hath so long time wandred and straied now in the middest of the whorlepooles, and by and by sticketh fast in the rocks, tossed too and fro with most greeuous and tempestous stormes. O miserable and wretched boate of Peter, if the most holy father would suffer thee to sinke or drowne, into what dangers and perils haue the wicked pirates brought thee? amongst what rockes haue they placed thee? O most godly and louing Christians, what faithfull and deuout man is there, which beholding and seeing the great ruine and decay of the Church, would not be prouoked vnto teares? what good conscience is there that can refraine weeping? because that contention and strife is powred vpon the eccelsiasticall rulers, which haue made vs to erre in the way: because they haue not founde, or rather would not finde the way of vnitie and concord: Whereupon so many heresies and so great confusion is sproong vp, and growne in the flocke of Peter, and the fold of our Lord.

MarginaliaHe stirreth vp the Emperour. Sigismund.Many Princes, Kings and Prelates, haue greatly laboured and trauelled for the rooting out heereof, but yet could they neuer bring to passe, or finish that most holesome and necessary worke. Wherefore most Christian King, this most glorious and trimphant victory hath tarried only for thee, the crowne and glorie therof shal be thine for euer, and this most happy victory shall be continually celebrate to thy great honour and praise, that thou hast restored againe the Church which was so spoiled, thou hast remoued and put away all inueterate and ouergrowne Schismes and diuisions, thou hast troden downe vsers of Symony, & rooted out all hereticks. Doest thou not behold & see how great perpetuall and famous renowne & glory it wil be vnto thee? For what can be most iust, what more holy, what more better, what more to be desired, or finally, what can be more acceptable, than to roote out this wicked and abhominable Schisme, to restore the Church againe vnto hir auncient libertie, to extinguish and put away all Simony, and to condemne and destroy all errours and heresies from amongst the flocke of the faithfull? Nothing truly can be better, nothing more holy, nothing more profitable for the whole worlde, and finally, nothing more acceptable vnto God. For the performance of which most holy and godly worke, thou wast elect and chosen of God, thou was first deputed and chosen in heauen, before thou wast elect and chosen vpon earth. Thou wast first appointed by the celestiall and heauenly Prince, before the electours of the Empire did elect or choose thee, and specially, that by the Imperiall force and power, thou shouldest condemne and destroy those errours and heresies, which wee haue presently in hand to be condemned and subuerted. To the performance of this most holy worke, God hath giuen vnto thee the knowledge & vnderstanding of his diuine truth and veritie, power of princely maiestie, and the iust iudgement of equitie and righteousnes, as the most highest himselfe doth say: I haue geuen thee vnderstāding and wisedome, to speake and vtter my words, and haue set thee to rule ouer nations and kingdomes, that thou shouldest helpe the people, plucke down and destory iniquitie, & by exercising of iustice, thou shouldest, I say, destroy all errours and heresies, and specially this obstinate heretike heere present,MarginaliaLoripidē rectus derideat, æthiopus album. through whose wickednes & mischiefe, many places of the world are infected with most pestilent and hereticall poison, and by his meanes and occasion, almost vtterly subuerted & destroyed. This most holy and godly labour, O most noble Prince, was reseued only for thee, vpon thee it doth only lye, vnto whome the whole rule and ministration of iustice is giuen. MarginaliaNote the vile flattery of these papistes when they would haue any thing of the Emperor for their purposeWherfore thou hast established thy praise & renowne, euen by the mouthes of infants & sucking babes, for thy praises shall be celebrate for euermore that thou hast destroied & ouerthrowne such and so great enimies of the faith. The which that thou maist prosperously & happely perfourme & bring to passe, our Lord Iesu Christ may vouchsafe to grant thee his grace & help, who is blessed for euer & euer, Amen.

When this Sermon was thus ended, the Procurer of the Councell rising vp, named Henricus de Piro, required that the processe of the cause against Iohn Hus might be continued, and proceed vnto the difinitiue sentence.MarginaliaThe proctor of the councell calleth for the sentence. Then a certaine Byshop, whych was appointed one of the Iudges, declared the processe of the cause, which was pleaded long since in the Court of Rome and elsewhere, betweene Iohn Hus, and the Prelates of Prage.

At the last he repeated those articles which we haue before remembred, amongst the which he rehearsed also one article, that I. Hus shoulde teach the two natures of the Godhead and manhead to be one Christ. Iohn Hus went about briefly with a word or two to aunswer vnto euerie one of them, but as often as he was about to speake, MarginaliaThe Cardinall of Cābray cōmāded Iohn Hus to keepe silence.the Cardinall of Cambray cōmanded him to hold his peace, saieng: heereafter you shall answere to all together, if you will. Then said Iohn Hus, how can I at once aunswere vnto all those things which are alledged against me, whē as I cannot remember them all? Then sayde the Cardinall of Florence, we haue heard thee sufficiently. But whē as I. Hus for all that, would not hold his peace, MarginaliaIohn Hus could not be heard in the councell.they sentthe officers which should force him therunto. Then began he to intreat, pray, and beseech them, that they woulde heare him, that such as were present, might not credite or beleeue those things to be true which were reported of him. But when all this would nothing preuaile, he kneeling downe vpon his knees, MarginaliaIohn Hus committeth his cause to the Lord Christ.committed the whole matter vnto God, and the Lord Iesus Christ, for at their handes he beleeued easely to obtaine that which he desired.

When the articles abouesaid were ended, last of all there was added a notable blasphemy, which they all imputed vnto Iohn Hus.MarginaliaMarke the vnshamefastnes of thē to faine what they list. That is, that he saide there shoulde be a fourth person in diuinitie, and that a certaine Doctour did heare him speake of the same.MarginaliaIohn Hus againe slaundered. When Iohn Hus desired that the Doctour might be named, the Bishop which had alledged the article, said, that it was not needefull to name him. Then said Iohn Hus, O miserable and wretched man that I am, which am forced and compelled to beare such blasphemy and slaunder.

Afterward the Article was repeated, how he appealed vnto Christ, and that by name, was called hereticall.MarginaliaThe councel doth call it hereticall to appeale to Christ. Whereunto Iohn Hus answered: O Lord Iesu Christ, whose word is openly condemned heere in this Councell, vnto thee againe I do appeale: which when thou wast euill intreated of thine enimies, diddest appeale vnto God thy father, committing thy cause vnto a most iust Iudge, that by thy example we also being oppressed with manifest wrongs and iniuries, should flee vnto thee. MarginaliaContempt of the popes excōmunication laid to Iohn Pus.Last of all, the Article was rehearsed, as touching the contempt of the excommunication by Iohn Hus: Whereunto he answered as before, that he was excused by his aduocates in þ^e court of Rome, wherefore he did not appeare when he was cited: and also that it may be proued by the actes, that the excommunication was not ratified: and finally, to the intent he might cleare himselfe of obstinacie, he was for that cause come vnto Constance, vnder the Emperours safeconduct. When he had spoken these words, one of them which was appointed Iudge, reade the definitiue sentence against him, which followeth thus word for word.

MarginaliaThe sētence read against Iohn Hus.THe most holy and sacred generall Councell of Constance, being congregate and gathered together, representing the Catholike Church for a perpetuall memory of the thing, as the veritie & truth doth witnes, an euill tree bringeth forth euill fruite: hereupon it commeth, that the man of most damnable memory Iohn Wickleffe, through his pestiferous doctrine, not through Iesu Christ by the Gospell, as þ^e holy Fathers in times past, haue gottē faithfull children, but cōtrary vnto the holesome faith of Iesus Christ, as a most venemous roote, hath begotten many pestilent & wicked children, whome he hath left behind him, successours and folowers of his peruerse and wicked doctrine, against whome this sacred Synode of Constance is forced to rise vp, as against bastards and vnlawfull children, and with diligent care, with the sharpe knife of the Ecclesiasticall authoritie, to cut vp their errours out of the Lords field, as most hurtfull brambles and briers, least they should growe to the hurt and detriment of others.

For somuch then as in the holy generall Councell lately celebrated and holden at Rome, it was decreed that the doctrine of I. Wickleffe of most damnable memory should be condemned, & that his bookes which cōteined the same doctrine, should be burned as hereticall, & this decree was approued & confirmed by the sacred authoritie of þ^e whole Coūcell: neuertheles one Iohn Hus here personally present in this sacred Councell, not þ^e Disciple of Christ, but of Iohn Wickliffe, an Archheretike, after, and contrary or against the cōdemnation and decree, hath taught, preached & affirmed the Articles of Wickleffe, which were condemned by the Church of God, and in times past by certaine most reuerend fathers in Christ, Lords, Archbishops, and Byshops, of diuers kingdomes & Realmes, Maisters of diuinitie of diuers Vniuersities: especially resisting in his open Sermons, and also with his adherents and complices in the scholes, the condemnation of the said Articles of Wickleffes, oftentimes published in the said Vniuersitie of Prage, and hath declared him the said Wickleffe, for the fauour and commendation of his doctrine, before þ^e whole multitude of the Cleargy and people, to be a Catholicke man, and a true Euangelical Doctour. He hath also published and affirmed, certaine & many of his Articles worthely condemned to be Catholicke, which are notoriously conteined in the bookes of the said Iohn Hus.

Wherfore, after diligent deliberation & full information first had vpon the premisses by the reuerend fathers and