First amongst them which were arrested and caused to abiure in this yeare afore specified. 1428. was Thom. Pie, and Iohn Mendham of Aldborough, who beyng conuict vpon diuers of the Articles before mentioned, were enioyned penaunce to be done in their owne parish Church, as by the bishops letter directed to the Deane of Rhodenhall, and the parish priest of Aldborough, doth more at large appeare, the tenour wherof here ensueth.

MarginaliaA letter of the bishop of Norwich. WIlliam by the sufferance of God Bishop of Norwich, to our welbeloued Sonnes in Christe the Deane of Rodēhall of our dioces, and to the parish priest of the parishe church of Aldborough of the same our dioces, health, grace and benediction. For so much as we, according to our office lawfully proceding to the correction and amendmēt of the soules of Thomas Pye and Iohn Mendam of Aldborough of the dioces aforesaid, because they haue holden, beleued and affirmed, diuers and many errors and heresies, contrary to the determination of the holy Church of Rome, and the vniuersall church and catholike fayth, haue enioyned the sayd Thomas and Iohn appearing before vs personally and confessing before vs iudicially that they haue holden, beleued and affirmed, diuers and many errours and heresies, this penaunce hereunder wrytten for their offences to bee done and fulfylled in manner, forme and tyme hereunder written, accordyng as iustice doth requyre,MarginaliaThe maner of the popes penaunce. that is to say, syx sustigations or displings about the parish church of Alborough aforesayd, before a solemne procession, sixe seuerall sondayes and three displynges aboute the market place of Harelston of our sayde Doces, three principall market dayes, bare necked, head, legs, and feete, theyr bodies beyng couered onely with their shiertes and breches eyther of thē carying a taper in his hand of a poūd waight, as well round about the Churche, as about the market place, in euery of the foresayd appoynted dayes, which tapers the last sonday after their penāce finished, we wyll that the sayd Iohn and Thomas do humbly and deuoutly offer vnto the high aultar of the parish chutch of Alborough at the tyme

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Commentary on the Woodcuts     Close

As one of the few small woodcuts that seem tailor-made for a specific event, this image, with its blank banderole and Bonner's name attached to the official with the flail, seems clearly misplaced. CUL copy: both men are depicted as very pale indeed, wearing nothing more than white linen cloths around their midriffs. They are being beaten by a cleric dressed entirely in black. Touches of orange are added to their knees, perhaps to suggest wounds. Additional wounds are also displayed on their backs. The penitent on the left has further wounds added freehand to his right arm. There is a scroll in the upper right portion of the illustration, though the smoke and wall details continue across its outline. The illustrator of this volume has continued the colour of the wall over the scroll also. WREN: the men are depicted in the same manner, although the wounds added to the figures use a deeper, more blood-like red. The scroll in this is covered over with the background colour.

of the offertory of the hye Masse the same day, and that eyther of them going about the market place aforesayd: shall make iiij. seuerall pauses or stayes, and at euery of those same pauses, humbly and deuoutly receiue at your handes three displynges: Therfore we straightly charge and command you and either of you, iointly & seuerally by vertue of your obedience, that euery sonday and market day, after the recept of our present commaundement, you doe effectually admo nish and bring forth the sayd Thomas Pye and Iohn Mendam to begin their sayd penance, and so successiuely to finish the same in maner and forme afore appoynted. But if they wyll not obey your monitions or rather our commaundementes in thys behalfe, & begin & finish their sayd penance effectually, you, or one of you shall cite them peremptorilie, that they or eyther of them appeare before vs or our Commissarye, in the chappell of our palace at Norwych, the. xii. day after the citatiō so made, if it be a courtday, or els the next court day following, to declare if they or any of them haue any cause why they should not be excommunicate for theyr manifest offence in thys behalfe cōmitted, according to the forme and order of law. and further to receyue suche punishment, as iustice shall prouide in that behalfe. And what you haue done in the premisses, whether the sayde Thomas and Iohn haue obeyed your admonitiōs, and performed the sayd penaunce or no: we wyll that you or one of you which hath receiued our saide commaundemēt, for the execution therof, do distinctly certify vs betwene this & the last day of Nouember next cōmyng. Dated at our palace of Norwich vnder our Commissaries seale, the. viii. day of October. an. 1428.

This (gentle Reader) was for the most part, the order of theyr whole penaunce: howbeit, some were oftentymes more cruelly handled, and after their penance they were banished out of the dioces, and other some more straightly vsed by longer imprisonment, wherof we will briefly rehearse one or two for example.

lOhn Beuerley alias Battild a labourer was attached by the Vicare of Sowthcreke, the parish priest of Waterden, and a lawyer, and so deliuered vnto Maister Wil. Bernam the Bishops Commissary, who sent him to the Castell of Norwich, there to be kept in irons: where as afterward he beyng brought befor the Commissary, and hauing nothyng proued agaynst him, he toke an othe, that euery yeare afterward he should cōfesse his synnes once a yeare to hys curate and receyue the Sacrament at Easter, as other Christians did: and for hys offence he was enioyned that the Friday & Saterday next after, he should fast bread and water, and vpon the Saterday to beMarginalia* alias fustigated. * whipped from the pallace of Norwich, going round about by Tomelands, & by S. Michaels Church by Cottle rew, and about the market, hauyng in hys hand a waxe candle of two pence, to offer to the image of the Trinity, after he had done hys penaunce. And for so much as he confessed that he had eatē flesh vpon Easter day and was not shriuen in all Lent, nor receyued vpon Easter day, the iudge enioyned him that he shoulde fast Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday in Whitsonweke, hauyng but one meale a day of fish and other whitte meates, and after hys penance so done, he should depart out of the dioces, & neuer come there any more.

MarginaliaI. Skilley. IOhn Skilley of Flixton Miller beyng apprehended and brought before the bishop of Norwich þ^e 14. day of March 1428. for holding and mainteyning the Articles aboue written, was thereupon conuict and forced to abiure: and after hys abiuration solemnly made (which here to auoyde tediousnes we omit) he had a most sharpe sentence of penaunce pronounced against him, the effect wherof beyng briefly collected was this: That for so much as the said Skilley was conuict by his owne confession, for holding and mainteining the Articles before written, and for receiuyng certaine good and godly men into hys house, as sir Wil. White priest, and Iohn Wadden, whome they called famous, notorious, and damnable heretickes and had now abiured the same, beyng first absolued from the sentence of excommunication which he had incurred by meanes of his opinions, he was enioyned for penāce.MarginaliaThe penaūce of Iohn Skilley. 7. yeres imprisonmēt in þ^e monastery of Lāgley, in the dioces of Norwich. And forsomuch as in tymes past, he vsed vpon the Fridayes to eate flesh, he was enioyned to fast bread & water euery Friday, by þ^e space of that 7. yeres to come, and that by the space of ij. yeres next immediatly after the 7. yeres expired, euery Wednesday in the beginning of Lent, & euery Maundy thursday, he should appeare before þ^e bishop, or his successor, or commissary for the tyme being, in þ^e cathedrall church of Norwich, together with the other penitentiaries, to do open penaunce for his offences.

Besides these there were diuers other of þ^e same cōpany, which the same yere were forced to like abiuratiō & penāce. And so, to proceede to the next yeare followyng, which was 1429. there ensueth a great nūber in þ^e same register, which were examined and did penaunce in lyke sort to the number of xvj. or xvij. In the number of whome was I. Baker,