Gracianus, also the cogging in of a false canon into the coūcell of Nice for the maintenaunce of the sea of Rome, as appeareth in the vi. Synode of Carthage.

MarginaliaVntruth in the popishe epistle decretall.Here commeth in also the Epistles of Clement, and other sondry Epistles Decretall, which as they are no doubt falsly inserted by other, so are they the welhead of many superstitious traditions, oppressing this day the Churche of Christ? MarginaliaVntruth in the popishe Lyturgies.To speake moreouer of the liturges of S. Iames, of Chrisostome and other, of the first Masse said by S. Peter at Rome, and that S. Peter sat xxv. yeares Byshop of Rome. MarginaliaVntruth in bookes counterfaite.To speake also of the workes of August. Ambrose, Hierome, and Gregorie, what Doctour or famous writer hath there bene in the church, vnder whose name some coūterfeited bookes haue not falsely bene fathered, and yet stād still authorised vnder their patronage, to the great detrimēt of the Church. What should I speake of Abdias, Amphilochius, Dionysius Areopagita. MarginaliaGregories Dialogues.The Dialogues of Gregorie, whiche falsely to this day haue bene ascribed to Gregory the first, where in deede they were first written in Greeke, by Gregory the 3. and afterward translated out of Greeke into Latin, by pope Zachary. vide supra. pag. 130. MarginaliaSermo ad Conuentum Sāctorum, in fine Eusebij. made by Constantine the Emperour.Likewise that worthy and Imperiall Sermon intituled Eusebij pamphili Sermo ad Conuentū Sanctorum, hath to this day wrōgly borne þ^ethe name of Eusebius. Where as in very truth it was made by the good Emperour Constantinus himselfe in his owne heroicall stile in Latine, and afterward translated out of Latin into Greeke by Eusebius, as he himselfe cōfesseth in his worke De vita Constant. Lib. 4. But as touching this Sermon although the name be chaunged, so godly & frutefull it is, that it mattereth not much, vnder whose name it be read, yet worthy to be read vnder the name of none somuch, as of the Emperour Constantine himselfe, who was the true author and owner therof.

MarginaliaVntruth in the Popes doctrine.Briefly except it be the bookes onely of the new Testament,and of the old, what is almost in the Popes Church, but either it is mingled or depraued, or altered, or corrupted, either by some additions interlased, or by some diminution mangled & gelded, or by some glose adulterate, or with manifest lyes contaminate. MarginaliaVntruth in the popes Legendes and Masse bookes.So that in their doctrine standeth litle truth, in their Legendes, Portues, and Massebookes lesse truth, MarginaliaVntruth in the popes miracles & reliques.in their miracles and Reliques least truth of all. MarginaliaVntruth in the popes Sacramēts.Neither yet do their Sacramētes remaine cleare and voyde of manifest lyes and corruption. MarginaliaA maister lye.And especially here cōmeth in the maister bey, which bringeth in much sweete hony into Popes hyues, the maister lye, I meane of all lyes, where the Pope leauing not one cromme of bread, nor droppe of wine in the reuerent communion, vntruly and idolatrously taketh away all substaunce of bread from it, turnyng the whole substaunce of bread into the substaunce of Christes owne body: which substaunce of bread, if the Pope take frō the Sacrament, then must he also take the breakyng from it: for breakyng, and the body of Christ, can in no case stand litterally together by the Scripture. Thus then as this is proued by the worde of God to be a manifest lye: so thinke not much (good Reader) hereat, as though I passed the bondes of modestie in callyng it the Archlye or maister lye of all lyes. Because vpon this one, an infinite number of other lyes & errours in the Popes Church, as handmaydes do wayte and depend.

But for somuch I stand here not to charge other mē somuch, as to defend myselfe, ceasing therfore to, or rather differyng for a tyme to styrre this stinkyng pudle of these wilfull and intēded lyes and vntruthes, which in the popes Religion and in Papistes bookes be innumerable: I will now returne to those vntruthes and impudent lyes, which M. Cope hath hunted out in my historie of Actes and Monumentes, first beginnyng with those vntruthes whiche he carpeth in the story of the foresayd sir Iohn Oldcastle, and sir Roger Acton, Browne and the rest.

And first, where he layeth to my charge, that I call them Martyrs, which were traytours and seditious rebels agaynst the kyng, and their coūtrey: to this I haue aunswered before sufficiently.

Now here then must the reader needes stay a litle at M. Copes request, to see my vanitie and impudencie yet more fully and amply repressed in refuting a certaine place in my Latin story, concernyng the kynges statute made at Leycester, which place and words by him alledged, be these, pag. 107. Quocirca Rex indicto Lecestriæ concilio (quòd fortassis Londini ob Cobhami fautores non erat tutum) proposito edicto immanem denunciat pœnam his, quicumq; deinceps hoc doctrinæ genus sectarentur, vsq; adeo in eos seuerus, vt non modo hæreticos, sed perduelliones etiam haberi, ac proinde gemino eos supplicio, suspendio simul & incendio afficiendos statuerit. &c. Et mox, Adeo ille vires, rationesq; intendebat omnes auersus VVicleuianos. VVicleuiani id temporis dicebantur, quicunq; Scripturas Dei sua lin-gua lectitarent. &c.  

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The king's statute at Leicester

Foxe text Latin

Quocirca rex indicto ... lingua lectitarent, etc.

Translation

J. Barrie Hall

Wherefore the king, appointing a council at Leicester (perhaps because London was not safe on account of Cobham's supporters), proposed an edict threatening those persons whosoever thereafter followed this kind of doctrine with savage punishment, being so severe against them as to decree that they should be accounted not just heretics but rebels also, and accordingly were to suffer a double punishment, by being both hanged and burnt, etc.; and then: To such an extent did he strain all his strength and his thoughts against the Wycliffians. At that time all persons who read God's scriptures in their own tongue were called Wycliffians, etc.

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Vpon these wordes out of my foresayde Latine booke alledged, maister Cope perswadeth himselfe, to haue great aduauntage agaynst me, to proue me a notorious lyar, in three sundry pointes. First, in that, where as I say, that the kyng did holde his Parliamēt at Leycester, adding thys by way of parenthesis (quod fortassis Londini ob Cobhami fautores non erat tutum. &c.) here he concludeth therby simpliciter and precisely, that the L. Cobham and sir Roger Acton with his felowes, were traytours. &c. Wherby a man may soone shape a cauiller, by the shadowe of Maister Cope. MarginaliaCope cauilleth without cause.For where as my Dialysis out of the texte speaketh doubtfully and vncertainly by this word (fortassis) meanyng in deede, the kyng to be in feare of the Gospellers, that he durst not holde hys Parliament at London, but went to Leycester: MarginaliaStat. an. 2. Henr. 5. cap. 7.he argueth precisely therefore, that the L. Cobham, sir Roger Acton, and hys fellowes went about to kill the king. Secondly, where I affirme, that the kyng in that Parliament made a greuous lawe against all such as dyd holde the doctrine of Wicklieffe, that they shoulde be taken hereafter, not for heretiques, but also for felons, or rebelles, or traytours, and therfore should sustaine a double punishment, both to be hanged, and also to be burned. &c. Here commeth in maister Momus, wyth his Cope on hys backe, & prouing me to be a lyar, denyeth plainly þ^t the kyng made any such statute, vid pag. 835. lin. 6.. where his wordes be these: MarginaliaCopus pag. 835 lin. 6.
Obiection.Atqui quod hæretici pro perduellionibus & deinceps & geminatas pœnas suspendij & incendij lueirent, vt nugatur Foxus, nullo modo illic traditur. &c.

MarginaliaThe secte of Wicklieffe made heresie and treason by K. Henry. 5.First here would be asked of maister Cope, what he calleth patriæ hostes, et proditores? if he call these traitors, then let vs see whether, they that folowed the secte of Wickleffe, were made traitours & heretiques by the kinges law, or not. And first let vs heare what sayth Polidore Vergil, hys owne witnes, in this behalfe, whose words in his xxij. booke, pag. 441. be these: MarginaliaPolyd. Virgil. Lib. 22.Quare publice edixit, vt si vspiam deinceps reperirentur, qui eam sequerentur sectam, patriæ, hostes haberentur, quo sine omni lenitate seuerius ac ocyus de illis supplicium sumeretur. &c. That is, wherfore it was by publique statute decreed, that who soeuer were founde hereafter to folow the secte of Wickleffe, shoulde be accounted for traytours, whereby without all leuitie, they should be punished more seuerly and quickly. &c.

Thus haue you (maister Cope) the playne testimonie of Polydore with me. And because ye shall further see your selfe more impudent in carping, then I am in deprauing of histories, you shall vnderstand moreouer and heare, what Thomas Walden one of your own catholique brotherhode, and who was also himselfe a liue, & a doer in the same Parliament, being the prouinciall of the Carmelites, sayth in thys matter writing to Pope Martine, whose very wordes in Latine here folow, written in his Prologue to the sayd Martine, in this wise: MarginaliaTho. Walden in tomo primo. Doctrinali, ad Mart. papam in prologo.Nec mora longa processit, quin statutum publicum per omne regni concilium in publico emanauit edicto, quod omnes VVicleuiste sicut dei proditores essent, sic proditores regis, proscriptis bonis censerentur et regni, duplici pœnæ dandi, incendio propter deum, suspendio propter regem. &c. That is. And it was not long after but a publicke law and statute came out, by the common assent of the generall parliament of the whole Realme, that all Wicleuistes, as they were traytours to God, so also should be counted traytours to the kyng and to the realme, hauing their goods lost and confiscate vnto the kyng. And therfore should suffer double punishement, as to be burnt for God, and to be hanged for the kyng. &c. And thus haue you (Maister Cope) not onely my sentence, but also the very wordes of my story confirmed by thys author: because ye shall not thinke me to speake so lightly or impudently without my booke. And moreouer to confirme the sayd sentence of Tho. Walden, it foloweth also in an other place of the foresayde author, Tomo. 1. lib. 2. De doctrinali fidei Ecclesie Cathol. Cap. 46. where he writeth in these wordes. MarginaliaWalden tomo. 1. De doctrinali ecclesiæ cap. 46. lib. 2.Et tamen iam cum regnare cœpisset Illustris rex Henricus. 5. qui adhuc agit in sceptris, et de eorum perfidia per catholicos bene doctos, legem statui fecit, vt vbiq; per regnum VVicleuista probatus, vt reus puniretur de crimine lesæ maiestatis. &c. That is. And yet, when the noble king Hēry v. who as yet doth liue and raigne, began first to raigne, beganne to set forth a lawe, by his learned Catholiques which were about hym, agaynst the falsenes of these men, so that whosoeuer was proued to be a Wicleuist, through the whole realme, shoulde be punished for a traitour. &c. What wordes can you haue M. Cope, more playne then these? or what authoritie can you require of more credite, which lyued in the same tyme, and both did see and heare of the same thinges done? who also writing to pope Martine, was by the sayde pope Mar-