1576 Edition | Book 5 | Page 467 
congregation of the maisters, wish perpetuall health in the Lord. For somuch, as it is not commonly sene, that the actes and monumentes of valiant men, nor the prayse and merites of good men should be passed ouer and hidden with perpetuall silence, but that true report and fame should continually spread abroad the same in straūge and farre distant places, both for the witnesse of the same, and example of others: For somuch also as the prouident discretion of mans nature beyng recompensed with cruelty, hath deuised and ordayned this buckler and defence, agaynst such as do blaspheme and slaunder other mens doynges, that whensoeuer witnesse by word of mouth can not be present, the penne by writyng may supply the same:
[Back to Top]Hereupō it foloweth, that the speciall good will & care which we bare vnto I. Wicliffe, somtyme childe of this our vniuersitie, and professour of Diuinitie: mouyng and styrring our myndes (as his maners and conditions required no lesse) with one minde, voyce and testimony, we do witnesse all his conditions and doynges throughout his whole lyfe, to haue bene most sincere and commendable: MarginaliaGreat learning ioyned with good lyfe and godlynes. whose honest maners and conditions, profoundnesse of learnyng, & most redolent renowme and fame, we desire the more earnestly to be notified and knowen vnto all faithfull, for that we vnderstand the maturitie and rypenes of his conuersation, his diligent labours and trauailes to tend to the praise of God, the helpe and sauegarde of others, and the profite of the Church.
[Back to Top]Wherfore we signifie vnto you by these presentes, that his conuersation (euen from his youth vpwardes, vnto the tyme of his death) was so prayse worthy and honest, that neuer at any time was there any note or spot of suspition noysed of him. But in his aunsweryng, readyng, preachyng, and determinyng, he behaued himselfe laudably, and as a stoute and valiaunt champion of the fayth: vanquishyng by the force of the Scriptures, all such who by their wilfull beggery blasphemed and sclaundered Christes Religion. Neither was this sayd Doctour conuict of any heresie, either burned by our Prelates after his buriall
This passage demonstrates that while the 1406 date of the letter may or may not be genuine, it was written before Wiclif's body was exhumed and burned in 1428. Further evidence will demonstrate that the 'testimony' was written before 1411.
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Ex. 2. tomo operum I. Hußi. fol. vlt. God forbyd that our Prelates should haue condemned a man of such honesty, for an hereticke: who amōgest all the rest of our vniuersitie, had written in Logike, Philosophy, Diuinitie, Moralitie, and the Speculatiue art without peere. The knowledge of which all and singular thynges, we do desire to testifie and deliuer forth: to the intent, that the fame and renowne of this sayd Doctour, may be the more euident and had in reputacion amongest them, vnto whose handes these present letters testimoniall shall come.
In witnesse wherof, we haue caused these
our letters testimoniall to be sealed with
our common seale. Dated at Oxford in our
congregation house, the fift day of October
in the yeare of our Lord. 1406.
CloseFoxe first printed this defence of Wiclif in the Rerum (pp. 24-25) and he derived it from Johannis Hus et Hieronymi Pragensis confessorum Christi historia et monumenta, 2 vols. (Nuremburg, 1558), I, fos. 108v-109v. It originally came from a work of Hus's, defending Wiclif against the 'calumnies' of 'John' (actually Peter) Stokes, an English Carmelite, written in 1411.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe testimony & iudgement of M. Iohn Hus concerning I. Wickliffe. VErely, as I do not beleue neither graūt, that M. Iohn Wickleffe is an hereticke: so do I not deny, but firmely hope that he is no hereticke. For somuch as in all matters of doubt I ought, as neare as I can, to chuse the best part. Wherfore I surely trust, that M. I. Wickleffe is one of the nōber of them which are saued. The words of Christ moueth me therunto, saying Mathew vij. Do ye not iudge, þt ye be not iudged, and Luke the vj. Do not condēne, & ye shal not be condemned: and the wordes of the Apostle. 1. Cor. 4. Do ye not iudge before the Lord himself do come, the which shall open those thynges that are hid in darknes, to manifest the priuities of all hartes.
[Back to Top]Secondly, the loue and charitie which I ought to beare vnto my neighbour (louyng him as my selfe) doth moue me thereunto. Luke. x.
Thirdly, his good fame & report moueth me, the which he hath of the good Priestes, of the vniuersitie of Oxford, & not of the wicked, & commonly of the vulgare sorte, although not of the couetous, proude, and luxurious Prelates.
Fourthly, his owne workes and writynges do sturre me thereunto, by the which he goeth about with his whole indeuour, to reduce all men vnto the lawe of Christ, and specially the clergie: that they should forsake the pompe and dominion of thys worlde, and wyth the Apostles lead the lyfe of Christ.
Fiftly, hys owne protestations, which he doth oftentymes vse in hys sentences, often repeatyng the same, doth not a litle moue me.
Sixtly, his earnest desire and affection which he had vnto the law of Christ, doth not a litle alure me therunto, disputing of the veritie therof, the which cannot fayle in any one iote or title. Wherupon he made a booke of the veritie of the holy Scripture,MarginaliaLib. de sensu & veritate scripturæ per I.VVickleuum. approuing euen vnto the vttermost, the truth of Gods law.
[Back to Top]Wherfore it were too foolishe a consequent to say, that because the number of the prelates and clergie in England, Fraunce, and Boheme do count Iohn Wickliffe for an hereticke, that therfore he is an hereticke. &c.MarginaliaTrue iudgement standeth not vpō number and multitude. Like is the reason for burnyng of the bookes, for it is written in the first booke of the Machabees first chapter: that they did burne the bookes of the Lord, tearing them in peeces, and whosoeuer was found to haue kept any bookes of the Testament or wyll of the Lord, or the which obserued and kept the lawe of the Lord, they were by the kynges commaundement put to death. If then the burnyng of those bookes by wicked men did argue or proue the euilnesse of the bookes, then was the law of God euill and naught.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaBurning of bookes proueth not by an by an hereticke. So likewise the burnyng of S. Gregories bookes, and diuers other saintes and good men, should argue and proue that they were euill and naughty men. Wherupon as it doth not folow, that because the Byshops, Scribes and Phariseis, wyth the elders of the people, condemned Christ Iesus as an hereticke, that therfore he is an heretick: So likewise doth it not folow of any other man. The Byshops, maisters of diuinitie, monkes and prelates, condemned this man as an hereticke. Ergo, he is an hereticke.MarginaliaA false consequēt reproued by I. Chrisostome. For this cōsequēt is reproued by Iohn Chrisostome, which was twise condemned as an hereticke by the Byshops and the whole clergie. Likewise S. Gregory in hys bookes, was condemned by the Cardinals.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaIohn Duke of Lancaster defender of I. Wickliffe. By like proofe also as they affirme, M. Iohn Wickliffe to be an hereticke: Iohn Duke of Lācaster (a mā of worthy memory and progenitor of Henry King of England) should also be an heretick. For the sayd Duke defended, fauoured, and greatly loued M. Iohn Wickliffe, Ergo, þe sayd duke is or was an hereticke, the consequent is good. The Minor is well knowen vnto the English men. The Maior appearerh in the Canon, where it is sayd, he which defendeth an hereticke. &c.
[Back to Top]But these thynges set a part, I demaunde of the aduersary, whether M. Iohn Wickliff be damned for euer or no? If he say that he is damned because he is an heretike:MarginaliaI. Wickliffe proued no hereticke. I propounde thys vnto hym, whether M. Iohn Wickliffe whiles he lyued helde any false doctrine contrary to the holy Scripture: If he do affirme it, let him them shew what doctrine it is, and afterward declare that he helde it obstinatly: And he shall finde, that in hys bookes he alwayes wrote most commendable protestations agaynst obstinacie and stifneckednes. And by and by after, M. Iohn Stokes in hys Intimation, sayth, that M. Iohn Wickliffe in England, is counted for an hereticke. This seemeth also false by the letter testimoniall of the Vniuersitie of Oxford: vnto þe which there is more credite to be geuē, then vnto hym
CloseSince Hus wrote this defence in 1411, and since Hus is citing the 'testimony' from Oxford, it follows that the 'testimony' was written before 1411 and that its 1406 date may well be genuine.
CloseIf Hus is correct about this, it may indicate that the 'testimony' from Oxford was produced by English supporters of Wiclif.
Now as we haue declared the testimony of the Vniuersitie of Oxford, and of Iohn Hus, concerning the praise of Iohn Wickliffe: It foloweth lykewise, that we set forth and expresse the contrary censure and iudgementes of hys enemyes, blynded wyth malicious hatred and corrupt affections agaynst hym:MarginaliaThe councell of Constāce agoinst I. Wickliffe. especially of the Popes Councel gathered at Constance, proceedyng first in condemnyng hys bookes, then of hys articles, and afterward burnyng of his bones. The copy of which their sentence geuen agaynst him by that councell here foloweth
CloseThe list of followers of Wiclif who were persecuted after his death, is taken from John Bale's notes in the Fasciculi Zizaniorum, and was first printed in the Commentarii. Most of the material that Foxe has on Wiclif and the Council of Constance, however, was added in the Rerum. The reason for this is that Foxe acquired the two sources that he would use for this material, Ortwin Gratius's collection of documents, the Fasciculis rerum expetendarum et fugiendarum (Cologne, 1535) and Matthias Flacius's edition (anonymously edited) of Jan Hus's writings, Johannis Hus et Hieronymi Pragensis confessorum Christi Historia et Monumenta (Nuremburg, 1558), while he was in exile, working on the Rerum. Foxe would use the former for the documents coming out of the Council of Constance and the latter for Hus's defense of Wiclif's doctrines. The material in the Rerum was translated into the 1563 edition without much change, apart from the articles of Wiclif which were condemned at Constance; Foxe saw fit to emend these. In the 1570 edition this material was somewhat re-arranged and Hus's long defence of Wiclif dropped. However, Foxe did add, in this edition, articles alleged against Wiclif by the Franciscan William Woodford, a contemporary of Wiclif's at Oxford and a bitter critic of his teachings. Woodford's articles were taken from Ortwin Gratius's compilation. There was no change made to the material on Wiclif and the Council of Constance in the 1576 edition. In the 1583 edition, Hus's defense of Wiclif, which had been omitted since 1563, was reinserted into the text.
[Back to Top]Foxe's purposes in producing these documents were twofold. First of all, in many cases (and Foxe generally removed the exceptions), the teachings of Wiclif denounced as heretical, accorded reasonably well with Protestant beliefs and practices, thus helping to make the case that Protestantism was not an invention of Martin Luther's. Jan Hus's warm embrace of Wiclif's doctrines only strengthened this position. And the condemnation of Wiclif, the burning of his remains and the persecution of his followers helped establish Wiclif - somewhat against the odds - as a martyr and his enemies as members the False Church.
[Back to Top]Thomas S. Freeman
University of Sheffield
MarginaliaThe sentence of the councell of Constāce against I. Wickliffe
Foxe first printed this sentence in the Rerum (pp. 21-22) ; it was then translated and reprinted in every edition of the Acts and Monuments. Foxe was reprinting this sentence, accurately, from Ortwin Gratius, Fasciculus rerum expetendarum et fugiendarum (Cologne, 1535), fo. 150r-v.
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We are taught by the actes and histories of the holy fathers, that the catholicke fayth without the which, as the holy Apostle S. Paule saith, it is vnpossible to please God) hath alwayes bene defended by the faithfull and spirituall souldiours of the Church, by the shielde of fayth, agaynst the false worshippers of the same fayth, or rather peruerse impugners: which through their proud curiositie will seeme to know more, and to be wiser then they ought to be, & for
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