delayed to act until he had sounded Henry. In order, however, to lend the efforts of his priests a more imposing aspect, he repaired to Kensington Palace, then the royal residence, attended by many bishops and a great part of his clergy; stated the charges against Cobham in detail; and received an answer little comporting with a monarch's dignity, much less worthy of a man whose friend, a prince whose faithful servant, was assailed behind his back by the calumnies of interested enemies. Henry dwelt upon the rank of the accused, his peerage, and his knighthood; besought them to deal favourably with him; desired that they would endeavour to reclaim him, "without rigour or extreme handling, if it were possible;" but promised himself to "commune with him, should their impatience brook no delay." Such a feeble and craven intimation satisfied the Primate's party that they were safe in going on to their purpose. Trusting to the royal promise of intervention, they declined taking any further step until that had been performed: Cobham was accordingly called before the King; and it became at once apparent what must be the issue of the whole affair.

They who have approached their sovereign's person, and been graciously, perhaps tenderly, entreated by him, can best tell how difficultly the voice accustomed to command is resisted when it stoops to implore. Chatham felt refusal all but impossible when asked to gratify the King; Cobham had the far more difficult duty of rejecting the royal prayer, kindly

preferred, of which his own safety, not his master's gratification, was the object. Being summoned into the presence, he was addressed with the gentleness which in his early years seemed a part of Henry's nature, and earnestly conjured to save himself by obedient submission and acknowledgement of his faults towards his mother, the Holy Church. But he made at once this memorable answer-"You, most worthy prince, I am ever prompt and willing to obey as the Sovereign appointed over me by God, which bear the sword to punish evil doers, and protect them that do well. Unto you, after him, my whole obeisance is due, and ever hereafter as ever heretofore, with my fortune and my life will I yield me to all your commands in the Lord. But for the Pope and his spiritual power, truly, I owe him nor suit nor service, knowing him by the Scriptures to be Antichrist, son of perdition, open adversary of God, and the abomination in the Holy Place.”—The King, unworthy of such a servant, and incapable of estimating his worth, only felt a regal vexation at finding his well meant counsels thrown away, and the request peremptorily refused which he deemed it a singular condescension to have made. In this temper of mind he suddenly broke off the conversation, and dismissed the baron, who returned immediately to his castle at Cowling.' The Primate now once more approached the Sovereign. He found that his object was accomplished; and obtained at once full authority to pro

1 Hol., iii. 62. T. Wals., 427.

ceed against the conscientious noble with all the rigour of what were so falsely called the Courts Christian. Lord Cobham was cited to appear before the Archbishop and his clergy, and answer such articles as they should propound; but the summoning officer durst not enter the baron's castle without his licence, and returned without having served the process. The Primate then bethought him of a device which might enable him to use the King's name without his authority. He prevailed upon an officer of the privy chamber to accompany his own; and the man gave Lord Cobham to understand that the summons was issued by the King's permission, if not command. But he seems to have suspected the fraud from the equivocal terms employed by the summoner,' and made answer that he "would on no account be consenting to such devilish practices of the priests." The personal service of the writ was now considered to be attended with some danger, and therefore recourse was had to a peremptory citation affixed to the gates of Rochester Cathedral, in the neighbourhood of Cowling Castle. The placards were more than once put up, being immediately torn down and burnt by the people. Cobham was then declared in contumacy for not appearing at the day named in those placards; sentence of excommunication passed against him; and he was again summoned to appear, on pain of condemnation as a heretic enemy of the Catholic church. Before the day came, however, he Sompner he was termed

F

drew up a confession of his faith, and humbly presented it to the King, who refused to receive it, desired it might be delivered to his spiritual judges, suffered him to be personally cited on the spot, in the royal presence, and had him afterwards arrested and conveyed a prisoner to the Tower.'

On the 23rd of September, he was brought into the Primate's Court at St. Paul's in the custody of the lieutenant of the Tower. Arundel was assisted by Clifford Bishop of London, and Beaufort Bishop of Winchester, the King's uncle. And now began that proceeding, which a Romish historian has not scrupled to describe as exhibiting a contrast of insult and arrogance in the prisoner, with mildness and dignity in the judge.* The wonder, however, ceases when we find, by referring to his authorities, that he takes the Primate's panegyric from his own account of his demeanour, embodied in the sentence which he ultimately pronounced. We may further observe, that the proceeding for heresy was the only one believed to be authorized by the prisoner's conduct, and that nothing else was laid to his charge; because, although a vague surmise is thrown out in the sentence of his having used force towards those who opposed his doctrines, it is manifest that, had he

1 Note XXVII.

3

Ling. Hist., iii. 335. See Rym., ix. 61. Rot. Parl., iv. 109. There are not fewer than seven self-eulogistic expressions, as "Nos benigno et affabili modo”—“ Nos suaviter"-" Nos suavi et modesto modo," &c.

T. Wals., 427, adopts this charge, evidently by his language, from the sentence. See Rym., ix. 61.

been really liable to any such imputation, the King would have proceeded against him by the course of the common law.

Sept. 1413.

The trial opened with an address from the Primate, which apprised the prisoner of the charge against him, that of denying the authority of the Anglican church, and holding opinions different from those of the Catholic church, upon the eucharist, penance, pilgrimage, image worship, and the power of the Pope. But the Primate added, that he was ready to grant him absolution, if he would confess and recant. Cobham made no answer, but plucked from his bosom an indenture of two parts, and gave one to the court. The paper contained an exposition of his tenets; and it is impossible to conceive anything more rational or more fair and full. He meets many of the charges in their order, and to each he gives a frank and explicit answer, after solemnly in the outset calling God to witness that, touching the sacraments, he never had refused the assent which he had declared to the dogmas of his church.

The interrogatory process now commenced; but first the Primate, after causing the paper to be read, and consulting with his brethren, informed Cobham that, though it contained some good and orthodox matters, the answers were not sufficiently distinct, and that he was required to be more explicit, espe cially upon his belief in the real presence. He said that he could only refer to the paper for his answer. Being again pressed for further explanation, and re