MarginaliaWalden in fasciculo zizaniorum Wicleui.IN Dei nomine. Amen. I Iohn Oldcastle denounced, detected and couuicted, of and vpon diuers articles sauoring both heresye and error, before the reuerend father in Christ & my good Lord, Thomas by the permission of God, Lord Archbishop of Caunterbury, and my lawfull and rightfull iudge in that behalfe, expresly graunt and confesse: MarginaliaMarke from whence this geare commeth.that as c?cerning the estate and power of the most holy father the Pope of Rome, of his Archbishops, his Bishops and hys other prelates, the degrees of the church, and the holy Sacramentes of the same, specially of the Sacramentes of the aultar of penaunce and other obseruaunces besides of our mother holy Church, as Pilgrimages and pardons: I affirme (I say) before the sayd reuerend father Archbishop & els where, that I being euill seduced by diuers sedicious preachers, haue grieuously erred, and heretically persisted, blasphemously aunswered, and obstinately rebelled.MarginaliaFine wormanship I trowe. And therfore I am by the sayd reuerend father, before the reuerend fathers in Christ also, the bishops of London, Winchester, and Bangor, lawfully condemned for an hereticke.

MarginaliaAlas good man, thou are slaundered.Neuertheles yet, I now remembring my selfe, and coueting by this meane to auoyd that temporall payn which I am worthy to suffer as an hereticke, at the assignation of my most excellent Christen prince and liege Lord, King Henry the 5. now by the grace of God most worthy Kyng both of England and of Fraunce: Minding also to preferr the wholesome determination, sentence and doctrine of the holy vniuersall Church of Rome, before the vnwholesom opinions of my selfe, my teachers, and my followers: I freely, willingly, deliberately, and throughly c?fesse, gra?t, and affirme, that the most holy fathers in Christ, S. Peter the Apostle and his successors byshops of Rome, specially now at this time, my most blessed Lord Pope Iohn, by the permission of God, the xxiij. Pope of that name, which now holdeth Peters seat (and each of them in theyr succession) hath full strength and power to be Christes Vicar in earth, and the head of the church militant. And that by the str?gth of his office (what though he be a great sinner, and afore knowne of God to be damned) he hath full authority and power to rule and gouerne, bynde and loose, saue and destroy, accurse and assoyle, all other Christen men.

And agreeably still vnto this, I confesse, graunt, and affirme all other Archbishops, Byshops, and Prelates in their prouinces, Dioces, and Parishes (appoynted by the sayd Pope of Rome, to assiste him in his doinges or busines) by his Decrees, Canons, or vertue of his office: to haue had in times past to haue now at this time, and that they ought to haue in time to come: authoritye and power to rule and gouerne, binde and loose, accurse and assoyle, the subiects or people of theyr aforesaid prouinces, dioces, & parishes, and that their said subiectes or people ought of right in all things to obey them. MarginaliaHow proue ye that, by the scriptures.Furthermore, I confesse, graunt, and affirme, that the sayd spirituall fathers, as our most holy father the Pope, Archbishops, Bishops, & Prelates: haue had, haue now, and ought to haue hereafter, authority and power for the estate, order and gouernaunce of their subiectes or people, to make lawes, decrees, statutes and constitutions, yea and to publishe, commaund, and compell their sayde subiectes and peoyle, to the obseruation of them.

MarginaliaNo scriptures haue they to shewe.Moreouer I confesse, graunt and affirme, that all these foresayd lawes, decrees, statutes and constitutions made, published and commaunded, according to the forme of spirituall law, all christen people, and euery man in himself is straightly bound to obserue, & meekely to obey acccording to the diuersity of the foresayd powers. As the lawes, statuts, canons and constitutions of our most holy father the Pope, incorporated in his Decrees, Decretals, Clementines, Codes, Chartes, Rescriptes, Sextiles, and Extrauagants ouer all the world: and as the prouinciall statuts of Archbishopps in their prouinces, the Sinodall actes of Bishops in their dioces, and the commendable rules & customes of prelates in their colledges, and Curates in their parishes, MarginaliaIntollerable yokes laye they.all Christen people are both bound to obserue, & also most meekly to obey. Ouer & besides all thys, I Iohn Oldecastle vtterly forsaking and renouncing all the aforesayd errors and hercsies, and all other errors and heresies like vnto them, lay my hand here vpon this booke or holye Euangely of God, & sweare: that I shall neuer more from henceforth holde these aforesayd heresies, nor yet any other like vnto them wittinglye. MarginaliaNeuer made he such an othe.Neither shall I geue counsell, ayde, helpe, nor fauor at any time, to them that shall holde, teach, affirme, or maintayne the same, as God shall helpe me, and these holy Euangelies.

And that I shall from henceforth faythfully obey and inuiolably obserue all the holy lawes, statutes, Canons, and constitutions of all the Popes of Rome, Archbishops Bishops, and Prelates, MarginaliaAnd this maintaine they still. The pope holy bible of papists.as are conteyned and determined in their holy Decrees, Decretalles, Clementines, Codes, Chartes, Rescriptes, Sextiles, Summes, papall, Extrauagantes, statutes prouinciall, actes synodall, and other ordinary regules and customes c?stituted by them, or that shall chaunce hereafter directly to be determined or made. To these and all such other, will I my selfe with all power possibly apply. MarginaliaMarke this h?dling.Besides all this, the penaunce whiche it shall please my sayd reuerend father the Lord Archbishop of Caunterbury hereafter to enioyne me for my sinnes, I will meekely obey and faythfully fulfill. Finally, all my seducers and false teachers, and all other besides, whome I shall hereafter know suspected of heresye or errors: MarginaliaThis charge geue they commonly.I shall effectually present, or cause to be presented vnto my sayde reuerend father, Lord Archbishop or to them which haue his authority, so soone as I can conueniently do it, and see that they be corrected to my vttermost power.

This abiuration neuer came to the hands of the Lord Cobham, neither was it compiled of them for that purpose, but onely therewith to bleare the eyes of the vnlearned multitude for a time. After the whiche like fetch and subtle practise, was also deuised the recantati? of the Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, to stop for a time the peoples mouthes. Which subtlely in like manner was also practised with the false recantati? of Bishop Hoper, and diuers other, as in their places hereafter (Christ graunting) shalbe shewed.

MarginaliaFor confirmation of this historie.And thus muth hitherto concerning the first trouble of sir Iohn Oldcastle Lorde Cobham, with all the circumstances of the true time, place, occasion, causes, and order belonging to the same. Wherin I trust I haue sufficiently satisfied all the parties, requisite to a faythfull history, with out corruptiou. For the confirmation wherof, to the intent the mind also of the wrangling cauiller may be satisified, & to stop the mouth of the aduersary (which I see in all places to be ready to barke) MarginaliaEx archiuis et Regist. Tho. Arund. Archiep. Cant.I haue therfore of purpose anexed with all my ground & foundation taken taken out of the Archiues and Registers of the Archb. of Cant, Ex epist. Thom. Arund. ad. Rich. Lond. MarginaliaPolydorus and Edw. Haull deceiued.Wherby may appeare, the manifest error both of Polydorus and of Edward Hall, who being deceiued in the right distinction of the times, assigne this citation and examination of the Lord Cobham, to be after the councell of C?stance: when as Thomas Arundell Archbishop of Caunterbury at the councell of Constance was not aliue. The copy and testimony of his owne letter, shall declare the same, written and sent to the bishop of London in forme as foloweth.

TO the reuerend father in Christ and Lord, the Lord Robert by the grace of God Bishop of Hereford, Richard by the permission of God bishop of London, health and continuall increase of sincere loue. We haue of late receiued the letters of the reuerend father in Christ and Lord, the Lorde Thomas by the grace of God Archb. of Cant. primate of all England, and Legate of the Apostolicke see, vnto our reuerend brother the Lord Richard Bishop of London, health and brotherly loue in the Lord. It was lately concluded before vs in the conuocation of Prelates and Clergye of our prouince of Caunterb. last celebrate in our church of S. Paul, intreating amongest other thinges with the sayd prelates & clergy vpon the vnion and reformation of the Church of England by vs, and the sayd prelates and Clergy: that it was almost impossible to amende the hole of our Lordes coate whiche was without seame, but that first of all certayne nobles of the realme, which are authors, fauourers, protectors, defenders, and receiuers of these heretickes called Lollardes, were sharpely rebuked, and if neede were by the censures of the Churche, and the helpe of the secular power, they be reuoked from their errours. And afterward hauing made diligent inquisition in the conuocation amongest the proctors of the Clergy and others which were there in great number out of euery dioces of our prouince: MarginaliaA thing thought right necessary that the L. Cob.ham should be made out of the way, or els not possible for papistry to florish.It was found out amongest others, that sir Iohn Oldcastle knight, was and is the principall receiuer, fauourer, protector and defender of them: and that specially in the Diocesse of London, Rochester, and Hereforde, he hath sent the sayd Lollardes to preach, not being licenced by the ordinaryes and Bishoppes of the Dioces or places, contrary to the prouinciall constitutions in that behalfe made, and hath