Iohn Hus, and of Hierome of Prage, therein hee accordeth with Polidore, but not with truth. Moreouer so doubtfull he is & ambiguous in declaratiō of this story, þ^t no great certaintie cā be gathered of him. First as touching the confessiō of them he cōfesseth himself, þ^t he saw it not, and therfore leaueth it at large. And as cōcernyng the causes of their death, he leaueth the matter in doubt, not daryng (as doth maister Cope) to define or pronoūce any thyng thereof, MarginaliaHalle doubtfull in the story of sir Rog. Acton, &c.but onely reciteth the surmises and myndes of diuers men diuersly, some thinkyng it was for conueying the Lord Cobham out of the tower, some that it was for treason and heresy, and here commeth in the mentiō onely of a recorde, but what recorde it is, neither doth hee vtter it, nor doth he examine it: other some agayne affirmyng (as hee sayth) that it was for fayned causes surmised by the spiritualtie, more of displeasure thē truth. And thus your autor Halle hauyng recited the varietie of mēs opiniōs, determineth himself no certain thyng therof, but as one indifferent neither bound to the coniectures of all men, nor to the writinges of all men, referreth the whole iudgement of the matter free vnto the reader. MarginaliaHalle no witnes in sir Roger Actons case.And so concludyng his narration forsomuch as he was neither a witnes of the fact, nor present at þ^e dede, he ouerpasseth the story therof.

And what witnes then will you, or can you (maister Cope) take of Edward Halle, whiche denieth him selfe to be a witnes? Will you compell hym to say that he sawe not? and to witnes that he cā not? Wherfore lyke as Susanna, in the story of Daniell was quite by right iudgement in the case of adulterye, because her accusers and testes beyng examined a sonder were found to vary and halt in their tale, & not to agree in the two trees: So why may not in lyke case of treason, Syr Roger Acton, Syr Iohn Oldcastle, Browne with the rest, clayme the same priuilege? MarginaliaRepugnaunce noted in the witnes agaynst the L. Cobham and sir Roger Acton.seyng among the testes and witnes produced agaynst them, such discord is found, and such haltyng among them, that neither do they agree in place, person, yeare, day, nor moneth. Marginalia1.
Repugnaunce in the place.For first where Fabian & his felowes say: that they were assembled together in a great company, in the field nere to S. Giles, the forged inditemēt aboue alledged, sayth, they were but riding toward the field: Marginalia2.
Repugnaunce in the person.
Ala. Copus pag. 833. lin. 12.2. Secondly where the foresayd inditement and Polidore, geue the Lord Cobham to be present personally in that assemble, Halle, and Alanus Copus Anglus, do exclude his personall presence from thence: and so doth Fabian also seme to agree, speakyng onely of the adherentes of Syr Iohn Oldcastle. Marginalia3.
Repugnaunce in the yeare.3. Thirdly, where Halle and Polidorus reporte this assemble to be after the burnyng of Iohn Hus, and of Hierome at the councell of Constaunce, whiche was an. 1415. that can not be, but if there were any such cōspiracie in þ^e first yeare of Henr. 5. it must nedes be, an. 1413. And here by the way, why doe certaine of your Epitome writers speakyng of the Lord Cobham cōmitted first to the tower for heresie, referre the sayd his inprisonement to the yeare an. 1412. where as, by their owne counte, reckenyng the yeare from the annunciation, it must nedes be an. 1413. beyng done in haruest tyme? Marginalia4.
Repugnaunce in the month.4. Fourthly, where Halle, with his folowers affirme that Syr Roger Acton, Browne and Beuerley were condemned the 12. day of December, the recorde is euident agaynste it, whiche holdeth the fact to be in workyng the 10. day of Ianuary. Marginalia5.
Repugnaunce in the day.5. Fiftly, whereas the foresayd recorde of the Inditement geueth the Wenesday next after the Epiphanie, whiche was the. 10. day of Ianuary that present yeare, both the facte to be committed, the same day, the Commission also to be graunted, and deliuered to the Commissioners the same daye, The said Commisioners to sit in Commission the same day: The Shriffes of Midlesex, to returne a iurye out of the body of Midlesex the same daye. And the Iurers to finde the iudgement the same day, and yet no Iurer in the inditemēt named the same day. Item, the Lord Cob-ham, the same day, to be found conspiryng to make him selfe Regent, when as the king, that day and yeare, was not yet passed into Fraunce: how all these can concurre and hang together and all in one day, I suppose it will cost you ij. dayes, before you, with all your learned councell will study it out. And when you in your vnlawfull assembles haue conspired and conferred together all ye can, yet will ye make it (as I thinke) three dayes, before you honestly dispatche your handes of the matter. And where ye thinke, that you haue impressed in me such a foule note of lieng, neuer to be clawed of while the world standeth, yet shall the posteritie to come iudge betwene you and me, whether shall apeare more honest and true my defense for that worthy Lord, then your vncourteous & viperous wrangling agaynst him, moued with no other cause, but onely with the peuishe spirite of Popery, which can abyde nothyng, but that sauereth of your owne sect. MarginaliaPapistes cā not see great beames in their own eyes, which spye small motes in other.For els howe many lowed lying legens, yea what legion of lyes are dayly vsed and receaued in the Popish church? what doltish dreames? what fayned miracles? what blasphemous tales, and frierly fables, and idle inuentions, fightyng agaynst the sincere Religion, doctrine and crosse of Christ? And could you holde your penne from all these, and finde nothyng els to set your idlenes on worke, but onely to write agaynst the Lord Cobham, Sir Roger Acton, Browne, Onley, Cowbrige, with a few other whom with much a doo at length you haue sought out, not so much for any true zeale to rebuke iniquitie, as craftely sekyng matter by these to deface and blemishe the booke of Actes and monumentes, whiche seemeth bee lyke to make you to scratche there where it itcheth not. And if I should after the lyke dealyng take in hand your Popishe portues, and with lyke diligence excusse euery Popishe martyr and sancte there canonised: thinke you maister Cope, I could not make out your halfe dosen as ranke traytours and rebelles to their kynges and princes, as euer were any of these of your pyckyng out? MarginaliaPopes traitours to their Emperours and princes.What Pope almost hath there been these last fiue hundreth yeares, whiche hath not been a traytour to his Emperour and prince, and to hys countrey? either openly rebelling agaynst them, or priuely cōspiryng their destruction, or proudly settyng their feete vpon theyr neckes, or spurnyng theyr crownes of from theyr heades, or makyng the sonne to fight agaynst the father? Howe many haue they deposed, & set vp other in theyr seates? how many Emperours & kinges haue they wrongfully cursed? What consulles of Rome haue they resisted, deposed, & put to death? What warres haue they raised vp agaynst theyr own country of Rome? Yea the continuall holding of the Citie of Rome, frō hys lawfull Emperour, what is it but a continuall point of treason?

What will you answere me (maister Cope) to þ^e pope, whiche conspired to let fall downe a stone vpon the Emperours head, knelyng at his prayers. Pag. 229.

And though this treacherye being as byg as a mylstone, seemed but a small mote in your eye, that it could not be espied: MarginaliaThe Popes sainctes and confessors many were traytours.yet what wyll you saye by the Moonke of Swynsede, that poysoned king Iohn, who was both absolued by his Abbot before his treason committed, and after his treason had a perpetuall masse soong for hym, to helpe hym out of Purgatory?

And what thinke ye in your conscience is to be sayd of Thomas Becket, who did enoughe, and more then became him, to set the French king, and the kyng of England together by the eares? Of Anselme lykewise, and of Stephen Langhton, who departed both out of the Realme to cōplayne of theyr princes and soueraynes? The lyke may be sayd also of Ioh. Peckham. Ioh. Stradford Archbishop of the same sea notoriously resisted the kings commaundement, beyng sent for by kyng Edward 3. to come to the Parlamēt at Yorke, through the default of whose cōmyng the present oportunitie of gettyng Scot-