to the relation of these foresayd coÌ„stitutious of that clergy meÌ„ here coÌ„meth in more to be said and noted touching yâ— foresayd Statute ex Officio to proue the same not onely to be cruell and impious but also to be of it selfe of no force and validitie for the burning of anye person for cause of Religion for the disprofe of whiche statute we haue sufficient authoritie remayning as yet in the parliament Rolles to be seene in her maiesties Courte of Recordes which here were to be debated at large but that vpon speciall occasioÌ„ we haue differed the ampâ—e discourse therof to the cruell persecution of the Lord Cobhame hereafter ensuing as may appeare in the defence of the sayd lord Cobham agaynst Nicholas Happeffield vnder the title and name of Alanus Copus And thus referring them for the examination of this statute to the place aforesaid let vs now returne to Thomas Arundel and his bloudy constitutions aboue mentioned The stile and tenour wherof to the intent the rigour of the same may appeare to all men I thought hereunder to adioyne in wordes as followeth * The constitution of Thomas Arundell agaynst the followers of Gods truth Thomas by the permission of God Archbishop of Canterbury Primate of all Englande and Legate of the see Apostolicke To all and singuler our reuerend brethren fellow Bishops and our Suffraganes And to Abbots Priours Deanes of Cathedrall Churches Archdeacons Prouostes and Canons also to all persons vicares chaplaynes Clerkes in Parish Churches and to all lay meÌ„ whome and where so euer dwelling win our prouince of Canterbury greeting grace to stand firmely in the doctrine of the holy mother Church It is a manifest playne case that he doth wrong and iniury to the most reuerend councell who so reuolteth from the thinges being in the sayd Councell once discussed and decided And whosoeuer dare presume to dispute of the supreme or principall iudgment here in earth in so doing incurreth the payne of sacrilege according to the authoritie of ciuill wisedome and and manifest tradition of humayne law Much more then they who trusting to theyr own wittes are so bold to violate and with contrary doctrine to resist and in word and deede to contemne the preceptes of lawes and Canons rightly made and proceeding from the kaybearer and porter of eternall life and death bearing the rowme and person not of pure man but of true God here in earth which also haue bene abserued hitherto and of yâ— holy father 's our predecessoures vnto the glorious effusion of theyr bloud voluntary sprinkling out of theyr braynes Are worthy of greater punishmeÌ„t deseruing quickly to be cut off as rotten members from the body of the Church militent For such ought to consider what is in the old testament written Moses and Aaron among hys Priestes that is were chiefe heads amongst them And in the new Testament among the Apostles there was a certayne difference And though they were all Apostles yet was it graunted of the Lord to Peter that he should beare preeminence aboue the other Apostles And also the Apostles themselues woulde the same that he shoulde be the chiefetayn ouer all the rest And being called Cephas that is head shold be as Prince ouer the Apostles Unto whome it was sayd Thou beyng once conuerted confirme thy brethren as though he wold say If there happen any doubt among them or if anye of them chaunce to erre and stray out of the way of fayth of iust liuing or right conuersation Doe thou confirme and reduce him in the right way againe Which thing no doubt the Lord would neuer haue sayd vnto him if he had not so minded that the rest should be obedient vnto him And yet al this notwithstanding we know and dayly proue that we are sory to speake howe the olde Sophister the enemy of mankinde foreseeing and fearing left that sound doctrine of the church determined from ancient times by the holy forefathers should withstand his malices if it might keep the people of god in vnitie of faith vnder one head of yâ— church doth therfore endeuour by al meanes possible to extirp the sayd doctrine feyning vices to be vertues And so vnder false pretences of veritie dissimuled soweth discorde in catholike people to the intent that some goyng one way some an other He in the meane time may gather to himselfe a Church of the malignant differing wickedly from the vniuersall mother holy church In the which Satan transforming hymselfe into an Angell of light bearing a lying and deceitfull ballaunce in hys haÌ„d pretendeth great righteousnes in contrarying the ancient doctrine of the holye mother church and refusing the traditions of the same determined and appoynted by holy fathers perswading meÌ„ by fayned forgeries the same to be nought and so inducing other new kindes of doctrine leading to more goodnes as he by his lying perswasions pretendeth although he in very truth neither willeth nor mindeth any goodnes but rather that he may sow schismes wherby diuers opinions contrary to themselues being raysed in that Church fayth thereby may be diminished and also the reuerend holy misteries through the same contention of words may be prophaned with Paganes Iewes and other infidels and wicked miscreantes And so that figure in the Apos 6. is well verified speaking of him that sate on the blacke horse bearing a payre of balaunce in hys hand by that which heretiques are vnderstand Who at the first appearaunce lyke to weightes or ballance make as though they would set forth right and iust thinges to allure the hartes of the hearers But afterward appeareth the blacke horse that is to say their intention full of cursed speaking For they vnder a diuers shew and colour of a iust ballance with the tayle of a blacke horse sprinkling abroad heresies and erroures do strike And beyng poysoned themselues vnder colour of good rayse vp infinite slaunders and by certayn persons fitte to doe mischiefe do publish abroad as it were the sugred tast of hony mixt with poyson therby the sooner to be taken working and causing through their slight and subtiltyes that errour shoulde be taken for veritye wickednes for holines and for the true will of Christ. Yea and moreouer the foresayd persons thus picked out do preach before they be sent and presume to sow the seede before the seede discreetely be seperate from the chaffe Who not pondering the constitutions and decrees of the Canons prouided for the same purpose agaynst suche pestilent sowers do preferre sacrifice Diabolicall so to terme it before obedience be geuen to the holy Church militant We therfore considering and weying that error which is not resisted seemeth to be allowed and hee that openeth hys bosome to wyde whiche resisteth not the viper thinking there to thrust out her venome And willing moreouer to shake off the dust from our feete and to see to the honor of our holy mother Church whereby one
an example to the flocke and when the chiefe Pastor shall appeare you shall receiue an incorruptible crowne of eternall glory c. And this is the doctrine of Peter as they shal se which do not obey it As for vs the other part of the sayd Epistle is sufficient Wherein he willeth thē to reioice which are in heauines through manifolde temptations that the triall of theyr sayth being much more precious thē gold that perisheth and is tryed in fire may be theyr laud honour and glory at the appearing of the Lord Iesu. c. But beare with me I pray you O holy Father and of all your Predecessors most meekest and suffer my wordes though the seme something sharpe for they be sighings of a sorrowfull hart Wherefore gird about your loynes with fortitude and light vp the candle of your descretion and seeke the groat that is lost of the vnity I meane of sayth And we will also with like compassion ioyne with your holynesse and will not spare this weake body of mine in pretending any excuse either of age or lēgth of the way For the more laborous the trauell is the moe crownes it bringeth And S. Paule sayth Euery man shall receiue reward according to his trauell c. Neither are we ignoraunt if it please your holinesse that like as we Grecians for our partes do labour in all respectes to keepe and obserue the sincerity of true sayth and doctrine not to erre ne swerue in any part or poynt from the statutes of the blessed Apostles and auncient fathers so the Church likewise of old Rome doth for her part labour also we know well to follow the sincere verity of Christian doctrine and thinketh her selfe to erre in nothing nor to neede any remedye or reformation And this we know is the iudgement and saying of both the Churches aswell of the Greekes as of the Latines For no man can see any spot in his owne face without he stoope downe to the glasse or els be admonished by some other whether his face be blotted or no. Euen so haue we many great sayre glasses set before vs first the cleare Gospell of Christ the Epistles of the Apostles and diuinitie bookes of auncient writers Let vs therefore looke in them well They will shew euery mans minde and iudgement whether he go right or wrong The God of peace tread downe Sathan speedely vnder our feet The author of peace confound the sower of discord He that is the cause of all goodnes destroy the hater of that which is good and which geueth cause of offence and slaunder And he which is God of all ioy and peace send to vs whiche are the shepheardes of his sheepe reasonable the aungell of peace and messenger of great glad tidings as he did in the Natiuitye of Christ to the shepheardes of brute sheepe and vnreasonable and make vs worthy to sing that ioyfull song of Gods prayse Gloria in excelsis Deo in terra pax hominibus bona voluntas and to receiue one an other with an holy kisse The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the peace of God the Father and the communion of the holy spirit be with you alwayes Amen ¶ An other Epistle of the sayd Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople and Primate of the Greek Church to the Cardinals of Rome AN other letter the sayd Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople wrote also the same time to the Popes Cardinals wherin he first commending them for theyr wisedome and counsell and shewing what vtility commeth by good counsell geuing for so much as God sayth he many times that he hydeth from one inspireth to an other so that that good thing which by the almighty God is sonderly dispensed to diuers through common counsell and conference spreadeth to the publicke vtility of many c. After this eftsoones he beginneth to exhort them that they like charitable ministers and discrete counsellors will take in hand the spirituall armour of God to cast downe the stoppe partition walle of the olde discord betweene the Greekes and Latine Church that they will be a meanes to the Bishop of Rome that they which so long haue bene disseuered by dissention may now be conioyned in vnity of peace in brotherly charity and communion of fayth Concerning which matter I haue sayth he already written to his holynesse And now I beseech the king of heauen whiche tooke the shape of a seruaunt to helpe his miserable seruauntes and was exalted vpon the crosse to raise them vp which were fallen into the profundity of desolation that he will vouchsafe to put from your hartes all elation of minde extolling it selfe ouer and aboue the vnity of your brethren and fellow seruauntes and to lighten your consciences with the true light of vnderstanding that we may altogether agree in one that there be no schisme amongst vs. Let vs therefore as we are instructed so abide in one minde that it be not sayd of vs as it was of the Corinthians before vs I hold of Paule I of Apollo I of Coephas and I of Christ but that all we as we holde the name of Christ and are all called Christians so may also abide in that wherein we are instructed in one minde that is to follow loue and charity in Christ Iesus hauing alwayes in our hartes the wordes of the Apostle saying One Lord one Fayth one Baptisme And now to be playne with you in that I haue to say I shal desire you not to be offended with me in vttering the trueth as a frend vnto you The wordes sayth Salomon of a wise man telling trueth be like to nayles which be driuen in deepe And truth for the moste parte breedeth enemies And therefore though I am partly afrayd yet will I simply confesse the trueth vnto you Certes this diuision of Christian vnity amongst vs proceedeth of no other cause but onely of the tiranny oppression and exactiōs of the Church of Rome which of a mother is become a stepdame and hath put her children from her whome long time she nourished after the maner of a rauening bird which driueth her yong from her which children how much the more humble and obedient they are to her the lesse she esteemeth them and treadeth them vnder foot not regarding the saying of the Gospel Who so humbleth himselfe shal be exalted Let modesty therefore something temper you and let the auarice of the Court of Rome although it can not well out of the flesh which is bred in the bone yet surcease a while and let vs together condescend to the triall of the trueth which trueth being found out on both sides let vs constantly embrace the same For why we haue bene altogether some times both Italians and Grecians in one fayth and vnder the same Canons hauing peace each with other and defending one an other and confounding the enemies of the Church At what tyme many flying out of the west
the presence of vs common Notaries here vnder written especially called and required for this purpose as it is contained in the subscriptions heere vnder the famous noble men the Lord Lewes sonne of the French king Guido of S. Paule and Iohn Drocem Earles and William of Plesiano Lord of Vitenob knight Moued as they saide with a feruent faith with affection of sincere loue and zeale of charitie to be shewed to the holy Romish church and hauing pitie from their heart on their mother the vniuersall church which as they sayde is oppressed daungerously vnder the rule of the saide Lord Boniface and suffereth outragious defacing and losse and pitying the right faith as they say in which standes the saluation of soules which alas for pitie in their times miserably pineth away perisheth for the lacke of wholesome gouernment of the Churche through all Christendome and earnestly taking paines as they said for the repairing and enhaunsing of the Catholicke faith specially seeing it was necessary for the same church for the foundation of the faith and health of the soules that none shoulde rule the fold of the Lordes flocke but the true and lawfull shepheard and also because the same Churche was the spouse of Christ that hath no spot nor wrincle all errour offence wickednes wrong shoulde be put away and saluation peace and quietnesse through Gods mercy might be procured to the whole worlde which they say lieth in warres and darkenesse by the wicked deedes cursed workes and hurtful examples of the sayd Boniface They said and laid against the said Boniface heresie and other diuers horrible cursed faultes wherein they affirmed him to be tangled and commonly and notoriously reported the king himselfe being present with Archbishops Bishops and other Prelates and Churchmen which were assembled for to entreat of their owne matters and matters of their Churches beside Barons Earles and other noble men whose names are vnder written The said William propounded obiected against him swearing by the holy Gospell of God which hee corporally touched that he coulde prooue all and euery the premisses to be true And the sayd William of Plesiano sware further this othe that he beleued he could prooue the premisses and that he woulde pursue to the full ende against the saide Boniface in the generall Councell where when and afore whomsoeuer of right it ought to be done requiring earnestly the sayd Lord king as a champion of the faith and defender of the Church that for declaring of this truth to the praise of Gods name to the increase promoting of the Catholike faith to the honour and wealth of the vniuersall Church and of all Christen people and the congregation of the sayd generall councel that he woulde helpe and bestowe his profitable labour with souldiors and other like for the loue of men and zeale to iustice because his kingly house was euer a ruler of the trueth and that he wold earnestly require the Archbishops Bishops other Prelates and that he woulde be effectually instant with them The Earles knights themselues besought earnestly many of the same prelates as they were pillers of the Church the faith that they would helpe and effectually bestowe their labour to the calling and assembling of the said councell by all waies and meanes lawful according to the ordinances of the holy fathers and decrees of the canons But when the prelates heard fully vnderstode such obiections oppositions and requests as is aforesaid and considered that such a matter not onely was most hard but needed wise counsell they departed out of the same place But on the Friday next following i. the 14. day of the same moneth of Iune the foresaid Lord king being present and also the Lords Archbishops Bishops Abbots Priors and many witnesses here vnder written the same time being present and in the presence of vs common Notaries heere subscribed and being specially called and required for this purpose the foresayd William of Plesiano Knight sayde propounded affirmed obiected and read as was contained more fully in a certaine paper which he held in his hand whose tenor was after this sort I William of Plesiano Knight say propound and affirme that Boniface which now ruleth the Apostolical sea is a rancke hereticke in heresies and by heresies outragious dedes and wicked doctrines hereafter to be declared which things to be true I beleeue I am able to prooue or els such things as these shall be sufficient to prooue hym a full hereticke in a cōuenient place time and afore whom of right this can or ought to be done This thing I sweare on the holy Gospel of God presently touched of me First that he beleueth not the immortalitie of men and of christen soules but thinking much like as the Saducies did beleeue that there is no euerlasting life and the men can not get at the length ioy but all the lot and part of comfort and gladnes to be in this world and by this meanes he affirmeth that it is no sinne for the body to liue daintely in al dainties And out of the aboundance of this leuen he was not ashamed to say and opēly to cōfesse that he had rather be an asse or a dogge or any other brute beast rather than a Frenchman which thing he would not haue said if he beleued a Frenchmā had a soule that could enioy euerlasting life This thing he taught many men which knowledged this at the point of death and the common report goeth on him thus in these things 2. Also he beleeueth not faithfully that by the wordes ordained of Christ spoken ouer the hoste after the fashion of the Church by a faithfull priest that is lawfully ordered the body of Christ to be there and therefore it commeth to passe that he geneth no reuerence to it no not a litle when it is lifted up of the priest yea he rises not to it but turneth his backe to it and makes himselfe his seat to be honoured where he sitteth rather then the altare where the hoste is consecrate and he is commonly reported to doe this 3. Also he is reported to say that whoredome is no sinne no more than rubbing of the hands together thus commonly runnes the voice and brute 4. Also he saide often that to thrust downe the King and Frenchmen if it coulde not be otherwaies done he would ouerthrow himselfe the whole world the whole Church And when he had sayd so some that stode by said God forbid he answered God graunt And when good men that heard the wordes replied against him that hee should not say so because the church of God all Christen men should suffer great slaunder so he answered I care not what slaunders soeuer come so that the Frenchmen and their pride be destroied for it is necessary that slaunders offences come 5. Item he called againe allowed a booke made by M. Arnold of Newton conteining and smelling of heresie
of our auncestors which doubted not to shedde their owne bloud for the encrease and defence of the Churches liberty and the faith and coueting to prouide for the puritie of faith and the state of the Church as also to auoid the hurt of the generall slaunder being not able to passe ouer any longer the premisses with wincking and dissembling and my conscience driuing to the same seeing this estimate opinion of him in these matters is not rashly of vs conceiued but vehemently and plainly increased by many and continuall cryings of credible men and great authoritie oft and oftentimes beaten vnto vs fearing moreouer the destruction of the faith both of vs and of al other subiects and specially of kings and princes of the world which ought to reproue negligence which acknowledge that we haue receiued power geuen vs from the Lord to the promoting and increasement of it we agree to your requestes in this behalfe and to the calling and assembling a councell for the glory of God sauing the honour and reuerence that is due to the holy Romish church in all thinges whereby the trueth may appeare in the premisses and all errour auoided that the state of the vniuersall Church and all Christianitie and the matters of faith and the holy land may be prouided for the slauÌ„ders ieoperdies haÌ„ging ouer vs may be withstanded we be ready offer our selues gladly as much as in vs is to bestowe our labour and diligent paine therabouts Earnestly requiring and beseeching in the mercifull bowels of Iesu Christ you Archbishops and other Prelates here present as children of the Church and pillers of faith called of the Lorde to the promoting encrease and preseruing thereof to care for the same that with all diligence ye wold geue heede as becommeth you and effectually you would labor by al wayes and fit meanes to the calling and assembling of this councel in which we intend to be personally present And left the said Boniface which hath boldly and wrongfully many times threatned to proceede against vs stopping and hindring our purposes and intent â—â—ast any of his workes of darkenesse if there be any should come to light directly or indirectly hindering the calling and gathering of this councel or least any state being in the same realme that wil in dede procede against vs or our state churches Prelates Barons other faithfull vassals our subiects our lands or our realme and the state of the realme by abusing any spirituall sworde in excommunicating suspending or otherwais by any meanes for vs and our welwillers and them that will followe vs we prouoke appeale in wryting to the foresayd general councell which we instantly desire to be called and to one lawâ—ull chiefe Bishop that shall be or to any other to whome we shoulde appeale and yet not going from the appellation made by M. William of Nagareta to whom we sticked then and also yet sticke requiring earnestly a witnes of our appellation of you Prelates Notaries expressedly to renue such prouocation and appellation when and afore whome it shal be thought meete to you Then the Archbishops within wrytten byshops Abbots and Priors aunswered the premisses as it is founde in the actes prouoked and appealed agreed to and protested and made prouocation and appellation agreement and protestation as is contained more fully in a certaine paper there openly and plainely red whose tenor followeth with these wordes We Archbishoppes of Nicosen Remen Senoren Narbonen Turonen and bishops of Landuiren Belnacen Catolacen Antisiodorem Meldimen Nurmen Carnotem Aurelianen Ambiauen Morinen Silanen Andeganen Abricen Constant Ebroicen Lexonicen Sagien Caloromont Lemonicen Auicen Masticoren And we Abbots of Cluniac promostraten of the greater monasterie of the court of S. Dionise in Fraunce Camped S. Victors S. Genoueue S. Marten Landmoen Figiacem Bellicem in Lemociuio and Frier Hugh visiter of the houses of the order of knights of S. Iohn in Ierusalem in Fraunce and the father Priour of S. Martine in the fieldes hearing these things which were sayd propounded and obiected yesterday to day by you the Lords Earles and William aforesaide against the Lorde Boniface the 8. and Pope being mooued with suche sayings purposes assertations and your othes your request and other lawfull causes and were compelled by need considering that the matter of our faith which is Christes is handled in the premisses Wee that be called to part of this care to the defence and maintenaunce of the faith of soules of the realme although vnworthy yet coueting to with stande the ieoperdies that hang ouer vs by reason of the premisses and other causes thinking the calling gathering of the sayd Councell profitable necessary that the innocencie of the Lord Boniface himself may clearely be discussed as we desire our coÌ„sciences bearing witnesse that it may be determined on him by the Councell touching such things as are laide against him and that may be done which they decree according to the Canons We aunswere you our Lord king and you our Lordes Earles and William that the honor reuerence of the holy Romish church salued in all poyntes wee agree to your due requestes in this behalfe for the calling of the Councell and are ready to geue helpe and diligent labour to the calling and gathering of the said CouÌ„cell according to the decrees of the holy fathers and to the lawfull orders of the Canons not intending by any meanes to make parties of this matter nor to sticke to any that maketh parties Yet least the sayde Boniface being mooued or prouoked by these things as wee feare by likely coniectures and threatnings made against vs for the foresayde things that he will proceede against our parish Churches and our subiectes by some meanes or cause to proceede against vs by some authoritie of his owne or others by excommunication suspension interditing deposing depriuing or by some other meanes and colour sought to some impeachment or trouble of the sayd Councell and that we may sitte in the same Councell to iudge and do al other things that belong to the office of Prelates that our frends that sticke to vs would sticke to vs in all thinges may remaine safe for our selues our parish Churches our subiectes and them that sticke to vs or would sticke to vs in this behalfe we prouoke and appeale in wryting to the foresayde Councell that is to be gathered and to him that shall be the true and lawfull highest Bishop and to him or them to whome of right we shoulde appeale too and earnestly require our appellations committing vs our parish churches our subiectes friendes and them that sticke to vs our state and theirs our right goodes to the godly defence of the foresaide councell and of him that shall be the true and lawfull highest bishop and we protest to renewe this appellation where when and afore whome it shal be thought meete This was done at Paris at Lupara in the chamber of the sayd Lord
thus as if he had beâ—e wroth he sayd to one of his clerkes Fetch hether quickly the certification that came to me â—roÌ„ Shrewsbury vnder the 〈◊〉 seale witnessing the errors and heresyes which this Losel hath venunously sowne there Then hastely the clarke tooke out and layde forth on a cupbord diuers rolles and writinges among which there was a litle one which the clarke deliuered to the Archbyshop And by and by the Archbishop read this roll conteyning this sentence The third sonday after Easter the yeare of our Lorde 1407. William Thorpe came vnto the towne of Shrewsbury and thorow leaue graunted vnto him to preache He sayd openly in S. Chaddes church in his sermon that the sacrament of the aulter after the consecration was materiall bread And that images should in no wise be worshipped And that meÌ„ should not go on pilgrimages And that priestes haue no title to tithes And that it is not lawful for to sweare in any wise ¶ And when the Archbishop had red thus this roll he rolled it vp agayne and sayd to me Is this wholesome learning to be among the people ☞ And I sayd to him Sir I am both ashamed on theyr behalf and right sorowful for them that haue certified you these thinges thus vntruelye for I preached neuer nor taught thus priuily nor apertly ¶ And the Archbishop sayd to me I will geue credence to these worshipfull men which haue written to me and witnessed vnder theyr scales there amoÌ„g them Though now thou denyest this weenest thou that I will geue credence to thee Thou Losell hast troubled the worshipfull communalty of Shrewsbury so that the Balifes and comminalty of that towne haue writteÌ„ to me praying me that am Archbishop of Cant. primate and Chancellor of England that I will vouchsafe to graunt them that if thou shalt be made as thou art worthy to suffer open iouresse for thine heresies that thou may haue thy iouresse openlye there among them So that all they whome thou and suche other Losels haue there peruerted may thorow feare of thy deed be reconciled agayne to the vnity of holy Church And also they that stand in true fayth of holy Church may thorow thy deed be more established therein And as if this asking well pleased yâ— Archbishop he sayd By my thrift this harty prayer and feruent request shall be thought on But certaynely nother yâ— prayer of the men of Shrewsbury nor the manassing of the Archbishoppe made me any thing afrayd But in rehearsing of this malice and in the hearing of it my hart greatly reioysed yet doth I thank God for the grace that I then thought and yâ—t think shall come to all the Church of God here thorow by the speciall mercifull doing of the Lord. And as hauing no dread of the malice of tyrantes by trusting stedfastly in the helpe of the Lord with full purpose for to knowledge the sothfastnes and to stand therby after my cunning and power I said to the Archbishop Sir if the truth of Gods word might now be accepted as it should be I doubt not to proue by likely euidence that they that are famed to be out of the fayth of holy Church in Shrewsbury in other places also are in the true fayth of holy Church For as theyr wordes found and theyr workes shew to mans iudgement dreading and louing faythfully God theyr will their desire ther loue theyr busines are most set to dread to offend God to loue for to please him in true faythfull keeping of his coÌ„mauÌ„dementes And agayne they that are sayd to be in the faith of holy Church in Shrewsbury in other places by open euidence of their proud enuious malicious couetous lecherous and other foule words workes neither know nor haue wil to know nor to occupy their wits truely and effectuously in the right fayth of holy Church Wherefore all these nor none that folow theyr maners shall any time come verely in the fayth of holy church except they inforce them more truely to come in the way which now they despise For these men and women that are now called faithfull and holden iust nother know nor will exercise theÌ„selfe to know of faythfulnes one commaundement of God And thus full many men and womeÌ„ now and specially meÌ„ that are named to be principall lims of holy church styree God to great wrath deserue his curse for that they call or hold them iust meÌ„ which are full vniust as their vicious wordes their great customable swearing and theyr slaunderous and shamefull works shew openly and witnes And therfore such vicious men vniust in theyr own confusion call them vniust men womeÌ„ which after their power and cunning busy themselues to liue iustly after the coÌ„maundement of God And where sir ye say that I haue distroubled the coÌ„minalty of Shrewsbury many other men and women with my teaching If it this be it is not to be wondred of wise men since all the communalty of that City of Ierusalem was distroubled of Christes own person that was very God and man and most prudent preacher that euer was or shal be And also all the Sinagoge of Nazareth was moued agaynst Christ so fulfilled with ire towards him for his preaching that the men of the Sinagoge rose vp and cast Christ out of theyr City led him vp to the top of a mouÌ„tayn for to cast him down there headling Also accordingly hereto the Lord witnesseth by Moises that he shall put dissention betwixt his people and the people that coÌ„trarieth and pursueth his people Who sir is he that shall preach the truth of Gods word to the vnfaith full people and shall set the sothfastnes of the Gospell and the prophecy of God almighty to be fulfilled ¶ And the Archbishop sayd to me It foloweth of these thy wordes that thou and such other thinkest that ye do right well for to preach and teach as ye do without authority of any Bishop For ye presume that the Lord hath choseÌ„ you onely for to preach as faythful disciples and speciall folowers of Christ. ☞ And I sayd Syr by authority of Gods law and also of Sayntes and Doctors I am learned to deme that it is euery Priestes office and duty for to preach busilye freely truely the word of God For no doubt euery Priest should purpose first in his soule couer to take the order of priesthood chiefly for to make knowne to the people the word of God after his cunning and power approuing his words euey to be true by his vertuous works and for this intent we suppose that Bishops other Prelates of holy church should chiefly take and vse their prelacye and for the same cause Bishops should geue to Priestes their orders For Bishops should accept no man to Priesthood except that he had good wil and fâ—â—l purpose were wel disposed and wel learned to preach
one of them as S. Ambrose Hierom Augustin do affirme and likewise others For the teaching hereof by a playne example I described as it were a certayne triangle forme or figure the which I cald the shield of fayth Therfore vtterly to exclude and take away the erroneous and wicked vnderstanding therof the which peraduē tture some men may gather thereby I do say affirme declare that I neuer made the sayd figure neither named it the shield of faith to that intent or purpose that I woulde extoll or preferre the opinion of vniuersalities aboue or before the contrary opinion in such sort as though that were the shield of faith that without the affirmation therof the Catholicke faith coulde not be defended or maintained when as I my selfe would not obstinately sticke thereunto But this I said because I had put example in the description of the Triangle or form that one diuine essence consisted in three subiectes or persons in themselues distinct that is to saye the father the sonne and the holy Ghost The article of the which Trinitie is the chiefe shield of fayth and foundation of the Catholicke truth Furthermore that it may be euident vnto all mē what the causes were for the whiche I was reputed thought to stick to and fauour some time I. Hus. I signifie vnto all men by these presentes that when as I heard him oftentimes both in his sermons and also in the schooles I beleleued that he was a very good man neither that he dyd in any poynt gaynsay the traditions of our holy mother the Church or holy doctors in somuch as when I was lately in this Citty and the articles which I affirmed were shewed vnto me whiche were also condemned by the sacred Councell at the first sight of them I did not beleeue that they were hys at the least not in that forme But when as I had further vnderstood by certayn famous Doctours maysters of Diuinitie that they were hys articles required for my further information and satisfaction to haue the bookes of hys own hand writing shewed vnto me wherin it was sayd those articles were contayned The which books when they were shewed vnto me written with his owne hand which I did know as well as mine owne I found all and euery one of those articles therein written in like forme as they are condemned Wherfore I do worthely iudge and thinke him and his doctrine with his adherents to be condemned and reproued by this sacred coūcell as hereticall and without reason Al which the premisses with a pure minde and conscience I do heare pronounce speake being now fully and sufficiently informed of the foresaid sentences and iudgementes geuen by the sacred councell agaynst the doctrines of the sayd Iohn Wickleffe and Iohn Hus and agaynst their own persons vnto the which iudgement as a deuout Catholike in all thinges I doe most humbly consent and agree Also I the foresayd Hierom which before the reuerend fathers the Lordes Cardinals and reuerend Lordes Prelates and Doctours and other worshipful persons of this sacred Councell in this same place did heretofore frely and willingly declare and expound myne intent and purpose amongest other thinges speaking of the Churche did deuide the same into three partes And as I did perceaue afterward it was vnderstanded by some the I would affirme that in the triumphant Church there was fayth Whereas I do firmly beleue that there is the blessed sight and beholding of God excluding all darke vnderstanding knowledge And now also I do say affirm declare that it was neuer my intent and purpose to proue that there sholde be fayth speaking of fayth as fayth is commonly defined but knowledge farre exceeding fayth And generally whatsoeuer I sayd eyther there or at any time before I do referre and most humbly submit my selfe vnto the determination of this sacred Councell of Constance Moreouer I do sweare both by the holy Trinitie and also by the most holy Gospell that I will for euermore remayne and perseuere without all doubt in the truth of the Catholicke Churche And all such as by their doctrine and teaching shall impugne this fayth I iudge them worthy together with their doctrines of eternall curse And if I my selfe at any time which God forbid I should doe presume to preach or teach contrary thereunto I will submit my self vnto the seueritie of the Canons and be bound vnto eternall payn and punishment Wherupon I do deliuer vp this my cōfession and tenour of my profession willingly before this sacred generall councell and haue subscribed and written all these thinges with myne owne hand AFter all this they caused hym to be caryed agayn vnto the same prison but not so straightly chayned bound as he was before notwithstanding kept euery day wyth souldiors and armed men And when as afterward his enemies which were appoynted agaynst him as Michaell de causis wicked Palletz with other their companions in these affayres vnderstood knew by the words talke of M. Hierome and by other certayn tokens that he made the same abiuration recantation not of a sincere pure minde but onely to the intent thereby to scape their hands they together with certayne Friers of Prage of the order of Carmelites then comming in put vp new accusations agaynst the sayd M. Hierome and drew the same into Articles being very instant and earnest that he shoulde answere thereunto And forsomuch as his iudges certaine Cardinals as the Cardinall of Cambray the Cardinal de Vrsinis the Cardinall of Aquilegia and of Florence considering the malice of the enemies of M. Hierome dyd see the great iniurie that was done vnto him they laboured before the whole Councell for hys deliuery It happened vpon a certayn day as they were labouring in the Councell for the deliuery of the sayd M. Hierome that the Germaynes and Bohemians his enemies with al force and power resisted against it crying out that he should in no case be dismissed Then start vp one called Doctor Naso which said vnto the Cardinalles we maruaile much of you most reuerend fathers that your reuerences will make intercession for such a wicked hereticke for whose sake we in Boheme with the whole clergy haue suffered much trouble mischiefe and peraduenture your fatherhoodes shall suffer and I greatly feare least that you haue receiued some rewardes eyther of the king of Boheme or of these heretickes When as the Cardinalles were thus rebuked they discharged themselues of mayster Hieromes cause and matter Then his enemies aforesaid obtayned to haue other iudges appointed as the Patriarcke of Constantinople a Germayne doctour forsomuch as they did knowe that the Patriarch was a greeuous enemy vnto M. Hierome because he being before appoynted iudge by the Councell had condemned Iohn Hus vnto death But M. Hierome would not aunswere them in prison requiring to haue open audience because he woulde there finally
spoile his subiects defloure virgins dishonest matrones and do all things licentiously and temerariously do not the nobles of the kingdome assemble together deposing him from his kingdome set vp another in his place which shall sweare to rule and gouerne vprightly and be obedient vnto the lawes Verely as reason doth perswade euen so doth the vse thereof also teach vs. It seemeth also agreeable vnto reason that the same should be done in the Church that is to say in the Councell which is done in any kingdome And so is this sufficiently apparant which we haue before sayd that the Pope is subiect vnto the Councell But now to passe vnto the argumentes of Diuinitie the foundation of the matter which we do intreate vpon are the wordes of our Sauiour Iesu Christ in diuers places but specially where as he speaketh vnto Peter Tu es Petrus super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam portae inferi non praeualebunt aduersus eam i. Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it Vpon whyche words it seemeth good to begin this disputatiō forsomuch as some were wont to alledge these words to extoll the authority of the Bishop of Rome But as it shall by and by appeare the words of Christ had another sense and meaning then diuers of them do thinke for he saith the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it Verely this is a great promise and these wordes of the Lord are of great importance For what greater word could there haue bene spoken then that the gates of hell should not preuaile against the church These gates of hel as S. Hierome saith do signifie sins Wherfore if sinnes can not preuaile against the Church neither can any maligne spirites preuaile against the same which haue no power at all ouer mankinde but only through sinne And for that cause where as it is sayd in Iob that there is no power vpon the earth that may be cōpared vnto the power of the maligne spirite whereby it followeth that the power of the Church is aboue all other power We may also vpon the same saying reason after an other sort for somuch as the gates of hel that is to say sinnes can not preuaile agaynst the Church the Church thereby is declared to be without sinne the which cā not be spoke of the pope which is a mortall mā for somuch as it is written seuen tymes in the day the iust mā doth offend If the Church be without spot because it can not be defiled with sinne who is it that will preferre a sinnefull mā before an vndefiled Churche Neither let vs geue eare vnto those whiche will not referre these woordes of Christ vnto the Church where as he sayth Oraui pro te Petre vt non deficiat fides tua That is to say Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth should not fayle thee For as S. Augustine sayth in the exposition of the Psalmes certaine thyngs are spoken as though they seemed properly to pertaine vnto the Apostle Peter notwithstanding they haue no euident sense but when they are referred vnto the Churche the person wherof he is vnderstāded figuratiuely to represent Wherupō in an other place in the questiōs of the new old Testament vpon the wordes Rogaui pro te Petre I haue prayed for thee Peter What is doubted Did he pray for Peter did he not pray for Iames and Iohn beside the rest It is manifest that vnder the name of Peter all other are conteyned For in an other place of S. Iohn he sayth I pray for them whom thou hast geuen me I will that wheresoeuer I am they shall be also with me Wherupon we do oftentymes by the name of Peter vnderstand the Church which we do nothing at all doubt to be done in this place otherwise the truth could not consist for somuch as within a while after the fayth of Peter fayled for a tyme by the deniall of Christ but the fayth of the Church whose person Peter did represent did alwayes perseuere inuiolate As touching the Bishops of Rome if time would suffer vs we could rehearse many crāples how that they either haue ben heretickes or replenished with other vices Neither are we ignoraunt how that Marcellinus at the Emperours commaundement did sacrifice vnto Idols that an other whiche is more horrible did attaine vnto the Papacy by a deuilish fraude deceite Notwithstandyng the testimony of Paule vnto the Hebrues shall suffice vs at this tyme who sayth euery Bishop to be compassed in with infirmitie that is to say with wickednesse and sinne Also the testimonies of Christ him selfe do approue that the Church remaineth alwayes without sinne for in Mathew he saith I am with you euen vnto the end of the world The which wordes were not onely spoken vnto the Apostles for they continued not vnto the end of the world but also vnto their successours neither would Christ then signifie that he was God dispersed throughout all the world as he is also perceiued to be amongest sinners but would declare a certain gift of grace through his assistaūce whereby he would preserue the holy Churche consisting amongest his Apostles and their successours alwayes immaculate and vndefiled And agayne in an other place I sayth he will pray he shal geue you an other cōforter that he may remaine w e you for euer euē the spirite of truth whō the world cānot receaue because the world seeth him not neither knoweth him but you shall know him because he shall remayne with you The which wordes being spoken vnto the Disciples of Iesus are also vnderstāded to be spokē vnto their successours so cōsequently vnto the Church And if the spirite of truth be cōtinually in the Church no man cā deny but that the Church ought to continue vndefiled By the same authoritie also that Christ is called the spouse of the Church who seeth not but that the Church is vndefiled For the husband the wise as the Apostle sayth are two in one flesh as he doth also adde no mā hateth his own flesh thereby it commeth to passe that Christ can not hate the Church for somuch as she is his spouse and one flesh with him no mā cā hate himselfe Ergo the Church doth not sinne for if it did sinne it should be hated for sinners the Lord doth hate The which authorities being gathered together we ought with the Apostle to confesse that the Church of God hath neither spot nor wrincle Also he writyng vnto Timothe affirmeth the Churche to be the piller foundation of the truth whereupō in this song of the spouse it is sayd My frend thou art altogether fayre beawtifull neither is there any spot in thee These wordes peraduenture may abash some that I do go about to proue the Church to be without
to be admitted with the bishops to the deciding of hard doubtfull matters Neither ought we to be ashamed to follow the example of that most sacred and great Councell which also followeth the examples of the Councell of Pisa and the great Councell at Lateran wherein it is not to be doubted but that the Priestes did ioyntly iudge together with the byshops Moreouer if Abbotes as we do see it obserued in all Councels haue a determining voice which notwithstanding were not instituted by Christ why should not priests haue the same whose order Christ ordayned by hys Apostles Hereupon also if one byshops shoulde haue a determining voice nothing should be done but what pleased that Italian nation the whith alone doth exceed all other nations or at the least is equall with them in number of byshops And howsoeuer it be I iudge it in this behalf to be a work of God that the inferiours shold be admitted to the determinations for God hath nowe reuealed that vnto little ones which he hath hidden from the wise Behold you do see the zeale constancy vprightnes and magnanimitie of these inferiours Where should the councell now be if onely bishops and Cardinals shoulde haue their voice Where should the authoritie of the Councels be Where should the Catholicke fayth be Where shoulde the decrees and reformation be For all things haue now a long time bene vnder the will of Eugenius and he had now obtained hys wicked naughty purpose except these inferiours whome you now contemne had withstād him These are they which haue contemned the priuation made by Eugenius These I say are they which haue not regarded hys threatninges spoyle and persecution These are they which being takē imprisoned tormented haue not fered to defend the trueth of the Councell yea euen these are they who albeit they were by Eugenius deliuered ouer for a pray yet would they still continue in the sacred coūcell and feared not to to suffer warre famine most cruel pestilence and finally what thing is it that these men haue not willingly suffered for the right and equity of the councel you might haue heard this inferior sort euen in the midst of their tribulations with a loud voycr cry out and say albeit that all men become obedient vnto that subuerter of the Church Eugenius and that euery man do depart from the veritie of the fayth and constitutions of the fathers consēting vnto the commaundementes of Eugeneus yet we our brethren will be constant and doubt not to dye for the truth and traditions of the holy fathers the which in deed they haue done Neither could they be feared with threatnings or discouraged with any spoyles neither could any feare or hope turne them from their most blessed purpose and to speake somewhat of mine own order whether any Cardinals haue done the like or no that iudge you As for Byshops whō Panormitane alone wold haue to determine you see how few of them are on our part euen they which are here present are not able by vertue to ouercome iniquitie they feare the terrene power and commit offence with their hast Haue ye not heard how they al sayd they would consent vnto the kinges will and pleasure But the inferiors are they which haue had truth righteousnes god himselfe before their eyes they are greatly to be commended for shewing themselues such men vnto the Church of God But why do I defend that cause of these inferiours When as some will also exclude those byshops which are but byshops by name and title and haue no possession of the Church from our company not vnderstanding that whilest they go about to put backe those mē they do condemne Peter and the other Apostles who as it is euident were long without any great flocke neither was Rome vnto Peter nor Ierusalem vnto Iames at anye tyme wholy obedient for at that tyme no great number of people but a small flocke beleued in Christ. For I pray you what is that we shold require of these byshops They haue no flocke but that is not their fault They haue no reuenues but money maketh not a byshop and as the Lord sayth Beati pauperes spiritu i. Blessed are y◠poore in spirite Neither was there anye rich Byshops in the primitiue Church neither did the auncient Church reiect Dionysius Byshop of Millayne Eusebius Bishop of Uercelles or Hillary Byshop of Pictauia although they were neuer so poore and banished without a flocke But if we will graunt the truth the poore are more apte to geue iudgement then the rich because that riches bringeth feare and their pouertie causeth libertie For the poore men doe not feare tyranny as our rich men do whiche being geuen ouer vnto all kinde of vanities idlenes and sloth will rather deny Christ then lacke theyr accustomed pleasures whom not theyr flock but theyr reuenues make bishops deliting so muche in riches that they iudge all poore men vnhappy But as Cicero sayth nothing can happen better vnto a wise man then mediocritie of substaunce Wherupon it is written in the Gospel It is easiar for a Cammel to passe through a needle eye then for a riche man to enter into the kingdome of heauen But now to returne to a more full declaration of Panormitans words I determine to passe ouer two poynts which he pronounced in the beginning of hys Oratiō that is Qui petant cur petant i. who maketh the petition and for what cause they make their petition We graunt the they are great men men of power and as he doth affirme the they haue deserued good of the church neither do I doubt but that they are moued thereunto with a sincere affectiō But whether it be a small matter that is required or that the same effectes would ryse thereupon which he spake of it is now to be enquired A delay sayth he is required a delay for a few dayes A small matter a matter of no importaunce a matter easy to be graunted Notwithstanding let Panormitane here marke well that he requireth a delay in a matter of faith The verities are already declared they be already discussed and determined If now there shoulde be but a little delay it would grow to a long delay for oftē times the delay of one momēt is the losse of a whole yere here of we haue many examples Hanniball whē he had obteined his victory at Cannas if he had gone strayght vnto Rome by all mens iudgementes he had takē the city But for so much as he did deferre it vntill the next day the Romaines hauing recouered theyr force agayne he was shutt out and deserued to heare this opprobry Vincere scis Hannibal vti victoria nescis Hannibal thou knowest victory to get But how to vse it thou knowest not yet Likewise the French men after they had taken Rome and besieged the Capitoll whiles that they gredely sought to haue great summes
of mony delayed the time in making of their truce Camillus cōming vpon them did most shamefully driue them out againe But what need I to rehearse old histories when as our own examples are sufficient for vs Ye know your selues how often these delayes haue bene hurtfull vnto you how oftē the delay of a few dayes hath growne to a long tracte of tyme. For now this is the 8. yeare that you haue spent in delayes you haue seene that alwayes of one delay an other hath sprong and risen Wherfore I do require that Panormitan shuld consider that the conclusion being this day disturbed we know not whether it will be brought to passe hereafter againe or no. Many impedimentes or lets may rise Neither doth Panormitan say that this delay being obtayned he wold afterward consent with his fellowes vnto the conclusiōs for he denyeth that he hath any commaundement therunto which is more to be considered he sayth that the Ambassadours at their returne from Mentz may bring such newes wherby these conclusions may be omitted as though any thyng were more excellent then the truth The which thing doth manifestly declare that they do not seeke delayes for the better examination of the matter but for to impugne the conclusions the more strongly Neither do I agree with Panormitan as touching the effects which he sayd should ryse eyther of the denyall or graunting of the requests For I see no cause why the Princes should so greatly require any delay There are no letters of anye Prince come vnto vs as touching such request neyther is there any man lately come from them neyther is it greatly materiall vnto them but that the matters of faith shoulde be determined But this is a most pernicious conclusion which Panormitane hath made and not to be looked for at the handes of those most godly princes wheras he saith if we do please them they will take our part If contrariwise they will decline vnto Eugenius and wholy resist rebell agaynst vs. This is a meruailous word a wonderfull conclusion altogether vnworthye to be spoken of such a man The decrees of the Councell of Constance are that all maner of men of what state or condition soeuer they be are bound to the ordinaunces and decrees of the generall Councels But Panormitanes wordes do not tend to that effect for he would not haue the Princes obedient vnto the Councel but that councell to be obedient vnto that princes Alas most reuerend Fathers alas what times daies what maners and conditiōs are these Into what misery are we now brought How shall we at anye time bring to passe that the Pope being Christes Uicare and as they say an other Christ in earth should be subiect vnto the coūcell of Christians if the Councell it selfe ought to obey wordly Princes But I pray you look for no such things at the Princes handes Do not beleeue that they will forsake theyr mother the Church Do not thinke them so farr alienate frō the truth that they would haue iustice suppressed The conclusions whereupon the controuersie is are most true most holy most allowable If the princes do refuse them they do not resist agaynst vs but against the holy Scriptures yea and agaynst Christ himselfe which you ought neither to beleue neither was it comely for Panormitane so to say Panormitan by your licēce be it spoken you haue vttered most cruell words neyther do you seeme to go about any other matter then to inculcate terrour and feare into the mindes of the Fathers for you haue rehearsed great perils and daungers except we submitt our selues vnto the princes But you most reuerend fathers shall not be afearde of them which kill the body the soule they cannot kill neyshal ye forsake the truth although you should shedde your bloud for the same Neither ought we to be any whit more slacke in the quarrell of our mother the church and the Catholicke fayth then those most holy Martyrs whiche haue established the Church with theyr bloud For why should it be anye greeuous matter vnto vs to suffer for Christ which for our sakes hath suffered so cruel greuous death Who when he was an immortall God voyd of all passiōs toke vpō him the shape of a mortal man feared not for our redemption to suffer tormentes vpon the crosse Set before your eyes the Prince of the Apostles Peter Paule Andrew Iames and Barthelmew and not to speake onely of Bishops Marke what Stephen Laurence Sebastian Fabian did Some were hanged some headed some stoned to death other some burned and others tormented with most cruell and grieuous tormentes suffered for Christes sake I pray you for Gods sake let vs follow the example of these men If we will be byshops and succeed in honour let vs not feare Martyrdome Alas what effeminate harts haue we Alas what faynt harted people are we They in tymes past by the contempt of death conuerted the whole world which was full of gentilitie and idolatrye and we through our sluggishnes desire of life do bring the Christian Religion out of the whole world into one corner I feare greatly least that little also which is left we shall lose through our cowardlines if that by following Panormitanes minde we do commit the whole gouernaunce defence of the Church vnto the princes But nowe play the stout and valiaunt men in this time of tribulation feare not to suffer death for the Churche whiche Curtius feared not to doe for the cittie of Rome which Menchotheus for Thebes Codrus for Athens willingly took vpon them Not onely the martyrs but also the Gentiles might moue and stirre vs to cast of all the feare of death What is to be sayd of Theremens the Athemen With how ioyfull hart and minde and pleasaunt countenaunce did he drink the poyson What say you vnto the Socrates that most excellent Philosopher did he eyther weepe or sigh when he supped vp the poyson They hoped for that whiche we are most certayne of Not by dying to dye but to chaunge this present life for a better Truly we ought to be ashamed being admonished by so many examples instructed with so great learning yea and redeemed with the precious bloud of Christ so greatly to feare death Cato writeth not of one or two men but of whole legions which haue chearfully couragiously gone vnto those places frō whence they knew they shuld not return Wyth like courage did the Lacedemoniās geue thēselues to death at Thermopilis of whom Simonides writeth thus Dic hospes Spartanos te hic vidisse iacentes Dum sanctis patriae legibus obsequimur Report thou straunger the Spartaines here to lye Whiles that their coūtry lawes they obeyed willingly Neither iudge the contrary but that the Lacedemonians went euen of purpose vnto death vnto whome theyr Captayne Leonidas sayd O ye Lacedemonians goe forward couragiously for this day we shal sup together
Embassadors they would only haue the first conclusion decreed and therupon sent agayne vnto Arelatensis vnto whō answere was made that the chief force did consist in the two other conclusions and that the Coūcel would specially determine vpon them If the Ambassadors would not be present they should vnderstand that the concord was broken by them which would not obserue that which they had offered With which auswere they departed the Sessiō begā to be celebrate There was no Prelate of the Aragons present at it neither out of Spayn and our of Italy onely the bishop of Grosserane and the Abbot of Dona whiche for theyr constancy steadfast good will toward the vniuersall church could not be chaūged from their purpose but of doctors and other inferiors there were a great number of Aragons and almost all the inferiors of Spayne and Italy for the inferiors feared not the princes as the Bishoppes did and then the worthy stoutnes of the Aragones Cathelanes appeared in the inferiour sort which woulde not shrinke away in the necessity of the church Of the two other nations there were only present 20. bishops The residue lurked in theyr lodginges professing the fayth in theyr hartes but not in theyr mouthes Arelatensis considering afore what would come to passe caused praiers to be made after their praiers made vnto almighty god with teares and lamētation that he would send them his holy spirit to ayde and assist them they were greatlye comforted and encouraged This congregatiō was famous and albeit that there were not many bishops present yet al the seats were filled with the Bishoppes Proctors Archdeacons Presidents Priors Priestes and Doctors of both lawes which I iudged to be about the number of 400. or more amongst whō there was no noyce no chiding no opprobrious wordes or contētion but one exhorted another to the profession of the fayth and there appeared a full and whole consent of them all to defend the church The bishop of Massilia a noble mau read the decree which was attentiuely harkened vnto and not one word interrupted When it was ended Te Deum laudamus was song with great ioy and gladnes so the Session dissolued whiche was in number the xxxiii Session and amongest all the rest the most quiet and peaceable The day following being the xxii of May the Princes Embassadors without all mens expectation came vnto the general congregatiō by that theyr doing at the least geuing theyr assent vnto the Session before passed In celebrating wherof if the fathers had erred it had not bene lawfull for the Princes and Embassadours to haue holden the councell with those fathers But it was thought that they were touched with remorse of conscience and euen now to detest and abhorre that which they had done as it was not hidden to the Embassadours of the Empyre and Fraūce For the bishop of Lubecke sayde that the cause of his absence was for that he was appointed by the Emperors cōmaūdement to intreat a peace Wherfore it was not comely for him to be present at any businesse whereby he should be vexed or troubled with whome the peace should be intreated Notwithstanding he did much commend the session before holdē and beleued the decree therein promulgate to be most good and holy and the verities therin contemed to be vndoubted sayd that he would sticke therunto both now and euen vnto the death But the bishop of Turnō a man both learned and eloquent speaking for him and hys felowes sayd that he heard how that they were euill spokē of amongst some in that they had not honored theyr king in that most sacred Sessiō whom it becommed specially to exalt and defend the fayth which also for that cause aboue all other kings was named most christen notwithstāding he sayd that they had a lawfull excuse in that it was cōuenient that they which were sēt to intreat peace should doe nothing whereby theyr Ambassade shold be stopped or letted Also there are two kindes of iniustice sayd he wherby either thinges are done that should not be done or thinges that should be done are not done The first doth not alwayes bind because it is conuenient to haue respect of time place and persō But the last doth alwayes bind wherin he sayd they were not culpable But as touching the first poynt they might seme vnto some to haue erred because they wer not present at the Session but yet in this poynt they had sufficient to answere forsomuch as if they had bene present at that Session they should haue bene vnmeete to haue intreated any peace with Eugenius And therfore albeit they were wanting at so holy a businesse in that point they followed the example of Paule which albeit he desired to be dissolued to be which Christ yet for the further profit and aduauncement of the church it was deferred So likewise he sayd that they had now done for that they were not absent because they doubted of the conclusions whiche they iudged to be most true and holy whereunto they would sticke euen vnto the death but because they woulde not be vnmeet for the treaty of peace for which they came and yet that which they had not done in theyr owne persō they had fulfilled sayd he by theyr seruaunts and household whom altogether they commaunded to reuerence that Session I would that I had bene then in the place of some great prelate surely they should not haue gone vnpunished whiche thought to haue playd bo peepe For what doth the declaration of the trueth hinder the treatye of peace Or if it doe hurt why is he not counted as great an offender which cōsenteth to him that declareth the truth as he which doth declare it What shal we need any further testimony for now the Embassadors of the Princes haue declared Eugenius to be an enemy vnto the truth But to passe ouer these thinges it is sufficient that Eugenius wrote afterward vnto the king of Fraunce that he did vnderstand the Bishop of Tournon to be become his enemy After that the Bishop of Tournon had made an ende Cardinall Arelatensis gaue thanks vnto God which had so defended his Church after great stormes and cloudes had sent fayre cleare weather cōmending the good wyll of the Emperour and the King of Fraunce towarde the Church he also praysed the bishop of Lubecke and Tournon for that oftentimes in the Councell and also of late at Mentz they had defended the authority of the coūcell But specially he commēded this theyr present doings that they had opēly confessed the trueth and had not sequestred them selues from the fayth of the Church Afterward he entring into the declaration of the matter sayd that he was at Pysis and at Constance and neuer saw a more quiet or deuout Session then this affirming y◠this decree was most necessary to represse the ambition of the Bishops of Rome whiche exalting
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
preached After theyr death and Martyrdom it pleased the Lord to prouide a generall quietnes to his Church wherby the number of hys flocke began more to encrease In this age then followed here in the sayd land of Britayne Fastidius Niuianus Patricius Bacchiarius Dubricius Congellus Kentigernus Helmotus Dauid Daniell Sampson Elnodugue Asaphus Cildas Heulanus Elbodus Dinothus Samuell Niuius and a great sort moe whiche gouerned the Churche of Britayne by Christen doctrine a long season albeit the ciuil gouernours for the tyme were then dissolute careles as Gildas very sharply doth lay to theyr charge and so at length were subdued by the Saxons All this while about the space of foure hundred yeares Religion remayned in Britayne vncorrupt and the word of Christ truely preached till about the comming of Austen and of hys companions from Rome many of the sayd Britayne preachers were slayne by the Saxons After that began Christen fayth to enter spring among the Saxons after a certayne romish sort yet notwithstanding some what more tollerable thē were the times which after folowed through the dilligent industry of some godly teachers which then liued amongest them as Aidanus Finianus Coleman Archbishop of Yorke Beda Iohn of Beuerlay Alcuinus Noetus Hucharius Serlo Achardus Ealredus Alexander Neckam Negellus Fenallus Alfricus Sygeferthus such other who though they erred in some few thinges yet neither so grossely nor so greatly to be complayned of in respect of the abuses that followed For as yet all thys while the error of Transubstantiation and leuation with auriculer confession was not crept in for a publicke doctrine in Christes Church as by theyr owne Saxon Sermon made by Aelfricus set out in the second Volume of this present history may appeare pag. 1114. During the which meane time although the Bishops of Rome wer had here in some reuerēce with the Clergy yet had they nothing as yet to do in setting lawes touching matters of the Church of England but that only appertayned to the kings and gouernours of the land as is in this story to be seene pag. 754. And thus the Church of Rome albeit it began then to decline a pace frō God yet during all this while it remayned hitherto in some reasonable order till at length after that the sayd Bishops began to shout vp in the world through the liberalitie of good Princes and especially by Mathilda a noble Duches of Italy Who at her death made the Pope heyre of all her landes and indued his sea with great reuenewes Then riches begot ambition Ambition destroyed Religion so that all came to ruine Out of this corruption sprang forth here in Englād as did in other places more an other romish kind of Monkery worse then the other before being much more drowned in superstition and ceremonies which was about the yeare of our Lord. 980. Of this swarme was Egbertus Aigelbert Egwine Boniface Wilfrede Agathon Iames Romayne Cedda Dunstane Oswold Athelwold Athelwine Duke of Eastangles Lanfrancke Anselme and such other And yet in this tyme also through Gods prouidence the Churche lacked not some of better knowledge and iudgement to weigh with the darcknes of those dayes For although king Edgar with Edward his base sonne being seduced by Dunstane Oswold and other Monkish Clerkes was thē a great author and fautor of much superstition erecting as many Monasteries as were Sondayes in the yeare yet notwithstanding this continued not long For eftsoones after the death of Edgar came king Ethelrede and Queene Elfthred his mother with Alferus Duke of merceland and other peeres and nobles of the Realme who displaced the Monkes againe and restored the maryed Priests to their old possessions and liuings Moreouer after that followed also the Danes whiche ouerthrew those Monkish foundations as fast as king Edgar had set them vp before And thus hetherto stode the condition of the true Church of Christ albeit not without some repugnance and difficultie yet in some meane state of the truth veritie till time of pope Hildebrand called Gregory 7. which was nere about the yeare 1080. And of Pope Innocentius 3. in the yeare 1215. By whome altogether was turned vpside downe all order broken dissipline dissolued true doctrine defaced Christian faith extinguished Instead whereof was set vp preaching of mens decrees dreames and idle traditions And whereas before truth was free to be disputed amongest learned men now libertie was turned into law Argument into Authoritie Whatsoeuer the Byshoppe of Rome denounced that stode for an oracle of all men to be receaued without opposition or contradiction whatsoeuer was contrary ibso facto it was heresie to be punished with fagot and flaming fire Then began the sincere fayth of this English Church which held out so long to quayle Then was the clerre sunne shine of Gods word ouershadowed with mistes and darcknes appearing like sacke-cloth to the people which neither could vnderstand that they read nor yet permitted to read that they could vnderstand In these miserable dayes as the true visible Church beganne now to shrinke and keep in for feare so vpstart a new sort of players to furnish the stage as schole Doctours Canonistes and foure orders of Friers Besides other Monasticall sectes and fraternities of infinite variety Which euer since haue kept such a stirre in the Church that none for them almost durst rout neyther Caesar king nor subiect What they defined stode What they approued was Catholicke What they condemned was heresie whom soeuer they accused none almost could saue And thus haue these hetherto continued or raigned rather in the Church the space now of foure hundreth yeares and odde During which space the true Church of Christ although it durst not openly appeare in the face of the world oppressed by tyranny yet neyther was it so inuisible or vnknown but by the prouidence of the Lord some remnaunt alwayes remayned from tyme to time which not onely shewed secret good affection to sincere doctrine but also stode in open defence of truth agaynst the disordered Churche of Rome In which Catalogue first to pretermit Barthramus and Barengarius which were before Pope Innocent 3. a learned multitude of sufficient witnesses here might be produced whose names neyther are obscure nor doctrine vnknowne as Ioachim Abbot of Calabria Almericus a learned Byshop who was iudged an hereticke for holding agaynst Images in the time of the sayd Innocentius Besides the Martirs of Alsatia of whome we read an hundred to be burned by the sayd Innocentius in one day as writeth Hermanus Mutius Adde likewise to these Waldenses or Albigenses which to a great number segregated themselues from the Church of Rome To this number also belonged Reymundus Earle of Tholose Marsilius Patiuius Gulielmus de S. Amore Simon Tornacensis Arnoldus de noua villa Ioannes Semeca besides diuers other preachers in Sueuia standing agaynst the Pope Anno. 1240. Ex Cranz Laurentius Anglicus a Mayster of
saluation contrary to the working of the holy spirite of God And thus the Church of Rome pretending onely the name of Christ and of his Religion is so farre altered from the truth of that which it pretendeth that vnder the name of Christ it persecuteth both Christ his Religion working more harme to the Church of Christ then euer did the open tirants and persecuting Emperours among the heathen not much vnlike herein to the olde Sinagoge of the Scribes and Phareseis who vnder the name of God crucified the sonne of God and vnder pretence of the law fought against the Gospell and vnder the title of Abrahams children persecuted the childrē of Abraham And as they bragging so highly of the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lorde did in deede destroye the true Temple of the Lord right so these pretensed Catholikes in these dayes after they haue raysed vppe a Catholike Churche of their owne and haue armed the same with lawes and haue gathered vnto them a power of Priestes Prelates Abbats Priors of religious men of Cardinals and also of secular Princes to take their part now vnder the name of the Catholicke Church they persecute the true Catholike church and coloring their procedings still with In nomine Domini most cruelly they put to death which die pro nomine Domini condemning them for heretikes schismatikes and rebles not which deny any part of the creede which they themselues professe nor such whome they can conuince by any Scripture but onely such which will not ioyne wyth their errours and heresies contrary to the honour of God and truth of his worde And lest any should thinke this that we here protest against the corrupt errours manifold deformities of this latter Church of Rome to proceede of any raucor or affection rather then grounded of necessary causes and demōstrations euident my purpose is by the Lordes leaue to take herein some litle paine that as I haue collected a litle before the summe cōtents of S. Paules doctrine where with the old Church of Rome was first seasoned and acquainted so now as in a like summary table to discrye the particular braunches and contents of the Popes doctrine now set foorth to the intent that all true Christian readers comparing the one with the other may discern what great alteration there is betwene the church of Rome that now is and the church of Rome that then was planted by the Apostles in the primitiue time And to the ende to open to the simple reader some waye whereby he may the better iudge in such matters of doctrine not be deceaued in discerning truth from errour first we wil propound certeine principles or general positions as infallible rules or truthes of the Scripture wherby al other doctrines opinions of men being tried and examined as in the touchstone may the more easely be iudged whether they be true or cōtrary whether they make agaynst the scripture or no. ¶ Certeine Principles or generall verities grounded vpon the truth of Gods word ¶ The first principle 1. AS sinne and death came originally by the disobedience of one to all men of his generation by nature so righteousnes and life come originally by the obedience of one to all men regenerated of him by faith Baptisme Rom. 5. ¶ The 2. Principle 2. The promise of God was freely giuen to our first parentes without their deseruing that the seede of a woman should breake the Serpents head Gen. 3. ¶ The 3. Principles 3. Promise was giuen freely to Abraham before he deserued any thing that in his seede all nations should be blessed Gen. 12. ¶ The 4. Principle 4. To the worde of God neither must wee adde nor take from it Deut. 4. ¶ The 5. Principle 5. He that doth the workes of the law shall liue therein Leuit. 18. Gal. 3. ¶ The 6. Principle 6. Accursed is he which abideth not in euery thing that is written in the booke of the law Deut. 27. Gal. 3. ¶ The 7. Principle 7. God onely is to be worshipped Deut. 6. Luc. 4. ¶ The 8. Principle 8. All our righteousnes is like a defiled cloth of a woman Esay 64. ¶ The 9. Principle 9. In all my holy hill they shall not kill nor slay saith the Lord. Esay 11.65 ¶ The 10. Principle 10. God loueth mercy and obedience more then sacrifice Osee. 6.1 Reg. 15. ¶ The 11. Principle 11. The lawe worketh anger condemneth and openeth sinne Rom. 3. ¶ The 12. Principle 12. The end of the law is Christ to righteousnes to euery one that beleueth Rom. 10. ¶ The 13. Principle 13. Whosoeuer beleeueth and is Baptised shall be saued Mat. vlt. ¶ The 14. Principle 14. A man is iustified by faith without workes freely by grace not of our selues Gal. 2. Ephes. 2. ¶ The 15. Principle 15. There is no remission of sinnes without bloud Heb. 9 ¶ The 16. Principle 16. Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14. without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. ¶ The 17. Principle 17. One Mediatour betweene God man Christ Iesus 1. Tim. 2. he is the propitiatiō for our sinnes 1. Iohn 2. ¶ The 18. Principle 18. Who soeuer seeketh in the law to be iustified is fallen from grace ¶ The 19. Principle 19. In Christ be all the promises of God Est Amen 2. Cor. 1. ¶ The 20. Principle 20. Let euery soule be subiect to superiour powers gyuyng to Caesar that which is Cesars to God that which is Gods Rom. 13. These principles and infallible rules of the Scripture as no man can denie so if they be granted the doctrine thē of the Popes Church must needes be found not to be Catholike but rather full of errours and heresies as in the sequele folowing remaineth more expressely and particularly by the grace of Christ to be conuinced ¶ Here foloweth a Summary collection of the errours heresies and absurdities conteyned in the popes doctrine contrary to the rules of Gods vvord and the first institution of the Church of Rome Of Faith and Iustification FIrst as touching the onely meanes and instrumentall cause of our iustificatiō wherby the merits of Christes Passiō be applied to vs made ours ye heard before how S. Paule onely ascrybeth the same to faith as appeareth by all his letters especially to the Romanes Where he excluding al kind of works ascribeth al our saluation iustification righteousnes reconciliation and peace with god onely to faith in Christ. Contrary to which doctrine the Pope and his church hath set vp diuers and sondry other meanes of their owne deuising whereby the merites of Christes passion they saye are applyed to vs and made ours to the putting away of sinnes and for our iustification as hope charitie sacrifice of the Masse auricular confession satisfacion merits of Saintes and holy orders the
intreaty nor waging them with money whiche were appointed for watchmen but they so narowly loked vnto the matter as though they should haue gotten great benefite and profite thereby Thus were the bodies of the martirs made a wonderyng stocke and laye sixe dayes in the open streetes at the length they burned them threwe their ashes into the riuer of Rods so that there might appeare no remnaunt of theÌ„ vpoÌ„ the earth And this did they as though they had beene able to haue pulled god out of his seat to haue let the regeneration of the Saintes and taken from them the hope of the resurrection whereof they being perswaded sayd they bring in this newe and straunge Religion and set thus light by death and punishment Atque haec haec ex Epistola Viennensium c. Amongest other that suffered vnder Antoninus mention was made also of Iustinus who as it is said before exhibited two Apologies concerning the defence of christian doctrine the one to the Senate of Rome and the other to Antoninus Pius the Emperour coÌ„cerning whose suffering and the causes therof is partly before declared this Iustine was borne in Neapoli in the countrey of Palestine whose father was Priscus Bachius as he himselfe doth testifie By whom in his youth he was set to schole to learne wherin processe of time he became a famous and worthy Philosopher oâ— whose excellency many learned notable men doe record For first he being altogither inflamed and rauished with desire of knowledge would in no wise be satisfied in his mind before he had gotten instructors singularly seene in all kinde of Philosophy wherevpon he writeth of him selfe in the beginning of his Dialogue Cum Tripone thus declaring that in the beginning he being desirous of that sect and societie applied himselfe to be the scholer to a certaine Stoicke remaining with him a time when he nothing profited in diuine knowledge wherof the Stoicke had no skill and affirmed the knowledge therof not to be necessary he forsoke him and went to another of the sect of the Perepatetick a sharp witted man as he thought with whom after he had beene a while he demaunded of him a stipendâ— for his teaching for the better confirmatioÌ„ of their familiaritie Whereupon Iustine accoÌ„pting him as no Philosopher left him departed And yet not satisfied in mind but desirous to heare of further learning in Philosophye adioyned himselfe to one that professed the Pithagorian â—ect a man of great fame and one who made no small accompt of himselfe Who after he had followed a time his maister demaunded of him whether he had any sight in Musicke Astronomy and Geometry wythout the sight of whiche science he saide he coulde not be apte to receiue the knowledge of vertue and felicitie vnles before he had vsed to apply his minde from sensible matters to the contemplation of things intellible And speaking much in the commenâ—ation of these sciences how profitable and necessary they were after that Iustine had declared him selfe not to bee sene therin the Philosopher gaue him ouer which greued Iustine not a little so much themore because he thought his master to haue some knowledge in those sciences After this Iustine considering with himselfe what time was requisite to the learning of these sciences and thinking not to diâ—â—erte any longer thought best to resort to the secte of the Platonistes for the great fame that ran of them wherefore he chose vnto him a singuler learned man of that secte which lately was come to those parties so remaining with him seemed to profite not a litle in contemplation of supernall things inuisible formes insomuch that he thought shortly to aspire to such sharpnes of witte and wisedome that out of hand he might atchiue to the comprehension conteÌ„plation of god which is the end of Plato his Philosophie And in this maner he bestowed his youth but afterward he growing to a riper age howe by what meanes the said Iustine came to the knowledge profession of chritianitie it foloweth likewise in his saide first Apologie where he affirmeth of him selfe as witnesseth Eusebius in his fourth booke that when he did behold the christians in their torments and sufferinges to be so constaunt in theyr profession was therwith maruâ—ilously mooued after this maner reasoning with himselfe that it was impossible for that kinde of people to be subiect to any vice or carnalitie which vices of their owne nature are not able to sustayne any sharpe aduersitie much lesse the bytternesse of death The sight wherof helped him not a litle being of his own nature inclined to the searching of true knowledge vertue to begin thereby to loue and imbrace Christian Relygion for so he doth witnes of himselfe in the ende of the fyrst Apologie signifiyng there how it was his seking and indeuor to attaine to Christianitie Understanding how the Christians by malice of wicked persons were coÌ„pelled to suffer wrong and tormentes and to be euill spoken of By sight whereof as he saith himselfe he became a Christian through this occasion for being thus afflicted in his minde as is aforesaid it came in his head for his more quietnes to go aside to some desert and solitary place void of concourse of people vnto a village or grauÌ„ge neare to the seaside whither as he approched thinking there to be al alone there meeteth with him an old auntient father of a comly visage and gentle behauior who folowing him a litle of began to reason with him where after loÌ„g disputation when the old man had declared vnto him that there was no knowledge of truth amongst the Philosophers which neither knewe God neither were aided by the holy Ghost further had reasoned with him of the immortality of the soule of the reward of the godly punishment of the wicked then Iustine being confirmed with his reasons and arguments yelded to him of his owne accorde and demaunded of him by what meanes he might attaine to that true knowledge of God Wherof he had spoken Who then counsailed him to read searche the Prophetes adioyning therewith prayer but what master quoth Iustine should I vse for the instruction therof who shal be able to helpe vs if these philosophers as you say lacke the truth are voide of the same To whom the old father aunswering there haue bene saide he many yeres before these philosophers other more auÌ„tient then all these which beyng accompted for Philosophers were iust and beloued of God who spake by the spirite of God foreseing and prophesiyng these thinges which wee see now come to passe therfore they are called Prophets These only haue knowen the truth and reueled it to men neither fearing nor passyng for any who were seduced with no opinions of mans inuention but only spake taught those things which they themselues both heard and sawe being inspired with
vertue and followeth such doctrine and knowledge which is agreeing to true pietie And therefore such men as doe leade him and learne so to beleue and to worship God are more to bee commended Moreouer he assureth him to finde God more mercifull to him if hee woulde embrace the godlye pietye and truth of the Christians And for example thereof bringeth in the stories of Galienus and Valerianus who so long as they were fauorers of the Christiās did prosper and florish But as soone as they moued any persecution agaynst them it happened to them as it did to all other Emperors before them that all went backward with them as especially might appere by Valerianus who after he had raged so cruelly against the Christians was eftsoones ouercome of the Persians the reuenging hand of God falling vpon him where hee led euer after a miserable life in wretched captiuitie Farther also for the more euidèce of the same inferreth the examples of those Emperors and tyrants in his time whom he vanquished subdued only by his faith in Christ for the which faith God was hys helper and gaue him the victory in many battailes and tryumph ouer great tyraunts whereby he hath also enlarged the dominiō of the Romane monarchie from the west Ocean to the vttermost parts wel neere of al the East To the doing and working wherof he neither called to him the helpe of any charmer or diuination of southsayer nor vsed the killing of any sacrifice but onely the following of the crosse and prayer made to almightie God without any other bloudy sacrifice was the armour wherewith hee ouercame c. And in the end of the Epistle addeth these words What ioy saith he what gladnes would it be to my hart to heare the state also of the Persians to florish as I wish it to do by embracing this sort of men the Christians I meane so that both you with them and they with you in long prosperite may enioy much felicity together as your harts would desire in so doing no doubt ye shall For so shall you haue God which is the author and creator of all this vniuersall worlde to be mercifull and gratious to you These men therefore I commend vnto you vpon your kingly honour And vpon your clemency and piety wherewith you are indued I commit them vnto you desiring you to embrace receaue them according to your humanitie and benignity agreing and conuenient to your estate who in so doing shal now both procure to your selfe grace through your faith and also shall declare to me a great pleasure and benefit worthy of thanks This Epistle wrot Constantinus to king Sapores Such care had this godly Prince for them that beleued in Christ not onely in his owne Monarchie but also in all places of the world neither is it to be doubted but this intercessiō of the Emperour did something mittigate the heate of the Persians persecution Although thereof we reade no certaine thing in our historyes Of other troubles and persecutions we read of which happened afterward in the said country of Persia vnder Isdigerdes the king but these followed long after about the time of the Emperour Theodosius At which time suffered Andas their bishop and Hormisda a great noble mans sōne and of great reputation among the Persians whom whē the king vnderstod to be a Christian and to deny to turne from his religion condemned him to kepe his Elephants naked In processe of time the king looking out and seeing him all swarted and tanned in the sunne commanded him to haue a shirt put on to be brought before him Whome then the king asked if he woulde denye Christ. Hormisda hearing this tare of his shirt from his body and cast it frō him saying If yee thinke that I will denye my faith to Christ for a shirt haue heere your gift againce c. And so was vpon that expelled the country Theodor. lib. 5. An other there was that same time named Suenes which had vnder him an hundreth seruaunts The king takyng displeasure with him for that he would not alter from hys religion and godly truth asked who was the worst of all his seruaunts And him the king made ruler of all the rest and coupling him with his maisters wife brought also Suenes vnder his subiection thinking therby to subdue also the faith of Suenes but it was builded vpon a sure foundation Of Beniamin the Deacon thus writeth the saide Theoret in his fift booke that after two yeares of his imprisonment at the request of the Romaine Legate hee was deliuered who afterward contrary to the kings commaundement hee preached and taught the Gospell of Christ was most miserable excarnificate hauing xx sharpe prickes of reeds thrust vnder his nayles but when he did laugh at that then in his priuye yarde had a sharpe reede thrust in with horrible paine After that a certaine long stalk ragged and thorny being thrust into his body by the nether part was forced into him with the horriblenes of the paine whereof the valiant and inuincible souldiour of the Lord gaue ouer his life Theodor. ibid. And thus much concerning the martirs and persecutions among the Persians although these persecutions belong not of this time which came as it is sayd long after the daies of Constantinus about the yeare of our Lorde 425. Likewise vnder Iulianus the wicked Apostata certaine there were which constanly suffered Martyrdome by the Heathen Idolaters as Emilyanus who was burned in Thracia and Domitius which was slayne in hys caue Theodorus also for singing of a Psalme at the remoouing of the body of Babylas wherof mention is made of before pag 60. being apprehended was so examined with exquisite torments and so cruelly excruciate from morning almost to noone that hardly he scaped with life Who being asked afterward of his friendes howe he coulde abide so sharpe torments said that at the first beginning he felt some paine but afterward there stode by him a yong man who as he was sweating wiped of his sweate and refreshed him with cold water oft times wherewith he was so delited that when he was let downe from the engine it greeued hym more then before Ruff. lib. 5. cap 36. Theodor. lib. 3. cap. 11. Zozom lib. 5. cap. 10. Artemius also the captaine of the Egiptian soldiours the same time lost his head for his religiō indede although other causes were pretended against him Theo. Niceph. lib. 10. cap. 11. Adde to these moreouer Eusebius and Nestabus twoo brethren with Nestor also which for their christianitie were dragged through the streetes and murdered of the idolatrous people of Gaza Sozo Lib. eod cap. 11. But especially the crueltie of the Arethusians a people of Syria exceeded against the Christian virgines whome they set out naked before the multitude to be scorned after that being shauen they couered them with swil and draffe woont to be giuen to their hogs so
First that they which began to erect these monasteries and celles of Monkes and Nunnes to lyue soly and singlely by themselues out of the holy state of matrimony had forseene what daunger what absurd enormities might and also did thereof ensue both publikely to the Church of Christ priuately to their own soules Secondly that vnto this their zeale deuotion had bene ioyned like knowledge doctrine in Christes gospell especially in the article of our free iustification by the faith of Iesu Christ. Because of the lacke wherof as wel the builders founders therof as they that were professed in the same seeme both to haue run the wrong way to haue bene deceiued For albeit in them there was a deuotion zeale of mynd that thought well in this their doyng which I wil not here reprehend yet the end and cause of their deedes buildings cannot be excused beyng contrary to the rule of Christes Gospel for so much as they did these things seeking thereby merites with God and for remedy of theyr soules and remission of their sinnes as may appeare testified in their owne recordes wherof one here I thought to set forth for probation of the same Read this Charte if it please thee gentle Reader of king Ethelbald his donation charter giuen to churches and religious persons which Ethelbald was the builder as is sayd of Peterborough the wordes of his record and instrument be those * The donations and priuiledges granted and geuen by King Ethelbald to religious men of the Church PLerumque contingere soleâ—it pro incerta temporum vicissitudine vt ea quae multarum fidelium personarum testimonio consilioque roborata fuerint fraudulenter per contumaciaÌ„ plurimorum machinamenta simulationis sine vlla consideratione rationis periculose dissipentur nisi autoritate literarum testamento Chyrographorum aeternae memoriae comittantur Quapropter ego Ethelbaldus Rex Merciorum pro amore caelestis patriae remedio animae meae studendum esse praeuidi vt eam per bona opera liberam efficerem in omni vinculo delictorum Quoniam enim mihi omnipotens Deus per misericordiam clementiae suae absque vllo antecedente merito sceptra regiminis largitus est ideo libenter ei ex eo quod dedit retribuo Huius rei gratia hanc donationem me viuente concedo vt omnia monasteria Ecclesiae regni mei à publicis vectigalibus operibus oneribus absoluantur nisi instructionibus arcium vel pontium quae nulli vnquam prosunt Praeterea habeant famuli Dei propriam libertatem in fructibus siluarum agrorum in captura piscium ne munuscula praebeant vel regi vel principibus nisi voluntaria Sed liberi Deo seruiant c. By the contentes hereof may well be vnderstand as where he sayth pro amore caelestis patriae pro remedio animae pro liberatione animae absolutione delictorum c how great the ignoraunce and blindenesse of these men was who lacking no zeale onely lacked knowledge to rule it withall seeking their saluation not by Christ onely but by their owne deseruings and meritorious deedes Which I recite not here to any infamy or reprehensioÌ„ of them but rather to put vs in minde and memory how much we at this present are bound to God for the true sincerity of his truth hidden so long before to our foreauncetors and opened now to vs by the good will of our God in his sonne Christ Iesu. This onely lameÌ„ting by the way to see them to haue such works and to lacke our fayth and vs to haue the right fayth and to lacke their workes And this blinde ignorauÌ„ce of that age thus aboue prenoted was the cause not onely why these kinges builded so many Monasteries vpon zealous superstition but also why so many of them forsaking their orderly vocation of Princely regiment gaue themselues ouer to Monasticall profession or rather wilfull superstition Concerning the names and number of which kings that were professed Monkes is sufficiently in the storye before declared the names of whome wee shewed to be seuen or eight within the space of these two hundreth yeres Such was then the superstitious deuotioÌ„ of kings Princes in that age and no lesse also to bee noted in Queenes and kings daughters with other noble women of the same age and time The names of whom it were to long here to recite As Hilda daughter to the nephew of Edwine king of Northumberland Abbesse of the house of Ely Erchengoda with her sister Ermenilda daughters of Ercombertus king of Kent whiche Erchengoda was professed in Saint Brigets order in Fraunce Item Edelberga wyfe and Queene to Kyng Edwyne of Northumberland and daughter of kyng Anna which was also in the same house of S. Brigit made a Nunne Item Etheldreda whoÌ„ we terme S. Eldride wife to king Ekfride of Northumberland who beyng maried to two husbands could not be obtained to geue her consent to either of them during the space of 12. yeares but would needes liue a Uirgin and was professed Nunne at Helings Werburga was the daughter of Vlferus king of Mercians made Nunne at Ely Kinreda sister of king Vlferus and Kinswida her sister were both Nunnes professed Sexburga daughter of kyng Anna king of Mercians and wyfe of Ercombert kyng of Kent was Abbesse at Ely Elfrida daughter of Oswy kyng of Northumberland was Abbesse of Whitney Mildreda Milburga and Milguida all three daughters of Merwaldus king of West Mercians entred the profession and vow of NuÌ„nish virginitie Kineburga wife of Alfride king of Northumberland and sister to Ofricus king of Mercians and daughter of king Penda was professed Abbesse of the Monastery in Glocester Elfleda daughter of Oswy king and wyfe of Peda sonne of king Penda likewise inclosed her self in the same profession and vow of Romish chastitie Likewise Alfritha wyfe to king Edgar And Editha daughter to the sayd Edgar with Wolfrith her mother c. All which holy Nunnes with diuers mo the Romish catholikes haue canonised for Saintes and put the most part of theÌ„ in their Calender and onely because of the vowe of chastitie solemnly professed Concerning the which chastitie whether they kept or no little I haue to say against them and lesse to sweare for them But whether they so kept it or not if this gift of chastitie which they professed were geuen them of God small prayse worthy was it in them to keepe it If it were not geuen them I will not say here of them so much as hath bene sayd of some other which sufficiently haue painted out to the world the demeanour of these holy votaries But this will I say that although they kept it neuer so perfectly yet it is not that which maketh saints before God but only the bloud of Christ Iesus and a true fayth in him Likewise remayneth that as we haue declared the deuotion
had read with me this which so happened I thinke they would not be so rash in their doing and iudging fearyng at least the Lordes commaundement Doe not iudge that ye be not iudged And S Paule sayth Who art thou that iudgest an other mans seruant Either he standeth or falleth to his owne maister but he shall stand for the Lord is mighty and able to make him stand Therfore let your holynes cease to compell and enforce those whom onely ye ought to admonish least through your owne priuate commaundement which God forbid you be found contrary as well to the olde Testament as to the new For as S. Augustine sayth to Donatus this is onely that we do feare in your iustice lest not for the consideration of christian lenitie but for the grieuousnes and greatnesse of transgressions committed you be thought to vse violence in executyng punishment of that which onely we do desire you by Christ not to do For transgressions are so to be punished that the lyfe of the transgressours may repent Also an other saying of Augustine we would you to remember which is this Nil nocends fiat cupiditate omnia consulendi charitate nihil fiat immanâ—ter nihil inhumaniter That is Let nothing be done through the greedines of hurting but all things through the charitie of profiting Neither let any thing be done cruelly nothing vngently Item of the same Augustine it is written In the feare and name of Christ I exhort you which of you soeuer haue not the goods of this world be not greedy to haue them Such as haue them presume not to much vpon them For I say to haue them is no damnation but if ye presume vpon them that is damnation if for the hauing of theÌ„ ye shal seeme great in your owne fight or if ye do forget the coÌ„mon condition of man through the excellencie of any thing you haue Vse therfore therin due discretion tempered with moderation the which cup of discretion is drawen out of that fountaine of the Apostolike preaching which sayth Art thou loose froÌ„ thy wife Do not seeke for thy wife Art thou bound to thy wife Seke not to be loosed from her Where also it followeth Such as haue wiues let them be as though they had them not and they that vse the world let them be as not vsing it Item concerning the widow he sayth Let her marry to whoÌ„ she wil only in the Lord. To marry in the Lord is nothing els but to attempt nothing in coÌ„tracting of matrimony which the Lord doth forbid Ieremy also saith Trust not in the words of lies saying The temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord. The which saying of Ieremy Hierome expounding saith thus this may agree also be applied vnto such virgins which brag vaunt their virginitie with an impudent face pretending chastitie when they haue an other thing in their conscience and know not how the Apostle defineth the virgin that she should be holy in body and also in spirit For what auayleth the chastitie of the body if the mind inwardly be defloured Or if it haue not the other vertues which the prophetical Sermon doth describe The which vertues for as much as we see partly to be in you and because we are not ignorant that this discretioÌ„ although neglected in this part yet in the other actioÌ„s of your life to be kept honestly of you do not dispaire but you dispaire but you wil also soone amend the little lacke which is behind And therfore with as much grauitie as we can we cease not to call vpoÌ„ you to correct and amend this your negligeÌ„ce For although according to our common calling a bishop is greater then a Priest yet Austen being lesse then Hierome notwithstaÌ„ding the good correctioÌ„ proceeding froÌ„ the lesser to the greater was not to be refused or disdained especially when he which is corrected is found to striue against the truth to please meÌ„ For as S. Austen faith writing to Boniface the disputatioÌ„s of all meÌ„ be they neuer so Catholick or approued persoÌ„s ought not to bee had in stead of the Canonicall Scriptures So that we may disprooue or refuse sauing the honor reuerence which is due vnto theÌ„ any thing that is in their writings if any thing there be found contrary to trueth and what can be found more contrary to the trueth then this When as the trueth him selfe speaking of continency not of one onely but of all men together the number onely excepted of them which haue professed continencye sayth He that can take let him take the which saying these men mooued I cannot tell by what occasion doe turne and say he that cannot take let him be accursed And what can bee more foolishe amongest men then when anye Byshoppe or Archdeacon runne themselues headlong into all kinde of lust to adultery and incest and also Sodomitry yet shame not to say that the chaste mariage of Priestes doe stincke before them And as voyde of all compassion of true righteousnesse doe not desire or admonish their Clerkes as their fellow seruauntes to abstayne but commaund them and enforce them as seruauntes violentlye to abstayne Vnto the whiche imperious commaundement of theirs or counsell whether you will call it they adde also thys foolishe and filthy suggestion saying that it is more honest priuily to haue to doe with many women then apertly in the sight and consciences of many men to bee bounde to one wife The whiche truely they would not say if they were eyther of hym or in him which saith wo to you Phariseis which do all thinges before men And by the Psalmist because they please men they are confounded for the Lord hath despised them These be the men who rather ought to perswade vs that we should shame to sinne priuily in the sight of him to wheÌ„ all things be open theÌ„ to seeme in the sight of men for to be cleane These men therfore although through their sinful wickednes deserue no counsell of godlines to be giuen theÌ„ yet we not forgetting our humanitie cease not to giue them counsell by the authoritie of Gods word which seketh al mens saluation desiring theÌ„ by the bowels of charitie saying with the wordes of Scripture Cast out thou hypocrite first the beame out of thine owne eye and then thou shalt see to cast out the mote of the eye of thy brother Moreouer this also we desire them to attend what the Lord saith of the aduouterous woman which of you that is without sinne let hym cast the first stone against her As though hee would say if Moses bid you I also bid you But yet I require you that be the competent ministers and executors of the law Take heede what yee adde thereunto take heede also I pray you what you are your selues for if as the Scripture saith thou shalt well consider thy selfe thou wilt neuer defame
Lord. 1237. that Germanus Archb. and Patriarch of Constantinople wrote to the sayd Pope Gregory 9. humbly desiring him to study and seeke some meanes of vnity how the seamelesse coat of the Lord Iesus thus lamentably rent not with handes of soldiours but by discord of Prelates may be healed agayne offering this moreouer that if he will take the paines to stirre out he for his part notwithstanding his old age seeble body would not refuse to meet him in the mid way to y◠intent that the truth on both sides being debated by y◠scriptures the wrong part may be reduced the slaunder stopped and vnity reformed betwene them This request of the Patriarke as it was both godly reasonable so it had bene the bishops part again with like humility to haue condescended to the same and glad with all his might to helpe forward the reformation of christian vnity in the church of Christ and so to haue shewed himselfe the sonne of peace But the proud Byshop of Rome more like the sonne of discord and dissention standing still vpon his maiesty refused thus to do but writing agayne answere to his letters with great disdayne seking nothing els but only how to aduance his sea aboue all other churches and not onely that but also shortly after sēt forth his preaching Friers to moue all Christians to take the signe of the crosse to fight agaynst the Grecians no otherwise then against the Turkes Saracens In so much that in the Isle of Cyprus many good men and Martyrs were slayne for the same as by the letters of the said Germanus Patriarke of Constantinople is to be seene The tenour of the which letter to the Pope with the popes answere agayne to him being long and tedious to read are extant in the history of Math. Paris there to be sene and found fol. 111. The summary effect whereof notwithstanding I thought here briefly to notifye for the simple vnlearned multitude which vnderstanding not the Latine may hereby perceiue the fault of this schisme not so much to rest in the greek church as in the church of Rome as by the contents of his letter may appeare The effect of the Patriarch of Constantinople his letter to Pope Gregory 9. IN the which letter the sayd Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople writing to Pope Gregory first after his reuerend salutation and preamble following vpon the same entring thé toward the matter sheweth the occasion of his writing which was by 5. obseruaunt Friers repayring that wayes whom he gently receiuing into his house had conference with them touching this discord betwene the two Churches how it might be reduced again to vnity and afterward perceiuing the sayd Friers to make theyr iourney towardes to Rome he thought therefore by thē to write his letters Wherein he first lamenting this diuision in the house of God and reciting the inconueniences which come therof by the example of Iuda and Israel Ierusalem and Samaria Cain and Abel Esau and Iacob also of other such like both priuate publicke societies where brother sighteth agaynst brother like as among fishes the greater deuoureth the lesser he procedeth then further gently to exhort Pope Gregory to the study of vnity And for so much as the Pope had accursed belike those Churches of the Greekes before he therefore taking his groūd vpon the wordes of S. Paule Gal. 1. where he accurseth euery such person and persons whatsoeuer they be either man or Angell of heauen that shall preach any other Gospell then hath bene preached c. willeth the Pope to stand with him vpon the same ground of the Apostles accurse so that if the stroke of that curse haue light vpon him or his churches he desireth him to shew the wound and to helpe to wipe away the bloud to minister some spirituall emplaister to binde vp the sore and to saue his brethré from perishing which lay in daunger according to the saying of the wise man A brotherly frend is tried in aduersity c. But if we sayth he of the Greeke Church be free from the stripe of this accurse of the Apostle and that you Italians of the Latine Church be stricken therewith and lye thereby in daunger of destruction I trust that you through ignoraunce and wilfull obstinacy will not so suffer your selues to be separated from the Lord but rather will suffer a thousand deathes before if it were possible for a man so often to dye And as touching this great discord betwene vs if either cōtrarietie of doctrine or sweruing frō the ancient Canons or diuersity of rites receiued of our forefathers be any cause thereof we here take heauen and earth to witnesse that we for our partes are ready and desire also vpon due triall of profound trueth by Gods word and inuocation of the holy Ghost to ioyne hands with you or you to ioyne with vs. But to say the very trueth and to tell you playne this we suppose that many mighty and noble potentates would sooner encline to your obedience were it not that they feared your vniust oppressions your insatiable exactions and inordinate oppressions wherewith you wring your subiectes By reason whereof haue risen amongst vs cruell warres one fighting agaynst an other desolation of Cittyes Bulles and Interdictions set vpon Church dores diuision of brethren and Churches of the Grecians left without seruice where God should be praysed So that now onely one thing lacketh which I beleue to be predefined and appoynted from aboue long before to vs Grecians the time I meane of martirdome which also now hasteneth fast vpon vs that the tribunall of tyrauntes should be opened and the seats of torments be set that the bloud of Martyrs should be spilled we brought to the stage of Martyrdome to fight for the crowne of glory This that I doe speake and wherefore I speake it the noble Iland of Cyprus doth already know and feele which hath made many new Martyrs and hath seene valiaunt soldiours of Christ which of long time before passing by water and teares of sorow now at last haue also passed through fire and so entred into the heauenly rest How say you be these good and seemely O holye Pope the successor of S. Peter the Apostle Is this the bidding of that good Peter the meeke and humble disciple of Christ Doth he thus instruct the Seniors and Elders in his Epistle where he writeth in this wise The Elders which are amōgst you I beseech which am also a fellow Elder with them and witnesse of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shal be opened feed the flocke of God which is amongest you hauing care sight ouer it not of a coaction as compelled agaynst your willes but willingly of your owne accord nor for filthy lukere sake but freely and hartily neither as bearing dominion and Lordship ouer the Church but shewing your selues as
and bridle him withall that peace thereby and loue might dwell vppon the face of the earth But alas the B. of Rome sitting in the chaire of peruerse doctrine or pestilence that Pharisee anoynted wyth the oyle of iniquitie aboue the rest of his consortes in this our time which for his abhominable pride is fallen from heauen indeuoureth with his power to destroy and vndoe all and thinketh I beleeue to stellifie againe himselfe there from whence hee fell Hys purpose is to darken and to shadowe the light of our vnspotted life whilest that altering the veritie into lies his Papall letters stuft with all vntruthes are sent into sondry partes of the world of his owne corrupt humor and vpon no reasonable cause blemishing the sinceritie of our Religion The Lord Pope hath compared vs vnto the beast rising out of the sea full of names of blasphemy and spotted like a Lyberd But we say that he is that mōstrous beast of whom it is sayd and of whome we thus read And there shall come an other red horse out of the sea and hee that shall sit on him shall take peace away out of the earth let them therefore that dwell vpon the earth destroy him For since the tyme of hys promotiō he hath not ben the father of mercy but of discord A dilligent steward of desolation in stead of consolation and hath intised all the worlde to commit offence And to take the wordes in right sense and interpretation he is that great Dragon that dath deceiued the whole worlde hee is that Antichrist of whom he hath called vs the forerunner he is that other Balaam hired for money to curse vs the Prince of darcknes which hath abused the Prophetes This is the Aungel leaping out of the sea hauing his Phials fild with bitternes that he may both hurt the sea and the lande the counterfait Vicar of Christ that setteth forth hys owne imaginations He sayth that we doe not rightly beleue in the Christen fayth and that the world is deceiued with three maner of deceiuers which to name God forbid we should open our mouth seeing that openly we cōfesse onely Iesus Christ our Lord and Sauiour to be the euerlasting sonne of God coequall with hys father and the holy Ghost begotten before all worldes and in processe of tyme sent downe vpon the earth for the saluation of mankinde Conceaued not by the seede of man but by the holy Ghost which was borne of the glorious virgin Mary after that suffered and dyed as touching the flesh and by hys Godhead the third day he raysed from death that other nature which he assumpted in the wombe of his mother But we haue learned that the body of Machomet hangeth in the ayre and that his soule is buryed in hell whose works are damnable contrary to the law of the most highest We affirme also that Moyses was the faythfull seruant of God and a true teacher of the law and that he talked with God in mount Sinay vnto whō the Lord sayd Rubrum c. By whō also God wrought miracles in Egipt and deliuered the law written to the Israelites that afterwards with the elect he was called to glory In these and other thinges our enemy and enuier of our state causing our mother the church to accuse her sonne hath written agaynst vs venemous and lying sclaunder and sent the same to the whole worlde If hee had rightly vnderstoode the Apostles meaning he woulde not haue preferred his violent will before reason which beareth such sway with him neither would he haue sēt out his Mandates to the suggestion of those which call light darcknes and euill good whiche suspect hony to be gall for the great good opinion they haue cōceaued of that holy place which in deed is both weak infirm cōuerteth al truth into falshood affirmeth that to be that is not Truly my opinion so indifferent on euery side ought not in any case to be infringed and auerted from the fayth to such enemies of so corrupt a conscience Wherefore we greatly are inforced not a little to meruaile which thing also doth much disquyet vs to see that you which be the pillers and assistentes in office of righteous dealing the Senators of Peters Citie and the principal beames in Gods building haue not quallified the perturbation of so fierce a Iudge as doth the planets of heauē in their kynd which to mittigate the passing swift course of the great orbe or sphere of heauen draw a contrary way by theyr opposite mouinges In very deed our Imperial felicitie hath bene almost euen from the beginning spurned agaynst and enueied at of the papall see and dignitie As Simonides being demanded why he had no mo enemies and enuiers of hys state answered and sayd quia nibil falsciter gessi for because sayth he I haue had no good successe in any thing that euer I tooke in hand And so for that we haue had prosperous successe in all our enterprises the Lordes name be blessed therefore especially in the ouerthrow of late of our rebellious enemies the Lombardes to whom in their good quarrell he promised life and absolution and remission of their sinnes is the cause wherefore this Apostolicall bishop mourneth and lamenteth And now not by your councels I suppose he laboureth to impugne this our felicitie but of hys owne power of bynding losing wherof he glorieth so much he impugneth it But presently where power and habilitie wanteth to redresse there doth abuse take place We see in hym which was so mighty a king and the worthiest prince amongst all the Prophetes to desire craue the restitution of Gods holy spirit when he had polluted the dignitie of hys office But the prouerbe is Vti indissolubilia non solnuntur ita inligabilia non ligantur As thinges indissoluble are not to be losed so thinges that cannot be bound are not to be bound Which thing manifestly is proued in him For why the scriptures of God doe instruct men how to liue they mortifie our soules whiche are immortall and quicken the same whiche are dead for want of lyfe And doubtles he is able to humble and bring downe those that are vnworthy of dignitie as much as him pleaseth and when him pleaseth Doubtlesse if the Byshop of Rome were a true Byshop indeed innocent impolute and not associate with wicked liuers and euill men his life should declare him so to be He would not then be an offerer of dissentious sacrifice but a peaceable offerer of loue charity would cense not with the incense of griefe hatred but with the sweet smelling incense of concord and vnity neither yet would alter suum pontificium in maleficium That is make of a sanctified office an execrable abuse If he were such a Byshoppe as he ought to be he would not wrest or abuse the preaching of the word into the fruite and gayne of his owne dissention neither
sundry coūtries As in the countrey of Sucuia about the time of this Emperour an 1240. or neare vpon the same where were many preachers mētioned in the Chronicle of Urspergēsis and also in Crantzius Lib. 8. cap. 16. 18. which preached freelye against the Pope These Preachers as Crantzius sayth ringing the Belles and calling the Barons in Hallis of Sueuia there preached that the Pope was an hereticke that his Bishops and Prelats were simoniacke and heretickes And that the inferiour Priestes and Prelates had no authority to binde and loose but were all seducers Itē that no Pope Bishop or Priest could restrayne mē from their duety of seruing and worshipping of God And therfore such cities or coūtries as were then vnder the Popes curse might notwithstanding lawfully resort to the receyuing of Sacraments as well as before Item that Friers Dominicke and Franciscane did subuert the church with their preaching And as the indulgence of the Pope his Popelings was of no regard so that remissiō which they did preach vnto them they preached it not from the Pope but as from the Lord. And thus much I thought here to recite whereby it may appeare how the resisting of the Popes vsurped power and corrupt doctrine is no newe thing in these dayes in the Church of Christ. c. And not long after these aforesayd rose vp Arnoldus De noua villa a Spanyard and a man famously learned a great writer an 1250. Whom the Pope with his spiritualty condemned among hereticks for holding and writing agaynst the corrupt errors of the popish Church His teaching was that Sathā had seduced all the world from the truth of Christ Iesus Item that the sayth which then Christen men were commonly taught was such a fayth as the deuils had meaning belike as we now'affirme that the papistes do teach onely the horicall fayth which is the fayth Historiae non fiduciae Itē that Christen people meaning belike for the most part are led by the pope vnto hel Item that all cloysters are voyd of charity and damned And that they all doe falsify the doctrine of Christ. Item that the Diuines do euill in mixting Philosophy with d iuinity Item that Masses are not to be celebrated And that they ought not to sacrifice for the dead Certaine other opinions there be which the slaundrous sects of Monks and Friers do attribute vnto him but as they are wont in al other to do rather vpon enuious taking then of any iust cause geuen And as this Arnoldus was condēned so also the same time Ioannes Semeca the glose writer of the Popes decrees and Prouost of Halberstate was excōmunicated depriued of his Prouostship for resisting Pope Clement the fourth gathering certain exactions in Germany And therfore he appealed from the Pope to a generall councel and had many great fauorers on his side till at last both the Pope and he dyed Consequently in this order and number foloweth the worthy and valiaunt champion of Christ aduersarye of Antichrist Guilielmus de S. Amore a maister of Paris and chiefe ruler then of that Uniuersity This Guilielmus in his time had no small a do writing agaynst the Fryers their hipocrisy But especially against the begging friers both condemning their whole order and also accusing thē as those that did disturbe trouble al the churches of Christ by their preaching in churches agaynst the will of the ordinaries and pastors by their hearing of confessions and executing the charges of Curates and pastors in theyr Churches All the testimonyes of Scripture that make agaynst Antichrist he applyeth them against the Clergy of Prelates and the Popes spiritualtye The same Gulielmus is thought to be the author of the booke which is attributed to the schole of Paris and intituled De periculis Ecclesiae Where he proueth by 39. arguments that Friers be false Apostles Moreouer he doth well expound this saying of Christ if thou wilt be perfect go and sell away all thou hast and come follow me declaring there pouerty to be inioyned vs of Christ non actualem sed habitualem not in such sort as standeth in outward action when no need requireth but in inward affection of hart when neede shall require As though the meaning precept of our Lord were not that we should cast away actually al the we haue but that when the confession of the name of God the glory of christ shall so require that then we be ready to leaue reliquish what things soeuer for the sake of him c. As when he requireth in vs after like phrase the hatred of father mother and of our own liues he biddeth vs not to dihonor father or mother much lesse to hate thē but that thē when case shall require we set all thinges behinde the loue of Christ. Many oth er worthy workes he compiled wherin albeit he vttered nothing but what was truth yet notwithstanding he was by Antichrist his rable condemned for an heritick exiled his bookes burnt Whose hereticall argumētes as they called them that thou mayst better iudge therof here vnder I thought good to place Agaynst false Prophets with signes to know them by in these his wordes do follow For because these seducers sayth he name thēselues to be Apostles and that they are sent of God to preach to absolue dispēse with the soules of men by meanes of their ministery Read the saying of the Apostle in his second Epistle to the Corinthians the xi chap. For such Apostles are subtle and cratty workemen disguising themselues to be like the Apostles of Christ Therfore we mean to shew some certaine infallible tokēs and probable by the whic false Apostles may be discerned from the true preachers and Apostles of Christ. The 1. signe or marke is that such as be true preachers do not enter into simple womens houses ladē with sinne and take them as it were captiue as many of the false preachers do as in the second Epistle of S. Paule to Timothy the 3. chapter is manifest saying Of those sortes are they which enter into womens houses c. Therfore those preachers which come into womens houses to the intent they may take thē captiue be not true preachers but false Apostles The 2. signe and token is that those that be true preachers do not deceiue simple men with painted and flattering wordes whereby they preferre their owne trash and traditions as all false Prophets do as in the last Chapter to the Romaines appeareth saying By their pleasaunt sugred talk and by their blessing and crossing they deceiue and beguile the hartes of innocent men and women Glo. with gay glorious words they extoll set forth their traditions wherby they deceiue simple mē Uery greatly doe they deceiue the soules of simple men which cause them to enter into theyr sect which they terme Religion And they which before led a noughty
any decrees or statutes shal hereafter be made and set forth contrary to these foresaid articles the same to stand voyd and of no effect for euer Besides these articles also in the same compositiō was conteined that all grudge and displeasure betwene the king and the Barons for not going to Flaunders ceasing the Earles and Barōs might be assured to be receiued againe into the kings fauor These things thus agreed vpon and by mediation of the Prince also confirmed and sealed with the kings seale his father so was all the variance pacified to the great comfort of the people and no lesse strength of the Realme agaynst theyr enemies And most chiefly to the commēdation of the gentle and wise nature of the king Who as he was gentle in promising his reconcilement with his subiectes so no lesse constant was he in keeping that which he had promised After the death of Iohn Peckham Archb. of Canterbury aboue mentioned who in the Parliament had resisted the king in the right of certayne liberties perteing to the crowne touching patronages and such Church matters succeeded Robert Winchelsei with whom also the king had like variance and accused him to the Pope for breaking the peace and tooke part with them that rebelled agaynst the king about vsages and liberties of the Realme Wherefore the king being cited vp to the court of Rome was there suspended by the meanes of the said Archb. directed his letters agayne to the Pope taken out of the parliament rolles where I finde diuers letters of the king to P. Clement agaynst the sayde Robert Archbishop of Canterbury the contentes wherof here followeth videlicet qualiter idem And as this king was troubled in his time with both the Archbishoppes Iohn Peckham and also Rober Winchelsey so it happened to all other kinges for the most part from the time of Lancfrancus that is from Pope Hildebrand that euery king in his time had some busines or other with that see As William Rufus and Henry the first were troubled with Anselmus Hēry the second with Thomas Becket King Richard and all England wyth William Bishop of Elye the Popes Legate King Iohn with Stephē Langthon King Henry the third with Edmund Archbishop called S. Edmūd Polic. lib. 7. Likewise this king Edward the first with Iohn Peckham Robert Winchelsey aforesayd And so other kinges after him with some Prelate or other whereby ye haue to vnderstand how about what time the church of Rome which before time was subiect to kings and Princes began first to take head aboue and agaynst kings and rulers and so haue kept it euer since By this Iohn Peckam afore mentioned was ordayned that no spiritual minister should haue any mo benefices then one which also was decreed by the constitutions of Octo and Octobonus the popes Legats the same time in England About the beginning of this kinges reigne after the decease of of Walter Archbishop of Yorke William Wicewanger succeeding in that sea minding to go on visitatiō came to Duresme to visit the Church and Chapter there But the clergy and the people of the City shoote the gates agaynst him and kept him out wherupon rose no smal disturbance The Archb. let flie his curse of excommunicatiō and interdiction agaynst them The Bishop of Duresme agayne with his clergy despised all his cursinges grounding themselues vpon the constitution of Innocentius the fourth De censibus ex actionibus And so they appealed to Rome saying that he ought not to be receiued there before he had first begon to visit his owne Chapter dioces which he had not done For to say the wordes of the constitutions We ordayne and decree that euery Archbishop that will visite his prouince first must procure to visit hys owne Church City and Dioces c. Among other thinges in this king to be noted that is not to be passed ouer that where complaynt was made to him of his officers as Iustices Maiors Shiriffes Bailiffes Excheters and such other who in their offices abusing themselues extortioned and oppressed the kinges liege people otherwise then was according to the right conscience the sayd king not suffering such misorder to be vnpunished did appoint certain officers or inquisitors to the number of 12. which inquisitiō was called Traibastō or Trailbastoun by meane of which inquisition diners false officers were accused such as were offenders were either remoued from their place or forced to buye agayne their office at the kinges hand to their no small losse and great gayne to the king and much profite to the common wealth In the Chronicle of Robert Amesbury it is recorded of the sayd king that he being at Amesbury to see his mother who was then in that monastery professed there was a certayn man that fained himselfe blind a long time brought to the presence of the sayd Alinore the kinges mother saying how that he had his sight agayne restored at y◠tombe of king Henry her late husband in so much that she was easely perswaded in the miracle to be very true But king Edward her sonne knowing the man a lōg time to be a vile dissembler and a wicked persō vsed to lying and crafty deceiuing disswaded his mother not to geue credite to the vile vagabon declaring that he knew so well of the iustice of his father that if he were aliue he would twise rather pluck out both his eies then once restore him one Notwithstanding the Queene the mother remayning stil in the former fond perswasion would heare or beleue nothing to the contrary but was so in anger with her sonne that she bid him depart his chamber and so he did By the example whereof may easely be conceiued how and after what sort these blinde myracles in those dayes and since haue come vp amōg the blinde superstitious people For had not the king here bene wiser thā the mother no doubt but this would haue bene roong a miracle percase king Henry bene made a Saint But as this was fayned a miracle and false no doubt so in the same author we read of an other maner of miracle sounding more neare the trueth and so much the more likely for that it serued to the conuersion vnto Christian fayth to which vse properly all true myracles do appertayne The myracle was this In the raigne of this king and the latter yere of his raigne Cassanus king of the Tartarians of whome commeth these whome now we call Turkes which fighting agaynst the Souldan king of the Saracens in the plain of Damascus slew of them 100000. of Saracens and agayne at Babilon fighting with the sayd Souldain slew him in the field 200000. of his Saracens calling vpon the helpe of Christ and therupon became Christiā This Cassanus I say had a brother a Pagane who being in loue with the daughter of the king of Armenia a Christian woman
Of whom onely Thomas Earle of Lancaster for the nobility of his bloud was beheaded All the other Lords and Barons were hanged drawn quartered c. which bloudy vnmercifulnes of the king toward his naturall subiects not only to him procured great dishonor within the realme but also turned afterward to his much more greater harm hinderance in his forreine warres agaynst the Scots And finally wrought his vtter confusion and ouerthrow of his seat royall as in the sequell of his end appeared and worthely After the ruine of these noble personages the king as though he had gotteÌ„ a great coÌ„quest who then in deed began first to be ouercomen and conquere himself when he so oppressed and cut of the strength and sinews of his chiualrye began to triumph not a litle with his Spensers And to couÌ„t himselfe sure as though he were in heauen to exercise more sharpe seuerity vpon his subiectes trusting and committing all to the counsell onely of the foresayd Spensers in so much that both the Queene and the residue of yâ— other nobles could litle be regarded Who as they grew euer in more contempt with the king so they encreased in more hatred agaynst the Spensers but strength hability lacked to worke ther will The next yeare the king being at York after he had made Sir Hugh Spencer Erle and Syr Iohn Baldocke a man of euill same to be Chauncellour of England he theÌ„ areared a mighty host agaynst the Scottes But for lack of skilfull guiding expert Captaynes and for want specially of due prouision of vitayles necessary for such an army the great multitude to the number reckoned of an hundreth thousand wandring through Scotland from whence the Scots had conuayed all theyr goods and cattell into moutaynes and marches were so pynched and sterued with famyne that a great part of the army there presently perished and they that returned home as soone as they tasted of in eates escaped not The king neither hauing resistance of his enemies and seing such a destruction of his subiects was forced without anye acte done to retyre But in his retiring Sir Iames Duglas and the Scottes hauing knowledge therof pursued him in such wise that they clue many Englishe men and had well neare taken the kyng himselfe After whiche distresse the king thus beaten and wearyed with the Scottes woulde fayne haue ioyned in â—ruce with the Scottes but because they stoode excommunicate by the pope he standing in feare therof desireth liceÌ„ce to entreate with them of peace the sayd excommunication notwithstanding whiche licence beyng obtayned a treaty was appoynted by commissioners on both parts at Newcastle at the feast of Sainct Nicholas next ensuing and so truce was taken for 12. yeares whereupon this is to be noted by the way gentle reader not vnworthy of obseruation that wheras in former tymes and especially of the late king Edward the first so long as the Scottes were vnder the popes blessing and we in displeasure with his holines for dealing with them so long we preuayled mightely agaynst them euen to the vtter subuersion in manour of their whole estate But nowe so soone as the Pope tooke our part the Scots were vnder his curse and excommunication Then gat they greater victories against vs then any time either before or sithence in somuch as being before not able to defend them selues agaynst vs they nowe pursued vs into the bowels of our owne country The king purposing to erect a house of Fryers Augustines within the towne of Boston in Lincolneshyre first prayed the popes licence in that behalfe Polidorius Virgilius among other histories of our English nation which he intermedleth withall prosecuting also the actes and life of this present King and comming to write of the Queenes goyng ouer into Fraunce inferreth much varietie and diuersitie of autours and story writers concerning the cause thereof Otherwise be geueth hymself no true certainty of that matter neyther yet toucheth he yâ— which was the cause in deede By reason partly that he being an Italian and a foreiner coulde not vnderstand our English toung And partly agayne being but one maÌ„ neyther coulde he alone come to the sight of all our Latine autours One I am sure came not to his perusing an old ancient Latine history fayre written in patchment but without name belonging to the library of William Cary Citizen of London In which story the truth of this matter â—out all ambiguitie is there fully and with all circumstaunces expressed as here briefly is excerpted The king of England had bene diuers sundry tymes cited vpp to the Courte of Fraunce to doe homage to the French king for the Dukedome of Aquitane other lands which the king then helde of Fraunce Whiche homage because the king of England refused to tender the French K. began to enter at such possessions as the king then did hold in Fraunce Whereupon great contention and confirtes there were on both sides At length in this yeare now present a Parliament was called at London Where after much altercation at last it was determined that certayne should be sent ouer to witte the Bishops of Winchester and Norwich and the Earle of Richmond to make agreement betwixt the two kinges For the better help and fortification of which agreement it was thought good afterward that Queene Isabell sister to Charles then the FreÌ„ch king shold be sent ouer Where is to be noted first that the Queenes landes possessions and castles a little before vpon the breach betweene the Frenche king and the Kyng of Englande were seised into the kinges handes and the Queene put to her pension c. Thus the Queene beyng sent ouer with a few to attend vpon her onely Syr Iohn Cromwell Baron and 4. knightes tooke theyr passage into Fraunce by whose mediation it was there concluded that the king of England if he would not himselfe come to do his homage he should geue to his sonne Edward the Dukedome of Aquitanie and the Earledome of Pontine and so he to come to make his homage to the king and to podesle the same This being in Fraunce concluded was sent ouer by message to the king of England with the kings letters patentes adioyned for the sate conduct of him or of his sonne Upon this deliberation was taken in the counsalle of England But the two Spensers fearing to take the Seas eyther with the king or els without the king to remayne behinde for scare of the nobles so appoynted that Prince Edward the kings sonne was sent whiche happened after to theyr vtter desolation as it followed For all thinges being quieted ordered according to the agreement in Fraunce K. Edward of England soone after Michaelmas sendeth for his wife and his sonne agayne out of Fraunce But the sending home most part of her family reinseth her selfâ— to returne For what cause it is not fully certayne whether for indignation that her possessions
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
preach no lyes nor vayne iests or other things not authorised but only the law of Christ the minds of the holy doctors And he that doth so preach necessity occationing or mouing him therunto in case there be no Pope or Bishop or in case possible to withstand the preaching of heretickes or false preachers he in so doing doth not vsurpe the office of preaching and in suche case there is no doubt but he is sent of God and this doth also answere vnto that which is consequently sayd that if any man will peradueÌ„ture craftely answere that such preachers are inuisibly seÌ„t of God although not visibly of meÌ„ when as that inuisible seÌ„ding of God is much more better theÌ„ the visible sending of men A man may reasonably answere therunto that forsomuch as that interuall seÌ„ding is secret it is not sufficient for a man onely to say that he is sent of God forsomuch as euery hereticke may so say but he ought to proue the same his inuisible calling by the working of some miracle or by some speciall testimony of the scripture Here it is to be noted according to S. Augustine in his 65. booke of quest vnto Orosius that there is 4. kindes of sending The first is from God onely whereof we read in Moises other which were inspired by God And this kinde sending loseth from the daunger of the statute so that he whom the spirit of God hath enspired this prelate geuing thankes may proceed vnto a better life WherupoÌ„ Pope Urbane sayd 19. quest 2. There be sayd he 2. lawes the one publick the other priuate The publick law is that which is confirmed in writing by the holy fathers such as is the canon law which is only geuen for transgressions As for example it is decreed in the canons that none of the clergy shall go froÌ„ one bishoprick vnto an other without the letters commendatory of his bishop the which was ordeined onely for offeÌ„ders that no infamed persons should be receiued of any bishop For they were wont when they could not celebrate or do their office vnder their owne Bishopricke to go vnto another which now is forbidden by the lawes and precepts The priuate law is that which by the instruction of the holy Ghost is written in the hart as the Apostle speaketh of many which haue the law of God written in their hartes And in an other place Forsomuch as the Gentiles haue not the law of God but naturally doe those thinges which are of the law they are lawes vnto theÌ„selues And afterward he sayth the priuate law is much more worthy then the publicke law For the spirit of god is a law And they which are moued by the spirit of God are led by the law of God And who is he that can worthely resist agaynst the holy Ghost Whosoeuer therfore is led by the spirit of God albeit his bishop do say him nay let him go freely by our authority for the law is not appointed for the iust man for where as the spirit of God is there is liberty and if ye be led by the spirite of God ye are not vnder the law Beholde here it is affirmed that the sending by God through inspiration is not bound vnder the bondage of the law for that law is more worthye then the publicke law Secondly that the law is made for transgressors offenders and not for the iust Thirdly that whosoeuer is ledd by the spirite of God although his Bishop stand agaynst him he may proceed vnto a better life Wherby it is euideÌ„t that a deacon or priest disposed to preach and being led by the spirit of God he may freely preach the gospell of christ without the spiritual licence of his bishop It is euideÌ„t for somuch as it is good that a deacon or priest do liue well preach fruitfully Ergo he may proceede from idlenes vnto the labor office of preaching and so vnto a better life But where as it is sayde afore that for so much as the inward sending or calling is secret therfore it is not sufficient for a man barely to affirme onely the he is sent of god when as euery heretick may so say but it is necessary that he do confirme proue his inuisible sending by the working of some miracle or by some speciall testimony of the scripture Here is to be noted that there are 2. kindes of preachers some true preachers of our sauior Christ other seducers of Antechrist The first sort following the mayster Christ teach the people in truth The other sort being of a corrupt minde and reprobate touching faith resist against the verity And through couetousnes by their fained words do make marchandise of the people And these meÌ„ do geue shal geue miracles as our sauior saith Math. 24. There shall arise false Christs and false prophets the which shall shew great signes and wonders in so much that euen the elect theÌ„selues if it were by any meanes possible shoulde be brought into error And the apostle in â—he 2. to the Thes. 2. as touching their head Antechrist writeth thus whose comming shal be according to the operation of sathan with al power and signes false miracles seducing vnto iniquity those which do perish because they haue not receiued the charity and loue of truth that they might be saued Therfore will the Lord send vpon them the operation of error that they shall geue credit vnto lies That all such as haue not belued the truth but consent vnto wickednes should be iudged Behold how expressely our Sauior by himself and by his Apostle doth teach vs how the disciples of Antechrist with theyr head should shine through their great signes and woÌ„ders But the true disciples of Christ shall not so do in the time of Antechrist For as S. Isidor sayth in his first book 22. De summo bono Before that Antechrist shall appeare all vertues and signes shall cease from the Church that he may the boldlier persecute the same as an abiect For this profit shall all miracles and signes cease vnder Antechrist that thereby the patience of the holy meÌ„ might be known and the lightnes of the reprobate which are offeÌ„ded may be opened also that the cruelty of the persecuters shuld be made more scare Thus writeth S. Isidor S. Gregory in his 24. booke of Morals sayth For why by a terrible examination of Gods secret dispeÌ„satioÌ„ shall all signes of vertue or power be takeÌ„ away from the holy church before that the Leuiathan appeare in yâ— most wicked and damnable man whose shape he doth take vpon him For prophecy is hidden the gift of healing is takeÌ„ away the vertue of loÌ„g abstineÌ„ce is deminished the words of doctrine is put to silence and the wonderfull workes of miracles are extinguished which things nothing can vtterly take away but onely the dispensation of God But this dispeÌ„satioÌ„ is not so openly manifoldly
13 chap. And thus by the testimony of all these places is he the chiefe Antechrist vpon the earth and must be slayne with the sword of Gods word and cast with the dragon the cruell beast and the false Prophet that hath seduced the earth into the lake of fire and brimstone to be tormented world without end If the city of Rome do allow his traditiōs and do disalow Christes holy commaundements and Christes doctrine that it may confirme his traditions then is she Babilon the great or the daughter of Babilon and the great whore sitting vpō many waters with whom the kings of the earth haue committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth are become dronken with the wine of her harlotry lying opē to baudry With whose spiritual whordom enchauntments witchcraftes and Symon Magus marchaundises the whole roūd world is infected and seduced saying in her hart I sit as a Queen and widow I am not neither shall I see sorrowe and mourning Yet is shee ignoraūt that within a litle while shall come the day of her destruction ruine by the testimony of the Apoc. cha 17. Because that from the time that the continuall sacrifice was taken away the abhomination of desolatiō placed there be passed 1299. dayes by the testimonye of Daniell and the Chronicles added do agree to the same And the holy City also hath bene troden vnder foot of the heathen for 42. monethes and the woman was nourished vp in the wildernes vnto which she fled for feare of the space of the serpēt during 1260. dayes or els for a time times halfe a tyme which is all one All these thinges be manifest by the testimony of the Apocalips the Chronicles therto agreeing And as concerning the fall of Babilon aforesayd it is manifest in the Apoc. where it is sayd In one day shall her plagues come death lamentation and famine and she shal be burned with fire For strong is the Lord whych will iudge her And agayn Babilon that great Citty is fallen which hath made all nations to drinke of the wine of her Whoredome And thirdly one mightye Aungell tooke vp a myllstone that was a very great one and did cast it into the Sea saying with suche a violence as this is shall that great Cittye Babylon be ouerthrowne and shall no more bee founde For her Marchauntes were the Princes of the earth and with her Witchcraft all Nations haue gone astray and in her is there founde the bloud of the Sayntes and Prophetes And of her destruction speaketh Esay in the 13. chapiter And Babilon that glorious Cittye being so noble amongest kingdomes in the pride of the Caldeans it shall be that like as the Lorde did ouerturne Sodome and Gomorre vpside downe it shall neuer more be inhabited nor haue the foundation layde in no age from generation to generation Ieremy sayeth Your mother that hath borne you is brought to very great confusion and made euē with the ground And agayne The Lord hath deuised and done as he hath spokē agaynst the inhabiters of Babilō which dwel richly in their treasures vppon many waters thine ende is come And thirdly Drouth shall fall vpon her waters and they shall beginne to be drye for it is a land of grauen imagies and boasteth in her prodigious wonders It shall neuer more be inhabited neyther be builded vp in no age nor generation Verely euen as God hath subuerted Sodome and Gomorre with her calues Pardon mee I beseeche you though I be not plentiful in pleasaunt wordes For if I should runne after the course of this wicked world should please mē I should not be Christes seruant And because I am a poore man neyther haue nor cā haue notaries hyred to testifie of these my writings I call vpon Christ to be my witnes which knoweth the inward secrets of my hart that I am redy to declare the things that I haue writtē after my fashion to the profit of all Christen people to the hurt of no mā liuing am ready to be reformed if any mā will shew me where I haue erred being redy also miserable sinner though I be to suffer for the cōfession of the name of Christ of his doctrine as much as shal please him by his grace loue to assist me a miserable sinner In witnes of al these things I haue to this writing set that seale of our Lord sauior Iesus Christ which I besech him to imprint vpon my forehed to take frō me al maner of marke of Antichrist Amen ¶ These two suppositions as they are termed in the scholes written by Walter Brute and exhibited vnto the Bishop although they conteyned matter sufficient eyther to satisfie the bishop if he had ben disposed to learne or els to haue prouoked him to replye agayne if his knowledge therin had ben better thē his yet could they worke neither of thē effect in him But he receiuing perusing the same when he neither could confute that which was said neyther would reply or aunswere by learning to that whych was truth finding other by causlations said that this his writing was too short and obscure and therfore required him to write vpon the same againe more plainely and more at large Whereupon the said Maister Walter satisfying the Bishops request and ready to geue to euery one an accōpt of his faith in a more ample tractatiō renueth hys matter agayne before declared writing to the Byshop in wordes and forme as followeth REuerend father forsomuch as it seemeth to you that my motion in my two suppositions or cases in my two conclusions is too short and somwhat darke I wil gladly now satisfy your desire according to my smal learning by declaring the same conclusions In opening wherof it shall plainely appeare what I do iudge in all matters that I am accused of to your reuerence desiring you first of al that your discretiō would not beleue that I do enterpryse of any presumption to handle the secretes of the scriptures which the holy and iust wise Doctours haue left vnexpounded It is not vnknowen to many that I am in all points farre inferiour to thē whose holynes of life profoundnes in knowledge is manifold waies allowed But as for mine ignorance and multitude of sinnes are to my selfe and others sufficiently knowen wherefore I iudge not my selfe worthy to vnloose or to cary their shooes after them Do you therefore no otherwise deeme of me then I do of mine owne selfe But if you shal finde any goodnesse in my writings ascribe it to God only who according to the multitude of his mercy doth sometimes reueale those things to Idiotes and sinners which are hidded from the holy and wise according to this saying I will prayse and confesse thee O father for that thou hast hidden these thinges from the wyse and prudent and hast disclosed them to the litle ones Euen so O father
charity into the snare of the deuill If thou shalt keepe pacience he shal be ashamed of his doing and thou maist bow bend hym to repentaunce and take him out from the snare of the deuil and cal him backe againe to charity If thou resist and perchaunce by resisting doest strike againe his fury shal be the more kindled hee being stirred vp to greater wrath peraduenture shal either slay thee or thou him Touching thy self thou art vncertaine if thou go about to make resistance whether thou shalt fall from charity and then shalt thou goe backwarde from the perfection of Christes commaundement Neither doest thou knowe but that it may happen thee so greatly to be moued as that by the heate violence of wrath thou shalt slay him Whereas if thou wouldest dispose thy selfe to pacience as Christ teacheth thou shouldest easily auoide all these mischieues aswel on the behalfe of thy brother as also of thyne owne parte Wherefore the obseruing of charitie as the precept of pacience is to be obserued Fifthly I do maruel why that for the alowing of thys corporall resistaunce he doth say in the same Chapter that Paule did not fulfill the precept of the pacience of Christ when as he being stroken in the place of iudgement by the cōmandement of the high Priest did say God strike thee O thou painted wal Doest thou sit to iudge me according to the law and doest thou cōmand me to be striken against the lawe It is manifest that Paule made resistance in nothing though he spake a word of instruction to the Priest who against the law commanded him to be striken And if Paul had ouerpassed the bounds of pacience through the grief of the stroke what of that Must the deede of Paules impaciencie for this cause be iustified and the commandement of paciēce taught by Christ be left vndone for Pauls deede and corporal resistance be allowed God forbid For both Paule and Peter might erre But in the doctrine of Christ there may be found no errour Wherefore we must geue more credence beliefe to Christes sayings then to any liuing mans doings Wherefore although Paule had resisted which I do not perceiue in that Scripture it followeth not therof that corporall resistance must be approued which is of Christ expresly forbidden I much maruel that alwayes they seeke corners and shadowes to iustifie their deedes Why doe they not marke what great thyngs Paule reciteth hymselfe to haue suffered for Christ And where I pray you haue they found that hee after his conuersion stroke any man that did hurt him Or where doe they finde that he in expresse word doth teach such a kinde of corporal resistance But as touching pacience he sayth in plaine words to the Romanes Be not wise in your owne conceits Render ill for ill to no body prouiding good things not onely before God but also before all men if it be possible Be at peace with all folkes as much as in you lieth not defending your selues my most dearely beloued but geue you place vnto anger For it is wrytten vengeance is mine I will recompence them sayth the Lorde But if thine enemie shal be an hungred geue hym meate If he be a thirst geue him drinke For thus doing thou shalt heape coales of fire vpon his head Be not ouercomen of euill but ouercome thou euill with good To the Corinthians the 5. as touching iudgement and contention whych are matters of lesse weyght then are fightings thus he wryteth Nowe verely there is great faulte in you that you be at lawe amongst yourselues Why rather take yee not wrong why rather suffer yee not deceit And generally in all his Epistles he teacheth that pacience shuld be kept and not corporall resistance by fighting because charitie is pacient it is curteous it suffereth all things I maruaile howe they iustifie and make good the warres by Christians sauing onely the warres against the deuill and sinne For seeing that it is plaine that those things whych were in the olde Testament were figures of things to be done in the new Testament Therfore we must needes say that the corporall warres being then done were figures of the Christian warres against sinne and the deuill for the heauenly countrey whych is our inheritance It is plain that it was wrytten thus of Christ. The mighty Lord and of great power in battaile hath girded himselfe in force and manlynesse to the warre and he came not to sende peace into the earth but warre In thys warre ought Christian people to be souldiours according to that manner whych Paule teacheth to the Ephesians the last Put vpon you the armour of God that you may be able to stande against the deceites of the deuill For wee haue not to wrastle against flesh and bloude but against princes potestates against the rulers of these darknes of the world against spirituall wickednesse in heauenly things whyche are the high places Wherefore take yee the armour of God that yee may be able to resist in the euil day and to stand perfectly in al things Stande you therefore girded about in truth vpon your loynes hauing put vppon you the brest plate of rightuousnesse and your feete shoed in a readinesse to the Gospel of peace in all things taking the shield of faith wherwith you may quēch all the firy darts of that wicked one And take vnto you the helmet of saluation and the sworde of the spirite which is the worde of God By these thyngs it is plaine what are the warres of Christians and what are the weapons of theyr warfare And because it is manifest that this Testament is of greater perfectiō then the former we must now fight more perfectly then at that time For nowe spiritually then corporally nowe for an heauenly euerlasting inheritance then for an earthly and temporall now by pacience then by resistance For Christ sayeth blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnesse for theirs is the kingdome of heauen He saith not blessed are they that fight for righteousnes How can a man say that they may lawfully make warre kill theyr brethren for the temporall goodes whych peraduenture they vniustly occupy or vniustly intende to occupy For he that killeth an other to gette these goods whych an other body vniustly occupieth doeth loue more the very goodes then hys owne brother And then hee falling from charitie doth kill hymselfe spiritually If he goe forwarde without charitie to make warre then doeth he euill and to hys owne damnation Wherefore he doth not lawfully nor iustly in proceeding to the damnation of his own selfe his brother whome though he seeme vniustly to occupy his goods yet he doth intend to kil And what if such kinde of warres were lawfull to the Iewes thys argueth not that now they are lawfull to Christians because that theyr deedes were in a shadow of imperfection but the dedes of Christians in
called vnto him the Archbishop of Yorke Richard London Henry Winchester Robert Chichester Alexander Norwich the noble prince Edmond the Duke of Yorke Rafe Earle of Westmerland Thomas Beaufort Knight Lord Chancellour of England and the Lord Beamond with other noble men as well spirituall as temporall that stood and sate by whome to name it would be long Before whome the said Iohn Badby was called personallie to answere vnto the Articles premised in the foresaid instrument Who when he came personallie before them the articles were read by the Officiall of the court of Cant. and by the Archb. in the vulgare tong expounded publikely and expresly and the same Articles as he before had spoken and deposed he still held and defended and said that whilest he liued he would neuer retract the same And furthermore he said specially to to be noted that the Lord duke of Yorke personallie there present as is aforesaid and euery man els for the time beeing is of more estimation and reputation then the Sacrament of the aulter by the priest in due forme consecrated And whilest they were thus in his examination the Archbishop considering and waying that he would in no wise be altered and seing moreouer his countenance stout and hart confirmed so that he began to persuade other as it appeared in the same These things considered the Archprelate whē he saw that by his allurements it was not in his power neither by exhortations reasons nor arguments to bring the said Iohn Badbye from his constant truth to his Catholique faith executing and doing the office of his great maister proceeded to confirme and ratifie the former sentence giuen before by the Bishop of Worcester against the said Iohn Badby pronouncing him for an open and publique hereticke And thus shifting their hands of him they deliuered him to the secular power and desired the sayd temporall Lords then and there present verie instantlie that they would not put the same Iohn Badby to death for that his offence nor deliuer him to be punished or put to death in y◠presence of all the Lordsabone recited These things thus done and concluded by the Bishops in the forenoone on the afternoone the Kings writte was not far behind By the force wherof I. Badby still perseuering in his constancie vnto the death was brought into Smithfield and there being put in an emptie barrell was bound with iron chaines fastened to a stake hauing drie wood put about him And as he was thus standing in the pipe or tonne for as yet Cherillus Bull was not in vre among the bishops it happened that the Prince the kings eldest sonne was there present Who shewing some part of the good Samaritane began to endeuour and assay how to saue the life of him whome the hypocriticall Leuites and Phariseis sought to put to death He admonished and counsailed him that hauing respect vnto himselfe he should spedelie withdraw himselfe out of these dangerous Laberinths of opinions adding oftentimes threatnings the which might haue daunted anie mans stomacke Also Courtney at that time Chancellor of Oxford preached vnto him and enformed him of the faith of holie Church In this meane season the Prior of S. Bartlemewes in Smithfield brought with all solemnitie the Sacrament of Gods body with twelue torches borne before and so shewed the Sacrament to the poore man being at the stake And then they demanded of him how he beleeued in it he answering that he knew well it was halowed bread and not gods body And then was the tunne put ouer him and fire put vnto him And when he felt fire he cried mercie calling belike vpon the Lord and so the Prince immediatelie commanded to take awaie the tunne and quench the fire The Prince his commandement being done asked him if he would forsake heresie to take him to the faith of holie Church which thing if he would doo he should haue goods inough promising also vnto him a yearelie stipend out of the kings treasurie so much as should suffice his contentation ¶ The description of the horrible burning of Iohn Badby and how he was vsed at hys death This godly Martyr Iohn Badby hauing thus consummate his testimony and martyrdome in fire the persecuting Bishops yet not herewith contented and thinking themselues as yet eyther not strong inough or els not sharpe enough agaynst tht poore innocent flock of Christ to make all thinges sure and substantiall on theyr side in such sorte as this doctrine of the Gospell nowe springing should be suppressed for euer layd theyr conspiring heads together hauing now a king for theyr own purpose ready to serue theyr turn in all poynts during the time of the same Parliamēt aboue recited yet cōtinuing the foresayd bishops and clergy of the realme exhibited a Bul vnto the kings maiestie subtily declaring what quietnes hath ben mayntayned within this realme by his most noble progenitours who alwayes defended the auncient rites and customes of the Church and enriched the same with large gifts to the honor of God and the realme and contrariwise what trouble and disquietnes was now risen by diuers as they termed them wicked and peruerse men teachinge and preachinge openlye and priuilye acertayne new wicked and hereticall kinde of doctrine contrary to the Catholicke fayth and determination of holye Church whervpon the king alwayes oppressed with blynd ignoraunce by the crafty meanes and subtile pretences of the clergie graunted in the sayd Parliament by consent of the nobilitie assembled a statute to be obserued called Ex officio as followeth The Statute Ex officio That is to say that no man within this Realme or other the kinges maiesties dominions presume or take vpon him to preach priuily or apertly without speciall licence first obteyned of the ordinary of the same place Curates in theyr owne parishe Churches and persons heretofore priuiledged and others admitted by the Canon law onely excepted Nor that any hereafter do preach mayntayne teach informe openly or in secret or make or write any booke contrary to the catholique fayth and determination of the holy Church Nor that any hereafter make anye conuenticles or assemblies or keepe and exercise anye maner of schooles touching this sect wicked doctrin and opinion And further that no man hereafter shall by any meanes fauour anye such preacher any such maker of vnlawfull assemblies or any such booke maker or writer and finally any such teacher informer or stirrer vp of the people And that all and singuler persons hauing anye the sayd bookes writinges or schedules contayning the sayd wicked doctrines and opinions shall within forty dayes after this present proclamation and statute really and effectually deliuer or cause to be deliuered all and singuler the sayd bookes and writinges vnto the ordinary of the same place And if it shall happen anye person or persons of what kinde state or condition soeuer he or they be to doe or attempt anye manner of thing contrarye to this
body need to be afrayde though death did folow by one wise or other for to dye out of this world without taking of any Sacrament of these foresayd Christes enemyes since Christ will not fayle for to minister himselfe all Iefull healfull Sacramentes and necessary at all time and specially at end to all them that are in true fayth in stedfast hope and in perfect charity But yet some mad fooles say for to eschew slaunder they wil be shriuen once in the yeare and communed of theyr proper Priestes though they knowe them defouled with slaunderous vyces No doubt but all they that thus do or consent priuely or apertly to such doing are culpable of great sinne since S. Paul witnesseth that not onely they that do euill are worthy of death and damnation but also they that consent to euill doers Also as their slaūderous workes witnesse these aforesayd vicious Priestes despise and cast from them heauenly cunning that is geuen of the holye ghost Wherefore the Lord throweth all such despisers from him that they vse nor do any Priesthood to him No doubt than all they that wittingly or wilfully take or cōsent that any other body should take any Sacrament of any suche named Priest sinneth openly and damnably agaynst all the Trinity and are vnable to any Sacrament of health And that this foresayd sentēce is altogether true into remission of all my sinnefull liuing trusting stedfastly in the mercye of God I offer to him my soule And to proue also the foresayde sentence true with the helpe of God I purposefully for to suffer meekely and gladly my most wretched bodye to bee tormented where God will of whom he will and when he will and as long as he will and what temporall payne he will and death to the praysing of his name and to the edification of his Church And I that am most vnworthy and wretched caytife shall now through the speciall grace of God make to him pleasaunt sacrifice with my most sinnefull and vnworthy body Beseechyng hartely all folke that read or heare this end of my purposed Testament that through the grace of GOD they dispose verely and vertuously all their wittes and able in lyke maner all their members for to vnderstand truely and to keepe faythfully charitably and continually all the commaundementes of God and so than to pray deuoutly to all the blessed Trinitie that I may haue grace with wisedome and prudence from aboue to end my lyfe here in this foresayd truth and for this cause in true fayth and stedfast hope and perfect charitie Amen What was the ende of this good man and blessed seruant of God Williā Thorpe I finde as yet in no story specified By all coniectures it is to be thought that the archbishop Thomas Arundull being so hard an aduersarye agaynst those men would not let him goe Much lesse it is to be supposed that he would euer retract his sentence and opinion which he so valiantly mayntayned before the byshop neither doth it seeme that he had any such recanting spirite Agayne neyther is it founde that he was burned Wherfore it remayneth most like to be true that he beyng committed to some straight prison according as the Archbyshop in his examination before dyd threaten him there as Thorpe confesseth himselfe was so straightly kept that eyther he was secretly made away or els there he dyed by sicknesse The like end also I finde to happen to Iohn Aston an other good folower of Wickliffe who for the same doctrine of the sacrament was condemned by the Bishops And because he would not recant he was committed to perpetuall prison wherein the good man continued till his death An. 1382. ¶ Iohn Puruey FUrthermore in the sayd examinatiō of Williā Thorpe mention was made as ye heard of Iohn Puruey of whom also something we touched before promising of the sayd Iohn Puruey more particularly to entreate in order and processe of time Of this Puruey Tho. Walden writeth thus in his second tome Iohn Puruey sayth he was the Library of Lollordes and gloser vpon Wickliffe He sayde that the worshipping of Abrahā was but a salutatiō And in his third Tome he sayth this Iohn Puruey with Harford a doctour of diuinity were greuously tormented and punished in the prison of Saltwood and at the length recanted at Paules crosse at London Tho. Arundel being then Archb. of Canterbury Afterward agayne he was emprisoned vnder Henry Chicheley Archb. of Canterbury in the yeare of our Lord 1421. Thus muche writeth Walden The workes of this man which he wrote were gathered by Richard Lauingame his aduersarye whiche I thinke worthy to be remēbred First as touching the Sacrament of the last supper the Sacrament of penaunce the Sacrament of orders the power of the keyes the preaching of the Gospell of Mariages of Uowes of possessiōs of the punishing and correcting of the Clergy of the lawes and decrees of the Church of the state and condition of the Pope and the clergy Of all these generally he left diuers monuments grauely and exactly written part whereof here in the end of his story we thought to exhibite being translated out of Latine into English The articles which he taught and afterward was forced to recant at Paules crosse were these hereafter folowing 1. That in the Sacrament of the aultar after the consecration there is not neither can be any accident without the subiect But there verely remaineth the same substaūce and the very visible and incorruptible bread likewise the very same wine the which before the consecration were set vpon the aultar to be consecrate of the Priest likewise as when a Pagan or infidell is baptised he is spiritually conuerted into a member of Christ through grace and yet remayneth the very same man whiche he before was in his proper nature and substaunce 2. Auricular confession or priuate penaunce is a certeyne whispering destroying the libertye of the Gospell newly brought in by the Pope and the Clergye to intangle the consciences of mē in sinne to draw their soules into hel 3. Euery lay man being holy and predestinate vnto euer lasting life albeit he be a lay man yet is he a true Priest before God 4. That diuers Prelates and other of the Clergy do liue wickedly contrary to the doctrine and example of Christ his Apostles Therefore they whiche so liue haue not the keyes neyther of the kingdome of heauen neither yet of hell neither ought any christian to esteme his cēsure any more then as a thing of no force Yea albeit the pope should peraduenture interdite the realme yet could he not hurt but rather profite vs for so much as thereby we should be dismissed from the obseruation of his lawes and from saying of seruice according to the custome of the Church 5. If any man do make an othe or vow to keepe perpetuall chastity or do any thing els whereunto God hath not appoynted him geuing him
like that if these men had intended any forcible entrees or rebelliō against the king they would haue made any rumours therof before the deed done so is it more credibly to be supposed all these florishes of words to be but words of course or of office and to sauer rather of the rāknes of the inditers penne who disposed either per amplificationem rhetoricam to shew his copy or els per malitiam Papisticam to aggrauate the crime And to make mountains of mollhilles first of rumours maketh congregations from congregations riseth vp to insurrections where as in all these rumours congregations insurrections yet neuer a blow was geuen neuer a stroke was stroken no bloud spilt no furniture nor instruments of war no signe of battaile yea no expresse signification either of any rebellious word or malitious fact described neither in records nor yet in any Chronicle Againe if these rumours were words spoken against the king as calling him a tirant an vsurper of the crowne the Prince of Priestes c. why then be none of these words expressed in their inditements or left in records Doth M. Cope thinke for a man to be called a traitour to be enough to make him a traytour vnlesse some euident prose be brought for him to bee so in deed as he is called Rumours sayth he congregations and insurrections were made Rumours are vncertaine Congregations haue bene and may bee among Christen men in dangerous times for good purposes and no treason against their princes ment The terme of insurrections may be added 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by practise or surmise of the Prelates and pen men who to bring them the more in hatred of the king might adde this rather of their owne gentlenes then of the others deseruing Certayne it is and vndoubted that the Prelates in those dayes being so mightely inflamed against these Lollards were not altogether behind for their parts nor vtterly idle in this matter but practised against them what they could first to bring them into hatred and then to death Examples of which kinde of practise among the Popish Cleargy haue not lacked neither before nor since Moreouer if these men had made such a rebellious insurrection against the king as is pretended in the preample before this statute which were a matter of high treason How chaunceth then that the whole body of the statute folowing after the said preface or preamble runneth in all the parts and braunches thereof both in maner of arrest of inditement information request alowance of officers cognisance of ordinaries of the forefact c. vpon cases of heresie and not of treason as by particular tractation shall be Christ willing declared And for so much as these men be so greuously accused of Alanus Copus for congregating rising against their K. the whole Realme if I had so much laysure to defend as he hath pleasure to diffame Here might be demaunded of him to keepe him some further pley touching this mighty insurrection where as they came in nūber of xx thousand against the king in what order of battaile ray they marched what Captaines vnder Captaines and pety Captaines they had to guide the wyngs and to lead the army whether they were horsemen or footemen If they were horsemen as is pretensed what ment they then to resort to the Thicketes neare to S. Gyles field which was no meet place for horses to stirre If they were footemen how standeth that with the author which reporteth them to be horsemē Moreouer is to be demanded what insignes or flagges what shot what pouder what armour weapōs and other furniture of war also what treasure of money to wage so many to the nūber of xx thousand what trumpets drommes other noise necessary for the purpose they had All these preparations for such an enterprise is requisite necessary to be had And peraduenture if truth were well sought it would be found at lēgth that in stead of armies and weapon they were comming onely with theyr bookes and with Beuerlay their preacher into those thickets But as I was not there present at the fact as is before said so haue I neither certeinely to define vpon theyr case nor yet M. Cope to exclame against them vnles peraduenture he taking an occasion of the time will thus argue against them That because it was the hoate moneth of Ianuary the 2. day after the Epiphany therefore it is like that Sir Iohn Oldcastle with xx thousand Lollards camped together in the fields in al the heate of the wether to destroy the king and all the nobles and to make hymselfe Regent of England And why not as well the King as regent of England seeing all the nobles should haue bene destroyed he onely left alone to reigne by himselfe ¶ It followeth more in the preamble of the foresaid statute to adnull destroy and subuert the Christen fayth and the law of God holy Church c. He that was the forger inuēter of this report as it appeareth to proceed frō the Prelates seemeth no cunning Daedalus nor halfe hys craftes maister in lying for the whetstone Better he might haue learned of Sinō in Uirgill more artificially to haue framed and conueied his narration Which although in no case could sound like any truth yet some colour of probabilitie should haue bene set vpon it to giue it some countenance of a like tale As if he had first declared the L. Cobham to haue bin before in secret cōfederacie with the great Turk or if he had made him some termagāt or Mahound out of Babylonia or some Herode of Iudea or some Antichrist out of Rome or some grandpanch Epicure of this world and had shewed that he had receiued letters from the great Souldan to fight against the faith of Christ and law of God then had it appeared somwhat more credible that the said Sir Iohn Oldcastle with his sect of heresie went about to adnull destroie and subuert the Christian faith and law of God within the Realme of England c. But now where will either he or M. Cope finde men so mad to beleeue or so ingenious that can imagine this to be true that the Lord Cobham being a Christian and so faithfull a Christiā would or did euer cogitate in his mind to destroy and adnull the faith of Christ in the Realme of England What soeuer the report of this pursuant or preface saith I report me vnto the indifferent Reader how standeth this with any face of truth That he which before through the reading of Wickliffes works had bene so earnestly cōuerted to the law of God who had also approued himselfe such a faithfull seruant of Christ that for the faith of Christ he being examined and tried before the Prelates page 553. not only ventred his life but stood constant vnto the sentence of death defined against him being a cōdemned and a dead man by law Et qui quantum ad
vniuersitye yea colledge and schoole that I was of knowing that the first edition of these Acts and monuments was begon in the farre parts of Germany where few frendes no conference small information coulde be had And the same edition afterwarde translated out of Latin into English by others while I in the meane time was occupied about other Registers And now the sayde Cope hearing moreouer and knowing that I was about a new edition of the same Actes and Monuments at this present time to be set foorth for the ameÌ„ding of diuers things therein to be reformed if he had knowen any fault nedefull to be corrected he might gentlely by letters admonished me therof Gentlenes so would haue required it Time would well haue suffred it Neither was he so far off but might sooner haue wrytten a letter to me then a boke against me Neither was I so ingratefull and inhumane but wold haue thanked him for hys monition neither yet so obstinate but being admonished wold haue corrected willingly where any fault had bene committed But herein your nature M. Cope doth right wel appeare First in the sayde booke of Actes and Monuments where many other good things be conteyned not vnfrutefull nor vnprofitable peradueÌ„ture for the instruction of your coÌ„science and wherin my labors perhaps might haue deserued your thanks all that you dissemble and passe ouer only excerping those matters whych make for cauillation Thus the blacke spider out of pleasant flowres sucketh his poison And what booke is so pleasant or frutefull though it were the popes owne Portous yea hys own decretals yea hys owne very Masse booke to the reading whereof if I brought the like minde so disposed to cauil as you bring to the reading of my hystorie but I coulde finde out twise as many mendacia maculas impudentias dolos malos fabulas fucos as you haue done in these Actes and Monumentes And yet you haue done pretely well Besides al this yet better to marke the goodnes of your gentle nature Be it so I had bene in some piece of my story deceiued as I do not iustify my selfe in all poynts therin yet you vnderstanding that I was about the correction of my booke againe might eyther haue taken the best and left the worst or els gently take the paines to haue aduertised me of suche notes as you had wythout further exclamation or at least might haue deferred your dialogues for a time till the comming out of my booke to see first what would in the latter edition be altered But be like your gal was full your hast could not tary your venim must â—edes brust out Et si non alâ—qua nocuisses mortuus esses Seeing therfore the order of your doings to be such and disposition of your nature so farre from al humanity dealing with me so extremely if I thus prouoked wyth your extremity againe should now after thys your currish nature shape you a name accordingly and in steade of Cope godfather you to be a perpetual sycophaÌ„t could you much blame me and doth not your sycophanticall booke wel deserue it or thinke you I could not repay you againe wyth like extremitie as you bryng and dresse your drousie or rather â—ousie Dialogues in their right colours if I were so disposed But my purpose is wyth pacience to spare you and rather to pray for you God make you a good manne Peraduenture he may hereafter call you And rather had I to win you then to sting you Leauing therefore the consideratian of your ingrateful doings I will nowe consider onely the poyntes wherein you charge me in your booke answering briefly vnto the same Briefly I say because the greatnesse of thys volume and aboundance of other more frutefull matter geueth me little laisure at thys present to stand about brawling wordes First he seemeth highly to be greued with mee for my Calendare prefixed before the boke of monuments Wherin hee hath no cause eyther to be offended with me or to chafe with himself As touching which Calendare I haue sufficiently and expressely declared before so muche as myghte quickly satisfy this scruple of M. Cope if he eyther woulde haue taken the paines or els had had the laisure to reade the wordes contained in the Latine preface before the Booke prefixed whych are thus Quanquam a me quidem non aliter Calendarium hoc institutum est nisi vt pro Indice duntaxat suum cuiusque Martyris mensem annum designante ad priuatum lectoris seruiret vsum c. In whych woordes preuenting before the cauilling obiection of the aduersary I forewarned the Reader afore hand touching the Calendare wherfore it was ordained and prefixed for no other purpose but to serue the vse only of the reader in stead of a table shewing the yere and moneth of euery Martyr what time he suffered c. What hurt I pray you is in this Calendar prefixed before the booke of Monumentes more then in the Table of M. Copes booke set after his Dialogues But mayster Cope had no laisure to peruse thys place it made not for hys humour But this greeueth him in the Calendare and that very sore For that I place in this Calendar sir Iohn Oldcastle sir Roger Acton Browne Beuerley and other for Martyrs and displace for them other holy auncient Martyrs and Saints as Antholius Sother Dorothe Clarus Lucianus Seuerinus c. Answer If M. Cope can not abide the Lord Cobham sir Roger Acton Browne and Beuerley which were hanged as he sayeth for treason to haue the name of martyrs then let them beare the name of witnes bearers or testes of the truth because they were also burned for the testimony of their faith Seing there is no difference in the sayd names all is one to me by which they are called And where hee chargeth me for thrusting shouldring out the olde and auncient holy Saintes aforenamed out of this Calendare and placing other new come Sayntes in their rowmes this is not the first vntruth that M. Cope hath made in his dialogues nor yet the least vnto whome I might therefore fitly answere againe with his owne familiar phrase or rather the phrase of Cicero which he doth so muche affectate Quod nimirum hic ipse Alanus Copus Anglus vnde me mendacij coarguit inde sibi ipsi sempiternam ac ineluibilem turpissimi mendacij ac singularis impudentiae notam inurat For why haue not Ias iust cause to say this to him as he to me For somuch as in the first beginning and preface of the sayde booke of Actes and Monuments I so diligently and expressely do warne all men before first that I make here no Calendare purposely of any Saintes but a Table of good and godly men that suffered for the truth to shew the day and moneth of their suffering My words be extant and euident whych are these Neque vero ideo inter diuos a me
affirmed and proued that he shoulde ascende and come in another way for Iudas Iscariot was truely and lawfully chosen of the Lorde Iesus Christ vnto his Bishopricke as Christe sayth in the sixt of Iohn and yet he came in an other way into the sheepe folde and was a thefe and a Deuill and the sonne of perdition Did he not come in another waye when as our Sauiour spake thus of him he that eateth breade with me shall lift vp his heele agaynst me The same also is proued by Saynte Bernarde vnto Pope Eugenius Then sayde Paletz beholde the â—â—ror and maddenesse of this man for what more furious or madde thing canne there be then to say Iudas is chosen by Christ and notwithstanding he did ascende an other way and not by Christ. Iohn Husse aunswered verely both partes are true that he was electe and chosen by Christ and also that he did ascende and come in another way for he was a Theefe a Deuill and the sonne of perdition Then sayde Palettez cannot a manne be truely and lawefully chosen Pope or Byshoppe and afterwarde liue contrarye vnto Christe and that notwithstanding he doth not ascende any other wayes But I sayde Iohn Husse doe saye that whosoeuer doth enter into anye Byshoppricke or like office by Simonye not to the intent to labour and trauell in the Church of God but rather to liue delicately voluptuouslye and vnrighteously and to the intent to aduaunce hymselfe with all kinde of pride euery suche man ascendeth and commeth vppe by an other way and according vnto the Gospell he is a theefe and a robber The 7. Article The condemnation of the forty fyue Articles of Wickliffe made by the Doctours is vnreasonable and wicked and the cause by them alleadged is fayned and vntrue That is to say that none of those Articles are Catholicke but that euery of them be either hereticall erronious or offenciue The aunswere I haue wrytten it thus in my treatise the forty fyue Articles are condemned for this cause that none of those forty fyue is a Catholicke Article but eache of them is either hereticall erronious or offenciue O Mayster Doctour where is your proofe you fayne a cause which you doe not poue c. As it appeareth more at large in my Treatise Then sayd the Cardinall of Cambraye Iohn Husse thou diddest saye that thou wouldest not defend any errour of Iohn Wickliffes And now it appeareth in your bookes that you haue openly defended his Articles Iohn Hus aunswered Reuerend Father euen as I sayde before so doe I now say agayne that I will not defende any errours of Iohn Wickliffes neyther of anye other mannes but for so muche as it seemed vnto me to be agaynst conscience simply to consent vnto the condemnation of them no Scripture beyng alledged or brought contrary and agaynst them thereupon I woulde not consent or agree vnto the condemnation of them And for so much as the reason whiche is copulatiue can not be verifyed in euery poynt according to euery part thereof Nowe there remayneth sixe Articles of 39. These are sayd to be drawen out of an other treatise which he wrote agaynst Stanislaus de Znoyma The first Article No man is lawfully elect or chosen in that the Electours or the greater part of them haue consented with a liuely voyce according to the custome of men to elect and choose any person or that he is thereby the manifest and true Successour of Christ or Uicare of Peter in the Ecclesiasticall office but in that that any man doth most aboundantlye worke meritoriouslye to the profitte of the Churche he hath thereby more aboundant power geuen him of God thereunto The answere These things which follow are also written in my booke It standeth in the power and handes of wicked Electours to choose a woman into the Ecclesiasticall office as it appeareth by the election of Agnes whiche was called Iohn who held and occupyed the Popes place dignitye by the space of two yeares and more It may also be that they doe choose a Theefe a Murderer or a Deuil and consequently they may also elect and choose Antichrist It may also be that for loue couetousnesse or hatred they doe choose some person whom God doth not allowe And it appeareth that that person is not lawfully elect and and chosen In so much as the Electours or the greater part of them haue consented and agreed together according to the custome of men vpon any person or that he is thereby the manifest Successour or Uicare of Peter the Apostle or any other in the Ecclesiasticall office Therefore they which most accordingly vnto the scripture doe elect and choose reuelation being sette a parte doe onelye pronounce and determine by some probable reason vppon hym they doe electe and choose wherevppon whether the Electours doe so choose good or euill we ought to geue creditte vnto the workes of hym that is chosen for in that poynt that any manne doth moste aboundauntly worke meritoriously to the profitte of the Church he hath thereby more aboundaunt power geuen him of God thereunto And hereupon sayth Christ in the 10. of Iohn geue credit vnto workes The 2. Article The Pope being a reprobate is not the head of the holy Church of God The aunswere I wrote it thus in my Treatise that I woulde willinglye receiue a probable and effectuall reason of the Doctour howe thys question is contrary vnto the fayth to say that if the Pope be a reprobate how is he the head of the holy churche Beholde the trueth cannot decay or fayle in disputation for did Christ dispute agaynst the fayth when he demaunded of the Scribes and Pharisyes Math. 12. Ye stocke and ofspring of Uypers how can ye speake good thinges when you your selues are wicked and euill and beholde I demaunde of the Scribes if the Pope be a reprobate and the stocke of Uipers how is he the head of the holy Church of GOD that the Scribes and Pharisyes which were in the Councell house of Prage make aunswere hereunto For it is more possible that a reprobate man shoulde speake good thinges for so much as he may be in state of grace according vnto present iustice then to be the head of the holy Church of God Also in the 5. of Iohn our Sauiour complayneth vppon the Iewes saying How can you beleue which doe seeke for glory amongest your selues and doe not seeke for the glory that commeth onely of God And I likewise doe complayne how that if the Pope be a reprobate can he be the head of the Church of God which receiueth hys glory of the world and seketh not for the glory of GOD For it is more possible that the Pope being a Reprobate should beleue then that he should be the head of the Churche of God For so much as he taketh his glory of the world The 3. Article There is no sparke of apparance that there ought to be one head in the spiritualtye to
and equitie is banished the Ecclesiasticall power is iniuried and the calamitie of this Schisme bringeth in all kinde of bondage swords and violence doth rule the laitie haue the dominion concord and vnitie are banished and all prescript rules of Religion vtterly contemned and set at naught Consider most gentle Lords how that during this most pestiferous Schisme how manie heresies haue appeared and shewed themselues how manie heretickes haue scaped vnpunished how manie Churches haue beene spoiled and pulled downe how manie Cities haue beene oppressed and regions brought to ruine what confusion hath there happened in the Cleargie What and how great destruction hath bene amongst the Christian people I pray you marke how the Church of God the spouse of Christ and the mother of all faithfull is contemned and despised For who doth reuerence the keies of the Church who feareth the censures or lawes or who is it that doth defend the liberties thereof But rather who is it that doth not offend the same or who doth not inuade it or else what is he that dare not violentlie lay hands vpon the patrimonie or heritage of Iesus Christ The goods of the Cleargie and of the poore and the reliefe of Pilgrimes and straungers gotten together by the bloud of our Sauiour and of manie Martyres are spoyled and taken awaie behold the abhomination of the desolation brought vpon the Church of God the destruction of the faith and the confusion of the Christian people to the ruine of the Lordes flocke or folde and all the whole companie of our most holy Sauiour and redeemer This losse is more great or greeuous then anie which could happen vnto the Martires of Christ and thys persecution much more cruell then the persecution of anie tyrants for they did but only punish the bodies but in this schsme and diuision the soules are tormented There the bloud of men was only shed but in this case the true faith is subuerted and ouerthrowne That persecution was saluation vnto many but this Schisme is destruction vnto all men When the tirants raged then the faith did increase but by this diuision it is vtterly decaied During their crueltie and madnes the primatiue Church increased but through this schisme it is confounded and ouerthrowne Tiraunts did ignorantly offende but in this schisme many do wittingly and willingly euen of obstinacie offend There came in heretikes vsers of Symonie and hypocrites to the great detriment and deceit of the Church vnder those tirants the merites of the iust were increased But during this Schisme mischiefe and wickednes are augmented for in this most cursed and execrable diuision truth was made an enimie vnto all Christians faith is not regarded loue and charitie hated hope is lost iustice ouerthrowne no kinde of courage or valiantnes but onely vnto mischiefe modestie and temperance cloked wisedome turned into deceit humilitie fained equitie and truth falsified pacience vtterly fled conscience small all wickednes intended deuotion counted folly gentlenes abiect and cast away religion despised obedience not regarded and all maner of life reprochfull and abhominable With how great and greeuous sorowes is the Church of God replenished filled whiles that tirants do oppresse it heretikes inuade it vsers of Symonie do spoile and rob it and schismatikes go about vtterly to subuert it O most miserable and wretched christian people whome now by the space of forty yeares with such indurate and continuall schisme they haue tormented and almost brought to ruine O the little barke and ship of Christ whiche hath so long time wandred and straied now in the middest of the whorlepooles and by and by sticketh fast in the rocks tossed too and fro with most greeuous and tempestuous stormes O miserable and wretched boate of Peter if the most holy father would suffer thee to sinke or drowne into what dangers and perils haue the wicked pirates brought thee amongst what rockes haue they placed thee O most godly and louing Christians what faithfull deuout man is there which beholding and seeing the great ruine and decay of the Church would not be prouoked vnto teares what good conscience is there that can refraine weeping because that contention and strife is powred vpon the ecclesiasticall rulers which haue made vs to erre in the way because they haue not founde or rather would not finde the way of vnitie and concord Whereupon so many heresies and so great confusion is sproong vp and growne in the flocke of Peter and the fold of our Lord. Many Princes Kings and Prelates haue greatly laboured and trauelled for the rooting out heereof but yet could they neuer bring to passe or finish that most holesome and necessary worke Wherefore most Christian King this most glorious and triumphant victory hath tarried only for thee the crowne and glorie therof shal be thine for euer and this most happy victory shall be continually celebrate to thy great honour and praise that thou hast restored againe the Church which was so spoiled thou hast remoued and put away all inueterate and ouergrowne Schismes and diuisions thou hast troden downe vsers of Symony rooted out all hereticks Doest thou not behold see how great perpetuall and famous renowne glory it wil be vnto thee For what can be more iust what more holy what more better what more to be desired or finally what can be more acceptable than to roote out this wicked and abhominable Schisme to restore the Church againe vnto hir auncient libertie to extinguish and put away all Simony and to condemne and destroy all errours and heresies from amongst the flocke of the faithfull Nothing truly can be better nothing more holy nothing more profitable for the whole worlde and finally nothing more acceptable vnto God For the performance of which most holy and godly worke thou wast elect and chosen of God thou wast first deputed and chosen in heauen before thou wast elect and chosen vpon earth Thou wast first appointed by the celestiall and heauenly Prince before the electours of the Empire did elect or choose thee and specially that by the Imperiall force and power thou shouldest condemne and destroy those errours and heresies which wee haue presently in hand to be condemned and subuerted To the performance of this most holy worke God hath giuen vnto thee the knowledge vnderstanding of his diuine truth and veritie power of princely maiestie and the iust iudgement of equitie and righteousnes as the most highest himselfe doth say I haue geuen thee vnderstāding and wisedome to speake and vtter my words and haue set thee to rule ouer nations and kingdomes that thou shouldest helpe the people plucke down and destroy iniquitie by exercising of iustice thou shouldest I say destroy all errours and heresies and specially this obstinate heretike heere present through whose wickednes mischiefe many places of the world are infected with most pestilent and hereticall poison and by his meanes and occasion almost vtterly subuerted
destroyed This most holy and godly labour O most noble Prince was reserued only for thee vpon thee it doth only lye vnto whome the whole rule and ministration of iustice is giuen Wherfore thou hast established thy praise renowne euen by the mouthes of infants sucking babes for thy praises shall be celebrate for euermore that thou hast destroied ouerthrowne such and so great enimies of the faith The which that thou maist prosperously happely perfourme bring to passe our Lord Iesu Christ may vouchsafe to grant thee his grace help who is blessed for euer euer Amen When this Sermon was thus ended the Procurer of the Councell rising vp named Henricus de Piro required that the processe of the cause against Iohn Hus might be continued and proceed vnto the difinitiue sentence Then a certaine Byshop whych was appointed one of the Iudges declared the processe of the cause which was pleaded long since in the Court of Rome and elsewhere betweene Iohn Hus and the Prelates of Prage At the last he repeated those articles which we haue before remembred amongst the which he rehearsed also one article that I. Hus shoulde teach the two natures of the Godhead and manhead to be one Christ. Iohn Hus went about briefly with a word or two to aunswer vnto euerie one of them but as often as he was about to speake the Cardinall of Cambray coÌ„manded him to hold his peace saieng heereafter you shall answere to all together if you will Then said Iohn Hus how can I at once aunswere vnto all those things which are alledged against me wheÌ„ as I cannot remember them all Then sayde the Cardinall of Florence we haue heard thee sufficiently But wheÌ„ as I. Hus for all that would not hold his peace they sent the officers which should force him therunto Then began he to intreate pray and beseech therâ—â—hat they woulde heare him that such as were present â—ight not credite or beleeue those things to be true which were reported of him But when all this would nothing preuaile he kneeling downe vpon his knees committed the whole matter vnto God and the Lord Iesus Christ for at their handes he beleeued easely to obtaine that which he desired When the articles abouesaid were ended last of all there was added a notable blasphemy which they all imputed vnto Iohn Hus. That is that he saide there shoulde be a fourth person in diuinitie and that a certaine Doctour did heare him speake of the same When Iohn Hus desired that the Doctour might be named the Bishop which had alledged the article said that it was not needefull to name him Then said Iohn Hus O miserable and wretched man that I am which am forced and compelled to beare such blasphemy and slaunder Afterward the Article was repeated how he appealed vnto Christ and that by name was called hereticall whereunto Iohn Hus answered O Lord Iesu Christ whose word is openly condemned heere in this Councell vnto thee againe I do appeale which when thou wast euill intreated of thine enimies diddest appeale vnto God thy father committing thy cause vnto a most iust Iudge that by thy example we also being oppressed with manifest wrongs and iniuries should flee vnto thee Last of all the Article was rehearsed as touching the contempt of the excommunication by Iohn Hus. Whereunto he answered as before that he was excused by his aduocates in the court of Rome wherefore he did not appeare when he was cited and also that it may be proued by the actes that the excommunication was not ratified and finally to the intent he might cleare himselfe of obstinacie he was for that cause come vnto Constance vnder the Emperours safeconduct When he had spoken these words one of them which was appointed Iudge reade the definitiue sentence against him which followeth thus word for word The sentence or iudgement of the Councell of Constance geuen against Iohn Husse THe most holy and sacred generall Councell of Constance being congregate and gathered together representing the Catholike Church for a perpetuall memory of the thing as the veritie truth doth witnes an euill tree bringeth forth euill seuite hereupon it commeth that the man of most damnable memory Iohn Wickleffe through his pestiferous doctrine not through Iesu Christ by the Gospell as the holy Fathers in times past haue gotteÌ„ faithfull children but coÌ„trary vnto the holesome faith of Iesus Christ as a most venemous roote hath begotten many pestilent wicked children whome he hath left behind him successours and folowers of his peruerse and wicked doctrine against whome this sacred Synode of Constance is forced to rise vp as against bastards and vnlawfull children and with diligent care with the sharpe knife of the Ecclesiasticall authoritie to cut vp their errours out of the Lords field as most hurtfull brambles and briers least they should growe to the hurt and detriment of others For somuch then as in the holy generall Councell lately celebrated and holden at Rome it was decreed that the docrine of I. Wickleffe of most damnable memory should be condemned that his bookes which coÌ„teined the same doctrine should be burned as hereticall this decree was approued confirmed by the sacred authoritie of that whole CouÌ„cell neuertheles one Iohn Hus here personally present in this sacred Councell not the Disciple of Christ but of Iohn Wickliffe an Archheretike after and contrary or against the coÌ„demnation and decree hath taught preached affirmed the Articles of Wickleffe which were condemned by the Church of God and in times past by certaine most reuerend fathers in Christ Lords Archbishops and Byshops of diuers kingdomes Realmes Maisters of diuinitie of diuers Uniuersities especially resisting in his open Sermons and also with his adherents and complices in the scholes the condemnation of the said Articles of Wickleffes oftentimes published in the said Uniuersitie of Prage and hath declared him the said Wickleffe for the fauour and commendation of his doctrine before the whole multitude of the Cleargy and people to be a Catholicke man and a true Euangelical Doctour He hath also published and affirmed certaine many of his Articles worthely condemned to be Catholicke the which are notoriously conteined in the bookes of the said Iohn Hus. Wherfore after diligent deliberation full information first had vpon the premisses by the reuerend fathers and Lords in Christ of the holy Church of Rome Cardinals Patriarkes Archbishops Bishops and other Prelates Doctours of â—â—â—nitie and of both lawes in great number assembled and gathered together this most sacred holie Councell of Constance declareth determineth the articles aboue said the which after due conference had are found in his bookes written with his owne hand the which also the said Iohn Hus in opeÌ„ audience before this holy Councell hath confessed to be in his bookes not to be Catholicke neither worthy to be taught but that many of
say in case of faith the bishops ought to iudge vpon Christian Emperours and not Emperours vpon Bishops Neyther doe we admit their petition but vpō most vrgent causes Notwithstanding we heard them paciently and willingly whiles that they did speake euen so long as they would But now if any of our part would speake by and by he is interrupted troubled and letted What honesty is this What modesty or grauitie is it lawful so to do in the councell◠Where is the decree of the Councel of Tholose now become where are our decrees which do not only prohibitie tumultes but also all small bablinges talk They say it is because we contemne them but they are they which not onely conteme the Councell but also resist the same The patriarke spake but one small worde agaynst them that of no euill intent or purpose and by and by they complayned the their liberty was broken but they when as they do inforce the councell when as they forbid the President to speake and will not suffer the ordinances to be read doe not iudge that they doe any thing contrary to the liberty of the Councell They say they are the Councell themselues and yet they intreat the Councell These thinges doe not I vnderstande for if they be the Councell why doe they intreat thēselues If they be not the Councell why do they not suffer the Councel for to speake Why do they not look for an answere of him to whom they make their petitiōs Truely this is to much violence and certes our paence is also to much to suffer such excesse euen in the face of the Church But this doth most of all greeue me and thys do I most maruell at But this doth most of all greeue me and thys do I most maruell at that Panormitan a man of singular wit and doctrine did cōclude without any discussing or deciding of the deputies and without the examination of the 12. men or any rite or order The which except mine eies had behold seene I would scarsly beleue if any other mā should report it vnto me of him Neither do I yet know whether I may sufficiently credite my selfe the matter seemeth so horrible for I do not see by what authoritie his cōclusion doth stande except it be by the authoritie of hys king whom he sayth will haue it to But you most reuerēd fathers take heed that ye bring in no such custome for so it shall come to passe that in all matters a few froward prelates shall haue me to conclude for them And albeit Parnormitan hath proued as he thinketh by strong reasons that the veritie ought to be deferred yet notwithstanding I do require you most reuerend fathers to follow the example of the Apostle who as Arelatensis hath very wel declared would not geue one houres respite vnto Peter when he swarued frō the truth of the Gospel The sayth is speedely to be relieued holpen neither doth any thing sustaine more danger by delayes thē faith doth For heresies except they be rooted out at the first whē they are once growne are hardly taken away Wherfore I desire you speedily to helpe and ayd Hoyse vp your sayles launch out your ores What should we tary looking for either the Prelats or the princes You are now in conflict I ouely desire that you would hasten vnto the victory Regard not the threatnings of those Princes neyther the opprobries of those contumelious persons for you are blessed sayth the Lord whē as men curse you persecute you speaking all euill agaynst you making lyes and slaunders vpon you for my sake reioice and be glad for great is your reward in heauen What is it I pray you that the princes do so much obiect agaynst vs Is not our Lord God able to take vs out of the furnace of hote burning fire and deliuer vs out of the hands of those princes I beseech you most reuerend fathers and louing brethren haue no lesse hope in Iesus Christ thē Sidrach Misach and Abednago had which feared not that old king Nabuchodouosor and let the princes know that the most high ruleth ouer the kingdomes of men and geueth them vnto whom he pleaseth God beholdeth all thinges from aboue he is I say in the midst amongst vs wherefore are ye then afrayd Be of good courage and shew yourselues as a strong wall for the church of God suffer not the sayth to perish vnder your handes The almighty God is present with you He is present that will defend you Feare not them which seeke onely to kill the body Do iustice and equitie and be assured that he wil not deliuer you ouer into the handes of the bachiter and slaunderer Againe I say vnto you show yourselues valiant and stout Defend your mother the Church And vnto thee O thou president I say that thou oughtest rather to please God then man for if thou depart thence without a finall conclusion know assuredly that thou shalt render accompt in the straight iudgment of God and thus without any more wordes he sate downe in his place In the meane tyme many graue and ancient men had exhorted Panormitan that he shuld geue ouer his conclusion The bishop of Burgen was very instant and earnest with him that he should make vanitie and concord amōgst the fathers and went about to make an vuitie with al mē But neither the fathers of the Councell were determined to depart without a conclusion neither Panormitan was minded to aulter his intent and purpose All thinges were disturbed neither did the prelates sit in their seats as they were accustomed but as euerye mans affection led hym Some went to the Cardinall Arelateusis some vnto Panormitan and exhorted them as if they had bene princes or rulers of armies Then Arelatensis knowing the matter to be in danger and that there was no ready way to make a cōclusiō thought to vse some policie to appease the tumult Most reuerend fathers said he we haue receiued nowe letters out of Fraūce which declare vnto me marueilous thinges that there are incredible newes syrong vp there which if you will geue me willing audience I wil declare vnto you By this meanes there was a sodayne silence throughout the whole Councel by this marueilous policie he made al men attentiue to heare When as he saw he had free liberty to speake without either fable or history of any letters sent he opened the whole order of the matter as it is requisite in an Orator came by little and little to the principal poynt saying that Eugenius his messengers filled all France preaching a new doctrine and extolling the authoritie of the bishop of Rome aboue the generall Councels agaynst whom except speedy remedy were founde it would come to passe the man woulde geue credite vnto thē and therfore the sacred Councell ought of necessitie to prouide remedy and of necessitie to conclude vpō the
contentions those which most excell in learning and eloquence and do more then other should be most renowned named for on that one part Panormitane was prince and Captayne on the other Arelatensis but his owne will made not the one Captain but onely necescity for it behoued him to obey his prince Notwithstanding he was not ignoraunt of the truth and verity neither did he resist willingly against it for I haue sene him oftentimes in his library complayne of his prince that he followed other mens CouÌ„cell When as his time came to speak he sayd that he did not a little maruell why the protector of the fayth shoulde require the Prelates to haue a Session whiche was nothing perteining to his office and that he ought not to vsurpe the Presidentes place And agayne he complayned touching the contempt of the Prelates for the matter did presently touch the state of the Apostolicke sea for that cause the sea ought to be heard before any Session beholdeÌ„ Neither it is to be regarded said he that the couÌ„cell of constance semeth to haue decreed that it should now be spoken of for so much as Pope Iohn was not heard at Constaunce neither any man els to speake for the sea by which words he seemed both to conteÌ„nc and bring in dout all the decrees of that most great and sacred synode of CoÌ„stance therefore there was a great tumult and all men cried out with one voyce saying that the Synod of CoÌ„stance is holy and the authority thereof ought to be inuiolate But he being still instant with a stoute and hauty courage affirmed that the matter coulde not be finished without the Ambassadours of the Princes and that the Princes ought to be heard in a matter of fayth And agayne that the Ambassadors themselues cannot consent for so much as in the Colloqui holden at Mentz they had promised during the treaty of peace by them begunne they woulde receiue allow nothing that the Pope shoulde either doe agaynst the councell or the councell agaynst the Pope that he doubted not but that the thâ—ee first conclusions declared Eugenius an hereticke in so much that it was euident that Eugenius did vehemently resist the two first And therefore for so much as the Session was not yet holden and that it was lawful for euery man before that Session to speak what he will he desired and required them most instauntly that there might be no Session as yet holden Unto whom Arelatensis answered that it was not to be doubted but that the promoter of the fayth by his office might call the prelates to determine a matter of fayth specially for so much as the deputation of the fayth and the whole councell had so geuen him in commaundement As touching the prelates he sayth that albeit without all doubt bishops haue chiefe authority yet notwithstanding it is accustomed in Councels not to make any conclusion in the name of the bishops but in the name of the whole councell and the vniuersall Church hath decreed certayne lawes in this Councell which shoulde remayne inuiolate Neither let the bishops thinke the presence of the inferiors greuous vnto them when as ofteÌ„times vnder a bare and torne coate wisedome lyeth hid and vnder rich vestures ornaments folly lurketh Bishops ought also to be mindfull of the saying of Domitius whiche as S. Hierome reporteth sayd why should I esteme thee as a prince if thou doest not regard me as a Senator For the byshops ought to esteme Priestes as Priestes if they will haue reuerence done vnto them as Bishops Neither ought the Princes to be looked for to the deciding of this matter for so much as the Church is not congregated in the name of the princes but in the name of Christ which hath not receiued hys power from princes but immediatly from God to the defence wherof he should perceiue the inferiors to be no lesse lesse encouraged theÌ„ the bishops for that he did wel vnderstand and know that they would not onely spend theyr teÌ„porall good but also theyr liues for the defence thereof As for some bishops rather theÌ„ they will lose any part of their teÌ„poralties they wil sel the liberty of the church vnto the princes make them iudges and Lords ouer the Councel As touching the actes at Mentz he doth not regard them for so muche as as it is sayde they accompted without theyr hoste for he sayth he doth not vnderstand how this can be that they had decreed neither to obey the pope nor the couÌ„cell The one or the other they must needs be obedient vnto for there is no third tribunall whereunto any obedieÌ„ce is due in these matters which concern the fayth and the saluation of soules And finally that the Church woulde not suffer that theyr affayres matters of fayth shoulde be determined by the iudgement of princes for the holy ghost is not subiect vnto princes but princes vnto him and vpon this conclusion he would not feare neither the losse of hys goods neither any death or martirdome And wheras Panormitane doth nowe shew himselfe so great a defender of Eugenius he sayth that he doth not a litle maruell at it for that in times past no man hath more published Eugenius his errors then he by whose special labor councel both a decree monitory also the suspeÌ„sion was admitted set out against Eugenius And now whereupoÌ„ this sodein chauÌ„ge should come he saith that he was vtterly ignorant forsomuch as neither Eugenius had altered his life neither could the church continue in such a schisme Wherfore he desired Panormitane diligently to consider whether he spake according to his conscience or not for sayth he the conclusions which nowe shall be decreed are most generall neither is there any mention in them of the Pope and moreouer the verity of fayth is contayned in them agaynst the whiche if Eugenius did contend it were more meete that the Pope should be corrected then the veritye omitted And thus he making an end all were warned to come the next day vnto the Session The protector also desired the sacred Councel that none should be suffred to bring any weapon to the session For so much as he was ready to obserue the safe conduct of the Emperour and together with the Senate of the city to prohibite all quarrellers for doing of miury When the 16. day of May was come all they whom the Session conteÌ„ted and pleased assembled at the houre The Ambassadours also of the princes were come together into the quier of the church to attempt further what they could do and sending the bishops of Lubeck and Concense and the Deane of Turnon an excellent learned man they offered themselues to be present at the Session if that the deposition of Eugenius might yet be deferred foure monethes Who when they had receiued a gentle answere of ArelateÌ„sis and the other principals returning agayn vnto the
great vtility ensued afterward to the kingdome of Fraunce All beit in processe of time diuers Friers there were whych wrote agaynste the same Ex lib. Pragin Sanctionis Amongst many decrees of the saide Councell of Basil in the 19. Session there was also a decree made touchyng the conuerting of Iewes and yong nouesses in Religion vnto the Christian faith Also that all Ordinaries should yearely at appoynted times prouide certaine men wel learned in the holy scriptures in such places where Iewes and other infidels did dwell to declare to them the truth of the Catholicke faith that they acknowledging their errour might forsake the same vnto the which preaching the said ministers should compell them to resort and to heare vnder paine of excluding them from occupying any more in that place prouided that the said Diocesanes and preachers should behaue thēselues towardes thē mercifully with all charitie wherby they might winne them to Christ not onely by the declaring of the veritie but also in exhibiting their offices of humanitie And to the intēt their preaching might be that more fruitfull that the preachers might be the better instructed in the tongues it was also in the same Councell prouided commaūded that the constitutiō made before in the councell of Uienna for learning the Hebrew Chaldey Araby Greeke tongue should by all meanes be obserued kept and ordinary stipendes prouided for thē that should teache the same tongues An other decree morouer in the 20. Session was enacted that whosoeuer was knowē or publiquely noted to be a keper of Concubines should be sequestred from all fruites of his benefices for the space of 3. monethes which fruites should be conuerted by the ordinary to the reparations or some other vtilitie of the Church if he did not so amend it was by the Sinode decreed that he should be clearely deposed from all his benefices Furthermore the said Sinode did greatly inuey against them which hauing the iurisdiction of the Church did not shame to suffer such whore maisters for bribes and money still to continue in their filthines c. By these decrees of the Councell aboue specified it is to be seene what corruptiō had bene thē frequented in the Church of God through the Byshop and courte of Rome For the more expresse declaration whereof we thought it not much impertinent here to inferre the wordes of one Martin Meyre writing to Aeneas Syluius touching and noting the saide corruptions the tenour of whose epistle here ensueth Vnto the reuerend father the Lord Aeneas Cardinal of Sene Martin Meyr Chancellor to the bishop of Mentz wisheth health I Haue vnderstand by certaine of my frends letters that you are created Cardinall I am glad for your part that you haue receiued so worthy rewardes for your vertues I reioyce also for my owne part that my frend hath attained vnto such a dignity wherin he may in time to come both helpe me and my frends But this is a griefe vnto me that you haue hapned vpon those dayes which seme to be troublesom vnto the Apostolike sea For there are many complaintes made vnto my Lorde the Archb vpon the Pope that he wil neither kepe the decrees of the councel of Constance neither of Basil neither yet thinketh himselfe bounde to the couenants of his predecessours and seemeth vtterly to contemne our nation and to seeke the vtter ruine thereof For it is euident that the election of Prelates is euery where reiected benefices dignities of what sorte soeuer they be are reserued for the Cardinals and chiefe notaries and you your self haue obtained the reseruation of 3. Prouinces of Germany vnder suche a forme as hath not ben accustomed or heard of Vowsons or giftes of benefices are graunted without number yerely stipends and half the reuenues are exacted without delay and it is euident that there is more extorted then is due The regiment of churches are not committed vnto such as best deserue them but vnto such as offer most mony for them and new pardons are graunted out daily to scrape and gather together monye Tithes are commaunded to be exacted without the consent of our Prelates for the Turkish warre and those matters which were accustomed to be debated and determined at home are now caried vnto the Apostolike sea of Rome A thousand waies are inuented and deuised how the sea of Rome may by subtlety and by craft extort and gette golde and treasure from vs euen as it were of the Turkes or Barbarians whereby our nation which was sometime famous and valiant which by their power and bloud conquered the Romaine Empire and was once the Lady and Queene of all the world nowe being brought vnto pouerty is made a handmaid become tributary being nowe in extreme misery hath of long time bewailed her cruell fortune and pouerty But now our nobles being as it were wakened out of their slepe haue begon to consider and deuise with themselues by what meanes they might withstand this calamity and vtterly shake of this yoke and bondage and haue determined with themselues to chalenge againe their former liberty This wil be no smal losse vnto the court of Rome if the Princes of Germany bring to passe that which they haue deuised Wherfore as much as I do reioyce of your late obtained dignity so much also am I mooued greued that these things happen in your daies But peraduenture Gods determination is otherwise his wil shal surely take place You in the meane time be of good chere and deuise according to your wisedome by what meanes the vehemencie of these floudes may be staied Thus fare ye well From Hasthaffenberge the last day of August Concerning the authoritie of this generall councell of Basill what is to be esteemed by the Actes fruites therof may be vnderstand of all good men Neither was it of any man doubted in the first beginning so long as the Pope agreed and consented vnto it But after the Pope began to draw backe many other followed especially of the richer sort of Prelates which had any thing to lose whereof sufficiently hath bene sayde by Arelatensis the Cardinall before In the number of those vnconstant Prelates besides many other was firste Cardinall Iulian the firste collector of this councell and Uicegerent of the Pope as by hys feruent and vehement letter written to pope Eugenius in defence of this councel may well appeare Wherin he most earnestly doth expostulate with the foresaide Pope Eugenius for seeking to dissolue the Councell and declareth in the same many causes why he shoulde rather reioyce and geue God thankes for the godly proceedings and ioyfull agrement betwene the councell and the Bohemians and so exhorteth him with manifolde persuasions to resort to the councel him selfe not to seeke the dissolution of the same The copie tenor of whose Epistle to the Pope if any be disposed to peruse the same we thought heere good to
hereafter following do testify And here ceasing with the story of Fredericke we will now procede to the raigne of Maximilian his sonne omitting diuers things els incident in the time of this Emperour as first touching the vnbrotherly contention conflicts betwene this Fredericke and Albertus hys brother and Sigismundus his vncle for the dukedome of Austria after the death of Mathias afore mentioned Omitting also to speake of the long and cruel war betwene the Prussians and Polonians with the religious sect of them which were called Tentones fratres sanctae Mariae in the time of Uladislaus Omitting also the strife and variaunce for the dukedome of Millain betwene Fredericus the Emperor Alfonsus Carolus duke of Orleance Franciscus Sfortia And howe the sayde Princedome being after geuen to Sfortia great warres were kindled long continued betwene Sfortia and the Milleners then betwene the Milleners and Uenetians and after betweene the Frenchmen and the Milleners All which tumultes and commotions as not pertinent greatly to the purpose of this story I referre to other wryters where they are to be founde more amply discoursed Thys as more properly belonging to the storye of the Church I thought good not to passe ouer touching such as were condemned suffered the paines of fire for testimony of Christ and his truth Of whom one was Iohn a pastor or a neteheard which was a keper of cattel The other was Ioannes de Wesalia although not burned yet persecuted neere to death vnder the raigne of thys Emperour Fredericus the 3. And first touching thys Iohn the Netehearde Thus wryteth Sebast. Munsterus That the Bishop of Herbypolis condemned and burned for an hereticke one Iohn whych was a keeper of cattel at a towne called Niclas Hausen in Franconia because hee taught and helde that the lyfe of the cleargy was ignominious and abhominable before God An. 1476. Ex Munstero The other was Doctour Ioannes de Wessalia who was complained vpon vnto Dietherus the Archbishop of Mentz by the Thomists vppon certaine articles and opinions gathered out of hys bookes Wherefore the sayde Dietherus fearing else to be deposed againe from his Bishopricke directeth forth commission to the vniuersities of Heidelberg and Colen to haue the mater in examination who conuenting together the yere aboue mentioned called thys Doctour de Wessalia before them making hym to sweare that he shuld present and geue vp all his treatises workes and wrytings what so euer hee had made or preached that being done they deuided hys bookes amongest themselues seuerally euery man to find out what heresies and errors they could His articles opinions were these That all men be saued freely and through meere grace by faith in Christ. Free will to be nothing Onely that we shoulde beleeue the word of God and not the glose of any mā or fathers That the worde of God is to be expounded with the collation of one place with an other That Prelates haue no authoritie to make lawes or to expounde the scriptures by any peculiare right geuen them more then to an other That mennes traditions as fastings pardones feasts long prayers peregrinations and such like are to be reiected Extreme vnction and confirmation to be reprooued confession and satisfaction to be reprehended The primacie of the Pope also he affirmed to be nothing Certaine other articles also were gathered out of hym by his aduersaries but in such sort that they may seme rather to followe their owne malicious gathering then any true intelligence of his minde whereof more is to be vnderstanded in this processe hereafter Thus when Wesalianus was commanded to appear there conuented together first the Archbishop the inquisitor the doctors of Colen and the doctors of Heidelberge with the masters of the same and the Rector of the vniuersity of Mentz the Deane of faculties Bachelers of diuinity and many other maisters of the same vniuersitie Canous doctors with the bishops Chanceller and his councellers besides many religious prelates schollers wyth a doctor of Franckforte the sumner bedels which all met together in the great hall of the Minorites for the examination of this Ioannes de Wesalia Frier Elton the Inquisitor first sitteth in the hyghest place then after him others according to their degree In the beginning of the examination first the Inquisitor beginneth with these wordes Most reuerent father and honorable doctors c. Our reuerent father and prince Elector hath caused this present cōuocation to be called to hear the examination of M. Iohn de Wesalia in certaine suspected articles concerning the catholique faith But something I will say before that may doe hym good and desire that two or three of them that fauoure hym or some other will rise vppe and geue him counsaile to forsake and leaue his errours to recognise himselfe to aske pardon which if he wil do he shal haue pardon if he wil not we wil procede against him without pardone And thus Wesalianus being cited and brought in the midst betwixt 2. minorites being very aged and hauing a staffe in his hand was sette before the Inquisitor Who beginning to answer for hym self with a long protestation could not be suffred to prosecute his Oration but was cutre off and required briefly to make an end and to tell them in fewe woordes whether he would stand to his opinions or to the determination of the church To this he aunswered that he neuer spake any thing against the determination of the Church but sayde that he had written diuers and sondry treatises in the which if hee had erred or were found to say otherwise then wel he was content to reuoke and cal backe the same and do al things that was requisite Then said the Inquisitor do you aske then pardon The other answered why shuld I aske pardon when I know no crime or error committed The inquisitour sayd well we will call you to the remembraunce thereof and proceede to the examination In the meane time others called vppon him instantly to aske pardone Then sayd Wesalianus I aske pardone Notwithstanding the Inquisitor proceeded to the examination reading there two instruments declaring that hee had authority from the Apostolicke sea after this cited the said Iohn to appear to hys examination Thirdly he commaunded him vnder paine of disobedience in the vertue of the holy Ghost and vnder paine of excōmunication of the greater curse from the which no man coulde absolue him but onely the Pope or the Inquisitour except onely at the poynt of death to tell plainly the truth vppon such things as should be demanded of him concerning his faith without ambages and sophistication of wordes And so being demanded first whether he did beleue vpon his oth taken that hee was bounde to tell the trueth although it were against himselfe or any other to this he answered Scio that is I know Thē the Inquisitour biddeth him say Credo that is I beleeue To the
the obiection before moued Ex Concil Calced cap. 28. Certayne demaundes for the Papistes to answere vnto An argument prouing the Popes of this latter Church of Rome not to be successours of Peter A false consequent of the Papistes Aunswere to this consequent Succession Apostolicall double wise to be considered Testimonies alledged for the principalitie of the Pope Aunswere by a distinction Caput and Princeps haue a double vnderstanding How Peter is Princeps Apostolorum Princeps eloqueÌ„tiae Cicero Princeps Philosophorum Cratippus Petrus Princeps Coryphaeus Apostolorum Causes 13. of aduauncing the sea of Rome This latter Church of Rome differing from the first Church of Rome in forme of gouernement Howe the Church of Christ ought to be gouerned Preposterous gouernement of the Church by the pope A comparisoÌ„ betwene the kingdom of this world and the kingdome of the Pope Seculer Nobillitie compared with ecclesiasticall Nobâ—lâ—tie Ciuile Magistrates coâ—pared with Ecclesiasticall Officers of the temperall court compared with the officers of the spirâ—tuall Court Glory coÌ„pared Power coÌ„pared Richâ—s compared Subtletie compared The difference betweene the Popes regiment and the order of the primitiue Church 2. Cor. 10. Ephes. 6. 1. Tim. 1. The armour proper to Churchmen Horrible abuse of excommunication in the Popes Church The Popes gouerning in matters to them not pertayning The corrupt doctrine of the Popes Church examined and detected The false image of the Popes Church No comfort nor saluation in the Popes doctrine now taught The scope and summe of the Pope doctrine whether it tendeth Papistes neuer lightly afflicted in conscience deepely An horrible thing to thinke of God without Christ. Luther The right fayth of the olde Romanes Cornelius a Romane first baptised of all the Gentiles The church of Rome hath lost the liquor wherewith it was first seasoned The Galathians almost gone froÌ„ fayth in Sainct Paules time 1. Tim. 4. A briefe suÌ„me of S. Paules doctrine deliuered to the Gentiles Saluation by mercy onely and not by merites All fleshe concluded vnder sinne Difference betweene the law and the gospell Iusticia dei Iusticia propria The righteousnesse of God and the righteousnes of man howe they differ in Scripture A true christian knoweth nothing but Christ crucified All men condemned by one All men saued by one Originall sinne originall iustice Rom. 5. Ephes. 2. Itaque iam non es seruus sed filius Gal. 4. Heb. 4. 1. Cor. 3. The glorious state of Christian libertie and spirituall freedome in Christ Iesu. Gal. 4. Colos. 2. Dayes and tymes indifferent Meates indifferent with thaÌ„ksgeuing Mariage lawfull for all men One sacrifice for sinne no more Heb. 9. The vse of the holye communion in auncient tyme of the primitiue church No mo Sacramentes mentioned in S. Paule but the Lordes supper and baptisme The authoritie and office of the ciuill Magistrates The office and aucthoritie of Byshops how farre it doth extend An other brief recapitulation of S. Paules doctrine reduced to fiue poynts Iohn 3. The great mercy of God in Christ. Rom. 5. 2. Cor. 5. Ephes. 2. Rom. 4. Tit. 3. The glory and Maiestye of Christ Iesus set forth in Sainct Paule Ephes. 4. Phil. 2. Colos. 1. Iohn 5. Iohn 13. Iohn 17. Math. vlt. 2. Cor. 1. The 3. braunch The vertue and effect of Christs death and what exceeding benefites proceede thereof Ephes. 1. Esay 53. Collos. 1. Rom. 5. 2. Timo. 1. Heb. 2. Rom. 5. Gal. 3. Ephes. 2. 1. Iohn 2. 2. Cor. 5. 1. Cor. 1. Ephes 3. Collos. 2. Rom. 4. Colos. 2. The fourth braunch Fayth onely the meane cause of saluation and nothing els Phil. 3. The righteousnes of the law The righteousnesse of the gospell Rom. 9. The places of S. Paul Rom. 3. expounded Rom. 3. The righteousnesse of fayth why it is called Gods righteousnes Rom. 3. A lesson out of S. Paules doctrine of all Christians to be obserued Rom. 9. Act. 10. Saluation commeth onely by fayth Math. 16. Luke 19. Luc. 7. Luc. 23. Luc. 28. That which is lost by the law is recouered by fayth Luc. 18. Math. 9. Iohn 14. Iohn 14. Iohn 15. Iohn 6. Act. 26. Act. 10. Mat. vlt. Iohn 14. The writinges of S. Paule full of the name of Christ Iesus Belief onely in Christ saueth Act. 16. The personall cause of saluation The instrumentall cause How fayth iustifieth Christ the onely obiect of faith which iustifieth Example of the brason Serpent What fayth is by Sainct Paule Rom. 10. Faith onely Diuers sorts of beleuing The Turkes fayth The Iewes fayth Euery truth may be beleued but the beleuing of euery trueth saueth not The Papists fayth Onely Hope and charitie be no partes of our iustification nor causes to make the merites of Christ ours The causes of our saluation distincted The causes of our saluation distincted Grace and mercy Election Vocation Christes passion Christian fayth The meaning and cause why fayth onely iustifieth All workes of man excluded from the glory of iustifiyng Ephes. 2. Tit. 3. 2. Timot. 1 Gal. 2. Rom. 4. The exclusiues and negatiues of S. Paule to be marked The fift braunch The true vse and end of good workes Good workes iustifie not but follow the iustified Luke 17. Fayth iustifieth three manner of wayes The office of fayth and the office of the law compared together The workes of man be imparfect and therefore haue nothing to doe with iustification Gal. 2. Deffection of fayth in the Church of Rome A vew of the Popes Catholicke Church The Church of Rome degenerated agayne almost to new paganisme The Popes Church onely in wordes Catholicke in deed heathenish The Religion of the Popes Church proceedeth contrary to the working of the holy Ghost The Church of Rome pretentendeth a fayre face of Religion but is voyd of the efâ—ect therof The old Phariseis and the latter Church of Romanes compared together The Popes Church vnder the name of the Catholicke Church persecuteth the true Catholicke Church of Christ. Contayne generall principles and rules gathered of the scriptures Gene 3. Gen. 12. Deut. 4. Leuit. 18. Gal. 3. Deut. 27. Gal. 3. Deut. 6. Luc. 4. Esay 64. Esay 11.65 Osee. 6. 1. Reg. 15. Rom. 3. Rom. 10. Math. vlt. Gal. 2. Ephes. 2. Heb. 9. Rom. 14. Heb. 11. 1. Tim. 1. 1. Iohn 2. Gal. 5. 2. Cor. 1. Rom. 13. The errours hereâ—ies and absurdities in the popes doctrine The meanes of applying Christes merites vnto vs by the Popes doctrine The taking away of this Article of fayth onely to iustifie is the roote of great inconuenience in Christes Church No heresie to be coÌ„pared to the heresie of Papistes The first inconuenieÌ„ce No condition limitted of God to man for saluation but one Hieroni. in Epist. ad Gal. cap. 1. The 2. incoÌ„uenience What hurt commeth into the Church by taking away the Article of iustification The third inconuenience Obiection of the Papistes aunswered The Papistes doe teach the mercye of God to be vncertayne Mercy of God made certayne by
the constitutions decretall to magnifie the Church â—â— Rome The Epistle of Caius A great part of the Epistle of Caius taken out of the Epistle of Leo to Leo the Emperour The Epistle of Marcellinus The epistle decretall of Marcellus 24. q. 1. Regamus vn fratres In what chapter or leafe in all the Byble doth the Lord commaund the sea of Peteâ— to be translated from Antioche to Rome The church of Rome â—â—â—eth to the Church of Antioche to yeld vnto her The second Epistle of Marcellus written to Maxentius The Epistle of Marcellus to Marentius blanched The church of England gouerned by the popeâ— CanoÌ„ law without sufficient ground of antiquitie The Epistles decretall of Eusebius and Miltiades Ex Epist. Decretal Miltiades A place of the third Epistle decretall of Eusebius sound vntrue Miltiades the last Byshop of Rome being in danger of persecution The end of these persecutions in all the West Churches The persecutioÌ„ vnder Licinius Hermylus Straconicus Martyrs Theodorus Captayne Martyr Milles martyr The kinges of Persia were commonly called by the name of Sapores Persecution in Persia. Acindimus Pegacius Anempodistus Epidephorus Symeon Archbishop Cresiphon Byshop Martyrs 128. Martirs in Persia. The story of Symeon Archb. of Seleucia Ex Sozom. lib. 2. cap. 8.9.10 The worthy answere of Symeon vnto the king The constancie of Simeon The fall of Vsthazareâ— The fruite of Ecclesiasticall discipline and chastisment The repentance of Vsthazares The aunswere of Vsthazares to the king Vsthazares the kinges tuâ—or condemned to be beheaded The message of Vsthazares To the king The cause openly cryed why Vsthazares was beheaded The end and martirdome of Vsthazares The martirdome of Symeon Archb. The exhortatioÌ„ of Symeon the Archbishop to the martyrs at their death when he also hymselfe should suffer Abedecalaas Ananias Martirs The story of Pusices Martyr The free speach and boldnes of Pusices The cruell martyrdome of Pusices The daughter of Pusices Martyr A cruell edict of Sapores agaynst the Christians Innumerable martyrs in Persia Azades a noble 〈◊〉 yet Martyr The proâ—â—â—â— of God 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 Trabula 〈◊〉 her sister martyrs Trabula 〈◊〉 sister of Symâ—â—on False accusaâ—â—on rashly beleued Trabula and her sister sawne in sâ—â—der The blinde charme of the wicked Queene Example of maydenly chastitie in Trabula Ex ecclesiast Hist. Zozom lib. 2. cap. 13. Persecution agaynst the â—â—shops and teachers of the church in Peâ—sia Acepsimas byshop Martyr Iacobus Priest Martyr Example of true Christian charitie and singuler piety in Iacobus Athalâ—â— Deacon Azadanes Deacon Abdiesuâ— Deacon Martyrs This Archimagus and magi as â—onophon sayth was as order of religion among the Persians which had the greatest strâ—ke in the land next to the king The end and martirdome of Acepsimas Byshop Athalas lost the vse of both hys armes beyng pluckt from the ioyntes of his body Ex Sozo li. â— cap. 13. ex Nicepho Lib. 8. cap. 17. Barbasimes Paulus Gaddiabes Sabinus Mareas Mocius Iohannes Hormisdas Papas Iacobus Romas Maares Agas Bochres Abdas Abiesus Ioannes Abramius Agdelas Sabores Isaac Dausaâ— Bicoâ— Maureanda with 250. other martirs The number of the martirs that suffered in Persia were 16. thousand Constantinus the Emperour writeth to the king of Persia in the behalfe of the afflicted Christians The copy and effect of the Epistle of Constantine Sapores Of this Galienus and Valerianus read the pag. 75. The generall care of godly Constantinus for all christians in all places Other forrayne persecutions in Persia. Andas Byshop martir The story of Hormisda Martyr Ex Theodor. Lib. 5. cap. 39. The faythfull constancie of Hormisda Hormisda banished the country of Persia. Suenes Martir The constancy of Suenes The story of Beniamin Deacon and Martyr Beniamin tormented The martirdome of Beniamin The martirs vnder Iulianus Apostata Aemilianus Domitius Martyrs The story of Theodorus Martyr Ruff. Lib. 5. cap. 36. Theodor. lib. 3. cap. 11. Zozom lib. 5. Cap. 10. A miracle to be noted Artemius Martyr Eusebius Nestabus brethren Nestor Martirs Eupsychius with other men of Cesarâ—a martyr Miserable crueltie agaynst the Christian virgins of Arethusia The people made to be pluckt from their olde customes though it be neuer so wicked The story of Marcus Arethusius The true conscience of Marcus Arthusius Great cruelty shewed Couetousnes the cause of cruelty A notable saying Hierony in Aba cap. 1. The wicked in this world doe most florish and preuayle Persecution commeth by no chaunce Persecution of Gods people prefigured and forewarned of God The Churche forewarned of Christ by speciall reuelation in the Apoc. The beast 〈◊〉 the Apoc. expounded 42. montheâ— in the Apoc. cap. 13. expounded The beast had power to make 42. monthes The persecuting tyme of the primitiue Church vnder the beâ—â— lasted 300. yeares The Israelites 300. yeares 1 MCCLX Reuelation 11.12 2 Three dayes and a halfe Reuela cap. 11. 3 A time tymes and halfe a time Reuela cap. 12. 4 Xlii. monethes or 3. yeares and a halfe Reuel cap. 11. Ezech. cap. 47. The persecuted Israelites bearing a figure of the persecuted Church of Christ. From the first persecution of the primitiue Church to the last persecution 294. yeares Vniuersall persecution ceaseth for a 1000. yeares in the Church Apoc. 10. From the tyme of Licâ—â—â—us to Wirkliffe 1000. yeares Sathan bound vp for a thousand yeares The time of Sathans binding opened Doxologia The good quallities of Constantinus The cause of all hys prosperous successe Constantine sometime by meanâ—s of hyâ— wife was an Idolater Euseb. lib. 4. de vita Constant. The common saying of Constantinus August contra Crescon epist. 49.50 The raygne of Constantinus The effect of some of hys constitutions Euseb. Lib. 10. cap. 5. The law of nature made perfect compared with the knowledge of God Lithernes the nurse of ignoraunce and ignoraunce the enemy to wisedome Tyranny depriueth Emperours Bloudy tyrantes make ciuile warres Apollo gaue answere out of a caue in the ground that he was disquyeted by the Christians The 〈◊〉 geuen for to be 〈◊〉 vpon malefactoâ— A great â—â—â—mendation of the christians The earth bewayled the martyr deathes The authors of all mischiefe punished Apollo lying oracles the cause of so many martirs deathes Constant. prayer Constant. Fayth confirmed by the myracles of the crosse The clemâ—â—â—cy of a good Emperour A good iudgement One religion from the beginning of the world The prayer of Constantine was fulfilled Ech thing in their creation preach the very and true God The earth stayd vp by the power of God Who they be that Constant. accompteth wise in deede Experience a tryall of the truth Constantinus neyther for feare dissembleth hys fayth neyther through pollicye defaceth Gods glory Constantinus compared to Moses in deliuiring the people and agreeing them together The letter of Constantinus to Aâ—ilinus hys captayne Another letter of Constantine to Aâ—ilinus The contempt of gods religion chiefest decay of common weales An other letter of Constantine to Miltiades Byshop of Rome The
to themselues Luke 11. 3. Interroâ— The aunswere Note a 〈◊〉 thy saying of Gregory 4. Interrogation The aunswere 5. Interrogation The aunswere 6. Interrogation The aunswere In what degree of kindred a man may marry By this rule the mariage of Kyng Henry with Queene Katherine Dowager was vnlawfull 7. Interrogation The aunswere A discrete saying of Gregory to be noted 8. Interrog The aunswere 25. q 2. cap. in Galliarum 9. Interrog The aunswere The Churching of woemen He speaketh here after the custome of the tyme. Mothers that nurse not their owne Children reprehended Gregory calleth tâ—e Emperor hys Lord. A letter 〈◊〉 Gregory to Mellitus A letter 〈◊〉 Gregoryâ— Austen A letter of Gregory to King â—thelbert An. 600. PolycroÌ„ lib. 5. ca. 9. Fab. part 5. ca. 119. Archbishops of London of York made by Austen Mellitus Byshop of London The Brittaynes and Scottes vsed not the rites of Rome Abbey of Bangor Ex libro Iornalensi Fabiano alijs Ethelfride king of Northumberland Brockmayl Consul of Chester The monastery of Bangor Galfridus Monumetensis Polychron Lib. 5. cap. 10. Liber bibliothecae lornalensis Gu Malmesâ—eriensis lib. 1. de Reg. Fabian part 5. cap. 109.120 A pittifull slaughter of vnarmed Monkes of Bangor Whether Austen or the Brittaynes in this case were more to blame Laurentius Archbish. after Austen Baptising in riuers not in footes Baptising among the old Romaines was not vsed with so many ceremonyes as since Anno. 60â— S Dauid in Wales otherwise called Dewy Computation of tyme examined Galfridus Monumetensis Anno. 610. Poly. lib. 5. cap. 10. A story of Iohn Patriarch of Alexandria Mercy may liue a mayden for no man will marry her This Iohn was so bountifull in geuing that he assayd to striue in a maner with the Lord whether the Lorde should geue more or he should distribute more of that whiche was geuen The actes of Gregory the first Whereupon the Romaine Byshop vse in their stile Seruus seruoruÌ„ Dei Sabinianus bishop of Rome Boniâ—acius 3. Byshop of Rome How Rome began first to take an head aboue other churches Phocus traitor and murderer of hys Emperour Bloud reuenged with bloud Volumus ac mandamus Statuimus ac praecipimus brought in by Boniface the third Fabian cap. 120. Ethelbert and Sigebert builders of Paules Church The Arcâ—bishop 〈◊〉 translate from London to Doroberâ—â—â— Malmesberiensis 〈◊〉 de pontifâ— H. Huntington lib 3. This Edward was the third of that name before the Conquest The Monastery of Westminster An. 616. Bloud reuenged with bloud Edwine first Christened king in Northâ—â—berland Giraldus Gambrenâ—â—â— The order and maner of the conuersion of Edwine to the faith of Christ. The trouble of Edwine The maruelous calling of Edwine Edwine miraculously deliuered W. Malmesburiensis lib. de Reg. This Queene was Edelburga daughter to King Ethelbert the Christened King of Kent God calleth commonly by affliction and trouble An other daunger of Edwyne An. 627. Polycron lib. 5. ca. â—2 Hen. Hunt lib. 3. Fabianus parte 5. A part of a trusty seruaunt Edwyne forgetteth hys promise to Christ. Prosperitie forgetfull Olde custome in matters of religion not to be followed but onely truth Old custome letteth Edwyne to be Christened A miracle of God in the conuersion of kyng Edwyne The part of a godly bish exemplified in Paulinus Edwyne baptised He was baptised in S. Peters Church at Yorke which he first caused to be made of woode which after by S. Oswald was builded of stone An. 628. Note Paulinus christened in riâ—ers What true iustice of a good Prince may do in a realme Great peace and trueth among the people in the dayes of Edwyne Anno. 634. Archbishop of Canterbury and Yorke the one ardayneth the other Ex Flor. hist. Iames a godly Deacon A Deacon then might baptise Erpwaldus otherwise naâ—named Corpwaldus Kyng of Eastangles conuerted to the fayth of Christ. S. Oswalde kyng of Northumberland Anno. 636. Galfridus Malmesberiensis Polycro Historia iornalensis Fabian Strength of prayer ouercommeth armyes Penda beaten in the field The commendation of king Oswalde King Oswaldâ— disdayned not to expound and preach the gospell to hys people The goodnes and charitie of Oswald toward the poore Historia iornalensis Polycronicon lib. 5. cap. 12. Kinigilsus King of the Westsaxons conuerted to Christes fayth Ex Polycron lib. 5. cap. 13. Fabian part 5. Landes geuen to Winchester Malmesberiensis lib. de pontifi Angl. Gestrensis lib. 5. Hist. Iornalensis Hunting lib. 3. Berinus walking on the sea with lye and al. Oswaldus godfather and sonne in lawe to Kinigilsus and all in one day Kyng Oswald slayne in the field Anno. 643. Penda King of Mercians slayne Oswy King of Northumberland The conâ—uerting oâ— the Mercâ—ans to the fayth of Christ. Wolferâ—â— first chriâ—â—â—ned king 〈◊〉 Mercia The Eastâ—angles reduced to the Chriâ—â—â—â—an fayth Oswy and Oswyne fellow kinges in Northumberland Note the worthy liberalitie 〈◊〉 the king and noâ—â—e in the birtâ—â— H Hunting de historiâ— Angloruâ— lib. 9. Example of true almoâ—e A perfect example of humilitie in a Prince Oswyne trayterously murdered An. 651. Benedictâ— Benet the bringer 〈◊〉 of Bede The vse of glasing first brought into this Realme Botulpus Aidaâ—eus Finiamâ—s Colmaâ—â—us Cutbertus Iarumannâ—â— Ceddaâ— Wilfridus O quanta mutatio Beda lib. 4. cap. 5. Hunting Polycr Iornalensis Fabia An. 664. Controuersie about Easter day Ex Beda lib. 2. cap. 23. A disputation betweene the Romayne Bishops and the Scottish bishops for the day of Easter and other ceremonyes The king beginneth Colman speaketh Wilfride replyeth Vniuersality alledged Colman agayne speaketh Wilfride replieth Why Paule circumcised Timothy Example of Peter alledged but no proofe brought thereof Peter and Iohn did not agree in the celebrating of Easter In the counsell of Nice no such matter appeareth Colman agaynâ— aunswereth Wilfride replyeth The aucthoritie of men is not to be sticked vnto for their doyng of myracles The example of them that follow not for lack of teaching excuseth not them which being taught will not follow Yea sir Suffragia ecclesiae a non numeranda sunt sed ponderanda Aug. The king concludeth Mobile mutatur semper cum principe â—ulgus Egfride or Edfride of Northumberland Malmesber Huntingt Fab. cap. 135. Wilfride Archbishop of Yorke Southsaxons conuerted to Christen fayth H Huntingt Lib. 3. The 〈◊〉 Wyghâ—â—â— conuenâ—â— to Christ Alfride Kyng of Northeâ—â— Wilfride restored â—igayne to the sea of Yorke Mercia diuided in â— v. byshopprickes The wickeâ— seâ—t of Mahumet Apoc. 13. An. 666. Ex Polycron Ex Giran Camâ—â—â—â— Ex Stepen no Calâ—â—â— riensi Theodorus Archbish. of Cant. Gis. Malmesbericir sis lib. 1. de gestis pontifi Anglorum Bede lib. 4. cap. 22. Gul. Malmosb lib. de gostes ponâ—ifo Anglorum Lib. 1. Polichron lib. 5. ca. 19. An. 680. Bede lib. 4. cap. 21. An. 705. Osredus Kenredus Osricus Kinges of Northumberland The kingdome of Brittaine ceaseth Iua or Iue King of WestsaxoÌ„s Polycron lib. 5. cap. 21. S. Cuthlake a popishe Sainct Crowland the curteous Lying
Ann. 1371. The tyme of I. Wickliffe Anno. 1372. Ex Caxtono A description of Wickliffes timâ— All good things defled spotted with superstition The captaines of the church seduced as well as the inferior sort Palestina denied holy for Christes walkyng there Richard K. of England Fredericke the Emperor of Rome Philip kyng of Fraunce Pope Vrbano Lambert Pope The knowledge of the Gospell grosely expounded by the Romapistes The rysing vp of Wickliffe in a troublous tyme. Wickliffe a Deuine in Oxford Wickliffe depriued of his benefice at Oxford by S. Sudbery Ex Chron. D. Albani Duke of Lancaster Lord H Percy great maintayners of I. Wickliffe Alice Perris the kings concubine The K. bewitched by a woman thorough the helpe of a Fryer The propertie of an whore 12. Gouernours assigned about the kyng Ex Chron. Monastery Albani A practise of the prelates against the Duke of Lancaster W. Wickham B. of Wint. depriued Byshops holde together Liberties of the Church a great matter B of Winâ— sent for to the conuocation I. Wickliffe sent for by the Duke of Lancaster Example â—â— W. Rufus Ex hosie Monastery D. Albani The slaunderous pene of Polydore Wickliffe falsly charged with ambition by Polydore Wickliffe beginneth to touch the matter of the sacrameÌ„t The latter writers of the Church to be misdoubted The accideÌ„ces not to be in the sacrament without the substance Ex host Monarchs D. Albans ex accommodato â— Math. Archsepis â—ant Striuing for the Lordes to passe by the people W. Courtney Bishop of London The wordes of the B. of London to the L. Percy I. Wickliffe bid to sitte downe before the Byshops Wickliffe denied by the Byshop of London to sit downe Strife betweene the L. Marshall and Byshop of London The people set in a stiâ—re Strife betweene the Duke of I aÌ„caâ—er B. of London The B. ouergoeth the Duke in â—coulding This B. of London was W. Courtney sonne to the Earle of Deuonshire The Duke â—â—â—eateneth to draw out their B. by the heare out of the Church Londiners take part with their Byshop Petitions put vp in the Parliament against the Citie of LoÌ„don Hasty counsaile of the LoÌ„diners The Oration of Lord Fiâ—walter to the Londiners The Citizens of LoÌ„don breake vp the L. Peters house at Sauoy Gods prouision in sauing his seruantes The house of the Duke of â—aÌ„caster searched of the Londiners The Duke and L. Percy fiye to the Prince A priest in the Duke of Lancasters house cruelly killed The villany of the Londiners against the Duke The message of the princesse to the Londiners The Duke reuenged of the Londiners The Londiners caused to beare a Taper of waxe in procession in honour of the Duke A story of the Byshop of Norwich Example of pride in the popes clergie The courtesie of the townesmen toward the Byshop The stoâ—â— answere 〈◊〉 the Byshop to the township The towne of Lennam riseth against the Bishop Pride will haue a fall Power vsurped will neuer stand The vsurped power of the pope would haue a bridle Anno. 1377. The death of K. Edw. The commeÌ„dation of K. Edward Anno. 48. Edward tertij Couentrie and Lychfield Norwytch Surren Ebor. Sarisbu The Deanry of Salisbury Treasorer of the Church of Sar. Canterbury Bath Welles An. 2. Rich. 2. The Archdeaconry of Stowe The Archdeaconry of Northampt In the Archdeaconry of Oxen. In the Archdeaconry of Brick In the diocesse Norwitch In the diocesse of Sar. In the diocesse of Canterbury In the diocesse of Yorke In the diocesse of Durham K. Richard 2. The bishops take â—atage of tyme. The first article colâ—â—ccted out of Wickliffeâ— sermons The articles of Iohn Wickliffe sent to the pope Pope Gregory theâ—â— Wickliffe called before the Archbishop of Cant. Anno. 1378. Edmunde Stafforde bringer of the Popes Bull. The masters of Oxford doubt whether to reâ—â—â—ue or reâ—â—t the Popes Bull. The Popes mad Bull sent to Oxford The Pope coplayning of Iohn Wickliffe Marsilius â—atauinus Ioan de Ganduno outed 〈…〉 Here the wilde Bull striketh Simon Sudburle Archb. of Cant. W. Courtney bishop of London Three sundry letters of the pope to one person about one matter The Popes letter to King Richard agaynst I. Wickliffe Here is prisoning but no teaching Certayne conclusions of Iohn Wickliffe The story brags of the Byshops ouerthrowne Wickliffe againe called before the Byshops Lewes Clifford Iohn Wickliffe againe deliuered from the Byshops The protestation of Iohn Wickliffe Exposition of Iohn Wickliffe vpon his coÌ„clusions Exposition of the secoÌ„d conclusion Ingratia gratisicante finaliter Note here he speaketh onely of the right of things in the country 〈◊〉 come and aâ—t in this exile The power of all priestes toward God equall Ordo sacerdotaelis non susciâ—it maius minus Potestas ordinis Potestasregiminis 16. q. 7. filijs The death of Pope Gregorie 11. Vâ—banus 6. Pope A schisme in Rome Was not here a ioly agreement Theodo 〈◊〉 a Niem dâ— schismaâ—â— Rebellion in England by Iacke Strawe Simon the Archb. beheaded W. Courtney Archb. of Cant. Barton Chauncelour of Oxford Anno. 1380. An edict against the Wicliuistes Anno. 1382. The mandate of the Archb. Ex Registro Archb. W. Courtney â—This article eyther is slanderously reported or els can hardly be defended * He meaneth church goods not to be so peculiar to ministers but that they may be taken away if they so deserue ¶ This article peraduenture was not so straightly ment of him as it waâ— gathered of theÌ„ as is aforesayd * This article expoundeâ—â— the ix article aboue A letter of the Archb. of Cant. against Wickliffe Had ye tryed them by the truth you shuld haue found theÌ„ otherwise Druta Fulmina He that killeth you shal thinke he doth God good seruice Yea rather for the honour of your pope and destruction of Christian fayth An earthquake what time Wickliffe was examined Ex chron mon. Albanensii Determiâ—â—tion vpon the aâ—ticles of Wicklâ—â—â—e A letter of the Archb. of Cant. to the Chauncelour of Oxford Make sure worke Another letter of the Archb. to the Commissary of Oxford M. Iohn Asâ—eton examined The answere of Iohn Asheton M. Asheton monished again to appeare xx of Iune Hertford Repington appear The protestation of Hereford and Asheton exhibited to the Archb. Articles with the answeres Farther examinationâ— against the sayd Nic. Phil. and Iohn Nic. Herford Phil. Repington Iohn Asheton examined 20. Iunij an 2382. The iudgement of the â—â—toâ—s vpâ—â— these 〈◊〉 Admonition and citaon of the Archb. against the â—â—minates An other day assigned for the examinates to â—ppeare Prâ—cesse â—ade by the Archb. agaâ—nst Iohn Asheton I. Asheton seuerally examined The Archb. and his Friers dâ—e flee the English tongue for the people Whether materiall bread remaineth the sacrament M. Tho. Hilman suspected to be a fauourer of I. Asheton The 20. day of Iune Dayes geuen to Tho. Hilman to answere 28. day of Iune an 1312. The 1. day of Iuly an 1312. The answere of Tho.