IN most pytuouse wyse cōtinually calleth & cryeth vppon your deuout cherite & moste tēder pyte / for helpe cūfort & relyefe / your late aquayntaūce / kindred / spouses / cōpanions / play felowes / & frēdꝭ / & now your humble & vnacquaynted & halfe forgotē supplyaūtys / pore prysoners of god y^• sely sow­lys in purgatory / here abydyng & enduryng y^• gre­uouse paynys & hote clēsynge fyre / y^• freteth & burneth owte y^e rustye & fylthy spottꝭ of our synne / tyll y^• mercy of almighty god y^• rather by your good & cherytable meanes / vowchesaufe to delyuer vs hense.

¶From whēse yf ye meruayll why we more now moleste and trouble you wyth our wrytyng then euer we were wonte byfore: yt may lyke you to wyt and vnderstand / that hytherto / though we haue bene wyth many folke mych forgoten of neglygēce / yet hath alway good folke remembred vs / and we haue bene recommended vnto god and eased / holpen / and relieued / both by the pryuate prayers of good vertuouse people / and specyally by the dayly masses & other gostely suf­frages of prestys / relygyouse / and folke of holy churche. But now syth that of late there are sprong [...] vp certayne sedycyouse persones / whych not onely trauayle and labour to dystroy them by whome we be mych holpen / but also to sowe and sette forth such a pestylent opy­nyon agaynst our selfe / as ones receyued and byleued among y^• peo­ple / must nedys take frome vs the relyefe & cūforte that euer shuld come to vs by the cherytable almesse / prayour / and good wurkes of the world: ye may take yt for no wonder though we sely sowlys that haue longe lyen and cryed so farre frome you that we seldome brake your slepe / do now in thys oure great fere of our vtter losse for euer of your louyng remembraunce and relyefe / not yet importunatly by­ [...]eue you of your reste wyth cryenge at your eares at vnseasonable tyme when ye wold (as we do neuer) repose your self and take ease / but onely procure to be presented vnto you thys pore boke thys humble supplycacyon of owrs / whyche yt may please you ꝑcell meale at your leysure to loke ouer for all sely sowlys sake: that yt may be as an holsome tryacle at your harte agaynst the dedely poyson of theyre pestylent ꝑsuasyon / that wold bryng you in that errour to wene there were no purgatory. Of all whych cruell persones so procuring not y^• mynysshement of your mercy toward vs / but the vtter spoyle & rob­bery of our hole helpe and comforte that shuld come from you: y^e ve­ry wurste and thereby the moste dedely deuysour of our paynys and heuynes (god forgeue hym) ys that dyspytuouse & dyspytefull per­son / which of late vnder pretexte of pyte / made and put forth among [Page ii] you / a boke that he namyd the supplycacyon for the beggars / a booke indede nothynge lesse intendyng / then the pyte that yt pretendeth: no­thyng myndyng y^• weale of eny mā / but as we shall hereafter shew you / mych harme and myschyefe to all men / and among other great sorow dyscūfort and heuenysse vnto vs your euen crysten and nygh kynne / your late neyghbours and plesaunt companyōs vppon erth / and now pore prysoners here.

¶And albe yt y^t hys vnhappy boke / doth for our owne ꝑte towche vs very nere: yet we be mych more moued to geue y^• world warnyng of hys venymous wrytynge / for the dere loue & cheryte that we bere to you / then for the respecte of our owne relyefe. For as for vs / albeyt that the gracyouse helpe of your pryour / almesse dede / and other good warkis for vs / may be the meanes of relyeuyng and releasyng of our presēt paynis / yet such ys the mercyfull goodnes of god / that though the hole world wold clene forgete vs / yet wold his mercy so remember vs / that after temporall punysshement and purgyng here he wyll not fynally forgete to take vs hense: and wypyng all y^• terys owt of our eyē / translate vs at sondry tymes as hys hygh wysedom see [...]h conuenyent / in to that eternal heuenly blesse / to whych his holy blyssyd blood hath bought vs. But surely to you worldly people ly­uynge there vppon erth / not onely for this present tyme / but also for as longe as thys world shall endure: the wreched maker of that vn­gracyouse boke (whome god giue onys the grace to repēte & amend) yf folke were so fonde to folowe hym / shulde not fayle to worke / as well myche worldely trouble to euery kynde of people / as ouer that (whych most losse were of all) to brynge many a good symple soule / for lakke of belefe of purgatory / the very strayght way to hell.

¶And the case so standynge / there wold we thynke no man dowte / but thoughe the man that made the boke were well knowen amonge you and in holde also / whereby hys heyghnouse treason to god and y^• world dysclosed & declared by vs / he myght be in parell of exquy­syte paynefull punysshement: yet we both myght and ought / rather to put hym in the daunger of hys awne demeanure / then for the spa­ryng of hys iuste correccyon / to suffer hym abuse y^• people wyth hys pestylent wrytynge / to the inestymable harme of the hole worlde in goodys / body / & sowle. And syth we so myght of reason / & so shuld of cheryte though the man were knowen and taken / how myche may we nowe more frankely tell you all and nothynge shall nede to spare hym / syth hys boke ys nameles / & so hym self among you vnknowē and therby owte of the parell of eny punysshement for hys vnhappy dede?

¶But for that both ye & he shall well perceyue / that we desyre but your weale and ours by gyuyng you warnynge of hys malyce / and [Page] nothyng entend to procure hys punysshement / whyche we rather be­seche our lord of hys mercy to remytte: ye shall vnderstand that ney­ther ys his name nor persone vnknowen among vs / and therfore we­might well discouer hym yf we were so mynded. For there is not onely some of hys acquayntaūce and counseyll / whome god gaue at theyre deth the grace to repente / comen hyther to purgatory / nothyng more now lamentyng among vs / then theyre cruell vnkyndenesse toward vs / in geuyng counseyll agaynst vs / to the makyng of that vngracyouse boke / wyth infydelyte and lakke of bylyefe of the pour­gyng fyre whych they now fynde and fele: but he ys also named and bosted among vs by that euell aungell of hys / owre and your goste­ly enemy the deuyll. whych as sone as he had set hym a wurke wyth that pernycyouse boke / ceaced not to come hyther and boste yt among vs: but wyth his enmyouse & enuoyuse laughter gnasshyng the teeth and grynnynge / he tolde vs that hys peopyll had by the aduyse and coūsayll of hym and of some heretyques almost as euill as he / made suche a boke for beggars / that yt shuld make vs begge longe are we gete aught. wherby he trusted that som of vs shuld not so sone crepe owte of our payne as we had hoped.

¶Wytte ye well these wordes were heuy tidyngꝭ to vs. But yet bycause y^• deuyll ys wonte to ly / we toke some comfort in that we could not belyue hym / specyally tellynge a thynge so farre incredyble. For who could euer haue thought that eny crysten man could for very pyte haue founden in hys harte to seke and study the meanes / whereby a crysten man shuld thynke yt labour loste to pray for all crystē sowlys. But alakke the whyle we foūde sone after / that the falshed and malyce of the man / preued y^• dyuyll trewe. For by some that dyed sone after the boke put forth / we haue herde & perceyued the wreched contentys therof / well and playnely declarynge / what euyll spyryte inspyred hym whyle yt was in makynge. For albe yt that yt ys so contryued / and the wordys so cowched / that by the secrete inwarde wur­kynge of the deuyll that holpe to dyuyse yt / a symple reder myght by delyte in the redyng be dedely corrupted and venemed: yet yf a wyse man well warned / aduysedly wyll way the sentence / he shall fynde the hole boke nothyng elles / but falshed vnder pretext of playnesse / crueltye vnder the cloke of pyte / sedycyon vnder the colour of coun­sayle / prowde arrogās vnder y^• name of supplycacyō / & vnder y^• pre­tēce of fauour vnto pore folke / a deuyl she desyre of noyaūce both to pore & rich / preste / religiouse / & say mā / prynce / lord / & peple / as well quycke as dede.

¶He deuyseth a pytuouse byll of complaynte and supplycacyon / fayned to be by the pore sykke and sore beggers put vpp to the kyng / lamentyng theryn theyre nomber so sore encreaced / that good folkes [Page iii] almoyse not half suffysyng to fynde them mete / they be constraynyd heuely to dye for hunger. Then layth he y^• cause of all these pore beggars / both theyr encrese in nomber & theyr defaut in fyndyng / all this he layth to the onely faut of the clergy: namyng them in hys bederoll byshops / abbotꝭ / pryours / deacons / archedecōs / suffragans / prestꝭ / monkys / chanons / frerys / ꝑdoners / & sōmoners. All these he calleth myghty sturdy beggars & ydle holy theuys / whych he sayth hath beggyd so importunatly / that they haue gotten in to theyr handys y^• thyrd parte of all the realm of Englond / besyde tythys / preuy tythys / pro­batys of testamentꝭ & offryngꝭ / wyth masse pens & mortuaryes / blyssyng & cursyng / cytyng / suspendyng & soylyng. Then cūmeth he pertyculerly to freres: to whom he maketh as he thynketh a playn & opē rekenyng / that they reseyue by beggyng thorow y^e realm yerely .xliii. thousand .iii.Cxxxiii. pound .vi.s.viii.d. sterlyng. Then shewyth he that all thys cast to gyther / amounteth yerely farre aboue the half of the hole substaūce of the realme. After this presupposyng as though he had prouyd yt that the clergy hath the half / he thē to proue the two hundred parte of that they haue were more then suffycyent for them: taketh for hys ground that yf the nomber of them be compared wyth the nomber of lay men / the clergy be not y^e hundreth parte: & y^• yf they be cōpared wyth the lay men women & children / the clergy vs not thē the foure hūdred ꝑson of that nomber. And then entendyth he therby to proue & conclude / that syth they haue as he sayth more then the half of all to gether / & be them self [...] not fully the foure hundred parte: therfore if that better half that they haue were deuyded into two hūdreth partꝭ / then were yet one parte of those two hundreth ꝑtys as he thynketh to mych for them / specyally because they labour not. After thys he gathereth a great hepe of euyls / wherwyth he belyeth the clergy / to bryng them in dyspleasure of the kynge and hatered of the people. And leste men shuld eny thyng esteeme the clergye for the suffragys of theyre pr [...]youre in relyefe of vs sely crysten sowlys in purgatory / to take a way that good mynde oute of good crysten mennys hartes / he laboreth to make the worlde wene that there were no purgatorye at all. Wherein when he hathe done what he canne / then laboureth he to the kynge for a lycence to rayle vppon the clergye: sayeng that there ys none other effectuall remedye agaynste theym / but that yt myght please the kynge to gyue hym and suche other fre lycense and lyberte / to dyffame the clergy at theyr pleasure amonge the people. For he sayth that yf any of them be punyshed any thyng by the temporall lawes / than they sore troble the laborers therof by the spyrytuall law / and then the heddys of the clergy do so hyghly more than recompence the losse of theyre felows / that they may be bolde to do the lyke offēce agayn at theyr pleasure. And for to proue that yt ys alway so / [Page] he layth that yt hath bene so thryfe: and as yt shall after be shewed he lyeth in all thre. The furste he layth that the byshop of London was in a grete rage for endyghtynge of certayn curatys of extorcyon and incontynency the last yere in the wardmote questis. And for the secōd he laith that doctour Aleyn after that he was punished by premunire for his cōtempt commytted agaynst the kyngys temporall law / was therfore by the byshoppys hyghly recōpēsed in benefyces. And for y^• third he layth that Richard Hunne because he had sued a premunire agaynst a preest for suyng hym in y^• spyrytuall court in a mater determynable in the kyngys court / was accused of heresy and commytted to byshoppys prysō: where he sayth that all the world knowyth that he was murtheryd by doctour Horsey wyth his complyces then the byshoppys chauncellour. And that y^• same doctour Horsey he sayth vppon other mennys mouthis payed .vi. hundred poūdes for hym & hys complyces: & after obteyned the kyngys most gracyous pardon. Wheruppō he sayth the captayns of the spyrytualte because he had faughten so manfully agaynst the kyngꝭ crown and dygnyte / promotyd hym forth wyth benefyce vppō benefyce to the valew of .iiii. ty­mes as myche. And by these ensaumples he cōcludyth there wyll no such punyshment serue agaynst the spyritualte: and also who y^• iustly punysh a preest by the temporall law / ys vniustly trobled agayn in y^• spyrytuall law. Wherof he wold include that of necessyte for a specyall remedy / the kyng must nedis graūt a sicence to such lewd felows to [...]ayle vppon thē. Thā cometh he at laste vnto the deuyce of some remedy for the pore beggars. Wherin he wold in no wyse haue none hospytals made / because he sayth that therin the profyte goeth to the prestys. What remedy than for the pore beggars. He deuysyth nor desyreth nothynge to be geuen them / nor none other almoyse or helpe requyreth for thē: but onely that y^• kyngis hyghnes would furst take frome the hole clergye all theyre hole lyuynge / and then sette theym abrode in the worlde to gette theym wyues / and to get theyre lyuyng wyth y^• labour of theyr handys and in the swete of theyr facys / as he sayeth yt ys the cōmaundement of god in the furst chapiter of Genesis: and fynally to tay them to the car [...]es to be whyppyd naked about euery market towne tyll they fall to labour. And then yf these petycions were onys arauntyd and parformyd / he sheweth many great cō modytees that wold as he sayth ensue theruppō / both to the kynge & the people / and to the pore beggars. Which thyngys we shall ere we leue / in such wyse repete and ponder / that your wysdoms may consyder and parceiue in your self / what good frute wold folow the spede of hys goodly supplycacion / whereof we haue rehersed you the hole some and effect.

¶Trewthe yt ys y^• many thyngys wherewyth he florysheth hys [Page iiii] maters to make thē seme gay to the reders at a sodayn shew / we leue out for the while / because we wold ere we come therto / that ye shuld furst haue the mater self in short set forthe before your eyen. And thā shall we peruse hys prouys / and in such wyse consyder euery thynge aparte / that we nothyng dout but who so shall rede hys worshypfull wrytyng after / shall sone parceyue therin / floryshyng without frute / futtelte wythout substaūce / rethoryk wythout reasō / bolde babelyng wythout lernyng / & wylynes wythout wyt. And fynally for y^• foun­dacyon and ground of all hys prouys: ye shall fynde in hys boke not half so many leuys as lyes / but almost as many lyes as lynes.

¶And albe yt we lye here in that case that about thexamynacyō and answeryng of such a mad malycyouse boke we haue neyther lust nor leysoure to bestow the tyme / wherof mispēt in our lyfe we geue now an hard and a heuy rekenynge: yet not only the necessyte of our cause dryueth vs to declare vnto you the feblenes of hys reasons / where­wyth he wold bryng you in the case to care nothyng for vs / beleuyng y^t there were no purgatory / but also most specyally dothe our charite towarde you / styrre vs to shew you the myschefe that he myndeth to your self / aswell in that poynt of infidelyte / as in all the remnaunt of hys sedicyouse boke. In answeryng wherof we wold gladly let hys foly and lak of lernyng passe / yf yt were not more thā necessary / that all folk shuld parceyue hys lyttell lernyng and lesse wyt / lest symple folk wenyng hym wyse and well lernyd / myght vnto theyr harm es­teme hys euyll wrytyng the better for theyr wronge opynyon of hys wyt and lernyng. As for hys malycyouse mynde and vntreuth / there can no man loke that we shuld leue vnto wchyd / but he that wold ra­ther the man were beleued than answeryd / and wold wysh hys byll sped were yt neuer so malycyouse and false.

¶For where he to deuyseth hys introduccyon / as all hys purpose shuld haue a great face of charyte / by that he speketh all in the name of the pore beggars / thys ys nothyng els but the deuyls dryft / al­way coueryng hys poyson vnder some tast of suger. As for vs we truste there wyll no wyse mā doute what fauour we bere to beggers as folk of theyr own felyshyp and faculte / and of all whom / there be no where in the world nether so nedy nor so sore / and so syk nor so im­potent / and so sore in paynes as we. And that so farforth that yf ye myght se them all on the tone syde / and but one of vs on the tother syde / we be very sure that the world wolde pyte one of vs / more thā them all. But although we be more beggars then your beggers be / as folk dayly beggyng our almes of you and them both: yet ēuy we not them as one of them dothe a nother / but we pray and require you to gyue them for our sakes / wherby your gyft gretly cumfortyth vs both. And they be also our proctours and beg in our name / and in our [Page] name receaue your money / wherof we receyue both your deuocyon and theyr prayours. So y^t ye may be well assured / there coud be put no byll nor supplycacyon forth for theyr aduaūtage / whych we wold in eny wyse hynder / but very gladly forther in all y^• euer we myghte. But in good fayth as our pore brethern the beggars be for many causes greatly to be pytyed for theyr dysease and syknes / sorow / payn & pouerte: so do we mych in thys case sorow theyre myshap / that they haue nott had at the leste wyse so muche fortune / as to fall vppon a wyser scryuener to make theyr supplycacyon: but vppon such a one as vnder hys great wylynes sheweth so lyttell wyt / that begynnyng wyth a cloke of charyte / doth by and by no lesse dysclose hys hatered and malice / than yf be nothyng els had entēded / but to cast of y^t cloke and set out hys malyce naked to the shew. Whyrin lyke a beggars ꝓctour he goeth forth so nakedly / y^t no begger ys there so bare of cloth or money / as he sheweth hym selfe bare of faythe / lernynge / trouth / wyt or charite. Whych thyng as it all redy well appereth to wyse mē: so wyll we make yt euydent to all men / takyng our bygynnynge at the declaracyon of hys vntrewth: whych one thyng well perceyued / w [...]ll be suffycyent to answer and ouertorne all hys hole enterpryse. How be yt we nether shall nede nor do purpose to cūber you wyth rehersall and reprofe of all hys lyes: for that were to long a work / wherof we fere ye shuld be wery to abyde the heryng. But of so many we shall pray you take pacyence whyle we shewe you some / and such as for the matter be requysyte to be knowen / for as much as all hys proues be specyally grounded vppon them.

¶And furst to begyn where he begynneth / whē he sayth that the nō ber of such beggars as he pretendeth to speke for / that is as hym self calleth them the wretched hyduouse monsters / on whō he sayth scar­cely eny eye dare loke / the foule vnhappy sort of lepers & other sore people / nedy / impotēt / blynde / lame and syh / lyuyng onely of almes: haue theyre numbere nowe so sore encreased / that all the almoyse of all the well dysposed people of the realme ys nott halfe inowghe to sustayne theym / but that for very constraynte they dye for hunger: vnto all those wordys of hys / were yt not that though we well wyst our self he sayd vntrew / yet wold we be lothe so to lay as a lye to his charge eny thyng / wherof the vntrewth were not so playnly parcey­ued / but that he myghte fynde some fauourers whych myghte say he sayd trew: els wold we paraduēture not let to tell hym / that for a by­gynnyng in these few wordes he had wrytten two lyes at onys. If we shuld tell you what nōber ther was of pore syk folke in days passed iōg before your tyme: ye were at lyberte not to beleue vs. How be yt he cānot not yet on y^• tother syde for hys part nether / bryng you forth a bederoll of theyr namys: wherfore we must for bothe our ꝑtꝭ [Page v] be fayn to remyt you to your owne tyme / & yet not frō your chyldhed (whereof many thynges men forget when they come to farr greater age) but vnto the days of your good remēbraunce. And so doyng / we suppose yf the sory syghtys y^t mē haue sene / had left as gret impressyon styll remaynyng in theyr hartys / as the syght maketh of the presēt sorow that they se: men shuld thynk & say y^t they haue in days passed sene as many sykke beggers as they se now. For as for other syknes they rayn not god be thanked but after such rate as they haue done in tymes passed. And thē of the frēch pokkys .xxx. yere ago went there about syk / fyue agaynst one y^t beggeth wyth them now. Wherof who so lyst to say that he seeth it otherwyse: we wyll hold no great dyspycyons wyth hym theruppon / because we lakke the namys of both the sydes to make the tryall wyth. But surely who so shall say the cōtrary: shall as we suppose eyther saye so for his pleasure / or els shall it fare by his sight as folkis fare with theyr felyng / which what they fele they whyne at / but what they haue felt the [...] haue more then half forgotten / though they felt it ryght late. Whych maketh one that hath but a pore boyle vppon hys fynger / thynk the grefe more great / than was the payne of a great boch that greued hys hole hād lyttell more than a moneth a fore. So that in thys poynt of the nomber of syk beggers so sore encreased so late / albeit we wyll forbere so to say to hym as we mighte well say: yet will we be so bolde to denye it hym till he bryng in some better thyng than hys bare word for the profe.

¶And in good faith if he be put to the profe of the tother poynt also / that is to wyt that for very constraynt those pore syk folk dye for hū ­ger: we verely trust & think he shall seke farr and fynde very few yf he fynde any at all: For albeit that pore householders haue these d [...]e yeres made ryght hard shyft for corne: yet our lorde be thanked men haue not bene so farr from all pyte / as to suffer pore impotēt parsons dye at theyr doorys for hunger.

¶Now where as he sayth that the almes of all well disposed peple of thys reame is not half inough to sustayn them / and the well dysposed people he calleth in this matter all thē that gyueth them almoyse / & he speketh not of one yere nor twayn but of these many yerys now passed / for neyther be the nomber of the clergy nor theyr possessyons nor the freres almes in whych thyngꝭ he layeth the cause why the al­mes of good people ys not half suffycyent to kepe & sustayn the pore and syk beggers fro famyshyng / any great thynge encreased in these x. or .xii. or .xx. yeres last passed / & therfore yf that he sayd were trew: then by all these .x. yeres at the lest / the almoyse of good people hath not bene half able to susteyn the pore & syk beggers frō famyshynge. And surely yf that were so that in .iiii. or .v. yerys in which was plenty of corne / the pore & syk beggars for lak of mennys almes died so fast [Page] for hūger: thogh many shuld fall sik neuer so fast again / yet had they in y^• laste .ii. dere yerys dyed vp of lyklyhod almost euerychone. And whether thys be trew or not we purpose not to dyspute: but to referr and report our self to euery mānys eyen and eares / whether any mā here of so many dede / or se so many the fewer.

¶When he hath layd these sure stonys to begyn the ground & foun­dacyon of hys byldyng wyth / that sore and syk beggars be so sore en­creasyd / that the almesse of all the good people of thys realme is not half inough to sustayn thē / and that therfore by very constraynt they dayly dye for hunger: vppon them he layeth a nother stone / that the cause of all thys euyll is the great possessyōs of the spyrtualte / and the great almys gyuen to the frerys. But herein furst he layth that besydys tythes and all such other profettꝭ as ryse vnto the chyrh by reason of the spyrytuall law or of mennys deuocyon / that they haue the thyrd parte of all the temporall landes of the realme. Whych who so can tell as much of the reuenews of the realme as he can tell lytell that made the booke / doth well know that though they haue mych: yet is the thyrd part of all farre an other thing / & y^• he sayth in thys poynt vn [...]r [...]w. Than goeth he to the pore frerys. And there as we told you he shewyth that y^• almes geuen them / of certeynte amounteth yerely vnto .x.iii. thousand .CCC.xxxiii.li. vis .s.viii.d. sterlyng: paraduenture men wold wene the man were some apostata / and that he neuer coud be so pryuy to the frerys reconyng / but if he had bene long their lymytour / and sene some generall vyew of all theyr hole accountys. But surely syth the man is bad inough besyde / we wold be loth folk shuld rekē hym for apostata / for surely he was neuer frere for aught tha. we know / for we neuer wyst that euer in hys lyfe he was half so well dysposed. And also when ye here the groūd of hys reconyng: ye well your self thynk that he nether knoweth mych of theyr maters / & of all the realme besyde make as though he knew many thyngys for trew / which many men know for fals. ¶For furst he putteth for the groūde of hys rekenyng that there are in the realme / twoo and fyfty thousāde parysh churches / whych ys one playne lye to begynne with Then he putteth y^t euery paryshe one wyth a nother / hath ten howse holdes in yt: meanynge besyde suche pore howses as rather aske al­mes thē gyue / for of such ye wot well y^• frerys get no quarterag. & y^• poynte albe yt the grounde be not sure / yet bycause yt may to many men seme lykely / therfore we lette yt passe. But then he sheweth ferther for a sure trouth a thynge that all men knowe surely for a great lye: that ys to say that of euery howsholde in euery paryshe / euery of y^• fyue ordres of freres hath euery quarter a peny: for we knowe full well & so do many of you to / fyrst y^t the comen people speke but of .iiii. ordres / the whyte / the blakke / the austayne / and the grey / and whych [Page vi] ys the fyft in many partes of the realme fewe folke can tell you. For yf the questyone were asked abowte / there wolde be peraduenture founden many mo the more pyte it is / that coulde name you the grene freris then the crowched. ye know ryght well also that in many a pa­ryshe in england / of fourty howseholders ye shall not fynde fowre pay neyther .v. pēse a quarter nor .iiii. nother / and many a parysshe ne­uer a peny. And as for the .v.d. quarterly / we dare boldely say that ye shall fynde yt payed in very fewe paryshes thorow the realme / yf ye fynde yt payed in any. And yet this thynge beynge suche a starke lye as many men all redy knoweth / & euery man shortely may fynde it / he putteth as a playne well knowen trouth for a specyall poste to bere vpp his rekenynge. For vppon these growndes now maketh he a clere rekenynge in this maner ensuynge / whyche is good also to be known for folke that wyll lern to cast acōpt. Ther be .lii.M. ꝑyshes and in eche of them .x. howsholdes So haue ye the hole some of the howsholdes .v. hondred thowsand and twenty thowsande. Euen iust Go nowe to the money then. Euery order of the .v. orders of freres hathe of euery of these howsholdes a peny a quarter Sūma for eue­ry howse amonge all the .v. orders euery quarter .v. d. & here by may ye lerne that fyue tymes one maketh .v. Nowe this is he sheweth you amonge the .v. orders of euery howse for the hole yere .xx.d. and so lerne ye there that .iiii. tymes fyue maketh .xx. Sūma sayth he .v. hondreth thowsande and .xx. thousande quarters of angelles. Here we woulde not that bycause the realme hath no coyne called the quarter aungell / ye shulde therfore so farre mystake the man as to wene that he ment so many quarter sackes of aungels. For in dede (as we take hym) by the namynge and comptyng of so many quarters of aū gels / he meneth nothynge elles but to teche you a poynt of rekenyng and to make you perceyue and knowe / that .xx.d. is the fourth parte of .vi.s.viii.d. For after that ra [...]e it semeth that he valueth the aūgell noble. Then goeth he forthe with his rekenyng & sheweth you that fyue hundred thowsand and .xx. thowsand quarters of aungels / ma­keth .ii. hundred thre score thowsand halfe aungellys. And by thys so ye may perceyue clerely / that he ment not quarter sackes of aungels for then they woulde haue holden ye wote well many moo pecys of fourty pence / then fourty tymes thys hole some commeth to. Then he sheweth you ferther that .CC.lx. thowsand halfe aungellys / a­mounte iust vnto .C.xxx. thowsand aūgels. wheryn euery man may lerne that the halfe of .lx. ys .xxx. and that the half of twayne ys one. Fynally then he casteth yt all to gyther and bryngeth yt in to poūdes Sūma totalis .xliii. thowsand poūdꝭ .iii. hūdred & .xxxiii.li.vi.s.viii.d But here to contynewe the playnesse of hys rekenynge / he forgote to tell you y^t .iii. nobles make .xx.s. & that .xx.s. make a poūd But who [Page] can now dowte of thys rekenynge whan yt cometh so rounde / that of so great a sōme he leueth not out y^• ode noble But now syth all thys rek [...]nynge ys grounded vppon two false groundes / one vppon .lii. thowsande paryshe churches: the other that euery of the fyue orders hath euery quarter of euery howshold a peny: thys rekenyng of .xliii. thowsād CCC.xxx.ii.li.vi.s.viii.d. semeth to cōe mych lyke to pas as yf he wold make a rekening wyth you y^• euery asse hath .viii. eares And for to proue yt wyth / bere you furst in hande that euery asse hath fowre heddes / and then make summa .iiii. heddes. Thene myght he boldely tell you ferther / that euery asse hed hathe two eares / for that ys comenly trew excepte any be cutte of. Sūma then .ii. eares and so summa totalis eyght eares. At thys accompte of eyght eares of one a [...]e ye make a lyppe and thynke yt so madde that no man wold make no suche. Surely yt were a madde compt yn dede / and yet as mad as yt were / yt were not so madde by halfe as ys hys sadde and ereneste compt that he maketh you now so solempnely of the frerys quartera­ge. For thys shu [...]d he groūd but vpon one lye / where he grounddih y^• tother vpon twayne as open lyes as thys & as greate. Now myght we and we wold) say that all hys rekenynge were naught / bycause he rekeneh .xx.d. for the quarter of the aungell / and all the remenaūt of hys rekenyng foloweth forth vpon the same rate. But we wolde be lothe to put hym in the fawlte that he deserue not. For surely yt myght he that he was not ware of the new valuacyon: for he ranne awaye byfore the valuacyon chaūged? But now vpon thys greate some of .xliii. thusād .CCC.xxxiii.li.vi.s.viii.d. vpon these good ground [...] heped vp to gether he bryngeth in hys ragmānes roll of his rude r [...]tory [...]u [...] agaynst the pore freres / begynnyng wyth such a gret exclamacyon that we herde hym hyther / & sodaynly were all afrayed whē we herd hi cry out so loude / Oh greuous & paynfull exaccyōs: thus yerely to be payed / frome the whyche the people of your noble ꝓgenytours auncyent Brytons euer stode fre. And so goeth he forth agaynst the pore freres wyth Danes / and Saxons / and noble kyng A [...]ure / and Lucius the emperoure / the Romaynes / the Grekys / & the greate Turke / shewynge that all these had ben vtterly marred & neuer had ben able to do nothynge yn the warre / yf theyr people had gyuen theyre almoyse to freres.

¶After hys raylyng re [...]oryque ended agaynst the freres / then thys some of .xliii. thowsād .CCC.xxxiii.li.vi.s.viii.d. he addeth vnto all y^• tother that he sayd byfore that all the clergye hath besyde whych he sūmeth not but sayth that thys and that to gyther amounte vnto more bytwene theym then halfe of the hole substaunce of the realme. And thys he affirmeth as boldylylas though he could reken the hole reue­news and substaunce of all england / as redely as make the rekenyng [Page vii] of thys beggers purse.

¶Then sheweth he that thys better halfe of the hole substaunce ys shyfted amonge fewer then the fowre hundred parte of the people. Whyche he proueth by that he sayth that all the clergye compared vnto the remannaunte of the men onely / be not the hundreth ꝑsone. And yf they be compared vnto the remanaunte of men / women / and chyl­dren / so are they not he saeth the fowre hundreth person. But nowe some folke that haue not very longe ago vppon greatoccasyons taken the rekenynge of prestꝭ and relygyous places yn euery diocise / & on the other syde the rekenynge and the nomber of the temporall men yn euery coūtye: know well y^• thys mannes madde rekenynge goeth very farr wyde / and semeth that he hath herd these wyse rekenyngis a [...] some congregacyon of beggers. And yet as thoughe bycause he hath sayd yt he had therfore proued yt / he rūneth forth in his raylyng rei [...]ryque agaynst the hole clergye / and that yn suche a sorte and fas­syon that very harde yt were to dyscerne whyther yt be more false or more folyshe. For fyrste all the fawtes that any lewde preest or frere doth / all that layeth he to the hole clergye / as well and as wysely as though he wold lay the fawtes of some lewde lay people to y^t defaut and blame of all the hole temporaltye. But thys way lyketh hym so well that thus layeng to the hole clergye y^• fawtes of suche as be simple & fawty theryn / and yet not onely layeng to theyr charge y^t breche of chastyte & abuse in fleshely lyuyng of suche as be nought / but also madly lyke a fonde felow layeng mych more to theyr charge & myche more ernestly reprouynge y^• good & honest lyuynge of those y^t be good whome he rebukethe and aborreth bycause they kepe theyr vewes & perseuer yn chastyte (for he sayeth that they be the marrars and dys­stroyers of the realme / bryngeng the lād yn to wyldernesse for lacke of generacyon by theyr abstaynynge from weddyng) then aggreuyth he hys great crymes wyth heynouse wordys / gay repetycyons / & greuous exclamacyōs / callyng them blood suppers & dronken in y^• blood of holy marters & sayntes / whyche he meanyth for the condemnynge of holy heretykes. Gredy gosophers he calleth them and ynsacyable whyrlpoolys / because the temporalte hath gyuen theym possessyōs / & gyue to the freres theyr almoyse. And all vertuouse good preestys & relygyous folke he calleth ydle holy theues / because they spēd theyr tyme yn prechynge and prayour. And than sayth he / these be they that make so many syk & sore beggers. These be they that make these ho­rys & baudys. These be they that make these theuys. These be they that make so many ydle parsons: These be they that corrupte y^• generacyons. And these be they that wyth the abstaynyng from weddyng hynder so the generacyon of the people / y^• the realme shall at lenght fall yn wyldernes but yf they wed y^• soner. And now vpō these hygh [Page] nous crymes layed vnto the hole clergye / & layd as euery wyse man seeth some very falsely and some very folyshly: after hys goodly repetycyons be falleth to hys great and greuous exclamacyons / cryēg out vppon the great brode botomlesse occean see of yuels / and vppō the greuouse shypwrak of the comen welth / the translatynge of the kyngys kyngdōe / and the ruyne of the kynges crown. And therwyth rollynge in hys retoryke from fygure to fygure / he falleth to a vehement inuocacyon of the kynge / & gyueth hym warnyng of hys greate losse / askynge hym feruently: where ys / your sword / power / crown / and dygnyte bycome [...] as though the kynges grace had clene loste hys realme specyally for lacke of people to reygne vppon / bycause that prestes haue no wyuys. And surely the man cannot fayle of suche eloquence: for he hath gathered these goodly flowres out of Luthers gardyne almost worde for worde wythout any more laboure but one­ly the translacynge owte of the latyn into the englyshe tonge.

¶But to enflame the kyngys hyghnes against the church / he sayth that the clergye laboureth nothyng elles / but to make the kynges subg [...]es fall in to dysobedyence and rebellyon agaynst hys grace.

¶Thys tale ys a very lykely thynge / as though the clergye knew not that there ys nothyng erthly y^t so moche kepeth them self in quyet rest and suertye / as doth the dew obedyence of the people to the ver­tuouse mynde of the prynce. Whose hygh goodnesse must nedes haue myche more dyffycultye to defende the clargye and kepe the churche in peace / yf y^• people fell to dysobedyence & rebellyon agaynste theyr prynce. And therfore euery chyld may se that the clergye woulde ne­uer be so madde as to be glad to brynge the people to dysobedyence & rebellyon agaynst the prynce / by whose goodnes they be preserued in peace / and were in suche rebellyō of the people lykely to be the fyrst that shold fall in parell. But neyther ys there desyred by the clergye nor neuer shall by goddes grace happen / any such rebellyon as y^• beggars ꝓctoure & hys felowes what so euer they say lōg full sore to se.

¶But thys man agaynst y^• clergye fetcheth forth old farne yeres & [...]neth vp to kyng Ihāns days / spēdyng mych labour about y^• pray­se & cōmendacyō of y^t good gracyous kyng & cryeng out vppō y^• pope y^t then was and the clergye of England / and all the lordys and all y^• comēs of the realme / because kynge Ihān as he sayth made y^• realm trybu [...]ary to the pope / wherin he meaneth peraduēture the peter pēse But surely therin ys all hys hote accusacyon a very colde tale when y^• trouth ys knowen. For so ys yt in dede y^t albe yt there be wrytars y^• say y^• peter pē [...]e were graunted by kyng Ihān for the release of the incerdyccyō: yet were they payed in dede ere euer kyng Ihāns grete graūdfather was borne / & therof ys there profe ynough. Now yf he say as in dede some wryters say / that kynge Ihān made Englāde & [Page viii] Irland trybutary to the pope & the see apostolyque by the graunt of a thowsand markys: we dare surely say agayn that yt ys vntrew / & that all Rome neyther cā shew suche a graunt nor neuer could / and if they could yt were right nought worth. For neuer coulde eny kyng of England geue away the realm to y^• pope / or make the lāde tributary though he wolde / nor no such money ys there payed nor neuer was And as for the peter pense if he meane thē / neyther was y^e realme trybutary by thē / nor king Ihān neuer graūted thē. For they were payed before the cōquest to the apostolyk see toward the mayntenaūce ther­of but onely by way of gratytude & almes. Now as for the archbys­shop Stephen / whom he sayth beyng a traytour to the kynge / y^e pope made archebyshop of Canturbury agaynst y^e kyngys wyll / therin be there as we suppose .ii. lyes at onys. For neyther was y^t Stephē euer traytour agaynst the kyng as farre as euer we haue herd / nor y^e pope none otherwyse made hym archebyshop thē he made all other at that tyme: but y^• same Stephē was well & canonycally chosē archebyshop of Cāturbury by y^• couēt of y^• mōkis at Cristꝭ church in Cāturbury to whō as y^• kyng well knew & denyed yt not / y^• eleccyō of y^e archebysshop at y^• time belōged. Nor y^e kyng resystyd not hys eleccyō bycause of any treasō y^t was layd agaynst hym: but was discōtētyd therwith / & after y^t his eleccyō was passyd & cōfirmed by y^e pope: he wold not of long seasō suffer hym to enioy y^• byshoprich / because hym selfe had recōmēdyd another vnto y^• mōkys / whō they reiectyd & preferryd Stephē. And that thys ys as we tell you / & not as the beggars prec [...]our wryteth for a false foūdacyō of hys raylyng: ye shall mow parceyue not onely by dyuers cronycles / but also by dyuers monumētis yet remaynynge as well of the eleccyon and cōfyrmacyō of the sayd arche byshop / as of the long sute and proces that after folowed theruppō.

¶Nowe sheweth he hym selfe very wrothe wyth the spyry­tuall iurysdyccyon / whyche he wolde in any wyse were clene taken awaye / saynge that yt muste nedys dystroy the iurysdyccyon tempo­rall: where as the good prynces passed haue graunted / and y^• nobles in theyre tymes / and the people to / haue by playne parleamentes confermed them / and yet hytherto blessed be god they agre better to gy­ther / then to fall at varyaunce for the wylde wordes of suche a ma­lycyouse make bate: whyche for to brynge the spyrytualtye in to hate­red / sayth that they call theyr iurysdyccyon a kyngdome. In whyche word he may say his pleasure / but of trewth he seldom seeth eny spyrytuall man at thys daye that so calleth eny spyrytuall iurysdyccyō y^t he vseth.

¶Nowe where thys man vseth as a profe therof / that y^• spyrytu­alte nameth theym selfe alwaye byfore the temporaltye: thys maner of namyng cometh not of them / but of the good mynde and deuocyon [Page] of the temporaltye: so farre forthe that at the parlyament when that eny ac [...]es be conceyued / the wordes be comenly so cowched / that the byll sayth it ys enacted fyrste by our souerayne lorde y^• kyng and by y^• lordes spyrytuall & temporall & the comens in that present parlyamēt assembled. And these byllys be often drawen put forth & passed fyrste in the comen howse / where there ys not one spyrytuall man present.

¶But suche trewth as the man vseth in thys poynte / suche vseth he where he calleth the pore freres almoyse an axaccyon: surmysynge that yt ys exacted by force and the people compelled to pay yt / where euery man well wotteth that they haue pore men no way to compelle no man to gyue thē aught not though they shulde dy for defawt. But thys good honest true man sayth that who so wyll not pay the freres theyre quarterage they wyll make hym be taken as an heretyque.

We be wyll contente that ye take thys for no lye / as manye as euer haue knowen yt trew. But who herd euer yet that eny man taken for an here [...]yque / dyd so myche as ones saye that he thought yt conuayd by the malyce of any frere for refusyng to paye y^• freres quarterage. Thys lye lo ys a lytle to lowde / for eny man that were not waxen shameles.

¶Lyke treuth ys there in thys that he sayeth / yf any man trouble a preeste for any tēporall suyte: the clergye forth wyth wyll make hym an heretyque and burne hym / but yf he be cōtent to bere a fagotte for theyre pleasure. The falsehed of thys can not be vnknowen. For mē know well in many a shyre how often that many folk endyght prestꝭ of rape at the sessynos. And as there ys somtyme a rape committed in dede / so ys there euer a rape surmysed were the women neuer so wyllynge / and oftentyme where there was nothynge done at all.

And yet of eny suche that so procured preestes to be indyghted: howe many haue men herd taken and accused for heretyques? ye se not very many sessyōs passe / but in one shyre or other thys page an [...] ys playd / where as thorow the realme such as be put to penaunce for heresy / be not so many in many yeres as there be prestys endygh­tyd in few yerys. And yet of all such so taken for heresye / he shall not fynde foure this four score yere / peraduenture not thys four hūdreth yere / that euer precended them selfe so troubled for endyghtyng of a preste. So that hys lye ys herein to large to get eny cloke to couer yt

¶Nowe where he saith that the captayns of doctours Aleyns kyngdome / haue hepyd hym vp benefyce vppon benefyce / & haue rewar­dyd hym .x. tymes as mych as the .v.C. poundis whych he payd for a fyne by the premunire / and that thus hath the spyrytualtye rewarded [...]ym because he fought so māfully agaynst the kyngys crowne & hys dygnyte: all that know the matter do well parceyue that the man doth in hys mater as he doth in other / eyther lyeth for hys pleasure / or els [Page ix] lyttell wotteth how that the matter stode. For it ys well knowen that doctour Aleyn was in the premunire pursued only by spyrytuall mē and had moch lesse fauour & myche more rygour shewed hym therin by the greatest of the clergy / then by any temporall men.

¶He sayth also to the kynges hyghnes / your grace may se what a worke there ys in London / how the byshop rageth for endyghtyng of certayne curates of extorcyon and incontynencye the laste yere in the warmoll quest / wolde not vppon these wordes euery straunger we­ne that there had bene in Londō many curates endyghted of extorcyō and rape / and that the byshop wold labour sore to defend theyr fautꝭ and that there wer aboute y^t matter a greate cōmocyon in all the cyte? How shameles ys he that can tell thys tale in wrytynge to y^• kyng [...] hyghnes for a trouth / wherof neyther byshop / nor curate / nor mayre / nor alderman / nor eny man ellys / euer hard word spoken? Hyt were harde to say whether we shulde take yt for wylynes or lacke of wytt y^• he sayth all thys worke was in the cyte the last yere: & then hys boke neyther was put vp to the kynge / nor bereth eny date. So y^• a man wold wene he were a fole that so wryteth of the last yere / y^• the reder cānot wyt whych yere yt was. But yet wene we he doth yt for a wy­lynes. For syth he knoweth hys tale false: yt ys wysdome to leue the tyme vnknowen / that hys lye may be vncontrolled. For he wold that men shulde wene alwaye that yt was in one yere or other.

¶But fynally for a specyall poynt he bryngeth in Rychard Hūne and sayth y^t yf he had not commencyd an accyō of premunire agaynst a preste / he had bene yet alyue and none heretyke at all. Now ys yt of trewthe well knowen / that he was detectyd of heresye before the premunyre sued or thought vppon.

And he began that suyte to helpe to stop the tother wythall / as in de­de yt dyd for the whyle. For all be yt that he that was sued in the pre­munire was nothynge bylongynge to the byshop of London byfore whome Rycharde Hunne was detectyd of herysy: yet left suche as wolde be glad synysterly to mysseconster euery thynge towarde the clergye / myght haue occasyon to say that the matter were hotely handeled agaynst hym to force hym to forbere his suyt of the premunire / the bysshop therefore dyd the more forbere / tyll yt appered clerely to the temporall iudges and all that were eny thyng lerned in the tēpo­rall law / that hys suyte of the premunire was nothynge worthe in the kynges lawe / for as moche as by playne statute the matter was owt of questyon that the ple to be holden vpon mortuaryes / belonge vnto the spyrytuall courte. After whyche thynge well aperynge / the matter wente forth afore the byshop / & he there well proued nought / and hys bokes after brought forth / suche and so noted wyth hys own hande in the margentes / as euery wyse man well saw what he was / [Page] and was full sore to se that he was suche as they theyre sawe hym preued.

¶Now goeth he ferther and asketh the kynge / dyd not doctor Hor­say and hys complyces moost heynously as all the worlde kneweth / murder in pryson that honest marchaūt Rychard Hunne / for that he suede your wrytt of premunire agaynst a prest that wrongfully held hym in ple in a spyrytuall courte / for a mater wherof the knowlege bylonged vnto your hyghe courtes? And what punysment hathe he for yt [...] After that he had payed as yt ys sayd .vi. hundreth poundꝭ for hym and hys complyces / as sone as he had obtayned your moost gracyouse pardon: he was immedyatly promoted by y^• captaynes of hys kyngdome wyth benefyce vpon benefyce to the value of .iiii. tymes as myche. Who ys he of theyr kyngdome that wyll not rather take corage to commyt lyke offense / seyng the promocyons that fell to suche men for theyr so offendyng / so weke & blunt ys your swerd to stryke a [...] one of the offenders of thys croked and paruerse generacyon.

We haue here sumwhat cōbred you wyth a pece of hys awn wordꝭ / bycause ye shuld haue a shew of hys vehemēt eloquēce: wyth whych the bolde beagers proctours so arrogantly presumethe in hys byll to as [...] the kynge a questyon / and to bynde hys hyghnes to answere as hys maystershyp appoyntted hym. For yf hys grace say nay: then he telleth hym byfore / that all the worlde woteth yes. But surely yf he call all the world all that euer god made: then ys there .iii. partes that knoweth the contrary. For we dare be bolde to wa [...]aunt you / that in heuen / hell / and here among vs in purgatory / of all that thys man so boldely affermeth / the contrary ys well and clerely knowen. And yf be call y^• world but onely men among you ther lyuyng vppon mydle yerth: yet so shall be peraduenture fynde in some parte of the worlde yf he seke yt well / mo than .iiii. or .v. good honest men that neuer hard speke of the mater. And of suche as haue hard of the mater & knowen yt well [...]he shall fynde mow and specyally we thynk the kyngꝭ grace hym self / whose hyghnes he ys so homly to aske the questyon and appoynt hym hys answer hym selfe that of all fyue thynges whych he hathe here in so fewe lynes affyrmed / there ys not one trew but lyes euery one. For fyrst to begyn where he leueth / when he sayth that the clergy haue syns the deth of Rychard Hūne / ꝓmoted doctor Hor­say wyth benefyce vpō bene fyce .iiii. tymes as mych as .vi.C. poūdꝭ he playn vntreuth of thys poynt may euery man sone know y^t wyll sone enquyre. For he lyueth yet at exester / and theyr lyueth vpō suche as he had before / wythout that new hepe of benefyce gyuen hym by y^e captaynes of hys kyngdō for kyllyng of Rychard Hūne / or thank ether saue onely of god for hys lōg pacyence in hys vndeserued trouble. But to thēd y^t ye may se how lyttell thys man forceth how lowd [Page x] he lye: consyder y^• he sayth that the clergye gaue vnto doctor Horsay after he cam out of pryson benefyce vppon benefyce to the valew of .iiii. tymes as much as .vi.C. poundꝭ. Now yf thys be trew / thē hath doccoure Horsay had in benefyces besydes all such as he had before hys troble / the valew of .ii. thousand .iiii.C. pounde. we truste that the man hys substaunce and hys lyuelod ys so well known / that we nede not to tell that the beggers proctor in thys poynt hath made one lowd lye. A nother ys that he sayth that Hunne was kept in ple in the spy­rytuall law for a matter determynable in the kyngꝭ court: for the mater was for a mortuary / whych by playn statute ys declared to playne to the spyrytuall law. The thyrd ys that Hunne was honest / except heresy be honeste. The fourth ys that doctour Horsey and hys complyces murdred hym in pryson: for therof ys y^• cōtrary well knowen / and that the man hanged hym selfe for dyspayre / dyspyte / and for sak of grace. we myght an we wold lay for the fyft / the payment whych he speketh of the .vi.C. poundes / wyth whyche money he wolde men shuld wene that he bought hys pardon. wherin he layeth a good great some / to thend that folk well wyttyng that doctour Horsay was not lyke to haue so mych money of hys awn / shuld wene therwyth that y^• clergye layed out the money among them / & thē gaue hym benefyces wherof he myght pay them ageyn. But thys layth he frō hym self / and shewyth not to whom / for he sayth yt ys sayd so. And yet were yt no wrong that yt were accounted hys owne / tyll he put yt better from hym / and proue of whome he herde yt. How be yt syth there ys other store ynough: we shall leue thys lye in questyō betwene hym and we wote nere whom ellys / and we shall for the fyfte laye you that lye y^• he layeth forth hym selfe / that ys to wytte / where he sayeth that the chaunceller purchased the kynges mooste gracyouse pardon for the murderyng of Hūne. For thys ys the trouhe that he neuer sued eny pardon therfore. But after that the matter had ben by longe tyme & great dylygence so ferre forth examyned / that the kyngꝭ hyghnes at length (as tyme alwaye tryeth owte the trouth [...] well perceyuyd hys innocency & theyrs also that were accused and endyghted with hym [...] hys noble grace when they were arraygned vppon that endyghment and therto pleded that they were not gyltye / commaunded hys attor­nay generall to confesse theyr ple to be true / whyche is the thyng that hys hyghnes as a moost vertuouse prynce vseth for to do / when the mater ys not onely iuste / but also knowen for iust vppon the parte of the partye defendaunte. Bycause that lyke as where the mater appe­reth dowtefull he doth as reason ys / suffer yt to go forth and [...] y^• trouth be tryed / so where he seeth and perceyueth the ryght to be on y^• other syde / hys hyghnes wyll in no wyse haue the wrōg sette forth or mayntayned in hys name. Now when yt was then thus in dede / that [Page] neyther the chaunceller nor eny man elles euer suede eny charter of pardon for y^• mater: thys ys then y^• fyftlye that thys man hath made in so few lynes. Whych thyngꝭ who so well cōsyder / can not but meruayle of the sore pyththy poynt where wyth he knytteth vppe all hys heuy matter / saynge to the kyng: who ys there of theyr kyngdome y^• wyll not take corage to commyt lyke offence seynge the promocyons that fall to suche menne for theyre offendyng: so weke and so blunte ys your sworde to siryke at one of the offenders of thys croked and peruerse generacyon. Loo how thys greate zelator of the commen welthe cryeth owte vppon the kynge / that hys sword ys not stronge a sharpe to stryke of innocencys heddis. He hath of lykelyhed ransa­ked vppe all dame retoryques rolles to fynd owte thys goodly fygure / to call vppon the kynge and aske hys hyghnes where ys youre swerde / and tell hym hys swerde ys to dull: as though he wolde byd hym bere yt to the cutlers to grynde / that he myghte stryke of doctor Horsayes hed whome hys grace had founde fawtelesse / and testyfyed hym hym selfe for an innocence. If thys man were here matched wyth some suche as he ys hym selfe / that hathe the eloquence that he hath that coulde fynde out suche comely fygures of retoryque as he fyndeth sette forthe and furnyshed wyth suche vehement wordes as he thundreth owte lyke thunder blastys / that hathe no lesse maters in hys mouth than the greate brode botomlesse occean see full of euyls / the wekenes and dulnes of the kynges swerde / the translacyon of y^• kyngys kyngdome / the ruyne of the kynges crowne / wyth greate exclamacyons / Oh greuouse and paynfull exaccyons / oh cause most horryble oh greuouse shyp wracke of the comen welth: what myght one that had suche lyke eloquence saye here to hym? surely so myche and in suche wyse as we sely poore pewlyng sowles neyther can de­uyse nor vtter. But verely two or thre thynges we se and maye well saye that neyther be these greate maters mete for the mouthe of the beggers proctour / nor suche prechyng of reformacyon and amēdemēt of the world mete maters for hym to medle wyth / whych wyth open heresyes and playne pestylent errors / besely goeth aboute to poyson and infecte the worlde: nor very conuenyent for hym to take vppon hym to gyue counsayle to a kynge / when he sheweth hym self to haue so moche presumpcyon and so lytell wytt / as to aske the kyng a ques­tyon and appoynte hym hys answer: and therin to tell hym that all y^• worlde knoweth that thynge to be trew / whych the kynge hathe hym selfe all redy by hys atturney and hys iudges in open iugement / and in hys hygh courte of recorde testefyed & confessed for false. If that man were not for malyce as mad not as marche hare / but as a madde dogge that rūneth forth and snatcheth he seeth not at whome: the fe­lowe could neuer elles wyth suche open foly so sodenly ouer se hym [Page xi] selfe. But yt were wrong wyth the worlde yf malyce had as myche wytte / cyrcumspeccyon and prouydence in the pursute of an vngracyouse purpose / as yt hath hast / yuell wyll and wylynesse in the fyrst in terprysynge. For as an ape hath some symylytude of a man / and as a fox hath a certayne wylynesse somewhat resemblyng an vnperfayte wytte: so fareth thys felowe / that begynneth as one wolde wene at good zeale and cheryte borne towarde the poore beggers. But forthe wyth he sheweth hym selfe that he nothyng ellys entendeth: but opē ­ly to dystroy the clergye fyrst / & after that couertly as many as haue aught aboue the state of beggers. And where as he wold in y^• begyn­nynge by y^• towchyng of great maters / fayne seme very wyse: wyth in a whyle in the progresse he proueth hym self a very stark fole. And where he wolde seme to shewe many notable thynges whych no man had marked but he / he prouydeth wysely that no mā may beleue hym he maketh so many lyes / and all that euer he dothe ferther / he buyl­deth vppon the same.

¶He layeth that the lyuynge whych the clergye hathe ys the onely cause that there be so many beggers that be syk and sore. Very well and wysely / as though the clergye by theyre substaunce made men blynde and lame. The clergye also ys the cause he sayth why they dye for hunger / as thoughe euery lay man gaue to beggers all that e­uer he coulde / and the clergye gyue them neuer a grote: & as though there wolde not mo beggers walke a brode yf the clergye lefte of suche lay men as they fynde.

¶But he proueth you that the clergy must nedys be the cause why there be so many poore men and beggers. For he sayth that before the clergy came in theyr were but few pore people: and yet they beggyd not neyther / but men he sayth gaue them ynough vnasked. But now where sa [...]he whē he saw the people gyue pore folke so fast theyr all­mes vnasked y^• no man neded to beg before the clergy began. Thys man of lyklyhod ys of grete age / & or ere y^• clergy began was wonte to syt at saynt Sauours wyth a sore leg: but he beggyd not mē gaue hym so mych vnasked. For where as he alledgyth the byble for hym in the actes of the appostles / verely we meruayll mych what the mā meneth. For there he may se that the apostels and the deacons whych were then the clergy / had all to gyther in there own handys / & dystrybuted to euery man as them self thought good. And therfore we wonder what he meaneth to speke of that boke. For we thynke that he meneth not to hurt the clergy so now / as to put all in to theyr handꝭ. And surely but yf he meane so / els ys thys place nothīg for hys purpose. ¶Now herein he sheweth also an hygh poynt of hys wyt / where he sayth that the greate lyuyng that the clergy hath / whyche he layeth & lyeth to be more then half of the hole reuenews and substaunce of the [Page] realme: ys shyfted among fewer then the foure hundreth part of the people. As though y^• of the clergyes parte there had no lay people theyr lyuyng / no seruaunt eny wagys / none artyfycer eny money for workyng / no carpenter no masyn eny money for byldyng: but all the money that euer cūmeth in theyr handes / they put yt by & by in theyre own belyes / and no lay man hath eny relyef therof. And therfor thys poynt was wysely wrytten ye se as well as we. Now for the trouthe therof / yf yt were trew that he sayth / that the clergy compared to the resydew of the men onely / be not one to an .C. then shall ye not nede to fere y^• greate Turke and he cam to morow / except ye suffer amōg you to grow in great nomber these Lutherans that fauoure hym. For we dare make you the warantyse that yf hys lye be true / there be mo men a greate meany in Londō and wythin .iiii. shyres next adioynyng / than the great Turk bryngeth in to Hungary. But in thys ye must hold hī excused / for he medleth not mych wyth angry in to se to what sūme the nōber of men aryseth that ys multyplyed by an .C. All hys practyse in multyplycacyon medleth wyth nothyng but lyes: & therin mache hym wyth whō ye wyll / he wyll gyue you a .C. for one. wher­of yf ye lack let thys be the sāple y^• he sayth / yf thabbot of westmyn­ster shuld syng euery day as many masses for hys foūders as he ys boūdē to do by hys foūdacyō. M. mōk [...] were to few / ye dout not we think but he cā tell you who hath boūd thē to how many / & so cā make ye y^• playn rekenīge y^• thabbot ys boūd in the yere to no fewer masses than .iii.C.lxv.M. He knoweth what ys euery mannes dutye saue hys owne. He ys mete to be a beggers proctour / that can soo proll aboute and can tell all thynge.

¶But now were all his payntyd ꝓces ye wot well nothing worth / but yf he deuysed agaynste all these myscheues some good and holsō help. It ys therfore a world to se what polytyke deuyces he fyndeth agaynst y^• great brode botomlesse occean see of euyls: what remedyes to repayre the ruyne of the kyngys crown: to restore and vphold hys honour and dygnyte: to make hys swerd sharp and strong: & fynally to saue all the shyp wrak of the comen welth. ye wolde peraduenture wene y^• the man wolde now deuyse sō good holsome lawes for helpe of all these maters. Nay he wyll none therof. For he sayth he douteth that the kyng ys not able to make any law agaynst them. For he sayth that the clergy ys stronger in the parliament than the kyng hym self. For in the hygher house / he rekenyth that the spyrytualte ys more in nomber and stronger than the temporalte. And in the comen house he sayth that all the lerned men of the realme except the kynges lerned councell / be feed wyth the church to speke agaynst the kynges crown and dygnyte in the parlyamēt for theym: and therfore he thynketh the kynge vnable to make eny law agaynst the fawtys of the clergye.

[Page xii] ¶Thys beggars ꝓctour wold fayn shew hym self a man of great experyence / and one that had great knowlege of the maner & order vsed in the kyngys parlyamētys. But than he speketh so sauourly herof: that yt well apperyth of hys wyse wordꝭ he neyther canneth eny skyll therof / nor neuer cā in the house. For as for y^• hygher house furst y^• kyngꝭ own ryall parson alone more than coūterpaysyth all y^• lordys spyrytuall present wyth hym and the temporyll to. And ouer thys the spyrytual lordys can neuer in nomber excede the lordys temporall / but must nedys be farre vnderneth thē yf yt please the kyng. For hys hyghnes may call thyder by hys wryt many mo tēporall lordys at hys own pleasure. And beyng as they be / there was neuer yet sene that the spyrytuall lordes bendyd them selfe there as a partye a­gaynst the temporall lordes. But yt hath bene sene that the thynge whych the spyrytuall lordes haue moued and thought resonable / the temporall lordes haue denyed & refused: as appereth vppon the mo­cyon made for legytymacyō of the chyldrē borne before the maryage of theyr parentys. Wherin albe yt y^t the reformacyon whych the lordꝭ spyrytuall moued / was a thyng that nothyng partayned to ther awn commodyte / and albe yt that they layed also for theyr parte the con­stytucyon and ordynaunce of the church and the lawes of other crys­ten cuntrees: yet could they not obtayne agaynst the lordes temporall that nothynge alleged to the contrary but theyre owne wylles.

And therfor in the hygher house the spyrytuall parte neuer apperyd yet so strong / that they myght ouer matche the temporall lordes. And then how mych ar they to feble for them and the kyng to / whose hyghnes alone ys ouer strong for thē both / & may by hys wryt call to hys parlyamēt mo temporall lordes whan he wyll. Now where he sayth y^• in the comen house all the lerned men of the realme ar feed to speke for the clergy except the kynges lerned counsell: there be .ii. folyes at ones. For neyther be all the lernyd men of the realme knyghtes or burgeyses in the comen house / and the kyngys lerned coūcell ys not there at all. And therfore yt semeth that he hath hard sumwhat of sū men that had sene as lytell as hym self. And surely yf he had bene in the comen house as some of vs haue bene: he shuld haue sene the spyrytualte nat gladly spoken for. And we lytell dout but that ye remember actes and statutes passyd at sōdry parlyamētes / suche and in such wyse & some of them so late / as your self may se that eyther y^• clergy ys not the strenger ꝑte in the kyngꝭ ꝑlyement / or elles haue no mynd to stryue. And for the ferther profe that the kynges hyghnes ys not so weke & vnable in hys owne parlyamēt as thys beggers proctour so presumptuously telleth hym / hys grace well knowyth and all hys people to / y^• in theyr own conuocacyons hys grace neuer deuysed nor desyred any thyng in hys lyfe / y^• euer was denyed hym. And therfore thys gay inuencyō of thys beggers proctour / y^• he fayneth the kyngꝭ [Page] hyghnes to be in hys hygh courte of parlyament more weke and fe­ble then the clergye / ys a feble deuyce.

¶But now syth he wyll haue no law deuysed for the remedy of his greate complayntes / what helpe hath he deuysed els. The helpe of all thys gere ys he sayth none other thing / but to lett hym & suche ry­all raylers rayle & gest vppō the church / and tell the people y^• prestꝭ fawtes: and for the lewdnes of parte / brynge y^• hole clergy in cōtēpt and hatered amonge all the temporall folke. Whych thyng he sayth y^• kyng must nedes suffer / yf he wyll eschew the ruyne of hys crowne [...] dygnyce / And thys thyng he sayth shalbe more spedefull & effectu­all in the matter / than all the lawes that euer can be made be they ne­uer to strōg. Lo good lordys & masters then shall ye nede no mo par­lyamēt ys. For here ys god be thankyd an easye way wysely founden to remedye wythe raylynge the greate brode botomlesse occean se of yuels and to saue the comen weale frome shyp wracke / & the kynges crowne from ruyne.

¶But now to the poore beggers. what remedy fyndeth theyr proc­tour for therto make hospytals? Nay ware of y^t / therof he wyll none in no wyse. For therof he sayth the mo y^• worse / because they be ꝓfytable to prestꝭ what remedy thā? Gyue thē any money? Nay nay not a grot [...]. what other thyng thē? Nothyng in y^• world wyll serue but this that yf y^• kynges grace wyll byld a sure hospytall y^• neuer shall fay­le to releue all the sycke beggers for euer / let hym gyue nothynge to thē but loke what the clergye hath & take all that from them. Is nott here a goodly myschef for a remedy? Is not thys a ryall fest to leue these beggers meteles / and then send mo to dyner to theym? Oh the wyse. Here want we voyce and eloquēce to set out an exclamacyon in the prayse and commendacyon of thys specyall hygh prouysyon.

Thys byll putteth he forth in the poore beggers name. But we ve­rely thynk yf them self haue as myche wyt as their proctour lacketh / they had leuer see theyr byll maker burned / then theyr supplycacyon sped. For they may sone ꝑceyue that he myndeth nor theyr almoyse / but onely the spoyle of the clergye. For so that the clergye lese yt: he neyther deuyseth ferther / nor ferther forcyth who haue yt.

¶But yt ys ethe to se wherof spryngeth all hys dyspleasure. He ys angry & fretyth at the spyrytuall iurysdyccyon for the ponyshmēt of heretykes and burnyng of theyr erronyouse bokes: for euer vppō that stryng he harpeth: very angry wyth the burnyng of Tyndals testament. For these matters he calleth them blood suppers dronken in the blood of holy sayntes and marters. ye merueyll paraduenture which holy sayntes & martyrs he menyth. Surely by hys holy sayntꝭ and marters he meanyth theyr holy scysmatykes and heretykes / for whose iust ponyshment these folk that ar of y^• same sect / fume / frete / [Page xiii] frote and fome / as fyerce and as angerly as a new huntyd sow. And for the rācour conceyuyd vppon this dysplesure / cometh vp all hys cōplaynt of the possessyons of the clergye. Wheryn he spareth & for­bereth the nūnys yet / because they haue no iurisdyccyon vppon here­tykys: for els he wold haue cryed out vppō theyr possessyōs to. But thys ys now no new thyng nor y^t furste tyme y^t heretykes haue bene in hād wyth the mater. For furste was there in the .xi. yere of kynge Henry the fourth / one Ihān Badby burned for heresy. And forth wyth theruppon was there at the next ꝑlyment holden y^• same yere / a byll put in / declaryng how mych temporall lād was in the church / which rekenyng the maker therof gessyd at by y^• nomber of knygh [...]s fees / of whych he had went he had made a very iuste account. And in thys byll was yt deuysed to take theyr possessyons out agayn. How be yt by the byll yt appered well vnto thē whych well vnders [...]de y^• mater / that the maker of the byll neither wyst what land there [...] / nor how many knyghtꝭ fees there was in the church / nor well what thyng a knyghtes fee ys: but the byll deuysed of rancour & yuell will by some such as fauoured Badby that was burned / and wolde haue hys heresyes fayne go forward.

¶And so y^t byll suche as yt was / such was yt estemed and set a syde for nought. So happed yt thē sone after that in y^• first yereof y^• kyngꝭ mooste noble progenytour kynge Henry the fyfte those heresyes secretely crepyng on styll among the people: a great nomber of theym had fyrst couertely cōspyred and after openly gathred and assembled theym selfe / purposyng by opē warre and batayle to destroy y^• kyng and hys nobles and subuerte the realme. Whose traytorouse ma [...]yce that good catholyque kynge preuented / wythstode / ouerthrew / and punyshed: by many of them takē in the feld / and after for theyr tray­torouse heresyes bothe hanged and burned. Whervppon forthwyth at y^• parlymēt holdē y^• same yere / lyke wyse as that ryall prynce [...] vertuouse nobles & his good crysten cōmunes / deuysed good lawes agaynst heretyques: so dyd some of suche as fauored theym / efte sonys put in the byll agaynst the spyrytualltye. Whyche efte sonys consydered for suche as it was and cummynge of suche malyciouse purpose as yt cam: was agayne reiected and set a syde for nought. Thē was there longe after that / one Rycharde howndon burned for here sye. And thē forthe wyth were there a rable of heretyques gatheryd theym self to gyther at Abyndon: whych not entēdyd to lese eny more labour by puttynge vp of byllys in the parlementꝭ / but to make an open insurreccyon and subuerte all the realme / and then to kyll vp y^• clergye and sell preestes heddes as good chepe as shepys heddꝭ threfor a peny bye who wold. But god saued y^• chyrch & y^• realm both & tourned theyre malyce vppō theyre awne heddꝭ. And yet after theyr [Page] punyshment then were there some that renewed the byll agayn. And [...] after this was ther one Ihān Goose rosted at y^• towre hyll. And [...] forth wyth some other. Ihān goose bygā to bere that bell a br [...]de agayn / & made some gag [...]ing a whyle but yt auayled hym not. And now bycause some heretyques haue bene of [...] ab [...]red / thys [...] therfore hath made thys beggers byll / and gageleth a [...] vppon the same mater / and that as he thynketh by a ꝓper [...] lykely to spede now / bycause he maketh his byll in the name of the [...] and hys byll cowhed as full of lyes as any begger swarmeth full of lyce.

¶We neyther wyll nor shall nede to make myche busynes abowte thys [...] myche better in the goodnesse of good men / thē [...] nede for thys thyng to reason agaynst an vnresonable [...]. We be sure ynoughe that good men were they y^• gaue this [...] and therfore nought shuld they be of lykelyhed that [...] thense agayn. To whych rauyne and sacrylege our lord [...] [...] shall neuer suffer thys realme to fall.

¶ [...] Austeyn in his dayes when he parceyuyd that some [...] at the possessyons that then were geuen in to [...] in an open sermon amonge all the people [...]ffer them [...] agayne and that hys church and he wold forsake thē / [...] theym take theym who wolde. And yet was there not [...]foun­d [...] in all the towne aloe yt that the people were as these Affrycanis [...] barbarouse / fyerce & boystuouse / yet was there none as we say fowden eny one so badde / that his [...] word serue hym to en [...]e in to one fo [...]e.

¶When Phargo the kynge of Egypte bought vp in the dere yeres all the landys that were in euery mānes hande / so that all the people were fayne to sell theyre enherytaunce for hunger: yet ydolater as he was he wold neuer suffer for eny nede the possessyons of y^• prestꝭ to be [...] / but made prouysyon for theym beside / and suffred theym to kepe theyre landys styll / as the byble bereth wytnesse / And we verely truste that the good chrysten prynces of the chrysten realme of Englonde shall neuer fayle of more fauour towarde the clergye of Cryste / then had that prynce Idolatre to the preestes of hys ydollꝭ. ye [...] ys yt not ynough to the cruell mynde of thys man to take frome the hole clergy all that euer they haue / but that he wold ferther haue theym bounden vnto cartes and whypped to dryue theym to labour. ¶Of all theues ys thys one of the wurste and moste cruell kynde. For of all theues mē most abhorre them that whan they haue takē a mannes money frome hym / thē take and bynde hym and bete hym to. But ye [...] ys this wretche mych wurse. For he fareth as a cruell thefe that wolde wythout respecte of hys awne commodyte / take a mannꝭ [Page xiiii] money frome hym and caste yt he care not where / and then bynde the man to a tree and bete hym for hys pleasure. Oh the cheryte.

¶But he sayeth he wolde haue theym whypped to compell them to laboure and gette theyre lyuynge in the swete of theyre faces. And thys wold he not good man but for fulfullyng of goddys commaun­dement. For he sayeth that yt ys cōmaunded them in the fyrst chapter of Genesys. And therfore ys he theryn so indifferēt th [...]t he excepteth none / but calleth the beste but ydle holy theues / and so wold haue th [...] all robbed and spoyled / bounden and beten to compell them to w [...]k wyth theyre handes / to gete theyre lyuyng in the swete of theyr faces for the fulfullyng of goddys commaundement. Amonge thys com­pany that he wolde sodaynely sende forthe newe robbed wyth ryght naught lefte theym: ys there many a good man that hath lyued full godly many a fayre day / and duely serued god & prayd for vs / which we haue well founden: many an olde man: many a sore syk man: and many blynde and many same to. All whyche as sone as they be dreuē owte of theyre awne dores / this cherytable man wolde be very well content to see them bounden and beten to / bycause they be of y^• clergy For excepcyon maketh he none / in thys world.

¶He layeth vnto the charge of the clergy that they lyue ydle [...] that they be all bounde to labour and gette theyre lyuyng in the swe [...]e of theyre faces / by the precepte y^• god gaue to Adam in the fyrste cha­piter of Genesys. Here this mā sheweth hys cōnyng. For yf [...] be so: then were the preestes in the olde lawe bounden therto as well as ys y^• clergy now. And then howe happed yt that of thys poy [...]e there was no mencyon made by Moyses? howe happed yt that god in that lawe prouyded theym myche larger lyuynge then he dyd the lay people? & that such kynde of lyuynge as declared that hys pleasure was that they shuld lyue owt of labour and vppon y^• labour of other man­nes handes? The holy apostle saynt Powle / all though hym self in some places forbare to take hys lyuinge frely / but rather chose to ly­ue of hys owne labour then to be in theyre daungeour whych wolde happely haue sayd y^t he preched because he wold lyue at [...]ase therby / and thys dyd he specyally to put suche false apostles to [...] / as for suche desyre of ydle lyuynge fell some where to false prechynge: yet neyther dyd he so in euery place / and also cōfessed and sayed that he myght well and lawfully haue done the contrary / affyrmynge yt for good reason y^• he that serueth the awter shuld lyue of the [...] & sayng also: yf we sow vnto you spirituall thyngꝭ / ys yt a great thing yf we repe your carnall thyngꝭ? Now chryst hys awne mouth sayd vnto the people / that they shulde not leue theyr dutyes vnpayed vnto the preests. And thys good chrystē man wold haue theym all clene taken frome theym and yet the preestes well beten to.

[Page] ¶He rekeneth all the clergye ydle / bycause they labour not wyth theyre handes tyll theyre faces swete. But our sauyour chryst reke­ned farre other wyse in blessyd Mary Magdalene / [...] syt­tyng at her case and herkenyng / he accounted and declared [...] busynes then the busy styryng & walkyng abowt of his good [...] Martha whyche was yet of all worldly busynes occupyed abowte the beste: for she was busye abowte almoyse and hospetalyte / and y^• gestynge of the beste pore man and moste gracyouse geste that euer was gested in thys worlde.

¶Now yf thys can not yet content thys good man bycause of goddꝭ commaundement geuen vnto Adam that he shuld eate hys brede in y^• swete of hys face: thē wo [...]d we fayne wyt whycher h [...]m self neuer go to me [...]e tyll he haue wrought so sore wyth hys handes if at hys face sweteth Surely we beleue he laboureth not so sore before euery meale. [...] w [...]renor good to truste hys answere / for he wyll happely say yes / and not le [...]e for one lye amonge so manye. How be yt he thynketh yt per [...]duēture inough for hym / y^• [...] swete in sekynge owte olde heresyes / & deuysyng n [...]we And verely yf he loke y^• suche busynes shulde serue hym for a dys­charge of harde labour moche be [...]er may we thynk [...] of many good men whome he wold haue beten [...] lyues in fastyng / prayer & prechyng / and studyeng abow [...] the trouth. ¶But yt ys good to loke bytyme what this beggers [...] mea­neth by thys commaundement of [...]and labour that he speketh of whe [...] yf he cōfesse that yt byndeth not euery mā: then ys yt layed [...]o no pur­pose agaynste the clergye. For [...] was a small clergye [...] that word was sayed to our first foder Adam. But now yf he call as be [...] / and then wyll that yt [...] vnto all the hol [...] kynd of man / as a thynge by god commaunded vnto Adam and all hys of spryng thē thogh he say litle now / he meneth to go [...] then he speketh of yet. For yf he myght fyrst haue the clergy put owt of theyre lyuynge / and all that they haue clene taken frome theym / a myght haue theym ioyned to these beggers if a [...] be now / and ouer y^• added vnto them and send a beggyng to / all [...]hose y^• the clergye fynd now full honestly: thys pageaūt ones played / and hys beggers byll so well spedde / then whan the beggers should haue so mych [...] ly­uynge and be so many moo in multytude: surely lyke wyse as for the beggers he now maketh hys byll to the kyngys hyghnesse agaynste bysshops / abbo [...]tys / pryours / prela [...]ys / and preestys: so wold he then wychyn a whyle after make a nother byll to the people agaynst mer­chauntys / gentylmen / kyngys / lordys / and prynces / and complayne that they haue all / and saye that they do nothyng for yt but lyue ydle / and that they be cōmaunded in Genesys to lyue by y^• labour of theyr [Page xv] handys in the swete of theyre facys / as he sayth by the clergye now. Wherein yf they wene that they shall stande in other case thē the clergye doth now: they may peraduenture sore deceyue theym selfe. For yf they wyll thynk that theyre case shall not be called all one bycause they haue landys and goodys to lyue vppon / they must consyder so hath the clergye to. But y^t ys the thyng y^t thys beggers ꝓctor cōplayneth vppon / and wold haue theym taken away. Now yf the landed men suppose that theyre case shall not seme one wyth the case of the clergye / bycause they shall happely thynk that the church hath theyre possessyons gyuen theym for causes whych they fulfyll not / and that yf theyre possessyons happen to be taken frome theym yt shalbe done vppon that grounde / and so the lay landed men owte of that fere by­cause they thynke that suche lyke occasyon and ground and consyde­racyon fayleth and can not be founden in them a theyre enherytaūce: surely yf any mā clerk or lay haue landis in y^• gyft wherof hath bene eny cōdycyon adioynyd whych he fulfylleth not / the geuer may well with resō vse theryn such aduaūtage as y^t law geueth him. But on y^• tother syde who so wyll aduyse pryncys or lay people to take from y^• clergy theyr possessyōs / allegyng maters at large / as layng to theyr charge that they liue not as they shuld / nor vse not well theyr possessi­ons / and that therfore yt were well done to take them from theym by force and dyspose them beter: we dare boldly say who so gyueth this deuyce as now doth this beggars proc [...]our / we worde gyue you coū ­sell to loke well what wyll folow. For he shall not fayle as we sayd before yf thys byll of his were sped / to fynde you sone after in a new supplicacyon new balde reasons ynow y^t shuld please the peoples cares / wherewych he wold labour to haue lordys landis and all honest mēnys goodys to be pulled fom them by force a dysiry bu [...]ed among beggars. Of whych there shuld in thys wyse y^t he deuyseth encreace and grow so many / that they shuld be able for a sodayn shyft to make a strong parle. And surely as the fyre euer [...]epeth forward and laboreth to turn all into fyre: so wyll such bold beggars as thys is / neuer cease to solycyte and precure all that they can / the spoyle and robbery of all that ought haue / and to make all beggars as they be them self.

¶We be cō [...]ent y^• ye beleue vs not / but yf yt haue so ꝓuyd all redy by those vplandysh Lutherās that rose vp in Almaygne. Whych be­yng onys raysed by such sedycyose bokꝭ as ys thys beggars supplycacyon / & such sedycyouse heretykys as ys he that made yt: set furste vppon spyrytuall prelatys. But shortly theruppon they so sirechyd vnto the temporall pryncys / that they were fayne to ioyne in ayde of them self with those whom they laughed at furst to se them put in the paryll / hopynge to haue had the profyte of theyr losse / tyll they saw y^• they were lykly to lese theyr owne wyth them. And for all the ponyshment [Page] y^t they pursued vppon those rebellyouse parsōs / of whom ther were in one somer slayn aboue .lx.M. yet ys that fyre rather couored than quenchyd [...] because they suffered yt crepe forth so farre at furst / y^t [...] ar [...]ow therby amōg the lordys thē self / as there cā neuer [...] some nedy rauenouse sāded men / that shalbe redy to be captayns in all such rebellyons: as was the lord Cobham called Olde castell somtyme a captayn of heretykes in Englande in the dayes of kynge [...] the fyft. And surely there would sone folow some sore chaū ­ge in the temporalie / yf thys beggers proctour haue hys malycyouse supplycacyon spedde agaynst the spyrytualte.

¶ [...]ut yet lest folk shulde abhorre hys hard harte and cruelte: y^e mā tēperyth hys mater wyth a goodly vysage of the sore inwarde sorow y^t he taketh for the [...] of mankynd / and wyth the greate zele that he hereth to generacyō for the good encreace of crysten people in the sād. For he wold for that cause in eny wyse that all y^e clergy shuld haue wyues. For he asketh y^e kyngꝭ hyghnes as the mā ha [...]h caught a great pleasure to appose the kyng / wherin he vseth a fygure of re­thoryk that mē call sawce malaper [...]e what an infynyte nūber of people mygh [...] haue bene encreased to haue peopled your realme / yf thys sort of folk had ben ma [...]ed lyke other men. This mater that prestes must nedys haue [...]wyues he brynge lhe dyuers [...]y in .iii. or .iiii. placys. And amonge other he hathe one / wherin he sheweth in raysynge a­gaynst the clergy a princypall par [...]e of hys excellence eloquence. For there he vseth hys ryall fygure of rethoryke called repetycyō / repe­tyng often by y^e hole clergy: these be they in y^e begīnyng of hys clause▪ These be they y^t haue made .C.M. idle hores in your realme. The­se be they y^• corrupt the generacyō of mākynd in your realm. These be they that draw mennys wyues in to incontynency in your realme. And after dyuers of such these be these / he cōcludeth & knytteth vp the ma [...]er wyth his accustomyd vehemence [...]et out of Luthers volumys askyng who is able to nomber the great brode botomlesse occeā see full of yuels / that thys myscheuouse and synfull generacyō bryngeth vp vppon vs? As though all the hole clergy were of thys cōdycion and no man els but they. But among all hys these be thays / this ys one whych as the sorest and the most vehemente / he secteth in the fore front of thē all: These be they that by theyr abstaynyng fro maryage [...] do let the generacyon of the people / wherby all the realme at lenght yf yt shuld be contynued shalbe made desert and inhabytable.

[...] Lo the depe insyght that thys beggars proctour hathe in the brode botomlesse occeā see full of yuels to saue the greuouse shypwrak of the comen welth. He seeth farre farther than euer Cryst was ware of / or eny of hys blyssed apostles / or eny of y^e old holy fathers of crystys fayth and resigyon syns hys holy assencyō hetherto / tyll now y^t [Page xvi] Luther cam of late and Tyndale after hym / & spyed out thys great secrete mystery that neyther god nor good man coud espye. If theyr abstaynyng fro maryage shuld make all the lād desort and inhabytable / how happeth yt that habytacyon endureth theryn so long: for the lande hathe lasted syth the begynnynge of theyre absteynynge frome maryage ye wot well many a fayre day. And now yf theyr abstaynīg from maryage not wythstandyng / the land hath bene vpholden with the generacyon of you y^t ar the temporalie so long: ye shall lykewyse hereafter be goddꝭ grace and the helpe of good prayours for kepyng the land from wyldernes / be able to get chyldren styll your self / and shall not nede to call neyther monkys nor freres to helpe you.

¶Now yf yt be so that y^e clergy be as he sayth but the hundred p [...]rt of the men / and yet not so mych nether: there ys not then so great pa­rell of the land to fall to wyldernes / but y^t the .lxxxxix. partes may mayntayn yt populouse / though the hūdred part abstayn. [...] for to shew that he hath not left hys anxyouse fauour toward his natyue cōtrey though he be ronne away from yt for heresy [...] fereth sore lest y^e hundred par [...]e forberyng maryage / all the .lxxxxix. [...] shall not be able so to preserue yt with generacyon / but that yt shall wa [...] not one­ly desert / but also / wherof we most wonder inhabitable / y^t is to say suche as of yt self shall not be able for manny [...] habytacyon: But he paraduenture taketh inhabytable for desart / desola [...]e and not inhabyted / because men shuld se that he can so roll in hys rethoryk / that he wotteth not what hys owne wordys meane.

¶And sumwhat yet ys yt to be consydered / that in such parte of his boke that he wold haue yt appere that theyr lyuyng is to mych: there he wold make yt seme that they were very few. And where he wold haue them take wyuys: he wold haue them seme so many / that theyr abstaynyng from maryage were able to bryng all the land into deso­lacyon and wildernes. And thus he handleth eyther parte so wysely: y^t there lakketh hym nothyng yerthly theryn / but euē a peny weyght of wyt. For faw [...] wherof / hys wyly foly foreseeth not that one par [...]e of his proces euer impugneth a nother. For they that were right now so small a parte of people that a littell wold suffyse for theyr lyuyng: be now sodenly so many that yf they were maryed infynyte nomber of people he sayth to y^e kyng wold increase to people his [...] in wyth Now yf that be trew that of them alone yf they were maryed / so in­fynyte nomber of people wold encrease / that yt wold make y^e realm populouse: then eyther ar they contrary to hys count mo then the hū ­dreth part (for one out of a .C. is no very parceyuable mysse / nor one added to an .C. no very parceuable encrease) or els yf they be but the hundred parte as he made hys rekenyng ryght now / yet yf yt be then trew that he sayth syns / that of the hūdred parte maryed so infynyte [Page] nomber of people myght yncrease to people the realme: then can he not deny but that of the .lxxxxix. partys there may grow .lxxxxix. ty­mes infinite nōber of people. And then they beyng so / thoughe y^e clergye beyng as he sayth but y^• hundred part neuer mary: yet shall y^• po­ [...] fole not nede to wake & wax lene for fere of the realm fallynge to wyldernes. In whych he seeth y^• there maye of the .lxxxxix. partis re [...]ew / grow and encrease .lxxxxix. tymes infynyte nomber of peo­ple to make y^t land populouse. ¶Yet maruayle we mych of one thyng y^e in all his fere y^t generacyon shuld fayle because y^• clergye maryeth not: he seeth no man vnmaried in all the realme but thē How many seruaūtys? How many tall seruynge men are there in the realm that myght yf men saw such a sodayn necessyte / rather mary then the clergy y^• haue vowed to god the contrary? But he forceth nott so mych for the mater that he maketh hys pretext / as he doth in dede to haue all vowes voyd / that he myght get Luther sum lewd companyons in England.

¶But now what yf thys good man had the rule of this mater / and wold put out all the clergy and byd them go wed? He shuld parad­u [...]ture fynde some that wold not mych styk therat: but they shuld be of the worst sort / and such as now be sklaunder of theyr order / & whō yt were most nede to kepe fro generacyon / leste yuell crowes bringe you forthe yuer byrdys. But as for the good prestys & good relygy­ouse whose chylderne were like to be best and to be best brought vp: they wolde not mary for breche of theyr vowes. And thus shulde ye haue the naughty generacyons encrease wherof there be to many all ready: and of the better neuer the mo.

¶What wold thys good mā do now wyth good folk of the clergy y^• wold not mary? He wold of lyklyhod bynde them to cartꝭ and bete them and make them wed in the wanyand. But now what yf womē wyll not wed thē / namely syth he sendith thē out wyth ryght noght / sauynge slaunder / shame and vylanye? what remedy wyll he fynde therfore? He wyll of lyklyhod compell the women to wed theym: & yf the wēch be nyce and play the wanton and make the mater strāge then wyll he bete her to bed to.

¶Surely we can not but here cōfesse the trouth / these nyce and wā ton wordis do not very well with vs: but we must pray god and you to pardon vs. For in good fayth hys mater of monkys maryagys ys so mere and so mad / that yt were able to make one laugh that sieth in the fyre: & so mych the more / in how mych he more ernestly preacyth vppon the kyng in thys poynt / to haue in any wyse the clergy robbed spoylyd / boūden / beten and weddyd. Wherby what oppynyon he hath of weddyng / ye may sone parceyue: for ye se well that yf he thought yt good / he woulde not wyssh yt theym. ¶Many that rede hys [Page xvii] wordys / wene that he were some mery mad geste: but he seemeth vs farre otherwyse. For excepte he were a wonderouse sad mā of hym selfe / he coud neuer speke so ernestely in so mad a mater.

¶Yet one thīg wold we very fayn wyt of hym. Whē he had robbed spoyled / boūden / beten and wedded all the clergy / what wold he thē ▪ Shuld eny of them be curatys of mennys soules and preche and mynyster the sacramentys to the people or nat?

¶If they shuld: yt were a very strange fassyon to robb hym / bynde hym / and bete hym on the tone daye: and then knele to hym / and confesse to hym / and receyue the sacrament of hys hāde on y^• tother day / reuerently here hym preche in the pulpytte / and then bydde hym go gette hym home and clowte shone. Eyther he muste mene to haue yt thus / whyche none honeste mā coulde endure to se: or ellys of whych twayne we wote nere well whyther is the wurse / he entendeth to haue all holy orders accompted as nothynge / and to haue no mo sacra­mentys mynystred at all: but where as sone after crystes ascencyon hys church buryed the ceremonyes of the iewes synagoge wyth ho­nour and reuerence / so wold he now that crysten people shuld kyll & cast owte on a donge hyll the blessyd sacramentys of cryste wyth v [...] lany rebuke and shame. And surely to tell you y^• trouth / thys ys hys very fynall intent and purpose / and the very marke that he shoteth at / as a specyall poynt and foūdacyon of all Luthers heresyes wherof thys man ys one of the baner berers. And therfore here wold his awne hygh sore wordys haue good place agaynst hym selfe. For this myscheuouse deuyse of hys / ys in dede a great brode botomelesse oc­cean see full of euyllys / wheryn wold not fayle the greuouse shyp­wrake of the comen welth whych god wold sone forsake yf y^e people ones forsake hys fayth / and contempned hys holy sacramentys / as thys beggers proctour laboureth to brynge abowte. Whyche thynge hys deuyce and conueyaunce well declareth / all though he forbere expresly to saye so farre / bycause of the good [...] & gracyouse catholyke mynde that he well knoweth and by hys gracys excellent wrytynge perceyueth to be borne by the kyngꝭ hyghnes / to the catholyk fayth. For whyche he couereth hys malycyouse entēt and purpose toward the fayth / vnder y^• cloke of many temporall benefytes / that he sayth shuld succede and folow to the kyngys hyghnes and hys realme / yf these hys hygh polytyque deuyces were ones by hys grace agreed.

¶For in y^e ende of all hys byll: he gathereth hys high cōmoditees together / saynge that yf the kynge take all frome the clergye / sette thē abrode at the wyde world wyth ryght nought to wed & take wyues / and make theym labour for theyre lyuynge tyll they swete / bynde theym to cartes and bete theym well / he saythe to the kynge in y^e beg­gers names: then shall as well the nombre of our forsayd mons [...]ru­ouse [Page] sort / as of the bawdes / hores / theuys / and idle people decreace. Then shall these great yerely exaccyons ceace / Thē shall not your sworde / power / crowne / dygnyte and obedyence of your people be translated frome you. Then shall you haue full obedyence of your people. Then shall the ydle people be set awork. Then shall matrymony be myche better kepte. Then shall the generacyon of your people be encreased. Then shall your comēs encrease in ryches. Thē shall none take owre almoyse frome vs. Then shall the gospell be preached. Then shall we haue inough and more. Thē shalbe y^• beste hospytall that euer was founded for vs. Then shall we pray to god for your noble estate longe to endure.

¶Lo here here ye heped vp many great cōmodytees / yf they were all trew. But we shewed you byfore and haue also proued you / that hys byll ys myche grounded vppon many great lyes / wherof he by and by byganne wyth some and after went forth wyth mo. And now to thentent that thende shuld be somewhat surely to the remanaunte as he byganne wyth lyes and went forth wyth lyes / so wyll he with lyes lykewyse make an ende: sauyng that in the bygynnyng he gaue theym oute by tale / and in the ende he bryngeth theym in by hepes. For fyrst he sayth y^• then shall the nomber of sore and lyke beggers decreace. How so? shall there by the robbyng / weddyng / byndynge and betynge of the clergye [...] blynde beggers gette theyre syght agayn or same beggers theyre legges? ys there no man in all the clergy syk and sore that shalbe by thys way sent vnto them? shold there not ma­ny that now be in good helthe waxe shortely syk and sore / and sytte and begge wyth theym? were thys a mynyshement of syk and sore beggers to make mo and send to them?

¶Thē shall / he sayth [...] bawdꝭ / [...]hores / theues / & ydle peple decre­ce. Thys mā weneth he were cosyn to god / & coud do as he dyd: Di­xit & facta sunt. For as sone as he hath dyuysed yt / nowe weneth he y^t yf they were all put owte & so serued by & by / thē were all forthwith in good order. As sone as he sayth lette theym wedde / nowe he we­neth y^t forthwyth euery preeste monke & frere hath a wyfe. As sone as he hath sayd bind theym & bete thē to wurke / forthwyth he weneth euery man ys at hys wurke. And all thys he rekeneth sure ere euer he prouyde wurke for theym / or where they shall dwell / or who shall take so many to wurk at onys y^• neuer were wōte to wurke byfore / and thys where he seeth many walke ydle all redy / that eyther no betyng can dryue to wurke / or ellys no man wyll take to wurke. Fyrste we trust that among the clergye there be many men of that goodnes and vertue / that scante a deuyll could fynde in hys harte to handle them in suche dyspytuouse and dyspyghtfull maner. But go to sette theyre honest lyuyng and vertue lye styll in questyon / yet at the leste [Page xviii] wyse he wyll graunte they be good or nought. Nowe then yf they be good: he ys to very a vylayn y^• wold sarue good men so. And on y^• to ther syde yf they be all as he wolde haue them all seme / vnthryfty / sewde / and nought: howe can yt be that by that reason of so many so noughty / so sodaynly sette owte at large / ye shuld haue bawdes / harlottys / theuys / & ydle people decreace? except he thynke that those whome he calleth nought all redy beynge as they nowe be kepte in / and in honest fassyō refrayned / & many kepte vp in cloysters / wylbe better ruled abrode runnyng at y^• wyld world as bukkys broken owt of a parke. Ouer thys howe can there by the maryagys of preestys / monkys / & fryres / be fewer hores and bawdys / whē by the very maryage yt self beynge as yt were incestuouse & abhomynable / all were starke harlottys that maryed them / and all stark bawdys that shuld helpe to bryng them to gether.

¶Thē shall he sayth / these great yerely exaccyōs ceace. How can such thyngys ceace as neuer yet byganne. Ye remēber what thyngys he calied exaccyons / the freres quarterage / whych he sayd that they exacte of euery household / and compell theym to pay yt vppon payn of heresye / beryng of a fagot or burnyng. Can he among so many as payeth yt not / lay you one sample y^• euer any sayd he was so serued thys seuen yere / thys .vii. score yere / thys .vii.C. yere? Can he saye y^t euer yt was exacted of hym selfe? We knowe where he dwelled / and that yf he had had none other cause to rūne away / surely for eny fere of freres y^• euer exacted of hym quarterage / he wold not haue bene afrayed to dwell by the beste of theyre berdes.

¶Then shall ydle folke he sayeth be sette a wurke. By what meanys? whom hath he deuysed mo to sette ydle men a wurke? but yf he loke that ydle men shalbe sette a wurke by theym whome he sendeth owte of theyre awne housys wythout money or waxe / neyther he nor they wote whyther.

¶Then shall matrymony by myche better kepte. Why so? bycause there be mo men vnmaryed sent owt abrode to brek yt? Who (yf they be suche as he calleth theym) were (yf they wente all abrode) well lykely to breke many a nother mannys maryage ere they made all theyre awne.

¶Then shall the generacyon of your people be encreaced. Is that the greateste fawte he fyndeth the lak of generacyon? If he saw as farr as he wold seme to se / thē shuld be spyre y^t it were first more nede to prouyde houses to dwell in / wyth lande layde therto for tyllage: or ellys experyence techeth that there is generacyon ynough for y^e corne that the groūde bereth. And that thynge ones well ꝓuyded for / there wyll ynowe be founden to multyply more generacyon of suche as may laufully wedde ād wold wedde / yf they wyste where after weddynge [Page] theyre wyfe and theyre chyldren shuld dwell.

¶Then shall not your swerde / power / crowne / and dygnyte / and obedyence of your people / be taken frome you. Who hath taken yt away nowe? who hath hys sworde borne but hys hyghnes hym selfe or suche hys deputyes as he appoynteth yt vnto? his crowne no man wereth but hym selfe / as farre as euer any of vs herde. And yet yf hys hyghnes haue any crowned kyngꝭ vnder hym / his swerd / power crown & dignyte / ys nothyng defaced nor mynysshed: but honowred & enhaunced by that. But all the myschefe ys that the spyrytuall court hath examynacyon of heretyques / thys ys all the gryefe. For as for obedyence of the kyngys people / hys hyghnes fyndeth none takē frō hym. Was there euer kynge in thys realm better obayd thē he? Hath his hyghnes of eny part of hys realm bene better obayd or more hū ­bly serued thē of hys clergy? Was there euer eny kynge in the realm that had hys crowne translated frome hym / bycause the clergye had landys geuē them / or bycause men gaue almoyse to the pore freres? in good fayth ye may truste vs we neuer knewe none suche. Whan y^• beggers proctour preueth any suche ye may then byleue hym: and in the meane tyme ye may well byleue he lyeth.

¶Then shall ye haue obedyēce of your people. yet agayn? Tyll he fynde in the kyngys realm some that dare dysobay hym / yt were not myche agaynst reason that harpynge so myche vppon that strynge / y^t euery mannys care perceyueth so false and so farre owte of tune: he shulde confesse hym selfe a fole.

¶Then shall your people encreace in rychesse. Wherfore y^• rather? Not one halfepeny for aught that he hath spokē yet / except he mean when he taketh the lande frome the clergye / then to dyuyde yt amōg the people and make a dole of the freres almoyse to. And yf he mean so: when he sayeth yt owte playnely then wyll we tell you what he meaneth more. But in the meane season to proue hym both false and folysshe / yt ys ynough to tell hym / that the people can not waxe rych by theyr cōmyng to them that are sent owte naked and bryng naught wyth theym.

¶Then shall none begge our almoyse frome vs. No parde / none but all they that ye wyll haue sent owte naked to you / whyche wolde be mo then ye wolde be gladde to se sytte and begge wyth you / and se thē ask your almoyse frō you y^• were wonte to gyue almoyse to you.

¶Then shall the gospell be preched. ye mary that that. There is y^• great mater that all thys gapyng ys for. For vndowtedly all the ga­pynge ys for a new gospell. Men haue bene wonte thys many yeres to preche the gospell of criste in suche wyse as saynt Mathew / saynt Mark / saynt Luke / and saynt Ihān hath wrytē yt / and in such wyse as y^• old holy doctours saynt Hyero [...] / saynt Austyn / saint Ambrose [Page xix] saynt Gregory / saynt Chrysostome / saynt Basyle / saynt Cypryan / saynt Barnerd / saynt Thomas / and all the olde holy faders synnis crystys dayes vntyll your awne dayes haue vnderstande yt. Thys gospell hath bene as we say alway thus preched. Why sayeth he now that yf y^e clergy were caste owte for nought / that then y^• gospell shold be prechyd. Who shuld then be these prechours? He meaneth not y^t y^e clergy shall / ye may se that well. Who than? Who but some ley Lutheranes? And what gospell shall they preche? Not your old gospell of Cryste: for y^t is yt whych was wonte to be preched vnto you. And he wold ye shuld now thynk that the gospell shall begyn to be prechyd: and yet not begyn to be prechyd amōg you / tyll the clergy be cast out. What gospell shall that be than that shall then be prechyd? What gospell but Luthers gospell and Tyndals gospell? tellyng you y^t onely fayth suffyseth you for saluacayn: and that there nedyth no good workys / but y^t yt were sacrylege and abhomynacyō to go about to please god wyth eny good workys: and that there ys no purgatory / nor that the sacramentys be nothyng worth / nor y^• no law can be made by mā to bynde you: but that by your onely fayth ye may do what ye wyll: & y^t yf ye obey any law or gouernour / all ys of your owne curtesye & not of eny duty at all: fayth hath set you in such a lewd lyberte.

¶Thys & many a mad frantyke foly shalbe the gospell y^t thē shall be prechyd / wherof he bosteth now as of one of the moste specyall cō modytees / that shall succede vppon hys goodly and godly deuyces.

¶Wyll ye playnly parceyue y^t he meaneth thus: After all hys mys­cheuys rehersyd agaynst the church: he hathe an other matter in hys mynde / whych he dare not yet speke of / but he maketh therof a secret ouerture leuyng yt in such wyse at large / as he wold that men shulde gesse what he men / & yet he reseruyth hym self some refuge to flytte therfro when he lyst. For yf he shuld se that men shuld myslyke yt / he wold in such case say that he ment some other thyng. And therfore he purposeth yt vnder these wordys: Here leue we out y^• greatyst ma­ter of all / lest we declaring such an horrible carrayn of euyll agaynst the mynysters of iniquyte / shuld seme to declare the one onely fawte or rather y^• ignoraūce of our best belouyd mynyster of ryghtuousnes. whych ys to be hyd tyll he may be lerned by these small enormytees y^• we haue spoken of / to know yt playnly hym selfe.

¶Thys thyng put forth lyke a rydle / harde to rede what yt shulde sygnyfye: we haue had synnys / by suche as we byfore shewed you y^• dyed and cam hyther / playnly declared vnto vs. And surely who so well aduyseth hys wordꝭ / and well pondereth hys hole purpose / and the summary effecte of his boke: shall mowe sone perceyue what he meaneth in that place. For what shuld that thyng be that he leueth out that shuld be the greatest of all / and that shuld be layed agaynste the [Page] mynysters of inyquyte whych he meaneth and calleth y^• hole clergye and that shuld be such an horryble carayne of euyll / y^• yt shud passe & excede any myscheuouse matter that he had all redy spoken agaynste byfore? what maner of mycheuouse mater shuld thys be?

Thys horryble carrayn of yuell that he leuyth out / syth yt ys as he sayth the greatest mater of all [...] must nedys ye wot well be greater a­gaynst the clergy / than all that great brode botomelesse occean see of yuels: more than all hys These be theys: more than the makyng of such great nomber of beggars / of ydle men / bawdy / hoorys and the­uys: more than the hyndryng of matrymony / corruptyng of generacion: more than translatyng the kyngys kyngdom: more thā bryngyng the kyngys crown to ruyne: more than bryngyng the comen weale to shypwrak / and all the realm to wyldernes. What thyng can thys horrible carrayn be that the clergy dothe / that he leueth out for a whyle / that so farre excedyth these mycheuouse maters before remembryd / that in comparyson of yt he calleth them all small enormytees / & as a man wold say lytle prety peccadulyans? Verely by thys thyng mea­neth he none other / but the prechyng of the very hole corps and body of the blessed fayth of Cryste / & the mynystryng of the blyssed sacraments of our sauyour Cryste / and of all those in especyall the consecratyng of the sacred body the flesh and blood of our sauyour Cryst. For the techynh & prechyng of all whych thyngys / thys beggers ꝓc­tour or rather the dyuels proctour wyth other beggers that lak grace and nether beg nor loke for none: bere all thys theyr malyce & wrathe to the churche of Cryste. And seynge there ys no way for attaynyng theyr entēt but one of the twayn / y^t ys to wyt eyther playnly to wryte agaynst the fayth and the sacramentys (wheryn yf they gat them credēce and obtaynyd / they then se well the church must nedys fall ther­wyth [...] or els to labour agaynst the church alone / & get the clergye dystroyd / wheruppon they parceyue well that the sayth and sacramentꝭ wold not fayle to decay: they parce yuyng thys / haue therfore furste assayd the furst way all redy / sendyng forth Tyndals trāslacyon of the new testament in such wyse hādled as yt shuld haue bene the foū tayn and well spryng of all theyr hole heresyes. For he had corrupted and purposely chāged in many placys the text / wyth such wordys as he myght make yt seme to the vnlerned people / that the scryputre affyrmed theyr heresyes it selfe. Then cam sone after out in prynt the dyaloge of frere Roy & frere Hyerome / betwene y^• father & y^• sonne agaynst y^• sacrament of y^• aulter: & the blasphemouse boke entytled the beryeng of the mas [...]e. Then cam forth after Tyndals wykkyd boke of Māmona / & after that his more wykkyd boke of obydyence. In whych bokys afore specyfyed they go forth playnly agaynst the fayth and holy sacraments of Crystys church / and most especyally [Page xx] agaynst the blyssed sacrament of y^• aulter / wyth as vylanous wordꝭ as the wreches coud deuyse. But whē they haue ꝑceuyd by exꝑyēce y^t good people abhorred theyr abomynable bokꝭ: thē they beyng ther­by lernyd y^t the furst way was not y^• best for y^• furtherance of theyr purpose / haue now determined thē selfe to assay the secūde way / that ys to wytte y^• forberynge to wryte so openly and dyrectely agaynste all the fayth & the sacramētys as good crysten men coulde not abyde the redyng / they wolde / wyth lyttell towchyng of theyre other here­syes / make one boke specially agaynst y^• church & loke how that wold proue. Whyche yf yt succede after theyre appetytys that they myght wyth false crymes sayd vnto some / or wyth the very fawtis of some brynge the hole churche in hatered and haue the clergye dystroyed: thē shuld they more esely wynne theyre purpose that waye. For whē the prechours of the fayth and very gospell were dystroyed or farre owte of credence wyth y^• people / then shulde they haue theyre awne false gospellys preched / as ye may perceyue that thys man meaneth where he sayth y^• thē shall the gospell be preched. And therfore thys ys the thynge whych thys man as yet leueth owt agaynst thē / that is to wytte the prechyng of the ryght fayth and the sacramētys / whych thynge he rekeneth in the clergye a more horryble carayn / thē all the crymes wheryn he hath bylyed them byfore: And therfore sayth he y^t he leueth yt owte / leste he shulde seme to declare the one and onely fawt of the kyngis hyghnes. Whych one onely fawte he meaneth his gracys moste famouse and most gracyouse boke / that hys hyghnes as a prynce of excellent crudycyon / vertue / and deuocyon toward y^• catholyke fayth of cryst / made of thassercyon of the sacramentys a­gaynst y^• furyouse boke of Marthin Luther. Thys godly dede done by hys hyghnes / wyth thacceptacyō of hys godly well deserued ty­tle of defensoure of the fayth gyuē his grace by the see apostolyque / thys calleth thys beggers proctoure the kyngys one and onely fawt and ignorance of theyre false fayth in estymacyon of these herety­ques / whych this beggers proctour sayth that he wyll for the whyle hyde and couer vnder hys cloke of sylence / tyll the kynge may by these enormytyes where wyth he bylyeth the churche in hys beggers byll (wyche enormytyes he calleth smale enormyties in comparyson of the prechyng of the catholyke fayth and the sacramentys) be ler­ned. What lesson trow ye? None other surely / but that they hope that as well hys hyghnes as hys peple / may by suche beggers byllys be fyrste alured and brought in / to cōtemne / hate and dystroye y^• church: and then therby lerne the tother lesson whych he now leueth owte for the whyle / that ys to wytte to sette at nought the catholyque fayth and all the blessyd sacramentys / after the techyng of Luthers and Tyndallys gospell. And therfore sayth he as we tolde you by­far / [Page] [...] [Page xx] [...] [Page] that then shall the gospell be preched.

¶And in the mene tyme y^• mā vseth as he weneth hym self to ward y^• kyngys grace a very wyse fassyon of flatery / callynge hym theyre best belouyd mynyster of ryghtuousnes: yet be they not onely ronne away for fere of the ryghtuousnes of theyr best belouyd mynister of ryghtuousnes / but also wold yt shuld seme y^t his hyghnes were such a mynyster of ryghtuousnes / as eyther set so lyttel by ryghtuousnes that he wold wyttyngly suffer / or els had so lytyll insyght in ryghtuousnes that he coud not parceyue / so great a mater and such an horryble carrayn of yuell commyttyd by the church / as were so heynouse / so houge and so great: that in comparyson therof / the translatyng of hys kyngdome / the ruyne of hys crown / the shypwrak of hys comen w [...]ale / the dyspeplyng of hys realm / and bryngyng all hys land in to desolacyon and wyldernes: were but sleyght maters and small enormytees. And that hys hyghenes shuld towarde thys great horrible a intollerable myscheuouse demeanu [...]e of the church / be ayding and assystent eyther of yuell mynde or of ygnoraunce / tyll that by theyr beggarly byll beyng torned into the hatred & the dystruccyon of y^• church he myght thereby be illumynyd to lerne and parceyue that the faythe whych hys grace had before both lernyd & taughte / and wherof hym self ys the deffensor / ys false and faynyd: and if at the sacramentꝭ be but m [...]nnys inuencyons / and that theruppon he shuld be contente to lern the gospel of Luther and the testament of Tyndale. And thus ye may se what the beggars ꝓctour ment by his proꝑ inuētyd rydle / by whych as ye se vnder a fond face of flatery he vseth towarde his prince and souerayn lord [...] [...]whose maieste both by the law of god & the dutye of hys allegyaunce he were hyghely bounden to reuerence) an open playn dyspyte and contumely.

¶Now to thentent y^t ye may yet farther parceyue and se y^• they by the dystruccyon of the clergy / meane the clere abolycyon of Crystys fayth: yt may lyke you to conferre and compare to gether .ii. placis of hys beggars byll. In one place after that he hath heped vp to gether all hys lyes agaynst the hole clergy / & therto adioyned hys greuouse exclamacyon: Oh y^• greuouse shypwrak of the comē weale: he sayth that in aūcyent tyme before the comyng of the clergy / there were but few pore people & yet they dyd not beg / but there was gyuen them ynogh vnasked / because at y^t tyme he sayth there was no clergy (whō he calleth alway rauenouse woluys) to ask yt fro thē: and thys sayth he appereth in y^• boke of the actys of y^• apostles. In this place we let passe hys threfold foly. One that he wold by that there were no beg­gars in one place / proue therby that there were none in all y^• worlde besyde. For as he for lakke of wyt and vnderstandyng mystaketh the booke / he weneth that there were none that beggyd in Hyerusalem. [Page xxi] whych yf yt were trew / yet myghte there be ynow in other placys.

A nother of hys folyes is in that he alledgeth a boke for hym that no thyng proueth hys purpose. For in all that hole boke shall he neyther fynde that there was at that tyme few pore peple / nor y^t pore peple at that tyme begged not. Far of trouthe there were pore people and beggers / ydle people / and theues to / good plenty bothe then and all way byfore / synnes almoste as longe as Noes flode / and yet peraduen­ture seuen yere afore that to. And so were there in dede in Heyrusalē also amonge theym all / tyll crystendome came in / and yet remayned then amonge such peple there as tourned not to the fayth of Cryst. The thyrde foly ys / he layeth that boke for hym whyche in dede preueth playne agaynst hym. For where he sayeth yt appereth there that the clergy was not then come / we can not in y^• worlde deuyse of what people he speketh Paynyms / Iewes / or crysten men. If he meane amonge Paynyms / hys folye and hys falsehed both ys to euydent. For who knoweth not that amonge the Paynyms they had aL way theyre preestys / whose lyuynge was well and plentuously prouyded for / as ye may perceyue not onely by many other storyes / but also by many places in the byble / and specyally in the .xlvii. chapyter of genesys. If he speke of the Iewes / euery mā woteth well that they had a clergy thousandꝭ of yeres bifore the boke that he alledgeth / & theyr lyuynge farre more largely prouyded for / then eny parte of y^e people bysyde / and that by goddys awne ordynaunce. Now yf he speke of y^• crysten people that was at that tyme in Hierusalem where y^• fayeth byganne / hys boke maketh sore agaynst hym. For there was a clergy as sone as there was eny chrysten peple. For the clergy byganne thē. And that clergye had not a parte of the crysten peples substaūce / but had yt all to gether / and dyd dystrybute yt as they sawe nede / whych no man dowteth but that the partyes shewed theym / or ellys in some nedys they must nedys haue laked. So that here were many pore mē yf they be pore that haue naught left / & all they beggers / yf they be beggers that be fayne to shew theyr nede and aske / and y^• clergy had all to gyther. And yet layeth this wyse mā thys boke for hym / beyng suche as yf he shulde haue sytten and studyed therfore / he could not haue founden a boke that made more agaynst hym.

¶But as we sayed byfore / we shall lette hys false foly passe / and praye you to cōsyder what he wold haue you byleue. He sayeth and wold ye shuld wene that there were few pore folke / and no beggers no where byfore y^• clergy of crystēdom cā in / but that all y^• pouerte & beggary cā in to y^• world wyth the cristē clergy. Now knoweth euery man y^• the crysten clergy & the crysten fayth / cam in to the crysten people to gether / so that in effecte hys wordys way to thys y^• all pouerte and beggary came in to the worlde wyth the crysten fayth.

[Page] ¶Sette nowe to thys place the tother place of hys in the ende and conclusyon of hys boke / where he sayth that after the clergy spoylyd onys and cast out / then shall the gospell be preched / and thē shall we beggars haue ynough & more: lo lyke as in the tone place he sheweth that all begary cam in wyth y^• clergy y^t brought in y^e fayth / so sheweth be in the tother that there shuld wyth the clergy all beggary go forth agayn / yf they were so clene cast out that Cristys gospell beyng cast out wyth them / and the fayth whych cam in wyth them / they myghte haue that gospell prechid as they say they shulde and as in dede they shuld whych they call the gospell / that is to wit Luthers gospell and Tyndallys testament / prechynge the dystruccyon of Crystys very fayth & hys holy sacramentꝭ / auauncyng & settyng forth all boldenes of synne & wrechydnes / and vnder the false name of crystē fredome / spurryng forward the dyuylysh vnbrydeled appetyte of lewd sedy­cyouse and rebellyouse lyberte / that slew in one somer as we shewed you before aboue .lx.M. of y^• pore vplādysh Lutheranis in Almayn. And thys ys all that these heretykys loke for as the frute of theyr se dycyouse bokys and beggars byllys / trustyng by some such ways to be eased of theyr beggary / whych they now sustayn beyng ronne oute of the realm for heresy. For yf they might as they fayn wold [...] haue y^e clergy cast out / and Crystys gospell cast of / and theyr owne gospell preched: thē hope they to fynde that word trew where he sayth: then shall we haue ynough and more.

¶For of all that euer he hath sayd / he hath not almost sayd one trew word saue thys. And surely this word wold after theyr gospell onys prechyd & receyuyd be foūden ouer trew. For thē shuld the beggers / nat such beggars as he semeth to speke for that be syk sore and lame / but such bold presumptuouse beggars as he ys in dede / hole & strong in body but weke & syk in soule / y^t haue theyr bodys clene fro skabbys and theyr soulys foule infect wyth vgly great pokkys & leprye: these beggars wold hope to haue & except good men take good hede wolde not fayle to haue ynough and a great deale more. For after that they myght the clergy furst dystroyd bryng in onys after y^t the prechyng of Luthers gospell and Tyndals testament / and myght wyth theyr herysyes and fals fayth infect and corrupt the people / causyng them to set the blyssed sacramentꝭ asyde / to set holy days and fastyng days at yought / to contemne all good workys / to gest & rayle agaynst holy vowed castyte / to blaspheme the olde holy fathers and doctours of Cristys church / to mok and scorne the blyssed sayntys and martyrs y^• dyed for Crystys fayth / to reiect and refuse y^• fayth that those holy martyrys lyued and dyed for / and in the stede of y^• true fayth of cryst contynued thys .xv.C. yeres / to take nowe the false fayth of a fond frere / of olde condemnyd and of new reforgyd wythyn so few days [Page xxii] wyth contempte of god and all good men / and obstynate rebellyouse mynde agaynst all lawes rule and gouernaunce / wyth arrogante presumpcyon to medle wyth euery mannys substaunce / wyth euery mā nys lande / and euery mannys mater nothynge partaynynge to them: yt ys we say no dowte / but that suche bolde presumptuouse beggers wyll / yf ye loke not well to theyre handꝭ / not fayle to haue as he wryteth ynough and more to. For they shall gather to gyder at laste / and assemble theym selfes in plumpes and in great rowtes / and from as­kynge fall to the takynge of theyre almoyse theym selfe / and vnder pretexte of reformacyon (berynge euery man that aught hath / in hande that he hath to myche) shall assay to make newe dyuysyon of euery mannys lande and substaunce: neuer ceacynge yf ye suffer theym / tyll they make all beggers as they be theym selfe / and at laste bryng all the realme to ruyne / and thys not wythout bochery and fowle blody handys.

¶And therfore this beggers proctour or rather the proctour of hell shuld haue concluded hys supplycacyon not vnder the maner that he hath done / that after the clergye caste owte / thā shall the gospell be preched: then shall beggers and bawdys decreace: thē shall ydle folk and theuys be fewer: then shall the realme encreace in rychesse and so forth. But he shuld haue sayed: After that the clergye ys thus de­stroyed and caste owt / then shall Luthers gospell come in / then shall Tyndallys testament be taken vp: Thē shall false heresyes be preched: Thē shall y^e sacramentꝭ be sett ate nough: Thē shall fastyng & prayour be neglected: Thē shall holy sayntꝭ be blasphemed: Then shall almyghty god be dyspleased: Then shall he wythdrade hys grace and lette all rūne to ruyne: Then shall all vertue be hadde in derysy [...]n: Then shall all vyce reygne and runne forth vnbrydeled: Then shall youth leue labour and all occupacyon: Then shall folk waxe ydle and fall to vnthryftynesse: Then shall horys and theuys beggers and bawdys encreace: Thē shall vnthryftys flok togyder and swarme abowte and eche bere hym bolde of other: Then shall all lawes be laughed to scorne: Then shall the seruauntꝭ set nought by theyre maysters / and vnruly people rebelle agaynst theyr rulers: Then wyll ryse vp ryflyng and robbery / murder and myscheyfe / & playn insurreccyon / wherof what wold be thende or when you shuld se yt / onely god knoweth. All whych myschyefe may yet be wythstā den easely and wyth goddꝭ grace so shall yt / yf ye suffer no such bold beggers to seduce you wyth sedycyouse byllys. But well ꝑceyuyng that theyre malycyouse purpose ys to brynge you to destruccyon / ye lyke good crystē people auoydyng theyre false traynes and grynnꝭ / geue none eare to theyre heynowse heresyes / nor walke theyr sedycy­ouse wayes. But perseueryng in your olde fayth of criste / and obseruyng [Page] hys lawes wyth good and godly warkis and obedyēce of your moste gracyouse kyng and gouernour / go forth in goodnesse and vertue / whereby ye can not fayle to flowre and prospere in ryches and worldely substaunce: whyche well employed wyth helpe of goddys grace abowte cherytable dedes to the nedy / and the rather in remembraūce and relyefe of vs / whose nede ys relyued by you charyte shewed for our sake to your neyghboure / be able to purchace you myche pardon of the bytter payn of thys paynfull place / and bryng you to y^t ioyefull blesse / to whyche god hath wyth hys blessyd blode bought you and wyth hys holy sacramentys enseygned you. And thus wyll we leue the mannys malycyouse foly / tēdyng to the dystruccyō fyrst of the clergye and after of your selfe / wheryn hys madde rekenynge hath constrayned vs to trouble you with meny tryfles god wote full vnmete for vs: and nowe wyll we tourne vs to the treatyng of that one poynte / whyche thoughe yt specyally perteyneth to our selfe / yet mych more specyally ꝑteyneth yt vnto you: y^t ys to wytte the impug­nacyon of that vncherytable heresye wherwhyth he wolde make you to owre great harme and mych more your awne / byleue that we nede none [...]elpe and that there were no purgatory.

WHen we cōsyder in our self dere brothern & systern in our sauyour Cryste / y^• present paynfull pangꝭ y^t we fele / & therwyth ponder vppō the tother parte / y^• parylouse estate of you y^• ar our frendys there ly­uyng in y^t wrechyd world: wyt you very surely that thys pestylēt oppynyō begō agaynst purgatory / not so mych greuyth vs for y^• lak y^t we shuld fynde therby in y^• relyefe of our own intollerable tormētꝭ / as doth for the loue y^• we bere you / the fere & heuynes y^t we take for y^t parell & ieopardy y^t shuld euerlystyngly fall to youre owne sowlys therby. Nor of all the heuy tydyngys y^• euer we hard here / was there neuer none so sore smote vs to y^• hart / as to here the world wax so faynt in the fayth of Criste / that eny mā [Page xxiii] shulde nede nowe to proue purgatory to crysten men / or that any man could be founden / whych wold in so great a thyng so fully and fastly beleuyd for an vndowted artycle thys .xv.C. yere / begynne now to staggar and stand in dowt / for the vnwyse wordys of eny such maly­cyouse parson / as ys he y^t made the beggars supplicacyon. For whose answere & full confutacyon yt semeth vs suffyciēt / that ye may clere parceyue hys wordys to be of lytle weyght / whyle ye se that the mā hath neyther lernyng / wysdome nor good entent: but all hys byll vt­terly groūded vppō errour / euyll wyll & vntrouth. And surely thys were to vs greate wonder yf crysten men shuldē nede eny other ꝓfe in thys world to reproue such sedycyouse folk wythall / thē the onely tokē of the dyuels badge whych theym selfe bere euer about thē: the badge we mene of malyce and of a very dedely dyuelyshe hate.

¶For where as oure sauyoure Cryste hathe so lefte loue & charyte for the badge of his crysten people / that he cōmaundeth euery man so largely to loue other / that hys loue shold extend and strech vnto hys enmy / nor there ys no naturall man nether Paynym / Iew / Turk nor Saracene / but he wyll rather spare his foo than hurt his frende: thys kynde of folk ys so farre fallen not onely from all crysten cha­ryte but also from all humanite and felyng of eny good effeccyon naturall / and so chaūgede into a wylde fyerce cruell appetyte more thā brutysh and bestyall / that they furste wythout grounde or cause take theyre frēdys for theyre foes / hatynge the churche dedely because yt wylleth theyr weale and laboureth to amend thē: and after to do the chirch hurt whō they take for theyr ēmyes / they labour to do vs much more hurt whom they call styll for theyr frendys. For they to get pulled from the clergy the frayle cōmodytees of a lytle worldy lyuyng / labour to haue vs theyr fathers / theyr mothers / theyr frendꝭ and all theyr kynne left lyeng in thy fyre here helplesse & forgottē / they lytle force how long. And in thys they shew theyr affeccyon mych more vnnaturall & abomynable / thā he y^t wold wyth his swerd thrust his frēd thorow the hole body to the hard haft / to gyue hys enmy behynd hym a lytle pryk with the poynt. Thys ways of theyrs were very noght & detestable / although they truly ment in dede / as mych good as they falsly pretēd. For where as they cloke theyr cruell purpose & intēt / vnder colour of a gret zele toward y^• comen welth / which they lay to before ēpayryd by gret pōp & inordynate lynyng vsed in y^• church: we be so farre fro the mynde of defēding eny such spyrytuall vyce / carnall vnclēnes / or worldly pomp & vanyte vsed in y^• clergy / y^t we wold to god yt were mych lesse thā yt is / not in thē only but also in y^• tēporalte. And there is none of nether sort but yf he were here with vs but one half houre / he wold set lytle by all such worldly vanitees all his life after / & lytle wold he force or rek whether he ware sylk or sak cloth.

[Page] ¶But surely thys man yf he ment well: the faulys of yuell folk he wold lay to them self / & not vnto y^• hole clergy. He wold also labour for amendment & betteryng / not for dystruccyon & vndoyng fynally. He wold hold hym self wythyn hys boūdꝭ / onely deuysyng agaynst mennys vyes / & not start owt therwith in to playn & open heresyes. But surely so hath yt euer hetherto ꝓuyd / that neuer was there any that shewed hym self an enmy to the church / but though he couered it neuer so close for the whyle / yet at the last alway he prouyd hym self in some parte of hys work [...] so very an enmy to the catholyk faythe of Cryste / that men myght well parceyue that hys malyce towarde the clergy grew furst & sprang of infydelyte & lak of ryghte belyefe. And of thys poynt was there neuer a clerer ensample than thys beggars proctour: whych was so far forth farsed / stuffed & swollen w [...]th such venamouse heresys / that albe yt he longed sore to kepe them in for the season / and onely to rayle aganst the clergy & hyde hys enmyouse intent toward the fayth: yet was he not able to cōteyn and hold / but was fayn for brastyng to puffe out one blast of his poyson [...]d se [...]t agaynst vs sely sowlys: y^• goodnes of god dryuyng hym to y^• dysclo­syng and dyscoueryng of hys malycyouse heresy / to thētent ye shuld therby parceyue out of what vngracyouse groūd hys enmyte sprang that he bare agaynste the churche. Whyche thyngys ones parceyu [...]d and consyderyd: muste nedys mynyshe and byreue hym hys credence am [...]ng all such as ar not affeccyonate toward hys errours and infect and venomed wyth hys mortall heresyes / and of suche folk we trust he shall fynde very few.

¶For surely not onely among crysten peple and Iewys / of whome the tone hath / the tother hath had / the perceyuyng and lyght of fayth / but also amonge the very myscreaunt and ydolaters Turkys / [...]a­racens / and Paynyms / excepte onely suche as haue so farre fallen from the nature of man in to a brutyshe bestely ꝑsuasyon as to byleue y^• soule & body dye both at onys: ellys hath allwaye y^• remanaurt co­monly thought & byleued / y^• after the bodyes dede and deceaced / the soulys of such as were neyther dedely dāpned wreches for euer / nor on the tother syde / so good but that theyre offences done in this wor [...]d hath deserued more punyshement thē they had suffred and sustayned there / were punyshed and pourged by payn after y^• deth ere euer they were admytted vnto theyre welth and reste.

¶Thys fayth hath allwey not onely faythfull peple had: but also as we say very myscreauntꝭ and ydolaters haue euer had a certayne opynyon and persuasyon of y^• same: whyther that of the fyrste lyght and reuelacyon gyuen of suche thyngys to our formar fathers / there hath allway remayned a glymerynge that hath gone forth fro mā to man / fro one generacyon to a nother / and so contynued and kepte a­monge [Page xxiiii] all peple: or ellys that nature and reason haue tought men e­uery where to perceyue yt. For surely that they haue such bylefe not onely by such as haue bene trauayled in many cuntrees among sēdry sectys / but also by y^• olde and auncyent wryters that haue bene amōg theym: we maye well & euydentely perceyue. And in good fayth yf neuer had there bene reuelacyō gyuen therof / nor other lyght thē reason: yet presupposed the immortalyte of mānys soule whych no resonable man dystrusted / and therto agreed the ryghtuousenes of god & hys goodnes whyche scant the deuyll hym selfe denyeth / purgatory must nedꝭ appere: For syth that god of hys ryghtuousenesse wyll not leue synne vnpunyshed / nor hys goodnes wyll perpetually punysh the fawt after y^• mānys conuersyon: yt foloweth that y^• punyshemēt shall be temporall. And now syth the mā often dyeth byfore suche punyshement had / eyther at goddys hand by some afflyccyon sent hym or at hys awne by due penaunce done / whych y^• moste parte of people wantonely doth forslouth: a very chylde almost may se the cōsequēt y^t the punyshemēt at y^• deth remaynyng due & vndone / ys to be endu­red a sustayned after. whych / syth hys maiestye ys so excellēt whom we haue offended / can not of ryght & iustyce be but heuy and sore.

¶Now yf they wolde peraduenture as in magnyfyenge of goddys hygh goodnes saye / that after a mannys conuersyon onys to god a­gayn / not onely all hys synne ys forgyuen but all the hole payn also / or that they wyll vnder colour of enhaūcing the merite and goodnes of Crystꝭ passyon tell vs y^t hys payn suffred for vs / stādeth in stede of all our payn & penaunce / so that neyther purgatory can haue place nor eny penaūce nede to be done by our self for our own synne: these folk that so shall say / shall vnder pretext of magnyfyēg hys marcy / not onely sore mynyshe his vertewe of iustyce / but also mych hinder the opynyon and parsuasyon that mē haue of hys goodnes. For albeyt y^t god of his great marcy may forthwith forgyue some folke frely theyr synne and payn both wythout preiudyce of hys ryghtuousnes / eyther of hys lyberall boūte or for some respect had vnto the feruēt sorowfull harte that fere and loue wyth helpe of specyall grace haue brought into the penytente at the tyme of his retorne to god / and also that the bytter passyon of our sauyour besyde the remyssyon of the ꝑ­petuyte of our payn do also lessen our purgatory and stand vs here in maruelouse hygh stede: yet yf he shuld vse thys poynt for a generall r [...]le / that at euery conuersyon fro synne with purpose of amendemēt and recourse to cōfessyon / he shall forthwyth fully forgyue wythout the partyes payn or eny other recompence for the synnys commyttyd saue onely Crystys passyon payd for thē all: then shuld he gyue gret occasyon of lyghtnes and bold corage to synne.

¶For when mē were onys parsuaded that be theyr synnys neuer so [Page] sore / neuer so many / neuer so myscheuouse / neuer lōg so cōtynued / yet thay shall neuer bere payn therfore: but by theyr onely fayth and theyr baptysm wyth a short returne agayn to god / shall haue all theyr synne & payn also clene forgeuen and forgottē / nothyng els but onely to cry hym marcy as one womā wold y^t tredyth on a nothers trayne: thys way wolde as we sayd gyue the worlde great occasyō & corage not onely to fall boldly to synne and wrechednes / but also carelesse to contynew theryn / presumyng vppon that thyng that suche heretykes haue parsuaded vnto some mē all redy / that .iii. or .iiii. wordys ere they dye shall suffycyently sarue them to bringe them strayghte to heuen. where as besydys the fere that they shulde haue lest they shall lak at last the grace to turne at all / and so for faut of those .iii. or .iiii. wordys fall to the fyre of hell: yf they beleue ther wyth the thyng y^• trewth is bysyde / that ys to wyt that though they happe to haue the grace to repent & be forgeuen the synne & so to be delyueryd of the endlesse payn of hell / yet they shall not so frely be deliuered of purgatory / but that besyde the generall relyefe of Crystys hole passyon extended vnto euery man not after the valure therof but after the stynt and rate appoyntyd by godd [...]s wysdom / great and long payn abydyth them here amonge vs / wherof theyre wyllyngly taken penaunce in the world / & afflyccyon there put vnto them by god / & there pacyently borne and suffred wyth other good dedys there in theyr lyfe done by theym / & fynally the merytꝭ and preyours of other good folkys for thē / may mynyshe and abbredge the payne / whyche wyll ellys hold them here wyth vs in fyre and turmentys intollerable onely god knowyth how long: thys thyng we say as yt ys trew indede / so yf the world well & fyrmely for a sure trewth beleue yt / can not fayle to be to many folke a good brydle and a sharpe bytte to refrayne theym from synne. And on y^• tother syde y^• cōtrary belyefe wolde sende many folke forward to synne / & therby in stede of purgatory in to euerlastynge payne.

¶And therfore ys thys place of our temporall payne of purgatory not onely cōsonaunt vnto hys ryghtuouse iustyce / but also the thyng that hyghly declareth hys greate mercy and goodnes / not onely for that the payn therof hough and sore ys yt / ys yet lesse then owr synne deserueth: but also moste especyally in that by the fere of payn to be suffred and susteyned here / hys goodnes refrayneth men from the boldenes of synne and neclygence of penaunce / & therby kepeth and preserueth theym from payne euerlastynge: where as the lyght for­geuenes of all to gether / wold geue occasyon by boldenes of synne and presumpsyon of easy remyssyon / myche people to runne downe hedlynge thyther. And therfore were as we sayed that way very far cōtrary not onely to goddys iustyce & ryghtuousenes / but also to hys goodnesse & mercy. Wheruppō as we sayd byfore it must nedꝭ folow [Page xxv] that syth the payne ys allway due to synne / and is not allwaye clene forgeuen wythout cōuenyēt penaunce done or other recōpence made / nor payne ys not allwey done / nor eny recompence made in the mānꝭ lyfe / and yet the mā dyscharged of hell by hys cōuersyon: all y^• payn y^• remayneth muste nedys be sustayned here wyth vs in purgatory.

¶But nowe yf these heretyques as they be very selfe wylled and wylle full / wyll sette at nought the comen opynyon and beleyfe and persuasyon of almoste all the world: and as they be very vnresonable make lyttel force of reason and euer aske for scripture / as though they beleued holy scrypture / and yet when yt maketh agaynst them / they then wyth false and fonde glosys of theyre owne makynge / do but mok and shyfte ouer in suche a tryflynge maner that yt may well appere they byleue not scrypture neyther: yet syth they make as they byleued scripture & nothyng els / let vs therfore se whether that purgatory do not appere opened and reueled vnto crysten people in holy scrypture selfe.

¶And fyrste yt semeth very probable and lykely / that y^• good kyng Ezechias for none other cause wepte at the warnyng of hys deth geuen hym by the ꝓphete / but onely for the fere of purgatory. For albe yt that dyuers doctours alledge dyuers causes of hys heuynes and lothenes at that tyme to deꝑt and dye: yet semeth there none so lykly as the cause that auncyent doctours alledge / that ys to wyt y^• he was lothe to dye for the fere of hys estate after hys deth / for as mych as he had offendyd god by ouermych lykyng of hym self: wherwyth he wyst y^• god was dysplesyd wyth hym & gaue hym warnyng by the ꝓphete / that he shuld lyue no lēger. Now cōsyderyd he so the weyght of hys offence / y^t he thought and estemyd the onely losse of thys pre­sent lyfe farre vnder the iust & condygne ponyshmēt therof / and therfore fell in gret drede of farre sorer ponyshmēt after. But beyng as he was a good faythfull kyng / he coud not lak sure hope thorow hys repentaūce of such forgyneues / as shold presarue hym frō hell. But syth his time shuld be so short y^t he shuld haue no laysour to do penāce for hys faut: he therfore fered y^t the remaūte of hys ryghtuouse po­nyshment shuld be parformyd in purgatory. And therfore wept he tē derly & longyd to lyue lenger / that hys satysfaccyon done there in the world in prayour & other good vertuouse dedꝭ / might abolish & were out all the payn y^• els were toward hym here among vs. To whych hys feruēt boone & desyre at the cōtēplacyon of his penitēt hart / our lord of his hygh pyte cōdyscended & grauntyd hym the lengthyng of hys lyfe for .xv. yerꝭ / makyng hym for his farther cūfort sure therof by y^• shew of a manyfest myracle. But wherto graūtid our lord y^• lē ­ger lyfe / to be bestowed vppō worldy delite and pleasure? Nay nay verely. But to thentēt yt myght appere that it was of goddys great [Page] marer grauntyd for the redemyng of his purgatory by good workys for hys satysfaccyon: he was ꝓmysed by the prophete not onely y^• he shuld wythin .iii. days be recouered and hole / but also that he shuld go in to the temple to pray. So that yt may therby appere for what end and entent he longed so sore for a lenger lyfe.

¶Now yf the beggars proctour or Tyndale or Luther eyther / lyst to say y^• in thys poynt we do but gesse at that good kyngꝭ mynde / and therfore purgatory therby rather sūwhat resoned thā well & surely prouyd: therto may we well answer and say / that the cyrcumstaunce of the mater consyderyd / wyth the vertuouse holynes and cōnyng of such as so longe ago haue taken the scrypture thus: y^• place alone is a farr better profe for purgatory / thā euer eny of thē coud hetherto lay agaynst yt yet. For albeyt thys beggars proctour sayth y^• ryght wyse & cōnynge mē wyll say y^• there ys no purgatory at all / by which wyse men he menyth Luther and Tyndall & him self: yet was there neuer any of theym all that yet layed anye substancyall thynge eyther rea­son or authorytye for theym / but onely geste and rayle / and saye that purgatory ys a thyng of the popꝭ awne makynge / and that soulys do nothyng tyll domis day but lye styll and slepe. And thus tellyng such wyse talys for theyre owne parte / and makyng mokkys and mowes at euery thyng that maketh agaynst theyr foly for our parte: they go forth in theyre euyll wyll and obstynacy / and with murmur & grudge of theyre owne consyence / cōtent theym selfe wyth y^• onely feding of theyre malycyouse myndis by the encreace of theyre faccyon / of such as fall in to theyre felyshype rather of a lyght mynde and lewde pleasure to taire a parte / then of eny greate credence that they gyue vnto theym or greately force whyche way they byleue. For surely yf these folke were resonable and indyfferent as yt ys not well possyble for them to be / after that they refuse onys to byleue y^• catholyque church & in y^• vnderstandyng of scripture lene onely to theyre awne wyttys / but ellys as we say yf they could wyth an equall & indyfferent mynd consyder and way what they here: they shulde sone se theyre heresye reproued and purgatory surely cōfermed / not onely by probable reason taken of the scrypture as in y^• place that we rehersed you of Eze­chyas / but also by playne and euydent textys.

¶For haue ye not the wordys of scrypture wryten in the boke of the kyngys: Dominus deducit ad inferos et reducit: our lord bryngeth folke downe in to hell and bryngeth theym thense agayne? But they y^t be in that hell where the dāpned sowlꝭ be: they be neuer delyuered thense agayne. Wherfore yt appereth well that they whom god dely­uereth and bryngeth thēse agayn / be in that part of hell that ys callyd purgatory.

¶What say they to the wordys of the ꝓphete zachary: Tu quoque [Page xxvi] in saguine testamenti tui eduxisti vinctos tuos de lacu in quo non erat aqua: Thou hast in the blode of thy testament brought out thy boun­den prysoners owte of the pyt or lake in whych there was no water. In that they whom the prophete there speketh of were bounden / we may well perceyue that they were in [...] pryson of punyshement. And in that he calleth theym the prysoners of god: yt ys eth to perceyue that he meaneth not eny that were takē and emprysoned by eny other than the dampned spyrytys the very gaolers of god. And in that he sayth that there ys in that lake no water: we may well perceyue that he spake yt in descrypcyon of that drye pyt of fyre / where in there ys no refreshyng: For as hote are we here as they are in hell. And what [...]ete ys in the pyt where there lakketh water: our sauyour hym selfe declareth by the wordys of the rych gloton lyeng in such a lake from whense at syght of pore Lazarus in Abrahams bosom / he desyred heuely to haue hym sent vnto hym wyth one droppe of water to re­freshe hys tonge / that after all the delycates that yt had tasted in his lyfe / lay there thē sore burnyng / & neuer set half so mych by twenty tonne of wyne / as he set by one pore drop of water. So that as we shewe you / these wordys of y^• ꝓphete zachary. Thou haste brought owte thy boundē presoners owte of the lake where in ys no water: do ryght well appere to be spokē of these pore ēpresoned sowlys whom cryst after hys bytter passyon by hys precyouse blode wherwyth he consecrated hys church in hys newe testament / delyuered owt of the lake of fyre wherin they lay boundē for theyre synnys. But nowe ys there no man y^• dowteth whyther cryste delyuered the dāpned sowlis owt of hell or not. For in y^• hell ys there no redempcyon / & in limbo patrum the sowlys were in reste. Wherfore it appereth clerely that tho­se [...]soners whom he brought owte of theyre payne / he brought onely owte of purgatory: And so se these heretyques purgatory clerly pro­ued by the playn wordys of thys holy prophete.

¶A nother place ys there also in the olde testament that putteh purgatory quyte owt of questyon. For what ys playnner then the places whych in the boke of the Machabees make mencyon / of the deuowt remembraūce / prayoure / almoyse / & sacryfyce / to be done for sowlys when the good and holy man Iudas Machabeus gathered money a­mong the peple to by sacryfyce wythall to be offred vp for y^• sowlys of theym that were dede in the batayle. Doth not thys place of scrypture so openly declare the nede that we sowlys haue in purgatorye / & the relyefe that we fynd by the prayour and suffragys of good peple vppon erthe / that all the heretyques that barke so faste agaynst vs / can fynd neyther glose nor colour to the contrary?

¶What shyfte fynde they here? surely a very shamelesse shyfte / and are fayne to take theym to that take lynge that ys theyre shote anker [Page] allway / when they fynde the storme so great that they se theyr shyp goth all to wrekk. For first they vse to set some false glose to the text that ys layed agaynst theym / and deny the ryght sense.

¶But now yf the texte be so playne that they can haue no suche co­lour: then when they can haue no more holde but se that theyre parte goth all to naught / they fall to a shamelesse boldnes & let no to deny the scrypture and all / & say y^• hole scrypture whych ys layd agaynste them ys none holy scrypture at all / as Luther playth wyth the godly epystle of Crystys blyssed apostle saynt Iamys. And euyn the same do those heretykꝭ wyth the authoryte of this holy boke of Machabe­es: they be not ashamed to say that yt ys not scrypture. But vppon what grownd do they deny yt for scrypture / because yt is not found [...] and accompted for holy scrypture among y^• Iewys? They neyther do nor can deny but that yt ys taken for holy scripture by the churche of Cryste. For yf they wold denye / that both the hole chyrche bereth wytnes agaynst them at this day / & it also appereth playnly by saynt Hyerome / saynt Austayn / & other old holy doctours / that the church so toke yt also in theyr days & before: thē wold we gladly wit of these new men these enmyes we mean of ours / whyther the chyrch of crist be not of as great authoryte and as mych to be beleuyd in the choyse & eleccyō of holy scrypture as the Iewes. If they wyll say yes: thē answere they them self: for then ys the boke of the Machabees by y^• choyce of the chyrch prouyd holy scrypture though the Iewes neuer accounted yt so. Now yf they will say no / and wyll contend that yt cā not be accountyd holy scrypture though the chyrch of Cryste so take take yt / but yf the Iewes so toke yt too: then go they nere to put out saynt Ihāns gospell out of scrypture too / for the Iewes neuer toke yt for none. And surely yf they admyt for scripture that book that the Iewes admytted / & deny that boke to be scrypture whych the church of Cryste receyueth for scrypture: thē do they say that the spyryte of god was more effectually present and assystēt vnto the synagoge of the Iewys in the law of hys prophete Moyses / thē vnto the church of hys awne onely bygoten sonne in the law of crystys gospell.

¶If they consyder well the bokꝭ of y^• Machabeys / they shall fynd suche thynge therin as maye geue theym good occasyon to put lyttell dowte but that yt shuld be of great and vndenyable authoryte. For they shall fynde there that the greate good and godly valyaunt capytayne of goddys people dyd instytute and ordayne the great feste of the dedycacyon of the temple of Hierusalē called festū encemorū of the annuall instytucyon / of whyche feste we rede no where ellys but in y^• boke of the Machabeys. And yet fynde we that feste euer after contynued and had in honour vntyll crystꝭ awne dayes / and our sa­uyour hym selfe went to the celebracyon of that same feste / as appe­reth [Page xxvii] in the gospell of saynt Ihān. So that yt may well appere that y^e bokys of that noble hystory wherof remeaneth so noble a monument and remembraunce / contynually kepte and reserued so longe after / and honowred by crystes awne precyouse ꝑson and testyfyed by hys holy Euangelyste in the boke of hys holy gospell: can not be but vn­dowted trewth and of dyuyne authoryte.

¶And surely yf they deny y^e boke of the Machabeys for holy scrip­ture bycause the Iewys accompte yt not for suche: then shall they by the same reason refuse the authoryte of the boke of Sapyence / and proue theym selfe insypyentys. And lyke wyse yf they take all scrypture bysyde the newe testament to be of none other force and authoryte then yt ys accomptyd in the rule and canon of the Iewes: then shall the hole psalter of Dauyd the very somme of clere and lyghte some prophesyes / leese amonge theym greate parte of his authoryte / syth yt ys not taken in lyke force and strenght among the Iewes as yt ys in Crystys church.

¶Fynall for the boke of the Machabees / syth the church of Cryste accounteth yt for holy scrypture: there can no man dout therof but he that wyll take awaye all credence and authoryte from the hole scrypture of god the very gospellys and all. For yf these heretykys deny for holy scrypture eny boke that the chyrche of Cryste accounteh for holy scrypture: then deny they one of the grettyst foundacyons of all crystē fayth / and the thyng whych theyr master Marten Luther hym self hath all redy confessed for trew. For he affyrmyth hym selfe that god hath gyuen vnto the church of Cryste that gyfte / that the church cannot fayle surely and certeynly to discerne betwene the wordys of god and the wordys of men: & y^t yt cannot be desceyuyd in the choyse of holy scrypture and reiectyng of the contrary: so farforth that he cō fessyth as he nedys must of necessyte / that the noble doctour and glo­ryouse cōfessour saynt Austeyne sayth very well / when he sayd that he shuld not haue beleuyd the gospell but for y^e authorite of y^e church. For he had not knowen whych had bene the very boke of the gospels and whych not amōg so many as were wryten / but by the authoryte of the church / whom the spyryte of god assysted as yt euer dothe and euer shall / in the choyse and receyuyng of holy scripture and reieccyō of the coūterfete and false. Wherby yt apperyth clerely not onely by that holy doctour saynt Austeyn / but also by the confessyon of y^e arche heretyke Luther hym selfe / that the church cannot be dysseyuyd in the choyce of holy scrypture and reieccyon of the contrary: so farforthe y^t yt neyther can receyue as holy scrypture eny booke that ys none / nor reiect for other then holy scrypture eny boke that is holy scrypture in dede. And surely yf the churche myghte so be deceyuyd in the choyse of holy scripture / that they myghte take & approue for holy scrypture [Page] eny boke that were none: then stode all crystendome in dout and vn­surety / whether saynt Ihāns gospell were holy scripture or not / and so forth of all the new testament.

¶And therfore syth as we haue shewed you by the heretykes owne confessyons / the church of Cryste cannot be deceyuyd in the choyse & eleccyon of holye scrypture / by whyche theyre confessyon they muste nedys abyde and not flyt therfro / as they dayly do chaūge and vary from theyr owne wordꝭ in many other thyngis / except that they wyll in the fallyng from that poynte refuse the strēghte and authoryte of the newe testament of cryste: and syth as your selfe well perceyueth also the churche of cryste receyueth and taketh and (as ye se by saynt Hyerome and other olde holy doctours thys thowsande yere) hath approued and fermely byleued the holy boke of the Machabeys to be one of the volumes of holy scrypture: and then in that boke ye se so manyfestely purgatory proued / that none heretyque as shamelesse as they be can yet for shame say the cōtrary / but are by the playn and open wordys of that holy boke so dreuen vp to y^• hard wall / that they can no ferther but are fayne to say that the boke ys no parte of scryp­ture / whyche shyfte they must nedys forsake agayne or ellys reuoke theyre awne wordys and therwyth also thauthoryte of all crystꝭ gos­pell: there shall yf eyther reason or shame can holde / neuer nede eny ferther thyng for the profe of purgatory to stoppe y^• mowthys of all the heretyques that are or shalbe to the worldys ende.

¶But yet syth they be so hamelesse and vnresonable that the thyng whyche they can in no wyse defende / they can not yet fynde in theyre prowde harte to gyue ouer / but when yt ys prouyd by dyuers playne textis of y^• olde testament / then hauyng no probable reason for theyre parte they neuer the more gyue place to trewth / but stykke to theyre obstynate nay: let vs se whyther our purpose be not preued by good and substancyall authoryte in the newe testament also.

¶And fyrste let vs consyder the wordys of the blessyd apostle and euāgelyst saynt Ihān / where he sayth: Est peccatū vsque ad mortē non dico vt pro to roget quis. There ys sayth he some synne that ys vnto the deth / I bydde not that eny man shall praye for that. Thys synne as the interpreters agre / ys vnderstanden of desperacyon and impenytens: as though saynt Ihān wolde say / y^t who so depart owt of thys world impenitēt or in dispayre / eny prayour after made cā neuer stande hym in stede. Then appereth yt clerely that saynt Ihān meaneth that there be other whyche dye not in such case for whom he wolde men shuld pray / bycause y^• prayour to suche sowlys may be ꝓfytable. But that profyte can no man take neyther beyng in heuen where yt nedeth not / nor beyng in hell where yt boteth not. Wherfore it appereth plaine y^t such prayour helpeth onely for purgatory: whych [Page xxviii] they muste therfore nedys graunte / excepte they deny saynt Ihān.

¶What saye they to the wordys of saynte Ihān in the fyfte chapy­ter of the Apocalyps: I haue harde saythe he euery creature that ys in heuen and vppon the yerth and vnder the yerthe and that be in the see and all thyngys that be in them / all these haue I harde say: bene­dyccyon and honoure and glorye and power for euer / be to hym that ys syttyng in the trone / and vnto the lamb.

¶Now wotteth euery man well / that in hell among damnyd soulys ys there none that gyueth glory to Criste for the redempcyon of mā. For they for anger that by theyr owne defaut they haue lost theyr ꝑte therof / and cannot for prowd hart take theyr faut to them self / fall to blasphemy as the deuyll doth hym self / and impute theyr synne to the faut of goodys grace / and theyr damnacyon to the blame of hys creacyō. So that the prayse and glory that ys geuen by creatures in hell vnto the lamb for mannys redempcyon / ys onely by the sowlys in purgatory / that be and shalbe partyners of that redempcyon: as the creaturys walkyng vppon yerth saylynge in the se / that gyue the honour to Cryste for mannys redempcyon / be onely the crysten people whyche loke and hope to be parteners therof / and not infydels that beleue yt not. But the blessyd creaturis in heuen geue honour to Criste for mannys redempcyon / for that ioy and pleasure that theyre charyte taketh in the socyete and felyshyp of saued soules. And in thys place yt ys a worlde to se the foly of some heretykys / what euasyon they seke to voyd from thys place of scrypture. They sey that yt ys no more to be vnderstanden by sowlys here in purgatory nor crysten men lyuyng vppon erth / then by fyshes in the see and the dyuell and damnyd soulys in hell: because the text sayth that euery creature in these and in hell spake that laud and honour to the lamb. But by this wyse way myght they preue / that when ye pray for all crysten sow­lys / ye mean to pray for our Ladyes souly and for Iudas too: and that our sauyour when he sent hys apostles and bad them preche his gospell to euery creature / thay may bere you in hand that he bad thē preche to oxen and keene and theyre caluys to / because all they be creaturis. But as they were sente to none other creature / then suche as he mēt of thoughe he spake of all / nor ye meane to pray for no sou­lys but such as haue nede and may haue help though ye speke of all: so though saynt Ihān spake of euery creature in hell geuyng honour to Cryste for mannys redempcyon / yet ment he but such as be in the hell in whych they reioyce therin and shalbe parteners therof / whych be onely we in purgatorye / and not the dyuels and damnyd soulys y^t blaspheme hym though theyr iust ponishmēte redownd agaynst theyr wyll to the glory of goddys ryghtuousnes.

¶If all thys wyll not satysfye theym / wyll ye se yet a nother clere [Page] place and suche as none heretyque can auoyde? Doth not the blessyd apostle saynt Peter as appereth in y^• secūd chapiter of y^• apostles ac­tꝭ / say of our sauyour cryste in this wyse: Quē deus suscitauit solu­tis doloribus inferm: In these wordꝭ he sheweth that paynys of hell were losed. But these paynys were neyther paynys of that hell in whych the dāpned sowlys be payned / whych nether were losed then nor neuer be losed / but be and shalbe as oure sauyour sayth hym self euerlastyng: nor these paynys y^• were than losed were not y^• paynys in limbo patrum / for there were none to be losed / for the good soulys were there as our sauyour sheweth hym selfe in quiete cumforte and reste. And so appereth yt euydētly / that the paynys of hell that were losed / were onely the paynys of purgatory whych ys also called hell by occasyon of the latyn word and the greke worde both. For in these tongys for as mych as byfore the resurreccyon of our sauyour cryst there was neuer none y^• ascended vp in to heuen) there was no peple that ony otherwyse spake of sowlys / then that they were gone down byneth in to the lowe place. And therfore in the wordys of the comē crede ys yt sayed of our sauyour cryste after hys passyon: descendit ad inferna: that ys to say he descended downe byneth in to the lowe placys. In stede of whyche low placys the englyshe tonge hath euer vsed thys worde hell. And certayne ys yt and very sure / that cryste descended not in to all these low placys / nor in to euery place of hell / but onely in to lymbus patrum and purgatory. Whych two placys because they be partys of habytacyons of sowlys byneth (all whych habytacyons byneth haue in englyshe bene allway called hell) therfore are these two placys amonge other taken and comprehēded vnder y^• name of hell. Whych word hell nothynge ellys sygnyfyeth vnto vs in hys generall sygnyfycacyon / but y^• habytacyons of sowlys byneth or vnder vs in y^• low placys vnder y^• groūd. Albe yt bycause limbus patrum and purgatory be called in englyshe also by theyre specyall namys besyde: therfore ys moste comenly thys word hell restayned to the specyall sygnyfycacyon of that low place byneth in whych the dāpned soulꝭ be punyshed. Thys mych haue we shewed you of this word hell / bycause we wold not that the comen takyng therof myght bryng you in to eny errour. So that by thys place ye se preued by the playne wordys of saynt Peter / that cryste at hys resurreccyon dyd lose and vnbynd paynys in hell / whych as we haue shewed you coud be no where there but in purgatory. For in the speciall hell of damned sowlys y^• paynꝭ were not losed. And in lymbus patrū was no paynꝭ to be losyd. And therfore except they denye saynt Peter / they cannot deny purgatory.

¶And yet yf they deny saynt Peter: we shall then alledge thē saynt Poule / whom they be best content to here of / because that of the dyf­fyculte [Page xxix] of his wrytyng / they cach sumtyme some mater of cōtencyon for the deffēce of theyr false exposycyō. Thys blyssed apostle in his furst epystle to the Corynthyes the thyrd chapyter spekynge of oure sauyoure Cryste the very foundacyon and the onely foundacyon of all our fayth & saluacyon: sayth: If any man bylde vppon thys foundacyon gold / syluer / [...]cyouse stonys / wood / hay / or straw: euery mā ­nys work shalbe made opē / for the day of our lorde shall declare yt / for in the fyre yt shalbe shewed / & the fyre shall proue what maner of thyng euery mānys work ys. If any mānys work y^t he hath bylded theron do abyde: he shall haue a reward. If eny mānys work burne: he shall suffer harme / but he shalbe safe / but yet as by fyre. In these wordꝭ y^• apostle shewith y^• lykewyse as sum mē abydyng vppō criste & hys very lyuely fayth / bylde vp theruppō such good workꝭ as are so good & so pure y^t they be lyke fyne gold / fyne siluer / or such fyne [...] cyous stonys / as whē they be caste in the fyre yt cā fynde no fyfth to fech out of thē / and therefore they remayn in the fyre safe and vnmynyshed: so ar there sum on the tother syde / whych thogh they do not as many other do / wyth mortall synnys & lak of good workꝭ / wound theyr fayth vnto y^• deth & fall fro criste the fundacyon that they must byld vppon: yet do they abydyng vppō y^t fūdacyon / byld vp therup­pon many such symple & frayle and corruptyble workꝭ as can neuer enter heuē. And such be veniall synnys / as ydle wordys / vayne & wā ton myrth / & such other thyngys lyke: whych be but lyke wood / hay / or straw. Whych work [...] whē the soule after hys departyng out of the world bryngeth hether into purgatory: he cānot so gette thorow yt as dothe the soule whose wurkꝭ were wrought clene or fully purged by penaūce ere he dyed. For y^t soule in the fyre can fele no harm / lyke as fyne gold can in y^• fyre nothyng lese of hys weyght. But this soule y^t bryngeth wyth hym such frayle workys eyther wrought by thē self or insertyd ꝑaduenture & myxyd a myddys of sum good & vertuouse wurk / as for ēsample sum lak ꝑaduēture suffyciēte attencyon & hede taken by sū sodayn waueryng of the mynde in tyme of prayouce / or some surrepcyō & k [...]epyng in of vayne glory & lykyng of theyr owne prayse in theyr almes geuē or other good dede done / not forthewith resysted & caste oute / but kepte and fedde vppon to longe / and yet ney­ther so longe paraduenture nor so greate as oure lorde wyll for that thought depryue hym the meryte and reward of hys work: lo in such casys as the apostle sayth the day of oure lorde whych ys to the hole world the day of the generall iugement and to euery man particuler / the day of hys owne iugement after hys dethe / shall shew hys work what maner thynge yt ys: the fyre shall proue and declare. For here in purgatory lyke as the fyre cā in the clene sowlys take none holde / but they shalbe theryn wythoute any maner payne or gryefe: so shall [Page] yt in the sowlys that are vnclensyd and haue theyr wurk [...] imperfyte vnclene and spottyd: hastely catch / holde and kepe them fast & burne thē wyth incessaunt payn: tyll the fylthynes of theyre synne be clene purged & gone / & y^t shalbe in sum sener in sum later / as theyr synnys or the spott [...] remaynyng therof be more easy or more hard to get owt. And y^t ys the thyng y^• Poule sygnyfyeth by y^e wood / haye / & strawe of whych the tone ys a lyght flame sone endede, y^• tether smowdreth [...] and the thyrd ys hoteste and endureth lengest. But yet hath [...] an ende / and so shall haue at length all the paynys of theym y^• shalbe purged here. But what so euer soule misshappe to dy in dedely [...] and impenytent: syth he ys therby fallen of for euer frome our sauyour cryste / y^t was hys funda [...]yō & hath byelded vp wreched [...] vppon your [...] enemy the deuyllwherwhyth he hath so [...] poysend hym self that he can neuer be purged: the fyre shall therfore lye burmyng vppon hym for euer / and his payne neuer lessed nor hys fylthy spottys neuer the more mynyshed.

¶And for as mych as ye neuer can conceyue a very ryght imagynacyon of these thyngys whych ye neuer felte / nor yt ys not possyble to fynde you eny example in the world very lyke vnto the paynys that sely sow [...]rs fele when they be departed thense: we shall therfore put you in remembraunce of one kynde of payne / whych though yt be no­thynge lyke for the quantyte of the mater yet may yt somwhat be resemb [...]d be reason of the fassyon and maner. If there were enbarked many peple at onys to be by shyppe conuayed a long iourney by se of such as neuer cam theron byfore and shuld happe all the way to haue the [...]ryse hygh & sore wrought and somtyme sone vppō a storme to [...] long after walowyng at an anker: there shuld ye fynd dyuerse f [...]syons of folke. Some peraduenture but of theym very fewe / so clene from all euyll humours and so well attempred of theym selfe / that they shalbe all that long vyage by see as lusty and as [...]ocunde as yf they were on lande. But farre the most parte shall ye se sore syk / [...] in many sondry maner some more / some lesse / some lenger tyme dyseased and some myche soner amended. And dyuers that a whyle had went they shulde haue dyed for payne / yet after ons vomyte or twayne so clene rydde of theyre gryefe / that they neuer fele dysplea­sure of yt after. And thys happeth after as the body ys more or lesse dysposed in yt selfe therto. But then shall ye somtyme se there some other whose body ys so incurably corrupted / that they shall walter & tolte [...] and wryng theyre handys / and gnash the teeth / and theyr eyen water / theyr hed ake [...] theyre body frete / theyr stomake wamble / and all theyre body shyuer for payne / and yet shall neuer vomete at all: or yf they vomyte / yet shall they vomyte styll and neuer fynde ease therof. Lo thus fareth yt as a small thyng may be resēbled to a great [Page xxx] by the soulys deceaced and departed the world: that such as be clene and vnspotted can in the fyre feele no dysease at all / and on the tother syde such as come thense so dedely poysoned wyth synne / that theyre spottys bene indelyble and theyre fylthynes vnpourgeable / lye f [...]e­tynge and fryenge in the fyre for euer. And onely suche as neyther be fully clensed nor yet sore defyled but that the fyre may frete owt the spottys of theyre synne: of thys sorte onely be we y^t here lye in purgatory / whych these cruell heretyques wolde make you byleue that we fele none harme at all: wherof the blee [...]syd apostle as we haue shewed you wryteh vnto the Corynthyes the cōtrary.

¶Now yf they wolde bere you in hāde that bycause some doctours do cōster those wordys of thappostle in dyuerse other sensys / as they do conster in dyuerse sensys allmost euery texte in scrypture / some­tyme after the letter / somtyme morall and somtyme other wyse / and all to the profyte & edyfyēg of the herers: yf these heretyques wold therfore pretend that saynt Poule in that placement nothyng of purgatory / but the fyre that shalbe sent byfore the dome / or worldely trybulacyon / or some suche other thynge: ye shall well vnderstand that though hys wordys may be veryfyed and well and ꝓfytably applyed vnto suche thyngys also / yet letteth that nothyng these wordys to be ꝓprely by saynt Poule spokē of purgatory / no more thē yt letteth these wordꝭ to be proprely spokē by cryste: Ego in flagella paratus sum: & many an other verse in y^• psalter also / though y^• same wordys may be well applyed & veryfyed of many an other mā offrynge hym selfe pacyently to the sufferaunce of vniust punyshement. And therfore leste these heretyques shold wyth eny such inuencyons bygyle you & make you beleue / y^t we for the furtheraūce of oure awne cause expoune y^• apostles wordꝭ wrōg & so make theym seme to say for our parte: ye shall vnderstande that those wordys haue bene expowned and vnderstanden of purgatory thys thowsande yere and more by y^• auncyent holy doctours of crystys churche as well grekys as latyns. And amōg other the great clerke Orygene in mo placys of hys wurkys then one / declareth playnely that the afore remembred wordꝭ of the apostle / are spokē by y^• paynis of purgatory. The holy cōfessour and great pyller of cristys church saynt Austayne / in dyuerse of hys godly and erudite bokys / expowneth that place of saynt Poule to be clerely spoken of purgatory. And ouer thys the blessyd Pope saynt Gregory in the fourth boke of hys godly dyalogys / bereth wytnesse that the apostle in the place aforesayd wrote those wordys of purgatory. So that ye may playnely perceyue that thys exposycyon ys neyther our deuyce no eny newe foundē fantesy / but a very trewth well perceyued and wytnessed by great conyng men & holy blessyd sayntꝭ more then a thowsand yere ago.

[Page] ¶Now yf these heretyques wyll be so madde to flyt in thys case from saynt Poule / and say they be bounden to beleue nothynge but onely y^• gospell: let. vs thē yet see ferther whyther we may not playnly proue you purgatory by y^• very wordys of the gospell selfe. Doth not our blyssed sauyoure hym selfe say that there ys a certayne synne whych a man may so commyt agaynst the holy goste / y^t yt shall neuer be remyttyd nor forgyuen neyther in thys worlde nor in the world to [...] Now as for to dyspute what maner synne that shuld be / both y^• mater were very hard / and also we shall here nothing nede to touche yt. But of one thing both ye & we may make vs very sure / that there ys nor cā be eny synne cōmytted in the world so sore / so greuouse / nor so abomynable / but that yf a man wurk wyth goddys [...]race by cōtry cyon and heuynes of hart / wyth humble confessyon of mouth & good endeuour of penaūce and satysfaccyon in dede / agaynst hys thought word and dede by whych god was offended / he shall obtayn of goddꝭ goodnes remyssyen / forgyuenes / and pardon.

¶But yt may paraduenture so befall that by sum kinde of vnkyndnes [...]syd toward god extēdyng to the blasphemy of his holy spiryte / the cōmytter of y^t synne may so farr offend / that he shall for hys de­sert & demeryte haue y^• grace of almyghty god so clerely wythdrawn from hym / that our lorde shall neuer offer hys grace after / nor neuer more call vppon hym. And then hys grace onys clerely wythdrawen from a man: he can neuer be able to repent and returne agayn to god. For grace ys y^• lyght wher wyth men se y^• way to walk out of synne: and grace ys the staf wythout help wherof no man is able to ryse out of synne: accordyng to the wordys of holy wrytt spoken to man in the parson of our lord god: Exte perditio tua / e [...]me saluatio tua: Thy perdycyon cūmeth of thy self / but thy saluacyon cummeth of me by y^• ayd and help of my grace. Which grace as we tell you beyng fro sum man vtterly wythdrawn for sum ma [...] vnkynd behauour towarde god and blasphemy agaynst the holy goste / that synne for lak of repē taunce whych can neuer cum where grace ys clene gone / shall neuer be forgeuen in thys world nor in y^• world to cū. And in such a maner kynde of vnkyndenes towarde god and blasphemy towarde the holy goste / fall also all such wretchys as haue y^• grace of god euer callyng & knokkyng vppon thē for repentaūce all the days of theyr lyfe: and yet all that notwyhstandynge wyll not vse ye nor worke there wyth nor turne to god: but wyllyngly wyll dye desperate and impenytente wretchys.

¶Thys kynde of blasphemees of goddys goodnes & hys holy spy­ryte / haue in y^• myserable passyng of theyr synfull soule out of theyr sensuall bodys the grace of god so fully and so fynally wytdrawen from theym for euer: that they be thereby fyxed and confyrmed in an [Page xxxi] vnchaungeable malyce / whyche eternally dwellyng wyth theym / is the very specyall cause of theyre euerlastynge turment. But in thys mater as we sayed we wade owte of our purpose / sauynge that yt semed vs yet necessary / syth our sauyour in the place that we speke of doth hym selfe shew that there ys a certayne synne so to wchynge the holy gooste that it shall neuer by forgyuen neyther in thys world nor in the world to come: yt semed as we say some what necessary to saye sum what theryn / leste sum that rede yt myght conceyue a wrong opynion and a false fere drawyng theym towarde dyspayre / that yf they myshappenyd (whych our lorde forbede) to fall in to blasphemy a­gaynst the holy gooste / they coud neuer after be forgeuen how sore so euer they repentyd / or how hartely and how bysely so euer they shuld pray therfore. In whyche thynge syth we haue shewed you what we take for trouth: we shall leue that mater and shew you how those wordys of Cryste proue you our pryncypall purpose / that ys to say that there ys a purgatory. How be yt we shall scan [...]ly nede to shew you that: for the very wordys be playn and euydent of them self. For when our lorde sayth that the blaphemy agaynste the holy goste shall not by forgeuen nether in thys world nor in the worlde to come / he geueth vs clere knowlege that of other synnys sum shalbe forgeuen in thys world and sum in the world to come.

¶Now ar there in this world euery synne forgeuen in such as shall be saued sowles / except such venyall synnys and such tēporall payn as yet due to the dedely synnys / rest and remayn to be purged here in purgatory. For none other place ys there then thys in the worlde to cum after mannys lyfe / in whych eyther synne or payne dew to eny synne shalbe remitted. For in to heuē shall neyther synne nor payn enter: and in hell shall neuer none be releasyd. And therefore when Cryste by shewynge that sum kynde of synne shall not be remyttyd in the worlde to cum: doth geue men knowlege that on the tother syde sum synnys shall in the worlde to come be remytted and forge­uen. And then syth no man douteth but that neyther in hell shall eny synnys by forgeuen nor in heuen: very reson techyth that the place in whych some synnys shalbe forgeuen after thys lyfe / can be none other but purgatory.

¶There is as we suppose no crystē mā lyuyng / but he wyll thynk that eny one place of holye scrypture ys ynoughe to the profe of eny trouthe. Now haue we prouyd you purgatory by the playne textis of mo places thā one two or thre. And yet shall we geue you a nother so playn as we suppose & so euydēt for the profe of purgatory / as none heretyke shall fynde eny good coloure of escape. For oure sauyoure Cryste sayeth as yt ys rehersyd in the .xii. chapyter of Mathew / that men shall yelde a rekenyng of euery ydle word / and that shalbe after [Page] thys present lyfe. Then woteth euery man that by that rekenyng ys vnderstanden a punyshement therfore: whyche shall not be in hell / [...] mych lesse in heuen. And therfore can yt be no where ellys but in purgatory.

¶ [...]o thus may ye se purgatory clerely proued by the very scripture self by the boke of the kyngꝭ / by y^• ꝓphete zachary / by the holy boke of y^• Machabees, by y^• wordꝭ of saynt Ihān / by thapostle saynt Peter [...]by the writyng of our sauyour cryst hym self: so y^• we not a lytell meruayle eyther of the ignoraunce or shamelesse boldnes of all suche as hauynge eny lernynge / dare call theym selfe crysten men and yet deny pargatory. For yf they haue lernynge & perceyue not these clere [...] we meruayle of theyre ignoraunce. Wyth whych whyte they ioyne a prowde pretence of lernynge / they fall in to the reprose y^• saint Poule spake of the paynym phylosophers: dicentes se esse sapien [...]es stulti facti sunt: whyle they called theym selfe wyse they proued sturke folys. Now yf they perceyue well these textys of holy scrypture so playnely prouyng purgatory / and yet them selfe stykke [...] in the denyeng: we then meruayle mych more that they dore for shame call theym selfe crysten men / and then deny the thynge whych the blssyd apostles of cryste / y^• sacred maiestye of our sauyour cryst hym selfe / in the holy scrypture / in hys holy gospellys / so manefestely and so playnele affyrmeth.

¶And yet many an other playne texte ys there in holy scrypture / y^• as the olde holy doctours bere witnesse well proueth our purpose for purgatory / whych we speke here nothyng of / syth fewer textys thē we haue all redy shewed you / both myght and ought to suffyce you. For eny one playne texte of scrypture suffyseth for the porfe of eny trouth / excepte eny man be of the mynde / that he wyll haue god tell hys [...] wyse ere [...]he byleue hym.

¶Now yf th [...]se heretyques fall to theyr accustumed frowardnesse and as they be wont to do wyll rather deny that the swāne ys whyte and the crow blakke / then agre that eny texte in holy scrypture hath eny other sense then theym selfe lyste to say / and wyll in thys poynte for the meyntenaunce of theyre heresye set at nought saynt Austayn / saynt Hyerome / saynt Ambrose / saynt Gregory / saynt Chrysoste­me / saynt Basyle / saynt Cypryane / and fynally all the olde holy fathers and blessyd sayntys that eny thynge say agaynst theym: yet can they neyther deny that the catholyque churche of cryste hath allwaye byleued purgatory / condempnyng for heretyques all suche as wolde holde the contrary. Nor yf they graunt that: can they then by eny maner meane auoyde yt / but that the thynge ys trew that all the churche so full and hole so lōge hath in suche wyse byleued / all though there were not founden in all holy scrypture one texte y^• so playnely ꝓued [Page xxxii] yt: as they myght fynde many that semed to saye the contrary / except they wyll not onely say that our blessyd lady lost her vyrginite after the byrth of cryst / but ouer y^t be dreuē ferther to mynyshe the strēght and authoryte of the very gospell self: whych yf the church may erre in the ryght fayth / had clerely lost hys credence.

¶And therfore as we say / where as we by playn scripture haue prouyd you purgatory: yet yf there were theryn not one text y^t eny thyng semed to say for yt / but dyuerse and many textys whyche as farre semed vnto the mysse vnderstanders to speke agaynste purgatory / as many dyuerse textys of y^• gospell appered vnto the greate heretyque Eluidius to speke agaynst the perpetuall vyrgynyte of crystys blessyd mother: yet syth the catholyque churche of cryste hath allway so fermely byleued yt for a playne trowthe / that they haue allway takē the obstynate affermers of y^• contrary for playne erronyouse herety­ques / yt ys a profe full and suffycyent for purgatory to eny man that wyll be taken for a member of crystys church / and ys alone a thyng suffycyent in eny good crysten and yēce to stoppe the mowthys of all the prowde hygh harted malycyouse heretykꝭ / that eny thynge wold barke agaynst vs.

¶But when they be so confuted and concluded / that they haue no­thyng to say: yet cā they not hold theyre peace / but fall to blasphemy and aske why there cometh none of vs owte of purgatory and speke wyth theym. By whyche blasphemouse questyon they may as well deny hell and heuen to / as they deny purgatory. For there cometh as many to them owt of purgatory / as owt of ether of the other [...]wayn. And surely yf there came one owte of eny of theym all thre / vnto folke of suche incredulyte as those heretyque [...]e: yet wolde they be neuer the better. For yf they byleue not now them whome they [...] byleue / no more wold they byleue hym neyther that shold come owte of purgatory to tell yt them: as Abraam answered the rych man that requyred̄ the same in hell / and as yt well appered also by the myscreaunte Iewys whych were so lyttell amended by the comynge agayn of lazare owte of lymbus patrum / that leste other shold byleue hym they deuysed to destroye hym. And yet yf the thyng that they requyre wold contēt theym: yt hath not lakked. For there hath in euery cōtrey and in euery age apparycyons bene had and well knowen and testy­fyed / by whyche men haue had suffycyent reuelacyon and profe of purgatory / excepte suche as lyste not to byleue theym: & they be such as wolde be neuer the better yf they saw theym.

¶For who so lysteth to beleue that all to gether ys lyes that he he­reth so mych people speke of & seeth so many good men wryte of: for no cūtrey ys there in crystēdome in whych he shall not here credably reported of such apparycyōs dyuers tymys there sene & apperyng / [Page] and in the bokis of many an holy sayntꝭ wrytyng / shall he fynde such apparycyons in such wyse told and testyfyed / as no good mā coud in any wyse mystrust them: and ouer thys when the apostles at Crystꝭ apperyng to the .xi. in the house / toke hym at the furst for a spyryte / yt well apperyth that apparycyons of spyrytꝭ was no new thyng amōg y^• Iewys: which ye may well parceyue also by y^• y^• better sorte of thē sayd ī excusyng of saynt Poule / what yf some angell or some spyryt haue spokē to hym as ys mencyoned in the apostles actys: so that as we say who so lyst to take all thys for lyes / & ys so faythlesse and so proudly curyouse that he loketh ere he beleue them to haue such apparycyons specyally shewed vnto hym self & myracles wrought in hys presens: wold war y^• wurse and he saw theym / and wold ascrybe yt eyther to some fantasy or to the dyuels workis / as dyd those Iewes that ascrybyd Crystys myracles to Belzabub.

¶For surely yf suche people were in the case of saynte Thomas of Inde / that they were otherwyse very vertuouse and good / hauynge in that onely poynt some hardnes of belefe as he had in Cristꝭ resurreccyō: our lord we dout not wold of hys specyall goodnes prouyde sum specyell way for theyr satysfaccyon to recouer them wyth. But now syth they be playn carnall hygh harted and malycyouse / lōgyng for myracles as dyd these croked harted Iewes / whych sayde vnto Cryste y^• they longed to se hym shew sum myracle. he dothe therfore wyth these folk as Cryst dyd with them. For as he answerd them by the sample of Ionas the ꝓphete / that he wolde none shew byfore y^t pu [...]se & faythlesse peple tyll he were dede: so answereth he these ꝑ­uers & croked malycyous peple / y^t he wyll shew thē no suche apparycions tyll they be dede. And then shall he send them where they shall sent so surely / & to theyr payne se such a grysly syght as shall so greue theyr hartys to loke therō / that they shall say as Criste sayd to saynt Thomas of Inde: Beatiqui nō viderunt et crediderunt: Blessyd & happy be they that beleuyd thys gere and neuer saw yt. For surely in thys world y^• goodnes of god so tēperyth such apparycyōs / as hys hygh wysedome seeth yt most ꝓfytable for help & reliefe of the dede and instruccyon and amendement of the quyk: kepynge suche appa­rycyōs of hys great marcy most comenly frō y^• syght of such as wold turne hys godnes in to theyre awne harme. And surely of hys tender fauoure toward you / doth hys great goodnes prouyde: that such ap­parycyons / reuelacyons / and myracles / shold not be to copyouse and commune: wherby good men seyng the thynge at eye / shold lese the great parte of that they now meryte by fayth: ayd euyll folke when they were onys famelyer wyth yt / wolde then as lytle regarde yt as they now lytle beleue yt.

¶Now it is a world to see wyth what folye they fortefy theyr false [Page xxxiii] belyefe / and in to what fonde fantesyes they fall / whyle they declyne from the trouth. For whyle they deny purgatory / they now afferm / & specyally Luther hym self) that soules vnto doomys day do nothyng els but slepe. Wo wold they be yf they fell in such a slepe as many a soule slepeth here / & as Iudas hath all redy slept .xv. C. yere in hell.

¶Then say they that yf there were eny purgatory / oute of whych the pope myght delyuer eny soule by his pardō: thē were he very cruell in that he delyueryth theym not wythout mony: a also that he ryddyth them not hense all to gether at onys. The furst ys a great foly that syth our lord sendyth them thyder for satysfaccyon to be made in sum maner for theyr synne: the pope shuld rather agaynst goddys purpose delyuer them fre / then chaunge the maner of theyr satysfac­cyon from payne into prayour / almes dede / or other good workys to be done by theyr frend [...] for them in some poynt ꝓfytable & necessary for the hole corps of crystendome or some good member of the same.

¶Now ys there in the seconde not onely mych more foly / but yt im­porteth also playn and opē blasphemy. For presupposed that the pope may delyuer all sowlys out of purgatory: yet yf he were therfore cruell as oft as he leueth any there / th [...]s vnresonable reason layeth cruelte to y^• blame of god / which may vndoutedly delyuer all sowlys thys and yet he leueth thē there. Thys blasphemy shuld also to wch hys hygh maieste for kepyng any soule in hell / frō whens no mā douteth but that he myght yf he lyst delyuer them all for euer. But as he wyll not delyuer eny thens: so wyll he not wythout good order dely­uer eny soule hēce. For as of hys iustice they be worthy to ly there for euer: so be we worthy to lye here for the whyle / and in god no cruelte though he suffer hys mercy to be cōmunely suspendyd and temperyd wyth the balaunce of hys iustyce. And though he take vs not hēce all at onys orderlesse & at aduenture: hys hygh wysdome ys prayse wor­thy & not worthy blame. Our lord forbede y^• euer we so shuld & such ys hys grace y^• we neuer shall for eny payne possible y^• we can suffer here / hold our self cōtēt to here such folysh wordes as ēply so playn blasphemy agaynst goddys hygh marcyfull maieste. For surely these folk in puttyng forth of thys theyr vnwyse argument / make a coūte­tenaunce to throw yt agaynst the pope / but in very dede they caste ye at goddys hed.

¶For as for the pope who so consyder yt well / goeth forther from the sample of god that ys set for crystes vycar in hys church by ge­uyng ouer lyberall pardon: thā by beyng theryn to scarce & strayght. For god remytteth not here at aduenture though he may do hys pleasure / but obserueth ryght good and great respecte / as the prayours & intercessyons made for vs or other satysfaccyon done for vs by some other men. And thys order vseth and of reason ought to vse hys vy­car [Page] also in the dyspensynge toward oure relyefe / the precyouse trea­sure of our comforte that cryste hath put in his kepynge. For ellys yf other the pope or god shold alway forthwith delyuer euery mā here / or rather kepe euery man hense as these heretyques wold make men byleue that god doth in dede / and wolde that the world sholde so take yt: thē shold god or the pope as we somewhat haue sayd byfore / gyue a greate occasyon to men bordely to fall in synne / and lytell to care or force how slowly they ryse agayne. Whych thyng neyther were mete for the popys offyce / nor agreable to the great wysedome of god / and myche lesse mete for hys marcy. For by that meane shuld he gyue in­numerable folke greate occasyon of damnacyon / whyche presumyng vppon suche easy shorte remissyon / wolde lustely draw to lewdenes wyth lytell care of amendement.

¶And so appereth yt that the thynge whyche these wyse men wolde haue ye take for cruell / ys of tre [...]th moste mercyfull: and the thynge whych they wold haue to seme very benygne and pytyouse ys in ve­ry dede moste rygorouse and most cruell: lyke wyse as a sharpe mayster that chastyseth hys seruaunt / is in that poynt more fauorable thā ys an easy one that for lakke of punyshement letteth theym runne on the brydle and gyueth theym occasyon of hangynge / Whyche thynge hath place also bytwene the father and the child / And therfore in holy scrypture that father is not accompted for vnlouyng and cruell / that beteth hys chyld / but rather he that leueth yt vndone. For he that spa­reth the rodde sayth holy wrytt hateth the chyld. / And god thefore that ys of all fathers the most tyder / louyng / and most benygne and mer­cyfull / leueth no chyld of his vncorrected: but scourgeth euery chyld that he taketh to hym. And therfore neyther god remytteth at aduen­ture the paynys of purgatory: nor no more must the pope nether / but yf that he wyll whyle he laboureth to do good and be pytuouse to vs that are dede / be cruell & do mych more harme to theym that be quyk: and whyle he wyll draw vs owte of purgatory / dryue many of them in to hell. Frome desyre of which kynd of helpe / we so farre abhorre / that we wold all rather chose to dwell here long in most bytter payn / than by such way to gete hense as myght gyue occasyon of eny mānꝭ damnacyon.

¶Now where they lykewyse obiecte in countenaunce agaynste the clergy / but yet in very dede they stryke the stroke at vs whome they wolde byreue the suffragys of good people / obiectynge that no man may satysfye for a nother / nor that the prayour nor almoyse nor other good dede done by one man may stande a nother in stede / but y^• euery man must nedys all thynge y^• he wyll haue helpe of / do it euery whyt hym selfe / and so that no mānys good dede done amonge you for vs in relyefe of our payn could in eny maner serue vs: this oppinyon as [Page xxxiiii] yt ys toward vs very pestylent and pernycyouse / so ys yt of yt selfe very false and folysshe. For fyrste yf all that euer muste auayle eny man / muste nedys be done by hym selfe / and no mannys meryte may be applyed to the helpe of a nother / then were wyped a way from all men all the merytys of crystys bytter passyon / in whych though yt be trew that god dyed on the crosse bycause of the vnite of god and man in person / yet had hys tender manhed all the payne for vs / and hys impassyble godhed felte no payne at all / Wherof serueth also y^e prayours that euery man prayeth for other? Wherfore dyd saynt Powle pray for all other cristē men / and desyre them all to pray for hym also and eche of them for other / that they myght be saued?

¶And why ys there so specyall a mencyon made in the actys of the apostles / that at the deliuery of saynt Peter owt of pryson / y^e church made contynuall prayour and intercessyon for hym? but for to shewe that god the rather delyuered hym for other mēnys prayours. And thynke ye that yf god haue pyte vppon one man for an others sake / & delyuereth hym at a nother mannys petycyon from a lyttell payne or prysonement in the worlde there vppon erth: he hath not at other mē ­nys humble and harty prayour myche more pytye vppō suche as lye in myche more heuy payne and turment here in the hote fyre of pur­gatory?

¶Then fynd these folke a nother knotte hard as they thynke to vndo. For they say y^t yf a nother mānys merytys may serue me / wherto shuld I nede to do eny good my selfe. Thys obieccyon ys mych lyke as yf they wold say yf other men may take me owt of y^e fyre: wherto shulde I labour to ryse my selfe. Very trewth yt ys that sometyme the good wurkꝭ of one man wrought wyth good affeccyon / may purchase an other man grace for to mende and wurke for hym self. But surely of comē course he that wyll not hym selfe wurk wyth theym / geteth lyttell good of other mennys good dedys. For yf thy selfe do styll drawe bakward whyle other good men wyth theyre prayour la­boure to pull the forward: yt wyll be longe ere thou make eny good days iourney. And therfore y^e holy doctour saynt Austayne / in y^e bles­syd boke that he made of the cure and care that men shuld haue of vs sely parted sowlys: towcheth quykly the very poynte that there can none take profyte of other mennys good dedys / but onely such as haue deserued by some good thynge in theyre awne dedys / that other mennys dedys shuld helpe them: and that hath euery men done at the leste wyse by hys fynall repentaunce and purpose of amendement / that departeth the world in the state of grace.

¶For he that ys owte of that state / can not take the profyte of other mennys merytys done for hym. And therfore damned soulys can not by other mennys merytys be delyuered of damnacyon: nor in lyke­wyse [Page] he that entendeth to perseruer in synne and do no good for hym selfe. But syth that we be not in y^• case / but haue with helpe of gedd [...] grace deserued to be parteners of such good dedys as ye that are our frēd [...] wyll of your goodnes do for vs: ye may by your meryt [...] hyghly releue vs here and helpe to gete vs hense. And surely great won­der were yt yf we shulde not be able to take ꝓfyte of your prayours. For there wyll no wyse man dowte but that the prayour of eny member of cristendom may pro [...]yte eny other that yt ys made for / whych hath nede and ys a mēber of the same. But none ys there yet lyuyng that ys more very mēber of crystys mystycall body y^• ys hys church then we be [...] nor no man lyuyng that hath more nede of helpe thē we. Form surety of saluacyon we be felowes wyth angellys: in nede of relyefe we be yet felowes wyth you. And therfore beyng so sure mē bers of one body wyth angells holy [...]aymys / and you: and hauyng nece [...]syte both of theyre helpe and yours: there ys no dowte but syth euery member that nede both maye take good by other / we stande in the case that both aungells and sayntys intercessyons and your good prayours & almoyse dede done for vs what so euer these heretyques bable may do vs meruaylouse mych good.

¶How many haue by godd moste aracyouse fauour appered vn­to theyre frendys after the deth and shewed theym selfe holpen and delyuered hense by pilgrymage almoyse dede / and prayour / and specyall by the sacred ob [...]cyon of that holy sacrament offred for theym in the masse. If these heretyques say that all suche thyngys be lyes: then be they myche wurse yet then theyre mayster was Luther hym selfe as longe as eny sparke of shame was in hym. For he confesseth in hys sermons that many suche apparycyons be trew: and hys hart could not nor for very shame serue hym / that so many so often told in so many placis so faythfully reported by so many honeste folke / and so sub ancya [...]y wrytten by so many blessyd saymys: shulde be all false. Wheryn yf these men lyste lyke lusty sholers to passe and ouer go theyre madde mayster in thys poynt / & deny these thyngꝭ all to gether: yet shall there styk in theyr teeth / y^• scrypture of y^• Machabees wherof we told you that Iudas Machabeus gatheryd & sent a great offryna to Hyerusalem / for to bye sacrifyce to be offred for theym y^• he found slayne in the felde / and certeyne thyngys about them taken of the Idol [...]ys forbeden them by the law / whych caused hym to fere leste they were for theyr synne fallen after theyr deth in to payne / and therfore made that gatheryng / y^• almes & offring as hym selfe sayth / that they myghte therby be losyd and delyueryd of theyr synnys. So that there appereth playnly by scrypture / that such suffragys stande vs sely soulys in stede. Agaynste whych authorite yf they wyll wyth theyr master labour to breke out & denye that boke for holy scripture / [Page xxxv] we haue stopped them that gap all redy with such a bush of thornys / as will pryk theyr hādys thorow a payre of hedgyng glouys ere they pull yt out.

¶And fynally for thys poynt that the suffragys of the church and y^• prayours of good crysten people / stand vs here in relyef and cūfort / there nedeth in thys world (as saynt Austayn sayth & saynte Damascene) none other maner profe then that all cristēdome hath euer vsed to do so / & haue thought them self alway so bounden to do / damnynge alway for heretykys all them that wold afferme the contrary.

¶And in thys poynt may they haue a maruelose gret thyng agaynst them in the iugement of euery good man the gret antiquyte of the seruyse of Crystys church / by whych the church hath so long ago custo­mably recommendyd in theyr prayours all crysten soulys to god. For we trust that though these heretykys fynde many men bothe glad to here and lyght to beleue euery lewd tale that cū be surmysed agaynst the church that now is: yet trust we that they shall fynde few or none so farre out of all frame / but that they wyll at the lest beleue y^• there hath bene sum good and godly men wyse and well lerned too among the clergy in days passed one tyme or other. By then to the old tyme and to the good men that then were / & here what they sayd / & se what they dyd / and beleue & folow them. There remayneth yet and bokys ynow therof / the very masse in the very forme and fassyon / as saynt Basyle / & saynt Chrysostheme / and other holy fathers in that ver­tuouse tyme sayed yt: in whych ye shall fynd that in theyr dayly mas­ses they prayd euer for all crysten soules.

¶Ye shall also parceyue clerely by saynt Chrisostheme in a sermon of hys / that in his tyme there were in the funerall seruyce at the beryeng of the corps / the self same psalmes songen that ye syng now at y^• dirige. Wherby yt well appareth that yt is no new foūd thyng: for his tyme was farr aboue a. M. yere ago: and yet was y^• thyng song vsed afore hys dayes. And because ye shall know that the more surely: he sayth y^• the gyse & custume to pray for soulys / was instytute and by­gone in the church by the blessyd apostles theym selfe. And so whyle so good men so long a go bygan yt / and good folke hath euer synnys contynued yt / ye may sone gesse whyther they be good men or no that now prouoke you to breke yt.

¶Now where they say that yf the masse could do vs eny good / that then the prestys be very cruell that wyll say none for vs but they be waged: thys word ys as trew as theyre entent ys fraudulēt & false. For theyre purpose ys in those wordys to make the world wene / that the clergy were so couetouse and cruell therwyth / that there wyll no preste pray for vs pore soulys here / without he be hyred therto: wherof our lorde be thanked we fynde full well the contrary. For albe yt [Page] that of Luthers prestꝭ we can haue none helpe / syth theyr massys of­fer not vp the sacrament to god neyther for quyk nor dede / nor make no very prestꝭ among theym syth they take pres [...]hed for no sacramēt: yet of good cristen prestys we fynde great relyese as well in theyre dyryges and mych other suffragys by olde instytucyon of the churche specyally sayed for vs though no man [...] one peny thorow the yere. And so may all the worlde wyt that thys word of these here tyques hath myche malyce and lyttell effecte theryn.

¶But nowe thowghe the prestys praye for vs of theyre awne [...] yet when good people desyre theym thereto and gyue theym theyre almoyse therefore: then are they dowble bounden / and then ryseth there myche more good and profyt vppon all sydys. For thē take we fru [...] both of the prayour of y^• tone and the almoyse of the tother. And the taketh the preste benyfyte of hys awne prayour made bothe for the geuer and for vs. The geuer also getteth frute both of hys own [...] full almoyse / and of double prayour also / that ys to wyt bothe the prayour of the preste that prayeth for vs / whyche com [...]nly prayeth for hym to / and also the prayour of vs / whyche wyth great feruour of hart pray for our benefactours incessaūtly / and are so [...] forth in goddys vndowted fauour / that very few mē lyuyng vppon erth are so well herd as we / bysydys that of all kynd of almoyse that eny man can geue / the moste men [...]oryouse ys y^• whych ys bystowed vppon vs as well for that yt ys vnto the moste nedy and also to thē that are absent and fynally for that of all maner almoyse yt is moste grownded vppon the foundacyon of all crysten vertuose fayth. For as for to pore folke a naturall man wyll gyue almoyse eyther. for pytye of some pytuose syght / or for werynesse of theyre imporcu­ne. [...]. But as for as pore sow [...]ys passed the world / whome be that gyueth almoyse neyther seeth nor hereth: wolde neuer bestowe one peny vppon vs but yf he had a sayth that we lyue styll / and that [...] that we lye in payne and hopyd of hys reward in heuen. Whych kynde of fayth and good hope ioyned wy [...]h his gyft and good wurck must nedys make it one of the best kynd of almoysed. de that eny man can do in the world.

¶And syth that yt so ys as in dede yt ys: what vncharytable & what vnfaythfull folk at these that for hatred whych they ow to pres [...]ed / wolke make you beleue that there were no purgatory / & wold rather wysh by theyr wyllys that theyr owne fathers shuld lye here in fyre tyll the day of doome / then eny man shulde geue a preste one peny to pray for them?

¶And yet ys there here one thyng well to be cōsyderyd / that they rather hate prestys for hatred of Crystꝭ fayth / then speke agaynst purgatory for hatred of prestys. Whych thyng though yt seme you derke [Page xxxvi] at the furst heryng: ye shall yet yf ye loke well / very well parceyue. For yf it so were that thys kynde of people dyd speke agaynst purgatory onely for y^• hatred of the pope & y^• clergy / then wold they graunte that saued soules at yet purged in the fyre here for theyr synnis vnsatysfyed in the worlde: and yt shulde then suffyce thē to say for theyre purpose / that neyther prest nor pope nor eny man els nor eny mānys almes or prayour / can in thys place of ponyshmēt eny thynge releue vs. For thys were ynough ye se well to sarue theyr purpose agaynst y^• clergy. But yet because they haue a farre farther purpose agaynst all good crystē fayth: they be not cōtent therfore to leue at hys poynt but steppe them forthe farther and deny purgatory vtterly / to thēde that men shuld take boldnes to care the lesse for theyre synne. And yf they myght onys be beleuyd theryn: thē wold they step yet farther & denye hell and all / and after that heuen to. But as for heuen albeyt y^• as yet they denye yt not: yet pull they many a symple sowle thence / whych were yt not for theyr myscheuous doctrine were els well lykly to be there a full bryght and gloryouse saynt.

¶And surely the more that wyse men aduyse them selfe vppon this mater: the more shall they meruayle of the mad mynd of theym that deny purgatory / or say y^• the prayours or good workys of mē lyuyng in the world cā do vs here no good. For euery mā that eny wyt hath: wotteth well that the surest way were in euery dowt best to be taken Now suppose then that purgatory could in no wyse be prouyd / and y^• some wold yet say playnly y^• there were one / & some wold say playn­ly nay [...]let vs now see whether sorte of these twayne might take most harm / if theyr part were the wrong. Furst he that beleued there were purgatory / & that hys prayour and good wurkꝭ wrought for hys [...] dys soule myghte relyeue thē theyrn / and because therof vsed mych prayour and almoyse for theym: he could not lese the reward of hys good wyll / all though hys opynyon were vntrew / & that there were no purgatory at all / no more then he leseth hys labour new y^• prayeth for one whō he fereth to ly in purgatory where he ys all redy in heuē. But on the tother syde / he that beleueth there ys none / and therefore prayeth for none: yf hys opynyō be false / and that there be purgatory in dede as in dede there ys / he leseth mych good and getteth hym also myche harme / for he both fereth myche y^• lesse to synne and to ly long in purgatory / sauyng that hys heresye shall saue hym thense and send hym downe depe in to hell.

¶And yt fareth bytwene these two kynd of folk as yt fa [...]ed bytwe­ne a lewde galād & a pore frere. Whom when the galand saw goynge barefote in a great froste and snowe / he asked hym why he dyd take suche payne. And he answered y^• yt was very lytell payne yf a man wold remēber hell. ye frere quoth y^• galant but what & there be none [Page] hell thā arte thou a great fole. ye mayster quoth the frere but what & there be hell than ys your mayster shyppe a mych more sole.

¶More ouer there was neuer yet eny of that sorte / that coulde for shame saye that eny man ys in parell for byleuynge that there ys purgatory. But they saye onely that there ys none in dede / and that they may wythout eny synne afferme theyre opynrō for trouth. But now vpon the tother syde many an hundred thowsand / that ys to wyt all the hole churche of cryste that ys or euer hath bene / afferme that the aff [...]myng of theyre opynyon agaynst purgatory / ys a playne damp­nable heresy. Wherfore it well and playnly appereth and euery wyse mā well seeth that yt ys the farre surer way to belyue in such wyse as hath the partys agree to be owt of all parell / thē that way whych so farre the greter parte and myche farther the better parte afferme to be vndowted dedely synne. And now where as euery fole maye se that eny wyse man wyll take the sureste way / which ys as ye se dowble proued to belyue that there ys purgatory: yet sayd the wyse proctour of beggars y^• wyse men wyll saye there ys none. For [...]e sayth y^• many greate letterd men and ryght conynge men / wyll not let to put thē self [...] [...]eoperdye of shame & of deth also / to shewe theyre mynd [...] that there ys no purgatory. He ys loth to say y^• these be heretyques but he sayeth these be they that men call heretyques. Wherin he spe­keth [...] lyke as yf he word poynt wyth hys fynger to a flokke of fa [...] wethers and [...]a [...] these be suche bestys as men call shepe.

¶ [...] now wolde we fayne se whyche be these wyse men and well le [...]red whych shall not fayle vppon theyre awne confessyon to agre that theyre aduersaryes take the sure way and f [...]rthesie owte of pa­rell and theym selfe the moste daungerouse and ferthest from all surety. But yet wolde we for y^• whyle fayn here who they be. Surely none other but Luther and Tyndale / and thys beggars proctoure / & a few such of that sect / mē of such vertew / wysdome and lerning / as theyre lewd wry [...]ynge and mych more theyre lewd lyuyng shewyth.

¶But now at they farre an other maner sorte both in nomber / wys­dome / lernyng / trewth and good lyuyng / whych affyrme and say the contrary. And surely yf .iii. or iiii. C. good and honest men wold fayth fully cum forth & tell one y^• sum of hys frend [...] were in a farre cūtrey for d [...]t kept in pryson / & that hys charyte myght relyeue them thence: yf then .iii. or iiii. fond felows wold cum and say the contrary / and tell hym playn there ys no such prison at all as he ys borne in hād that his frr̄dys at prysoned in: yf he wold now be so lyght to beleue those .iii. or .iiii. noughty ꝑsons / agaynst those .iii. or .iiii. C. good and honest mē: he thē shuld well decypher hym self / and well declare therby that he wold gladly cach hold of sum small handell to kepe hys money fast / rather then help hys frendys in theyre necessyte.

[Page xxxvii] ¶Now yf ye cōsider how late thys lewd sect began / whych among crystē men barketh agaynst purgatory / and how few alway for very shame of theyr foly hath hetherto fallen in to them: and then yf ye cō syder on the tother syde how full and hole the gret corps of all crystē cuntreys so many hundred yerys / haue euer told you the contrary: ye shall we be very sure for euery person spekyng agaynste purgatory / fynde for the tother parte mo than many an hundred.

¶Now yf these men wyll ꝑaduenture say that they care no for such cōparyson / neyther of tyme wyth tyme / nōber wyth nōber / nor cūpa­ny wyth cūpany / but syth sum one man ys in credēce worth sum. vu. score: yf they wyll therfore call vs to sum other rekening & wyll that we compare of the best choyse on both sydes a certayn / & match them man for man: then haue we (yf we myght for shame matche such blyssed sayntꝭ wyth a sorte so farre vnlyke) saynt Austayn agaynst frere Luther / saynt Hyerom agaynst frere Lambert / saynt Ambrose a­gaynst frere Husken / saynt Gregory agaynst preeste Pomeran / saynt Chrisosteme agaynst Tindale / saynt Basyle agaynst y^• beg­gars proctour.

¶Now yf our enmyes wyll for lak of other choyse / help forth theyr owne ꝑte wyth theyre wyuys: thē haue they some aduātage in dede / for y^• tother holy sayntꝭ had none. But yet shall we not lack blessyd holy women agaynst these frerys wy [...]s. For we shall haue saynt A­nastace agaynst frere Luthers wyfe / saynt Hildegardꝭ agaynst frere Huskyns wyfe / saynt Brygyte agaynst frere Lābert [...] wyfe and saynt Katheryn of senys agaynst prest Pomeranys wyfe. Now yf they wyll haue in these matches y^• qualityes of ether syde cōsyderyd: thē haue we wysdō agaynst foly / cūnyng agaynst ignoraūce / charyte agaynst malyce / trew fayth agaynst heresyes / humilite agaynst arrogaūce / reuelacyōs agaynst illusyōs / inspyracyō of god agaynst muē cyons of y^• deuyll / cōstaunce agaynst waueryng / abstynence agaynst glotony / cōtynēce agaynst lechery / & fynally euery kynde of vertue agaynst euery kynde of vyce. And ouer thys where as we be not yet very sure whyther y^• all these nawghty ꝑsons whome we haue rehersed you of y^• worse syde / be fully fall so madde as vterly to deny purgatory / sauynge in y^• we se theym in many thyngꝭ all of one secte: yet yf there were of theym farre many such mo / they shall not yet fynd of y^• symple sute half so many / as for our ꝑte remayneth holy blessyd sayntꝭ to matche theym. For lyke wyse as many theyre holy workys eruditely wrytē & by the helpe of y^• holy goost endyghted: euydentely declare y^• not onely saynt Austayne / saynt Hierome / saynt Ambrose & y^• holy pope saynt Gregory / wyth saynt Chrisostē / & saynt Basyle afore remēbred / & those holy womē also y^• we haue spokē of / but ouer y^• the great solēpne doctour Oregene / all y^• thre great doctours & holy [Page] sayntys of one name in grece / Gregorius Nasianzenus / Gregorius Nissenus / Gregorius Emissenus / saynt Cyryllus / saynt Damascene / y^• famouse doctour & holy martyr saynt Cipryane / saynt Hylory / saynt Bede / & saynt Thomas / & fynally all suche as are of y^• suyt & sorte eyther grekꝭ or latyns / haue euer taught & restyfyed and exhor­ted y^• peple to pray for all crystyn soulys & preched for purgatory: so doth there no man dowte but y^• all good & deuowte crystē peple from crystys dayes hytherto / hath ferme & faste bene of y^• same bylyefe / & wyth thyr dayly prayours and almoyse dede done for vs haue done vs great relyefe. So that as we sayed both for nōber of many folke and goodnes of chosen folke: our enemyes are farre vnder vs. And yet haue we for the vauntage as we haue byfore declared you y^• fere of Ezechyas / the boke of the kyngys / the wordꝭ of the prophete za­chary the fayth of Machabeus y^• authoryte of saynt Ihān / the wor­dys of saynt Peter the sentēce of saynt Poule / y^• testimony of saynt Mathew and the playne sentence of our sauyour cryste.

¶Now yf these heretyques be so styffe & stoborne / that rather then they wyll confesse theym selfe concluded / they wyll holde on theyre olde wayes and fall frome wurse to wurse / and lyke as they haue allredy agaynst theyre formar promyse fyrst reiected reason and after lawe / & then all y^• doctours and olde holy fathers of crystys churche / and fynally the hole churche yt selfe: so yf they wyll at length as we greatly fere they wyll reiect all scrypture & cast of Criste & all: now as we say yf they so do yet haue we left at the wurst way Luther a­gaynst Luther Huskyn agaynst Huskyn / Tyndall agaynst Tyndall & fynally euery heretyke agaynst hym self. And thē when these folk syt in Almayn vppon theyr bere bench in iugement on vs & our maters: we may as the knyght of kyng Alexander appelyd frō Ale­xander to Alexāder frō Alexander the dronk to Alexāder the sober: so shall we appele from Luther to Luther / frō Luther the dronken to Luther the sober / from Luther the heretyke to Luther the catholyke / & lykewyse in all the remenaunt. For thys dothe no man dout but that euery one of thē all / before they fell dronk of the dreggys of olde poysonyd heresyes / in whych they fell a quaftyng wyth the dyuell: they dyd full sadly & soberly pray for all crysten soulys. But synnys that they be fallen dronken in wrechyd & synfull heresyes: they neyther care for other mennys soulys nor for theyr owne neyther. And on the tother syde yf euer they wurk wyth grace to purge them self of those poysoned heresyes / wherwyth they be now so dronk / they wyll than geue sentēce on our syde as they dyd before. It were not yuell y^• we shewed you sūwhat for exsample wherby ye may se what sobernes they were in before / & in what dronkennes the dyuels drawghte hath brought them. And in whom shuld we shew yt better than in Luther [Page xxxviii] hym self archeheretyke and father abbot of all that dronkē felishype Furst thys man was so fast of our syde whyle he was well & sober / that yet when he began to be well washed / he could not fynde in his hart vtterly to fall from vs. But when his hed furste began to dase of that euyll drynke: he wrote that purgatory coud not prouyd by scrypture. And yet that not wythstandyng he wrote in this wyse ther­wyth. I am very sure that there ys purgatory / & yt lytle moueth me what heretykis bable. Shuld I beleue an heretyke borne of late scāt fysty yerys ago / and say the fayth were false that hathe bene holden so many hūdred yere? Lo here thys man spake well vppon our syde. But yet sayed he therwith one thyng or twayne / that coud not stande therwyth: and therby may ye se that he began to reele. For he both affyrmyd that purgatory coud not be ꝓuyd by scripture / and affyrmyd ferther that nothyng coud be takē for a sure & certayn trewth / but yf yt appered by clere and euydent scrypture. Whych two thyngys pre­supposed: how coud eny man be sure of purgatory? But the help ys that both those poynt [...] be false. For both ys purgatory ꝓuyd by scrypture / and the chatholyke fayth of Crystys church were suffyeyent to make men sure therof / albe yt there were not in all scrypture one text for yt / and dyuers y^• semyd agaynst it as we haue shewed you before.

¶But here as we say ye se how shamfully he staggared & began to reele: howe be it sone after beyng so dowsy drōk y^• he coulde neyther stand nor reele but fell downe sow dronk in the myre: then lyke one y^• nothyng remembred what he had sayd / nor herd not hys awn voyce / he begā to be hym felf y^• babelynge heretike agaynst whō he had wrytē before: & beyng not fully fyfty yere old / began to gaynsay y^• fayth of almost .xv. hūdred yere afore his days in the churche of Criste / be sydys .xv. C. yere thre tymys told amōg other faythfull folk before. For now in hys dronken sermon that he wrote vppon the gospell of y^• ryche man & Lazare / where as he had in hys other bokys before fra­myd of hys owne fantasy / new fond fassyons of purgatory / and told them forth for as playn matters as though he had bene here and sene them: now in thys mad sermon of hys he sayth playnly that there ys none at all / but that all soulysly still and slepe / and so slepe shall / vn tyll the day of dome. O sow dronken soule drownyd in such an insen­syble slepe that he lyeth and rowghteth / whyle the apostles / the euā gelystys / all the doctours of Crystꝭ church / all the hole crysten peo­ple / and among them cryste hym selfe / stande and cry at hys ere / that we sely crysten sowlys lye and burne in purgatory / & he can not here but lyeth styll in the myre and snorteth and there dremeth that we lye styll and slepe as he doth.

¶And thus where the beggars proctour wryteth that wyse mē say there ys no purgatory: ye se now your selfe how wyse ys he whome [Page] they take for the wyseste of all that sort / as hym that ys now y^• very well spryng & archeherytyque of all theyre secte. Of all which wyse men we leue yt to your wysedome to cōsyder: whyther ye fynde eny whom your wysedomes wold in wysedom cōpare wyth eny of those old holy doctours and sayntys whom we haue rehersed you byfore. But thys man we wote well for a nother of these wyse mē meaneth Wyllyam Tyndall. Whose wysedom well appereth in y^• mater by y^• he layeth agaynst yt nothyng but skoffynge: wheryn he sayth that y^• pope may be bold in purgatory / bycause yt ys he sayth a thyng of hys awne makyng: where as we haue proued you by scrypture that pur­gatory was perceyued and taught and dede mennys soulys prayed for / so longe ere euer eny pope bygan.

¶But for as myche as he sayth that wyse men wyll say there ys no purgatory / among whych wyse men we dowte not but the wyse man accompteth hym selfe [...] for he layeth for that parte as hym selfe we­neth very wise & weyghty resons / y^• wysdō wherof we haue all redy ꝓuyd you very playne frantyke foly) we wyll nowe finyshe the dyspycyons of all thys debate and questyon / wyth y^• declaracyon of one or twoo poyntys of hys especyall wysdome / and wyth one of whych hym selfe wysely destroyeth all hys holy mater.

¶Furste ye se well that albe yt in dede he entendeth to go ferther yf hys byll were ones well sp [...]dde: yet he pretendyth nothyng in vysa­ge but onely the spoyle / weddynge / and beatynge of the clergye: to whom he layth not all onely such fautys as ye haue hard / and hath ꝓuyd hys purpose wyth such groundys as we haue prouyd false: but also layth one great necessyte to take all from thē / because they breke y^• statute made of mortmayn / & purchase more landys styll agaynst y^• ꝓuysyon therof. And thē sayth he y^• eny land whych onys cūmeth in theyr handys / cūmyth neuer ont agayn. For he sayth y^• they haue such lawes cōcernyng theyr lādes / as they may neyther geue eny nor sell. For whyche cause lest they shuld at length haue all / he deuyseth to let them haue nothyng.

¶Now furst where he maketh as though there cā yet for all the statute dayly much land in to thē / & y^• there can none at all come frō thē: neyther ys the tone so much as he wold make yt seme / & the tother ys very false. For truly there may cū and doth cū sād fro thē by eschete / as we be sure many of you haue had experyence: & also what lawes so euer they haue of theyr own y^• ꝓhibyte thē to sell theyr landys / yet of thys are we very sure y^• not wythstandyng all y^• lawes they haue / they may sell in such wyse yf they wyll all the lande they haue / y^• they cā neuer recouer fote agayn. And besidys all y^• albe it there be lawes made by the chyrch agaynst such salys as shrewd husband [...] wold els boldly make of y^• lād [...] of theyr monestaryes: yet ys there not so p̄cyse [Page xxxix] ꝓuysyon made agaynst all salys of theyr landꝭ / but y^• they may be alienyd for cause resonable apꝓuid by y^• aduyse & coūsell of theyr chefe hed. And many a mā ys there in y^• realm y^• hath landꝭ geuē or sold out of abbays & out of byshoppriches both: so y^• this ꝑte is a playn lye

¶The tother part ys also neyther very certayne nor very mych to purpose. For truly though that in the cytee of London to whych there ys grauntyd by authoryte of parliament / that men may there deuyse theyr landys in to mortemayn by theyr testamentꝭ / there is sumwhat among geuen into the church / and yet not all to them but the great ꝑte vnto the cumpanyes & felyshyppys of the craftys: in nother placys of the realme there ys now a days no great thyng geuen / but yf yt be sometyme some small thynge for the foundacyon of a chauntery. For as for abbays or such other great foūdacyōs there be not now a days many made nor haue bene of good whyle / excepte somewhat done in the vnyuersytees. And yet who so consyder those great foundacyons that haue thys great whyle bene made eny where / shall well parceyue that the substaunce of thē be not all fownden vppon temporall landys new token owte of the temporall handys in to the churche / but of suche as the church had longe a fore / & now the same translated from one place vnto a nother: And ouer this shall he fynd that many an ab­bey (whose hole lyuyng thys man weneth stoode all by tēporall lan­dys geuen them in theyre foundacyon) haue the great parte therof in be [...]efycys gyuen in and empropred vnto theym. So that yf he consyder the substaūce of all the greate foūdacyons made thys great whyle / and all that hath in to eny suche these many dayes be gyuen / & then cōsyder well therwyth how cold the charyte of crystē people waxeth by the meanys of suche deuyls proctours as vnder pretexte of beg­gynge for the pore / entend and labour to quench the feruour of deuo­cyō to godwarde in symple and sone ledde sowlys: he shall not nede to fere that all the tēporall lande in the realm shall come in to the spy­rytualtye. And yet yf men went nowe so faste to gyue in styll to the church as they dyd byfore whyle deuocyon was seruēt in the people and vertu plentuouse in the church: yet myght yt be and in other cuntrees ys ꝓuyded for well ynough / both that mēnys deuocyon myght be be fauored / and yet not the churche haue all.

¶But thys wyse man leste they shulde haue all: wolde leue theym ryght nought. For hys wysedom weneth there were no meane way bytwene euery whyt and neuer a whyt but nothynge at all. And sure­ly where that he layeth so sore vnto theym / the newe purchasynge of more temporall landys eyther bought or gyuen them: yt appereth well he wolde saye sore to theym yf they pulled the land fro men by force / whyche nowe layeth so hyghly to theyr charge bycause they ta­ke yt when men gyue yt theym: whyche thyng we suppose hym selfe as holy as he ys / wolde not myche refuse. Nor they be not myche to [Page] be blamed yf they receyue mennys deuocyon / but yf they bestow yt not well. And yet where he sayth there can no statute holde them / but they purcha [...]e styll and breke the statute / where in he wolde seme cō ­nynge bycause he had a lytell smatterynge in the lawe: yt were good ere he be so bold to put hys ignoraūce in wrytynge / that he shulde se the statute better. Whyche when he lyste to loke vppon agayne and lette some wyser man loke wyth hym / yf he consyder well what re­medy the statutꝭ prouyde & for whom: he shall fynd y^t the makers of the statute not so mych fered the great hygh poynt that prykketh hym now leste the hole temporall landys shuld come in to the churche / as they dyd the losse of theyre wardys and theyr vnlykelyhed of eschetꝭ & sum other cōmoditees y^t they lakked whē theyr lād [...] were alyened in to the church: & yet not in to the church onely but also in to eny mort mayn. And for this they prouyded y^• yf eny more were alyened in to y^e churche or in to eny maner of morte mayne / the kyng or eny other lord medyate or immedyate that myght take losse therby myght entre ther in to / to thentēt y^• ere euer the purchase were made / they shuld be fayn in such wyse to sue to euery one of thē for his lycēce & good will / that eche of them shuld be arbyte [...] of hys owne hurte or losse and take hys amendys at hys own hand. And thys statute ys not made onely for y^• aduauntage of the tēporall lordys agaynst the clergy / but yt ys made indyfferently agaynst all mortmayn: whych ys as well tēporall folk as spyrytuall / and for the benefyte as well of spyrituall men as temporall. For as well shall a byshop or an abbot haue the aduauntage of that statute yf hys tenaunt alyen hys landys in to eny mortemayn / as shall an erle or a duke▪ And now when the churche pulleth not away y^• land from the owner by force / but hath yt of hys deuocyon and hys gyft geuē of hys owne offer vnasked / & yet not wythout lycēce of all such as the statute lymyteth: where ys thys great faut of theyrs / for whych lest they shuld take more in y^• same maner / he wold they shuld lese all that they haue all redy? What wysdome ys thys whē he layth agaynst them theyr dede wherin they breke no law? And yet syth they can not take yt wythout the kyng and the lordys / hys wordys yf they wayd ought / shuld rōne to the reproche and blame of them whom he wold fayn flater / wythout faut founden in them whom he so sore ac­cuseth. But now the specyall hygh poynt of his wysdome for whych we be dryuen to speke of thys matter he specyally declareth in thys. Ye se well that he wold that the temporall mē shuld take fro the clergy / not onely all these landys purchased synnys the statute of morte­mayn / but also all that euer they had before too / and yet ouer thys all the hole lyuyng y^• euer they haue by eny maner mean besyde: because he thynketh that they haue to much by all to gether. And whē he hath gyuen hys aduyse therto and sayd that they haue to much: then sayth [Page xl] he by and by that yf there were eny purgatorye in dede / yt were well done to gyue them yet more / and that they haue then a great dele to lytle. But now so ys yt that purgatory there ys in dede / nor no good crysten man is there but he wyll and must beleue & confesse the same. wherof yt playnly folowyth that hys own agrement added vnto the trouth / that ys to say that the church hath as he sayth to lytle yf there be a purgatory / added vnto the trouth that there ys a purgatory / and that euery trew crysten man doth & must cōfesse yt: then hath loo the wyse man brought all hys purpose so substancyally to passe / that by hys own playne agrement added vnto the vndoutable trouth / no mā may do that he wold haue all men do / spoyle and pyll the church / but he that wyll furste playnly professe hym self a playn and vndo wtyd heretyke.

¶And therfore syth ye now se the wyt of thys wyse man / y^t laboreth to bryng vs owte of your remēbraunce / syth ye se the symple groūde of hys prowde supplycacyon / and ye perceyue the rancour and malyce that hys mater standeth on: for fulfyllyng wherof he wold by his wyll bryng all the worlde in trouble: & syth ye se that he hateth y^e cler­gye for the fayth / and vs for the clergy / and in reprouyng purgatory proueth hym selfe an infydele: syth we haue made yt you clere that your prayour may do vs good / and haue shewed yt you so playnely that a chylde may perceyue yt / not onely by the comen opynyon of all people and the faste vnfallyble fayth of all crysten peple from Crystys dayes vntyll your owne tyme / confermed by the doctryne of all holy doctours / declared by good reason / and proued by the scryptu­re of god / both apostles / and euangelystys / and our sauyour Cryste hym self: we wyll encumber you no ferther wyth dysputyng vppon the mater / nor argue the thynge as dowtefull / that is vndowted and questyonlesse. But lettyng passe ouer such heretiques as are our malycyouse mortall enemyes / prayenge god of his, grace to gyue theym better mynde: we shall tourne vs to you that are faythfull folke and our dere louyng frēdys / besechyng your goodnes of your tēder pyte that we may be remembred wyth your cherytable almoyse and pray­our. And in thys parte albe yt we stande in suche case that yt better bycummeth vs to beseeche and praye euery man / then to fynde eny fawte wyth eny man: yet are we somwhat constrayned not to make eny mater of quarell or cōplaynt agaynst eny mānys vnkidenes / but surely to mourne & lamēt our awne harde fortune & chaūce in y^e lakke of relyefe & cūforte / which we misse frō our frēdis / not of euyll myn­de wythdrawē vs / or of vnfaythfulnes / but of neglygēs forslouthed & foded forth of forgetfulnes. If ye y^t ar such (for ye be not all such) might loke vppō vs & byhold in what heuy plyght we ly: your slouth wold sone be quikened & your oblyuion tourne to freshe remēbraūce.

[Page] ¶For yf youre father / youre mother / youre chylde / youre brother / youre suster, youre husbande / youre wyfe / or a very straunger to / lay in youre syghte some where in fyre / and that your meanes myght helpe hym: what hart were so hard / what stomake were so stony / that could syt in reste at supper or slepe in reste a bedde / and let a manly and burne▪ We fynde therefore full trew that olde sayd saw / owte of syght owte of mynde. And yet surely to say the trewth / we can not theryn wyth reason mych complayne vppon you. For whyle we were wyth you there, for wantonnes of that wreched world we for­gate in lyke wyse our good frendys here. And therfore can we not maruayle myche though the iustyce of god suffer vs to be forgoten of you as other haue bene before forgoten of vs. But we beseche our lorde for both our sakys to gyue you the grace to mend for your parte that comen faut of vs both / lest when ye cum hether here after / god of lyke [...] suffer you to be forgoten of them that ye le­ue there behynde you / as ye forgete vs that ar come hether afore you But albe yt we can not well as we say for the lyke faut in our selfe greatly rebuke or blame thys neglygence and forgetfulnes in you: yet wolde we for the better wysh you that ye myght wythowt your payn / onys at the leste wyse behold / parceyue / and se / what heuynes of hart & what a sorowfull shame the sely soule hath at hys furst cō ­myng hyther to loke his old frendys in the face here / whom he remē bryth hym self to haue so foule forgoten whyle he lyued there. When albe yt that in thys place no man cā be angry / yet theyr pytuouse loke and lamentable countenaunce casteth hys vnkynd forgetfulnes in to hys mynde: wyt ye well dere frendꝭ that among the manyfold great and greuouse payne whyche he suffreth here / wherof god send you y^• grace to suffer eyther none or few: the grudge and greefe of hys con­s [...]yence in the consyderacyon of hys vnkynde forgetfulnes / is not of all them the leste. Therfore dere frendys let our foly lerne you wys­dome. Send hether your prayour: sende hether your almoyse before you: so shall we fynde ea [...]e therof / and yet shall ye fynde yt styll. For as he that lyghtyth another the cādell hath neuer the lesse lyght hym self / & he that blowyth y^• fyre for another to warme hym doth warm hym self also ther wyth: so surely good frendys the good that ye send hether before you / both greatly refresheth vs / and yet ys holly reseruyd here for you with oure prayours added thereto for youre ferther aduauntage.

¶Wold god we coud haue done our self as we now counsell you. And god gyue you y^• grace whych many of vs refused / to make bet­ter ꝓuysyon whyle ye lyue thā many of vs haue done. For mich haue we left in our executours hand [...] / whych wold god we had bestowed vppō pore folk for our owne soulys & our frēdys wyth our own handys. [Page xli] Mych haue many of vs bestowyd vppō rych mē in gold ryngꝭ and blak gownys: mych in many tapers & torchys: mych in worldly pomp and hygh solempne ceremonyes about our funerallys / wherof the brotle glory standeth vs here god wot in very litle stede / but hath on the tother syde done vs great dyspleasure. For albe yt y^t the kynde solycytude & louyng dylygence of the quyk vsed about the beryeng of the dede / is well allowed and approuyd afore the face of god: yet mych superfluouse charge vsed for boste and ostētacyon / namely de­uysed by the dede before hys dethe / ys of god greatly myslyked: and moste especially that kynde & fassyon therof wherin some of vs haue fallen / and many besydys vs that now lye damnyd in hell. for some hathe there of vs whyle we were in helthe / not so mych studyed how we myght dye penytēt and in good crysten plyght / as how we myght be solempnely borne owte to beryeng / haue gay & goodly funerallys wyth herawdys at our hersys / and ofrynge vp oure helmettys / set­tyng vp our skouchyn and cote armours on the wall though there neuer cam harneyse on our bakkys / nor neuer auncestour of ours euer bare armis byfore. Thē deuysed we some doctour to make a sermon at our masse in our monthys mynde / and there preche to our prayse wyth some fond fantesy deuysed of our name / and after masse / mych festyng ryotouse and costly / and fynally lyke madde men made men mery at our dethe / and take our beryeng for a brydeale. For specyall punyshement whereof / some of vs haue bene by our euyll [...] brought forth full heuely in full great despyght to be holde our owne beryeng / and so standen in great payne inaysyble among the [...] / and made to loke on our cateyn corps caryed owte wyth great pope / wherof our lorde knoweth we haue taken heuy pleasure.

¶Yet wolde ye peraduenture wene that we were in one thyng well eased / in that we were for the tyme taken hense owt of the fyre of our purgatory. But in thys poynt yf ye so thynke / ye be sarre deceyued. For lyke wyse as good aungels and saued soulys in heuē / neuer lese nor lessen theyre ioy by chaungyng of theyre placys / but though there be eny specyall place appoynted for heuē ferthest from the centre of the hole worlde or where so euer yt be / be yt bodyly or aboue all bodyly space / the blessyd heuenly spyrytys where so euer they bycū be ey­ther styll in heuen or in theyr heuenly ioy: nor Gabryell when he comdown to our lady / neuer forbare eny parte of his pleasure / but he had yt ꝑaduēture wyth some newe degre encreaced by the cūforte of hys ioyfull message / but mynysshed myght yt neuer be / not and he had an erand in to hell; ryght so fareth it on y^• tother syde / that neyther dāp­ned wreches at eny tyme / nor we for the space of our clensynge tyme though we haue for the generaltye our comen place of payne appoynted vs here in purgatory: yet yf it please our lorde that at eny season [Page] our gardayns conuay some of vs to be for some consyderacyons eny tyme ellys where / as some percase to appere to some frēd of ours & shew hym how we stand / & by y^• sufferaūs of goddys souerayn goodnes to tell hym wyth what almoyse / prayour / pylgrymage / or other good dede done for vs he may helpe vs hense / in whyche thynge the deuyll ys loth to walke wyth vs but he may not chese and can no ferther wythstand vs thē god wyll gyue hym leue / but whyther so euer he cary vs we cary our payne wyth vs: & lyke as the body that hath an hote feuer as feruētly burneth yf he ryde an horsbake as yf he lay lapped in hys bedde: so cary we styll about no lesse hete wyth vs / thē yf we lay bounden he [...]e. And yet the dysp yghtfull syghtys that our euyll aungellis brynge vs to beholde abrode / so farre augmēteth ourturment: that we wolde wyshe to be drowned in the darkenes that ys here / rather than se the syghtys that they shew vs there.

¶For among they conuay vs in to our owne housys / & ther dowble ys our payne wyth syght sometyme of y^• selfe same thyngys whych whyle we lyued was halfe our heuen to behold. There shew they vs our substaunce and our baggys stuffed wyth gold: whych when we now se / we sette myche lesse by theym then wold an old man that foūd a bag of chery stonys whych he layd vp when he was a chylde. What a sorow hath it bē to some of vs whē y^• deuils hath in dispyght­full mokkage / caste in oure teeth our old loue borne to our money / & thē shewed vs our executours as bysyly ryfling a rāsakyng our housys / as thogh they were men of warr that had taken a town by force.

¶Howe heuely hath yt thynke you gone vnto our harte / when our euyll aūgellys haue grynned and lawghed and shewed vs our late wyuys so sone wa [...]en wanton / & forgetyng vs theyre old̄ husbandys that haue loued theym so tendrely and lefte theym so ryche / sytte and lawgh & make mery and more to sumtyme / wyth theyr new woars / whyle our kepers in dyspyte kepe vs there in payne to stande styll / & loke on. Many tymes wold we then speke yf we coulde be suffred / & sore we long to say to her: Ah wyfe wyfe y wysse this was not coue­naunt wyfe / when ye wepte and tolde me that yf I lefte you to lyue by / ye wold neuer wedde agayne. We se there our chyldren to / whō we loued so well / pype syng and dawnce / & no more thynke on theyre fathers soulys then on theyre olde shone: sauyng that sometyme cū ­meth owt god haue mercy on all crysten sowlys. But yt cūmeth owt so coldely and wyth so dull affeccyon / that yt lyeth but in the lyppys and neuer cam nere the harte. Yet here we sometyme our wyuis pray for vs more warmely. For in chydynge wyth her secunde husbande to spyghte hym wyth all / god haue mercy sayeth she on my fyrst hus­bandꝭ sowle / for he was ywysse an honest mā farr vnlyke you. And then meruayle we myche whē we here theym say so well by vs. For [Page xlii] they were euer wont to tell vs otherwyse.

¶But when we fynde in thys wyse our wiuys / or chyldren and frē dys / so sone and so clerely forgete vs / and se our executours rap and rend vnto theym selfe / catche euery man what he can and holde faste that he catcheth and care nothyng for vs: lorde god what yt greueth vs that we lefte so mych bihynd vs / and had not sent hyther more of our substaunce byfore vs by our owne handys. For happy fynde we hym among vs / y^• sendeth byfore all y^• may be forborne. And he that ys so loth to parte wyth aught / that hordeth vp his good and had as lyue dye almost as to breke hys hepe / and then at last when there ys none other remedye but that he muste nedys leue yt / repenteth hym self sodēly & lakketh tyme to dyspose yt / & therfore byddeth his fren­dys to bestow yt well for hym: our lord ys yet so marcyfull y^t of hys goodnes he acceptyd y^• good dedys y^• hys executours do in ꝑformyng his deuyce. And syth that late is better thē neuer: our lord somewhat alloweth the mannys mynde / by whych he wold hys goodys that he hath immoderately gathered and gredily kepte together as longe as he myght / were yet at the leste wyse well bestowed at laste when he must nedys go fro thē. Whych mynde yet more pleaseth god / thē that a man cared not what were done wyth them. And therfor as we say the goodnes of god somewhat doth accepte yt. But yet surely syth we myght and ought to haue done yt our self / and of a fylthy affec­cyon toward our goodys could not fynde in our hart to parte from e­ny parte of thē / yf our executours now deceyue vs & do no more for vs then we dyd for our selfe: our lord dyd vs no wronge though he neuer gaue vs thanke of all our hole testament / but imputed the fru­stracyon and not ꝑformynge of our laste wyll vnto our owne fawte: syth the delay of our good dedys dreuen of to our deth / grew but of our awne slewth and flesshely loue to the worldward / wyth faynte­nesse of deuocyon to god ward / and of lytle respect and regard vnto our awne soule. And ouer thys yf our executours do these good thyngys indede that we do thus at laste deuyse in out testament: yet our defawte dryuynge all to our deth as we told you byfore / though god as we sayd of hys hygh goodnes leueth not all vnrewarded / yet thys warnynge wyll we gyue you / that ye deceyue not your selfe: we that haue so dyed haue thus foūde yt / that the goodys disposed after vs / gete our executours great thāke / & be toward vs ward accōpted afore god myche lesse then half our awn / nor our thanke nothyng lyke to that yt wolde haue bene yf we had in our helth geuen half as mych for goddys sake wyth our awne handys. Of whyche we geue you thys frendely warnyng not for that we wold dyscorage you to dyspose well your goodys whē ye dye: but for that we wold aduyse you to dyspose then better whyle ye lyue.

[Page] ¶And amonge all your almoyse / sumwhat remēber vs: Our wy­uys there remēber here your husbandys. Our chyldren there remē ­ber here your parentys. Our parentys there remēber here your chyldren. Our husbādys there remēber here your wyuys. Ah swete hus­bandys whyle we lyued there in that wreched world with you / why­le ye were glad to please vs: y [...] bestowed mych vppō vs & put your selfe to greate coste and dyd vs great harme therwyth? Wyth gay [...]ow [...]ys and gay kyrtels & mych waste in apparell ryngꝭ & [...] / wyth [...] & pasti [...] garneshed wyth perl [...] / wyth whych proude pykynge vp: both ye toke hurte and we to / many mo ways [...] though we told you not so than. But two thyngys were the [...]e specy­all of whych your selfe felt then that [...]on [...] and we fele now the [...]o­ther. For ye had vs the [...] and the more stoburn to you: and god [...]ad vs in lesse fauour: and that alak we l [...]i [...]. For now that gay gere burneth vppon our [...]akkys: and those prowd p [...]rled pest [...]s hang [...] about our [...] ▪ those par [...]e [...]ettye and those ow [...] hang heuy abowt our nekkes and cleue fast fyre hote / that wo be we there and wyshe that whyle we lyued ye neuer had folowed our [...] nor neuer [...] vs nor made vs so wanton / nor had ge­uen vs other [...] than ymons or gret garlyk heddys / nor other ꝑ­les for our [...] and our pastrys then farre orient peason. But now for as mych as that [...] and cannot be called agayn: we besech you syth [...] vs haue them [...] let them hurt none other woman but help to do vs good: sell them for our saky [...] to [...] and [...] the money [...]ether by masse pennys & by pore men that may [...] for our [...].

¶Our fathers [...] whyle we lyued fostred vs vp so tēder­ly [...] [...]ndured to se vs suffer payn: now opē your hertꝭ & [...] at the leste wyse wyth a pore mannis [...] a [...]mes▪ ye [...] not when we were wyth you have letted to lay out myche money for a great mariage. whych yf ye mēt for our sakꝭ & not for your own worldly worshyp / gyue vs now sum ꝑte therof & re­leue vs here wyth mych lesse cost then one maryage / & more plesure then .xv. though euery one were a prynce or a pryncesse of a realm.

¶Fynally all our other frendys & euery good cristen man & woman open your hartys & haue sum pyte vppon vs. If ye beleue not y^t we nede your help / alas the lak of fayth. If ye beleue our nede and care not for vs / alas the lak of pyte. For who so pytyeth not vs / whom cā he pyte? If ye pyte the pore / there ys none so pore as we / y^t haue not a bra [...]te to put on our [...]akkys. If ye pyte the blynde / there ys none so blynd as we whych ar here in the dark sauyng for syghtis vnplesaūt and lothesum tyll sum cūfort cum. If ye pyte the same / there is none so lame as we / that nether cā crepe one fote out of the fyre / nor haue one hād at lyberte to defend our face fro the flame. Fynally yf ye pyte [Page xliii] any man in payn / neuer knew ye payn comparable to ours: whose fyre as farre passeth in hete all the firys that euer burned vppō erth / as the hostest of all those passeth a [...]eynyd fyre payntyd on a wall. If euer ye lay syk and thought the nyght song / & longed sore for day whyle euery howre semed longer than fyue: bethynk you then what a long nyght we sely soulys endure / that ly slepelesse / restlesse / bur­nyng / and broylyng in the dark fyre one long myght of many days / of many wekys / and sum of many yeres to gether. You walter peraduē ture and toster in syknes fro syde to syde & fynde lytle rest in eny par­te of the bed: we ly boundē to the brondys and cānot lyft vp our heddys. You haue your physycyōs wyth you that sumtyme cure and hele you: no phisyk wyll help our payn / nor no plaster cole our hete. Your kepars do you great ease and put you in good cūfort: our kepars at such as god kepe you from / cruell damned spyry [...] odyouse / enuyouse / and hatefull / dyspytuouse ēmys and dyspytefull turmentours / and theyr cūpany more horryble and greuous to vs then ys the payn yt self and thintollerable turment that they do vs wherwyth frō top to too they ceace not contynually to tere vs.

¶But now yf our other enmys these heretikys almost as cruell as they / procuryng to theyr power that we shulde be lō [...] left in y^• dyuels handys wyll as theyr vsage ys to rayle in stede of resonyng / make a game and a [...]esie now of our heuy payn / and ꝑaduenture laugh at our lamētacyon / bycause we speke of our hedd [...] / our handys / our feele / and suche our other grose bodyly mēbers as lye beryed in our grauis & of our garmentys that we dyd were whyche come not hether wyth vs: we bysech you for our dere ladyes loue to let theyre foly go by / and to consyder in your owne wysdom that yt were impossyble to make eny mortall man lyuyng perceyue what maner payn & in what maner wyse we bodylesse soulys do suffer and sustayne: or to make eny man vppon erth perfytely to conceyue in hys ymagynacyon and fantasy / what maner of substaūce we be: mych more impossyble then to make a borne blynd man to perceyue in hys mynd the nature and dyfferēce of colours. And therfore except we shuld of our painfull [...] tell you nothynge at all (and there wold they haue yt we must of ne­cessyte vse you such wordys as your selfe vnderstand / and vse you the symylytudꝭ of such thyngys as your self ys in vre with. For syth neyther god / angell nor soule / ys in such wyse blynd / dome / defe / or lame / as be those mē y^t for lak of eyen / leggꝭ / handꝭ / tonge / or ere / be weke & impotent in y^• powers y^t ꝓcede frō them: but haue in thē selfe a farre more excellēt syght / heryng / delyuernesse / and spech / by mea­nys vncognable to man / then eny mā can haue liuyng there on yerth: therfore doth holy scripture in spekyng of such thingꝭ / vse to r [...]sent thē to y^• people by y^• namys of suche powers instrumentꝭ / & mēbers / [Page] as men in such thyngys vse and occupye thē selfe. Whyche maner of spekynge in such cas [...] who so euer haue in derysyon: declareth very well how lytle fayth he hath in Crystys awne wordꝭ / in whychy our sauyour hym selfe spekyng of the sowlys of the ryche gloton & pore nedy Lazarus and of the Patriarch Abraam also speketh in lyke maner as we do / of fynger and tōge to [...] wherof they had neyther nother there. And therfore who so maketh a mok at our wordꝭ in this poynt: ye may sone se what credence ye shuld geue hym / wheryn we be con­tent ye gyue hym euen as mych as ye se your selfe that he gyueth to god: for more ye ought not and surely lesse ye can not. For he geueth god not a whyt: but taketh in hys harte that story told by god for a very fantastyke fable.

¶And therfore as we say passing ouer suche [...]estyng and raylyng of those vncherytable heretykys mortall enymyes vnto vs and to then self both: consyder you our paynys / and pyte thē in your hartys / and helpe vs wyth your prayours / pylarymagys and other almoyse de­dy [...]: & of all thyng in specyall ꝓcure vs the suff [...]a [...]s and blessyd obla [...]yon of the holy masse wherof no man lyuyng so well can tell the frute as we that here fele yt.

¶The cūforte that we haue here except our cōtinuall hope in our lord god cummeth at seasons from our Lady / wyth such gloryouse sayntys as either our self wyth our own deuocyō whyle we lyued / or ye wyth yours for vs synnys our decease and departyng haue made intercessours for vs. And among other ryght especyally be we beholden to the blessyd spyrytys our own proper good angels / Whō when w [...] behold cūmyng wyth cūfort to vs / albe yt that we take great ple­sure and [...] theryn: yet ys yt not wythout mych confusy­on and [...] to consyder how lytle we regardyd our good an­gels & how se▪ d [...] we thoght vppon thē whyle we lyued. Thay [...] vp our prayers to god & good sayntꝭ for vs: & they bryng down fro thē the cūfort and consolacyon to vs. Wyth whych when they cum & cūfort vs: only god and we know what ioy yt is to our hartys & how hartely we pray for you. And therfore yf god accept the prayour af­ter hys own fauour born toward hym that prayeth & thaffeccyon that he prayeth wyth: our prayer must nedys be profytable / for we sta [...]d sure of hys grace. And our prayer ys for you so feruent / that ye can no where fynde eny such affeccyon vppō erth. And therfore syth we [...] so sore in paynys & haue in our great necessyte so gret nede of your help & y^• ye may so well do yt / wherby shall also rebownd vppō your self an inestymable ꝓfyte: let neuer eny slouthfull oblyuyon race vs out of your remēbraūce / or malicyouse enmy of ours cause you to be carelesse of vs / or eny gredy mynde vppō your good withdraw your gracyouse almes frō vs. Thynk how sone ye shall cū hether to vs: [Page xliiii] thynk what great grefe and rebuke wold then your vnkyndnes be to you: what cūfort on the cōtrary part when all we shall thank you: what help ye shall haue here of your good sent hether. Remember what kyn ye and we be to gether: what familier frēdsyp hath ere this bene betwene vs: what swete wordys ye haue spoken and what promyse ye haue made vs. Let now your wordis appere and your fayre promyse be kept. Now dere frendys remēber how nature & crysten­dom byndeth you to remēber vs. If eny poynt of your old fauour / eny pece of your old loue / eny kindnes of kinred / eny c [...]re of acquayntance / eny fauour of old frendshyp / eny spark of charyte / eny tender poynt of pyte / eny regard of nature / eny respect of crystendū / be left in your brestys: let neuer the malyce of a few fond felowes a few pestylent persons born toward presthod / relygyon / and your crysten fayth: race out of your hartys the care of your kynred / all force of your old frendys / and all remembraunce of all crysten soulys. Remē ­ber our thurst whyle ye syt & drynk: out honger whyle ye be festing: our restlesse wach whyle ye be slepyng: our sore and greuouse payn whyle ye be playng: our hote burnyng fyre whyle ye be in plesure & sportyng: so mote god make yourof sprynge after remēber you: so god kepe you hens or not long here: but brynge you shortely to that blysse / to whych for our lordys loue help you to brynge vs / and we shall set hand to help you thyther to vs⸫