Person and Place Index     Close

Leicester

Lecester, Leycester

NGR: SK 590 045

A borough, having separate jurisdiction, in the county of Leicester, of which it is the capital. 97 miles north-north-west from London. The borough comprises the parishes of All Saints, St Leonard, St Martin, St Nicholas, and parts of St Margaret and St Mary. St Margaret is within the peculiar jurisdiction of the prebend of that stall in Lincoln cathedral. The rest are in the Archdeaconry of Leicester, Diocese of Lincoln

[Back to Top]

English information from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of England (S. Lewis & Co: London, 1831)

Scottish information from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (S. Lewis & Co: London, 1846)

Welsh information taken from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales(Lewis & Co: London, 1840)

The reason for the use of these works of reference is that they present the jurisdictional and ecclesiastical position as it was before the major Victorian changes. The descriptions therefore approximate to those applying in the sixteenth century, after the major changes of 1535-42. Except for the physical locations, which have not changed, the reader should not therefore take these references as being accurate in the twenty-first century.

[Back to Top]

toward the churche of Christ, not muche regarding what corruption encreased therein, so that there commodities might not decrease. MarginaliaThe lies and fictions innumerable in the Popes Church.Thus out of this fountayne haue gushed out so many prodigious lyes in Church Legendes, in Saintes liues, in monkishe fictions, in fabulous miracles, in false and forged Reliques, as in peeces of the holye crosse, in the bould of hales, in our Ladies milke in þ^e nails of Christ, which they make to a great number. Likewise in their false and blind errours, corrupt doctrines, absurd inuentions repugnant to þ^e truth of the worde. Item in their bastard bookes, forged Epistles, their Apocripha, and Pseudopigrapha. Here commeth in their forged Canons, theyr foysting and cogging in ancient councels & decrees, as in ϖς απο εμου πετρου  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Greek words

Translation

John Wade, University of Sheffield

So from my rock

MarginaliaVntruthe in the popishe epistle decretall.Here commeth in also the Epistles of Clement, and other sondry epistles Decretall, which as they are no doubt falsly inserted by other, so are they the welhead of many superstitious traditions, oppressing this day the churche of Christ. MarginaliaWntruth in the popishe Lyturgies.To speake moreouer of the liturges of S. Iames, of Chrisostome and other, of the first masse sayde by sainct Peter at Rome, and that S. Peter sate 25 yeares Byshop of Rome. MarginaliaVntruth in bookes counterfaite.To speake also of the works of Augustine, Ambrose, Hierome, and Gregorye, what doctour or famous writer hath there bene in the churche, vnder whose name some counterfayted bookes haue not falsely bene fathered, and yet stand still authorised vnder their patronage, to the great detriment of the churche? What shoulde I speake of Abdias, Amphilochius, Dionysius Areopagita. The Dialoges of Gregory,MarginaliaGregories Dialogues. which falsely to this day haue ben ascribed to Gregory the first, where in deede they were first written in Greeke, by Gregory the 3. and afterward translated out of Greeke into Latine, by pope Zachary. vide supra. pag. 130. MarginaliaSermo ad Conuentū Sāctorū, in fine Eusebii. made by Constātine the Emperour.Likewise that worthy and Imperiall sermon intituled Eusebij pamphili Sermo ad Conuentrum Sanctorum, hath to thys day wrongfully borne the name of Eusebius. Where as in very truth it was made by the good Emperour Constantinus himselfe in his owne heroicall stile in latine, and afterward translated out of Latine into Greeke by Eusebius, as he himselfe confesseth in hys worke De vita Constant. lib. 4. But as touching this sermon although the name be chaunged, so godly and fruitful it is, that it mattereth not much, vnder whose name it be read, yet worthy to be read vnder þ^e name of none so much, as of the Emperor Cōstantine himselfe, who was the true author and owner therof.

Briefly except it be the bookes onely of the new Testament, and of the olde, what is almost in the popes church, but either it is mingled or depraued, or altered, or corrupted, either by some additions interlased, or by some diminutiō mangled and gelded, or by some glose adulterate, or with manifest lies contaminate. MarginaliaVntruth in the Popes doctrine.So that in theyr doctrine standeth little truth, in theyr Legendes, Protues, & massebookes lesse trueth, MarginaliaVntruth in the popes Legendes and Masse bookes.in their miracles and ReliquesMarginaliaVntruth in the popes miracles and reliques. least truth of all. Neyther yet doe theyr sacramentesMarginaliaVntruth in the popes Sacramēts. remayne cleare and voyd of manifest lyes and corruption. And specially here commeth in the mayster bee, whiche bringeth in much sweet hony into Popes hiues, þ^e maister lye,MarginaliaA maister lie. I mean of all lyes, where the P. leauing not one cromme of bread nor drop of wine in the reuerent communion, vntruly and idolatrously taketh away all substaunce of bread from it, turning the whole substaunce of bread into the substaunce of Christes owne body: which substaunce of bread, if the Pope take from the sacrament, then muste he also take the breaking from it: for breaking and the body of Christ, can in no wise stand litterally together by the scripture. Thus then as this is proued by the word of God to be a manifest lye: so thinke not much (good Reader hereat, as though I passed the bondes of modestie in calling it the Archlye or maister lie of all lies. Because vppon this one, an infinite number of other lyes and erroures in the popes churche, as handmaydes doe wayte and depend.

But forsomuch as I stand here not to charge other mē so muche, as to defende my selfe, ceasing therefore, or rather differing for a time to stir this stinking pudle of these wilfull and intended lyes and vntruthes whiche in the Popes Religion and in papistes bookes be innumerable I will now returne to those vntruthes and impudent lies which M. Cope hath hunted out in my history of Actes & Monuments, first beginning with those vntruthes which he carpeth in the storye of the foresayde syr Iohn Oldcastle, and syr Roger Acton, Browne and the rest.

And first, where he layeth to my charge, that I cal them Martyrs, whiche were traytors and seditious rebels agaynst the king, and theyr Country: to this I haue aun-swered before sufficiently.

Now here then must the reader needes stay a little at M. Copes request, to see my vanitie and impudencye yet more fully and amply repressed in refuting a certain place in my Latine story, concerning the kinges statute made at Leiceister, whiche place and wordes by him alledged, be these, pag. 107. Quocirca Rex indicto Lecestriæ concilio (quòd fortassis Londini ob Cobhami fautores non erat tutum) proposito edicto immanem denunciat pœnam his, quicunq; deinceps hoc doctrinæ genus secturentur, vsq; adeo in eos seuerus, vt non modo hæreticos, sed perduelliones etiam. haberi, ac pro inde gemino eos supplicio, suspendio simul & incēdio, afficiendos statuerit. &c. Ex mox, Adeo ille vires, rationesque intendebat omnes aduersus Wickleuianos. Wicleuiani ad temporis decebantur, quicunq; Scripturas Dei sua lingua lectitarent &c.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

The king's statute at Leicester

Foxe text Latin

Quocirca rex indicto ... lingua lectitarent, etc.

Translation

J. Barrie Hall

Wherefore the king, appointing a council at Leicester (perhaps because London was not safe on account of Cobham's supporters), proposed an edict threatening those persons whosoever thereafter followed this kind of doctrine with savage punishment, being so severe against them as to decree that they should be accounted not just heretics but rebels also, and accordingly were to suffer a double punishment, by being both hanged and burnt, etc.; and then: To such an extent did he strain all his strength and his thoughts against the Wycliffians. At that time all persons who read God's scriptures in their own tongue were called Wycliffians, etc.

[Back to Top]

Vpon these wordes out of my foresayd Latine booke alleged, maister Cope perswadeth himselfe, to haue great aduauntage agaynst me, to proue me a notorious lyer, Marginalia3. Pointes.in three sondry pointes. Marginalia1. Obiection.First, in that, whereas I say, that the king did hold his parliament at Leicester, adding thys by the way of Parenthesis (quod fortassis Londini ob Cobhami fautores non erat tutum &c.) here he concludeth thereby simpliciter and precisely, that the Lord Cobham and syr Roger Acton with his fellowes, were traytors &c. MarginaliaCope cauilleth without cause.Whereby a man may soone shape a cauiller, by the shadowe of mayster Cope. For where as my Dialysis out of þ^e texte speaketh doubtfully and vncertaynely by this word (fortassis) meaning in deede, the king to be in feare of the Gospellers, that he durst not hold his Parliament at London,MarginaliaStat. an. 2. Hen. 5. cap. 7. but went to Leicester: he argueth precisely therfore, that the Lord Cobham, sir Roger Acton, and his fellowes went about to kil the king. Marginalia2. Obiection.Secondly, where I affirme that the king in that Parliament made a grieuous law agaynst al such did hold the doctrine of Wickliffe, that they should be taken hereafter: not for heretiques, but also for fellons, or rebels, or traytors, both to be hanged, and also to be burned &c. Here cōmeth in maister Momus, with his Cope on his backe, and prouing me to be a lyer, denyeth playnly þ^t the king made any suche statute. vid. pag. 835. line 6.MarginaliaCopus. pag. 835. lin 6 where hys wordes be these: Atqui quod hæretici pro perduellionibus & deinceps geminatas pœnas suspēdij & incendij luerent, vt nugatur Foxus, nullo modo illic traditur. &c.

MarginaliaObiection.First here woulde bee asked of maister Cope, what hee calleth patriæ hostes, et proditores? if he call these traytours, then let vs see whether they that followed the sect of wycliffe,MarginaliaThe secte of Wickliffe made heresie and treason by K. Hēry 5 were made traytours & heretiques by the kings law, or not. And first let vs heare what sayth Polydore Virgil, his owne witnes in this behalfe, whose words in his xxij. booke, pag. 441. be these: MarginaliaPolyd. Virg. lib. 22.Quare publice edixit, vt si vspiam deinceps reperirentur, qui eam sequerentur sectam, patriæ hostes haberentur, quò sine omni lenitate seuerius ac ocyus de illis supplicium sumeretur &c. That is, wherefore it was by publique statute decreed, that whosoeuer were founde hereafter to follow the sect of Wyckliffe, should be accounted for traytors, whereby without all lenitie, they sholde be punished more seuerely and quickly. &c.

Thus haue you (maister Cope) the playne testimonie of Polydore with mee. And because ye shall further see your selfe more impudent in carping, then I am in deprauing of histories, you shall vnderstand moreouer and heare, what Thomas Walden, one of your owne catholique brotherhode, & who was also himselfe aliue, & a doer in the same Parliament, being the prouincial of the Carmelites, saith in this matter writing to Pope Martin, whose very wordes in Latine here follow, written in his Prologue to the sayd Martine, in this wise: MarginaliaTho. Waldē in tomo primo. Doctrinali, ad Mart. papā in prologo.Nec mora longa processit, quin statutum publicum per omne regni concilium in publico emanauit edicto, quod omnes Wicleuistæ sicut dei proditores essent, sic proditores regis, proscriptis bonis censerentur et regni, duplici pœnæ dandi, incendio propter deum, suspendio propter regem &c. That is. And it was not long after, but a publicke law and statute came out, by the common assent of the general parliamēt of the whole Realme, that al Wicleuistes, as they were traytours to God, so also should be counted traytors to the king and to the realme, hauing their goods lost and confiscate vnto the king. And therefore should suffer double punishment, as to be burnt for God, and to bee hanged for þ^e king &c. And thus haue you (Maister Cope) not onely my sentence, but also the very wordes of my story confirmed by this author: because ye shall not thinke me to speake so lightly or impudently without my booke. And moreouer to confirme the said sentence of Tho. Walden, it followeth also in an other place of the foresayde authour. Tomo. 1. lib. 2. De doctrinali fidei Ecclesie Cathol. Cap. 46. where he writeth in these wordes. MarginaliaWaldē tomo 1. De doctrinali ecclesiæ. cap. 46. lib. 2.Et tamen iam cum regnare cœpisset Illustris rex Henricus 5. qui adhuc agit in sceptris, et de eorū