agreeyng to the veritee, than let it be so allowed, and I thervpon holden for none other than a true Christiane. If it be proued otherwise, than let it be vtterly condemned; prouided alwaies, that I be taught a better beleue by the word of God, and I shall most reuerently, at all tymes, obey therunto.

Thys brefe confessyon of hys fayth the Lord Cobham wrote (as is mencyoned afore) and so took it with him to the courte, offerynge yt wyth all mekenesse unto the Kyng to rede it over. The Kyng wold in no case receive it, but commaunded yt to be delyvered vnto them that should be his iudges. Than desyred he in the Kynges presens that an hondred knights and esquiers might be suffered to come in vpon hys purgacyon, whiche, he knewe, wold clere him of all heresyes. Morouer, he offred hymselfe after the lawe of armes, to fyght for lyfe or death with any man lyuing, christen or heythen, in the quarel of his faith, the king and the Lordes of his councell excepted. Finally, with all gentilnesse he protested before all that were present, that he wold refuse no manner of correction that shuld after the lawes of God be ministred vnto him, but that he wold at all tymes with all mekenes obey it. Notwithstandyng all thys, the Kyng suffered him to be summoned personally in his own preuy chambre. Than sayed the Lord Cobham to the Kyng, that he had appealed from the archbisshop to the Pope of Rome, and therfore he ought, he sayd, in no case to be his iudge. And, having hys appeale there at hande redye written, he shewed yt wyth all reuerence to the Kyng. Wherwith the Kyng was than moche more displeased than afore, and said angerly vnto him, that he shuld not pursue his appeale; but rather he shuld tarry in hold, tyll such tyme as it were of the Pope allowed. And than, wold he or nyld he, the archbisshop should be his iudge. Thus was there nothing allowed that the good Lord Cobham had lawfully afore required. But for so moch as he wold not be sworn in all things to submit himselfe to the church, and so to take what penaunce the archbisshoppe wold enioyne him, he was arested againe at the Kinges commaundement, and so led forth to the Towre of Lonnon, to kepe his daye (so was it than spoken) that the Archbisshop had appoynted hym afore in the Kynges chambre.

Then caused he the aforsayd confessyon of his faith to be copyed agayne and the answere also (whiche he had made to the iiij. articles proponed agaynst hym) to be wrytten in maner of an indenture, in two shetes of paper; that, whan he should come to his answere, he might give the one copye vnto the Archbisshop, and reserve the other to himselfe. As the daye of examinacion was comen, whiche was the xxiij. day of Septembre, the Saturday after the feast of St. Mathewe, Thomas Arundell, the Archbisshop, sytting in Cayphas roume, in the Chapterhouse of Paules, wyth Rychard Clyfforde, Bisshop of London, and Henry Bolinbroke, Bisshop of Winchester, Sir Robert Morley, Knight, and lefetenaunt of the Towre, brought personally before him the seyd Lord Cobham, and there left hym for the time, vnto whom the Archbisshop said these wordes:

Of Christ's Words.

The first Examinacion of the Lord Cobham.

SIR Iohan, in the last general conuocation of the clergye of thys our prouynce, ye were detected of certein heresyes, and by sufficient witnesses founde culpable. Whervpon ye were by forme of spirituall lawe cyted, and wolde in no case appeare. In conclusion, vpon your rebellyous contumacie, ye were both priuatelye and openlye excommunicated. Notwythstanding, we neuer yet shewed ourselfe unreadye to haue geven you youre absolucion (nor yet do rot to thys houre) wolde ye haue mekelye axed it.

Unto this the Lord Cobham shewed as tho' he had geuen none eare, hauing his mynde otherwise occupied, and so desyred none absolucion. But he sayd, he wolde gladly before him and his brethern make rehersall of that fayth, which he helde and entended always to stande to, yf it wolde please them to lycens him therevnto. And than he toke out of hys bosome a certein writting endented, concerning the articles wherof he was accused, and so openly redde it before them, geuing it vnto the Archbisshop, as he had made therof an ende.

Whereof this is the Copye.

I IOHAN Oldcastell, Knight and Lord Cobham, wyll all Chrysten men to vnderstand, that Thomas Arundell, Archbisshop of Caunterbury, hath not onely laid it to my charge malytiously, but also very vntruly by hys lettre and seale, written against me in most slaunderouse wyse that I should otherwyse felet and teach of the sacramentes of the church (assigning specyally the sacramente of the aulter, the sacrament of penaunce, the worshipping of ymages, and the going of pilgrymage unto them) far otherwise than either belcueth or teacheth the vniversall holye churche, I take Almyghtye God vnto wytnesse, that it hath bene and nowe is, and euermore wyth the helpe of God, yt shall be my full intent and wyll to beleue faythfully and wholy all the sacraments that euer God ordeined to be mynystred in the holy church. And morouer for to declare me in these iiij. poynts, afore rehersed:

I beleue that, in the most worshipful sacrament of the aulter, is Christs very bodie in forme of bread, the same body that was borne of the blessed Virgin Mary, done on the crosse, dead, and buried, and that the thyrd day arose from death to lyfe, the whiche body is nowe glorified wyth the father in heauen. And as for the sacrament of penaunce, I beleue that it is nedefull to all them that shall be saued, to forsake theyr sinne and to do penaunce for it wyth true contricion to God, confessyon of theyr fautes, and dewe satisfactyon in Chryste, like as Gods lawes limiteth and teacheth, els can they have no saluation. This penaunce I desyre all men to do. And as for ymages, I vnderstand that they perteyn nothing to our Chrysten beleue, but were permitted, long sins the faith was geuen vs of Christ, by sufferance

of the church, for to be as kalenders vnto layemen to represent or bring to mind the passion of our Lorde Iesus Chryst, with the martirdom and good liuing of the sainctes.

I think also that whatsoever he whiche doth that worship to dead ymages, that is duely belonginge vnto God, or that putteth his faith, hope, or confidence in the helpe of them, as he shuld do only in his eternall lyuing God, or that hath affection in one more than in another; he perpetrateth, in so doing, the abhominable sin of idolatry. Moreover, in this am I fully perswaded, that euery man dwellynge on thys ærth is a pilgrym, eyther towardes blesse or els towardes payne *.

And that he which knoweth not, nor wyll not know, nor yet kepe the holy commaundementes of God in hys lyuing here (all be it that he gooth on pylgrymage into all quarters of the worlde) yf he departeth so, he shal surely be dampned. Agayne, he that knoweth the holy commaundements of God, and so perfourmeth them to the ende of his lyfe to his power, shal without fayle be saued in Chryst†, though he neuer in his lyfe go on pylgrimage, as men vse now a daies to Caunterbury, Walsingham, Compostell, and Rome, or to anye other places. This answere to his artycles thus ended and redde, he delyuered yt to the Bisshops as is sayde afore. Than counseled the Archbisshop wyth the other two bisshoppes and with dyuerse of the doctours, what was to be done in thys matter, commaunding him for the tyme to stand aside. In conclusion by theyr assent and informacion, he sayd thus unto him:

Come hider, Sir Iohan; in thys your writtinge are many good thinges conteyned, and ryght catholyck also, we deny yt not. but ye must consyder that thys daye was appoynted you to answere to other poynts concerning those articles, whereof as yet no mencion is made in thys your byll; and therefore ye must yet declare vs your minde more plainly. As thus, whether that ye holde, affirme, and beleue, that in the sacrament of the aulter, after the consecracion rightly done by a pryest, remaineth materyall bread or not? Moreouer, whether ye do hold, affirme, and beleue that as concerning the sacrament of penaunce (wheras a competent nombre of pryests are) every Chrysten manne is necessarely bound to be confessed of hys synnes to a pryest ordayned by the churche or not?

After certein other communication, thys was the answere of the good Lord Cobham: that none otherwise would he declare his minde, nor yet answere vnto hys artycles, than was expresselye in his writtinge there conteyned.

Than sayd the archbisshop again vnto him: Sir Iohan, beware what ye do; for, if ye answere not clerely to those thinges that are here obiected against you, specially at the tyme appointed you only for that purpose, the lawe of holy church is, that, compelled ones by a judge, we may openly proclayme ye an heretike.

Vnto whome he gaue this answere: Do as ye shall thinke it best, for I am at a poynt.

• Genes. xxiii. Ps. ii. without Purgatory.

+ Note, here is no mention of Purgatory; we are saved in Christ

Whatsoever he or the other bisshoppes did axe him after that, he bad them resort to his byll, for therby wold he stande to the verye death. Other answere wolde he not geue that day, wherewith the bisshoppes and prelates were in a mauer amased and wonderfullye desquyeted. At the last, the archbisshop counseled again with his other bishoppes and doctours. And in the end therof declared vnto him, what the holy church of Rome, following the sayinges of St. Austyn, St. Hierom, St. Ambrose, and of other holy doctours, had determined in the sayd matter, no maner of mencion ones made of Chryst; which determinacion (sayth he) ought all Chrysten menne both to beleue and to followe.

Than said the Lord Cobham vnto him, that he wold gladlye bothe beleue and obserue what soeuer the holy church of Christes institucion had determined, or yet what soeuer God had willed him eyther to beleue, or to do. But that the Pope of Rome, with his cardinalls, archbysshoppes, bysshoppes, and other prelates of that church, had lauful! power to determyne suche matters as stode not wyth his worde throughly, that wolde he not (he sayd) at that tyme affyrme. Wyth thys, the archbysshoppe bad hym to take good aduysement tyll the Monday nexte followinge (whiche was the xxv. daye of Septembre) and than justly to answere, specyallye vnto thys poynte, Whether there remayned materyall breade in the sacrament of the aulter, after the wordes of consecracion, or not? He promysed hym also to sende vnto him, in wryttinge, those maters clerely determined, that he myght than be the more perfyghte in hys answere-making. And all this was not els but to blynde the multitude with somwhat. The nexte day following, according to hys promes, the archbisshoppe sent vnto hym, into the Towre, thys folysh and blasphemouse writting, made by hym, and by hys vnlerned clergye.

The Determinacion of the Archbysshoppe and Clergye.

THE faith and determinacion of the holy church, touching the blesfull sacrament of the aulter, is this: That, after the sacramentall wordes be ones spoken by a pryest, in his masse, the materyall bread, that was before bread, is turned into Chrystes very body; and the materyall wyne, that was before wyne, is turned into Chrystcs very bloud: And so there remayneth in the sacrament of the aulter, from thens forth no materyall breade, nor materyall wyne, whiche were there, before the sacramentall wordes were speken. How beleue ye this artycle?

Holy Churche hath determined, that euery Chrysten man, lyuing here bodyly vpon earth, ought to be shriuen † to a pryest, ordeyned by the church, if he may come to him. How fele ye thys artycle?

Christ ordeyned Sainct Peter the apostle to be his vicar here in earth, whose see is the holy church of Rome; and he graunted, that the same power, which he gaue vnto Peter, shuld succede to al Peters successours, whiche we call now Popes of Rome. By whose speciall power, in churches particular, be ordeyned prelates, as archbisshops, bisshops,

•Ex magno processu Thomæ Arundeli.

+ Confessed.

parsons, curates, and other degrees more; vnto whome Christen menne ought to obeye, after the lawes of the church of Rome. Thys is the determinacion of Holy Church: How fele ye this artycle?

Holy Church hath determined, that it is meritoryous to a Christen man to go on pilgrymage to holy places, and there specially to worship holy relyques, and ymages of sainctes, apostles, martirs, confessours, and all other saintes besydes approued by the church of Rome. Howe fele ye thys artycle?

And, as the good Lord Cobham had red ouer thys moost wretched writtynge, he marueled greatly of their madde ignoraunce. But that he consydered agayne, that God had geuen them ouer, for theyr vnbeleues sake, into moost depe errours, and blindnesse of soule. Agayne, he perseyued herby, that theyr vttermoost malyce was purposed against him, how soeuer he shulde answere; and therfore he put his lyfe into the handes of God, desyring his onely Spirit to assist him in his next answere. Whan the sayd xxv. daye of Septembre was cone (which was also the Monday afore Myghelmasse) in the sayd yere of our Lord M. cccc. and xiij. Thomas Arundell, the Archbisshop of Caunterbury, commaunded his judicyall seate to be remoued from that Chapterhouse of Pauls to the Dominike Fryers, wythin Ludgate, at London. And, as he was there set with Rychard, the Bisshop of London, Henry, the Bisshop of Wirchester, and Benet, the Bisshop of Bangor, he called in vnto him his counsell and his officers, with diuerse other doctours and fryers; of whom these are the names here followynge:

Master Henry Ware, the officyall of Caunterbury.

Philip Morgan, doctour of both lawes! Howell Kiffin, doctour of the canon lawe; Iohan Kempe, doctour of the canon lawe; Willyam Carleton, doctour of the canon lawe; Iohan Witnam, of the New College, in Oxford; Iohan Whighthead, a doctour, of Oxforde: Also Robert Wombewell, vicar of Saint Laurence in the Jewry t; Thomas Palmer, the warden of the Mynors, Robert Chamberlaine, prior of the Dominickes; Rychard Dodington, prior of the Augustines; Thomas Walden, prior of the Carmelites; all doctours of diuinitic. Iohan Steuens also, and Iames Cole, both notaries, appointed there purposly to write all that shuld be eyther sayd or done. All these, with a great sort more of pryestes, monks, chanons, fryers, parish clarks, belringers, and pardoners, disdained him with innumerable mockes and scornes, rekening him to be an horrible heretik, and a man accursed afore God. Anon, the archbysshope called for a masse-boke, and caused all those prelates and doctours to sweare there vpon, that euerye man shulde faythfullye doo hys offyce and dewtye that daye; and that, neyther for fauer nor feare, loue nor hate, of the one partye nor the other, any thinge shuld ther be witnessed, spoken, or done, but according to the trueth, as they wold answere before God, and all the world, at the daye of dome. Than were the two forseyd notaries sworne also to wryte and to witnes the wordes and processe, that there shuld be vttered on both partyes, and to saye their minds (if they otherwise knewe it) before they