and the laws and statutes of the realm by them defeated, and avoided by his will, in the perpetual destruction of the sovereignty of the king, our lord, his crown, his regality, and all his realm, which God defend.

And morever, the commons aforesaid say, that the said things so attempted be clearly against the king's crown and regality, used and approved of the time of all his progenitors. Wherefore they, and all the liege commons of the same realm, will stand with our said lord the king, and his said crown, and his regality, in the cases aforesaid, and in all other cases attempted against him, his crown, and his regality, in all points, to live and to die. And moreover they pray the king, and him require by way of justice, that he would examine all the lords in parliament, as well spiritual as temporal, severally, and all the states of the parliament, how they think of the cases aforesaid, which be so openly against the king's crown, and in derogation of his regality, and how they will stand in the same cases with our lord the king, in upholding the rights of the said crown and regality. Whereupon the lords temporal, so demanded, have answered every one by himself, that the cases aforesaid be clearly in derogation of the king's crown, and of his regality as it is well known, and hath been of a long time known, and that they will be with the same crown and regality in these cases especially, and in all other cases, which shall be attempted against the same crown and regality in all points with all their power. And moreover, it was demanded of the lords spiritual then being, and the procurators of others being absent, their advice and will in all these cases, which lords, that is to say, the archbishops, bishops, and other prelates being in the said parliament severally examined, making protestations, that it is not their mind to deny nor affirm, that the bishop of Rome may not excommunicate bishops, nor that he may make translations of prelates, that if any execution of processes, made in the king's court, as before, be made by any, and censures of excommunications to be made against any bishops, of England or any other of the king's liege people for that they have made execution of such commandments, and that if any executions of such translations be made of any prelates of the same realm, which prelates be very profitable and necessary to our said lord the king and to his said realm, or that the sage people of this council without his assent and against his will, be removed and carried out of the realm, so that the substance and treasure of the realm may be consumed, that

the same is against the king and his crown, as it is contained in the petition aforenamed. And likewise the same procurators every one by themselves, examined upon the said matters, have answered and said in the name and for their lords, as the said bishops have said and answered, and that the said lords spiritual will, and ought to be with the king in these cases, in lawfully maintaining of his crown, and in all other cases touching his crown, and his regality, as they be bound by their liegance.

Whereupon our said lord the king, by the assent aforesaid, and at the request of his said commons, hath ordained and established, that if any purchase, or pursue, or cause to be purchased or pursued in the court of Rome or elsewhere, any such translations, processes, sentences of excommunications, bulls, instruments, or any other things whatsoever, which touch the king, against him, his crown and his regality, or his realm, as is aforesaid; and they which bring within the realm or them receive, or make thereof notification, or any other execution whatsoever, within the same realm or without, that they, their notaries, procurators, maintainers, abettors, fautors, and councillors shall be put out of the king's protection, and their lands and tenements, goods and chattels, forfeit to our lord the king; and that they be attached by their bodies if they may be found and brought before the king and his council there to answer to the cases aforesaid or that process be made against them by praemunire facias in manner as it is ordained in other statutes of provisions; and other which do sue in any other court in derogation of the regality of our lord the king."

Statutes of the Realm II, 84-5 Fuller's Ch. Hist. of Britain I. 460-462, Gee & Hardy, 122.

The Twenty-five Articles of the Lollards, 1388.

"1. The first, that this Pope Urban the Sixth hath not the power of Saint Peter in earth, but they affirm him to be son of Anti-christ, and that no true pope was from the time of Silvester pope.

2. Also bishops and friars put on poor men that they say, that the pope may not grant any indulgences, nor any other bishops, and that all men trusting in such indulgences be cursed.

3. Also prelates and friars put on poor men that they say, that the pope may not make canons, that is, rules, or decretals, or constitutions; and if he make any, no man is holden for to keep them.

4. Also bishops and friars put on poor men that they say, that

of only contrition of heart all sin is done away, without shrift of mouth; nor that shrift of mouth is needful even where many a priest or leisure of one may be had.

5. Also bishops and friars put on poor men that they say, that images of Christ's cross, of the crucifix, of the blessed Virgin Mary, and of other saints, in no manner be worthy to be worshipped, but that all men worshipping in any manner the images, or any paintings, sin and do idolatry; and that God do not any miracle by them; and that all men going pilgrimage to them, or worshipping, or putting lights or any devotions before the images, be cursed.

6. The sixth time, prelates and friars bear upon poor men that they say, that all priests and deacons be holden to preach the gospel only by reason of order taken, though they have not people nor cure of souls.

7. The seventh time, prelates and friars bear upon simple men that they say, that neither cursing of pope nor bishop binds us.

8. Also prelates and friars bear upon simple men that they say, that it is not to beseech to saints for to pray for living men, nor the Litany is not to be said. In truth they affirm that God may do all things without them, nor is it true that they be saints whom we call saints; but they preach many of them to be in hell, whose holidays the church hallows here in earth * *

9. Also prelates and friars put to Christian men that they say, it is not to give dimes to a person being in deadly sin, nor offerings, nor devotions of money to be made for the purification of women, nor in hallowing, nor in singing of masses for dead men.

10. And prelates and friars put to simple men that they say, that the pope, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, archdeacons, deacons, and all great persons of the church, be cursed.

11. Also prelates and friars put to simple men that they say, that no man shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but if he forsake all things, in giving them to poor men only, shewing Jesus Christ in the manner of them.

12. Also prelates at the suggestion of friars bear upon poor men that they say, that a man or woman offering to a priest a penny, asking that the mass be sung for him, both they and the priest so receiving be accursed.

13. Also prelates and friars bear upon poor men that they say, that all things among clerks should be common.

14. That it is against holy writ that clerks have temporal possessions.

15. That God's office or service are not to be sung with notes, and that God delights not in such manner of song.

16. It is not lawful to swear in any manner.

17. The same thing was bread before the consecration in the sacrament of the altar, after the consecration or hallowing is not Christ's body, but a sign of that thing, and not the same thing.

18. Priests being in deadly sin neither make the sacrament of

the altar, neither christens, nor gives any sacrament.

19. Men ought not to pray in church rather than in other places. 20. The feasts of Steven, Laurence, Nicholas, Kateryne, Margarete, and of other saints, are not to be worshipped, nor indeed to be hallowed, for men know not, as they say, whether they be damned or saved; nor ought men to believe or uphold the canonizing of the saints made by the court of Rome in this part.

21. That the holy trinity in no manner should be worshipped, figured, formed, nor painted, in that form by which commonly it is painted by all the church of God.

22. That it is not lawful for a priest to set to hire his business or works.

23. That no parson, no vicar, no prelate, is excused from personal residence, to be made in their benefices, in dwelling in services of bishops, or of archbishops, or of the pope.

24. That parsons and vicars not saying mass, nor ministering sacraments of holy church, be worthy to be removed and others ordained in their stead; for they be unworthy, and wasters of the church's goods.

25. That men of the church should not ride on so strong horses, nor use so many jewels, nor precious clothes, nor delicate meats, but renounce all things and give them to poor men, going on foot, and taking staves in hands, receiving the state of poor men, in giving example of holiness by their conversation."

Bodleian Mss.; Select English Works of John Wiclif, Thos. Arnold, III, 454–496.

The Act de Haeretico Comburendo, 1401.

"Divers false and perverse people of a certain new sect of the faith, of the sacraments of the church and the authority of the same damnably thinking, and against the law of God and of the church, usurping the office of preaching, do perversely and maliciously, in

divers places within the said realm under color of dissembled holiness, preach and teach these days, openly and privily, divers new doctrines and wicked heretical and erroneous opinions contrary to the same faith and blessed determinations of the holy church, and of such sect and wicked doctrines and opinions they make unlawful conventicles and confederacies, they hold and exercise schools, they make and write books, they do wickedly instruct and inform people, and as much as they may excite and stir them to sedition and insurrection, and maketh great strife and division among the people, and other enormities horrible to be heard, daily do perpetrate and commit in subversion of the said Catholic faith and doctrine of the Holy Church, in diminution of God's honor, and also in destruction of the estate, rights and liberties of the said English Church; by which sect and wicked and false preachings, doctrines and opinions of the said false and perverse people, not only the greatest peril of souls, but also many other hurts, slanders and perils, which God forbid, might come to this realm, unless it be the more plentifully and speedily helped by the king's majesty in this behalf, namely:

Whereas, the diocesans of the said realm cannot by their jurisdiction spiritual, without aid of the said royal majesty, sufficiently correct the said false and perverse people, nor refrain their malice, because the said false and perverse people go from diocese to diocese, and will not appear before the said diocesans, but the same diocesans and their jurisdiction spiritual, and the keys of the church, with the censures of the same, do utterly disregard and dispise, and so they continue and exercise their wicked preachings and doctrines from day to day, to the utter destruction of all order and rule of right and reason.

(The prelates and clergy and Commons pray the king to provide a remedy. The king and parliament prohibit unlicensed preaching. Except by curates in their own churches and persons hitherto privileged. None to preach or write against the Catholic faith, or favor preachers or teachers against it. All having heretical writings to deliver same within forty days to diocesan. Persons suspected of owning same and not so delivering, to be arrested and proceeded against by canon law. Persons canonically convicted to be kept in prison or be delivered to the secular court.)

And if any person within the said realm and dominions, upon the said wicked preachings, doctrines, opinions, schools and heretical and erroneous informations, or any of them, be before the diocesan