The true Coppy of the Complaint of Roderyck Mors, Sometime a Gray Fryer, unto the Parliament Hsouse of England, about an hundred yeares agoe, when the Bishop of Rome being Banish'd out of the Realme, the Bishops of ENGLAND acted his part by power of the old Romish Canon, newly Translated into English Law.
Let the Reader take notice, that in that day when the Roman Wolf was Metamorphosed into an English Fox, the Prelats that (in our first reforming Parliament of this latter age, cryed out fearefully, the destruction of the Church, and the ceasing of the glory of the Kingdome, 1530) at least for their livings sake, joyn'd in law-making, and wrote, and swore solemnly against that Roman jurisdiction, 1534. Being yet bound by their own cords, and when they would have King and State beleeve that both Pope and Popery were banish'd, even in the same day, both by word and letter, at home and [...]broad, took all occasions to draw backe K. Henry the 8. his Highnesse from Reformation: and on the other hand, procur'd Injunctions and Articles, 1540. with penalties attended, in which even dealing against Transubstantion was to be considered as Treason: And themselves sate in Commission, and were cheiefe prosecutors of such as withstood them. Their attempts against the Queen Katharine Parrs own life, are they not on record. How saith our Church History, came the Noble Courtier, and so lamented of the King Earle Cromwell to his untimely end? How were diverse, Londoners and others; Ministers and People, cast into the burning flame, in the same, both place and time, that others perished for adhering to the Roman Bishop? And since the last Banishing of the forraign [...] power, in the end of the Marian times, what publique persecutions, Murthers, Prison-murders, Gondemnation to death, Banishment, Torture, and Spoyle, by means of those cruell Canons, and usurped Offices, hath bin so sore, and long endured, who seeth not, when the publique slate hath so discerned? In this day when the advancement hath bin so faire for a renewd Patriarchat, or Popedome within our selves, we may lesse wonder the condition of the Land to be as it is, though the Prelats protest against Romes Supremacie. Cannot they be a blocke to the expedition for Ireland, and designes of the Major part in Parliament for Reformation, and our safety; and agree in vote with the Popish Lords, and boast how they could settle the present distraction in quietnesse, troubling only some which they call Sectaries, and yet keep close to the rule of Romish government, shared among themselves, thus still letting, and like to doe, till they be taken out of the way? For the further discovery of this order of Men, to every eye that is but halfe open, and regulated well by common sense, the judgement of the godly learned on the contrary side, in the day of our begun escape from the Romish Wolfe, in this Propheticall admonitory Lamentation (being the Title and words of the 23. Chapter of his Book, Printed in Anno 1545.) is annexed.
A Lamentation, for that the Body and Tayle of the Pope is not banished, with his Name.
OH mercifull Father of heaven, I can never lament enough to heare the Gospell thus blasphemed, to be named a thing causing Sedition; when it is the only cause of concord and peace in Conscience unto the faithfull. Yet these Bishops, Deanes and Canons of Colledges, with other the Popes shavelings, according to their old wont, shame not to blaspheme this holy Word, by all the subtile meanes that can be devised. How busie were they to stay the putting forth of the great Bible, and to have had the Bible of Thomas Mathew called in: but the Lord strengthned the heart of the Prince to set it forth against their wills: yet how shamefully have they and their members, in many places of England driven men from reading the Bible? yea and Bonner Bishop of London, shamed not in the yeare a thousand five hundred and forty, to Prison one Porter and other, for reading in the Bible, which if it be not Heresie to GOD, then what is Heresie? And if it be not treason to the King to deface his Injunctions then what is treason?
And againe, if it be not theft to the Common-wealth, to steale from them their spirituall food, then what is robbery and theft? And even in the beginning of the last Parliament in the yeare a thousand five hundred, and forty one; how did they blaspheme, rage, and bely the Holy Ghost, saying, It is not rightly translated, and that it is full of Heresies, and that they would correct it, and set out one rightly. Sooner can they find faults than amend it. Who perceiveth not your wicked intentions, that in the meane time ye looke for the death of the King, whom GOD preserve to his pleasure.
O ye blind Phylistians, the Scripture is full of sentences, which teach men to know you, and to beware of you. I cannot blame you, though ye fight against GOD and his Word, to shut it up from his People. For why? Whosoever readeth or heareth the Contents of that Booke, and beleeveth the Holy Ghost, shall plainly see, that ye be the very enemies of GOD, and so shall cast you out of their Conscience, where ye have long sitten in the place of God; whereby also ye should lose your great riches and authority, which maketh you to roare like Lyons, and teare like Beares, and to bite like cruell Wolves and to sting like Adders. No doubt one Bishop one Deane, one Colledge, or House of Canons, hath ever done more mischiefe against Gods Word, and sought more the hinderance of the same, than 10 houses of Monks, Friers, Chanons or Nunnes ever did.
The Kings grace began well to weed the Garden of England: but yet hath he left standing (the more pitty) the most foulest and stinking weeds, which had most need to be first plucked up by the roots, that is to say, the pricking Thistles, and stinking Nettles, which still standing, what helpeth the deposing of the petty members of the Pope, and to leave his whole body behind, which be the pompous Bishops, Canons of Colledges, Deanes, and such other? Surely it helpeth as much as to say, I will goe kill all the Foxes in S. Iohans Wood, because I would have no more Foxes bred in all England. We say we have cast the Pope out of England: how so, I aske you, seeing he came never in England, how can he be cast out therfore? Some will say yes his tributes and other pollages be taken from him. Well thanks be to God, we be somwhat eased of our temporall and bodily burthen. But there be greater things in this matter, than that, which well pondered, we may say, and lye not, that the Pope remaineth wholly still in England, save only that his Name is banished. For why? his body (which be the Bishops and other shavelings) doth not only remaine, but also his tayle, which be his filthy traditions, wicked Laws and beggerly Ceremonies (as S. Paul called them) yea and the whole body of his pestiferous Canon Law, according to the which judgement is given through the Realme, and men condemned after the prescript of it; so that we be still in Egypt, and remaine in captivity, most grievously laden by observing and walking in his most filthy drosse aforesaid, which is a misty and endlesse maze. And so long as ye walke in those wicked Lawes of Antichrist the Pope, and maintaine his Knights the Bishops, in such inordinate Riches, and unlawfull Authority; so long say I, ye shall never banish that monstrous Beast the Pope, out of England. Yes, and it shalbe a meane in processe of time to bring us into a temporall bondage also againe, and to have him reigne as he hath done like a God. And that know our forked Cappes right well, which thing maketh them so boldly and shamelesly to fight of their Gods quarrell, against Christ and his Word. The Bishops of England never tooke so great paines to defend the Pope and his Kingdome, as they have done since the Kings grace took rightfully from him his accustomed pollages, which usurpedly he had out of this Realme. To prove this to be true, what blood have they shed? since that time, of the beloved servants of the everlasting God, for preaching, teaching, writing, and walking in the truth; as Teukisbery, Bainam, Frith, Bilney, Barnis, Garet, Ierom, with divers other in Kent, Salisbury, and diverse other places. And William Tindall the Apostle of England (although he were burnt in Brabant) yet he felt the Bishops blessing of England, which procured him that death, which he looked for at their hands. Neverthelesse, I doubt not, but that all these be of the number of them, that S. Iohn speaketh of in the Apocalyps, which lye under the Altar, till the number of their Brethren be fullfilled, which shall be slaine for the Gospells sake. I rehearse not their names for any praise to be given to them: but that the Congregation of Christ may laud and praise the everliving God, for giving them grace to stand so faithfull in the Lord to the end, leaving us the victory, which is part of your spirituall comfort. For God promiseth the Preachers and Ministers of his Word, no other reward in this life. And thorow the preaching of these poore wretches (but outcastles in the sight of the world) he hath wrought this, that whereas the King was before but a shadow, or at the most but halfe a King, now he doth wholly reigne thorow theie preaching, writing and suffering.
But now to the tyranny of the Bishops, once againe, which besides the murthering of these Saints, how have they bewitched the Parliament-house, in making such viperous Acts, as the Beast of Rome never made himselfe? for the Pope never made the Marriage of Priests to death, and such other.
Thus by your subtilties and most crafty wiles, ye make the People to abhorre the name of the Pope of Rome, for a face, and compell them to walke in all his wicked Laws. And the Word of God which we say we have received, is not, nor cannot be suffered to be preached and taught purely and sincerely, without mixing it with your invented traditions and service. For whosoever doth (standing faithfully to it) he shall die for it. Thus you may see, that the things which we say that we have cast off, we receive, cherish, maintaine, and walke therein: and againe, that thing which we say we have received by the craft and tyranny of the Bishops, is abhorred, despised taken for Sedition called new Learning; and men be driven from it for feare of losse of goods of punishment of body, and danger of death, so weake and frayle is our flesh.
What a lamentable thing is this, that men should be driven from the Gospell of Christ, the glad tidings that bringeth peace in Conscience to the faithfull, that is forgivenesse of sinnes in Christs blood. By these fruits all men may know, that they be more naturall to their wicked Father the Pope, than any Child can be to his naturall Father: and that shall the Realm feel at the change of a Prince, or at such times as they look for, unlesse God of his very mercy break the wicked councels of them. What is the cause, that the Bishops be so diligent to sit so often upon the six wicked Articles, but only that they be establishing of the Popes authority, be thou sure? Now therfore, that same God which gave grace to Achab to hearken unto the voyce of Elyab, the 3. of the Kings the 18. to the confounding of the false Prophets give our noble King that same grace, if it be his Godly will and pleasure, to hearken to the godly learned, to confound and destroy all the false Prophets in England, and then I am sure there shall not be remaining one pompous Bishop in the Realme.
Wherfore to open the conclusion of this little Lamentation, if ye will banish for ever the Antichrist, the Pope, out of this Realme, ye must fell downe to the ground those rotten posts the Bishops, which be clouds without moisture, and utterly abolish all and every his ungodly Laws, decrees, Traditions and Ceremonies, without Sgnifications, for they wait but for a time to robbe some Noble man of his wit, as they would haye done with the Marquesse of Exetor. This is as sure, as Winchester received a Letter from the Pope, at his being at Regenspurg. Well, these filthy dregges once expelled, then make no Laws but such as shalbe agreeable to Gods Word; and so shall ye drive out Antichrist and his members, or else never: and thus we shall not only avoide our temporall bondage, but also our spirituall captivity, which thing is most to be desired. And surely, seeing there is no power upon earth above the Temporall, to redresse civill matters, Common-wealths, and to change wicked Laws, and evill customes; and inasmuch as the higher powers be fully certified by the Scripture, that as the Pope is enemy to the Gospell, so be his Children the Bishops (which thing is open and manifest to as many as will not wilfully be blind) therfore, I say, I cannot see, how they can suffer them thus to reigne, persecuting the setters forth of the Gospell, but that they be partakers of their iniquity, and sprinkled with them in the bloud of the righteous.