MarginaliaOf this Henry Spenser B. of Norwich see the pag. 428. geues remissiō to fight & to slay hem tht contraryen hem, as men sayden he did by the bishop of Norwich  

, not putting his swerd into his sheath, as God commaunded Peter. Mitte. &c. he is Antichristus, for he dos contrary to the commaundements of Iesus, that bad Peter forgeue to his brother seuēty sithe seuen sithe. Si peccauerit in me frater meus, quotiens demittam ei? Septies? &c. Et Christus: non dico tibi septies, sed septuagesies septies.

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Marginalia10 Article The 10. Article is this, that our Bishoppe puts to me that I should haue sayd: that a man geuing his almes to any man after his dome (not hauing neede) sinnes, in so geuing.

MarginaliaAunswer. This article sothly I sayd not in these termes: But of this matter I haue spoken, & will with protestation made before on this wise: that it is medefull to geue almes to ich man that asketh it bodely or ghostly, but not to geue to ich shameles begger, MarginaliaHe meaneth of begging friers.strong & mighty of body, to get his lifeloode leuefull & will not, in what degree so he be, men owē not to geue it to such a one, that he vnreasonably asketh, for if he geue it to him wittingly, he sins as fautor of his idlenes. Vnde Sap. 12. Si benefeceris, scito cui benefeceris, & erit gloria in bonis tuis multa.

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Marginalia11. Article. The 11. Article is that, that is put to me, that I shoulde haue sayd, that it is not in þ^e power of any prelate of what euer priuate Religion, to graunt letters of the good deeds of her order, ne such benefices grauntet profits not to hele of soules to hem that they ben grauntet to.

MarginaliaAunswere. I said neuer thus in these termes: but thus I say with protestation, that prelates of priuate religion mowē graūt letters of the good deedes of her order: MarginaliaGood deedes of the order profite nothing.But the gostly mede that comes of good deedes, they mow not graunt, for that is onely propriet to God. And if they blinde, the people in misbeliefe for her worldlye winning, wittingly behetting hem of her owne graūt gostly medes in heauen by her letters and her seale (vncertaine, who shall be damned) but make the people bolder to sinne by trust of her praiers: hit is none heal to the soules, but harmes to that one & to that other. For God shall yeld to echone after here werkes. Ipse reddet vnicuique secundum opera sua.

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Marginalia12. Article. The 12. Article is this: that our Bishops puts to me, that I mony times and oft haue come (he sayes) to a desert woode, cleped Derwaldswode of his dioces: and there in a Chappell not hallowed, but accurset * MarginaliaOr shepcotte.shepherds hulke, by mine own folly he sayes haue presumed to sing (but rather to curse) in contempt of the keyes.

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MarginaliaAunswer. Hereto I say, that this is falsly put vpō me of hem that told you this. For it is a chappell where a priest sings certaine dayes in the yeare, with great solemnity: and certes I nener song therein seth I was borne into this world.MarginaliaThe accusers proued with a lie.

Marginalia13. Article. The 13. Article is this, that I should also presume to sing in an vnhallowet Chappell, that stondes in the parke of Newton, besides the town of Leyntwardy of this same Dioces.MarginaliaAn other lye.

MarginaliaAunswere. Truely I wot not where the place stondes.

Marginalia14. Article. The 14. Article is this, that I should say that no man owes to sweare for any thing, but simply withoutē oth to affirme or to deny, and if he sweare he sinnes.

MarginaliaAunswere. This article sayd I not that I haue minde of, in thys maner: But oft I haue sayd and yet will, MarginaliaTo sweare by no creature.that men should not sweare by any creature by the law of God, and that no man should sweare in idel, as welnigh al the people vseth, & therfore me thinkes it is no neede to comfort the people in swearing. For from the olde vnto the young, & namely men of holy Church, breken his hest, and few Bishoppes pursuen hem therfore.

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Marginalia15. Article. The 15. Article is this, that I should haue taught to true men of Christ, that on no maner they should worship the Image of him that was done on the crosse, or the Image of the blessed mayd his mother, or of other Sayntes into honour and worship of the same ordeinet in the minde of them. And oft sithes, the worshipper of such Image, he has reprouet, saying and strongly affirming, that Church men sinnen and done Idolatry.

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MarginaliaAunswere. This conclusion haue I not sayd in these termes. But this I say with protestation. that God commaūdes in his law in diuers places. Exod. 20. Leuit. 19. & 26. Deut. 5. & 7. Tobiæ 1. Baruc. 6. 2. ad Corin. 10. Esay. 45. Iere. 2. 6. 8. & 10. 22. & vltimo, Sapient. 13. & 14. & 15. Mac. 5. & Threnorum 4. & postremo: that men should not worshippē grauen Images MarginaliaImages not to be worshipped.that ben werkes of mens handes: And also he bids that mē should not make to hem grauen Images in likenesse of the thinges that bene in heauen, to that end to worshippen hem: sethen neither God ne Christ by his manhood gaue neuer commaundement to make thes Images, ne expresse counsell, ne his Apostles in all his law, ne to worship such that bene made. But wel I wote, that by means owne relation that haue misbeleuet in hem, that many mē sinnen in mau-metry worshipping such dead Images: Notforthy, Marginalia* Not for thy, that is, notwithstanding.to tho men bene Images good to whom they bene but kalēdars, and through the sight of hem they knowen the better and worshippen oft God and his Saints. And to such mē they done harme that settē her hope and trust in hem or done any worship to hem agaynst Gods law & his hest. MarginaliaGreg. Regist. lib. 10.Vnde ait Gregorius in Registro libro. 10. in Epistola ad Serenum Episcopum. Si quis imagines facere voluerit, minimè prohibe: adorare omnino prohibe. Sed hoc solicitè fraternitas tua admoneat, vt ex visione rei gestæ, ardorem compunctionis percipiant, vt in adoratione totius trinitatis prosternantur.

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These conclusions, poyntes, and articles that I haue vnder protestation, in this booke affirmed: I will stand by hem, and maintayne hem (with the grace of almighty god) to the time that the cōtrary be prouet dewly by Gods law: And this protestation I make for my fayth and my beliefe as I did the beginning: that whensoeuer this worshipful or any other Christē man shewes me verayly by gods law the contrary of this, I will holy forsake hem, and take me to the veray trouth and better vnderstanding of wiser men, redy to be amended by the law of Iesu Christ, and be a true Christen man & faythfull sonne of holy church: And of these I beseech you all bere witnes where ye commen.

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Subsequenter vero, quia fide dignorum relatione recepimus, quod idem Gulielmus Swinderby latitabat, quo minus posset in propria persona citari, ipsum Gulielmum vijs & modis per Edictum publicum ad instar albi prætoris in Ecclesia nostra cathedrali Herfordensi & parochialibus ecclesijs de Kington Croste, & Whitney nostræ diocesis: vbi idem Gulielmus solebat commorari citari fecimus, prout & quemadmodum in modo citatorio continetur, cuius tenor sequitur in hæc verba.MarginaliaW. Swinderby keeping himself from the B. was cited as foloweth.

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MarginaliaThe tenor of the citation. IOhn by Gods permission Byshop of Hereford  

, to his deare sons our Deane of Leamster, to the persons of Croft, Almaly, and Whitney, and also to the Vicars of Kingston, Iardersley, Wiggemore, and Monmouth Clifford, and of S Iohns aultar in our cathedrall Church of Hereford, and to the rest of the Deanes, Parsons, Vicars, Chapleines, parish Priestes, and to other, whosoeuer in any place are appoynted through our city and dioces of Hereford: sendeth greeting, grace, and benediction.

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We bid and commaund, charging you straitly, in the vertue of holy obedience, that you cite or cause to be cited peremptorily (and vnder the payne of excommunication) William Swinderby, pretending himselfe to be a Priest: That he appeare before vs, or our Commissaryes the 20. day of this present moneth of Iuly, at North Lodebury, within our dioces, which the continuance of the dayes following in other places also to be assigned vnto him if it be expedient, till such thinges as haue bene and shall be layde agaynst him be fully discussed, to aunswere more at large to certayne positions and articles, touching the Catholicke fayth, and the holy mother Churches determination, that haue bene exhibited and ministred vnto the sayd William. And to see and heare also many thinges that haue openly in indgement before vs and a greater number of faythfull Christians by him bene euen in writing confessed, to be condemned as hereticall, false, schismaticall and erroneous. And to see and heare positions and Articles denied by the sayd William, to be proued by faythfull witnesses and other lawfull trials against the sayd William. And to receiue for his false hereticall, erroneous and schismaticall doctrine that iustice shall appoynt, or els to shew causes why the premisses shoulde not bee done.

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And if the sayd William lieth priuely, or els cannot be so cited in his proper person: we will that in your Churches when most people shall then come together to diuine seruice, you opēly with a loud voyce, and that may be vnderstanded, cause the said William peremptorely to be cited vnto the premisses: certifying the same William, that whether he shall appeare the day and place appointed or no, we notwithstanding will proceed vnto the premisses agaynst the said William according to the canonicall decrees by forme of law, in the absence or contumacy of the sayde William notwithstanding. We will moreouer if the sayd William shall appeare at the sayd day and place as is aforesayde before vs, frendly heare him, and honestly, and fauorably, as farre as we may with Gods leaue, deale with him: graunting free licence to come and to go for his naturall liberty without any hurt either in body or goods. And see that you fully certify vs of the thinges that you or any of you shall do about the execution of this our commaundement, and that by your letters patentes signed with your seale autenticall: geuing also faythfully to the sayde William or to his lawfull Proctor, if he require it, a copye of this our present commaundement.

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Geuen at our house of Whitburne vnder our seale the fift day of the moneth of Iuly, in the yeare of our Lord. 1391.