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K. Henry 4. A sermon preached at paules crosse. by R. Wymbeldon. A schisme in Rome.

that beth signified by the pale hors, Marginalia The 4. seale. that beth signes of penaunce with outfoorth to blinde the people. Marginalia Expositio. And he that sate vpon thys hors his name was death, for they shulle slee gostly them that they leden, and teacheth to trust vpon other thing than God: and helle foloweth him, for helle receiueth thilke that these disteineth. At that time shall it neede, that the fourth beast that is the Egle make hys cry, that flyeth highest of foules to reare vp Gods Gospell: and to preise that law aboue other, least mens wit, and their traditions ouergone and treden downe the law of God, by enforming of these ypocritis, and this is the last state, that is, other shall be in the Church, bifore the comming of the great Antichrist. MarginaliaThe 5. seale. The opening of the fift seale, telleth the state of the Church that than shall folow, and the desire that louers of Goddis law shulleth haue after the end of this world to be deliuered of thys wo. Marginalia The 6. seale. The opening of the sixt seale telleth the state of the Church, in time of Antichristis times, the which state yee may know to be in the Church whan ye seth fulfilled, that Saint Iohn Prophecieth to fall on the opening of thys, where hee sayth thus: After thys I saw foure Angels stonding vpon foure corners of the earth, holdyng the foure windes of the earth that they blowen nought vpon the earth, ne vpon the sea, ne vpon eny tree. These foure Angels beth the number of all the Deuils ministers, that on that tyme shulleth in the pleasance of their Lord Antichrist, stoppe the four windis that beth the foure Gospels to be preached, and so let the breath of the grace of the holie Ghost to fall vpon men morning for sinne, and calling them to amendement, and to other that wolden encrease in vertues, other vpon perfit men. What is there after thys to fall, but that the mystery of the seauenth seale be shewed, that he come in hys owne person. That Iesu Christ shall slee with the spirite of hys mouth, whan the fiend shall shew the vtmost persecution, that he and hys seruauntis may doo to Christis limmes, and that shall be the third warning that the world shall haue to come to thys dreadfull dome.

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Marginalia The 7. seale. In all thys matter haue I nought seid of my selfe, but of other Doctours that beth proued. I seyd also in my second principall part, that it were to wete tofore what Iudge we shull reken. Wherefore we shulleth wite, that God him selfe shall heere thys rekening, he that seeth all our dedis, and all our thoughtes fro the beginning of our lyfe to the end, and he shall shew there the hid thingis of our hert opening to all the world the rightfulnes of hys dome. So that with the myght of God, euery mans dedis to all the world shall be shewed, and so it semeth by the wordes of Seint Iohn, Marginalia Apoca. in the booke of preuites, there he seith thus. I saw dede men litel and great, stondyng in the sight of the throne, and bookes were opened: and an other booke was opened that was of lyfe, and dede men weren iudged after the thyngs that weren written in the bokes after their worchings. These bokes beth mens consciences that now beth closed. But than they shulleth be opened to all the world to reden therein both dedis and thoughtes. But the booke of life, is Christs liuing and doctrine, that is now hid to men that shulleth be damned thrugh theyr owne malice, that demeth men to serue the world, rather than God: In the first booke shall be writ all that we haueth doo, in that other booke, shall be write that we shulden haue doo, and than shulle dede men, be demyd of thilke thingis that ben written in the bokis: For if the dedis that we hauen do, the which ben written in the bookis of our conscience, bee accordyng to the booke of Christes teachyng and hys liuing, the whych is the booke of lyfe, we shulle be saued, and els we shulle be damned, for the dome shall be geuen after our workis. Looke therefore now what thing is written in the booke of thy conscience, while thou art here: and if thou findest ought contrary to Christis life, other to hys teaching, with the knite of penaunce and repentaunce, scrape it awaie and write it better, euermore hertly thynkyng that thou shalt yelde rekening of thy bayly.

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Also I said principally that it were to witen, what reward shal be geue on that doome, to wise seruauntes and good, and what to false seruauntes and wicked. For the which it is to wite, that our Lord Iesu Christ, shall come to the dome here into this world, in the same body that he tooke of our Lady, hauyng thereon the wound is that he suffred for our agayne bieng. And all that euer shullen be saued, taking agayne their bodies clyuing to their head Christ, shull be rauished metyng him in the ayre as Paul sayth: They that shall be damned lyen vpon the earth, as in a tonne of wyne the dreggis dwellen byneth and the cliere wyne houeth aboue. Than shall Christ axe rekenyng of the deedes of mercy, reprouyng false Christen men for the leuyng of them, rehearsing the deedes of the same, and other truth is by the which his trewe seruauntes than folowed hym: than shulle thike false seruauntes goe with the deuill, whom they haue serued in the earth, then swallowyng into the endlesse fire. And rightfull men shullen goe into euerlastyng lyfe, than shall be fulfilled that is written, in the booke of priuitees. Woe, woe, woe, to hem that dwellen in the earth. Woe to the paynyme that gafe that worshyp to dead Images wrought of mans handes, and to other creatures that heeshuld haue gone to GOD that him wrought: Woe to the Iewe that trusteth so muchil in the ould law, than shall he see Maries sonne deemyng the world whomū he despised and set on the Crosse: Woe to the false Christen man that knew the will of his Lord, and fulfilled it nought.

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Also woe for sinne of thinkyng to thee, that thou hast shyt out the meine of God, that is mynde of his Passion, holy contemplation, of his goodnesse and memorie of his benefites, fro the chaumber of thine herte: and hast made it an house of swyn and a den of theeues, by vncleane thoughtes and delites. As thou here hast sperd God out of thine hert, so he shall spere thee out of heauen: Thou hast herberwid the meine of the fiend, and with them in hell thou shall thou shalt euer abide: woe also for sinne of speach, for thou might nought open they foule and stynkyng mouth with the whiche thou hast spoken vnhonesty, cursyng, fraude, deceite, leasinges, forswearyng, scornyng, and backebityng, to prayse God in the felowshyp of Saintes. For louyng is nought comynlych, in mouthes of sinners. For in the whiche gif thou haddest kept thy mouth cleane, thou shouldest haue songen in felowshyp of Aungels this blessed song: Santus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus omnipotens. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty. Then yellyng and weepyng thou shalt cry in company of deuils. Ve, ve, ve, quante sunt tenebræ. Woe, woe, wo, how great beth these darkenes, wo also for sinne of deede. Thou hast bene proud, thy pryde shall be drawen to hell, as Esay sayth, or thou hast bene brent wyth enuye of the deuill. Enuy entred into the world, and they shoulden folowen him that ben on hys syde, as Salomon sayth. Or thou hast be stirred with wrath, and euerich man that beareth wrath to hys brethren, is gilty in dome, as Christ in the Gospell sayth of Mathew. Or thou hast be slowe to good deedes, myssawe shall come to thee as a wayfaring man, and thy pouert as a man iarmed, as the booke of Prouerbes sayth. Or thou hast haunted lechery, glotonye, or couetise. That forsoth wete ye, that euerych auouterer, or vncleane man, that is a gloton, other chynch, shall neuer haue heritage in the Realme of Christ and of God, as Poule sayth. But fire, brimstone, and the spirit of tempests, that is, the fiend of hell, shulen be a partie of their payne, as it is written in the Psaulter, when these damned men bee in this woe, they shulen syng thys reufull song that is ywritten in the booke of mourning. Marginalia Note. The ioye of our hart is a go, our quier is turned into wo, the crowne of our heade is fallen vs fro. Alas for synne that we haue do. Marginalia Conclusion. But ioye and ioye, and ioye to them that be saued. Ioy in God, ioy in them selfe, ioy in other that ben saued. Also ioy for theyr trauayle is brought to so gracious an end. Ioy, for they scaped the payne of hell, ioy fore theyr blisse that they han in the sight of God, Cui sit honor & gloria, in secula seculorum, Amen.

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And thus much concerning this worthie and fruitfull Sermon, whych as by the auncientnes of the phrase seemeth to be preached much about the time of Iohn Wickliffe: so I thought heere, by the occasion of William Thorpes examination, best to place the same: for the apt coherence both of the spirit, and of the matter. Especially hauing before our eyes, the publique vtilitie of the Reader, to whome by the studious reading thereof, might rise plentifull matter of true Christian information, both of the wholesome fearing of God, and of the right guiding of euery Christian mans life.

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Wherevnto I thought good to anexe further in our story  

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Henry IV and Gregory XII

Generally Foxe's material on individual popes came either from John Bale's Catalogus or Matthias Flacius's Catalogus testium veritatis. In the case of Gregory XII and Alexander V, however, Foxe took all of his information from College of Arms MS Arundel 7, which was one version of Thomas of Walsingham's Chronica majora. The only exception to this is the discussion of the duration of the Great Schism, which comes from John Bale, Catalogus, pp. 439-41. Everything else, including the letter from Henry IV to Gregory XII, comes from Arundel 7. (See Thomas of Walsingham, Historia Anglicana, ed. H. T. Riley, 2 vols., Rolls Series 28 [London, 1863-4], II, pp. 275, 279-80, 281 and 284). Foxe's account of Gregory XII first appeared in the 1570 edition and it was reprinted, without change, in all subsequent editions. Foxe's purposes in printing this account were simply to portray the Papacy in a bad light. Foxe highlights the inability of Gregory XII and other popes to set aside their personal interests, even to end the schism. Along the way, Foxe was also able to denounce papal political ambitions, their use of miolitary force and even to sarcastically contrast the lavish granting of promises of eternal life (indulgences) by the popes with their strikingly ephemeral pontificates.

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Thomas S. Freeman
University of Sheffield

, after the examination of William Thorpe, and the martyrdome of William Sawtrey, and of Iohn Badby thus described (as ye hane heard) which was about the yeare 1409. By the way here is to be considered, at least to be admonished, that al this while the schisme in the church of Rome did yet continue, and so endured till the councell of Constance, which was in whole, the space of xxix, yeares. The origine whereof (as was sayd page. 434. Marginalia Vide supra. pag. 434.) first began at Marginalia Vrbanus. 3. Vrbanus. 5. which Vrbanus being dead, an. 1389. next folowed Marginalia Bonifacius. 9. Pope Boniface the 9. who sate 14. yeares. He in selling his pardons was so impudent and so past shame, that he brought the keyes of Peter (as sayth Platina) in contempt. After hym succeeded Marginalia Innocentius. 7. Gregorius. 12. Innocentius. 7. and sate 2. yeares: who being dead, the Marginalia The cardinal deuise to cease the schisme. Cardinals consulting together, and seeing the foule enormitie and inconuenience growing vpon this contentious schisme in their Church of Rome (minding to prouide some remedie for the same, after the best deuise they could) in their conclaue where they were assembled for a new election of the Pope, tooke this order, promising among themselnes with solemne vow made to God, to Mary the blessed virgine, to Peter and Paule, and to all the blessed company of saints: Marginalia The vow & othe of the Cardinals made for the schisme. That if any of them within the colledge or without the colledge, should be called to that high place of Apostolicall preeminence: he should effectuously renounce the iurisdiction and title of his Popedome, if or whensoeuer the conūtrary Pope for the time being, would in like maner renounce his place

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