Marginalia1416.sayd, and also of Iohn Hus beyng burnt at Constance, whiche was. an. 1416. the prelates of England seing the dayly increase of the Gospell, and fearyng the ruine of their Papall kyngdome, were busily occupyed withall their counsaile and diligence, to mainteine the same. Wherfore, to make their state and kyngdome sure, by statutes, lawes, constitutions, & terrour of punishment, as Thomas Arūdell and other prelates had done before, so the forenamed Henry Chichesley Archbishop of Canterbury, in his conuocation holden at London, maketh an other constitution (as thoughe there had not enough bene made before) agaynst þ^e poore Lollardes: the copy & tenour wherof he sendeth abroad, to the Bishop of London, and to other his Suffraganes, by them to be put in straite execution, conteinyng in wordes as foloweth.

MarginaliaEx Regist. Chichesley. fol. 217.HEnry by the grace of God Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England, and legate of the chiefest seate: to our reuerend brother in the Lord Richarde, by the grace of God bishop of London, health and brotherly loue, with continuall encrease. Lately in our last conuocation in saynt Paules church in London, being kept by you and other our brethren and Clergye of our prouince, we do remember to haue made this order vnderwritten by your consentes. Whē as among many other our cares this ought to bee chiefe, that by some meanes we take those heretikes, which lyke Foxes lurke & hyde them selues in the Lords vineyard: and that the dust of negligence may be vtterly shaken from our feete & from the feete of our fellow brethren: MarginaliaYou should be better occupyed to shake of the duste from your dustye pulpets.In this the sayde conuocation of the prelates and clergy, we haue ordained, that all our fellow brethren, our Suffraganes and Archdeacons of our prouince of Cāterbury, by them selues, their Officials, or Commissaries in all their iurisdictions, and euery of their charges in the countrey, MarginaliaTwyse euery yeare to enquire for Lollardes.twise euery yeare at the least do diligently enquire of suche persons as are suspect of heresy: And that in euery suche their Archdeaconries in euery parish, wherein is reported anye heretikes to inhabite, they cause thre or more of the honestest men and best reported of, to take their oth vpon the holy Euangelist, MarginaliaAgaynst priuie conuenticles.that if they shall knowe or vnderstand any frequenting eyther in priuy conuenticles, MarginaliaTo differre frō the cōmon sort in lyfe & maners, against the popes law.or els dyffering in lyfe or maners from the common conuersatiō of other catholike men, or els that hold any, eyther heresies or errours, MarginaliaAgaynst Englishe bookes.or els that haue any suspect bokes in the English toung, or that do receaue any such persons suspect of heresies and errours into their houses, or that be fauourers of thē that are inhabitantes in any such place, or conuersant with them, or ells haue any recourse vnto them: they make certificates of those persons in writing, with all the circumstances wherewith they are suspect, vnto the sayd our Suffragans or Archdeacons, or to their Commissaries, so soone, and with as muche speede as possibly they can: And that the said Archdeacon and euery of their Commissaries aforesayd, doo declare the names of all such persons denounced, together wyth all the circumstances of them, the dioces, and places, and secretly vnder their seales do sēd ouer vnto vs the same: And that the same diocesans effectually direct forth lawfull proces agaynst them, as the qualitye of the cause requireth, and that wyth all diligence they discerne, define, and execute the same. And if perhaps they leaue not such persons conuict vnto the secular court, yet notwithstanding let them commit them vnto the perpetuall or temporall prisons, as the qualitye of the cause shall requyre, vntyll the next conuocation of the prelates and Clergye of our prouince of Canterbury, there personallye to remayne: and that in the same prisons they cause them to be kept according as the lawe requireth: And that of all and singuler the thinges aforesayd, that is, what inquisition they haue made, and what they haue foūd, and how in the proces they haue behaued them selues, and what persons so conuict they haue caused to be put in safe keeping, with what diligence or negligence of the Commissaries aforesayd, with all and all maner of other circumstances premised, and therunto in any wise apertaining, and specially of the abiuratiōs, if in the meane time they shall chaunce to abiure any heresies: that then in the next conuocation of the prelates and Clergy vnder the forme aforesayd, they cause the same distinctlye and apertlye to be certified to vs and our successors: And that they delyuere effectually to the officiall of our court, the same pro-ces to remayne wyth them, or els in the Register of our court of Canterbury, so that euerye one, to whom suche thinges appertayneth for the furder executiō of the same proces, may haue recourse vnto the same official, wyth al effect. We therefore commaund, that as touching the constitutiō brought vnto your City and diocesan, you cause the same in conuenient place and time to be published, & that in al pointes you both obserue the same your selues and cause it also of others to be diligently obserued: Cōmaunding furthermore, all and singular our fellow brethren and Suffraganes, that they in lykewyse cause the same to be published throughout all their cities and dioces, and both diligētly obserue the same themselues, and also cause all others to do the same: and what thing soeuer you shal do in the premisses, that you certify vs betwixt this & the feast of S. Peter ad vincula, next cōmyng, & that you duely certify vs of these thinges, by your letters patentes, contaynyng the same effecte, sealed wyth your seales. Dated at our house in London, the first day of Iuly. An. 1416.

MarginaliaThe trouble of Iohn Barton, & Rob. Chapell in cause of religion.During the time of this conuocation, in the yeare aboue sayd, two priestes were presented and brought before the bishops, noted and diffamed for heretikes: one named Iohn Barton, vnto whom it was obiected by Philip bishop of Lincolne, MarginaliaThis Philip seemeth to be Philip Repyngton afore mentioned in the story of Wicklieffe.that he had bene excommunicated about. vi. or. vij. yeares before, vpon articles concerning religion, and yet neyther would appeare being cited, nor would seeke to be reconciled againe vnto the church. Which thinges beyng so proued agaynst hym, he was committed to the custodie of the foresaid Philip bishop of Lincolne, and so to be holden in prison, tyll he should heare further what should be done.

The other was Robert Chapell, otherwise named Holbech, chaplain sometime to the Lord Cobham: vnto whom likewise it was obiected, that he being vnder the sentence of excommunication about. iij. or four yeares, yet notwithstanding to the contempt of the keyes, dyd continue saying Masse, and preaching, and sought not to be reconciled, Chapell deniyng that he did knowe anye such excommunication geuen out agaynst hym. Then was þ^e copy of hys excōmunication fyrst made by the byshop of Roff. afterwarde denounced by the Byshop of London at Paules Crosse, brought and red before him: and so that done, that session brake vp for that tyme, which was about the latter end of May, an. 1416.

The. xij. day of the moneth of Iuly next followyng, the sayd Chapell appeared agayne before the Archbyshop and the Prelates. To whom when it was obiected as before, how he had preached without the bishops lycence, in diuers places, as at Cobham, at Cowling, and at Shorne, at length he confessing and submitting hymselfe, desired pardon. MarginaliaRob. Chapell abiureth.Which although it was not at the fyrst graunted vnto him, yet at the last the Bishoppe of Roff. putting in hys handes the decree of the canō lawe 1. q. 7. cap. Quoties. &c. & causing him to reade the same, made him to abiure all hys former articles and opiniōs as hereticall and schismaticall, neuer to holde the same agayne, according to the contentes of the foresayde canon. Whereupon the said Robert being absolued by the autoritie of the Archbishop (saue onelye that he shoulde not intermedle wyth saying Masse, before he had bene dispensed from the Pope himselfe for his irregularitie) was inioyned by the Archbishop himself for his penāce, standing at Paules, to publish these articles followyng vnto the people, in steede of hys confession geuen hym to be red.

MarginaliaArticles obtruded to Rob. Chapell to confesse.In primis, I confesse, that Bishops, priestes, and other ecclesiasticall persons, hauing no other profession to the contrary, may lawfully haue, receaue, & reteine landes and possessions temporall, to dispense, and dispose the same and the rentes therof, to the behoufe of themselues or of their Churche where they dwell, accordyng as semeth good to them.

Item, I confesse that it were very vnlawfull, yea ra-