MarginaliaRobert Mascall.The sayde Robert Mascall directed an other copye thereof from London the. xxvij. day of Nouember in the same yeare, enclosed in his owne commission also, vnto his Archdeacon and deanes in Herford and Shrewsbury. And this is thereof the beginning: Venerabilibus & discretis viris. &c. In like manner dyd the other bishops wythin their dioceses.

After that the Archbishop had thus red the bil of his condemnation, wyth most extremitie before the whole multitude: MarginaliaEx vtroque examplari.The Lord Cobham said with a most chearefull countenaunce. Though ye iudge my body whych is but a wretched thing, yet am I certayne and sure: that ye can do no harme to my soule, no more than could Sathan vpon the soule of Iob. MarginaliaMath. 10.
Iob. 1.He that created that, wyll of his infinite mercy and promise saue it, I haue therin no maner of doubt. And as cōcerning these articles before rehearsed, I wyll stand to them euen to the very death, by the grace of my eternall God.

And therwith he turned him vnto the people, casting his handes abroade, and saying with a very loud voice: Good Christen people, for Gods loue bee well ware of these men. For they wyll els begyle you, and leade you blindlyng into hell with them selues. For Christ sayth playnly vnto you: If one blynde man leadeth an other, they are lyke both to fall into the ditch.MarginaliaMath. 10.

MarginaliaHe prayeth for hys enemyes.After this, he fell downe there vpon his knees, & thus before them all prayed for hys enemies, holding vp both his handes and his eyes towardes heauen and saying: Lord God eternall, I beseche thee for thy great mercies sake, to forgeue my pursuers, if it be thy blessed wil. And then he was deliuered to syr Robert Morley, and so led forth againe to the Tower of London. And thus was there an ende of that dayes worke.MarginaliaEx vetusto exemplari Londinensiū.

While the Lord Cobham was thus in the tower, he sent out priuilye vnto his frendes. And they at his request wrote this litle bill here folowyng, causing it to be set vp in diuers quarters of London, þ^t the people should not beleue the slaunders and lyes that hys enemyes, the Byshops seruauntes and priestes, had made on hym abroad. And this was the letter.

MarginaliaA testimoniall made by hys frendes.FOr as much as sir Iohn Oldcastel, knyght and Lord Cobham, is vntruly conuicted and imprisoned, falsly reported and slaundered among the common people by his aduersaries, that he should otherwise both think and speake of the Sacraments of the churche, and specially of the blessed Sacrament of the aultar, then was written in the confession of his beleue whiche was indented and taken to the clergye, and so set vp in diuers open places in the citie of London. MarginaliaTo stop lyeng lippes.Knowen be it here to all the world, that he (neuer sence) varied in any point therfro, but this is playnely his beleue: MarginaliaA rehearsall of hys beliefe.that all the Sacramentes of the church, be profitable and expedient also to all them that shall be saued, takyng them after the intent that Christ & his true church hath ordained. Furthermore he beleueth, that in the blessed Sacrament of the aultar, is verely and truly Christes body, in fourme of bread.MarginaliaIn forme of bread, but not without bread he meaneth.

MarginaliaThe clergy in hate of the people.After this the Bishops & priestes were in much great discredit both w^t the nobilitie & commōs, partly for that they had so cruelly handled the good Lord Cobham: and partly agayn, because his opinion (as they thought at þ^e time) was perfect cōcerning þ^e sacramēt. The prelats feared this to grow to further inconuenience towardes thē both wayes, wherfore they drue their heades together: and at þ^e last consented to vse an other practise somwhat cōtrary to þ^t they had done afore. MarginaliaA practyse of false priestesThey caused it by & by to be blowne abroad by their feed seruauntes, frendes, & bablyng Syr Ihons: that the sayd Lord Cobhā was becomen a good man, and had lowly submitted him self in all thynges vnto holy churche, vtterly chaungyng his opinion concernyng the Sacrament. And therupon, they counterfaited an abiuration in his name, MarginaliaThese are their cōmon feates.that the people should take no hold of that opiniō by any thyng they had heard of him before, & to stād so the more in awe of thē.Consideryng him so great a man, and by them subdued.

This is the abiuracion (say they) of Syr Iohn Oldcastell knight, sometyme the Lord Cobham.

MarginaliaWalden in fasciculo Zizaniorū Wicleui.JN Dei nomine Amen. I Iohn Oldcastell denounced, detected and condemned of and vpon diuers articles sauoryng both heresie and errour, before the reuerend father in Christ and my good Lord, Thomas by þ^e permission of God, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, & my lawfull and rightfull iudge in that behalfe, expresly graunt and confesse: that as concernyng the estate and power of the most holy father the Pope of Rome, of hys Archbyshops, his Byshops and his other prelates, MarginaliaMarke frō whēce thys geare commeth.the degrees of the churche, and the holy Sacramentes of the same, specially of the Sacramentes of the aultar and of penaunce & other obseruaūces besides of our mother holy church, as pilgrimages and pardons: I affirme (I say) before the sayd reuerend father Archbyshop and els where, þ^t I being euill seduced by diuers sedicious preachers, MarginaliaFyne workmanship I trowe.haue greuously erred, & heretically persisted, blasphemously aunswered, and obstinatly rebelled. And therfore I am by þ^e sayd reuerend father, before the reuerend fathers in Christ, also the Bishops of London, Winchester, & Bangor, lawfully condemned for an heretike.

Neuertheles yet, I now remembryng my selfe, MarginaliaAlas good man, thou art slaundered.and couetyng by this meane to auoyde that temporall paine which I am worthy to suffer as an hereticke, at the assignation of my most excellent Christē prince & liege Lord, kyng Henry the v. now by the grace of God most worthy kyng both of England and of Fraunce: Minding also to prefer the wholesome determination, sentence, and doctrine of the holy vniuersall churche of Rome, before the vnholesome opinions of my selfe, my teachers, and my folowers: I frely, willingly, deliberatly, & throughly, confesse, graunt, and affirme, the most holy fathers in Christ, S. Peter the Apostle and his successours bishops of Rome, specially nowe at this tyme, my most blessed Lord pope Iohn, by the permission of God, the xxiij. pope of that name, whiche now holdeth Peters seat (and each of thē in their succession) hath full strength and power to be Christes vicare in earth, and the head of the Churche militāt. And þ^t by the strength of his office (what though he bee a great sinner, & afore knowne of God to be damned) hee hath full authoritie and power to rule and gouerne, bynde and lose, saue and destroye, accurse and assoyle, all other Christen men.

And agreably still vnto this, I confesse, graunt, and affirme all other Archbishops, Byshops, and prelates in their prouinces, dioces and parishes (appointed by þ^e said pope of Rome, to assiste him in his doings or busines) by his Decrees, Canons or vertue of hys office: to haue had in times past, to haue now at this time, and þ^t they ought to haue in tyme to come: authoritie and power to rule & to gouerne, bynde and lose, accurse and assoyle, the subiectes or people of their aforesaide prouinces, dioces, and parishes, and that their sayd subiectes or people ought of right in all thyngs to obey them. MarginaliaHow proue ye that, by the Scriptures.Furthermore I confesse, graūt, and affirme, that the sayd spirituall fathers, as our most holy father the Pope, Archbishops, bishops & prelates: haue had, haue nowe, & ought to haue hereafter, authoritie and power for the estate, order and gouernaunce of their subiectes or people, to make lawes, decrees, statutes and constitucions, yea and to publish, cōmaunde and compell their sayd subiectes and people, to the obseruation of them.

Moreouer I confesse, grūat and affirme, that all these foresayd lawes, decrees, statutes and constitutiōs made published and commaunded, according to the fourme of spirituall law, MarginaliaNo scriptures haue they to shewe.all christen people, and euery man in hym selfe is straightly bound to obserue, and mekely to obey accordyng to the diuersitie of the foresayd powers. As