¶ Phynees pacyfyed &c. Phinees.

BRyefly that moste wretched people was so blynded, that they dyd also lyke theym selues well, and dydde stande in theyr owne conceyte, as often tymes as they dydde offre to this Idole theyr best sones, and theyr moste tendre doughters / euen lykewy­se as nowe a dayes that Idole the Priapus of Rome doth with his doctryne corrupte and defyle the sones of great estates, and y^e doughters of prynces, whyles [Page]he doth entyse & allure theym in to monasteryes or howses of re­lygyon, whiche do wene y^e theyr selues do very well in theyr wyc­ked opynyon to be iustyfyed by entrynge in to the same, and that they do folowe godlynes and the ryght waye of good lyuynge al­beit they be neuer so farre from the gyfte of contynauncie. Now all the whole scrypture in euery place calleth y^e madnes of theym whiche do bynde theyr conscyen­ce captyue to the tradycyons of men and in them lye tomblynge, Spūall fornycacion & who redome. lettynge y^e cōmaūdement of god go, whoredome and fornycacion And god in al y^e prophettes doth rebuke the synagoge whiche for sakyng hym the verye god, Synagoge. doth cōmytte fornycacyon with the doctrynes of men, and with the maysters or teachers of humane [Page]tradycyons. So that bodely fyl­thynes and vnclennes of Baal Peor, maye sygnyfye none other thynge, then spyrytuall adultery and fornycacyon, by whiche sou­les are defyled & are ledde away from y^e symplycytie of the faythe and from the knowledge of Chryste, The sou­se is a spū all virgyne & cōceyueth the worde of god by fayth. in to the cōfydence of workes for euery soule y^e scrypture dothe call a spyrytuall virgyne or spouses, that is to wyt verely, because of faythe, in whiche she beynge great and full with the holy ghoste dothe conceyue the wordes of god, & in whiche same fayth also the holy ghoste makynge plenty full the sede of the worde of god, fayth is y^e mother of truthe. doth make her y^e mother of truth that is to say doth make her full of true & substancyall good wor­kes, and of the fruites of true pytie and godlynes. Besydes this [Page]the nature and propryetie of the name dothe meruayllouslve well agre vnto this matyer and pur­pose. For Baal in y^e Hebrwe ton­ge sygnyfyeth a man, The iter­pretacion of Baal. and y^e such a maner man which doth by any meanes cleaue to a woman, as yf a woman dydde saye, this is my man, whether he be her law­full husbāde, or els one to whom she is concubyne. And lykewyse as we do say of an harlotte, that she hath many mē: Baal. so Baal doth signifie & betoken a man wholly addecte & gyuen to women, and a housholder / so that this worde doth sygnyfie in his propre syg­nyfycacion not any maner man, but a man which is gyuen to women, and a speaker & gouernour of a housholde. For elles a man whiche is mete to gouerne the cō mon weale, or to make warre, or [Page]to do any other maner earnest & wayghtie busynes: Isch / Enosch. Beelze­huh. Accaron. is in Hebrwe tonge called Isch or Enocsh. So the Iewes dyd call the Idole Accaron Beelzebub, that is to saye the man or husbāde of flyes: that is to wyt a man nothyng worthe & without all myght or strength scasely worthy to haue euē a flye to his wyfe. In the laten tonge suche a maner man is called ma­ritus or coniunx (not vir, or mas) and the same is Baal in the He­brwe tonge. ¶ Nowe Peor and phegor betokeneth an openynge or gapynge, Neor. Phegor. and it belongeth properlye to the mouthe. Wher­fore Baal Peor in the Hebrwe tonge, dothe betoken in Englys she, men whiche haue theyr mouthes alwayes gapynge: and su­che for the moste parte ar fooles [Page]without any wyt recheles, slouth full, dastardes, desyrous of wo­mens company, & nothyng mete to any sadde or earnest busynes / And therfore vnto this fylthy I­dole this name Baal Peor was verye well and accordyngly gy­uen: Baal peor. because it was on euery be­halfe fylthie and vnclene, and or deyned onely to fylthynes & baudrye / For what other thyng shul­de it meane that, y^t ymage was grauen in suche maner fylthye & shamefull facyon: but onely that it shuld sygnyfie a flouthfull mā and a folysshe, and suche one as were greatly desyrous of the cō ­pany of women? lykewyse as the ymage of one in complete har­neys & with a salette on his hed, doth sygnyfie a man apte & mete for warres and bataylles / And albeit that feruent fautoures of [Page]bysshop of Rome do cōmytte all these spyrytuall adulteryes & for nycacyons, as we shall heare he­reafter: yet for all that (yf I shulde not lye (they be so stronge and mighty and as it were twyse maryed, that some of them do in ve­rye dede playe the adulterers, & that notablye as men saye euen w^t theyr bodyes also. For I pray you for the loue of god tell me what is the profyte that cōmeth of this holye and godlye people? Are they not in verye dede Baal Peor, that is to say recheles and folysshe ydle mē? For what other thynge can they skyll of, or what other thynge do they, saue onely ryde vpon well fedde, and fatte palfrayes: yf not chastelye yet warely. & kepe fayre wenches yr not chastlye yet warely (for I wyll vse theyr owne wyse terme) with whome they maye lye (god [Page]wotte to auoyde all maner feres that happen in y^e nyght. So then they are pure Baal peors and do contynue alwayes Baal peors, and yet neuertheles ī the meane season they do busely make this coloure and semblaunce to begyle men with all, as thoughe they dyd gouerne the churche in spyrituall thynges, and dyd conueye soules in to heuen, & as thoughe it were they alone, which do plucke vp and rydde awaye errours and heresyes with great dyligence & care. ¶ Wherfore this Ido­le spyrytually is nothynge elles, but the holy canon lawe, The Ca­non lawe and the doctryne of y^e Pope & the craftye maynteyners of y^e same. For this is that fylthye and vnclene yma­ge, in whiche the soules doo lese theyr virgynyte, that is to say in whiche they learne to truste in [Page]workes, & to leaue & forsake the chastytie and purytie of the ry­ghtuousnes of fayth / whiche the Apostle calleth the symplycytie, whiche is in Chryste Ihesu.

¶ Wherfore also the Pope shulde of ryghte be called not the po­pe, but Priapus: 1. Co. vi. and the papy­stes not papystes, Priapy­stes. but priapystes And lykewyse as it was a verye fylthy and a shamefull thynge / and euen also playne agaynst alreason and y^t cōmen iudgemēt of men, that the paynymes shulde so sette vp an ymage of extreme vnclennes or rybauldrye, by whiche men were prouoked vnto le­cherye, and by twyce more fylthy & stynkynge vse therof dyd wor­shyp this Idole as it were with cōmen & solempne ceremonyes. So in lyke maner and a thousā ­de [Page]tymes worse, and a thousan­de tymes more fylthye and vnclene is the doctryne, the maner and vsage of the papystes, whiche by theyr Bulles & by theyr doctryne do allure and drawe the conscy­ences of men vnto confydence & truste in workes / to pardones & satysfaccyōs: wenynge that then pryncipally they haue done excellent and hyghe honoure and ser­uyce vnto god, yf by inuentynge and deuysynge verye many workes and tradycyons of workes, they do dayly encreace this spyrituall fornycacion: as though the god of glorie, and of soueraygne Maiestie were made this Idole of rybaldrye & vnclennes / when in verye dede the true honoure & seruyce of god, The true honour & seruyce of god. & y^t true spyrytu­all chastitie standeth or resteth in fayth onely, & in the workes whiche [Page]god by grace dothe worke in vs. So we do se through out all the worlde that the Papystes do sette soules vpon this Idole of Priapus, and do fyll the worlde with suche maner spyrytuall vn­clēnes and monstruous kyndes of spyrytuall lecherye. For they do sette vp the mere doctrynes & workes of men in the holy place, where onelye the worde of god oughte to raygne. And lykewyse as that abhomynable ymage of Priapus is made lyke vnto a yō ge man most shameles, desyrous of womans companye, euen so y^t papystycall Idole also, The doc­tryne of men. that is to wytte that doctryne of men, is a certayne madnes and furye con­tynually ragynge in pollutynge of myndes, and in vyolatynge & defylynge the chastytie of fayth. [Page]For we do se with howe great labour and dylygence, Nota. with howe great stryuynge / yea euen yet at this daye in Englande, the papystes do nosell the selye pore peo­ple in theyr doctrine, but after suche maner, that by theyr wylles they wyll not be a knowē therof, and so craftely (as they thynke) that no man can perceyue them, albeit in y^t meane tyme euery foole may espye them. We se (I say) howe wodde they are, and howe they rage, as it were mē vexed offendes, as often tymes as theyr doctryne is iudged or examyned and tryed by the rule of holy scry ptures. For they wolde not that so moche as one soule shuld escape that stewes of spyrituall lecherye, and those fowle bordell howses, & y^t fowle luste, wherin they [Page]do contynually brenne to mayn­teyne theyr Idole, and so to pro­uyde that there shall not one soule kepe the chastyte of her fayth. This is sygnyfyed by the name Baal, Baal. that is to saye a man gy­uen to loue of women, that is to wytte, because suche maner do­ctryne of men is onely ordeyned to the pollutynge, corruptynge, and defylynge of soules.

¶ This same also is sygnyfyed by the worde Peor / that is to say a gapynge mouth. Peor. For they wyl not harken nor gyue eares that they maye here the worde of god but onely that stubburne, dysobe dyente, and shamelesse mouthe, with contynuall gapynge dothe barke forthe humane doctrynes. For they onelye wyll teache and gyue lawes in the churche, & they [Page]requyre & loke that theyr selues onely shuld be herde, & that them selues onely shulde be taken for bysshops & ouerseers / And this is the cause, why they do outwar dely pretende so goodly and glo­ryous names with so many co­lours and deceytfull hypocryses where as in verye dede they are nothynge elles but Peor / that is to say men full of tonge, bablers tryflres, and shamefull lyers (as saynt Paule saythe in the fyrste epystle to Tymothe.)

‘Wyllynge or desyrynge to be teachers of the lawe, & yet they doo not vnderstande what thynges they doo speake, nor of what thynges they do affyrme.’

By these thyngꝭ we may now vnderstande the wordes of the apostle Peter, why, and for [Page]what cause he doth compare and lyken the Pope & his preuye bys­shops and secrete frendes vnto the prophete Balaam. Balaam For fyrste this worde Balaam in y^e hebrwe sygnyfyeth a deuourer, lykewyse as the papystes also haue deuoured & swalowed vp y^e ryches of y^e whole world. Secondarely lyke wyse as Balaam for respecte of money, or for rewardes sake ga­ue counsayll vnto kyng Balach, that he shulde sette vp the Idole Baal peor, and dyd begyle y^e people of Israell, and let theym ou [...] of the ryght waye: euen so sayth the Apostle, that y^t papystes whether they ben preuye or knowen, and suche other men do folowe y^e wayes of Balaam: and also do rayse or sette vp the Idole Baal peor for fylthye lucres sake. For as we se, what soeuer humayne [Page]doctrine there is, it is euery whyt ordeyned to thende, to gather ry­ches, to encrease worldly substaū ce / bryefly to get plentefull lucre and auaūtage as we se in y^e king dome of y^e Pope and his. On the other syde the worde of god or y^e gospell, The gos­pesscan gette no money. or the worde of the crosse is barayne & vnfruytfull to brynge forthe any lucre or gaynes. For there is no man but he flyeth from y^e crosse, & euery man greatly hateth trybulacyons and ad­uersytie, whiche do alway accompanye and folowe the worde of god. For the apostle coulde not of all the scrypture haue founde oute a more mete example to de­scrybe and sette forthe the fylthy and the dowble wycked lyfe of Rome & of the romanystes, then this Balaam. For I praye you what other thynge is all y^e whole [Page]kyngdome of the Pope and his vpholders where soeuer they be and all the whole wycked Mo­narchye of hym and his, The Monarchye of y^e pope. then co­uetousnes & gredy desyre to ga­ther golde, then money, money, money? for all thynges are there so ordered and appoynted, that they may bryng ī lucre. For how tyrannously the pope with these byenges & sellynges, with sutes about prebendes, w^t the whyrlynge processes of the rote at Rome, w^t so many palles & cotes belon­gyng to y^e bysshops, hath pylled, made bare beggered y^e world: the thing it self, y^t is to wyt y^e extreme pouerte of al Chrystendom doth euydētly wytnes & declare. How beit those losses of money & gooddes were not to be passed vpon, yf he had not set vp this Idole of his deuylisshe & wicked doctryne [Page]and called awaye all the whole worlde from very god vnto Idolatrye, onely for this execrable & moste fylthye lucre. For therin y^t Balaā of Rome & his doth most hurte, and teacheth spyrytual adulteryes & fornycacyons, by whiche god is prouoked to wrathe & vengeaunce. So that not onelye (as Moyses wryteth) .xxiiii. M. do perysshe & are destroyed: Humeri. xxvi. but innumerable soules and conscy­ences are slayne and dampned yf they persyst in his doctryne. Furthermore the apostle sayth, y^e they do speake excedyng prowde and dysdaynfull wordes. With­oute doubte by these wordes he dothe sygnyfye and rebuke that wycked doctryne, of y^e Pope and his, as yf he shuld say the doctryne of theym is vp and downe the veryeryghte Baal peor. For the [Page]maisters and teachers of that doctryne with meruaylous pryde, & with great gapynge and openynge of the mouthe do preache and teache thynges vnfruytfull and wherof shall come no profyte at all. I beseche you is not this opynyon comenly rooted in mennes myndes? and hathe it not ben so vsed in our tyme, as though onely the lyfe of Monkes, freers, & preestes, were y^e verye ryght way vnto saluacyon and heuen? No man durste hope to be saued, ex­cepte he were one of those holye sayntes or elles at the leaste wyse dyd bye heuen of them. And they theyr owne selues dare verye boldely hope to be saued, & dare selle saluacyon vnto other beynge ex­cedyngly shameles: lykewyse as they do openly excerse marchaū ­dyse, sellynge Masses, fastyngꝭ, [Page]prayers, and good workes done in theyr Monasteries, as though by these meanes they shuld con­uaye other men in to heuen / are not these great thynges I praye you? but what is hydde vnder y^e royall & goodly cloke & pretence: Nothynge elles but hypocrysye, starke lyes, and craftꝭ & deceytes Romyshe falshode, gyles, flate­rynge slayghtes, bryefly snares & grynnes of the deuyll. For in all that whole wycked and vngodly people is there not one Crūme of fayth or fydelytie: but al theyr holynes standeth in theyr shauen crownes / in theyr longe robes, in sayenge or syngyng of Psalmes in y^e dyuersitie of garmētes or habytes, in hyocrytyse fastinges, in belles, in the smokes of the sen­sers, in suche thyngꝭ as these (I saye) resteth all theyr holynes. [Page]And of these thyngꝭ they do cha­lenge and take vnto them selues those noble tytles: of spyrytuall state, of holy ordres, of preestes & bysshops as though they shulde be meanes betwene god & other men, y^t is to wyt makynge theyr owne selues newe medyatoures or meanes, leaste that onely me­dyatour, whome god hath ordeyned & appoynted, Chryst Ihesus were not yuough for all suffycy­ent, but had lyen hym downe to sleape. 1. Timo­the .2. O Balaam y^e sone of Be­lyall god gyue the shorte tyme to contynue with thyne abhomynable Idole, whiche gatherynge & scrapyng together money on euery syde doste kyll and slee soules. Besydes this the apostle sayth, y^e by so goodly a colo & so glorious a cloke & p̄tēce they do only allur̄ & drawe mē vnto y^e lustꝭ desyrꝭ [Page]of the flesshe, in so moche y^e those men are compelled to lyue in er­roure whiche somtyme had true­ly escaped. I verely do not doubte, that the spyryteof god dothe here by the mouthe of peter rebuke not one erroure alone, or one synne and abhomynacyon alone but dothe touche and rebuke all the whole heape of synnes & vy­ces, whiche lyeth hydde vnder y^e goodly coloure and hypocrysye. For we se howe wyde and large­ly the Relygyon of men of y^e churche dothe extende and stretche it selfe, howe many sectes it dothe contayne, whiche sectes are egally bounden all the rable of them to chaster not withoute a rely­gyous and a deuoute othe. when notwithstandynge the scrypture and with dayly experyence dothe teache, y^t perpetuall chastytie is [Page]an hygh gyft of god farre aboue the power and strength of natu­re, whiche gyfte chaunceth but euen to verye fewe holye and spy­rytuall men also. But oure bys­shops here beynge blynde & maddo conne on hedlonge, & do byn­de all maner psones indyfferent­lye with this bonde, none other­wyse then yf chastytie were a ve­rye easy thynge and lyghte to be kepte of euery man / and so with those hyghe prayses of virgyny­tie & of theyr spyrytuall state (for they so do call it) they do allure & drawe selye youth in to theyr nettes of theyr syngle lyfe, The fructes of the popes chastytie. whiche youthe then afterwardes dothe defyle it selfe contynuallye with fowle lecherye and vncleane lu­stes. And hereof it is that we dose them bothe men and women, whiche beyng letted and holden [Page]in within the prysones of mona­steryes, & with iyerne lockes and grates can not haue the cōpany of man or woman, to synne more fylthelye & more abhomynablie (sauyng reuerēce) in sodomytrie or buggerie, then a man dare be bolde to vtter or expresse. For al­beit they do neuer so moche con­teyne outwardly, as cōcernynge the bodely acte: Nota. yet that notwith­standyng they do inwardly boyl & brenne with vncleane luste so y^t amōg thē eyther there is whore­dome vnder the colour & cloke of spyrytuall & ecclesiastycal lyfe, or at y^e least wyse there is constray­ned & tyrannously extorted cha­stytie. And of a suertie, there are more greuous ieopardyes of cō ­scyēces & greater calamytie & miserie there, then any mā may ey­ther expresse w^t his tōge or thynk with his herte, & this is it y^e Pe­ter [Page]rebuketh here, whē he saythe.

‘THey allure & draw mē with pleasurꝭ of y^e fleshe through concupyscēces and lustes.’

AS though he dyd say of those our bisshops & prestes In dede they do preache many thynges of y^e spyrytuall & ecclesiasty­cal state, & they do meruaylously prayse & magnyfie chaslytie: but with those theyr fayre & pleasaūt wordes they do begyle sely pore yōge men & womē, & do leade thē & al other in to y^e myddes of y^e fylthy stynkyng pumpe of lechery & vncleane lustes, which a lytle be­fore through baptysme had truly escaped y^e power of synne and of the deuyll, and had begon well in the chrysten faythe and in the gospell. Why so many cō ­ne to reli­gyon. For hereof it is that so many men do ronne so hedlōge & blyndlye in to these kyndes of [Page]lyuyng: because they do suppose that baptisme & the vertue therof is loste through actuall synne, and doth worke nothynge any lenger in them. And hereof also it is that they do not regarde but do despyse faythe, Fayth. as a vayne & a triflyng thyng w^tout any fruyte or profyte (whiche for all that is y^e onely thynge that doth iustify) and they doo take vpon them a more holy and a more pure ma­ner of lyuynge, and (as it ap­pereth to them) also a more spiri­tuall and a more hygh kynde of lyuynge, that is to wytte to lyue sole and chaste. And then this thinge without fayth & without the spirite is vnpossible for them to do, and so they are cast downe in to y^e myddes of this depe don­geon of myserie & wretchydnes, for it is possyble that the deuyll [Page]may for the space of one yere or two, yea & also somtyme of hole tenne yeres suffre suche maner men to be quyet (howbeit this happeneth very seldome) but yet for all y^e the same men at length do not cōtynue chaste, onles they do learne faythe and Christe, or elles do get some hygher gyfte. For the deuyll hathe that man, who soeuer he be, A man without fayth. which is with­out fayth, so surely & so fast boū ­den in the snares of lechery & vncleane lustes: that he nede not to lye in wayte, or to vse his deuy­lyshe craftes aboute them, wherfore he doth so mocke hym, and doth suffre hym for a certeyn season to lyue quyetly, yea in so moche that he begynneth also to haue great delyte and pleasure in chastite: but yet he is more thē sure that the man can not escape [Page]out of his snares without fayth and the spyryte, or elles some spyrytuall gyfte of god, namely se­ynge that euen those men also haue busynesse ynough & moche worke to kepe them selues vp­ryght and vnouercomen in this behalfe, whiche ar spyrytuall in very dede, and whiche trustynge and beyng bolde vpō theyr manly & stronge couragyous faythe, alwayes watchfull, & standynge vp ryght do contynually wrestle and fyght with hym contynual­ly. Bryesly take this for sure and vndoubted, that all that so hyghly praysed chastyte and contynē ­cie of ecclesyastycall persones, The cha­styte of alecclesyas­tycal per­sons / whiche haue not the faith that iustifyeth whose hertes are not puryfyed & raysed vp with faythe (as all the preestes for the most parte ar ig­noraunt of Chryste) is nothynge elles but mere hypochrisye & de­uylyshe [Page]deceypte, by whiche they do allure youthe into most great ieopardyes, when in the meane season no good thynge at all is hydde vnder this goodly and deceyptfull semblaunces or appe­raunce. And wolde to god that nowe an hundred monasteryes were brought vnto one, and that of one hundred churches colle­gyate there were left scantly one or two, and the same to be insty­tuted and ordayned for a scole of chryscen youthe, and not for a gage or place to boste and she we forthe ceremonyes in. Beleue me this so great and so excellent A­postle dyd not speake in vayne & for nought, wherfore as I haue sayde alwayes euen so I saye a­gayne nowe, who soeuer may, let hym kepe hym self euen as farre awaye from all maner bondes [Page]of religyon, frō all monasteryes and temples, where the scripture & fayth is not earnestly taught, and where soeuer Christe is not taught, and spirytuall workes are exercysed bothe day & nyght, as he wolde from a pestylence. For it is not possible to be other­wyse, but that these monasteryes and churches bothe cathedrall & collegiate are the gates of hell: Cathe­dral chur­ches. yf the gospell be not there conty­nually preached and syncerely taught. And except the gospel do raygne in such places, and be ex­ercysed by the crosse, by tempta­cions and tribulaciōs, alwayes through moste sure and vpryght hope and most lyuely fayth: it is not possible, but that all thynges there done are and muste be cor­rupte, hypochritycall, and deuy­lyshe, howe soeuer holy they ap­pere [Page]in sight. Neyther is there in such a place any hope of counsel or remedy. Wherfore good rea­der, I do oftentymes louyngly admonyshe, and hertely exhorte the, flee flee (wylte thou that I shal speke it a thousand tymes?) flee and eschewe the estate of re­ligyous men, which is so chosen, sought and inuented by the madnes and vanytie of mannes coū ­sayll, without scripture, without the byddyng, without the comaū demente and worde of god. True chastite. To the kepyng of true chastite, fyrst there is nede of a lyuely, effec­tuall, stronge, proued, tryed, and very angelical gyfte, which may of a certeyn efficacy and strēght properly belongyng vnto it self, & of her owne couragious force commyng by the grace of god carye vp the spirite aboue y^e fleshe, [Page]and which also may rule and cō ­maunde desyres and affeccyons, and which may as it were a cer­tayne very hote fyer, drye vp the issues & flowynges of y^e flesshe, and brynge a man in that case, that he begynne to sette lyghte by this lyfe, and by hym selfe, in a maner turned by the gyfte of god in to an angely call nature.

ANd excepte that god, with y^e moste free & passyng hyghe gyfte of contynencie or cha­stytie in body & mynde do gyrde in and holde vnder his raynes: it is but labours all in vayne, to goo aboute by any myghte or power of man to brydle or sub­due y^e flamyng heate of y^e flesshe. But those madde men and vtterly ignoraunt of fayth & spyryte, and also vnskylled of spyrytuall [Page]thinges, do go about to prouyde for these thynges, and to reme­dye them by theyr colde workes, with fastynges, with habytes or vestures, with prayers set & ap­poynted, with the prysonnes of monasteryes or relygyous hou­ses, A simyli­tude. none otherwyse then yf one wolde go about to stoppe the ry­uer of Thaymes of his course, with a banke made of straw, lea­uynge in the meane season the sprynge or hed of it vnstopped. This felowe that wolde so doo, myght ꝑaduēture sooner destroy the lādes lyeng nere, w^t the ouer flowyng of y^e sayd ryuer: thē stop or let the course of the same. So these men do leaue vnto nature her naturall flowynges, whyles they do not teache y^e knowledge of the gyfte of chastytie, & yet do go aboute with eatyng of fysshe [Page]and with dyuersitie and choyse of garmentes, and with the pry­sones of monasteryes, to stoppe and kepe vnder the sayd nature, that she shall not breake forth in to issues or flowynges: whē that natural power and that natural desyre to contynue and encreace his kynde is so depely roted and groūded in the flesshe that it can not by any power or strength of man be plucked vp & put away. and so the goodly and excellent purytie of theyr chastytie is this onely, to kepe them selues vnmaryed: The cha­stitie of y^e papistical spiritual­tie. but yet neuertheles in the meane season to folowe flesshely lustes, cōmenly beynge the wor­ste lyuers of all other. And so it is true that Peter the Apostle sayth, that with theyr goodly hy­pochrisy, & with theyr hyghe and gloryous prayses of this colou­red [Page]and paynted chastite, they do allure & begyle the cōmen peo­ple, & very many vnskylled yong mē, makyng them to beleue that by this spirituall (for so they call it) estate & by workes they shall be chaste and holy, and do moste hyghe honour and seruyce vnto god, and this is that errour of al other farre y^e worste in the which they ar compelled to lyue, which a lytle before were delyuered frō all errour throughe baptysme & the fayth of Christe. Is not this then a goodly and an excellent prayse of prestes and relygyous men, whiche so great an Apostle gyueth vnto them: that is to say, that the lyfe of them is nothyng elles, but great & goodly soun­des of wordꝭ, vnder which there is no good thyng hydde or mea­ned, vnder whiche maner of ly­uyng [Page]also moste fowle vnclen­nesse and most grosse synnes are couered, & with whiche them sel­nes do seduce and leade chrysten men from y^e hygh waye of fayth, and frō the knowledge of Chryst, in to comberous & inextrycable mases of errours? yf I shulde paynt & set out bysshops, prestes & relygyous persons with suche maner colonrs, I shulde be pro­claymed. cccccc. tymes an here­tyke, and these praters of vayne thynges (I shulde haue sayde preachers of dyuyne thynges) wolde crye our a thousande ty­mes & more. To y^e fyre, to y^e fyre. Thou canst not denye (say they) but that many sayntes, as Au­gustyne, saynte Barnarde, and Francyske, dyd professe this ma­ner of lyuynge, what therof? (I say) you blynde guyders, do you [Page]not se, y^e those fathers Barnard, Augustyne, & such other holy mē were saued not by theyr workes, not by these orders, so as you do wene: How the ofde fa­thers este­med out­watde workes. but by y^t knowing of christ but by fayth? & y^t they dyd not ac­cōpte or take these outwarde ex­ercyses for y^t waye & cause of sal­uacyō: but onely for an outward exercyse to chastyce & subdue the pryde & rebellyō of y^t flesshe. Let this therfore be suffycyent to vs now y^t we haue opē & playn testi­monyes of y^t most excellēt Apost­les Peter & Paule, whiche haue descrybed & haue set forth to our iyes y^t papystes w^t all theyr wyc­ked lyfe & doctryne: y^t is to wyt, y^t they ar y^t sonnes or chyldrē of maledictiō & mōsters of y^t world, but deyns of y^e earthe, to be shoned & eschewed of al those which ar y^e louers of true vertu & good lyuing [Page]But what Christ hym selfe, and what the prophetes Esaie / Hieremie / and Ezechiel with other do say with most vehement and ve­ry tragicall affeccyons, and with meruaylous playnesse and bold­nesse, cōcernyng this matter: we shall differre & put of in y^e meane season whyles, the pope and bys­shops with all theyr garde and retynue freattynge & fomyng a­gaynst this veritie after theyr accustomed maner, shall blowe on those my lytle sparkes. Nowe yf the men, whiche are by nature so desyrous of glorie, and which ar wont to flaterynges, do cōplayn that they be not handled of me lyke bysshops according to theyr dignytie: no man shall greatly blame me therfore, for asmoche as they do not behaue them sel­ues, as it becometh bysshops to [Page]do. For I do forbeare them and gyue thē more honour, then they be worthye to haue in that I do vouchesafe to call them by so holy and so olde a worde, The na­me of a hysshop. I meane the name of bysshop, for they ought to be called by very ody­ous tytles, yf I shulde call them as dothe saynt Paule the Apost­le, and as Steuen the fyrst mar­ter doth call them. Actes. xii For a bysshop ought to be very cōnynge in the Byble, and day and nyght to la­bour and studye in the holy scripture, and to be suche one, whiche shulde in his owne ꝑsone teache his people, bothe pryuately and openly, Actes. vii & instructe them to know Chryste (as saynt Paule doth reherse) & whiche also in his owne propre persone shulde vysyte sykmē, & succoure & releue pore, and nedye men. Nowe they are no­tynge [Page]elles (I meane the papy­stes) but blynde guydes, whiche defendyng y^e tradycyons of men and the papystycall marchaun­dyse, by fraudes and guyles doo plucke awaye, and by infynyte craftes do extorte the goodes of other men. Therfore lykewyse as shepeherdes whē it fortuneth them to se the wolfe, doo make a great outcrye vpon hym, sayeng the wolfe, the wolfe, the wolfe, euen so also wyll I crye out here euen vntyl I be hoorse with cry­enge to such tyme as they amēde theyr maners. I wyll descrybe some of theyr vertues, to thentēt that all chrysten men both nowe lyuyng & hereafter to come may haue knowledge therof, howbeit yet I wyll forbeare frō shewyng theyr names and persones, ney­ther wyll I rebuke and inuaye [Page]agaynst that worldly admyny­stracyon & dignytie whiche they beare, but I shall pryncypally touche that thynge, whiche con­cerneth y^e captyuyte of conscyen­ces, that they may ones se & per­ceyue, that there is by the gyfte of god some shepe of so great a flocke sprongē vp which al other hytherto beyng affrayde dare be bolde to saye. Lo vnder these goodly dysguysyngꝭ, vnder this fayre name, and vnder this ap­pareyll of bysshops are hydde rauynous wolues. And of this my lybertie and bolde playnesse, I haue an excellent example the A­postle Paule, Pause. Ac. xxiii. which dyd in open audyence very sharply and sore rebuke the hyghe preeste Ananias, Ananias and sayde.

‘GOd shall stryke the, thou whyted wall, thou syttest here to iudge me according to the lawe, & yet contrarye to the law dost cōmaūdeme to be strykē’

THere he calleth the hyghe preeste a whyted wall, y^e is to say, a person which with certeyn payntynge and vayne colourynge outwardly dothe pre­tende to be that thynge, whiche he is not, and the Apostle dothe threten vnto hym ponysshement of god, and doth handle hym no­thynge reuerently, but lykewyse as yf he had ben not onely a pry­uate persone, and not the hyghe bysshop. And whē certeyne men had blamed and rebuked hym, for that he had spokē euyll to the ruler of the people: he answered. Brethern I dyd not knowe that he was a bysshop, what those [Page]wordes of the Apostle do meane, it is eathe to cōiecture. For yf he had feared y^e hym selfe had done amysse in that he had so wysshed vengeaūce to hym from god, no doubte of it he wolde haue asked after an humble maner forgyue­nes of the hygh bysshop, & wolde haue reuoked his rebukefull worde, but this thynge Paule in no wyse dyd. Neyther can these wordes of saynt Paule be so ta­ken, as though he was vtterly ignoraunte that he was bysshop. For who wolde thynke it lykely, that Paule was openly brought forthe vnto the place of iudge­ment, and that no man gaue to hym any monicyon or knowlege before with these or lyke wordes. Lo Paule thou shalt be presen­ted before the bysshop syttyng in iudgement, or elles to the same [Page]effecte. Lo Paule he that sytteth there, is the chyefe bysshop: na­mely seynge that we are wont in so open and cōmen maters dy­lygently to enquere & learne the persones, namely of the iudges. And thoughe Paule had ben ne­ner so moche ignoraunt, that he was the hygh bysshop: yet for all that he sawe hym sytte in the hy­ghest place, and by that he per­ceyued that he was the iudge, be cause he dyd cōmaūde Paule to be strykē. He ought therfore here of ryght to spare & forbeare the power and prehemynence which he hym selfe doth cōfesse & know ledge. Wherfore this sayenge of Paule of necessyte must thus be vnderstande, brethren I dyd not know that he is bysshop, as if he had sayde, he ought in dede to be bysshop: but I se nothynge in [Page]hym, nor I do know any poynte in hym that is belongynge vnto a bysshop. He oughte veryly to playe the bysshop in very dede: but he doth not but openly dothe iniurye to me beyng not conuyct or cast. For thus also doth Augustyne hym selfe expounde it, yf nowe Paule the Apostle doth so sharpely and boldely rebuke the preeste, whiche was constytuted by the law of Moyses, yea by the lawe of god: why then shulde I be affrayed to touche and rebuke these coloured and paynted bys­shops, whiche by the tyranny of the pope, by the fauours of men, and by holy golde haue inuaded bysshoprykes, without the cōmaundemēt eyther of god, or of men.

¶ The fyrste proprietie and vertue of the papysty­call bysshops.

FIrste these bys­shops haue suf­fred and nowe a dayes do suffre in stede of the worde of god (whiche onely, onely, one­ly, onely, I saye ought to be preached in the churche) theyr indul­gences and pardones to be pu­blysshed & preached, and y^e this thynge is not onely wycked, but also blasphemous & deuylyshe, and full of deathe and hell, it ap­pereth euydentlye ynough euen hereof, seynge that it is agaynst the fyrst precept & cōmaundemēt of god, The fyrst precept. where he dyd cōmaunde that none other ought to be preached, saue onely y^e worde of god, [Page]and that to hym alone honour is to be gyuen in all thynges, that he might be our god, our teacher & mayster, as he sayth by Esaie.

‘I Am thy god teachynge the profytable thynges.’

ANd Christe doth moste gre­uouslye and sore inuaye a­gaynst y^e doctrynes of men, Mat. vv. wherfore all humane doctryne is none other thynge then an I­dole, & a certeyne ymage, whiche beynge set vp in the stede of the lyuyng and very god, doth leade men in to perdicyon & a eternall destruccyō. Pardone But now no mā can denay that bulles & pardones ar not y^e worde of god, and that no­thynge concernynge these thyn­ges is conteyned in the scriptu­res. Besydes this we are also cō ­pelled [Page]to confesse and graunte, that all these places of scripture and other out of nombre do con­dempne all doctryne, whiche is not the worde of god. Agayne god hym self doth gyue sentence that all suche maner thynges ar vnprofytable, vayne, and apperteynynge to Idolatrie: & whiche are to be eschewed vnder payne of the indignacyon and wrath of almyghty god. But for as moch as these delycate and tendre bys­shops haue foreheddes of iyerne and neckes of brasse, as it is sayd in the prophetes, & wyll not here: they can not be perswaded & they ronne forthe on, accordynge to theyr owne madnes, The scon­thefusnes and reche sesnes of Bysshops. theyr owne course, and theyr owne swynge, & where as they ought to spende theyr bloode and theyr lyfe (I meane not in any worldly fyght) [Page]for y^e mayntenaunce of y^e worde of god agaynst the doctrynes of men: they slepe all careles, and gyue theyr myndes al togythers to pleasures, and to fare well, and y^e soules, of which they boste them selues to be the pastoures and feders, they do most slouth­fully neglecte, and nothyng care for. But such is theyr negligence They doo onely thynke and stu­dye howe they may brynge in the dredefull wrathe of god vpon men, and drawe soules vnto the depe pytte of helle, and that they may at the laste carye the conscy­ences of men clene ouerthwarte from the worde of god in to lyes and deuylysshe errours, and the doctrynes of men, wherfore we ought here so moch the more dy­lygently to take good hede, & to loke wel about, y^e we may shew & [Page]vtter vnto the worlde these so cruell & so blody wolues, whiche doo lye hydde vnder forked my­ters set with peerles and precy­ous stones, I do therfore exhort all chrystē men in our lorde, that they wyll here consydre and pondre the wrathe of god. And ther­fore lykewyse as you wolde doo with a visyble Idole: euen so do now with the bulles of these Ro­mysshe Balaam, the tourmētour & sleer of soules. Consydre howe pleasaunt a thynge you shall do vnto god, yf you do breake and dasshe in peces (with the worde of god, and not with the swerde) these Idoles, & do sanctyfye his gloryous name, and do delyuer it from the fylthy abhomynacyō of Idolatrie, wherfore who so­euer I saye who soeuer may: let hym here boldely and manfully [Page]conne on and teare the sayd Idolatry call bulles, let hym rente them in small peces, lette hym brenne them, let hym vtterly de­stroye them. And trustynge vnto his owne good conscyence and faythe, let hym boldly plucke vp by the rootes these abhomyna­cyons brought in contrary to the worde of god, for the moste pre­cyous and the moste holy and deuoute worshippyng of god is (yf it be done by the hyghe powers) to beate downe & destroye Ido­les, and to ouerthrowe them, and to breake them in to small gob­bettes, whiche thynge Moyses doth so oftentymes teache & commaunde in Deuteronomiū. Moyses. Gedeon. So dyd Gedeon breake the Idole Baal, in the .viii. chapyter of Iudicū. Asa. So dyd y^e kyng Asa breake the Idole of Papus in y^e thyrde [Page]boke of kynges the .v. chapytre. And all these sayd persons were hyghlye praysed of god, and re­warded agayne w^t meruaylous grace. No doubte of it the tyme that nowe is, is that laste age or tyme of the worlde, in which it is to be feared, that the flocke shall take more hurte of the shepeher­des, then of the wolues.

¶ The seconde vertue and propryetie of these fore sayd bysshops.
¶ Chryste saythe.

‘FRelye you haue receyued: frely gyue you.’

Cleane cōtrary to this euy dent & playne sayeng of Chryste our bysshops doo ronne on hed­longe, and not onely they do suf­fre lyes & the doctrynes of men, suche as be contrary to to y^e gos­pell, [Page]to be preached: but also with a bolde shameles face they doo vse and applye all theyr ceremo­nyes, prayers, masses, baptysme, holy oyle, and halowynges of churches, they do (I say) applye all these thynges to lucre, and do sell thē for money. Notwithstan­dyng that they be boūde to gyue frely all these spyrytuall gyftes vnder payne of eternall dampna cyon. Nowe the case put, that in­dulgēces and pardones were of some strength, & were good and profytable: yet they ought to of­fre vndesyred and frely and lybe rally to gyue forthe y^e same, and the goodnes and benefyte therof vnto all maner men, accordynge to the cōmaundement of Chryst, how moch more synfull a thyng thē & how moch more shameful & abhomynable a thyng is it, now, [Page]to sel starke lyes, mere deceyptes and more then harlottes guyles, to Chrystes faythfull people for money, after a blasphemous maner and fasshyon? For euen the holy ghost hathe by saynt Paule descrybed the ryches of chrysten men.

"HAuynge (sayth he) meate, drynke & clothynge: The ry­ches of christen men. let vs holde vs cōtent therwith.

I Beseche the nowe good rea­der hathe not this Balaam of Rome, ryches ynoughe, possessyons ynough, lordeshyps, and domynyons ynough, cyties, and kyngdomes ynoughe, euen in Italy alone, that he may com­pare with the most myghtie kyn­ges that are? though I speke no thyng in the meane season of the [Page]most shamefull byenges and sel­lynges, of y^e most stynkyng bau­dy craftes and of the moste vn­gracyous and deuelysshe subty­letyes and deceyptes by whiche he doth euery where through out the whole world scrape togyther golde and syluer measuryng all thynges by golde, & referrynge all thynges to y^e ende of gettyng money, in the meane season the care and charge of pore folkes, (which charge onely Paule doth reherse in his epystle vnto y^e Ga­latiās to be cōmytted vnto hym, and whiche sayd care he doth ex­ercyse stoutly this cure & charge (I saye) is strongly neglected & layde quyte apart. Act. viii. iv. Cor. Besydes this eyther of the Apostles, that is to wyt, both Peter and also Paule, amonge other vertues of a very bysshop do nōbre & rekē this also [Page] ‘THat a bysshop ought to abhorre & be farre away from fylthye lucre.’

THey wyl therfore that a bysshop shulde get vnto hymselfe suche thynges as are necessary to his sustenaunce and lyuynge by honest & godly mea­nes, to the example of other. And Paule hym selfe, whiche was so excellent an Apostle, dyd lyue by the worke and labour of his handes, and he dyd not dysdayne (al­thoughe he was greater than all the bysshops y^t euer were or now be) to exercyse a handy crafte, in to what towne soeuer he dyd come. And for this cause also he lodged and was at hoste in Co­rynthe with Prisca and Aquila, Prisca. Aquila. for y^t they were of the same crafte and occupacion, and he wrought [Page]with them. Nowe let vs make a comparyson of the one with the other. Is not y^e most fylthye and more then hoorysshe maner of gettynge money, whiche the bys­shop of Rome and his clyentes bysshops doo vse. Is it not (I saye) in comparyson of the pu­rytie of the Apostle, more styn­kynge and more fylthy then any stues, then any bordell house? when golde is requyred for those folysshe fortye dayes of indul­gence and pardon, by whiche certeyn nombre of dayes the Romanystes (god wot least they shulde be ouer moche lauace in gyuyng forthe so precyous a thynge for noughte) haue opēly mocked our mytred bysshops? is it not I say most shameful & filthy lucre in alages and tymes, when money is requyred for suche other tryfles, [Page]bryefly for lyes & deceyptes, and when those bawdes the Roma­nystes, with suche as they be, are fedde and nourysshed with the swete of the poore people? But this is but y^e leaste parte of theyr wycked marchaundyse, for other bysshops of theyr complexcyon haue infynyte craftes, and moste shameful meanes of gettyng money: of whiche we shall hereafter speke more largely yf they beyng offended with this gentle mony­cyon wyll also vncurtayslye be wroth with me monysshyng thē so fauourably & openly ynough, as I suppose. And here it is not vnknowen to me what they doo obiecte. Is it not ynough nor suffycyent for a prynce (saye they) to haue meate, drynke, & clothynge, excepte he haue also suffycyently wherof he may kepe and mayn­teyne [Page]a garde or bende of men accordynge to the condycyon and estate of a prynce, what prynces do in this place obiecte & alledge for them selues of the pryncelye state, and of prynces courtes, ad­uyse them, the Apostle speaketh not of prynces, but of bysshops, as for these pryncely bysshops & bysshoppely prynces he vtterly knoweth nothynge of, whiche do begyle the worlde with the name of bysshop, & with y^e moste vayne colours of ceremonyes, & gloues and mytres. But therfore Paule and the spyryte of god, whiche spake in hym: shall not chaunge theyr wordes, neyther attempre them selues vnto these prynces: but these pryncelyke bysshops shall be fayne to attēpre and ap­plye them selues in theyr lyuyng accordyng to the mynde of saynt [Page]Paule and his wordes, or elles they shall not be bysshops, nor pastours, but mere puppettes & vysures. I can not here refrayne (although I lyste not now great lye to bourde in the rehersall of these thynges) but I muste re­herse a pleasaunt and merye hy­storie. An hystory or nar­racyon. It happened vpon a tyme that a certeyn suche maner pryn­cely bysshop dyd ryde with a royall pompe and goodly company of horsemen, (as cōmenly suche bysshops ar wont to shewe them selues set forthe gaylye and gor­gyously euen aboue any worldly or temporall prynces) throughe the feldes that laye nere vnto a certeyne vyllage, whome when a certeyne shepherde had happely espyed as he rode ouer the fel­des: he lefte his flocke, and dyd [Page]ronne vnto hym, and starynge and gasyng vpon hym, as it had ben one amased, he meruayled greatlye at the ryches, and the pompe and gorgyousnes, which he sawe aboute hym. The bys­shop seynge hym so gasynge, sayde vnto hym: what doste thouse here, that thou doste meruayle so greatlye? Then he as he was an homly rustycall felowe, made to hym this playne answere. I meruayle (sayde he,) whether saint Martyn dyd vse this same pompe, or lyke gorgyousnes and superfluytie. To whome the bys­shop sayde. Forsothe thou arte a starke foole, and takest thy mar­ke amysse. For saynt Martyne was scacelye one of the vyle and rascall people: but I am also a prynce of hygh and noble byrth. [Page]Then sayd y^t shepherde agayne, I beseche you my lorde wyll you gyue me leaue to speke a worde? yea marie, sayde the bysshop, I gyue the good leaue, demaunde what thou wylt. Then sayd the shepeherde, what yf the deuyll shulde take and bere awaye the prynce: shall there remayne any thynge of the bysshop? At these wordes that good pryncely bys­shop beynge confounded and as­shamed, departed from the man, and rode his way. So y^e Apostle Paule in comparyson of those dukes and Nemrothes, Pause. was a playne symple craftes man, ly­uyuge by the worke of his owne hādes. And therfore he went somtyme on his feete, and preached the gospell all abrode, he coulde playe y^e Apostle, but suche a pore and lewde persone as he was, [Page]could neuer haue played y^e royall and pryncely bysshop after this fasshyon, and the wrathe and the furye of god.

¶ The thyrde vertue.

THese bysshops are content, and do suffre that the prea­chers do publysshe the in­dulgēces & bulles of the pope of Rome, by whiche the sayd pope doth mercyfully graunt lycence to kepe styll other mēnes goodes goten eyther by robberye and ex­torcion, or elles by some other vnlawfull and myghtye meanes, so that some porcyon therof be gy­uen to hym & to the holy churche of Rome, & to the proctours and cōmyssaryes of y^e pardones, that is to wyt, so that them selues al­so may get some part of the sayd [Page]spoyles, and wrongfully gotten goodes. And here verely I am in doubte with my selfe, w^t what tytle I myght beste garnysshe these so mōstruous poyntꝭ of co­uetousnes: and of truthe I am halfe in doubte, whether I maye call the pope with his bysshops folowynge and alowynge these thynges, dull asses, or elles insensyble blockes, or elles peuysshe, madde, and vtterly furyous men whiche with so great shameles boldnes, and with so great mad­nes do not onely exercyse openly so fowle and shameful deceytes but also do in euery coūtrey and place teache the same by theyr freers and other relygyous per­sones sent forthe to preache. For god hath cōmaunded, thou shalt not stele: This precept these monsters of Rome with suche other [Page]these cruell wylde beastes with meruaylous fyersenes and with meruaylous woodenes do with­stande and gaynsaye, & do open­ly teache and saye, that thou arte in no perell, thoughe thou doste possesse & kepe styll euyll gotten goodes, so y^t thou woldest gladly restore them yf thou knowest frō whom they were taken, & so that thou purchace & bye y^e popes pardones. I beseche the what other thyng is this in effecte, then yf a man dyd saye, verely thou mayst steale & be a theffe, & god whiche forbad this, was mad. Lo thus the god & lorde of maiestie is cō ­pelled to be a scornynge stocke to these chyldrē of malediccyō, whō they also opēly & euydētly repro­ue & cōdempne for a lyer & a fole For this precept those beastes do blaspheme opēly to his face & cō trary it (though they wolde cloke [Page]or colour the matyer) they do in very dede teache theftes, robe­ryes, extorcyons, deceyptes, and fraudes. Go to nowe thou pope of Rome, tell I praye the, wher­by doste thou clayme & take vpō the so moch auctorytie that thou darest saye, that goodes euyl gotten, or parte of the goodes euyll gottē is thyne? ‘God whiche hath created all thynges, and whiche is lorde of the earthe,’ and of the fulnes therof, sayth / that he wyll not receyue any oblacion of goo­des gottē by rauyne or robberie. And thou farre y^e most cruell ty­raunt of all that euer were borne syns the fyrste creacyon of man, beynge openly blasphemous a­gaynst so great and so hygh ma­iestie, agaynst the voyce and cō ­maūdemēt of god alyue agaynst so great a precept, doste auaunce [Page]and lyfte vp thy selfe aboue god and doste take vpon the greatter power and auctorytie, and doste teache men by thy deuylysshe bulles to breake and transgresse the cōmaundementes of god, and to exercyse thefte, roberyes, extor­cyons, and vsuryes, contrarye to nature and reason, and the comē iudgement of men. Thus must they nedes be cast downe into a reprobate sense or iudgemēt and be vtterly tourned out from god whiche doo condempne the gos­pell, Brēning and con­dēpnyng of Bokes without teadynge of them. and which do brenne the bo­kes whiche they neuer sawe, nor loked through, which do violate and breake the publyke faythe or fidelytie, contrary to the lawe of all nacyons, y^e so ronnyng forthe all madde & wood agaynst god, they shulde stryke theyr forehed­des agaynst the stumblyng stone [Page]Chryste, Ro. iv. and afterwardes do im­pugne all the wordes and wor­kes of god, and that they shulde come to that madnes & extreme blyndnes, that they shulde open­ly teache the breakynge of god­des law. O how excellently, how plenteously and myghtely with a stretched forthe hande, and an hyghe arme hathe god auenged the contempte of the gospel: with howe great encreace, & as it were a treasure or heape of wrathe, y^e wrathe of god. he hath requyted this iniurye, stry­kyng thē w^t so obstynate mynde with so great blyndnes and with so great Ise or coldnes of herte? Here nowe the thyng it selfe, and the veray haynousnes of this of fence wolde requyre that not onely the bulles of the pope, but al­so that the verye postes and the dores wherupon the sayd bulles [Page]are wonte after the cōmen ma­ner to be hanged vp, beynge ro­borated and strengthed with manye Cardynalles seales, were brente, were ouerthrowen, and brought vnto asshes, and so vt­terly destroyed, that there myght be ones some ende of these abho­mynacyōs, wherfore who soeuer thou art good chrysten reader, I beseche the, and requyre the for Chrystes sake, doo not suffre thy selfe to be seduced and led out of the ryght waye by these so cruell and madde beastes, remembre that thy god, hath not onely for­beden the dede, sayenge: Thou shalt not stele: but also he hathe forbydden the affeccyon and de­syre of the herte, sayenge: Non concupisces, thou shalt not lu­ste or desyre, beleue me, he wyll [Page]not reuoke his owne worde, how is it possyble then, that any man or any creature can gyue the ly­bertie to haue or to possesse thy neyghbours goodes.

‘FOr Esaie saythe, I am the god louynge iustyce, and I do hate sacryfycie or ob­lacyon made of stolen good or of rauynes.’

ANd though these foresayde thynges be opēly deuylysshe yet those wolues doo teache vs not onely to make sacryfyce of rauyne: but also to possesse & kepe styll goodes stolen or gottē by rauyne & extorcyon. Se howe with theyr blasphemyes and ex­treme madnesses they do brynge in y^e wrathe of god vpō the, and condempnacyon vnto helle, and [Page]yet neuerthelesse they desyre and loke for to be called bysshops, & reuerende fathers in Chryst, and pastours or feders of soules, flee flee from them my brother, they are wolues. I verely althoughe I be but a wretched pore caytef, as oftentymes as I doo se, be­holde, & consydre that blyndnes of bysshops, I do very oftenty­mes thynke thus in my mynde, that it is best vtterly to holde my tonge, & to leaue them vnto the iudgemēt of god, and not medle with them any thynge at all. For oftentymes suche maner thoughtes do come ī to any mynde, that all thynges are desperate, & that there is no hope lefte at all: all good thynges are so by those Romysshe hypochrytes & very mon­sters not only feblysshed and corrupted but also extyncte and vt­terly [Page]destroyed, in so moche they haue vndone the whole worlde drownyng them with so great a floode of errours and abhomynacyōs: that there are euydent and playne tokēs on euery syde, that that daye of the lorde is nere at hande. The last daye. But yet agayne on the other syde, that so myserable per­dicyon and pyteous destruccyon of many soules, which those mō ­sters doo with so great crueltie & w^t so great tyranny flee, sechyng nothynge elles but onely money doth not suffre me to be styll and to holde my tonge, but compel­leth me to speake, to the entent that yf it may be brought aboute I myght by some meanes hap­pely delyuer at the leaste some soules from the mouthes of the wolues, yf therfore my brother, [Page]thou hast euyl gotten goodes do not in any wyse thynke, y^t thou canst be excused. Restore it ther­fore, for thou shalte not chaunge the word of god. It were a good and a godly thynge, yf thou couldest by the consent of thy neygh­bours obteyne, that he whome thou haddest deceyued wolde for gyue the (for euery man is boun­den vnto his neyghboure to for­gyuenes) yf peraduenture thou haddest any of thy neyghbours goodes, whiche coulde not be re­stored very well and conuenyently vnto hym, nor without grea­ter perel and ieopardye. But concernynge this thou mayste redemore in other dyuerse places. Of these thynges now gesse thy selfe whether both the pope & also his bysshops haue not bery greate [Page]nede of an instructour to teache them, lykewyse as we doo teache ignoraunt yonge chyldren, the .x. cōmaundementes, y^t they myght at the laste learne, that we ought not to stele, nor to desyre y^e thyng that belōgeth to our neyghbour, and that moche lesse they ought to teache other men to exercyse & vse theftes, rauynes, extorcyons, & vsuryes. For except they them selues doo despyse those madde & furyous bulles of the pope: they are bysshops in dede, but not of chrystē men. What ar they then? bysshops of theues, of robbers, of extorcyoners, of vsurers, chyef capitaynes (I say) & defenders, and the authours and counsayl­lours of great synnes and abho­mynacyōs, as it is easy to know and perceyue by these thynges, which we haue alredy sayd. And [Page]it is a myracle or wondre of the dyuyne wrathe and indignacyon many dayes a go prouoked and styrred vp agaynst vs, that euer these thynges coulde haue ben perswaded vnto any man which are so repugnaunt and contrary to the cōmen sense or iudgement and also to that blynde lyghte of reason. It is lyke a monstre and a wondre that so open and many fest theftes, roberyes, and blas­phemyes of Romanystes coulde so longe be hydde. And there is no man forsothe, which wolde be leue, that there were euen amōg the Scythyans any men so rude and vplandysshe, and so moche without wytte or perceyuynge, that they wolde haue suffred so grosse deceytes: yf it were not so, that experyence dyd compell hym to confesse, that this dulnes [Page]and insensybilytie hath ben euen in our owne selues, whiche ar yet lyuynge. For what man or wo­man of Scythia wyll allowe or holde with this that euyll gotten goodes maye be possessed & kept by the dyspensacyon or bulles of the Pope. Swyne and asses, sto­nes and stockes are scante so in­sensyble, and so moche without perceyuynge, as we haue ben made vnder the pope. And here I knowe well ynoughe, what they are wont to allege & brynge in for theyr parte agaynst me. The pope (saye they) is the hy­ghest bysshop, and hedde, of all chrysten people generally, thro­ughe out christendome. It belongeth to hym to dyspense of goo­des euyll gotten, wherof it is doubted who is the ryght owner here I make answere thus. I be [Page]seche you, where is this in all the scryptures? where is it wryten? Is it peraduenture at Rome w^t saynt Peter in some chymney or fornace, as it is cōmenly sayde? Forsoth, it is an excellēt lye, why shulde not then euery man his owne selfe by his owne selfe dys­pose, accordyng to his owne con­scyence of his owne, whiche way soeuer they haue ben gottē? what nedeth hym to haue another dys­pensatour, namely suche a tyrannous one as is the pope? It is therfore nothynge elles, but a grosse and a moste shameles lye ymagyned doubtles for this en­tente and purpose, that the pope myght be made the generall hed of all theues, of extorcyoners, of vsurers, and that so by all the handes of all theues, and of all extorcyoners, he myght stele and [Page]snatche awaye more then all the theues vnder heuē and so myght be capitayne and chyefe ruler a­monge the moste erraunt theues and extorcyoners of the whole worlde, and amonge suche other lyke vnthryftes who soeuer they be, yf he were hedde & hyghest in the churche, he ought accordyng to the ensample of the Apostles, to cōmytte the admynystracyon euen of honest ryches & goodes to other men, to gyue hym selfe holy to prayer and to the gospel, and to saye with the Apostles.

‘IT is not mete y^e we shulde leaue the mynysterye of the worde of god, Act. vi. and to myny­stre at the tables.’

NOwe he cleane contrarye wyse chalengeth and ta­keth vpon hym the care & [Page]busynes to admynystre a sclaun­derfull and vnhonest kynde of goodes, theftes, rauynes, vsu­ryes, and suche other godly & ho­ly ryches (yf god be pleased) I beseche the, is not this a worshyp­ful and a goodly vycar of Christ and an excellent successour (for so he calleth hym selfe) of the A­postles? why dothe he not by the same ryght make hym selfe the generall stewarde and dyspenser of all thynges, what soeuer chri­sten men haue in any place, and why doth he not adminystre thē? seynge that he hathe ones taken this aucrorytie vnto hym self by this prymacy, that al we besydes myghte lyue in reste and ydle­nes, and the moste holye father myght care for, & also ordre both vs, and all that euer belongeth to vs. Oh these thynges, ought [Page]to haue ben done to stones and trees, and not to men: thoughe I do speake nothyng in the meane season, y^e these thynges are done to chrysten men.

¶ The .iiii. vertue.

IN al the bulles of indulgences and pardones, he promyseth full remyssyon of syn­nes to all men beynge truely confessed and contryte. The foū ­taynes of errours. This is the most stronge venome and moste deadely poyson of most pestylent errour, that euer cam forthe of this founteyne and sprynge of errours & humayne tradycyons, whiche is the pope. Chryst in the ix. of Mathewe dyd not say to y^e man dyseased of the palsaye. Go put thy money in to a cheste, then [Page]thy synnes be forgyuen the: but he sayde.

‘TRuste or beleue sonne, thy synnes are forgyuen the.’

FRom that symplycytie and purytie of fayth, and from the sure and stedfast truste or beleue in the grace and promyses of god, Trust in y^e promy­ses of god whiche beleue onely dothe iustyfye, whiche onelye dothe obteyne remyssyon of syn­nes, as Paule the Apostle dothe declare through out al his epyst­le wryten to the Romanes: from this beleue (I saye) that wolfe and abhomynable monster doth plucke awaye the people, & doth leade them in to truste and confydence in his bulles, and in deade waxe, & in y^e payenges of certeyn sommes of money limytted & as­sygned vnto theym, in so moche [Page]that the symple hertes do learne to putte theyr confydence not in the grace and mercye of god, promysed but in theyr owne wor­kes and satysfaccyons. This in­uencyon of the deuyl so magny­fyenge bulles, is more haynous and abhomynable, then may be expressed with wordes, or elles cō passed with mannes thoughtes. For the fyrste and chyef cōmaundement of god is here condemp­ned and extyncte, by whiche we are cōmaunded to trust onely to mercye and grace, bryefly to god alone. Nowe they do teache the people to put theyr confydēce in paper and waxe, and in theyr fla­terynge and bawdy lyes, & vpon these thynges to buylde theyr cō ­scyences. And without doubt the bysshop of Romes bysshops yf they had any poynte of a chrystē [Page]mynde, they wolde them selues (I saye teache and preache this faythe) whiche Paule doth well nere in euery syllable inculke in to vs, Fayth. and they wolde also suffre and exhorte other men to preache the same in euery place. Nowe for asmoche as these papystycall vysures are rude, folysshe, vnle­arned, whiche lyke vnto theyr creatoure y^e Pope are created to the entent that they shulde pur­sue and stryue agaynst the very tye of god (but doubtles though they wolde braste they shall ne­uer ouercome it) it becometh thē and is semely for theyr persona­ges, lykewyse as they be dysguysed and hypochrytes: euen so al­so to suffre deceytes, smokes, vy­sures, puffed prowde wordes, tryfles, and bryefly mere madnesses to be preached, and that only for [Page]profyte and lucre. Here agayne I desyre chrystē reader for Chri­stes sake, that no man do desyre her in me temperaunce and mea­surablenes: for as moche as I am prouoked with so iuste grefe. For not without cause we chry­sten men doo sorowe with herte and mynde: whiche be dayly compelled to se and suffre so shame­full, so manyfest, and so furyous blasphemye agaynst god. For euen this one thynge alone the bysshops were worthy to be far more sore rebuked of me. For all thynges what soeuer I am able to saye or to crye out, be they ne­uer so hote, so sore, and so vehe­ment: yet are they to lytle for to expresse scasely y^e thousande part of so excedynge and vnmeasura­ble madnes. Paule the Apostle dothe boldlye condempne bothe [Page]hym selfe and also the aungelles of heuen, yf they wolde teache (I do not saye any thynge agaynst the gospell) any thynge besydes that which is pure gospell, what wolde he thē do now to those mē, whiche do teache not onely besy­des y^e gospell: but also with more then fantastycall madnes, or w^t more then deuylysshe boldnes do openly teache thynges contrary to the gospell. And let no man thynke it to be spoken agaynst the ecclesyastycal state & agaynst true bysshops or good pastours: He rebu­keth no vertuous estates. what soeuer is sayd agaynst the­se tyrauntes. Let no man thyn­ke it to be sayde or done agaynst the heddes and gouernours of Chrystes churche: what soeuer is sayde or done agaynst these slouthefull ydle and sluggysshe beastes gyuen all to the belye. [Page]For they are not bysshops, but playne Idoles and dumbe ymages / ydle puppettes vysurꝭ, blockes / shadowes / dysguysed game players / which do not so moche as knowe what this worde Episcopus / that is to saye, bysshoppe dothe sygnyfye / so farre of they be from knowynge what. is the offyce or duytie of a bysshoppe / wylte thou that I tell the at one worde what they are? wolues they are, tyrauntes / traytoures / manquellers / mōsters of y^e worl­de, burdeynes of the earthe / the apostles of Antechryste, grauē & made to corrupte and destroye y^e worlde, and to extincte & destroy the gospell. And to vtter at ones what I thynke: Lo I wyll here playe the bedell or cōmen cryer. Be it knowen to al men, that the bysshoppes of Rome with theyr [Page]clyentes bysshops which do now exercyse tyranny vpon so many cyties in moste ample and large domynyon, are not bysshops by the ordynacyon of god, but by errour, and by the seduccyon of the deuyll, and by the tradycyons of men. Wherfore without doubte they are the messangers and vy­cars of Satan, yf I do not shew and proue this by so euydent te­stymonyes, that myne enemyes shall be constrayned to confesse this verytie, and that euen them selues (so that they do meanely repent and waxe wyse) can not denye it: then let thē be bysshops then let me be thoughte to do in­iurye vnto them. Fyrste Paule wryteth vnto Tite, y^t he shulde constytute and ordeyne presbyte ros in euery towne. presbyter. Here I sup­pose that no man can denye that [Page]all one thynge is sygnyfyed by this worde bresbyter, and by this worde Episcopus in saynt Pau­les wrytinges, for as moch as he dothe bydde Tite that he shulde in euery cytie constytute presby­teros. And because a bysshop ought to be vnreproueable, ther­fore he calleth hym presbyterum. It is euydēt therfore what Paule doth sygnyfye & meane by this worde Episcopus: Episco­pus. bysshop, that is to saye a man excellently good & vertuous, of rype age, whiche also hath a chaste wyfe, and chyldren obedyent in the feare of the lorde. And the Apostle wyll that he shulde haue y^e ouersyghte and gouernaunce of the congrega­cyon, in the mynysterye of the worde and the admynystracyon of the sacramentes. Wherfore it is necessarye also, that he be lear­ned, [Page]and well exercysed in the scriptures, and also as touchyng his lyfe, vnreproueable. I be­seche the, is there any man here so moche a stone, that he can ey­ther denye these wordes of the a­postle, or elles wrest them to any other sense, yf he do consydre and waye well the wordes that goo before, and that folowe after? Besydes this it pleaseth me here to aske one question, whether the worde of saynte Paule be the worde of god? whether the ordy­nacyon of the Apostle be the or­dynaunce of god? For I am as­sured, that neyther the pope, ney­ther the deuyll hym selfe (al­thoughe bothe of them do busy­lye stryue & labour all that euer they can to extyncte & destroy the worde of god) dare denye this y^e [Page]Paules worde is goddes worde, the worde of saynte Paule. and that Paules ordynacyon is the instytucyon and ordynaunce of the spyryte of god. For albeit that the worde of god doth greatly greue the deuyll: yet he dare not denye it, but onely he vseth these subteltyes, and deuylysshe craftes that vnder y^e colour and cloke of the worde of god, and vnder hypochrysie, he may doo & entrepryse all thynges contrarye to y^e worde, yf then it be y^e worde of god and the ordynacion of the holy ghoste, what soeuer Paule doth saye or ordeyne: it foloweth that what soeuer thynge is done contrary to his worde and ordy­nacion, the same is done agaynst god, and contrarye to the ordy­naunce of the holy ghoste. Nowe yf it be agaynst god and his spy­ryte: vndoubtedly it is of the de­uyll. [Page]Coulde this thynge be any more clere? coulde it be more euydēt? is there yet any thyng wher­of any man may doubt? For how can god be cōtrarye to hym selfe seynge that Chryst sayth, that. Luce. vi.

‘EUen the deuyll hym selfe is not repugnaunt, nor contrarye to hym selfe?’

SEcondarely it foloweth, that all chrysten men are bounden vnder payne of goddes indygnacyon and of euerlastyng deathe, to maynteyne & defende the worde & ordynaunce of god, which saynt Paule doth teache. And contrary wyse agayne they are as moch boundē to impugne to destroy, to ouerthrowe, and vtterly to extyncte the ordynaunce of the deuyll, whiche is so repug­naunt [Page]and contrarye to god and his ordynaunce, and let them spēde about this yf nede requyre as when they shall be called by y^e hygh powers, both theyr goodes and theyr frendes, and also theyr lyfe, and theyr bloode, or els they can not extyncte and destroy it, at the least wyse let them eschewe it and flee from it, as from abhominacyon and from the deuyll hym selfe. This thyng verely is open and manyfest. For all thynges are to be forsaken for the defence and mayntenaunce of the worde of god, that his wyll may be ful­fylled both in heuē and in earthe and the errours of the deuyll are to be plucked vp by the rootes a­fore all thynges, to the vttermost of our power. Herunto now take you hede you bisshops. For in as moche as ye delyte so moche in [Page]bulles, I shall reade vnto you a bull of a newe makynge, I pray god it may please you.

¶ The bulle of the author and reformacyon.

ALl men who soeuer they be, whiche by all honest & law­full meanes do spende & bestowe theyr goodes, honour, bloode, & lyfe, to y^e ende that these bysshop­rykes so pompous and courtlye, so farre vnlyke & contrarye to all the offyce & duetie of an Apostle, namely to y^e mynystracion of the worde, & that all this deuylysshe kyngdome of y^e bisshop of Rome may be ouerthrowen & destroyed or yf they can not in very dede destroye it, doo crye agaynst it, do dysprayse and condempne it, and do auoyde it as abhomynacy on: all those persones that so done, [Page]are the sones of god, and true chrysten men, fyghtynge and helpynge the faythe of the gospel in spyrytual batayll agaynst the gates of hell. Contrarye wyse, who soeuer do fauour the kyngdome of the popes bysshops so wycked and that so tyrannous and deuy lysshe crueltie, and do wyllyngly and gladly submyt them selues, and obey vnto it: those persones are the mynystres of the deuyll, fyghtynge as enemyes agaynst the wordes, the lawes, and ordy­naūces of god. This sentence of myne, nay rather of goddes iud­gement. I proue with stronge effectuall argumētes in this wyse. The apostle Paule cōmaundeth Tite, that he shulde ordeyne and constytute a bysshop in euery cy­tie, such one as was y^e husbande of one wyfe, a man vertuous, & [Page]vnreprouable. &c. This is the worde, this is the wyll and sen­tence of god. Agaynst this sayde wyll of god these men do nowe stryue and fyghte, which haue taken quyte away al true bysshops out of all cyties, and in stede of true bysshops haue constytuted shoppes or workehouses of most colde ceremonyes, monasteryes, and churches collegyate, & haue brought in them selues in theyr stede, that by this meane they myght be made bysshops or ouer seers of many cyties, and also of many prouynces. Nowe the sen­tence of Paule, or rather the wordes of the holy ghoste dothe con­tynue fyrme, stable, and not able to be moued or stered of the ga­tes of hel, & doth stande as styffe, as a brasen wall, whiche saythe playnly and euydently, that in [Page]euery cytie there ought to be constytuted and ordayned one bys­shop, and these then shall be eue­ry one of them of egall power with the other. For Paule spea­keth playnly of euery cytie, and he gyueth to euery bysshop full power & auctorytie in his owne cytie. God to therfore nowe ye worldly bysshops. Why do you not here ryse? Why do you not boldely and manfully resyste? why do you not breake forthe all the maynye of you together? here you haue to do not with me, but with y^e Apostle Paule. Here you resyste (that may I saye with the holy martyre Steuyn) not me, Act. vii. but the holy ghoste whiche lyke­wyse agayne of his parte dothe myghtcly resyste you. Go to then what wyll you saye here I be­seche you? wyl you al holde your [Page]peace, and saye nothynge at all? Lo your sentence is gyuen, and pronounced agaynst you, you haue the matyer iudged, that is to wytte, that, vnto all chrysten men it belongeth, of theyr parte (with the worde of god) agayne to destroye, to plucke vp by the rootes, and vtterly to extyncte bothe you and your kyngdome, whiche you do tyrannously exer­cyse, to extyncte and destroye the gospell, you haue harde nowe that they be in the indygnacyon of god, who soeuer fauoureth you: and on the other syde that they are in the fauour of god, who soeuer ouerthroweth, and destroyeth you. But I wylle not in any wyse these wordes, whiche I doo speake of the de­struccyon and vtter subuer­syon of the kyngdome of false [Page]bysshops, so to be vnderstanded or taken, ye se here, y^e the preachere of y^e gospesl, teache no sedycyon, sheddyng of bloode, or fygh­ting with the hande as thoughe it ought to be done with the hande, or with swerde, or with vyolence, or bodely inuasyon of them. For with this destruccyon of the men, we shall be nothynge further in this so great a matyer, that is to wyt, goddes cause or busynes But as Daniel prophecyed in the .viii. chapytre.

‘THe kyngdome of antechrist is to be broken all to peces without any hande of man.’

ANd it shal com to passe that euery man shall speake and preache agaynst it by the worde of god, vntyll that wretched syn­full man be of his owne accorde confounded, and forsaken of all men and so do fall downe deade, [Page]and be vtterly destroyed. This is the very true destruccyon be­longynge to chrysten men: to the bryngvnge of whiche to passe, we ought to bestowe al that euer we haue, or elles maye doo. But here I wyll gyue you metely good counsel (yf you wyl so take it) because you shall not thynke that I doo vtterly hate all your hole ordre. The coil­sayf of author. It is expedyēt for you here to reteyne and hyre, what so euer it do cost you (as you ar bysshops of golde and of money) some excellent craftie lyer, which maye so wryte a pleasaunt lytle boke, lykewyse as many a foolys she asse of your sorte haue done, as though they could haue chaū ged the whole worlde with those wretched papers. For yf the wordes of saynt Peter, in whiche he speketh of al christē men sayeng.

‘YOu are a regall presthode and a prestly kyngdome.’

YF these wordes (I say) may be wrested vnto this, that they do sygnyfye, preestes shauen and annoynted, as thoughe Pe­ter wolde that all chrysten menshulde be such maner annoynted and shauen preestes: what thyng dothe let y^t Paules wordes may not by the same crafte (se y^t a craftes man haue y^t handelyng of it which is inferior to no mā in lyes & vnshamefastnes (haue y^e necke of them wrythen, & so be applyed to this sense, as thoughe we ought to vnderstande it of two maner bysshops, Spyry­tuall hys­shops. so y^t spyrytuall bysshops after y^t exposycyon are all the preachers of the worde of god in cyties, townes, & vylla­ges, althoughe they doo neyther bye palle, nor gowne, ne yet any [Page]other garment of those bawdes the Romanystes. Corporal hysshops. And the corpo­rall bysshops are you which bearyng forked myters on your heddes vnder y^e apparayll of Aaron doo in very dede playe y^e veraye starke tyrauntes, & are felowes vnto Nero & Caligula, rydynge vpō fatte & wel fedde palfrayes, and slyke mules, & afterwardes with your rynges onely, & your gloues, & your syluer shepehoke (yf god be pleased) you do playe the bysshops. Now yf Paule be­ynge god wot but a symple & an abiecte creature, wolde refuse & dysalowe this glose, or exposyciō of so holy fathers: he were wor­thy to be stryken with y^t spyritual swerde of excommunicacion, & to be feared with the indignacyon at the leaste wyse of saynt Pe­ter, for as moche as he is gyltie here in this thyng after y^t style of [Page]the Romane bulles, or elles at y^t leaste wyse he were worthy to be honestly rewarded with a good buffet on the eare, lykewyse as Ananias the bysshop dyd vnto hym For why shuld not he being but one ꝑson alone, be content to be taught & to learne of so many holy fathers? why should not they with a prowde contenaunce by theyr auctorytie cōmaunde sy­lence and saye. Paule I saye be content to be admonysshed and counsaylled. That worde cytie dothe betoken there by the deter­mynacyon of y^e church of Rome, and of vs an hole prouynce or kyngdome. For yf it be lawfull and free for the pope to chaunge the true sense of scripture, which the wordes and argumentes do declare & fortyfye: why shulde it not also be ī his lybertie & power, [Page]after his owne lust and pleasure to chaunge and tourne clene contrary wayes bothe y^e wordes and the vocabules of the same? For wordes (to vse theyr owne para­doxe) doo sygnyfye at pleasure. Wordes do sygny­fy at pleasure. Wherfore as soone as it shall please any such so myghtie, and so well mytred and hatted a pa­pyste, or as soone as it shal come to his mynde vpon his wyne benche: both the Greke and also the Latyne lettres and wordes, shall be constrayned to goo in to an other nature, so that yf it lyke them well, from hensforthe this worde garden shall betoken a cytie, and a starre, a stabule, Garden. Cytie. Starre. and an asse, a man. And yf any man, that thynketh hym selfe wyse, wyl here obiecte agaynst me and saye, hytherto thou haste rebu­ked the pope, and now thou dys­praysest [Page]y^e bysshops, what then? wylte thou alone confunde, mengle, and tourne all thynges vp and downe? Here I saye, who so­euer thou arte that doste thynke these thynges, be thou thy selfe whiche arte the dysputer) bothe iudge and vmpyer, I saye I ap­peale vnto the thy selfe as iud­ge, all affeccyons layde aparte, gyue thou thyne owne selfe the sentence. Maye I not by ryght, here make that answere vnto the bysshops, Besias. Achab. whiche Helyas made to kynge Achab in the .xviii. cha­pitre of y^t thyrde boke of kynges?

‘IT is not I that troble & dis­quyet Israel, but you. &c.’

I Say discerue and iudge thy selfe, Who tour neth all thynges vp sette downe. whether of vs is here in the defaulte, & whether I do tourne all thyngꝭ vp & downe [Page]and the wronge waye, so as they do compleyne (which do teache y^e worde of god, y^t clere ordenaunce and decre of y^e holy ghost) or elles they which teachyng theyr owne ordynacyon, do extyncte y^e ordy­naunces of god. Tel me whether of these two thynges is more tol­lerable, whether lesse agaynst equytie y^t they shulde ouertourne & destroy y^e ordinaunce of god: or elles y^t I do ouerthrowe and cast downe y^e deuylysshe furyes and madnesses of them, & theyr erro­neous & humane ordynaunces? do not consydre here what I do, but consydre y^e very thynges sel­ues, wherupon I do pryncipally groūde, which of them selues do this thyng y^t is to wyt y^e worde of god, & the scriptures. The offyce & due­tie of a preacher. The prea­cher ought not so mochto regard and consydre what maner men, [Page]howe great, howe myghtie they be, agaynst whome he doth prea­che, or what he may gette by his sermones, but this thynge onely and nothynge elles he ought to care for, that he may preache the pure word of god, for this is not to be watred, or to be attempred, and made to agre vnto the affec­cyons of men, what soeuer thyn­ges maye chaunce, or elles maye be feared to be done vnto hym of man. This worde I say is pure­ly and syncerely to be preached, althoughe not onely y^e bysshops but also all the aungelles of he­uen wolde resyste & saye agaynst it. Nowe yf thou wylte here a­gayne obiecte, that they are very great, very hygh, very wyse, and very well learned men after the worldely iudgemente, agaynst whome I do wryte these thyngꝭ: [Page]I answere vnto the, Peter, Paule, and all the prophetes dyd pro­phecye before, that there shulde not come a more and vengeable myschyef vpon the earthe, then that of Antechryste and of y^e last dayes. Dost thou suppose these so hyghe wordes of y^e holy ghost to haue ben spoken of the leues of trees, or of small trysles? The worde of god (as it appereth in the prophetes) alwayes speaketh agaynst kyngdomes, agaynst peoples, of great thynges, a­gaynst them that are the heddes amonge the people, agaynst ma­ny & great nacyons, whiche way soeuer thou dost loke: they are vtterly great and wondrefull thynges, wherof god dothe speake. How moch more lykely is it thā, that they shulde be great, noble, worshypfull, and very wyse men [Page]as concernyng the flesshe: which shall be the doers and workers of this extreme myschyef of the last dayes, wherof all the prophetes haue prophecyed and spoken before? namely seynge that the scripture dothe speake so horry­ble thynges of these tymes.

‘THat is to wytte, y^t no flesshe shall be saued, except those dayes were shortened. And in an other place, that the sone of man at his cōmyng shal scasely fynde any fayth vpon earthe. And also that euen the very electe and chosen persones shulde be seduced, and led out of the ryght waye, yf it were possyble.’

I Beseche & requyre the good chrysten reader, I beseche the for Chrystes sake, consydre [Page]well, & waye these wordes. For they are not wordꝭ spoken of any lyghte persone vpon his ale or wyne benche, neyther yet any in­uencyons of mannes mynde: but the wordes of y^e eternal maiestie. For yf thou do cōsydre these wordes stedfastedly & with good ad­uysemēt, thou shalt fynde y^e they shal be great men, & mē of myght & power, & that it shal be a myghtie kyngdome, which shal do and worke this last great & most sore & vengeable mischyef as y^e pope, his bysshops, & other his prela­tes are in very dede, bryefly what matyer I praye you maketh it, how great, how hygh, & how connyng they are: seynge y^t it is more euydent and clere then daye that all they and theyr doctryne is a­gaynst god? Is not god greater and hygher then all creatures? [Page]The great Turke also is a great lorde of many prouynces, the furke. & greater then is any of them: and yet he is agaynst god, and y^e enemye of god. And here agayne I gesse what they wyll obiecte. For all that (saye they) oftentymes ma­nye sayntes haue ben bysshops not onely of one cytie: but of ma­ny cyties. I make answere. As many as haue ben holy bisshops in very dede and called pastours by the callynge of god: all those for the moste parte were the bys­shops of one cytie alone, as Cy­priane, Hilary, Ambrose, Augu­styne, Hireneus, and these obser­ued the tradycyon of the Apost­les, it is founde in dede in hystoriographers, that there haue bencerteyne (suche was holy Boni­face, Bonifa­ce. Tite. and suche also Tite vnto Paule) whiche dyd after theyr [Page]owne iudgemēt constytute other bysshops in the cyties, as Titus dyd: but yet were they not ther­fore the bysshops of many cyties And albeit that suche maner ex­ample coulde be shewed of the sayntes: The ex­ampfes of holy men maye not be preiudicyaff to goddes holy worde. For all men may erre. shall the examples of holy men be preiudycyal to y^e worde of god? Is not god greater then all sayntes, howe oftentymes dowe fynde that holy men haue synned and erred? God saued Da­niel in the dungeon of Lyons, & he saued Ananias, Azarias, and Misael in the flamynge fornace of Babylō. Is y^e hande or power of god nowe shortened and my­nysshed? God sa­ued Da­niel in the dungeon of Eyons Dani. vi Dani. iii. Is it any doubte but that he myght preserue and kepe his electe and chosen persones, yf it shulde happen them by any meanes to be seduced, & led out of the ryght waye (as Christ pro­phecyed) [Page]euen in the myddes of mennes ordynacyons & trady­cyons, & of the errours of the de­uyll? Nota. we ought not to put confy­dence in any ensample, dede, or worde of sayntes: but our conscyences ought to leane & to be groū ded onely vpon y^e worde of god, which only is he (as Paule saith) that can not lye. But let vs fur­thermore here Paule, what he sayth of this ordynaunce of god, for in this wyse Luke wryteth of hym in y^e .xx. chapytre of y^e Actes.

‘ANd sendynge messangers from Miletum to Ephesus, he sent for preestes of the church, whiche when they were come to hym, he sayd vnto them. Take hede to your selues & to all y^e flocke in which y^e holy ghost hath set or ordeyned you bysshops, to gouerne [Page]the churche of god, whiche he hath purchased and gotten with his owne blode.’

❧ ☜☜ ❧

GO to now, is here any new thyng? Is Paule a foole, & doth he not know what he doth? Ephesus was but one citie alone and Paule calleth openly all the preestes or elders by one comon name Episcopos: bysshops. Al y^e preestes of one cytie be called of Pause Bysshope. But peraduenture Paule had not red those bokes & those Apologies wretchedly patched together of papystes, nor y^e holy decretalles. For how wold he haue ben bolde elles to make many bysshops o­uerseers to one cytie, & to call all y^e preestes of one cytie bysshops, in as moche as they were not all prynces, neyther kept a garde of mē, & goodly palfrayes, but were [Page]certeyne rascall persones, and of y^e moste abiecte and vyle sorte of men, after y^e worldly estymacyō? For Paule peraduenture wasig noraūt of that, which is growen in vse nowe in our tyme, that no man can be a great bysshop in very dede, oneles he doo (as the Poete saythe) kepe an hundred horses in goodly stables, oneles he haue a gorgyous house ful of royall pompe, onles he haue ma­ny royall tytles of lordshyppes. For this alone is suffycyent now in our tyme, to that that knygh­tes and prynces (be they neuer so moche vnlearned and foolyshe, yea and thoughe theyr myndes otherwhyles do stande nothyng towardes it) may by the cōmen­dacyōs of theyr parentes & kyns­folkes, and otherwhyles by gyf­tes and rewardes be sodeynly [Page]made bysshops. But in good sadnes. Thou seyst pleynly that the Apostle Paule doth cal these onely bysshops, whiche doo preache the gospell vnto the people, and do mynystre vnto them the sacra mentes, as nowe in our tyme be the parysshe preestes and y^e prea­chers, All true preachers ben Bys­shops. wherfore I do not doubte but these, although they do preache the gospell, but to very lytle vyllages and graunges, and yf they be the faythful and true my nysters of the worde: I doo not doubte (I saye) that they haue by good ryght the tytle and name of a bysshoppe. Contraryewyse those valyaunt horsemē and ty­rānous bysshops haue no poynt of y^e offyce of a bysshop, sauynge onely those bare goodly tytles, & certeyne disguysed apparayll, in lyke maner as those bysshops [Page]whiche are paynted on a wall, haue in dede the shape and lyke­nes of bysshops, but they are without lyfe and speache. For euen such deade and ydle stockes and blockes are the popes bys­shops in euery poynt: albeit that then they are ouer more stronge and quycke whē they do exercyse tyrannous crueltie agaynst the very pastours, which do busylye gouerne cyties in the mynystra­cyon of the worde of god, and by more then deuylysshe tyranny do forbede them holy wedlocke, & to the open sclaunder of the church do wynke at y^e kepyng of whores do blaspheme the gospell, do ex­tyncte the worde of god, & vnder the pretence & colour of vertue and godlynes do with incredy­ble wodnes exercyse contynual­ly extreme tyranny vpon the sely pore people. By y^e reason wherof [Page]we doo se in the courtes & palay­ces of some bysshops, lykewyse as in y^e fountayne of al vyce and myschyef y^e courte of Rome, the courte of Rome. not so moche as one crūme, not so moch as the leaste shadowe to be founde of chrysten maners, we se also al the cyties of preestes, and namely those noble seates of pre­stes, to be nothyng elles but sco­les of vnclenlynes & bodely pleasures, warkehouses of vyces, in so moch y^t in comparison of theyr houses the courtes of y^e seculare prynces maye be accompted mo­nasteryes and holy scoles of ver­tue & godlynes, yea & Sodome and Gomorre in comparyson of them may seme tēperate measu­rable, & thryftye. For out of theyr courtes or houses cōmeth forthe neyther the gospel, nor any other holy doctryne: but only citaciōs, [Page]excōmunycacyons, exaccyons, in terdyccyons, cytacyons (I saye) in very dede peremptorie, that is to say sleers both of goodes and of soules. For suche as the bys­shops are them selues, suche also is theyr doctryne. Prouer­hes. And thoughe thou do neuer so moch clothe an asse with a lyons skynde: yet he contynueth styll an asse, and an ape is styll an ape, althoughe he be cladde in purple, besydes this saynt Paule wryteth to the Phi­lippians in this wyse.

‘PAule and Timothe the ser­uauntes of Iesu Chryst, Philippi to all the sayntes in Chryste Iesu, whiche are in the cytie Philippi and to the bysshops also and the deacons. &c.’

LOo Philippi was but one­ly one cytie, and yet saynt [Page]Paule saluteth all them that be­leueth, together with the bys­shops, vndoubtedly y^e bysshops, whome he meaneth there, were the preestes, lykewyse as he was wonte to constytute and ordeyne in all the other cyties. This is nowe the thyrde place of Paule, in which we do se, what god and the holy ghoste hath constytuted and ordeyned, that is to wytte, that they onely are called bys­shops in verye dede, & by ryght, whiche do take & beare the char­ge of the people in the admyny­stracyon of goddes worde / in ca­rynge for the pore flolke / in y^e ad­mynystracyon of the sacramētes as are nowe in our dayes y^e chrysten curates or parysshe preestes yf they myght be suffred for tho­se mytred horse men. Curates or parys­she prestꝭ. And y^e this belongeth to the offyce of a bys­shop, [Page]the very worde it selfe doth verye well declare / For this wor­de Episcopus is deryuyed of. Episco­pus. ii. greke wordes, Epi, and Scopin whiche sygnyfye to gyue atten­daunce to ouerse, to gyue dylygē ce, to playe y^e keper or watche mā ouer the people, in lyke maner as watche men do kepe watche vpō the walles of a cytie / or as shepe herdes doo kepe watche vppon theyr shepe. And episcopus ī gre­ke dothe properly sygnyfye in englysshe an ouerseer / and in the hebrue it sygnyfyeth a vysytoure, y^e is to saye, one whiche vysyteth men at theyr owne house, & doth dylygently enquyre and searche the condycyon of theym, and the state of theyr lyfe, beynge redye egally and indyfferently to helpe and comforte all men. So Chry­ste saythe in the .xix. chapytre of [Page]Mathewe.

‘BEcause thou haste not kno­wen the tyme of thy vysytacyon.’

THat whiche is there called, tyme of vysytacyon / we cal y^e tyme of thy bysshopriche. But oure papystycall bysshops haue founde and deuysed a cer­tayne newe proffe and declaracy on of that Episcopall offyce, se­melye for suche as they are / that is to sytte theym selues a hyghe in a chayre gylted, cladde in pur­ple, with cusshens of cloth of tys­sue vndre theyr buttockes and theyr elbowes, hauynge habun­daunce and plentye of all maner delytes and pleasures, as moche as any kynges can haue: and in the meane season to offre and [Page]sette forthe the men belongynge to theyr gouernaunce, to be pyl: led, Official­ses. tormēted, and flayne of theyr offycyalles (to whom they make theyr flockes subiectes (men for the moste parte wycked, vngod­ly, & whiche do thynke that there is no god / whiche then may also with theyr cōmaundementes at theyr owne plesure by cōpulsyon cause to appere at those theyr holy consistories, persones y^e dwelle very farre of, not without damage and hurte both in goodes & in theyr soules / and may exercyse & vse all maner of extreme tyrānye vpon theym. For as moche then as nowe it is euydent and open of these thre places of y^e apostle, that those bysshops, whiche are so farre away from mynystracy­on of goddes worde, and be ne­glygent aboute theyr duetie, are [Page]not onely no true bysshops, but rather the people of malediccion before god, as the men which haue setled theyr myndes agaynste the statutes and ordenaunces of god to extyncte the gospell, and do exalte them selues to destroye soules. It is euery chrysten mannes duetie by al lawfull and ho­nest meanes that he may, to pro­cure that theyr tyrannous & syn­full tradycyons, may ones be vt­terly contynued and come to confusyon. It belongeth (I saye) to euery chrystē mānes duetye man fully and with great confydence and boldnes where charyte wyll suffre without offendynge y^e weake to endeuoure hym selfe to do all thynges whiche are contrary to theyr tradycyons, none other­wyse then he wolde do agaynste the deuyll hym selfe. And also to [Page]trede vnder the feete and vtterly despyse the obedyence of theym, by whiche they desyre to haue, theyr owne tradycyons greatlye regarded and obserued, the wor­de of god neglected and nothyn­ge sette by) euen as they wolde treade vnder theyr feete the very deuyll hym selfe. All we therfore (yf it so be that we haue pytie of so many soules whiche do perys­she for euer, yf we be earnestlye moued and styrred with the worde of god) owe with oure vtter­moste dylygence to go aboute, & with very great contencyon and straynīg of our selues to labour aboute this, Old euyl bissops to be charitably refor­med & yf y^ey refuse to be reformed, then newe and good bys­shopes to be put in theyr pla­ces. that there maye a­gayne accordynge to the instytu­cyon of the apostle, very bysshoppes & shepeherdes be cōstytuted euery where in cyties, whiche be [Page]men pure, & vertuous, and well learned in holy scrypture, and in spyrytuall thynges / whiche haue chaste wyues, and chyldren obe­dyent (as the apostle saythe) in the feare of the lorde. Wherfore seynge that the bysshoppes and pastours euery where in the Cy­ties, which are nowe a dayes, ha­ue hytherto rather obeyed the deuyll then god, byndynde theym selues, agaynste the scrypture, to this wycked vowe of lyuynge, syngle, or sole (yf there be any poynte of chrysten breste or myn­de in vs) we ought to gyue dylygence and bestowe labours, for a reformacion of y^e same to be had, by the kynge our onely supreme hedde of the churche, in whome onely the reformacyon lyeth, so that ones such a reformaciō had, [Page]the pore captyue soules may bollye, to contempte of the deuyll, & his papystycall tradycions, reuoke those vowes, as beynge thro­ughe errour made with y^e deuyll and with the very gates of helle, and that they may accordynge to the worde of god wedde wyues / and rather be wyllyng (accordyn ge to y^e instytucion of saynt Paule) to be good maryed men in the syghte of god, then for the plea­sure of those baudes the Roma­nystes to be adulterers and hore kepers. For the verye tyme it self doth now in so great reuelacyon of the gospell requyre that ones at the laste the holye ordynacyon of the spyryte of god, whiche can not be but very good, shuld be restored and sette vp agaynst those prophane and abhomynable tradycyons of men. Loo this is my [Page]decre agaynst those prowde puf­fed Bulles of the deuyll, The de­cre of the author. and of the deuylysshe Romanystes and theyr fautours. Neyther do they here and obey me, but they here & obey god and the spyryte of god: who soeuer do here & obey this. And therfore I can also in verye dede promyse both euerlastynge lyfe, and also the fauoure of god to all those, what soeuer they be that do in fayth obserue and ke­pe it. And because this shall not be iudged y^e ordynacyon of Paule alone / (For it is reported, that the deane & chanons of a certay­ne cathedrall churche dyd say af­ter a blasphemous maner & fas­cyon, openly to a precher, whom they dyd expulse for the gospell sake, what of paule? Chanons and Chanonlyke. what of paule: The pope hath receyued more power of Chryste then euer Paule [Page]dyd) and for y^e pleasure of those so swete and gentyll men and ex­cellently deuylysshe preestes, let vs se what Peter, & what Chry­ste hym selfe do saye concernyng this matyer. In y^e fyfte chapitre of the fyrste epystle of Peter, it is thus wryten.

PEter, euēlykewyse as Paule dyd, dothe vse these two wordꝭ presbyter and Episcopus bothe for one thynge / that is to wytte, that they are Episcopi, whiche do teache the people, and do preache the worde of god / and he maketh theym all of egall po­wer one with another / and he for byddeth theym to behaue theym selues so, as yf they were lordes, or hadde domynyons ouer those whom they haue charge of, he calleth hym self a felowe preest, (y^t I may so say) by these wordes euy­dētly declarynge & prouyng, that [Page]all parysshe preestes & bysshops of cyties are of egall power amō ge them selues, and as touchyng to y^e auctorytie of a bysshop, that one is nothynge superyor to an other, and that he hym selfe also is felowe preest with theym, and hath nomore power and auctorytie in his owne cytie then haue y^e other or euery one of theym in theyr owne congregacion. Lo peter maketh hym selfe egall & not superyour to the bysshops / what I beseche you wyll those beastes allege here agaynst these thyngꝭ whiche do not cease not onely to be lordes and haue domynyon, but also to exercyse moste cruell tyrannye vpon our soules & our goodes / which also do neuer cea­se with excedynge madde brau­lynges and suytes to contende & stryue amōge them selues about [Page]the dyfference, & degrees of pow­er & auctoryte. And that I maye ones make & ende, Chryste hym selfe in the .xxii. chapytre of Lu­ke saythe.

‘THe prynces of y^e paynymes are lordes ouer theym, and they whiche haue power and au­ctorytie ouer theym are called be nefycyall and gracyous / but it shall not be so amonge you / but he that is eldest amonge you, let hym be made as yongest.’

HEreunto, herken and gyue good attendaūce you pom pous & lordly bysshops. Lo all y^e hole Chrysten people requyre of you a reason & cause of your do­mynacyon and lordshyp, whiche you haue hytherto with so many tytles and also with so many ty­rannous [Page]dedes taken, vyolently vsurped, & chalenged vnto your selues / Lo I say y^e chrysten worlde requyreth a cause of this your doynge / for this you can not de­nye whiche is so open & euydent afore y^e iyes of all men, that your kyngedome is an outwarde and a worldlye kyngedome / yea and that more worldly, then the kyngdome of any worldly prynce. For you play the lordes openly bothe vpon the bodyes, and also the myndes / and that not by the worde of god, but by exteryour pom­pe / by exteryour and worldly ty­rannye / as other prynces and rulers of the hethen people do / I saye go to therfore nowe and tell me, Doe non sic. howe those wordes of Chryst vos autem non sic / that is, but [Page]so shall not you do / howe do they agree with that your kyngdome go to nowe because you shall not (as you are verye slypper) slyppe from me: let vs enserche and ponder well the naturall strengthe and sygnyfycatyon of the wor­des, what is the meanyng of the­se wordes. But you not so? For here vndoubtedlye is rebuked your kyngdome, and your condy cyon and state. For this ought not to be suche a one as it is, yf it were a Chrysten state.

¶ Nowe lette it be what soeuer maner one you wyll? yet for all that Chryste spekynge of the do­mynacyon of those worldly prynces, sayth playnlye vnto you (for you wyl seme to be bysshoppes.) [Page]But you shall not do so / tell me I saye, do not bothe your eares ryng and glowe at these wordes of the soueraygne maiestie, but you shal not so / why do you kepe scylence? why are you dumbe? Nowe let vs se what you begyn to answere w^t so many great bokes of decretalles vnto these wordes of one sillable vos autem nō sic. But you not so? I saye to you what can you say to this litle sentence of thre sillables, vos nō sic, you not so? peraduenture, as you are bolde to do and say all thyn­ges / suche is the madnes of you) you wyll begyn to make a cauyl­lacyon as though these wordes / vos non sic, The pa­pystꝭ wyl kepe the true significaciō of wordꝭ no lōger thē they lyste were as moch to say as ye shall do so, for so ye be wonte to chaunge at your pleasures the sygnyfycacyon of wordes.

And shall teache, that the Pope [Page]hath also more power and auctorytye then Chryst hym selfe. But why do I thus rebuke those ob­stynate persones? They are blynde and guydes of the blynde / I wyll here earnestly aduertyse the good gentyl reader, that thou do leaue and forsake these men, and euen lykewyse as yf thy deadely foo and enemye dyd come vnto the vndre the semblaunce and lykenes of a moch dearlye beloued brother, thou woldest at the least wyse haue hym in suspectyō, and woldest with great dylygence es­chewe his company: euen so now flee from those tourmentours of conscyences, and haue theym in suspectyon, whiche do come vn­dre y^e vysures and tytles of true bysshops and be none. For Pau­le hathe shewed before that lyke­wyse as the deuyll doth transfy­gure [Page]hym selfe in to an Aungell of lyght, euen so those his Apost­les shulde take vpon theym the lykenes and the name of the my­nysters of Iustyce, and of the Apostles of Chryste / but by theyr fruytes, that is to saye, by theyr workes and theyr doctrynes we do knowe them. For they do not preache nor suffre to be preached any other thynges, then lucre / and y^e chestes and coffres of In­dulgences and pardons.

¶ The fyfte vertue of the Bulle of the bysshop of Rome.

I He Pope taketh vpō hym power and auc­torytie to chaunge vowes, For mo­ney vow­cebe chaū ged. in to other good workes, and that not frelye and for nothynge, but for money: but [Page]yet alwayes the vowes are ex­cepted of goynge to saynte Ia­mes, to Rome, to Hyerusalem, and also the vowe of chastytie. Many thynges ben heretofore wryten concernynge vowes whiche be nothynge nedefull to be rehersed here agayne in this place. But yf I do here demaunde of the Pope of Rome, that blynde hedde, A questy on concernynge vowes. and begynne to call sore vpon hym for an answere, what is the cause that he dare dispence with certeyne vowes onely, and not with all vowes indyfferent­lye. I knowe well ynoughe, he knowethe not what other an­swere to make, then that of the thynges whiche are vowed some are greate, as for example, to ly­ue chaste: and some agayne are smalle thynges and of no greate wayghte, as for example to faste [Page]breade and water. And therfore he maye chaunge the vowe of lytyll thynges, but not lykewyse of great thynges / Lo howe starke blynde this people of vysures is, and without eyther wyt or bray­ne: whiche do esteme and iudge the wayght and value of vowes not accordyng to the vertue and strength of goddes cōmaunde­ment, but accordyng to workes. But I pray the tell me, is it not an othe aswell, when thou swerest depely in a matier of thre halfepens as yf thou haddest swor­ne in a matyer of an hundred ta­lentes? Is not the Relygion and strength of the othe in all poyn­tes egall in bothe those thynges why then shulde it not be egally kepte bothe in lytle thynges and in great thynges: Shuld it ther­fore be broken in a great sūme, be [Page]cause it is an harder thynge to pay an hundred talentes, then to pay thre halfepens? This people therfore of vysures is pleynlye madde, and in all poyntes starke furyous wood, wherfore embra­ce thou this substancyall and fyr me and stable sentence.

¶ Neuer make thou in mans la­we any difference of vowes as cō cernynge the bygnes or smalnes of the worke selfe, as though one vowe were dyspensable, and another indyspensable. For the bon­de, relygyon, and strength of the vowe, is of lyke effycacytie and strength aswell in great thynges as in lytell thynges, so that the vowe of lyuynge sole without a wyfe, maye as well be dispensed with all as y^e vowe to Ierusalē. For in the one, the othe, and pro­myse is sworne, and made as de­pelye [Page]and ernestly as in the other and ought therfore to be perfor­med the one aswell as the other. This shalbe more easy to perceyue yf we cōpare the nature of mā nes lawe w^t the nature of godes lawe. The nature of goddes la­we is suche, that it maye not be dispensed with al, eyther in great thynges or lytell thynges, as all good chrysten men graunt. Neyther doth it make any dyfference betwene great thynges & smalle thynges, sayinge. Thou mayste leaue vndone the vowes of lytel thynges, but the vowes of great thyngꝭ thou shalte be compelled to kepe obserue and fulfyll, nor yet contrarywyse. Thou muste obserue and kepe the vowes of smalle thynges, but as for the vowes of paynfull, greate, and [Page]heuye thynges, thou mayste leue vndone and be dyspensed with all. The lawe of god saythe not so I saye, but byndethe all men indyfferentlye to the obseruacy­on therof vnder the payne of dā ­nacyon without any remedye of mānes dyspensacyon. Wherfore in mānes lawe, whose force and strength may not be lyke, the contrarye muste nedes be true, that all other vowes not conteyned within the precept of god, as the vowe to lyue sole without a wy­fe, to vysyte Saynt Iames in cōpostella, with all other suche lyke, and all monkysshe, monys­she, and freerrysshe vowes, be they greate or smalle, be clerelye dyspensable, and maye be broken as well one as an other, as well the greate as the smalle.

Or els muste the bysshop of Ro­me and his fautours, the lordes of such vowes and lawes confesse and defende, theyr lawes to be of the same nature that is the la­we of god, that is to wytte, that they may not be dyspensed with all, & y^t they them selues ben mo­reouer in that poynte checke mate with god in power, yea in eue­ry poynte, where in theyr lawe is (as they say) indyspensable. And for asmoche as nothynge in any condycyon can be egall to god but that nedes that same thynge also must be god, it argueth then that, that synfull man of Rome, with any such as he is, whiche in any degree or poynte shall take vpon them to be of lyke & egall power with god, muste of neces­sytye make them selues goddes, all thoughe it be but halfe god­des, [Page]quarter goddes, pesyd god­des, and patched goddes, yea false goddes and Idoles.

¶ Wherfore do not in any wyse good reader gyue credence to these deceyuers. Neyther do thou truste and put confydence in those byenges and sellynges of dys­pensacyons, and commutacyons of vowes. For they haue none auctorytye, wherbye they maye chaūge any vowe cōteyned with in the worde of god. For where they maye chaunge vowes as in thynges of mannes inuencyon and in thynges indyfferent, there maye thou thy selfe & any other man who soener he be do the sa­me. I meane betwyxte god and the, so that there ryse no offence and sclaunder therof, and boldly dyspence for all maner vowes. Forels to chaunge vowes com­prehended [Page]within goddes worde is nothyng els, The vo: wes are not to be changed. but to abrogate & adnull this precept of god / vouete et reddite / that is to say / vowe you and paye your vowes. yf the cōmaundement of god maye be abrogated in one artycle: by the same ryghte it maye be abroga­ted in alle poyntes. For it is a playne and a generall commaundement of all vowes comprysed within the lymyttes of holy scry­pture. For yf this wyndowe be opened to the Pope, that he hathe power to chaunge suche vowes, whether they be smalle or great / then myghte he forth with do the same lykewyse in al vowes. And then it shulde folowe by and by after, that he maye also dyspence in the fyrste cōmaundement, that is to wyt, that god oughte not to be loued with al our herte, & that [Page]our neyghboure ought not to be loued as our owne selues / And it shulde folowe forthwith, that he myght gyue lycēce to worshyp an Idole w^t exteryour worshyp / or to cōmytte adulterie with pore menes wyues, although it were neuer so vnlauful to cōmytte the same with greate Lordes wyues because it is in a greate mater. Bryefly in a thousande other ly­ke, I wyll not say inconuenyent & vnresonable thyngꝭ, but won­dres, but mōsters of errours shulde folowe, as soone as it shall be ones laufull to chaūge but euen one tytle of any one cōmaunde­mēt of god / So thou seest nowe and perceyuest, that this coue­tous Balaam, and these hypo­chrytes and vysures, doo gyue theyr myndes to none other thynge, thenne vnto this onelye that [Page]they may for lucre & aduayle make the cōmaundement of god of small strength and effecte. wher­fore flee, flee this Balaam / for he can in no wyse chaunge not euen the leaste vowe that is corrobo­rate by the worde of god. But yf it be so y^t one vowe may be chaū ­ged, I saye vnto the, it is free for the withoute any coste or charge though thou doste paye nothyng to the Romanystes, to chaūge all maner other vowes. Here we my ghte haue large mater to dyspu­te of concernynge vowes: but it apperteyneth not to this place / For in other places it is largelye ynoughe spoken of, & peraduen­ture (yf nede requyre) we shall he reafter entrete more largely of y^e same. Let these thynges suffyce now at this peruerte tyme. Fyrst there are certeyne vowes or pro­myses [Page]made vnto mē. Of vowꝭ made to men. And these vowes do bynde so lōge, as he to whom they haue be made, dothe exacte & requyre y^e same to be per­formed / & of this maner vowes, we do not speake here. Dowes made to god. Secunda rylye there are certeyne vowes made to god, or to his sayntes. And those also are made in two maners or wyse. Fyrste they are made agaynste god and his pre­ceptes, and those are vtterly not to be obserued. But those which are not agaynste god, are to be obserued and kepte. Here nowe ryseth a verye harde doubte, whiche are those vowes that are ma­de agaynste god and his precep­tes. Here it is profytable and expedyent to consyder and weyghe dylygentlye and sadlye the tenne cōmaundementes / & we wyll be­gynne at the leaste of theym all. [Page]yf thou woldest vowe to luste af­ter the goodes or the wyfe of thy neyghbour, A synful and a cursed vowe. yf thou woldest vo­we to beare false wytnes, steale, cōmyt adulterye, kyll or sle / bryefly yf thou woldeste vowe not to loue thy neyghboure, nor owe to hym good wyll: thou perceyuest well and seest that suche maner vowe is wycked and vnlaufull / and suche one, as thou cannest not kepe without the indygna­cyon & dyspleasure of almyghty god. This thynge (I suppose) is more euydent, then that any man maye denye it more ouer yf thou woldeste vowe not to obeye thy father and mother: doubtles it is euydent, that all these thynges are playne repugnaunt and con­trarye to the cōmaūdementes of god. Why are we then so blynde so obstynate, & so brutysshe, and [Page]vnresonable, that we do obserue these vowes, whiche are so open­ly and euydently agaynst the preceptes of god? Is it not agaynst the precept of god, when the dou­ghter is maryed to a man of yonge or myddle age agaynst y^e wyll of her parentes, or elles without any knowlege at all gyuen vnto theym? Is it not contarye to the preceptes of god / when the sone or the doughter, agaynst theyr parentes wyll do vowe to entre in to Relygyon, or elles dothe re­ceyue those vnholy ordres, whi­che the cōmen sorte of preestes doo receyne callynge theym ho­lye ordres / Hathe not god hym selfe in the .xxx. chapytre of Nu­meri abrogated and adnulled suche maner vowes or promyses? Numeri. 30. deuotꝭ and moreouer hathe he not ī this [Page]wyse interpreted & declared this precept? Agayne is it not against the cōmaundement of god, when eyther y^e husbāde or els the wyfe doth vowe to go in pylgrymage to saynt Iames? to do this thyn­ge or that thyng, namely when y^e wyfe may not be without her husbande, nor y^e husbande wante the presence of his wyfe? Come of nowe and tell me, The vo­we of matrymony. is this vowe a gaynst the precept of god, which hath enioyned to the husbande y^t he shulde prouyde and sette dylygently for his wyfe and his chyl­dren, & not to go from them, and leaue theym destytute of his hel­pe and succoure / And yet for all this that Idole of Rome, & that kynge of vysures, maketh this vowe of Pylgrymage to saynte Iames inuiolable, & such one as no man may in any wyse breake [Page]in so moche y^e he dothe also in his bulle except it by name as a thynge indyspensable. Notwithstan­dynge y^t yf he wolde shewe hym selfe a very bysshop, he oughte (& not without good cause) both to speake agaynste, yea and also to abolyshe and vtterly destroy all suche maner of vowes. But the Pope dothe in all poyntes, as be cometh suche one as he is to do. For it is fyt and, semely for hym after this maner to prohybyte & forbydde that whiche god dothe promyt and also cōmaunde / and contrary wyse agayne, to cōmaū de that, whiche god dothe forfende / and to destroye that, whiche god edyfyeth / & to buylde that, whiche god dothe destroye. For howe coulde he elles be Pope? But O wold god these abhomy­nable & deuelysshe hypochrytes [Page]and vysures dyd erre only to the re owne hurte / dyd leade theym selues only out of the ryghtway, were euyll and wycked to theyr owne harmes alone: for thē they myghte somwhat be suffered / or elles yf nedelye it pleased theym in this wyse to be madde, they were to be honoured worldly, as men whiche had deserued well of vs / to be tolerated, as hethen prī ­ces / But nowe for as moche as they do with so incredyble furye and woodnes seduce so manye conscyences, do murdre and slee so manye soules, and with theyr owne tradycyons do openlye not onely obscure and make darke and deface the worde of god, but also do scrape it out, & put it out of mynde, and vtterlye destroye it: no mā vndoubtedly that wyse is & aduysed wyll desyre moderatyon [Page]to be vsed here, no man wyl requyre sylence to be vsed in this mater, in whiche no man may kepe silence without abhomynable greate synne / and without open and euydent vnkyndnes & blas­phemye agaynst god. Pycke the hense with thy moderacyon and sylence, who soeuer thou be, that for feare of men, thynkest it but a small thynge openlye to cōmyt so open blasphemyes agaynste god. Let no man here speake to me of moderacyon, of somewhat mylder wrytynge, and of suche other vayne tryfles. Let no man bable to me of reuerence to begyuen to theym. Lette no man prate to me of patyence and of chry­sten sufferaūce here ī this matyer It is an accursed sylence whiche leueth these thyngꝭ vntouched. It is a cursed reuerence, whiche [Page]here forbeareth and gyueth pla­ce, and doth as it were open a certeyne great dore, and gyue occa­syon to so blodye tyrauntes, and to so cruell wolues, blodye & fre­ly to murther and to make hauo­ke of mēnes soules and conscyences. But nowe for as moche as we haue spoken ynough of these lette vs touche somwhat concer­nynge the vowes of Relygyous persones. The vo­wes of re­lygyous persones. Albeit that in an other place it be treated of in a hole boke peculyerlye appoynted to the same. And here fyrste oure bys­shops and goodly vysures shall haue both theyr eares ryngynge and glowyng / and here they shal fyrste gnasshe with theyr teathe. Here they shall make greuous and tragycall exclamacyons I saye you goodlye pastoures, (for I wyll demaunde a questy on he­re [Page]of you (come of nowe and tell me, yf preestes, monkes, freres, and nūnes, dyd vowe to kepe the rules and ordynaunces of theyr ordres in vnbelefe, or in supersty cyon or in the Iudycall belefe. I praye you make answere, shulde they be any better then adulte­rers, or those whiche had made a vowe to corrupt and defyle theyr neyghbours wyfe? Tell me I be sech you, shuld not this be a playne renyenge of Chrystes faythe, and to offende more greuouslye then yf a man dyd cōmytte tenne adulteryes? But howe many are there nowe in all this hole secte of preestes, of monkes, of freers, of nūnes, whiche haue not by the reason hereof forsaken the fayth of Chryste, and hath enwrapped and entangled hym felf and his conscience in Iudycall supersty­cyon? [Page]And ꝑaduenture these thynges seme straūge thyngꝭ vnto y^e. But I beseche y^e harken what is the very crysten fayth. The very chrysten fayth is this, The ve­rye chry­stē fayth. thou doste beleue y^e thou arte iustyfyed & sa­ued not by any workes, but onely through fayth in Chryste, as me­dyator, & by the mercy whiche is frely gyuen in hym (as it is wry­ten in the fyrste chapytre to the Galathyanes) so y^e a man do des­payre of all his owne strengthe & power & of all his owne enforce­mentes, & all his owne workes / & do all togyther & holy truste & hā ge vpon the merytes & the Iustyce of an other man, that is to wyt of Chryst. It is not a Iudaycall fayth, to be wyllyng to be iustyfyed, to y^t is to haue remyssyon of synne & to be saued by workꝭ / by theyr owne propper strength and [Page]merites? Roma. x. Is not the fay the of Chryst by this reiecte and refused, as of whome those ho­lye men haue no nede, or at the leaste wyse haue no great neade? Nowe therfore lette euery man euen of the cōmen people be Iudge whether a greate parte of pre­stes, of monkes, freers, and nun­nes, do not begynne y^e ordynaunces of theyr secte in that faythe. For these goodlye bostynge wor­des they do vse cōmenly & opēlye for this entent (say they) I do embrace & professe this maner of ly­uynge: y^t I maye purchase some meryte vnto my selfe aboue y^e cō ­men maner of lyuynge of chry­sten men / for why shuld I els be a mōke, or a freer / & they do ascry be y^t thynge to workes & ceremo­nyes which ought to be ascribed onely to Christe, and fayth onely [Page]I praye you tell me, what other thyng is this, then to deny Chryste, & to seke holynes and ryght­wysenes in vnbelefe and hypo­chrysie: that is to say, to be made of chrysten men very Iewes and paynymes / saynt Petre sayth.

‘THose, whiche were verelye escaped, they allure and be gyle, and do kepe theym stylle in erroure.’

ANd that them selues are Iewes and paynymes, Iewes payny­mes. they do theyr owne selues confesse / For what entent (saye they) shulde I be a monke, a frere, or a nūne? Why shulde I trouble and vere my selfe with so many holy obseruaunces and ceremonyes: except I could by these meanes purchace and gette a prerogatyue, and [Page]shorte spede vnto saluacyon aboue y^e cōmen sorte of chrysten men, or aboue worldlye persones? For this is theyr communycacyon. Thou herest that these are more then pharysaycall wordes of hy­pochrytes, and of men puttynge confydence & trust in theyr owne workes: in whome Chryste hath no maner place or worke at all. Is it any doubte, that all these men do loke for that thynge of the workes, and I wot not what obseruaunces of theyr ordres: whiche they ought to haue loked for of Chryste, and of the mercye of god promysed in Chryst, wherfore it is as certayne as any thynge maye be, that all Collegyate churches and all monasteryes, in which there are preestes, mon­kes or freers lyuynge in such maner hypochrysy & perylous truste [Page]and belefe: are farre more fylthye and abhomynable, than any stu­es, then any bordell howses / or any dennes of theues. And therfore it is also brought to passe by y^e wrathe and indygnacyon of god that as it were for a sygne & marke, these preestes are moste polluted and defyled with all kyndes welnere and sortes of flesshely lustes & plesures. For whē through suche maner hypochrysie of wor­kes they do vyolate the chastytie and purytie of the chrysten fayth then for a punysshement, Hypochrysye of workes. they ar gyuen in to that vnclennes, that they do also vyolate the chastyte of theyr bodyes / as saynt Peter doth saye, that they do allure vn­to the desyres and lustes of the flesshe / Soo all ordres, and all vowes, because they are moste parte of theym agaynst the fyrste [Page]the seconde, and the thyrde, com­maundemente of god / are to be eschewed, and fledde frome, as from a pestylence. And I wolde hertelye aduertyse and counsay­le all relygyous persones and all suche maner Iustycyaryes, Relygy­ous perso­ues. that they shulde here chose eyther the one or the other of these two: that is to wytte, eyther to leaue and forsake this Iudaycal fayth and truste in workes / and to leane to the knowelage and the vse and profyte of Chryste / and to begyn theyr lyfe agayne in fayth: or el­les rather lette them, yf they may not frelye, optayne lycence to for sake, bothe theyr relygyous ha­byte, and also theyr Monastery­es / and lette theym retourne vn­to y^e symplycyte, which is in our Sauyoure Chryste Ihesu, and let theym chose rather any other [Page]honeste and godlye kynde of ly­uynge. And thou oughtest to do none otherwyse here in this thynge, then yf thou dyddest openlye kepe an harlot in thy companye. For there, yf thou wylte lyue vertuouslye and godlye: eyther thou muste forsake thyne harlot or els marie her to thy wyfe. Lo here is that spyrytuall Baal, of whome by the gyfte of god there is wry­ten a lytell boke, wherin by scryptures and argumentes it is stronge ynoughe proued, that the pro­fessyon of Monastycall vowes is of it selfe, wycked and herety­call, and that it is a verye harde thynge to brynge aboute, that a mā may vse it well. And I doub­te not but that by these thynges good myndes and conscyences, and also reason ben there by well satyfyed so that from henseforth [Page]I hope that there shall not be so many, whiche shall be begyled and perysshe thoroughe the Re­lygyous lyfe and that wretched clarkshype. And yf some certayn men ben therwith myscontent, as thoughe in the sayde boke were preached lybertye to preestes, monkes, freers: and nūnes, and that monasteryes and temples, shulde be pulled downe and de­stroyed. I do not greatlye mar­ueyle hereof. For who can satys­fy those wycked men, which wyll heare nothynge, but that whiche semethe good to theym selues / and whiche (as salomon saythe) ben setteled in theyr owne folys­she hertes. Agayne on the other syde yf they shulde be demaun­ded a reason and cause of theyr tradycions, they can do nothyng els but shewe theyr purple cardynall [Page]hattes, & theyr bysshops myters, & w^t a lordly countenaunce breake out & say, dost thou not se that I am a cardynall, dost thou not know, that I am a bysshop? What doste y^u requyre the know lege of srypture, or a cause of his belefe in a bysshop? What neade hath a bysshop of any suche smal tryfles, the cure & charge wherof may be put vnto his chapleynes? And what meruayle is it, y^t those presumptuous men & trustynge to theyr selues, do vse so earnest, so wayghtie, & so prowde wordes sith it is so y^t they onely haue y^e holy ghost, ī so moche y^t wher soeuer they be assembled & gathered to gyther, there is vndoubtedly the holy ghoste? Syth it is so (I say) that they haue not onely the holy ghost, but euen y^e most holy spry­re / y^t is to wyt y^e spryte of y^e Pope, [Page]whiche is not only (as Chryst is called of Peter in y^e actes) ryght uous & holy: but also is moste holy. But veryly I am vtterly we­ry to speke any more hereof those cursed abuses & bulles of the Pope / & I wyll dyfferre & put of, vntyll they happelye do begynne to graūt agaynst these thyngꝭ, whi­che I haue sayd. At this tyme it is suffycient to know, that all mē are bounden before god with his worde, yea & otherwyse yf they ben in iuste auctoryte to destroy, & vtterly to extyncte these bulles of y^e popes indulgencꝭ & ꝑdons. Besides this not onely to cōdempne & despyse those hypochrytes & vysures, which do publysshe & preche thē as vnlerned & wycked bestes: but also to shunte thē & to flee from them, as from wolues, and cruell Lyons, accordynge to [Page]the doctryne of the apostles, both Peter & also Paule. And that I maye ones ende these complayn­tes procedyng of moste rightfull sorowe and grefe. I beseche you tell me, is not this also an excel­lent dede, and suche as hath not ben harde of before in any nacyō or in any age or tyme, that our bysshops by the grace of god be­rynge small fauoure towardes goddes worde and lykewyse a­gayne standynge but smally in fauoure, with it do not secretlye but openlye forbyd preestes ho­nest matrymonyes. And (that a man may knowe the apostles of Sathan dryued at ones of all furyes) do they not with threte­nynge of emprysonementes and of the swerde, stoutely go aboute this, that that holye and good­ly chastytie (whiche is no thynge [Page]at al mynisshed nor appayred by so many thousandes of harlottꝭ by so many monsturous kyndes of lecherye) shulde not by wed­locke, that is to witte (as they cal it) a laye and a prophane thyng, peraduenture suffre some dama­ge and hynderaunce. And lorde howe my mynde coueteth and desyreth here to make rehersall by name of these cyties belongynge to preestes, in which euery where almost thorugh out all chrysten­dome we do se so manye and so greate flockes of vnhoneste wo­mē and that for none other cause but bicause they are kepte not of the cōmen people, but of prestes) to be mayntayned none otherwyse, then yf it were a companye of honest matrones, to y^e open sclaū der of the churche / & to be fedde in ydlenes with delycate meates [Page]and drynkes / to haue the honorable name and tytles of families / and moreouer after y^e similitude & maner of temples (as the psal­miste saythe) to be cladde in pur­ple, Psalmo C. vliii. and decked, and garnysshed with golde, peerle, and precyous stones. I say I haue moche a do to holde my tonge from namyng of them: but yet I wyll refrayne vntyll some defender of such maner chastyte do ryse, whiche wyll go aboute to defende and mayn­tayne this holye contynencye of prestes, But oh peuyshe fole, and vnmanerlye carter that I am, which dare be so bold to call such bysshoppes baudes, and theyr worshypfull cathedrall churches stues. But go forthe on you pa­pistes bysshoppes procede lucke­ly to that wherunto your vertue leadeth you / & for asmoch as you thynke it a smal thynge, and not [Page]ynough that all men do dyspray­se you, and speake euyll of you / that are hated of the people / and that in a maner your name is despysed of euery good man: encreace you & heape you harred vpon hatred / for (as he sayethe) they whiche ones ouerleaped and passed the bondes of shamefastnes, Cicero in his epi­stles must nedes be excedynge bolde & shameles for if you had not short lye as it were, wasshed awaye this your so great fauour of the people, w^t some newe hatred / yf you were not now ymages & dū ­be blockꝭ: it lacked not moch, but y^e for excedige great loue, & for so many excellēt benefytꝭ of yours, we wold haue setvp your ymagꝭ made of gold, in y^e market place / and why shuld we not put you to worshyp, settynge vp ymages & such other monumētꝭ for a memorial to be had of you: sith it is so y^e [Page]you) yf I be not begyled (haue verye wel deseruyd it with your merytes / and euen nowe also open­ly defendyng the kepyng of hoo­res bothe with your wordes and your dedes, do heape meritꝭ vpō merytes / fyrste you are youre selues more vnchast then I wyll reherse, & do wynke at so manye whoredomes, and at so many stu [...]s & bordel houses buylded roūd aboute your churches (for what other thynge are cōmenly all the prestes houses?) and some of you whiche I coulde name doo your selues also kepe harlottes. Se­cundarylye you do fede and no­rysshe your selues most delicate­ly and tenderlye in ryote and pleasures with the bloode and swe­te of poore men / Besydes, empo­ueryshynge and beggerynge the worlde with your guyles and deceyptes, [Page]you do with your excō ­munycacions and interdiccyons vexe and tosse all thynges vp & downe, afflictynge and tormen­tyng poore men, both in soule, in bodye, and in theyr goodes / you do extyncte and destroye the gos­pelles / & not ōely you your selues doo no maner worke belongyng to the offyce of a bisshop, but also you wyll not suffre any other mē to preache the worde of god / you do pursue the preachers, from cytie to cytie, (as it was prophecy­ed in the .xxiii. chapytre of Ma­thue) and you do expulse thē as knaues and vyle wretches out of al your dominions / and yet in the meane season your selues are nothynge elles in cōparyson but visures, whome as vnprofitable burdeynes of darthe the worlde can no lēger beare nor suffre, one [Page]les you do waxe wyse & amende. Wherfore here labour & applye your selues lustelye & stoutelye y^e you do not please y^e people ouer moche / encreace your benefites & good dedes / gyue diligens luste­ly that there maye not nede any great busynes to destroy your tyranny, whyles you do shake out your owne selues, and do youre owne selues wylfully rōne forth to your owne confusyon and destruccyon / I verely (to gyue you good & faythfull coūsayle) wolde not aduertyse you y^t you shulde purchace & ger vnto your selues the fauour & loue of the people, w^t myldenes, w^t mercifulnes, w^t softnes, with pascience / and sin­cerite apostolicall / y^t is to wyt, w^t those vertues, w^t those holy mea­nes, which saynt Paule dyd vse / go forth & holde on as you haue [Page]begonne / this is euen y^e ryght & next way to vndoubted destruccion, wherunto you do so greatlye make hast / for euen so dyd your fathers y^e Iewes, into whose hy­pochrisie you are succeded, which whē they had slayne y^e lorde & au­thoure of lyfe Iesu Cryst, & had by decrees ꝓmulged and publysshed y^e gospelles to be forbedē yet could they not so rest vntyll they had ꝓuoked y^e romaynes and so had sought theyr owne vndoub­ted mischefe / which sayd romay­nes at y^e last settyng violētly vpō them, slewe them vp, & vtterly destroied thē / for how could you better obserue & fulfyl y^e which becometh your ꝑsonages to do: then yf you do go about & endeuer to proue & shewe your selues y^e very ryght & trewe sones & heyres of suche maner parētes / but here (I wene) they wyl do vpon thē all y^e [Page]hole episcopall armoure, The hole armoure or harnayse of y^e popes bys­shoppys. that is to wyt a purple Palle, and a for­ked mytre, vpon theyr hed, theyr gloues and theyr rynges with p̄ ­cious stones, to fence bothe theyr handes with all / they shall also haue theyr fete shode not in y^e preparacyō of y^e gospel of peace, but of y^e sādalle of vanite / & a syluer crosse hangyng downe to y^e myddes of theyr breste / & (yf I be not deceyuyd) a Romane pallealso couerynge theyr shulders / & a she­pherdes staffe to measure theyr pase / and so then hauyng this ar mure vpon them, with a statelye and a solempne gate they shall come forth, & saye / wylte thou y^e we shuld shewe the more playnly a cause, why we do kepe preestes from wedlocke: hathe not y^e most holy father y^e pope forbeden this by his lawes and holye canons: [Page]addynge also a penalytie vpon y^e same. For these shall be all the argumentes, reasons, and syllogis­mes, by which those excellent mē and worshypfull pastours maye shewe the cause of theyr dede (w^t the lycence & fauoure of the most holy pope, and of his worshipful bulles be this spoken) I verelye do nothyng doubte, that the lawes exactynge this syngle lyfe, are deuelysshe doctryne, and moste grosse phantasmes of the deuyl / And here I cā not refrayne, but I muste nedes clerely and pleynly shewe, what I do thynke of y^e contynencie of preestes. Thou shalt graunte me this one thyng good crysten reader, that I may here with bolde & scoffynge wor­des, mocke and cheke these theyr so earnest coūsayles and proude wordes of the decretalles. Tell [Page]me I pray you, why do the poetꝭ, that make commedyes, Wryters of commedyes. alwayes ymagyne the men baudes and y^e women baudes to be suche ma­ner ones, y^t they do retayne yong men with pleasures, and by cer­tayne polycie and certayne craf­tes do counsayll them from ma­riage? Doubtles it is not for any good wyll, that they do beare to the yonge men: but because by y^e mary ages of yonge men they do lese a great parte of theyr gay­nes. Euen so the bysshoppe of Rome with his clientes the auc­thours of the forsayd lawe of vnchaste contynencye haue a great parte of theyr yerely rentes and profytes by the baudrye of pree­stes, and by preestes hoores. For who soeuer wyll at his lybertye kepe hoores and mennes wyues with prayse and fauour: he is cō ­pelled [Page]to paye yerely to the bys­shop a crowne of gold. And this tradicyon is so cōmenly knowen that it is nowe a cōmen sayeng, that chast persones and good ly­uers are nothynge profytable to the offyce of a preeste (for so they cal the tyranny of the offycyales) in somoch that (as some saye) the officyales do also hate the pree­stes, Dnprofytable to y^e offyce of a preest. that are chaste lyuers / I be­sech you tell me, when at any ty­me were baudes more ryche, or more honourable? When was e­uer baudrye more vnpunysshed then in the popes bysshoppes? & what meruaile is it, yf those holy fathers, whē they haue receyued money, doo wynke at the kepyng of hoores: seynge that it is an olde saynge, a ꝓuerbe. that lucre smel­leth well of what soeuer maner thynge it be goten? who wyll [Page]then be so vncurtayse, and so vn­gentle, as to blame the wysdome of the bysshoppes, for that they do approue and allowe harlottꝭ. Who is he, but he knoweth, that there are dyuers craftes, and dy­uers meanes, by which marchaū tes do get gaynes, and that there are dyuers and sondrye kyndes of mercers? one selleth peper / a­nother saffron / another clothe / a­nother purple or clothe of golde / what meruayle is it then yf bys­shop Kayface of Rome (leaste he only shulde set nought by lucre) as it were in certayne fayers or markettes ordeyned and set vp rounde aboute those goodly and gorgious churches, do selle the flesshe and the skynne (I had al­most spoken a fouler worde) of a quycke harlot / for whiche waye elles shulde that holy father and [Page]his haue a suffycyent lyuynge, yf they dyd not playe the marchaū ­tes in such honest wyse? Further more yf it fortune so that at any tyme, that some prest do gyue vnto any suche maner harlotte any whytte more of his chastite then nede is, so that her belye dothe swelle, and she doth brynge forth to hym the seale of his contynen­cy, some pretye chylde: then forth with encreaceth that yerely rente of the bysshop / for then aboue y^t yerely crowen, the bysshop get­teth agayne occasy on to exercyse mercy / & to this wretched father and to the chyld newly borne, thē fyrste he selleth this harlot agey­ne: and he doeth not suffre somo­che as the selye poore infaunt to haue his owne mother, whiche god hathe gyuen to hym, frelye, & without payeng of money / lo [Page]thus this profet & gaynes, which wolde scacely come syngle to the cōmen baudes: to the bysshopps is properlye & craftely doubled / is not this then a goodly & a gay market to sell thus the harlottes belyes twyse euery yere, yf fortu­ne be theyr frende? is not this a goodly marchaūdyse semely for bisshoppes and so holy officiales to get lucre by the whoredome of other men: & so with those secrete and pruye baudryes to passe any stues? And it is no meruayle yf for the augmentacyon and con­seruacyō of the goodes of y^e churche (for the goodes of the church they do call gold and syluer, the good­des of the chutche. con­trary to the wordes of saynt Pe­ter (these holy fathers do busylye gyue theyr minde to this lucre yf they wyll not graunt vnto y^e preestes honest wedlocke, which hel­peth [Page]nothyng to the gettyng of lucre & gaynes / forlauful wyues are nothyng profitable to the of­fyce and to the cofers (as I sayd before) of the moste reuerende fa­thers and lordes. I beseche the good reader take in good worth these my bourdes & gestes, tho­ugh they be somwhat large and playne: which do procede vndubtedly not of any luste or pleasure that I haue therin, but of verye great grefe and sorowe of my herte. For who wolde not mour­ne greatly? Who wolde not her­telye sorowe? that seethe these so abhomynable dyspysers of the worde of god whiche are so de­stytute of all wysdome, reason, and wytte / that sooner wyll any brute beastes, Oxen, or Asses haue wytte, then thes excellent herdysmen of the churche. [Page]And this is it which y^e lorde thre­teneth by Esaie sayenge.

‘I Shall gyue them chyldren to be theyr prynces, and effe­minate persones shall haue do­minion ouer them.’

FOr they can here laye none other excuse for thē selues / that all these thynges are done, & do procede of a deuelysshe coue­tousnes and an horryble blynd­nes: it is more open and euydent then y^e it may be hyd / for though they dyd passe verye asses in ig­noraunce, and very stockes and blockes in dulnes and in insensibilite: yet coulde they not denye, that god dyd neuer in any place forbid preestes to wedde wyues / So farre of it is, that he dyd for byd it: that Paule hath also charged [Page]the stede of god, yea or elles a­boue god. But here agayne they wyll barke out theyr olde songe agaynste me. The pope hathe prohibited it. The pope hath for­bydden it. What is this that you saye? O good syrs and swete men, as who shulde saye, that yf the pope do commaūde me, that I shulde not be obedyent to my parentes, lykewyse as he hathe done in the professyon of relygy­on, that I shulde not kepe the commaundementes of god: it dyd not belong to y^e offyce which you do falsely professe, with all your power and myght to with­stande and resyste hym / and his commaundementes / haue you not redde the wordes of saynte Peter in the .v. of the actes of the Apostles.

‘WE ought to obey god, rather then men.’

DO you not knowe, whe mēs tradicyōs ought to cease all thoughe they be ꝓfitable that all tradicyōs of mē, all though they be good and profytable, yet in the tyme of necessyte, and whē they are intollerable, they do ce­ase & do bynde nothynge at all. Do you not knowe by open experyence, that this moste vngracy­ous and verye deuelyshe tradicy on of syngle lyfe and chastyte, is impossyble to be kept of preestes and that throughe it the whole worlde is fylled with fornycacy­ons and adulteryes? And yet for all this you moste vncharitable persones, that euer were syns the world fyrst beganne, do for most fylthy lucre and auayle constrayne and dryue selye wretched con­sciences to synne, and to assured [Page]destruccyon / you se and perceyue playnely, yea & in a maner you feele it, that this chastyte of syn­gle lyfe can not be obserued and kepte: and yet you do compell & dryue mē to kepe it, without any necessytie. O you most cruell tor­mentours of consciences, howe do you embrue, how do you pollute and defyle your handes in y^e bloode of innocent persones? O howe sore an accompte shall you gyue of your tyrannye. Besydes this it is euydent ynoughe, that all those humayne tradicyons of syngle lyfe and forbyddyng ma­trymonye are the doctrynes (as the apostle calleth them) of y^e de­uylles / as it is proued and declared by those places a lytle before alledged of his epystles to Tite & Timothe / as in y^e thyrde chapytre of y^e fyrst epystle to Timothe.

‘ABysshop ought to be the husbande of one wyfe.’

THis is the instytucyon and ordynaunce of god. This is the constitucyon promulged and publysshed by the apo­stle Paule. Wherfore it can not be otherwyse, but that all that doctryne is of the deuyll, what soeuer is taught, or elles com­maundyd by any lawes contra­rye to it. For god is not contrary to hym selfe neyther dothe he proue hym selfe a lyer / lykewyse as the scrypture hathe all this in e­uery place, and dothe also com­pelle euery man, be he neuer so blynde, to confesse it: so also eue­ry man is compelled to confesse, that the lawe of the pope concer­nynge [Page]the syngle lyfe of preestes is openlye agaynste the ordyna­cyon of Paule, and of god. Are not these thynges clere ynoughe are not they euydent ynoughe to you, you blynde and gydes of the blynde? I saye go to searche all your wyttes, and do the beste that you can, What can you al­lege or bryng here for your selfe? What dare you euen profer to speake here agaynste? Are not your harde forehedes of iyerne, and your brasen neckes nowe at the laste ashamed, when it dothe come to your mynde and rememberaunce, that you doo with so great tyranny compelle so many conscyences, to obserue the com­maundement and doctryne of y^e deuyll, agaynst the ordynaūce & cōmaūdemēt of god? The thyrde [Page]place of the apostle is, in the .iiii. chapytre of the fyrste epystle to Timothe.

‘THe spirite speaketh of a su­ertye that in the laste dayes certeyne men shal shrynke away from the fayth, gyuynge hede to the doctrynes of deuylles.’

TO there the apostle calleth those doctrynes of deuylles, whiche do forbyd matrimony / & the apostle dothe not there speke of the Tacianes, so as that most wretched & folysshe wryter went aboute to ymagyne, in that bare & vnfrutefull trifelynge treatyse entyteled / de loco petri / that is to say of the place of Peter. The here sye of the Tacyāes For the Tacianes dyd prohibite matry­mony as a thyng euyl of it owne nature, & as synne. But Paule [Page]speaketh of them, which do only prohybyte matrymonye, and do not also condempne & dysalowe it as synne / lykewyse as the pa­pistes do also prohybite certayne meates, and yet they do not ac­compte it for synne to eate these meates or those meates. So also the pope dothe not saye, as y^e Tacianes dyd, y^e wedlocke is synne / neyther doth he saye that to eate egges or to eate flesshe is synne / but he doth onlye prohybyte thē, to make a deceyptfull coloure & hyprocrysye of great holynes, as saynt Paule saythe.

‘IN hypocrysye they do speke lesynges, and of y^e doctrines of deuylles,’

FOr as moche then as these thre places of Paule, as beynge [Page]the worde of the souerayne maiestye and of god, do abyde & stonde as styfly as it were a bra­sen walle or a great rocke, and do also effectually and myghte­lye proue, that the tradycyon of this syngle lyfe agaynste the or­denaunce of god, is doctryne of deuylles, as it is playnely expressed in the wordes of Paule: then it resteth and remayneth, that the preestes, which can not contayne & lyue chast, with a bolde mynde and a very fre conscience do here betake them selues to these wor­des of god / yea & euen those also whiche haue no nede of a wyfe, yet ought nowe to marye a wyfe only to shame and scorne the de­uyl and this his so renomed and poysoned doctrine. And you also excellent prelates, yf you had le­uer be the apostles of cryste, then [Page]of Sathan: ought stoutely and manfully to labour and do your endeuour, to plucke vp those stues aboute your churches, & that y^t preestes myght mary / but here you wyll obiecte and allege for your selues, that preestes, when they were consecrated, dyd swere to lyue sole without wyues. Fayre wordes I beseche you / haue I not sayde here before? and is it not proued with many argumentes, in other places that all the vowes, whiche are made contra­rye to the precepte and ordynaunce of god, are of none effecte / and that they are to be forsaken and broken vndre the payne of eter­nall indygnacyon and dredefull wrathe of god. the vowe of lyuīge syngle. Now that suche vowes of abst aynynge from matrymonye hathe bene made [Page]and of all men is made contrary to the precept and indyngnacion of god: it is certeyne & vndoub­ted. The pre­stes do vowe to the pope and not to god Besydes this, the preestes do not vowe theyr vowe to god, but to the pope / but to the tradycyōs of man / and therfore men ought to dyssolue it / For suche maner vowe dothe neuer come, nor ap­perteyneth any thynge at all to god. Wherfore there is no ieoꝑ­dy at al of conscience in y^t matyer yf preestes do wedde laufull wy­ues: but those hypochrytes mas­kers and mummers do of them selues fayne & ymagyne I wote not what perelles and ieoperdy­es of helthe and saluacyon euen as spyders do of thē selues make theyr webbes / agayne on the o­ther syde, whoredome, in whiche are mere daungers of soules, & vnchast places sūptuously buel­ded [Page]aboute theyr churches, these thynges they do sell for money / & do permytte all men to vse them at theyr lybertye vnpunysshed, so that they do gyue, & paye som­what. Are not these then holy pastours, & excellent bysshoppes? They crucyfye chryste, & let Barrabas the erraunt thefe go at ly­bertye. Wo, wo, wo, be to them, onles they amende. What can I do more? I monysshe them, and crye vnto them, and to all that do holde with them, that they shuld repent and amēde, and that they shulde take hede to them selues for the ingement of god doth not slacke / god wyll not alwayes suffre the contempte of his worde.

NOwe fynally I wyll gentelye and hertelye here ex­horte al those, who soeuer they be [Page]that wyll rebuke those mum­mynge and dysguysed bysshop­pes with wrytynges: that they do it openly, boldly, and playne­ly / accordynge to the doctryne of the gospell and of the apostle Paule / And that they do pro­uoke them, vnto the lawe of the scryptures, lykewyse as I haue done hytherto. For thoughe they be neuer so worshyppefull in the worlde, yet at the leaste wyse in this poynte we are superyours, that this cōmen sorte of bysshoppes for theyr excedyng great yg­norauncye, dulnes, and ydlenes / hathe had these many yeres a sclaunderous name amonge all men / and agayne is sore dispraysed, and hathe an euyll reporte, because they wyll not come forth to lyght / and do refuse to be iud­ged [Page]accordyng to the scriptures / do fle from the place of open and not suspecte audyence. By the re­ason therfore of this selfe same thynge theyr hypocrisye is nowe opened ones and abolisshed, and they them selues (lyke vnto the crowe ī Aesopes fables) hauyng theyr goodly fethers plucked a way from them, do prouoke y^e lokers on to laughter. There can not therfore a more dyspleasure, nor a more paynfull thynge in the worlde chaunce vnto them: then yf we doo resyste them openly to theyr face / and do prouoke and call them forthe vnto the scryptures / and boldely callynge and cryenge on them, do requy­re of them to shewe the funda­cyon, whereupon they haue the verye grounde of theyr doctryne [Page]There they can not chose but be a shamed (thoughe they do dissem­ble and hyde it neuer somoche) in theyr hertes within, and in theyr conscyences so that they shal vt­terly holde theyr peace, and can allege nothynge for them selues. And yf they wolde go aboute to breake out with tyranny and violence, then shall theyr shame and rebuke be somoch be the greater and they shall strayghte and the soner come vnto this myschefe & euyll, whiche they do so great­ly shunte and eschewe / and by so moch, the sooner theyr estimacyō shall decaye and perysshe bothe with god & men / for they coulde not by any other meane, more helpe oursyde and the course of y^e worde of the lorde: then yf they do greatlye grudge & be angery, and do most greatly rage and be [Page]rough out theyr dyoces boldely and purely preache the gospell in the bysshoppes stede. Whiche sayd preachars beynge in daun­ger of persecucyons (for euermo­re the worlde shall hate the wor­de of god) the bysshoppes also shall asmoche as lyethe in theyr power lawfully to doo, mayn­tayne and defende / and bestowe theyr bloode and lyfe, to mayn­tayne and fortyfye the trouthe of the gospell, agaynste the tradycyons of men, lykewyse as Chryste hym selfe and also Paule bothe taught, and also gaue example of the same with theyr dede. Dalerye So we rede that saynt Valery bys­shop of Hyppom. Augusti­ne dyd substytu­te Augustyne as preacher in his stede (before that the sayde Au­gustyne was made bysshoppe) and dyd defēde hym / and it was [Page]the comen maner and custome in y^e moste parte of the regyons and churches of y^e caste and of Grece londe, y^e preestes dyd preache for the bysshoppes, in the presence of them. Besydes this, let suche maner bysshoppes in especyal study by bestowynge care and benefy­tes vpon poore folke, to make a­mendes for that, whiche is wan­tynge of theyr parte in the mynysterie of the worde. What soeuer bysshop he be that dothe not, all other thynges set aparte, set his mynde vpon these thynges only as greatest thinges and the very thynges belongyng to a bysshop let hym not byleue to be saued / for asmoche as he is a mere ty­raunt, tormentour, and murthe­rer of soules / But here they wyll obiecte and saye, how or in what wyse can suche maner care for [Page]poore folke, and the kepynge of a house and pryncely porte (suche as our bysshoppes for the moste parte do kepe now a dayes) stāde bothe togyther the one with the other? I answere, we do not here speke how thou mayst be made a prynce: but howe thou mayste be a good bysshop and be saued / for who hathe cōmaunded that bys­shops shuld so play y^e galādes, & vse suche pompe and gorgyous­nes of y^e courte? Chryst dyd openly forbyd thē to be as the kynges and prynces of y^e gētyles, where he doth by expresse and open wordes seperate and dyuyde them from prynces of the worlde, and saythe.

‘THe kynges and rulers of y^e gētyles are lordes ouer thē but you shall not do so.’

THese wordes, that prince, of prynces, y^e kyng of kynges and that lorde of maiestye, wyll not reuoke / he wyll not abolyshe them / ne suffre them to be thrust out of place, & made voyde for thy peuysshe excuses, wher­with thou doste in thy conscyen­ce coldly and fayntly cōforte thy selfe / why doste thou not rather forsake thy lordely porte, be it neuer so plesaunt: yf thou canst not execute and fulfyll the offyce of a bysshop / why doste thou for tran sytory and most vyle honour, for get thyne owne helth and salua­cyon? yea moreouer wyttyngly & wyllyngly doest cast away thyne owne soule, for the most deceypt­full pleasure of this lyfe? Why doste thou (I saye) wyttyngly & wylfully perysshe? Euen those men are scantly saued at the last [Page]whiche w^t couragyous fayth contynually wrestlynge and fygh­tynge with theyr flesshe and the deuyll, do lyue in a good & a ver­tuous kynde of lyfe. Why doste thou then hope ī vayne, that thy selfe shalte be saued amonge so many ieoperdyes, amonge so many voluptes and pleasures?

‘WHat dothe it profyte (saythe christ hym felfe) if he do pos­sesse all the worlde, & all y^e kyng­domes: & do cast away his owne soule?’

BVt wherof or whiche waye (wyl some say) shuld kyngꝭ prynces, erles, barons, kynghtis brefely all y^e nobles of y^e worlde, prouyde for theyr yonger childrē yf these bysshoprykes, yf those cathedral and collegiat churches were not? And therin fyrste we [Page]may openly se the excedynge fo­lyshnes & blyndenes of y^e al cristē dome which hytherto haue bou­ghte cōmenly of the Romanistes the benefyces and prebendes foū ded by them selues, w^t the bloode of theyr chyldren. Lo here I doo speke vnto the who soeuer thou art, whiche doest wyttyngly so cast awaye thy chyldren / yf any ploughman or smythe dyd woū ­de or kyll thy sone, or elles dyd defyle thy doughter or thy syster: y^u woldest for angre and woodnes go aboute to do the vttermoste myschefe that thou couldest / to ouerthrowe & destroye euen hole cyties, to destroy hole prouynces for the reuengyng therof, wolde seme but a small mater vnto the thou woldest thynke ī thy mynde it to be so hyghe and so haynous an offence, that was done vnto [Page]the. But I beseche the, here open the iyes of thy mynde, and loke, whether there can be any a more sore homycyde and murtherer of thy chyldren, any more greuous and more cruel enemy vnto them then thou arte thyne owne selfe, auaunsynge and promotynge them vnto a bisshopryke or thru­styng them downe in to suche a church (as they do cal it) for thou makest thy sone a bysshop, which state (as it is nowe farre awaye from the mynystracyon of the worde, the state of a bys­shop. and from all godlynes) y^u knowest vndoubtedly to be a de­uelysshe state, in whiche thy sone can in no wyse be saued. Syth it is so, that thou doest knowe this: tel me I besech the whether thou doest not more sore rage, and vse more crueltie agaynst hym, then yf thou cut hym in to gobbettes, [Page]& dyddest throwe his flesshe vnto dogges to be deuowred / yf thy sone, throughe ignoraunce or er­rour had stumbeled & fallen into suche a certayne kynde & maner of lyuyng: He mea­neth whē [...] hath not y^e gift of cōnnē ­cy & can not kepe his profes­syon / or when the ꝓfessyon is made with any wycked opynyō of iustificacion to be had ther­by. thou oughtest with al dyligence, & with al thy power to labour & go about (yf there were any wysdome, or any poynt of a chrystē mynde in the) to ryd hym out of it, althoughe thou haddest but only one lofe of bread to lyue on thy selfe, whereof y^u shuldest be fayne to gyue hym the one halfe, but here I beseche the loke vpon thy selfe somwhat more nere and more narowly / who soeuer thou art whiche doste caste downe thy chyldrē hedlonge in to these kyndes & maners of lyuynge, & cōsy­dre what maner father y^u art only to kepe thy dominiō & thy ryches vpryght & from decay, only least [Page]thy gold & syluer shuld be mynysshed, yf it were deuyded amonge many heyres: y^u doste thrust dow­ne & wyllyngely cast hedlōg thy sones & kynnesmē in to y^e depe dū geon of hell / neyther doth it mo­ue or styre y^e any whyt, to se thyne owne blood souped & swalowed vp in y^e throte of y^e deuyl, & ꝑpetually to perysshe: so y^e thou be not cōpelled to mynyshe or debate a­ny thynge of thy suꝑfluite, or any percell of thy pōpe & royalte. Lo this moost vngracious opynyon this costome is crepte in & vsed ī many places, y^t as oftē tymes as any great mānes sone beyng mete rather for any other thyng, thē for a bysshopryke, is chosē & elec­ted bysshoppe, or is brought into the temple. Than with solempne pompe, and a solempne compa­ny sette in theyr arraye are made [Page]cryes and lowde shoutes, as it were in a tryumphe, then all the halles and courtes do sounde & rynge with the noyse of trumpes with trumpettes / with tabrettes, then are in euery place lyghted tapers and torches then that so­lempne songe. Te deum lauda­mus is thundered out / so y^t these triumphes do playnely represent vnto vs y^e ymage of those folishe kynges of Israell, whiche dyd brenne vp theyr sones & doughters for a sacrifyce in the honour of the Idole Moloch, Mosoch. and with y^e dyuerse lowde soundes of trū ­pes dyd brynge to passe, that the lamētable cryeng out and way­lynge of them, that were in the myddes of the fyer, coulde not be harde. After the same maner doo these excellent parentes handle [Page]theyr doughters and theyr neces, of whome they allure some by fayre meanes, and some full sore agaynste theyr wylles / they doo thruste downe in to the prysons of monasteryes / and for none o­ther cause, but that theyr ryches, theyr possessyons, and that dyg­nyte of theyr hygh bloode maye be preserued and vpholden, they are ashamed to bestowe them in maryage vpō persones of lower parentage. Howebeit yet this selfe same study, only to preserue theyr ryches, dothe tourne vnto theyr very great damage & losse of goodes and substaūce / for god dothe auenge and punyshe this vnbelefe and mystruste, so that y^e ryches of dukedomes and erle­domes do neuerthelesse decay, & all thynges do go backwarde as it were by a certayne fatall and [Page]predestyned destruccyon / whiche thynge doubtles shuld not be so yf the wycked parentes had not deserued this wrath and venge­aunce of god, with theyr so cruell oblacyons & sacryfyces of theyr sones and of theyr doughters to the Idole Moloch / for the inno­cent bloode so cruelly shed forth, for cause of moost vyle ryches, doth cry maynly ī to heuē, as dyd the bloode of ryghtuous Abel, Abell. whiche crye, with howe attent & hedefull an care the lorde dothe herken vnto it, he hath suffyciently declared in Abell. Now to declare the thyng with a more playne and more famylyer example. Nunnes. The Nunnes or sacred vyrgyns now in our tyme, are for the most perte lustye damoyselles, and of florysshynge age / and created of [Page]god, to the entent that they shuld wedde and brynge forth chyldrē / And it is not possyble for them contynually so to contayne and lyue chaste, at the leaste wyse of theyr owne good wyll. For per­petuall contynencye and chasty­te is an hyghe and the moost spyrytuall gyfte of god, Cōtinēce which chaū ceth but to fewe men. Besydes this god, when he dyd fyrst crea­te man, and dyd make thē male & female. This his generall lawe, & his worde spoken by his owne mouth, he wyll not to be so comē ­ly taken awaye in so many per­sones / or alwayes by the gyfte or rather the myracle of contynēcye tobe abrogated & adnulled, but ꝑpetuall cōtynēcie & chastyte is a very seldome thynge before god. yf now y^u haddest a doughter or a kynsmā, which through errour [Page]had ben entysed in to this ma­ner of lyuynge as a fysshe in to a wele: thou oughtest rather (yf y^u were a good man) to lose thy lyfe and all thy goodes, then to leaue this soule thus in the mouth of y^e deuyll. But thou leaste thy ry­ches, leaste thy domynyon, least thy gloryous tytles, leaste thy dygnyte myght be any thyng my nyshed, wylte thruste downe thy chyldren with thyne owne hande in to the depe dongeon of helle, yea beynge very lothe and full cuyll wyllynge. And what dothe then folowe? Herken, and I shal tell the in fewe wordes / verely I dyd neuer here that auricular cō fessyon of Nunnes, but yet by y^e scriptures & wordes of the sprete of god (whiche do on euery syde touche and most depely serche y^e affeccyons of the hertes) I shall [Page]easely gesse & as it were touche w^t a nedle / vnto what ende this chastyte doth come / and I know well ynoughe, a ꝓuerbe that this my dyuynacyon and coniecture wyll no­thynge at all deceyue me. Fyrste the yonge damoysell, in whiche this hygh gyfte of chastite is not can nomore easely be without an husband and the company of mā then she can lyue without meate & drynke, and slepe, & suche other workes of nature. On the other syde also yong men or mē of myddle age cannot be w^tout a wyfe, for it is as depely graffed ī them & as naturally gyuen vnto them to contynue and encreace theyr kynde by propagacyon: as it is eyther to eate or to drynke. Who soeuer therfore coueteth & gothe aboute nowe to stoppe and holde backe by his owne propre myght [Page]& strenth, this naturall inclynacyon, vertue & force gyuen hym of god, what other thyng dothe he, then yf one wolde go aboute to cause & brynge to passe, y^e the fyre shuld not brēne / or the water not make moyst, or y^e a mā shuld lyue without eyther meate or drynke, Of this I do nowe inferre & conclude, that all suche maner Nunnes, how soeuer many there be of them, whether they be gentle mē ­nes or pore mens doughters, not hauīge y^e rare gyfte of chastytye, as very few haue or can haue do not kepe chastyte w^t theyr owne goodwyl but ful sore agaist theri wylles they are without husban­des. Now yf they do contayne by compulsyon & with an euyll wyl vndoubtedly they do lese bothe lyues / that is to saye, this lyfe, & the lyfe eternall / for on both sydꝭ [Page]they shall be in hell paynes here in intollerable heate & brennyng of the flesshe, and there in eternal fyre except repentaunce at y^e laste Lo vnto this extreme infelycyte, vnto this most wreched and my­serable state y^u doste thyne owne selfe brynge thyne owne chyldrē and kynnes folke: & all to y^e entēt onlye, that thou mayste raygne & kepe vpryght thy ryches, & thy domynyon. This is that excellēt & goodly fruyte of constrayned & enforced chastite, and of certayne cruell prynces & offycers, whiche w^t so great madnes do go about to defēde monasteryes and these great cruell prysons as an holye thynge / & to stoppe & holde backe nature, which can not be stopped it is an easye thyng to perswade other folke, to cōpell other folke vnto chastyte: yf y^u thy selfe haste [Page]a wyfe, and canst prouyde for thy selfe agaynst the heates and fla­mes of nature. But y^e most wret­ched company, through this en­forced syngle lyfe, doth in y^e mea­ne season perisshe in the myddes of the fyers of y^e flesshe as it were ī a certayne hell / For where there is not wylfull chastyte by the specyall gyfte of god: the nature be she neuer so moche holden backe and kepte vnder by our power & strength, yet she holdeth on to do her owne operacyon and worke, & she contynueth euen suche one, as god dyd create her / consydre y^e rest thy selfe, which of truthe my­ghte here be spokē, for shamefastnes wyll suffre me to declare no further of the incōuenyence and abhomynacyon y^e foloweth all thoughe necessyte say the contra­ry, consyderyng the blyndnes of [Page]the worlde. And albeit that I do of shamefastnes represse my pen frō that which ought as I sayde before to be declared, yet notwithstandynge those yonge persones bothe men and womē aforesayd do I know well fele in thē selues what I meane & are therof both ashamed, & sore tormented, wher vpon it cōmeth to passe, that not onlye they do curse theyr parentꝭ but also god / and do dysprayse & extremely hate theyr condycion & state, and do detest and crye out vpon all them, which gaue them counsayle vnto this thynge, and curse the tyme y^t euer they were borne or gotten to lyue in y^t wre­chydnes. Lo this was the purpose of y^e deuyl, this was the thyng that he entēdyd, and went about when he taught the vnder the coloure and semblaūce of holynes [Page]to stoppe and kepe vnder nature whiche without this hyghe and verye seldome gyfte of god can not by any meanes be stopped & kepte vnder. But to retourne to our purpose. I saye it is a thou­sande partes better to leaue and forsake bysshoprykes, and al maner hyghe offyces and dignytes, and to be a meane cytezen or an husbandman: then vnder the co­lour and semblaunce of holynes to neglecte and not regarde the offyce of a bysshoppe, or not to gyue dylygence at the least wyse that it maye be executed and ful­fylled by other men. For there is no meane, and it is but vayne labours to seche for an excuse.

THe worde of god abydethe & contynueth perpetually. The worde of god

NOt onely bysshoprykes, but also heuen and erthe shall passe awaye: but the word of god shal not passe away Take this as an oracle / & byleue this as verelye to be true, as yf god had spokē it to the mouthe to mouthe. yf nowe the pope, or his papistes (so as he now doth) wyll not suffre the to preche the gospell purely, Prechers ought to preache. boldely & (as Peter sayth in the actes) boldely: then haste y^u a greatter and a more lauful cause to forsake the bysshopryche.

‘WE ought to obey god rather then men.’

NEyther doo thou thynke, that thou haste gayly wel fulfylled the offyce of a bysshop, or that thou art excused, [Page]yf now before that thou thy selfe hastred through earnestlye, and hast learned the bible & the scryptures, thou do begynne to walke euery where abrode throughout thy cyties, and conducte or hyer a preacher ye farre lesse learned then thy selfe, to preache not the gospelles, but mennes inuency­ons, and perseueraūce in the tra­dycyons of men and in the olde custome / so as a certayne bisshop dyd now of late tyme. When the wreched men haue suppressed y^e gospell, and haue taught humayne thynges, and nowe with the only coloure and bryghtnes of y^e episcopall name (as thoughe so great a prynce coulde not teache any false thynges) now with persones, I saye (whiche god dothe not accepte) they do go aboute to bleare y^e iyes of men, and to bre­ke [Page]forth with theyr auctoryte on­ly. And in dede they shulde be wyse in so doyng, yf this were as sure & as a trew waye to amende these so great damages & losses of conscyences, as it is an easy & an excedynge spedy waye. But why do they nowe to late abuse y^e symplycytye of the commen peo­ple, by such maner high & proude promyses. Why do they fede vs forth w^t moste vayne promyses? we wyll not (saye they) refuse to laye our soules to pledge before god, that our doctryne is trewe / yf they wyll earnestly preach the gospell and y^e worde of god: why do they not duely prepayre them selues vnto y^e offyce of a bisshop? Why do they not hyre a wyse & a vertuous mayster, & take a byble in theyr handes, and fyrst do ler­ne theyr owne selues, that they [Page]maye afterwardes teache other men? I truly wolde make answere to suche a bysshoppe, that dyd with great wordes promyse to lay his soule to pledge, & I wold saye vnto hym, that he shuld lay his soule to pledge vnto other credytours that are lyght of gy­uynge credence. For I had leuer here leaue and trust vnto the manyfest worde of god, then to the pleage euen of so great a lordes soule. For what yf y^e deuyll shuld beare awaye this pleage, be it neuer so precyous? Howe shulde I then be prouyded for, and saued harmeles? Awaye therfore with thyne vncertayne pledge and vnsure cautyon, For I wold for my parte haue no suche bysshop whiche shall make his soule the fun­dacyon of my helth & saluacyon, to the whiche soule I can not tell [Page]what shall happen, or what shall betyde it in an other worlde. But I wolde haue suche maner a bysshop, which shall preache the gospell vnto me, and set chryst vnto me for y^e foundacyon of my helth For here I am sure to whome I may trust. And here I do gyue no counsayle of amendement to that papystycall sorte that wyll not amende, For they do stoppe theyr eares, and do not suffre thē selues to be taughte. But yf per­aduēture there be any yet amon­ge them, whiche haue repented, & doo desyre to be good and crysten bysshoppes and to worke y^e helth and sauegarde of them selues & of the people: y^e onlye & pryncy­pall offyce and dutye of them (in cōparysō of which all other thynges do nothynge belonge vnto a bysshoppe) is to take care for the [Page]churches & congregacyon / theyr offyce and dutye is to take care & ꝓuyde for poore folke / to walke aboute euery where, and to gyue dylygent labour eyther to preche or elles to cause to be preached not the tradycyons of men, but y^e pure gospell / and y^e worde of god And as for those shadowes and dumbe ymages blockes, mum­mers and maskers, which spend a great parte of theyr lyfe in pompe and ryot, and whose belye is theyr god, and which do set theyr mynde al vpon earthly thynges: I haue (yf I be not begyled) lar­gelye and playnely ynoughe spoken of them / I haue nowe open­ly preached and shewed vnto thē that they shulde tourne frō theyr wycked waye. What can I doo more? I beseche our lorde that he wyl vouchsaue to helpe forward [...]