heard, examined, neither conuict: but onelye at the sinister and false accusation of hys and our accusers and betrayers. Furthermore, it is come to our knowledge & vnderstanding (which wee doo not without great griefe rehearse) as we may also euidently gather by your writinges, howe that certayne detractors, odible bothe to God and men, priuy enuiers and betrayers, haue wyckedly and greuously, albeit falsly and traiterously, accused vs, our kingdome, and Marquesdome aforesayd, before you in your councell, that in the sayde kingdome of Boheme and Marquesdome of Morauia, diuers errours are sprong vp, which haue greuously and manyfoldlye infected both our hartes, and also the hartes of many faithfull men: in so much, that without a speedy stop or stay of correction, the sayd kingdome & Marquesdome together w^t the faythfull Christiās therin, should incurre an irrecuperable losse and ruine of theyr soules. These cruell and pernicious iniuries which are layde vnto vs, and to our said kingdome and Marquesdome, albeit most falsly & sclaūderously, how may we suffer? for somuch as thorow the grace of God (when in a maner all other kyngdomes of the world, haue oftentymes wauered, makyng Schismes and Antipapes) MarginaliaHe meaneth the longe schisme spokē of before, where three popes were striuing one agaynst an other.our most Christian kyngdome of Boheme, and most noble Marquesdome of Morauia, since the time they did receyue the Catholicke fayth of our Lorde Iesus Christe, as a most perfect Marginalia* A quadrant being foure square, prouerbially signifyeth a man that is constance and immutable. Rom. 12.* quadrant, haue alwaies without reprofe stucke vnto the church of Rome, & haue sincerely done their true obedience. Also w^t how great costes & charges and great trauaile, with what worshyp & due reuerence they haue reuerenced the holy mother churche & her pastours, by their princes and faithful subiectes, it is more manifest thē þ^e day light vnto þ^e whole world, and your selues, if you will confesse the truth, cā witnes the same also. Wherfore þ^t we, accordyng to þ^e minde of the Apostle, may procure honest & good thynges, not onely before God but before men also, and lest by neglecting the famous renowne of the kyngdom and Marquesdome, we be found cruell towardes our neighbours: hauing a stedfast hope, a pure and sincere conscience and intent, and a certaine true fayth in Christ Iesu our Lorde, by the tenour of these we signifie and declare vnto your fatherhoodes, and to all faithfull Christians, openlye professing both with heart and mouthe, that what soeuer man, of what estate, preeminence, dignitie, conditiō, degree, or religion soeuer he be, which hath sayd or affirmed, either doth say or affirme, þ^t in the sayd kyngdome of Boheme & Marquesdome of Morauia, heresies haue sprong vp whiche haue infected vs & other faithfull Christians, as is aforesayd (the onely person of our most noble Prince and Lord, Sigismund kyng of Romaines & of Hungarie. &c. our Lord and heyre successor, beyng set apart, whom we trust and beleue, not to be gilty in the premisses) all and euery such man (as is aforesayd) doth lye falselye vpon his head, as a wicked and naughtye traitour & betrayer of the sayd kyngdome & Marquesdome, and most traiterous vnto vs, & most pernicious hereticke, MarginaliaIohn. 8.
Deut. 38.
Psal. 30.the sonne of all malice and wickednes, yea and of the deuill him selfe, who is a lyer and the father of all lies. Notwithstandyng, we for this present cōmitting the foresayd iniuries vnto God, vnto whom vengeaunce perteineth, who will also aboundanutly rewarde workers of iniquitie, will prosecute them more amply before him whom God shall appointe in the Apostolicke Sea, to gouerne his holy churche as the onely and vndoubted pastour. MarginaliaThese noble men ofered their obediēce to the pope, no furtyher then was lawfull, honest and agreable to reason and the lawe of God.Vnto whō God willyng, we exhibityng our due reuerence and obedience as faithfull childrē, in those things which are lawfull, honest, and agreable to reason and the lawe of God, will make oure request and petition, that spedy remedy may bee prouided for vs, our sayd kyngdome and Marquesdom, vpon the premisses, according to þ^e law of our Lord Iesus Christ,and the institutions of the holy fathers. MarginaliaMarke thys and learne, you noble men.The premisses notwithstandyng, we settyng apart all feare and mens ordinaunces prouided to the contrary, will mainteine & defend the law of our Lord Iesu Christ, & the deuoute, humble and constant preachers thereof, euen to the shedyng of our bloud. Dated at Sternberg, in the yeare of our Lorde. 1415. vpon S. Wenceslaus day, Martyr of Lord Iesu Christ.

Round about the sayd letters there were. liiij. Seales hāging, and their names subscribed, whose seales they were. The names of which noble men I thought it good here to annexe withall, partlye for the more credite of þ^t hath bene said, partly also for examples sake, to the intent that our noble and gentle men in thys our realme of England, now liuing in this cleare light of þ^e Gospell, may by their example vnderstād, þ^t if they ioyne themselues with þ^e gospell of Iesus zealously & as they should do, yet are they neyther the first, nor the moste þ^t so haue done before them: if not, yet the truth may here remaine in story to their shame, or els to their instructiō, seing so many noble and worthye gentlemen within the small kingdome of Bohemia, to bee so forwarde in those so darke days, and among so many enemies, CC. yeares agoe, to take part with Christ: And yet our gentlemen here in such long continuance of tyme, beyng so diligently taught, are neither in number, nor in zeale to them to be compared, but will still take part contrarye both to Christ, and to þ^e example of these nobles, whose names they may see and read here following.