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Swinstead [Swinsted]

Lincolnshire

OS grid ref: TF 015 225

the spiritualtie, more of displeasure then trueth. And thus your autor Hall, hauing recited þ^e varietie of mens opinions, determineth himselfe no certaine thing therof, but as one indifferent, neither boūd to the coniectures of al men, nor to the wrytings of all men, referreth the whole iudgement of the matter free vnto the reader. And so concluding his narratiō MarginaliaHalle no witnes in sir Roger Actons case.forsomuch as he was neither a witnes of the fact, nor present at the dede, he ouerpasseth the story therof.

And what witnes then wil you, or can you (M. Cope) take of Edwarde Halle, which denieth himselfe to be a witnesse? Will you compell him to say that he sawe not? and to witnesse that he can not? Wherfore like as Susanna, in the storye of Daniel was quite by right iudgement in the case of adultry, because her accusers and testes being examined a sonder were found to vary and halt in their tale, and not to agree in the two trees: So why may not in like case of treason, sir Roger Acton, sir Iohn Oldcastle, Browne w^t the rest, claime the same priuiledge? MarginaliaRepugnaūce noted in the witnes a-against the L. Cobham & sir Roger Acton.seeing among the testes and witnesse produced agaynst them, such discorde is found, and such halting among them, that neyther do they agree in place, person, yeare, day, nor moneth.

Marginalia1, Repugnaūce in the place.1. For first where Fabian and his fellowes day: that they were assembled together in a great company, in the fielde neare to S. Gyles, the forged inditement aboue alledged, sayth, they were but riding toward the fielde.

Marginalia2. Repugnaunce in the place.2. Secondly, where the foresaid inditement and Polydore, geue the Lorde Cobham to be present personally in that assemble, Halle, and Alanus Copus Anglus,MarginaliaAla. Copus pag. 833. lin. 12. doe exclude hys personal presence from thence: and so doth Fabian also seme to agree, speaking onely of the adherentes of Syr Iohn Oldcastle.

Marginalia3. Repugnaūce in the yeare.3. Thirdly, where Halle and Polydorus report thys assemble to be after the burning of Iohn Hus, and of Hierome at the councel of Constance, which was An. 1415. that cannot be, but if there were any suche conspiracie in the first yeare of Henry 5. it must needes be An. 1413. And heere by the way, why do certaine of your Epitome wryters speaking of the Lord Cobham committed first to the tower for heresie, referre the sayd his imprisonment to the yere 1412. where as, by their owne counte, reckoning the yeare from the Annunciation, it must nedes be an. 1413. being done in haruest time.

Marginalia4. Repugnaūce in the month.4. Fourthly, where Halle with his followers affirme that syr Roger Acton, Brown and Beuerley were condemned the 12. day of December, the recorde is euident against it, which holdeth the fact to be in working the 10. day of Ian.

Marginalia5. Repugnaūce in the day.5. Fiftly, where as the foresayde record of the Inditement geueth the Wednesday next after the Epiphany, whyche was the 10. day of Ian. that present yeare, both the facte to be commytted, the same day, the Commission also to be graunted and deliuered to the Cōmissioners the same day. The saide Commissioners to sit in Commission the same day: The Shriffes of Midlesex to returne a iurie out of the body of Midlesex the same day: and the Iurers to find the inditement the same day, and yet no iurer in the inditemēt named the same day.

Item, the L. Cobham, the same day, to be found conspiring to make his selfe Regent, when as the king, that day and yeare, was not yet passed into Fraunce: howe all these can concurre and hang together and all in one day: I suppose it wil cost you two dayes, before you, with al your learned counsel wil study it out. And whē you in your vnlawfull assembles haue conspired and conferred together, all ye can, yet wil ye make it (as I thinke) iij. dayes, before you honestly dispatch your handes of the matter.

And where ye thinke, þ^t you haue impressed in me such a foul note of lying, neuer to be clawed of while the world standeth, yet shal the posterity to come iudge betwene you & me, whether shall appeare more honest and true, my defence for that worthy lord, then your vncourteous and viperous wrangling against him, mooued w^t no other cause, but onely with the peuish spirite of Poperie, whych can abide nothing, but that sauereth of your owne secte. MarginaliaPapistes can not see great beames in their owne eyes, which spye small motes in other.For els how many loud lying legends, yea what legion of lies are daily vsed and receiued in the popish church? What doltish dreames? what fained myracles: what blasphemous tales and frierly fables, and idle inuētions, fighting against the sincere religion, doctrine and crosse of Christ? And coulde you holde your penne from al these, and finde nothing els to set your idlenesse on worke, but onely to wryte agaynst the Lorde Cobham, Syr Roger Acton, Browne, Onley, Cowbrige, with a fewe other whome wyth much a doe, at length you haue sought out, not so much for any true zeale to rebuke iniquitye, as craftely seeking matter by these to deface and blemish the booke of Actes and Monumentes. Which seemeth belike to make you scratche there, where it itcheth not. And if I shoulde after the like dealing take inhand your Popish portues, and with like diligence excusse euery Popish martyr and Saint there canonised: thinke you maister Cope, I coulde not make you out halfe dosen as ranke traitours and rebels to their kings and princes, as euer were any of these of your picking out? What pope almost hath there bene these last 500. yeares, whych hathe not bene a traitour to his Emperor and Prince, and to his countrey?MarginaliaPopes traytours to their Emperours & princes. either openly rebelling against them, or priuely conspiring their destruction, or proudly setting theyr feete vpon their necks, or spurning their crownes of from their heads, or making the sonne to fight against þ^e father? How many haue they deposed, and set vp other in theyr seates? how many Emperours and kings haue they wrongfully cursed? What Consulles of Rome haue they resisted, deposed, and put to death? What warres haue they raised vp against theyr owne countrey of Rome? Yea the continuall holding of the City of Rome, from hys lawfull Emperor, what is it but a continuall poynt of treason?

What will you answere mee (M. Cope) to the Pope, which conspired to let fall downe a stone vpon the Emperours head, kneeling at his prayers, pag. 177.

And though this treachery being as big as a milstone, seemed but a smal mote in your eye, that it could not be espied: yet what will you say by the Monke of Swinstede, that poysoned king Iohn, who was both absolued by his abbot before his treason committed, and after hys treason had a perpetuall Masse songe for him, to helpe hym out of Purgatorie?

MarginaliaThe Popes saintes and confessours many were traytours.And what thinke ye in your conscience is to be sayde of Thomas Becket, who did inough, and more then became him, to set the French king, and the king of Englande together by the eares? Of Anselme likewise, and of Stephen Langhton, who departed both out of the Realme to complaine of their princes & soueraines? The like may be said also of Iohn Peckham. Iohn Stradford Archbyshop of the same sea notoriously resisted the Kinges commaundement, being sent for by king Edward 3. to come to the parliament at Yorke, through the default of whose comming, the present oportunitie of getting Scotland was the same time lost.

MarginaliaR. Scrope Arch. of Yorke traytor and yet coūted a holy man.Richard Scrope Archb. of Yorke, was opēly in armes to rebell & fight against K. Henry 4. for the which he was condemned & put to death. And yet notw^tstanding Commission was sent downe from the pope shortly after, to excōmunicate them which put him to death, his treason notw^tstanding. MarginaliaPopes cōmonly traytours.Read þ^e story sincerely of pope Benedict 12. and of pope Clement 6. And see howe the traiterous rebellion of these two popes against Ludouicus their rightful Emperor can be defended: Which Emperor at last was also empoysoned, & that not without the practise of Pope Clement, as doth Hieronimus Marius credibly witnesse.

In the raigne of K. Edward the 2. mention was made before of Thomas Earle of Lancaster.MarginaliaTho. Lancaster traitor and yet made a Sainct by the Pope. Who with a great number of other nobles and Barons of the realme, rose in armour against their prince, and therefore at lengthe were put to death as traitours. And yet notwythstanding thys treason committed (M. Cope) if you be so ignorant in our stories, that you know it not, set your setters on to search, and you shall finde it true, that certaine Noble men went vp to Rome, for the canonising of the sayde Thomas of Lancaster to be made a Saint, and obtained the same. In so much that in a certayne olde Calendare, the name of the sayd S. Thomas of Lancaster is yet extant to be seene.

In the former booke of these Actes and Monumentes aboue, about the pag. 353. or 354. mention was made of Edmund of Abbenden Archb. of Cant.MarginaliaEdmū d Archb. of Cant. rebelled against his princ, and yet made a Saint by the Pope. whom although I do not disproue, but rather commend in my history, for his bold and sage counsail geuen vnto K. Henry the 3. and also for offering the censure of excommunication against the king in so necessary a cause: yet notwithstanding the same Edmund, afterward about his latter end, went vp wyth a rebelling minde to complaine of his king vnto the Pope, and in his iourney died, before his return: who afterward for the same, was canonised by the Pope, and now shineth among the Saints in the popes Calender.

Let vs come more neare to these dayes and times, and consider the doings of Tho. Arundell Archb. of Canterb.MarginaliaTho. Arundel a ranck traitour against his king, and yet a great piller counted in the popes church. Who being first deposed and exiled for hys contemptuous deserts against the king, and afterward comming in, wyth Henry Bolynbroke Duke of Herford, in open armes and with main force rose against his natural and lawful king: thinke you (M. Cope) thys is not as greate a poynte of treason, as that which was done in Thickets fields? And though he be not placed among the portuous Saincts, yet I thinke nothing contrary, but in your heart you will not greatly sticke to say, Sancte Thoma ora pro nobis.

All these thinges well considered, tell me (M. Cope) I