1576 Edition | Book 5 | Page 560 
wonder at the portent therof: not lōg after the same, a Parliament began to be called & to be holden after the feast of Easter, at Westminster an. 1413. MarginaliaA synode called at London.At which tyme, Thomas Arundell the ArchbisChurche at London, an vniuersall Synode of all the bishops and clergie of England. In that Synode among other weyghty matters and ponderous, was determined: MarginaliaS. George and S. Dunstanes day made double feast.that the day of S. George, and also of S. Dunstane should be double feast, called Duplex festum in holy Kitchyng, in holy Church I would say.
[Back to Top]And because the order and maner of those Pope holy feastes, either yet is not sufficiently knowen to some rude & grosse capacities, or may peraduēture growe out of vse, and to be straūge and vnknowen to our posteritie hereafter: Therfore to geue a litle memorandum thereof (by the waye for erudition, of tymes hereafter to come) touchyng this misticall science of the Popes deepe and secrete diuinitie: MarginaliaThe feast of the popes church, described & deuidedhere is to be noted, that the feastes of the Popes holy mother Catholique Church, be diuided in sondry members: Like as a plētifull roote in a frutefull field riseth vp and burgeneth into manifold armes, and the armes agayne do multiplie into diuers and sondry braunches, out of the which moreouer although no frute do come, yet both leaues and flowers do bud & blossome in most copious wise, right beautifull to behold: MarginaliaFestum duplex.
Principale duplex.
Maius duplex.
Minus duplex.
Inferius duplex.Euen so this Festum, cōteinyng a lardge matter of great varietie of dayes and feastes, groweth in it selfe & multiplieth, beyng thus diuided: first into Festum duplex; and into Festū simplex, that is into feast double, and to feast simple. Agayne, this Festum duplex brauncheth foure fold wise, to wit, into Festum principale duplex: into Maius duplex: into Minus duplex, & inferius duplex, that is, in principall double, in greater double, in lesser double, & inferiour or lower double. Vnto these seuerall sortes of feastes, what dayes were peculiarly assigned, it were to lōg to recite. For this present purpose it shall suffice to vnderstand: MarginaliaConstitution against councell.
Ex tab. festerum.that as vnto the principall double feast onely belonged viij. dayes in the yeare: so the Maius duplex festum, had geuen vnto him by this conuocation, the day of S. George, and of S. Dunstane, as is afore remembred: albeit by constitution it was so decred, yet by custome it was not so vsed. Item, to be noted, that these two feasts, to witte, Principale duplex, and Maius duplex, dyd differ and were knowen from all other by foure notes, by seruice in the kitching, and by seruice in the Church, which was both double: by ringyng in the steple, which was with double peale: by copes in the quier, and by thurifyeng or censing the aultars. For in these two principall & greater double feastes, the vij. viij. and ix. lesson must be read with silken copes. Also at the sayd feastes in the time of the lessons, the aultars in the church must be thurified, that is, smoked with incense, &c. And likewise the Minus duplex, & Inferius duplex had also their peculiar seruice to them belongyng.
MarginaliaSimplex festum in the popes Church.Secondly the Simplex festum, which is the second arme springyng of this diuision, is thus diuided: Either hauyng a triple inuitorie, or a double, or els a single inuitorie. Of the which moreouer, some haue three lessons, some haue ix. &c.
And thus much by occasion for Popish feastes, not that I do so much deride them, as I lament, that somuch & manifest Idolatry in them is committed to the great dishonour of our Lord our God, which is onely to be honoured.
MarginaliaThe trouble of the Lord Cobham.
Ex chron. Monac. Albanensis.BVt to let this by matter passe, agayn to returne to the foresayd vniuersall Synode assembled by Thomas Arundell at S. Paules church in London, as is before remembred:
CloseFoxe's first account of Sir John Oldcastle came in the Commentarii (fos. 90v-107v). Apart from praise of Oldcastle, this material consisted of the process against Oldcastle which was described in a letter from Archbishop Arundel to the bishop of London, which was contained in the Fasciculi Zizaniorum (Bodley Library MS Musaeo e 86, fos. 101v-105v). In the Rerum (pp. 100-106), Foxe reprinted this material, adding material from Fabyan's chronicle on Oldcastle's confrontations with the clergy before his revolt. (See Robert Fabyan, The Chronicle of Fabian [London, 1559], STC 10664, p. 390). It is interesting that Foxe apparently did not have access to John Bale's Brief Chronicle, a hagiography of Oldcastle, during his exile. He remedied this in his first edition. There he replaced the account of Oldcastle in his Latin martyrologies with a reprinting of all of Bale's Brief Chronicle, except for the preface and the conclusion. (See John Bale, A brefe chronycle concernyng the examination and death of the blessed martir of Christ sir Johan Oldcastel [London, 1548?], STC 1278, B3r-G2v). Foxe also added a brief account of Arundel's death, which was taken from John Bale's Catalogus (p. 577). In 1570, Foxe reprinted this material but with a few changes. He dropped the beginning of Bale's Brief Chronicle and replaced it with an account of the 1413 Convocation drawn from College of Arms MS Arundel 7, a version of Thomas Walsingham's Chronica majora. (See Thomas Walsingham, Historia Anglicana, ed. H. T. Riley, 2 vols., Rolls Series 28 [London, 1863-4], II, p. 291). Foxe also deleted some of the more sharply anticlerical passages in the Brief Chronicle. The 1570 version of the account of Oldcastle was repeated without change.in the 1576 and 1583 editions.
[Back to Top]Thomas S. Freeman
University of Sheffield
In the meane tyme, as these were in talke amongest thē, concernyng the good Lord Cobham: resorted vnto them the twelue Inquisitours of heresies (whom they had appointed at Oxford the yeare afore, to search out heretikes, with all Wickliffes bookes) who brought ij. hundreth and. xlvi. conclusions, which they had collected as heresies out of the said bookes. MarginaliaWalden in fasciculo. Zizarniorum Wicleui.The names of the sayde Inquisitours were these.
[Back to Top]| 1 Iohn VVitnam, a maister in the new College. | |
| 2 Iohn Langedon, Monke of Christ church in Cant. | |
| 3 VVilliam Vfford, regent of the Carmelites. | |
| 4 Thomas Claxton, regent of the Dominickes. | |
| 5 Robert Gylbert. | 9 Richard Flemming. |
| 6 Richard Earthisdale. | 10 Thomas Rotborne. |
| 7 Iohn Lucke. | 11 Robert Ronbery. |
| 8 Richard Snedisham. | 12 Richard Grafdale. |
These thynges thus done, & the Articles beyng brought in: further they proceded in their communication, cōcludyng amōg themselues, that it was not possible for them to make whole Christes coate wythout seame (meaning thereby their patched Popish sinagog) vnlesse certaine great men wer brought out of the way whiche semed to be the chief maintainers of the said disciples of Wickleffe. Among whō this noble knight sir Iohn Oldcastle the Lord Cobham, was complayned of by the general proctours, to bee the chief principall. MarginaliaThe L. Cobham accused for maintayning the Gospell of Christ.Him they accused first for a mighty maintainer of suspected preachers in the Dioces of London, Rochester, and Hereford, contrary to the myndes of their Ordinaries. Not onely they affirmed him to haue sent thether the sayd preachers, but also to haue assisted them there by force of armes, notwithstandyng their Sinodall constitution made afore to the contrary. MarginaliaThe L. Cobham accused for his Christen beleue.Last of all, they accused hym, that he was farre otherwise in beliefe of the Sacrament of the aultar, of penaunce, of pilgrimage, of image worshippyng and of the Ecclesiasticall power, then the holy Churche of Rome had taught many yeares before.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaProcesse against him.In the end it was concluded amōg them, that without any further delay, processe should be awarded out agaynst him, as agaynst a most pernitious hereticke.
MarginaliaA spirituall practise.Some of that felowshyp which were of more crafty experiēce then the other: thought it not best to haue that matter so rashly handled, but by some preparation made thereunto before. Consideryng the sayd Lord Cobham was a man of great byrth, and in fauour at that tyme with the K: their counsaile was to know first the kyngs mynde, to saue all thinges vpright. This counsaile was well accepted, and therupon the Archbyshop Thomas Arundell with his other byshops, and a great part of the Clergy, went straight wayes vnto the kyng, then remayning at Keningston. And there, layd forth most greuous cōplayntes against the sayd Lord Cobham, to his great infamie and blemish, beyng a man right godly. MarginaliaThe king speaketh for him.The king gently heard those bloud thirsty Prelates, and farre otherwise then became his princely dignitie: not withstandyng requiryng, and instauntly desiryng them, that in respect of his noble stock and knighthode, they should yet fauourably deale with him. And that they would if it were possible, without all rigour or extreme handlyng, reduce him agayne to the Churches vnitie. MarginaliaHis gentle promise.He promised them also, that incase they were not contented to take some deliberatiō, his selfe would seriously common the matter with him.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe Kings admonishemēt to the L. Cobham.Anone after, the kyng sent for the sayd Lord Cobham. And as he was come, he called him secretly, admonishyng him betwixt hym and him, to submit himselfe to hys mother the holy Church, and as an obedient child, to acknowledge himselfe culpable. Vnto whom the Christen knight made this aunswer: MarginaliaThe aunswere of the L. Cobham to the kyng.You most worthy Prince, saith he, I am alwayes prompt and willyng to obey, for somuch as I know you a Christē king, and the appointed minister of God bearyng the sword to the punishment of euil doers, and for safegard of them that be vertuous. MarginaliaRom. 13.
1 Pet. 23
Lorde Cobham obedient to the kinge.Vnto you (next my eternall God) owe I my whole obedience, and submit thereunto (as I haue done euer) all that I haue, either of fortune or nature, ready at all tymes to fulfyll whatsoeuer ye shal in that Lord, commaund me. But as touchyng the Pope and his spiritualtie, I owe them neither sute nor seruice, for somuch as I know him by the Scriptures to be the great Antichrist, the sonne of perditiō, the open aduersary of God, and the abhomination standyng in the holy place. MarginaliaA moste christen obedience.
2 Thess. 2.
Math. 24.
The Lord Cobham forsakē of the king.When the king had heard this, with such like sentēces more, he would talk no longer with him, but left him so vtterly.
And as the Archbyshop resorted agayne vnto him for an aūswer, he gaue him his full authoritie to cite him, examine him, & punish him accordyng to their diuelish decrees, which they called the lawes of holy Church. Then the sayd Archbyshop by the counsaile of his other Byshops & Clergy, appointed to cal before him sir Iohn Oldcastle the Lord Cobham, and to cause him personally to appeare, to aunswere to such suspect Articles as they should lay agaynst him. MarginaliaLord Cobham sommoned by the Archb.So sent he forth his chief Sommoner, with a very sharpe citation vnto the Castle of Cowlyng, where as he at that tyme dwelt for his solace. And as the sayd Sommoner was come thether, he durst in no case enter the gates of so
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