I Can scarse exp̄sse with wordes most reuerēde p̄late / howe yuel this trouble & wrāglyng strife doth vexe & greue my mynde / nowe of late reysed vp (I knowe nat by what persones) in this noble cytie / which at my cōmȳng hither / I foūd very qⁱete & pesable. We rede / how in y^e olde tyme a strange Bore sente in by Diana / brought gret trouble to the people of the countrey / called Calydon / But this besynesse & trou­ble (as I here say) was brought in to vs by an housholde pigge. The thyng of it self (I mean to ete flessh in lent) it not dāpnable I dare wel say / but yet that stubburn & disobe­dient mynde / semeth to be redy & prepayred [Page] to any maner of mischefe / if the truthe be so / as I am enformed / by the cōmunication of many men

We rede in the histories of y^e [...] / y^t the rulers & heed officers dyd punysshe a certayn boy / whose play and pastyme was / to pricke out the eyes of byrdes / wher so euer he mizt catch thē. Because that by this fro­warde appetite & sust of it self to do a mysse / they gessed that he wolde ꝓue a mischeuous citezin & a cruel / redy to muder & kyss. We rede also that a certayn other man was mer­ced ī a gret sōme of money / bycause whan the officer after the maner of the countrey asked of him / whether he had a wyfe according to his own mynde / & suche one as he wolde ha­ue her to be: he answered bourdīg­ly. ye truely haue I / but by god nat accordyng to thy mynde / & such one as thou woldest her to be. If one cō [Page 3] panion had made this answere to a nother in tyme of recreation / it had ben a pleasant & a mery iest / but by cause it was spoken out of season / neither in mete place / neither to per­son according: it dyd declare & vtter a leude mynde / lytel regardynge or settyng by y^e authorite of the cōmen offycer & ruler. Therfore deserued punysshmēt / nat the sayeng it selfe / but the cyrcūstaunce & maner of the sayeng. Custome confermed with long vse / is a very mighty & strong thyng / whiche though it be neuer so [...] & vnresonable / yet after it hath ones takē place & hath caught authorite / vnneth it can be broken without great troublīg of the cōmy naltie / neither cōmenly can it other­wyse be put downe / than by lytel & lytel after y^e same maner as it crope in at the begynnyng. Nowe fa­stynge and choyse of meates are of [Page] suche nature / that if a manne vse them right / they ar helping to good lyueng. Fyrste sobernesse & tempe­raunce of meate / maketh y^e mynde more free & at lybertie / to gyue attē ­daunce to suche studies / whiche hel­peth more nere to vertue & parfyte lyueng. Moreouer as y^e body was a minister and a prouoker vnto the mysdedes whan we dyd synne / and a felo we or ꝑtaker of y^e wicked plea sure: so it is mete & accordyng that in repentaunce he shulde be ꝑttaker of sorowe & payne / & be obediēt and do seruyce vnto the soule / returnīge to the right way agayne. Fastynge therfore and the choise of metes / are good for two purposes. Firste to tame the wantōnes of y^e body / y^t he be nat wylde & sturdy ayenst y^e spy­rite: For as prouander is taken a­waye from feers horses / & which be disobediēt to the ryder / & to them in [Page 5] stede of brede or otes is gyuen hayes So it is very well done / that noris­shynge meate be withdrawen from the body / which rebelleth agaynst y^t spirite / by the reason of abundaūce of iuce & ranke humours: & that su che kynde of metes be ministred vn to it / wherof it shulde kicke & winch as lytel as were possible againste y^e mynde: whiche is as a horsman or ryder to the body. For as meate ta­ken away from y^e body mynissheth the ranknesse therof / so are there certayne meates which so doth noryssh the body that he shal lyue but nat to ranke or wanton. Moreouer it is good & profytable to pease y^e wrath of god / ꝓuoked with our synful de­des: For verily whan he seeth vs to punyssh our sesues / he than remyt­teth his vengeaunce. No payne is more nere aꝑtaynyng to euery man than whan both y^e mynde is vexed [Page] with the hatered of synne cōmytted and the body also punysshed w^t the abstynēce of thynges plesaunt & desectable. And verely this way & me­ane to appease the wrath of god / is shewed to vs in very many places of the olde Testament: And Christ him selfe taught / that there is a cer­tayne kynde of deuyls / which is nat caste out / but by prayer & fastynge. And though it were shewed before of the prophetes also / that the fcstes of the newe Mone / the sabbot dayes the fastes / the choise of meates / & su the other shadowes of the olde lawe shulde vanissh a way / whan y^e sight of the gospell began ones to shyne: yet for all that the churche of Christ beyng yet but yonge & newe begon­nen / & al togider brethyng nothyng els / but the newe Must of y^e Euan­gesycal spirite / after that her spouse was taken vp i to heuyn / embraced [Page 7] nothyng more nor sooner / than fa­styng & prayer. And thā euery man fasted / and that dayly / though they were not cōpelled therto / by any cō ­maundement or lawe. And y^e most parte of christen men / nat onely for beryng flesshe / but also refrayning from the eatyng of fyssh / & all other thynges whiche so euer bare syfe / ly ued content with frute / herbes / and rotes: Whan Christ & his apostels had gyuen leaue & lybertie to euery man for to eate what so euer metes he [...] / at laste whan the custome of fastyng was ones receyued & ap­proued of the cōmen people / in that no man grudged agaynste it / than was it cōfyrmed fyrst by y^e autho­rite of other bysshoppes / & anon as ter by the authorite of the pope or bysshoppe of Rome: Bycause than (as I wene) the charite of y^e people waxing colde / the moste parte dyd [Page] embrace & loue carnalyte & worldly pleasure. The auctorite & cōmaun­demēt therfore of the bisshops was added & put to / as a spore to pricke forward y^e myndes of weke ꝑsons / whiche than were fallyng to worse thīges. Than was put to also y^e cō ­stitution & lawe written / to restrayn ouermoch lybertie / as it were w^t certayne graces / and to kepe the people within their bondes / that they shuld nat ronne to farre at large / & gyue them selues to all maner synne and mischefe. Fastyng therfore & the ab stinēce from certayn kyndes of me­tes / can not vtterly be condēpned of this cause that they do nat profyte & helpe any thyng at al vnto good ly­uyng / if they be vsed so as they ou­ght to be. Moreouer an order is a great thyng / without the which ther can be no sure & stedfast peace & cō ­corde among men, Concorde is no­risshed [Page 9] & maynteyned either by equa lyte or els by an order / that it to say whan euery man hath his roume a cordynge to his degree / & euery one hath his office assigned & gyuen vn to him / as (for an exāple in the bo­dy of man) bytwene the two hādes the eyes / the feete / the eares / there is equalyte: but betwene the eyes and the bely / & the fete nat equalyte / but ordre norissheth cōcorde / which ones taken away / what good thing I be seche you is left amōg christen men whiche are (as Paule techeth) y^e mē [...] of one body. Who so euer ther­fore troubleth the order in a cōmen welthe / bringeth in no lytel or smal incōmodyte ther vnto / namely if he do it nat by occasyon or necessytie / but by a presūptuous stubbernes & self mynde. ye / & though it be but in trifels & suche thīges / which of their owne nature though they were dys­pised [Page] it is no hurte or yuel at al.

As (for an ensāple) it is customa bly vsed in the church / that Alleluia is not song in the lente / yet to laude and praise god at what soeuer tyme or season it be done / is a vertuous & holy thyng / and the churche in stede of alleluya hath apoīted other wor­des / almost of the same strēgth and sygnification. yet neuertheles / if a­ny curate īdispyte of the cōmen cu­stom / wolde in his churche syng al­leluya / and mocke or scorne other y^t dyd not so to / shulde he nat seme by the iugement of al men / to cōmyt & do a thyng worthy of great punysh ment? Or if any curate in the la­ter ende of lente / nat by errour or mystakynge / but of sette purpose & for the nones / dyd cōmaunde in his churche the belles to be rong / whan it is vsed of custome to call the peo­ple togyder with wodden clappers: [Page 11] shulde he not seme worthy to be ba­nysshed as a madde man? Some man wyl say / what trespas or faut hath he made? In the thynge of it selfe is no harm not offēce / I graūt but in the dispisyng of y^e cōmen cu­stome / & in troublynge the order of thynges / is great hurte & offence. & so moche the more vnworthy of par don and forgyuenesse / is the maly­cious mynde of the trespasser / by­cause he myght haue obserued and kepte the cōmen custome / without a ny incōmoditie. Howe moche more is the same thing to be thought and iuged in this mater? I mean of fa­stynge / whose ensample sprange to vs from the prophetes / from Iohan Baptist / from Christ & his apostels whiche hath ben cōmended to vs by a longe vsage and custome of oure elders in tymes paste. Whiche thing also is of great strength / & chefely [Page] helpeth to apease god whan he is of fended with oure mysdedes / and to prepayre the sperite to the worde of god / to holy prayers / to godly hym­nes / and to other vertuous & godly studies & exercises / mete for a trewe christen man. But if any thīg were receyued by vse & custom / which for certayn cōsideratiōs or some incōue niēce y^t sprong of it / or for some bet ter purpose / were better to be putte down & layde away. It sholde be cō ueniēt & acording / that it were done so by lytel & lytel / that al wrāgling and stryfe myght be excluded.

Christ / although he wolde y^e the shadowes of the lawe of Moyses shulde gyue place to the lyght of the gospel / whan it shulde appere & be shewed. Yet lest he shulde gyue occa syon to any man for to be offended / he lefte none at al of those thynges vndone / which the lawe cōmaūded [Page 13] to be done. Neither taught he opēly at any [...] ceremonyes to be dispysed / whiche the iewes obserued more relygiously / than y^t they coude suffre them to be condēned. No / nei­ther condemned he vncurtesly those tryflyng tradicions which the Pha rises of their owne inuētyon added to the burthayns of the lawe. ☞

This thyng onely he dyd rebuke / that the pharyses them selues kepte nat their owne constytutions / wher with they laded & ouerlayde the peo­ple / & that through the suꝑsticion of them / they brake the earnest & sadde preceptes of the lawe. Neither dyde he so defēde his disciples that he said it was laufull for euery maner of cause to breke the sabbot day / but he excuseth them by necessytie cōstray­nynge them / & defendeth their inno­cency / by the ensample of Dauyd & the preestes / though vpon y^e sabbot [Page] day (hungre cōpessynge them) they gathered the eares of corne. More­ouer Paule him selfe / whiche most feruētly & styffely defendeth & main tayneth the lybertie of the gospel / a mong y^e iewes was made as a iewe shauynge of his heer of his heed / re­ceyuyng a vowe on him selfe / obser uyng the ceremonyes belongyng to their sacrifyce / and purifyeng hym selfe with other in the temple.

The same Paule / though he knewe that an ydole is nothyng / and that the flesshe offred to an ydole is no­thyng more vnlauful of it selfe / thā other flesshe: yet had he leuer neuer to eate flesshe whyles he lyued / than to [...] occasyon to his weake bro­ther for to be offended by the reason of his etyng. He had leuer for a sea­son to apply him selfe to the suꝑsty­tion of the iewes / whiche coulde nat be ouercomen / than by turnyng the [Page 15] hertes and myndes of them whiche were [...] agaynst hym / to haue hyndred the goyng forwarde of the gospel. He had leauer forbeare for euer the eatyng of flesshe / than that they whiche were weake & scrupu­lous in conscience / shulde haue had any occasyon gyuen of him / to sus­pecte that he was consentyng to the wicked supersticion of ydolatrers.

The same Paule wylleth also / y^t a bonde seruaunt / beyng a christen man / shulde be obedient to his lorde and maister / though he were an in­fydele / ye / and waywarde & dyuers to please. He wylleth also / that the wyfe beynge a christen woman / be obedient to her husbande / though he be a hethen man: He wylleth / that christen men shulde content & please the offycers whiche were gentyls in all thynges / whether they required tolle / trybute / or honoure / leste any [Page] man myght haue had occasyon to be offended with the gospell / whiche no doute they shulde haue had / if y^e professyon of Christ shulde haue se med sedicious & cause of debate and stryfe. Paule knewe wel ynough / what is the lybertie of the gospell / but it was expedient for the forthe­raūce of the gospell that knowlege shulde be subdewed / & gyue place to charitie. For these men also (I me­ane the eaters of flesshe in lente) as I here saye / layeth for theym selfe the lybertie of the gospel / of the whi­che they make Luther renewer & de­fender. In whom it semeth to me / nat onely the trewe spirite of the gos pel to be wantyng / whiche is sobre / mylde / & endewed with discrete sym plicite / but also natural wysedom / if they do nat fauour Luthers cause than they worke wysely / but if they do sauer it / they coulde nat by any [Page 17] other waye haue hurte or hyndred it more / than by this. If their entente be / that the christen people shulde be restored agayne to their olde lyberte than take they the wrong way to the wodde / & done al amysse. For theyr vndiscrete presūption doth nothyng els / but double the yoke & bondage / cōpellyng the rulers & offycers to en crease the bondage with sharpe and strayte cōmaundementes & decrees. But these men whiche defendeth thē selues with the colour of the lyberte of the gospel / ought fyrst to do such dedes / for loue of y^e which they [...] be ꝑdoned & holden excused / if they dyd lytel regarde these thyngs / as be ynge smaller & of lesse value. Who so euer dothe al that he can to helpe his neighbour: Who so euer [...] so mo che reuēgeth nat the iniuries & wrō ­ges done vnto him / that he is redy to do a good turne for an yuel: Who so [Page] euer is alwaye sobre / as thoughe he fasted: Whose mynde / raymēt / and cōmunication sheweth nothyng els but signes of chastite: Who so euer is altogider busyed & occupied in do yng suche thinges / wherof it semeth that some great & cōmen welth and profyte shal folowe: such a man pa rauēture shalbe ꝑdoned / though he seme lesse suꝑstitious in obseruyng the ceremonys which are more mete and according for the vnlerned and weake persons. But whose so euer hole lyfe serueth but vnto riote and voluptuousnesse: whose cōmunica tion is proude / seers / and vnchaste: Whose mynde in so moch is nat me ke & mylde / that they be redy for the leest worde of reprefe in the worlde / to lay on w^t their fiftes / or to thrust in with their dagger: suche felowes are shamelesse / if they preache of the lyberte of the gospel / for asmoch as [Page 19] they are such maner men / y^t they ou ght to be kepte vnder & holden ī yet / with lawes & cerimonys / as it were with grates of yron / euen lyke as y^e iewes were / vntyl they do profyte & growe vp to y^e quicknesse & strēgth of the Euangelycal spirite. Wher­fore euyn as y^e presūp tuousnesse of these men / nat without cause disple­seth & mislyketh al good & wyse mē / So are there certayn thīges / in whi che the same men are sorye to se the flocke of Crist ouermoch wrapped and entāgled with iudaical ceremo­nyes / & to be oppressed outher with the aucthorite / or els through the ne­glygēce of some certayn prelates of the churche. Of the which thyng sa­ynt Augustyne also cōplayneth in his epystels / cryeng out that the con dytion & state of the iewes were al­most more easy & tollerable thā the cōdition of christen men. So moche [Page] of iudaical suꝑstitions euyn at that tyme was flowen so plētuously in to the cōmen vsage and custome of christen men. The people them selfe cōmenly sechen & drawen suche bō ­dage vnto thē selues / euen lykewise as the wynde Cecias draweth clou­des vnto him selfe (as it is sayde in the cōmen prouerbe) But it were y^e bysshopes parte & duetie to prouyde and se for the lyberte of their flocke / whiche they haue taken & receyued of Christ & his apostels. Nowe a dayes we do heape oftentymes but then vpon burthen / and tye snare to snare / so lytel we go about to rydde out of bondage the soules of y^e peo­ple / & al to the entent to haue them more thral & in daūger to our tyrā ­ny / sekyng rather and so folowyng our owne sucre & aduaūtage / than the helth & sauegarde of their soules.

Paule putteth no difference be­twene [Page 21] one day & another / but he coū teth euery day for an holy day / ney­ther iugeth he any worke vnlauful to be done on the holy day / which is done accordyng to the charite of the gospel. After that our elders wyl­led for a very resonable cause true­ly / the sonday to be kept holyday / in whiche the people shulde cōe togider to here the gospel of god preached.

Anon after holydayes were com­maūded to be kepte from al maner bodily occupation & labour / whan other whyles it were a more holy thi ge with handy labour to make pro­uisyon for their wyues & childer / be yng in ieoꝑdy to perysshe for hūgre than to here the songes of y^e preestes in the churche / which they vnderstā de not: I speke nat this by cause I do iuge the custome of antems and hymnes to be condēpned / wherwith the quere gyueth prayse to their god [Page] and ours: but lykewise as Christe doth teache in the gospel / that man was not made bycause of y^e sabbot day / but that contrariwyse / the sab­bot daye was instytute & ordayned for mānes cause. So I do iuge / y^t al ceremonyes ought to gyue place so ofte / as the necessyte of our neighboure requyreth the offyce & dede of charite. But the people / of whō they ought to lerne the truth of these thī ­ges of the same / are cōpelled often­tymes to do y^e cōtrary. And it was nat thought suffycient that the peo­ple afterwarde was ouercharged with holydayes / & dayly is charged more & more. For in some coūtreys it is ī maner a cōmen custome / that euery bysshop dothe adde one newe holy day to the olde / as a thynge to cause hym specially to be remēbred perpetually after his decesse: & that is done otherwhyles for very lyght [Page 23] causes. One there is paraduēture / whiche ī tymes past hath had a wē ­che to his derling / whose name was Barbara / for this cause he wil that saynt Barbaras day be holy day. Anothers mother was named Ka­therin / this hath semed to be cause suffycient wherfore saynt Katherīs day shulde be holyday / & kepe y^e peo ple from their worke. Some others name is Wyllyam / & therfore labou reth he al that he can / y^t saynt wyl­lyam may haue his holiday by him selfe. Lette these thinges be rehersed bycause of exāple onely / for I had leuer vse fayned exāples than to of fende auy person. Some men also hath their priuate & peculyer affecty ons: one man towarde saynt Eras mus / another towarde saynt Chri­stofer. Ther is also certayn cōmen affections of orders / of natiōs / and of cyties / as y^e blacke freers fauou­reth [Page] excedīgly their Domynike / the gray freers their Frances: y^e payn­ters saynt Luke / surgions & phisy­cions Cosme and Domian / shoma kers / Crispyne: Warryers saynt Martyn: french men Claudius: pa risyans Genouese: Oxforde men saynt Friswyde. Of this kynde is also y^e affection of them / which wyl haue Christ & the sayntes to be suꝑ­sticiously honored by ꝑtes / to whom it is not ynough y^t the deth of Crist is so ofte rep̄sented & dayly remem­bred in so mauy masses / & that y^e ho ly crosse hath his two holydayes / ex cepte also the blode whiche Christe shedde forth / the whiche they saye is kepte ī many places: excepte y^e nay les / y^t crowne of thornes / ye / except the prepuce of Christ / that is to wete (the skynne whiche was cutte from his priuy mēbres whan he was cir­cūcised) whiche the worship ī some [Page 25] place: Excepte oure ladyes mylke / which is shewed in many places / ha ue eche one their proper holyday.

But if any of such maner thynges shalbe / which shal seme that it may be wel & holyly honoured: It were ynough that holy day were solemly kepte in y^e churches onely / to which it myght be lauful for ryche men to come / or who so euer els myght con ueniētly / & let nat the poore men be cōpelled / whose handes norissheth a great housholde. And though these affections parauēture are nat to be repreued / yet ought nat the wysdom of the bysshops to sette so moche by them / that forth with euery saynt & euery relyke shulde haue his proper holyday / his proper masse / & proper seruyce / & peculyare maner of wor­shippyng. What other thing is this than to dryue & cōpel the poore peo­ple to famysshing / whan that thing [Page] is taken from them / wherwith one­lye they norisshe their housholde or meyny. ye / moreouer as the worlde goth nowe a dayes / what other thīg is it els / than to prouoke & cal y^e peo ple from honest & holy labours / to ydelnesse & ryotte? For what dayes do we synne more in excesse / dronk­nesse / lechery / at cardes / dyce / kels / & suche vnlaufull games: in chidyng braulynge / quarellyng / fyghtynge / and murder / than on the holy days? And of howe folysshe iugemēt and clene out of order are we here in this thyng? If any man on the holyday be dronken from morne to nyght: if he haue cleued to an hoore: if he ha­ue vsed vnlaufull games / no man putteth him to any busynes or trou ble: if he haue sowed but a shoe / he is accused as an heretyke. I say nat these thynges bycause I wolde that the lay people shulde dispyse the ho­lydayes / [Page 27] but bycause me thynketh / that the sheꝑdes of the church shulde do very wel / if they vtterly dyd put downe suche maner halydayes / the sonday onely excepted / & a fewe o­ther prīcipal dayes / & if in the same which they leaue vnput down / they dyd suffre y^e pore people after masse and the preachyng / if nede requyred with their work & labour / to sucour their chyldren & housholde [...] tes / or els to gete somwhat besydes that / to besto we vpon poore folke. But nowe oftentymes / whan after an hole monehes rayne / fortuneth one fayre day: the husbāde man is cōpelled to suffre his corne which is felde or cutte downe / to lye & rote in the feldes / which in that same fayre day he myght haue caryed in to his barne / & that bycause of suche holy dayes / whiche were neuer made by the auctorite of the olde fathers / but [Page] brought in (to say no worse / nor to go any nerer the truth) by y^e carnal affectiōs of certayn men. These thī ­ges at the fyrste begynnynge crepe in by lytel & lytel / vnder the coloure or apparaūce of honestie & vertue. Afterwardes they spring & flowen in more plentuously. At the laste / whan they be ones cōfyrmed & strē ­thed by vsage & custome / they raign and occupyen tyranny / so that than they can nat scarcely be layde down or taken away / without great trou ble & moche strife. Wherfore the bys­shops ought nat to loke besyde these thinges / but dilygently & straitly to loke vpon them at their fyrst comīg in / for generally what so euer par­tayneth to the lawes of man / are as remedies or salues vnto sycknesses or sores: & euyn so are they to be at­tēpred & applyed to the present state of tymes & thynges. There be ma­ny [Page 29] thynges / whiche in olde tyme it was a good & godly thyng to insty­tute & ordeyn / whiche selfe same [...] ges afterwarde for some occasyon spronge vp / & for the qualyte of ty­mes & of mens maners chaunged / to be abrogated & dysanulled / were a more godly thyng: whiche thyng for al that ought not to be done / by the rasshe presūption of the people / but by the auctoryte of the rulers / that al sedition & stryfe might be a­uoyded / and the cōmen custome so chaūged / that vnytie & cōcorde were nat broken / which thing lest it mizt happen / prouisyon is to be made by the delygēce of the bysshops / whom it is nat mete any longer to stoppe their eares & to wexe [...] / at y^e iust and rightful cōplayntes of the peo­ple: Parauēture the same iugemēt is to be gyuen of y^e wedlocke of pre­stes. In the olde tyme / as prestes [Page] were very fewe in nombre: so were they very holy in their lyuyng. The same that they myght the more frely gyue attēdaunce to holy excercises & pastymes / wyllyng without any cō pulsyon / kepte them selfes chaste. And verely / so great loue of chasti­te was among the fathers in y^e olde tyme / that certayn of thē were lothe to suffre any chrysten man to mary a wyfe / if he had ben vnmaryed at the tyme of his baptyme: And mo­che more lothe were they to suffre a­ny to mary the seconde wyfe. Than that thyng whiche semed cōmenda vse & alowable in bisshops & preestꝭ was translated vnto the deacons / & at the last to subdeacons also. The custome wyllyngly receyued / was in conclusyon confyrmed and sta­blysshed by the authorite of the bys­shoppes. In the meane tyme the nō ­bre of preestes encreased and the ho­ly [Page 31] lyueng of them decreased. Howe many swarmes of preestes are no­tysshed in monasteries? howe ma­ny in colages? & besydes these there is an innumerable multytude of p̄ ­stes eueri where. And among so ma ny / ho we gret scarcenesse is there of them which lyueth chastely? I speke of them whiche kepeth concubynes opēly at home in the stede of wyues for I do not no we touche nor medel with the mysteries of y^e more secrete pleasures of the flesshe. I do speke of those thīges onely / which be opē ­ly knowen to y^e cōmen people. And though we do knowe these thynges wel ynough / yet are we in admyttī ­ge & receyuyng them to holy orders very easy / & in the releasyng of the cōstitution / whiche forbyddeth pree­stes to haue wyues / very harde and strayte / whan Paule teacheth clene cōtrariwise / that no man is swiftly [Page] to be promoted to holy orders / & in many places / dilygently prescribeth and apoynteth what maner men p̄ ­stes ought to be / what maner men deacons: but as cōcernyng lyueng sole without wyues / neither Christe neyther the apostels haue apoynted or sette any lawe in holy scrypture / watchyng all the nyght long at the toumbes of martyrs / which was in the olde tyme receyued & vsed by the cōmen custom of christen men / and that certayne hūdred yeres dyd con­tynue / the churche hath putte down many dayes ago. Fastyng wont to be prolōged & contynewed vntyl euī tyde / the churche hath translated to noon. And many other thyngꝭ for necessary causes rissen & sprong vp the churche hath chaūged. Why do we here cleue faste so obstynately to the cōstytution of man / namely se­yng that so many causes doth re (que)re [Page 33] a chaūge. For fyrst a great parte of the preestes lyueth with yuel fame / and with very vnquyete conscience entreate they & dealeth with the holy mysteries. Furthermore / a gret ꝑte of the frute whiche shulde springe & ryse of thē peryssheth / bycause their doctryne is dispysed of y^e people / for their open shameful lyueng. But if to them whiche can not lyue chast lycence were graunted to mary wy­ues: both they shulde lyue more qui etely / & with authorite shulde preche the worde of god / the people regar­ding their doctryn: & they shlude ꝓ­uyde dilygently that their chyldren were brought vp honestly / & in ler­nyng: neyther the one sorte of them shulde be shame & rebuke to y^e other

I speke nat these thynges because I couete or entende to be a capitayn or a defender to those preestes / whi­che nowe of late without the autho­rite [Page] of y^e bysshops / hath begon to be maryed men hauyng wyues / but to exhorte the gouernours of y^e church and put them in remēbraūce to cōsy der & ponder wel / whether it be expe dient that the olde constitution were applyed to the ꝓfyte of y^e tyme that now is. In y^e mean season I wolde also that the bysshops were put ī re­membraūce / nat to receyue so rassh ly without probation / who so euer wol come vnto the order of preestes Lykewise I thinke that other are to be warned / that they examyne their owne selues dilygētly / whether they were able & mete to execute y^e offyce whiche they do take vpon them and that they take nat vpon them selues the charge & burthen of so gret a ꝑ­session for cause of lucre / or because they wolde lyue ydely & in ease / pur chasyng bothe dampnation to their owne soules / & rebuke & shame / or [Page 35] sclaūder to the churche. Moreouer / who so euer are consecrated & made preestes al redy / although the bissho pes dyd open the way to matrymo­ny / yet I wolde aduyse & coūsayle them / y^t they do nat entangle thē sel ues sodeynly & without aduysemēt with wedlocke / lest it might fortune them to be vexed with double repen taūce / that is / both of preesthod & of mariage. It is a great parte of cha­stite / a man to be wyllynge with al his herte & mynde to be chast. Ther is nothyng more to be wysshed & de­syred / than that a preest without cō ­braūce of matrymony / at lyberte / & hole / do serue his lorde god. But if whan al remedyes hath bén assayde non can helpe / neither the rebellyon of the flesshe can be ouercome / than it remayneth that he lyue chastely with one woman / hauynge a wyfe for a remedy & nat for voluptuous [Page] pleasure / enforcyng him selfe in the mean season to the vttermost of his power / to recōpence & make amen­des for the infirmyte of the flesshe / with other vertuous lyueng & holy studies & workes / for so shal al men ꝑceyue that a wyfe was sought sor necessyce / & nat for voluptuousnes.

And I doute nat / but y^t the moste parte of the bysshoppes parceyueth right wel that these thynges ar euen so as I do say: but I feare leste in this thyng also / lucre doth withstād and be a lettynge / that we may nat folowe that thynge / whiche we do se and perceyue to be best: If the bys­shoppes wolde go about to chaūge the cōstitution / their offycers ī their courtes parauenture wolde grudge and crye agaynste it / whiche feleth more profyte & auaūtage to growe of preestes concubynes / than wolde growe of their wyues. But it is a­gayust [Page 37] right & reason / y^t lure shulde bere so gret a swynge among vs / y^t for it we shuld nat iuge indyfferētly and make iust prouisyon for Chri­stes ministers / in a mater of so gret weight & value. There are many other thynges of this kynde or sort / but lette these two afore rehersed / be putte for cause of example.

Nowe I returne agayne to spe­ke of fastyng / if any man be so strō ge that he can mesure & tempre hym selfe by contynuall sobreuesse: this man hath no great nede of fastynge cōmaūded / excepte for a season the wrath of god were to be peesed with suche maner sacrifice. But you wyl say: certayn dayes of fastynge are apoynted & cōmaunded for the rude and vnlerned persons. I am wel cō tentes lette that be coūted tollerable. But they cōmaūde & apoynt [...] one refection or meale in y^e day / they [Page] do assygne also what kynde of meates we shal vse. Neither they thinke this ynough / but they thretten moreouer euerlastyng dānation / to who so euer shal breake the custom bro­ught in by men. For after such ma­ner & facion / certayne curates doth denoūce & cōmaūde the fastyng da­yes to the people: I wote nat whe­ther they do it accordyng to the myndes & wylles of the bysshops / or els no. Neither yet thynke they al this sufficiēt / but besydꝭ this they drawe and hale to punysshmēt / as it were one that had slayn his own father: who so euer hath tasted of a pigges flesshe in stede of fyssh mete. I sayd at the begynnīge / that disobediēce & sedicious presūption is worthy eue­riwhere of great punysshmēt. Neyther do I pleade any such maner of cause / or defende them which are be­gynners of debate or stryfe: but yet [Page 39] neuertheles / me semeth that this iu­gement is nat onely vngētel / but al so folysshe & out of order. Fyrst fa­styng was cōmaūded: this was the chefe & prīcipal poynt of the mater. To eate suche & suche meates / was but an accessorie or secōdary thyng / Nowe they suppe eueriwhere gene­rally on y^e fasting dayes / & no man is greued with it / neither maketh a­ny gret mater therof / but if any mā haue tasted any flesshe / euery man cryeth out & wōdreth / as though he­uen / erthe / & see / and al shulde go to gider / sayeng / the state of y^e churche is decayde & lyke to fal / heresyes en­creaseth & ryseth a flote: To suppe no man nedeth any pardon. That it may be lauful to eate flessh or eg­ges / a pardon or dispensation must be bought of the pope of Rome.

So that thynge whiche draweth more nere in lyknesse to the supersti [Page] tion of the ceremonyes of the iewes lawe / & which is al togyder such ma ner a thyng / that a man might wor thely marueyle / that it hath ben so greatly receyued & vsed of vs chry­sten men / whiche do defye & abhorre [...] / & other ceremonyes of the iewes (I mean choise of metes) We do greatly sette by / defendyng it stiffely with tothe & nayle. And fa­styng / whiche is a thyng more agre ynge with the doctryne of Christ / & whiche helpeth more to the exercises of trewe vertue & holynesse / we suf­fre to be abolysshed & weare oute of vse: For albeit that prayer is the sa crifyce proꝑly belōgynge to christen men: whose felowe & companion is fastyng / bicause these two / prayer & fastyng / bothe in the gospels & also in the epistels of y^e apostels / almost alway are coupled togyder (for by fastyng the mynde is pourged and [Page 41] strengthed / that the prayer might be pure / feruēt / & lusty) yet in y^e choise of meates / we holde faster the cōsti­tution of man / & more toughlye do cleue vnto it / than in fastyng: how be it the christen men are also char­ged & loden with more often fastes / than euer were the iewes. Of the kyndes of meates / Christ him selfe sayde: What so euer gothe in at the mouthe / defyleth nat the man. And Paule nat disagreyng frō his mai­ster / sayth: that y^e kyngdom of god is nat mete & drike. But in y^e choise of meates / howe moche more gre­uous & paynful is our burthen / thā was the iewes? for vnto thē it was lauful to eate euery kynde of fyfsh / of al maner foure foted beestes / of al maner foules / the best & most hol somest. To vs it is forbydden to ete any maner flesshe at al / for a great ꝑte of the yere. And cōsyder I pray [Page] you / ho we curious hath ben in this thynge / either the custome or els the authorite of our elders. At certayn tymes nothige is forbidden but one ly the eatyng of flesshe: somtyme it is lauful to eate bothe the oumbles and the satte: at another tyme but only the fatte or brewes: at another tyme it is not lauful to tast any ꝑte either of foule or els of beest lyuyng on the erthe. And here also ryseth ve ry many questions / ho we farre the signification of this worde flesshe / doth stretch or reche: for there be cer­tayne beestes belōgyng to y^e see / nat vnlyke to the beestes lyueng on the erthe: as Porpasses / seales / dogges and certayn lyueth both on y^e lande and ī the water / somtyme in the one and somtyme in the other / as castor an otter. Moreouer they dispute a­bout cocles / snayles / & frogges / whe ther they be flesshe or nat. Agayne [Page 43] some dayes / it is ꝑmytted & vnlau­ful to eate egges / butter / chese / myl­ke: Another tyme / butter / mylke / & chese / but nat egges. There be cer­tayn dayes in whiche it is nat lau­ful to touche any of these thinges at [...]. There be some dayes also / ī whi che it is forbydden to eate what so e­uer hath ones bron lyfe: so y^e no we it is a great doute / whether it be lau ful to eate spōges / whiche (as Ari­stotel iugeth) hath felyng / & be sen­syble creatures: & ther be some men whiche byndeth them selues / to fast to breed & water onely. Though we do graūt y^t these thynges are nat to be dispysed / [...] who seeth nat / howe colde thynges they are / & very try­fels / if they be cōpared to the precep tes of the gospel / whervpon we ou­ght chefely & prīcipally to sette oure care & thought. Moreouer it is to be cōsydred / whether to exacte these [Page] thinges of al men / so straitly & so ri gorously dothe agree to the lybertie of the gospel / whiche Paule so [...] defendeth. Nowe lette vs se howe trewe it is euyn in this thin ge also / that whiche Paule sayth.

Bodily exercitation is profitable but for lytel / good lyueng or in war­de holynesse is profitable to al thī ­ges. No dayes hath the cokes more busynesse & labour in the kechyns / than on the fysshe dayes / neither at any tyme is there more ordynaunce or greatter coste made to fare wel.

So it is brought to passe / that the poore men be hūgry / & the rich men lyueth more desycately. Who had nat leauer eate Sturgion / trout / or lamprey: thā bacon hardened with smoke / or tough mutton? And a­mong these thynges also / which are nat flesshe / there be many thynges whiche are more norisshynge than [Page 45] befe or mutton: as whelkes / coccles and other thynges many. ye / & pro­uoketh & styreth more to lust of fles­shely pleasure. And a mā [...] fyn­de certayn thinges that doth y^e same euyn amōg herbes & frutes of trees also. What auayleth it to abstayne from mutton / if thou [...] thy bely with rocket / dates / fygges / & [...] / musshernes / artickchouhges / & such other thynges / which kyndleth the genitales more with wāton lust than hennes or pullettes? Sucket maketh the body more stronge & lu­sty than befe dothe: & yet non of all these thynges is forbydden. By this meanes it is brought to passe / that they whiche be poore & of smal sub­staūce / be greued & payned with su­che cōstitutions whā they haue leste nede: & the riche men through occa­syon are called & prouoked to more pleasures & deyntie fare: Some mē [Page] wys saye. This is caused through our own faute / I graūt: And ther fore parauenture ought suche thyn­ges to be taken awaye / whan we p­ceyue more hurt thā good to growe of them. And it semeth nat very mo the more frute to come of fastynge / for they which be poore or weake of body / are fore greued with long fa­styng. On y^e othersyde / they whiche be stronge & haue wher with / vitay­leth them selues & fylleth their bely with that / whiche were suffyciēt for thre dayes / so that after dyner they are mete for nothynge / but onely to slepe. And yet fastynge is ordeyned to be vsed for this cause most chese­ly / that the spirite shulde be the lesse cōbred or holde down with y^e weight or burden of the body. What nedeth it here to reherse diuers diseases and sicknesses / y^e weaknesse of olde men and yonge chyldren / pouertie / & the [Page 47] certayn peculyar nature & comple­ction of bodies / so that to some men the fasting of a sewe houres is deth ye / whan they be hole / & to some al maner fysshe is as a Scorpion or a snake / or any venomous beest is to other. Moreouer in such countreys where is gret scarcenesse or lacke of fyssh / to forbydde y^e eatyng of flessh What other thyng is it / than to com maūde the people to famysshe them selues? In so great dyuersyte & ine­qualite / than of regions / of bodyes / of cōplexions / of ages: It appereth euidētly ynough / how many be gre ued with the lawe / whiche (as they wene) is equale & indifferent to all men. There be some bodies whiche wyll be in good plyte / ye / & ranke & wanton though they were fedde [...] hay. Agayne some there be / whiche scarsly are kept a lyue / though they be fcdde with partriches & fesaūtes. [Page] If the decree dyd cōmaunde / that in these fastynge dayes / the riche men shulde vse tēperaunce & measure in their fare / & that whiche they with­drawe frō their own tables of their wont fare / to be sent to poore folke for their refresshynge: than shulde there be made equalyte / & the cōsty­tution shulde fauoure somwhat of Christes gospel. Nowe is that ful­fylled and done eueriwhere / whiche Paule sayd, One is hungry / & ano ther is dronken or to ful. The chaū ­ge of meates is apleasure to y^e riche men / & a remedy agaynst lothsom­nesse or gluttyng / neither at any ty­me do they fare better and fede more dayntilye / than whan they abstayn from they eatyng of flesshe. But in the meane season the pore husbande man gnawynge on a rawe pasnyp rote or on a leke / for lacke of other sole or cates / eateth ther with blacke [Page 49] breed of the coursest sorte that can or may be made. And in stede of the meth / bragot / or ypocras of y^e riche men / he [...] sower whay or wa­ter of the podle / hauyng moche a do in the meane season to susteyne his wyfe / his chyldren / & the resydue of his housholde meyny with cōtynu­al swette & labour. Fynally the ma ners of men is come to that poynte nowe a dayes / that these thīges gre­ueth thē onely / for whose cause they were nat so greatly instytuted & or­dayned / & doth nothyng apertayne to them / for whose cause they were chefely ordayned. Sōe mā wyl say if any man be greued or ouer soore loden with these thynges / there is re medy ynough / wherby he may be ea sed. Howe I praye you? he may pur chace a lycence to eate flesshe of the bysshoppe of Rome. Thou spekest gayly wel. But neither al men ha­ue [Page] leayser to tonne to Rome / ney­ther al men haue plentie of money / wherwith they myght bye such par­dons. And here agayne / it is comen to passe / y^t to riche men (whiche had most nede to be forbydden the etyng of flesshe / & whiche had moste nede to fast) the cōstitution is released al most al togyder for money / and the greuous yoke & heuy burden lyeth onely on their neckes / which at pore and socoursesse. Moreouer I do maruayle greatly in the meane sea­son at this / that the authorite to re­lease suche maner cōstitutions is re serued & lefte onely to the bysshoppe of Rome / for so thynketh the cōmen people. Me semeth after my poore iugement / it were more conuenyent that authorite to dispence with men for such cōstitutions were gyuen to the curates (which ar succeded in to the roumes of the bisshops / as cōcer [Page 51] nyng payns and labours: for they may easely knowe y^e state of euery man / the plyte of y^e body / the riches or habilyte / ye / & the very mynde al so) Namely seyng these [...] doth nat so greatly helpe to trewe holy­nesse & vertuous lyueng. To them is cōmitted & betaken the dyspensa­tion & besto wynge of Christes gos­pel: to them is gyuen power to my­nister the sacramētes of the church / and authorite to here cōfessyons / & to assoyle also from greuous syn­nes & enormyties. It is lauful for them / ye & they must nedes / puttīge their lyues in ieoꝑdy / be present and nere them whiche be sycke of the pe­stylence / or els any other sylthy / stī ­kyng / & abhomynable diseases.

Why than is denyed to them y^e au­thorite to gyue lycence to eate suche meates / whiche the weaknesse & fe­blenesse of some persons requireth? [Page] If the curate be vnmete to dyspence these smale trisles / certainly than is there great faute in the bysshoppes / whiche hath cōmytted the flocke of Christ to such maner persone. But if the curate be a mete & able ꝑson / to whom the greatter & more weigh ty thynges also might be cōmytted / it must nedes be that here lyeth hyd some secrete [...] / for whose cau se these smaller and lyghter thinges may nat be cōmytted to the same ꝑ­sone also. But here agayne me thī ­keth / There the lucre & aduauntage of certayne persons / redy to grudge and speke agaynst me: And wolde god that this cāker were clene scou­red out of Christes churche / whiche suffreth nothynge any where to be pure / holy / & vncorrupte / for cācred couytousnesse is the causer that the cōstitutions ordayned as a mean & an helpe to godly lyueng / are no we [Page 53] welnere nothynge els / but snares & grynnes mete to catche money with al. What auayleth it that so ma­ny sharpe & strayte lawes hath ben made of the election of bisshops / ab bottes / & other prelates & rulers of the church: yf no we eueri where for money gyuen / the election is outher corrupted or els excluded. We rede that a tyrant of Sicilya called Dio­nisyus / gaue many lawes to his subiectes / & whan they were publys shed & cōmenly knowen / he wynked or loked besyde the trāsgressours of them for the nonce / vntyl at the last whan no man regarded them / ney­ther mystrusted any thing / he had a great meyny in daūger of thē. So the lawes were to hi as nettes / wher with he hunted for a pray. But god forbydde / that Christes vycars for like purpose / other shulde charge or lede y^e people with newe cōstytutiōs [Page] or els abuse the decrees of y^e olde fa­thers. Without doute / nede there is of cōstitutyons made by them whi­che are in authorite. And it chaūceth oftentpmes / that for certayn special causes / it were expedient & profyta­ble / that the rigoure & straightnesse of the cōmen sawe were released / so that it were nat don eueriwhere / nei ther for sylthy lucre of money / ney­ther without discretion or iugement but for a great welth and profyte.

It shulde be greatly profytable & appertaynyng vnto y^e purite of the doctryne / & lyueng of the churche / if no releasyug or dispensatyon of the lawe were to be solde / & that power to dispēce were cōmytted to thē / whi che might knowe the qualyte & state of the person / whiche shulde enioye the dispēsation. Nowe to obtayne dispēsation / in a maner thou nedest nothyng els / but to shewe thy name [Page 55] and pay thy money. If the cause be iuste & suffycient / why is money re­quired? if the cause be nat rightful what helpeth the dispensatyon? Moreouer in some thinges I might vse this reason parauenture / if the cause be resonable & laufull / what nede is there of a dispēsation? if the cause be not honeste & riztful / what auayleth any dispensation? The pope cōmaūdeth fastynge / but (as I wene) his mynde & wyl is nat / y^e yonge children / or very aged psons / sickely persons / or they whiche are diseased / shulde be boūde with this lawe / neither (to speke generally) any suche psons / whiche coulde nat faste without their excedynge great hurte. Here than where is a certayn and euydent cause / no nede is to re­lease the lawe / but to interprete it [...] ther. In a doutful cause / whō shul­dest thou [...] counsayle of / rather [Page] than of thyne owne curate / or y^e or­dinary bisshop? If thou refusest his iugement to whom thou arte kno­wen / thou vttrest & shewest thy cor­rupte cōscience. But if other hate­red or ignorāce / or els any other thī ­ge doth lette / that he wyl nat graūt the rightfull dispēsation: lette than the way be open to haue socour and helpe of the archbysshop / or the bys­shop of Rome. The processe selfe of oure disputation moueth vs & put­teth vs in remēbraunce most vertuous father / to cōsyder in fewe wor­des / howe straitely such cōstitutiōs dothe bynde vs / whiche pertayneth onely to mānes lawe / of the which sorte no man wyl deny the popes decrees to be / whiche cōcerneth fastīg / choise of meates / and the wedlocke and mariage of prestes / for of other thynges I dispute nat. There is some man which refuseth to socour [Page 57] and helpe his father / beyng olde / sic ke & nedy / with his riches or seruyce whan he hath ynoughe wherof he might do it. The bysshop commaū deth him to socoure his father / tea­chyng & declarynge that honoure in the cōmaūdement of god (whan he byddeth vs honoure our father and mother) is vnderstande socour and helpe or relefe / & not puttynge of the cappe or gyueng place / or goīge out of the waye. If this man refuse to obey / it is no doute but that he ma­keth hym selfe in dan̄ger of the fyre of helle. Agayne / if any man be at debate with his neighboure / & if he whiche hath offended or hurte the o­ther hath repēted / desyring forgyue nesse & redy to make amēdes for the iniury whiche he hathe done: If he whiche is offended or hurte wolde re fuse to obey the bysshop / cōmaun­dyng him to remytte the vēgeaunce [Page] and to be at one agayne w^t his nei­ghbour: It can not be douted / but that for this disobediēce / he byndeth him selfe to the fyre of hell. Why so? Bycause this that the bysshop com­maūdeth / he cōmaūdeth it accordīg to the doctryne of the gospel / & dothe rather offre & put to him the cōmaū dement of Christ / than his own cō ­maūdemēt. But whether the same thyng be done in these thīges / wher­of we nowe do speke: let vs cōsyder for what so euer I shall say I wyll speke it / nat as one affyrmyng / but as one inquiryng & serchynge out y^t truthe afore y^t a bysshop / both most vertuous & euyn so most exellently lerned. This is of suretie / that the most parte of these thynges / wherof we do nowe speke / came ī fyrst and were brought vp by custom. Nowe whom custome dothe bynde / and in [...] thīges / & howe forforth / whā [Page 59] and howe longe: it where somwhat to long here to discusse. Fyrste of al / this thynge me semeth might be proued by reason / that a custom bi­deth no man more straitly / thā their mynde & wyl was / whiche were the begynners & fyrst bryngers vp of y^e custom: Let be excepted in y^e meane season y^e hurtyng of other mens cō ­science / & contempte or dispisynge. It is to be beleued / that they whiche fyrst of their owne free wylles / layd downe their substaūce & riches at y^e seete of the apostels / dyd it for that purpose / that who so euer wold nat do [...] / shulde be boūde to euer lastynge payne. Or that they whi­che fyrst began to abstayn from the eatyng of flesshe / wolde be the begī ­ners of this custome / with y^e mynde and wil / that who so euer afterwar de wolde nat do the same / shulde be boūde to euerlastyng deth. Nay / I [Page] wene rather y^t suche was their mide and suche their cōmunication / that if they had sene any mā beyng wea ke & feble in body / whiche prouoked by their exāple / wold haue enforced to do the same: they wolde haue mo nysshed and coūseyled hym by these wordes. Trewly beloued brother / I whiche haue a body rebellious to the spirite / nat without cause do cha stice & punysshe my flesshe with fa­stes: Thou hast a body both wea­ke & febly / & also obedyent ynough to the spirite / whose weaknesse is to be cured / rather than wantōnesse to be kepte vnder & punysshed. Wher­fore prouyde & se for the helth of thy body / takyng suche meates mesura bly / & with gyueng thāges to god / whiche are mete for the / that thy bo­dy may y^e more lustely & coragious­ly do seruyce to his spirite. After su che facyon doth Paule coūsayle his [Page 61] welbeloued Timothe / that he shuld vse a lytel wyne for the weaknesse of his stomake / & often sickenesse & diseases. Nowe whether custome / cōtrary to the wyl & myndes of thē which haue ben the begynners of [...] dothe bynde to ony synne (lykewise as whan any mā monyssheth ano­ther of his mysdede / although he do it nat for thentent that he whiche is monysshed shulde synne more gre­uously: yet he whiche monysshed of his synne doth nat repent & amēde / synneth more greuously thā he dyd before) it is nat mete tyme nowe to discusse. This onely is to be consy dred / whether in these thynges / whi­che beynge of them selfe lauful / are made vnlauful / onely by the cōsty­tution of man: it was the mynde & wyl of the bysshops & popes / whan they dyd cōfyrme the custome recey­ued & vsed / that who so euer / nat of [Page] any malycious cōtempte / but tho­rough frayltie & negligence dyd nat obserue & kepte the custom / shuld be boūde to y^e fyre of hel. god is nat so cruel or vēgeable / y^e for euery lyght faute he wyl caste them in to helle / whom he hath redemed w^t his own blode: He knoweth the weaknesse & fraylte of his creature / & he suffreth many thynges in vs / afore that he wyllcutte vs awaye from the body of his own sonne. But who so euer cōmytteth a deedly synne / of the mē bre of Christ / is made the mēbre of the deuyl: of the heyre of heuēly lyfe is made y^t heyre of euerlastyng fyre Seynge than that the bysshops are succeded in to the roume of him / whi che secheth to haue all men saued / & to distroy no man: and if they bere fatherly affection towarde their flo cke / cōsydering also that their selues are men frayle & weake / & in many [Page 63] thynges nedyng the mercy of god. Howe is it lykely to be trewe that they were of this mynde / that they wolde with their cōstitutions made by them / whiche are nought els but men / bynde their brethern & sonnes to euerlastyng payne? namely seīg they may knowe euyn by their own myndes / that the myndes of men be prone & redy to synne. ye / & oftenty mes are wonte to be styred & prouo­ked to lust of synnyng / so moche the more bycause they are forbydden.

Temporal & laye princes / whiche beareth a swerde by their office / and whiche with feare & punysshmētes by their professyon / holdeth the peo­ple backe from rōnyng to moche at large / yet wolde they nat although they myght / the lawes whiche they ordayn & make / to be rigorus / that the transgressour & breaker of them shulde forth with lese his heed. And [Page] yet can they kylle nothyng els / but the body onely. And do the byssho­pes / whose parte is to saue mē with the swerde of the worde of god / for a lytes meate or drinke / whiche Crist hath gyuen vs lyberte to take / re (que)re that the breker of their constitution shulde go bothe body & soule in to y^t fyre of hesle: namely seynge that it lyeth in their power / nat to cast on this bōde or snare / nor to bring men in to this great paryl & icopardy.

Moreouer y^e bondes of the Euā gelical charite / is greter than y^e bon des of kynred: & the bondes of y^e spi rite / than the bōdes of the flesshe: & the bondes of god / than of nature. But what carnal father was there euer so cruel agaynst his sonnes / y^e is he had forbydden them y^e drīkyng of wyne / lest at any tyme y^e drīkyng vnmesurably might cast them sel­ues in to a feuer / he wolde requyre / [Page 65] that this his forbyddynge shulde be of so great strēgth / that if they dyd nat obey it / they shulde suffre dethe: namely seyng that they might drīke wyne safely ynough & without any hurte / so they drinke it mesurably.

No doute of it / he wolde forbeare and refrayne from gyueng any su­che cōmaūdement / if he knewe that his sonnes shulde be in daūger of so great paryl / & he had leuer that they shulde sal in to some feuer / than to ronne in to ieoꝑdy of theyr lyfe. Be sydes this / I do nat suppose y^e there is any man but he wyl graunt / that the lawes of god which he him selfe made & ordayned / are more to be re graded & set by / than y^e lawes made by men: but nat al the lawes of the olde Testament gyuen of god / dyd bynde in the olde tyme to deedly syn no / certayn of them boūde nat to a­ny synne at al (if we gyue credence [Page] to famous dyuines) of the whiche sorte I suppose it was / if any man had touched carion of any best whi che was nat slavne / but dyed by the owne accorde. And shal the bysshop which is nat the authour & [...] / but y^e stewarde & minister of a mo­re gentyl Testament / requyre this / that al maner constytutions of his makyng shulde bynde his subiectes to the payne of euerlastynge fyre?

I wylcome to the authorite of the apostels / whiche hath alwayes ben so moche regarded & set by / by y^e cō ­sent of al Christen people. I dare nat be bolde to affyrme & say playn ly / that what so euer thyng they dyd cōmaūde they cōmaūded it / w^t that mynde & wyl that they wolde euery transgressour therof to be boūde to the fyre of helle. Paule in many places forbiddeth couytousnesse / le­chery / wrathe cōtention / & enuy by [Page 67] name / puttyng to these wordes. We knowe / that they whiche doth suche thynges / shal nat possesse the kyng dome of god. And yet the [...] graūteth & confesseth nat euery ma ner wrathe to be deedly synne / ney­ther parauēture al maner of enuy.

Agayn the same Paule straitely cōmaūded / that women shulde nat speke in the church or cōpany assem bled / lest that sexe somwhat proude and highe mynded / might chalenge to them selues any authorite in the presence of their husbādes. And yet I do nat thynke that he cōmaunded that / beyng of this mynde & wyl / y^e if any woman through infyrmyte longyng to that sexe / had spoken a ny thyng in the cōgregation for de­syre to lerne / forth with she shulde be made bonde to y^e fyre of helle. I put forth these thīges so / that yet neuer­theles it may be free for euery man [Page] to iuge / as he thynketh lyke. Laste of al / parauēture euyn in the com­maundemētes of the gospel also / a mā may fynde certayn / which doth nat forth with bynde euery man to deedly synne. We se that y^e fathers os y^e orders of relygious men / dothe openly witnesse this of their cōsty­tutions (whiche for cōcorde & equa­lyte to be had in their couentes / they nedefully do adde & put to y^e cōmaū demētes of y^e gospel) that they wyll nat any person to be boūde be them nat so moche as to venyal synne.

Wherfore by so moch the more I do marueyle greatly / that there be cer­tayn of that sorte whiche can suffre rather their brother eyther to dye / or els to be veved & tourmented with a disease / which is more greuous thā dethe / than they wolde sycēce hym to cate flesshe. I wyl nat here reherse that certayn dyuines & those of the [Page 69] famous sorte / hath affyrmed playn ly / that no mortal prelate can binde his subiecte by his precept to deedly synne / except that whiche he cōmaū deth / doth depēde of the lawe of god which proposition or sayeng at this present tyme / I do neither approue neither disproue. This thyng one­ly I wyl aske & enquire: whyder al such maner cōstitutions doth binde to euerlastynge payne / or [...] a certayn of them onely. If they al do bynde to euerlastynge payne / thā is the yoke of christen men very heuy and greuous / seyng that there is so many cōstitutions of the bysshops / but if certayn onely so doth bynde / I wolde desyre to knowe / by what marke a man myght dyscerne those whiche doth bynde / from those whi che doth nat bynde. You wyll say / they do bynde whan these termes ar put to: We cōmaunde & charge. &c. [Page] But at Rome euery yere suche ma­ner cōstitutions are made & publys shed newe / that no spouse shal gyue to his spousesse any token or gyfte / aboue the valoure of. xii. ducates / for let this be put forthe bvcause of example. I demaūde nowe / if any man without any masyce or dispite of that cōstitution dyd gyue a token or gyfte of. xiii. ducates: dyde he synne deedly? You wyl answer (as I trowe) it semeth no. yet in these & other more lyghter thynges also / is added alway besyde greuous synne the payne of excōmunication in the dede doyng. And yet there be dyuy­nes whiche sayth / that no man may be excōmunicate / but onely for such a trespas whiche is deedly synne a­fore god. But this disputation / whi ther the bysshop or pope maye in all maner thinges bynde their subiects to deedly synne / I wil passe ouer at [Page 71] this tyme. This I wyl aske & de­maūde / whether it be probable and lyke to be trewe / that the pope were of suche a mynde / that although he myght he wolde after suche maner charge & lode his subiectes. Paule is angry & myscōtent that any man iugeth his brother in meate or drīke and shal I for meate or drīke thrust downe my brother in to helle?

Nowe what is the mynde of the Bysshoppes and popes in other thynges / lette vs leaue that vn­dyscussed at this tyme. Certayn­lye in fastynge it is euydente and open / y^t their wyl was nat to bynde al men by their precepte and decree. Wherfore than / do we beyng cruell iuges against our neighbour / other wise interprete the popes sawe / than accordyng to his owne mynde. For it is nothing lykely to be trewe that his mynde & wyl was to bynde any [Page] man to fastyng or to etyng of fissh / whiche coude nat do it / without the gret hynderaūce & appeyring of his helth / or els ieoꝑdy of his lyfe. Therfore he byndeth no yonge chyldren / nat very aged men / nat them whi­che be sicke / nat poore folke / and to make an ende / nat any other ꝑsons / whiche for some other cause can nat awaye with fastyng / & moche lesse he byndeth thē to abstayne from the eatyng of flesshe. These persons nowe rehersed / if they do eate / they seme to eate by the mynde & wyll of him which was maker of the lawe. You wyl say / but in the meane sea­son yuel occasyon is gyuen to leud­ly disposed persones / whiche vnder this pretēce & colour / wyl eate / whā they haue no nede or resonable cau­se. If this paryl & ieopardy wherof you do speke / were pertaynynge to murder or to some other great yuel [Page 73] or mischefe / than wolde I holde wel with your sayeng. Nowe I sup­pose it myght better be suffred / that syxe hundred dyd eate flesshe with­out necessyte / than that one person through suche suꝑstition / shulde be put in ieoꝑdy of his lyfe. Wherfore I cōmende the maner and custome vsed in Italy / where euen in y^e lente season / is solde openly in the sham­bles (though of fewer than at other tymes) both veale / kydde / & lambe lest any thyng myght be wantynge to them whiche were sicke / or might yuel forbeare eatynge of flesshe, Neither any man there noteth or re­buketh the byer or eater / although he appereth nat by any outwarde tokens / to be sycke or dyseased: for there be many causes which a man can nat perceyue by the coūteuaūce or face. And it belongeth to the cha­rite of christen men to iugeth beste / [Page] what so euer may be done wel and lausully / dronknesse / backbytyng fylthy cōmunication / & rebaudrie: dothe verily declare & she we a leude person / euyn accordyng to the rule of the gospel. For these thinges whi­che in very dede are yuell thynges / whan they come from the mouthe / declareth the fountayne of the herte to be corrupte / from whens suche stynche is breathed forthe: And yet with such thynges we be but lyght­ly offended or greued. ye otherwhy­ses we reioyce in them / & cōmende & alowe them. But he that doth eate flesshe / we do so defye & abhorre / as though he were no longer a christen man: Natwithstandynge / that the gospell dothe forbydde to iuge any man in those thynges / whiche of thē sllues are nat are nat yuel. ye & Paule also wylleth nat any mā to be iuged for meate or drynke. Therfore who so [Page 75] euer eateth flesshe for a gret weigh­ty cause / he synneth nat at al agaīst the lawe / for as moche as he hath done nothing cōtrary to the mynde of him / whiche hath made the lawe. He that eateth without necessyte / yf he do a mysse / he trespaseth but on­ly agaynst the lawe of man. But he that cōdemneth his brother / he that backbyteth / he that sclaūdreth & de­fameth his brother / doth synne and trespas / bothe agaynst the doctryne of the gospel / & also agaynste y^e pre­cepte of the [...] Paule: And in my iugement doth more greuously synne / than he shulde / if he dyd eate flesshe hole. x. yeres togyder. They cal them Lutherians and heretykes whiche doth eate flesshe. Nowe this is nat the eatynge of calues flesshe / but it is the [...] & eatynge of thy brothers flesshe. Whether of these two thīges I besech you / is the [Page] more greuous offence & synn? And yet at that thyng whiche the autho­rite of y^e gospel doth forbydde / whi­che Paule the apostel also doth for­bydde / no man is moued or greued / at these thynges whiche cōtrary to the doctryne of y^e gospel / the custom of men hath brought in: We do so shyuer & quake / as though the hole christian relygion shulde atones go to wrake for euer? But here in the meane season aryseth two diffycul­ties or doutes / of the whiche the one semeth to pertayne to order / y^e other cōcernyng the hurtyng or [...] of oure neighbours conscyence.

I graunt / that an order is gretly to be regarded / in so moche that it were better to suffre euyn some ty­rāny or crudesyte / than by troublī ­ge the order / to make a cōfusyon & a great styrte in the worlde. And Paule byddeth that mānes cōpany [Page 77] to be eschewed whiche dothe lyue in­ordinately / troublyng the cōmen or der. And the same / lest we shulde gy ue any man occasyon to be offēded / cōmaūdeth vs to abstayne / nat one ly from that thynge whiche is yuel in dede / but also from al maner thī ge / whiche appereth to be yuel. But that an order may be had & establys shed / & by reason of order trāquily­tie: It is [...] that the heedes & rulers haue their authorite sure and stable / & that the people obey them non otherwyse / than the vycats or deputies of god. I graunt al these thynges to be very trewe. And Pe­ter the apostel cōdemneth them / whi che folo wyng their own sensual ap petites / dispiseth the cōmen officers and rulers / & suche as be set ī highe authorite: & yet he speketh there / as farre as I parceyue / of the heed of­fycers & prīces / whiche were [...] [Page] men & infydels. Howe moche more than ought the authorite of the bys­shops to be sure & inuyolate / which if they be good / they are to be obeyd as the frendes of god: but if they be yuel / & yet dothe teche those thynges which be ryght & good: we ought to obey the doctryne whiche they teche. But if they be neither good / nor yet doth teche good thynges / yet in my iugement they are sō what to be suf­fred / left by troublynge the order of thynges / gretter incōuenyēce & mis­chefe myght ryse. This counsayle wolde I gyue to the christen people. But if the wickednes of them shuld go so farforth / that it were intollera ble bothe to god & man (which thig god forbydde euer to come to passe) Christ him selfe can make suche ma ner scourges & whippes / wher with he may dryue out of his temple / su­che as he lyste nat to be cōuersaunt [Page 79] there. For lykewise as nat without great cōsyderation & wysedome / the election of y^e [...] hath ben trās lated from the people to a fewe mēl so I do not holde with it / that y^e olde examples shulde be renewed & bro­ught vp agayne / wherby the cōmen multytude dyde expel & put downe their bisshops for euery litel cryme / For we rede that Brice for y^e sur­myse of fornycation / & vnchaste ly­uyng with his laūdresse / was depo­sed by y^e cōmen voice & noyse of the people. But as Paule cōmaūdeth the wyues / that in al poyntes they shulde be obediēt to their husbādes / and haue them in reuerēce [...] their lordes: And agayn on the other ꝑte counsayleth the husbādes that they shulde mesurably & gētely vse their authorite towardes their wyues / re mēbring that they are their felowes and matches in Christ / & the cōheri [Page] tours of the kyngdom of heuen / the one halfe of them selues / & that [...] shulde apply them selues to their in fyrmyte & weaknes / with discretion and [...]: So in lyke maner the heedes & rulers of the church are to be monysshed & counsaysed / that they do nat either abuse their autho rite & power on the people / neyther turne the obediēce of the lympse peo ple / in to their own tyrāny. They ar shepe / but the shepe of Christ / rather than of the bysshops: they ar shepe but for those shepe that highest and heed shepherde hath shedde his pre­cious blode: they are shepe / but so derely beloued of their lorde / y^e whā one of them was gone a straye / he with careful dilygēce sought for it / and at the last whan he had founde it / he brought it agayn to his feldes vpon his owne sholders: They are shepe / but resonable shepe / & in this [Page 81] [...] egal & peeres to the bysshops ye / sōtyme also are more [...] than certayne of the bysshops: & [...] of these shepe are made pastoure or sheperdes. The people was nat or dayned for cause of the bisshoppes / but the bysshops were instytuted & ordayned for cause of the people.

Wherefore albeit that the bisshop cō pared to eche one by him selfe of the people is more exellent / & (as Pau le [...]) is [...] of double honor yet that nat withstādyng / the respect and regarde of al the hole people to gider / ought to be gretter thā of one bisshop: ye & if a man dyd [...] this also / that the dygnyte also of y^e hole multytude ought to be gretter / than the dignyte of any one bysshop / his sayeng doth nat vtterly disagre [...] is sō what lyke to y^e sayēg of Christ

Our lorde Iesu asketh this que­stion in the gospel: whether [...] [Page] to be gretter & more worshypful / he that serueth & wayteth at the table / or he that sytteth at y^e table. Is nat he the gretter (sayth Christ) whiche sytteth at the table? But the people are those chyldren & sonnes of the spouse / whiche as honorable ꝑsons sytteth at the table or borde of y^e gos pel. The prelates of the churche be ministers which standeth by / & wal­keth to & fro lokyng about / that no thyng be wantyng to any of the ge­stes syttyng at that borde / and that whiche they perceyue to be most cō ­uenyent & mete for eche man / y^t they bringe forthe out of the riche store­house of the spouse / which is Christ If Christ / whiche without cōtrauer sye or doute / is gretter than al cōpa rison / dyd cal him selfe a minister or seruaūt / & behaued him self as a ser uaunt / euyn vnto the wasshyng of his apostels feete. What aught the [Page 83] bysshops to do / whiche accordynge to the mynde of saynt Hierome / are fathers / nat lordes / but mynisiers / to whom the dispensation & myny­stration of the mysteries of god / is cōmytted & betaken / nat the autho­rite whiche also may fal in to synne as wel as other men / & are ignorāt them selues in many thynges. Let the bysshops therfore rule & gouern the people / but as a fader ruleth his children or sonnes / & as the husbāde ruleth his welbeloued spousesse or wyfe. Neither let the bysshop wene that it is lauful for him to do what soeuer him lyst with his flocke / of y^e whiche he shal gyue accōpte & recke nyng to the heed shepherde / & the ve ry pastor Christ. And let him remē bre this thing also / that his autho­rite is to be defended & maynteyned nat onely by sharpe & strait cōmaū dementes / by proude & stately conn­tynaūce / [Page] by [...] or [...] / and punysshmētes or vengaunce / (with the which thinges / nat so mo che as the very tyrantes are wonte / suffyciently to mayntayne their au­thorite) but rather with purite & ho lynesse of lyueng / with mekenesse / with myldnesse & gētilnesse / with [...] doctryne / with fatherly moniciōs with louyng & frendly exhortatiōs. Paule / in punysshyng him which had his fathers wife / executed and shewed forth y^e authorite of an apo­stel / but howe oftentymes dothe the same Paule humble hym selfe / spe­kyng fayre / prayeng / besechyng / [...] / re (que)ryng in goddes behalfe Cōtynual purite & clēnesse of lyfe / is a certayn thyng worthy to be ho­noured & had in reuerēce. An Euā gelycal mynde / dispisyng riches / dis pisyng houours / dispisyng pleasu­res / desyrous to do good to al men / [Page 85] redy to put euen his life ī ieoꝑdy for the sauegarde of y^e flocke cōmytted vnto him / wīneth the fauour of the people / more than a man wolde be­leue. A mynde replenysshed with knowlege of holy scripture / a tonge no lesse holy than eloquent / vtterīg and brīgyng forthe of the riche store house of Christ / bothe olde thynges and newe / maketh y^e people to loke vp / & purchaseth to hym selfe great reuerence & worship. By these thyn­ges chefely the authorite of the bys­shops is both goten & defended / moche better & more safely thā by these wordes: We ordayne / we decre & de­termyne / we charge / we cōmaunde / we wol / & suche other. Such thyn­ges as I rehersed her afore / causeth that the people wyllyngly of their own accorde / doth a great dele more than is required of them / & that they be more styred with fatherly exhor­tation [Page] than with any manacyng or threttes / be they neuer so lordly / shar pe / & cruel. Do we nat se / as oft as any man sprīgeth vp / cōmended w^t any maner opinion of holynesse / & whiche appereth to be a trewe prea­cher of the gospel: howe greatly the [...] dothe sauer him with al their herts / how desyrous they are to here him / how they marke & regarde his wordes / howe al their mynde is hol­ly gyuen & sette to gyue hede to that whiche cometh from his mouth? If they dyd se & parceyue a very father ly mynde / suche as Paule or Peter had / what thyng wolde nat the peo­ple do? The disciples receyued Pau le non otherwyse / than if he had ben Christ him selfe / beyng redy euen to plucke out their owne eyes / & to ha­ue gyuen them to him / if he had desy red it. By this meanes shal y^e order best be mayntayned & [...] / and [Page 87] their authorite be made fyrme & sta­ble / and peace & concorde sted fastly cōtynue: if both partes stryue & la­bour eche to ouercōe other with be­nefaytes / & doyng their dewty to o­ther / for [...] it is but a tyrannycal peace / whan y^e people opp̄ssed with [...] / resteth & are quiete in their bodies / but in their mīde doth grud­ge agaynst their superiours / & cur­seth & wyssheth yuel vnto thē. Nei­ther let any man crye out / the autho rite of the prelates & bysshops forth with to be mynisshed / if prouisyon be made for the lyberte & quietnesse of the people. Fyrst this thyng belō geth to the mayntenaūce of the bys­shops authorite / that the people do iuge wel / & haue good opynion of them. But that man semeth to ha­ue lytel good opynion of them / whi che iugeth them to be of that mynde that they wolde their subiectes to be [Page] wrapped & intangled with very ma ny snares & [...] of cōstitutiōs so that they myght rule after theyr owne pleasure. That man onely hath good [...] of the bysshop / which iugeth him selfe to be of that mynde that he coueteth very [...] / his [...] to be as free as myght be in Christ / & at lyberte from [...] ce & entāglyng of scrupulusnesse & gyleful snares. For that man doth nothyng derogate or mynisshe of y^e kynges authorite / which wolde nat that he might do any thing cōtrary to right & good cōsciēce / cōtrary to the cōmen lawes / contrary to y^e cu­stomes & priuileges of the cytezins / contrary to the othe whiche he made at his coronation. Nay / rather he taketh a way y^e hole authorite of the kyng / whiche iugeth that of y^e kyng whiche is more mete to be thought and iuged of tprātes / than of a lau [Page 89] ful prince. Wherfore if the kyng do nat require or loke / y^t any mā shuld be bounde by his cōmaūdement or statute to any payne / either of pay­ing money / or els of suffryng in his body / excepte his statute be rightful and accordyng to equite / resonable / and made after dewe forme & ma­ner: & approued by the cōsent of the people / & finally dothe not requyre / that euery maner cōstitution shulde make them boūde to ieoꝑdy of their lyues / dothe nat that man seme to iuge the bysshop to be a very [...] whiche iudeth him to be of y^t mynde that he wolde his [...] to be boū de with al maner constitutiōs of his makyng to y^e [...] of helle? But the lawes of [...] & laye princes: are [...] ful of [...] & thret nyng / & with a payne sōwhat [...] pe & cruel / doth [...] mē rather than punysshe thē. What maner & lawe / [Page] that lawe of the. xii. tables is sayd to haue ben / whiche commaunded that the body of that man shulde be cutte in sonder / whiche was in dette to many men / & nat able to paye & satisfye them. And those poetes and wyse men of y^e olde tyme / feared the vnlerned multitude / & nat able to be handled & ruled with the reasons of philosophy / away from yuel doyng with the lyghtnyng of Jupiter / ta­kyng vēgeaūce vpon malefacters / with the saynynges of y^e furies / the punysshers of great synnes / of Ka­damāthus iuge in helle / & of other terrible & dredeful paynes & turmē ­tes / whiche the foules of yuel men shulde suffre there after this lyfe.

Though we do graūt to y^e laye prīces somwhat of suche maner fay nyng / yet I do nat thynke that it is to be receyued in the bysshops / whi­che professeth the doctryn of y^e truth [Page 91] of the gospel. But who so euer cō ­maūdeth or maketh a lawe / casteth on an halter or snare to bynde men / but who so euer exhorteth / dothe so cal men to the better thynges / that he do nat take frō them their liberte Parauēture some man wyl say / an exhortation is to weake a thyng and of to smal strength: it is nede­ful to cōmaūde & make lawes / for the sturdy & vnruly persons. Me se meth the cōtrary. Oftētymes / more is obtayned & gotten with fatherly exhortation / than with tyrānycal & cruel exaction. Let this be counted a lye / yf we do nat fynde it trewe by dayly experiēce in our wyues & chil dren / & except Roboam to his great hurte & myschefe hath taught it to be trewe / whiche had yuel chaunce & lucke / of folowyng the cruel & thret nyng counsayle of his yonge cōpa­nyōs. If the people shal se one whi [Page] che is a very preest or bysshop ī dede his exhortation shalbe of [...] & strength. But if open wicked [...] corrupt & vnclene maners / grose ig norāce / insactable couetusnes / bar­barical crudelyte / shal haue [...] hym vtterly out of fauour with the people: what shal it auayle or pro­fyte to cōmaūde & to make cōstitu­tions? They whiche wyl nat obey / shal synne more greuously for cau­se of their cōtumacy & stubbernesse and they whiche shal obey onely for seare / shal deserue nothyng at al / or els very lytel / for asmoch as no mā sulfylleth the precepte / which fulful leth it / beyng cōpelled ther vnto by violence. ye / & parauēture his ypo­crisy doubleth the offence: It lyeth than most of al in our owne selues that oure exhortation / be it neuer so gentel & louyng / may be of autho­rite & regarded amonge the people. [Page 93] Therfore they do very wel / whiche prouydeth that the authorite of the prelates may be saued / but they pro uyde very yuel for it / which wyl ha ue it to be saued & mayntayned hose non other wise thā w^t threttes & fea­re. But in y^e meane season it is rizt and accordyng / that some prouision be made to saue the lyberte of y^e slo­cke, as moche as equite re (que)reth / for it also hath a certayne authorite be­longyng to it selfe / & that no small or lyght authorite. Doth nat custōe [...] & disanul a lawe / in so mo che that a lawe is nat worthy to be called a lawe / except it be approued by the consente of the people / whiche grudgeth nat to vse it? What thing hath disanulled & made of no stren­ght / so many cōstitutions made in the last coūsayle / called Consilium lateranēs / which began vnder pope July the seconde / & was fynisshed & [Page] ended vnder pope Leo the tenth.

☞ Was it not the custome & vsage of the people / which were neuer mi­ded to obey the cōstitutiōs & decrees whiche were made in that coūsayse. Doutlesse such is y^e voice of the peo ple / whiche same also is called y^e voi ce of god / such is the authorite of the fre multytude: a regarde & respecte of the which is mete to be had / as of tentymes as it goth nat a wry from the rule of vertue & holynesse. Wher fore he shal gyue good counsayle / who so euer wyl so moderate & or­der his coūsaile / that both partes be prouyded for indifferētly. Nowe as cōcernyng the offendyng of our neighbours cōscience / howe moche it is to be regarded / let vs consyder in fewe wordes. ☞ Our capitayn and mayster Jesu Christ / somtyme regardeth y^e offendyng of other mē / and applyed him selfe to auoyde the [Page 95] same. Agayn at another tyme here garded it nat / that y^e phariseis were offended. He wolde be born of a ma ried woman / he was circumcised / he obserued the ceremonyes apoynted and cōmaunded in the lawe / he dyd faste / lest any thyng might haue be layde agaynst hym / wherin it mizt appere of lyklyhode that he had don wickedly / or cōtrary to iustice. But he dyd nat cesse to preche his father / he dyd nat cesse to teche the heuenly philosophy / he cessed nat to do good to al mē / he feared not to heale men on the sabbot day / though the phari seis were greued with these thinges / he gaue occasyon to Herode also to be offended / to whom he wold make non answere / & therfore Herode dis­pised him. And in a certayne place / whan he was warned & tolde / that the phariseis were offended: What answere made he? Let them alone [Page] (saith he) they are blynde gydes of the blynde. Accordyng to his enfā ­ple / the apostels also in many thyn­ges applyed themselues to the infir myte & weaknesse of the iewes / feste any thynge myght haue hyndred or letted the course & goynge forwarde of the gospel. But yet dyd they nat in al thynges / nor at al tymes auoy de the offendyng of al men / for the iewes coulde nat with any cryenge out of them / cause them to cōpel the gentyls to be circūcised. This thing onely they dyd for a season / hauing respecte to the inuyncyble ꝑtynacy & fro wardnesse of the iewes / y^t they cōmaūded the gentyles to abstayne from fornycation / from the blode / and from the beest which was suffo cated / & from the flesshe which was offred in sacrifyce to ydols. Paule dyd shaue of the heer of his heed / he vsed the maner & ceremonys of the [Page 97] iewes / in the feestes called the Nudi pedales: he dyd purifye him selfe a­mong other in the temple / to thētent that he mought mytigate & pacifye the mynde of certayn persons / whi che were redy to haue reysed vp sedi tion & stryfe. But although he dyd these thynges / yet where so euer he mought [...] he spake aga­ynst them / he cōfesseth & knowle­geth that it is sauful to eate al ma­ner meates / but a chaūce salleth o­ther whyles / that it is nat expedient to vse this lyberte. He [...] to vs the syberte of the gospel / but charite whiche measureth al thynges by the profyte of the neighbour / other whi­les wyllyngly forgoth of her ryght and lyberte / but nat vtterly in eue­ry thyng / neither cōtynually & at al [...] / but in the meane season stri­ueth to her power agaynst the infyr mite & weaknesse of them which vn [Page] discrete are offended without cause / and for thynges of smal value / vn tyl that they also do profyte & grow vp to suche strength of spirite / that they be no lōger offended with those thinges / which of their own nature are neither good nor yuel. Paule as concernynge the vse of meates / other whyles among the iewes was made as a iewe / to thende y^t he myzt wynne the iewes to Christ. Agayne among the gētyles he became a gen tile / to wyn them also But it shulde be an vnsemely thing & against rea son / if any man no we a dayes also wolde lykewise amōg the iewes be­come a iewe / abstaynyng from the meates whiche are forbydden & nat lauful to be eaten among them / [...] he myght ronnein to the hatered of the iewes. Ye moreouer Paule rebu keth Peter / by canse that (whan the doctryne of Christ was so publys­shed [Page 99] and sprede abrode / that it was mete & accordynge for the iewes be­yng taugh & monisshed to haue for­saken & caste away their superstiti­ous weaknesse) yet he / lest he shuld haue offended the iewes / dyde with­drawe him selfe from the company of the gentyles / and wolde nat eate with them / and so auoydyng to of­fende the iewes / he fell in to a more greuous offendyng of the gentiles.

That tyme was / as aman wolde say / the infancy and fyrst age of the gospel. And the relygion of y^e lawe which they had lerned and receyued of their forefathers / & whiche also was confyrmed by long vsage and custom / was so faste grounded and roted inwardly in y^e myndes of the iewes / that this affection for a sea­son was to be pardoned & to be suf fred in them / for as moche as it dyd springe and ryse of an honest cause [Page] and coulde nat sodainly be agayne [...] out of the myndes os men. Moreouer of this offendyng / great ieopardy shulde haue folowed.

☞ The nation of the iewes / which toughly cleued to the custome vsed of their forefathers / was tourned to the hatered of the gospel. The gen­tyles so hated and abhorred the bur thayn of Moyses lawe / that many of them coulde fynde in their hertes rather to haue renoūced Christe a­gayne / than to receyue the ceremo­nyes & lawe of y^e iewes. And whan nothyng is more abhomynable thā idolatry / yet he that dydeate of the flesshe whiche was offred in sacry­fyce to an idole at that tyme / gaue a sykely occasyon to be suspected / as though he dyd fauour and agree to the suꝑstition of them / with whom he dyd eate. And yet cryeth Paule / euen in this also / y^e lawe to be abro [Page 101] gated and of no strength: he cryeth that an ydole is nothynge / that the flesshe offred to an idole is nothyng els / but as other flesshe is: he rebu­keth that man / who so euer wyttīg­ly offendeth his brother with his ea­tyng. But agayne he chydeth hym / whiche iugeth another mānes con­science in meate or drynke / & whiche speketh yuel of his brother for the meate sake / for the which he gyueth thankes to the goodnesse & lybera­lyte of the lorde / which hath created and made al thynges / to the behoue and vse of men. He scorneth the fo­lysshe wysedome of them / whiche as though they had taught a certayne great thyng / dyd saye. Touch nat / taste nat / handyl nat. As the super­stitious choyse of meates which the iewes vsed by the coūsayle & autho­rite of Paule hath begon to [...] dispi sed / after that y^e gospel is nowe suf­fyciently [Page] publysshed & openly kno­wen. So of lykelyhode it semeth / y^t the meate offred to an ydole / is to be dispysed / seyng that it is nowe suf­fyciently knowen / that christen men may with pure and clene conscience eate al maner of meates / accordyng to the necessyte of the body / gyueng thankes to him / whiche hath orday­ned and prouyded al thynges y^t are in this worlde / for his worshippers. Whan he him selse is lorde of al thin ges / and whiche wolde nothyng to be impure or vnclene to those per­sons / whyche be pure and clene.

Wherfore to conclude / seyng that the lauful cause to be offended / ces­seth: Seyng also that the kyngdom of god is neither meate ne drinke / & seyng that the abstaynyng from certayne meates / prouoketh the moste parte of ryche men to superfluyte & delycate fare / & dothe cruelly greue [Page 103] and payn the poore men. It is to be consydred and loked on / whether we ought to stryue so greatly as we do for suche maner constitutions.

In that tyme wherof we spake before / the apostels for a season dyd that thing which they thought most expedient for the fortheraūce of the gospel / which than was yonge and newe begon. Somwhat they ap­plyed them selues to the affectiōs of men / remaynynge of the maner of lyueng whiche they had vsed afore­tyme. And that they so dyd / it was but for a season / of charite and not of right or necessyte / and they dyde nat so in al thinges nor at al tymes neither yet without spekyng agaīnst suche infyrmite / as we haue sayde before. But no we adayes / how for tuneth it that occasyon to be offēded is takenne of suche thynges / the vse wherof is nat forbydden by the gos [Page] pel / but rather y^e forbidders of them are condempned by the writynge of Paule the apostel. Forbyddynge (sayth he) the meates / whiche god hath created to be eaten / and sorbyd dyng to mary or wedde. Finally howe farforthe semeth the greuyng or offending of our neighbour to be auoyded? Paule dyd forbeare and abstayne from y^e flesshe which was offred to an idole / but nat except he had ben warned afore / that it was sacrifyced to ydoles. But the same Paule dyde eate all maner meates / askyng no question / for hurtyng a­nother mannes conscience. And yet in this thynge / wherof we do nowe speke / the offendyng of other mēnes consciēce myght be auoyded / with­out any great grefe or incōmodite: for he that for a season dyd refrayn from flesshe offred to an ydole / had other flesshe at hande which he mizt [Page 105] [...]. If any man dyd [...] frō builes flesshe whiche was offred to Neptunus / he myght eate partrych or capon / whiche was nat offred to any false god: and yet dyd they nat so moche as abstayne from flesshe which was offred to idoles / but one ly whan they sawe occasion. Some man abstayned from swynes flessh and dyd eate a plouer. But nowe a dayes whan for y^e most parte of the hole yere / the eatynge of al maner flesshe is forbydden: thynkest thou it right or reason / that I for y^e weak nesse and superstityousnesse of this man or that / shulde stande in ieoꝑ­dy of my helth and of my lyfe / seing that by this tyme / all christen men ought to haue ben taught / that they shulde nat iuge their neyghbour by suche maner thynges? But if it se­me to be / that chusten charite so mo che ought to apply it selfe to y^e weke [Page] nesse of vnlerned or superstycyous persones / that to auoyde the offen­dyng of them / we wolde haue hym whiche is stronge in conscyence / to ronne in to ieopardy of his helth or of his lyfe. Why do we nat y^t same / in those thynges wherin is iust and manyfest occasyon of offendyng o­ther men. There be prelates of y^e church / whiche whan they haue yere ly rentes and possessyons / so great / that they maye compare in rychesse with any kynges / yet neyther they do teache y^t people / and besydes that lyueth wickedly / euyn in the open syght of the people / so that the vnler ned men are offended therby. But here in this thyng / we do nothynge regarde the offendynge of their con­sciences / but rather of the weake per sons. We do require so gret fyrmyte and strength / that they are cōmaun ded to beleue / excepte they had lea­uer [Page 107] be counted heretykes / that what so euer thynge is done by them / ou­ther whā they lose or bynde / or whā they blesse or curse / or els whā they graunt forth pardons or restrayne them / is of the same strength / as if it had be don by the apostel Paule / Andrewe or Iames. And yet this offendynge of the people ryseth of a thyng which of the owne kynde and nature is so yuel / that though men wolde take none occasyon therof to be offended / yet ought it to be auoy ded and eschewed / for as moche as it offendeth the eyes of god. Besyde this / though al maner of backbyti­ge appereth to eche mā for to be vn­lauful / and a greate synne: yet in this thyng we do nat regarde the of fendyng of weake persons / but bol dely and strongly we folowe oure owne appetyte and affection. In these thynges onely whiche are so [Page] lauful / that who so euer forbyddeth them / nedeth great defence / leste he myght seme to do clene agaynste the doctryne of the gospel: so moche we do regarde the offendynge of weake persons / that for the folysshe super­stition of them / we wolde haue our brother to stande in ieopardy of his lyfe / rather than to eate certayn me­tes / whiche are necessary for him.

Is nat this to transgresse the com maundementes of god / for the tra­ditions of men? I knowe right wel most exellent prelate / that your ho­lynesse hath sayd a prety whyle ago for what entente are these so many thynges spoken? Is it to disalo we the choise of meates / whiche the vse and custome of the churche hathe a­lowed / and yet dothe alowe? To speke y^e truthe playnly / as I do [...]: I wolde fayne that al thynges whiche are of this kynde and sorte / [Page 109] or els at the lestwise / the exaction of suche thynges were clene rydde out of the way / so y^t what so euer were abated or taken away from ceremonyes / shulde be added to the exercy­ses and workes of trewe holynesse. And so that as moche as the iudai­cal and superstitious maner of ly­uyng shulde decreace and be minis­shed / so moche y^e trewe christian maner of lyueng / myzt encreace and be augmented. But if the cōmen sorte of vnlerned persons / can nat vtter­ly be kepte in doyng their dewty / w^t out suche maner of ceremonyes / yet I wolde nat the christian lyberte to be clogged with very many suche / I wolde nat the consciences to be so bounde / that they shulde beleue that they dyd deedly synne if they dyd ea­te / except it were don of a froward / a stubburne / and a disobedient mīde. I wolde nat that of an vnreso­nable [Page] iugement and clene out of or der / those thynges shulde be so gret­ly regarded / whiche of them selues are almost of no value. And those thynges nothing regarded and sette by / without the whiche there can be no good lyueng accordyng to y^e gos pel. But these thynges / seyng that they be fast rooted by vse & custom: I wolde nat that they shulde be sedy ciouslye dispysed / but outher to be put downe by lytel and lytel / or els to be taken awaye by the authoryte of the heedes and rulers / but so ta­ken away / that in the meane season the people shuld be called and exhor ted to better thynges. But here pa­rauenture some man wyl obiecte & laye agaynst me / that suche maner ceremonys / though they do nat mo­che good / or be nat greatly profyta­ble / at the lestwyse they do no hurte / ye / and this ferforth dothe helpe to [Page 111] good lyuenge / that they putte vs in remembraunce of trewe & inwarde holynesse / and are as guydes or lea ders / to enduce the weake and vnler ned persones to trewe vertue / lyke­wise as the lawe of Moyses was to the iewes: And we do se / howe gret the weaknesse is of christen men al­so. The eatyng of flesshe forbydden putteth vs in remembraunce & tea­cheth / that al ryote and superfluyte and what so euer thyng is wonte to folowe superfluyte / are to be auoy­ded and eschewed. Fastyng cōmaū ded / putteth vs in remēbraūce & tea cheth / that we ought to abstayn frō al vyces & synnes / for that onely is the [...] that is pleasaunt & accepta­ble to god. If this reason doth lyke and please so greatly / than let vs be circūcised also / seyng that circumci­syon bothe doth abate of the delecta tion & pleasures in gendring / & also [Page] putteth vs in remēbraunce / that the herte & mynde is to be circūcised / frō al grose & carnal affections. Let vs than also slee bestes & make sacry­fice of them / for this thīg putteth vs in remēbraunce / that the brutyssh & beestly affectiōs of our myndes / are to be tamed and subdued. But that we might be monysshed & put in [...] by such maner of [...] res / it is suffycient for vs / that these thynges were in the olde tyme rely­giously obserued of the iewes / for if trewe holynesse were nothyng hyn­dred by ceremonys / why doth Pau le so feruēntly eueriwhere fyght a­gaynst the ceremonyes: of the lawe of Moyeses? Of a certayntie / these thynges if there be to many of them and vnmesurably vsed / oppresseth the lyberte of the gospel. To put our trust & confydēce in these thīges (as the most parte of the people dothe) [Page 113] is the very pestylence & dystructyon of trewe holynesse / for of these thyn ges / to backbyte thy brother / is the venyin & poyson of the relygion of the gospel / No doute of it / Paule parceyued these thynges very well / whan he so fercely kept warre [...] the lawe of the iewes / beyng aboute to breake in or to approch nye to the maners & lyueng of [...] men. Ye / if I had layser / I coulde make you perceyue & vnderstāde / y^t eue­ry grettest decay & myscheues of the christen cōmen welth / hath spronge out & had their begynnyng of cere­monyes. I do nat alowe y^e stubber nesse & disobedient myndes of these men / which openly & scornfully / as in dispite of the cōmen custom / hath eaten flesshe. But so farsorth I dis alowe them / that I do iuge them to be taught / to be monysshed / & if ne­de requyre / to be rebuked also / but [Page] nat to be accused vnto the heed offy­cers & rulers / as thoughe they were gyltie of murdrīge their own father or mother. & my iugement is / y^t this mater is rather to be dispised & ma­de lyght of / than to be greuously hā dsed. At the lest wise for this cause / lest of this sparke kyndled a gretter fyre might growe / & more hatered a gaynst the clergy / which is to great / and ouer moche al redy. It doth dis­please me / what so euer thyng ꝑtay­neth to sedition & stryse. But yet if no man shulde resyst & withstāde su che maner ceremonyes alwayes in­creacyng & waxing more & more / y^e syberte of the gospel shulde be distro yed for euer / but there is no man to whom it is more cōuenyent to with stande them / than the heedes and ru lers of the church. So crope in by ly tel & lytel y^e custom / which hath ma­de y^e friday a fyssh day. Afterward [Page 115] whan this was wel [...] to passe / saterday also was taken from vs / and no we wednisday also is ī great ieopardy. And for suche maner cere monyes we se so many men to be so re afflycte to be in ieoꝑdy / ye fynal­ly to dye: & we se many men to stā ­de folysshly in their owne conceyte / and to thynke them selues trewe cri sten men / whan they are in dede ve­ry iewes / and for the trust & confy­dence which they haue in these thyn­ges / to regarde no whyt those thyn­ges which belongeth to trewe holy­nesse & vertuous lyueng / but y^e cha rite of the gospel teacheth vs / to so­cour & helpe those whiche are in af­flyction. The lyberte of the gospel / ought nat w^t suche thīges brought in out of mesure / to be called away from more earnest & sadde studyes / and exercises or pastymes. ☞ And thus farforth be it spoken general­ly [Page] of suche maner thynges / nat by­cause I wolde defende those presūp tuous & disobedyent persons / but y^e your wysedom / after that the circū ­staunces of the cause be examyned and discussed / might prouyde & loke aboute / that neyther more nor lesse were done / than the thyng it selfe re­quireth.

NO we wyl I plede myn ow­ne cause ī fewe wordes / nat bycause I haue gyuen occasyon to any good man for to be offēded / for that whiche I dyd / I wolde nat ha­ue ben a [...] to haue done it / if Christ hym selfe had sytten at y^e sa­me table with me. For I was ī that state / that any man wolde haue [...] me more worthy to be piteed thā to be rebuked. But that nat withstā dyng / I wyl nat suffre that amōge those which knoweth nat the mater [Page 117] as it is in very dede / any man myzt cloke his owne boldnesse by myne example / or by my necessyte defēde his owne vndyscrete presumption.

Fyrst I dyd nat [...] or ex­horte any man to eate flesshe with­out necessytie / but rather I taught / that the cōmen custom is to be folo wed and obserued. I my selfe haue suche affection to warde flesshe / y^t if I myght mayntayn & saue my lyfe with pees & fetches / I wolde neither desyre flesshe ne [...]. Moreouer nat withstandyng y^t I am wont al most eche lent to be in greate ioꝑdy / by the reason of weaknesse & sickly­nesse of my body / and of a certayne natural hatered that I haue to war des fysshe. In so moche that y^e phy­sycions haue oftentymes called on me / and counsayled me to helpe my selfe by eatyng flesshe. vet I dyd ne uer folowe their coūsayle / but ones [Page] in Italye (whan the phisycion had thretned me thā certayn dayes / that there was none other way with me but dethe / vnlesse I wolde folowe his counsayle. And yet for al that / I dyd after his coūsayle but a fewe dayes onely / and thus farsorth / that I dyd eate the brothe of flesshe tem­pred with the [...] of egges / ab­staynyng from the flesshe selfe / whi che although my minde had desyred yet my stomake wolde nat haue re­ceyued / so weake and feble it was at that tyme: & nowe a fewe dayes in this lent / and that by the cōmaū ­dement of the phisycion / & nat with out lycence and pardone of y^e pope / whose bulles I haue hadde redy to shewe these certayn yeres / yet dyd I neuer vse them afore nowe / as con­cernynge the eatynge of flesshe. Admytte that I dyd this without y^t phisycions authorite. What phisy­cion [Page 119] knoweth better this my weake body than my selfe? But the case put / that I had done it without any pardon or lycence: Doth nat neces­syte excuse better than any ꝑdone?

Fyrst cōsyder myne age / y^e weak­nesse & crachynesse of my body al­most cōtynual / consyder y^e labour and traueyle of iournayeng / the la­bours ī studyeng / wherin I am bu syed contynually / aboue the strēgth of bothe my body & mynde. More­ouer / the murre & fleme / nay rather a very pestylēce payned & vexed me almoste. xx. dayes. The same ha­uyng recourse after a certayn space betwene / helde me bothe longer and more greuously. Besydes this / a ly tel before lent / y^e stone toke me with a marueylous payne & turmētynge of al my body. This disease tho­ugh it be most sharpe & cruel & most redy paryl & ieopardy is in it of all [Page] diseases (for women are nat in mo re ieopardy of lyfe whan they tra­ueyle of chylde) yet almost euery se conde day it had recourse to me / so that with a wretched and a paynful frutefulnesse / I dyd [...] in one day / and traueyled the nexte day / & in the thirde was delyuered. What wise man wolde nat say that I had ben a murdrer of myne owne selfe / if I had abstayned from flesshe be­yng in that case? He y^t wyl folowe Erasmus / lette him solowe him in euery poynt / and he shal nat be bla­med. Nowe what perteyneth the example of Erafmus / to them whi che are stronge & in good helth / whi che ar ydel / which are drōken / which eateth in dispyte or for a scorne / nat for any necessyte. Nowe there re­mayneth one doute / as concernyng the offendyng of weake persons. I do nat deny but that christian chary [Page 121] tie counsayleth / in euery thynge as moche as maye be / to prouyde that weake persons haue none occasyon gyuen to them wherfore they might be offended. I here Paule redy to abstayne from the eatyng of flesshe al his lyfe long / rather than that he wolde offende his neyghboure with his eatynge. But the same Paule / as we haue sayd before: doth chyde and rebuke those which [...] their brother for meate or drinke. And in the meane season he reckeneth them to be most pestylent / whiche dyd for bydde to eate the meates whiche god hath ordeyned to the vse of man.

☞ Why doste thou (sayth he) [...] another mānes seruaunt? he stan­deth or [...] to his lorde or master & wherfore am I iuged of another mannes conscyence in that thynge / for the which I gyue thākes to god? He that eateth / lette him not dispyse [Page] him that doth nat eate: And he that eateth nat / let him nat iuge that par sone whiche eateth. After the mynde than & iugement of Paule / he is the weaker person of y^e two which doth nat eate. And he synneth more gre­uously / which iugeth one that is bet ter than him self / & to whō he ought rather to haue gyue place. And yet charite / whiche attēpreth & applyeth her selfe to al men / gyueth place for a season to the weaknesse of this ꝑ­sone / if he be offended of any proba­ble or lykly cause / & if he can nat be amended: but nat vtterly in euery thynge / & at al tymes. For there is some thyng / wherin the weake per­son is to be monysshed and taught. Ther is / wherin he is to be rebuked or repreued. There is also / wherin he is to be dispysed / for els by conty nual applyeng to their myndes / to do nothyng els / but norisshe the dis­ease [Page 123] & sickenesse of weake ꝑsons in conscyēce / is the straightest & nexte way / to distroy al Euāgelycal holy nesse. And yet Paule speketh of in­fyrmyte & weaknesse / whiche was welnere [...] / which by y^e rea­son that they had receyued it of their elders & auncesters / & also of longe vsage & custome / was so depely so­ken & setled in the myndes of men / that it coulde nat sodaynly be pluc­ked out agayn / for so the iewes coul de nat suffre the lawe to be abrogat and disanussed / in whiche they were born & brought vp / & had cōtynued in the relygious obseruation therof to their olde age. So some man of the gentyls / if he shulde haue sene a christen man syttyng at the table a­mong cōpany / where was set afore them flesshe / whiche had ben offred to ydols / he coulde nat but suspecte / that that christen man dothe cōsente [Page] to the suꝑstition of thē / with whom he kepte cōpany at meale. And yet for al that / Paule cryeth out stout­ly & boldly in the meane season that an ydole is nothing / & that it is lau sul to eate what so euer thyng is sol de in the shambles. He cryeth / that the ceremonyes of the lawe / whiche were ordayned for a season / ought to be abolysshed & put a way / whan the gospel shulde take place & be of strength. And to make an ende / he withstode Peter / & rebuked hym to his face / bycause he was nat yet bol de to set lyght by the vayn offēdyng of the iewes. Therfore it was ano­ther kynde & maner of offendynge y^e neighbour / wherof Paule dyd spe­ke / the occasyon wherof rose by rea son of a rooted custom / whiche they had vsed in their lyfe afore ledde. But we gendre & seche dayly to our selues / newe mater & occasyons to [Page 125] be offēded after this maner & [...] though we do se and perceyue wel y­nough / ho we greate hurte & hynde­raunce of trewe holynesse hath gro wen therof to y^e lyfe of men. Paule suffreth the weake ꝑsons / but vpon this hope: that they wolde profyte & growe vp to syrmyte & strength of conscience. We do [...] & [...] al togider to ceremonyes / hauynge no mynde or regarde of those thynges / whiche alone dothe make be trewly vertuous & good lyuers. But to returne agayn to myne owne cause howe so euer the mater standeth / as concernyng the auoydyng of offen­dynge our neighbour / neither ī this thynge shal any man thynke (as I trowe) that there lacketh in me cha­rite / couetyng to gyue place to y^e in­fyrmyte & weaknesse of my neygh­bour. I had ordayned the popes pardon / as a preseruatyue agaynst [Page] suche maner offences / for I do nat se for what other vse it is good or ꝓ fytable to me. furthermore / as mo che as I myght / I dyd eate flesshe se cretely. ye / moreouer I dyd vtterly abstayn from flesshe / euyn to y^e ma nyfest and open ieopardy of my ly­fe / oftentymes disobeynge the cou­sayls of phiscyciens. What can I do more / excepte that (for to auoy­de the supersticyous weaknesse / I wyl nat say the peruerse masyce of certayne persones / whiche fyndeth sautes with euery thynge) I shulde also dye. He shulde be an vnchary­table man (I trowe) whiche wolde requyre this thynge of me / & I my selfe shulde be a manqueller / if I wolde do accordynge to his request.

It belongeth to the charite of a christen man / to interprete and iuge euery thyng to y^e best / what so euer maye be done with a good mynde & [Page 127] purpose. And those which be lerned in the christen faithe / ought to haue knowen that fastynge & eatynge of fysshe / was nat cōmaūded & apoyn ted for thē which are in ieoꝑdy by y^e reason of sicknesse / but to such whi che are in ieoꝑdy by reason of rāck­nesse & wantōnesse of y^e flessh. But if any man yet be very suꝑstitious / if he that eateth flesshe / do monyssh and coūsayle him by these wordes.

Brother / let nat myne exāple a ny thing offende you / I am cōstray ned to do y^t I do / wolde god I were more helthy: I am glad of [...] strē ­gth & helth / do nat you wrongfully accuse my feblenesse & weakenesse. He hath sufficiētly (as I wene) dis charged his own cōsciēce: but no we to make an ende. In lyke maner as I do iuge thē worthy to be sharpely rebuked / whiche of a sedytious pre­sūption & boldnesse / dothe violate & [Page] breake the cōmen custome / namely suche a custome which is nat cōtra­ry to trewe holynesse & gode lyueng Some semeth y^t the curates & prea chers shulde do very wel / if by y^e au thorite of the bysshops / they dyd de­noūce fastyng to the people / in this wyse. Derely the hole lyfe of chry­sten men ought by cōtynual sober­nesse to be a certayn fast / nat onely from meates / but moch more from al maner riote / & from al pleasures of this worlde / frō carnal affectiōs or desyres of the flessh / whiche war­reth alwayes agaynst the spyrite. But yet neuerthelesse / the authorite of y^e church / & the custom of our el­ders & fore fathers / exhorteth & cal­leth vpon vs / that such as may for strength of body / for lauful age / & plenty of substaūce / shulde prepare their myndes with fastyng to y^e ho­ly day. But let your fast be such as [Page] becometh christen men / if you wyl that it be acceptable & plesaūt to Ie­su Christ: let it be an hole & parfyte fast. It is the lest parte of fastyng / the abstynēce of certayn meates: it is an vnplesaunt fast to god / wher­by peace & cōcorde is broken. They that do fast / let thē gyue thankes to god for y^e strēgth of their body / whi che by abstynēce & fastyng / is made more apte & mete to godly thynges. And they whiche do nat fast / let thē gyue thākes to the lorde / whiche of his lyberalyte & goodnesse / doth my nyster dyuers plenty of meates / to norisshe & cōforte our weake & feble bodyes with al. They that fasteth / let them nat stande therfore in their owne cōceyte / as though they dyd a gret & an exellēt thing / excepte they put to greatter and better thynges. They whiche fasteth nat / lette them so moche the more endeuer by godly [Page] exercyses & workes / that they maye make recōpence & amendes for that thyng / whiche the weaknesse of bo­dy wyl nat suffre thē to do. He that doth nat abstayn / let him nat trou­ble the cōmen custome / & let him a­uoyde the offendyng of weake per­sons / as moche as he may cōueny­ently. He that dothe abstayne / lette him beware y^e he iuge nat his neigh bour (agaynst the doctryne both of Christ & the apostels) of such thyn­ges whiche of their own nature are indifferent / & maye be done outher wel or yuel. He doth lesse synne whi che suppeth al his lyfe without any nede / than he which for meate or dri [...] sclaundreth & backbyteth his ney ghbour / whom accordyng to the cō maūdement of god / he ought to lo­ue as wel as his owne selfe. Suche maner monytions & counsayls / by cause they helpe greatly to the pur­pose / [Page 131] are oftētymes among to be re hersed to the people. Moreouer this thīg also / I wolde sayn to be playn ly declared & shewed, for the weake and fraysul consciences sakes / whi che cōstitutyons bynde / and whom they bynde: and whom they bynde nat: & howe farforth they bynde / or nat bynde. Neither I do thynke in my mynde / that so narowe boūdes or meares are to be sette & marked out / in these thynges which may be released of man / let these be gentyl and fauourable fatherly charitie.

But agaynst enuy / against back bytyng / agaynst manslaughter / & agaynst warres / and such other vn douted & very pestylences and poy­sons of the christyan holynesse: let the authorite of y^e bysshops be shar­pe and cruel. These thynges I thought best to write to you moost worshypful man & most vertuous [Page] prelate / nat that I wolde teache you whiche are moft lerned / or plede my cause: and defende my selfe before youre hyghnesse / whiche knoweth bothe my labours in studies / which I haue taken for the cōmen profy­tes sake / & also this my mynde / whi che desyreth nothyng lesse thā meate or drinke / and the weaknesse of my body which is encreased by olde age and this presente disease whiche cle­ueth to me and vexeth me to to mo­che: But that by you I myght ou­ther pacifye or heale other men / if my dede happely hath offended any men / or myne exāple hath drawen any to ouermoche lybertie or bolde­nesse. And that these thynges som­what largely hath ben dysputed of me: there was none other cause els / but onely that I had very good opi nyon of your synguler wysedome / and gentylnesse or pacience. For [Page] whan I dyd consyder & cal to my re nembraūce / the noblenesse of your [...] / your most pure and [...] maners & exellent lernynge / ynally your synguler wysedome / and other gyftes & vertues / semely for a bysshop / I dyd nat feare / feste you wolde take any thyng in to sus [...] / whiche were spoken sōwhat boldly & largely / of the oflyce & dew tie of bysshoppes. I pray god that wel might your highnesse fare / most holy and vertu­ous prelate.

At Basyle on Eester monday / The yere of our lorde god. M. CCCCC. xx. ii.