and to give
their censure upon them.'

The Archbishop persuaded Parliament to pass an Act against certain
preachers of heresy, that they might be arrested and kept 'in strong
Prison until they shall justify themselves according to the Law of the
Holy Church,' and brought the Chancellor of Oxford literally to his
knees, begging the Archbishop's pardon for having shown favour to the
Lollards against special commands.

His strong will was exercised in all matters, great and small, and
offenders were punished in the most conspicuous fashion. The Archbishop
took a high hand in dealing with affairs of the Diocese of Exeter, and
the Bishop of Exeter greatly resented it, and appealed against him to
Rome. The Archbishop then 'cited' Bishop Brantyngham 'to answer certain
Articles to be proposed to him in the Visitation,' but some of the
'Bishop's Officers' met the bearer at Topsham, and 'did beat him, and
forced him to eat the Citation, Parchment, Wax, and all.' The contempt
of his commands, and the maltreatment of his messenger, naturally roused
the Archbishop to wrath, and he inflicted this very heavy penance: 'That
in the Church of _Canterbury_, _St Paul's_ in _London_, and the
Cathedral Church of _Exeter_, they should upon three Holy Days named,
being in their shirts only, in a Procession going before the Cross,
carry Wax Tapers burning in their hands, and then that they should give
to the Priest a Salary to say Mass every day at the Tomb of the Earl of
Devonshire; and lastly, every one of them was enjoined to pay a sum of
money, for repairing the Walls of the City of _Exeter_.' In addition to
the public disgrace, the trouble and cost of this penance must have been
immense.

The sixth of these brothers, Sir Peter Courtenay, was, says Fuller, 'a
true son of Mars and actuated with such heroic fire, that he wholly
addicted himself unto feats of arms.' It has been already mentioned that
he fought in the Spanish wars, and in milder moments he distinguished
himself at 'justs and tournaments now justled out of fashion by your
carpet knights.' As a prisoner of war in France, his captivity was
lightened by the attentions he received, even from the King of France
himself, and he was on such good terms with his captors that after his
release he gained leave of Richard II 'to send into France, by
Northampton Herald, and by Anlet Pursuivant, as a return for the
civilities he received in France ... eight cloths of Scarlet, Black and
R