Brief Chronicle Concerning Examination and Death of John Oldcastle, Part 7
☞ An abiuracyon counterfeted of the Bysshoppes.
IN Deinomine Amen. I Iohan Oldecastell denounced / Vvalden. in fasciculo zizanio rum Vvicleui.detected / and conuicted of and vponupon dyuerse artycles sauerynge both heresye and errour / before the reuerende father in Christ and my good Lorde / Thomas by the permyssyon of God lorde Archebysshop of Caunterburye / and my lawfull and ryghtfull iudge in that behalfe / expreslye graunt and confesse. That as concernyng the estate and power of the most holye father the Pope of Rome / Marke from whens this gere cometh.of his Archebysshoppes / his Bysshoppes / and his other Prelates / the degrees of the churche / and the holye sacramētes of the same / specyallye of the sacramē tes of the aultre and of penaunce / and other obseruaunces besydes of oure mother holye Churche / Fyne workemanshyp / I trowe.as pylgrymages and pardons / I afferme (I saye) before the seyd reuerende father Archebysshop and els where / that I beynge yll seduced by dyuerse sedycyouse preachers / hauehave greuouslye erred and herety cal…ye persysted / blasphemouslye answered and obstynatlye rebelled. And therfore I am by the seyd reuerende father / before the reuerende fathers in Christ also the Bysshoppes of London / Vvynchestre / and Bangor / lawfullye condemned for an heretyque.
Neuer the lesse yet / I now rememberynge my selfe / Alas good man thou art slaundered.and couetynge by this meane to auoyde that temporall peyne which I am worthye to suffre as an heretyque / at the assygnacyon of my most excellent Christen prince and lyege lorde kynge Henrye the fyft / now by the grace of God most worthye kynge both of Englande and of Fraunce / myndynge also to preferre the wholsom determynacyon / sentēce / and doctryne of the holye and vnyuersall churche of Rome / before the vnwholsom opynyons of myselfe / my teachers / and my folowers.A tyrānouse whore is that churche I frelye / willynglye / delyberatlye / and throughlye / confesse / graunt / and afferme the most holye fathers in Christ saynct Peter the Apostle and his successours Bysshoppes of Rome / specyallye now at this tyme my most blessed lorde Pope Iohan by the permyssyon of God the .xxiii. Pope of that name / which now holdeth Peters seate (and yche of them in theyr successyon) in full strengthe and power to be Christes vycar in earthe and the head of the churche mylytaunt.…e poyse… his predecessour / to be Pope. And that by the strengthe of his offyce (what though he be a great synner and afore knowen of God to be damned) he hath full auctoryte and power to rewle and gouerne / bynde and lose / saue and destroye / a curse and assoyle / all other Christen menne.ye sye / false knaues ye lye.
And agreably styll vntounto this / I confesse / graunt / and afferme all other Archebysshoppes / Bysshoppes / and Prelates / in theyr prouinces / dyoceses / and parryshes appoynted by the seyd Pope of Rome to assyst him in his doynges or busynesse by his decreed canons or vertu of his offyce / antichrist auaūceth himselfe here.to hauehave had in tymes past / to hauehave now at this tyme / and that they ought to hauehave in tyme to come / auctoryte and power to rewle and to gouerne / bynde and lose / a curse and assoyle / the subiectes or peoples of theyr afore seyd prouinces / dyoceses / & parryshes / and that theyr seyd sub…ectes or peoples ought of ryght in all thynges to obeye them.How proue ye that by the scripturs? Forthermore I confesse / graunt / and afferme that the seyd spirituall fathers / as oure most holye father the Pope / Archebysshoppes / Is not this knau… rye thynke you?Bysshoppes / and Prelates / hauehave had / hauehave now / & ought to hauehave here after / auctoryte and power for the estate / ordre / and gouernaunce of theyr subiectes or peoples / to make lawes / decrees / statutes / and constytucyons / yca / and to publysshe / commaunde / and compell theyr seyd subiectes / & peoples to the obseruacyon of them.
More ouer I confesse / No scriptures hauehave they to shewe.graunt / and afferme that all these forseyd lawes / decrees / statutes / and constitucyons / made / pubyshed / and commaunded accordynge to the fourme of spirituall lawe / all Christen people and euerye manne in himselfe is strayghtlye bounde to obserue and mekelye to obeye accordynge to the dyuerfyte of the forseyd powers. As the lawes / statutes / canons / and cō stytucyons of oure most holye father the Pope incorporated in his Decrees / Decretals / Clementynes / Codes / Chartes / Rescriptes / Sextyles / & Extrauagantes the worlde ouer all.what beggerly baggage is this? And as the prouincyall statutes of Archebysshoppes in theyr prouinces / the synodall actes of Bysshoppes in theyr dyoceses / and the commendable rewles and customes of Prelates in theyr colleges / & curates in theyr parryshes / all Christen people are both bounde to obserue and also most mekelye to obeye.Intollera…. yokes laye they. Ouer and besydes all this / I Iohan Oldecastell vtterlye forsakynge and renouncynge all the afore seyd errours and heresyes / and all other errours and heresyes lyke vntounto them / laye my hande here vponupon this boke or holye Euangelye of God and sweare / that I shall neuer more from hens forth holde these forseyd heresyes / Neuer made he soche an othe.nor yet anye other lyke vntounto them wetynglye. Neyther shall I geue counsell / ayde / helpe / nor fa…er at anye tyme to them that shall holde / teache / afferme / or maynteyne the same as God shall helpe me and these holye Euangelyes.
And that I shall from hens forth faythfullye obeye and inuiolablye obserue all the holye lawes / This knauerye maynteyne they styll.Statutes / Canons / and Constitucyons of all the Popes of Rome / Archebisshoppes / Bisshoppes / and Prelates / as are contayned and determyned in theyr holye Decrees / Decretals / The blasphemouse byble of papistes.Clementy…s / Codes / Charters / Rescriptes / Sextyles / Summes Papall / Extrauagantes / Statutes prouincyall / Actes synodall / and other ordynarye r…wles and customes constytuted by them or that shall chaunce herafter dyrectlye to be determyned or made. To these and all soche other will I my selfe with all power possyble applye. Besydes all this / the penaunce which yt shall please my seyd reuerende Father the lorde Archebysshop of Caunterburye hereafter to enioyne me for my synnes / I will mekelye obeye and faythfullye fulfyll.Marke this handelynge. Fynallye all my seducers and false teachers / and all other besydes whom I shall hereafter knowe suspected of heresye or errours / I shall effectually present or cause to b… presented vntounto my seyd reuerende father lorde Archebysshop or to them which hath his auctoryte / so sone as I can conuenyētlye do it / and se that they be corrected to my vttermost power.This charge geue they cōmonlye
AMEN.