burthened our foresaid fellow brethren, doctors, and bachelers, in the faith wherein they stood bound to our Lord Jesus Christ, and as they would answere before the high Judge in the day of judgement, that they should speake their opinions touching the said conclusions, and what every of them thinketh therein.

"And at length, after good deliberation had upon the premisses, the foresaid our brethren the bishops, doctors, and bachelers, reassembled before us the 21. day of the same moneth in the foresaid chamber, the foresaid conclusions being againe and againe repeated and plainely read: by us and by the common consents of us all it remaineth published and declared, that some of the said conclusions are hereticall, and othersome erroneous and contrarie to the determination of the church, as hereafter most manifestly shall appeare. And for as much as by sufficient information wee find and perceive, that the said conclusions in many places of our said province, have beene, as is said, both taught and preached; and that divers other persons doe hold and maintaine the same, and be of heresie vehemently and notoriouslie suspected: we have thought good, as well generally as specially, to send out this processe under written.

"The Articles' of John Wickliffe, condemned as hereticall.

"1. The substance of materiall bread and wine doth remaine in the sacrament of the altar after the consecration.

"2. The accidents do not remaine without the subject in the same sacrament, after the consecration.

"3. That Christ is not in the sacrament of the altar truly and really, in his proper and corporall person.

"4. That if a bishop' or a priest be in deadly sin, hee doth not order, consecrate, nor baptise,

9 The articles.] These articles are given somewhat more fully and correctly from the original register, in Wilkins, vol. iii. p. 157-8. See also Lewis's Records, No. 31.

If a bishop]" This article either is slanderouslie reported, or else can hardly be defended." Fox in the margin, p. 400. In truth, the article, as might perhaps truly be said of some of the others, was none of Wickliffe's, "Sophisters shulden know well" (says he) "that a cursed man doth fully the sacraments, though it be to his damning; for they ben not authours of these sacraments, but God kepeth that divinity to himself." Lewis's History, p. 96 (or 118). See also p. 117-119. When a similar article was objected against William Swinberby, a follower of Wickliffe, in the year 1390, he

"5. That if a man be duely and truely contrite and penitent, all exteriour and outer confession is but superfluous and unprofitable unto him.

"6. That it is not found or established by the gospell, that Christ did make or ordaine masse.

"7. If the pope be a reprobate and evill man, and consequently a member of the divell, he hath no power by any maner of meanes given unto him over faithful Christians, except peradventure it be given him from the emperor.

"8. That since the time of Urban the sixth, there is none to be received for pope, but to live after the maner of the Greekes, every man under his owne law.

"9. To be against the scripture, that ecclesiasticall ministers should have any temporall possessions.

"The other Articles of John Wickliffe, condemned as erroneous.

"10. That no prelate ought to excommunicate any man except he knew him first to be excommunicate of God.

"11. That he which doth so excommunicate any man, is thereby himselfe either an heretike or excommunicated.

"12. That a prelate or bishop excommunicating any of the elergie, which hath appealed to the king or to the counsell, is thereby himselfe a traitor to the king and realme.

"13. That all such which doe leave off preaching or hearing the word of God, or preaching of the gospell, for feare of excommunication, they are already excommunicated, and in the day of judgement shall be counted as traitors unto God.

“14. That it is lawfull for any man, either deacon or priest, to preach the word of God, without the authoritie or licence of the apostolike see or any other of his catholicks.

"15. That so long as a man is in deadly sin, hee is neither bishop nor prelate in the church of God.

"16. Also that the temporall lords may, according to their owne

affirmed very explicitly, "Thus I never said, thought it, preached it, ne taught it. For I well wot the wickednesse of a priest may appaire" (impair) "no verie sacrament. But the wickednesse of the priests appaires himselfen; and all that boldnesse and example of his sinne causen the people to liven the worse against God's law." Fox's Acts, p. 432. Compare Article twenty-sixth of the Church of England; Of the unworthiness of the Ministers, which hinders not the effect of the Sacraments.

will and discretion, take away the temporall goods from the churchmen, whensoever they do offend.

"17. That tenths are pure almes, and that parishioners may for the offence of their curats, detaine and keepe them backe, and bestow them upon others, at their owne will and pleasures.

"18. Also, that all speciall praiers' applied to any private or particular person, by any prelate, or religious man, doe no more profit the same person, than generall or universall praiers doe profit others, which be in like case or state unto him.

"19. Moreover, in that any man doth enter into any private religion, whatsoever it be, hee is thereby made the more unap and unable to observe and keepe the commandements of God.

"20. That holy men which have instituted private religions, whatsoever they be (as well such as are indued and possessed, as also the order of begging friers, having no possessions) in so doing, have grievouslie offended.

"21. That religious men, being in their privat religions, are not of the Christian religion.

"22. That friers are bounden to get their living by the labour of their hands, and not by begging.

"23. That whatsoever doth give any almes unto friers, or to any begging observant, is accursed or in danger thereof."

2 Speciall praiers.] "The popes had now for some time driven a very gainful trade of granting indulgences or pardons, which they pretended was by virtue of the holy merits of saints, which they did more than was needful for their own happiness. These the popes claimed a power of communicating to others, whose merit was not so great, and accordingly pretended to grant to men thousands of years of pardon ..... In an humble imitation of this divine power claimed by the popes, the religious orders pretended to a communication of their own merits; and by granting to men and women letters of fraternity, confirmed by their general seal, to bear them in hand, that they should have part of all their masses, mattins, preachings, fastings, wakings, and all other good deeds done by those of their order, both whilst they lived, and after they were dead. They likewise made men believe, that their singing of special prayers for people by name, as famulory and benefactory, should turn to men after their granting and limiting. On which account, scarce any one who had any thing to give, but left a legacy to some of the religious orders, for them to sing a trental for their souls.-These superstitions, Dr. Wickliffe and his followers opposed."-Lewis's Life of Pecock, p. 149. edit. 1744, or p. 103. edit. 1820.

The Letter of the Archbishop directed to the Bishop of London, against Wickliffe, and his adherents.

"William by Gods permission archbishop of Canterburie, Metropolitane of all England, and of the apostolicall see legate: To our reverend brother by the grace of God bishop of London, salutation. The prelats of the church ought to bee so much the more vigilant and attentive about the charge of the Lords flocke committed unto them, how much the more they shall understand the wolves being clothed in sheeps apparell, fraudulently to go about to worry and scatter the sheepe.

"Truely by the continuall crie and bruted fame (which it grieveth me to report) it is come to our knowledge, that although by the canonicall sanctions no man being forbidden or not admitted, should either publikely or privilie, without the authority of the apostolical see or bishop of that place, usurpe or take upon him the office of a preacher; some notwithstanding, such as are the children of damnation, being under the vaile of blind ignorance, are brought into such a doting mind, that they take upon them to preach, and are not affraid to affirme and teach divers and sundrie propositions and conclusions here under recited, both hereticall, erroneous and false, condemned by the church of God, and repugnant to the decree of holy church, which tend to the subverting of the whole state of the same, of our province of Canturburie, and destruction and weakening of the tranquillity of the same and as well in the churches, as in the streets, as also in many other prophane places of our said province, generally, commonly, and publikely, do preach the same, infecting very many good Christians, causing them lamentablie to wander out of the way, and from the catholike church, without which there is no salvation:-Wee therefore considering, that so pernicious a mischiefe which may creepe amongst many, we ought not to suffer, and by dissimulation to pass over, which may with deadly contagion slay the soules of men, lest their blood be required at our hands; are willing so much as God will permit us to doe, to extirpate the same. Wherefore, by the counsell and consent of many of our brethren and suffragans, wee have convented divers and sundrie doctors of divinitie, as also professors and other

3 The letter.] See Wilkins, vol. iii. p. 159.

clerks of the canon and civil lawes, the best learned within the realme, and of the most soundest opinion and judgement in the catholike faith, to give their opinions and judgements concerning the foresaid conclusions. But forasmuch as the said conclusions and assertions being in the presence of us, and our fellow brethren and other convocates, openly expounded, and diligently examined, and in the end found by common counsell and consent, as well of them as of us, and so declared, that some of those conclusions were hereticall, and some of them erroneous, and repugnant to the determination of the church, as here under are described: Wee will and command your brotherhood, and by vertue of holy obedience straitly enjoyne all and singuler our brethren, and suffraganes of our church of Canturburie, that with all speedie diligence you possiblie can, you likewise enjoyne them (as we have enjoyned you) and everie of them. And that every one of them in their churches and other places of their citie and diocesse, doe admonish and warne, and that you in your church and other churches of your citie and dioces, do admonish and warne, as we by the tenour of these presents do admonish and warne the first time, the second time and the third time; and yet more straitely doe warne, assigning for the first admonition one day, for the second admonition another day, and for the third admonition canonical and peremptory, another day: That no man from henceforth, of what estate or condition soever, doe hold, preach, or defend the foresaid heresies and errours, or any of them; nor that he admit to preach any one that is prohibited or not sent to preach, nor that he heare or hearken to the heresies or errors of him or any of them, or that he favour or leane unto him either publikely or privily; but that immediately he shun him as he would avoid a serpent putting forth most pestiferous poison, under paine of the greater curse'; the which wee

4 The greater curse.] It was in allusion to these proceedings of the archbishop, that Wickliffe, in his Treatise against the orders of Friars, p. 53, A.D. 1608, says, 'They techen al this people to recke lesse of the most rightfull curse of God, then by the wrong curse of sinful man. For they callen the curse of God the lesse curse, and the curse of sinful man the more curse. For though a man be never so cursed of God for pride, envie, covetise, or avowtrie, or any other, this is not charged ne pursued, nether of prelate, ne lord, ne commons. But if a man withstand ones the citation of a sinful prelate, yea after the commandement of God, then he shall be cursed and prisoned after fortie daies, and al men shullen goe upon him, though the