Archbishop that they coulde not be founde, then he directed downe order that Citations should be set vp for them on euery Church dore through all townes where they did inhabite: appointing them a day & terme whē to appeare. But notwithstanding, when as they yet could not be taken, neither would appeare, the Archbishop sitting in hys tribunall seate, proceedeth to the sentence of excommunication against them. What afterward happened to them, in the register doth not appeare: but like it is, at length they were forced to submit themselues.

MarginaliaThe seconde apprehensiō of the Lord Cobham.Concerning sir Iohn Oldcastle the Lord Cobham, and of his first apprehension, with his whole story & life, sufficiently hath bene expressed before, pag. 575. how he being committed to the Tower, and condēned falsely of heresie, escaped afterward out of the Tower, and was in Wales about the space of four yeares. In the which meane time, a great summe of money was proclaimed by the King, to hym that could take the sayde sir Iohn Oldcastle, eyther quicke or dead. MarginaliaThe Lord Powes plaieth Iudas.About the ende of which foure yeares beeing expired, the Lord Powes, whether for loue and greedines of the money, or whether for hatred of true and sin-cere doctrine of Christ, seking all maner of wayes how to play the parte of Iudas, at length obteined his bloudie purpose, and brought the Lorde Cobham bound vp, to London: which was about the yeare of our Lord. 1417. and about the moneth of December. At which time, there was a Parliament assembled at London, for the reliefe of money the same time to be sente to the King, whome the Byshops had sente out (as yee heard before) to fight in Fraunce. The records of which Parliament do thus say: that on Twesday the xiiij. day of December, and the xxix. day of the sayd Parliament, Sir Iohn Oldcastle of Cowling, in the Countie of Kent, Knight, being outlawed (as is afore minded) in the Kings bench, and excommunicated before by the Archbishop of Canterbury for heresie, was brought before the Lords, and hauing heard his said conuictions, aunswered not thereto in his excuse. Vpon which record and processe, it was adiudged, that he should be taken as a traytour to the King and the Realme: that he should be carried to the Tower of London, and from thence drawne thorough London vnto the new gallowes in S. Gyles without Temple barre, and there to bee hanged, and burned hanging.

Commentary on the Woodcuts     Close

As the most distinguished of all Lollard supporters, it is interesting to reflect on the different ways in which Oldcastle was pictorially celebrated by his posthumous admirers. He was one of those granted a larger woodcut in the 'Book of Martyrs' from 1563 on (one of the five for the period from Wyclif to Luther), but not in the guise in which he had appeared in some earlier publications. The visual 'description' presented to Foxe's readers showed him, unsparingly, suffering the final penalties of the law that condemned him, as guilty of both heresy and treason, to be hanged and burnt hanging at the place of his offence. He is suspended in chains from the new gallows in St Giles's Fields (scene of that earlier insurrectionary assembly), inside the wooden structure of which the exterminating fire, curiously and unconvincingly, is somehow contained and framed. Hemmed in by the pikemen this seems to be an awed and silent all-male throng (including a few religious). Oldcastle's death took place where his followers had gathered and died a few years before. If this was an indisputable martyrological image, it replaced a very different knightly martial image that had adorned both John Bale's Brefe Chronycle in 1544 and Foxe's own Rerum in Ecclesia Gestarum in 1559. Here the warrior of Christ advances into the fray with drawn sword, antique armour and a shield bearing the image of the crucifixion. By 1563 a 'description' of this kind was unthinkable. CUL copy: As with the Hus and Hierome cuts, the detailing is excessive, indeed, crude in places. The foliage in the distance is very bright green and smudged on the far right-hand side. WREN: there is little shading added to the outfits; indeed, the whole picture is coloured in rather a pale wash. There is, however, some bright green foliage in the distance.

MarginaliaTreason falsly surmised.As touching the pretenced treason of this Lord Cobham falsely ascribed vnto him in his inditement, rising vpon wrong suggestion and false surmise, and aggrauated by rigour of words, rather then vpon any ground of due probation, sufficiently hath bene discoursed before in my defence of the saide Lorde Cobham, against Alanus Copus, page. 575.MarginaliaVide supra. pag. 575. where againe is to be noted, as I saide before, how by this appeareth, that the Lorde Cobham was neuer executed by force of the inditement or outlawry, because, if he had, he should then haue bene brought to the barre in the Kings bench, and there the Iudges shoulde haue demaunded of him, what he could haue said, why hee shoulde not haue died: and then not shewing sufficiente cause for the discharge or delay of execution, the Iudges should haue awarded and geuen the iudgemente of treason: which being not so, it is cleare he was not executed vpon the Inditement. Besides, to proue that he was not executed vpon the Inditement, and the outlawry, the maner of the execution proueth it, because it was neither the execution of a Traitour, nor was the whole punishment thereof pronounced by the Iudge, as by due order of lawe was requisite.

Finally, as I said before, heere I repeate againe, thatalbeit the sayd Lord Cobham was attainted of treason by the Act, and that the King, the Lords, and the commons assented to the Act: yet all that bindeth not in such sorte (as if in deede he were no traytour) that any man may not by search of the truth, vtter and set forth sincerely and iustly, the very true and certaine cause, whereupon his execution did follow. Which seemeth by all circumstances and firme arguments, to rise principally of his Religion, which first brought him in hatred of the Bishops: the Bishops brought him in hatred of the King: the hatred of the King brought him to his death and Martirdome. And thus much for the death and execution of this worthy seruaunt of Christ Lord Cobham.

Moreouer, in the records aboue mentioned it followeth, how in the sayd Parliament, after the Martirdome of this valiant Knight, motion then was made, that the Lord Powes might be thanked and rewarded, according to the Proclamation made, for his great trauaile taken in the apprehension of Sir Iohn Oldcastle Knight, hereticke. Thus stand the wordes of the recorde. Where two things are to be noted: First, how Sir Iohn heere in the record is called not traitour, but hereticke only. MarginaliaIudas seeketh for his reward.Secondly, marke how this brother of Iudas heere craueth hys