gainst you before the Councell, that you will not be ashamed to alter & change your mind to the will and pleasure of the Councell: if cōtrarywise, I will be no author vnto you, that you should do any thing contrary or against your conscience, but rather to suffer and endure any kinde of punishment, than to denie that which you haue knowne to be the truth. Vnto whome, Iohn Hus turning himselfe, with lamentable teares, sayd: MarginaliaThe maruelous constancie of Iohn Hus.verely as before I haue often times done, I do take the most high God for my witnes, that I am ready with my whole hart and minde, if the Councell can instruct or teach me any better by the holy Scripture: I will be ready with all my hart to alter and change my purpose. Then one of the Byshops which sate by, sayde vnto him, MarginaliaThat is no right modestie that more regardeth to obey man, then manifest veritie.that hee would neuer be so arrogant or proude, that he would prefer his owne mind or opinion before the iudgemēt of the whole Councell. To whome Iohn Hus aunswered, MarginaliaIohn Hus aunswereth.neither doo I otherwise minde or intend. For if he which is the meanest or least in all this Councell, can conuict me of errour, I will with an humble hart and mind performe and do whatsoeuer the Councell shall require of me. Marke said the Bishops, how obstinately he doth perseuer in his errours. And when they had thus talked, they commaunded the keepers to cary him againe vnto prison, and so they returned againe vnto the Emperour with their commission.

The next day after, which was Saterday, and the sixte day of Iuly, there was a generall Session holden of the Princes and Lords, both of the Ecclesiasticall and Temporall estates in þ^e head Church of the Citie of Constance, the Emperour Sigismund being President in his Imperiall robes and habite: in the middest whereof, there was made a certaine high place being square about like a table, and hard by it there was a deske of wood, vpon the which the garments and vestiments pertaining vnto Priesthode were laide, for this cause, that before Iohn Husse should be deliuered ouer vnto the Ciuill power, he should be openly depriued and spoiled of his Priestly ornaments. When Iohn Husse was brought thether, he fell downe vpon his knees before that same high place, and praied a long time. In the meane while þ^e Bishop of Londy went vp into the Pulpit, and made this Sermon following.

MarginaliaThe sermon before the sentence.IN the name of the Father, the Sunne, and of the holy Ghost. Trusting by humble inuocation vpon the diuine helpe and ayde, most noble Prince, and most Christian Emperour, and you most excellent Fathers, and reuerend Lords, Byshops, and Prelates, also most excellent Doctours and Maisters, most famous and noble Dukes and high Countes, honourable Nobles, and Barons, and all other men woorthie of remembraunce: that the intent and purpose of my minde may the more plainelie and euidently appeare vnto this most sacred congregation, I am first of all determined to intreate or speake of that which is read in the Epistle on the next Sonday, in the sixt Chapter to the Romaines. That is to say: MarginaliaThe theameLet the bodie of sinne be destroied, &c.

It appeareth by the authoritie of Aristotle,MarginaliaHis theame confirmed by Aristotle. in his booke intituled De cœlo & mundo, how wicked, dangerous, and foolish a matter it seemeth to be, not to withstand peruerse and wicked beginnings. For he saith, that a small errour in the beginning, is very great in the end. It is very damnable and dangerous to haue erred, but more hard to be corrected or amended. Whereupon that worthy Doctour S. Hierome, in his booke vpon the exposition of the Catholicke faith, teacheth vs how necessarie a thing it is, that heretickes and heresies should be suppressed, euen at the first beginning of them, saieng thus: the rotten and dead flesh is to be cut off from the body, least that the whole body doo perish and putrifie. For a scabbed sheepe is to be put out of the fold, least the whole flocke be infected. And a little fire is to be quenched, least the whole house be consumed and burned. Arrius was first a sparke in Alexandria, who because hee was not at the first quenched, he presumed and went about with his wicked and peruerse imaginations, and phantasticall inuentions, to spot and defile the Catholicke faith, which is founded and established by Christ, defended with the victorious triumphes of so manie Martirs, and illuminate and set foorth with the excellent doctrines and writings of so manie men. Such therefore must be resisted: such heretickes of necessitie must be suppressed and condemned.

Wherefore I haue truely propounded, as touching the punishment of euery such obstinate hereticke, that the body of sin, is to be destroied. Whereupon it is to be considered according vnto the holy traditions of the fathers, that some sins are aduerse and contrarie vnto another. Othersome are annexed or conioyned together: othersome are, as it were, branches and members of others. And some are as it were the rootes and head of others. Amongst all which, those are to be counted the most detestable, out of the which the most and worst, haue their originall and beginning. Wherefore, albeit that all sinnes and offences are to beabhorred of vs: yet those are specially to be eschewed, which are the head and roote of the rest. For by how much the peruersenes of them is of more force and power to hurt, with so much the more speede and circumspection, ought they to be rooted out and extinguished, with apt preseruatiues and remedies. For so much then as amongst all sinnes none doth more appeare to be inueterate, then the mischiefe of this most execrable Schisme, therefore haue I right well propounded, that the bodie of sinne should be destroied. For by the long continuance of this Schsme, great and most cruell destruction is sproong vp amongst the faithfull, and hath long continued, abhominable diuisions of heresies are growne: threatnings are increased and multiplied: the confusion of the whole Cleargie is growne thereupon, and the opprobries and sclaunders of the Christian people are aboundantlie sproong vp and increased. And truely it is no maruell, for so much as that most detestable and execrable Schisme, is as it were, a bodie and heape of dissolution of the true faith of God: for what can be good or holie in that place, where as such a pestiferous Schisme hath raigned so long a time? For as Sainct Bernard sayth, like as in the vnitie and concord of the faithfull, there is the habitation and dwelling of the Lord, so likewise in the Schisme and dissipation of the Christians, there is made the habitation and dwelling of the Diuell. Is not Schisme and deuision the originall of all subuersion, the denne of heresies, and the nourisher of all offences? for the knot of vnitie and peace being once troubled and broken, there is free passage made for all strife and debate. Couetousnes is vttered in othes for lukers sake, lust and will is set at libertie, and all meanes opened vnto slaughter. All right and equitie is banished, the Ecclesiasticall power is iniuried, and the calamitie of this Schisme bringeth in all kinde of bondage, swords and violence doth rule, MarginaliaThey cannot abide the laitie to rule in any case.the laitie haue the dominion, concord and vnitie are banished, and all prescript rules of Religion vtterly contemned and set at naught.

MarginaliaAll the popishe religion lieth in landes, lordships and liberties.Consider most gentle Lords, how that during this most pestiferouss Schisme, how manie heresies haue appeared and shewed themselues, how manie heretickes haue scaped vnpunished, how manie Churches haue beene spoiled and pulled downe, how manie Cities haue beene oppressed, and regions brought to ruine, what confusion hath there happened in the Cleargie? What and how great destruction hath bene amongst the Christian people? I pray you marke how the Church of God, the spouse of Christ, and the mother of all faithfull, is contemned and despised. For who doth reuerence the keies of the Church, who feareth the censures or lawes, or what is it that doth defend the liberties thereof? But rather who is it, that doth not offend the same, or who doth not inuade it, or else what is he that dare not violentlie lay hands vpon the patrimonie or heritage of Iesus Christ? MarginaliaNote here the popes diuinitie, how the bloud of christ serueth to purchase their patrimonie.The goods of the Cleargie, and of the poore, and the reliefe of Pilgrimes and straungers, gotten together by the bloud of our Sauiour, and of manie Martyres, are spoyled and taken awaie, behold the abhomination of the desolation brought vpon the Church of God, the destruction of the faith, and the confusion of the Christian people, to the ruine of the Lordes flocke or folde, and all the whole companie of our most holy Sauiour and redeemer. This losse is more great or greeuous then anie which could happen vnto the Martires of Christ, and thys persecution much more cruell then the persecution of anie tyrants, for they did but only punish the bodies, but in this schsme, and diuision the soules are tormented. There the bloud of men was only shed, but in this case the true faith is subuerted and ouerthrowne. That persecution was saluation vnto many: but this Schisme is destruction vnto all men. When the tirants raged, then the faith did increase: but by this diuision it is vtterly decaied. During their crueltie and madnes, the primatiue Church increased, but through this schisme it is confounded and ouerthrowne. Tiraunts did ignorantly offende: but in this schisme many do wittingly and willingly euen of obstinacie offend. There came in heretikes, vsers of Symonie, and hypocrites, to the great detriment and deceit of the Church: vnder those tirants the merites of the iust were increased.

But during this Schisme, mischiefe and wickenes are augmented, for in this most cursed and execrable diuision, truth was made an enimie vnto all Christians, faith is not regarded, loue and charitie hated, hope is lost, iustice ouerthrowne, no kinde of courage or valiantnes, but onely vnto mischiefe: modestie and temperance cloked, wisedome turned into deceit, humilitie fained, equitie and truth falsified, pacience vtterly fled, conscience small, all wickednes intended, deuotion counted folly, gentlenes abiect and cast away, religion despised, obedience not regarded, and all maner of life reprochfull and abhominable. With how great and greeuous sorowes is the Church of God replenished & filled, whiles that tirants do oppresse it, heretikes inuade it, vsers of Symonie do spoile and rob it, and schismatikes go about vtterly to subuert it? O most miserable and wretched christian people, whome now by the space of forty yeares,MarginaliaThis Schisme cōtinued 40. yeares with such indurate and continuall schisme, they haue tormented and almost brought to ruine. O the little barke and ship of Christ, whiche