How can it bee not lyke onely but possible to be true that he whiche neuer denyed the fayth: which euer confessed the fayth so constantly, whiche was for the same fayth condēned: yea and at last also burned for the faith, would euer fight agaynst the fayth, and law of God, to adnull and to subuert it? Let vs procede yet further, and see whē that he should haue so destroyed and adnulled þ^e Christen fayth and law of God in England, what fayth or law then could he or did he entend to bryng into þ^e realme of England? The Turkes faith? or þ^e Iewes faith? or the Popes fayth? or what fayth els, I pray you? For he that will be an enemie to the fayth of Christ, and will shew him self frend to no other faith beside, I accōpt him not out of his right fayth, but out of his right wittes.

Marginalia(C)
The Lord Cobham falsely slanderd for intendyng to destroy the kyng.(C) And therfore euen as it is true. þ^t Syr Iohn Oldcastle with hys confederates and abettours were vp in armes to subuert, and extinguish the faith of Christ and law of God in þ^e realme of England: so by the like truth it may be estemed, that the same persons rose also to destroye their soueraigne Lord the kyng and his brethren. First thankes be to God, that neither the kyng, nor any of his brethren had any hurt by him. But his intēt, saith the preface, was to destroy his soueraigne Lord þ^e kyng. Wherunto I aunswere, with this interrogatorie, whether his intent was priuiley to haue destroyed him, or by open force of armes? If priuely, what neded then such a great armie of xx. M. mē to atcheaue þ^t secret feate? Rather I would thinke, þ^t he neded more the helpe of such as were nere about the king: as some of þ^e kyngs priuey chaumber, or some of his secret counsaile: wherof, neither Chronicle nor recorde doth insinuate any mention. MarginaliaHow vnlike it is that the L. Cobham did rise against the kyng.Yf his intent was openly to inuade the kyng: You must vnderstand (maister Cope) that to withstande a kyng in his owne realme, many things are required, long tyme, great preparation, many frendes, great assistaunce, and ayde of kyndred, mony, horse, men, armour, & all other thynges appertainyng for the same.

MarginaliaExamples what an hard matter it is to rise agaynst the kyng.Earle Godwyn of Westsaxe, who had maried Cauntus daughter beyng a mā both ambitious, and as false a traitour, for all his sixe sonnes, and great alliance yet durst not set vpon kyng Edwarde to inuade him within his realme, although he sought many occasiōs so to do, yet neuer durst enterprise openly, that whiche his ambition so gredely presumed vnto, pag. 214.

MarginaliaThe nobles agaynst K. Henry. 3.In the time of king Henry 3. Simon Montford Earle of Glocester, Gilbert Clare Earle of Leycester, Humfrey Rone Earle of Ferrence, with a great number of Lordes and Barons thought them selues to haue great right on their sides, yet durst not for all their power openly assayle þ^e kyng in his realme, before great debatement and talke first had betwene. pag. 414.

MarginaliaThe nobles against K. Edward. 2.Likewise what murmuryng and grudgyng was in the realme against king Edward the second, among the peres and nobles and also prelates (onely Walter Byshop of Couentry except) first for Gaueston, then for the Spensers, at what tyme Thomas Earle of Lancaster, Guido Earle of Warwike, with the most part of all other Earles and Barons concordly consentyng together to the displasing first of Gaueston, then of the Spensers, yet neither rashely, nor without great feare durst styrre vp warre in the lād, or disquiet or vexe the kyng, but first by all meanes of moderate counsaile, and humble petition, thought rather to persuade, then to inuade the kyng, pag. 461.

MarginaliaThe nobles against K. Richard. 2.In like maner, and with lyke grudgyng myndes, in the reigne of king Richard. 2. Thomas Wodstocke Duke of Glocester the kynges vncle, the Earles of Arūdell, of Warwike, and Darby, with þ^e power almost of the whole cōmons stoode vp in armes agaynst the kyng: And yet notwithstandyng all their power ioyned together being so great, & their cause semyng to them so reasonable, yet were they not so hardy, straight wayes toto flee vpon the kyng, but by way of Parlamēt thought to accomplish that whiche their purpose had conceaued, and so dyd, without any warre strykyng agaynst the kyng. pag. 613.

MarginaliaThe nobles against K. Henry. 4.After kyng Richard. 2. was deposed, and was in prison yet lyuing, diuers noble men were greatly inflamed agaynst kyng Henry the fourth as Syr Iohn Holland Earle of Huntyngton, Thomas Spenser Earle of Glocester, the Earles lykewise of Kent, and of Salisbury, with Syr Iohn Cheney and other mo, wherof diuers had been Dukes before, and now deposed by kyng Henry. 4. although they had conceaued in their hartes great grudge and malice agaynst the sayd kyng Henry: yet had they neither hart nor power openly with mans force to assayle the kyng, but secretly were compelled to atcheue their conceiued intent, which notwithstandyng they could not accomplish. Ex hist. D. Alban.

MarginaliaThe insurrection of the L. Cobhā against the king iudged by circumstaunce.Thus, you see (maister Cope) to gaynstand a kyng, and with open force to encounter with him in his owne land, and in his owne chaumber of London, where he is so sure and strong, what a matter of how great cheuāce it is, wherin so many and so great difficulties do lye, the attempt so daungerous, the chaunces so vncertaine, the furniture of so many thynges required, that scarce in any kynges dayes heretofore, any peres or nobles of the realme, were they neuer so strongly assisted with power, wit, or counsaile, yet eyther were able, or els well durst euer enterprise vpon the case so daungerous, notwithstādyng were they neuer of them selues so farre from all feare of God, and true obedience. And shall wee then thinke, or can we imagine (maister Cope) that Syr Iohn Oldcastle, a man so well instructed in the knowledge of Gods worde, beyng but a poore knight by his degree, hauyng none of all the peres and nobles in all the world to ioyne with hym, beyng prisoner in the tower of London a litle before in the moneth of December, could nowe in the moneth of Ianuary, so sodenly, and in such an hoate season of the yeare, start vp an army of xx. thousād fightyng men to inuade the kyng, to kill ij. Dukes hys brethren, to adnulle Christen fayth, to destroye Gods law, and to subuert holy Church? And why doth not he adde moreouer, to set also all London on fire, and to turne all England into a fishpole? Belike these men whiche geue out these figmentes of Syr Iohn Oldcastle, dyd thinke hym to be one of Deucalions stocke, who in castyng of stones ouer his shoulder, could by and by make men at his pleasure, or els that he had Cadmus teeth to sowe, to make so many harnest men to start vp at once.

MarginaliaA rebellion to be of xx. thousand, & yet no countrey to be knowen from whence they came, it is not lyke.But let vs consider yet further of these xx. thousand souldiours so sodenly without wages, without vitall, or other prouision congregated together, what they were, from whence, out of what quarter, countrey, or countreys they came. MarginaliaNeuer was any rebellion of cōmons in Eng. but the speciall countrey from whence they came was noted & knowē.In other kynges dayes, when soeuer any rebellion is against the kyng, moued by the commōs, as when Iacke Straw, and Wat Tyler of Kent, and Essex rose in þ^e tyme of kyng Richard. 2. Whē William Mandeuill of Abyngdon, Iacke Cade of Kent, in þ^e tyme of kyng Henry the 6. In the tyme of kyng Henry the 8. when the commotion was of rebels in Lyncolshyre, thē in Yorkeshyre, when in kyng Edward the 6. tyme Humfrey Arundell in Deuonshyre, Captayne Kyte in Northfolke made styrre agaynst the kyng, the countrey and partes from whence these rebels did spryng, were both noted and also diffamed. In this so traiterous commotion therfore let vs nowe learne, what men these were, and from what countrey or countreis in all Englande they came. If they came out of any, let the Chronicles declare what countreys they were. If they came out of none (as none is named) then let them come out of Outopia, where be lyke this figment was first forged, and inuented. Wherefore seyng neither the countreys from whence they came, nor yet the names of any of all these