The Preface.

IN the prophane historyes
of olde Oratours and poetes
both Grekes and Latynes
are they moche co~mended
and thought worthy of
eternall memorye / which
haue eyther dyed for theyr naturall contreye
or daungered theyr lyues for a common
welthe. As we reade of Codrus that
was kynge of Athens / of Quintus Curcius
the Romane / of Ancurus the Phrygiane /
Ulysses / Hermas / Theseus / Menecius /
Scipio Aphricanus / Mucius
Sceuola / Valerius Cocles / the two bretheren
of Cartago which were both called
Philenus / and the thre noble Decyanes
with other diuerse. In the sacred scripturs
of the Byble / hath Moses / Iosue /
Gedeon / Iepthe / Delbora / Iudith / Dauid /

A.ii.

Helias / Iosias / Zorobabel / Mathathias /
Eleazarus and the Machabees
theyr iust prayses for theyr myghtye zele
and manyfolde enterpryses concernynge
the chyldren of Israel. Amonge the Papistes
also which are a most prodygyouse
kynde of menne are they most hyghlye
auaunced by lyenge sygnes / false myracles /
erronyouse writtynges / shrynes / rellyques /
lyghtes / tabernacles / aulters /
sensynges / songes / & holye dayes / which
haue bene slayne / for the lybertees / priuileges /
auctorite / honour / ryches / & proude
mayntenaunce of theyr holye whorysse
churche.
As were Antidius / Bonifacius / Benno /
Thomas Becket / Iohan the Cardinall /
Petr=9= de Castronouo / Peter of Millayne/
Paganus of Bergom / Stanislaus
of Cracouia / 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. What
is than to be thought of those godlye and
valeaunt warryours / which hath not spared
to bestowe theyr most dere lyues for
the veryte of Iesus Christ agaynst the
malygnau~t mustre of that execrable Antichrist
of Rome the deuyls owne vycar.
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. He that hath iudgeme~t in the
sprete / shall easelye perseyue by this treatyse /
what beastlye blockeheades these
bloudye bellyegoddes were in theyr vnsauerye
interrogacyo~s / and agayne what
influence of grace this manne of God
had from aboue co~cernynge 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.
Most surelye fulfylled Christ that promes
in him which he made to his Apostles.
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 vnto 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.
This onlye sentence of Christ adioyned
to his godly answere / is ynough to proue

A.iii.

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
Willyam Tyndale put into the prent
a certen brefe examinacyon of the seyd
lorde Cobham. The which examinacyon
was wrytten in the tyme of the
seyd lordes troble / by a certen frynde of
his / and so reserued in copyes vnto this
our age. But sens that tyme I haue fou~de
it in theyr owne wrytynges which
were than his vttre enemyes in a moche
more ample fourme than there.
Specyallye in the great processe which
Thomas Arundell the Archebysshop of
Caunterburye made than agaynst him /
wrytten by his owne notaryes and clarkes
tokened also with his owne sygne
and seale / and so dyrected vnto Rycharde
Clyfforde than Bysshop of London
with a generall co~maundement to haue
it than publyshed by him & by the other
Bysshoppes the whole realme ouer.
Forthermore I haue seane it in a copye
of that wrytynge / which the seyd
Rycharde Clyfforde sent vnto 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 / moneth /
and daye of theyr date with the beginnynges
of theyr wrytynges shall here
after folowe in the boke / as occasyon
shall requyre it. Besydes all this Thomas
Walden 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 Wicleui. He maketh
mencyon of it also in his fyrst Epistle to
Pope Martyne the fyft / and in his solempne
sermon de funere regis. Onlye
soche reasons haue I added therunto /
as the afore named Thomas Walden
proponed to him in the tyme of that examinacyon /
as he me~cyoneth in his fyrst
and seconde bokes aduersus Wicleuistas /
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 vnto me / and
therfore I wryte it not here. His father
the lorde Regnolde of Cobham Iohan
Frosyart nombereth alwayes amongest

A.iiii.

the most worthye warryours of Englande.
In all adue~terouse actes of wordlye
manhode / was he euer bolde / stronge /
fortunate / doughtye / noble / & valiant.
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
supersticyons / than for anye temporall
nobylnesse eyther of bloude / byrthe / landes /
or of marcyall feates. For manye
thousandes hath had in that great corrage /
which in the other haue 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 haue written
large commendacyo~s and encomyes of
those / but of soche noble menne as this
was / verye fewe or in a maner non at
all. Whan I somtyme reade the workes
of some menne lerned / 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 Wellys / 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 wt no small
discommendynges of some Princes wc
were godlye / but the preuye packynge of
Prelates / and craftye co~ueyau~ce of the
spiritualte hath he in euery 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 vnto 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 monume~tes are garnyshed
amonge others / with me~ne of freshe
lytterature which therin hath small
remembrau~ce or non. Vnlesse it be Gildas /
Bedas / Alcuinus / Iohannes Scotus /
Aldelmus / Neuburgus / and one or

A.v.

two more / non are in that whole worke
mencyoned co~cernyng 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.
I wolde wyshe some lerned Englyshe
ma~ne 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 affeccyo~s set apart. I can not
thynke a more necessarye thynge to be
laboured to the honour of God / bewtye
of the realme / erudicyon of the people /
and commodite of other landes / next
the sacred scripturs of the Byble / than
that worke wolde be. For truly in those
they haue there yet / is vyce more auau~ced
than vertu / & Romyshe blasphemye
than godlynesse. As it maye full wele
apere vnto eyes of ryght iudgement / in
ye lamentable hystorye here folowynge /
and soche other / which hath bene longe
hydde in the darke. Marke dilygentlye
the sentence of the seyd Polydorus concernynge
this good lorde Cobham / and
there vpon consydre his good workemanshyp
in other matters. In the counsell
of Constaunce sayth he was the
heresye of Iohan Wycleue condemned /
and two at the same tyme burned
in that cyte which were ye chefe heades
of that secte. All this is true / though
the feare handelynge therof be altogyther
Italyshe.
But where as he sayth after / that
whan this was ones knowen to theyr
companyons in Englande / they 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. For how coude syr Roger
Acton with his co~panye conspyre vpon
that occasyon / beynge dead more than
iiii. years afore? and syr Iohan Oldecastell
remaynyng all that season in Walys?
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 Roger Acto~ was
brent with his companye in the yeare of
oure Lorde a. M. CCCC. xiii. in Ianuarye /
as wytnesseth Walden / Fabiane /
and Iohan Maior in theyr chronycles
and wrytynges. 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.
After that he foloweth with lye vpon
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 Acton were cast into ye tower
of London vpon that occasyon. Semeth
it not a matter somwhat lyke to the purpose
thynke you that menne shuld be
there burned for makynge soche an insurreccyon
or tumult? I trowe he hath
cobled here somwhat workemanlye.
And whereas 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. For that
acte was made onlye at the Bisshoppes
complaynte and false sute in the fyrst
yeare of his regne / and by force of that
acte those innoce~t menne than suffred.
More than .iiii. hondreth of soche manyfest
lyes coude I gather out of his chronycles /
moche more than myght more
eyes and iudgementes do.
Now lete vs expende what the true
cause shuld be of this godlye mannys
condemnacyon and death / all dreames
of Papistes sett apart. The truthe of it
is / that after he had ones throughlye
tasted the Christen doctryne of Iohan
Wycleue 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. From
thens forth he brought all thynges to
the towche stone of Gods worde. 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 Cau~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 the~
sharpe rebukes. He admonyshed the
kynges / as Rycharde the seconde / Henrye
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. Quando ecclesia Anglie
&c. which I haue here left out least
this treatyse shulde 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 Wycleue had put in longe afore
that.
In the yeare of oure Lorde a. M. ccc.
xci. this noble lorde Cobham with certen
other more / mocyoned the kynge at
Westmynstre 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 / co~syderynge
the charges and vnquyetnesse
of sutes there / and that mennys
causes coude not be throughlye knowen
so farre of. Wher vpon 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 / vndre
peyne of losynge theyr goodes with perpetuall
inpresonme~t. This and the afore
named boke had cost him with syr Iohan
Chenye and other more his lyfe in
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. He caused all the workes
of Iohan Wycleue to be written at the
instaunce of Iohan Huss / and so to be
sent into Boheme / Fraunce / Spayne /
Portyngale / and other landes. Wherof
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 / 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 vpon
lawde his ryghtousnesse / and beware of
lyke co~tempt and plage in these dayes.
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 .viii.
monethes olde and odde dayes. What
a doloure was this vnto menne of rype
discressyon / naturally louynge theyr co~tre
and regardynge the common welthe
therof? yea / what a plage of God
was it after the scripturs to haue a yonge
chylde to theyr kynge? 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 / & yonge infauntes without
wysdome shall haue the gouernaunce
of you. What wretched calamytees
the realme suffred afterwarde for the
space of more than .iiii. score years and
thre tyll the dayes of kynge Henry the
seuenth / yt is vnspeakable. Sens the
preachynge of Iohan Wycleue 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.
Afore his tyme they lurked vndre
the glytterynge shyne of hypocresye /
and coude not be seane in theyr mastryes.
The fryers with theyr charmynge
sophystrye threwe soche a darke myst
ouer the vniuersall worlde / that superstycyon
coude not be knowen for superstycyon /
nor ydolatrye for ydolatrye.
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 vengeaunces. 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

B

for example in syr Willyam Wyght
which was brent for the same at Norwych
in the yeare of oure Lorde. 1428.
Thus was Whyght iudged blacke
and lyght darkenesse / so yll was me~nes
syght in those dayes. By soche meanes
sayth the Prophete they drewe wyckednesse
vnto them as yt were with a
corde / and all kyndes of synne as yt were
with a cart rope. If Englande at
that tyme had not bene vnthankefull
for the syngular benefyght that God
than sent them by those good me~ne / 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 freshe
myrrour of Christen manhode apereth
this worthye lorde Cobham in our
age / the veryte now open / which was
in her absens a lampe of contempt before
wordlye wyse menne. In him maye
noble menne beholde here playnelye a
most noble stomake and precyouse fayth
in the myddes of great Antichristes modye
mustre. His corage was of soche value
that yt gaue him the victorye ouer
them by the clere iudgement of the scripturs /
what though the worldes iudgementes
be farre otherwyse. And as for
the cruell death which he most contumelyouslye
suffred / yt is now vnto him
a most plentuouse wynnynge / for in the
iust quarell was yt of his Lorde Iesus
Christ.
Myght those bloudye blusterers haue
had theyr full swaye now of late / they
wolde haue made more Oldecastels /
Actons / Brownes / & Beuerlayes / yea /
they wolde haue made there a greatter
hauocke vpon Christes congregacyon /
than euer ded Saul in his ragynge furye.
They ment more than they vttered
whan they approched so nygh as ded
cruell Haman to the presence of noble
Assuerus. But blessed be the eternall father
which hath geuen soche wysdome
godlye vnto oure most worthye kynge /
that he perseyuynge theyr slayghtes / so
abated theyr tyra~nouse 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 /
and is through that becomen an whole
perfyght kynge within his owne realme
farre aboue all his predecessours / so
that he maye in conclusyon ouerthrowe
her clerelye. For as yet the dredefull
damsell tyrannye that was Cayphas

B.ii.

dorekeper / dwelleth in the howses of
Byshoppes / and daylye compelleth poore
Peter to denye his mastre. As manye
eyes as euer had vygylaunt Argus had
he nede to haue / that is compassed with
soche a sort / as are that broode of the
wylye serpent. Consydre what heauenlye
thynges ye haue 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 merchau~tes were princes
of the earth. And with thyne inchau~tementes
were all nacyons deceyued
Apocal. xviii.