¶The Paraphrase.

[Page 8]1 And I wyll geue powre sayth the lorde vnto my two faithfull witnesses / & they shall prophecie a thousande two hōdreth and .lx. dayes / ageynst those enemyes to the confort of my peple. So that though my cyte by troden downe by their cruell lawes of persecutiō to deathe / yet shall yt not be forsakē. And though my peple be ouerloaded with their heythen superstycyons and blasphemouse worshippinges / yet shal they not be lost nor left all wythout socoure.

2 They shal haue my .ii. wytnesses with them to solace thē in theyr trobles / and to confort thē in ther cares. Both Moyses and Christ / both the lawe and the gospell / both the prophetes & the apostles shall stande vpon their syde ād be vpon ther part: yea / for so moche tyme as ther enemies shall vexe thē / ād for so moche space as ther aduersaries shal troble thē Euen a thowsande two hondred and .lx. dayes / whych maketh thre yeare and an half / and is more then the .xlii. monethes by foure score dayes ād foure. Which signifieth that the enemies shal not euer more kepe downe his worde / but their dayes shall be shortened for his electes sake. The scole doctours with their sophistrie hath fantasied the sayd two wytnesses to be Enoch ād Helias / and that they shuld come then from paradyse terrestre [Page] for the same puprose / because that Enoch was takē awaye of God / & Helias was carried hence in a fyery charet / neyther vnderstandinge what paradyse is / nor yet knowynge what yt is to be ta­ken frō hēce. Paradyse is the swete rest of God appoynted vnto thē that depart hence in faythe. The peculiar trāslatiōs of Enoch and Helias were not onlye for a confirmacyon or strengthenynge of the fayth of the fathers for their tymes / but also that they shuld be figurs of Cristes ascencion. And what godlye wyse man can geue more to the figure than to the veryte: More were not they preui­leged frō deathe thā was Christ / though God wolde not then haue yt so openly knowne / to declare hys wonderful powre. Unlyke is it that God shuld cal wytnesses from the dead not promisinge yt by his worde / hauinge powre also from stones to rayse vp Abrahams children / and to geue the sprete of Helias to whome he pleaseth / lyke as he ded to Iohan Baptist / and as he doth now to manye other more in our age / as all the worlde maye se and heare. These wytnesses are two / for so moche as the trewthe of the lorde in the mowthe of two or thre god­lye persones ought to stande.

3 These two wytnesses or faythful procestours of the afore seyd two testamen­tes [Page 9] / hath continewed with the peple of God sens the death of Steuē / for the more part secretlye and vnknowne to the worlde. But now they are come a brode by the appoyntment of God to the vtter confusion of the great aduersarye and manne of synne as Paule doth call hym. And vnto them in thys sixt age of the churche the lord hath geuen the greate powre of hys lyuynge worde / or the sprete of his inuincyble veryte in moche more ample wyse then afore tyme / for the abatement of the seyd enemies or syna­goge of perdycyon.

4 Clothed they shall be in sack clothe (sayth the lorde) No pompe shall apere in their aparell / no glorye of the worlde in their behauer. Neyther shal they be accompanyed with a garde of ruffelinge rutters. Neyther shal they with Annas and Caiphas syt vpon life and deathe. Neyther shal they blesse in the strete with myter / crosse / and cope. Neyther clayme the hyger seates in syde gownes shauen crownes / and typpettes. Neyther shal their be sacke fryres nor franciscanes / monkes / chanons / nor hipocrites. They shal not disfigure them selues to seme religiouse / nor saye longe prayers to apere holye / but in a sober conuersa­cion auoydynge superstuite / they shal cō stātlye witnesse the truthe of God to the vniuersall [Page] worlde / to his glorye and their edification. For sack clothe in the scripturs is a signe of sobryete / sadnesse / ād temperaū ­ce / as in helias and Iohan Baptist.

5 These wytnesses are two swete olyue trees / shedynge forth the fatnesse of the scripturs / ād dulcet sauer of the sprete. God hath so blessed them / that their lippes are full of grace. He hath anoynted thē with the oyle of gladnesse aboue their fellawes / of myrre / bawme / & aloes they dilectably smelle. Non other thynges vtter they but hys infallible veritees.

6 They are also two shynynge candelstickes / settynge forth the lyght / or clerelye openynge the hyddē misteries of the scripturs / to the confort of the gētyles & glory of the Israelites. They are not the lyght it self but onlye instrumētes ordayned to bere witnesse of the light. For there is but one light for al. Onelye a [...]e they the vessels of eleccion (as was paule / to carrye that lyght the worlde ouer.

They stande in the presence of the God of the earthe / or the lorde of all / as menne of most hygh acceptacyon be­fore hym / rebye to do hys wyll and to fulfyll hys conmandemēt and pleasure / hauynge the oyle of hys sprete and the lyght of hys eternall veryte.

¶The Paraphrase.

i Yf anye manne wyll attempte to do them s [...]athe / or presumptuouslye seketh by craf [...]ye colou [...]s / subtle reasons / and deceytfull argumentes / vpon daungers / doubtes / doctor [...] / olde customes / and auctoryte of fathers to hyndre their office / blemyshe their message / and darken their lyght [...] suche fyre shal procede out of their mouthes as shall consume theyr enemy­es.

[Page]2 The eternall worde of the lord that they shall declare (which ys the consu­minge fyre) shall vtterlye destroye thē. So that nothynge shall be seane of that they were afore. Neyther cut showe nor corde / coule nor graye cote / bote nor blacke whode / rother nor scaplar / myter nor croser / sandale nor frocke / shauen crow­ne nor anoynting. For all these are theyr enemies.

3 Cōsumed are they to ther saluaciō that with Matthew become of Publycanes trewe Apostles / and with Paule of fer­ce persecuters charitable teachers. Contrarye wyse are they consumed to theyr damnacyon / whych beynge ouercomen by the manifest veryte / wylfullye persist in their deuyllyshe errours with Antiochus and Pharao / with the Scribes and Pharisees.

4 For yt foloweth. And yf anye manne wyll hurte them / thys wyse must he be kylled. Eyther must he be mortified frō the olde Adam / and changed into a newe man in Christ / or els by the seyd worde must he both be iudged and condemned for the vtter aduersarye of God / with sathan hys auncient captayne. So must he be kylled. And no deathe will be founde lyke vnto that deathe come they ones to the felynge of yt / though they account yt now verye lyght.

[Page 11]5 For these wytnesses haue powre a [...] had Helias / to shutt vp heauen / that yt rayne not in the dayes of their prophecienge / but yet non other wyse thā by the afore seyd worde. For the worde of God ys the verye keye of Dauid / which ope­neth the kyngedome of God to thē that faythfullye beleueth / ād that speareth yt vp also from thē which dwelleth in vn­faithfulnesse. For it is sayd / in the dayes of their prophecyenge. This powre therfor is of the worde / and not of the menne. The worde speareth and openeth / lo­soneth and byndeth / saueth ād dāpneth. He that beleueth (sayth Crist) shall be saued / he that beleueth not is iudged alre­dye. No moyster of grace nor godly wysdome can lyght where sturdye frowar­denesse is roted. The dayes of their prophecyenge in figure is non other than the aforesayd tyme / tymes / and halfe ty­me / or the thre years and .vi. monethes of Helyas.

6 In those dayes shall it not rayne vpō the wycked / they shall haue no grace to receyue the veryte. In parables and fi­gurs shall that be hydden from thē / that shall be euident ynowe vnto the fayth­full. With eares shall they heare ād not vnderstande / with eyes shall they se and not discerue. So blynde wyll their har­tes be. For soche spake the prophetes in [Page] fygurs / Christ in parables / ād the Apostles in misteries. The open truthe of this reuelacion shall not the wycked percey­ue / tyll they tast the plages therof. So­che is the nature of Gods wisdom / that thowgh it be not in gloriouse wordes / fyne paputed termes / nor in perswasi­ble reasons of mānes wytte / but in playne symple speakynge / yet can it not be knowne of the worldly wise. The swete dewe therof will not be receyued of thē / in the aforesayd dayes of prophecie / but he that is blynde shall be blynde styll.

7 These wytnesses haue also powre ouer waters / to turne them into bloude. Whan they interprete and syncerely declare the pure berites of God / which are those wholsome waters that restrayneth the dāpnable drynesse of the sowle / that refresheth the conscyence / and clenseth the harte of the synner / they can not chose but ernestlye condempne the peruerse iudgementes / the couetouse lawes / and hypocritishe workes of the vngodlye. And then is all vncleane vnto them / thē is all bloodye. The gospell which was a stomblynge stone to the Iewes / ād mad folyshenesse vnto the gentyles / is also now vnto them nowrye newe lerninge / sediciouse doctrine / ād abhominable he resye. Yea / and they iudge them worthye to be burned that doth teache it. Thus [Page 12] is it abhorred of them that shall perishe and neuerthelesse to thē that beleue / it is the powre of God vnto saluacyon.

8 Fynallye they haue powre to smyte the earthe with al maner of plages / as ofte as they wyll. Uerye ca [...]the are they that regarde not Gods truthe / as the lorde sayd vnto Adā after hys offence. Ear­th thu art / and vnto earthe shalt thu re­turne. Nothinge they esteme / but that whych ys earthlye. Nothinge they desy­re / but that is carnall. The frowarde creature wyll in no case knowe that is of the sprete. The lyght ys hatefull vnto sore eyes Uerr peynefull is brede to the mouthe that ys not whole. A great mo­te was Crist to the Iewes / as hys true preachers are vnto the blynde worlde yet to thys daye. For they smyte the ear­the.

9 They towche their lyuynge / they re­buke their falshede / they condēpne theyr wyckednesse. They reproue them of syn­ne / of ryghtousnesse and of iudgement. They force not to tell thē of ther vnfaithfulnesse / frawde / and hypocrisye / of their philosophers / prelates / and relygyouse. No greatter [...]lage ys yt to the vngodlye than to heare of theyr euyll doynges. No greater peyne / nor yet greatter ponnyshmēt / than to haue their fawtes opened / and their clonynge colours condem­ned. [Page] That fretteth thē at the very harte. Deathe must be sought out for soche pre­achers. No wonder is yt though thys be here writtē for thys age of the churche. For neuer were more ernest wytnesses then are now / and more are lyke here after to folowe / tyll the māne of synne be fullye knowne / and his kyngedome cle­relye ouerthrowne.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And whan they haue ones fynyshed theyr testimonye (sayth the lorde) the be­ast that came out of the bottomlesse pyt­te [Page 13] / shal make warre ageynst them. No soner shal the witnesses of Gods veryte in allages be taken from the worlde / than he hath prefixed. After nō other sort shall they be sent hence / than he hath ap­poynted by hys eternall decre. Iohā baptist was not enprysoned nor beheaded / tyll he had done hys offyce. Christ was not taken / condemned / and crucyfyed tyl hys howre was come. Paule was not putt vnto deathe / tyl he had fulfilled his course.

2 The beast of the bottomlesse pytte ys the cruell / craftye / ād cursed generacion of Antychrist / the pope with hys byshoppes / prelates / prestes / and relygyouse in Europa / Mahomete with hys dettynge dowsepers in Affrica / and so forth in A­sia and India / all beastlye / carnall / and wycked in their doynges.

3 These maketh warre ageynst Gods wytnesses / whan they hate them / cur­se them / blaspheme them / and persecute thē. Whan they withstande them with their craftes / impugne them with their lyes / and vexe them wyth their deuyllyshnesse / as necessarye it is they shuld do. For yf they haue trobled the head / they must be [...]e also the members. If the howsholder be called Beelzebub / the howsholde must suffre the same. No better is the seruaūt than his lorde / nor [Page] the massenger than he that sent hym.

4 They shall also ouercome them / not with the scripturs / but with their beg­gerlye customes / constitucions / lawes / decrees & tradicyons. They shall scour­ge them or dysgrade them in their syna­goges. They shall delyuer them vp to iustyces / debitees / and rewlers / makynge them their bothers ād slaues / so washinge their owne holye handes frō the she­dynge of innocentes bloode.

5 They shall kylle thē also by their coū sell / to fulfyll the measure of their fa­thers / that all ryghtuouse bloude maye lyght vpon them which hath bene shed­de vpon earthe. Yet shall they not hurte their sowles / but through faythe they shall haue victorye bothe ouer them and the deuyll.

6 And their bodyes shall lye in the stre­tes of the great cyte. In this worlde shall their carkases remayne / where as they haue rewle and domynyon. Here shall they be iudged and condempned. At their pleasure shall it be to hāge thē / heade them / or burne them. And thowgh they laye no handes vpon them for soy­lynge their cōsecrate fyngars / yet must it be done by their ghostlye cownsel / ād ordred also after their spyrituall ap­poyntment. Non other is it to lye in the stretes of their greate cyte / than after [Page 14] [...]oche lawes as they haue practysed toke brought vnto deathe.

7 For spiritually is their cyte called. A gloryouse name vsurpe they as though they were nō of the world. They wyll be called the holy churche / good ghostlye fathers / godly dyuines / & spirituall mēne / not cōsiderynge of what sprete they are spiritual. They are those into whō the vncleane sprete hath entred with .vij. other spretes worse than hym self. With the sprete of falshede / the sprete of fylthynesse / the sprete of lyes / the sprete of wytchecrafte / the sprete of erroure / the sprete of blindenesse / ād the sprete of cruelte. And of these onlye with soche lyke are they spyrituall / and of no godlye sprete as their frutes declareth. And therfor the sprete of god doth iudge here this great cyte not to be called Hierusalē / but stin­kinge Sodome / & most myserable Egy­pte / the prophecyes and other scripturs agreynge to the same. For loke what fylthynesse and abhomynacion was in Sodome / what Idolatrye and deuylyshnes­se was in Egipt / the same is now reyg­nynge in this paynted spyritualte / and is accounted there great holynesse.

8 Amonge this consecrate multytude / or smered sort is Christ yet crucyfied / as he was amonge the Iewes whych knewe hym not / & yet boasted thē selues [Page] outwardlye for the peculiar chosen peple of God. Not onlye ys Christ amonge thē persecuted / scourged / ponnyshed / ād put vnto deathe in hys membres / but also he ys proued of them an vnsufficyent Sa­uer without their dayly doynges. Their masses must be satysfactory sacrifices / profytinge both the quicke and the de­ad. And that must menne beleue vnder peyne of deathe and dampnacyon. Thus crucyfye they Christ ageyne / and make a mocke of hym as wytnessed Paule / and yet do they call hym their lorde / not vnlyke to the tormentours / whych crowned hym with thorne / and saluted hym with Aue rex Iudeorum.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And as they lye thus dead in the stretes / or are contempned as heretykes / ād despysed as wycked doars / some of the peple peruerted by these enemies / some of the kynredes or sectes of dyuysion / some of the tonges or blasphemouse bablers / ād some of the nacyons of al wycked workers shall beholde their bodyes iij. dayes and an half.

2 They shall for all ages abhorre them / hate thē / reuyle them / and spyghtfullye report them. In ther cronycles shal they wryte them for seducers of the peple / & in their storyes regestre them for damp­nable heretykes: For the .iij. dayes & an half dyuided into .vij. halues betokeneth the .vii. ages of the churche wherin they haue and shal styll both persecute and blaspheme.

3 And these wycked sortes of peple / kyn­redes tonges / and nacyons / or of false iustyces / prestes / lawers / and relygyou­se shall not suffre their bodyes to be putte in graues. But be these wytnesses o­nes iudged heretykes by the clergye / ād so condempned by the layte / eyther shall [Page] their bodyes be resolued in to ashes by fyre / or els consumed by the fowles of the ayre. Seldome shal ye se a knowne heretyke buryed amonge them / but most commonlye burned. Examples of thys hath bene [...]a [...]elye seane here in Englan­de by Thomas hyttoon / Thomas bylueye Iohan frith / George baynham / Williā tindale / Iohan lambert / Robert barnes / Wylliam Hyerome / Thomas garade / Rycharde spenser / and in Partrick ha­milton of Scotlande / with manye other more. And longe afore our tyme in sir Iohan olde castell the lorde Cobhā, sir Ro­ger ac [...]on knyght / sir Reynolde pecock byshop of chychester Master Iohā Ayshton / sir Willyam thorpe / sir Willyam [...]awtre / sir Richarde with / sir Iohan balle / sir Willyam tayloure / and sir willy­am whyght prestes / with dyuerse other. The body of Formosus was first taken vpp by Steuen the .vi. Bishopp of Rome and disgraded. After was yt beheaded / mangled / and throwne into the flood of Tyber by Sergius the thyrde. Saynt Herman after .xx. years from hys bury­all was taken vpp and burned at Ferraria in Italie by Boneface the ryhht. The bones of Master Iohan wycclef were taken vpp and burned also the .xl: yeare after hys death / as waldene wytnesseth to hys boke de Sacramentalibus ti .ix. [Page 16] Capi .lxxxix. So was of late yeares in worcestre dyocese the bodye of master Williā Tracye esquire / & in Londō the bodye of Rycharde honne merchande taylour. Moreouer Iohan colet deane of Paules in londō also / was not farre frō the same for readynge of Paules Epist­les by hys lyfe / had not other wayghtye matters bene in the waye. Soche heretykes shall not rest in their cyte / they shall not be buryed amonge them. They shall not be shryued / canonysed / nor allowed for Sayntes / for they buylded no monasteries / they sett vpp no chaūteryes / they subdewed no Princes / nor yet dyed for the lybertees of holye churche. They s [...]o­de not in defence that prestes doynge I­dolatrye / thefte / murther / wytche crafte / whoredome / buggerye / with other abhominacyons shuld remayne vnponnys­hed. But rather to the contrarye & that they shuld worshypp but one God / lyue by their labours / take w [...]es of their owne / & teache nothynge but Gods lawes.

4 And they that dw [...]ll vpon the earthe (sayth the lorde (or haue their felycite herewith the ryche glotton / shall reioyce ouer them and be gladde.

5 They shall clappe their handes whā these godlye wytnesses be brought out of the waye They shall common / ryote / and bancket / hauynge amonge themsel­ues [Page] Ioye without measure that the heretykes be gone / so hatefull ys the lyght to theyr eyes / ād the veryte to theyr wycked hartes.

6 And they shall sende gyftes or presentes one to an other for gladnesse / as for example. My lorde byshoppe hath had a summe of manye of the prestes for doynge hys part so well. My lorde abbote ād master doctor haue had phesondes / plo­uers & partriches pigges / gese / & capōs / for dysparynge / theyr matters so va­ [...]eauntlye▪ Master persone hath bene cō ­mended for scoldynge / and ser saunde [...] smelle smocke our perryshe preste for bearynge false witnesse. Master fryre hath had a treu [...]all and father limit oure a bushell of ma [...] or a che [...] for playnge the knaues also. And hardelye my lorde chefe iustyce hath not bene without his re­warde / no [...] yet master Chaūcelloure / neyther master Scrybe. What made Tho­mas More for his tyme with so prodigi­ouse [...]y [...]an [...]e to persecute the truthe ād seus / Godfathe of Norwiche / whartō of Gongaye [...] & Baker of k̄te / with soche other lyke [...] but auri sacra fames / as [...] both call it. Thus do they [...] triūphe whā they haue wrought my [...] and moche it deliteth thē whā they bene [...] vngodlye thi [...]ges.

7 For [...] prophetes (sayth the lorde) [Page 17] vexed them that dwell on the earthe▪ A great troble it is to thē to haue their faw [...]es seane / a sore vexacion to haue their craftes knowne / and an excedyn­ge displeasure to be put from their ple­saunt Euphrates by the preachynge of soche busye heretikes. Moche was Herode offended with Iohan / the byshoppes with cri [...]t / the prelates & religiouse with Paule / and a sore grefe it was to their hartes / whan they rebuked their vyces.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And after thre dayes & an halfe (sayth Saynt Iohan / ded the sprete of lyfe by the powre of God entre in to them. In the myddes of their Ioye and triumphe whan they thynke them selues well quyeted / the heretykes thus taken a waye / an other storme falleth vpon thē moche worse than the other. Manye more ary­seth out of their ashes to their confusion and to the chosens confort. And the sa­me wytnesses they are agayne / geuynge the same testymonye / though they be not the same persones.

2 The same lyuynge sprete haue they / confessinge the same veryte / that had the other. No longe tyme can Christes congregacion be without faythfull te­stes / he promysinge to be with them to the ende of the worlde.

[Page 18]3 These witnesses stode vp / vpon their fete. In the tyme full past ys this spoken for the certēte of the thynge / though moche of it be to come. For so certē is it / as it were all fynyshed. An ernest stomake shall they haue / and with moche bolde­nesse shall they speake. The ryghtouse shall stande vp (sayth the boke of wysdome) in great feruentnesse of sprete / aga­ynst them that hath extremelye handled them / and taken awaye theyr labours / persecuted them / and blemyshed theyr doctryne.

4. And great feare came vpon thē which sawe them. Whan the Antichrystes se they can not preuayle / moche are they inwardlye anguyshed / vexed / and tor­mented. Then doubt they their falle / thā feare they their vtter destruccion. They trymble and quake whā they se their lawes wyll no longar stande / nor their insurreccions no longar helpe them / lokinge for a terrible daye. With horryble feare shall they wonder (sayth the afore­sayd boke of wisdome▪ at the comynge of the sodayne helthe / gronynge for sorowe / and mournynge for verye anguyshe of mynde / and saynge within them sel­ues. These be they whom we somtyme had in deuysion. Vnwisely / we thought their lyues to be madnesse / & their endes to be without honour. And now they are [Page] [...] [Page 15] [...] [Page] [...] [Page 16] [...] [Page] [...] [Page 17] [...] [Page] [...] [Page 18] [...] [Page] rekened amonge the chyldren of God / & their porcion is amonge the Sayntes. Therfor haue we erred frō the waye of truthe / & the lyght of ryghtousnesse hath not shyned vnto vs. We haue weryed owr selues / in the pathes of wickednesse but the waye of the lyuinge lorde haue we not knowne.

5 And they harde a great voyce from heauen / saynge vnto them. Come vp hy­ther. The Antichristes shall heare thys noyse / they shal knowe thē to be in the fauer of God / & greate heuynesse it shall be vnto thē. For this voyce is the fre eleccyon of God accordynge vnto grace ād not after manes deseruynge. And it conmeth frō heauen as doth all other good gyftes / frō the father of lyght. It calleth vp them that afore walked sumwhat after the fleshe / ād durst not for feare of pō nyshmēt wytnesse the veryte. It commā deth them to aryse vnto God / to be more perfyght / more spyrytuall / more godlye / and to haue their conuersacion in heauē. They attēde vnto the voyce / they obeye yt / and do after yt. For yt foloweth.

6 And they ascended vp into heauen in a clowde. By the powre of God they are taken vp. From worldlye affectes are they changed to the pure loue of God / ād from carnall prudence to the wysdome of the sprete. In a cloude are they rapte. [Page 19] Compassed are they with thys fleshe / the yll desyres taken from them. Euerye where resemble they Christ / and are daylye better and better. They cease not of theyr progresse / no peyne cā separate thē from the loue of Christ / tyl they perfyghtly come to the syght of the God of Goddes in the supercelestiall Syon.

7 And their enemies saue them. The Antichristes knoweth that they are gods seruauntes / the hypocrites perse [...]ueth they haue heauenlye knowlege Yea, manye tymes they so report them both in their wordes and writinges. In manye of them Chronycles they [...]f [...]rme / t [...]at Bererga [...]ius / Ioannes scotus the elder / Iohan wycleff / Iohan husse / Hierome of Prage / Thomas thedonensis a whyght fryre of Bryttayne burned in Rome / Hieronimus sauonarola a blacke fryre burned in florence / & diuerse other more were menne of most excellēt wyttes / of most hygh lernynge / of most godlye conuersacyō / of a most perfight lyfe / feruēt / constaūt / & vnmoueable in in the tyme of their deathes. Bylney / Baynhā Befeld / frithe / Tindale / Barnes & other / are yet reported (yea of somewhich to this hewe hateth their opiniōs) to haue dyed charetably ād godly. Yet beleue they neuer the better / they come neuer the senner to God. Their malyce hath so blynded thē / [Page] and the clowde of ignoraunce so darkened their knowlege / that styll they blaspheme and most cruellye persecute.

8 And in the same howre (sayth saynt Iohan) there happened a greate earthquake A terrible cōtradiccion aryseth euer from the carnall Sinagoge / & frō amonge the earthlye mynded hipocrites / whā the verite is [...]awght / as it was afore tyme in Christ / & in his Apostles / specyal­lye in Paule / and now of late dayes in manye other poore preachers. Whā ne­we witnesses aryse / then waxe they mo­re madde / fearce / and felle / then they were afore. Then empreson they / then pon­nyshe they / then make they actes and cō maunde in peyne of deathe nomore to speake in that name. Yet do they rather loose than wynne / falle than ryse / dys­profyght that profyght.

9 For the tenth part of theyr cyte felle to the grownde. Their buyldinge vpon sande wyll in no case endure. That God hath not planted must vp by the rootes. Their holye whoryshe churche / whych is here called Sodome and Egypte) is ruynouslye decayed. Their monasteries of monkes / their howses of fryres / their colleges of Idle prestes / with their nonnes / chanons / and chanteryes in manye places are downe. Tythes are not as they haue bene / nor trentals / nor other [Page 20] deuocions. Images are not sought / nor pardons in confession. The people inclineth to newe lernynge / and goeth from their olde beleue of holye churche. They that were monkes / prestes / and fryres are now become gospell teachers. So­che as afore were dead / standeth vpp now agaynst them boldelye This fal­len part is here the tenth / for it is the lordes by the lawe. It is the same she­pe that afore was lost / & now is brought to Christes folde. These were called a­waye from thens by the wytnesses / the other stande yet styll / ād are euery daye worse and worse.

10 In the earthquake were slayne na­mes of menne to the nombre of seuen thowsande. An innumerable multytu­de hath bene sent out of the waye by these Antichrystes in theyr furye / but yet nothynge haue they slayne but their names. Onelye haue they hurte theyr bodyes / vpon their sowles haue they had no powre / nomore than had Sathā vpon the sowle of Iob. Yet haue not their names peryshed before God / for of hym are they wrytten in the boke of lyfe. In no case are the wycked of the godlye here putt vnto deathe / thowgh some do so vnderstande it / but rather of the wycked the godlye. For they ne­uer retayle their wronges / but rather [Page] praye for their enemyes.

11 And the remnaunt or resydewe were feared / sayth saynt Iohan and gaue glorye to God of heauen. Of soche as were left in their earthquakes or terry­ble persecucions / some remayned in presone / Some were beggered / some were eryled / some fledde / some lost their esti­macion and fryndes / and yet gaue prayse vnto God.

12 In all their aduersitees they glory­fyed the name of their heauenlye father and Lorde. Thus haue we here what is done alredye / and what is yet to co­me vnder thys sixt trompet blowyn­ge (where vnder we are now) whych all / be longeth to the seconde woo.

13 And these thynges ones accomplys­hed the seconde woo wyll be past. And then loke bye & bye for the thirde woo / for it wyll folowe anone after without fayle / yea / so sone as thys seconde woo is done.

14. In the latter age of all shall thys thyrde woo reygne / soche tyme as Gog and Magog most extremelye shall rage. And the vniuersall iudgement shall fy­nyshe that woo / as here after more euydentlye wyll opere. But consyder that these woes are to the infydels. The faythfull feareth them not / but recey­uynge the worde in a pure hart they [Page 21] brynge forth frute in pacyent suffera­unce.

¶ The Paraphrase.

1 And the seuenth angell blewe (sayth Saynt Iohan). The seuenth sort of syn­cere preachers shall vtter their message accordyng to the wyll of God / they shall declare his pleasure as he hath appoyn­ted them. For thowgh it be spoken he­re as past and done / for the certente of the thynge / yet is it not fulfylled in ef­fect. The worde of God was wythout begynnynge / and hys promes euer­lastynge / yet ys yt not all perfour­med [Page 22] in his creaturs / but manye thyn­ges are yet to come.

2 After this blast of the angell were made greet voyces in heauen. Manye (the congregacyon or kyngedome of God / his Gospell ones purelye pub­lyshed by the preachers) shall spea [...]e godlye thynges to the edyfycacyon of other. The symple poore weakelyn­ges / idyotes / and infantes shall vttre the hydden wysdome of God to the confusion of the great wyse menne and sa­ge senyours of thys worlde. Yea / the liones in the strete / the out castes of the worlde / the forsaken people / shall wonderfullye prayse the lorde.

3 And these shall be their saynges / whā they shall se the Antichrystes confused and not able to speake agayne. The kyngedomes of this worlde / that were [...]ou [...] tyme wycked / cruell / and vnfaythfull / are now become the lordes & hys Chri­stes / of his onlye grace and goodnes­se. Now fall they to the worde that afore thought it folyshnesse. Now cleaue they to the truthe that sumtyme ded abhorre it. Now haue they in hande the gospell / that afore ded persecute it as sidiciou­se lernynge and heresye.

4 And in thys congregacyon shall he reygne euermore. Continuallye is he with them / that in faythe retayneth his [Page] veryte. All this shall they vttre wyth no small reioyce. For doubtlesse after the seuenth seale openynge / and the gospell preachynge / than a paceable tyme shall be / and fygured it is by the half howre spoken of afore. For it shall not continewe to the ende. Longe maye not Christes churche be vnpersecuted. But yet thys peace for the tyme shall not onlye be an inwarde peace in the con­scyence (as ys alwayes amonge the faythfull) but an outwarde / quiet also / or a season wythout persecucyon a­brode.

5 And the .xxiiij. elders (sayth saynt Iohan) or the greatt nombre of sayntes departed (which sitteth before God on their seates / or resteth in hys swete peace / in soche graces of the sprete as he gaue them by theyr lyfe tyme / as charyte / stedefastnesse / loue / ioye / pea­ce mekenesse / ryghtousnesse / and soche other lyke) fell downe flatte vpon their faces.

6 Most humblye haue they euer sub­mytted them selues / referrynge vnto God the father the benefyght of theyr creacyon / and vnto Iesus Chryst hys sonne the fre gyfte of theyr redemp­cyon. Yea / specyallye at thys tyme / be­ynge vnder the aulter of God / and kno­wynge by his mere goodnesse the nom­bre [Page 23] of theyr bretherne shortlye to be fulfylled / and them selues wyth them to be at a gloryouse lyberte / after the­ir ghostlye sort they lawde hym sayn­ge.

7 From the verye depeth of owr spy­rytuall hartes / we render vnto the most hygh thankes Lorde God almightye / eternall father / Sonne / and holye Ghost / which art one essencyall God / and werst without begynnynge / and shalt be without endynge.

8 For thu hast taken vpon the thy grete myght. Now hast thu shewed thy wonderfull powre. Euer hast thu rayg­ned amonge thy peple / but neuer so gracyouslye / so plentuouslye / and so glory­ouslye for owr behoue.

9 The heythen euermore were an­grye whan thy t [...]wthe apered. Madde were the wycked Antychrystes whan thy glorye shyned / and their pryde demynished. They fretted for anger / they swelled for wodenesse / yea they s [...]ewe thy seruauntes / and burned vp thy peple.

10 But now is thy wrathe towardes thē. Now will thy āger breake out / now wyll thy vēgeaūce apere. Now shall thy terrible iudgemēt without mercye be declared frō heauē vpō all vngodlinesse of those cruell enemies that with-holde thy [Page] truthe in vnryghtousnesse.

11 Now shortelye enseweth the tyme of the dead / wherin they shall be iudged some to ioye some to heuynesse / some to glorye some to peyne.

12 Now approcheth the glad season wherin thu hast appoynted to rewarde the true seruauntes the prophetes / and the faythfull beleuers / made sayntes by the onlye deathe of thy sonne / and all them that yet feareth thy name / wyth eternall felicyte.

13 Non wylt thu seclude from this thy lyberall goodnesse / for no weakenesse nor pouerte. But so well the small as the great / the lowe as the hygh / the poore as the ryche / the sycke as the whole / the vnlerned as lerned / shall tast of thy in­estimable clerenesse.

14 Onlye shalt thu destroye them that destroyed the earthe / compellynge both it and all that therin is / not to serue the their heauenlye creator / but theyr ow­ne stynkynge desyres / lustes / and cor­rupt affec [...]yons / thy glorye not ones estemed nor regarded. Herin maye we coniecture / that the seuenth seale ones opened / ād the .vij. trompet blowne / the last iudgement daye is not farre of. Blessed is he that watcheth for the lordes commynge.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And the temple of god (sayth Saynt Iohan) was opened in heauen. Euydēt wyll the godlye and spirituall estate of the true Christen churche seme in those dayes / the gospell syncerelye preached. [Page] In faythe shall menne seke their lyuin­ge father / and not in dead Images nor other corruptible thinges. In sprete and veryte shall they worshyp hym and not in dumme ceremonyes nor outwarde shaddowes. Speared is Gods temple / whan hys true worshyppynge is hyd­de. And opened it is agayne / whan that is clerelye seane. Tyll Chrystes com­mynge in the fleshe nothynge therof apered. With the keye of Dauid ope­ned ke the misteries therof. Wherbye throwgh faythe the conuersacyon of manye is now and hath bene euer send in heauen.

2 This temple thus open / anon the Arke of Gods holye testament was seane therin. Christ sheweth hym self in his owne colours / whan the gospell is tru­ly receyued / which is that Arke / wherin all the ryches of Gods couenauntes / and the preciouse treasure of his pro­mes is reposed / to mannes behoue. And speciallye those by whome we are reconcyled and saued. By him are we onlye brought to Gods fauer agayne / and graciouslye redemed. Yea / all the sort of vs haue receyued of his habundaunt and ouerflowynge fulnesse. The syght of this Arke in the temple is non other / than a clere knowlege of hym in hys congregacyon. So oft are his myste­ries [Page 25] euydent / as this temple is ope­ned. So manye tymes are they know­ne as his worde is truly tawght.

3 And no small frute is to be thought to come therof. For there folowed lyghteninges / voyces / thonderinges / and earthquakes. Dyuerse respectes hath the veryte of God / accordynge to dyuerse audyences. In maner of lightenynge it moueth some / makynge of earthe heauen / and of synners god­lye people. A sownde or a noyse onlye it is to some menne / not regardynge the frutes therof. To some it is an oc­casyon of anger / spyght and madnes­se / and to some of open blasphemye agaynst the Holye Ghost. For what els doth the clergye / malycyouslye withstandynge it / but wylfullye wor­ke agaynst knowlege? And what doth the vndyscrete [...]ayte / blynded by them / but Bable they woote not what?

4 And a great hayle also folowed / which betokeneth the vehement and sharpe iudgementes of God [...] towar­des soche enemyes of his veryte. The most terryble tempest of his I [...]e aby­deth them. The Lorde shall breake into the lande (sayth the Prophet [...] Esaye) lyke a sore rempest of hayle that brea­keth downe stronge holdes or castell [...]s. [Page] And the proude crowne of the dronken Ephraemytes shall be troden vnder fo­te. Not onlye ys the last age appoynted to these thonderynges / and earthqua­kes / but they beganne also so sone as Christ apered in the fleshe. No sonner was the yonge babe borne / but Herode for madnesse sought to slee hym in hys verye infancye. The Pharisees ād Scribes / the byshoppes / prestes / and lawers swelled at hys preachynge and neuer left tyll they had slayne hym. And this rewle with the prelates and hypocrytes hath contynued euer sens / and styl shall do tyll the latter daye. Onlye ys there and shall be a moderacyon / that somty­me yt ys not so extreme as at some. For yf yt were alwayes a lyke / there shuld non be left.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And there apered / sayth Saynt Iohā) a great token in heauen▪ For no wonder ys thys token here to be taken / as in o­ther places of the Scripture / but for a type or fygure / contayninge vnder my­sterye greate thynges.

2 A woman was seane clothed with the sonne / yea / of Iohan▪ For to Gods onlye electes ys the veryte shewed to a­uauntage. Not Marye Christes mother ys this woman / though manye hath so fantasyed in their commentaryes. But yt ys the true christen churche of whom Marye ys a most notable member

3 Thys woman the churche (as Salo­mons cantycles specyfyeth) ys fayre / lo­uelye / plesaunt / swete / wholsome / dilectable / vndefyled as the Mone / excellent in clerenesse as the sonne / and gloryous as an armye of menne with their banners and stremers. Thys woman ys bewty­fullye decked with the shynynge sonne of ryghtousnesse. Nō ys of her that hath not done on Iesus Christ / beynge rene­wed in their hartes by faythe. Her chyl­dren are not they that persecuteth Gods worde / no more than was Annas and Caiphas. Ioannes and Alexander.

[Page]Thys women [...] to haue the mo [...] ne vnder her f [...]te. To the churche or congregacion of God are all other creature [...]. [...]ll [...] thinges haue the lorde su [...]dewed vnto her. She ys the ryght [...]heyre and inheritoure of them through Christ / they with her to be delyuered from the bondage of corrupcyon & to serue in liberte.

4 Vpon her head was also a crowne of twelue starres / which betokeneth not onlye the twelue Apostles declarynge the glorye of Christes kyngedome im­mediatlye after hys deathe / but all other godlye mynistres of the worde also / which haue done the same euer sens. Onlye regneth the true Christen churche by the worde of God / by the syncere scrypturs / by the doctryne of the Apost­les / and neyther by superstycyons nor ceremonies / neyther by cownsels nor cu­stomes by doctors nor fathers / by my­ters nor rochettes / by typpettes nor whodes / by shauen crownes nor syne gownes / by crosses nor copes / by bel­les nor torches / by shrynes nor gyl [...]e Images / nor yet by .xii. cupples in a [...]yuerye with golden cheanes and garden [...]. Her bewtye consis­teth onlye in faythe / and in the obser­uacyon of Gods holye commande­mētes. Her true mynysters or preachers [Page 27] as verye chosen Starres / sheweth forth hys glorye to the edyficacyō of other / & not their owne pompe aod magnificence

5 And she was as ys the woman with chylde. She cryed trauelynge in byrthe / and was payned as one redye to be de­lyuered. With Christ ys the churche bygge whan her members are in full fay­the. In the hart ys he euermore concey­ued / and delyuered forth soche tyme as he ys declared vnto other. For thys cause Christ called them hys mother which had faythe and thervpon ded the wyll of hys father. Of faythe in the first pro­mes that Christ shuld destroye the Serpent / was be first conceyued in Adam and Eua / and so grewe forth in ryghtouse Abell / in Seth / Enos / Enoch / Noe / Sem / Thare / Melchisedech / Abraham / and Loth. And as the promyses waxed stronger (as in Abraham / Moyses / Da­uid / and the Prophetes) and the peple of God more in nombre / so wexed the wo­man byggar and byggar / tyll the ful­nesse of her tyme was come that she shuld be delyuered. Which was soche tyme as Christ apered to the worlde / taught / and was cōuersaūt here amon­ge mēne. And this course haue she kepte euer sēs / & shall do to the latter daye in thē that beleue. Thus haue she had Christ in her wombe sens the beginninge.

[Page]6 And beynge full of hys heauenlye sprete / she hath cryed in the Patriarkes and Prhphetes / in the Apostles & faythfull mynysters / as one trauelynge in byrthe. Her crye was the myghtye and stronge declaracyon of Christes doctryne / the feruent zele and desyre of the glorye of God / and of all-mennes hel­the in Christ. She trauayleth euermore a newe lyke as ded Paule / tyll Christ be fashioned in her Christen members. Wyth all her strengthe she laboureth that the promysed Sede maye increase in the faythe of all menne.

7 Fynallye she ys payned with la­bours / dolours / blasphemyes / trobles / and terryble persecucyons / and neuer ys delyuered without them. Neuer ys Christ ernestlye receyued / tyll some of her membres doth suffre. The constaunt sprete and inuyncyble standynge by the truthe in them / hath conuerted manye. And lyke as the payned woman in all her agonyes / ys moche conforted by the hope of a chylde / so are Gods faythfull wytnesses / trustynge that by their pacyent and glad sufferaunce / Christ shuld be receyued and ryghtlye fashyoned in manye. Yea / thys causeth them to reyo­ce in all aduersite / and lyttle to esteme their paynes.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 After thys (sayth Saynt Iohan) ape­red in heauen an other token or maruele / all dyuerse from the first. The true churche (which is Gods kingedome) was neuer yet without cōtradyccyō / nor with out the craftye assaultes of enemyes. Adam was not so sone created / but he was immedyatlye assaulted of Sathan. Christ entered not so sone the worlde / but he was bye and bye persecuted. The deuyll goeth aboute lyke a roaryngely on / sekynge whome he maye deuowre.

2 For beholde there was seane a great reed dragon / betokenynge the seyd de­uyll with his whole retynewe / full of deceyt / craft / malyce / poyson / pryde / and fercenesse [Page] / to enforce the psore weakelyn­ges to cōsent vnto hys falshede. All reed hys b [...]ye semed / in token that they which are of hym / are all full of cruelte / spyght and bloud shedynge / afflyctynge the constaunt beleuers for withstandinge hys assaultes. Seldō ys ke out of the earthe / as wytnesseth Iob / but commonlye in the companye of menne / impug­ninge the faythfull. And no powre ys able to matche hym / vnlesse yt commeth from aboue.

3 The seyd dragon had seuen heades / sygnyfienge all the craftye wyles / and subtle suggestyons / that he hath practy­sed and vsed agaynst Christ & hys worde vnder all the .vij. seales openynge & the vij. trompettes blowynge▪ Verye easye yt is to cōiecture what maner of heades they were / markynge other places of the scripture. A Serpentes head shuld seme to be the first / consyderinge that in the Serpēt he deceyued our first parētes with his benemed craftes. This heade so malycyouslye poysened māne / that God repēted hym of hys creacyō / and destroyed hys whole kynde in the flood .viii. persones onlye reserued. After the flood had he the head of a Calfe for the seconde / in sygnificacyon of the shamefull Idolatrye / and wycked worshyppynge that then begonne in Nemroth / and so con­tyned [Page 27] in the heythen. The thirde was the head of a lyon / full of pryde and op­pression / expressed first in the cruell reig­ne of the Assyryanes and Caldeanes / ād after in the proude byshoppes and pre­stes. The forth was a Beares / head / full of rauyne and cruelnesse / betokenynge the f [...]rce kyngedome of the medes and perseanes. Consequentlye hys fift head was lyke a leopardes head of manye colours / full of fycklenesse and change ablenesse. And that was the vnconstaunt reygne of the Grekes. Hys sixt was the head of a Beast farre vnlyke all other beastes / which sygnyfyeth the kyngedome of the Romanes with their monstruouse lawes more than nedeth. The seuēth ys not vnlyke to a mannes head / inclu­dynge all carnall wysdome / with all deuyllyshe polycyes and craftes / and thys ys the verye papacye here in▪ Eu­ropa / whych ys the generall Anti­christ of all the whole worlde almost / whych hath alreadye subdued and destroyed the Empyre of Rome. For he ys called the Apostata and man­ne of synne. By thys onlye head ys the Dragon named the enuyouse man­ne. The whole bodye foloweth the heades. As the deuyll ys ma­lycyouse / wycked / ferce / cruell tyrannycall fal [...]e / execrable / and deceytfull / [Page] [...]o are all hys members. In the prudence of the fleshe after him they walke in Idolatry / hipocreyse ād all other fylthynes­se. And lyke as a fore Christes [...] these heades were in the Serpe [...] the golden Calues / in the kyngedome of Babylon / in Nemroth / in Pharao / in antiochus / and in the pharisees and S [...]ri­bes byshoppes / lawers / and prestes / so haue they bene sens hys tyme vnder the v [...] seales openynge / and the. vij. trom­pettes blowynge / after the same [...] Under the first / he had a Serpentes he­ad in the Iewes / ☞ most malycyouslye and subtyllye withstandinge Christ and hys Apostles / pretēdynge the zele of God & hys lawes. Under the seconde / he had a calues head in the Idolatours / which sl [...]we the cons [...]eunt wytnesses of Chri­stes veryte. Under the thirde / the head of a proude lyon in the bolde rable of heretykes / presumynge agaynst Gods worde to afferme vngodlye thynges. Under the forth / the head of a Beare / in the gredye multytude of holye hypo­crites and spirituall Antichristes / which hath rauyshed vp the substaunce of thys worlde / vsurpinge the empyre of the sa­me. For then begonne the papacye with Mahometes myscheff. Under the fift / the head of a leoparde / in the dy­uersyte of pestilent sectes or execrable [Page 30] locustes / of whome euerye one reioyseth in hys owne colour and inuention. For then ded they sore increase. Under the sixt / the head of a Beast vnlyke to all other / in the Tyrannye of wycked gouer [...] blynded and perswaded by the Prestes to flee Gods seruauntes for the vpholdynge of their stynkinge genera­cyon. For then was and ys yet done moche murther / vpō soche as confesseth the truthe. Under the seuenth or last seale o­penynge / shall he haue yet styll the head of a māne / in fleshelye polycyes and fal­shede of the pope and hys prelates / in the doctours and prestes / tyll God vt­terlye shall destroye them with the breathe of hys mouthe.

4 The seyd dragon had also .x. hornes / or all subtle wayes wherwith to impugne the feble weake nature of manne / or to prouoke hym euermore to rebell a­gaynst Gods commandementes.

5 Upon hys seuen heades he had .vij / crownes / sygnyfiēge therbye that both he and hys members hath not onlye possessed the afore named vices / but also they haue ouer the worlde reigned in thē and yet do to thys daye. In pryde / falshede / malyce / crafte / cruelte wyckednesse / & all other myscheues triūphe they yet.

6 And hys tayle drue towardes hym the third part of the starres (& in conclusion [Page] shrewe them downe to the [...]arthe. By worldlye promocyons / lucre / fauer / and other flatterynge / fan [...]asyes / hath he tangled manye lerned menne / and pluc­ked thē cleane from Christes true churche / and from the lyfe of the gospell / so prono [...]ynge them whollye to geue them selues to the stodye of erronyouse doc­tryne and lyenge prophecyes / to seduce the worldlye multitude and kepe them in perpetuall blindenesse.

7 So that they are now cast into the earthe. They are become all carnall / fylthye and vngodlye in al their wisdome / stodye / ād workes / in all their counsels / preachynges / and teachinges. Now are they the wycked Apostles of Sathan / no longar maye they shyne in the fyt mament.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And there happened at that tyme (sayth saynt Iohan) a great battayle in heauen. In the churche is euermore variaū ce and stryfe without ceasynge / betwixt the sprete and the fleshe / the good ād the badde / the faithfull and the vnfaithfull. Non other is this battayle but a verye contradiccion / a dyuersite in faythe / stodye / opynion / wyll / ād worke / about the lawes or commaundements of God / ād also about the lawes and tradycyons of menne. Thys battayle is wayghtye in cause / multitude / ād continuaunce. The cause therof is Christ / the gospell / fay­the / rightousnesse / mannes helthe / Gods hygh honour / ād soche other lyke on the one partye. Vpon the other partye the cause is / errour / hipocrisie / lyes / ydola­trie / auarice / pryde / cruelte / fylthynesse / with all soche other. So great is the multitude / that non is fownde out of its Non is there but are in this armye. Ey­ther they are good or badde / faythfull or vnfaythfull / ryghtouse or vnrightouse. The rightouse are of the hoste of Michael [Page 34] / the vnrightouse are vpon the dragōs syde. Continued haue this battayle frō the first beginninge / and so shall styll to the latter ende. Yea / thowgh the dragon be bownde or tyed vp vnder the .vij. seale openynge / that he rage not then as he hath done afore. Yet shall the sprete of wyckednesse / and a mynde to do mischef reygne inwardlye styll in his members. for a Sathan can be but a Sathan / and a deuyll a deuyll.

2 Michael and his angels fought vale auntlye with the dragon. Spyrituall a­re they which hath done on Christ after the mynde of Paule / and spirituall is their armour. Their gyrdinge is verite / their brest plate rightousnesse / their shilde a sure faythe / their weapon the wor­de of God / their helmet the hope of hel­the / and for stedefastnesse of their fete their showinge the gospell. By interpretacion is Michael to saye / who is as God? or who is lyke vnto God? And he betokeneth the constaunt ministers and syncere teachers of the gospell. The an­gels of Michael are all they that in a su­re faythe confesseth the eternall magni­ficence of God / and that non is lyke vn­to hym. Contrarye wyse the dragons angels are the hipocrites / lyēge prophetes / and erronyouse teachers.

3 These fyght with the dragon / and the [Page] dragon and hys angels with them. For he that ys not with Christ / ys agaynst hym. With the ryghteouse ys Michael. For mynystrynge spretes are the angels ordayned for the confort of them which shall be saued. And commanded they are to wayte vpō the faythfull / to pre­serue and defende them. The wycked sort haue the deuyll & hys chaplaynes to fyght for them / the ryghtouse haue Mi­chael and hys angels. The wycked fyghteth with errours ād lyes / the ryghteouse with the onlye veryte of God.

4. As vengeable and as ferce as they are / yet preuayle they not / neyther ys theyr place fownde anye more in hea­uen. Faythe hath the vyctorye by the promyse of God / though the blynde worl­de seyth it not. Ouercomen are the wycked whā their enterpryses taketh not / and cleane ouerthrowne whā their beggerye ys contempned. And neuer ys the full vyctorye gottē / no more than yt was in Christ / tyll the tabernacle of thys bodye be layed a syde. At that daye ys the crowne gotten / whom the lorde hath la­yed vp for the ryghtouse. And lyke as there ys daylye fyghtynge / so ys there in some / daylye vyctorye. Dayly are the angels of darkenesse ouerthrowne / day­lye are they cast out of heauē / whych ys the true churche. Daylye are they cōdēpned [Page 35] by the worde of God / & iudged for rebels agaynst the holye Ghost / whose synne ys neuer forgeuen.

5 No place haue they anye more with the chosen / no eleccyon nor acceptacyon / afore God. The more light they haue had & the more they haue tasted of the truthe now forsakinge yt & rebellyng against yt with the deuill / the farder they are frō God / & the more nygh vnto dāpnacyon. Neuer beleued he trulye / that so had re­ceyued the worde. Lett nō thynke to be saued / vnlesse he perseuereth to the ende.

6 And the great Dragō / or captayne of all the vnfaythfull sort / that olde croked Serpēt whych deceyued Adā & ys called the deuyll or malycyouse accuser / yea / & also Sathan the most cruell aduersarye with all hys elyentes & spirituall adhe­rentes / are certayne & sure to be cast out.

7 With the ryghtouse shall they haue no porcyon for all their gloriouse tytles. With the godlye shall not their names be regestred / for all their holye vnccyōs. But with the prince of this worlde they shall be throwne forth.

8 For he by them / & they by hym / hath deceyued all the worlde / in lyenge tokēs & wōders / & in the operacyō of errours / to the vtter dāpnacyon of all thē that cō senteth to theyr wyckednesse.

9 And he was cast into the earthe / & his āgels also were cast out with him / which [Page] is not els but that they are reserued to eternall dam [...]nacion. For seruynge the creature rather than the lorde that made all / God hath forsaken them / and geuen thē ouer to their owne shamefull lustes. All grace ād goodnesse hath he takē frō them / and in all darkenesse hath he lefte them. Nothinge is now behynde but helle fyre / prepared for the deuyll ād his angels. The churche thus first bryngynge forth Christ amonge the Iewes / ād so by their cruelte dryūe out into the wyld de­sert of the Gentyles / hath bene there fedde of God in persecucyon euer sens / ād shall be styll tyll the terme come out of the aforesayd thowsande / two hondreth / and thre score dayes / whose ende is in the lordes handes.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And I harde a myghtye great voyce (sayth saynt Iohā) which is the whole agremēt of all the sacred scripturs. And the voyce sayd thus vnto me.

2 Now is there in heauē saluacion. In the churche is the helthe of sowle now that the Idolatrie with other abhominacions is throwne forth / & she cleane delyuered frō their beggerie. Now apereth the power of the lorde / that his gospell is trulye preached.

3 Now is it become our Gods kyngedome / that their doctrine is not of menne.

[Page]4 Now hath yt the whole srengthe of hys a noynted. All Christes labours / merytes / and deseruynges / hys natyuyte / passyon / resurreccyon / and ascencyō / ys now her owne good. Christes vycto­rye ys theirs / hys crowne / hys scrpture / hys seate / & kyngedome ys theirs. Yea the possessyō of hys fathers ryght han­de vs theirs.

5 For the enemye of oure bretherne is throwne downe / which cruellye accused thē before God daye and nyght. The ad̄uersarye Sathā which quareled before the lorde agaynst paciēt Iob / and vexed hym sore in hys substaūce and fleshe / neuer ceasynge to thys daye to troble the ryghtouse with Antichristes and tyrauntes / ys now ouer comen by the vyctorye of faythe / and hys power greatlye demynyshed in hys members. Now is the kingedome of God increased / moche peple beinge vnfaynedlye cōuerted vnto Christ

6 Conquerred hym they haue by no power of their owne / neyther merytes nor workes / but through the inestimable strēgthe which ys in the bloud of the immaculate lābe Iesus Christ / and through the in vyncyble worde of hys veryte / which they to the worlde haue testy­fyed.

7 In the wytnesse therof haue they con­stauntlye suffred / and through faythe in [Page 37] them haue they with hym aptayned vyctorye ouer the worlde / synne / helle / dea­the / & the deuyll Not their owne bodyes haue they spared to wynne this cōquest.

8 But moche more haue they loued Christ and hys truthe thā themselues / accoun­tynge yt auauntage to geue theyr lyues for hym.

9 Therfor reyoyce ye heauens / and all yow that in them doth dwell. Ye angels a boue ordayned for mannes confort / ye sayntes departed from the myst [...]yes of this worthe / ye faythfull beleuers re­may [...]inge in this lyfe / and ye feruent fauorers of the lordes veryte / be glad that your bretherne hath gote the vyctorye of the deuyll and his angels to the glorye of Christ.

10 But woo vnto the wreched inhabi­tauntes of the earthe / and of the see. No small daunger is towardes them that hath harde the voyce of the lorde / and styll yet wyll folowe the course of thys wordle. No light parel hāgeth ouer thier heades / that are inconstaunt / fickle / and wauerynge / geuynge backe with euery blast for the plesure of their fleshe.

11 Take hede of yt therfor / for vnto yow that are soche / the deuyll ys come downe with hys subtle suggestyons ād craftes / with hys wylye cauteles and ingyns. [...]monge yow doth he remayne [Page] watchynge to haue his praye / as he ded amonge the chyldren of Israel / whan they were become vnfaythfull.

12 Tares wyll he sowe to destroye the good sede / for his wrathe is great to se him self thus deiected / ād his hate is ex­cedinge / beholdinge his kingedom de­cayed. Amonge yow must he wreake his anger / for he cānot harme the faythful. Through his enuye same deathe first in to the worlde. If ye wyll escape his sna­res / loke ye geue no place vnto hym / but in faythe resist him manfullye.

13 He wexeth now madde / and fretteth with him self. He mindeth to make ha­uock and to do moche myschef / because he knoweth that his tyme is shorte. No longe season shall he haue from hence forth to deceyue. The latter daye he perseyueth not to be farre of / wherin great tormentes abydeth both him & his. And that maketh him so wode. That maketh him so insaciablye desyerouse to noye / not carynge what spyght he worketh a­gaynst God. And no wycked wyle lea­ueth he vnsought / to perfourme his cru­ell intent. Woo vnto them therfor that in these dayes taketh no hede. Woo vnto them that Rombreth in wanton plea­surs / whan most daunger is / and the deuyll most bysye / not attendynge to the call and warnynge of God.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And whan the Dragon or most fury­ouse serpent the deuyll / the head master of pryde and father of lyes / sawe that he was throwne downe vnto the earthe by the valeaunt ho [...]te of God. Or soche tyme as he perseyueth the Idolatrye / su­perstycyon / pompe / Hipocresye / ād other abhominable fylthynesse / destroyed by the worde of God in hys malygnaunt Synagoge of proude paynted prela­tes.

2 Thā persecuteth he the poore woman / whych brought forth the manchylde. Than vereth he the true congregacyon that teacheh nō other but Christ / & cōfesseth [Page 39] non other sauer / helthe / & redemer. Them doth he torment and ponnyshe by hys mytred Mahowndes & hys shauē Sodomytes / subduynge vnto them for that purpose the power of kynges / and myght of magistrates. Then sytteth An­nas in consystorye / and Cayphas in ses­syons vpon lyfe and deathe. Then bryngeth the woman her chylde forthe in peyne. By the martyrdome or deathe of godlye wytnesses ys Christ delyuered / and lefte here behynde in the hartes of ma­nye.

3 And vnto the woman were geuē two wynges of a great egle / or the two te­stamentes of God / contayninge the Prophecye and Gospell / with the loue of God and oure neyber. And these myghtye wynges were geuen her that she myght flye with them into the wylder­nesse. Euermore whan daungerouse persecucyon ys / the members of Christes congregacyon (which are left here behynde) hath auctoryte of the olde lawe to flee from yt wyth Iacob / Moyses / Da­uid / and Helias / of the newe lawe also with Christ and hys Apostles. If they pursue ye in one cyte (sayth the lorde) flee yow into an other. Not onlye to saue your bodies / but to f [...]uctifye in the peple. Set ye into the desert. Teache thē that were not taught afore. Yf ye cā not [Page] be suffred openlye to preache / instructe menne priuatelye in howses. Playe not the sluggardes in the lordes vyneyarde. Be not niggardes ouer his fre treasure. But as ye haue plēiuouslye receyued it so liberallye distrybute it agayne.

4 From the face of the dragon hath the woman thus power to flye into the wildernesse by the scripturs / whan her chylde is delyuered and takē vp to the trone of God for the vnthankefulnesse of the peple / that they haue not in faythe receyued him. And in moche daunger are they lefte / hauynge the deuyll and his angels throwne downe amonge them wyth theyr wyles and craftye snares. In mo­che more parell are they / them they we­re afore.

5 A place hath she in this desart apoyn­ted of God / wherin she is norryshed for a tyme / for tymes / and for the halfe ty­me / which is not els but his speciall proteccion amonge them that be poore in sprete / and are iudged outcastes of the worlde. There is the true churche nor­ryshed wyth the pure worde / not mixed wyth the leuen of Pharysees. There is the faythfull congregacion at all tymes fedde / without the tradicyons of hipocrites. Onlye are they releued with the ve­ryte / & satisfied with the lyuinge prom [...] ses / & haue bene sens the tyme of Christ. [Page 40] Yea / sens the tyme of Daniell and afo­re. And thys fedynge tyme of the lorde in secretnesse / hath bene somtyme shor­ter / sumtyme longer / and sumtyme shor­test of all / accordynge to the tymes of persecucyon / and of blyndenesse in the enemies.

6 To flee from the presence of the Serpente / haue they euermore had commandementes of the lorde / and to shurne the suggestions of hys angels. Warned they haue bene in no wyse to go forth / whan they saye / Christ ys here and there / for so moche as their craftes are soche as wolde (yf yt were possible) de­ceyue the verye electes.

7 And the Dragon (sayth saynt Iohan) ded cast out of hys mouthe water after the woman. A [...] doctrine, of Hypocresye / errours / and lyes hath alwayes passed from the Synagoge of Sathan. Non other frutes hath gone from them / than waverynge superstycyons / Idolatry / and Heythen ceremonies. These hath [...]lowed forth lyke a great ryuer. Day­lye, haue they augmented / and contynu­allye increased. Innumerable are the cō berouse and vnprofitable burdens of their fantasyes and dreames / wherwith they noye mennes conscyences / drow­ne their small faythe / & ouerloade their sowles.

[Page]8 Thys stynkynge water ded the Serpent vomete out by hys rauenouse Anti­christes) which are hys insacyable mouthe) to stoppe the passage of the woman▪ He powred yt forth in habundaūce that he myght cause her to be caught of the flood. Soche ys alwaies the myscheuouse nature of the deuyll ād hys angels. Vengeable assaultes haue they / and in­numerable craftes to deceyue the inno­cent not knowinge them. Oure first mother Eua was thus trapped in the be­gynnynge / & so had bene drowned with Adam her husbande / had they not had faythe in the promysed sede. An innumerable multytude hath bene and are yet to this daye swallowed vp of this flood and without great difficulte non esca­peth yt. Excedinge ys the compasse / sto­dye / and practyse of this false generacyon. Evermore powre they out their poy­son / they dyspute their matters with errours & lyes / with counsels and custo­mes / hauynge vpon their syde the darke­ned powers.

9 Yet ys the lorde mercyfull to hys po­re congregacyō / that they are not drowned with al this fylthye floude. Non of yt ones toucheth their hartes. No parte of their faythe doth all thys ryff raff hynder. This dyrtye baggage accōbreth not their sowles. Onlye are they satys­fyed [Page 41] with the wholsom doctryne of Christes sprete. And the earthe ded helpe the woman (sayth Saynt Iohan) The car­nall multitude / the wyse menne of this worlde / the verye reprobates from God / all drye with out the true faythe / dranke vp this fylthye water.

10 They opened their mouthes wyde / and swallowed vp the great ryuer clea­ne / which the Dragon cast out of hys mowthe. This erroniouse doctryne was euer more plesaunt vnto them. Moche more haue they alwayes delyghted in lyes / and olde wyues dreames than in Gods truthe. Therto haue they geuen their eares / with all auydyouse gredy­nesse and superstycyouse deuocyon ha­ue they embraced them. But the lyuin­ge waters of the lorde sauoreth not in their mouthes / their owne broken cys [...]e [...]nes doth please them best. Better ys to a swyne a fylthye puddle / than a swete rōnynge water. No where wyll he drynke / but where he maye wallowe hys earkas. No doctryne pleaseth them / vnlesse yt maynteyneth their synne.

11 In drynkynge vp this flood / yet ea­se they this woman. In seeke multytu­de ys chrystes smal flock not myssed, no [...] lo [...]ed for / nor yet manye tymes in their abhominacyōs perceyued to be absent. [Page] So gracyouse to them ys the lorde / that in no wyse are they harmed with those vnwholsō waters. They are not caught of that pestilent flood. It ouerwhelmeth not their faythe.

12 And the dragon was wrothe with the woman (sayth sayth Iohan) frantyc­ke and madde ys the Synagoge of Sa­than / whan their wanton ware is forsaken / abhorred / and despysed. Than fret­te they for anger / than swelle they for wodenesse. Than wher they their tethe vpon the innocēt sowles / and wolde te­are them in peces for verye spyght. Thā Imagyne they newe cawteles and wy­les / and therupon procure they newe la­wes to be made / to trappe them in sna­res that they escape no waye.

13 For the dragon in hys wrathe / ma­de warre with the remnaunt of her sede / which kepte the commandementes of God. All maner of wayes hath thys Serpente assayed to destroye Christes true churche. The Apostles he vexed with the Pharisees ād P [...]estes / for the first age. With false bretherne and tyrauntes trobled he their successours for the seconde age. For the thirde / with innumerable Heresyes ded he accōbre them. For the fourth / with dānable sectes of Hypocresye ded he oppresse them. For the fifte brought he the worlde into a damnable [Page 42] peace of Idolatrye and supersticyō. And for the sixt (seynge he can not yet preuayle) he maketh open warre vpon the rem­naunt of her sede.

14 Now doth hys Synagoge of Pre­lates / Prestes / Hypocrites / and tyraun­tes / make wycked lawes agaynst them. Now do they persecute them for kepyn­ge the commandementes of God / in marryage / in receyuinge meates with thankes geuynge / and in not goynge out to seke Christ here and there in their Mas­ses and mutterynges / in their outwar­de colours and shaddowes.

15 Now put they them to deathe / which haue the Testimonye of Iesus Christ / preachynge hym for an onlye teacher necessarye / for an onlye mediatoure and aduocate / for an onlye sauer and redemer / for our onlye ryghtousnesse / wysdome / and helthe. For their warre ys onlye agaynst them that kepe Gods commaundementes / and that haue the wytnesse of Iesu Neyther ys yt agaynst baw­des nor whores / agaynst murthe­rers nor theues / agaynst Idolatours nor Hypocrites / sorcerers nor Sodomytes / aduowterers nor glottons / Idyotes nor lyars / Idle prestes nor vagabondes / scysmatykes nor traytours. Non of these se­ke they out. Non of these accuse they as their sessyons / but the onlye readers of [Page] th [...] gospell / and poore fauorers of Gods truthe.

16 Vpon the [...]re sande stande they euer more with their grāde captayne / to fyght thys battayle. Nō other lawes haue they to grownde themselues vpon / but their owne tradycyons and [...]customes / with soche fantastycall actes as they daylye make / or procure to be made of Princes for their owne wycked purpose. And as their lawes are beggerlye and weake / so is their vsurped auctoryte / so are their proude tytles / so are their myters / their anoyntinges / and pompouse funccyons. All are sande / duste / and rotten powder before God / not grounded vpon hys worde. All are vnprofytable chaffe. Yea / their selues are a grounde vnfrutefull / sandye / and vnsure / fytt for the dragon to stāde vpon to fyght agaynst Christes members. For they are the verye se­ate of Sathan / and hys contynuall dwellynge place. And that he can not do by hymselfe / he bringeth euermore to passe by them. Innumerable also are their de­uyllyshe practyses / their wyles / ād their subtiltees to vpholde their master / as a­ [...] the sandes of the see.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 I behelde (sayth Saynt Iohan) an execrable Beast / verye odyouse and hatefull to loke vpon / rysynge out of the ra­uenouse roarynge see. For the wycked auaunceth themselues as the grene baye tree in vngodlynesse / and the Synago­ge of proude Hipocrytes ryseth vp aloft / settynge vp their cristes / as doth the fatte Cedar trees of libanus. All beastlye are they / as was Elymas the sorcerer / full of fylthynesse / gyle / and falshede / yea / the verye whelpes of the deuyll sub­uertynge the wayes of God. Non other ys this Beast here described / than was the pale horse in the forth age / the cruell multytude of locustes in the fift age / and the horses of incomparable wodenesse for the sixt.

2 Seauē heades and .x. hornes had thys cruell beast not vnlyke therin / to the aforesayd rede dragon or Serpent. For▪ lo­ke what pestylēt suggestyons in errours and lyes / and what deceyuable power in sygnes and wonders hath regned in the deuyll for all ages / the same also hath regned in the wycked members of hys Besty all bodye / in the furyous bys­hoppes / lawers / doctours / prestes / Hypocrytes [Page] / and false magistrates / for their heades are their vnyuersall craftes / and their hornes their tyrannouse auctory­tees / vsurped primacyes / or malygnaūt magistrates. Thy strōge / myghty power lorde (sayth Dauid) hath broken the dra­gons heades in the ragynge waters. Thu hast smyttē in peces the heades of the greatele [...]athan. Inhaunce not yowr hornes so hygh ye styffnecked An­tichristes / for the hornes of the vngodly wyll the lorde plucke downe / and exalte the hornes of the ryghtous / in the howse of Dauid hys seruaunt. More are the hornes here in nombre than are the heades. For greatter ys the power than ys the suggestyon / the vsurped auctoryte than the crafte / the Mageste than the erroure / and moche more myscheff maye worke.

3 Thys Beast had vpon hys .x. hornes .x. crownes / sygnyfyenge hys vyctorye / domynyon / and prymacye ouer the vny­uersall worlde / and that he through the wyckednesse of the peple / ys the vnwor­thy captayne and prince therof. In thys onlye poynt [...]yffereth the Dragon from the Beast / the deuyll from hys members / or sathan from hys carnall Synagoge. He had .vij. crownes vpon hys .vij. hea­des. They haue .x. crownes here vpon [Page 47] their x. hornes. For that he hath but in symple suggestyon / they haue in double power of coaccyon. Where as he doth but dallyenglye persuade / they maye en­force and cōpell. Where as he doth but easelye moue / they maye by rygorouse auctoryte constrayne. Whan he hath propowned ā erroure / they maie by their power establyshe yt for an infallyble truthe / and make of yt a necessarye artycle of the christen beleue / as they haue done of purgatorye / pardons / confessyō / sayntes worshyppynge / latten seruyce hearynge / and soche lyke. Whā he hath ones made a lye (as he ys the father of all lyes) they maye auctoryse yt for an vnwrittē veryte / lyke as they haue done manye. Moche more myscheff maye they do / beynge hys spyrytuall instrumente [...] than he can do alone / as largelye ape­reth by their workes. Neuer coude Sa­than haue putt Christ vnto deathe / had he not entred into Iudas and so betra­yed hym / had he not entred into the Bysshoppes and lawers and so condemp­ned hym. Neuer had the Apostles / nor all other godlye preachers sens their tyme / bene sent out of the waye / had not those mytred Mahometes' and prestes wrought styll their olde fea­tes.

[Page]4 Vpon thys be astes head was writtē the names of blasphemye agaynst the lorde and hys Christ. Which are non other thā the proude glitterynge tytles / wherwith they garnyshe their vsurped auctoryte / to make yt seme gloriouse to the worlde / hauynge within thē contay­ned / the great mysterye of inyquite. What other els ys pope / Cardynall / Patriarke / lega [...]e / Metropolytane / primate Archebysshoppe / Dyocelane / Prothonotarye / Archedeakō / Offycyall / Chauncel­ler / Commissarye / Deane / Prebēde / Person / vycar / my lorde Abbott / master doc­tor / and soche lyke / but verye names of blasphemie▪ For offyces they are not appoynted by the holye Ghost / nor yet ones mēcyoned in the scripturs. What other ys yt but abhominaciō / the pope to wry­te hymselfe the most holye father / the generall vycar of Christ / the supreme head of the Chris [...]en churche / and the onlye dystrybuter of the treasurs of God? The bysshoppes and prestes also to call them selues their churches brydegromes / syt­ters in Gods stede / forgeuers of synne / and our ladyes chaste knyghtes? Non other are they so abusynge their flocke in leauynge the iust office of syncere preachynge vnder soche vayne tytles / after the mynde of Zacharye / but verye shamefull Idols in dede. Their decrees / decre­tals [Page 48] / Constytuciōs / Canons / Rewles / Statutes prouyncyall and synodall / tradycyons / lawes / fatherlye customes / and vsages / not grounded vpon Gods com­mandementes / are verye deuylyshnesse and Hipocresye / blasphemynge the name of God. For whye / to haue the na­me of blasphemye vpon their heades / is non other / than vnder a gloryouse tytle to maynteyne that thinge whych ys blasphemouse / gloryfyenge themselues in the same. The vngodlye (sayth Dauid) with mockes hath dysdayned the lorde / and with open mouthe hath vttred wyc­kednesse agaynst God.

5 And the stran̄ge fashoned beast (sayth Saynt Iohan / whom I sawe in thys vysyon / was lyke in similitude to a catte of the mountayne / full of manye colou­red spottes in token of inconstancye / varyete / and fycklenesse.

6 Hys fete were as the fete of a beare / ferce / rough / and yll fauored / in sygny­ficacyon of cruelte / stubbernesse / and vnclennesse.

7 And hys mouthe semed as the mou­the of a lyon / declarynge hym to be full of pryde / rauyne / ād excesse. To soche be­astes as here are mencyoned compareth Danyel vnder hidden misterye / serten myghtye kingedomes of the worlde. As to the lyonesse (which here ys called a [Page] lyon for the more cruelte now vsed than was in those dayes) the proude kynge­domes of the Assyryanes and Caldea­nes. To the Beare the cruell kyngedo­mes of the Medes and Parthyanes. And vnto the Catte of the mountayne / the vnstedefast kyngedome of the Grekes. Of pryde / spoyle / and roborye are the Assy­rianes and Caldeanes condempned by Esaye / Nahum / and Abacuch the Pro­phetes. The Medes and Parthianes helde captyue the peple of God / as wytnesseth Hester / Paralipomenon / and Esaye. The Grekes most spyghtfullye were bent agaynst them vnder the cruell kynge Antiochus / as in the Machabees ys euydent. No abhominacion nor mysterie of inyquyte / as Paule calleth yt / was euer founde in these kyngedomes / but now reygneth manyfolde in the detestable Papacye or monstruouse kyngedo­me of Antichrist / as all the worlde maye se. No where was euer more pryde va­nyte and cruelnesse / Ydolatry whoredo­me and fylthynesse / hypocresye falshede and fycklenesse / extorcyon vayneglorye and couetousnesse / sorcerye superstycion and vnfaythfulnesse. More than all the vnfaythfull kyngedomes vnder heauē / haue thys sodomyticall spyritualte de­fyled with their wytcherye the ho [...]ye temple of God / whych is the Christen [Page 47] churche. They haue most shame fullye abused gods chosen peple / which are the vessels ordayned to hys glorye. They haue holden hys fre seruantes most myse­rablye captyue / vnder their wycked de­crees and tradycions. The cruelte of Pharao / Antiochus / and Cayphas / compared to their tyrāny / ys but as yt were a playe / dallyaunce / or shaddowe. In them ys all letherye and vnclennesse / all ragynge lustes and wantonnesse / all fleshly abuses and beastlynesse / no na­turall order obserued. Nothinge in a maner are the cruell constytucions made ageynst the Iewes by the suggestyon of Aman / and by Antiochus / to their wyc­ked lawes and ordynaunces. For they were onlye ageynst the bodye / theirs are ageynst mennes sowles. So that the papysty call kyngedome of antichrist are to be sonne both the lyon / the Beare / and the Catte of the mountayne / they not onlye partycypatynge with all vnfaythfull regyons / but also doublynge with them in all abhomynacyons vn­der the skye. The mouthe they haue of a lyō / roaryng out euermore blasphemies curses / and bytternesse. The fea [...]e of a Beare / sygnyfieth their rauenous affec­cyons / ronninge vnto all pernyciouse euyls / [...]erye swyft also to the she­dynge of bloude.

[Page]cencyon.

11 And finallye as concernynge auctoryte / lyke as Christ beynge manne toke power of God to do soche myracles as non els coulde do / so ded he of the de­uyll / beynge his wreched bodye to worke pro [...]igyouse maruels and wonders in hipocrisye amonge the vnfaythfull multitude / by the secrete sufferaunce of God. So that in all peruertynge po­wer / supremyte / and auctoryte / he fo­loweth his father Sathan / yea / in eue­rye poynt. For lyke as he depryued simple Iob / a manne that feared God / of his substaunce / catell / chyldren / ād ser­uauntes / and vexed him in his fleshe with most greuouse botches / so doth this gredye leuiathan / this malyciouse murtherer / the manne of synne / and bodye of the deuyll / with his deuouryn­ge locustes / robbe the poore peple of their sweare / labours / trauayle / and necessarye lyuinge / sparynge neyther sycke nor soco [...]rlesse / poore wydowe nor fatherlesse / no goods gotten by thef [...]e / mannesslawter / extorcyon / bryb [...] ­rye / pollage / Idolatrye / bawdrye / and all other vngodlynesse commynge to them amysse in their priuate confessy­ons. And (that is most to be lamented) they defyle [...]heir sowles wyth all supersticions / false beleue / and deuylishnes­se [Page 49] / leauynge their consciences all doubtfull / desperate / and confortelesse. Finallye to conclude / lyke as in the bodye of Christ dwelleth the whole fulnesse of the godhede corporallye / so dwelleth there in this bodye of Sathan the whole fulnesse of falsehede / crafte / subtyl­te / malyce / with power to worke all maner of myschef / effectuallye / reallye / substanciallye and corporallye.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And one of his heades (sayth Saynt Iohan) semed vnto me / as it had bene wounded vnto deathe. And it was not so in dede / for his deadlye wounde was healed agayne. Euydent it is that in Iohans tyme / Rome the mother of all who redome had subiect vnto her the .vij. clymates or vniuersall partes of the worl­de / with all their powers / gouernours / kynges / possessions / pompes / false wor­shyppinges / and soche lyke. Whome some writers suppose mete to be taken here for the .vij. heades of this beast. But I fynde an other thynge in it / the bo­dye of these .vij. heades beynge but one / and styll contynuynge so. For thowgh all were at that tyme vnder her / yet is it not so now / ād yet styll remayneth this beast. Therfor I do take it for one vny­uersall Antichrist (as I ded afore) com­prehendynge [Page 50] in hym so well Mahomete as the Pope / so well the ragynge tyra­unt as the styll hypocrite / and all that wyckedlye worketh are of the same bo­dye. The seuen heades of this Beast / maye so well be his presumptuouse doinges for the .vij. ages of the churche / as anye thynge els / and yet no preiudyce done to that hath bene sayed afore. What shuld ayle this wounded head here / not to sygnyfye his supremyte sup­pressed / his vsurped auctoryte and po­wer dyminihsed / and his whole prody­gyouse occupyenge condempned in this latter age of the churche? I suppose no­thynge more manifes [...] / vnlesse we haue eyes ād wyll not se. Are not now in manye partes of Germanye / and in En­glande also the Popes pardons layed asyde? His power put downe / his na­me abolyshed / his purgatorye / pelgri­mages / and other peltryes vtterlye exy­led? and so lyke to be wythin short spa­ce in other regyons also? If thys be not a deadlye woundynge of one of the Beastes heades / I thynke there is non. If thys be not an apparent lykelyho­de of his falle / there is non to be lo­ked for.

2 But the healynge agayne of this mortall wounde is lyke to marre all / and make the last errour worse thā the first. [Page] In manye places where as the gospell hath bene preached / the Byshoppe of Rome deposed / sectes shrynes and sanctuaries destroyed / monasteries / prioryes and fryeryes turned ouer / remayneth styll their poyson / with those same in­strumētes wherwith they haue wrought all myschef. Styll continueth their mo­re than Iewyshe ceremonyes / their prestybulouse presthode / their vowynge to haue no wyues / and their Sodomyticall chastite. Styll remayneth their sale masses / of all abhominaciōs the principall / their prodigiouse sacrifices / their sen­synge of Idols / their boyeshe processy­ons / their vncommaunded worshyppinges / and their confessions in the eate / of all trayterye the fountayne / wyth manye other straūge obseruacyons whō the scripture of God knoweth not. No­thynge is brought as yet to Christes clere institucyon and syncere ordynaunce / but all remayneth styll as the Antichrystes lefte it. Nothyng is tryed by Gods worde / but by the auncyent auctoryte of fathers. Now passeth all vnder theyr tytle. Thowgh the olde Byshoppes of Rome were of late years proued Anti­chrystes / and theyr names raced out of owr bokes / yet must they thus pro­perlye for olde acquaytaunce be called styll owre fathers. If it were nought a­fore [Page 51] / I thynke it is now moche wor­se. For now are they become lawda­ble ceremonyes / where as before ty­me they were but ceremonyes alone. Now are they become necessarye ry­tes / godlye constitucyons / semelye vsa­ges / and cyuyle ordynaunces / where as afore they had no soche names. And he that dysobeyeth them shall not onlye be iudged a fellon and worthye to be hanged by their newe forged lawes / but also condempned for a tray­toure agaynst hys kynge / though he neuer in hys lyfe hyndred but rather to his power hath furdered the com­mon welthe. To se this also wyth so­che lyke put in execucyon / the Byshop­pes haue auctoryte euerye moneth in the yeare yf they lyst / to call a sessy­on / to hange and borne at theyr plea­sure. And thys is ratyfyed and con­fermed by acte of Perlament to stan­de the more in effect. If thys be no he­alynge of Antichristes wounded head / neuer is lyke to be anye. Whan men­ne shall defende fre wyll / and allowe their popyshe Masse to be a sacrifyce fatysfactorye for the quycke and the dead / latoure they anye other (thynke yow) than the healynge of thys wo­under He lykewyse that in an open [Page] audyence mainteyneth owr owne wor­kes to iustifye / by Dimitte nobis / and other not ryghtlye vnderstanded scrip­turs / doth he anye other than prepare a salue for the same? Nay surelye. No lesse also doth he that setteth menne to open penaunce at Paules crosse / for holye water makynge / for procession and sensynge with other popetishe gawdes / constraynynge them to promyse the anauncement of the olde faythe of holye churche by soche fantasticall fopperyes / as Bonner bishopp of London ded now of late / to the lawhynge game and wonderment of all the worlde. Alas how is the peple abused? Non other do they but mocke Christen princes with flatterye / that geue them olde popyshe tytles and blasphemouse names of Antichrist. As to call them most Christen kynges and defenders of the catholike faythe / mea­ninge the Popes olde tradicions / to he­ale the head of the beast. This is sure­lye non other / but with the sayd Beast to receyue auctoryte / seate / and power of Sathan. Lete them therfor take he­de least they be fownde the same Anti­christes that they haue condempned / and so throwe them selues double vnder the same plage. Necessarye it is they beware what they drynke / or what tytles they take vpon them at their appoynt­ment [Page 52] / least they forgettynge them sel­ues be founde dronken by takynge ex­cesse of the Babylonishe cuppe / and so peryshe with the wycked. Marke here dilygentlye this worde head / and ye shall well perseyue how wonderfullye the storye agreeth with the mysterye.

3 And all the worlde (sayth saynt Io­han) wondred at the Beast. All folyshe / carnall / and worldlye peple / not vnder­standynge the wysdome of Gods ho­lye sprete / depēdeth all vpon their beastlye baggage / thinkinge all that they do to be godlye / meritoryouse / & spirituall. They magnifye it / prayse it / and haue it in most hygh estimacion / yea / they haue it in moche more pryce than anye thinge that is of God. In no wyse wyll they from their olde frenesye / soche is their excedinge blindenesse. For whan they here tell / their customes shall continewe / their gouernours agreynge to the same / they clappe their handes for Ioye / and synge Gaudeamus with the prestes.

4 Yea / they worshypp the Dragon which gaue soche power to the Beast: With their hartes they reioyce tru­stinge vpon longer contynuaunce / whan they se his head restored agayne in their rewlers / the godlye teachers burned / ād the preachers put to sylence.

[Page]5 They worship also the Beast / so ma­nye as worshipped the Dragon. For as they which worship Christ / worship his father also / so they that worship Anti­christ / agreynge to his lawes and de­crees / doth also worship the deuyll / of whom he receyued his pryde. They wonder with the Iewes that seketh cauyl­lacions to cōtempne Christes doctrine / as doth the filthye familye of the do [...] ­ [...]ynge dodypolles prestes and vnlerned lawers. They worship with the hey­then / that admitteth their power and alloweth their factes / as doth the folyshe multytude / that neuer wyll be godlye wyse. Non other iudgement remayneth in these dayes to these wonderers and worshippers of the newlye restored head of the Beast / than ded vn­to them / that wyth double deuocion agreed to the abhominacions of Maho­mete and the Pope.

6 And thys wyll be theyr saynge as foloweth in the text / spoken in the ty­me past for the certente of the thyn­ge / as the maner of the scrypture is.

7 Who is lyke vnto the Beast / in out­warde glitterynge workes / or in the e [...] terne obseruacions of counterfett re­lygyon.

8 Who is able to warre with her the [Page 53] worldlye powers now so depelye maynteyninge her quarell? All seketh the papistes that they can in the worlde Imagyne / to vpholde the glorye / magnificence / and bewrye of their holye whoryshe churche / or malignaunt muster. No cautels nor c [...]aftes leaue they vnsought nor vnserched out / to cause the peple to esteme her of incōparable power. No small labour toke standyshe in hande in whit­tington College / whan he made his more than folyshe boke of reproche ageynst Barnes beynge dead. Nor no lesse dylygence the wyse Poete Iohan Hontyng­ton / whan he regestred in his Genealo­gye of heretykes without grace / wyt / and lernynge the names onlye of soche godlye menne as were the popes enemies / no heretyke agaynst God ones mē ­cyoned. Nomore ded Thomas Smythe / Richard Dallyson / William Stawne / Steuē Prowett / frire Adriane / quarrye the pardoner / wyth soche other blyn­de Popishe Poetes and dirtye metri­stes / whan they vttered their shitten [...]ymes and poesies. And sure I am that manye more be yet abrode of the same wycked zele and sprete / to the great blasphemye both of God and his tru­the / now that the Beastes wounde is made whole agayne / by so manye new [...] actes / so manye newe tytled Bishoppes [Page] so freshe sale of benefyces / mastershyp­pes / and dignitees / spirituall offyces / degrees / and auctorytes / as plentuouse as euer was in Rome. And least we shuld be depryued of our newe plesaunt Euphra­tes / and so be compelled by the worde of God to folowe the Monkes / Chanons / Nonnes / and fryers in their bannyshe­mentes. We haue procured serten actes to be made for our commodyte / and tho­se onlye to be publyshed amonge the pe­ple ones in a quarter / or so oft as shall please vs / to blemyshe all godlye prea­chinges of the scripturs. Thus seke we our selues and not God / our owne strēgthe and not hys / our owne glorye & not Iesus Christes. But lete vs not thynke that he sleapeth with Baall the false God, knowinge the most hydden tough­tes of the harte / but that he wyll within short space sende forthe hys lyghtenyn­ges and scatter vs / bryngynge our heythnyshe deuyses to nought. For the kyngedome of one fayth in vs and the pope thus manyfestlye in certen poyntes de­uyded / must surelye decaye.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 To this beast (sayth Iohan) was geuen a mouthe / not of God but of Sa­than / to speake great mightye thinges and blasphemies. So well is this spo­ken of the one as the other / so manye as hath done vpon the Antichristes ly­uerye / title / power / auctorite / or name. Whan the veryte of the lorde was ope­ned before them / they gaue no thankes for it / but became vayne in their thoughtes / wherfor God gaue them ouer into a lewde mynde / darkenynge their har­tes. So that now thynkinge them sel­ues wyse / they apere more folyshe than afore.

2 Now speake they great thynges in theyr conuocacyons seanes and ser­mons / and all are sore blasphemyes a­gaynst God & his Crist. Now must they serue God by most streyght commaun­dement with olde Romyshe beggerye / though he most hyghlye abhorreth it / ād no scrypturs maye be red in the tyme therof. For the scripturs must onlye passe [Page 55] as we wyll haue them. How shuld the Beastes head els be healed agayne / or how shuld our churche be knowne els to be his owne Image? Oh beast­lye abhomynacion / and most hellyshe decre. Now must Christ be taken for no sauer at all without owr deseruyn­ges. The supper of the lorde that was sumtyme a mutuall pertycypacyon of Christes bodye and bloud / must now be a newe crucyfyenge of him / one tray­toure playnge all partes / Iudas / Annas Cayphas / Herode / Pylate / and the Ie­wes. Matrimonye must be iudged vn­clennesse thowgh it be the ernest institucyon of God. No Popyshe vowe maye be dissolued / though it be well knowne a matter so deuilyshe / as hath made an hondreth thowsande Sodomytes. The Eucharystye maye not be receyued in both kyndes / thowgh it be the expresse commaundement of Christ so to be v­sed. Without the blynde bussynges of a Papyst / maye no synne be soluted / for that is the vpholdynge of theyr kyn­gedom / wyth manye other lyke blas­phemyes. Certen other great thynges are vttered by this mouthe / which now I passe ouer least I shuld be tedyou­se to the reader. How be it thys one great blasphemye that ys spoken / I can not leaue vntowched.

[Page]Where as they boast thēselues yet styll alone to be the holye churche / by the on­lye vertu of their vnccyons and shauynges receyued first of the pope / the layte secluded. And vndre thys most falselye vsurped tytle / they wyll styll be takē for the redemers of mēnes sowles. For they saye that their Masses are satysfactorye sacryfyces for the quycke and the dead / iustyfienge / releuynge / and sauynge thē both from dampnacyon / ex opere opera­to. And ouer that abhominable swarme of Antichristes fylthye mynysters / make they now their kynges the heades most blasphemously / onlye to be by them vp­holden now in all their myscheues. Truthe yt is that a kynge is the [...]polytyque head / supreme gouernour / ād great staye vndre God / of the peple to hys charge commytted / & after that sort / their myghtie monarke also by the scripturs / which they haue afore thys tyme denyed / wor­shyppinge them for most holye sayntes / which haue most presumptuouslye rebelled in that behalfe. But ouer that whoryshe churche of theirs (whom Chryst ne­uer planted) is Sathan the onlye head / by the holye Ghostes fore iudgementes here. For to that beastlye brode gaue the Dragon hys power / hys seate / and hys myghty auctoryte. God forbidde therfor that anye Christen prynce shuld at their [Page 56] false suggestyōs / admitt so blasphemouse a tytle. The deuyll (sayth Iob) ys the onlye head ouer all the chyldren of pry­de. That voyce therfor maye be blasphe­mouse / as commynge from the mouthe of the serpent / yf yt be not take good hede to.

3 *And power was geuen to the Beast to do these thynges for the space of .xlij. monethes / which is the .iij. years and an half of Helyas / the tyme / tymes / ād half tyme of Danyell / ād the thowsande two hondred and thre score dayes of Iohan. Not onlye for thys age of the churche / but also for all other ages / and by other heades also / hath the mouthe of thys Beast vttered great thinges in blasphemy / lyes in Hypocresye / and wonders vnder a deceytfull power. But as concernynge thys latter healed head of the Beast / the tyme therof wyll be short / as here after shall ap [...]re in the .xvij. chapter.

4 He opened hys mouthe (sayth the text) in reproues agaynst God / speakyn­ge yll of hys name / of hys tabernacle / & of thē that dwell in heauē. Thys is in a maner all one with that was spoken afore in the .xi. chapter of the temple / the au [...] ter / and of them that worshyp in the temple / saue onlye that hys name ys here for hys temple. In token that whan hys temple ys blasphemed (whych ys hys cō gregacyon) [Page] hys name ys blasphemed by the same / so ys hys tabernacle Iesus / in whom bodelye dwelleth, the fulnesse of the Godhede / so are also they that dwell [...]n heauē / wherbye ys mēt the true chur­che / from whom the angels are not secluded / beynge their fellawe seruauntes. These dwellerrs be they that haue their conuersacyon in heauen vnder an vnde­fyled faythe / that seke those thynges which are aboue and not vpon earthe / that worshyp the father in sprete and veryte / and that perseuereth true christyanes to the ende. Manye entreth thys heauen of the lorde / but all contynueth not in yt to the ende of their lyues / the more ys the pyte.

5 Power was also geuen vnto this beastlye Antichrist / / to make battayle with the sayntes / and to ouercome them. Con­tynuallye do they with vyolence vexe by their cer [...]all polycyes / auctoryte / and lawes / the syncere wytnesses or preachers of the lorde / sanctyfyed of hym through faythe in his holye worde as were hys Apostles / lyke as ded the malycyouse clergye of the Iewes-Yea / they ded resist them with their more than tyrannouse proclamacyons / commissyons / and commandemētes wyth cruell Pharao / Amā / and Antiochus / to proue Christ in them the sygne of contradyccyon & stone of reproche. [Page 57] They seke here / they honte there / and neuer leaue ragynge tyll they haue closed them vp in presons.

6 Yet are they not so contented tyll they haue ouercomen them in the syghe of the blynde worlde / though not before God. Eyther shall they be compelled shamefullye to recante / or yf they persyst in the veryte / to suffer most peynefull dea­the. By one waye or other they must be ouercomē / to holde the peple in erroure. The Gardyner of wynchester was not ashamed now of late as I harde yt credyblye reported) to saye vnto one that was accused of hys malygnaunt multitude / whan he was no longar able to withstā de the manif [...]st truthe. Master Seyton we knowe ye are lerned / and plentuous­lye knowe ye are lerned / and plentuous­lye endued with knowlege in the scrip­turs / yet thynke not that ye shall ouer­come vs. No / no / sett your hart at rest / & loke neuer to haue yt sayed that ye haue ouercomen the byshoppes / for yt shall not be so. In dede yt is truthe. For ney­ther Christ nor hys Apostles ded euer yet ouercome yow.

Their vyctorye ouer yow ys not in thys worlde / your kyngedome beynge here. But be certen and sure of yt ye shall be ouercomen to your moche mo­re rebuke / at the latter daye whan all wronges and iniuryes shall be [Page] reuenged / which is not farre of. Your lordelye estymacyon (which maye not be hyndred here) wyll apere there not verye precyouse. Yet do ye well to holde vp a proude pecockes head as longe as ye maye. Lose not an ynche of your hyght hardelye / but with your gogle eyes loke vp lyke a manne with a garde at your tayle / lyke a sort of tormentours in a playe. And with your lyenge iudgemen­tes ouercome these beggerlye vagabon­des / and burne them also rather thā fay­le / to fulfill the measure of your holye fathers.

7 And autoryte was geuen to thys Beast vpon euerye kyndred / peple / ton­ge / and nacyon. For non these Antichri­stes spare / neyther hygh nor lowe / ryche nor poore / sycke nor hole / lerned nor vnlerned. But a iurisdiccyon they must haue ouer thē / though yt be vsurped. Ones in the yeare must they haue them in con­fession / to knowe which waye they are bente. That salue haue they gotten in a­geyne / to heale vp their wounded head. Be he nary [...]e or be he straunger / be he a rewler or be he cōmoner / he must obe­ye them no remedye / or els stande forthe at the sessyons with Christ amonge theues. Not in one regyon / or where as one maner of language ys vsed / haue they thys auctorite / but in euerye lande / in [Page 58] euerye shere / in euerye towne / and in euerye famylye must they haue to do / corruptynge euerye mannes faythe.

8 For all that dwelle vpon earthe must worshyp thys Beast. They must agree to the great thynges / no remedye. They must blaspheme God as they do. But blessed be the lorde / nō doth that in their hartes but they onlye that dwell vpon the earthe / that haue their felycyte here / that seketh the prosperyte of thys worl­de / and regardeth non other lyfe than therin is. The lambes of Christes folde geueth hede to hys voyce / they regarde hys calle / they folowe hys worde / they walke in hys lyght. They seke for no holynesse but onlye in hym / neyther in water nor bread / ashes nor palmes / robes nor relyckes / masses nor anoyntinges. He ys their onlye sufficient wisdome / ryghtousnesse / holynesse / ād redemptiō. His worde ys their lyuinge water / the fode of their sowles / the lanterne that shall gyde them / and the lyfe that wyll not fayle them. Non other doctryne do they couete / nor yet other preceptes of lyuynge. Though they be here in the earthye / yet dwelle they not vpō yt. No contynuynge cyte haue they here / but they seke vnto an other of moche more bew­tye and pleasure / not buylded of men­ne. And for that they are redye rather [Page] to render by their lyues / than to renoū ­ce the very [...]e. Onlye they which dwelle here doth worshyp the Beast / louinge thē selues better than God / and their fleshe better than hys truthe / hauynge their whole trust in the mangye merites and dyrtye deseruynges of these beastlye Hipocrites / and no thynge at all in his swete promyses.

9 And therfor are not their names written of the lābe in the boke of lyfe / which lambe was slayne from the begynnyn­ge of the worlde. Christ hath not allo­wed them by hys worde and promes. With the ryghtouse are they not reges­tred / as members of one mystycall bo­dye in hym. In the similitude of hys deathe are they not grafted vnto hym as the braunches vnto the vyne / to be partyners of hys resurreccyon. Their porcyon ys not in the lande of the ly­uynge with hym. They are non of those / whom the father hath geuen hym / to partycipate with hym in one sprete. Predestynate they are not vnto lyfe by hym / nor so written vp in the foreknowlege of God. Chosen they were not of the lorde before the worldes constitucyō / to be hys vndefyled childrē in Crist.

10 He ys the meke lambe that was slayne. He alone taketh awaye the syn­nes of the worlde. In hym onlye ys the [Page 59] lyfe / for he is the lyfe yt selfe. Yet ys he the lyfe of nō other / but of those that on­lye beleue in hym.

11 In that he was kylled from the worldes begynnynge / is sygnifyed / that he dyed for all them which were create to be saued / and that hys onlye deathe ys all their helthe / rayse / and remedye / by the promes of God. For all they haue eaten of one spyrytuall meate / and dronke of one spyrytuall rocke / though yt came in the fleshe longe after them. He onlye trode downe the head of the Serpent. Sēs the begynnynge hath he bene slayne in hys members also / as manyfes [...] yt ys [...]n ryghtouse Abell / Hyeremy / Io­han Baptist / & soche other lyke. They that are not wrytten of the lambe in the boke of lyfe for the chyldren of God / are regestred in the boke of deathe for the chyldrē of perdycyō / reserued to eternall deathe for their infydelyte / with the de­uyll and hys angels.

12 He that hath an eare (sayth the text) lete hym take good hede. He that hath an vnderstādynge / lete hym be admonyshed / by that which foloweth here. Or he that hath receyued the wysdome of the sprete / lete hym iudge hereof accordinge vnto yt. Thus doth the holye Ghost ad­uertyse the faythfull to consider / that what so euer thinges are written / they [Page] are written vnto owr lerninge.

13 He that leadeth into captiuite / shall go into captiuite. And he that kylleth with a swerde must with a swerde be slayne. This warninge geueth the lord / take it if they list. For he will haue his right iudgements knowne. He that vexeth or afflicteth the iust beleuers in bo­dye by outwarde ponnishmēts / he shall be afflicted in the sprete with an inwar­de darkenesse or blindenesse of the sow­le / that he maye be the more captiue to synne and to Sathan. God will delyuer him vp into a lewde minde / and will geue him stronge delusion / to beleue al maner of lyes / that he might be dampned.

14 He that killeth the poore innocēt for his faythe with the prōswerde / or sleeth him with anye other torment / with the swerde of the sprete (which is the lordes worde) shall he be both iudged and con­dempned. The worde that I haue spokē (sayth Christ) shall iudge them at the latter daye. And this is in maner all one with that was sayed in the .xi. chapter afore. If anye manne will hurte thē / fyre shall procede out of their mouthes / and consume their enemies.

15 Neuerthelesse to the christiane is persecucion necessarye. For here in this life is the pacience of the sayntes proued / ād their faithe required. Here was Abrahā [Page 60] tempted and Iob sore vexed / and both they were founde Gode true faythfull seruauntes. Here were the Apostles contempned / reioysinge that they were foū ­de worthye for Christes sake to suffer rebuke. The rightouse the lorde trieth as golde in the fornace. He chasteneth eue­rye seruaunt that he loueth / and scour­geth euerye sonne that he receyueth. Onlye is it faythe that all the euyls of this worlde by pacience ouercōmeth / and so obtayneth the victorye. The frute which riseth to eternall lyfe / is peaceable suf­feraunce in faythe. And that must be he­re in this lyfe / where as we are vnper­fight / to make vs perfight.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And I behelde (sayth saynt Iohan) in thys secrete reuelacyon of my lorde / an other Beast arysynge out of the earthe. A figure ys thys of all false Prophetes ād vngodlye preachers. Beastlye are they euermore / vayne / carnall / and corrupt in their stodyes / abhominable in the pract [...] ­synges of their wicked hartes / not sehinge God but their bellyes / not Christes glorye but their owne pryde and vayne [Page 61] glorye.

2 From the earthe they aryse / all geuen to earthlye wysdome. The onlye affectes of thys worlde doth moue thē to teache / ād no good zele of the truthe. Eyther are they tyckled with ambytion / prycked with auaryce / or els sturred with malyce to inueye. These are the commō affectes of the wycked. Thys goynge vp haue they frō wyckednesse to wyckednesse & shall haue still tyll the lorde destroye thē / lyke as haue the iust beleuers frō vert [...] to vertu in the sprete / tyll soche tyme as they see hym face vnto face in the euer­lastynge Syon. From the worldes be­gynnynge hath this Beast rysen vp in Cayn the first murtherer / in the fleshe­lye chyldren of menne / in Cham the sha­melesse chylde of Noe / in Ismael and Esau / in Iannes and Iambres / in Bala­ham and Baals prophetes / in the Ben­iamytes and Bels chaplaynes / in Phas­sur and Semeins / in Iudas / Annas and Cayphas / in Barichu and Diotrephes. And now sens their tyme most of all in Mahumetes doctours and the Popes queresters. Yea / styll they are aloft in their beastlye beggerye / and wyll be tyll their mysschef be fynyshed. Who seeth not now adayes that hath lyght in the sprete / the malygnyte / Hypocresye / haw [...]e / crafte / and deceyt / in sertē false [Page] Prophetes at Paules crosse in London / and in other places els.

3 This Beast had .ij. hornes lyke the lā ­be at [...] blushe / but all counterfett and false in verye dede / for he spake as ded the Dragon. The hornes of Christ / are hys hygh kyngedome in the worde. On­lye aryseth hys churche by faythe in the glad tydynges and promysys of God. That worde ys the scepture of Chri­stes power / and the rodde of ryght order where as he regneth. Non other straun­ge scepturs are there / neyther tradycyōs nor customes. Seuen hornes had Christ / for in hym was the fulnesse of the veryte. This Beast hath but two / and yet they are but false and coūterfe [...]t. They seme to be Christes ad are not. These are the corrupted letter of the .ij. testamētes / falselye interpreted / and for a carnall purpose alleged. And therfor yt ys but apparent / Hypocrityshe / and deceytfull / yea & cleane repugnaunt to the lordes meanynge / not hauynge the iudgement of hys sprete. Thys letter without the holye Ghost is deathe / and nothynge perteyneth vnto Christ. He ys the veryte and lyfe / this ys but a fable or fyccyon. Hys worde ys sprete and lyfe / thys is but a brasse pot sowndynge / or a latten candelstick, tynkelynge / fantastycall ād [...]aynt / sophistycall & slayghtye. Though these [Page 62] seme lyke Christes / yet are they non of hys / but the verye hornes of the Beast. For they vpholde Antichristes kyngedo­me and not hys / a worldlye glorye and not hys / for hys kingedome ys not of thys worlde. No longar are they hys wordes / hys lawes / nor hys testimonyes thā they maynteyne hys ryght honoure No newlye practysed worshyppynges alloweth he for hys / but vtterlye abhorreth thē all as thynges rawe ād vnsauerye.

4 And therfor yt foloweth / that thys Beast spake as ded the Dragon. The doctrynes and teachynges of these false Apostles and deceytfull masters / are ly­es in Hipocresye / and the verye doctryne of deuyls / vnder tytle of the veryte repugnaunt to the same. Not vnlyke to that the Serpent sayd vnto the woman / ye shall not dye yf ye eate of the forbid­den frute / but ye shall be surely as Goddes / knowinge both good & euyll. They do as ded Sathan in the desart. Alway­es they perswade vs / eyther of stones to make bread / or els to throwe our selues downe warde / or els to worshyp the de­uyll. That is / to change the good cre­aturs of God from their ryght vse / as trees into Idols / sylkes / veluettes clothe / golde / and syluer into super­styciouse ornamentes / chast Marryage [Page] into stynkynge whoredome and Sodo­mye with soche lyke. To declyne from the dewtyes cōmaunded of God to their Idle obseruacyōs / so makynge hys com­maundementes of non effect for the bayne tradycyons of menne. And fy­nallye to fall vnto forbidden wor­shyppynges or abhomynacyons of Idolatrye / of whome they are full. And for these they haue with Sathan also their mangled scriptur [...] to laye for thē / to proue that the helpe of dead sayntes ys necessarye / their masses / merytes / & workes more than nede / expedyent / & the fyre of purgatorye a fearefull thynge with the deuyll and all of soche fantasyes. These are the prelates of Antichristes churche / the .i [...]. horned monsters or great bellyed Byshoppes / ryghtelye described here of the holye ghost in this two horned beast. These beastlye bushardes are not ashamed both to saye and to wrytte / that in their myters they beare the fygure of both testamentes / whose veryte they impugne with [...]o [...]he and nayle. Verye trulye they saye / that they carrye the fygure for in dede yt ys but a shaddo­we they bere. Not to gloryfye God / but their owne beastlye bodyes with golde / pearle / & stone / lyke Mahownde [...] in a playe / for hys truthe they [Page 63] most cruellye persecute. These are the verye false Prophetes / the instrumē tes of Sathan / the deceyuers / wol­ues / wagelynges / Iudasses / dreamers / lyers / Idols / aduersaryes / adders whelpes / foxes destroyenge the lordes vyneyarde / deceytfull workemenne / desperate shepeherdes / blynde wat­chemenne / dumme dogges / deuyls incarnate / wycked sede / vnsaciate beastes / whose God ys their bealy & glory their confusyō. To all these & to manye other soche doth the Holye Ghost compare them / for that they haue with their errours and lyes turned the swetnesse of the scripturs into bytternesse / scarselye leauynge one place therof vnde­fyled with their fylthye dregges.

5 Thys Beast (sayth Saynt Iohan) ded all thynges that the first Beast coulde do / euen be fore hys owne face. The same lyenge power to deceyue in Hypocresye hath thys beastlye brode that the great Antichrist hath / the same wylye craftes / and the same beastlye kyn­des of Idolatrye / and so doth vse thē. The same abhominacyons mayntey­ne they the worlde ouer / that the pope maynteyneth at Rome / and Ma­homete in barbarye of Turkeye. Yea / the same supersticyons ād sorceryes / the same execrable tradycions & beggeryes. [Page] The same ceremonies haue they / that he hath / the same vncciōs / the same orders / and the same Masses. The same idle ob­seruacions with vnknowne cloynynge / clatteringe / and wawlinge are styl vsed in Englande / lyke as they were vsed a­fore / & with no lesse blasphemy to God.

6 To do soche thinges in the first Bea­stes presence / is to do them where his power and auctorite is raygnynge / or where as is the seate of Sathan / which is euerye place that admitteth straunge worshippinge.

7 Both the earthe and them that dwell in the earthe cōpell they to worship this first Beast. Not onlye enforce they thē to wycked Idolatrye / that neuer wolde knowe the truthe / but also manye of those which hath great knowlege in the same. Oh / how manye are in Englande / and in other regions also that in these dayes worketh agaynst faythe / knowlege / and the holye ghost / admittinge the prestes abhominaciōs? Rather had they to dwell styll in the earthlye beggerye with the blasphemye of God / thā eyther to be out of fauer / or to loose ther offices to haue their goodes hindred / or to ha­sarde their lyues / so swete are these wā ton worldlye pleasurs. Rather had they to peryshe with the sonnes of Hel [...] and Samuel for abusynge the ordinaunces [Page 64] of the lorde / and with Core / Dathan / ād abiron for rebellinge agaynst them to synke vnto hell / than with Christ to ta­ke peynes in pouerte. But let not them thynke to be worthye of Christ / that better loueth their owne carnall commodyte / than his heauenlye veryte.

8 Well / the Beast must they worshyp whose wounde is made whole. His ol­de rustye rewles newe bournished / and his olde Romishe ragges new patched / by a newlye confermed auctorite / must they enbrase in peyne of deathe. The lambe shall not yet be suffred to apere. Styll for a tyme must these terrible te [...] magaūtes haue more worship thā God / their tradiciōs preferred to his most pure worde. And whye shuld it not be so? haue they not now a newe refourmed churche / in whom the Beastes woun­ded head is newlye restored? So longe as it is lyke the popes churche / it must folowe his rewles / and cleaue to his ordynaunces. It shall not folowe Christ in faythe and in doctryne / tyll it apere lyke that churche which he left here be­hynde him whan he ascended. And that is not lyke to be yet.

9 First must there be wrought great wonders. Fyre must be compelled to co­me downe from heauen in thē syght of menne / by this twohorned Beast. The [Page] discyples of Antichrist with their byfur­ked ordinaries must violentlye pluck [...] from the true christen churche (whose re­gne is not of this worlde) the eternall worde of the lorde.

10 Then must they take from them the consumyge fyre that Christ sent downe into the earthe of mēnes hartes to drye vp all malyce and synne. Yea / they must depriue them of the clouen fyerye ton­ges / which the holye ghost poured vpon the Apostles / to the confort of all the worlde. The treasure that Christ hath left here to socoure vs / they must hyde vnder the grounde / and the candle that he lyght vs to se ouer the howse / cōuaye vnderneth the bushell.

11 And these wonders shall they wor­ke in the presence of menne. All redye haue they taken in Englande / from the Bybels / the annotacions / tables / and prefaces / to perfourme this their damp­nable enterpryse. They haue streyght­lye forbydden the readynge therof / for tyme of their Romyshe seruyce. Some haue they burned / and some put to sy­lence / and all in the face of the peple. Yea / they reysed the maydes of Ipp [...]s­why [...]e ād of kente to worke wonders & maruel [...] / and now of late the folyshe North [...]n menne to fyght for their chur­che. What practyses they haue had in [Page 65] that eare / and that eare / to fetche awaye the true fauorers and preachers of the Gospell at dyuerse tymes / he that well considereth / maye saye that the holye ghost hath here ryghtlye described thē / callynge thē workers of wonders. The discrete cytezen of London master Pac­kyngton was slayne with a gonne at saynt Thomas of Acres (as they call it) not without their preuyelegerdemayne. But this with other of their miracles I intende to declare more at large / in an other treatyse the lorde lendynge me lyfe. It is not longe ago also sens Alexander Seyton an excellent lerned manne with poore master Tolwyn / recanted at Paules crosse. Nor yet lōge afore sens good do [...] tour Crome was compelled to do the sa­me. And now last of all / to take the scripture cleane awaye / they haue sought out great fawtes in the translacyon of it / ād thervpon taken them awaye from the common peples readynge. Great pey­nes they take to put it downe / but they neuer swerr yet in the settynge vp of yt. Thus mynde they to worke their wonders / tyll they haue buryed it all in the earthe. They lacke now but .iiii. knyghtes to hyre / to kepe yt downe styll / that it ryse no more vp. O ve­ry [...] of helle / and lymmes of [Page] the deuyll / how vayne are your stodyes / and how wycked your practyses? I haue no doubt but within short space God wyll destroye the counsels / and dyssypate the strengthes of them that please mē ­ne. Yet lete no manne maruele though they do these feates for the tyme. For yf the gospel were taught without checke / in a whyle▪ shuld nothinge remayne of that generacyon / neyther myter nor ro­chet / shauen crowne nor anoyntinge / ād that knowe they wele ynough. For the worde of the lorde ys the breathe of hys mouthe that shall destroye them / and the deuowringe fyre that shall consume thē.

12 By the meanes of these sygnes (sayth the text) which thys Beast had power to do in the syght of the other Beast / or where hys abusiōs doth reygne with outchecke / he deceyued thē that dwelt on the earthe. Manye in thys age are wōderfullye abused / through the dysseytful workinge of Sathan in these horned. whoremon­gers / but yet non other than are earth­lye mynded. Of some menne in dede the eyes are bleared with their craftes / of some menne the weake iudgemētes blemyshed wyth their subtiltees / for want of dyscernynge the scripturs. Some mē ne are tangled with doubtes / some tro­bled with terrour / some tormented with feare / consideringe that for thys newe [Page 66] lernynge (as they will haue yt called) so­me haue bene hanged / as were the thre poore yonge menne of Sothfolke for the rotten rode of Douercourt / Some burned / some be headed for thinges of nought / as ys knowne to all the worlde These thinges daseth their wittes / and amaseth their myndes. And earthe ys the cause of all this. Were yt not that they moche more loued this worldes pleasures than Godt / it shuld neuer be so.

13 All the perswasyons of Antichristes prelates and preachers hath euermore bene / and are now styll vnto soche earthlye inhabitauntes / that they shuld make an Image lyke vnto thys Beast. Which is alwayes to chose soche an Emproure with other worldlye gouernours as shall be for their commodyte. He must by the worldlye peple be compelled to take autoryte / sceptur / and crowne at their handes / so sworne to maynteyne their fleshelye libertees. He must also be fashioned by their wycked doctrynes and false counsels in confessions / lyke them in all superstyciouse lyuynge / and in the tyrannouse murther of innocent Christen menne. Where soche an head Ruler ys appoynted / there ys hys owne fygure made / and where soche a Gouernour ys constitute / there ys hys own Image se [...] vpp. For we must consyder that this re­uelaciō [Page] is in all poyntes no storye / speciallye here / as manye wryters haue thought it to be / in supposynge an An­tichrist to be borne at the latter ende of the worlde. But it is a misterye comprehendinge in it but one generall Anti­christ for all / which hath regned in the churche in a maner sens the Ascencyon of Christ. And in this one poynt are all the commētours that I haue seane / most fowlye deceyued / yea / the best lerned of them. I knowe wele if there be anye yet to come / he shall be but a mēber of this. Agayne to owr purpose.

14 Speciallye must they make a ryght Image of that Beast / which had the wounde of a swerde and ded lyue. This be­tokeneth that in these dayes they shall sturre about them / & leaue no ca [...]tels vnsought / neyther anye false counsels vn­fet frō other realmes / to do their feates with / and to fashyon the Christē Gouer­nours to their myndes. As winchester ded the last tyme he was in Fraunce. After whose comminge home / manye gre­at wonders were wrought in Englāde / and fyre was made to come downe frō heauen. Consider the storye afore / for the storye declareth the misterye. That wounded head now healed / must be vp holdē.

15 He had a greuouse wype with the [...]worde (which is the lyuynge worde of [Page 67] the lorde) whan he lost his monkes / cha­nons and fryres / his purgatorye / pilgrimages / and shrynes. Yet was he not all dead. For thowgh their cowles / coctes / and ro [...]hettes were of yet had they styll the same popyshe hartes and the same super [...]iciouse frowardenesse / that they were wonte to haue. This myght haue bene founde true / if it had bene serched / w [...]an serten popishe prestes of mastre whartons retinue not farre from Bon­gaye in Sothfolke ded calke for Cromwell and for other els, if the worlde had no [...] [...]hāged to their myndes. I write not this thinknyge they can harme by the [...]e calkinge where as faythe is residēt / but onlye to shewe / that their hartes are yet alyue & how vertuously they are occupied. Manye thinges I cōsidre at this in­staunt poynt cōcerninge prince Edwar­de / whō I doubte not but the lorde hath sent for the singular cōfort of Englāde. Not that I [...]em [...]rously diffiue / anye thinge to come cōcerninge him / cōsideringe it onlye in the lordes powre. But I desyre the sayd lorde to preserue his bringinge vp / frō the cōtagiouse drinkes of these false phisicianes. And this is to be prayed for of all mēne / if ye pōder well the text / & marke their wonderfull workin­ges / where the beastes head is restored.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 For power they haue to geue spre­te to the Image of the Beast. It ys surelye geuen them of the deuyll / whan they haue ones fashyoned out the Beastes ryght Image / or made of an Emproure [Page 68] a tyr [...]t / or set in the place of a godlye gouernour / [...] murtherer vp of gods peple / by flatteringe prayses to encora­ge them to all my chefe / and by wycked counsell to prycke thē forewarde to ma­ke cruell actes of murther for vpholdynge their beastlye genera [...]yon. The sprete that they do ministre vnto princes euer­more / ys not the correccyō of synne / the amendement of lyfe / redresse of the common welthe / prouisyon for the poore / nor the sekynge of Gods glorye. But by flatterynge prayses to vpholde thē in their euyls / moche after thys soort of speakinge. Your magestes or graces are called most vertuous / most valeaunt / most worthye / most wyse / most myghtye and best lerned amonge all Christen potentates. They are all but Asses / in comparyson to your worthynesses. If yt be your magestes pleasurs to do this or that within your owne domynyon / who shall be so bolde to withstande yow? No / though Gods holye lawes be an hundred ty­mes agaynst yt. Support the olde rely­gyon of holye churche agaynst te Here­tykes / and ye can not chose but prospere in all your affayres. Lete it be treason agaynst your owne persones accordynge to the actes of the Emperour Sigysmundus and of kynge henrye the fift / if they do but ones speake agaynst be [...] [Page] corrupt customes. Make cruell cōst [...]uc [...] ons apace & proclame thē abrode to shewe your selfes the popes liuely Images.

2 Our office it is to cause the Beastes Image to speake. Let therfor your voy­ces be harde. Be no dumme Idolles▪ but speake with bolde stomakes. In hys sprete make vtteraunce without Gods worde of his olde Romishe rewles. Sende forth your proclamacions to be pub­lyshed euerye where / concernynge his masses / his confessions / his ceremonies and his whorishe chastite. Let all thyn­ges be blowen forth vnder your tytles / names / and auctoritees / to be obserued vnder peyne of deathe. If other realmes report that ye abuse the dewtye of hey­sers or kynges (whych is the offyce of God esteme not their saynges / but stande well in your owne consaytes. Inter­prete the scripturs at your owne lust ād pleasurs as your lawe master of Rome hath done afore your tyme.

3 Cause so manye to be kylled / as wyll not worship the Image of the Beast / or obeye soche wicked lawes agaynst the veryte of God / as hath bene made by those Emprours that were the popes el­dest sonnes / by the kynges of Fraunce which were his yonger sonnes / or by o­ther princes els which were the defen­ders of hys churche / lete nō escape your [...]ādes that inueyheth agaynst our kyngdome [Page 69] / but make hauocke of them on euerye syde as of heretykes and traytors / to proue the holye ghost true here in hys fore iudgemente [...]. For that is your offyce / not appoynted of God but of Sa­than. And in our cōmssiyon frō him also we haue it / to be no slacke mouers of yow thervnto. So hath Christ tolde afo­re in this reuelacyō vnto saynt Iohā the Euāgelist. This is the ghostlye counsell that we the horned Beastes / thus haue in cōmission to geue vnto yow frō the mouthe of the Dragō. Whā soche an Image or Id [...]louse prince is thus vpset or cōstytuted by auctorite (his othe ones made that he shall alwayes defende them) he maye in no wyse speake but out of that sprete that their cōiurers / confessours I shuld saye / haue put in to him. He maye make no lawes but at their spiritual appoyntmēt / lyke as the Emprour Carolus doth now in these dayes. Moche after this sore became the ēprour Nero this beastes Image immediatly after Cristes ascēsiō by the subtle slaightes of that spiritual sorcerer Simō Magus / at Rome to withstande the Christen preachers Peter and Paule / as largelye witnesseth Egesippus in hys thirde boke de Hierosol [...] morū exci-dio / the secōde chaptre. This Simō Magus by flatteringe prayses crepte first into his fauer / promisinge him helthe / longe lyfe / increace of power / [Page] and enlargement of his empyre / with cō tynuall vyctorye ouer hys enemyes / in case he wolde folowe hys counsell / vpon thys became he / not onlye hys chefe coū sellour / but also the hygh byshop of hys sowle and conseruatoure of hys bodye / the preseruacyon of hys whole helthe & lyfe to hym committed onlye. All thyn­ges after that was done vy hys coun­sell to stoppe the Apostles preachynge / he taken for the Emprours most familyar frynde / and a manne most profitable to the common welthe of the Romanes / and they sone after suppressed and putt vnto most cruell deathe.

4 And he made all (sayth Saynt Io­han) both great and small / ryche and poore / free and bonde / to receyue a marke in their ryght handes / or in their fore heades. Whā this newe raysed Image of the Beaste / or sworne power to Anti­christ / ys ones raysed vp or admitted by their autoryte / be he kynge or Reyser / prince or other potentate / he must stron­gelye defende that Synagoge of the deuyll / with whole mageste / crowne / and scepture. By their onlye counsell must he than make lawes (for they must geue hym sprete) and sende out commande­mentes abrode that their holye decrees be obseued. Commissioners and vysy [...]ours must out vndre that autoryte / as [Page 70] wele to the clergye as layte. Than must all be sworne to it and so obeye yt / both hygh and lowe / both Gentylman and ye man / both owner and farmer / both zytezen and townesman / both merchande ād plowgh man / both mastre and seruaunt / both natyue dweller and denyson. Yea / both Prystes in their colleges / Monkes in their abbayes / Chanons in their co­uentes / and fryers in their cloysters must after their sorte do the same. Thys rewle hath bene alwayes for the cōmodyte of that kingedome / where as the powers haue bene thus by them peruer­ted. Moche were it to shewe the many­folde examples in that behalfe. Charles the .v. now ēproure / to make thys good / and to shewe hymselfe to be the seyd Beastes Image / caused soche actes to be publyshed through out hys whole domynyon agaynst the Christen doctryne / wherin all they are declared herety­ques / scysmatyques / and excommunica­tes / which taketh not the pope for sayn [...] Peters onlye vycar and head of the christen churche / non excepted / neyther kyn­ge nor Coruester / as there are now dy­uerse of the contrarye opynyon. The ar­tycles of the louanyanes vndre hys pryuilege / and the actes of the parysyanes vudre the frenc [...]e kynges autoryte / proclamed in thys present yeare of our lor­de [Page] A .M.CCCCC.xlv. wyll make all this matter good.

5 And what is this els both in theyr clergy and commons / but to receyue a marke in their right handes or forehea­ [...]es? for in admittynge those artycles & actes / they graunte to obeye those blasphemouse doctrynes that shall both cor­rupt their lyfe ād faythe / both their workes and conseyence. For in consentinge vnto errours in their faythe / they spott their foreheades / hauynge so their con­sciences marked with an hote yron. In full grauntynge also to do them in effecte / they defyle their handes / perfourminge soche workes as are vnpure before God. If they were gone quyte frō Christ that wrapped them selues agayne with the workes of the lawe appoynted of God before his commynge / moche mo­re are they gone from him that tangle them sel [...]es with soche workes of bon­dage as he neuer knewe / as are all their Idell obseruacions hauynge no expres­se commaundementes of the worde of God. Onlye loke we (saith Paule) in sprete to be iustyfied through faythe / which by loue is mightye in operacyon.

6 And for them that so beleueth is this disiunctyue or / put betwyn theyr han­des and foreheades. For all they that [Page 71] outwardlye kepe these heythnishe obseruacyons / haue not their conscyences defyled with them / for their inwarde faythes sake / though they perfourme the outwarde workes / doubtynge the terrour of the lawes. Yet wolde I counsell them not therin to trust / but at the wor­de of the lorde to go from it. For though loth dwelt in Sodome / yet at the lor­des voyce he departed from thens.

7 This Image made also that no mā ne myght vye or sell / saue he onlye that had the Marke or the name of the Be­ast / or at the least the nombre of his na­me. The actes of Iustynyane the Em­proure / shall make this good / so shall the constitucyons of Adelstane and Ed­gare and manye other kynges here in Englande which for the ordre and com­mody [...]e of the clerge made manye po­lytyque lawes. Specyallye kynge Inas Gouernour of the west Saxons / which first gaue the Peter Pens vnto Ro­me / and made him selfe a monke the­re. But in thys spyrytuall generacy­on amonge them selues / is non allo­wed for a merchande vnlesse he come in by Symonye. Non was made bys­shopp / pastoure / nor [...]urate / but payed for it their taxed sommes / byshoppes / to the pope / and the prestes to the bys­hopps / besydes Irem in brybes.

[Page]Non myght els be allowed to vtter to auauntage the wares of the beast / or di­stribute the rytes of that holye whory­she churche.

8 Neyther were anye made free of that marte / vnlesse they had the marke of the beast / which is not onlye the outwarde sygne of their head shauinge and anoyntinge of their fingars / but also the in­warde prynte of their consciences / re­ceyued by profession made to that wic­ked monster. For lyke as true faythe in Iesus Christ is the marke of a perfygh [...] christiane / so is a false beleue in popishe tradicions a token of Antichristes member. By their frutes (sayth Christ) shall ye knowe them. For the one foloweth the rewle of Gods worde / the other hath counterfet workes of mennes prescrip­cion.

9 Els must they haue the name of the Beast / to be called spyrituall menne / or the holye consecrate nombre / as his ho­lye fatherhode is called.

10 Or at the least they must haue the nō bre of his name / which is a note of magnificence and worthynesse. Lesse cā they not be called than lordes / so manye as are sworne to that spirituall markett. The most ragged ronegate / and idle ydi­ote amonge them / is no lesse thā a [...]yre / which is a lorde in the Lattyn / as sir Iohan [Page 72] / sir Thomas / sir Willyam. In the Lattyn onlye hangeth their great lorde­shippes. Amonge their vnknowne lat­tyn howres / their masses / and their dyri­gees / lyeth their plentuouse patrimonye in their portasses and masse bokes. No [...] he that leaueth all wyth poore peter / maye be called from fishynge / nor wyth Mathew from the custome howse / to do these offices. But he that catcheth all with Iudas ād Symon Magus must co­me from Symonye to do them. Not he that is called of God as was Aaron shal haue cure of sowle / but he that offereth to Corban with Annas and Cayphas. Soche a worlde hath it bene and is ye [...] styll in the worlde abrode amonge them.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 Here is wysdome to be had (sayth saynt Iohan. Lete hym that hath wytte / count the nombre of the Beast / for it is [Page] the Nombre of manne. And his Nombre is sixe hondred / sixtie and sixe.

2 For so moche as Christ hath willed vs diligentlye to searche the scripturs / and the holye Ghost here doth committ the iudgement of this secrete to the wit­te of manne / some wryters hath deduc­ted thys Nomber out of serten Greke wordes / betokeninge thys great Anti­christ / because thys present Reuelacion was first written in the Greke language. As out of antemos / which signifyeth one contrarye to Gods honoure / out of Arnume / which signifieth a de­nyer of God / and out of Teitan / which betokeneth the sunne. All these .iii. vo [...]ables / though they seme dyuerse / yet con­tayne they after the Greke rewles / ney­ther more nor lesse than thys sett Nomber. And all this maye stande both with scripture and reason. For he that ys not with Christ / ys agaynst hym / callynge that ys good yll / and that ys yll good / mynystrynge darkenesse for lyght. So­che lyenge masters as hath brought in sectes of perdicyon / hath denyed the lorde that bought them. They are not the lyght as they boast themselues to be (for all they loke to be called spyrituall) but they are the fallen Starres and verye Apostaraes frō God / & Sathās trāsfonemynge themselues into the angels of [Page 7] lyght by dyuerse kyndes of Hypocresye.

3 Some expositours leauynge the Greke / hath practysed the same thynge by these .ii. latyne wordes. Dic lux / contay­nynge in numerall letters the same set [...] Nōbre. Which sygnifyed that they call them selues the lyght / or menne of a spyrytuall sort / beynge nothynge lesse. For they in dede are the same self darkenesse that wyl in no wyse receyue the light / but rather persecuteth yt with most spy­g [...]t and cruelte. After thys sort myght I brynge in Diabolus incarnatus / or fili­us perdictonis / the deuyll incarnate or the sonne of perdycyō / for both they are the names of this beastlye Antichrist by the scripturs / the one wantynge in the numerall letters but .iiii. of the Nōbre / & the other but .vi. which myght be sup­plyed in the other letters. But a monge all these thys worde Arnume most nyghlye towcheth the my [...]erye / which ys as moche to saye / as I denye. Euydentlye semeth he to haue the marke of the Beast / or to be sealed with the Nombre of hys name / that sayeth whan he heareth the manyfest veryte / I wyll neuer admitt ye whyle I haue a daye to liue / it is ageynst good order / yt standeth not with lauda­ble custome / our doctours agree not th [...] vnto / our holye canōs alloweth yt not / yt hath not the holye fathers consent / [...] [Page] vs pray [...] ād hope / for it hath great likelyhode of a moche farder apperaunce.

[...] Sens the worldes begynnynge haue the misterye of iniquite wrought in Ca [...]n and in hys posteryte / and so contynued in the Beastlye mēbers of Antichrist and so shall do styll to the latter daye. Therfor is yt no lesse than the Nombre of manne / sixe hondred sixtye and sixe. Thus ys he tokened with all wyckednesse / that admitteth the false faythe of this Beast / and foloweth the same in hys ly­uynge by the subtle perswasyons of the Bishoppes and their lyenge Prophetes / and ys sealed vp to eternall dampnacyon / vnlesse the lorde call hym in tyme. Not onlye in Englande ys healed the beastes wounded head / but also in other serten regyons. But for so moche as yt ys most lyuelye done there / and thys boke written in that language / I haue onlye brought forth here examples therof in that purpose.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 I [...]oked (saith saynt Iohan) on the other syde / and in a thought as it were / I behelde that a lambe stode vpon mounte Syon. Euen the lambe of God Iesus Christ / that alone toke awaye the syn­nes of the worlde. Alone doth he gouer­ne his faythfull churche / as the onlye ād immediate head therof / hauynge non o­ther to assist him in that office. For who is the kynge ouer Syon but he? Who shall reduce Israel agayne to his folde but he? Onlye is he with his congrega­cyon / to ayde them with his worde / to bolden them with his sprete / & to strēg [...] then them with his grace.

2 And with him were present an hon­dreth and .xliiij. thousande / hauynge his fathers name written in their fore hea­des. So manye as haue in hart receyued his worde / and in faythe digested his ve [...]e [Page] / are the verye chyldren of Abraham / and are marked vpp for the sonnes of God by the seale of the holye Ghost.

3 For power haue they geuē thē to be Gods chyldrē that beleue in hys name. And thys is yt to haue hys name writ­ten in their fore heades. For their faythe declareth them Gods sonnes. Lete thys set Nombre be non impediment to the reader / to be taken here for the vnyuer­sall multitude of the faythfull / as well of the Gentiles as of the Iewes that beleueth / though yt otherwyse apereth in the .viii. chapter of thys boke. For so well ys the Gentile that hath fay­the / a perfyght Israelyte, / as ys the Christen Iewe. Yea / moche rather was. Zacheus for hys faythe iudged Abra­hams chylde / than was Symon for fulfyllynge the workes of the lawe. For God ys not parcyall. What so euer he be that feareth hym / and worketh ryghtousnesse / ys accepted with hym. And so ys yt ment here. And therfor ys not the differēce written here as in the other place / but all ys Ioyned in one / to cōprehēde all vnder one. And as touchynge the equall certente in Nombre both here and there. Lyke as yt ys ther [...] certeynlye knowne vnto God / euen so ys yt here / though yt be vnto vs both innumerable and vncertayne. Not as [Page 77] concernynge the Nombre yt self / but the common vnderstandinge therof in the scripturs. For yf the Nombre of one seuenth be an infinite Nombre there / moche more of many seuenthes.

4 And I harde a voyce from heauen (sayth Saynt Iohan) which ys all one with the aforeseyd Syon / and ys the vnyuersall congregacyon of Christ / all clere from the superstycyons af menne. For / from Syon cometh the lawe of the lorde after Esaye / and the worde of God from Ierusalem.

5 Thys worde ys as the noyse of manye waters / whan yt ys in the mouthes of manye dyuerse peples / of dyuerse naty­ons and languages / one not vnderstandynge an other / and yet knowynge yt yche peple amonge themselues.

6 Verye lyke ys yt also to a great thō der cracke / myghtye / feare full / and terrible to the fleshe. Very harde ys thy worde lorde (sayd Christes disciples) who is able to abyde yt.

7 And the voyce that I harde (saith Iohā) was moche after the noyse that the harpers make whan they playe vpon their harpes. Full of agrement are the holye scripturs / yea / full of swete hermonye and concorde. More precyouse are the verytes of the lorde than ys golde / and their melodye more swete than honye.

[Page]8 With them reioysed Dauid before the arke of the lorde. In thē toke Paule a stomake / and confounded the Iewes at Damas [...]us.

9 And swetelye they vttred with their voyces a songe that semed all newe / be­fore the seate of the lorde / before the .iiii. Beastes / and before the auncyēt elders. This songe is the worde of the lorde / all newe both to the good ād to the yll. The faythfull it reneweth in the sprete of their myndes / prouokynge them to do on a newe māne in Christ. The hartes of the vnfaythfull it so hardeneth / that they in disdayne and spyght doth call it newe lernynge / as ded the ignoraunt multi­tude at Capernaum / and the worldly wyse menne of Athenes.

10 Before the seate of the lorde was this songe vttred / which is the godlye disposed multitude. For lyke as the har­te of an hipocrite is the verye seate of sathan / so is the hart of a faythfull manne the seate of God and habitacle of the holye Ghost.

11 Before the .iiii. Beastes was it ope­ned also by this nomber of godlye tea­chers. Which Beastes are the pryuate congregacions of the lorde / remaynin­ge here yet in the fleshe / in the .iiii. quar­ters of the worlde.

[...] Finallye before the elders was it [Page 78] songe also. For non other doctrine is it / nor Gospell of glad tydinges / than hath bene sens the begynnynge / nor thā hath bene thankefullye receyued of owr olde auncetours the Patriarkes / the Prophetes / the Apostles / and the faythfull fa­thers.

13 And no manne coulde lerne that ne­we songe / but the aforesayd hondred ād xliiii. thousande / which were redemed from the earthe. On mightye / wonder­full / yea and terrible sentence of the lor­de. Non that take them selues for the peple of God / cā be accepted afore him for the true sede of Abrahā / nor for the iust ministers of his worde / vnlesse they betokened afore with the holye sprete of his promes / and so predestinate to the lyfe euerlastinge.

14 Non can syncerelye do that godlye office to the profight of other / vnlesse he be whollye taken from all fleshlye and worldlye affectes. No manne canne co­me vnto me (sayth Christ) vnlesse it be geuen him of my father.

15 The wilfull Iewes beleued not be­cause they were not the shepe of his marke. Neyther is it of him that willeth no [...] of him that ronneth but of the only martyr of the lorde. Necessarye is it therfor that his sprete draweth moueth / and in­ [...]meth the hart. Els can not the songe [Page] be swete / neyther in hym that singeth nor yet in the hearer. The notes of thys newe songe are Gods heauenlye very­tees / regestred in the faythfull hartes.

16 And they that ded synge them to the prayse of the lorde / were not defyled with women. Wyth no straunge doctrynes / nor yet Prophane worshyppynges ys their faythe contamynate / that vnfaynedlye haue done on Iesus Christ. No [...] the spowsage of their sowles haue they broken by no fylthye tradicyons of mē ne. Onlye haue they with Dauid sought the Testymonyes of God / and thought non lyke vnto them. Onlye ded they cleaue to hys precyouse lawes / estemynge all other but chaffe / and verye whore­dome in the sprete.

17 Therfor are they virgins marryed vnto Christ in faythe / as were the Co­rynthyanes by Paules preachynge / whom he wyshed to continewe a chast virgine vnto Christ. Neuer ys the may­denhede of the sowle lost / tyll erronyouse doctrine be receyued from the massengers of Antichrist the Byshoppes and Hipocrites.

18 The virgins / or vncorrupted bele­uers doth folowe the lambe whersoeuer he becōmeth. They go after Christ / that beleuynge hys worde / doth fashion their lyues vnto yt. Lyke as they folowe Antichrist [Page 79] / that fashion their workes to hys doctrine. They walk in hys steppes / that forsake themselues with him / that beareth the crosse of persecucyōs with him / or that suffreth death for the truthe with hym. And not they that seke thēselues / lyuynge here in all pompe / voluptuousnesse / and Tyrannye. From thys place fat­che the blinde Papistes / a great argu­ment for their wyuelesse chastyte / and that nō foloweth Christ but they in this muster / because they are vnmarryed. Neyther maye Abraham / Moyses / nor Dauid / Zacharye / Peter / nor Philip / walke in this Nōbre / because they had wy­ues. So parelouse a thynge yt ys to ha­ue a wyfe. It ys great maruele they ad [...]itt Marye Christes mother to yt / because she had a husbande. Oh / ignoraunt Assee / and verye beastlye Idiotes. I thynke yow folowe Iudas which had ney­ther wyfe nor chylde / vnlesse he had thē syttynge by other mennes fyers / as manye of yow haue yet at thys same daye. What is virginite before God mo­re than is marriage? No more than is circumcysyon in comparyson to vncircūcysyon. And that ys nothynge. No more maketh the one than the other / to a Christē lyfe. Onlye ys yt faythe effectuallye workynge by loue / that the lorde requy­reth of vs.

[Page]Onlye respected he the faythe of Marye / and not her virginite. They which lyue in matrimonye after the worde of God / are accepted afore him for virgyns / and so are named of Saynt Paule. An other ca [...]illacion they haue / that non which hath offended afore / can be of this nombre. But they consyder not what is spo­ken here afore / that they were redemed from the earthe / and that the sprete of the lorde hath puryfyed their hartes through faythe. Neyther haue they gra­ce to remember that Christes innocēcye is rekened for an whole & perfight rightousnesse vnto them that beleue in him / but they must bringe in soche tryfles / as are their owne beggerlye merytes.

19 And therfor it foloweth also. These faithfull beleuers (sayth Saynt Iohan) were redemed from menne / beynge the fyrst frutes to God and to the lambe. By non other were they redemed / than by Christ▪ For of all the elect nombre / he is the onlye rightousnesse / wysdome / holy­nesse / and redempciō. From the corrupt / blynde / and frowarde multitude hath he called them / taken them / ād clered them. And of deformed synners / hath he made them fayre / of vyle pure / of wreched gloryouse / of blinde perfyghtlye seynge / of lyars true sayers / of obstinate gentyll / of yll good / & of vnfrutefull profytable. [Page 80] For he yt is that taketh awaye the sto­nye harte / and geueth a softe harte for yt / so makynge vs Abrahams children. Thus are we redemed from menne / wh [...] we are taken by hys goodnesse from soche corrupt vsages as mannes nature is inclined vnto.

20 And for non other purpose / but to be the first frutes vnto god / as were the aulter offeringes in the olde lawe / in the hā des of the high prestes. For so moche as the elect Nombre are but a fewe or a serten taken out from the vnyuersall multytude / & are the porcyon of the lorde (as were the seyd offerynges) perteyninge vnto Christ the onlye byshop of our sowles / they are his first frutes. Yea / ād hys owne verye mysticall members / and all but one offerynge vnto God the father by hym. For he is the onlye lambe that dyed for them / hys owne bodye beynge the onlye oblacyon and sacrifice.

21 And in their mouthes was founde no gyle. For non other wordes vttered they but hys pure testymonyes. Non other taught they but hys vndefyled lawes. Non other perswaded they to be obser­ued of other / but hys immaculate Gos­pell or easye burden of Christ. No importable yokes layed they vpon mennes / shulders / neyther of Ceremonyes / fastinges / nor masse hea [...]ynges.

[Page]22 For they are without spotte before the trone of God. Both before them that are faythfull and haue right iudgement in the sp [...]e [...]e (which are the verye seates of God) apereth their doctrine pure / and also their lyfe innocent / before God him self. Neyther are they spotted with fyl­thye tradicions / nor yet with vncomlye examples. And as concernynge their former synnes / they shall not be imputed vnto them. They are remitted in Christ / and so forgotten afore God. Though this that here hath bene spoken be con­cernynge the whole Christen multytude and her preachers / yet doth it most specially touche the Iewes or Israelytes that shall in this latter age be conuerted vnto Christ. And so do I counsell the rea­der to vnderstande it. For the mounte Syon after the fleshe was theirs. Not defyled are they wyth vnmarryed wemen / which are the whoryshe lawes ād vncleane Supersticions of the Genty­les / vpon non other harpe haue they commonlye harped but vpon the scripturs / though it hath not bene to the pleasure of God / tyll now in thys latter age / wherin they shall whollye turne vnto Christ.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 An other Angell sawe I (sayth Sa­ynt Iohan) flye in the myddes of hea­uen. For Chryst was the first Angell or massenger of the euerlastynge coue­naunt of the father. This Angell he­re mencyoned is non other than he that had the seale of the lyuynge God in the vii. Chapter / and he that was clothed wyth a clowde in the tenth chapter. [Page] And he betokeneth those feruent myny­sters wh [...]m God hach sent in this latter tyme / to admonishe his peple to fle from the errours of Antichrist and returne to his heauenlye veritees.

2 He flyeth in the myddes of heauen. An ernest / feruent / and faythfull course take they in the middes of Gods congregacion (which is his heauenlye kyngedome here / to whō this reuelacion is written / lyke as ded Paulus / Sylas / & Bar­nabas / Timotheus / Titus / and Clemēs / with other of the Apostles / syncerelye to declare his worde. Mightye stomaked are they in Gods cause / both in their wordes and wrytinges.

3 An euerlastinge gospell had this an­gell to preache vnto them that sytte and dwell vpon the earthe / & to all nacions / kynredes / and peple. His eternall testa­ment and couenaunt of peace hath the lorde geuen vnto them / to preache dely­ueraunce to the captiue / helthe to the wounded / lyfe to the dead / and remission to the sinnefull. Yea / to vtter that worde that is stronger than is heauen or ear­the / and that shall neuer fayle him that trulye beleueth.

4 The sounde of this gospell must go the worlde ouer / as in the Apostles ty­me. Euery where must it be spredde to the increase of faythe. Amonge all naci­ons [Page 82] of the earthe / amonge all kynredes of the Israelytes / amonge all lāguages of the worlde / ād amonge all kyndes of peple / of what sort so euer they be / whe­ther they sytte vpon the earthe or dwell vpon the earthe / whether they be hygh or lowe / gouernours or subiectes / ma­sters or seruauntes / owners or fermers. So that they sytt not nor dwell not wi­thin the earthe / or haue their felicyte he­re. For that is holye shuld not be geuen vnto dogges / nor yet pearles layed be­fore swyne.

5 And he cryed wyth a lowde voyce. With a mightye feruent sprete do they beate it into the heades of menne / both by wordes / writinges / and all they can make / to haue the feare of God / and to geue him his dewe honoure. And this is the doctrine they teache / and the coun­sell they geue.

6 Feare ye God in all that ye do for the first poynt of godlye wysdome is to dreade least we offende him. Be constaunt in the worde / ād feare no displeasure of menne. For nomore can they do in their anger but slee the bodye / and brynge it to the rest of God. No power haue they ouer the sowle. Feare him onlye therfor / that whan he hath destroyed both / maye throwe them into helle.

7 Geue honour vnto him / worship him / [Page] and serue him alone. Prayse him / ād glorifye him aboue all. But yet after non other sort thā he hath appoynted / which is in faythe / sprete / and veryte / and not in outwarde shaddowes with obserua­cyon of tymes. He trulye honoureth him that trusteth in hym / that beleueth hys worde / and that in spyght of all Anty­christes confesseth it afore all menne. After this sort therfor feare him / and wor­shyp him / nothynge doubtynge the as­saultes of enemyes.

8 For the howre of his iudgement ys come. At hande is it that all the Anty­christes and hipocrites shall by the in­vincyble worde of God be iudged / con­dempned / and destroyed. From heauen shall his wrathe be declared vpō all the­ir vngodlynesse. With the sprete of his mouthe shall the lorde consume thē / and not longe after wyll the great daye of his indignacion towardes them lyght sodenlye vpon them.

9 With all faythfull obsequy worship him therfor that create heauē and earth in wonderfull strengthe and bewtye.

10 That made the see and the fountay­nes of water with all that in them doth moue / whose power is eternall / know­lege non other God but hym. Non other helper / redemer / nor sauer but his Crist. For all other Chrystes not sent of him [Page 83] are but Antychrystes. Onlye bowe your knees vnto him / for onlye is hys strength euerlastynge. Onlye obeye his lawes / for onlye a [...]e hys lawes cle­ane.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And there folowed an other angell (sayth Saynt Iohan) which betokeneth an other sort of preachers / whose offyce is here appoynted thē of the holye ghost to declare vnto the peple the certente of the fall / of the aduowterouse / cursed / ād malygnaunt churche of hipocrites / here fygured by wreched Babilō. For though all the true prophetes and preachers haue but one worde of God in their mou­the / yet passeth it diuerslye from them. Vnto yche of them is geuē a dyuerse vt­teraunce of the sprete to edifye. One is softe meke and gentyll / as was Dauid / Iohan / ād Peter / an other is boystuou­se [Page] / harde / ād vehement / as was Helias / Esaye and Paule. And all this worketh the self same one sprete. This diuersyte of teachers was neuermore plentuouse in the worlde than now in owr tyme fi­gured here by these two angels. Pray­sed by the lorde therfor.

2 And the tenoure or grounde of this latter sort of preachers is this. She is fallen / she is fallen / euen myserable Babylon th [...] great cyte of whordome / be­cause she made all nacyons to drynke of the wrathefull wyne of her fornycacion. So sure is it that the execrable churche of Antichrist shall be ouerthrowne / and vtterlye destroyed / as it were now per­fourmed in dede. Nothing shall be vnroted out that the heauenlye father hath not planted. Sonner shall heauen & ear­the peryshe / than this promes be vnful­fylled.

3 For with the stinkinge whoryshnesse of her supersticiouse worshippynges / haue she poysened all nacions & peples / vnder heauē. The great gouernours / ād lerned lawers of the worlde / hath she made in maner of beastlye dronkerdes / wytlesse / faythlesse / ād gracelesse / by their pro­stibulouse doctrine. And this shall be declared more at large in the .xvij. chapter folowynge / where as she is more plen­tuouslye described.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 The thyrde Angell also (sayth Sa­ynt Iohan) folowed them in the thyrde kynde of preachynge of the same self massage / that in the mouthe of .ij. or .iij. faythfull wytnesses all veryte myght stande.

2 And by this angell are they signify­ed / that by the worde of God stifflye impugne their wicked lawes and vngodly [Page] ordynaunces / whose maner of ernest preachinge is this.

3 If anye mā worship the Beast / which is the great Antichrist. And his Image / which are those gouernours that taketh vpon them his blasphemouse titles / na­mes / auctoryte / or defence. If anye manne also receyue his marke in his fore he­ad / beleuynge their lawes to be a chry­sten doctrine / or haue the pryn [...]e of hys seale vpon his ryght hande / which is to fashion his outwarde workes after the same. The same manne shall drynke of the wyne of Gods wrathe / whych are the dregges of the pure wyne powred in the cuppe of his hygh dyspleasure. He shall tast of the euerlastynge dampna­cyon / that is reserued in the latter curse or fearefull sentence of their most terryble iudge. To worshyp the Beast ād his Image / is to accept them in conscyen­ce / and in the outwarde obedience with full consent of the hart. For that they blasphemously [...] pretende / without gods auctoryte. As the Pope for Gods vy­car or forgeuer of synnes / Mahomete for the great Prophete of the lorde / the [...]ewlers of the earthe for the popes el­der or yonger sonnes / for most christen kynges / and defenders of the faythe of that holye churche.

4 To receyue the Beastes marke in [Page 85] their fore heades and handes / is both to agre to soche decrees / tradycyons / la­wes / constitucyons / actes / and procla­macyons / as they vnder those tytles ha­ue made / onlye for their owne couetous­nesse and pompe / and neyther for the glorye of God nor yet for the right ma­yntenaunce of the chrysten common welthe / as I haue declared afore. And also to be sworne to the same / to subscrybe to it / to geue counsell or ayde to it / to maynteyne it by lernynge / to mynister in it / to execute vnder it / to accuse / pō nyshe / and put to deathe for yt / or to thynke yt lawfull and godlye with so­che lyke.

5 These marked worshippers shall tast of the cuppe of Gods indygnacyon / of calamyte sorowe and wrechednesse in the dayes of their fall here / and after the last iudgement of vnspekeable peynes and most greuouse tormentes / in euer­lastynge fyre prepared for the deuyll ād his angels.

6 The dregges that the lorde hath poured out (sayth Dauid) shall the wycked of the earthe drynke. Cleane contra­rye are these Angels to the horned my­nysters of Antychryst. For they ma­ynteyne the Popes errours / these the onlye verytees of Chryst. They la­boure for the glorye of theyr Pope / [Page] these seketh the onlye honoure of God. They pra [...]e that their holye churche shall cōtinewe / these saye it shal downe with shame. They requyre worshyp to the Beast and his Image / these will report it blasphemouse / and the rewarde therof dampnacyon. Marke in these .ij. sortes the preachers of owr tyme / and iudge which are of God. Agaynst both beastes in Chrystes quarell shall these Angels contende. Agaynst the Pope and his bishoppes / Mahomete and his doctours / wyll these godlye mynisters replye (whō the lorde hath sent in thys latter age for that purpose) condēpnynge by the scrip­turs their auctoryte / iurisdiccion / and power / declarynge also the plages that wyll fall vpon them for wytholdynge the truthe of God in vnryghtousnesse.

7 For these Antichristes and their worshippers with so manye as beareth the­ir token shall be ponnished in fyre and brymstone / before the holye Angels / and before the lambe. Fyre shall be kyndled (sayth Moyses) in the anger of the lor­de / and shall burne vnto the bottome of hell. Vpon the vngodlye (sayth Dauid) shall he rayne snares. Fyre / brymstone / storme / and tempest shall be ther porcy­on to drynke. The vehemēt indignacion and myghtye iudgement of God / shall lyght vpon them / as vpon Sodome and [Page 86] Egypt / and shall both deuoure them and consume them.

8 And this shall be in the syght of An­gels. Which are not onlye the spretes of heauen / but also the churche of the fa­ythfull. Yea / the ryghtouse shall reioyse whan he [...]yth the destruccion / and shall washe his handes in the bloude of the wycked.

9 In the presens of the lambe shall it be also. For he is euermore with his flocke / and shall be vnto the ende of the worlde / wherin he shall sytte and con [...]dempne them.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And the smoke of their torment as­cendeth vp euermore / as the flame of a fornace wyth most horryble stynke / for a perpetuall sygne of their ponnysh­ment / lyke as it ded from Sodome and Gomor / whā the lorde ouerthrewe thē.

2 So that they haue no rest neyther day nor nyght / so manye as worship the Beast and his Image / receyuynge the print of his name.

3 Both in this lyfe are they crucyat [...] with a troblouse and doubtfull conscience / and also after this lyfe with vnspe­keable peynes. For neyther shall theyr worme dye / nor yet their fyre be quen­ched / all fleshe abhorrynge them.

4 Thus shall they be wyth the Beast tormented / which haue the sprete of the beast. For lyke as all the faithfull (which hath bene from the begynninge) belon­geth to one mistycal bodye in Christ / ād shall be preserued by hym / so doth the wicked perteyne to one mystycall Anti­chryst / hauynge all one sprete with him / and so shall with him perishe.

5 Here is the pacience of the Sayntes. In this lyfe are their trobles. No plea­sure is for thē in this worlde / but hate / rebukes / slaunders / lyes / persecuciōs / & deathe of their bodyes. Their lyfe vpon earthe is cōtinual afflicciō / but gloryouse [Page 87] is the frute of their labours. Manyfolde are the mysfortunes of the rightouse / but the lorde cleareth them of all.

6 Here are they vexed that kepe the commaundemētes & the faythe of Iesu. Here are they had in derisiō / that behaue thē selues as the ministers of God in moche pacience / affliccions / nede / anguyshe / la­boure / strypes / imprisōmēt / & soche lyke.

7 Here are they chastened of the lorde with many sore stormes / that they shuld not be dampned with this worlde. Mo­che haue they here to suffre of enemyes / that onlye cleaueth to the worde of God in lyfe and doctrine.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And I harde a voyce from heauē (sa­yth Saynt Iohan) saynge vnto me.

2 Wryte with thy penne / or marke su­relye this sentēce folowinge for thē that here suffreth in the truthes quarell.

[Page]3 Blessed are the dead / or they which are alredye departed / and that also shall here after depart in the lorde. This voyce from heauen are the infallyble scrip­turs / assertanynge the faythe of Iohan / of the swete rest of the Sayntes in the handes of God. And that their ende is not without honoure / as the vayne sort supposeth / but they are counted amonge the dere chyldren of God. Let them therfor that suffer in this age be ernestlye spreted / and not feare the tormentes of the enemyes in Christes cause.

4 For from hence forthe (the sprete sa­yth) that they rest from their labours. In a wonderfull quyetnesse dwell they / by the verye sentence of the holye ghost / and shall neuer more fele of anye woo. God hath cleane wyped awaye all tea­res from their eyes / all sor [...]wes ād peynes from their bodyes / the first daun­gers beynge past. Happye are they ther­for and most godlye fortunate / that are slayne for Christ / because they wyll not worshyp the Beast and his Image / nor corrupt their faythe with their wycked lawes / but in a pure Christen beleue de­parteth from hence to the lorde. Theyr porcyon is in the lande of the lyuynge / and their lotte amonge the holye ones.

5 For certen [...]ye their workes doth fo­lowe them. The promise [...] [...]warde of [Page 88] God for constantlye standynge by the veryte / for the frutes of their christen pa­cience / and for other exercyses of theyr faythe / is euermore to their glorye pre­sent with them. Not as deserued of thē / but of Christ / in whose faythe they wrought here / and for the promes sake / that they shuld be Gods heyres togyther wyth Chryst. The lyuelye worde also / which they ernestlye receyued here and so roted in their faythe / wyll neuer suffre them to peryshe / nor to be hurt of the [...]conde deathe.

¶The paraphrase.

1 I loked yet further (sayth Saynt Io­han) and euydentlye before me apered a whyght cloude / which betokeneth the true mynisters of Gods worde. Whom the holye ghost calleth cloudes by Esaye / Dauid / Peter / and Iudas. For from thē falleth vpon the peple the swete droppes of hys verytees.

2 Whyght they are as mylke for their faythe in the worde. And for their Chri­sten conuersacyon not blotted with Hy­pocresye of mennes corrupted custo­mes.

3 Vpon this cloude was one syttynge lyke vnto the sonne of manne / which ys verelye Christ / in hys gloryfyed manhode. For euermore ys he amonge hys trewe preachers / geuynge them soche vtte­raunce and wisdome / as all their enemyes are not able to withstande. Alway­es walketh he amonge the .vij. candel­styckes / which are hys congregacyons as we had afore

4 He had vpō hys head a goldē crowne / in token of hys eternall and vncor­rupt [Page 89] kyngedome / & in hys hande a shar­pe syckle / which ys the sharpe iudgemēt or ryghtuousnesse of hys worde / for ther with shall he reape hys latter harnest. Accordynge to hys worde and promes shall he iudge good and euyll.

5 Thys syckle receyued he of hys euerlastynge father / soche tyme as he gaue ouer vnto hym hys vnyuersall iudgemē tes. By the order of thys vysyon shuld the preachers seme in the last age of the churche / moche to admonyshe the peple of the latter daye / with the commynge of Christ agayne to iudge both the quicke & the dead as ys in their crede / or beleue.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And an other Angell (sayth saynt Io­han) came out of the temple / which ys the congregacyon of faythe / consecrated as an holye temple vnto God in the bloude of the vndefyled lambe Iesus. This Angell betokeneth those iust mēne / that with Symeon and anna the doughter of Phanuell / in this latter age are desy [...]rouse of the glorye of God / and of the fynall redempcyon of man from bodelye corrupcyon.

2 These shall crye with a loude voyce / with a feruent sprete shall they call vn­to Christ / which sitteth vpon the cloude.

3 And this shall be their sainge. Thrust in the syckle and reape. Sende forth thy [...] worde. And lyke as yt hath created all thynges / so lete yt now trye and iudge all thinges.

4 For the tyme ys at hande to reape. For we are those vpon whome the endes of the worlde are come.

5 And doubtlesse the corne of the ear­the y [...] rype / the worlde is at the best that yt will do. As it hath bene euer / so ys yt styll / all togyther sort vpon myscheff. Lete thy worde therfor fynyshe all / as yt hath beganne all. With the breathe of thy mouthe / [...] the great Antichrist / [...] of synne / the sonne of perdy­cyon [Page 90] / and the aduersarye that hath exalted hymself aboue God. Poure out thy indygnacion vpon the kyngedomes that will neyther knowe the / worshyp the / nor alone call vpon thy name. Thu hast called thy haruest the ende of the worl­de / lete it now fynyshe all in dede. Diuy­de the chaffe from the corne / the wicked sort from the ryghtouse. Gather the wheate into thy garner / and burne the chaffe in vnquencheable fyre.

6 And he that satte on the cloude thurst in hys syckle on the earthe / and anon the earthe was reaped.

7 He hath sent hys myghtye worde / so quycke in operacyon as fyre. Which shall not onlye consume the wicked ge­neracyon of the Beast / but also reserue them to eternall dampnacyon.

8 The earthe shall be cleared of thē as of all other fylthye corrupcions / and hell replenyshed with them / to their perpe­tuall care.

¶The Paraphrase.

[Page]1 And an other angell (sayth saynt Io­han) came out of the temple which ys in heauen or from the great nombre of Angels / hauynge also a sharpe syckle in his hande.

2 This Angell betokeneth those heauē lye spretes that the lorde shall sēde forth to gather togyther hys chosen from the iiij. wyndes / whan hys token shall apere in heauē These are the reapers of the lordes haruest. These are they that shall go forthe to gather all nacyons / and to separate the gottes frō the lābes / the yl from the good / and shall cast them into a furnace of fyre / where as shallbe waylinge and gnashinge of tethe.

3 And therfor ys their syckle here na­med sharpe. Non other is their syckle / but this appointed office. Non other ys their haruest / but thys gatherynge togyther. But these massengers shall not for­the tyll they haue commandement. And therfor sayth Saynt Iohā consequētlye.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And an other Angell came out from the aulter which had power ouer fyre. This ys the lorde Iesus Christ / whom Malachias calleth the Angell of the [Page] couenaunt that was longed for. He ys the aulter of the ryghtouse / and by hym are they a swete sacrifice vnto God. Els coude they be but verye abhominacyon. Tyll the iudgement daye shall he be an aulter of meanes makynge to God the father for vs. But that daye ones come / no longer shall he be an aulter or an aduocate / but go cleane from yt. He shall than become a iudge ouer all the worl­de / rewardynge euerye one accordynge to their workes. Hitherto hath he mekelisytten vppon the cloude / and not cutte with his syckle. He hath had in hys hande the iudgement / and not iudged.

2 But now hath he power ouer fyre. By fyre (which ys vnder hys obedyen­ce / as are all other creaturs els) shall he at that daye iudge the vnyuersall worl­de. And more sharpe / vehement / quycke ferce / myghtye / and terryble shall hys sē tence be to the wycked / thā ys any fearefull / flaminge / or cōsumynge wilde fyre.

3 For with a lowde voyce shall he crye vnto him that hath the sharpe syckle. An ernest charge and commandement shall he geue at that daye to the ministers of his yre / for to cast them into exteryoure darkenesse / after thys sort here vttred in mysterye.

4 Thrust in thy sharpe syckle / ād gather the clusters of the earthlye vyneyarde / [Page 92] for the grapes therof are r [...]pe.

5 Execute the vengeaunce committed vnto yow / and rote out this ranke ry [...] ­ [...]ouse generacyon of the rauenouse Epi­cures.

6 For now are their myscheues at the full. Now are they most curyous in their facyons and fedynges / most couetouse in their compassynges / most vayne in their stodyes and most cruell in their doynges. For with them shall yt be (sayth Christ) as yt was in the dayes of Noe and Loth. They shall buylde and banket / ruffle and ryot / bye and sell / and plante for their pleasurs.

And sodenlye as a snare shall that terrible daye lyght vpon them vnbewares / as ded deathe on the couetouse iourer.

7 And the Angell (sayth Iohan) thrust in hys syckle on the earthe / he cutte downe the grapes of the vineyard of the earth / and so ded cast them into the greate wyne fatt of the wrathe of God.

8 Accordynge to their commission they shall plage the earthlye mynded / for he­re ys the tyme past for the tyme cōmynge vsed / for the certente of yt. Wyth soden deathe shall they perce thē in this worlde / that contempnynge Christes doctryne hath folowed the course therof in all concupiscence.

9 And fynallye they shall throwe them [Page] into the lake of myserye / the pyt wythout water [...]nto the stynkynge [...]regges of hel [...]e / where as fyre and brymstone shall be rewarded to drynke. For the vy­neyarde of the earthe ys the carnall Synagoge of Hypocrites [...] and the grapes therof are the gloryouse glottons / and franke f [...]dde porkelynges of that gre­dye gulfe / euen the enemyes of Christes crosse / whose God ys their bellye / whose glorye is their confusion / and whose ende ys their dampnacyon / for they are earthlye mynded. This wyne fatte of the wrathe of God ys non other than hys greate bengeaunce / to be poured v­pon the vnfaythfull. Or els helle / prepared for the deuyll and hys angels. Greate / not onlye for the innumerable mul­tytude that yt hath and shall receyue / but also in that yt is insacyable.

10 And this wyntfatt was troddē without the cyte. Nothynge perteyneth yt to that cyte (of whom famouse thynges are spoken) which ys the congregacy­on of God / nor yet to the good crea­turs of God. No / not vnto thys worlde / which shall at that daye be tryed and pourged by fyre. But vnder the earthe shall yt be / and farre without thys worlde / secluded from the face of heauen in fylthye and vnspekeable darkenesse.

[Page 93]11 For bloud wyll come out of thys fatte / euē vnto the horse brydles. Wherin is expressed not onlye the terrour of the place / but also of the peynes ther in contayned. For bloud shedynge and murther are thynges verye horrible & fearefull to beholde / contayninge in thē depriuacyon of lyfe / which ys most ter­rible of all. The habundaunce therof betokeneth the greatnesse of the grefe in the sufferaunce of them. The treadinge downe also sygnyfieth / that no rayse towardes anye relefe is to be loked for of them that be there. Vnto them which at that daye shall be in the cyte / wyl he that sytteth in the trone make al thynges newe. All dolour / affliccyon / so rowe / peyne / penurye / / wrathe / condēp­nacyon / and deathe / shall be past with them. Onlye shall they be trodden downe in this wynefatt of Gods wrathe / that lyued here lyke beastes without reason / and that wandred here lyke hor­ses and mules in their owne filthye lustes.

12 All shall be ponnyshed there / that was here vnbridled / vnordred / and vn­gouerned after the worde & pleasure of God. And therfor yt ys here sayd / vnto the horse brydles. Euerye manne shall receyue in bodye accordynge to that he hath done / whether yt be Good [Page] or euyll. They that haue wrought the storke of God in faythe / shall reape ac­cordynge vnto yt. The brydles also betokeneth the measure of gods iudgemēt / not as concernynge the tyme which [...]s euerlastynge / but concernynge the peyne ryghtlye measured accordynge to the in aquite. For the lorde hath sett his iudgementes ouer the wicked in wayght and measure / the stripes agreynge in quantyte to the excesse of synne / so moche tor­ment to haue / as their reioyse hath bene in wyckednesse.

13 The space of these terrible tormētes or ponnyshmētes of hell / ys a thousande and .vi. hondred furlonges. A furlonge of the Grekes ys called the [...]onne of hercules / and yt ys in lenghte an hondred and .xxv. passes or steppes. And commonlye they vsed accordinge to that lengh­te / to measure their playenge places. Of whome Paule maketh mencyon to the Corinthyanes beynge Grekes / by them that rōneth in a course / and that proueth mastryes. In thys thousande and .vi. hō dred furlonges here / ys comprehended the whole and vnyuersall course of the wycked for the .iiii. quarters of the worlde. The nombre of an hondred ys euer­more an whole complete and perfyght nombre. And .iiii. hondred .iiii. tymes nō bred ys .xvi. hondred / which maketh this [Page 94] nombre of a thousande and .vi. hondred / the nombre of .iiii. respectinge alwayes the .iiii. climates of the worlde / which are the common habitacions of sinners. In them course they in all wanton kyn­des of lyuinge. In them worke they their mastryes of all vngodlye obseruacyons and false worshyppinges / walkinge in the large or open waye which leadeth vnto deathe. Accordynge to the nonbre & measure of this course / hath God here measured the place and ponnysh­ment. Not withstandinge neuer ys he without mercye. Maruelouse he ys in hys workes and iudgementes / which are vnsercheable. Blessed ys he that shal haue his part in the cyte or congregacy­on of the ryghtouse / and that shall se the peace vpon Israell / whan the lorde shall leade forth them with the euyll doers / that hath yoked themselues with their lawes. The lorde graunt vs ones to tast the prosperyte of Hierusalem. Amen.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And I sawe (sayth saynt Iohan) by the secrete goodnesse of my lorde God / yet an other token in heauen / great and maruelouse / straunge and wonderfull. For in the churche or congregacyon of God are euermore vttred his wonder­full and depe iudgementes / vnto them only whom his grace appoynteth / as vnto Iohan. And this is the token in my­sterye.

2 Seuen angels had in their hādes the seuen last plages. Some exposytours haue taken these Angels for the ryght mynisters in the .vij. ages of the christen churche. Some haue thought them to be the peruerse preachers and vngodly mynisters of all the sayd ages / suffred of God strongelye to delude the vnbele­uers / that he which hurteth shuld hurte styll / and that he which is in fylthynesse shuld styll be fylthye. Vnto euerye age correspondynge an Angell / to declare the nature of those deceytfull hyrelyn­ges [Page 96] and lyenge masters. And this ma­keth them so to vnderstande the text. They are here expreslye noted to be in heauen. Amonge the congregacyons of God are the false prophetes and dissem­blynge hypocrites euermore / as the chaffe amonge the corne / the tares amonge the wheate / and the fylthye dregges a­monge the pure wyne. For that kynge­dome is as a nette throwne into the see and gatherynge all maner of fyshes both good and badde. In all ages hath the wycked generacyon increased / to impugne the truthe / and styflye to stande vp agaynst God and his Christ / whych is non other after their myndes / than to mynistre the .vij. last plages here. For no poyson is to the sowle so pestylent / nor yet venime so noyfull / as is false doctr [...] ne. No plage can be thought more de­adlye nor vyrulent / than to depryue vs of that faythe / of that veryte / ād of that lyfe which is in Christ Iesu / or to bryn­ge vs out of that waye which he hath appoynted. And all this semeth no small lykelyhode of the iust vnderstandynge of the texte here. Yet geueth Frances Lan [...]bert a farre better iudgement / callynge them the set sentences or vnvariable de­crees of God / diffinynge hys iudgementes agaynst the wycked in this latter age of the worlde / at their appoynted ty­mes [Page] to be vttered. For all these thyn­ges are ioyntlye to be consydered. These Angels came not onlye from heauen / which is the congregacyon (as they ha­ue mencyoned) but also out of the cele­styall temple of the tabernacle of te­stimonye / which is the omnipotēt God and his Chryst / as the .xxi. chapter here of declareth. They are also clothed with pure whyght lynnen / gyrded with gol­den gyrdels / they haue golden vyals delyuered vnto them by one of the .iiij. Beastes / and one of them commonèth with Iohan / declarynge vnto him the iudge­ment ād fall of the great whore. Which are no argumentes that they are here to be taken for yll preachers / thowgh they here mynistre the last .vij. plages. Therfor shall we iudge them here to be Gods appoynted purposes or eternal­lye decreed pleasurs / agaynst the wyl­full obstynates and indurate rebelly­ous to the ende of the worlde. These are called the last plages / bycause they fall in the last age of the worlde / whom E­saye / Hieremye / Oseas and Mycheas calleth the last dayes / Iohan the last howre / and Paule the endes of the worlde. Seuen are they named here in a vniuersal respect both of the tymes / par­sones / places / and peruerse doctrynes [Page 97] of the whole worlde. And also because of the .vij. seales and the .vij. trompettes / to whose iudgementes they Ioynt­lye agre / as in the next chapter folowinge wyll apere more largelye.

3 For in them (sayth the text) is ful­fylled the wrathe of God. The indigna­cyon of the lorde is in them whollye de­clared. For what hate can he shewe mo­re vnto manne / than to withdrawe from him his grace / to leaue him to him self / to suffre him in his owne blynde iudge­mentes / to geue hym ouer to his owne fylthye lustes / and to sende hym the operacyon of erroure to his double damp­nacyon? A verye fulfyllynge of Gods anger is it also to appoynt vs a false Prophete or deceyuable curate / a wan­ton Prynce or vngodlye gouernoure. These therfor with soche lyke are those plages / in whom is depelye accomplys­hed the dyspleasure of God. And they are here named the last plages / for af­ter them shall non other be seane / the latter daye fynyshynge and clearynge all.

4 And I behelde (sayth Saynt Iohan) in the same sayd vysyon / as it were a glassye see / or a great flowynge wa­ter in symylytude of glasse / all myn­gled wyth fyre. Non other is this see but the precyouse veryte of the Lorde / [Page] so clere as glasse and so pure as christ­all. This see gushed out of the harde rocke stone / that was clouen a sonder in the desart. Whan he sent forth his spre­te / these waters flowe [...] forth in ha­bundaunce.

5 Most effectuall and quycke is this see. And therfor it is here noted as myngled with fyre / whych signifyeth the holye ghost. For neuer is the veryte wyth­out Gods sprete. A ferce fyerye stre­me calleth Danyel this see. All fyerye is thy worde lorde (sayth Dauid also) and therfor thy seruaunt loueth it. This is the foūtayne of lyuynge water spryngynge vp into the lyfe euerlastynge. Vnto this water shuld all they resort that are thurstye / therof to take refreshyn­ge.

6 Vpon this glassye see were they se­ne of Saynt Iohan / that had obtayned victorye of the Beast / of hys Image / of his marke / and of the nombre of his name. By whom are ment those consta­unt christianes / whych hath for all ages firmelye affermed the truthe. For non aduersyte declinynge from it. Strongelye haue these sens the Apostles tyme resysted the aduersaries of God by his only worde / perfystynge therin vnto the deathe as ded Steuen / Iames / and An­tipas with soche other his faythfull witnesses. [Page 98] Uictorye haue they gotten by faythe both of the Beast ād his Image / both of the great Antychryst and his supporters / of the Pope and of Maho­mete / wyth theyr maynteyners Em­prours / kynges / and magistrates / and of all them that vsurpe theyr tytle / na­me / seate / auctoryte / pompe or power.

7 They haue blemyshed lykewyse by the sayd worde not onlye the marke of the Beast / whych is a corrupted fay­the / but also the nombre of hys name / whych is the denyall of God. Them ha­ue they to theyr rebuke vttered / and to their confusion declared. They haue proued their orders dampnable / their doc­trine deuyllyshe / their religion hypocrisye / and their spiritualte playne wyc­kednesse / condempnynge them by the scripturs / as vngodlye dyssemblers denyenge the lorde which bought them. These are they whom the lorde tender­lye norryshed / and gracyouslye brought forth vpon the refreshynge waters / conuertynge their sowles to his godlye feare and loue.

8 These stande euermore on the glas­sye see / they sett sure fotynge vpon the rocke stone. Unmoueablye they perseuer in the truthe / neuer denyenge yt afore menne.

9 And they haue in their handes the [Page] harpes of God / whych are deuoure myndes geuen all vnto godlynesse / ād reioysynge in spirituall thynges.

10 Harmonyouslye they synge the tu­neable songe of Moyses the faythfull seruaunt of God / and the melodyouse swete songe of the lambe Iesus Christ.

11 Of both testamentes they make vtteraunce / declarynge the wonderfull workes and terrible iudgementes out of the olde lawe / and out of the gospell of gladnesse the most swete mercye of the lorde. Wythout ceasynge open they the scripturs vnto other inwardlye re­ioysinge in spirituall hymnes and psalmes / hauynge this euermore for the standynge tenoure of their songe.

12 Inestimablye great is thy good­nesse / and wonderfullye maruelouse a­re thy workes O Lorde God almygh­tye.

13 Iust are thy promyses / and most perfightlye sure thy wayes / thu gloriouse kynge of Sayntes / and graciouse gy­de of the godlye beleuers.

14 Who shall not euermore feare the / o mightye lorde? who shall not alwa­yes in hart gloryfye / thy blessed na­me?

15 Thu alone art holye / iust / ād perfight / for non is there good but thy self onlye. Thu art owre onlye maker / redemer / ād [Page 99] cōfortoure. Non other haue we for owre God but the.

16 No doubt of it but the tyme will be that all kyndes of peple / both Iewes and Gentyles / faythfull and heythen shall seke vnto the / and shall faythful­lye in veryte and sprete worship before the / acknowlegynge the for their onlye lorde God.

17 Because thy wonderfull iudgementes that sumtyme were secrete / are now to the worlde made openlye knowne ād manifest. Though this songe be lyttle and small / yet is therin contayned all veryte / that both Moyses and Christ con­fesseth at large. Moreouer what so euer the scripturs comprehendeth / eyther of the great omnipotēcye of God or of his most wonderfull workes / eyther of hys louinge mercye or of his benigne pytie towardes manne / of his gloriouse na­me or myghtye power / or that he is to be magnifyed and feared / or how that the faythfull perteyneth only to his kin­gedome / or how that all peple shall fi­nallye be conuerted vnto hym. All is compendiouslye in this brefe songe he­re contayned / what though it be not so worde by worde expressed. And as concernynge that ys here last spo­ken / that his iudgementes are made manyfest / it is to be vnderstanded of those [Page] faythfull creaturs whom he calleth / cle­reth and iustyfyeth / and of non other. For vnto them onlye are his heauenlye verit [...]es knowne / to whom he wytsa­ueth to open them. Though the other outwardlye se the iudgements of God / yet do they not inwardlye perceyue thē / though they boast it neuer so moche. For it is not geuen them so to do. They must haue eyes and not se / eares and not vn­derstande.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And a non after that (sayth Sayn [...] Iohan) I loked yet more aduysedly. And sodenly as it were / the euerlastynge tē ­ple of the tabernacle of wytnesse was o­pen in heauen.

2 A mysterye this is verye ernestlye to be marked / as a thinge of great wayght. The lorde almyghtye is this eternall tē ple. He is the temple not made wyth hā ­des / vncreated / gloriouse and full of mageste / comprehendynge in him all thin­ges / and he within non agayne comprehended. He is the lorde of all. He mea­sureth heauen wyth his spanne / he ouer reacheth all the worlde with his .iij. fingers. In hym we lyue / we moue / and [Page] haue owr beynge. The tabernacle of wytnesse is the lambe Iesus Christ. He is that verye tabernacle of God that was here amonge menne / bearinge that faythfull wytnesse which geueth wys­dome to babes. He is the propiciato­rye or mercye seate / wherin we are har­de and forgeuen. Neyther was thys tabernacle of thys maner buyldynge / but moche more perfyght and greatter. This holye tabernacle is within the a­foresayd temple / for Christ dwelleth in the father and the father in him.

3 Open is this temple in heauen / and the tabernacle seane / whan God is knowen by true preachynge / and Chrystes doctrine beleued. For he came into the worlde / and for that purpose was bor­ne / to beare wytnesse vnto the truthe / whom the father wylled onlye to be harde / concernynge faythe.

4 This temple and tabernacle open / or God and his worde ones knowne in thys latter age / the seuen Angels cometh forth. The eternall decrees of Gods secrete iudgementes apereth / and are fulfylled in their tymes. As Angels or massengers of God they ha­ue in his eternyte their iust plages in their season appoynted to be exhybited.

5 And therfor are they seyd to come [Page 109] out from the temple which is God. No­thynge hath he purposed to the worl­de / but he hath decreed yt afore the worldes constitucyon. For his purpo­se / mynde / and pleasure / is as he is / euerlastynge. And as it falleth to the worl­de by his assignement / it becometh a massenger / goynge out of the temple. So manye hath he sent of soche mas­sengers / as he hath fulfylled decreed purposes. And maruele not though they be here called Angels / consyderynge that it ys the common maner of the holye scrypturs euermore to call them Angels whych vttereth the wyll / ple­asure / and commaundement of God / as they do here. After thys sort are the prestes called Angels / so ys Ag­geus the holye Prophete / so is Saynt Iohan Baptyst / so are Chrystes dys­cyples / and also the publyque prea­chers.

6 What the plages are that they shall shed out of theyr vyals / wyll be shewed clerelye in the next chapter fo­lowynge / one after an other.

7 These angels are aparelled in pure whyght lynnen / bryght shynynge as chrystall / and gyrded about theyr bre­stes with gyrdels of fyne golde / which betokeneth theyr syncere clennesse / [Page] and their gloryouse perfyghtnesse. For what can be more pure and precyouse / than the eternall decrees of the lorde? What can be more perfyght and glory­ouse than hys prediffyned purposes? The lawes of God are vndefyled / the testimonyes are true / the statutes are ryght / the wayes are sure / the comma­undementes are clere / the iudgementes are godlye / the wordes are pure and precyouse. Yea / the gyftes that come from the father of lyght are euermore per­fyght and good.

8 The gyrdynge of their brestes / ys the streyght spearynge vpp of the secrete meanynge of Gods iudgementes from owr carnall vnderstandynge / tyll soche tyme as he openeth them vnto vs by hys sprete. For yt belongeth not vnto vs to decerne soche secretes as the father reserueth to hys owne po­wer.

9 And one of the .iiij. Beastes or congregacyons (sayth Saynt Iohan) dely­uered vnto the aforesayd .vij. Angels vij. golden vyals replenished with the wrathfull dyspleasure of God whych lyueth for euermore. Though the con­gregacyons be in the fyrst chapter .vij. and in the forth .iiij. vnderstanded by the .iiij. Beastes / yet are they here in [...]his place brought all vnto one / and [Page 112] called one of the .iiij. or els of the .iiij. made one / for so moche as the vnyuersall christen churche is of one consent / one faythe / one batyme / one God / and per­teyneth to one Christ. For so moche also as it confesseth / beleueth / and teacheth one doctrine of helthe. One is my d [...]ue (sayth the holye ghost) one is my derely beloued darlynge. A Beast is it here no­ted / as lyuinge in the fleshe / and not yet mortifyed by deathe.

10 The vyals of Gods wrathe are the vngodly reprobates / fytt onlye for de­struccyon. Golden are they here named / because they apere gloryouse in the worldlye iudgementes of menne. Ve­rye paynted tombes are the dyssemblyn­ge hipocrites / within full of stynkinge bones. A shynynge name of lyfe haue they and yet are they inwardlye dead. For all that they do is to be seane of menne.

11 Full of wrathe are they / wherbye is ment a synnefull vnderstandynge / with dampnable doctrynes. For verye swyft are they to all vngodlynesse. The .vi. propertees haue they which the lorde ha­teth / and the seuenth which he vtterlye abhorreth. A proude loke / a dissemblyn­ge tonge / bloudye handes / a wycked hart / fere rydye vnto myschef / wayes to practyse lyes / and sowynges of dys­sencyon [Page] amonge bretherne. These are geuen of the true christen congregacion to the .vij. Angels / or decreed purposes of God to be iudged as they haue eternal­lye diffyned. For non other is their con­tinuall prayer / but that his wyll be ful­fylled / and that his predyfined inten­tes agaynst the peruerse multytude be fynyshed at their conuenyent tymes. Non other is it to putt into the Angels handes the vyals of Gods displeasure / than thus to committ them by faythfull prayer to his purposed decrees or foreset ordinaunces.

12 But because that commonlye whan Gods iudgementes begynne to waxe knowne / all thynges are commoued and trobled / therfor is it sayd here con­sequentlye that the temple was full of smoke / by reason of the mageste of God and of his gloryouse power. This smo­ke are serten mysteryes / representynge vnto vs the hydden mageste of Gods eternall presence. Whose bryghtnesse can no frayle vnderstandynge abyde. Nor / all the worlde cowde not sustayne it yf all thynges were open and play­ne concernynge it. In no wyse coulde Moyses presentlye se the face of God / onlye myght he be suffred to se his backe partes. For no manne can se God and lyue. Onlye is he seane here in this [Page 103] lyfe as in a glasse or vnder a darke speakynge. He apereth vnto vs here in a mystycall smoke / lyke as he ded to the Patriarke Iacob in slepe / to Moy­ses in the flamynge bushe / to Helias in the horle wynde / to the Apostles in fye­rye tonges / and vnto Ananias in a se­crete vysyon.

13 Vnder the shaddowe of fygurate locucyon is his glorye of the electe perso­nes and faythfull beleuers knowne. The vnfaythfull reprobates beholdeth the smoke / but neyther perceyue they in it the glorye of God / nor the mageste of his presence. They neyther conceyue his wonderfull workes / nor yet his godlye iudgementes. Their folyshe hartes are so darkened / that though they knowe God / yet glorifye they him not. They set the smoke and perceyue the worlde tro­bled (as it is alwayes whan the veryte apereth) but neuer the more faythe nor godlye knowlege haue they. But that which is vnto the faythfull a rayse / is vnto thē a ruyne. That is vnto the other the power of God vnto helthe / is vnto them slaunder and folyshnesse. And that is vnto the other a sauoure of lyfe vnto lyfe / is vnto them a sauoure of deathe vnto deathe. They remember not that the lorde came downe in fyre vnto Moyses vpon mount Synay whan it smo­ked [Page] all togyther lyke a burnynge forna­ce / and therfor bere they awaye no glorifyed faces / or consciences depured by a true perfyght faythe.

14 And no manne was able (sayth the text) to enter into the tēple / tyll the .vij. deadlye plages of the .vij. angels were whollye fulfylled. For though the true beleuers perceyue in the misteries of the scripturs / the present mageste and mygh tye power of God / yet enter they not in to full knowlege of him / beynge as yet subiect vnto vanyte. For here is theyr knowlege vnperfyght / and their prophecyenge also. And therfor acknowlegyn­ge their imbecillite / and also waytynge for the reuelacion of the childrē of God / they saye with Saynt Paule. O the wō ­derfull depenesse of the wysdome and knowlege of God. How incomprehensible are his iudgementes / and how vn­searcheable his wayes.

15 And at this poynt. shall they styll be tyll the last iudgement daye fynishe all. For the full enterynge into the temple is non other than a whole perfyght or consummate knowlege of God ād hys misteryes. Which can not fullye be had / tyll that which is vnperfyght be done a­waye / the creature delyuered from bon­dage of corrupcyon. And tyll deathe be swallowed vp / the vessell of corrupcyon [Page 114] becommynge incorruptyble / ād the mortall bodye becommynge spyrituall. The ryghtouse shall than shyne as doth the sunne in the kyngedome of their father / and glyster as doth the bryght Starres worlde without ende. What the .vij. plages are / and what ys their fulfyllynge / wyll in this chapter folowynge apere.

¶The Paraphrase.

AN other great voyce harde Iohā out of the tēple. A perfyght / stronge / and ernest assuraunce had he of the lorde by a spirituall premonyshment / that the vnvariable decrees of hys sert iudgemētes shuld be fulfilled at their tymes of hym appoyn­ted. Yea / assertayned he was infallyblye that they shuld in their dewe seasons come to passe. For vnto his fryndes ope­neth he hys secrete counsels alwayes / as he ded in olde tyme vnto hys wele beloued Israel / vnto Moyses / Zacharye / Ezechiel / and Daniel / with soche other.

2 And the voyce was vnto the .vii. An­gels vnder the .vii. Seales openynge ād the .vii. trompettes blowinge after this sort. Go your wayes forth fulfillinge the purpose ye be ordayned vnto. Poure ou [...] [Page 105] your vyalles of wrathe vpon the ear­the.

4 Declare them first of all to the worlde / to be the reprobate vessels of dishonour / which of wylfulnesse contēpneth my eternall veryte. Consequentlye sende thē into most depe errour / that they maye wexe worse and worse / and not onlye to erre in themselues / but also to brynge other into errour / that they maye recey­ue the double rewarde therof / abydynge my most fearefull iudgement.

5 And in soche tyme as the lorde ap­poynted / the first Angell went fourth vnder the first seale openynge / and poured out hys vyall vpon the earthe. For in the first age of the churche / to trye her as golde in the fornace / permytted the lorde by his eternall decre / the malycyouse Synagoge of the Iewes to rage / and to do their vngodlye feates. In the which their furyouse madnesse / not onlye ded they persecute the Apostles and first preachers of Christ from cyte to cyte / but also peruerted the earthlye mynded multytude by manye and dyuerse vngodlye kyndes of false doctryne in hipocresye. Of thys sorte was Himineus and Pheletus / becomminge of Sadducees false Christyanes / and denyenge the latter resurreccion / whom Paule ded excom­munycate. So were also Phigellus [Page] ād Hermogenes / bryngynge in agayne circumcysyon with certen ceremonyal obseruacyons to blemyshe the Gospell of Christ. These with soche lyke subuer­ [...]ed whole howses (sayth Paule) teachynge thinges that they ought not to haue [...]aught for fylthye lucres sake.

6 And whan they were thus by the decreed purpose of God shed vpon the earthe / or left vnto their owne earthlye beastlynesse / all destytute of his grace for contempnynge hys worde so gracyouslye offred / there lyghted a noysome and tedyouse botche vpon those mēne which had the marke of the Beast / or an vnchristen beleue through their perswasyons.

7 And vpō thē also that worshypped hys Image / or accepted them for Godlye that made lawes repugnaunt to hys la­wes. For the greate headed Rabynes of the Iewes ded not onlye sporte the consciences of the Israelytes their owne natyue contre menne / but also of the Grekes and latynes / the Asianes & Romanes / compellynge them for their owne tradycyons to make Gods commandementes of non effect. These hauynge a pretence of Godlye lyuynge / denyed the power therof. Of this sort were they which entred into howses / and brought into bondage supers [...]y [...]youse women lo [...]en with synne. For a more depe vnder­standinge [Page] herof / conferre thys with the first Seale openynge and the first Trompet blowynge / and lyke wyse the other .vi. folowynge.

¶The Paraphrase

1 After this went fourth the seconde Angell of the seconde Seale openyn­ge effundynge hys vyall vpon the see. Accordynge to the decree of God almyghtye for the seconde age of the Christen churche / regned amonge the Christyanes deceytfull bretherne and peruerse tea­chers / betraynge the true mynysters and delyuerynge them vnto deathe for Iesus Christes sake / that hys lyfe myght be se [...]ne in their mortall fleshe. For in this lyfe he proueth his electes with Abrahā and Iob to saue them / and to make thē iust folowers of Christ / whom yt behoued to suffre ere he ētered into his glorie

2 Upon the see or wauerynge multytude [Page] was thys vyall shedde. Onlye are the false Prophetes receyued and taken of the folyshe / fantastycall / and slypper wytted sort / as a rede shaken of euerye wynde. Non regardeth them which hath sett sure fotynge vpon the harde rocke Christe. Soche a vyall or vessell of Gods Ire was Mair the Idomyte which made the Talmud of the Iewes / a boke more thā .x. Gybles after Nauclerus ād other Historianes / full of blasphemyes and lyes condempnynge the doctrine of Christ. So was Rabby Moyses the Egypcyane / Rabyna and Rabasses with soche other confyrmynge the same.

3 All bloudye was thys see / the vyall ones shedde thervpon. All fleshlye were the peple in their iudgementes / their hartes fulfylled with cruelte and mourther agaynst Christes true witnesses / through their peruerse preachynges. Yea / in that furiouse rage they thought they ded god great good seruyce whan they putt hys seruauntes vnto deathe.

4 Thys bloud was also in a maner as the bloud of a dead māne. For dead was the doctryne that they taught / euen the sleyng letter yt self. Dead were also their Ceremonyes / their rytes / and their ydell obseruacyons.

So that euerye lyuynge thynge dyed in that bloudye see. All they which semen [Page 017] through glytteringe hypocresye to lyue / wanted the verye lyfe which ys hydde in Christ / and that ryseth offaythe in hys lyuinge worde. So ded they also which depended all vpon the vayne pleasurs of this lyfe / exercysinge here ty­rannye both in wordes and doynges. Neyther were they out of the same daū ger / that fell from the veryte ones knowne / nor yet they which durst not recey­ue yt for feare of persecution / but both peryshed in this see.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 Next in his course went out the thirde Angell / vnder the thirde Seale ope­ninge / and he poured out his vyall vpō the watterye flowdes ād fowntaynes / and all they became verye bloude. By his sett decree for the thirde age of the churche / suffred the lorde false heretykes to rage in all kindes of erroure / strongelye to delude the vnbeleuers.

2 These lyghted vpon the swete wa­ters / by whom are ment the sacred scripturs refreshinge the drye sowles. Who so euer drynketh (sayth Christ) of the waters that I geue / he shall neuer be more a thirst.

3 Of these waters haue they defyled both the ryuers and welspringes with bloud. Both the lawe and Gospell / the fygure and veryte / the commaundemēt and promes / the doctryne of Prophetes and Apostles haue they corrupted with [Page 118] their false interpretacyons and gloses / with frowarde dryftesand opynyons / with vayne tradycyons and worshyp­pynges / and with carnall wysdome ād murtherynges. Of thys sort were Eu­t [...]ces and Artius with soche other lyke / as in the .viij. chapter afore.

4 And I harde (sayth Saint Iohan) an Angell / betokenynge those syncere wytnesses / to whom God had opened for that age his secrete iudgemētes. And thys Angell sayd.

5 Omnipotent creator and lorde which art not onlye of thy self at thys present instaunt / but wart also essencyallye in thy self without begynnynge.

6 Thu heauenlye lorde art faythfull in thy wordes and holye in thy workes.

7 For as yt apereth before our eyes / the decrees and fore iudgementes that thu madest afore / are now fulfylled in effecte.

8 For the relygyouse mourtherers that of cruelnesse caused the bloud of thy ho­lye▪ Sayntes and Prophetes / Apostles and Preachers to be shedde / haue now by thy iust appoyntment verye bloud to drynke as they are most worthye.

9 For sleynge of them whose massage they contempned / they had their iust plage. Not ōlye became they vayne in their thoughtes / their folyshe hartes darke­ned [Page] (not vnlyke to them that hath eares ādheare not / eyes and se not) but also the­re remayned vnto them after this lyfe a perpetuall vengeaunce without mercye for their cruell oppressyons / as a due rewarde of their errour.

10 Yet an other Angell harde I (sayth Saynt Iohā) euē out of the aulter whych ys Christ. Thys Angell sygnyfyeth those wytnesses that sūtyme confessed the truthe here / and now resteth from their la­bours in the lorde. These though they be departed / afferme that the other hath seyd afore. In token that now beynge departed they forget not that truthe which they afore confessed / lyuynge styl yet in the same. He that holdeth my worde (sayth Christ) shall neuer tast of dea­the.

11 And this ys their saynge in mysterie / or wordes comprehendinge their secre­te confessyon.

12 Euen so lorde God almyghtye. As the lyuynge beleuers sayth of the by mouthe / so saye we now in the sprete.

13 That thy decreed iudgemētes are euer more true / and thy maruelouse workyn­ges ryghtouse. The first ys called in some translacyons the Angell of waters / the other here reported to come from the aulter / to sygnyfye both sortes.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 Consequentlye by the appoyntment of God / the fort Angel in the forth Seale openynge poured out his vyall of Gods wrathe on the sunne. As the lorde had eternallye prefixed / in the forth age of the Christen churche. For the whole worldes pannyshmēt / was Christ sore blemyshed which ys the clere sunne of ryghtousnesse. Sore ded the dissemblynge. Antichristes in those dayes darken the true glorye of God with their many folde sectes of Hipocresye. The pope had for hys part an innumerable swarme of shorne smered Sodomytes / [Page] and Mahomete a fowle flocke of fran­tyck fabyllers / which with their newlye paynted relygyons and prodygyouse obseruacyons / made first all the worlde to wonder and than to worshyp Bel [...]al for Christ / takynge darkenesse for lyght / and synne for ryghtousnesse.

2 These beynge verye aduersaryes vnto Christ / toke vpon them hys auctoryte and seate / the one boastynge hymself for hys generall vycar in earthe / the other for the great Prophete of the lorde / and so were receyued of the excecate worl­de. Nedes wolde they seme to be the sū ne / beynge the verye shaddowes of de­athe.

3 Permytted was this heersackye sunne to vexe mēne with heate of fyre. Syttynge in the temple of God which ys with in manne / with soche wycked la­wes as they made vnder the name of God and of Christ / they terribly vexed / tormented / and cruciated the weake consciences of menne / leauynge them cōmō ­lye in most peynefull desperacyon.

4 So that the menne raged in greate heate / speakynge euyll of the name of God / which had power ouer those pla­ges. At their abhominable perswasions was Christ of them not taken for a mercyfull sauer and gentyll▪ redemer / but for a frowarde chorle & vntractable tyraūt / [Page 110] vnlesse he were mollyfyed by the mery­tes and callynges vpon of other / & that coude not be had without money.

5 Power hath the lorde ouer plages / to holde them or remoue them. By hys ryghtfull iudgement / at hys onlye plea­sure he hardeneth. As the potter / maye he breke them / or make them vessels of dyshonour.

6 In no wyse ded this peruerted mul­tytude repent their wycked blasphemyes to geue hym glorye / for all their confessiōs / Masse hearynges / pylgrymages and satisfaccyons without nombre. For they were not accordynge to his pre­scripcyon.

7 After non other sort wyll he be plea­sed and glorifyed / than he hath by hys scripturs appoynted. Nothynge lesse are their fantasyes than true repentaunce.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 In order succedeth by the dyuyne or­dinaunce the fi [...]t Angell vnder the fift seale openynge / pourynge out hys vyall of Gods indignacyon vpon the seate of the Beast. After non other sort than the lorde had afore predyffyned for mannes vnfaythfulnesse sake / was the proude beastlye kyngodome of the Papacye / and the execrable regne of Mahomete replenyshed with all filthye abhomynacyōs vnder the sunne. For in the other age afore they ded but crepe into the hartes of mēne through the glytterynges of hypocresye and dissimulate sanctyte.

2 But here haue they obtayned the po­wer / seate / and auctoryte of the Beast / and so gotten vnto them the myghtye Monarchyes of the vnyuersall worlde. Here regned they without checke in all vayne glorye / hawtynesse / malyce / pry­de / murther Hipocresye / superstycyon / Idolatrye / and blasphemye of Gods name.

3 And therfor their kyngedomes as all one in deuylllyshenesse / became all darke / without the lyght of Gods [Page 111] veryte / full of the stynkinge smoke of the bottomlesse pytte. Than went the locustes abrode / ād fylled the worlde with ygnoraunce and blyndenesse.

4 Euerye where gnewe they their tō ­ges for verye sorowe. In detractynge the veryte / moche grefe they suffred in their desperate hartes their wormes not dyenge / nor their fyre quenched / the scorpyons of the earthe stynginge them also.

5 Spyghtfullye they blasphemed the omnipotent lorde of heauen for verye anguishe and dolour of their sores and woundes. For non other are the frutes of a desperate conscience than blasphe­myes of God / as in Cain / Iudas / and soche other lyke. Non other are the vtteraunces of an vnpenyten [...] hart / but heauye hatefull mormurynges.

6 And therfor yt foloweth / that they repented them not of their dedes. For in a crucyate or fearfullye vexed con­science can neuer dwell true repentaun­ce. So vnquietouse alwayes ys the fo­lyshe desperate mynde / as is the trou­bled ragynge see. A wycked hart is ladē with sorowes heapynge synne vpon synne / the Synagoge of proude Hipo­crytes hauynge no helthe. In the fift Seale openynge & Trompet blowynge / is more of thys misterye declared / which agreeth moche with thys vyall of God / [Page] lyke as doth the other with the other in their nombres though not in their figurs.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 In course now foloweth the sixt angell of Gods appoyntment / vnder the [...]ixt seale openinge / shedinge out his Irefull vyall vpon the great ryuer Euphra [...]es a flood of the Assyrianes or of Babylon / betokeninge in mysterye the plesa­ [...]nt possessions and wauerynge delygh­tes of the Papysticall clergye with so­che lyke.

[...] Into all filthye despres of carnall and worldlye lustes gaue the lorde their har­ [...]s ouer in the sixt age of the christē chur [...]he for their vnbeleues sake / to do tho [...]e thinges which are vncomlye and be­ [...]stlye. So that all their stodye / trauayle / [...]nd laboure / sought to non other ende / [...]ut onlye to habunde in them. Wholly [...] [...]ere they geuen thervnto / and nothyn­ [...] to the glorye of God in all their prac­tysed [Page] obseruacions.

3 Yet were the waters therof in processe of tyme dryed vp. Their welthye pon [...] pes / possessions / and pleasurs (their fa [...]se feates ones knowne) are and shal [...] be clerelye taken awaye from them. For after Iesus Syrach / the plante of sinn [...] shall be roted out in the proude Sinagoge of the wycked.

4 And all this shall be to prepare the waye of the kynges / from the sprynge of the sunne. Neuer shall the gouerners walke in the wayes of the lorde / nor rewle accordynge to Christes doctryne nor yet that doctrine be apert and open tyl the waters be dryed vp / not one dro [...]pe remayninge. So longe as the Pre [...]stes dwell in wanton delightes and va [...]ne pleasurs / eyther are the princes chyl [...]dyshe or els tyrannouse / accordynge a [...] their nedes requyreth.

5 Neuer are they kynges from the spri [...]ge of the Sunne / or accordynge to Chri [...]stes rewle / sekynge Gods honor wyt [...] Dauid and Iosias. In Englande by th [...] Gospell preachynge haue manye of th [...] se waters bene dryed vp in the suppres [...]sion of monasteryes / prioryes / couen [...]tes / and fryres howses / yet are not a [...] thynges brought vnto Chrystes cler [...] institucyon. A syncere Chrysten orde [...] can not yet be seane there. And a grea [...] [Page 113] cause whye. For all is not yet dryed vp there. The Byshoppes regne styll in as moche vayne gloryouse pompe / and wyth as manye heythnyshe obseruaci­ons as euer they ded. As cruellye har­ted and as bloudye mynded are they yet as euer they were afore / no myschef vnsought to holde in the waters. Mar­ke how Wynchester / Durham / Yorke / London / and Lyncolne worketh / wyth soche other plesauntlye dysposed Eu­phratynes. But be of good confort and praye in the meane tyme. For the ho­lye Ghost promyseth here they shall wydder awaye / wyth all that the he­auenlye father hath not planted. All that generacyon wyll the lordes breath [...] consume. Now is the axe layed to the roote of the tree / to hewe downe the vnfrutefull braunches / the wyddred reser­ued to vnquencheable fyre. God graunt the princes at that daye more christen­lye to bestowe the waters of Euphra­tes than they haue yet bene bestowed / no prouysyon made for the poore / nor yet order sett for the Gospell preachyn­ge. For great part of it is now turned to the vpholdynge of dyse playnge / maskynge / and banketynge / yea [...] I wol­de I coude not by iust ocrasyons speake it brybynge / whorynge / ād swearinge / [Page] the townes / peples / ād howseholdes mi­serablye decayed / whych wyll not one daye / be vnplaged / vnlesse they repent.

6 Fardermore I sawe (sayth Saynt Iohan) in the same self visyon / thre vnclea­ne spretes / one commynge out of the dra [...]ons mouthe which signifieth Sathan the deuyll / an other out of the Beastes mouthe betokeninge the vniuersall An­tichrist / ād the thirde out of the false prophetes mouthe compared afore to the two horned Beast. And all they semed in maner as frogges / both in their colours and facyons.

7 Idolatrye was that yll sprete whych first went out from the Serpent / & hath cōtynued euer sens in the worlde vnder the coloure of good workes / as pilgrimage / deuocyon / and laboure.

8 Erroure in abhominable fylthynesse was the sprete which came from the be­astly Antichrist defilynge the whole christianite with innumerable supersticions vnder the coloure of chast lyuynge / in presthode / sacrifices / and ceremonyes.

9 Hypocrisye was the fowle sprete which yssewed from|the false preachers / poysoninge the catholyke faythe wyth false doctrine vnder the coloure of rely­gion / pretendinge abstinence / prayer / ād clennesse. These .iij. wycked spretes are not all vnlyke to the wylde fyre / smoke / [Page 114] and brymstone / which the terryble fer­ce horses euometed in the .ix. chapter of this present prophecye▪ For cursed / false / and vnpure they are. Their doctrine is wyckednesse / lyes / and deuylishnesse / ād the execrable wysdome of the fleshe. In maner of frogges are they here descry­bed for their dyuersite of colours in ce­remonyes / doctrynes / and sectes / for their filthye dwellynge in the dyrtye tra­dycions of menne / and for crookelynge of their vnknowne psalmodye and ser­uyce / dysquietynge wyth their idle customes the consciences of the simple mul­tytude.

10 These are the verye spretes of de­uyls / the ympes of Sathan workynge soche sygnes and myracles as wolde deceyue the verye chosen persons ād bryn­ge them into erroure if it were so pos­sible. But the lorde euermore defendeth his.

11 A stronge power haue they by the workynge of Sathan to shewe lyenge wonders and deceyuable signes amon­ge them that shall peryshe for detestyn­ge the truthe.

10 These shall by the permissiō of God be suffred to go at large / they shall strongelye delude the kynges of the earthe / and blynde the gouernours of the vny­ [...]ersall worlde / makynge them dron­ken [Page] wyth the cuppe of all abhomyna­cyons.

13 And all this shall they do to gather them togyther by their wycked coun­sels / and to brynge them into one cru­ell consent of battaylynge agaynst Christ and his members / to receyue the penalte therof in the great daye of the lorde almyghtye.

14 Most busylye they gather them to battayle / whan they moue them to per­secute the iust beleuers wyth full vn­godlye actes / as now most of all in owrage / whych God hath promysed in short space to reuenge. Of this wyll more be spoken in the .xix. chapter folowynge. Least anye manne knowynge the tru­the shuld tangle his owne conscyence with their spirituall sorceryes for fea­re of princes lawes / vnder the vayne hope of repentaunce in the ende of the­yr lyues / yt foloweth in playne sen­tence.

15 Beholde (sayth the lorde Iesus Christ) or ernestlye take hede vnto it / for I co­me daungerouslye vnloked for / as com­monlye doth the thefe / to thy hyndraunce yf thu watche not in faythe / but ly­ue in superstycyon. Though thys / not wythout reasonable cause maye be ta­ken in a geueralte for the last iudgemēt daye / yet is it here spoken partycular­lye [Page 115] of euerye mannes departynge. As a premonyshment / he geueth this here of loue / least anye manne shuld peryshe without warnynge.

16 Blessed is he (sayth that Lorde) which watcheth in the true christen be­leue / and lyueth not in the vayne but in the sure hope of lyfe / sealed with the iust promyses of God. For all that he [...]oth shall prospere / and turne hym to great aduauntage in the conclusyon.

17 Happye is he also that holdeth fast vnto him his garmentes / or workes of Gods prescripcion (whych are the fru­tes of the sprete) or that hath done on the Lorde Iesus Christ / gyrdynge him sure vnto him self by faythe.

18 Least he be fownde a naked hypo­crite without faythe / veryte / iustyce / charyte / wyth soche lyke / or least the ryghtouse nombre at the latter daye se his filthinesse vncouered / and reioy­ce at his condempnacion.

19 He ys blessed whych at that daye shall be couered with the whight gar­ment of the lambe / not hauynge his sinnes imputed vnto him.

20 To shewe the certente of the afore­sayd battayle / Saynt Iohan sayth tha [...] the deuil gathered together those wicked newlers into a serten place called in the [Page] Hebr [...] [...]onge Armagedon. The vnclea­ne spretes that afore are named thre of [...]heir dyuerse workinge in the Dragon / Beast / & false prophe [...]e are here brought into one / as all of one lyenge sprete whō Christ calleth the father deuill. This one lyenge sprete which hath bene a murtherer from the begynnynge / comprehen­dynge in him all vncleane spretes / lyke as doth the Beast all Antichristes / hath cōbyned together into [...]n exe [...]rable zele of fatherlye tradicyons / all vayne glo­ryouse and vngodlye mynded gouer­nours agaynst God and his Christ. And this hath not bene without the secrete permission of God / willynge to proue his electes by stronge sufferynges / that they myght receyue at his hande the re­warde of stronge victorye / or of his ha­bundaunt ryches.

21 This place here called in the Hebrue Armagedon betokeneth in misterye an hyll of dylectable frutes / interpreted of some for the hyll of the Gospell / and is commonlye taken of the Hebrues for that is swete or of value. And this without fayle is the churche / which oft ty­mes in the scripturs ys called the plen­tuouse hyll of God / the hyll of Gods howse / the hyll of myrhe / the hyll of o­ly [...]es / the hyll of Syon / Carmelus / and [...]thanus with soche other lyke. In thys [Page 116] mounte euermore are they bent to bat­tayle. There slee they the innocent lam­bes of Christ. All their power / malyce / and tyrannie / is there extremelie vttred at the Antichristes laboure and desyre / which are excedynglye dronken in the bloud of holye martyrs / which hath be­ne shedde vpon earthe from ryghtouse Abell vnto this daye. But whan the al­myghtye setteth kynges vpō the earthe / it shall be clere euen in the darkenesse / that the hyll of Basan is Gods hyll.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 Finallye the seuenth Angell went forth vnder the seuenth seale openynge as God had eternally determined / throwynge [Page 117] out the content of hys vyall in­to the ayre. For the seuenth age of the christen churche by the verye set purpo­se of God / are manye conuerted to the truthe / and become with Paule the vessels of eleccion / that afore were wyth Iudas the vessels of wrathe vnder the great aduersarye of God. Neyther is it anye blemishe vnto them to be called here that they were afore / vyals of wra­the / consyderynge that Simon lepro­sus / beynge ones healed of his lepro­sye was euer after called a leper. In ca­se lyke / Paule after his conuersyon was not ashamed to report hym self both a Pharyse and also the sonne of a Pha­ryse.

2 These / by the myghtye determyna­cion of Gods stronge iudgement / are sent into the ayre. Most effectuallye are they lyghtened wyth the sprete of God / and prouoked stiflye to stande vp agaynst the aereall powers regnynge in the fyckle fantasticall Antychrystes and hypocrytes / condēpninge by Gods worde their vnyuersall doctrines and deuyllyshnesse. These powers are no lesse than deuyls / whō Christ calleth fowles of the ayre / Peter ā Iohā mannis aduersaryes / & saynt Paule the gouerners of the es [...] darkenesses in spyrytuall wyc­kednesse.

[Page]3 Whils these thinges are in doynge / out of heauen which is the vnyuersall congregacion / yea from the verye tro­ne of God which is the electe faythfull nombre (for they are onlye the seate of God) came a voyce of reioysinge / sayn­ge after this sort.

4 It is done. All thinges are fynys­hed. Chrystes glorye ones manyfestlye knowne / [...]ke worlde is at an ende.

The wycked hath done all their mys­cheffes / and the nombre of owr brether­ne is fulfylled. Thus shall they preache a full delyueraunce of the captyues / and the peceable yeare of the lorde. Thys ys the sylence of an halfe howre space mencyoned afore in the .viij. chapter / and the returne of this worlde vnto Chryst in the .xij. Chapter. Not that there shall in those dayes be no enemies (for the rem­naunt shall styll remayne) but that they shall not then openlye dare rage / per­secute / and kyll / the worlde beynge at so the a vniuersall quyet.

5 Yet shall there happen in those day­es voyces / thonderynges / and lyghte­nynges. Voyces of swete blessynges ād dylectable promyses to the faythfull congregacyon. Thonderynges of ter­rour to the vnfaythfull multytude / commaundynge thynges contrarye to the [Page 118] fleshe. And fearefull lyghtenynges of condempnacyon to the reprobate hypo­crytes and desperate obstinates.

9 And all from one worde of the lor­de or one Gospell preachynge in dyuer­se respectes / no small earthquake folo­wynge vpon the same. What commocyons / heuye complayntes / fearefull tremblynges / sorowes / cryes / grefes / syghynges / waylynges / grudgynges / grun­tynges / gronynges / wepynges / and hā des wryngynge wyll be amonge the e­arthlye mynded Antichristes and hypo­crites / byshoppes / prestes / prelates / ho­lye water mongers / and parryshe clar­kes / lawers / whores / caruers / payn­ters / and waxe sellers / whan their who [...]ishe churche shall be turned ouer by the iudgement of the sayd worde / yt is easye to coniecture.

7 Soche a one wyll this earthquake be (sayth the text) so myghtye and so stronge / as neuer was yet sens menne war vpon the earthe / or sens that earthlye generacyon first beganne. Than shall be cleane taken awaye the carnall churche of Antychryst or the smered Sinagoge of sha [...]elynges. Neyther shall the Pope wyth hys dysgysed rable a­nye more be seane here / nor yet Mah [...] ­mete with his monstruouse muster.

8 In soche wyse shall their lawes / sec­des [Page] / and ceremonyes be destroyed in those dayes / that no manne shall be fown­de so bolde as ones to allowe one of thē openlye. Than shall the glorye of christes name shyne the worlde ouer / he makynge of his enemyes / hys f [...]te stole.

9 More ouer in this terrible earthquake the great spyrytuall cyte called Sodome ād Egypt / or the holye whoryshe mother the churche shall be disseuered into in partes / of the which .ij. shall styll be wycked / the thirde conuerted vnto godlynesse. Two partes shall be dispersed (sayth Zacharye) the thirde shall remayne to the lorde. Of them which haue and shall go out of mynsters and monasteryes / collegys and couentes / chur­ches and cloysters / patryshes and non­neryes / one sort shall inwardlye be geuen to Antichristes superstycyousnes­se and Hipocresye. An other sort vpon dyuerse fleshelye consideracyons / shall faynedlye fall to the Gospell. The thirde sort onlye of loue towardes God and zele of helthe in their ney­bers / shall vnfaynedlye cleaue to the Scripturs. Thus shall the vngodlye sort be coupled styll with the Godlye in euerye lande and prouynce and be the moche greatter nōbre. Yet shall they for that tyme attempt nothinge agaynst them / the trewthe so strongelye regnynge. [Page 119] Neuer thelesse yet ys yt not to be thought that they shall than haue nothinge to suffre / consyderynge that it is a kyngedome of sufferaunce. Christ to head of that congregacyon suffred oned incommodyte or other alway­es / so longe as he was here lyuynge. It shall therfor behoue thē / which are his misticall mēbers / alwayes to suffre. For the seruaunt is no better than his lorde / nor the souldiour thā his head captayne. And to make his good / the lorde sayth in Zacharye. The same third part wyll I leade through fyre / and pourge yt as syluer or golde in the fornace. Than shal euerye godlye creature folowe Christ in bearynge hys crosse. They shall morty­fye their fleshlye members / s [...]ynge all fornicacyon / fylthynesse / Idolatre / co­uetousnesse / pryde / anger / and malyce. They shall helpe / suffer / and forbea­re one an other / hauynge pytefull compassion vpon the weake / sycke / and nedye. No dewtye besemynge a chry­styane shall they leaue vndone.

10 Therfor this great or generall cyte thus deuyded / all other particuler or na­cyonall cytees must also fall. The blas­phemouse Pantheon of Rome ones pe­ryshinge / all other churches of the vn­faythfull must nedes folowe sone after in their course. For the foūd acyon taken [Page] a waye / the buyldynge can not endure. So that from thens forth shall be no popyshe sectes / no supersticiouse ceremo­nyes / no heythnyshe obseruacions / nor open Idolatrye in all the worlde. But whan the remnaunt of the wycked shall attempt a freshe to rayse vp agayne so­che abhomynacions / the lorde shall so­ [...]enlye wythout warnynge fall vpon them with his most fearefull and terry­ble last iudgement.

11 Great Babylon the aforesayd mo­ther of all whoredom and fylthynesse / shall than come in remembraunce befo­re God. He shall than consyder her abhomynable blasphemye / her pryde / cruelte / murther / and synnes wythout nom­bre / wayenge them in right balaunce accordynge vnto iustyce.

12 He shall also rewarde her to dryn­ke / the fearce cuppe of his wrathe or wyne of his great indignacyon / which is the perpetuall deathe of sowle. The verye dregges of his Ire shall she tast / yea vnspekeable sorowes and peynes without ende. For non other is it to co­me in remembraunce before hym at that daye / but to be condempned / and recey­ue ponnyshment accordynge to her de­des.

13 Thā shal leuerye Ile (which is a pla­ce of refuge within the see) flee awaye [Page 120] and not tarye. The mountaynes that a­re wonte to geue socour vnto thē that be on the lande / shall not at that daye be fownde. No confort shall she than haue nor sure helpe anye where.

14 No remedye wyll be at that daye to flee from the fearefull face of the iud­ge. Than will neyther merytes nor ye [...] sowle Masses helpe / neyther blessynges nor knelynges / sacrifices nor sēsynges / wawlynges nor ryngynges / bussinges nor synginges / but will she nyll she / ne­des must she abyde hys heuye and terrible sentence.

15 And there fell great hayle (sayth the text) as yt had bene wayghtye talentes. Alwayes must yt be remembred that cō mōlye the tyme past ys vsed in this prophecye for the tyme to come / for the te [...] tente of the thynges here spoken. This hayle ys non other than the heuye tem­pest or plage of the seyd fearefull and terryble iudgementes of the lorde / which shall on that woofull daye fall sodenlye [...]s a thycke hayle vpō the miserable multytude of them that boasted themselues to be the holye churche / and vpon their wycked folowers compared here vnto Babylon.

16 This plage ys here also for non other cause lykened vnto talentes / bu [...]r that yt ys in wayght and measure to be [Page] mynystred vnto them by the preordyna­cyon of God. So moche peyne and sorowe ys due vnto that whoryshe genera­cyon / as she hath glorifyed herself in fylthye delyghtes / and so manye ponnysh­mentes to be rewarded her. Yea / double must she haue accordinge to her workes.

17 Out of heauen shall this vehement hayle fall / from the fearefull sentence of the lorde Iesus Christ / which shall than sit as a iudge in the middes of his faythfull congregacyon / they sittynge with hym as the bodye with the head in con­dempnacyon of the wycked.

18 And vpon the menne shall yt lyght. For the great whore or the cyte called here Babylon / is in this place to be takē for that yt comprehendeth / euen for menne / in whom also are included womē by the common vsage of the Scripturs.

19 These menne shall spyghtfullye blaspheme God because of the hayle / plage / or terrour of their tormentes. They shall crye out of hym / wysshinge that he had no soche powre so to torment them.

20 For the tempest ys great / and the su [...]feraunce therof excedynge paynefull. As the lorde ys myghtye / so are hys iudge [...]mentes whan they fall. Vehemēt / ferce and stronge ys the lorde (sayth Esaye) [...] ys the tempest of hayle breakynge ou [...] [Page 121] [...] euerye syde / and bearinge downe strō ge holdes.

¶The Paraphrase

1 After this came (sayth Saynt Iohan) one of the .vij. Angels or vnuaryable decrees of the lordes eternall iudgemētes / which had the .vij. vyals of his wrathe as afore hath bene declared.

2 And this Angell or sett purpose of God / as an heauēlye massenger talked with me in mysterye.

3 Of fauorable goodnesse in secrete maner he assertayned me therbye of this wō derfull iudgement here folowinge / to be fulfilled at the latter ende of the worlde. And thus yt sayd vnto me.

4. Come hyther frynde Iohan / I wyll shewe the in secretenesse the terryble iudgement of the great whore or coūterfett [Page 122] churche of Hipocrites / as God hath ap­poynted yt. Nedes must thys whore b [...] Rome / for that which ys here after spo­ken / that she ys the great cyte which re [...] neth ouer the kynges of the earthe. Eui­dent yt is both by the scripturs and cronycles / that in Iohans dayes Rome had her domynyon ouer all the whole worlde. And beynge infected with the abhominacyons of all landes / ryghtlye ys she called Babylon or cyte of confu­sion / not onlye in this reuelacyon but a [...] so in the first Epistle of Peter. And ly­ke as in the scripturs oft tymes vnder the name of Ierusalem ys ment the whole kingedome of Iuda / so vnder the na­me of Rome here maye be vnderstanded the vniuersall worlde with all their ab­hominacyons ād deuylyshenesses / their Idolatries / withchecraftes / sectes / supe [...] stycyons / papacyes / presthodes relygy­ons / shauinges / anoyntings / blessinges / sensings / processions / and the deuyll and all of soche beggeries. For all peples sēs Christes ascencyon hath this Rome in­fected with her pestylent poysons gathered from all Idolatrouse nacyons soche tyme as she helde ouer thē the monar­chyall suppremyte. And lyke as Babylon had the Israelytes captyue vnder a bo­dylye trybute / so hath this Rome had the Christianes both in their bodyes ād [Page] sowles. At the writynge of this Prophe [...]ye felt Iohan of their cruelte beynge exyled into Pathmos an Ile of Lycya for the faythfull testymonye of Iesu. And so ded I poore creature with my poore wyfe and children at the gatheringe of this. present Commentarye / fleynge into Germanye for the same.

5 No maruele though she be here called a great whore. For no where were euer yet seane so manye Idolle wurshyp­pynges so many vayne obseruacyons so manye superslycyouse sectes / so ma­nye errours in Hipocresye / so manye false Prophetes / and so manye prodygyouse kyndes of fylthynesse / no / not in So­dome yt self nor yet in miserable Egypt.

6 This Babylonyshe whore or disgised Synagoge of shorelynges / sitteth vpon manye waters or peples that are fantasticall / fyckle or folyshe. For nō are in cō science subiect vnto her / that are constātlye grounded in the sure doctryne of faythe. Onlye alloweth her tradycyons the wauerynge witted multytude / the slyp­per and vnstedefast nōbre / obeynge thē in their hartes of feare and not of loue / so throwynge themselues into a most cōfuse Chaos or vawte, of doubtfull do [...] rage.

7 With this stynkynge strompett ha­ue the myghtye potentates of the vny­uersall [Page 123] earthe / the Emprours / Kynges / Princes / and other notable gouernours commytted most shamefull whoredome in the sprete by manye straūge worship pynges / agreynge amonge themselues to her wyckedlye decreed lawes and cu­stomes. To longe shuld we stande here in this place / yf we shuld describe them all seuerallye in their colours at large as they be.

8 Through the craftye legardemayne of the Prestes on the one syde / and the cru­ell constytucyōs of Princes on the other syde / the dwellers of the earthe or worldlye mynded multytude are dronken with the wyne of her fornycacyon spy­rituall / or practysed worshypyynges besydes the prescripte rewles of Gods worde. Not onlye they which haue bene co­uetouse / carnall / lewde / and wretched hath folowed their abhomynacyōs / but also an innumerable sort of the electe nombre hath beleued their lyes and er­rours. Yea / they haue bene so dased with their dottages / and so tangled with their customes / that as menne losynge their wittes without all godlye remembraunce / reason / wysdome / dyscressyon / vnderstandynge / iud­gement / and grace / the lawes of God layed a part / the cōmaundemēts neglected [Page] and the scripturs despised / they haue no [...] onlye kneled / crossed / kyssed / set vp lyg [...]tes / and holden vp their handes before rotten postes / but also called them thei [...] fathers in heauē. Yea (I axe God mercy [...] a thousande tymes) I haue bene one o [...] them myself. And this ys to thys daye [...] principall religyō of that whoryshe chu [...]che / called deuowte pilgrymage or ho [...]lye stacyons of prayer / manye great pa [...]dons graunted and manye false promy [...]ses made to allure the peple thervnto [...]

9 But blessed be the lorde / whose wo [...]de in this age both admonyshed many [...] as the Angell ded Iohan / and brough [...] them also cleane from her abhominacy [...]ons / into a secrete consideracyon of th [...] sprete / vnknowne to the worlde / ther [...] both to se her pryde and also to vnder [...]stande her iudgemēt. For yt foloweth i [...] the text / that the angell cōuayed Iohan awaye into the wildernesse in the spret [...]

10 In mysterye here the holye ghost d [...]clared afore what the lorde shuld work [...] in mēne hauynge hys grace / at the latte [...] dayes of the worlde. Into the wylderne [...]se flee they with Dauid / which leauy [...]ge the customed wayes of menne / afte [...] the course of the scripturs seke vp thei [...] lorde God in faythe / worshyppinge hym onlye in sprete and in veryte.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And I sawe / sayth Saynt Iohan / in mysterye a woman (for an whore at the first blushe semeth onlye a woman) syetynge vpon a rose coloured Beast. This Beast ys the great Antichrist that was spoken of afore / or the Beastlye bodye of the deuyll / comprehendynge in hym Popes / Patriarkes / Cardynalles / lega­tes / Byshoppes / Doctours / Abbottes / Pryors / Prystes and Pardoners / Mō kes / Chanons / Fryres / Nonnes / and so forth. Temporall gouerners also / as Emprours / Kynges / Princes / Dukes / erles / lordes / iustyces / deputyes / iudges / la­wers / mayers / balyues / constables / and so forth / leauynge their owne dewtyed offyces as to mynyster ryghtlye / to ser­ue their abhominacyons.

2 All rose coloured ys thys Beast / in token of tyrannouse murther and bloud shedynge ouer those that wyll not a­gree to their deuyllyshnesse.

3 Full of blasphemouse names ys this Beast also / as your holynesse / your grace / your lordeshyp / your fatherhode / your mastershyp / your reuerence / honor / hyghnesse / worshyp / magnyficence / goodnes­se [Page 125] / Gods vycar / spirituall syr / ghostlye father / phesycyan of sowles / defender of faythe / head of the holye churche / and so forthe / besydes the names of their propyrtees / feates / and pagentes / as processyon / byshoppynge / anelynge / purgatorye / pylgrymage / pardon / Masse / mat­tens / euēsonge / placebo / candelmasse daye / palme sondaye / ashe wedynsdaye / holye roode daye / Saynt Thomas daye / and so forth.

4 This Beast had .vij. heades and ten hornes / sygnyfyenge his vniuersall craftes and suggestyons to destroye the graces and gyftes of the holye ghost / and also hys falselye borowed primacyes and tyrannouse auctorytees to withstande the commandementes of God.

5 Upon this Beast sitteth a woman. For what els auaunceth or beareth out thys malygnaunt muster▪ in their copes / crosses / oyles / myters / robes / rellyckes / ceremonyes / vygyls / holye dayes / bles­synges / sensynges / and folynges / but a wanton folyshe and fantastycall relygyon / a vayne gloryouse pompe / and a shy­nynge pretence of holynesse in superstycyō callynge yt their holye churche? She ys seyd here to sitt vpon this bloudye Beast / as to be stayed / quyeted / and sat­led by them. Marke what labours and peynes that craftye and wylye [Page] Winchester taketh with Bōner To [...]stall and other of hys faccyon / as her owne sworne [...]ouldy our to holde vp this gloryouse whore in her olde estate of [...]omyshe religyon. Oh / he grunteth and gro­ueth / he sweteth ād swelleth / he fretteth and belleth / he bloweth and panteth / he calke [...]s and [...]āteth / he sturreth ād neuer ceaseth / to brynge hys matters to passe.

6 In token that this hipocriticall churche standeth in the murther of innocen­tes / thys woman ys here gorgyouslye appareled in purple / as gyltye of their deathes which hath bene slayne / and also in freshe scarlett as euermore freshe and rydye to continue in the same bloud shedyng. For yf soche terrible slaughter were not / the true Christen faythe shuld increase / to the great dymynyshment of her glorye.

7 She ys in lyke case floryhshynglye decked with golde / precyouse stone / and pearles / not onlye in her manyfolde kindes of ornamentes / as in her copes / cor­porasses / chesybles / tunicles / stooles / fannoms and myters / but also in mysterye of coūterfett godlynesse. Manye outwarde bragges maketh this paynted churche of Christ / of hys gospell / and of hys Apostles / sygnyfyed by the golde / precyouse stone / and pearles / which ys but a glytterynge coloure. For nothynge mindeth [Page 126] she lesse than to folowe them in conuersacyon of lyuinge.

8 More ouer [...]n her hande which ys hee exteryoure mynistracyon / she hath a golden cuppe / full of abhomynacyons and fylthynesse of her execrable whoredome. This cuppe ys the false relygyon that she daylye mynistreth / besydes the cha­lyce whom her merchantes most damp­nablye abuseth. And yt contayneth all doctryne of deuyls / all Beastlye errours and lyes / all deceytfull power / all glytterynge workes of Hipocrites / all craftye wysdome of the fleshe / and subtyle practyses of mannes wytte / besydes philosophye / logyck / rhetoryck / and sophystry. Yea / all prodygiouse kyndes of Idola­trye / fornicacyon / sodometrye / and wyc­kednesse. Outwardlye yt semeth golde / pretendynge the glorye of God / the holye name of Christ / the sacred scripturs of the Byble / perpetuall virgyny­te of lyfe / and all are but counterfet colours and shaddowes of Hipocresye in the outwarde letter and name.

9 Full of abhominacyons ys the drynke of the execrable faythe of that Ro­myshe relygiō receyued of other / ād full of fylthynesse also. For both retayneth the peple therof innumerable kindes of Idoll worshippinges vnder the tytle of [Page] Gods seruyce / and also their shauelyn [...]ges of prodygyouse beastlynesse in lech [...]rouse lyuynge vnder the coloure of cha [...]tyte. Here were moche to be spoken o [...] Saynt Germanes euyll / Saynt Sythe keye / Saynt D [...]c [...]mbers ores / maste [...] Iohan shornes bote / Saynt Gertrude rattes / Saynt Iob for the poxe / Sayn [...] Fyacre for the ague / Saynt Apolyne fo [...] tothe [...]ake / saynt Gracyane for lost thrif [...] Saynt walstone for good haruest / sayn [...] Cornelis for the fowle euyll / and all o [...]ther Sayntes els almost.

10 Of the buggerye boyes also amon [...]ge prelates and prestes / ghostlye father and relygyouse / might moche be sayde h [...]re / were yt not for infectynge mēnes e [...]es / eares & vnderstandynges. For all th [...] se noyfull nocumentes are the holye fr [...]res of the whoredome of that holy [...]whoryshe churche.

11 In the forehead of this glytteryng whore / which ys her outwarde shew [...] ys wrytten a name / expresselye decla [...]rynge what she ys. By her vngodlye fr [...]res ys she knowne to the elect seruan [...]tes of God / hauynge the lyght of th [...] Scriptur [...] ▪ In their consciences aperet [...] she non other than a postyferouse who [...]re / by the iudgementes of the same.

12 Averye mis [...]ye is this shewe to th [...] infydels / an hydden secrete / an vnkno [...]ne [Page 127] wōder. For they are so blynded with her foppryes and tangled with her toy­es / that they iudge all that she doth / ho­lye / relygyouse / and perfygh [...]. And all this suffreth God for their vnbeleues sake / destroyenge neuerthelesse the wysdome of the wyse and prudence of the prudent in his.

13 Her verye name agreynge to her frutes / ys thys. Great Babylon / in myschete farre aboue the cyte of the Cha [...]deanes / and moche more full of confusyon. For she ys the oryginall mother / the cause / the begynninge / the rote / the sprynge / and the fountayne of all spirituall fornyca [...]yōs / and in a maner of all fleshlye abhominacyons also done vpon the earth. Thys is to the faythfull sort / as a written name of her / euydent / clere open and manyfest. But to the vnfaythfull yt ys onlye as a mysterye / hyddē / darke / obscure / and neglect. For so are the secretes that God openeth to babes / and hydeth from the wyse.

14 And I (sayth Saynt Iohan) percey­ued yt euidentlye in mi fore vnderstādinge / that this woman the verye wyse of the deuyll and of hys beastlye bodye (for the Byshoppes are the husbandes of their Romyshe churches) was all dronken in the bloudye slaughter of the Sayntes / or ernest Christē beleuers / & in [Page] the excedinge tyrannouse murther of th [...] faythfull wytnesses of Iesu or syncere [...] preachers of hys worde. For neyther o [...] both she spareth. Besydes all Godly [...] wysdome ys she / and forgetfull of her self / through this same bloudye dronke [...]nesse / so great excesse hath she taken.

15 And whan I perseyued and sawe her with all her adders whelpes so beas [...]ty she (sayth Saynt Iohan) with excedynge wonder I marueled. Not onlye tha [...] she was thus ouersett with bloud drin [...]kinge or outragyouse murtherynge o [...] innocentes / but also of her excedynge great abhomynacyons.

16 And most of all I wondered that the almyghtye God coulde with so moche pa [...]cyence suffre her in soche myschefe.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And as I was thus wyth my sel [...] [...]aruelynge / the Angell or a fore named [...]ecre of the Lorde sayd vnto me these wordes.

[...] Wherfor dost thu thus maruele / thu mortall manne?

For thy gentyll and meke expectacy­ [...]n I shall shewe vnto the / the misterye of this wretched woman / ād of the cru­ [...]ll Beast that beareth her / which hath [...]ij. heades and .x. hornes. By this shal [...] [...]hu knowe the true churche from the [...]alse / the iust preachers from the hypo­ [...]rites / the syncere doctrine from theyr [Page] subtyle sophysmes / ād their lawfull an [...] [...]oryte from their cruellye vsurped pre­sumpcyons. For that sheweth the lorde vnto his electes / that he wyll not haue knowne of all menne.

4 The execrable Beast or carnall kyn­gedome of Antichrist which thu hast se a [...]ne here in misterye / was as concerninge his beginninge in Cain first of all / ād so continued forth in the fleshlye chyldren of menne / in the chaplaynes of Pharao / Hiero [...]oam / Baal / ād Bel / in the cruell byshoppes / prestes / and lawers with so­che other lyke tyll the deathe of Chryst and so forthe.

5 And now the sayd Beast is not in power and auc [...]oryte as he hath bene. For in Iohans tyme / serten years before the wrytinge of this reuelacyon / was the proude clergye of the Iewes vtterlye destroyed by Titus ād Despasiane / in the terrible syege of Hierusalem. Not with [...]standinge / yet shall this beast ryse agayne in the Romyshe pope and Mahome­te / ād in their false prelates & doctours.

6 He shall ascende out of the bottom­lesse pytte from the stinkynge denne of Sathan / exaltynge him self in worship aboue all that is called God. But in the conclusion he shall haue an ende.

7 Into perdicyon shall he go wythout fayle. The Lorde shall first vtter his wickednesse [Page 129] (as now in this age) and than with the sprete of his mouthe consume him and destroye him. So that his high clymynge vp / shall at the last be the che­fe cause of his fall. Yet shall his wicked remnaunt ones agayne sett vp theyr crystes / and persecute a freshe / but that shall [...]e no full rayse vnto him.

8 And the rable of reprobates which dwell on the earthe / or for earthlye com­modytees contempneth Godes truthe / shall wonder ones agayne not without moche inwarde reioyce / that their chur­che ryseth agayne out of the olde hypo­cresyes.

9 Whose names are not regestred in Christ which is the large boke of lyfe / and hath bene both the lyfe ād the lyghe of menne sens the first constitucyon of the moueable worlde. No / they are not nombred amonge those ryghtouse that shall regne with him in glorye.

10 These aduersaryes of God and his worde shall haue moche gladnesse in their wycked hartes / whan they behol­de the Beast thus commynge vp agay­ne that was of soche magnificence and now is but a thynge of nowght / that was estemed aboue God / and now is proued dampnacyon. So longe is this beastlye Antychryst / as he worketh the [Page] mysterye of iniquite in the reprob [...]te vessel [...] / and whan he leueth that workynge than is he no longar. Marke in this processe past the nature of Gods eternall decre for this age of his churche. First it sheweth and than it condempneth the cursed Sinagoge of the deuyll. In significaciō wherof the true preachers of our tyme hath many festly opened her wic­kednesse vnto all the worlde / wherupon her vtter destruccyon must shortlye fol­lowe. Watche good Christen reader / ād praye ernestlye.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 Here is a meanynge which com­prehendeth wysdome. A syncere vnder­staudynge shall herin be requisyte. Ne­cessarye it is therfor to take hede / least thu holde the harlot and Beast for that they boast them selues to be / to thy dampnacyon.

2 The .vij. heades of the Beast aforemencyoned / by the playne diffinicyon of the holye ghost are here to be taken for vii. mountaynes / or the vniuersall prin­celye monarchies of the .vij. clymates of the worlde.

3 Upon these the woman / that Babylo­nyshe harlot Rome (from whome hath yssewed all spirytuall whoredome) in most proude maner sitteth / hauinge ouer them a vniuersall dominyon. For in Io­hans tyme / to Rome was all the worlde subiect. Under whose cruell regne was Christ done to deathe / so hath his fayth­full members bene ener sens by a newe rayse [...] kyngedome in the same.

4 These heades are also .vij. kynges or goueunours of the aforesayd monor­chyes seduced by all kyndes of craftye errours and deuylyshe suggestyons of that Beast. So that y [...]y [...] marke well [Page] this place / the head with the tayle and the cause with his effecte / in these pre­sent significacyons shall no preiudyce be founde to that hath bene sayd in the other / though they seme verye dyuerse. For both the gouernours and also the landes / or the peples subiect vnto them haue vniuersallye bene blynded by their wylye toytchecraftes. And so haue the worldlye porentates wyth the spyry­tuall Antychrystes agreed / that both they haue vsurped one malygnaūt med­lynge ouer the sowles of menne to cor­rupt their faythe / the prynces applyen­ge their powers vnto the same. And that causeth the holye Ghost here to call them the beastes heades vnder the tyt­le of mountaynes and kynges. For vnder their princelye auctoritees hath all their myschefes bene fulfylled to vpholde this whoore agaynst Christ and his worde.

5 Fyue of these heades are fallen from the vnyuersall monarchye of Rome. All the dominyons of Affrica and Asia hath renounced the obedyence of her empyre. Onlye cleaueth Europa vnto her / which is the least of the thre / and yet not all therof. Whan the Papacye grewe / the whole empyre of the Gre­kes called Constantynople / fell clea­ne from the la [...]nes / and became with [Page] other dyuerse monarchyes / the possessi­on of Mahometes secte / or of the Agarenes and Turkes. Of the other empyres maye a lyke coniecture be had. Thus haue they declyned from her / not so goynge forth nor yet rysynge vp vnto Christ / for only is it sayd here / that they were fallen.

6 And one head is (sayth the text) at this present tyme remaynynge / the other he­ad is not come as yet / but wyll come her after. This head remayninge is the sixt / and it is that feble empyre that Rome now holdeth / and haue holden sens Iohans tyme. The power of this empy­re is ruynouslye demynyshed / and the notable fame therof decayed betwixt the Popyshe prelates and the Frenche menne / a great part of the landes be­commynge Saynt Peters patrimonye. To make it a fytte head of the Beast to the vpholdynge of this whorishe chur­che (the auctoryte therof maynteyninge her lawes) Gregorye the fift Pope cō ­mytted the emprours chosynge vnto .vi. princes of Germanye .iij. of them beynge Archebyshoppes. He appoynted al­so the kynge of Bohem for the seuenth / than beynge trybutarye vnto him and his owne feed man as an odde persons to waye vpon their sydes / yf ne­de / place / and tyme shuld requyre yt. [Page] Prouyded alwayes that he shuld take his othe and receyue his crowne impe­ryall at Rome. So that now thowgh it styll be the same in tytle that it was in Iohans dayes / yet is it so dyuerse from it through dimynishment of po­wer / and so vnlyke in outwarde magnifycence / as it neuer had bene the same.

7 The seuenth head that is not yet co­me / is the Papysticall kyngedome of owr Romyshe spiritualte. For therof a­pered nothynge in Iohans tyme / nor yet more than .v. hondreth years after it. The Byshoppes of Rome (as they call them) from Peter to Syluester / were verye poore sowles / symple creaturs / and menne not regarded but despysed of the worlde. They were no newe lawe ma­kers for the more part / but rather they gaue their whole dilygence to se those lawes obserued / whom the holye ghost had made to their handes. Neyther we­re they anye Masse sayers / sowle syn­gers / or procession goers / but as was Saynt Paule with the other Apostles / symple preachers onlye / and for theyr syncere preachynge / they suffered the deathe of theyr bodyes. But after the Donacyon of Cōstantyne and other plen­tuouse almesses commytted vnto theyr handes for the socoure of the poore / they became all confessours / and toke them [Page 123] to their ease at home. Than was labou­re verye tedyouse vnto them / preachyn­ge verye troblouse and peynefull. Than stodyed they all to please the powers / peceablye to holde styll their plesaunt possessions / and by spyrituall polycyes to increase them more and more / the poore in a maner forgottē. Then came in that holye ceremonye and that / with latten howres / seruynge of Sayntes / ād prayenge for the dead / to prouoke men to of­fer to Corban. Thus crept they vp in hypocrisye daye by daye / tyll soche tyme as Iohan of Constantinople contended with Gregorye of Rome for the supre­myte. In the which contencion thowgh Gregorye layed for him self Saynt Pe­ters keyes with manye other sore argumentes and reasons / yet was he com­maunded by Mauricius the Emperour after the generall Synode / to obeye the sayd Iohan / as the vnyuersall head bis­shop of the whole worlde. Than were these holye fathers compelled to tarrye a layser / and vnder craftye colours to wayte their praye. In processe of tyme whan Phocas was Emprour / Bonifa­cius the thirde a manne of a wylye practyse / perceyuynge him moche geuen to bayne glorye and couetousnesse / great­lye also to dissalowe the actes of Mau­ricius his predecessour / through flatte­rye [Page] and mede obtayned of him that the churche of Rome shuld be holden from thens forth for the head churche of the worlde / ād he for the head byshop. Whā this was ones gotten / than rose they vp so hygh / that the Emprour became their fore stole / and all other chrysten princes their waytynge [...]laues / to ryde and ronne / make and marre / stryue and fyght / slee and kyll / at their commaundement and pleasure. Thus became the Romyshe Pope the seuenth kynge / that was in Iohans tyme yet to come. If thu marke in the crouycles good rea­der / thu shalt fynde that Phocas the first Pope maker slewe his master the Emprour Mauricius / signifyenge in my sterye the sayd Pope makynge to be an vtter destruccyon to the empyre. The Popes name was also at that tyme Bonifacius / which is as moche to saye as bona facies / a good face. Which be­tokened that this newe raysed kynge­dome shuld shewe a fayre face euermo­re / or a shynynge pretence of holy­nesse / what myschef so euer it wrought eyther agaynst God or manne in abho­minable supersticyon.

8 And whan this seuenth kynge com­meth (sayth the text) he must conty­nue a space / or abyde a lytle season. He must haue a tyme by the permyssion [Page 133] of God / strongelye to delude the vn­beleuers / whych wyll neyther se nor heare / reade nor yet thankefullye re­ceyue his worde of saluacyon / so gra­tyouslye offered them. So corrupt are the fleshelye affectes of menne / that moche more prone they are to lyes and supersticyons / than to the veryte of the lorde / which is to be lamented. Chryst came first in the name of his heauen­lye father / but him wyll they not re­ceyue. The Pope commeth in his ow­ne wycked name / and to hym ronne they by heapes. Whose contynuaun­ce here hath bene but a tyme. For yet is it not a thowsande years sens the Papacye first beganne vnder Phocas / which is but as a daye before God / and that daye wyll he shorten by hys owne promes for hys electes sake / whych to remember is their great conforte. And a great cause whye. For sone after that shall they be fullye restored in to the perfyght nombre of the chyldren of God.

9 And the execrable beast (sayth the text) that of late dayes was in aucto­ryte ouer all the worlde / yea / syttinge aboue God in the conscyences of men­ne / and now is become of no reputa­cyon amonge menne (God openinge his myscheffes) is euen the eyght in nōbre. [Page] And yet neuer the lesse is one of the .vij. heades. For both is he the beastlye bo­dye it self comprehendynge in him the vnyuersall abhominacyons of all the e­arthlye kyngedomes / and in that poyn­te dyuerse from the seuen heades / and so the .viij. in nombre.

10 And also he is one of the .vij. heades and the seuenth in nombre / in vsurpyn­ge this proude worldlye kyngedome thus after a vayne temporall sort. Ouer & besides all this / maye he also be called the eyght in the cursed remnaunt which after the peceable sylence of christen ly­berte (Sathan loosoned) shall most cru­ellye persecute Chrystes congregacyon a freshe / as in the .xx. chapter here folo­wynge wyll apere.

11 This Beast with his carryage / the Antichrist with his churche / or Sathan with his Sinagoge / shall not onlye go in to destruccyon here by the mightye breathe of Goddes mouthe / or the true preachinge of his Gospell / but also into dampnacyon euerlastinge in the ende of the worlde with the deuyll & his angels.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And the .x. hornes) sayth the Angell vnto Iohan) which thu sawest here vpon the heades of this rose coloured Beast / are in significacyon .x. kynges. Some hath taken these .x. kynges for all those Emprours of the larynes sens Char­le mayne / which haue sworne them sel­ues obedyent to the Bishop of Rome. Some haue thought them to be those prynces which here in Europa haue afore [Page] tyme bene subiect to the Empyre of Rome. As the kynges of Englande / Fraunce / Spayne / Portyugale / Castele / Denmarke / Scotlande / Dngarye / Go­heme / and Napels. But these considre not that they be yet more in nombre / as Aragone / Nauerre / Cycyle / Cypresse / Sardyne / Swethen / Pole / and soche other / and are all included in the seuen heades as members of the afore reher­sed empyres. Neyther marke they that they are aboue the heades as hornes / ād more in nombre than the heades / beto­kenynge a rygorouse auctoryte and fer­ce power / which they proudelye vsurpe ouer them euerye where. Afore they were but suggestyons / but here are they ernest doers. For in euerye region hath the beastlye Antichrist of Rome his Me­tropolytanes and primates. As in En­glande are Caunterberye and Yorke / in Fraunce / Thuronensis and Remensis / in Spayne Tholetanus and Te [...]raconēsis / in Portingale Hispalensis ād Bra­carensis / in Irelande Armachanus and Dublimensis / in Dennemarke Lundensis and Opsalensis / in Germanye Co­lon [...]ensis and Maguntinus / in Hunga­rye Serigon [...]ensis and Colocensis / in Italye Pisanus and Rauennas / in Sy­cyle Panormitanus and Messanensis / with an infynite nombre of byshoppes / [Page 135] prelates / prestes / and religiouse / besy­des the fyghtynge orders of the Rho­des / the Prussyanes / the Redemers of captyues / the Aragondes / the Beorgy­anes called de alga / the Monteseanes / the Castylyanes / the Lusitaneanes / the Calatraneanes / and Saynt Iames warryours.

2 These had not yet at that tyme re­ceyued the deuylyshe kyngedome of pe­stilent vsurpacyon ouer the sowles of menne. For though in Iohans dayes a­rose certen Antichristes / as Hebion / Ce­rinthus / Diotrephes / Carpocras / and so the lyke / yet were they nothing to these.

3 But now in dede they haue receyued the same self auctoryte and power with the Beast / that he toke afore of the Dra­gon / in maner of kynges to rewle in the hartes and consciences of menne to his behoue.

4 For so moche as their auctoryte is not of God lyke as is the auctorite of kynges / it is sayd here as kynges / or as menne counterfeatynge them / in vsur­pynge a gouernaunce not frelye geuen them of God / but of the deuyll.

5 All at one houre receyued they thys auctoryte wyth the Beast. And that (I suppose) was in the generall counsell of Laterane at Rome / gathered vnder the tytle to recouer Hierusalem agayne. [Page] Where as confession in the eare was cruellye extorted of Christen peple vn­der peyne of deathe and dampnacion by the whole consent both of the princes / and bishoppes / at the former suggestiō of innocent the thirde / besydes other wicked thinges. As to heare lattyn seruyce / to go procession on Sondayes / to praye vnto dead Sayntes / to worship Images / to bye Masses for the dead / to fast the fridayes / with purgatorye / pardons / merytes / and fryres orders. In the sayd counsell became the Metropolyta­nes as kynges / [...] by the auctorite therof appoynted they that [...]. Ba­lyues / and other [...] / as byshoppes Curates / and Pari [...]he Prestes to haue cure and charge of so idle / and in the sayd eare confession to receyue theyr accountes.

6 These counterfett kynges are all of one deuyllishe mynde / practyse / and purpose agaynst God and his▪ veryte.

7 And fullye they are fixed to geue their whole power / their stodye / and theyr strēgthe vnto the behoue of the Beast▪ Not accordinge to Gods mynde wyll they rewle / but all after his wyll & plea­sure / agreynge alwayes vnto him as mē bers to their heade / to serue wickednesse after wickednesse in Babilō. His popis­she decrees wyll they seke / his deuylishe [Page 136] decretals wyll they folowe / his ceremo­nials wyll they obserue / & nothynge of the sacred scripturs. What lerning so e­uer they haue / what giftes of nature / fortune / or grace / all must be to the mainte­naunce of his fantastycall fopperyes. To hym are they sworne to do hym ho­mage / to obeye his lawes / to kysse hys fete / & for hys gloryes sake to persceut [...] the Gospell.

10 And in so doynge they shall fygh [...] with the lambe / which ys Iesus Christ. They shall impugne hys truthe whan they thinke to do hym seruyce. For that myschese they do to one of his / they do to hys owne persone.

9 But be they neuer so dogged / yet shall the lambe ouercome them in hys fayth­full members / yea / by pacyent sufferaunce onlye. The vyctorye (sayth Sayn [...] Iohan) which ouercometh the worlde / is a sure Christen faythe. Vpon their syde fyghteth he which ys most myghtye ād stronge / yea the lorde that ys valeaune in battayle. And he shall first ouercome them in this lyfe with the myghtye breathe of hys mouthe / scatterynge them awaye as dust from the earthe. And after thys shall hys terryble iudgement for euer condempne them.

10 For he ys by the auctoryte geuen hym of hys father / the lorde of all lordes [Page] and by hys owne eternall Godhede the Kynge of all kynges / hauinge all power in heauen and in earthe. He ys constyt [...]te iudge of the quycke and the dead / ha­uynge alone the euerlastynge Empyre with his father and the holye ghost / and of his kingedome shall neuer be an ende▪

11 By his permyssion doth all kinges regne / he hath their hertes in his hande and iudgeth their thoughtes. Both maye he geue them hys sprete / and also take yt frō them / and of his enemyes he shall make hys forestole. He ys the same sto [...]ne after Danyell that without anye ha [...]des was cut out of the mounte / which breaketh the Irō / the copper / the earthe / the syluer / and the golde in peces. By whome are ment the vnyuersall kyn­gedomes of this worlde.

12 Of this hys vyctorye are all they pa [...]tyners with hym / which are vpon hys sy [...]de by faythe. Most specyallye those tru [...] seruauntes of hys / which after they ar [...] called by grace and chosen by faythe / perseuer styll constaunt / feruent / fayth [...]full / and sure in his veryte to the latte [...] ende of their lyues.

13 Not onlye the lambe therfor shall o [...]uercome the Beast / but they also afte [...] the doctryne of Paule that are called ād chosen in him / not fallynge from his tr [...]che for anye temptacyō or grefe / but stā [...]dinge [Page 137] fast by yt vnto the verye deathe. For those that the lorde hath prefixed a­fore / he hath called / iustifyed / and allo­wed. These auaunceth not themselues with the proude / but mekelye they sub­mit their crownes / referrynge all vycto­rye to the lambe / as menne that coulde haue done nothinge in that behalfe with out hym.

¶The Paraphrase.

1 And after this longe communicacyō (sayth saynt Iohan) the aforeseyd Angel sayd thus vnto me / to make vp his ta­le with.

2 The wauerynge waters which thu sawest here now of late in mysterye / where as the Babylonyshe whore sitteth vpon the rose coloured Beast / are in sygnyficacyon all maner of peples of the carnall nacyons / and the superstycyouse folke of manye sondrye tonges.

3 Not onlye in one place of the worl­de rewleth this wanton relygyon of Antichrist / but in euerye lande / in euerye domynion / in euerye cumpanye / amonge all occupacyons and languages. The folyshe multytude euerye where / beyn­ge blynded by their subtyle sorceryes / & neyther hauynge faythe nor yet the fe­are of God before their eyes / as a ra­gynge flood (the bankes broken downe) [...]o [...]eth headlynges into all blasphemie [Page 138] and deuyllyshnesse.

4 More ouer the afore named .x. hornes (sayth the Angell) which thu by the will of God beholdest here in sprete / vpon the seyd Beast of destruccyon / are those verye persones which also shall hate the whore. Her abhominacyons ones knowne by the Gospell preachinge / they shall abhorre her lawes / despyse her auctory­te / and contempne her customes. They shall defeate her of those landes and possessyons which now she vniustlye ho [...] deth.

5 They that afore were her fryndes shall than be her mortall enemyes / de­nyenge her both tribute / obedyence / and seruyce / so leauynge her without all co [...] fort. Not onlye are these the temporall gouernours / as the kynge of Englan­de / the kynge of Denmarke / the Duke of saron / the Landgraue of hesse / and o­ther Princes of Germanye / with soche other as wyll here after folowe the sa­me pryncyples / but also the Metropoly­tanes and Byshoppes / the Doctors and Prelates. As are all redye Thomas Crā mere the arche Byshop of Caūterburye / Hermannus de weda the archebyshopp of Coleyne / Godryck the Byshop of Holye / Barlowe the Byshop of Saynt Dauids / Byrde the Byshop of Chestre / Thu [...]leby byshop of Westmynstre / [...] [Page] tymer and Nicolas Sharton of late ye­ars Byshoppes of Worcester and Salysburye / with soche other lyke as wyll he­re after folowe their trade. Though they were afore the hornes of the Beast for defence of the whore / yet are they now fallen from hym / and more shall euerye daye to make her desolate of honoure ād naked of rentes and possessions.

6 So shall they chace that Babylonys­he harlot Rome with their preachers / that neyther shall they leaue her colou­re nor yet bewtye. Considre what Iohā Reuclin / Martyne Luther / Erasmus / Oc­colampadius / [...]winglius / Pomeran / Buter / Capito / Melanchton / Grineus / Cal­ninus / Brencyus / Frances Lābert / Bul­linger / ād soche other hath done agaynst her alredye. Lyke wyse here in Englande / Bylneye / Cyndale / Frith / Barnes / Cromwell / Couerdale / Turner / George Ioye / Rose / Rydleye / Warde / Becō / ād other els / leauynge her neyther Relly­ques nor Rodes / Sectes nor Shrynes / Abbeyes nor Pryoryes / manye more cō mynge after them of the same sort. These shall make her so desolate that no mā ne shall in processe of tyme regarde her. They shall leaue her so naked / that all the worlde shall abhorre her that shall lo [...] vpon her. Yea / in the conclusyon they [...] her fleshe.

[Page]7 Besydes the takynge awaye of her carnall profyghtes and pleasurs / they shall confounde her fl [...]shelye vnderstan­dinge of the scripturs / and vtterlye consume the superfluouse obseruacyons of her whoryshe c [...]remonyes.

8 Finallye with fyre shal they burne her / in brynginge vnto nought all her abhominable rewles / customes / & kyndes of Idolatrye. All these ones plucked a­waye by the euydent worde of God / no longar shall this harlot apere. For no lō gar contynueth the whore / than the who redome ys in pryce. Take awaye the rytes and Ceremonies / the Iewels and ornamentes / the Images and lyghtes / the lordeshyppes and fatherhodes / the aulters and Masses / with the Byshop­pes and Prestes / and what is their ho­lye whor [...]she churche any more? Not onlye is this fleshe eatynge and burnyn­ge declared now adayes in outwarde experymentes / as in the rebellyouse Mon­kes and Prestes of Englande / and in thē that arose there in the Northe / specyal­lye in fryre forest and Margare [...] Che­nye / which were for their churche consu­med / lyke as were Baals chaplaynes at the broke of Cyson by Helyas / but also misticallye in that is spokē of here afore.

9 For God hath (sayth the Angell) all blindenesse secluded / put it into the hartes of [Page] those and soche other Godlye menne by the infusyon of his sprete / to fulfyll hys decreed will so pleasure in this behalf / as vtterlye to destroye the Popyshe relygyon or fylthye abhominacyons of An­tichrist.

10 He hath geuen yt them more ouer to do these thynges to hys glorye / through the agrement of faythe that they haue in the vnyte of his Godlye truthe / to the abolyshment of all Sectes / false Pro­phetes / and coniurers of Egypte.

11 Fynallye by hys grace he hath mo­ued them / through knowlege of his worde to rendre vp her blasphemouse kyn­gedome (whom sumtyme of ignoraunce they vsurped) vnto the malygnaunt Be­ast agayne / as the hornes of hys pestylēt heades. After this sort ded good Latimer and Shaxton geue ouer their Bysshop-ryckes / and so hath dyuerse other God­lye menne their promocyons and liuinges / as manye more yet here after wyll do.

12 For as they haue begonne so shall they contynue in demynyshynge the abhomynacyōs of this whoryshe churche / tyll the wordes and promyses of God by hys Apostles and Prophetes / which can neuer fayle / be whollye fulfilled in effect / and tyll hys last iudgement do fynyshe all. But thus do not all they which [Page 140] haue done of the yoke of the Popes obedyence or blotted out hys name. For the greatter nombre of them retayneth styll the blasphemouse obseruacyons and Ceremonies of hys Romyshe relygyon / some makynge newe lawes of deathe for the establyshment of the same / as ys in Englande the acte of the .vi. Artycles with dyuerse other more. And for this remayneth here styll the Beast as receyuynge the rendred kyngedome of the whore. In whome ys also comprehen­ded the wycked rēnaunt that shall wor­ke the last myschefe / whome the lorde shall ende with hys seyd iudgement. This Beast ys not without hys lyuelye Image styll workynge the same feates that hymself wrought afore / though his head be greuouslye wounded in diuerse quarters of the worlde. Neyther ys he without craftye. Phesycyanes / to my­nystre lyfe to the same. Who euer for­swore the Pope more ernestlye / thā ded Stokyslaye and Sampson / Gardyne [...] and Tunstall / wylson and fryre wattes / with soche other holye prelates? Yet labour they tothe and nayle to haue Babylon styll Babylon / Sodom Sodom / & Egypte Egypte. But maruele not of the ordynaūce of the lorde / which all at one tyme prouyded Moyses to gyde his peple and yet hardened Pharao agaynst them [Page] which sent his sonne Iesus Christ to saue them / and yet suffred the Prestes to murther hym / cōsideringe he ys that potter which maketh both the vessels of honoure and dishonoure.

13 Breuelye to conclude the whole of this matter (sayth the Angell) the gorgyouse aparcled womā / or glytteringe churche of ātichrist / which thu sawest here of late in misterye / ys also in resemblaunce the great cyte Babylon / the mother of all the spirituall abhominacyons and Idolatryes done vpon the earthe. For ly­ke as from Syon hath the lawe commē forth and the worde of God from Hie­rusalem / so hath yssewed forth from this Babylonyshe Rome soche a false Rely­gyon into Emprours / princes / and pe­ples / as with fylthyr superstycyons hath poysoned all the worlde.

14 For a kyngedom she hath ouer the kynges or noble gouernours of the earthe / a false power / a vsurped auctoryte / and a seate of verye pestylence. Alas for pytye that so worthye potentates shuld be in subieccyon to so slynkynge an whore / to so vyle an harlott / beynge so the seruauntes of synne and captyue slaues to all wyckednesse / from the which the lorde ones delyuer them. Amen.