Compare 1577 edition: 1 At the same time, those that followed Wickliffes opinions,The Wickle|uists wrote a|gainst the clergie. set vp publikelie on the church doore of Paules in London, and the church doores of West|minster, certeine writings, conteining accusations of the clergie, and conclusions, such as had not com|monlie béene heard, against ecclesiasticall persons, and the vse of the sacraments, as the church then mainteined. They were incouraged thus to doo, as it EEBO page image 482 was said, by some noble men, and knights of great worship, as sir Richard Sturrie, sir Lewes Clifford, sir Thomas Latimer, sir Iohn Montacute, & others, who comforted & pricked forward those kind of men, then called heretikes & Lollards, to the confounding of monks, friers, and other religious persons, by all waies they might. Herevpon, the archbishop of Yorke, the bishop of London, and certeine other as messengers from the whole state of the clergie,The clergie complaine to the king of the Wickleuists, and their fa|uorers. passed ouer into Ireland, where, to the king they made a grieuous complaint, as well against those that had framed and set foorth such writings, as against them that mainteined them in their dooings, and therefore besought him with spéed to returne home into Eng|land, there to take such order, for the restreining of those misordered persons, as vnto the reliefe of the church might be thought expedient, being then in great danger of susteining irrecouerable losse and damage, if good reformation were not the sooner had. King Richard hearing these things, vpon good deli|beration had in the matter, determined to returne home, but first on the day of the Annuntiation of our ladie,

K. Richard knighteth the foure Irish kings, and others.

Froissard.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 This doone, and now after that they were set in quiet in that countrie (the rebels not being so hardie as to stirre, whilest such a mightie armie was there readie at hand to assaile them) the king about Ea|ster came backe into England without anie more a|doo,K. Richard returneth out of Ireland. so that the gaine was thought nothing to coun|teruaile the charges, which were verie great: for the king had ouer with him in that iournie, foure thou|sand men of armes, and thirtie thousand archers, as Froissard saith he was informed by an English es|quier that had béene in that iournie. The king at his comming ouer, did not forget what complaint the archbishop of Yorke, and the bishop of London had exhibited to him, against those that were called Lol|lards, and heretiks, wherevpon immediatlie, he cal|led before him certeine of the noble men,K. Richards dealings a|gainst the fa|uorers of the Wickleuists. that were thought and knowne to fauour such kind of men, threatning terriblie, if from thence foorth they should in anie wise comfort and relieue them. He caused sir Richard Sturrie to receiue an oth, that he should not mainteine from that day forward anie such erro|nious opinions, menacing him, and as it were, co|uenanting with him by an interchangeable oth, that if euer he might vnderstand, that he did violate and breake that oth, he should die for it a most shamefull death.

¶ 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.]