e threatened to be quite embarrassing.
The case was this.

In all accounts of the Reformation in England, among the earliest of
those who first called in question the supremacy of the Pope, the name
of Wickliffe is always mentioned. Indeed, he has been called the
morning star of the English Reformation, as he appeared before it,
and, by the light which beamed from his writings and his deeds,
announced and ushered its approach. He was a collegian of the great
University of Oxford, a very learned man, and a great student of
ecclesiastical and civil law. During the reign of Edward, Richard's
grandfather, who had now just died, there had been some disputes
between him and the Pope in relation to their respective rights and
powers within the realm of England. This is not the place to explain
the particulars of the dispute. It is enough here to say that there
were two parties formed in England, some taking sides with the Church,
and others with the king. The bishops and clergy, of course, belonged
to the former class, and many of the high nobility to the latter. At
length, after various angry discussions, the Pope issued a bull,
addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury and to the Bishop of London,
two of the highest ecclesiastical dignitaries of the realm,
commanding them to cause Wickliffe to be apprehended and brought
before them for trial on the charge of heresy.

The decrees of popes were in those days, as now, generally called
bulls. The reason why they were called by this name was on account of
their being authenticated by the Pope's seal, which was impressed upon
a sort of button or boss of metal attached to the parchment by a cord
or ribbon. The Latin name for this boss was _bulla_. Such bosses were
sometimes made of lead, so as to be easily stamped by the seal.
Sometimes they were made of other metals. There was one famous decree
of the Pope in which the boss was of gold. This was called the golden
bull.

On the adjoining page we have an engraving, copied from a very ancient
book, representing an archbishop reading a bull to the people in a
church. You can see the boss of metal, with the seal stamped upon it,
hanging down from the parchment.

[Illustration: THE BULL.]

* * * * *

As soon as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London
received the bull commanding them to bring Wickliffe to trial, they
caused him to be seized and brought to London. On hearing of his
ar