Brief Chronicle Concerning Examination and Death of John Oldcastle, Part 3
☞The fyrst examynacyon of the lorde Cobham.antichrist was here in full power.
SIr Iohan / in ye last generall cōnocacyon of the clergye of this oure prouince / ye were detected of cert…n heresyes & by suffycyēt wytnesses founde culpable. Vvhervpon ye were by forme of spirituall lawe cyted / & wolde in no case apere. In cōclusyon vponupon youre rebellyouse contumacye ye were both pryuatelye and openlye excommunycated.antichrist manyfesteth himselfe. Notwithstandynge we neuer yet shewed oures…lfe vnredye to hauehave geuē you youre absolucyon (nor yet do not to this houre) wolde ye hauehave mekely a yed yt. VntoUnto this the lorde Cobham shewed as though he had geuen nō eare / hauynge his mynde otherwyse occupyed / & so desyred non absolucyon. But he sayd / he wolde gladlye before him and his bretherne make rehersall of that faythe / which he helde and entended alwayes to stande to / yf yt wolde please them to lycens him therunto.A signe of gods true seruaunt. And than he toke out of his bosome a certen wrytynge endented / concernynge the artycles wherof he was accused / and so openlye redde yt before them / geuynge yt vntounto the Archebyshop as he had made therof an ende. Vvherof this is the copye.
I Iohan Oldecastell knyght and lorde Cobham / Ex viroque exemplari.will all Christen menne to vnderstande / that Thomas Arundell Archebysshop of Caūterburye hath not onlye layed yt to my charge malycyouslye / but also verye vntrulye by his lettre and seale written agaynst me in most slaunderouse wyse / that I shuld otherwyse fele and teache of the sacramētes of the churche (assygnynge specyallye the sacrament of the aultre / The artycles layed agaynst ye lorde Cobthe sacrament of penaunce / the worshyppynge of ymages / and the goynge of pylgrymage vntounto them) farre other wyse than eyther beleueth or teacheth the vnyuersall holye churche. I take almyghtye God vntounto wytnesse / that yt hath bene and now is / and euermore with the helpe of God yt shall be my full intent and will / to beleue faythfullye and whollye all the sacramentes that euer God ordeyned to be mynystred in the holye churche.O most Christen knyght. And more ouer for to declare me in these .iiii. poyntes afore rehersed.
I beleue that in the most worshypfull sacrament of the aultre is Christes verye bodye in fourme of breade / His beleue concernynge the sacramentes.the same bodye that was borne of the blssed virgyne Marye / done on the crosse / dead / and buryed / and that the thyrde daye arose from death to lyfe / the which bodye is now gloryfyed with the father in heauen. And as for the sacrament of penaunce / Consydre him here before bisshoppes.I beleue that yt is nedefull to all them that shall be saued / to forsake theyr synne and to do penaunce for yt / with true contrycyon to God / confessyon of theyr fawtes / and dewe satisfaccyon in Christ / lyke as Gods lawes lymyteth and teacheth / els can they hauehave no saluacyon. This penaunce I desyre all menne to do.Permytted to brige in ydolatrye. And as for ymages / I vnderstande that they perteyne nothynge to oure Christen beleue / but were permytted (longe sens the fayth was geuē vsus of Christ) by sufferaūce of the churche / for to be as kalenders vntounto laye menne to represent or brynge to mynde the passyon of oure Lorde Iesus Christ with the martyrdome and good lyuynge of the saynctes.
Vvho cō mytreth ydolatryeI thynke also that what so ouer he be which doth that worshyp to dead ymages that is dewlye belongynge vntounto God / or that putteth his fayth / hope / or confydence in the helpe of them as he shuld do onlye in his eternall lyuynge God / or that hath affeccyon in one more than in an other / he perpetrateth in so doyng … abhomynable synne of ydolatrye. Moreouer in this am I fullye persuaded / that euerye manne dwellynge ☞ Marke. Gen. 23. Psal. 2.on this earth is a pylgryme / eyther towardes blesse or els towardes payne. And that he which knoweth not / nor will no… knowe / nor yet kepe the holye cōmaundementes of God in his lyuynge here all be yt that he goth on pylgrymage into all quarters of the worlde) yf he departeth so he shall surelye be dampned.Saued wt out pylgrymage. Agayne he that knoweth the holye commaundementes of God / and so perfourmeth them to the ende of his lyfe to his power / shall without fayle be saued in Christ / though he neuer in his lyfe go on pylgrymage as menne vse now a dayes to Caūterburye / Vvalsyngham / Compostell / and Rome / or to anye other place els.
This answere to his artycles thus ended and redde / he delyuered yt to the Bysshoppes as is sayd afore.His answere examyned. Than coū fessed the Archebysshop with the other two Bysshoppes and with dyuerse of ye doctours what was to be done in thisma…ter / commaundynge him for the tyme to stande a syde. In conclusyon by theyr assent and infourmacyon / he sayd thus vntounto him.Vvhat is this els than quarellynge? Come hydre syr Iohan. In this your writynge are manye good thynges contayned / and ryght catholyck also / we denye yt not. But ye must consydre that this daye was appoynted you to answere to other poyntes concernynge those artycles / wherof as yet no mencyon is made in this your byll. And therfore ye must yet declare vsus youre mynde more playnelye.Theyr bellyes onlye ded those belly goddes seke. As thus whether that ye holde / afferme / and beleue / that in the sacramēt of the aultre after the consecracyon ryghtlye done by a prest / remayneth materyall breade or not? Moreouer whether ye do holde / afferme / and beleue / that as concernynge the sacrament of penaunce (where as a competent nombre of Prestes are) euerye Christen manne is necessarylye boū de to be confessed of his synnes to a prest ordayned by the churche / or not?
His Christē answere vntounto theyr qua…ellyngesAfter certen other communycacyon this was the answere of the good lorde Cobham. That non otherwyse wolde he declare his mynde / nor yet answere vntounto his artycles / than was expreslye in his wrytynge there cōtayned. Than sayd the Archebyshop agayne vntounto him Syr Iohan beware what ye do. For yf ye answere not clerelye to those thynges that are here obiected agaynst you / A tyrannouse who…e is that mother.specyallye at the tyme appoynted you onlye for that purpose / the lawe of holye churche is / that compelled ones by a iudge / we maye openlye proclame ye an heretyque. VntoUnto whom he gaue this answere. Do as ye shall thynke yt best / for I am at a poynt. Vvhat so euer he and the other Bysshoppes ded aske him after that / he bad them resort to his byll for therby wolde he stande to the verye death.His answere not to theyr myndes Other answere wolde he not geue that daye / wherwith the Byshoppes and Prelates were in a maner amased and wonderfullye dysquyeted. At the last the Archebysshop counselled agayne with his other Bysshoppes and doctours. And in the ende therof declared vntounto him / antichrist setteth mē aboue God.what the holye churche of Rome folowynge the sayinges of saynt Austyn / saynt Hierom / saynt Ambrose / and of other holye doctours / had determyned in those matters / no maner of mencyon ones made of Christ. VvhichWhich determynacyon (sayth he) ought all Christen menne both to beleue and to folowe.
Than sayd the lorde Cobham vntounto him / The lord Cobhā resorteth vsus to Christ.that he wolde gladlye both beleue and obserue what so euer the holy churche of Christes institucyon had determyned / or yet what so euer God had willed him eyther to beleue or to do. But that the Pope of Rome with his Cardynals / Archebysshoppes / Bysshoppes and other Prelates of that churche had lawfull power to determyne soche matters as stode not with his worde throughlye / that wolde he not (he sayd) at that tyme afferme.A delaye of these deuyls to destroye. Vvith this the Archebyshop bad him to take good abuysement tyll the Monedaye next folowynge (which was the .xxv. daye of Septembre) and than iustlye to answere / specyallye vntounto this poynt / whether there remayned materyall breade in ye sacrament of the aultre after the wordes of consecracyon / or not? He promysed him also to sende vntounto him in wrytynge / those matters clerelye determyned / that he myght than be the more perfyght in his answere makynge.A doctryne of deuyls to blynde ye symple. And all this was not els but to blynde the multytude with somwhat. The next daye folowynge / accordynge to his promes the Archebysshop sent vntounto him in to the tower this folyshe and blasphemouse wrytynge / made by him and by his vnlerned clergye.