VIdete & cauete ab auaricia. Take heede and be­ware of coue­tousnes, take heede and be­ware of coue­tousnes, take heede and be­ware of couetousnes, take heede & beware of couetousnes. And what and if I shuld say nothyng els these thre or. iiii. houres (for I know it wil be so long, in case I be not commaū ­ded to the contrary) but these words Take hede and beware of couetous­nes, it would be thought a straunge Sermon before a Kynge to saye no­teynge elsse but Cauete ab auaricia. Be­ware of Couetousnesse. And yet as straunge as it is, it would be lyke the Sermon of Jonas that he preached to the Niniuites, as touchynge the shortnes, and as touchynge the pau­city [Page] or fewnes of the words: For his Sermon was, Ad huc quadraginta dies, et Niniue subuertetur. There is yet fourtye dayes to come, and Nynyue shall be destroyed. Thus he walcked from streete to strete, & from place to place round about the Citye, and sayd no­thynge els, but there is yet. xl. dayes (quod he) and Niniue shalbe destroi­ed. There is no greate ods nor diffe­rence at the lest wyse, in the number of woordes, no nor yet in the sence or meanyng betwene, these two Ser­mons: There is yet forty dayes, and Niniue shalbe destroyed, and these wordes that I haue taken to speake of this day: Take heede and beware of Couetousnes. For Niniue should be destroyed for synne, and of theyr sinnes Couetousnesse was one, and one of the greateste, so that it is all one infeffect. And as they be like cō ­cernyng the shortnes, the paucity of words, the breuitye of wordes, & also [Page] the meaning & purpose: So I wold they myght be lyke in frute and pro­fit, for what came of Jonas sermon? what was the fruit of it? Ad predicacio­nem Ionae crediderunt Deo. At the prea­chyng of Jonas they beleued God. Here was a great fruite, a greate ef­fect wrought, what is that same, they beleued god? They beleued Goddes Preacher Gods Offycer, Gods Mi­nister Jonas, & wer conuerted from theyr syn. They beleued that (as the preachersayd) if they dyd not repent & amende theyr life, the Cyty should be destroyed wythin fourtye dayes. This was a great fruite, for Jonas was but one man, & he preached, but one Sermon, and it was but a short Sermon, neyther as touchynge the number of words, and yet he turned al the whole City great & smal, ritche and poore, kyng and al. We be mani preachers here in Englande, and we preach many long Sermōs, and yet [Page] the people wil not repēt nor conuert. This was the frut, the effect and the good that hys Sermon dyd, that all the whole City at his preaching con­uerted and amended theyr euyll ly­uynge & dyd pennaunce in sakcloth. And yet here in this Sermon of Jo­nas is no great curiousnes, no great clerklines, no greate affertacyon of wordes, nor of painted eloquence, it was none other but Ad huc qua di aginta dies, & Niniue subuertitur. yet fortye dayes & Niniue subuertitur, and Niniue shall be destroied, it was no more. This was no great curious Sermon, but thys was a nyppynge Sermon, apynch­ynge Sermon, a biting Sermon, it had a ful byte, it was a nyppynge ser­mon, a rough Sermon, and a sharp bitynge Sermon. Do you not heare maruayle that these Niniuites caste not Jonas in pryson, that they did not reuyle hym, and rebuke hym? They did not reuile him, nor rebuke [Page] hym, but God gaue theym grace to heare him, and to conuert and amēd at his preachynge. A straunge mat­ter, so noble a Citye to gyue place to one mans Sermon. Now England cannot abyde thys geare, they cānot be content to heare Gods Minister and hys threatnyng for theyr synne. Thoughe the Sermon be neuer so good, thoughe it be neuer so true. It is a naughty fellowe, a sedicious fel­lowe, hee maketh trouble and rebel­lyon in the Realme, hee lacketh dys­cression, but the Niniuites rebuked not Jonas y^e he lacketh dyscression, or that he spake out of tyme, that hys Sermon was oute of season made. But in England if Gods Preacher, Gods Minister be any thyng quike, or do speake sharply, then he is a foo­lysh fellow, he is rash, he lacketh dys­cression. Nowadayes yf they cannot reproue the doctryne y^• is preached: then they wyll reproue the Preacher [Page] that he lacketh dew consideracion of the tymes, and y^• he is of lernyng sufficiente, but he wanteth discressyon, what a tyme is thys pycked oute to preache such thyngs, he should haue a respect and a regarde to the tyme, and to the state of thyngs, and of the Commō w [...]l. It reioiseth me som­times when myfrend commeth and telleth me that they fynd faute with [...]y dyscressyon, for by lykelyehoode (thynke I) the doctryne is true, for if they could finde faut wyth y^e doctrin, they would not charge me wyth the lacke of discression, but they woulde charge me wyth my doctryne, & not with the lacke of discressyon, or with the inconueniency of the time, I wil now aske you a question: I pray you when shoulde Jonas haue preached agaynste the Couetousnes of Nini­ue, if the couetous men should haue appoynted him his tyme? I knowe y^• preachers ought to haue a dyscressy­on [Page] in theyr preachyng, and that they ought to haue a consideraciō and respect to the place and to y^e tyme that he preacheth in, as I my self wyl say here that I would not say in y^e coun­try for no good. But whan then? syn must be rebuked, sin must be plainly spoken agaynste. And when shoulde Jonas haue preached agaynst Nini­ue, yf he should haue forborne for the respectes of the tymes, or the place or the state of things ther? For what was Niniue, a noble, a rytche and a welthy City. What is Lōdon to Ni­niue? like a village as Islington or such another in comparison of Lon­don. Suche a Cytye was Niniue, it was thre daies iourny to go through euery strete of it, and to go but from streete to streete. There was noble men, rychmen, welthy mē, ther was viciouse men and couetous mē, and men that gaue them selues to al vo­luptuouse lyuynge, and to worldely­nes [Page] of geting riches was this a time wel chosen and discritely takē of Jonas to come & reproue them of theyr sin, to declare vnto them the threat­nynges of God, and to tell theym of theyr Couetousnes, and to say playnly vnto them, that except they repen­ted and amēded their euyll lyuynge, they and theyr City shuld be destroy­ed of Gods hande wythin. xl. dayes? And yet they hearde Jonas & gaue place to his preaching. They hearde the threatninges of God, and feared hys stroke and vengeaunce, and be­leued God, y^e is, they beleued Goddes Preacher & Minister, they beleued that God would be true of hys word, that he spake bi the mouth of his pro­phet, and ther vpon did pennance to turne away the wrath of God frome them. Wel what shall we say? I wyl say this and not spare, Christ saythe: Niniue shall arise against y^• Jewes at the last day and beare wytnesse a­gaynste [Page] them, because that they hea­ring Gods threatnyngs for sinne. Ad predicacionem Io [...]e in cinere & sacco egerunt penitentiam, they dyd penaunce at the preachynge of Jonas in ashes and sackcloth (as the text sayth ther) and I saye Niniue shall aryse agaynste England (thou Englād) Niniue shal arise againste Englande, because it wyll not beleue God, nor heare hys Preachers that cry daily vnto them, nor amend theyr liues, and specially theyr Couetousnes. Couetousnesse is as greate a synne nowe, as it was then, and it is the same sinne now, it was then, for God hateth synne, and al Couetousnes as much now, as he dyd then. And he wyll as sure stryke for syn now, as he dyd then. But ah good God that would geue theym a tyme of repētaunce after his threat­nyng. Fyrst to se whyther they wold amend or not, or he woulde destroye theym. For euen frome the begyn­ning [Page] of the worlde they fel to synne. The firste age from Adam whyche was aboute two thousande yeares they fell euer to synne, and they had prechers Noe and Enoch and other holy fathers. And in y^t tyme a greate multiplicaciō was that grew in two thousand yeres. For the Scrypture sayeth: The sonnes of God saw the daughters of men that thei wer fair, & thei toke them wyues frō amonge all that they had chosen. Thys is a lōg matter to speake of al. But what meaneth thys the sons of God sawe the daughters of mē? who wer these sons of God? The sons of God were those that came of the good mē, of y^• good preachers, and of the holye fa­thers, that wer gods mē, as they that came of Seth and Enos, that were good men, and of others. For oure graundemother Eue, when Cayne had kylled Abell, and then she had another son by Adam, who was called [Page] Seth, What did she? She gaue thā ­kes to god for hym, & acknowledged that God it was whyche had geuen hym vnto her, for she sayde: Dedit mihi deus semē pro Abel quem occidet Cain. GOD (sayed she) hath geuen me another sede in steede of Abell whom Cayne slewe. Here is a long matter to talke on. Som wil say, was this a natural mother, was thys naturally done to publish the sinne of her owne sonne. what neded she to speke of that mat­ter, or to make anye rehersall of that matter, to open the synne of her son, what needed she thys to do? yes, she was now a good womā, whē she be­leued the serpent, she was not good. But now she hath repented y^t deede, and had taken holde of the promyse of God, that ther should come of her a seede, that should tread down and destroye the heade of the Serpente. She had taken hold of thys promys and was nowe a good womā and a [Page] godlye woman, she opened the faute of her son and hyd it not. Here could I say somewhat to them (yf I wold) that spake so muche againste me for my preachynge heare the laste yeare, Oh what a great matter is made of it, and what a do, & what greate faut is founde with me for speaking that I did of the Lord Admirall: A greate matter is made of it: But I wyll tell you, and I wyll speake nowe wyth a cleare conscience: If it were to do a­gayne and hauyng the occasion that I then had: I wold speake it agayne euery woorde of it, yea and a greate deale more to. I spake it for none ha­tred. I spake it but for an example of others to be ware thereby, and if it were in the lyke occasion to be spokē againe, I woulde speake it agayne. There be some that thinke and say y^t I was hyred to it, and that my Lady of Somersetes grace hyred me to it. and that I was her fede man, & had [Page] mony of her to speake it. Wel, so god helpe me, and as I shall answeare in my cōscience, in my remembraunce I neuer talked wyth her grace tou­chyng that man in my life, nor [...] gaue she me anye thynge in her lyfe, for any such purpose, & therfore they are to blame that speake so of m [...].

But [...]wys I coulde saye somwhat to them againe if I would, I know the bottes that nip them by the guttes.

But to retourne to Eue, and declare that the sonnes of God are to be vn­derstanded tgose that came of good men, as of Seth and Enos, and the same good parte of generacion. And the doughters of men are to bee vn­derstanded of thē that came of Cain and of hys seede. And therefore our graunde mother Eue badde beware of maryinge wyth Caines seede, for feas of fallyng from God to wicked­nes therby. And here I would saye a thing to your maiesty, I shall speake [Page] it of good wyll to youre hyghnes, I would I were able to do youre grace good seruyce in anything, ye should be sure to haue it. But I wyl say this For Goddes loue beware where you marrye, chuse youre wife in a fayeth full stocke. Beware of this worldlye policy, mary in god, mary not for the great respect of alyaunce, for therof commeth al these euils of breakinge of wedlocke, which is amonge Prin­ces and noble mē. And here I would be a Suter vnto your magestye, for I come nowe rather to be a Suter and a Peticyoner then a Preacher, for I come nowe to take my leaue, & to take my, Vltimum uale, at leaste wise in thys place, for I haue not long to lyue, so that I thyncke I shall neuer come here into this plate again, and therefore I wyll aske a petycyon of youre hyghnes: For the loue of God, take an order for maryages here in Englande. For here is maryage for [Page] plesure & boluptousnes & for goods, and so y^t they may ioyne land to lād, and possessiōs to possessiōs, they care for no more heare in Englande. And that is the cause of so much adultry, and so much breache of wedlocke in y^• noble menne, and gentlemen, and so much deuorcynge. And it is not now in the noble men only, but it is come nowe to the inferyor sorte. Euerye man if he haue but a smale cause wyl cast of hys olde wife and take a new, and wyll marye agayne at hys plea­sure, and there be many that haue so done. I wold therfore wish that ther were a lawe prouided in thys behalfe for adulterers, and that adultri shuld bee punyshed wyth deathe, and that myghte be a remedye for all this mat­ter▪ Ther wold not thē be so much ad ultry, whordom and lechery in Eng­land as there is. For the loue of God take hede to it, and se a remedye pro­uided for it. I would wyshe that ad­ultri [Page] should be punished with death. And that the womā being an offen­der, if her housbande would be a su­ter for her, she shoulde be pardoned for the fyrst tyme, but not for the se­cond tyme. And the mābeyng an of fēder shuld be pardoned, if hys wyfe be a suter for hym, for the fyrst tyme, but not for the second tyme, not if he offended twyse. If thys lawe were made there wold not be so much ad­ultery nor lechery vsed in the realme as there is. Well I truste once yet as old as I am, to se the day that leche­rye shalbe punyshed. It was neuer more nede, for ther was neuer more lechery vsed in England as there is at thys daye, and mayntayned. It is made but a laughinge matter, and a triste, & it is a sad matter and an ear­nest matter. For leachery is a greate synne, Sodome & Gomore was de­stroyed for it. And it was one of the syns raygnyng in Niniue for whych [Page] it shoulde haue bene destroyed. But thynke ye that leacherye was alone? No no, Couetuousnesse was ioyned with it. Couetousnes foloweth lechery, and commonlie they go together. For why, they that be geuē to volup­tuousnes, and to the vyce of lechery, must haue wherewyth to mayntaine it, & that must be gotten by couetous­nes. For at the fyrst when men fel to sinne, and chiefely to lechery, where fore the worlde shoulde be destroyed (the booke faith) ther were Giaunts in the earthe in those dayes. And af­ter that the sonnes of God had come to the daughters of mē, and ther had engendred with them. The same became mighty men of the worlde, and men of renoume. &c. Thys is coue­tousnes, for y^• boke sayth. Terra [...]rat re­plet [...] iniquitate, the earthe was reple ate with iniquitye, for they oppressed the poore. They made them haues, pes­saūts, villaines & bondmē vnto thē. [Page] Theese were Gyauntes, so called of the property of Giauntes, for they op­pres the weaker, and take from them what they list, by force, vyolence and oppressyon. They were Gyauntes of the propertye of Gyauntes, not that they wer greater men of stature and strength of body then other mē wer. For certayne wryters speakynge of thys matter, say: that they were Gy­antes for their cruelty and couetous oppression, and not in stature or pro­ [...]ritye of body. Forther is no reason why Sethes children could beget on Cains doughters greater mē then o­thers were in stature of bodye. But they were Gyauntes in the property of Gyaunts for oppressyng of others by force and vyolence. And thys was couetousnes wherwith God was so dyspleased, that hee repented that he had made man, and resolued vtterly to destroye the world, and so called to Noe, and told hym of it. And I wyl [Page] not dyspute the matter wyth them (sayth God) from day to day, and ne­uer the nere, but if they wil not amēd wythin an hundreth and. xx. yeares. I shal brynge in an vnyuersal [...]oud ouer theyr eares and destroye theym all. Thys was preached by Noe to them, and so that god of his goodnes pacience and long sufferaunce, gaue them a tyme to repent and amend af­ter hys threatenynges, because they should se theyr euyll doinges, and re­tourne to God. So they had an hun­dreth and. xx. yeares to repent. This Noe was laughed to scorne, they like doddypoles laughed thys godlye fa­ther to scorne, Wel ye thinke lytle of the historye, yf ye wyl knowe the me­nynge of it, it is a great shewe what anger God hathe to synne.

But how long hast thou England thou England? I can not tel, for god hathe not reuealed it vnto me, if hee had, So God helpe me I woulde tell [Page] you of it, I would not be afraied, nor spare to tel it you for the good wyll I beare you, but I can not telle howe longe tyme ye haue, for God hathe not opened it vnto me: But I cā tell you that this lenity, this long forbe­ring and holdynge of hys hand, pro­uoketh vs to repente & amende. And I can tell that whosoeuer contemp­neth thys ryches & treasure of Gods goodnes of hys mercie, hys pacience and long sufferynge, shall haue the more greuous cōdempnacion. This I can tell well inough, Paule telleth me thys, and I can tell that ye haue tyme to repente as longe as you lyue here in thys worlde, but after thys lyfe I can make no warante of anye furder tyme to repente. Therfore re­pente and amende whyle ye be here, for when ye are gonne hence, ye are past that. But how long that shall be whether to morrow or y^• next day, or xx. yeare, or how long, I cannot tell. [Page] But in the meane time ye haue ma­ny Jonasses to tel you of your fauts and to declare vnto you gods threat­nings, except ye repent and amend, therfore to returne to my matter, I say as I sayd at the begynnyng: Vide te et cauete ab auaricia. Videte. se it. First se it, and then amend it. For I promise you greate complayntes ther is of it, and much crying out, and much pre­ching, but none amendment that I se. But Cauete ab auaricia, beware of co­uetousnes. And whi of couetousnes Quia radix omnium malorum auaricia & [...]pi­ditas. For Couetousnesse is the roote of all euyl, and of al mischiefe. Thus saying of Paul tooke me away from the gospel y^• is red in the church thys day, it tooke me from the epistle, that I wold preach vpon neyther of them both at thys tyme, I cannot tel what alled me. But to tel you my imperfeccion: whē I was appointed to preche here, I was new come oute of a sick [Page] nes, wherof I loked to haue died and weake I was. Yet neuertheles whē I was appoyncted vnto it, I tooke it vpon me, how be it I repented afterward that I had done. I was disple­sed with myself, I was testi as Jo­nas was when he should go preache to the Niniuits. Wel, I loked on the Gospel that is red thys daye, tut it ly­ked me not, I looked on the Epistle: tushe I could not away with that ne­ther. And yet I remember I hadde preached vpon this epistle once afore kyng Hēry the. viii. but now I could not frame with it, nor it liked me not in no sauce. Wel, this saying of Paul came in my mynde, and at last I con­sidered and waied the matter deepe­ly, and then thought I thus with myself: Is Couetousnes the roote of al mischefe, and of al euil? then haue at the roote, & down wythal Couetous­nes. So this place of Paul brought me to thys text of Luke, Se and be­ware [Page] of Couetousnes Therfore you prechers out with your swordes, and stryke at the roote, speake agaynste Couetousnes, and crye oute vpon it. Stand not tyckynge and toyinge at the braunches, nor at the boughes, (for then ther wyl new boughes and braunches springe againe of them:) but stryke at the roote, and feare not these Giauntes of Englande, these greate men and men of power, these mē that are oppressours of the poore. Fear them not, but stryke at the rote of al euil, which is mischeuouse coue­tousnes. For couetousnes is y^• cause of rebellyon. I haue forgotten my lo­gyke, but yet I cā iumble at a Silo­gisme, & make an argumente of it to proue it by. Couetousnes is y^• rote of al euyl: Rebelliō is an euill, Ergo. Co­uetousnes is y^e roote of rebelliō. And so it was in dede. Couetousnes was the cause of rebellyon thys laste Sō ­mer, and both partyes had couetous­nes, [Page] as well the gentle men as the commons. Both partyes had Coue­tousnes, for both parties had an inor dynate desyre to haue that they had not, & that is couetousnes, an inordi­nate desyre to haue that one hathe not. The commons wolde haue had from the gentlemen such things as they desired. The gentlemen would none of it, and so was ther couetous­nes on bothe sydes. The Commons thought they had a right to the thyn­ges that they inordinately sought to haue. But what then, they muste not come to it that waye. Nowe on the o­ther side the gentlemen had a desyre to kepe that they had, and so they re­belled to agaynste the kynges com­maundemēt, and agaynst such good order as he and hys councelle would haue set in the realm. And thus both partyes had couetousnes, and bothe parties dyd rebell. I heard saye that there was godly ordynaunces deuy­sed [Page] for the redresse of it. But the Gy­ants would none of it in no sauce. I remember myne owne self a certain Giaunt, a great man, who sat in commissiō about such matters. And whē the tounsemen shuld bryng in what had beene inclosed, he frouned and chafed and so nere loked and threat­ned the poore mē, that they durst not aske theyr ryghte. I red of late in an act of parliament: and thys act made mencion of an act that was made in kyng Henries daies (the. iii. I trowe it was, yea and suche an other buysy­nes there was in kynge Edwardes tyme the second also) In this parlia­ment that I speak of, the gentlemen and the commons wer at varyaunce as they were now of late. And there the gentle men that were landlords, wold nedes haue away much landes from theyr tenantes, and wold neds haue an act of parliament y^• it myght be lawful for them to enclose & make [Page] seuerall frome theyr tenauntes and from the commons such porcions of theyr landes as they thoughte good, much a do ther was about thys acte. At last it was concluded & graunted y^• they myght so do, Prouided alway that they should leaue sufficient to y^• tenaunt. Well it was wel y^t they wer bounde to leaue sufficient for theym. But who shoulde bee the iudge to ly­mite what was sufficient for theym. Or who shal now iudge what is suf­ficient, wel I for my part can not tell what is [...]ufficiēt. But me thoughte it was well that the tenauntes & poore commons should haue sufficient, for if they had sufficiēt (thought I) they hadde cause to be quyet. And then fell I to make this argument within my selfe. If at y^t time it were put in theyr wil and power, that they myghte en­close leauing to the tennant that wer sufficient for hym, yf they had it then in theyr power (thought I) that they [Page] myght thys do, they woulde leaue no more then suffyciente. If they left to the tenaunts and pore commons no more in those dayes but suffycyente: then if they had ani more taken from theym sence that tyme, then had they now not sufficient. They in Christ ar equall with you. Peres of the realme muste nedes be. The poorest plough­man is in Christ equall wyth the gre­test prynce that is. Let them therfore haue sufficient to mayntayne theym, and to fynde them theyr necessaryes. A ploughlande must haue sheepe, yea they muste haue shepe to dunge theyr grounde for bearynge of corne (for if they haue no shepe to healpe to fat the ground, they shal haue but bare corne and thynne.) They must haue swyne for theyr foode to make theyr vene­ryes or bacon of, theyr bacon is theyr venisō (for thei shal now haue bangū tuum if thei get anie other venyson) so y^• bacon is theyr necessary meate to [Page] feede on, whiche they may not lacke. Thei must haue other cattels, as horses to draw their ploughe and for ca­riage of thinges to the markets, and kine for their milke and chese, which they muste lyue vpon and paye theyr rēts. These cattel must haue pasture whych pasture if thei lacke, the reaste must nedes fayle theim. And pasture thei cānot haue, if the land be taken in and inclosed from thē. So (as I said) ther was in both partes rebelli­on. Therefore for Gods loue restore theyr sufficiēt vnto them, and search no more what is the cause of rebelly­on. But se and beware of couetous­nesse, for couetousnes is the cause of rebellyon. Wel now, if couetousnes be the cause of rebellyon, then prea­chyng agaynste couetousnesse is not the cause of rebelliō. Some say that the preching now a daies is the cause of al sedicion and rebellion, for sence thys newe prechynge hathe come in, [Page] ther hath bene much sedicion, & ther­fore it must nedes be that y^• prechyng is the cause of rebellion here in Eng­land, forsoothe our preachinge is the cause of rebelliō, much like as Christ was cause of the destrucciō of Jeru­salem. For (saith Christ) Si non uenissē & locutus suissem eis, peccatum non haberent. &c. If I had not come (sayth Christ) and spoken to them, they should haue no synne. So we preachers haue come and spoken to you: we haue drawen our swerdes of Gods word, and stry­ken at the rootes of all euyll, to haue them cut downe, and if ye wyll not a­mend, what cā we do more. And preaching is cause of sediciō here in England, much like as Ely was the cause of trouble in Israell, for hee was a preachet there, and toulde the people of all degrees theyr faultes, and so they wynched and kycked at hym, and accused hym to Achab the kyng, that he was a sedicious fellowe, and [Page] a troublous precher and made much vprore in the realme. So the kynge sente for hym, and he was broughte to Achab the kynge, who sayde vnto hym: Arte thou hee that troubleth all Israell? and Ely answered & sayde: naye, thou and thy fathers house are they that trouble al Israell. Ely had preached gods word, he had playnlye told the people of theyr euill doyngs, he had shewed them Gods threate­nynges: (In gods behalfe I speake, ther is neither king nor Emperoure, be they neuer in so greate estate, but they are subiecte to gods worde) and therfore he was not afrayed to say to Achab: it is thou and thy fathers house that causeth all the trouble in Israell. Was not thys presumptu­ously spoken to a king? was not this a sedicious fellow: was not thys fel­lowes preachynge a cause of all the trouble in Israell? was he not wor­thy to be cast in bocardo or lytle ease? [Page] No, but he had vsed goddes sworde which is his word, and don nothyng elsse that was euyll, but they coulde not abyde it, he neuer dysobeyed A­chabs sworde whyche was the regal power. But Achab dysobeyed hys swerd, which was the worde of God. And therfore by the punyshmente of god much trouble arose in y^• realme for the sinnes of Achab & the people. But Gods preacher goddes prophet was not the cause of y^• trouble. Thē is it not we Preachers that trouble England. But here is now an argu­ment to proue the mater against the preachers. Here was preachynge a­gaynst couetousnes al the last yeare in Lent, and the next sōmer folow­ed rebellion: Ergo preaching agaynst couetousnes, was y^• cause of the re­bellyon, A goodly argumente, Heare now I remēber an argumēt of ma­ster Mores, which he bringeth in, in a boke that he made against Bilney [Page] & here by the way I wil tel you a me­rytoy. Master Moore was once sēt, in commissyon into Kent, to help tri­out (if it myght be) what was y^• cause of Goodwin sāds and the shelf that stopped vp Sandwych hauen. Thy­ther commeth mayster Moore, and calleth the coūtry afore him, suche as were thought to be mē of experience & mē that could of lykelyhod best cer­tify him of that matter concernynge the stoppyng of Sandwich hauē. A­mong others came in before hym an old man with a whyte head, and one that was thought to be lytle lesse thē an hundreth yeares old. When ma­ster Moore sawe thys aged man, he thought it expedient to here him say hys mynde in thys matter (for being so old a manne it was lykely that he knewe moste of any man in that pre­sence and companye.) So mayster Moore called this old aged man vn­to hym, & sayd: Father (sayde he) tell [Page] me if ye cā, what is the cause of thys great arising of the sands & shelues heare about thys hauen, the whiche stop it vp that no ships cā ariue here. Ye are the eldest man that I can es­pye in al thys company, so that if any man can tel any cause of it, ye of lyke lyhoode can saye most in it, or at leste wyse more then any other man here assembeled. yea forsoth good master (quod this old mā) for I am wel nigh an hundreth yeares old, and no man here in thys companye anye thynge nere vnto mine age. Wel then (quod master Moore) how saye you in this matter? what thike ye to be the cause of these shelues and [...]attes that stop vp Sandwych hauen? Forsothe syr (quoth he) I am an old mā I thinke that Tenterton steple is the cause of Goodwyn sandes, for I am an olde mā syr (quod he) and I may remem­ber the building of Tentertō steple, & I may remember when there was [Page] no steeple at all there. And before that Tenterton steeple was in buil­dynge, ther was no manner of spea­kyng of any flats or sands that stop­ped the heauen, and therfore I think that Tenterton steple is the cause of the destroyinge and the decaying of Sandwyche hauen. And euen so to my purpose is preachynge of Gods word the cause of rebellyon, as Ten­terton steple was cause that Sand­wich hauē is decaied. And is not this agai matter, that such shuld be takē for great wyse men, y^t wyll thus rea­sō against y^e preacher of Gods word? But here I wold take an occasyō by the waye of a dygressyon to speake somewhat to my Sisters the womē to do them some good to, because I would do al folkes good if I coulde, before I take my Vltimum uale (at least wise here of this place) for I thynk [...] shal no more come here. For I [...] I haue not long to lyue. So that I [Page] iudge I take my leaue nowe of the courte for euer, & shall no more come in this place. Achab was a kyng, but Jesabel Jesabel she was y^• perilous woman. She wold rule her husbād the kinge, she woulde beare a stroke in althings, and she wold order ma­ters as pleased her, and so wil many women doo, they will rule theyr hus­bandes and do althinges after their own minds. They do therin against the order by God appoynted theym. They breake theyr Iniuncyon that God gaue vnto them. Yea, it is now come to y^• lower sort, to meane mens wyues, they wyll rule and apparelle them selues gorgeously, and some of them far aboue theyr degrees, why­ther theyr husbandes wyl or no. But they breake theyr Iniuncion, and do therin contrari to Gods ordynance. God saythe: Subdita eris sub pote [...]tate uiri.

Thou shalt be subiect vnder the po­wer of thy husbande. Thou shalte be [Page] subiect. Women are subiectes, ye be subiects to your husbāds, At the first y^• mā & the womā wer equal. But af­ter that she had geuen credyte to the serpente, then she had a iniunccion set vpon her: Subditaeris subpotestate uiri, thou shalt be subiect vnder y^e power of thy husbād. And as for [...] part of her iniuncciō she taketh, & she taketh one part of her pēnance, because she cannot auoyd it: and that is: In dolore paries: Thou shalte brynge forth chyl­dren wyth payne and traueile. Thys parte of theyr iniunccyon they take, and yet is the same so greuous, that Christome sayeth: if it were not for the ordinaunce of God which cannot be made frustrate by mā, they would neuer come to it againe for no worldly good. But god hath prouided here in. And (as Christe sayeth in the Gos­pel: Muiter cū parit tristici [...] habet. etc. The woman when she beareth child hath sorowe, but afterwardes she remem­breth [Page] not the payne, because there is a soul brought forth into the worlde. But as it is a part of your penaunce ye we men to trauel in be aryng your chyldren: so is it a part of youre pen­naunce to be subiects vnto your husbandes, ye are vnderlynges, vnder­linges, and muste be obedyente. But this is now made a trifle and a smal matter. And yet it is a sadde matter a godly matter, a gostly mater. A mat­ter of damnaciō and saluacion. And Paul saith y^t a womā oughte to haue a power on her heade. What is thys to haue a power on her head? It is a māner of speaking of the scripture, & to haue her power on her heade, is to haue a sygne and a token of power, whiche is by coueringe of her heade, declaring that she hath a superioure aboue her, by whome she ought to be ruled and ordred. For the is not im­mediatly vnder God, but mediately. For by their iniunccion the husband [Page] is theyr head vnder God & they sub­iectes vnto their husbādes. But this power that some of thē haue is disgused geare and of straunge facyons.

They muste we are Frenchehoodes, and I cannot tell you I, what to call it. And when they make theim ready & come to the couering of their head, they wyll call and saye, geue me my French hoode, and geue me my Bo­net or my cap & so furth. I wold wish that y^• women wold cal the couering of their heades by the termes of the scripture. As when she woulde haue her cappe, I wold she wold say geue me my power, I would they woulde learne to speake, as the holye ghoste speketh, and cal it by such a name as Sainte Paule doothe. I wolde they wold (as they haue much pryckynge) when they put on their cap, I wolde thei wold haue this meditaciō, I am nowe puttyng on my power vpō my head, If they hadde this thoughte in [Page] their mindes, they wold not make so much pricking vp of them selfes as they do now a daies. But now heare is a vengaunce deuil: we must haue our power from Turkey of Ueluet, and gay it muste be. Farre fet, deare bought, and when it commeth it is a false signe. I had rather haue a true Englysh signe then a false signe frō Turki. It is a false signe when it co­uereth not their heades as it shoulde do. For if they woulde keepe it vnder the power as they ought to do, there shoulde not any such Tussockes nor tuftes be sene, as there be, nor suche laying oute of y^• heere nor breydynge to haue it open. I wolde merueile of it how it shulde come to be so abused and so farre out of order, sauing that I know by experience, that mani wil not bee ruled by theyr husbandes as they oughte to be. I haue bene desy­red to exhort some, and wyth some I could do litle in that mater. But ther [Page] be nowe manye Adams that wil not displease their wiues, but wil in thys behalfe let them haue all theyr owne mindes and do as them listeth. And some others agayne ther be nowe a daies y^• wyll defend it, & say it mai be suffred well inough, because it is not expresse in Scripture, nor spoken of by name. Thoughe we haue not ex­pressed mencion in scripture against such laying out of the heare in Tus­sockes and Tufftes: yet we haue in scripture expresse mencyon. Detortis erinibus, Of writhen heare, that is for the nonce forced to courle. But of these tussocks that are layd out now a dayes, there is no mencyon made in scriptures, because they were not vsed in scripture time. Thei wer not yet come to be so far out of order, as to lay out such tussocks and tufftes, but I wyl tell the, if thou wylt nedes laye it oute, or if thou wylte neades shew thy heare and haue it seene: go [Page] and powle thy head or roūd it, as mē do, for to what purpose is it to pul it out so, and to laye it oute? some do it (say they) of a simplicity, Some do it of a pryde. And some of other causes. But they do it because they wyll be quarter masters with their husbāds, quarter masters? Nay, half maisters yea some of them wil be hole masters and rule the roast as they liste, theym selues. But these defenders of it wil not haue it euyl, because it is not spoken of in scripture. But ther be other thinges as euyll as thys whyche are not spoken of in scripture expressely, but they are employed in scrypture as well as though they were ther ex­pressely spoken of. For the Prophete Esay sayth. Vequi consurgitis mane ad co­messandum, ad Ebrietatem sectandam, et potan do usque aduesperam, ut uino estuetis. Woo vnto you that aryse early in the mor­ninge, and goo to drynckynge vntyll nyght, that ye may swimme in wine. [Page] This is the scripture agaynste ban­quetting and dronkennes. But now they banquet al nyght, and lye a bed in the day tyme tyl none, & the scryp­ture speaketh nothinge of that. But whan then? the deuyll hath hys pur­pose thys waye, as well as the other, he hath his purpose as well by reuel­lynge and kepynge ill rule al nyghte as by rysynge earely in the morning and banquetinge alday. So the de­uil hath his purpose both wayes. Ye noble men, ye great men I wote not what rule ye kepe: For Goddes sake here the complayntes and suytes of the poore. Many complain agaynste you y^• ye liea bed till viii. or. ix or. x. of the clocke, I cannot tell what reuell ye haue ouer night, whether in ban­quetyng, or dycynge, or cardynge, or how it is. But in the mornyng when poore Suters come to your houses, ye cannot be spoken wythall. They are kept sometymes withoute youre [Page] gates, or if they be lette into the hall or some vtter chamber, out commeth one or other. Sirre, ye cānot speake wyth my Lord yet, my lord is a sleepe or he hath had busines of y^• kyngs al nyghte. &c. And thus poore Suters are dryuen of from daye to daye, that they cānot speke w^t you in. iii. or. iiii. dayes, ye a hole month, what shal I say more? ye a hole yeare somtymes erre they can come to youre spech, to be harde of you, For gods loue looke better to it, speake wyth pore menne when they come to your houses, and dyspatche poore suiters, as in deede some noble men do, and wold Christ that al noble men woulde so do. But some do. I went one day my selfe be tyme in the mornyng to a great mās house, to speake wyth him, in busy­nes that I had of min own. And me thought I was vp betimes, but whē I came thyther, the great man was gon forth, about such affayres as be­houed [Page] hym, or I came. Welle, yet (thought I) thys is well, I lyke thys wel. Thys man dothe somewhat re­gard and consider his office and du­tye. I came to late for myne owne matter, and loste my iourny, and my earely risinge to and yet I was glad y^• I had bene so begyled. For Gods loue folowe thys example ye greate men, and aryse in the mornynges, & be redi for men to speake with them, and to dyspatche Sewters that re­sort vnto you. But al these I brynge to dysproue them that defende euyll thynges, because they be not expres­ly spoken agaynste in the scripture.

But what forceth that? when the dy­uyll hath hys purpose and is serued as well one waye as an other waye: thoughe it be not expressye spoken a­gaynst in scripture, yet I rekē plainely inough emploied in the scripture. But nowe to come to my matter a­gayne. Videte et cauete ab auaricia, See [Page] and beware of Couetousnes, and I shall desyre you to consyder. iiii. thin­ges, Quis dicat, quid dicat, cui dicat, et quare dicat, who speakethe it, what he spea­keth, to whom he speaketh, & where­fore he speaketh it. As here Christe speaketh, to a rych man against aua­rice. And whi against auarise? what shal be the ende of all couetouse per­sons? eternall damnacyon. For the couetouse persons (saith Paule) shal not possesse ne enter into the kynge­dome of God, heare therefore I shall desyre you to pray. &c.

VIdete cauete ab auaricia, See, and beware of couetouse­nes. First who spake these wordes? Forsothe Christe speake them, if I had spoken them of my self, it had bene litle worthe. But Christ spake, and vppon a good occa­sion: The story is Duo litigaban [...] inter se. ther were two at strife betwene thē selues. Luc. xii. and by thys it appea­reth [Page] that Christ spake thē wel. Christ spake these wordes at that time, and nowe he speaketh them by hys prea­cher, whome ye oughte to beleue and so it is al one. But vpon what occasi­on dyd he speake it, there wer. ii. bre­thren at stryfe together for landes, welthy men (as it appeareth) and the ritch felow wold not tary till Christe had ended his sermon: but interrup­ted it, and wold nedes haue his mat­ter dispatched by and by. He was at Christes Sermon, but yet he would not differ his worldlycause tyl Christ had made an end of his godly exhor­tacion. Thys was a thornie brother, he was a gospeller, he was a carnall gospeller (as manye be nowe adaies for a piece of an abbey or for a porcy­on or chaūtry lands) to get somwhat by it and to serue hys comodytye: He was a gospeller one of y^e new brethrē somewhat worsse then a rancke pa­piste. How be it a rancke papyst now [Page] a dayes shall soner haue promocyon then a true Gospeller shall haue, the more pity. But this was a thorni gos­peller, he heard Christes preachynge and followed hym for company, and heard his words. But he was neuer the better for it, but the care of the world, so choked the worde of God in hym, that he could not heare the ser­mon to y^e end, but interrupted the sermō for hys worldly matter yer it wer al done? And what was Christe then doinge? forsoo the he was sowing of good seede, but it fell vppon stonye ground, so that it could not take any rote in thys fellowe to bringe forthe good fruit in him. And let me tel you of the sede that Christ was then sowing. Beare with me a whyle and se­inge that I come nowe to take myne Vltimū uale of this place, heare me paci­entlye, and gyue me leaue a lytell whyle, and let me take my leaue ho­nestly. At the time when this fellowe [Page] interrupted Christes sermō, he was preachynge a longe Sermon to hys Dyscyples, and to the people beynge gathered together in a wounderfull great multitude as appeareth in the xii. Chapter of Saynte Lukes Gos­pel, and ther he first of al taught hys disciples a good lesson, saying: Caue­te uobis a farmento Phariseorum. Beware in any wise (sayth he) from the leuen of the Pharises. What is thys leuen of the Pharises? Leauē is somtimes taken for corrupt lyuyng, whyche in­fectethe others by the euyll example therof, and agaynst such corrupte ly­uing, Gods preachers must cry oute earnestlye, and neuer cease tyll it be rooted vp. In the Cytye of Corinthe one had maryed his stepmother, hys fathers wyfe. And he was a iolye fel­low a great riche man, an alderman of the Cyty, and therfore they wync­ked at it, they wold not medle in the matter, they had nothyng to do with [Page] it, and he was one of the head mē, of such rule & authority that they durste not, manye of them. But. S. Paule hearing of y^t matter, writ vnto them, and in Gods behalfe charged them, to do away suche abhomynacyon frō among them. Saint Paule woulde not leaue them, till he had excommu­nicated the wycked doer of suche ab­hominacion. If we should nowe ex­cōmunicate all suche wycked doers, ther wold be much a do in England, Ye that are Magestrates, she we fa­uour for affeccion to such, & wyll not suffer they may be rooted oute or put to shame. Oh, he is such a mans ser­uāt, we may not do hym anie shame, Oh, he is a gentlemā. &c. And so the thing is not now any thynge looked vnto. Lecherye is vsed thoroweoute England, and such lecherye as is v­sed in none other place of the world. And yet it is made a matter of sport, a matter of nothynge, a lawghyng [Page] matter, and a tryste not to be passed on, nor not to be refourmed. But be­ware ye that are magestrates, theyr synne dothe leauen you all, There­fore for gods loue beware of thys le­uē. Wel I trust it wil be one daye a­mēded. I loke not to liue lōg, & yet I trust (as old as I am) to liue so lōg as to se lechery punyshed. I wold wysh y^t Moyses law were restored for pu­nyshment of lechery, & that the offē ­ders therin myghte be punyshed ac­cording to y^• prescripcion of Moyses lawe. And here I will make a sute to your hyghenesse to restore vnto the churche y^• discipline of Christ. In ex­communicatinge such as be notable offenders, nor neuer deuyse anye o­ther waye. For no man is able to de­uyse a better waye then God hathe done, which is excommunicacyon to put them from the congregacyon tyl they be confounded. Therefore re­store Christes discyplyne for excom­municaciō. [Page] And that shall be a mean both to pacifi gods wrath and indyg­nacion against vs, and also that les habominacion shall be vsed, then in tymes paste hath bene, and is at thys daye. I speake thys of a conscyence, and I meane and moue it of a good wyl to your grace and youre realme. Bring into the churche of Englande open discipline of excommunicacion that open synners maye be strycken wyth. Somtime leauen is taken for corrupt doctryne, and so it is here ta­ken in this place when he sayeth: Be ware of the leauen of the Pharise is. For Christ intended to make his dis­cyples teachers of all the world: and therefore to beware of corrupte doc­tryne. And that that he saied to them he sayeth also to vs. Receyue no cor­rupte doctryne, no myngle mangle: yet there be leaueners yet styll and mingle manglers, that haue sowred Christes doctryne, wyth the leauen [Page] of the Pharysyes. Yea and where there is anye peace of leauen, they will maintaine that one piece, more then all the doctrine of Christ, and about that purpose they occupy and bestowe all their wittes. This was the firste seede. The seconde seede was Nihil occultum, quod non reuelabitur. There is nothynge pryuye or hydden that shall not be reuealed and opened. It parteyne the all to one purpose, for there he taughte his disciples too beware of the leauen, whyche was hy­pocrysye declarynge vnto them that hypocrisye, woulde not be all wayes hydden but such as wer not syncere shoulde be knowen at the laste daye, and all that was taughte shoulde at length be knowen. It hathe also an other meanynge for it is Gods pro­uerbe. There is nothynge so pryuye but it shall be opened, at leaste wyse in the greate daye of reconnynge.

In the dreadefull daye of the gene­rall [Page] accompte, in the daye of reuela­cion. Then shall it be openlye know en what so euer is doone: be it neuer so pryuelye doone. Theese fellowes that haue their fetches and theyr far compasses too brynge thynges too their purposes, worcke they neuer so preuely neuer so couertlye, yet at the laste daye, their doynges shall be o­penlye reuealed. Vsque ad sacietatem ui­sionis (saythe the Prophet Esay) that is, tyll all the worlde shall see it, to their shame and confusyon that are the doers of it. As the Prophete Je­remy sayth: Sicut confunditur fur qui depre­henditur. &c. Euen as a theife that is taken with the manner when he stealethe. So shall synners be openlye confounded, and theyr euyl doinges opened. Yea and thoughe it bee not knowen in thys worlde, yet it shall be knowen at the laste daye to theyr dampnacyons. In deede God hathe veryfyed hys prouerbe frome [Page] tyme to tyme. Nothynge is so preuy the which shal not be reueyled. Whē Cayne had kylled hys brother Abel: he thought he had conueied the mat­ter so preuelye and so closelye, that it should neuer haue bene knowen nor haue come to lyghte, but fyrste God knewe it well inough, and called vn­to him saying: Caine wher is thy brother: Abell? tut he thought he coulde haue begyled God to. And therefore he answered. I canne not tell, what (quod Cain) am I set to kepe my brother? I cannot tell where he is. But at last he was confounded, and hys murther brought to lyght. And now al the world readeth it in the Byble. Josephes brethren had solde hym a waye: they toke hys motely cote and he sprinckled it ouer and ouer wyth bloude, they thoughte all was cocke sure, they had cōueyed the matter so secretly, that they thought al y^e world coulde neuer haue espyed it. And yet [Page] oute it came to theyr greate benefit. And nowe it is knowen to vs all as many as can read the Byble. Dauid sawe a fayre woman washe her na­ked. Thoughe he was strayght waye rauished, he was cleane gone by and wold nedes haue her. He sent for her Yea he had gentlemen of hys cham­ber aboute hym that went for her by and by and fet her. And here I haue an other sute to your hyghnes. Whē you come to age beware what par­sons ye haue aboute you. For if ye be set on pleasure, or dysposed to wantō nesse. Ye shall haue mynysters y­noughe, to be furtherers and instru­mentes of it. But Dauid by hys wys­dome and pollicy thought so to haue cloked the matter, that it shuld neuer haue bene knowen. He sente for her husbande Urias, and shewed hym a fayre countenaunce, and loked mere lye on hym, and sente hym foorthe to warre that he myghte doo hys plea­sure [Page] wyth Bersaba afterwarde, & he thoughte he had wrought wōderous pryuelye. He thoughte all the matter cocke sure. But the Prophet of God (Nathan) came and layde hys faulte plaine before his face, & who is now that knoweth it not? Elyzeus seruāt Giezi, a bribing brother, he came cou­lourablye to Naaman the Sirian: he fained a tale of his mayster Elize­us, as al bribers wyll do & tolde hym that his maister had nede of this and that, and tooke of Naaman certaine thinges and brybed it awaye to hys owne behoofe secretly, and thought that it shulde neuer haue come oute, but Elizeus knewe it well inoughe. The seruaunt had hys bribs that he sought, yet was he strykē with the le­pre, and so openlye shamed. Thynke on this ye that are brybers when ye goo secreatelye aboute suche thyn­ges, haue thys in your myndes whē ye deuyse youre secreate fetches and [Page] conueiaunce, how Eliseus seruaunt was serued and made to be openlye knowen. For gods prouerbe wyll be true: there is nothinge hidden y^t wyl not be reuealed. He that toke the syl­uer basin and ewer for abrybe, thyn­keth that it will neuer come oute, but he maye nowe knowe that I knowe it, and I knowe it not alone, there be mo besides me that know it. Oh bri­ber & bryberye, he was neuer a good man that wyll so take brybes. Nor I can neuer beleue that he that is a bri­ber shalbe a good iustice. It wyll ne­uer bee merye in Englande tyll wee haue the skinnes of suche. For what needeth brybynge where menne do their thinges vprightlye, as for men that are offycers and haue a matter of charge in their handes. But nowe I wyl playe saint Paul. And trāslate the thing on my selfe. I wyll become the kynges offycer for a whyle. I haue to lay out for the kynge twentie [Page] thousande poundes, or a greate sum whatsoeuer it be, well when I haue layde it oute, and do brynge in mine accompt, I muste geue. iii. hundreth markes to haue my byls warranted. If I haue done truly and vprightlie what shuld nede me to geue a penye to haue my bylles warraunted? if I haue done my office truly, & do bring in a true accompt: Wherfore shulde one groate be geuen? yea one groate for warrantinge of my byls? Smel ye nothinge in this? what needeth a­ny brybes geuynge excepte the byls be false? no manne geueth brybs for warrantyng of his billes except they be false byls. Wel such practise hath bene in England, but beware it wyll oute one daye. Beware of Goddes prouerbe: there is nothynge hydden that shal not be opened. Yea euen in thys worlde, if ye be not the chyldren of dampnacyon. And heare nowe I speake to you my masters Mynters, [Page] Augmentacyoners, Receiuers, sur­ueiers, and Auditours: I make a pi­ticion vnto you: I beseche you all be good to the Kynge. Be good to the king, he hath bene good to you, there fore be good to him, yea, bee good too youre owne soules. Ye are knowen wel inoughe what ye were, afore ye came to your offices, and what lands ye hadde then, and what ye haue pur­chased sence, and what buyldynges ye make daylye, well I praye you so build, that the kinges workmen may be paied. They make ther mone that they can not get no mony. The poore labourers, gunmakers, poudermen bowmakers. Arrowmakers, smiths carpenters, souldiers, & other crafts crye oute for theyr dutyes. They bee vnpayed some of theym three or. iiii. monethes: yea some of theim halfe a yeare: yea and sum of them putte vp bylles this time. xii. mōths for theyr monye, and canne not be payde yet. [Page] They crye oute for theyr mony,) and as the Prophet sayeth) Clamor operari­orum ascendit ad aures meas. The crye of the workmanne is come vp to myne eares. Oh for gods loue let the work men be payde, if there be monye y­noughe? there wil whole showers of gods vengeaunce raine down vpon your heades. Therefore ye mynters, and ye Augmentacioners, serue the kinge truly. So buyld and purchase that the kynge maye haue monye to pay his workmen. It semeth euil fa­uouredli, that ye should haue inough wher w^t to build superstuously, & the king lacke to pay his poore laborers. wel, yet I doubt not but that ther be some good offycers. But I wyll not sweare for all, I haue now preached iii. Lents. The first time I preached restitucion, restitucion (quod some)? what shuld he preache of restytucyon let hym preache of contryssyon (quod they) and lette restitucyon alone.

[Page] We canne neuer make restitucyon, (Thē say I) if thou wilt not make restitucion, thou shalte go to the deuyl for it. Nowe chose the eyther restitu­ciō or els endles dāpnaciō. But now therbe two maner of restitucioners, secret restitucion, and open restituci­on whither of both it be, So y^t resti­tucion be made it is al good inough. At my first preachyng of restituion, one good man toke remorce of consyence, and acknowledged hym self to me, that he had deceyued the kynge. And willing he was to make restitu­ciō, & so the first lēt came to my hāds twenty poundes to be restored to the kings vse. I was promised. xx. poūd more the same lente, but it could not be made, so that it came not. Well, y^e next lent came three hundrethe and twentye pounds more. I receyued it my selfe, and payde it to the kynges Counsel. So I was asked, what he was that thus made restytucyon.

[Page] But shuld I haue named hym? naie they shuld as sone haue thys wesaūt of myne. Wel, now this lēt came one hundreth and fore score pounds. x. s. whiche I haue paide and delyuered this present day to the kynges com­cel. And so this mā hath made a god­ly restituciō. And so (quod I to a cer­taine noble manne that is one of the kinges councel) if euery man y^t hath beguiled the king should make resty­tucion after this sort, it wold coughe the kynge. xx. M. pounds I thyncke (quod I) yea that it wold (quod the o­ther) a whole. C. M. poundes. Alac alac, make restitucion for Gods sake make restitucion, ye wil cough in hel elsse, that all the deuylles there wyll laughe at your coughinge: There is no remedy but restitucion open or secrete, or elsse hell. Thys that I haue now told you of was a secret restitu­cion. Some exāples hath bē of open restitucion, and glad maye he be that [Page] God was so frēdly vnto him to bring him vnto it in this world. I am not a fraied to name hym. It was master Sheringtō, an honeste gentleman and one that God loueth. He openly confessed that he had deceyued the kyng, and he made open restitucyon. Oh what an argumēt maye he haue against the diuell, whē he shall moue hym to desperacyon, God broughte thys out to hys amendment. It is a token that he is a chosen man of god and one of hys elected. If he be of God he shall be broughte to it, there­fore for gods sake make restitucyon, or els remēber Gods prouerb: There is nothyng so secret, &c. If you do ei­ther of these two in this world, then are ye of God, if not, then for lacke of restitucion, ye shall haue eternalle dapmnacyon. Ye maye do it by mea­nes, if you dare not do it your selfes, bryng it to another, and so make re­stituciō. If ye be not of Gods flocke, [Page] it shal [...]e brought oute to your shame and damnacion at the last day, when al euil mens sinnes shall be layed o­pen before vs. Yet there is one way, how all oure synnes may be hydden [...] which is repent and amende, Recipis­centia, recipiscentia. Repentynge and a­mending is a sure remedi, and a sure way to hyde al, y^• it shall not come out to our shame and confusiō. Yet ther was an other seede that Christ was sowing in that sermon of hys, & thys was the sede: I sai to you my frēdes feare not hym that killeth the bodye: but feare hym, that after hee hathe kylled, hathe power also to caste in­to hell fyre. &c. And there to putte his disciples in comforte and sure hoope of hys healpe, and oute of all doubte and mystruste of hys assystence: hee bryngeth in vnto them the example of the sparrowes, how they are fedde by Goddes meare prouydence and goodnesse, and also of the heares of [Page] oure heades, howe that not so much as one heare falleth from our heads withoute hym, feare hym (saythe he) that when he hathe kylled the bodye, maye also caste into hell fyre. Mat­ter for all kyndes of people heare, but speciallye for kynges. And there­fore heare is an other sute to youre highnes. Feare not hym that kylleth the bodye: Feare not theese forayne Prynces and forayne powers. God shall make you stronge inoughe.

Stycke to God, feare God, feare not theym, God hathe sente you manye stormes in youre youthe. But for­sake not God, and he wyll not for­sake you: Peraduēture ye shall haue that shall moue you, and saye vnto you: Oh syr, oh such a one is a greate man, he is a mighty Prince, a kynge of greate power, ye canne not bee wythoute hys frendeship, agre wyth hym in Relygyon, or elsse ye shall haue hym youre ennemye. &c.

[Page] Well, feare theym not, but cleaue to God, and he shal defend you. Do not asking Achab did, that was a frayde of the Assirian kynge, and for feare lest he should haue hym to his enne­my, was content to forsake God, and to agre wyth with him in religiō, and worshippynge of God. And a non sēt to Urias the hyghe Priest, who was readye at once to sette vp the Idola­try of the Assirian king. Do not your highnes so, feare not the best of them all, but feare God. The same Urias was Capellanus ad manum, a chaplaine at hande, an elbowe chaplayne. If ye wyll tourne, ye shall haue that wyll tourne wyth you, yea euen in theyr whyte rotches. But followe not A­chab: Remember the heare howe it falleth not without gods prouidence Remember the sparowes howe they builde in euerye house, and God pro­uydeth for theym. And ye are muche more preciouse to me (sayth Christe) [Page] then sparowes or other byrdes. God wyl defēd you, that before your tyme commeth, ye shall not dye nor mysca­ry. On a tyme when Christe was go­yng to Jerusalem, his dysciples said vnto hym: They ther wold haue sto­ned the, and wylt thou nowe go thy­ther againe? What (sayth he agayne to thē) Nonne duodecem sunt horae die. &c.

Be ther not twelue houres in y^• day? (sayth he). God hathe appoynted hys tymes, as pleaseth hym, and before the tyme cōmeth that God hathe ap­pointed, they shall haue no power a­gaynst you. Therefore stycke to God and forsake hym not, but feare hym, and feare not mē. And beware chief­ly of two affeccions: feare and loue. Feare as Achab, of whō I haue tolde you that for feare of the Assiriā king he changed his religion, & therby pur­chased godsh ie indignaciō to him & to his realme. And loue, as Dina Ja­cobs doughter, who caused a change [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] of religion, by Sichem and Hemor who were contented for lust of a wife to the destrucciō and spoylynge of all the whole city: Reade the Chronicles of England and Fraūce, and ye shall see what chaunges of religion hathe come by mariages, & for mariages.

Marye my doughter and bee bapty­sed, and so foorthe, or elsse. &c. Feare them not. Remember the sparowes. And thys rule shoulde al estates and degrees of men followe, where as now they feare men and not god. If ther be a iudgemēt betwene a greate man and a poore man: Then muste ther be a corrupciō of iustice for fear. Oh he is a great mā, I dare not dys­please him. &c. Fi [...] vpon the, art thou a iudge and wilt be a frayed to geue right iudgment? feare him not be he neuer so great a man, but vpryghtlye do true iustice. Likwyse sōe pastures go frō their cure, they are afraid of y^• plage, they dare not come nye anye [Page] sick body: but hyer other, and they go awaye themselues. Oute vppon the. The wolfe commeth vpon thy stocke to deuour them, and when they haue most neede of the, thou runnest awa [...] from them. The souldioure also that shuld go on warefare, he wyll drawe backe asmuche as he can. Oh I shall be [...]ain. Oh such and such went and neuer came home again: Such men went the last yeare into Northfolke, and were slaine there. Thus they are afraied to go. They wil labour to ta­ry at home. If the king cōmaund the to go, y^u art bound to go, & seruing the king, thou seruest god. If thou serue God, he will not shorten thy dayes to thine hurt. Wel saith some, if thei had not gon thei had liued vnto this day. How knowst y^u that? who made the so priuy of gods councel? folow thou thi vacaciō, & serue y^• kig, whē he calleth the. In seruig him y^u shalt serue god. And til thy time come, y^u shalt not die. [Page] Jt was merueyle that Jonas esca­ped in suche a cytye, what then? Yet God preserued hym, so that he could not pearish. Take therfore an exam­ple of Jonas, and euery man follow hys vocacion not fearynge men, but fearynge God. And other seede that Christ was sowing in y^t sermon was this: Qui confessus me fuerit hominibus, confi­tebor et ego illum coram paire meo. He that confesseth me before mē, I shall also confesse hym before my father. We muste confesse hym with mouthe. It was of a byshop not longe a goo as­ked as touchyng thys, lawes (sayeth he) muste be obeyed and ciuyle ordy­naunce, I wil folow outwardly, but my hart in religion is fre to think as I wyll, So saied Frier Forest halfe a papist, yea worsse then a hole papiste. Wel an other seede was: he that sin­neth agaynste the holy ghoste, it shall not be forgeuen hym neyther in thys worlde, nor in the worlde to come.

[Page] What is thys same synne agaynste the holye ghoste? an horrible synne that shall neuer be forgeuen neither in thys worlde nor in the worlde to come: what is this sinne? final impe­nitency, and some saye, impūgninge [...]f the truthe. One came to me ones, that dyspayred, because of synne a­gainste the holye ghost. He was sore troubled in his conscience, y^t he shuld be dāpned, and that it was not pos­sible for hym to be saued, because he had sinned against the holy ghost. I said to him: what man (quod I) com­fort yourselfe in these wordes of the Apostle: Christus est propiciatio pro peccatis nostris. And agayne: Ideo me misit pater in mundū, ut qui credit in me nō pereat, sed habeat uitam eternam. My father hath for thys purpose sent me into the world, that he whyche beleueth in me, maye not pearyshe, but maye haue the lyfe e­uerlastynge. Also: Quaqumque hora inge­muerit peccator saluus erit. In what houre [Page] soeuer the sinner shal mourn for his sin, he shalbe saued. I had scriptures inoughe for me (as me thoughte) but say what I coulde say, he coulde saye more against him self, then I coulde sai at y^• time to do hym good wyth all. Wher some say that the sin agaynst the holye ghost, is originall synne: I alledged againste that, the saying of sainte Paule. Sicut par unius delictum. &c. And si qui segerit penitenci [...]. If a mā had done all the sinnes in the world, and haue true repentaunce, wyth faythe and hope in Goddes mercye, he shall be forgeuen. But whatsoeuer I said hee coulde styll obiecte agaynste me and aduoyde my reasons. I was fayne to take an other daye, & dyd so. Lette me goo to my booke (quod I) and goo you to youre prayers, for ye are not all together withoute faythe. I gotte me to my studye, I red ma­nye doctoures, but none coulde con­tente me, no expositoure could please [Page] me nor satisfy my mynde in the mat­ter. And it is wyth me as it is wyth a scholler of Cambridge, who beynge demaunded of his Tutoure howe he vnderstoode hys lesson, and what it mente: I knowe (quod hee) what it meaneth, but I canne not tell it, I canne not expresse it. So I vnder­stode it well inough, but I canne not well declare it. Neuerthelesse I wyll boungle at it as wel as I can. Nowe to tell you by the waye what synne it was that hee hadde commytted, hee hadde fallen frome the truthe knowen, And afterwarde fel to moc­kinge and scornynge of it. And thys synne it was that he thoughte to bee vnforgeueable. I sayde vnto hym, that it was a vehemente manner of speakinge in scrypture, yet (quod I) thys is not spoken vnyuersallye, nor it is not mente that God doothe ne­uer forgeue it, but it is commonly called Irremyssyble, vnforgeueable, [Page] because that God dothe seldome for geue it, but yet there is no synne so greate but God maye forgeue it, and doothe forgeue it to the repentaunte hearte, thoughe in wordes it sounde that it shal neuer be forgeuē: As priui­legiū paucorum non destruit regulam universa­le [...]n. The priueledge of a few persons dothe not destroye an vniuersal rule or saying of scrypture. For the scryp­ture saythe: Omnes moriemur. We shall [...] euery one of vs, yet some shall be ra [...]te and taken a liue, as saint Paul [...] For thys priuiledge of a fewe dothe n [...]t hurt a generaltye. An irre­ [...]le sinne, an vnexcusable sinne yet to him that wyll trulye repente, it is forgeueable, In Christe it maye be remytted, if there be no more but one man forgeuen, ye maye be that same one man that shall be forgeuen. Vbi a bundauit deli [...]tum, ibi abundauit et gracia.

Where iniquitye hathe habounded there shal grace habounde. Thus by [Page] lytle and lytle thys man came to a setled conscience againe, and toke com­forte in Christes mercye. Therefore dyspayre not though it be said it shall neuer be forgeuen. Wher Cain said my wickednes is so greate that God cannot forgeue it. Nay thou lyest sai­eth Austen to Caine. Maior est dei miseri cordia, quam iniquitas tua. The mercye of God is greater then thine iniquitye, Therefore dispaire not, but thys one thynge I saye: beware of this synne y^• ye fal not into it, for I haue know­en no mobut this one man that hath fallen from the truth, and hath after­warde repented and come to grace a gayne, I haue knowen manye sence God hathe opened mine eies to see a litle, I haue knowen manye (I say) that knewe more then I, and some whō I haue honored, that haue after wardes fallen frome the truthe, but neuer one of them (thys man except) that haue retourned to grace and to [Page] the truthe agayne. But yet thoughe God boothe verye seldome forgeue thys synne, and although it be one of the sinnes that God doth hate moste of al others, and such as is almost neuer forgeuen, yet it is forgeueable.

In the blud of Christ, if one trueli re­pent, and lo it is vniuersall. As there is also an other scripture, Vaeterre cu­ius rexpuer est. Woo be to the Lande, to the Realme: whose Kynge is a childe, whiche some interpreate and referre to childish condicions. But it is commonly true the other waye to, whē it is referred to the age & yeres of Childehod. For where the kyng is wythin age, they that haue gouer­nance about the king, haue much ly­bertie to liue voluptuously and licēciousti, & not to be in fear how they go­uern as they wold be yf the king wer of ful age, & then commonly they go­uerne not wel. But yet Josias & one or two mo though they wer chyldren [Page] yet had their realmes well gouerned and raigned prosperoustye, and yet the sayinge. Vaeterre cuis rexpuer est, ne­uertheles true for that. And thys I gather of thys irremyssyble synne a­gaynst the holye ghost, that the scrip­ture saythe it is neuer forgeuen, be­cause it is seldome forgeuen. For in deede I thinke that there is no sinne whyche God dothe so seldome nor so hardly forgeue, as thys synne of fal­ling awaye from the truth, after that a man ones knoweth it. And in dede thys tooke best place with the manne that I haue toulde you of, and beste quyeted hys conscyence. An other seede was this. Be not careful (saith Christe) what ye shall saye, before iudges and Maiestrates, when ye are broughte afore theym for my names sake, for the holye ghoste shal put in youre myndes euen at the pre­sente houre what ye shal speake.

A comfortable sayinge and a goodlye [Page] promise of the holye ghoste? that the aduersaryes of the truthe (sayeth he) shall not be able to resiste vs, what? shal the aduersaries of the truthe be dum? nay, ther be no greater talkers nor bosters & facers thē they be. But they shal not be able to resist y^• truth, to destroye it. Heare some wyll saye, what needeth vniuersities then and the preseruacion of scholes, the holie ghost wyl geue alwaies what to say. Yea, but for al that, we may not tēpt God: we must trust in the holy ghost, but wee muste not presume on the holie Ghoste. Heare nowe shoulde I speake of vniuersytyes, and for pre­ferring of scholes. But he that prea­ched the laste sondaye spake verye well in it, and substauncyallye and lyke one that knewe the estate and condycyon of the vniuersytyes and Scholes verye wel. But thus much I saye vnto you magestrates. If ye wil not maynteine scholes and vny­uersities, [Page] ye shall haue a brutalytye. Therfore now a sute againe to your highenes. So order the matter that preching may not decay. For sureli if preaching decay, ignorance & brutishnes wil enter again. Nor geue y^• pre­chers liuinges to seculet men. What shuld seculer men do with the liuigs of preachers? I thinck ther be at this day ten thousād Studients les then wer within these. xx. yeares, & fewer preachers & that is the cause of rebel­liō, if ther good bishops, ther shuld be no rebelliō. I am now almost com to mi mater, sauig one saying of Christ whych was an other seede. Date, et dabi tur uobis. Geue and it shalbe geuen vn to you. &c. But who beleueth this? if mē beleued this promise they would geue more thē they do & at least wise they wold not stick to geue a litle, but now a dais mēs study is set rather to take gifts & to get of other mēs good then to geue any of their own, so al o [Page] ther the promises are mistrusted and vnbeleued. For if the rytch mē dyd beleue thys promyse of God, they wold wyllynglye and readly geue a litle to haue the ouerplus. So wher Christe saith of iniuryes or offēces and tres­passes. Mihi unidictam & ego retribuam. &c, Leaue the aduengynge of wrongs a lone vnto me, & I shal paie thē home &c. If the rebels had beleued this promise, they wold not haue don as thei did. So all the promyses of God are mistrusted. Noe also after the floude feared at euery raine, least the world shoulde be drowned and destroied a­gayne, tyll God gaue the rainebow. And what exercise shall we haue by y^e rainbow? we mai learn by y^• rainbow y^• God will be true of his promises, & wil fulfil his promises. For god sēt y^• rainbow &. iiii. M. yeres, it is, & more sē [...]e this promise was made, and yet god hath bē true of his promise vnto this day. So y^• now whē wese y^• rainbow [Page] we mai learn that god is true of his promise. And as God was true in thys promes, so is he & wyl be, in al y^• reast, but the couetous man doth not beleue that god is true of his promis, for if he did, he wold not stick to geue of hys goods to the pore. But as tou­ching that I spake afore, whē we see the rainbow, & se in the rainbow that that is like water, & of a watri colour and as we may and ought not onlye to take there of holde and comfort of goddes promise, that he wyl no more destroi the world with water for sine but also we may take an example to fear god, who in such wise hateth sin Likewise whē in the rainbow we see that that is of firy couloure, and like vnto fire we may gather an exāple of the ende of the world, that accepte we amēd the world shal at last be consu­med w^t fire for sinne, and to fere the iudgemēt of God, after which they y^• are dāpned, shalbe burned in hel fire. [Page] These wer thesedes that Christ was sowing, when thys couetuouse man came vnto him. And now I am come to my matter. While Christ was this preachig, this couetous fellow wold not tary tyl al the sermō was dō, but interrupted the sermon, euē sodenly choppig in. Maister (quod he) speake to mi brother, that he may deuide the inheritance with me. He wold not a bide til the end of the sermō. But his minde was on his halfepeny, and he wolde nedes haue his matter dispatched out of hād, Master (quod he) let my brother, deuide with me. Yet this was a good fellow, he could be cōtented with parte, he disired not to haue al together alon to him self, but could be contente wyth a deuysyon, and to haue his part of y^• inheritāce, & what was the enheritāce, Ager. So that it was but one peece of grounde, or one farme. This couetousmā could be cō tēt with the half of one farme, wher [Page] our men now a dayes cānot be satis­fied with manie farmes at once, one mā must now haue as many farmes as wil serue many men, or els he wil not be contented nor satisfied. They wylier now a daies one w^t an other, except thei haue al. Oh saith the wise mā: Ther be thre thyngs wherin my soul deliteth: Cōcordia fratum, amor proxi­morum, et uir ac mulier bene sibi consentientes. The vniti of brethrē, y^• loue of neighbours, & a mā & wife a greting wel together. So that y^• concord of brethrē & a greeing of brethrē is a gay thing. What sayth Salomon of this mat­ter. Frater qui adiuuatur a fratre quasi ciuitas firma, et turris fortis. The brother that is holpē of hys brother is as a sure and wel fenced city, and a strong Tower he is so strōg. Oh it is a great matter whē brethren loue and hold wel together. But if the one go about to pulle downe the other, then are they weke bothe of them, and when one pulleth [Page] downe his fellow, they must needes doune both of thē, there is no staie to hold thē vp. Mark in the Chronicles of Englād. Two brethrē haue rayg­ned iointly together, the one on this­sid Hūber, & the other beyond Hūber in Scotlād & al that way. And what hath come of it? So lōg as thei haue agreed wel together, so lōg thei haue prospered. And whē thei haue ierred thei haue both gon to wrak. Brethrē that haue so raigned here in Englād haue quarelled one with a nother, & the yonger hathe ben cōtented wyth his porcion (as in dede the yōger bre­ther cōmonly ierreth first) but by the cōtencion both hath feared y^• wors. So when there is any contenciō be­twen brother & brother for lād, comō ly they are both vndō by it. And that crafti marchāt (what euer he be) that wil set brother against brother, mea­ueth to destroy thē both, but of these ii. brethrē whether this mā here wer [Page] y^• elder or the yōger I cānot sai, scripture telleth me not whither of these, ii. was y^• yōger. But a lykelihod this was yonger, for once it was a plaine law that primogenitus, y^• is to say y^e elder brother had duplicia, & therfore of like­lyhode it shuld be the yōgest brother y^• found him self agreued, & was not content: but Christ said vnto hym: y^u man who hath made me a iudge or a deuider betwē you? Christ answered him bi a question, and mark this question of Christ, thou man Quis me cōstitu­it iudecem aut diuisorem superuos. It is no smal mater (saith Austē) of what in­teneiō one asketh a questiō, as Christ in an other place of y^• gospell, asketh who was neighbour to the pylgrime that was woūded. Ther was (saieth Christe) a man that wente from Je­rusalem to Hierico, and fell amonge theues, and they woūded hym, & left hym for dead. And a priest came by, y^t was his own contriman & let him lie [Page] a Leuit came by and would shew no cōpassion vpō him: at last a Samaritan came by, & set him on his horse, & conueighed him to the city and proui­ded surgery for hi. &c. Now who was neighbour to this woūded mā (sayth Christ)? Qui fecit illi misericordiam (quod y^• lawyer). He that shewed merci vn­to him. He that did y^• office of a neighboure, he was neighbour. As ye may perceyue by a more famylyer exāple of the Bishop of Exceter at Sutton in Staffordshire. Who is Bishop of Exceter? forsoth maister Couerdale. What? do not al mē know who is bi­shop of Exceter? what he hath ben by shop many yeres. Wel, say I master Couerdale is Bishop of Exceter, maister Couerdale putteth in execucyō y^• Bishops office, & he that doth the of­fice of the Bishop, he is the Bishop in deede. Therfore sai I master Couer­dale is Bishop of Exceter. Alack ther is a thinge that maketh my hart sory. [Page] J he are that Mayster Couerdale is poysoned. Alacke a good man, a god­lic preacher, an honest fatherly man, and if it be true, it is a great pyty and a lamentable case, that he fedeth thē with gods word, and ther feede him a gayne wyth poison. Alacke, shal poy­sonning come now hither into Eng­lande oute of Italie? But to the pur­pose of Christes questyon, who made me a iudge betwene you? here an A­nabaptist wil sai: Ah Christ refused y^• offyce of a iudge, ergo there ought to be no iudges nor magistrats among Christian men. If it had ben a thyng lawful, Christe wolde not haue refu­sed to do the offyce of a iudge, and to haue determyded the varyaunce be­twene these. ii. brethren. But Christe did therby signyfy, y^• he was not sent for that offyce. But if thou wylt haue a trial and a sētēce of that matter ac­cording to the lawes, thou must go to y^• tēporal iudge y^• is deputed therfore [Page] but christes meaninges was, that he was come for an other purpose, he had another office deputed vnto him thē to be a iudge in tēporall matters, Fgo ueni uocare peccatores ad peniteci [...], I am com (sayth he) to cal synners to repē ­tāce. He was come to preach the gos­pell, the remission of syn, & the king­dom of god & mēt not therby to disa­low the offyce of temporal maiestra­tes. Nai, if Christ had ment that ther should be no magestrates, he would haue byd hym take al, but Christ mēt nothing so. But the matter is, y^• this couetouse man, this brother toke his marke amis, for he came to a wrong mā to seke redres of his matter, nor Christ did not forbid him to seke hys remedie at the magestrats hand, but Christ refused to take vpō hi y^• offyce y^• was not hys calling. For Christ had an other vocacion then to be a iudge betwene such as cōtēded about mat­ters of lād. If our rebels had had this [Page] in their mynds thei would not haue ben theyr own iudges, but they wold haue sought y^• redres of their grief at y^• hāds of the king & his maiestrates vnder hym appoynted. But no mar­uel of their blindnes & ignorance for the Bishops ar out of their dyoces, y^• shuld teach thē this geare. But thys man perchance had hearde, and dyd thinke y^• Christ was Messias, whose reygne in words soundeth a corporal and a temporal raigne, which shulde do iustyce, and se a redresse in al mat­ters of worldly controuersy. Which is a necessarye offyce in a Christyan realme and must needes be putte in execucyon for mynystryng of iustyce. And therfore I require you (as a su­ter rather then a preacher) looke to your offyce yourselfe, and lay not all on your officers backes. Receiue the billes of supplicacion youreself, I do notse you doe so nowe a daies, as ye were wonte to do the laste yeare.

[Page] For Gods sake loke vnto it, and se to the ministrig of iustice your own self and let poore Suters haue answer. There is a king in Christēdom, and it is the kinge of Denmark that syt­teth opēly in iustice thryse in y^e weeke & hath dores kept opē for the nones. I haue hard it reported of one y^t hath bene ther and sene the profe of it ma­nye a tyme and ofte. And the last iu­styce that euer he saw done ther was of a priests cause, that had hadde hys glebe land taken frō hym (and nowe here in Englād som go about to take awaye al) but this priest had had hys glebeland taken from him by a great mā. Wel, first wēt out letters for this mā, to appeare at a day, processe went out for hym according to the order of the law, & charged bi vertue of those letters, to appeare afore the kynge at such a day. The day came. The kyng sat in his hal readi to mi minister iu­styce: The priest was there presente: [Page] The gentlemā thys Lord, this great man, was called, and commaūded to make hys apperaunce, accordinge to the wryte that had bene dyrected out for hym. And the Lorde came, & was ther, but he appered not: No quod he king? was he sommonid as he shuld be? had he any warnig to be here? It was answered, yea, & y^• he was there walkyng vp & down in the hal, & that he knew well inoughe that that was his day, and also that he had al redye ben called, but he saied he would not come before y^• king at that time, alled gig y^t he neded not as yet to make an answere, because he had had but one sūmoninge. No quod the king? is he here present: yea forsoth sir sayd the priest. The king cōmanded him to be called, and to come before him. And y^• end was this. He made this lord this greate man to restore vnto the priest not onli the glebelād which he had taken from the priest, but also the rent [Page] & profit the rof for so long tyme as he had wholdē it frō y^• priest which was viii. yeres or therabout (saith he) whē ye can shew better euydence thē the priest hath done, why it oughte to be your land, thē he shal restore it to you agayne & the profits therof, y^• he shall receiue in y^• meane time. But til that day come, I charge ye y^t ye suffer him peaceably to enioy y^t is hys. Thys is a noble king, & this I tel for your exā ple, that ye may do the like. Loke vpō the matter your selfe. Poore. men put vp [...]ils euery daye, & neuer the nere. Confyrme your kingdome in iudge­ment, and begyn doyng of your own office yourself, euen now while you are yong, and syt once or twise in the weke in coūcel among your lordes, it shal cause thinges to haue good suc­ces, and that matters shal not be lin­gred forth frō day to daye. It is good for euery mā to do his owne office, & to se that wel executed & discharged. [Page] Ozias kyng in Juda, he wold nedes do the office of y^• priest, and he would nedes offer incence in the sanctuary whiche to do, was the priestes office. But he was sodenly striken with the leprie of his labour, & so cōtinued alepre al daies of his life. S. Johns dis­ciples wold haue had him to take vpō him y^t he was Christ. But what saied Ihō? Nemo sibi assumit quicquam, nisi datū fu­erit et de super. No man may take anye thing vpon him selfe, except it be ge­uen vnto hym frō aboue. If the De­uōshire mē had wel considered thys, they had not prouoked y^• plages that they haue had lyght vpō thē. But vn­prechig prelaci hath ben y^• chefest cause of al thys hurly burly & cōmociōs. But if Christ may chalēge any kinde of mē for takyng hys offyce vpō thē, he mai say to y^• masse mongers. Who gaue you cōmissiō to offer vp Christ? who gaue you autority to take mine office in hād? for it is ōli christs office [Page] to do y^•. It is a great matter to offer Christ, if Christ had offered hys body at the last supper, then shuld we so do to, who is worthy to offer vp Christe? an abhominable presumcyon Paule saith Accepit panē, postquam gracias egissit fre­git ac dxit, Accipite, edite. He tooke breade and after that he had geuen thanks, he brake it, and said. Take ye, eate ye &c, & so said: Hoc est corpus meum, He gaue thankes, well then in thāgs geuing ther is none oblacion, & whē he gaue thankes it was not his body. Whē I was in examinaciō. I was asked many questiōs, & it was said to me what Christ did that should we do, a bishop gathred that vpon these words. Hoc facite inmei recordacionem. Then said he to me, how knowe ye that they eat it be­fore he said, hoc est corpus meum. I answered agayne and sayde: how knowye y^• they dyd not eat it. &c. so I brought into him y^• place of Paul aboue sayd, and that in thankes geuyng is none [Page] oblacyon, and when he gaue thākes it was not his body, for he gaue thā ­kes in the begynnynge of supper, be­fore they eate any manner thynge at al, as hys accustomed maner was to do. I wonder therfore that they wyll or dare by this text take vpon thē to offer Christs body. They shoulde ra­ther saye: Quis me constituit oblatorem? who made me an offerer? But whē Christ sayd: Quis me constituit iudicem aut diuisorem superuos? who hath made me a Judge, or a deuyder of landes amonge you? Christ did refuse an other mās office an offyce y^• he was not of hys father deputed vnto. Christes kyngedome was a spiritual kingdom, & his office was a spiritual office & he was a spi­rituall iudge. And therfore when the womā takē in adultery was brought before him, he refused not to play the iudge, but sayed: Quis te accus at? and she saye agayn Nemo domine. No mā Lord (saith she) then sayd he, Nec ego te cōdem [Page] no. Nor I cōdempne the not. Vade et no li amplius pece are. On thy waies, and sin no more. Heare he toke vpō hym hys owne offyce, and dyd hys offyre, for his office was to preach & to bid fyn­ners amēd their euil lyuing, and not to be a temporal iudge in tēporal cau­ses. And here is an other occasiō ofa suite to your hyghnes, for the punish mēt of Lechery. For lechery floweth in England like a floudde. But now to make an ende in temporal causes hee fayde. Quis me constituit iudicem, &c. Who made me a iudge of temporall causes amonge you, and of worlde­lye mattiers: Thus came thys fel­lowe in heare wyth interruptynge of Christes sermō, and receyued the answeare whyche I haue rehearsed? Thou manne thou fellowe (quod he) who hath made me a iudge, amonge you? And hee sayde vnto all the au­dyence: Videte, et cauete ab auaricia. See and beware of Couetousenesse. [Page] Whye so? O [...] a nō in abund anci a cu [...]us quam uita eius et. ex his que possidet. For no mans lyfe standeth in the habundaunce of the thinges which he possesseth. We maye haue thynges necessarye, and we may haue haboundaūce of thyn­ges, but the haboundaunce doth not make vs blessed. It is no good argu­ment. Quo plus quis quc habet, tanto beatius [...] uit. The more riches that a man hath the more happellye and the more blis­fullye he lyueth. For a certaine great man that had purchased much lands a thousand markes by yere or I wot not what, a greate porcion he hadde. And so on the waie as he was in his iournie towardes Londō, or frō Lō ­don, he fel sicke by the way. A disease toke him, that he was constrained to lye vppon it. And so being in his bed the dysease grewe more and more vp on hym, that he was by his friendes, that were aboute hym verye godlye [Page] aduised to loke to him self, & to make him ready to God, for ther was none other lykelyhode but that he must die without remedy. He tried out, what? shal I dye (quod he) woundes, sides, hart, shal I dye, and thus go frō my goods? go fet me some Phisiciō that may saue my life, wounds and sides shal I thus dye? Ther laye he styll in hys bed like a blocke wyth nothynge but woundes and sydes shall I dye? Within a very lytle whyle he died in dede, and then lay he lyke a blocke in dede. Thet was blacke gownes, tor­ches. Tapers and ringing of belles, but what is become of him, God kno­weth, and not I. But here by this ye mai perceiue that it is not the haboū ­daunce of riches that maketh a man to liue quietly and blysfully. But the quiet life is in a mediocritie. Mediocres optime uiuunt. (sayth he) they that are in a meane do liue best. And ther is a pro uerbe which I red manye yeres ago [Page] Dimidium plus to to. The half somtymes more thē the hole. The meane lyfe is the best life and the most quiet life of al. If a man shuld fil him self vp to y^e throte he shuld not find ease in it, but dyspleasure, and with the one half he myght satisfy hys greadye appetide. So this great riches neuer maketh a mās life quiet, but rather troublus I remember here a saying of Salo­mon, and hys example. Coacernaui mihi argentum et aurum. I gathered siluer & golde together (sayth he) I prouyded me syngers, and womē whych could play on instrumentes to make men mirth and pastime. I gate me Psalte ryes & songes of musycke. &c. & thus my hart reioysed in all y^t I dyd. But what was the end of al this? Cum cōuer tissem me ad omnia, when I consydered (sayth Salomon) all the works that my hāds had wrought. &c. loe, al was but vanity, and vexacyon of mind, & nothing of any value vnder the sun. [Page] Therfore leaue couetousnes, for be­leue me if I had an enemy. The first thynge that I woulde wyshe to hym, shuld be that he myghte haue abo [...] ­daunce of riches, for so I am sure, he should neuer be in quyet. But thinke ye there be not many that wold be so hurt? But in thys place of the gospel. Christe spake and declared thys vn­quietnes and vncerteinti of great ri­ches by a sim [...]litude and parable of a great rich man, who had muche land that broughte forth al fruites plenti­fullye. And he beinge in a pride of the matter, and much vnquiet by reason that he had so much, sayd to him self: What shall I doo, because I haue riot [...]e inoughe wher to bestowe my fruits that haue growē vnto me of my landes? I wyll thus doe (sayth he) I wyl pul downe my barnes, and buylde greater barnes, and I wyll saye to my soule. My soule thou hast muche goodes layed vppe in stoare [Page] for manye yeares, take thyne ease, eate, drincke and be merye. But God God saied to him. Stulte hac nocte, animam [...] tuam repetunt abs te. Thou fole, thou foole, thys nyghte wyll they take thy soule frō the agayne. And thē, whose shall those thynges be whyche thou haste prouyded? Euen so it is w^t hym (sayeth Christ) that gatheryth riches vnto hym selfe, & is not Rich toward God. &c. But yet the Couetousmā cā neuer be content.

I walcked one daye with a Gen­telmanne in a parcke, and the māne regarded not my talke, but caste hys heade and eye thys and that waye, so that I perceyued he gaue no greate eare to me, whyche when I sawe: I helde my peace. At laste, oh (quod the Gentylman) if thys parke wer mine, I would neuer desyre more whyle I lyued. I aunswered, and sayd, Sir & what if ye had thys parck to, for ther [Page] was an other parck euē hard bi? this gentelmā laughed at the mater. And truly I thinck he was dyseased with the dropsie, the more he had, the more couetouse he was to haue stil more & more. Thys was a farmer that had a farm hard by it, and if he might haue had this parke to it, he woulde neuer haue desyred more. Thys was a far­mer not altogether so couetus a mā, as ther be many now a dayes, as for one gētlemā to rake vp al the farms in y^e cōtry together in his hands al at ones. And here one sute more to your highnesse. Ther lacketh one thinge in this realm that it hath nede of, for Goddes sake make some promoters. Ther lack promoters, such as wer in kynge Henrye the seuenthes dayes your graundfather. Ther lacke men to promote the kynges officers whē they do amisse, and to promote all of­fenders. I thyncke there is greate neede of suche menne of godlye dys­cressyon, [Page] wysdome, and conscyence, to promote trāsgressoures, as rētrai soures, oppressours of the pore, extor­cioners, bribers, vserers. I here ther be vserers in England, that wyl take xi. in the hundreth: But I here of no promoters to put them vp. Wereade not y^t this couetouse farmer or lāded man of the gospell, boughte corne in the markettes to laye it vp in stoore, and then sell it agayne. But and if it please your hyghnes? I here say that in England, we haue lande Lordes (naye steppe Lordes I mighte saye) are become grasyers, and burgesses are become regraters, and some far­mers, wyll regrate and bye vp al the corne that commeth to markets and laye it vppe in store, and sel it againe at an higher pryce, when they se their tyme: I hearde a macchaunt manne saye that hee hadde trauayled all the dayes of hys life, in the trade of mar­chaundyse, and had gotten. iit. or. itii. [Page] thousand pounds by byinge and sel­linge, but in case he myght be lycen­ced or suffered so to do, he wold get a thousande pounde a yeare by onelye byinge and sellynge of grayne heare wythin thys realme. Yea and (as I heare saie) Aldermē are now a dayes become Colliers. They be both wod­mongers, and makers of cooles. I woulde so God healpe me, what so e­uer he be: I would wyshe he myghte eate nothynge but coles for a whyle, tyl hee hadde amended it. There can not a poore bodye by a sacke of coles. but it must come thorowe theyr han­des. But thys rytche manne that the Gospel speaketh of, was a couetouse manne. God hadde geuen him plenti but that made hym not a good man, It is another thynge that maketh a good man. God saith, Sinon audieris uo­e [...]m meam: If thou obeye not my voyce &c. And therefore worldelye ryches do not declare y^e fauour or disfauour [Page] of god. The scripture saith: Nemo scit an sit a moredignus, an odio. God hathe or­deined al things to be good. And the deuil laboureth to turn all thinges to mās euil. God geueth mē plēty of ry­ches to exercise their fayth and chari­ty, to confirm thē y^t be good, to drawe thē that be nought, and to bryng thē to repentaunce: And the deuyll wor­keth al together to the contrary. And it is an olde Prouerbe, the more wic­ked the more fortunate. But the vn­quietnes of this couetouse richman, declareth the vnquyetnes of the mid that ryches bryngeth wyth it. Fyrste they are all in care howe to gette ry­ches, & thē are they in more care how to kepe it stil. Therfore y^• apostle saith Qui uolunt dite yere incidunt in tentaciones uari­as. Thei that studi to get great riches do fal into many diuers temptaciōs. But the roote of al euyl is couetous­nes. What shal I do (sayth thys rich man.) He asked hys owne brayneles [Page] head what he shuld do, he did not ask of the scripture. For if he had asked of the scripture, it would haue told him, it woulde haue said vnto him: Frange esurienti panem tuū. &c. Break thy breade vnto the hungry. All the affeccion of men now a dayes, is in building gay & sumptuouse houses, it is in setting vp and pulling downe, & neuer haue they done buildyng. But the ende of al suche great ritches and couetous­nes is this: Thys nyghte thou foole thy soule shal be taken frō the. It is to be vnderstande of all that ryse vp from lytle to much, as thys rytch mā that the Gospel spake of did. I do not dyspyse ryches, but I wysh that men should haue rytches, as Abrahā had, and as Joseph had. A mā to haue rit­ches to help his neyghbour, is a god­ly ryches. The worldlye rytches is to put all hys trust and confidēce in his worldly rytches, that he may by them lyue here gallantly, pleasauntly, and [Page] voluptuously. Is this godly ryches? No no, thys is not godly rytches. It is a cōmō saying now a daies amōg many: Oh, he is a ritch mā, he is wel worth fyue hundreth poundes. He is wel worth fiue hūdreth poundes that hath geuen fiue hundreth pounds to the poore, otherwise it is none of his. Yea, but who shal haue this fiue hū ­dreth poundes? For whom hast thou gotten that fyue hundreth poundes? What sayeth Salomon. Ecclesia. v. Est alia infirmitas pessima, quam uidi sub sole, diuitiae conseruate in malum domini sui. Ano­ther euil (sayth he) and an other very naughty imperfection rytches hoore ded vp & kept together to the owners owne herme, for many times such ritches do perish and cōsume away mi­serabli. Such a one shal sōtime haue a sōne saith he, that shalbe a veri beg­ger, & liue all in extreme penurye. O­goodly riches that one mā shal get it, & an other come to deuoure it. Therfore [Page] Videte, et cauete ab auaricia. See and beware of couetusnes. Beleue gods wordes, for they wil not deceiue you, norlye. Heauē and earth shal perish: but Verbum domini, manet in eternum. The word of the Lorde abide than [...] [...]ndu­reth foreuer. On this leauened faith, thys vnseasoned fayeth▪ Beware of this vnseasoned fayeth A certayne mā asked me thys question: Diddest thou euer sea mā ly [...]e long that had great titches? Therfore saith y^e wise­mā if god send the riches, vse thē. If God sende the aboundaunce, vse thē according to y^e rule of gods worde, and study to be rych in our saui­our Jesus Christ. To whom [...] the father and the holy ghoste, be all honoure glorye and prayse for euer and euer.

Amen.