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.