Index Expurgatorius Anglicanus / Or, a descriptive catalogue of the principal books printed or published in England, which have been suppressed, or burnt by the common hangman, or censured, or for which the authors, printers, or publishers have been prosecuted

by W. H. Hart

"He sayth the complaynt of Hereford to Mowbrey, reported in other cronicles, do imply in sence that the kinge's councell accounted auncient nobilitie a vaine jest,—wealth and vertue the ready meanes to bring to destruction: which complaint is extant in Hall and Polidore Virgill and many other wrighters. He sayth that he read in Bodine and other authors that the subject was rather bounde to the state then to the person of the kinge, which he inserted as a matter spoken by the Earle of Derby and Duke Hereford to serve his owne tourne, which is a libertie used by all good wrighters of historie, and to invent reasons and speaches according to the matter; and saith that Bodin's distinction is that where the government is democraticall or aristocraticall, there the subject is bound to the state rather then to the person that beare the title of a prince, but where it is monarchicall, as in England, there the allegiance is to the person of the prince; and being demaunded wherfore he invented that the erle should speake so for that this government was monarchicall, sayth that he found but remembreth not where he spake to that purpose. And further saith that in the Bishops of Carlile's speache he hath sett down that distinction and confuted the error, and that he did of himselfe according to the example of the best historians; and being reprehended for mencioning of that matter at all, speciallie because the Erle that held the error prevailed, and the Bishop that confuted it was punished, sayth that he did it after the example of the best historians, that applie spechis according to the matter. He sayth he sett forth the oration of the B. of Caunterburie according to the matter he found in other authorities, but remember them not, and cannot affirme that he found those eight stories in any oration the archbishop made in any other cronicle, but saith as before that it is lawfull for an historian so to doe, and besides he confuteth the same, page 107 in the Bishop of Carlisle's speach, the last line of that page.

"He confesseth that he bringeth in as his own speach that it was not amisse in regard of the comonwelth that he (meaning King R. 2) was deade, yet they who caused his death, &c., which he sayed of himselfe for preventing of civil warres in respect of 2 concurrents or competitors. Being demanded what was the reason why he sett forth the orations of the B. of Caunterbury and the erle of Derby, seing that they tend to greate ill and to thinges most unlawfull, sayth that there can be nothing done, be it never so ill or unlawfull, but must have a shadowe, and every councell must be according to the action. He sayth that he selected out this single historie for that Hall beginneth there, and Ascham his scoolemaster commende that historie if it were well penned, before any other; and being demanded wherfore then he followed not Hall in his historie, sayth that he followed him but suplied it out of other histories, and had an intention as he saith to have continued the historie.

"And for the words spoken by King R. 2, that princes must not rule without limitation, &c., he affirmeth that to be a true opinion so it be rightlie understood, and that he intended that the same was not to be taken generally, but that princes were to be limitted by the lawe divine and the lawe of nature onlie; and being demaunded where he had the same, saith that it is about 3 yeres since the booke was written, and cannot remembere out of what author he toke it, but saith he fynd it in Bod. ... and in the body of the civill lawes, &c.

"And being asked where he had this sentence, that othes are comonlie spurned aside when they ly in the way to honur or reveng, saith that the speach is of his own, as thinges done de facto et non de jure. Being demaunded wherfore he added that King Richard II borowed money by privy seales, sayth that he thinketh he had it out of Walsingham.

"For benevolences he found the matter but doth not defende the woord.

"Being asked where he found the description of the erle to be not negligent to uncover the heode, to bowe the body, to stretch forth the necke and arme, &c., he saith that he found in Hall and others that he was of popular behavior, but for the particulars he tooke the libertie of the best wrighters of histories of that kynd.

"Also the descriptions of the erle in divers places of his historie he gathered out of his actions, and found the matter, not the verie forme of woordes, in any other, as farre as he can call to remembrance.[12]

"Being demanded, seing he wrote of matters of state and historie, what menne of state or others he acquainted with his historie before he published it, aunswereth that he wrote of an historie about 300 yeres past, and therfore he acquainted no person therwith before he brought it to the printer.

"He sayth he began to wright this historie about a yere before it was published, as he remembreth, but had the intent above a dussen yeres before, but acquainted no man therewith. He sayth that he had the articles and causes of deposition, the instrument of resignation, the deposition, and other wordes out Hall and Walsingham; and sayth that he had nothing of the printer for printing of the booke.[13]

"John Hayward.[14]