all the works of Wickliffe to be written and distributed throughout Bohemia, France, Spain, Portugal, and other lands. This involved great expense and labour. These copies were numerous in each of the said countries, and all elegantly written.

In the year 1402, soon after Henry IV came to the throne, Sir John was appointed to the governorship of Builth. This was a proof of confidence which the king reposed in his loyalty. About that time Owen Glyndwr was in open insurrection in Wales. Both Sir John and Owen Glyndwr were sons of Cambria, though they differed in matters of religion; but Sir John so vindicated his claims to loyalty and skilful administration, that in two years after, the castles of Hay and Brecon, the most important military positions in the district, were entrusted to his charge. It is said, though historians are not certain, that it was for his service on this occasion he received the honour of knighthood. There is no doubt that Sir John stood very high at this time in favour of the king, and established a reputation for valour and fidelity. His historian, Bale, says that in all his adventurous acts he was bold, courageous, and successful. Henry regarded Sir John as one of the most skilful warriors in the realm. As a proof of this, he and the Earl of Arundel were chosen to command an army which the king despatched on one occasion to France. Not only was he held in reverence by the king, but also by his countrymen. He was chosen to be their representative in the fourth Parliament of King Henry's reign, which was held at Coventry. Lollard opinions must have preponderated in Herefordshire at the time, ere the chief of the party would have been chosen to represent the people in an assembly that was so inimical to this Protestant heresy.

In the year 1407 Sir John served the office of High Sheriff of the county of Hereford. In two years afterwards he married Joan, the granddaughter of Lord John Cobham. After this union Lord Cobham encouraged him in the work of the Reformation, which they both

Oldcastle had been married third wife, had had three Her first husband was Sir

had undoubtedly at heart. twice already, and Joan, his husbands before this union. Robert Hemenhele, the second was Sir Reginald Braybroke, who died in the year 1405, the third was Sir Nicholas Hawberk, the fourth Sir John Oldcastle, the fifth was Sir Nicholas Herpeden. Lady Cobham died in the year 1433, and was buried in Cobham Church. By virtue of his marriage with Lady Cobham, he had a seat in the House of Lords during the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth Parliaments of Henry IV, and first of Henry V. Although a religious party leader and a peer of the realm, he had not ceased to be an active soldier; and whenever he was summoned to join the army he most readily obeyed. The main difficulty with which the Commoners had to contend in Henry IV's reign was the novel practice of assenting to statutes not founded upon the petitions of both Houses, For, though it was an established maxim of the constitution, that the king could not make or repeal laws affecting the general interest without the consent of Parliament, yet in special instances, where the measure was supposed to affect some particular class or profession, a private Act was deemed sufficient. The clergy, as well as others, sometimes availed themselves of this mode of obtaining the royal assent to measures which they could not pass through Parliament, and in this manner they procured from the king several penal statutes against the Lollards, without the concurrence of the laity.

Oldcastle and others preached against the luxury and vicious lives of the clergy with the zeal of new converts. Their sermons were not without effect, even on those who did not share in their opinions, and when the famous statute against Lollards-the first actual law in England against heresy-was brought into Parliament, a strong party was formed against it; but the influence of the ecclesiastics, who at that time held a third of all the property in England, was so strong

that it overcame all opposition, and the new law was carried into effect by the martyrdom of William Sautre and William Thrope, who were burned in Smithfield. Although crushed by those terrible examples, Lollardism still continued to spread in secret.

When Henry V came to the throne, the first domestic trouble he had to encounter was occasioned by the Lollards. The clergy complained to the king that a pestilent heresy was spreading at Oxford, and requested him to appoint a commission to look into the state of the university, and to see how far its members were faithful to the principles of the Established Church. The king consented. Early in the following year, Thomas Arundel, the Archbishop of Canterbury, summoned all the clergy in England to St. Paul's, to receive the report of the commission. The commission placed before the synod two hundred and sixty-six heresies, which had been detected in Wickliffe's writings, and pointed out the parties who maintained and spread them among the people, among whom Lord Cobham was complained of as being the principal. Three things were laid to his charge-namely, maintaining suspected preachers in the dioceses of Canterbury, London, Rochester, and Hereford, contrary to the wish of the bishops; next, assisting the same by force of arms; finally, that he was otherwise in his belief of the sacrament of the altar, of penance, of pilgrimage, of image worship, and of the ecclesiastical power, than the holy Church of Rome had taught for many years. At this synod it was agreed that proceedings should be taken against him without delay as a most pernicious heretic. Some of the clergy differed, and would in no case vote against him. They considered that Lord Cobham was a man of high social position, and in favour of the king. The synod at last came to the conclusion that the king's mind should be ascertained before going any further. Thereupon the archbishop, with his bishops, and many of his clergy, went straight to the king, who at the time remained at Kensington, and the

4TH SER., VOL. VIII.

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matter was laid before him. At this very time the king was incensed, in consequence of placards having been stuck up by night on the church doors of London, stating that 100,000 men were ready to assert their rights by force of arms if needful. This announcement was traced to the Lollards, especially to Lord Cobham, whose conduct on this occasion cannot by any means be defended.

The king's conduct, however, towards Lord Cobham in this matter deserved all praise. Henry could not possibly forget that the accused had been a valiant soldier and a loyal knight. Lord Cobham had been the intimate friend of Henry when Prince of Wales. He was not disposed to deliver up a man to whom he had been so attached, to the tender mercies of an inquisition. He told the archbishop that he would talk with Oldcastle and try to bring him to the right way. He sent for the suspected heretic, and called him secretly. As Henry had studied at Oxford, he was probably acquainted with the divinity of the schools. He urged him to submit to the holy church as an obedient child, and acknowledge his crime. But, in vain ; neither words nor letters would move him.

Persecution had by this time inflamed Oldcastle's ardent spirit, and urged him to petulance of expression and deeds of violence, which outraged the tolerating spirit of the king. The king enforced his arguments by reference to the statute De heretico comburendo, which caused Sir John to withdraw to Cowling Castle, in Kent. The king could do no more; he gave the archbishop full authority to cite him, to examine him, and to punish him according to the laws of the holy church. As soon as the ecclesiastical council received this announcement, Lord Cobham was called before them, to answer to such suspected articles as they should lay against him. The archbishop despatched his summoner down to Cowling Castle with a writ, but he dared not enter without his licence; he therefore returned with his message undone. The archbishop

then requested John Butler, the "king's spy", to accompany the summoner to Cowling Castle, and inform Cobham that it was the king's pleasure that he should obey the writ.

The archbishop, knowing that such a building as Cowling Castle would laugh to scorn any attack of his, commanded the writ to be posted on the three doors of Rochester Cathedral, which was only three miles from Cowling Castle, charging Cobham to appear before him at Leeds Castle, in the county of Kent, on the sixth day of the month, all excuses to the contrary to be set apart. These papers were torn down as soon as they were set up by Cobham's friends. New letters were caused to be put up, which were again taken down. The archbishop sat in his castle at Leeds on the day appointed, and condemned Cobham of contumacy for his non-appearance. The archbishop commanded him to be cited again to appear before him before the feast of St. Matthew, and added that if he did not obey that time he would be more roughly handled.

Lord Cobham, perceiving himself surrounded on every side with danger, took pen and paper in hand, and wrote a confession of his faith. Having signed it with his own hand, he took it to the king, trusting to find mercy and favour at his hand. He requested the king to read it, and have the opinion of the most pious and learned men in the realm upon it. The king would in no case receive it, but commanded it to be delivered unto them that should be his judges. He then asked the king to appoint one hundred knights and esquires to consider the matter, who, he was sure, would clear him of all heresy. Moreover, he was willing for the matter to be settled by the law of arms. Finally, he protested before all that were present, that he would refuse no manner of correction that should be ministered unto him after the laws of God. Pressed by the clergy, Henry sent out an armed force, to which Oldcastle surrendered. He was carried a prisoner to the Tower of London; but neither captivity nor the formidable