ship the crosse of Christe, that he dyed vpon?

Where is it, sayd the Lord Cobham?

The frier sayd. I put you the case sir, that it were here euen now before you?

MarginaliaThe crosse whether it is to be worshipped.The Lord Cobham aunswered. This is a great wyse man, to put me an earnest question of a thyng, & yet he hym selfe knoweth not where the thing it selfe is. Yet once againe aske I you what worship I should do vnto it?

A clerke sayd vnto him. Such worship as Paul speaketh of, and that is this. God forbid that I should ioy, but onely in the crosse of Iesu Christ.MarginaliaGalat. 6.

Then sayd the Lord Cobham and spread his armes abroad. This is a very crosse, yea, & so much better then your crosse of wood, in that it was created of God. Yet will not I seke to haue it worshipped.

Then sayd the B. of London. Sir, ye wot well that he dyed on a materiall crosse.MarginaliaThe materiall crosse is not materiall to our fayth.

The Lord Cobham sayd. Yea, and I wot also that our saluation came not in by that materiall crosse, but alone by hym which dyed therupon. MarginaliaWhat it is to reioyse, in the crosse of Christ.And well I wot, that holy S. Paule reioyced in none other crosse, but in Christes passion and death onely, and in his own sufferinges of lyke persecution with him, for the same selfe veritie that he had suffred for afore:

Another clerke yet asked hym. Will ye then do none honour to the holy crosse.

He aunswered hym. Yes, if he were myne, I would lay hym vp honestly, and see vnto hym that he should take nor more scathe abroad, nor be robbed of hys goods as he is now a dayes.

Then sayd the Archb. vnto hym. Sir Iohn, ye haue spoken here many wonderful wordes to the slaunderous rebuke of the whole spiritualty: MarginaliaSlaundered with the truth.geuyng a great euill example vnto the common sort here, to haue vs in the more disdain.MarginaliaThese men seeme to stand onely vpon their estimation amongest the people. Much tyme haue we spent here about you, and all in vayne so far as I can see. Wel, wee must be now at this short point with you, for the day passeth away: ye must either submitte your self to the ordinance of holy church, or els throwe your selfe (no remedy) into most depe danger. See to it in tyme, for anone it will be els to late.

The Lord Cobham sayd: I know not to what purpose I should otherwise submit me. Much more haue you offended me, then euer I offended you, in thus troubling me before this multitude.

Then sayd the Archb. agayne vnto hym. We once againe require to remember your selfe well, & to haue none other maner opinion in these matters, then the vniuersall faith, and belief of the holy church of Rome is. And so lyke an obediē t child to returne agayn to the vnity of your mother.MarginaliaA woluishe offer of gentlenes. See to it I say in time, for yet ye may haue remedy, where as anone it wil be to late.

The Lord Cobham sayd expresly before them all. I wil none otherwise beleue in these pointes, thē that I haue told ye here afore. Do with me what ye will.

Finally then the Archb. sayd. Well, then I see none other but we must nedes do the law: Marginaliabloudy murtherers.we must procede forth to the sentence diffinitiue, and both iudge you, and condenme you for an heretike.

And with that,the Archb. stode vp and read there a bill of his condemnation, all the clergy and laity uailyng their bnnets. And this was the tenour therof.

IN the name of God. So be it. We Thomas by the sufferā;ce of God, MarginaliaSuffred of God as a plague.Archbishop of Caunterbury, Metropolitane, and primate of all England, and Legate from the Apostolike see of Rome, willeth this to be knowen vnto all men. In a certayne cause of heresie, MarginaliaA hereticke for confessing of Christ.and vpon diuers articles, whereupon sir Iohn Oldcastell knight and Lord Cobham, after a diligent inquisitiō made for the same, was detected, accused, and presented before vs in our last conuocation of all our prouince of Caunterbury, holden in the cathedral Church of Paules at London: At the lawfull denouncement and request of our vniuersall clergy in the sayd conuocation, we proceded agaynst him according to the law (God to witnes) MarginaliaEze. xviij
Eze. xxxiijwith al the fauour possible. And folowyng Christes example in all that we might, which willeth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he be conuerted and liue: we tooke vpon vs to correct him, and sought all other wayes possible to bryng him againe to the churches vnitie, declaryng vnto him what the holy and vniuersall church of Rome hath sayd, holden, determined and taught in that behalfe. MarginaliaThe Wolfe would appeare charitable.And though we foūd hym in the catholike fayth far wyde and so stifnecked, that he would not confesse his error, nor purge him self, nor yet repent hym therof: We yet piteing hym of fatherly compassion, and intierly desiring the health of his soule, appointed him a competent tyme of deliberation, to see if he would repent and seke to be reformed: but since that time we haue found him worse and worse. Considering therfore, that he is incorrigible: MarginaliaSee, if they shew not themselueswe are driuen to the very extremitie of the law, and with great heauines of hart, we now proceede to the publication of the sentence diffinitiue, agaynst him.

Then brought he forth another Bill, conteyning the sayde sentence, and that he read also in his beggerly Latine. Christi nomine inuocata, ipsumq; solum pre oculis habentes. Quia per acta inactitata, and so forth. Which I haue also trā;slated into Englishe, that men may vnderstand it.

MarginaliaEx magno processu Thomæ Arundelli.Christ we take vnto witnes, that nothing els we seeke in this our whole enterprise, but hys onely glory. For as much as we haue found by diuers actes done, brought forth and exhibited by sundry euidences, signes and tokens, and also by many most manifest proues the sayd Syr Iohn Oldcastell knight and L. Cobham, not onely to be an euident hereticke in his owne person, but also a mighty maintainer of other heretickes against the fayth and religiō of the holy and vniuersall Church of Rome: MarginaliaThat church is an whore.namely about the two sacraments (of the aultar, and of penaunce) besides the popes power, and pilgrimages. And that he as the childe of iniquitie and darckenes, hath so hardened his hart, that he will in no case attende vnto the voyce of his pastor. MarginaliaA true shepe heareth the voyce of a true pastor.Neyther will he be allured by straight admonishments, nor yet be brought in, by fauourable wordes. The worthynes of the cause first wayed on the one side, and his vnworthynes agayne considered on the other side, his faultes also aggrauated or made double through his damnable obstinacy (We being lothe that he which is nought should be worse, and so with his contagiousnes infecte the multitude) MarginaliaA colour of deceit.By the sage counsell and assent of the very discrete fathers, our honorable brethren and Lords, Byshops here present, Richard of London, Henry of Winchester, and Benit of Bangor, and of other great learned and wise men here, both doctors of diuinitie, and of the lawes, canon and ciuill, seculers and religious, with diuers other expert men assisting vs: we sententially and diffinitiuely by this present writing, iudge, declare and condemne the sayd syr Iohn Odlcastle, Knight, and Lord Cobhē, MarginaliaAs Cayphas did Christ.for a most pernitious and detestable hereticke, conuicted vpon the same, and refusinge vtterly to obey the Church agayn, committing him here frō hēceforth as a condemned heretike to the secular iurisdiction, power and iudgement, to do hym therupō to death. MarginaliaChrist is cōdemned in his faithfull member.Furthermore, we excommunicate and denounce accursed, not onely this hereticke here present: but so many els besides, as shal hereafter in fauor of his error, either receiue him or defende him, counsell him or helpe him, or any other way mayntaine him: as very fauters, receiuers, defenders, counsaylers, ayders, and maintainers of condemned heretickes.

And that these premisses may be the better knowen to all faithfull Christen men: MarginaliaHow spirituall these fathers are.we commit it here vnto your charges, and geue you straight commaundement therupon by this writing also: That ye cause this condemnation and diffinitiue sentence of excommunication, cōcerning both this heretike and his fauters: to be published throughout all diocesses, in cities, townes, and villages by your curates & parish priestes, at such tyme as they shall haue most recourse of people. And see that it be done after this sort. As the people are thus gathered deuoutly together, let the curate euery where go into the pulpit and there opē, declare, & expoūd, this excesse in the mother tong, in an audible and intelligible voyce, that it may be perceiued of all men: and that vpō the feare of this declaration also, the people may fall from their euill opinions conceiued now of late by sedicious prechers. MarginaliaKeepe the sepulchre neuer so much, yet Christ will rise.Moreouer we will, that after we haue deliuered vnto eche one of you bishops, which are here present, a copy hereof: that ye cause the same to be written out againe into diuers copies, and so to be sent vnto the other bishops & Prelates of our whole prouince, that they may also see the contentes thereof solemnly published within their diocesses & cures. MarginaliaNone office left vndone pertaining to Antichrist.Finally we will that both you and they signifie again vnto vs seriously and distinctly by your writinges as the matter is, without fayned colour in euery poynt performed: MarginaliaWhat care is here to hold vp their popery.the day wheron ye receiued this processe, the tyme whē it was of vs executed, and after what sort it was done in euery cōdition, according to the tenour hereof, that we may know it to be iustly the same.

MarginaliaThomas Waldē in fasciculo Zizaniorū Wicleui.A copy of this writing sent Thomas Arundel þ^e Archb. of Caunterbury, afterward from the Maydstone the. x. day of