other place or places, as eyther you or they shall commaūd within any of their dominions, gouernementes, and rectories, where they by catholicke men, that is, by you the Archbyshops, byshops, the Clergie, and inquisitours, or any other that shal be by you appointed or are alredy appointed by any of you, may be holden and kept in safe keepyng, puttyng them in fetters, shackles, boltes, and manacles of yron vnder most straight custody for escapyng away, MarginaliaSatan ratteleth hys chaynes.til such tyme as all that busines which belongeth vnto them, be by the iudgement of the Church finished and determined, and that of such heresie, by a cōpent ecclesiasticall iudge (which firmely holdeth the faith and communion of the sayd holy church of Rome) they be condemned.

The residue, let the foresayde temporall Lordes, Rectours, Iudges, or other their officers and pursiuauntes, take amongest them, with condigne deathes without any delay, to punishe. But fearing least to the preiudice & sclaunder of the foresayde catholicke fayth and religion, through the pretext of ignoraūce, any man herein should be circumuented, or that any subtile and crafty men should vnder the vayle of friuolous excuse, cloke and dissemble in this matter, and that as touchyng the conuincing or apprehending of the foresayd heretiques, their receuers, defendours, fauourers, beleuers and adherentes, and also of such as are suspecte of heresie, and with such like peruerse doctrine in in any wyse spotted, we might geue more perfecte instructiō: Therefore as wel to the kingdome of Bohemia and partes neare adioyning to the same as all other where this superstitious doctrine first began to spread, we haue thought it good to send the articles here vnder written concerning the secte of those archheretickes, for the better direction of the foresayd catholique fayth.

Touchyng which articles, by vertue of holy obedience, we charge and commaunde you and all other Archbyshops and Bishops, all manner of commissaries and inquisitours, that euery of them within the Dioces and limites of their iurisdictiō and also in þ^e foresaid kingdome & dukedome & places neare adioyning, although þ^e same places be beyond the same their iurisdiction: in the fauour of the catholicke fayth, do geue most diligēt and vigilant care about the extirpation and correction of those errours, archheresies, and most pestiferous secte aforesayde: and also that they compell all diffamed personnes and suspecte of so pestiferous a contagion, whether it be vnder the penaltie of the crime confessed, or of excommunication, suspension or interdicte, or any other formidable payne canonicall or legal, whē and where soeuer it shall seeme good to them, and as the qualitie of the fact requireth, by an othe corporally takē either vpon the holy Euangelistes, or vpon the reliques of Saintes, or vpon the Image of the crucifixe, MarginaliaThe olde maner of the popishe othe.according to the obseruaunce of certayne places, and according to the interrogatories, to make conuenient aunswere to euery article wythin written. For we intend agaynst all and singular Archbyshops, Byshops, Ecclesiasticall persons, or inquisitours, which shall shew themselues negligent and remisse in the extirpatiō of the leuen of thys hereticall prauitie, and purging their territories, dioces, and places to them appoynted, of such euill and wicked men: to proceede and to cause to be proceded, vnto the depriuation and deposition of their pontificall dignities, and shall substitute such other in their places, which can and may be able to confound the sayd hereticall prauitie, and proceede to further paynes agaynst such by the lawe limitted, and vnto other yet more greuous (if neede require) we our selues will procede and cause to be proceded, according as the partie, hys facte, and filthynes of hys crime committed, shall deserue. The tenour of those articles wherof we haue made mention in this our writyng are in wordes as folow.

1 THere is one onely vniuersall Church, which is the vniuersitie of the predestinate, as shall after be declared.

2 The vniuersall church is onely one, as there is one vniuersitie of those that are predestinate.

3 Paule was neuer a member of the deuill, although he did certayne actes lyke vnto the actes of the Church malignant.

4 The reprobate are not partes of the Church, for that no part of the same finally falleth from her, because that the charitie of predestination which byndeth the same Church together, neuer fayleth.MarginaliaSpeaking of the inuisible church, the article is true.

5 The two natures (that is) the Diuinitie, and the humanitie, be one Christ.

6 The reprobate, although he be sometime in grace, according to present iustice, yet is he neuer a part of the holy Church: And the predestination is euer a member of the Church, although sometyme he fall from grace aduenticia, but not from grace of predestinate: euer taking the church for the conuocation of the predestinate whether they be in grace or not according to present iustice. And after this sort, the Church is an article of our beliefe.MarginaliaThis article semeth to be wrasted out of the wordes of Hierome of Prage.

7 Peter is not, nor neuer was, the head of the holy catholike Church.

8 Priestes, liuing viciously, do defile the autoritie of priesthoode, and so, as vnfaythfull children do vnfaithfully beleue of the seuen Sacramentes, of the kayes of the Church, of offices, of Censures, of ceremonies of þ^e worshippyng of reliques, indulgences, orders, and other holy thinges of the Church.

MarginaliaThe papall dignitie touched.9 The papall dignitie came and grew from the emperour: and his gouernment and institution, sprang from the Emperours gouernement.

10 No mā can reasonably affirme eyther of himself or other that he is the head of any particular Church, or that the bishop of Rome, is the head of the church of Rome.

11 A man ought not to beleue that he which is byshop of Rome is the head of euery particuler Church, vnlesse God haue predestinate hym.

12. None is the vicar of Christ, or els of Peter, vnlesse he follow hym in maners and conditions, seyng that there is no other folowyng more pertinent, nor otherwise ape to receaue of God thys power procuratory. For vnto the office of a vicegerent of Christ is required, the conformitie of manners and the authoritie of the institutour.

13 The Pope is not the manifest and true successour of Peter the Prince of the Apostles, if he lyue in manners contrary to Peter: & if he hunt after auarice, then is he the vicar of Iudas Iscarioth. And lykewise the Cardinalles be not the true and manifest successours of the Colledge of the other Apostles of Christ, vnles they lyue according to the manner of the Apostels, keepyng the commaundements and counsels of our Lord Iesus Christ.

14 The Doctours alleadgyng, that if a man which wyll not be amended by the ecclesiasticall censures, is to be deliuered to the secular powers: do folow in this point, the bishops, Scribes, and Pharisies, that deliuered Christ to the secular power (saying, it is not lawfull for vs to kill any mā) because he woulde not obey them in all thynges: and that such be greater homicides thē Pilate.

15 The ecclesiasticall obedience is such an obedience as the Priestes of the church haue found out besides the expresse autoritie of the Scripture. The immediate diuisiō of humaine workes, is that they be eyther vertuous or vitious, and if a man be vicious, and doth any thyng, then doth he it viciously: & if he be vertuous and doth any thyng, thē doth he it vertuously. For, lyke as vice which is called a great offence or mortal sinne, doth stayne all the doynges of a vicious man: so vertue doth quicken all the doinges of a vertuous man.

16 A priest of God lyuing after hys lawe, and hauyng the knowledge of the Scripture, and a desire to edifie the people: ought to preach, notwithstanding any excommunication pretended of the pope. And further, if the pope, or any other magistrate doth forbid a priest so disposed to preach, he ought not to be obedient vnto hym. For euery one that taketh vpō him the order of priesthood, receiueth in charge the office of a preacher: and of that burden ought he wel to discharge hymselfe, any excommunication against him pretended in any wise notwythstanding.

17 By the Censures ecclesiasticall, as of excommunication, suspending, and interdict, the Clergie to their owne aduauncement cause the lay people to ayde them: they multiply their auarice, they defend their malice, and prepare the way to Antichrist. And it is an euident signe that such censures proceede from Antichrist, whiche in their proces they call Fulminationes, that is, their thunderboltes wherwith the clergie principally procedeth agaynst those that declare the wickednes of Antichrist, who so greatly for hys owne commoditie hath abused them.

18 If the pope be euill, especially if he be a reprobate, then is he with Iudas a very deuill, a theefe, and the sonne of perdition, and is not the head of the holy Church militant, nor any member of the same.

19 The grace of predestination, is the band wherwith the body of the Church and euery member of the same is indissolubly ioyned to their head Christ.

20 The Pope or prelate that is euill and a reprobate is a Pastor in name and not in deede, yea he is a theefe and robber in very deede.

21 The pope ought not to be called þ^e most holy one for his