The Answere.

IF VVickliffe doe teach any such doctrine, he is vtter∣ly to be condemned by our Church, and to be refor∣med in that point: but if they belie not his words, he admonisheth the king & all other inferiour officers & Magistrates, as he did Bishops earst while, that he bea∣reth not the sworde in vaine, or hath his office for nought, but to doe thec office of a king, wel and truly, to see his Lawes executed, and iusticed sincerely ad∣ministred; and if he happen to be defectiue in his duty, by suffering the sword of iustice to rust in the scabbard, and his people to perish for want of gouernment; then he telleth him, that he is not properly and truly a king, that ise in effect and operation, which words are spokē by way of exhortation: but so farre was he, fromf mu∣tinie himselfe, or perswading others to rebellion, that I dare bee bolde to speake it, that neuer any man of his ranke, for the times wherein he liued, did more stoutly and valiantlyg maintaine the kings Supremacie, in all causes, as wel as ouer al parsons Ecclesiastical and ci∣uil, against al vsurped Primacie, and forraine Iurisdict∣ions, and his maine reason was this, (to omit al others) elseh he should not be King ouer al England, but regulus Page  65 parua partis a pettie gouernour of some small parts of the Realme. And as touching hisi rebellious followers, & mutinousk Libellers (if euer there were any such as the Apologists recite out of Stowes Walsingham) I trust it is not imagined or looked for, that he should be bet∣ter attended on thē Christ was, which had followers of al sorts; sōe which followed him for bread; some to see the miracles that he did, some to take him in his words and so it might fare with VVickliffe and his schollers. But (if I be not deceiued) the matter of rebellion & se∣dition is wholly mistaken, and wrongfully imputed to l Iohn VVickliffe, out of whose works (I speake of as ma∣ny, as haue yet come vnto my hands) though you rack them to the worst there is not so much as the least sus∣pition to be drawne of words tending to disloialty: but I read inm Fraissard of one Iohn Ball, one of Bals Priests for ought that I know, who drew multitudes of people after him, & was the chiefe cause of that great rebellion of the Commons, vnder the cōduct of VVat Page  66 Tyler; and Iacke Straw, which n taught this doctrine to condemne al Laws, despise the Cleargie, and to rebell against there Soveraigne, because there was an equa¦litie of al men, and communion of al things, which is pure Anabaptisme, or Diabolisme rather; and because he liued about the time of VVickliffe, therefore this foule and monstrous heresie is by a malitious kinde of o mistaking, laid to VVickliffes charge, which was as p far from preaching anie such doctrine, as they • are frō any truth, sincerity or ingenuity, that affirme it, as hath beene obserued by one very iudicious in collecting the Antiquities of our Land.