50 HEAVEN IS THE LORD GOD HIMSELF! [William of Thorpe. 1407. love that those men have, as to stand in Soothfastness and witness of it, though they be, suddenly and unwarned, brought forth to be Apposed of their adversaries: the HOLY GHOST yet, that moveth and ruleth them, through His charity, will, in the hour of their Answering, speak in them, and shew His wisdom, that all their enemies shall not again say [gainsay] and against stand lawfully [by right]. And therefore all they that are stedfast in the faith of GOD, yea, which (through diligent keeping of His commandments, and for their patient suffering of whatsoever adversity that cometh to them) hope surely in His mercy, purposing to stand continually in perfect charity: for those men and women dread not so the adversities of this life, that they will fear (after their cunning and their power) to [ac] knowledge prudently the truth of GOD's Word! when, where, and to whom that they think their [ac] knowledging may profit. Yea, and though therefore, persecution come to them, in one wise or another, certes, they patiently take it! knowing their conversation to be in heaven. It is a high reward and a special grace of GOD for to have and enjoy as the everlasting inheritance of heaven, for the suffering of one persecution in so short a time as is the term of this life. For, lo, this heavenly heritage and endless reward is the LORD GOD Himself! which is the best thing that may be. This Sentence witnesseth the LORD GOD Himself, whereas He said to ABRAHAM, I am thy mede! And as the LORD said He was, and is the mede of ABRAHAM; so He is of all His other saints. This most blessed and best mede He grant to us all! for His holy name, that made us of nought, and sent His only most dear worthy Son, our Lord JESU CHRIST, for to redeem us with His most precious heart's blood. Amen. [The Examination of sir NowN be it to all men that read or hear this Writing beneath, that on the Sunday next [August 7th] after the Feast of St. Peter that we call Lammas [August 1st], in the year of our Lord a thousand four hundred seventh year, I, WILLIAM of Thorpe, being in prison in the castle of Saltwood [near Hythe, in Kent], was brought before THOMAS ARUNDELL, Archbishop of CANTERBURY, and [Lord] Chancellor then of England. And when that I came to him, he stood in a great chamber, and much people [were] about him; and when that he saw me, he went fast into a closet [private room], bidding all secular men [laymen] that followed him, to go forth from him soon; so that no man was left then in that closet, but the Archbishop himself, a physician that was called MALVEREN [i.e., JOHN MALVERNE, S.T.P.], Parson of St. Dunstan's [Church, in Tower Street] in London, and two other persons unknown to me, which were Ministers of the Law [i.e., the Canon Law later on, they are called Clerks, i.e., Chaplains]. Archbishop. And I standing before them, by and by, the Archbishop said to me, "WILLIAM! I know well, that thou hast, this twenty winter and more [i.e., from before 1387], travelled about busily, in the North country and in other divers countries [counties] of England, sowing about false doctrine: having great business, if thou might, with thine untrue teaching and shrewd will, for to infect and poison all this land. But, through the grace of GOD! thou art now withstanded, and brought into my ward! so that I shall now sequester thee from thine evil purpose, and let [hinder] thee to envenom the sheep of my Province. Nevertheless, St. PAUL saith, If it may be, as far as in us is, we owe [ought] to have peace with all men. Therefore, WILLIAM! if thou wilt now, meekly, and of good heart, without any feigning, kneel down and lay thy 52 A PRECISE & AUTHENTIC LOLLARD CREED. [William. 1407. hand upon a book, and kiss it; promising faithfully as I shall here charge thee, that thou wilt submit thee to my correction and stand to mine ordinance, and fulfil it duly by all thy cunning and power,' thou shalt yet find me gracious unto thee!" William. Then said I, to the Archbishop, "Sir, since ye deem me an heretic out of belief, will ye give me here audience to tell my Belief." Archbishop. And he said, "Yea, tell on!" William. And I said, " I believe that there is not but one GOD Almighty, and in this Godhead and of this Godhead are three Persons; that is the Father, the Son, and the soothfast HOLY GHOST. And I believe that all these three Persons are even in power, in cunning, and in might, full of grace and of all goodness: for whatever that the Father doth or can or will, that thing also the Son doth can and will; and in all their power cunning and will, the HOLY GHOST is equal to the Father and to the Son. Over this, I believe that, through counsel of this most blessed Trinity (in most convenient time, before ordained), for the salvation of mankind, the second Person of this Trinity was ordained to take the form of Man, that is the Kind of man. And I believe that this second Person, our Lord JESU CHRIST was conceived, through the HOLY GHOST, into the womb of the most blessed Virgin MARY without any man's seed. And I believe that after nine months, CHRIST was born of this most blessed Virgin without any pain or breaking of the closter of her womb, and without filth of her virginity. And I believe that CHRIST our Saviour was circumcised in the eighth day after his birth, in fulfilment of the Law; and his name was called JESUS, which was called of the angel before he was conceived in the womb of MARY his mother. And I believe that CHRIST, as he was about thirty years old, was baptized in the flood of Jordan of JOHN [the] Baptist, and in likeness of a dove the HOLY GHOST descended there upon him; and a voice was heard from heaven, saying, Thou art my well beloved Son! In Thee, I am full pleased! And I believe that CHRIST was moved then by the HOLY GHOST for to go into [the] desert, and there he fasted forty days and forty nights without bodily meat and drink. And I believe that by and by, after his fasting, when the manhood of CHRIST hungered, the Fiend came to him and tempted him in gluttony, in vainglory, and in covetise: but in all those temptations CHRIST concluded [confounded] the Fiend and withstood him. And then, without tarrying, JESU began to preach, and to say unto the people, Do ye penance! for the Realm of Heaven is now at hand! : And I believe that CHRIST, in all his time here, lived most holily; and taught the Will of his Father most truly and I believe that he suffered therefore most wrongfully, greatest reproofs and despisings. And after this, when CHRIST would make an end here, of his temporal life, I believe that, in the day next before that he would suffer passion on the morn, in form of bread and wine, he ordained the Sacrament of his flesh and blood, that is his own precious body, and gave it to his Apostles for to eat, commanding them, and by them all their after-comers, that they should do it, in this form that he shewed to them, use themselves and teach and common forth to other men and women this most worshipful holiest Šacrament; in mindfulness of his holiest Living and of his most true Teaching, and of his wilful and patient Suffering of the most painful Passion. And I believe that thus, CHRIST our Saviour, after that he had ordained this most worthy Sacrament of his own precious body, he went forth wilfully against his enemies, and he suffered them most patiently to lay their hands most violently upon him, and to bind him, and to lead him forth as a thief, and to scorn and buffet him, and all to blow or [de]file_him with their spittings. Over this, I believe that CHRIST suffered, most meekly and patiently, his enemies for to ding [beat] out with sharp scourges, the blood that was between his skin and his flesh: yea, without grudging, CHRIST suffered wicked Jews to crown him with most sharp thorns, and to strike him with a reed. And, after, CHRIST suffered wicked Jews to draw [lay] him out upon the Cross, and for to nail him there, upon foot and hand; and so, through this pitiful nailing, CHRIST shed out wilfully, for man's life, the blood that was in his veins: and then, CHRIST gave 54 A PRECISE & AUTHENTIC LOLLARD CREED. William. ? 1407 wilfully his spirit into the hands or power of his Father. And so, as he would, and when he would, CHRIST died wilfully, for man's sake, upon the Cross. And notwithstanding that CHRIST was wilfully, painfully, and most shamefully put to death as to the world, there was left blood and water in his heart, as he before ordained that he would shed out this blood and this water for man's salvation. And therefore he suffered the Jews to make a blind [ignorant] Knight to thrust him into the heart with a spear; and this the blood and water that was in his heart, CHRIST would shed out for man's love. And, after this, I believe that CHRIST was taken down from the Cross, and buried. And I believe that on the third day, by the power of his godhead, CHRIST rose again from death to life. And forty days thereafter, I believe that CHRIST ascended up into heaven; and that he there sitteth on the right hand of GOD the Father Almighty. And the tenth day after his up going, he sent to his Apostles the HOLY GHOST, that he had promised them before. And I believe that CHRIST shall come and judge all mankind, some to everlasting peace, and some to everlasting pains. And as I believe in the Father, and in the Son, that they are one GOD Almighty; so I believe in the HOLY GHOST that is also, with them, the same GOD Almighty. And I believe [in] an Holy Church, that is, all they that have been, and that now are, and always to the end of the world shall be, a people the which shall endeavour them to know, and keep the commandments of GOD; dreading over all things to offend GOD, and loving and seeking most to please Him. And I believe that all they that have had, and yet have, and all they that yet shall have the foresaid virtues, surely standing in the Belief of GOD, hoping steadfastly in His merciful doings, continuing to their end in perfect charity, wilfully patiently and gladly suffering persecutions by the example of CHRIST chiefly and His Apostles; and these have their names written in the Book of Life. Therefore I believe that the gathering together of this people living now in this life, is the Holy Church of GOD, fighting here on earth against the Fiend, the prosperity of the world, and their fleshly lusts. Wherefore, seeing that all the gathering together of this Church beforesaid, and every part thereof, neither coveteth, nor willeth, nor loveth, nor seeketh |