An ansvvere to the fifth part of Reportes lately set forth by Syr Edvvard Cooke Knight, the Kinges Attorney generall Concerning the ancient & moderne municipall lawes of England, vvhich do apperteyne to spirituall power & iurisdiction. By occasion vvherof, & of the principall question set dovvne in the sequent page, there is laid forth an euident, plaine, & perspicuous demonstration of the continuance of Catholicke religion in England, from our first Kings christened, vnto these dayes. By a Catholicke deuyne.

The Catholicke Diuine.

23. If M. Attorneys store-howse of arguments were not extreme poore & emptie; he would neuer alleadge such matter as this is, for demonstratiue proofes, * 1.1 which before he promised vs in his Pre∣face. For out of the later example, that Ordinaries are appointed to inquire of the foundation, execution, and gouernment of Hospitals, what can be deduced for M. Attorneys purpose, or against vs? For so much as the foundation, erection, and gouernment of Hospitals were for the most part meere temporall things, except some priui∣ledges graunted vnto them by the Sea Apostolicke.

24. And that in the former example, Iustices of peace and assise were commaunded by the King to inquire after Lollards, VVickcliffians, and such other hereticks, it was to apprehend, and imprison their persons, and not to iudge of their heresies, which belonged to their Bishops and Ordinaries, as you haue heard. And some cause might be also of this speciall commission for Iudges, and Iustices to assist Bishops (and so no doubt it was) for that the said Lollards, * 1.2 and VVickcliffians had not onlie been troublesome, and daun∣gerous to the State, vnder the raignes of King Richard the secōd, and Henry the 4. but vnto the person and life of this man also some moneths before this Statute, by conspiring his death, * 1.3 and raising a daungerous rebellion in S. Giles field by London as both VValsingham, and other autho••s doe reporte: and therefore no maruaile, though authoritie be giuen, as heer is said, that the Sheriffes and other Officers maie a••••est & apprehend them: and what maketh this for M. Attorneys purpose?

25. But further, I cannot but maruaile, at his note in the mar∣gent.

Lollardy (saith he) is of lolio, which signifieth Cockle, for as Clockle is the destruction of the corne, so is heresie of true religion,

and then doth he bring in two seuerall verses, the one of Virgil, and the other of Ouid about lolium, * 1.4 shewing himself thereby a good grammarian, though yet in the thing it self he was much deceiued. For that Lollards and Lollardy being a particular sect of hereticks, are not deriued from the latin word Lolium, signifying cockle or darnel, as the verie deriuation it self might easily shew; but of the first author therof named Gualter Lolhard a German, about the yeare of Christ 1315. as Tritemius in his Cronicle declareth: and is larglie shewed in a booke some yeares past set forth in our English ton∣gue by a Catholike writer, * 1.5 which if M. Attorney had read, he might easilie haue auoided this grosse mistaking. From which also, I maruaile, that his affectiō to the men, had not somewhat with-held him, for that they were of his religion, & not cockle, but good corne, if wee beleiue his great historiographer, and de∣uine, Iohn Fox, who setteth them out not onlie for good Chri∣stians, but for Saints and martyrs in his bookes of Martyrologe, Acts, and Monuments. But thus these men agree togeather.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The An∣svvere.
• * 1.2

  VVhy tē∣porall Iu∣stices me∣dled vvith Lollards.
• * 1.3

  VValsing. in vita He••∣ri••s 5.
• * 1.4

  VVhence the name of Lol∣lards vvas taken.
• * 1.5

  The three con∣uersions of Englād. part. 2. ••ap. 9. nu. 31. & cap. 19. num. 34. 35. &c. For in his booke, of Acts and monu∣ments pag. 419.