tyng, & preachyng. The principal poynts of his doctrine were these, which he was forced to recāt at Cāterbury.

That men should seeke for the forgeuenes of their sinnes onely at the handes of God.

That the wicked liuyng of the Pope and his holines, is nothyng els but a diuelishe estate & heuy yoke of antichrist, & therfore he is an enemy vnto christes truth.

That men ought not to worship Images or other Idolatrous paintynges.

That men ought not to worship þ^e holy men which are dead.

MarginaliaThe Romishe church aptly resēbled to the cursed fygge tree.That the Romish church is the fygge tree whiche the Lorde Christ hath accursed, because it hath brought forth no fruite of the true beliefe.

That such as waire coules, or be annointed & shorne, are the launceknightes and souldiours of Lucifer: and þ^t they all, because their lampes are not burning, shall be shut out when as the Lord Christ shall come.

Vpon which articles he beyng attached at Canterbury vnder the archbishop Henry Chichesley in the yeare of our Lorde. 1424. there for a certaine space stoutly and manlye witnessed the truthe whiche he had preached: but lyke as there he lost his courage and strength, so afterward he became againe much more stouter and stronger in Iesu Christ & cōfessed hys own errour & offence. For after this he going into Norfolke w^t his sayd wyfe Ioane, and there occupying hym self busely in teaching and conuerting the people vnto the true doctrine of Christ, at the last by meanes of the kings letters sent downe for that entent and purpose, he was apprehended and taken and brought before VVilliam byshop of Norvviche, by whom he was conuicte and condemned of xxx. articles and there was burned in Norvviche, in the moneth of September, an. 1424.

Commentary on the Woodcuts     Close

William White was a Wycliffite priest whose influence has largely to be deduced from the evidence of his followers, chiefly those whose trials in the diocese of Norwich are recorded for 1428-31. He is known to have been active also in Kent, and both he and his 'wife' Joan seem to have been effective proselytisers, and to have left groups of supporters in the Tenterden area of Kent as well as East Anglia. The surviving record of White's trial in provides evidence of the views he taught and for which he was condemned in 1428 and burned at Norwich. At least one of his disciples, Margery Baxter, was present at his burning and reported his final attempt to preach being stopped by a blow on his lips. It appears from Foxe's account that he had access not only to the Norwich heresy trial records, which we still have, but also to evidence that no longer survives, which somewhat fleshes out the account of White and his companion preacher, Hugh Pye. Foxe stated that White's wife had 'suffred much trouble & punishment' that year for sharing her husband's beliefs. Her fate remains unrecorded. The woodcut used to illustrate White in the first edition was a repetition of that used for Sir Roger Acton, with the text in the bandarole changed to 'O Lord receive my soul'. This was one of the misfitting set of blocks that were replaced in 1570, when White was represented by one of the new set of small single-column cuts.

This VVilliam VVhite and his wyfe, had his most abode wyth one Thomas Moone of Lodney. This man was of so deuout and holy lyfe, þ^t all the people had hym in great reuerence, and desired him to pray for them: in somuch that one Margaret VVright confessed, that if any sainctes were to be prayed to, she would rather pray to him then to any other. MarginaliaThe byshops man smyteth him on the mouth, exhorting the people.When he was come vnto the stake thinkyng to open hys mouthe to speake vnto the people, to exhort and confirme them in the veritie, one of the bishops seruantes stroke him on the mouth, therbyto force hym to keepe silence. And thus this good mā receyuyng the crowne of martyrdom, ended this mortal life to the greate dolour & griefe of all the good men of Norfolke. Whose sayd wyfe Ioane, followyng her husbandes footesteps accordyng to her power, teachyng & sowyng abroad þ^e same doctryne, confyrmed many mē in Gods truth: wherfore she suffred much trouble & punishment þ^e same yere at the handes of the sayde bishop.

MarginaliaFather Abrahā. W. Wadden priest martyrs and burned.About the same time also was burned father Abraham of Colchester, and Iohn Waddon Priest, for the lyke articles.

Cōcerning them, which abiured, how and by whom they were examined, what depositions came in agaynst them, and what was the order and maner of the penāce enioyned thē, here it might be set out at large: but for auoyding of prolixitie, it shall be sufficiēt briefly to touch certayne of the principals, whereby the better vnderstanding maye be geuen to the Reader, after what manner and order all the other were intreated.

First, amongest them which were arrested and caused to abiure in thys yeare afore specified. 1428. was Thomas Pie and Iohn Mendhā of Aldborough, who being conuict vpon diuers of the articles before mentioned, were enioyned penaunce to bee done in theyr owne parish Churche, as by the bishops letter directed to the Deane of Rhodenhall, and the parish Priest of Aldborough, doth more at large appeare, the tenour whereof here ensueth.

MarginaliaA letter of the Byshop of Norwyche.WIlliam by the sufferance of god bishop of Norwich, to our welbeloued Sonnes in Christe the Deane of Rhodenhall of our dioces, & to the parish priest of the parish church of Aldborough of þ^e same our dioces, health, grace, and benediction. For so much as we, according to our office lawfully proceding to the correction and amēdment of the soules of Thomas Pye & Iohn Mendam of Alborough of the dioces aforesaid, because they haue holden, beleued & affirmed, diuers and many errors and heresies, contrary to the determination of the holy church of Rome, and the vniuersall church and catholike fayth, haue enioyned the sayde Thomas and Iohn appearing before vs personallye, and confessing before vs iudicially, that they haue holden, beleued and affirmed, diuers and manye errours and heresies, this penaunce hereunder written for theyr offences to bee done and fulfylled in manner, forme and tyme hereunder written, accordyng as iustice doth requyre, MarginaliaThe maner of the popes penaunce.that is to say, syxe sustigations or displings about the parish church of Alborough aforesayd, before a solemne procession, sixe seuerall sondayes, and three displynges aboute the market place of Harelston of our sayde dioces, three pryncipall market dayes, bare necked, head, legs, and feete, theyr bodies being couered onely with their shiertes and breches, eyther of them carying a taper in his hād of a poūd waight, as well round about the Churche, as about the market place, in euery of the foresayd appoynted dayes, which tapers, the last sonday after their penāce finished, we wyll that the sayd Iohn and Thomas doo humblye and deuoutly offer vnto the highe aultar of the paryshe church of Alborough at þ^e time of the offertory of the hye Masse the same day, and that either of them going about the market place aforesayd, shall make foure sentral pauses or stayes, and at euery of those same pauses, humbly and deuoutly receiue at your handes three displynges: Therefore we straightly charge and command you and eyther of you, ioyntly and seuerally by vertue of your obedience, that euery sonday and market day, after the recepte of our present commaundement, you doe effectually admonish and bring forth the sayd Thomas Pye and Iohn Mendam to begin their sayd penance, and so successiuely to finish the same in maner and forme afore appoynted. But if they wyll not obey your monitions, or rather our commaundementes in thys behalfe, and begin and finish their sayd penaunce effectuallye, you, or one of you shall cite them peremptorilie, that they or eyther of them appeare before vs or our Commissarye, in the chappell of our palace at Norwych, the. xii. day after the citatiō so made, if it be a courtday, or els þ^e next court day following, to declare if they or any of them haue any