[The Examination of sir William of Thorpe.] (continued 3)

Then said the Archbishop, "Sir John! ye must say otherwise!"

The Lord of Cobham said, "Nay, if GOD will! but that it is Christ's body in form of bread, as all the common belief is."

The Doctor [John Kemp] said, "The second is this, The Holy Church hath determined that every Christian man living bodily upon the earth oweth [ought] to be shriven to a priest ordained by the Church, if he may come to him. Sir, what say ye to this?"

The Lord answered and said, "A sick man and sore wounded had need to have a sure Leech and a true, knowing his cure; and therefore a man should be principally shriven to GOD; and else his confession is nought. And a man should rather go and be counselled with a good priest that knoweth GOD's Law, and liveth thereafter; than with his own priest, if he were an evil man, or with any other such."

The Doctor said, "The Third is this, Christ ordained Saint Peter to be his Vicar in earth, whose See is the Church of Rome; ordaining and granting that the same power that he gave to Peter should succeed to all Peter's successors, the which we call now the Popes of Rome: by whose power in the Church particularly and specially, be ordained Prelates as Archbishops, Bishops, and other degrees; to whom Christian men owe [ought] to obey after the law of the Church of Rome. This is the determination of the Church."

To this, he answered and said, "Who that followeth next Peter in living, is next him in succession: but your living refuseth poor Peter's living, and many other Popes that were martyrs in Rome that followed Peter in manner of living; whose conditions ye have clean forsaken, all the world may know it well!"

The Doctor said, "The fourth point is this. Holy Church hath determined that it is meedful to a Christian man, to go on pilgrimages to holy places; and there especially to worship holy relics of Saints, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, and all Saints approved by the Church of Rome."

To this, he said, "It were enough to bury Saints fair in the earth; but now Saints that be dead, be compelled to beg for covetousness! the which in their life, hated covetousness and begging. But I say to you all, and know it for a truth, that with your shrines and idols, and your feigned absolutions and indulgences, and your temporalities, ye draw to you all the richesse of this world."

"Where is the cross Christ died on?"

"Why Sir," said one of the Clerks, "will ye not worship images?"

"What worship?" said the Lord.

Then said Friar [Thomas] Palmer [Warden of the Minorites], "Sir, ye will worship the Cross of Christ that he died on?"

"Where is it?" said the Lord.

The Friar said, "I put case, Sir, that it were here before you!"

The Lord said, "This is a ready man! to put to me a question of a thing, that they wot never where it is? And yet I ask you, What worship?"

A Clerk said, "Such worship as Paul speaketh of, that is this, GOD forbid me to joy, but in the cross of our Lord Jesu Christ."

Then said the Lord, and spread his arms abroad, "This is a very cross!"

Then said the [Henry Beauclerc] Bishop of London, "Sir, ye wot well! that he died on a material cross."

Then said the Lord, "Our salvation come in only by him that died on the cross, and by the material cross. And, well I wot, that this was the cross that Paul joyed on, that is, in the Passion of our LORD Jesu Christ."

The Archbishop said, "Sir John! ye must submit you to the ordinance of the Church!"

The Lord said, "I wot not whereto?"

Lord Cobham adjudged a heretic.

Then the Archbishop read a bill of his judgement, and convicted him for a heretic.

After the reading of the bill, the Lord said, "Though ye judge my body, I hope to GOD! that He will save my soul!" and he said that he "would stand to the death, by these things beforesaid; with the help of Jesu!"

And then he said to all the people, "Sirs, for GOD's love! be well ware of these men! for they will beguile you else! and lead you blindlings into hell, and themselves also! For Christ saith, 'If one blind man lead another, both fall into the ditch!"

And after this, thus he prayed for his enemies, and said, "LORD GOD! I beseech thee, forgive my pursuers! if it be thy will!"

And then he was led again to the Tower of London: and thus was the end.

The MS. notice in London Streets.

hile the Lord of Cobham was in the Tower, he sent out privily to his friends; and they, at his desire, informed and writ this bill that followeth next, commending it to the people, that they should cease the slanders and leasings that his enemies made on him.

or as mickle as Sir John Oldcastle, Knight and Lord of Cobham, is untruly convicted and prisoned, and falsely reported and slandered among the people by his adversaries, that he should otherwise feel and speak of the Sacraments of Holy Church, and especially of the blessed Sacrament of the Altar, than was written in his Belief, which was indented and taken to the Clergy, and set up in divers open places in the city of London: Known be it to all the world that he never varied in any point therefrom; but this is plainly his Belief, that all the Sacraments of Holy Church be profitable and meedful to all them that shall be saved, taking them after the intent that GOD and Holy Church hath ordained. Furthermore he believeth that the blessed Sacrament of the Altar is verily and truly Christ's body in form of bread. Truth long-hid now is disclosed. Praised be GOD! Amen.