¶ By the report of H. Knighton it should séeme, that this sect (as he calleth them) mightilie increased, to the no small offense of the lords temporall and spi|rituall, wherevpon after sundrie complaints, and se|rious solicitations for the supplanting of them, com|missions were granted, and the tenure of them (as it should séeme) though not absolutelie, yet in part ex|ecuted. Now therefore listen what mine author saith, whose addition, though by his owne supputation of yeares it require to be placed elsewhere; yet for the consonancie of the matter, and because writers varie greatlie in their accounts of time, I haue here inser|ted the same, as in a verie conuenient place of the historie. The noblemen and the commons (saith Hen|rie Knighton) séeing the ship of the church, Abr. Fl. out of Henrie Knigh|ton canon of Leicester abbeie. with these & other innumerable errors, & verie lewd opinions as it were on all sides from day to day with ceasse|lesse violence and force to be shaken; besought the king in the parlement, that redresse might be had herof; lest the arke of the faith of all the church by such violences and inforcements giuen in those daies, should through want of gouernement be battered without remedie, and the glorious realme of Eng|land by corrupting of faith should by little and little be drawne into a distresse of grace and losse of honor. Wherefore the king vsing the sound counsell of the whole parlement, commanded the archbishop of Canturburie, & the rest of the bishops of the realme, to execute their charge and office, all and euerie of them in his and their diocesse, according to the canon lawes, more seuerelie and zealouslie; to correct the offendors, to examine their English books more ful|lie and substantiallie, to root out errors with all their indeuors, to bring the people into an vnitie of the right faith, to wéed vp out of the church all netles, thistles, and brambles wherewith she is disgraced; and to beautifie hir with lillies and roses; and should cause an establishment of his roiall power more boldlie and stoutlie. And the king foorthwith com|manded, without delaie, that his letters patents should be sent abroad into all and euerie shire of his kingdome; and appointed in euerie shire certeine searchers for such books and their fauourers; charging them to applie a spéedie remedie vnto these disorders, and to lay vp the rebels in the verie next gaoles, till the king sent vnto them. But verie slow execution or none at all followed, because the houre of correc|tion was not yet come. [Howbeit, to prepare and make an entrance to the purposed reformation and correction of those enormities, he gaue out a commis|sion against the Wickleuists, a copie whereof fol|loweth both in Latine and English. Whereby the world may see how the springing church of Christ was hated and abhorred of the antichristian rout.]
12.1. Copia regiae commissionis aduer|sus Lollardos & Lollardorum sequaces.
Copia regiae commissionis aduer|sus Lollardos & Lollardorum sequaces.
_RIchardus Dei gratia rex Angliae & Franciae, & dominus Hiberniae, dilectis sibi magistro Thomae Brightwell in the|ologia doctori, decano collegij noui ope|ris Leicestriae, & Gulielmo Chesulden praebenda|rio praebendae eiusdem collegij, ac dilectis & fideli|bus nostris Richardo de Barow Chinall, & Rober|to Langham, salutem. Quia ex insinuatione cre|dibili certitudinaliter informatur, quòd ex insana doctrina magistrorum Iohannis Wickliffe dum vixit, Nicholai Herford, Iohannis Liston, & suo|rum sequaciũ, quàm plures libri, libelli, schedulae, & quaterni, haeresibus & erroribus manifestis in fidei catholicae laesionem, & sanae doctrinae deroga|tionem, expresse, & palàm, & notoriè redundan|tes, frequentiùs compilantur, publicantur, & con|scribuntur, tam in Anglico quàm in Latino, ac ex|inde opiniones nefariae sanae doctrinae contrarian|tes, oriuntur, crescunt, & manutenentur, ac prae|dicantur, in fidei orthodoxae eneruationem, eccle|siae sanctae subuersionem, & ex consequenti (quod absit) quàm plurium incredulitatem, eorúm ani|marum periculum manifestum. Nos zelo fidei ca|tholicae, cuius sumus & esse volumus defensores in omnibus (vt tenemur) moti salubriter & inducti, nolentes huiusmodi haereses aut errores infra ter|minos nostrae potestatis, quatenùs poterimus, oriri, seu quomodolibet pullulare: assignamus vos con|iunctim & diuisim, ad omnes & singulos libros, li|bellos, schedulas, & quaternos huiusmodi doctrinã dictorũ Iohannis, Nicholai, Iohannis, & sociorum sequacium, seu opinionum aliquam minùs sanam continentes, vbicún, & in quorumcún mani|bus, EEBO page image 483 possessione, seu custodia inueniri poterunt, in|fra libertates vel extra, inuestigandum, capien|dum, & arrestandum, & penes concilium nostrum cum omni celeritate possibili deferri faciendum, vt tunc ibidem de ijsdem ordinare vale amus, prout de auisamento concilij nostri praedictifore videri|mus faciendum: ac etiam ad proclamandum, & ex parte nostra firmiter inhibendum, ne quis cuius|cún status, gradus, seu conditionis fuerit, sub poe|na imprisionamenti & forisfacturationum, quae no|bis forisfacere poterit, aliquas huiusmodi prauas & nefarias opiniones manutenere, docere, pertinaci|terque defendere, clàm vel palam, seu huiusmodi libros, libellos, schedulas, & quaternos detinere, scribere, vel scribi facere, aut emere vel vendere praesumat quouis modo; sed omnes & singulos hu|iusmodi libros, libellos, schedulas, & quaternos se|cum habitos & inuentos, ad mandatum nostrum vobis reddat, seu reddifaciat indilatè. Et ad om|nes illos, quos post proclamationem & inhibitionem praedictis contrarium inueneritis facientes, & hu|iusmodi nefarias opiniones manutentes, coràm vo|bis praefato Thoma decano & Gulielmo euocan|dum, & diligenter examinandum: & cùm inde legitimè euicti fuerint, ministris proximís priso|nis committendum, in ijsdem detinendum, quoús|que à suis erroribus, haeresibus, & prauis opinioni|bus resipiscant, seu nos pro deliberatione eorundem aliter duxerimus ordinandum. Et ideo vobis man|damus, quòd dicta praemissa cum omni diligentia & efficacia intendatis, & ea faciatis & exequa|mini in forma praedicta. Damus autem tàm vni|uersis & singulis viris ecclesiasticis, quàm vice|comitibus, maioribus, balliuis, ministris, & alijs fidelibus & subditis nostris, tàm infra libertates quàm extra tenore praesentium firmiter in manda|tis, quòd vobis, & cuilibet vestrum, in praemissis faciendis assistentes sint, consulentes, & auxilian|tes, prout decet. In cuius rei testimonium has li|teras nostras fieri fecimus patentes. Teste meipso apud Westmonasterium vice simo tertio die Maij, anno regni nostri vndecimo.
12.2. A copie of the kings commission a|gainst the Lollards or Wickleuists and their followers: Englished by A.F.
A copie of the kings commission a|gainst the Lollards or Wickleuists and their followers: Englished by A.F.
_RIchard by the grace of God king of England and France, and lord of I|reland, to his beloued, maister Tho|mas Brightwell doctor in diuinitie, deane of the college of the new worke of Lei|cester, and to William Chesulden prebendarie of the prebend of the same college; and to our beloued and trustie subiects, Richard of Barow Chinall, and Robert Langham; greeting. For so much as we are certeinelie informed by credi|ble report, that by the vnsound doctrine of mai|ster Iohn Wickliffe, whiles he liued, of Nicho|las Herford, Iohn Liston, and their followers, many bookes, libels, scheduls, & pamphlets ex|presselie, euidentlie, and notoriouslie swarming with manifest heresies and errors to the hurt of the catholike faith, & the abolishment of sound doctrine, are commonlie compiled, published, and written, as well in English as in Latine, and therevpon wicked opinions contrarie to sound doctrine, doo spring, grow, and are mainteined and preached to the weakening of the right faith, the ouerthrow of holie church, and con|sequentlie (which God forbid) the misbeleefe of a great many, & the manifest danger of their soules. We being moued with zeale to the ca|tholike faith, whereof we are, and will be defen|ders in all things, as we are bound, vnwilling that such heresies or errors within the limits of our iurisdiction, so far as we are able, should grow, or by any meanes spring vp: doo assigne you iointlie and seuerallie, all and singular the books, libels, scheduls, & pamphlets conteining such doctrine of the said Iohn, Nicholas, Iohn, and their fellow-followers, or any of their cor|rupt opinions, wheresoeuer, & in whose hands, possession, or keeping soeuer they shalbe found within the liberties or without; them to search, take, arrest, and cause to be brought before our councell with all possible speed, that then and there we may take order for the same accor|dinglie, as by the aduise of our foresaid councell we shall see requisite to be doone. And also to proclaime, and on our behalfe firmelie to for|bid all and euerie one, of whatsoeuer state, de|gree, or condition he be, vnder paine of impri|sonment and forfeitures, which to vs he shall forfeit, any of these wicked and lewd opinions to mainteine, teach, obstinatlie to defend, pri|uilie or openlie, or any of these bookes, libels, scheduls & pamphlets to keepe, write, or cause to be written; but all and euerie such booke and bookes, libels, scheduls, and pamphlets with them had & found, at our commandement vn|to you to deliuer, or cause to be deliuered with|out delaie. And all them, whome after pro|clamation and inhibition you shall find dooing contrarie to the premisses, and such lewd opini|ons mainteining, to call foorth before you the said Thomas the deane, & William, and them to examine: & when they shalbe lawfullie con|uinced therein, to commit them to the next of|ficers & prisons, there to be kept, till they haue recanted their errors, heresies, and wicked opi|nions; or till we for their deliuerance shall o|therwise thinke order to be taken. And there|fore we command, that you intend the said premisses, with all diligence and effect, and the same doo and execute in forme aforesaid. We doo also giue in streict commandement and charge, to all and euerie as well churchman & churchmen, as shiriffes, maiors, bailiffes, offi|cers, and other our trustie subiects, as well with|in the liberties as without, by the tenor of these presents, to assist, counsell, and helpe you and e|uerie of you in doing the premisses, as it is con|uenient. In witnesse whereof, we haue caused these our letters patents to be made. Witnesse our selues at Westminster the twentie third day of Maie, and the eleuenth yeare of our reigne.
¶ About this time, or (as Henrie Knighton saith) in the yeare 1392, maister William Courtenie archbi|shop of Canturburie, brother to the earle of Den|shire visited the diocesse of Lincolne, and on the feast of saint Faith the virgine he visited maister Iohn Bokingham bishop of Lincolne in the cathedrall church of Lincoln [...], with the chapter,Archbishop of Canturbu|ries visitatiõ. and an hundred of the canons, and he came to Leicester abbeie in vi|sitation, the sundaie before the feast of All saints, where he [...] all the tuesdaie, and on the eeue also EEBO page image 484 of All saints being mondaie, calling togither all the canons of the said monasterie, with the chaplines of his owne chappell, euerie of them hauing in their hands burning candels.Wickleuists excommuni|cated. The same archbishop confir|med sentence of excommunication against the Lol|lards or Wickleuists, with their fauourers, which either now mainteined or caused to be mainteined, or hereafter did mainteine or should mainteine the errours and opinions of master Iohn Wickliffe, in the diocesse of Lincolne. On the morrow next after All saints, the same bishop flashed out his sentence of excommunication like lightning in open sight, with a crosse set vpright, with candels burning bright, and with bels roong alowd, and namelie against those of Leicester towne that had too too much defiled and in|fected the said towne and countrie. The archbishop departing from thence, went to saint Peters church, to a certeine anchoresse named Matildis there kept as in a closet, whom he reprouing about the foresaid errors and opinions of the Lollards, and finding hir answers scarse aduisedlie made, cited hir that she should appeare before him, on the sundaie next insu|ing, in saint Iames his abbeie at Northampton, to answer vnto the foresaid erronious and prophane points. Now she appeared at the day appointed, and renouncing hir errours, and hauing penance inioi|ned hir, she went awaie reformed. But till the se|cond day before the feast of saint Lucie, she kept hir selfe out of hir closet, and then entred into the same a|gaine. Other Lollards also were cited, and appea|red at Oxford, and in other places, as the archbishop had commanded them: who renouncing their super|stitious errours, and for swearing their prophane opi|nions, did open penance. Also one William Smith was made to go about the market place at Leice|ster,A ridiculous penance. clothed in linnen [or in a white sheet] holding in his right arme the image of the Crucifix, and in his left the image of saint Katharine, bicause the said Smith had sometimes cut in peeces and burned an image of saint Katharine, whereof he made a fire to boile him hearbes in his hunger.