moft ungrateful in a prince, who had no other title to his crown than the good-will of the people, and free gift of parliament, whose rights he ever tried to fubvert. To conclude therefore with Mr. Rapin's obfervations on this reign: "When I confider (fays he) the ex"ceffive commendations beftowed on that "prince, I cannot help fufpecting, that the

glory of being the firft burner of here"tics, and of protecting the clergy against "the attempts of the houfe of commons, "were the main fprings of all their enco "miums. It is well known, the ecclefiaftics "are as zealous in praising their benefactors, "as in blackening their oppofers."

No fooner was Henry IV. dead, than the clergy determined to fecure themselves for the future against all attempts to leffen their revenues, by taking advantage of the com plaifance, that is ufually met with from young princes in the beginning of their reigns. They did not doubt, but fuch attempts had been greatly promoted by the doctrine of the Lollards. Therefore as thofe principles were countenanced by feveral men of the greatest rank, and highest esteem of any in the kingdom, they refolved to lay the ax to the root of the tree, and by boldly attacking the patrons of the fect, deter all others from prefuming to ad

vance any propofitions, which they fhould dif approve of, that might render them liable to be fufpected of Wickliffite principles. In purfuance of this refolution, the archbishop of Canterbury waited on the king, and reprefented to him the great growth of herefy, which could not fail drawing down the wrath of heaven on the kingdom; and the glory it would be to a young monarch to begin his reign with engaging in the caufe of God, by defending the church from heretics, for which heaven would certainly crown all his undertakings with fuccefs. Thus faid Neftorius once to the younger Theodofius; "Give me, "O emperor, the earth weeded from here❝tics, and I in my turn will give you hea66 ven; deftroy with me the heretic, and I "will deftroy the Perfian with you." The archbishop then informed him, that Sir Fon Oldcastle, baron of Cobham, a domeftic of his own, was the most open abetter of the doctrine of the Lollards; and therefore he defired, he might be allowed to proceed against him with the utmost severity and rigour.

The king answered him in fuch a manner, as fhewed, he was far from approving of force for reclaiming people from errors in religion;

* Walfing. p. 383.

but

but however told him, that if he could not by talking to Sir John Oldcastle restore him to the right way, he would then give leave for a process against him.

This lord was a man the most esteemed of any in the kingdom, and particularly dear to the king, as Walfingham the monk owns, for his confummate probity. Notwithstanding, the king finding him unmoveable as to his opinions, no longer oppofed the clergy's request, and he was accordingly condemned to be burnt, though for fome time he avoided fuffering the fentence by an escape out of prison.

The king in his difcourfe with the archbishop had difcovered too much moderation in his opinions, for the clergy to be able to have their full defire upon their enemies, efpecially as he did not feem very follicitous to have Oldcafle retaken. It was their interest (fays Rapin) that the king fhould have other fentiments more agreeable to the barbarous zeal, with which ecclefiafticks are generally animated. In order thereto they reprefented the Lollards as men, that not only fought the deftruction of the established church and religion, but even of the king's person and state itself. To confirm him in fuch a belief, they fathered upon them a more abfurd and sense

lefs

lefs plot, than ever was invented by the most profligate, dilatores employed by the cruelleft of the Roman emperors for fuch purposes. The poor Lollards, fince a proclamation the king had made to fupprefs their affemblies, had continued their meeting with great fe crecy in woods, and other unfrequented places in the country for the worship of God in their own manner. Upon thefe occafions fome of them chofe St. Giles's fields near London where they thought to be concealed by bushes, and fhrubs, that grew there: but being difcovered by the clergy, the king was immediately told, that Oldeafile at the head of twenty thousand Lollards were in the fields, with a defign to kill the king and his brothers, and all the lords fpiritual and temporal, who were not their friends. Alarmed at this information, Henry, who was at Eltham, immediately marched to London to attack this powerful body of confpirators. He arrived about midnight, and finding about fourfcore perfons, fell upon them, and killed about twenty, and took moft of the reft prisoners. The poor wretches, knowing how liable they were to the infults of their perfecutors, had unfortunately brought arms with them, which probably ferved as a pretence to convince the

• Rapin, vol. 1. p. 507.

king of the defign; and that their accufation might have the greater weight, means were found by threats or promises to prevail with some to confefs the fact, though the abfurdity was unfurmountable to every confidering man. For instead of twenty thousand to execute fo great a design, there were only a few mean people, with none of great rank; and as for Oldcastle himself, he was not prefent. But it feems the clergy gained a great point by it, in rendering the Lollards odious to the king, and obtaining a vaft price to be fet on Oldcaftle's head, who was foon after taken, and fell a facrifice to their malice and cruelty. The whole behaviour of Henry towards this great man gives us no advantageous idea of the integrity of that prince, since he acted intirely in opposition to his own declared sentiments, and facrificed a man, he had the greatest esteem for; to which he could have no other motive than to gain the clergy to his intereft, and to prevent from them any interruption in the ambitious projects, he was probably at that time meditating. As to the pretended confpiracy, he had too much fenfe really to credit it, the abfurdity of which, if not at first, yet he certainly foon after must have been convinced of, though he had never the ingenuity to own it, or act accordingly. Sir Robert Cotton, in his abridgment of the parliament-rolls, speaking of the

parlia