lour had done. An other bacheler of diuinitie also there was named N. stammering also at some of those conclusions, in the end affirmed that his opinion therin was, as was the iudgement of the foresayd chauncelour and Thomas as is aboue declared. Wherupon, the said Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, willing to let and hinder the perill of such heresies and errours: Deliuered vnto the foresayd chauncelour there beyng publiquely read his letters patentes, to be executed the tenor whereof in these wordes doth folow.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaA letter of the Archb. of Cant.to the commissary of OxfordWIlliam by the grace of God Archbishop of Canterbury  

primate of all England, and legate of the Apostolicall see: To our welbeloued sonne in Christ the chaunlor of the vniuersitie of Oxford within the dioces of Lincolne, greetyng, grace and benediction. The prelates of the churche, about the Lordes flocke committed to theyr chardge, ought so much to be more vigilant as that they see the wolfe clothed in shepes attire fraudulently go about to worow & scatter the sheepe. Doubtles, the common fame and brute is come vnto our eares. &c. Vt in mādato præcedenti. We will therfore and commaund, straightly enioining you, that in the churche of our blessed Lady in Oxford vpon those dayes the which accustomably the sermon is made, as also in the scholes of the sayd vniuersitie vpon those dayes the Lectures be read, ye publish and cause by others to be published to the clergie and people, as well in their vulgare toūg as in the Latine toung, manifestly & plainly without any curious implication þ^e same heretical & erronious conclusiōs, so repugnant to the determination of holy church, as is aforesayd: to haue been and be condemned, and whiche conclusions also we declare by these our letters to be vtterly condemned: And that farthermore you forbyd, and canonically admonishe and cause to be admonished, as we by the tenour of these presentes do forbyd and admonishe you, once, twise, and thrise, and that peremptorily: that none hereafter holde, teache, preache, or defend the heresies and errours aboue sayd or any of them either in schole or out of schole by any sophisticall cauillation or otherwise: or that any admit to preach, heare, or harken vnto Ihon Wickleffe, Nicholas Hereford, Philip Reppindon chanon reguler, or Ihon Ashton or Laurence Readman,   which he vehemētly and notoriously suspected of heresie, or els any other whatsoeuer, so suspected or defamed: or that ether priuely or publiquely, they either aide or fauour them or any of them, but that incontinently they shonne and auoyde the same as a serpent whiche putteth forth most pestiferous poyson. And farthermore. We suspende the sayd suspected persons frō all scholasticall act, till such tyme as they shall purge thē selues before vs in that behalfe, and that you denouce the same publiquely, by vs to haue been and be suspended, and that ye diligently and faithfully inquire, of all their fautours and fauorers, and cause to bee inquired throughout all the haules of the sayd vniuersitie. MarginaliaMake sure worke.And that when you shall haue intelligence of theyr names and persōs, that ye compell all and euery of them to abiure theyr outragies by ecclesiasticall censures and other paynes canonicall what soeuer vnder payne of the greater curse, the whiche agaynst all and singular the rebellious in this behalfe, and disobeyng our monitions we pronounce: so that their fault deceit, & offence in thys behalfe, deserue the same (the sayd monitiō of ours being first sent) whiche in this behalfe we exteme and alow canonicall, that then and agayne accordyng to the effecte of these our letters. &c. The Absolution of all and singulare such, whiche shall incurre the sentence of this instrument by vs sent forth (which God forbyd) We specially reserue vnto our selues: exhortyng you the chaūcelour by þ^e aspersion of the bloud of Iesus Christ, that to the vttermost of your power hereafter you do your indeuour, that the clergy and people beyng subiect vnto you, if there be whiche haue strayed from the catholique fayth by such errours, may be brought home agayne, to the lande and honor of his name that was crucified and preseruation of the true faith. And further our will is, that what so euer you shal do, in the premisses in maner and forme of our processe in thys behalfe, to bee had and done: that you for your parte, when you shalbe required thereunto, playnly and distinctly do certifie vs by your letters patentes, hauing the tenour hereof.

[Back to Top]

The conclusions and articles here mēcioned in this letter, are aboue prefixed. Of which some were condemned for hereticall, some for erroneous. Pag. 534.

After this, within few dayes the foresayde Archbishop W. Courtney, directed down his letters of Admonition to Robert Rigge Commissary of Oxford, for the repressing of this doctrine. Which yet notwithstanding both then, and yet to this daye (God be praysed) doth remayne. The copy of his monition to the Commissarye here out of his own Register, foloweth.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaAn other letter of the archb. to the commissary of Oxford.IN Dei nomine Amen  

. Where as we William by the permission of God. archb. of Cant.   L. Primat of England & legate of the apostolicall see, by the consent of our suffraganes, haue caused to be assēbled together diuers clerkes both secular & regular of the vniuersitie of Oxford, within our prouince of Cant. and other catholike persones to enforme vs of, and vpon, certeine conclusions hereticall and erroneus generally and commonly preached and published in diuers places of the sayd prouince of Cant. to the subuersion of the whole state of the church, & our said prouince: And also mature deliberatiō had vpō the same: by the common counsayle of the sayd our suffraganes & theyr conuocates, it was declared, that certein of the said conclusions, to haue been and be condemned, some for hereticall, and some for erronious, & notoriously repugnāt to the determination of the churche, whiche we also our selues haue declared to be dānable: And haue vnderstood by credible information, & partly by experience that thou Robert Rigge, chaūcelor of the vniuersitie aforesayd, hast and doest incline partly to the foresayd damnable conclusions, whom also we in this parte haue partly suspected, doest intend to molest these our clerkes aboue specified, & others adheryng vnto vs in this behalfe, as they ought to do: through thy subtill and sophisticall imaginations, sondry and manifold wayes, therfore we admonishe thee M. Robert chauncelor aforesayd, the first, second, & third time, and peremptorily: that þ^u doest not greue, let, or molest, iudicially or extra iudiciallye, apertlye or priuely, or cause to be greued, let and molested, or procure directly or indirectly, by thy selfe or any other, as much as in the lyeth to be greued, the foresayd clerkes seculare or regulare or suche as fauoure them in the premisses, in theyr scholasticall actes or in any other condition what soeuer: And that thou suffer none hereafter, to teach, mayntain, preach, or defend any such heresies or errours in the said Vniuersity, eyther within or without the scholes: Neither that thou do admit Iohn Wyckliff, Nicholas Herford, Philip Repindon, Iohn Ayshton, or Lawrence Redman,   which are vehemently and notoriously suspected of heresy, or any other so suspected or defamed, vnto that office of preaching. But that thou denounce the said persons to be suspended, whom we haue suspēded from all scholasticall act, whylest they cleare their innocencye in thys part before vs, vnder the payne of the greater curse, which we here in these writings denounce against thy person if thou shalt not obey these our admonitiōs, w^t effect, as thy crime subteltie & offence in this behalfe shall require according to this one admonitiō premised, which we repute in this part for canonical, as well thē as now, and now as wel as then, reseruing the absolution of this sentence excommunicatorie, if it happen to lyght vpon thee, as (God forbid) specially vnto our selues. Testifyed with the handes of the Iurers, aboue in the page. 534. before specifyed.

[Back to Top]

THe xviij. day of the moneth and yeare aforesayde in the chamber of the preaching Friers afore mentioned, before the foresayd Archbishop in the presence of diuers Doctors and Bachilers of Diuinitie, and manye Lawyers both Canon and Ciuill, whose names are vnder written: Appeared maister Nich. Herford, Phyllip Repindon, and Iohn Ayshton Bachilers of Diuinitye. Who after a corporall othe taken to shewe their iudgementes vpon the conclusions aforesaid, were examined seuerally eche one by himselfe, before the Archbishop. Who there required day and place to deliberate vpon the conclusions aforesayd, and to geue their aunswers

[Back to Top]