Turk, or if he had made him some termagant or Mahound out of Babylonia, or some Herode out of Iudea, or some Antichrist out of Rome, or some graundpanch Epicure of this world: and had shewed, that he had receiued letters frō the great Souldan, to fight agaynst the fayth of Christ and law of God: then had it appeared somewhat more credible, that the sayd sir Iohn Oldcastle with his sect of heresie, went about to adnull, destroy, and subuert the Christen faith, and law of God wythin the Realme of England. &c.

But now, where will either he or M. Cope finde men so mad to beleue, or so ingenious that can imagine this to be true: that the Lord Cobham (beyng a Christian) and so faithfull a Christiā;, would or did euer cogitate in his minde to destroy and adnull the fayth of Christ in the Realme of England? What soeuer the report of this pursuant or preface sayth, I reporte me vnto the indifferent Reader, how standeth this with anye fact of truth? That he which before through the reading of Wickliffes workes, had bene so earnestly conuerted to the law of God, who had also approued him elfe such a faythfull seruant of Christ, that for the fayth of Christ he beyng examined and tried before the Prelates. pag. 437. not onely ventred his life: but stode constā;t vnto þ^e sentēce of death, defined agaynst him: beyng a cōdēned & a dead man by law, Et qui, quantum ad eius deuotionem pertinet et timorem, passus sit, quicquid pati potuit, MarginaliaCyprian lib. 4. Epist. 2.who had as much as to deuotion and feare apperteined, suffered already what he might or could suffer, as Cyprian sayd by Cornelius. That he (I say) which a litle before in the moneth of September, stode so constaunt in defence of Christes fayth, would now in the moneth of Ianuary rise to destroy, adnull, and subuert Christes fayth, and the law of God, and holy Church within the Realme of England?

How can it be not like onely but possible to be true that he which neuer denyed the fayth: whiche euer confessed the fayth so constantly, which was for the same fayth condemned: yea and at last also burned for the fayth, would euer fight agaynst the fayth, and law of God, to adnull and to subuert it? Let vs procede yet further, & see whē þ^t he should haue so destroyed and adnulled the Christen fayth & law of God in England, what fayth or law then could he or dyd he entende to bryng into the realme of England? The Turkes faith? or the Iewes fayth? or the Popes fayth? or what fayth els, I pray you? For he that will be an enemie to the fayth of Christ, & will shew himselfe frend to no other fayth beside, I accompt him not out of his right fayth, but out of his right wittes.

Marginalia(C)
The Lord Cobhā falsely slaūderd for intending to destroy the kyng.(C) And therfore euen as it is true, that sir Iohn Oldcastle with his confederates & abettours were vp in armes to subuert, and extinguish the fayth of Christ and law of God in þ^e realme of England: so by the lyke truth it may be estemed, that the same persons rose also to destroy their soueraigne Lord the kyng and his brethren. First thankes be to God, that neither the kyng, nor any of his brethren had any hurt by him. But his intent, sayth the preface, was to destroy his soueraigne Lord the kyng. Wherunto I aunswere, with this interrogatorie, whether his intent was priuiley to haue destroyed him, or by open force of armes? If priuely, what needed then such a great armie of xx. thousand men to atcheaue that secret feate? Rather I would thinke, that he needed more the helpe of such as were neare about the kyng: as some of the kynges priuey chamber, or some of his secret counsaile: wherof, neither Chronicle nor recorde doth insinuate any mētion. MarginaliaHow vnlike it is that the L. Cobham did rise agaynst the kyng.If his intent was openly to inuade the kyng: You must vnderstand (M. Cope) that to withstande a kyng in his owne realme, many thinges are required, long tyme, great preparation, many frendes, great assistaunce, and ayde of kyndred, money, horse, men, armour, and all other thynges appertainyng for the same.

MarginaliaExamples what an hard matter it is to ryse agaynst the kyng.Earle Godwyn of Westsaxe, who had maried Canutus daughter beyng a man both ambitious, and as false a traytour, for all his sixe sonnes, and great alliaunce yet durst not set vpon kyng Edward to inuade him within his Realme, although he sought many occasions so to do, yet neuer durst enterprise openly, that which his ambition so gredely presumed vnto, pag. 166.

MarginaliaThe nobles agaynst K. Henry. 3.In the tyme of king Henry 3. Symon Montford Earle of Glocester, Gilbert Clare Earle of Leycester, Humfrey Rone Earle of Ferrence, with a great number of Lordes and Barons thought themselues to haue great right on their sides, yet durst not for all their power openly assayle the king in his Realme, before great debatement and talke first had betwene. pag. 334.

MarginaliaThe nobles agaynst K. Edward. 2.Likewise what murmuryng and grudgyng was in the realme agaynst kyng Edward the second, among the peres and nobles and also prelates (onely Walter Byshop of Couentry except) first for Gaueston, then for the Spensers, at what tyme Thomas Earle of Lancaster, Guido Earle of Warwike, wyth the most part of all other Earles and Barons concordly consentyng together to the displacing first of Gaueston, then of the Spensers, yet neither rashely, nor without great feare durst stirre vp warre in the land, or disquiet or vexe the king, but first by all meanes of moderate counsaile, and humble petition, thought rather to perswade, then to inuade the kyng, pag. 373.

MarginaliaThe nobles against K. Rich. 2.In lyke maner, and wyth lyke grudging myndes, in the reigne of Kyng Richard. 2. Thomas Wodstocke Duke of Glocester the kynges vncle, the Earles of Arūdell, of Warwike, and Darby, with the power almost of the whole commons stoode vp in armes agaynst the kyng: And yet notwithstanding all their power ioyned together being so great, and their cause seeming to thē so reasonable, yet were they not so hardy, straight wayes to flee vpon the king, but by way of Parliament thought to accomplishe that which their purpose had conceaued, and so did, without any warre strikyng agaynst the king. pag. 496.

MarginaliaThe nobles against K. Hēry. 4.After kyng Richard. 2. was deposed, and was in prison yet liuyng, diuers noble men were greatly inflamed agaynst K. Henry the fourth as Sir Iohn Holland Earle of Huntington, Thomas Spenser Earle of Glocester, the Earles likewise of Kent, and of Salisbury, with sir Iohn Cheney and other moe, wherof diuers had bene Dukes before, and now deposed by King Henry. 4. although they had conceaued in their hartes great grudge and malice agaynst the sayd King Henry: yet had they neither hart nor power openly with mans force to assayle the kyng, but secretly were cōpelled to atchieue their conceiued intent, which notwithstanding they could not accomplish. Ex hist. D. Alban.

MarginaliaThe insurrection of the L. Cobhā against the kyng iudged by circumstaunce.Thus, you see (maister Cope) to gaynstand a kyng, & with open force to encounter wyth him in his owne land, and in his owne chamber of London, where he is so sure & strong, what a matter of how great cheuance it is, wherin so many and so great difficulties do lye, the attempt so daūgerous, the chaunces so vncertayne, the furniture of so many thinges required, that scarce in any kynges dayes heretofore, any peeres or nobles of the realme, were they neuer so strongly assisted with power, wit, or counsaile, yet either were able, or els well durst euer enterprise vpon the case so daungerous, notwithstandyng were they neuer of thēselues so farre from all feare of God, and true obedience. And shall we then thinke, or can we imagine (maister Cope) that Syr Iohn Oldcastle, a mā so well instructed in the knowledge of Gods worde, being but a poore Knight by his degree, hauing none of all the peeres & nobles in all the world to ioyne with him, beyng prisoner in the tower of London a litle before in the moneth of December, coulde now in the moneth of Ianuary, so sodenly, and in such an hoat season of the yeare, start vp an army of xx. thousand fighting men to inuade the kyng, to kill two Dukes his brethren, to adnulle Christen fayth, to destroy Gods law, and to subuert holy church? And why doth not he adde moreouer, to set also all London on fire, and to turne all England into a fishepole? Belike these men which geue out these figmentes of Syr Iohn Oldcastle, did thinke hym to be one of Deucalions stocke, who in casting of stones ouer his shoulder, coulde by and by make men at his pleasure, or els that he had Cadmus teeth to sowe, to make so many harnest men to start vp at once.

MarginaliaA rebellion to be of xx. thousand, & yet no countrey to be knowen frō whēce they came, it is not like.But let vs consider yet further of these xx. M. souldiours so sodenly without wages, without vitall, or other prouision congregated together, what they were, frō whēce, out of what quarter, countrey, or countreyes they came. In other kings dayes, whēsoeuer any rebelliō is against the kyng, moued by the commons, as when Iacke Straw, and Wat Tyler of Kent, and Essex rose in the tyme of kyng Richard. 2. Whē William Mandeuill of Abyngdon, Iacke Cade of Kent, in the tyme of King Henry the 6. MarginaliaNeuer was any rebellion of commōs in England but the speciall countrey from whēce they came was noted and knowen.In the tyme of King Hēry the 8. when the commotion was of rebels in Lyncolnshyre, then in Yorkeshyre, when in Kyng Edward the 6. tyme Humfrey Arundell in Deuonshyre, Captayne Kyte in Northfolke made styre against þ^e kyng, the countrey and partes frō whence these rebels did spring, were both noted and also diffamed. In this so trayterous cōmotion therfore let vs now learne, what men these were, and from what countrey or countreyes in all England they came. If they came out of any, let the Chroniclers declare what countreyes they were. If they came out of none (as none is named) then let them come out of Outopia, where belyke this figment was first forged, and inuented. Wherefore seeing neither the countreys from whence they came, nor yet the names of any of all these xx. thousand do appeare what they were eyther in Chronicle or in recorde, but remayne altogether vnknowen, I leaue it (gentle reader) to