much as it was geuen you before: that hereafter we may know effectually by your diligence, what zeale your deuotion beareth vnto the Catholike fayth, and to the conseruyng of the ecclesiasticall honour, and also to the execution of their pastorall office. ¶ Geuen at Rome, at S. Peters the
xv. Kalendes of October, the 6.
yere of our bishoplike dignitie.  

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MarginaliaThe popes wylde Bull let loose against the seruanutes of Christ. TO our welbeloued sonne in Christ, Richard the noble kyng of England, we send greeting. &c.  

It greueth vs frō the bottome of our hartes, and our holy mother the church in all places through Christendome lamenteth. We vnderstand that there be certayne heresies sprong, and do without any cōdigne restraint raunge at their owne libertie, to the seducing of the faythfull people, and do euery day with ouermuch libertie enlarge their vndiscrite boundes. But howe much the more carefully we labour for the preseruation both of you and your famous kyngdome, and also the sinceritie of the fayth: and do with more ardent desire couet, that the prosperous state of the same should be preserued and enlarged: the sting of greater sorow doth so muche the more penetrate and molest vs, MarginaliaAlack good hart what sorow the pope taketh. for as much as we see (alas the while) in our time, and vnder the regall presidence of your most christian gouernment: a certayn crafty & hairbrain sect of false Christians, in the same your kingdome, to grow and increase, which call themselues the poore men of the treasury of Christ and his disciples, & whom the common people by a more sounder name call Lollardes (as a man would say withered darnell) accordyng as their sinnes require: & perceiue, that they waxe strong, & as it were preuayle against the diocesanes of some places, and other gouernours as they mete together not courageously addressing themselues against them as they ought to do (wherof chiefly and not vndeseruedly I geue them admonition) for what they take therby the more bolder presumption and stomack among the vnlearned people. And for as much as these whō we cannot call men, but the damnable shadowes or ghostes of men, do rise vp agaynst the sound fayth, and holy vniuersall church of Rome: and that very many of them being indifferently learned, which (to the confusion & eternal damnation of some of them) they gat sitting vpon their mothers lap the sayd Church of Rome: MarginaliaAs though no learning were but in the church of Rome. doe rise vp or inueye against the determination of the holy fathers, with to much presumptious boldnes, to the subuersion of the whole ecclesiasticall order and estate: Haue not bene afrayd, nor are not yet afrayd, publikely to preach, very many erroneous detestable, and hereticall articles, for that they are not put to silence, reproued, driuen out, rooted out or otherwise punished, by any that hath authoritie and the feare and loue of God. MarginaliaThe dragon here spouteth out hys floudes of water to drowne the Christians. And also they are not afrayd, openly to write the same articles, and so beyng written, to deliuer them to your kingly parliament, and obstinately to affirme the same. The venemous and disdainfull recitall of which articles, vpon good aduisement at this present we passe ouer: lest the sufferance of such sensualitie, might fortune to renue the wound that reason may heale. Yet notwithstanding, least so great and contagious an euill should escape vnpunished, and that with out deserued vexation, and also that it might not gette more hart and waxe stronger: we therfore (according to that our office and duetie is, where such negligence and sluggishnes of our prelates beyng present, where this thing is) do commit and geue in commaundement to our reuerend brethren, Canterbury, and Yorke, Archbishops by other our letters: that they stand vp in the power of God agaynst this pestilent and contagious sect, and that they liuely persecute the same in forme of law: roote out and destroy those, that aduisedly and obstinately refuse to withdraw their foote frō the same stumbling block, any restraint to the contrary notwithstanding. MarginaliaBeholde the spirit of the popes meke holynes. But because the assistaunce, counsaile, fauor, and ayde of your kingly estate and highnes, are requisite to the execution of the premisses: we require, exhorte, and besech the same your princely highnes, by the bowels of the mercy of Iesus Christ, MarginaliaThe bowels of Iesus Christ be full of mercy: the bowels of the pope full of tyranny. by his holy fayth, by your owne saluation, by the benefit that to all men is common, and by the prosperitie assured to euery man and woman: that not onely your kingly seueritie may readily shew and cause to be shewed vnto our Archbishops and their Commissaries (in this behalfe requiring the foresayd due execution) conuenient ayd and fauour, as otherwise also to cause them to be as sisted: But that also you will enioyne your Magistrates and Iustices of assise, & peace more straightly, that of their owne good wils, they execute the authoritie commited vnto thē, with all seueritie against such damned men, accordyng as they are bounde by the office which they are put in trust with: Against those I meane, which haue determined obstinately to defile thēselues in their malice and sinnes, those to expell, banish, and imprison, and there so long to keepe them: till condigne sentence shal pronounce them worthy to suffer punishment. For your kingly wisdome seeth, that such as they be, do not onely deceiue poore simple soules (or at the least do what they can to deceiue thē) but also bring their bodies to destruction, and further prepare confusion & ruinous fall vnto their temporall Lordes. Go to therfore my sweete sonne, and indeuour your self to worke so in this matter, as vndoubtedly we trust you will: MarginaliaHelpe the pope at the pinch: or els he is like to take a fall. that as this firebrand (burning and flaming ouer sore) began vnder your president or gouernment: so vnder your seuere iudgement and vertuous diligence, might, fauour, and ayde: not one sparke remayne hid vnder the ashes, but that it be vtterly extinguished and spedely put out.

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¶ Geuen at our palace of S. Peter at
Rome, the. xv. Calendes of Octo-
ber, in the sixt yeare of our pontifi-
calitie.  

RIchard by the grace of God, kyng of England, and of Fraunce, and Lord of Ireland. To all those vnto whome these present letters shall come,  

greting. Knowe ye, that where as lately at the instaūce of the reuerend father William Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitane of all England, and Legate of the Apostolical seat: we for the redresse and amendemēt of all those which would obstinatly preach or mayntayne, publiquely, or priuely, any conclusions of the holy Scripture, repugnant to the determination of our holy mother the Church, & notoriously redounding to the subuersion of the Catholique faith, or contayning any heresie or errour, within the prouince or bishopricke of Cāterbury: Haue by our speciall letters pattēts, in the zeale of the faith, geuen authoritie & licence vnto the foresayd Archbyshop & to all and singular his suffraganes, to arest all and euery of them that will preach or maintaine any such cōclusions, wheresoeuer they may be founde, and to cōmit them eyther to their owne prisons or any others at their owne pleasure: and to keepe thē in the same, vntill they repēt thē of the errours and prauities of those heresies: or till that, of such maner of arestes, by vs or by our counsaile it should be otherwise determined, that is to say, to euery one of them & their ministers throughout their cities & diocese. And now the reuerēd father in god Iohn B. of Herford, MarginaliaThe hoat complayning charity of the B. of Herford. hath for a certaintye informed vs: that although the same B. hath according to iustice MarginaliaW. Swinderby and Steuen Bel complayned of to the kyng. cōuinced a certain felow named W. Swinderby, pretending himself to be a chaplaine, & one Stephē Bell a learned mā, and hath pronounced them heretikes and excommunicate, and false informers amongst the commō people, and hath declared the same by the definitie sentence of the aforesaid bishop for that they haue presumed to affirme and preach openly in diuers places within the diocesse of Herford, many conclusions or naughty opinions notoriously redoundyng to the subuersion of the Catholike sound fayth, and tranquillitie of our kyngdome. The same Byshop notwithstanding, neither by the ecclesiasticall censures, neither yet by the force and strength of our commission was able, to reuoke the foresaid William and Stephen, nor yet to bridle the malice and indurate contumacie of them: For that they, after that they were vpon such hereticall prauitie conuict by the same bishop (to the intent they might delude his iudgement and iustice) conueyed themselues by and by, vnto the borders of Wales, with such as were their factours and accomplices, in kepyng themselues close, vnto whom the force of our said letters doth in no wise extend. Whereupon, the sayd bishop hath made supplication vnto vs, that we wil vouchsafe to prouide a sufficient remedy in that behalfe. We therfore which alwayes (by the helpe of almighty God) are defendours of the fayth, willing to withstande such presumptuous and peruerse enterprises by the most safest way and meanes we may: MarginaliaFurioso ne committas gladium. geue and commit full power and authoritie to the foresayde bishop and to his ministers, by the tenour of these presentes, to arest or take, or cause to be arested or taken, the foresayd William and Steuen, in any place within the Citie and dioces of Hereford and our dominion of Wales, with all the speede that may be, and to cōmit thē either to our prison or els to the prison of the same

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