publickly diffamed (as by publicke fame and common report notoriously to vs hath bene knowen) first, sitting in Iudgemēt seat and obseruyng all thinges lawfully required in this behalfe, do procede to the prenouncing of the sentence diffinitiue in forme as followeth. The name of Christ beyng inuocated and onely set before our eyes, forasmuch as by the actes and thinges enacted, producted, exhibited and confessed before vs, also by diuers signes and euidences we haue found the sayd Iohn Claydon to haue bene and to be publickly and notoriously relapsed agayne into his former heresie heretofore by him abiured: accordyng to the merites and desertes of the sayd cause, beyng of vs diligently searched, wayed and pondered before, to the intent that the said Iohn Claydon shall not infect other with his scabbe, by the consent and assent of our reuerend brethren Richard Bishop of London, Iohn Bishop of Couentry and Lichfield, and Steuē Bishop of S. Dauides, and of other Doctours as well of Diuinitie as of both lawes, and also of other discret and learned men assistyng vs in this behalfe, do Iudge, pronounce and declare the sayd Iohn Claydon, to be relapsed agayne into his heresie, which he before did abiure, MarginaliaIohn Claydon committed to the secular power.finally and diffinitiuely appoynting him to be left vnto the secular iudgemēt, and so do leaue him by these presentes.

Thus Iohn Claydon receauyng his iudgement and cōdemnation of the Archbishop, was committed to the secular power, and by them vniustly and vnlawfully was committed to the fire, MarginaliaThe law de comburendo, insufficient.for that the temporall magistrate had no such law sufficient for them to burne any such man for religion condemned of the Prelates, as is aboue sufficiently proued and declared, pag. 565. MarginaliaThe death & martyrdome of I. Claydon.But to be short, Quo iure quaque iniuria, Iohn Claydon notwithstandyng, by the temporall Magistrates, not long after, was had to Smithfield, where meekely he was made a burnte offeryng vnto the Lorde. an. 1415.

Commentary on the Woodcuts     Close

The London skinner, John Claydon, enters the annals of Lollard history (and martyrology) chiefly on account of his possession and reading (or rather hearing read, since he was illiterate) of the still extant text, The Lanterne of Light. It was this which brought him to his death in 1415. The associate who was tried and burned with him, variously named Richard Gurmyn, Turmyn and Baker (presumably his trade), may have participated in Oldcastle's rising the previous year. Foxe went to the Canterbury Registers to verify the case against these two men, as part of his investigation into the case against Lord Cobham (part of whose story precedes this in the Acts and Monuments). Note that Claydon had been under suspicion of heresy for twenty years, so he was not a young man when executed. CUL copy: if Claydon is the figure on the left then his age is suggested by the colouring in of this copy, that depicts this man as having both greying hair and beard. The figure on the right has rich brown chosen for his hair and beard. Both men are dressed in white. Wren: the same attention to detail appears in the colouring of this copy also.

MarginaliaIohn Claydon, Rich. Turmyng, martyrs.Robert Fabian and other Chronologers which follow him, adde also that Richard Turming Baker, of whome mention is made before in the examination of Iohn Claydon, was likewyse þ^e same tyme burned with hym in Smithfield. Albeit in the Register I finde no sentence of condemnation geuen agaynst the sayd Turming, neyther yet in the story of S. Albans is there any such mention of his burning made, but onely of the burning of Iohn Claydon aforesayd: wherfore the iudgement hereof I leaue free to the Reader. Notwithstanding, concernyng the sayd Turming this iscertaine that he was accused vnto the bishops, and no doubt was in their handes, and bands. What afterward was done with hym, I referre it vnto the authors.

The next yeare after the burnyng of these two aforesaid

MarginaliaAn. 1416.and also of Iohn Hus beyng burnt at Constaunce, whiche was. an. 1416. the Prelates of England seyng the daily increase of the Gospell, and fearyng the ruine of their Papall kingdome, were busily occupied with all their counsaile and diligence, to mainteyne the same. Wherefore, to make theyr state and kingdome sure, by statutes, lawes, constitutions, and terrour of punishment, as Thomas Arundell and other Prelates had done before, so the forenamed Henry Chichesley Archbishop of Caunterbury, in his conuocation holden at London, maketh an other constitution (as though there had not enough bene made before) agaynst the poore Lollardes: the copy and tenour wherof he sendeth abroad, to the bishop of London, and to other his Suffraganes, by them to be put in straight execution, conteyning in wordes as followeth.

MarginaliaEx Regist. Chichesley. fol. 217.HEnry by the grace of God Archbishop of Caunterbury, Primate of all England, and Legate of the chiefest seat: to our reuerend brother in the Lord Richard, by the grace of God bishop of London, helth and brotherly loue, with continuall encrease. Lately in our last conuocation in Sainet Paules Church in London, beyng kept by you and other our brethren and Clergy of our prouince, we do remember to haue made this order vnderwritten by your consentes. Whē as amōg many other our cares this ought to be chief, that by some meanes we take those heretikes, which lyke Foxes lurke and hide themselues in the Lordes vineyard: and that the dust of negligence may be vtterly shaken frō our feete and from the feete of our fellow brethren: MarginaliaYou should be better occupyed to shake of the duste from your dusty pulpets.In this the said conuocation of the Prelates and Clergy, we haue ordained, that all our fellow brethren, our Suffraganes and Archdeacons of our prouince of Canterbury, by themselues, their Officials, or Commissaries in all their iurisdictions, & euery of their charges in the countrey, MarginaliaTwise euery yeare to enquire for Lollardes.twise euery yeare at the least do diligently enquire of such persons as are suspect of heresie: And that in euery such their Archdeaconries in euery parish, wherin is reported anye heretikes to inhabite, they cause thre or more of the honestest men and best reported of, to take their othe vpon the holy Euangelist, MarginaliaAgainst priuie conuenticles.that if they shall know or vnderstand any frequenting either in priuy conuenticles, MarginaliaTo differre from the common sort in life & maners, against the popes lawe.or els differing in life or maners from the common conuersation of other Catholicke men, or els that holde any, eyther heresies or errours, MarginaliaAgaynst Englishe bookes.or ells that haue any suspected books in þ^e English tong, or that do receaue any such persons suspect of heresies and errours into theyr houses, or that be fauourers of thē that are inhabitants in any such place, or conuersant with them, or els haue any recourse vnto them: they make certificates of those persons in writyng, with all the circumstances wherewyth they are suspect, vnto the sayd our Suffraganes or Archdeacons, or to theyr Commissaries, so soone, and with as muche spede as possibly they can: And that the sayd Archdeacon and euery of their Commissaries aforesayd, do declare the names of all such persons denounced, together with all the circumstances of them, the dioces, & places, & secretly vnder their seales do send ouer vnto vs the same: And that the same diocesās effectually direct forth lawfull proces agaynst them, as the quality of the cause requireth, and that with all diligēce they discerne, define, and execute the same.

And if perhaps they leaue not such persons conuict vnto the secular court, yet notwithstāding let them commit them vnto the perpetuall or temporall prisons, as the qualitie of the cause shall require, vntill the next cōuocation of the prelates and Clergie of our prouince of Canterbury, there personally to remaine: and that in the same prisons they cause them to be kept according as the law requireth: And that of all and singuler the thynges aforesayd, that is, what inquisition they haue made, and what they haue founde, and how in the processe they haue behaued themselues, and what personnes so conuict they haue caused to be put in safe keepyng, with what diligence or negligence of the Commissaries aforesayd, with all and all maner of other circumstances premised, and thereunto in any wise apertainyng, and specially of the abiurations, if in the meane tyme they shall chaunce to abiure any heresies: that then in the next conuocation of the Prelates and Clergy vnder the forme aforesayd, they cause the same distinctly and apertly to be certified to vs and our successors: And that they deliuer effectually to the officiall of our Court, the same processe to remaine with them, or els in the register of our court of Cāterbury, so that euery one, to whom such thinges appertaineth for the furder execution of the same processe, may haue re-