filij citra monitionem & denunciationem nostras prædictas ad nos venerunt, & se submiserunt, quos eum gratia & fauore recepimus, in hac parte ferendam, sic duximus procedendū & procedimus in hunc qui sequitur modum: Quia per acta actitata, inquisita, deducta, confessata, & probata, nec non per vehemētes & vrgentes præsumptiones, & indicia perspicua conperimus luculenter & inuenimus dictum Richardum Hune crimine hereticæ prauitatis multipliciter irretitum, atq̀ hereticum fuisse & esse, nonnullasq; opiniones & assertiones detestabiles & hereses damnatas, dum in humanis agebat & vitales caperet auras, affirmasse, proposuisse, & recitasse, librisq̀ suspectis & de iure damnatis, & nonnnllas hereses pestiferas in se cōtinentibus vsum fuisse, receptisq̀, admißis & examinatis testibus per commissarios ad hoc deputatos de & super impenitentia finali partinacia & obitu dicti Richardi Hune: Idcirco nos Richardus Episcopus antedictus, seruatis seruandis (prout in tali negotio postulat ordo iuris) dicti Richardi Hune impenitentia ac finali Marginalia* What finall obstinacie was in hym, when you say before by hys owne hand writyng that he submitted himselfe to the bishops fauorable correction?* obstinatia & pertinacia, per euidētia signa testibus legitimis vehementißimis & violentis presumptionibus comprobatis, prout iam coram nobis legitime extitit facta fides, edicto apud crucem diui Pauli, die dominico vltimo preterito, ad audiendum & per nos ferendum sententiam, ad hunc diem per nos publice facto & proposito. Propterea de huius venerabilis cetus (videlicet Reuerendorum patrum, Dominorū Thomæ Dunelmensis, & Willihelmi Lyncolniensis, ac Iohannis Calipolensis Episcoporum, necnon in sacra theologia, decretorum, & legum doctorum, & cleri, atq̀ proborum & venerabilium virorum Domini Maioris, Aldermanorū & vicecomitū Ciuitatis London. & populi hic cōgregatorum, & nobis in hac parte aßidentium & aßistentium, consensu assensu & consilio, eundem Richardum Hune diuersarum heresum libris dum vixit vsum fuisse, ac notorium & pertinacem impenitentem hereticum fuisse, ac in heresi deceßisse, atq; conscientia criminis & metu futuræ sententiæ amino pertinaci & impenitenti corde indura to obijsse & deceßisse, præmissorūq; prætextu de iure excōmunicatū fuisse et esse, atq̀ in excōmunicatione huiusmodi deceßiße ipsuisq̀ receptatores, fautores, defensores, & credentes etiam in genere de iure excōmunicatos, atque sententia maioris excōmunicationis innodatos & inuolutos fuisse & esse pronunciamus decernimus, & declaramus: ipsum Richardum Hune & libros suos hereticos de iure dānatos, suamq̀, ac librorum ipsorum memoriam in detestationem & damnationem sceleris & criminis huiusmodi condemnamus: dictumq; Richardum Hune (ob premissa, ecclesiastica carere debere sepultura sentenciamus, etiam pronunciamus, decernimus & declaramus, & in foro ecclesistico tanq̃ membrū putridum proijcimus, corpusque suū & ossa brachio & potestati seculari relinquimus & cōmittimus: iuxta & secundū canonicas & legittimas sāctiones, cōsuetudinesque laudabiles in Regno Angliæ ab antiquo vsitatas & obseruatas, in opprobrium sempiternū & detestationem criminis nephandißimi predicti, ad eternamque huius rei memoriā, ceterorūque Christi fidelium metum atque terrorem, per hanc nostram sententiam siue finale decretum, quam siue quod ferimus & promulgamus in hijs scriptis.

Notwithstandyng after all this tragicall & cruell handlyng of the dead bodye, with their faire & colerable shew of Iustice, yet the enquest no whyt stayed their diligent searchyng out the true cause and meanes of his death: In so muche that when they had bene diuers tymes called both before the kynges priuie counsaile (his maiesty him selfe beyng some tyme present) and also before the chief iudges and iustices of this Realme, and that the matter beyng by them throughly examined and perceaued to be much bolstered and borne withall by the clergie, was agayne wholy remitted vnto their determination and endyng: they found by good proufe and sufficient euidence, MarginaliaD Horsey Chauncelor, Charles Ioseph and Spaldyng, murderers of Rychard Hun.that Doctour Horsey the Chauncelour, Charles Ioseph the Sumner, and Iohn Spaldyng the Belrynger had priuilye and maliciously committed this murther, and therfore indicted them all three as wilfull murtherers. Howbeit throughe the earnest sute of the Byshop of London vnto Cardinall Wolsey (as appeareth by hys letters hereafter mencioned) meanes was found, that the nexte Sessions of Gayle deliuery, the kyngs Attorney pronoūced the indictement agaynst D. Horsey to be false and vntrue: & hym not to bee giltie of the murther. Who beyng then thereby deliuered in body, hauyng yet in hym selfe a giltie conscience, gat hym vnto Exceter, and durste neuer after for shame come agayn vnto London. But now that the truth of all this matter may seme more manifest and playne vnto all mens eyes, here shall folowe worde by worde, the whole enquiry and verdict of the enquest exhibited by them vnto the Crowner of London, so geuen vp and signed with his owne hande.

MarginaliaThe verdict of the inquest.THe fift and the sixt day of December, in the sixt yeare of the reigne of our soueraigne Lord kyng Henry the eight, William Barnewell Crowner of London, the day and yeare aboue said, within the warde of Castelbaynerd of London assembled a quest, whose names afterwarde doo appeare, and hath sworne them truly to enquire of the death of one Richard Hunne, whiche lately was founde dead in the Lollardes tower within Paules Churche of London: wherupon all we of the Inquest together went vp into the sayd tower, where we founde the body of the sayd Hunne, hāgyng vpon a staple of yron in a gyrdell of silke, with fayre countenaunce, his head fayre kemmed, and his bonet right sittyng vpon his head, with his eyen and mouth fayre closed, without any staryng, gapyng, or frownyng, also without any driuelyng or spurgyng in any place of his body, wherupon by one assēt all we agreed to take downe the deade bodye of the sayde Hunne, and as soone as we began to heue the body, it was loose, whereby by good aduisement we perceiued that the gyrdell had no knot about the staple, but it was double cast, and the linkes of an yron chayne whiche did hange on the same staple, were layde vpon the same gyrdle wherby he dyd hange: also the knot of the gyrdle that went about his neck, stode vnder his left eare, whiche caused hys head to leane toward hys right shoulder. Notwithstandyng there came out of his nostrels two smale streames of bloud to the quantitie of foure droppes. Saue onely these foure droppes of bloud, the face, lippes, chinne, doublet, coller, and shyrt of the said Hūne, was cleane from any bloud. Also we finde that the skynne both of hys necke and throte beneath the gyrdell of silke, was freat and faled awaye, with that thyng whiche the murtherers had broken hys necke withall. Also the handes of the sayd Hunne were wroōg in the wristes, wherby we perceiued that his handes had bene boūd.

Moreouer we find that within þ^e sayd prison was no mean wherby any man might hang himself, but only a stoole, which stole stode vpō a bolster of a bed, so tickle that any mā or beast might not touch it so litle but it was redy to fal. Wherby we perceiued that it was not possible that Hunne might hange him selfe the stole so stāding. Also all the gyrdle from the staple to his necke, as wel as the part whiche went about his neck, was to litle for his head to come out thereat. Also it was not possible that the soft silken girdle should breake his necke or skinne beneath the girdle. Also we finde in a corner somewhat beyonde the place where hee did hange, a greate percell of bloud. Also we finde vpon the left side of Hunnes Iacket frō the brest downeward. ii. great streames of bloud. Also within the flappe of the left side of his Iacket, we finde a great cluster of bloud and the Iacket folden downe thereupon: which thyng the sayd Hunne could neuer fold nor do after he was hanged. Wherby it appeareth playnly to vs all that the necke of Hunne was broken, and the great plenty of bloud was shed before he was hāged. Wherefore all we finde by God and all our consciences that Richard Hunne was murthered. Also wee acquite the sayd Richard Hunne of his onwe death.

Also ther was an end of a waxe cādel, which as Iohn Belringer saith, he left in the prison burnyng with Hunne that same Sonday atnight that Hunne was murthered, which waxe candel we found stickyng vpon the stockes fayre put out, about seuen or eight foote from the place where Hunne was hanged, whiche candell after our opinion was neuer put out by hym for manye lykelyhodes whiche we haue perceiued. Also at the goyng vp of Maister Chaūceller into the Lollards tower, we haue good proofe that there lay on the stockes a gowne either of murrey or crimosin in graine, furred with shankes. Whose gown it was we could neuer proue, neither who bare it away. All we find that Maister William Horsey Chaunceller to my Lord of London, hath had at hys cōmaundemēt both the rule and guidyng of the sayd prisoner. Moreouer, all we finde that the sayd Maister Horsey Chaunceller hath put Charles Ioseph out of his office, as the sayd Charles hath confessed, because he would not deale and vse the sayd prisoner so cruelly, and do to hym as the Chaunceller would haue had hym to do. Notwithstandyng the deliueraunce of the keyes to the Chaunceller by Charles on the Saterday at night before Hunnes death, & Charles ryding out of the towne on that Sonday in the mornyng ensuyng, was but a conuention made betwixte Charles and the Chaūceller for to colour the murther. For the same Sonday that Charles roade fourth, he came agayne to the towne at night, and killed Richarde Hunne, as in the depositions of Iulian Littell, Thomas Chitcheley, Thomas Simondes, and Peter Turney doth appeare.

After colouryng of the murther betwixt Charles and the Chaūceller conspired, the Chaūceller called to hym one Iohn Spaldyng belringer of Paules, and deliuered to the same belrynger the keyes of the Lolardes tower, geuyng to the said belringer a greate charge, saying: I charge thee to keepe Hunne more straytely that he hath bene kept, and let hym haue but one meale a day. Moreouer I charge thee, let no body come to him without my lycēce, neither to bryng hym shyrt, cappe, kerchieffe, or any other thyng, but that I see it before it come to hym. Also before Hunne was caryed to Fulham, the Chaunceller commaūded to be put vpon Hunnes necke a great coller of yron with a great chayne, whiche is to heauy for any man or beast to weare, and long to endure.