panormitans oration Persuations of Panormitane The praise of Lodouicus the prothonotarie Bishops onely to haue determining voyce in councells It is no maruell why he alleadged no more or better matter for of noughty Lether no man can make a good shoe And note here how God with draweth his giftes when men dissemble cloke the truthe Truth seeketh no corners The patieÌ„ce and answere of Arelatensis Didimus reprehended that which was in his owne booke founde He meaneth Panormitane and Lodouicus the Prothonotary Marke O ye Bishops the couÌ„cell of Basill contendeth for you and ye will not vnderstaÌ„d it This was a â— true Cardinall out of whose mouth the veritie did speake which feared not the threatnings of princes neither sought any worldly glory or dignitie Marke what worldly pompe dignitie and wealth had brought the prelates to in those dayes Note here the great godlynes most christian saying of this good Bishop Truth many times dwelleth vnder the ragged cloke Steuen the first martir Note the finâ—etitie ritie of this good Bishop which stayed himselfe vpon the examples of the primitiue church not vpon customes popes Athanasius beeing but a priest and no Bishop vanquished an Archb. The name of priests or elders commoÌ„ both to Bishops and priests Paule Bishop of Antioch Paule the hereticke with his godly eloqueÌ„ce S. Augustines minde vpon this sentence Tibi dabo claues regni caelorum Byshops are of greater power then priests rather by custome then dispensation of truth Byshops and priestes ought to rule the church together Aeneas Siluius Note that Abbots were not instituted by Christ. Italy surmounteth all other nations in number of Byshops Note the terrible persecution of those dayes and the great constancie of the godly for the truthes sake O zeale of fayth worthie the crowne of martyrdom Eccle. 7. The bishops â—eare the earthly power but not God The bishops of the primitiue church what they were Poore men more meete to geue iudgement then riche for riches wealth and dignitie bringeth feare but pouertie causeth libertie * The Byshoppes in this age of the church what they are In matters of faith and religion there ought to be no delayes The eight yeare of the councell of Basill How subtelly they sought delayes The decrees of the councell of Constance If these thinges seeme so vntollerable what shall we say wheÌ„ as they make the Pope a God They which teach this doctrine are heretickes schismaticks but blessed are those heretickes for theirs is the kingdome of heauen A christian exhortation to constancy and martirdome This came so to passe 23. yeares after when Christendome lost Constantinople and all the east partes vnto the Turkes Examples of good men dying for their couÌ„trey The noble Laâ—cedemonians The blessed state of the life to come The worthy aunswere of Theodorus Cyrenensis No death to be feared for christs Church Example of Mariners HuÌ„ters Example of the 11. thousand virgins Iewes Patriarke of Aquileia Duke of Decke in â—weuia The Earle of Diersten The prayse of the citizens of Basill Humilitie sister to nobilitie Amodeus Archbishop of Lions Anno. 1438. Bishops that he at home haue toÌ„gue here to speake for the Pope Marke how they are turned back which somtime fauoured the truth are now become liers flatterers Constancie lacked in diuers of this councell Panormitane speaketh like himselfe Nicholas Amici a diuine of Paris The oration of Segouius Ambros. ad Valentinianum How farre wherein Bishops ought to iudge vpon Emperours He excuseth the Patriarke
particularly whether any frier were bounde to get his liuing wyth his manuall labour so that it might not be lawfull for them to liue by begging They would make no aunswere at all After that the foresaid Lord Archb. of Cant. demaunded of all the foresaid Doctors what their iudgement was touching the answeres that were made vpon all singuler such conclusions All which doctors and euery of them seuerally sayd the there all the answeres geuen vnto the first second third and sixt coÌ„clusions as is before recited were insufficient hereticall and subtill and that all the answeres made specially to the tenth ninth and last conclusions as is aboue mentioned were insufficieÌ„t erroneous and peruerse Whereupon the Lord sayd Archbishop of Caunterbury considering the sayd aunsweres to be hereticall subtill erroneous and peruerse accordingly as the said Doctors as is aforesayd had wayed and considered admonished the said Nicholas and Phillip sufficiently vnder these forme of wordes The name of Christ being called vpon we William by Gods permission Archbishop of Canterbury Metropopolitane of al England and Legate of the Apostolique see and through all our prouince of Caunterbury Inquisitor of all heretical prauitie do sufficiently and lawfully admonish and cite you Nicholas Herford and Phillip Repingdon professors of Diuinitie hauing this day and place assigned you by your own consent and our prefictioÌ„ peremptorily to answere and to say fully and playnely your opinions touching these conclusions wherunto we do referre you all subtill sophisticall and Logicall wordes set apart being therunto sworne cited commanded Which thyng to do without cause reasonable or any licence geuen thereunto you neither haue bene willing nor are willing nay rather ye contemptuously refused to aunswere to some of those conclusions before vs iudicially according to the effect of our monition citation and commaundement before sayd But for that ye haue aunswered vnto some of them heretically and to other some erroneously although not fully we admonish and cite you once twice and thrice and that peremtorily that plainely and fully all subtile sophisticall and logicall wordes set apart you and euery of you answer vnto the same conclusions and vnto that sense and meaning by vs limitted vnder the payne that otherwise such conclusions deserue by you confessed and that for the same conclusions you ought to haue Which admonition being made and done for that the foresayd Nicholas and Phillip woulde make none other answere The said Lord archbish of Caunterbury concluded that busines prefixing and assigning vnto the foresayd Nichalas and Phillip 8. dayes space that is to say vntill the 27. day of the same month And that then they shoulde appeare before the sayd Lord Archbishop of Canterbury whersoeuer within the same his prouince of Caunterbury hee shoulde fortune to be to heare his decree that shoulde be made in that behalfe This done the foresayd Archbish. of Caunterbury monished and cited lawfully and sufficiently Iohn Aishton vnder the the tenour of these wordes following In the name of God we William by Gods permissioÌ„ Archb. of Cant. Primate of all England Legate of the see Apostolicall and through all our prouince of Cant. of all heretical prauitie chiefe Inquisitour do monish cite thee Iohn Asheton maister of arte and student in diuinitie appearing before vs iudicially to say and speake the playne veritie touching these conclusions to the which we doe referre thee and to the which we haue caused thee to sweare laying thy hand vpon a booke as being also otherwise by vs admonished and commaunded to keepe this daye and place by vs appointed for the third time peremptorily to propone such reasonable cause if thou hast any wherefore thou oughtest not to be pronounced an hereticke And sufficiently and lawfully we monish and cite thee the first second and third time and that peremptorily that thou fully and playnely all subtill sophisticall and logicall wordes for apart doe aunswere vnto the same conclusions vnder the payne that vnto such conclusions belong on thy part confessed and that thou for suche conclusions oughtest to suffer whiche monition being thus premised The sayde Archbishop read the first conclusion and of the sayd Iohn inquired what was his opinion and meaning therein and hereupon he said his minde conceâ—ning the foresayd monition Then the foresaid Iohn Asheton being often required by the archbishop that he woulde aunswere in the â—aâ—me tongue to 〈◊〉 questions whiâ—h were demaunded of him because 〈◊〉 lay people that stood about him he crying out into the Englishe tongue vttered friuolous and approbrious 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 and excite the people against the saâ—â— Archbishop as it should seem Neyther did he vnto the fiâ—st conâ—lusion nor vnto any of these other conclusions effectually and pertinently seeme to them to aunswere but rather by the subtilties shiftes saying oftentimes and as expresly as Luke said it was sufficieÌ„t for him to beleue as the holy Church beleued Then the said Archbishop examined him vpon the first conclusion touching the Sacrament of the anâ—â—r whether that after the wordes of consecration there remayneth materiall bread particular bread or vniuersall bread He sayde the matter passed his vnderstanding and therefore said the woulde in that forme and maner aunswere and otherwise not But amongest other things he spake in deriding wise vnto the said Archb. against this worde Materiall saying you may put that in your purse if you haue any Whereupon the said Archbishop calling that an vnwise and foolishe aunswere as the rest of the doctors did of whome mention was made before rather for that he was a graduat in the schooles farther proceeded against the said Iohn Asheton in this wise And thou Iohn Asheton monished and commaunded by vs as is aforesayd after thine oth taken without anye reasonable cause or any other other licence neither wouldest thou nor yet will but refused and yet doest contemptuously to aunswere vnto such conclusions before vs iudicially according to our monition commandement aforesad doe hold all such conclusions by thee confessed thee the foresaid Iohn with all thy said conclusions conuicted And therfore we do pronounce and declare by sentence geuing that thou Iohn Ashton coÌ„cerning those coÌ„clusions which by vs with good deliberation of diuers prelates our suffraganes and also diuers and sondry professours of diuinitie and other wise men and learned in the lawe according to the Canonicall sanctions being condemned and declared for an hereticke and hereticall to haue bene and still is an hereticke and thy conclusions heretical And as touching thy other conclusions by vs hertofore counted erroneous and for erroneous condemned we doe pronounce and declare sententially by these our writinges that both thou hast erred and doest erre Upon the same 20. day of Iune in the yeare and place aboue recited the foresaid Lord of Caunterbury being desirous as he pretended to be informed by Thomas HilmaÌ„ bacheler of diuinitie there being present and somewhat fauouring the said M.
are to be worshipped with procession bowing of knees offring of frankincense kissinges oblations lighting of candels and pilgrimages and with all other kind of ceremonyes and manners that hath bene vsed in the time of our predecessoures And that geuing of othes in cases expressed in the law and vsed of all men to whome it belongeth in both common places ought to be done vpon the booke of the Gospell of Christ. Contrarye vnto this who so euer doth preache teache or obstinately affirme except he recant in manner and forme aforesayd shall forthwith incurre the penaltie of heresie and shal be pronounced an heretique in all effect of law Item we doe decree and ordaine that no chaplayne be admitted to celebrate in any dioces within our prouince of Caunterbury where he was not borne or not receaued orders except hee bring with him hys letters of orders letters commendatory from his ordinary and also from other Bishops in whose dioces of a long lyme he hath ben conuersaunt whereby his conuersation and maners may appeare So that it may be knowne whether he hath bene detained with any new opinioÌ„s touching that catholick faith or whether he be free from the same otherwise as well he that celebrateth as he that suffereth him to celebrate shal be sharpely punished at the discretion of the Ordinary Finally because those things which newly and vnaccustomably excepeth vp standeth need of new and speedy helpe and where more daunger is there ought to be more mary circumspection and stronger resistance and not â—â—out good cause that lesse noble ought discretly to be cut away that the more noble may the more perfectly be nourished Considering therefore and in lamentable wife shewing vnto you how the auncient Uniuersitie of Oxford which as a fruitful vine was wont to exteÌ„d forth her fruitful braÌ„ches to the honour of God the great perfection and defeÌ„ce of the Church now partly being become wilde bringeth forth bitter grapes which being vndiscreetly eaten of auncient fathers that thought themselues skilfull in the law of God hath set on edge yâ— teeth of their childreÌ„ and our prouince is infected with diuers and vnfruitfull doctrines and defiled with a new damnable name of Lollardie to the great reproofe and offence of the sayd Uniuersitie being known in forren countryes to the great irkesomnes of the studentes there and to the great damnage and losse of the Church of England which in times past by her vertue as with a strong wall was wont to be defended and now like to runne in ruine not to be recouered At the supplication therfore of that whole clergie of our prouince of CaÌ„ terbury and by the consent and assent of all our brethren suffragans and other the prelates in this conuocation assembled and the proctors of them that are absent least the riuer being clensed the fountayne should remayne corrupt and so the water comming from thence should not be pure entending most holesomly to prouide for the honour and vtilitie of our holy mother the Church and the vniuersitie moresayd We do ordeine and decree that euery warden Prouost or maister of euery College or principall of euery hall wtin the vniuersitie aforesayd shall once euery moneth at yâ— least diligently enquire in the sayd College hall or other place where he hath authoritie whether anye scholler or inhabitant in such colledge or hall c. haue holdeÌ„ alleaged or defended or by any meanes proponed any conclusion proposition oâ— opinion concerning the catholick faith or sounding coÌ„trary to good maners or contrary to the determination of the Church otherwise then appertayneth to necessary doctrine And if hee shall finde anye suspected or diffamed herein he shall according to his office admonish him to desiste And if after such monition geuen the sayde partye offende agayne in the same or suche like hee shall incurre ipso facto besides the penalties aforesayd the sentence of greater excommunication And neuerthelesse if it be a scholier that so offendeth the second tyme whatsoeuer he shall afterward doe in the sayd vniuersitie shall not stand in effect And if he be a doctour a maister or bacheller he shall sorth with be suspended froÌ„ euery schollers act and in both cases shal lose the right that he hath in the said College or hall wherof he is Ipso facto and by the warde Prouost Maister principall or other to whoÌ„ it appertayneth he shal be expelled a Catholique by lawful meanes forth with placed in his place And if the sayd wardens Prouostes or Maisters of Colledges or principalles of halles shal be negligent concerning the inquisition and execution of such persons suspected and diffamed by that space of x. dayes froÌ„ the time of the true or supposed knowledge of that publication of these presentes that then they shal incurre that sentence of greater excommunication and neuerthelesse shal be depriued ipso facto of all the right which they preteÌ„d to haue in yâ— colledges halles c. and the sayd Colledges halles c. to be effectually vacant And after lawfull declaration hereof made by them to whom it shall appertayne new wardens Prouostes Maisters or principals shal be placed in they places as hath ben accustomed in colledges and halles being vacant in the sayd vniuersitie But if the wardens themselues Prouostes Maisters or principals aforesayd be suspected and diffamed of and concerning the sayd conclusions or propositions or be fauourers defenders of such as doe therein offend and doe not cease beyng therof warned by vs or by our authoritie or by yâ— ordinary of the place that then by law they be depriued as well of all priuiledge scholasticall within the vniuersitie aforesayd as also of their right and authoritie in such Colledge hall c. Besides other penalties afore mentioned and that they incurre the sayd sentence of greater excommunication But if any man in any case of this present coÌ„stitution or any other aboue expressed do rashly and wilfully presume to violate these our statues in any part thereof although there be an other penalty expressely there limitted yee shal he be made altogether vnable and vnworthy by the spare of three yeares after without hope of pardon to obtayn any ecclesiasticall benefice within our prouince of Caunterbury and neuertheles according to all hys demerites and the quallitie of hys excesse at the discretion of his superiour he shal be lawfully punished And further that yâ— maner of proceeding herein be not thought vncertayne considering with ourselues that although there be a kinde of equallitie in the crime of heresie and offending the prince as is auouched in diuers lawes yet the fault is much vnlike and to offend the deuine maiestie requireth greater punishment then to oftend yâ— Princes maiesty And where it is sufficient for feare of daunger that might ensue by delayes to conuince by iudgement the offender of the Princes maiesties proceeding agaynst hym fully wholy with a
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