FOXE'S BOOK OF MARTYRS
authority and power to rule and govern, bind and loose, save and destroy, accurse and
assoil, all other Christian men.
"And agreeably still unto this I confess, grant, and affirm, all other
archbishops, bishops, and prelates in their provinces, dioceses, and parishes,
appointed by the said pope of Rome to assist him in his doings or business, by his
decrees, canons, or virtue of his office, to have had in times past, to have now at this
time, and that they ought to have in time to come, authority and power to rule and
govern, bind, loose, accurse, and assoil the subjects or people of their aforesaid
provinces, dioceses, and parishes, and that their said subjects or people ought, of right,
in all things to obey them. Furthermore, I confess, grant, and affirm, that the said
spiritual fathers, as our most holy father the pope, archbishops,bishops, and prelates,
have had, have now, and ought to have hereafter, authority and power for the state,
order, and governance of their subjects or people, to make laws, decrees, statutes, and
constitutions, yea, and to publish, command, and compel their said subjects and
people to the observation of them.
"Moreover, I confess, grant, and affirm, that all these aforesaid laws, decrees,
statutes, and constitutions made, published, and commanded, according to the former
spiritual law, all Christian people, and every man in himself is straitly bound to
observe, and meekly to obey, according to the diversity of the aforesaid powers, as the
laws, statutes, canons, and constitutions of our most holy father the pope, incorporated
in his decrees, decretals, Clementines, codes, charts, rescripts, sextiles, and
extravagants over all the world; and as the provincial statutes of archbishops in their
provinces, the synodal acts of bishops in their dioceses, and the commendable rules
and customs of prelates in their colleges, and curates in their parishes, all Christian
people are both bound to observe, and also most meekly to obey. Over and besides all
this, I, John Oldcastle, utterly forsaking and renouncing all the aforesaid errors and
heresies, and all other errors and heresies like unto them, lay my hand here upon this
book or holy evangely of God, and swear, that I shall never more from henceforth
hold these aforesaid heresies, nor yet any other like unto them, wittingly. Neither shall
I give counsel, aid, help, or favour at any time, to them that shall hold, teach, affirm,
and maintain the same, as God shall help me, and these holy evangelists.
"And that I shall from henceforth faithfully obey and inviolably observe all the
holy laws, statutes, canons, and constitutions, of all the popes of Rome, archbishops,
bishops, and prelates, which are contained and determined in their holy decrees,
decretals, Clementines, codes, charts, rescripts, sextiles, sums-papal extravagants,
statutes provincial, acts synodal, and other ordinary regules and customs constituted
by them, or that shall chance hereafter directly to be determined or made. To these
and all such other will I myself, with all power possible, apply. Besides all this, the
penance which it shall please my said reverend father the lord archbishop of
Canterbury hereafter to enjoin me for my sins, I will meekly obey and faithfully fulfil.
Finally, all my seducers and false teachers, and all other besides, whom I shall
hereafter know suspected of heresy or errors, I shall effectually present, send or cause
to be presented, unto my said reverend father, lord archbishop, or to them which have
his authority, so soon as I can conveniently do it, and see that they be corrected to my
uttermost power."
This abjuration never came to the hands of the Lord Cobham, neither was it
compiled of them for that purpose, but only therewith to blind the eyes of the
unlearned multitude for a time; after the which like fetch and subtle practice was also
-347-