Venerabilibus et discretis viris, &c. In like manner did the other bishops within their diocesses.

After that the archbishop had thus read the bill of his condemnation with most extremitie before the whole multitude; the lord Cobham said with a most cheerefull countenance, "Though ye judge my bodie which is but a wretched thing, yet am I certaine and sure, that ye can do no harme to my soule, no more then could Satan upon the soule of Job. He that created that, will of his infinite mercie and promise save it, I have therein no maner of doubt. And as concerning these articles before rehearsed, I will stand to them even to the verie death, by the grace of my eternall God."

And therewith he turned him unto the people, casting his hands abroad, and saying with a verie loude voice, "Good Christian people, for Gods love be well ware of these men, for they will else beguile you, and lead you blindling into hel with themselves. For Christ saith plainly unto you, If one blind man leadeth another, they are like both to fall into the ditch." Matt. 10.

After this, he fell downe there upon his knees, and thus before them all praied for his enemies, holding up both his hands and his eies towards heaven, and saying, "Lord God eternall, I beseech thee of thy great mercies sake, to forgive my pursuers, if it be thy blessed will." And then he was delivered to sir Robert Morlie, and so led forth againe to the Tower of London. And thus was there an end of that daies worke.

While the lord Cobham was thus in the Tower, he sent out privilie unto his friends, and they at his request wrote this little bill heere following, causing it to be set up in divers quarters of London; that the people should not beleeve the slanders and lies that his enemies the bishops servants and priests had made on him abroad. And thus was the letter.

"For as much as sir John Oldcastle knight, and lord Cobham, is untruelie convicted and imprisoned, falsely reported and slandered among the common people by his adversaries, that he should otherwise both thinke and speake of the sacraments of the church, and speciallie of the blessed sacrament of the altar, then was written in the confession of his beliefe, which was indented and taken to the clergie, and so set up in divers open places in the citie of London: knowne be it heere to all the world, that he (never since) varied in any point therefro, but this

is plainlie his beliefe, that all the sacraments of the church be profitable and expedient also to all them that shall be saved, taking them after the intent that Christ and his true church hath ordained. Furthermore he beleeveth, that the blessed sacrament of the altar is verilie and truly Christs bodie in forme of bread."

After this, the bishops and priests were in much great discredit both with the nobilitie and commons, partlie for that they had so cruelly handled the good lord Cobham; and partlie againe, because his opinion (as they thought at that time) was perfect concerning the sacrament. The prelats feared this to grow to further inconvenience towards them both waies, wherefore they drew their heads together, and at the last consented to use another practise somewhat contrarie to that they had done afore. They caused it by and by to be blowne abroad by their feed servants, friends, and babling Sir Johns, that the said lord Cobham was becomen a good man, and had lowlie submitted himselfe in all things unto holy church, utterly changing his opinion concerning the sacrament. And thereupon, they counterfeited an abjuration in his name, that the people should take no hold of that opinion by any thing they had heard of him

9 Babling Sir Johns.] Sir John, Sir John Lack-Latin, &c. were names of derision in common use among the reformers for the curates, and lower orders of the popish clergy. Thus William Tindall in his Practice of Prelates: "There one sort are your Grace, your Holines, your Fatherhode: another, my lord Bishop, my lord Abbot, my lord Pryor: another, master Doctour, father Bachelar, mayster Parson, maister Vicar, and at the last commeth in simple Syr John." Works, p. 343. edit. 1572. Christopherson, master of Trinity College, Cambridge, gives the following querulous representation of the manner in which the orthodox clergy were teased by impertinent and heretical disputants, during the reign of heresy under Edward VI. "Yf a man were a good vertuous priest, he had bene better a great deale to have lived amonge Turkes and Saracenes, then among this kind of folke; by reason that whensoever they mette with him in anye place, they woulde aske him: Nowe Syr John, where fynde you your masse in Scripture: or who gave you authoritie to make God?" Christopherson against Rebellion, signat. T 4. A.D. 1554. Nor were these liberties taken merely with simple Sir John. Master Parson himself came in for his share. "Than begynneth one or another to move some subtyle question, saying Mayster person, howe say ye to suche a texte of Paule? And if the priest be ignoraunt for lacke of lernynge, or maketh not answere satysfyenge his mynde; he is mocked and jested upon with scornefull derysyon." Barlowe's Dialogue concerning the Lutheran Factions, signat. L 4. edit. 1553. Compare Hoggard's Displaying of Protestants, fol. 87. A.D. 1556.

before; and so to stand the more in awe of them, considering him so great a man, and by them subdued.

"This is the abjuration" (say they) "of sir John Oldcastle knight, sometime the lord Cobham.

"In Dei nomine: Amen. I John Oldcastle denounced, detected, and convicted, of and upon divers articles savouring both heresie and errour, before the reverend father in Christ and my good lord, Thomas by the permission of God, lord archbishop of Canturburie, and my lawfull and rightfull judge in that behalfe, expressly grant and confesse, that as concerning the estate and power of the most holy father the pope of Rome, of his archbishops, his bishops, and his other prelats, the decrees of the church, and the holy sacraments of the same, specially of the sacraments of the altar, of penance, and other observances besides of our mother holie church, as pilgrimages, and pardons: I affirme (I saie) before the said reverend father archbishop and elsewhere, that I being evill seduced by divers seditious preachers, have grievouslie erred, and hereticallie persisted, blasphemouslie answered and obstinatelie rebelled. And therefore I am by the said reverend father, before the reverend fathers in Christ also, the bishops of London, Winchester, and Bangor, lawfullie condemned for an heretike.

"Neverthelesse, yet, I now remembring my selfe, and coveting by this meane to avoid that temporall paine which I am worthie to suffer as an heretike, at the assignation of my most excellent Christian prince and liege lord, king Henrie the fifth, now by the grace of God most worthie king both of England and of France; minding also to preferre the wholesome determination, sentence, and doctrine of the holie universall church of Rome, before the unwholesome opinions of my selfe, my teachers, and my followers, I freelie, willinglie, deliberatelie, and thoroughlie confesse, grant, and affirme, that the most holie fathers in Christ, Saint Peter the apostle and his successors bishops of Rome, speciallie now at this time, my most blessed lord pope John, by permission of God, the three and twentieth pope of that name, which now holdeth Peters seat (and each of them in their succession) hath ful strength and power to be Christs vicar in earth, and the head of the church militant. And that by the strength of his office, he hath full authoritie and power to rule and governe, bind and loose, save and destroy, accurse and assoyle all other Christian men.

"And agreeably still unto this, I confesse, grant, and affirme all other archbishops, bishops, and prelats in their provinces, diocesses, and parishes (appointed by the said pope of Rome, to assist him in his doings or businesse) by his decrees, canons, or vertue of his office, to have had in times past, to have now at this time, and that they ought to have in time to come, authoritie and power to rule and governe, bind and loose, accurse and assoyle the subjects or people of their aforesaid provinces, diocesses, and parishes, and that their said subjects or people ought of right in all things to obey them. Furthermore, I confesse, grant, and affirme, that the said spirituall fathers, our most holie father the pope, the archbishops, bishops, and prelats, have had, have now, and ought to have hereafter, authoritie and power for the estate, order, and governance of their subjects or people, to make lawes, decrees, statutes, and constitutions, yea and to publish, command, and compell their said subjects and people to the observation of them.

"Moreover, I confesse, grant, and affirme, that all these foresaid lawes, decrees, statutes, and constitutions made, published, and commanded, according to the forme of spirituall law, all Christian people, and every man in himselfe is straitly bound to observe, and meekelie to obey, according to the diversitie of the foresaid powers: As the lawes, statutes, canons, and constitutions of our most holie father the pope, incorporated in his decrees, decretals, clementines, codes, charts, rescripts, sextiles, and extravagants over all the world: and also the provinciall statutes of archbishops in their provinces, the synodall acts of bishops in their diocesses, and the commendable rules and customes of prelats in their colledges, and curats in their parishes, all christian people are both bound to observe, and also most meekelie to obey. "Over and besides all this, I John Oldcastle utterlie forsaking and renouncing all the aforesaid errors and heresies, and all other errors and heresies like unto them, lay my hand here upon this booke or holie evangelie of God, and sweare, that I shall never more from henceforth hold these aforesaid heresies, nor yet anie other like unto them wittinglie. Neither shall I give counsell, aid, helpe, nor favour at anie time, to them that shall hold, teach, affirme, or maintaine the same, as God shall helpe me, and these holy evangelies.

"And that I shall from henceforth faithfully obey and inviolablie observe all the holie lawes, statutes, canons, and constitu

tions of all the popes of Rome, archbishops, bishops, and prelats, as are contained and determined in their holie decrees, decretals, clementines, codes, charts, rescripts, sextiles, sums-papall, extravagants, statutes provinciall, acts synodall, and other ordinarie regules and customes constituted by them, or that shall chance hereafter directlie to be determined or made. To these and all such other, will I my selfe with all power possiblie applie. Besides all this, the penance which it shall please my said reverend father the lord archbishop of Canturburie, hereafter to enjoyne me for my sinnes, I will meekelie obey and faithfullie fulfill. Finallie, all my seducers and false teachers, and all other besides, whom I shall hereafter know suspected of heresie or errors, I shall effectuallie present, or cause to be presented unto my said reverend father, lord archbishop, or to them which have his authoritie, so soone as I can convenientlie do it, and see that they be corrected to my uttermost power 10"

1 To my uttermost power.] The reader will observe, that in this document, we have, on the part of the clergy of this great kingdom, an exemplification of a charter, as it were, of slavish subjection of themselves, and, as far as they can, of their country, in sundry, distinct, and most momentous articles, to the pope of Rome. Let us for a moment cast a glance on a part of them. 1. In the second paragraph, the pope is formally recognised as "the head of the church," and the king thereby treasonably disseized of one half of his prerogatives and duties: and in the same paragraph, there is a like surrender to the pope of " full authority and power to rule and govern, bind and loose, save and destroy, accurse and absolve all other Christian men."

2. In the third paragraph is basely tendered the subjection and thraldom of the whole body of the English clergy. The appointment is asserted to the pope, and for his service, and uses of the archbishops, bishops, &c., and all their authority and power is to be considered as accruing to them, in virtue of his decrees, canons, and office. And further, that he, together with these clergy, have had, "have now, and ought to have hereafter, authority and power to make laws for the governance of their subjects or people, and to compel the said people to the observance of the same."

3. Again, in the fourth paragraph, we have another fearful concession and usurpation. The whole body of the canon law, the pope's decrees, decretals, clementines, &c., with all their dreadful consequences and sanctions, is, at one stroke, received, engrafted into, and embedded in the code of law of the church and state of England.

Thus far for the establishment of tyranny in the gross, and by wholesale, as respects a whole kingdom, from generation to generation. The rest which follows, in violation of the rights of conscience, in an individual instance, is precisely of a like character; and so therefore we shall leave it.