sclanderers, backbiters and accusers, I am ready frely & of myne own will, to come vnto Cōstance, there to declare openly before the whole Councell, the puritie and sinceritie of my true fayth and mine innocencie, & not secretly in corners before any priuate or particulare person. Wherefore if there bee any of my sclaunderers, of what nation or estate soeuer he be, whiche will obiect agaynst me any crime of errour or heresie: let them come forth openly before me in the presence of the whole Coūcell, and in their owne names obiect agaynst me, and I wil be ready as I haue written, to aunswer openly and publickely before the whole Councell for my innocēcie, and to declare the puritye & sinceritye of my true fayth. And if so be that I shalbe found culpable in any errour or heresie, then I will not refuse openly to suffer such punishement as shall be meete and worthy for an erronious person, or an hereticke.

Wherfore I most humbly besech my Lord the kyng and the whole sacred Councell, that I may haue to this end & purpose aforesaid, safe and sure accesse. And if it happen that I offeryng such equitie and ryght as I do, before any faute bee proued agaynst me, be arested imprisoned, or haue any violence done vnto me, that then it maye be manifest vnto the whole worlde that this generall Councell doth not procede accordyng to equitie and iustice, if they would by any meanes put me back from this profounde and strayght iustice, beyng come hether frely & of mine own mind and accord. The which thing I suppose to be farre from so sacred and holy a Councel of wise men.

MarginaliaSafecōduct denied to Hierome.WHen as yet he throughe suche intimations copied out in the Bohemian, Latine, and Germaine tounge, being set vp as is afore sayde, coulde not get anye safe conduicte: then the Nobles, Lordes, & knightes syeciallye of the Bohemian nation, presente in Constance, gaue vnto mayster Hierome their letters patents, confyrmed with their Seales, for a testemony & witnes of the premisses. MarginaliaHierome returneth toward Boheme, with the testimonies of the Lordes of Boheme.With þ^e which letters the sayd master Hierom retourned again vnto Boheme, but by the treason & conspiracie of his enemies MarginaliaHierome apprehended in the way by Duke Iohnwas taken in Hirssaw by the officers of Duke Ihon, and in Zultzbach was broughte backe againe to the presence of the Duke. MarginaliaMichael de Causis, and Palletz enemies to Hierome.In the meane time suche as were the setters forward of the councell agaynste mayster Ihon Hus, and maister Hierome, that is to say Michael de Causis and maister Palletz and other their accomplices, required that the sayd mayster Hierome should be cyted by reason of his intimation: and certaine dayes after the citation hereunder written, was set vpon the gates and porches of the citie, and Churches, which foloweth here in this maner.

MarginaliaHierom of Prage cited by the councell when he was taken.This moste Sacred and holy Synod and generall coūcell of Constance, faithfullye congregated and gathered together in the holy Ghost, representinge the vniuersall militant church, vnto Hierome of Prage, which wryteth himselfe to be a mayster of arte of so many vniuersityes, and pretendeth those things which are onely pertaining vnto sobriety & modesty, & that he knoweth no more thē he ought. &c. Know thou þ^t there is a certaine wryting come vnto our vnderstanding & knowledge, the which was set vp as it were by thine owne person vppon the gates of the churches and Citie of Constance, vpon the Sonday, when there was songe in the Church of God: Quasimodo geniti, Wherein thou doest affirme, that thou wilte openly aunswere vnto thy accusers and slaunderers whiche shall obiecte anye cryme, errour or heresye, agaynste thee, whereof thou arte meruaylously infamed and accused before vs, and speciallye touching the doctryne of Wicklieffe, & other doctrines contrary vnto the Catholyke fayth, so that thou mightest haue graunted vnto thee a safe conduct to come. Bur forsomuch as it is but parte principally and chieflye to forsee & looke vnto these crafty foxes which go about to destroye the vyneyarde of the Lord of hostes: therefore we dooe cyte and call forth by the tenour of these presents, thy persō manyfoldly defamed & suspected for þ^e temerarious affirming & teaching of manifold errors, so that within the terme of. xv. dayes to be accounted from the date of these presents, wherof fiue dayes are apointed for the fyrst terme, fiue for the second, and other fiue for the thyrd, we do ordeyne and appoynt by canonicall admonition and warning, that thou do appere in the publike Session of the Sacred councel, if there by any holden the same dye, or els the first day immediatly followinge, when as anye Session shallbe, accordinge to the tenour of the sayde wryting, to aunswere to those thinges which any person or persōs shal obiect or lay against thee in any cause of thy fayth, and to receiue and haue, as iustice shall require. Wherupon, so muche as in vs lieth, and as catholike faith shal require, we offer and assigne to thee by the tenour hereof, our safe conduict from al violence (iustice alwayes beynge saued) certefyinge thee that whether thou doost appeare or not, the sayde terme or tyme appoynted notwithstandinge, processe shall goe forwarde agaynste thee by the sayde Sacred councell, or by theyr Commissarye or Comissaries, for the tyme afore sayde not obserued & kept, thy contumacie or stubburnes in any thing notwithstanding. Geuen in the sixt Session of the generall councell, the. xvii. daye of Aprill, vnder the seales of the presidentes of the foure Nations.

¶ Grumpert Faber Notarie of theGermaines.

AFter þ^t Sigismund King of Hungarie with the reste of þ^e coūcell, vnderstode by the foresayd Duke Ihō, MarginaliaThis Duke iohn in histories is commonly called the sonne of Clement.that M. Hierome was taken, they were earnestlye in hand, requiringe that mayster Hierome shoulde bee brought before them vnto the coūcell. The which Duke Ihon, after he had receiued letters of the kynge and the councell, brought mayster Hierome bound vnto Constance, whom his brother Duke Ludonicus led thorow the citie to the Cloister of the Fryers Minors in Constance, whereas the chiefe Priestes and Elders of the people, Scribes and Phariseis, were gathered together attending and wayting for his comming. MarginaliaHierome is brought bound vnto Constance by duke Iohn.He the sayd maister Hierome caryed a greate handbolte of iron with a longe chaine in his hande, and as he passed, the chaine made a great ratling and noise, and for the more confusion and despite towardes him, they ledde him by the same chaine after Duke Ludouicus aforesayde, holding and stretching out the chayne a greate waye from him: with the which chayne, they also kepte him bounde in the Cloyster. When he was brought into the Cloyster, they read before him the letter of Duke Ihon, which was sent with the sayde mayster Hierome vnto the councell, conteining in effect how that the said duke Ihon had sent mayster Hierome vnto the councell: who by chaunce was fallen into his hands, because he heard an euill report of him, that he was suspected of the heresies of Wickliffe: that the Councell mighte take order for hym, whose parte it was to correct and punishe such as did erre & stray from the truthe, besides manye other flattering tales whiche were writen in the sayde letter for the prayse of the councell. After this they read the citation which was geuen out by the coūcell against mayster Hierome, wherof we haue spoken before. MarginaliaThe councell neither would geue him liberty safely to come nor freely to go.Then certayne of the Byshops sayde vnto hym: Hierome whye diddest thou flye and run away, and diddest not appeare when thou wast cited? He aunswered, because I coulde not haue anye safeconduicte, neither from you, neyther from the kyng, as it appeareth by these letters patents of the barons, which you haue, neyther by my opē intimations could I obtayne anye saufeconduicte.

Wherfore I perceyuyng many of my greuous and heauy frēdes to be here present in the Councell, woulde not my self be the occasion of my perils and daungers, but if I had knowen or had any vnderstandyng of this citatiō, without all doubt, albeit I had ben in Boheme, I would haue returned agayne. Then all the whole Rable rising vp, alledged diuers and sundrye accusations and testimonies agaynst hym with a greate noyse and tumulte. When the rest held their peace, then spake mai