craft and persuasion she was made a Religious Woman; and if ye had been so desirous, as ye pretended, to enquire out the truth or falshood of this Woman, and of her Revelations; it is to be supposed ye would have spoken with her good, religious, and well-learned Ghostly Father e're this time, and also with the vertuous and well-learned Priest (as they were esteemed), of whose reports ye would have been informed by them which heard them speak: or ye would also have been minded to see the Book of her Revelations, which was offered you, of which ye might have had more trial of her and her Revelations, than of a hundred communications with her, or of as many sendings of your Chaplains unto her. As for the late Lord of Canterbury's saying unto you, That she had many great Visions, it ought to move you never a deal to give credence unto her or her Revelations; for the said Lord knew no more certainty of her, or of her Revelations, than he did by her own report. And as touching the saying of Amos the Prophet, I think verily the same moved you but a little to hearken unto her; for sithence the Consummation and the end of the Old Testament, and sithen the Passion of Christ, God hath done many great and notable things in the World, whereof he shewed nothing to his Prophets that hath come to the knowledg of Men. My Lord, all these things moved you not to give credence unto her, but only the very matter whereupon she made her false Prophesies; to which matter ye were so affected, as ye be noted to be in all matters which ye enter once into, that nothing could come amiss that made for that purpose. And here I appeal your Conscience, and instantly desire you to answer, Whether if she had shewed you as many Revelations for the confirmation of the King's Graces Marriage, which he now enjoyeth, as she did to the contrary, ye would have given as much credence to her as the same done, and would have let the trial of her and her Revelations to overpass those many years, where ye dwelt not from her but twenty miles in the same Shire where her Traunces, and Diffigurings, and Prophesies in her Traunces were surmised, and reported. And if percase ye will say (as it not unlike but ye will say, minded as ye were wont to be) that the matter be not like, for the Law of God, in your opinion, standeth with the one and not with the other: Surely, my Lord, I suppose there had been no great cause more to trust the one more than the other; for ye know by Scriptures of the Bible, that God may by his Revelation dispense with his own Law, as with the Israelites spoiling the Egyptians, and with Jacob to have four Wives, and such other. Think you, my Lord, that any

indifferent Man, considering the quality of the Matter, and your Affections, and also the negligent passing over of such lawful Trials as ye might have had of the said Maiden, and her Revelations, is so dull, that cannot perceive and discern that your communing, and often sending to the said Maid, was rather to hear and bruit many of her Revelations, than to try out the truth or falshood of the same. And in this Business, I suppose, it will be hard for you to purge yourself before God, or the World, but that ye have been in great default in hearing, believing, and concealing such things as tended to the destruction of the Prince; and that her Revelations were bent and purposed to that end, it hath been duly proved afore as great Assembly and Council of the Lords of this Realm, as hath been seen many years meet out of a Parliament. And what the said Lords deemed them worthy to suffer, which said, heard, believed, and concealed those false Revelations, be more terrible than any threats spoken by me to your Brother.

And where ye go about to defend, that ye be not to be blamed for concealing the Revelations concerning the King's Grace, because ye thought it not necessary to rehearse them to his Highness, for six Causes following in your Letters; afore I shew you my mind concerning these Causes, I suppose that albeit you percase thought it not necessary to be shewed to the Prince by you, yet that your thinking shall not be your Trial, but the Law must define whether ye oughted to utter it or not.

And as to the first of the said seven Causes; Albeit she told you that she had shewed her Revelations concerning the King's Grace to the King her self; yet her saying, or others, discharged not you, but that ye were bound, by your fidelity, to shew to the King's Grace that thing which seemed to concern his Grace and his Reign so nighly: for how knew you that she shewed these Revelations to the King's Grace, but by her own saying, to which ye should have given no such credence, as to forbear the utterance of so great Matters concerning a King's Weal? And why should you so sinisterly judg the Prince, that if ye had shewed the same unto him, he would have thought that ye had brought that tale unto him, more for the strengthening and confirmation of your Opinion, than for any other thing else. Verily, my Lord, whatsoever your Judgment be, I see daily such benignity and excellent humanity in his Grace, that I doubt not but his Highness would have accepted it in good part, if ye had shewed the same Revelations unto him, as ye were bounden by your fidelity.

To the second Cause; Albeit she shewed you not that any

Prince, or other Temporal Lord, should put the King's Grace in danger of his Crown; yet there were ways enough by which her said Revelations might have put the King's Grace in danger, as the foresaid Council of Lords have substantially and duly considered: And therefore albeit she shewed you not the means whereby the danger should ensue to the King, yet ye were nevertheless bounden to shew him of the danger.

To the third; Think you, my Lord, that if any Person would come unto you, and shew you, that the King's destruction were conspired against a certain time, and would fully shew you that he were sent from his Master to shew the same to the King, and will say further unto that, he would go streight to the King; were it not yet your duty to certify the King's Grace of this Revelation, and also to enquire whether the said Person had done his foresaid Message or no? Yes verily, and so were ye bound, tho the Maiden shewed you it was her Message from God to be declared by her to the King's Grace.

To the fourth; Here ye translate the temporal duty that ye owe to your Prince, to the spiritual Duty of such as be bound to declare the Word of God to the People, and to shew unto them the ill and punishment of it in another World: the concealment whereof pertaineth to the Judg ment of God, but the concealment of this Matter pertaineth to other Judges of this Realm.

To the fifth; There could no blame be imputed to you, if ye had shewed the Maidens Revelation to the King's Grace, albeit they were afterward found false, for no Man ought to be blamed doing his Duty: And if a Man would shew you secretly, that there were a great Mischief intended against the Prince, were ye to be blamed if ye shewed him of it; albeit it was a feigned talk, and the said mischief were never imagined.

To the sixth; Concerning an Imagination of Mr. Pary, it was known that he was beside himself, and therefore they were not blamed that made no report thereof; but it was not like in this case, for ye took not this Maiden for a mad Woman, for if ye had, ye would not have given unto her so great credence as ye did.

To the final, and seventh Cause; Where ye lay unto the charge of our Sovereign, that so hath unkindly entreated you with grievous Words, and terrible Letters, for shewing his Grace truth in his great Matter, whereby ye were discomforted to shew unto him the Maiden's Revelations : I believe that I know the King's Goodness, and natural Gentleness so well, that his Grace would not so unkindly

handled you, as your unkindly writings him, unless ye gave him other Causes than be expressed in your Letters. And whatsoever the King's Grace hath said or written unto you heretofore, yet notwithstanding ye were nevertheless bounden to utter to him those pernicious Revelations.

Finally; Where ye desire, for the Passion of Christ, that ye be no more twitched in this matter, for if ye be put to that strait, ye will not lose your Soul, but ye will speak as your Conscience bindeth you, with many more words of great courage. My Lord, if ye had taken my counsel sent unto you by your Brother, and followed the same, submit. ting your self, by your Letters, at the King's Grace, for your offences in this behalf, I would have trusted that ye should never be quykkrand in this matter more. But now, where ye take upon you to defend the whole Matter, as ye were in no default, I cannot so far promise you: And surely, my Lord, if the Matter come to trial, your own confession in this Letter, besides the Witness which be against you, will be sufficient to condemn you: Wherefore, my Lord, I will eft-soons advise you, That laying apart all such excuses as ye have alledged in your Letters, which in my opinion be of small effect, as I have declared, ye beseech the King's Grace, by your Letters, to be your Gracious Lord, and to remit unto you your negligence, over-sight, and offence, committed against his Highness in this behalf; and I dare undertake that his Highness shall benignly accept you into his gracious favour, all matters of displeasure past afore this time forgotten and forgiven. As touching the speaking of your Conscience, It is thought that ye have written and have spoken as much as ye can, and many things, as some right probably believes, against your own Conscience and men report, that at the last Convocation, ye spake many things which ye could not well defend; and therefore it is not greatly feared what ye can say or write in that Matter, howsoever ye be qukkrane and startled. And if ye had taken, &c.

:

L.

A Renunciation of the Pope's Supremacy; signed by the Heads of six Religious Houses.

QUUM ea sit non solum Christianæ Religionis et pietatis ratio, sed nostræ etiam obedientiæ regula, ut Domino nostro Henrico ejus nominis pro Dominio Regio Octavo, cui uni et soli post Christum Iesum Salvatorem nostrum debentur omnia, non modo omnimodam in Christo, et ean

dem sinceram perpetuamq; animi devotionem, fidem, observantiam, honorem, cultum, reverentiam præstemus, sed etiam de eadem fide et observantia nostra rationem quotiescunq; postulabitur reddamus, et palam omnibus si res poscat libentissime testemur: Norint universi ad quos præsens scriptum pervenit, quod nos Priores et Conventus fratrum, viz. prædicatoris Langley Regis ordinis Sancti Dominici, Minorum de Ailsbury Ordinis Sancti Francisci, prædicatorum Dunstopliæ Ordinis antedicti, Minorum de Bedford Ordinis Sancti Francisci, Fratrum Carmelitarum de Hechyng Ordinis Beatæ Mariæ, Minorum de Morea Ordinis Sancti Francisci, uno ore et voce, atque unanimi omnium et singulorum consensu et assensu, hoc scripto nostro sub sigillis nostris communibus, et in domibus nostris capitularibus dato, pro nobis et successoribus nostris omnibus singulis, in perpetuum profitemur, testamur et fideliter promittimus et spondemus, nos dictos Priores et Conventus et Successores nostros, omnes et singulos, integram, inviolatam, sinceram perpetuamq; fidem, observantiam et obedientiam semper præstituros erga Dominum Regem nostrum Henricum Octavum, et erga Serenissimam Reginam Annam Uxorem ejusdem, et erga castum Sanctumq; Matrimonium nuper non solum inter eosdem juste et legitime contractum, ratum et consummatum, sed etiam tam in duabus Convocationibus Cleri, quam in Parliamento Dominorum Spiritualium et Temporalium atq; Communium in eodem Parliamento Congregatorum et præsentum determinatum, et per Thomam Cantuarien. Episcopum solenniter confirmatum, et erga quamcunq; aliam ejusdem Henrici Regis nostri Uxorem, post mortem prædictæ Annæ nunc Uxoris suæ legitimæ ducendam, et erga sobolem dicti Domini Regis Henrici ex prædicta Anna legitime tam progenitam quam progignendam, et erga sobolem dicti Domini Regis ex alia quacunq; legitima Uxore post mortem ejusdem Annæ legitime progignendam, et quod eadem populo notificabimus, prædicabimus et suadebimus, ubicunq; dabitur locus et occasio. Item, quod confirmatum ratumq; habemus semperq; perpetuo habituri sumus, quod prædictus Rex noster Henricus est Caput Ecclesiæ Anglicana. Item, quod Episcopus Romanus, qui in suis Bullis Papæ nomen ususpat et summi Pontificis Principatum sibi arrogat, nihilo majoris neq; Auctoritatis aut jurisdictionis habendus sit, quam cæteri quivis Episcopi in Anglia alibi in sua cujusq; Diocese. Item, quod soli dicto Domino Regi et Successoribus suis adhærebimus, atq; ejus et Proclamationes, insuper omnes Angliæ leges atque etiam Statuta omnia, in Parliamento et per Parliamentum decreta, confirmata, stabilita