Ouer this I beleue, that through counsell of this most blessed Trinity, in most cōuenient time before ordeined for the saluation of mankinde, the second person of this Trinity, was ordeined to take the forme of mā, that is, the kinde of mā. And I beleue, that this secōd person our Lord Iesu Christ, was conceiued through the holy ghost, in þ^e wombe of the most blessed virgin Mary, without mans seed. And I beleue, that after 9. monethes Christ was borne of this most blessed virgine, without any payne or breaking of the closter of her wombe, and without filth of her virginity.

And I beleue, that Christ our Sauiour was Circumcised in the eight day after his birth, in fulfilling of the law, and his name was called Iesus, which was so called of þ^e Angel, before that he was conceiued in the wombe of Mary his mother.

And I beleue, that Christ, as he was about xxx. yeare olde, was Baptised in the floud of Iordane of Iohn Baptist: and in the likenes of a Doue the holy Ghost descēded there vpon him, & a voyce was heard from heauen, saying: Thou art my welbeloued sonne, in thee I am full pleased.

And I beleue, that Christ, was moued then by the holy ghost, for to go into desert, and there he fasted 40 dayes & 40. nightes without bodely meat and drink. And I beleue that by and by after his fasting, when the manhood of christ hūgred, the fiend came to him, and tempted him in glottony, in vayne glory, and in couetise: but in all those temptations, Christ concluded the fiend, and withstood him. And then without tarying, Iesu began to preach and to say vnto the people: do ye penaunce, for the Realme of heauen is now at hand.

I beleue that Christ in all his time here liued most holily, and taught the will of his father most truly: and I beleue that he suffered therfore, most wrongfully, greatest repriefes and despisinges.

And after this, when Christ woulde make an end here of this tēporal life, I beleue that in the day next before that he would suffer passiō in the morne: Marginalia That is, vnder the creatures of bread and wine. In forme of bread and of wine, he ordeined the Sacrament of his flesh and hys bloud, that is, his owne precious body, & gaue it to his Apostles for to eat: cōmaunding them, aud by them all their after commers, that they should do it in this forme that he shewed to them, vse themselues, and teach and comō forth to other men and womē this most worshipfull holyest sacrament, in midfulnes of his holyest liuing, & of his most true preaching, & of his wilfull and patient suffering of the most paynefull passion.

And I beleue, that thys Christ our Sauiour, after that he had ordeined this most worthy Sacrament of his own precious body: he wēt forth wilfully agaynst his enemies, and he suffered them most paciently to lay their hands most violently vpō him, and to binde him, and to lead him forth as a theefe, & to scorne him, and buffet him, and all to blow or file him with their spittinges. Ouer this, I beleue, that Christ suffered most meekly and paciently his enemies, for to ding out with sharp scourges the bloud þ^t was betwene his skinne and his flesh: yea without grudging Christ suffered the cruell Iewes to crowne him with most sharpe thornes, and to strike him with a reede. And after, Christ suffered wicked Iewes to draw him out vpon the crosse, & for to nayle him thereupon hand and foote. And so through his pitifull nayling, Christ shed out wilfully for mans life, the blond that was in his vaynes. And then Christ gaue wilfully his spirit into þ^e hāds or power of his father, & so, as he would, & whē he would, christ died wilfully for mās sake vpon the crosse. And notwithstāding that Christ was wilfully, paynefully, & most shamefully put to death, as to the world: there was left bloud and water in his hart as before ordeined, that he would shedd out this bloud & this water for mās saluation. And therefore he suffred þ^e Iewes to make a blinde knight to thrust him into the hart with a speare, and this the bloud and water that was in his hart, Christ would shed out for mans loue, And after this, I beleue that Christ was taken downe from the crosse and buried. And I beleue that on the third day by power of hys Godhead, Christ rose againe from death to life. And the xl. day therafter, I beleue that Christ ascēded vp into heauen and that he there sitteth on the right hand of the father almighty. And the fifty day after this vp going, he sēt to hys Apostles the holy ghost, that he had promised them before. And I beleue that Christ shall come & iudge all mankind, some to enerlasting peace, and some to euerlasting paines.

And as I beleue in the father & in the sonne, that they are one God almighty, so I beleue in the holy Ghost that he is also with them the same God almighty.

And I beleue an holy church, that is, all they that haue bene, and that now are, & alwayes to the end of the worlde shalbe, Marginalia What is the holy church a people the which shall endeuour them to know &to keepe the commaundements of God, dreading ouer all thing to offēd God, and louing and seeking most to please him. And I beleue, that all they that haue had & yet haue, and all they that yet shall haue the foresayd vertues, surely standing in the belief of God, hoping stedfastly in his mercyfull doinges, continuing to theyr end in perfect charitye, wilfully, paciently and gladly suffering persecutiōs, by the example of Christ chieflye and his Apostles, all these haue theyr names written in the booke of life.

Marginalia The true notes of the true church. Therfore I beleue, that the gathering together of this people, liuing now here in this life, is the holy Church of God, fighting here on earth agaynst the fiend, the prosperity of the world, and theyr fleshly lusts. Wherfore, seing that all the gathering together of this Church before sayd, and euery part therof, neither coueteth, nor willeth, nor loueth, nor seketh any thing but to eschew þ^e offēce of God, & to do his pleasing will: meekly, gladly, and wilfully, w^t all mine hart, I submit my selfe vnto this holy Church of Christ, to be euer buxome & obedient to þ^e ordinaūce of it, & of euery member therof, after my knowledge and power by þ^e help of God. Therfore I knowledge now and euermore shal, if God will, that with all my hart and with all my might, I wil submit me onely to the rule and gouernauuce of them, whō after my knowledge, I may perceiue by the hauing and vsing of the before sayd vertues, to be members of the holy Church. Wherfore these articles of belief and al other (both of the olde law and of the new, which after the commaundement of God any man ought to beleue) I beleeue verely in my soule, as a sinful deadly wretch of my cunning and power, ought to beleue: praying the Lord God for his holy name, for to encrease my beliefe, and to helpe my vnbeliefe.

Marginalia What heresie in this beliefe, I pray you my Lord? And for because to the praysing of Gods name, I desire aboue all things to be a faithfull mēber of holy church, I make this protestatiō before you all foure that are now here present, coueting that all men & women that now be absent, knew the same: that is, what thing soeuer before this time I haue sayde or done, or what thing here I shall doe or say, at any time hereafter. Marginalia The old Testament and new. I beleeue, that all the olde law and the new law geuen and ordeined by the coūsell of the three persons of the Trinity, were geuen and written to the saluatiō of mankind. And I beleue, that these lawes are sufficient for mans saluation. And I beleue euery article of these lawes, to the intent, that these articles ordeined and commaunded of these 3. persons of the most blessed trinity, are to be beleued.

And therfore to þ^e rule & ordinaunce of these, Gods lawes, meekely, gladly and wilfully, I submit me with all mine hart: that whosoeuer can or will by authority of gods lawe, or by open reason, tell me that I haue erred or nowe erre, or any time hereafer shail erre in any article of beliefe (from which inconuenience God keepe me, for hys goodnesse) I submit me to be reconciled and to be buxum & obedient vnto those lawes of God, and to euery article of thē. For by authority, specially of these lawes, I will, thorow the grace of God, be vntied charitably vnto these lawes. Yea sir, & ouer this, I beleeue & admit all the sentēces, authorities and reasōs of the saynts & doctors, according vnto holy scripture, and declaring it truely.

I submit me wilfully and meekely to be euer obedient after my cunning and power, to all these saynts and Marginalia Doctors so to be folowed as they folow the word. Doctors, as they are obedient in worke and in word to God & to his law, and further not (to my knowledge) not for any earthly power, dignitye or state, thorow the helpe of God. But sir I pray you tell me, if after your bidding, I shal lay my hand vpon the booke, to what entent: to sweare thereby? And the Archby. sayd to me, yea, wherefore els? And I said to him. Syr a book is nothing els but a thing coupled together of diuers creatures, and to swere by any creature both Gods law and mans law is agaynst it. Marginalia To sweare by a booke whether it be lawfull.

But Syr, this thing I say here to you before these your clerkes, with my foresayd protestation, Marginalia How, where, and when to sweare. that how, where when, and to whom, men are boūd to sweare or to obey in any wise after Gods law, and saints, and true Doctours, according vnto Gods law: I will thorow Gods grace be euer ready thereto, with all my cunning and power. But I pray you sir for the charitye of God, that ye will before þ^t I sweare (as I haue here rehearsed to you) tell me how or whereto, that I shal submit me: and shew me wherof that ye will correct me, and what is the ordinaunce that ye will thus oblige me to fulfill.

¶ And the Archbishop sayd vnto me: I will shortly that now thou sweare here to me, that thou shalt forsake al the opinions which the sect of Lollardes holde, and is slaundered with: so that after this time, neither priuilye nor apertly, thou hold any opinion which I shal (after thou hast sworne) rehearse to thee here. Nor thou shalt fauor no mā