Brief Chronicle Concerning Examination and Death of John Oldcastle, Preface
A brefe Chronycle concernynge the Examinacyon and death of the blessed martyr of Christ syr Iohan Oldecastell the lorde Codham collected togyther by Iohan Bale.
☞Syr. Iohan. Oldecastel. the. worthy☜ lorde. Cobham. and▪ moste. valyaunt. ☞warryoure. of. Iesus. Christ.☜ suffred. death. at. London. Anno. 1418.
☞In the latter tyme shall manye be chosen / proued / and puryfyed by … yet shall the vngodly lyue wyckedly … and hauehave no vnderstandynge. Dan. ….
A brefe Chronycle concernynge the Fol. 2Examinacyon and death of the blessed martyr of Christ syr Iohan Oldecastell the lorde Cobham / collected togyther by Iohan Bale / out of the bokes and writtynges of those Popyshe Prelates which were present both at his condempnacyon and iudgement.
¶ The Preface.
IN the prophane historyes of olde Oratours and poetes both Grekes and Latynes are they moche cōmended and thought worthy of eternall memorye / which hauehave eyther dyed for theyr naturall contreye or daungered theyr lyues for a common welthe.Plutarch Properc. Cicero. Catustus Horatius …ucanu…. Staciu… ▪ As we reade of Codrus that was kynge of Athens / of Quintus Curcius the Romane / of Ancurus the Phrygiane / Olysses / Hermas / Theseus / Menecius / Scipio Aphricanus / Mucius Sceno…a / Valerius Cocles / the two bretheren of Cartago which were both called Philenus / and the thre noble Decyanes with other diuerse.Exo. 14. Eccle. 4… Iudic…. In the sacred scripturs of the Byble / hath Moses / Iosue / Gedeon / Iepthe / Delbora / Iudith / Dauid / 1. Reg. 17 …. 6./ Helias / Iosias / zorobabel / Mathathias / Eleazarus and the Machabees theyr iust prayses for theyr myghtye zele and manyfolde enterpryses concernynge the chyldren of Israel.Sigeberrn… Gē b…acensis. Amonge the Papistes also which are a most prodygyouse kynde of menne) are they most hyghlye anaunced by lyenge sygnes / false myracles / erronyouse writtynges / shrynes / rellyques / lyghtes / tabernacles / aulters / Petrus Equilinus.sensynges / songes / & holye dayes / which hauehave bene slayne / for the lybertees / priuileges / auctorite / honour / ryches / & proude mayntenaunce of theyr holye whorysse churche.
Vvicelius. Vincentius. Leander Volateranus. A…cas. Ioā Ec.As were Antidius / Bonifacius / Benno / Thomas Becket / Iohan the Cardinall / Petrꝰ de Castrono…o / Peter of Millayne / Paganus of Bergom / Stanislaus of Cracou…a / Steuen Colyer of Tholose / Bonauenture of Padua / Iulianus the Cardinall of saynt Angel. And in oure tyme Iohan Fysher / Thomas More / Fryre Forest / Reynoldes / & the Charterhouse monkes which suffred here in Englande / with an infynite nombre more. Vvhat is than to be thought of those godlye and valeaunt warryours / Heb. 11. Acto. … Apoc. 6which hath noth spared to bestowe theyr most dere lyues for the veryte of Iesus Christ agaynst the malygnaūt mustre of that execrable Antichrist of Rome the deuyls owne vycar.Ioā. 8. Of whose gracyouse nombre a verye specyall membre and a vessell of Gods eleccyon was that vertuouse knyght syr Iohan Oldecastell the good lorde Cobham / as will plentuously apere in this processe folowynge.Syr Iohan olde castell & the bishoppes. He that hath iudgemēt in the sprete / shall easelye perseyue by this treatyse / what beastlye blockeheades these bloudye bellyegoddes were in theyr vnsauerye interrogacyōs / and agayne what influence of grace this manne of God had from aboue cōcernynge his answers / specyallye in that most blynde and ignoraunt tyme wherin all was but darkenesse / the sunne aperynge sacke clothe / as saynct Iohan hath in the Apocalyps.Ioan. 3. Apoc. 6.
Most surelye fulfylled Christ that promes in him which he made to his Apostles.Luc. 21. Mat. 10. Mar. 13. Luc. 12. Cast not in youre myndes afore hande (sayth he) what answere ye shall make whan these spirituall tyrauntes shall examine you in theyr synagoges / and so delyuer you vp vntounto kynges and debytees. For I will geue you soche vtteraunce and wysdome in that houre / as all your ennemyes shall neuer be able to resyst.Christes disciple. This onlye sentence of Christ adioyned to his godly answere / is ynough to proue him his true disciple / and them in theyr folyshe questyons / the manyfest members of sathan. I remembre that .xiiii. yeares ago / the true seruaunt of God Vvillyam Tyndale put into the prent a certen brefe examinacyon of the seyd lorde Cobham.The examinacyon of the lorde Cobhā The which examinacyon was wrytten in the tyme of the seyd lordes troble / by a certen frynde of his / and so reserued in copyes vntounto this our age. But sens that tyme I hauehave foū de it in theyr owne wrytynges (which were than his vttre enemyes) in a moche more ample fourme than there.the great processe of Thomas Arundell. Specyallye in the great processe which Thomas Arundell the Archebysshop of Caunterburye made than agaynst him / wrytten by his owne notaryes and clar… / tokened also with his owne sygne and scale / and so dyrected vntounto Rycharde Clyfforde than Bysshop of London with a generall cōmaundement to hauehave it than publyshed by him & by the other Bysshoppes the whole realme ouer.
Thomas Vvalden. in fasciculo zizanio …um Vvicleni.Forthermore I hauehave seane it in a copye of that wrytynge / which the seyd Rycharde Clyfforde sent vntounto Robert Mascall a Carmelyte fryre and Bysshop of Herforde vndre his sygne and seale / and in a copye of his also dyrected to the Archedeacons of Herforde and Shrewesburye. The yeare / monethmonth / and daye of theyr date with the beginnynges of theyr wrytynges shall here after folowe in the boke / as occasyon shall requyre it.Frōwhēs this treatyse cometh. Besydes all this Thomas Vvalden beynge in those dayes the kynges confessour / and present at his examinacyon / condempnacyon / & execracyon / regestred it amonge other processes more / in his boke called Fasciculus zizaniorum Vvicleui. He maketh mencyon of it also in his fyrst Epistle to Pope Martyne the fyft / and in his solempne sermon de funere regis.Vvalden. cōt. Vvicleuistas / in prologo doctri. 7. li. 2. ca. 66 Onlye soche reasons hauehave I added therunto / as the afore named Thomas Vvalden proponed to him in the tyme of that examinacyon / as he mēcyoneth in his fyrst and seconde bokes aduersus Vhi…u… stas / with the maner of his godlye departynge out of this frayle lyfe / which I founde in other wrytynges and chronicles. His youthe was full of wanton wildenesse before he knew ye scripturs / as he reporteth in his answere / and for the more part vnknowen vntounto me / and therfore I wryte it not here. His father the lorde Regnolde of Cobham Iohan Frosyart nombereth alwayes amongest the most worthye warryours of Englande.
The christen manhode of sir Iohan oldecastell.In all aduēterouse actes of wordlye manhode / was he euer bolde / stronge / fortunate / doughtye / noble / & valcaūt. But neuer so worthye a conquerour as in this his present conflyct with the cruell and furyouse frantyck kyngedome of Antichrist. Farre is this Christen knyght more prayse worthye / for that he had so noble a stomake in defence of Christes verite agaynst those Romyshe superticyons / than for anye temporall nobylnesse eyther of bloude / byrthe / landes / or of marcyall feates.Cowardes ī christes battels. For manye thousandes hath had in that great corrage / which in the other hauehave bene most faynt harted cowardes and verye desperate dastardes / where as he perseuered most faythfullye constaunt to the ende. Manye Popyshe parasytes & menne pleasynge flatterers hauehave written large commendacyōs and encomyes of those / but of soche noble menne as this was / verye fewe or in a maner non at all.Flatterers of great menne. Vvan I somtyme reade the workes of some menne lerned / Parasites.I maruele not a lytle to se them so abundaunt in vayne flatterynge prayses for matters of no value / yea / for thynges to be dyspraysed rather than praysed of menne that were godlye wyse.
Polydorus Vergilius a collectour somtyme in Englande of the Popes Peter Pens and afterwarde Archedeacon of Vvellys / Polydorꝰ Anglice historie / libro. 4.hath in this poynt deformed his wrytynges greatlye / polutynge oure Englyshe chronycles most shamefullye with his Romyshe lyes and other Italyshe beggerye▪ Battels hath he described there at large …o no small discommendynges of some Princes wt were godlye / No tales maye be tolde out of scole.but the preuye packynge of Prelates / and craftye cōueyaūce of the spiritualte hath he in eueryevery place almost full properly passed ouer. He was to famylyar with the Bysshoppes and toke to moche of theyr counsell / whan he compyled the .xxvi. bokes. of his Englyshe hystorye. And not greatly is the lande beholden vntounto him in that worke / for anye large prayse of erudicyon that he hath geuen it there. A syngular bewtye is it to a Christen regyon / whan theyr auncyent monumētes are garnyshed amonge others / No menne are lerned with him / but Italianes.with mēne of freshe lytterature which therin hath small remembraūce or non. Vnlesse it be Gildas / Bedas / Alcuinus / Ioannes Scotus / Aldelmus / Neuburgus / and one or two more / non are in that whole worke mencyoned cōcernyng that / as though Englande had alwayes bene most barren of menne lerned. This do I not wryte in dysprayse of his lernynge / (which I knowe to be verye excellent) but for the abuse therof beynge a most syngular gyft of God.
A worthy worke were that afore God & manne.I wolde wyshe some lerned Englyshe māne (as there are now most excellent fresh wyttes) to set forth the Englyshe chronycles in theyr ryght shappe / as certen other landes hath done afore them / all affeccyōs set a part. I can not thynke a more necessarye thynge to be laboured to the honour of God / bewtye of the realme / …rudicyon of the people / and commodite of other landes / next the sacred scripture of the Byble / than that worke wolde be.Blasp… mouse tryfles are … Englyshe chronycles. For truly in those they hauehave there yet / is vyce more anaū ced than vert… / & Romyshe blasphemye than godlynesse. As it maye full wele apere vntounto eyes of ryght iudgement / in y• lamentable hystorye here folowynge / and soche other / which hath bene longe hydde in th… darke. Marke dilygentlye the sentence of the seyd Polydorus concernynge this good lorde Cobham / and there vponupon consydre his good workemanshyp in other matters. In the counsell of Constaunce (sayth he) was the heresye of Iohan Vvycleue condemned / and two at the same tyme burned in that cyte which were ye chefe heades of that secte.Polydorꝰ anglice historie li. 22 All this is true / though the f…ate handelynge therof be altogyther Italyshe.
But where as he sayth after / that whan this was ones knowen to theyr companyons in Englande / He vpholdeth holy churche with lyesthey conspyred in theyr madnesse agaynst the whole clergye and fynallye agaynst the kynge also for that he was than a fawter of Christen relygyon / hauynge to theyr great captaynes syr Iohan Oldecastell and syr Roger Acton / he maketh a most shamefull lye.Fabianꝰ. Acta consilii Constantiensis. For how coude syr Roger Acton with his cōpanye conspyre vponupon that occasyon / beynge dead more than iiii. years afore? and syr Iohan Oldecastell remaynyng all that season in Vvalys? Iohan Hus suffred death at Constaunce the yeare of oure Lorde a .M.CCCC.xv. in Iulye. Hierome of Prage in the yeare of oure Lorde a .M.cccc.xvi. in Maye / which were the two heades he speaketh of. Syr Roge… Actō was brent with his companye in the yeare of oure Lorde a .M.CCCC.xiii. in Ianuarye / as wytnesseth Vvalden / Fabiane / and Iohan Maior in theyr chronycles and wrytynges.…udge y• yll tre by his frute. Now recken these nombers and years / and marke the propre conueyaunce of this Romyshe gentylman the popes collectour / to clought vp that croked kyngedom of theyrs. He can by soche legerdemayne both please his fryndes in Englande and also at Rome.
They were enemyes to holy churche.After that he foloweth with lye vponupon lye / as that they came than to London to destroye the kynge / that he in his owne persone mett with them there in armes / that they cowardlye fledde / that some were taken there and brent out of hande / and that the lorde Cobham and syr Roger Ac…on were cast into ye tower of London vponupon that occasyon.Burnyng was not than for tray…ours Semeth it not a matter somwhat lyke to the purpose (thynke you) that menne shulde be there burned for makynge soche an insurreccyon or tumult? I trowe he hath cobled here somwhat workemanlye. And where as he sayth in the ende / that the kynge thervpon made an acte / that they from thens forth shuld be taken as traytours agaynste his owne persone / wc were proued to folowe that secte / he maketh an abhomynable lye.Vvhaldenus in sermone de fun…re regis. For that …cte was made onlye at the Bisshoppes complaynte and false sute in the fyrst yeare of his regne / and by force of that acte those innocēt menne than suffred.Vvell stored with lyes. More than .iiii. hondreth of soche manyfestlyes coude I gather out of his chronycles / moche more than myght more eyes and iudgementes do.
Now lete vsus expende what the true cause shuld be of this godlye mannys condemnacyon and death / all dreames of Papistes sett a part.The causes of syr Iohan olde castels condemnacyon. The truthe of it is / that after he had ones throughlye tasted the Christen doctryne of Iohan Vvycleue and of his disciples / and perseyued theyr lyuynges aggreable to the same. He abhorred all the supersticyouse sorceryes (ceremonyes I shuld saye) of the proude Romyshe churche. F…o… thens forth he brought all thynges to the towche stone of Gods worde.Iohan. 5. 1. Thes. 5. Mat. 7. 1. Iohā. 4. He tryed all matters by the scripturs / and so proued theyr spretes whether they were of God or naye. He maynteyned soche preachers in the dyoceses of Caū terburye / London / Rochestre / and Herforde / as the Bysshoppes were sore offended with. He exhorted theyr prestes to a better waye by the Gospell / and whan that wolde not helpe he gaue thē sharpe rebukes. He admonyshed th… kynges / as Rycharde the seconde / Henrye Vvalden▪ in fascicuso zizaniorum Vvicleui.the fourth / and Henrye the fyft of the clergyes manyfolde abuses / & put into the parlement house certen bokes concernynge theyr iust reformacyon / both in the yeare of oure Lorde a .M.ccc xcv. and in the yeare a .M.CCCC.x. of the fyrst boke this is the begynnyng. Prima conclusio.Fabianꝰ. Quando ecclesia Anglie &c. which I hauehave here left out least this treatyse shuld be to great. The other boke was made by one Iohan Puruey a mastre of art of Oxforde. Besyde the .xviii. conclusions that mastre Iohan Vvycleue had put in longe afore that.
In the yeare of oure Lorde a .M.ccc. …i. this noble lorde Cobham with certen other more / Vvalden▪ Polydorꝰ in his…oria anglorū lib. 20.mocyoned the kynge at Vvestmyns…re in the tyme of his parlement / that it were verye commodyouse to Englande yf the Romyshe Bysshoppes auctorite extended no forther than the Occeane see or hauen of Calys / cō syderynge the charges and vnquyetnesse of sutes there / and that mennys causes cond… not be throughlye knowen so farre of. Vvher vponupon the kynge made this acte by consent of his lordes / that no manne from thens forth shuld sue to the Pope in anye matter / nor publyshe anye excommunicacyon of his / vndrepeyne of losynge theyr goodes with perpetuall inpresonmēt.Treuisa in addicō nibus Cestrensis. Polydorꝰ. This and the afore named boke had cost him with syr Iohan Chenye and other more his lyfe inFabianꝰ. Polydorꝰ. the sixt yeare after / at the craftye accusement of certen Prelates (though it hath in the chronycles an other colour) had not God than most gracyously preserued him. An other cause of his death yet besydes all that hath bene sayd afore / was this.Vvhalden. cōt. Vvicleui. li. …. Cap. …0. He caused all the workes of Iohan Vvycleue to be written at the instaunce of Iohan huss / and so to be sent into Boheme / Fraunce / Spayne / Portyngale / and other landes.Ar…a con…lii Constariciensis. Hermā …ꝰ Shedel. Vvherof Subinco Lepus the Archebysshop of Prage caused more than two hondreth volumes fayre wrytten / openlye to be brent afterwarde / as wytnesseth Aeneas Siluius de origine Bohemorum.
These causes knowen with other more that I coude reherse / consydre whether the worlde that is alwayes so wycked was worthye to holde soche a noble christen warryour as this was / Heb. …. Esa. 10. Nah…. ….or naye? Consydre also the iust ponnyshment of the lorde for wycked lawes that were than made / with the exceadynge myscheues that the spiritualte than vsed. And waye the myserable estate that the realme was in sone after for contempt of his eternall worde. And there vponupon lawde his ryghtousnesse / and beware of lyke cōtempt and plage in these dayes.Vvaldenusi sermone de funere regis. In the yeare of oure Lorde a .M.cccc. xxii. departed kynge Henry the fyft in his most floryshynge tyme / euen in the begynnyng of the .xxxvii. yeare of his age / which was abought .iiii. years after the death of this lorde Cobham. His sonne Henry the sixt succeded in his rome and had the gouernaunce of this whole realme / beynge but a babe of .vii… monethes olde and odde dayes.kynge Henry ye vi. a babe. Vvhat a doloure was this vntounto menne of rype difcressyon / naturally louynge theyr cō tre and regardynge the common welthe therof? yea / what a plage of God was it after the scripturs to hauehave a yonge chylde to theyr kynge?Esa. 3. A plage. And that it shuld the more manyfestlye apere to come that waye / or of the stroke of God / he was a chyldyshe thynge all ye dayes of his lyfe.
I shall geue you (sayth the lorde in his hygh dyspleasure) chyldren to be youre princes / Esa. 3.& yonge infauntes with out wysdome shall hauehave the gouernaunce of you.The yeares of that plage. Wvhat wretched calamytees the realme suffred afterwarde for the space of more than .iii. score years and thre tyll the dayes of kynge Henry the seuenth / yt is vnspeakable. Sens the preachynge of Iohan Vvycleue hath the lorde suffred the pompouse Popyshe Prelates to shewe themselues forth in theyr owne ryght colours / that they myght now in the lyght of his Gospell apere as they are in dede / euen spyghtfull murtherers / ydolaters / and Sodomytes.Prelate… what the now apere. Afore his tyme they lurked vndre the glytterynge shyne of hypocrefye / and coude not be seane in theyr mastryes. The fryers with theyr charmynge sophysirye threwe soche a darke myst ouer the vniuersall worlde / that superstycyon coude not be knowen for superstycyon / nor ydolatrye for ydolatrye.Fryers darkened all with theyr sophistrye. Vnspeakable fylthynesse of all fleshlye occupyenge was than called Prestes chastyte / as yt is yet and will be tyll yt come to the hyghest / that God maye take full vengeaunce.Apoc. …. Than was whoredome worshypped in Prelates of the churche / and sacred wedlock rekened soche a detestable vyce as was worthye in a prest most cruell death. As was seane for example in syr Vvillyam Vvyghe which was brent for the same at Norwych in the yeare of oure Lorde. 14.28.Vvalden. … vtro que apere.
Thus was Vvhyght iudged blacke and lyght darkenesse / so yl… was mē a syght in those dayes.Esa. 5. By soche meanes (sayth the Prophete) they drewe wyckednesse vntounto them as yt were with a corde / and all kyndes of synne as yt were with a cart rope.Englande for vnthankefulnesse ponnyshed. If Englande at that tyme had not bene vnthankefull for the syngular benefyght that God than sent them by those good mēne / the dayes of Antichrist and his beastlye broode had bene shortened there longe a go as yt is euen now & here after lyke to be more largelye. A most oryent fresshe myrrour of Christen manhode apereth this worthye lorde Cobham in our age / the veryte now open / which was in herabsens a lampe of contempt before wordlye wyse menne.Vvhat ye lorde Cobham apereth now. In him maye noble menne beholde here playnelye a wol… noble stomake and precyouse fayth in the myddes of great Antichristes modye mustre. His corage was of soche va…e that yt gaue him the victorye ouer them by the clere iudgement of the scripturs / what though the worldes iudgementes be farre otherwyse.1. Ioh̄. 5 1. Cor. …5 And as for the cruell death which he most contumelyouslye suffred / yt is now vntounto him a most plentuouse wynnynge / for in the iust quarell was yt of his Lorde Iesus Christ.Phil. 1. Apoc. 1.
Myght those bloudye blusterers hauehave had theyr full swaye now of late / The deuyll slepeth not.they wolde hauehave made more Oldecastels / Actons / Brownes / & Beuerlayes / yea / they wolde hauehave made there a greatter hauocke vponupon Christes congregacyon / than euer ded Saul in his ragynge furye.Act. 8. They ment more than they vttered whan they approched so nygh (as ded cruell Haman) to the presence of noble Assuerus.Hester. 5. But blessed be the eternall father which hath geuen soche wysdome godlye vntounto oure most worthye kynge / A godlye gouernor.that he perseyuynge theyr slayghtes / so abated theyr tyrānouse fercenes. Praye noble menne / praye / yea with the true clergye and commons / that lyke as he hath now with duke Iosue the ouerhande of wycked Hierico by his onlye gyft / Iosue. 6.and is through that becomen an whole perfyght kynge within his own… realme farre aboue all his predecessours / Lawde God for him.so that he maye in conclusyon ouerthrowe her clerelye.Mat. 26. Ioan. 18. For as yet the dredefull damsell (tyrannye) that was Cayphas dorekeper / Vvalden. in …ermōedwelleth in the howses of Byshoppes / and dalye compelleth poore Peter to denye his mastre. As manye eyes as euer had vygylaunt Argus had he nede to hauehave / that is compassed with soche a sort / as are that broode of the wylye serpent.Praye for his grace Consydre what heauenlye thynges ye hauehave receyued of the scripturs vndre his permyssyon / and yet praye ones agayne for his gracyouse contynuaunce to the more increase of knowledge. Amen.
O Babylon / thy merchaūtes were princes of the earth. And with thyne inchaū tementes were all nacyons deceyued Apocal. xviii.