men, whatsoeuer they be, cōstitute and ordeined in any place throughout our prouince of Canterbury, health, grace and benediction.

We haue receiued a greuous complaynt of our reuerend felow brother, Reynold Pecocke Byshop of Chichester, cōteining in it, that albeit our sayd reuerend felow brother, the Bishop, deliuered vnto vs certaine bookes written by him in the English toungue, by vs and our authoritie to be examined, corrected, reformed and allowed: notwithstandyng many (the examination and reformation of the sayd bookes depēdyng and remainyng before vs vndiscussed) haue openly preached and taught at Paules crosse in London, and in diuers other places of our prouince of Cāterbury, that our sayd felow brother the Byshop, hath propounded, made and written, or caused to be written in the sayd bookes, certaine conclusions repugnaunt to the true fayth, and that he doth obstinatly hold and defend the same.

By the pretence of which preachyng and teachyng, the state and good name and fame of the said Lord Reynold the Byshop, are greuously offended and hurt, and he and his opinion maruelously burdened. Wherefore we charge you all together, and seuerally apart do commaund you, firmely enioyning you, that openly & generally you do warne or cause to be warned, all and singular such persons, which will obiect any thyng contrary and agaynst the conclusions of our sayd reuerend felow brother the Byshop, had or conteined in his bookes or writynges: that the. xx. day after such monition or warnyng had, they do freely of their owne accord, appeare before vs and our Commissaries in this behalfe appointed wheresoeuer we shall then be in our Citie, Dioces, or prouince of Caunterbury, to speake, propounde, alledge, and affirme fully and sufficiētly in writyng, whatsoeuer hereticall or erroneous matter they will speake, propounde, or obiect agaynst the sayd conclusions conteyned in his sayd bookes: and both to satisfie and receiue, whatsoeuer shall seeme meete and right in this behalfe by the holy institutions and ordinaunces.

And for somuch as this matter depending yet vndetermined and vndiscussed, nothyng ought to be attēpted or renewed: we charge you that by this our authoritie, you inhibite and forbid all and euery one so to preach and teach hereafter. Vnto whom also we by the tenure of these presentes, do likewise forbyd, that duryng the examination of the conclusions and bookes aforesayd, dependyng before vs and our Commissaries vndiscussed, they doe not presume by any meanes, without good aduise & iudgement, to preach, iudge, and affirme, any thyng to the preiudice or offence of the sayd Lord Reynold the Byshop: and if so be you do finde any in this behalfe gaynesaying or not obeying this our inhibition, that you do cite or cause them perēptorily to be cited, to appeare before vs or our Cōmissaries, in this behalfe appointed, the tenth day after their citation, if it be a court day or els the next court day folowyng, wheresoeuer we shall then be, in our Citie, Dioces, or prouince of Cāterbury, to make futher declaration by forme of law of the cause of their disobedience, and to receiue such punishment as iustice and equitie shall determine in that behalfe: & that by your letters you do duely certifie vs or our Commissaries, what you haue done in the premisses at the day & place aforesayd, or that he which hath so excuted our commaundement, do so certifie vs by his letters. Dated at our Manour of Lābeth the. xxij. day of October. an. 1457. and in the iiij. yeare of our translation.

MarginaliaPecocke apeareth at Lambeth before the Archb. This citation beyng directed, the Byshop, vpon the sūmon therof, was brought, or rather came before the iudges and Bishops, vnto Lambeth, where the foresayd Thomas the Archbishop, with his Doctors and Lawyers, were gathered together in the Archbyshops Court. In which cōuention also the Duke of Buckyngham was present, accōpanied with the Byshop of Rochester, and of Lyncolne. What were the opinions and articles agaynst hym obiected, after in his reuocation shall be specified. In his aunswering for himselfe in such a company of the Popes frendes, albeit he could not preuayle, notwithstandyng he stoutly defendyng hymselfe declared many thynges worthy great commendatiō of learnyng, if learnyng agaynst power could haue preuayled.

MarginaliaGreat labuor, to reduce Pecocke from his opinions. But they on the contrary part, with all labour and trauayle, extended thēselues, either to reduce him, or els to confounde him. As here lacked no blusteryng wordes of terrour and threatnyng: so also many fayre flatteryng wordes and gentle perswasions, were admixt with all. Briefly, to make a short narration of a long & busie trauers, here was no stone left vnturned, no wayes vnproued, either by fayre meanes to entreate him, or by terrible manasses to terrifie his mynde, til at the length he beyng vanquished and ouer come by the Byshops, began to faynt and geue ouer. Wherupō, by and by a recantation was put vnto him by the Byshops, which he should declare before the people. The copy of which his recantation here followeth.

MarginaliaThe retractation of Byshop Pecocke
Ex Regist. IN the name of God Amen. Before you, the most reuerēd father in Christ and Lord, the Lord Thomas, by the grace of God, Archbyshop of Canterbury, primate of England and Legate of the Apostolicke sea, I Reynold Pecocke, vnworthy Byshop of Chichester, do purely, willyngly, simply, and absolutely, confesse and acknowledge, that I in tymes past, that is to say, by the space of these. xx. yeares last past and more, haue otherwise conceiued, holden, taught and written, as touchyng the Sacramentes and the Articles of the fayth, then the holy Church of Rome and vniuersall Church: and also that I haue made, written, published and set forth many & diuers pernicious doctrines, bookes, workes, writynges, heresies, cōtrary and agaynst the true Catholicke and Apostolicke fayth, contayning in them, errours contrary to the Catholicke fayth, and especially these errours and heresies here vnder written.

MarginaliaHis Articles. 1. First of all, that we are not bound by the necessitie of fayth, to beleue that our Lord Iesus Christ after his death, descended into hell.

2. Item, that it is not necessary to saluation to beleue in the holy Catholicke Church.

3. Item, that it is not necessary to saluation to beleue the communion of Saintes.

4. Item, that it is not necessary to saluation, to affirme the body materially in the Sacrament.

5. Item, that the vniuersall Church may erre in matters which pertaine vnto fayth.

6. Item, that it is not necessary vnto saluation, to beleue, that that, whiche euery generall Councell doth vniuersally ordaine, approue, or determine, should necessarily, for the helpe of our fayth, and the saluation of our soules, be approued & holden of all faythfull Christians.

Wherfore I Reynold Pecocke wretched sinner, which haue long walked in darkenesse, and now by the mercyfull disposition and ordinaunce of God, am reduced and brought agayne vnto the light and way of truth, and restored vnto the vnitie of our holy mother the Church: renounce and forsake all the errours and heresies aforesayd.

Notwithstandyng (godly Reader) it is not to be beleued that Pecocke did so geue ouer these opinions, how soeuer the wordes of the recātation pretend. For it is a policie and play of the Byshops, that when they do subdue or ouercome any mā, they cary him whether they lyst, as it were a yoūg Stere by the nose, and frame out his wordes for him before hand, as it were for a Parate, what he should speake vnto the people: not accordyng to his owne will, but after their lust and fantasie. Neither is it to be doubted, but that this Byshop repented him afterward of his recantation: which may easely be iudged hereby, because he was committed agayn into prison, and deteined captiue, where as it is vncertayne, whether he was oppressed with priuy and secret tyranny, and there obtained the crowne of Martyrdome, or no.

MarginaliaThe articles of Reynolde Pecocke mentioned by Tho. Gascoigne. The Dictionarie of Thomas Gascoigne, I haue not in my handes present. But if credite be to be geuen to such as haue to vs alledged that boke, this we may finde in the eight Centurie of Iohn Bale. chap. 19. that the sayd Thomas Gascoigne in his third part of the sayd Dictionary, writyng of Reynold Pecocke, maketh declaration of his articles, cōteinyng in them matter of sore heresie.MarginaliaEx Tho. Gascoig. lib. De Dictionario Theolog. part. 3. First (saith he) Reynold Pecocke, at Paules crosse preached openly, that the office of a Christen Prelate, chiefly aboue all other things is, to preach the word of God. That mans reason is not to be preferred, before the Scriptures of the old and now Testament. That the vse of Sacramentes, as they be now handled, is worse, then the vse of the law of nature. That Byshops which buy their admissions of the Byshop of Rome, do sinne. That no man is bounde to beleue and obey the determination of the Church of Rome. Also that the riches of Byshops, by inheritage, are the goodes of the poore. Itē, that the Apostles themselues personally were not the makers of þ^e Creede, and that in þ^e same Creede, once was not the Article, he went downe to hell. Item, that of the foure senses of the Scripture, none is to be taken, but the very first and proper sense. Also, that he gaue litle estimation in some poyntes, to the authoritie of the old Doctours. Item, that he condemned the wilfull beggyng of the Friers, as a thyng idle and needeles. This out of Thomas Gascoigne. Leland also addyng this moreouer, sayth: that he, not con-