¶ The dysclosynge.

HAd thys bysshopp bene sent vnto vs in massage from God the e­uerlastynge Ioan. 1. Lucae. 3. Math. 28. Marci. 6. Roma. 1. father as was Iohā Baptist, we had had of hym the preachīge of repentaū ce for synne. Had he bene dyrected from hys eternall sonne Iesus christ as were the meke spreted apostoles, we schuld haue receyued af hym the Ioyfull tydynges of saluacyon in hys blessed deathe and passion. Had he bene a true mynystre of that vndefyled churche whych is alone go­uerned 1. Pet. 4. Prouer. 9. [...]. Cor. 2. Apoc. 9. Math. 12. 2. Thes. 2. 2. Thes. 2. by Christes onlye worde, he had brought to Paules crosse the wholsom doctrine of faythe accordynge to that Christen offyce. But as one shaken out of antichristesnest, he hath mynystred here [Page] frutes lyke hymselfe. Euen lyke the verie manne of synne, or like him which hath no maner of godlye sprete, neyther of wisdome, vnderstandynge, coūsell, strē ­gthe, knowlege, pyte, nor yet of the true Esa. 11. Gala. 5. Apoc. 13. Marci. 3. Ioan. 19. feare of God, as Esaye doth reherse thē. I thynke verylye he is that two horned beast which Christ shewed vnto Iohan boanerges hys dearlye beloued Apost­le in mysterye, that schuld ryse out of the earthe. For here he speaketh peruerse thynges and blasphemies as it is seyd that beast schuld do. He hath ij hornes like the lābes at a blushe, as that beast schuld haue A ryght descripcy on of Bo­ner out of the apoc. for they are also coūterfett. The .ij. pryc­ketes of hys myter (his chaplaynes sayth) betokeneth the .ij. testamentes, which manyfestlye proueth him to be the same. He compelleth here the worldlye multytu­de to worship the first beast, lyke as that The workes of a ryght antichrist. beast schuld do. He semeth to fatche fyre from heauen in mēnys syght, he seduceth the dwellers vpon earthe, he incorageth aseheades that of late years were dumme dodypols, as are Standyshe, huntyngtō, dyrt dawbers of [...]rokē Baby­lon. and soche other more, and he sleeth them that wyll not do homage to the fyrst beastes Image as that beast schuld do, ād ther for he semeth to be the same. Though he be not that whole beast (for that it vniuersallye [Page 13] extendeth to all the spūall promoters of Idolatrye in the popes kyngedo­me) The pro­moters of Idolatrie. yet hath he a great porcyon therin. The massage that he here bryngeth and the lyerninge that he here vttereth might come frō the deuyll wele ynough, for a­ny Boners declaracyon is a massage frō Sa­than. goodnesse is in it. And therfor lete hi stande forth here hardelye, and tell hys owne tale. I thynke by that time ye haue throughlye harde it hauynge alwayes recourse to the scripturs, ye will saie in this matter as I do.

¶ The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

NOn other is thys declaratiō (good Christen Reader) yf thu dyligent­lye marke it and waye it a ryght, A newe professyō to Anti­christ. but a newe professyon to the Antichrist of Rome and his olde rustye rewles▪ hys onlye name suppressed. Necessarye it is [Page] for the Christē traueler whych walketh here betwixt fyre and water, lyght and Eccle. 15. Herem. 2. 1. Ioan. 4. 1. Thes. 5. Ioan. 5. darkenesse, good and yll, life and deathe to trye all spretes, ād to proue all beleues by the rewles of faythe, whether they be godlye or naye. And to that ende were the holy scripturs first geuē vs of owr eternall God, and are made now open vnto vs by the sprete of hys onlye sonne Iesus Christ, whych are herin and in all soche deuylyshe dottages nedefull to be Pro. 30. Esa. 52. Osee. 10. Math. 7. folowed yf we couete with thē saluacy­on. For with the false Prophetes schall the seduced multitude perishe as the chyldren with ther mother ād the frute with ther tre yf they take not the lordes aduertysementes. 2. Vve will not greatlye stryue with my lorde Boner here of Londō Iewyshe rytes not yet abolyshed. for the name of the daye▪ whervpon the seyd newe professiō was made by cōpulsiō, though it be sumwhat Iewyshe. For neyther is it in owr power to change it in other, nor yet to commaunde it not so to be obserued, though we in owr owne conscyence accordinge to the doctrine of Colo. 2. Lucae. 17. Gala.. 4. saynt Paule, obserue neyther dayes nor monethes, tymes nor years in bondage, least we turnyng agayne to beggerly tradicyons and lowsye customes schuld ha­ue of christ no profyght. This we speake [Page 14] for my lordes forth sonday of aduent or commynge of Christ. Vvherin we loke not now for hys cōmynge agayne with The papystes loke for christ with the iewes ād hipocrites the iewes, nor yet thynke to receyue him in outwarde shaddowes with the hypocrytes more vpon one daye than vpon an other. But we beleue to haue hym wythin vs at all tymes. And as the true worshyppers, by hym to worshypp the father in sprete and in verite. For whye, 1. Cor. 6. Ioan. [...]. Ioan. 15. without hym we can do nothynge. So perfyght must owr faythe betherfor that he maye dwell presentlye with vs, and not now be thought commynge towar­de vs, yf we be of God. For we schuld 1. Cor. 3. Hebr. 5. now be no babes in Christ hauynge hys godlye, doctrine of saluacyon so lon­ge tyme amonge vs. 3. Thys declaratyon schuld be made by this present euidence, in the yeare of owr lorde God a thousande, fyue hondreth, and .xli. which yeare antichrist loketh stil to regne i the conscience. semeth in thys acte and soche other lyke, to be rather of the pestylēt regne and peruerse dominacyon of my lorde of londō vnder hys most holy father of Rome the great god of the earthe, patriarke of pur­gatorye, ād porter of hell, thā of the eter­nall lyuynge God, he so cruellye exacting [...] soche a shamefull professiō and abho­mynable All this is styl to ma ynteyne ther vay­ne glorye othe as thys is here. For in thys [Page] processe is not his glorie sought, but ther vayne glorye, pryde, and glotonouse co [...]etousnese. 4. Of the poore symple man ne, called here in scorne master Vvyllyā Tolwyn, persone of sait Antonines was thys open promes to the deuyls obedience most tyrannouslye coacted by the ve­rye satellyte of Sathan. 5. In the famouse The captyuyte of cō sci [...]ce passeth all o­ther. cyte of London at Paules crosse, to the great dyshonour and seruytute of so no­ble a cyte to haue soche a shamelesse anti christ for ther bysshopp as geueth no better frutes. Now foloweth in course the seyd declaration.

¶ The manne of synne▪
[Page 15]Hys dysclosynge.

A [...] Craftye custome hath the wylye foxe of wanton playe and dallya­unce, whan he myndeth to optay­ne a praye, which my lorde Boner of lō don vseth here as one verye subtyle in Ezech. 13. Lucae. 16. Sopho. 3. Proue. 11. Psal. 37. hys woluyshe generacion. Vvith glosinge wordes and flatteringe speche he faw neth vpon the peple by thys poore sym­ple sowle, callynge them good, as the false pharyseded Christ for a wycked purpose. But necessarye it is after the godlye Math. 19. Lucae. 18. Colo. 2. counsell of Salomon, not to geue a rydie eare vnto flatterers, but rather with Esa­ye to thynke they mynde deceyt towar­des vs which calleth vs good. If the pe­ple Prouer. 1. Esa. 3. Sap 13. be good (as I am certayne and sure they are so manye as hath thankefullye receyued Gods worde) great pyte it is ther goodnesse schuld be distayned with Eccle. 29. Rom. 8. 1. Tim. 4. so vnwholsom councell of deuilyshenesse in hypocresye as herin is contayned. 2. He that was sett forth to declare thys doctrine, is a master of arte here noted. A tyttle it is mete for soche lowsye lernige as this is. To subtilte and craft are they cō pelled Pro. 16. 2. Tim. 4. 2. Pet. 2. to rōne, which hath not gods worde vpō ther syde. For no disprayse of lernynge nor yet of the poore māne be thys sooken, whom my lorde of Londō thus [Page] cruellye enforceth to stande forth in the­se colours. 3. He is also here noted to be persone of saynt Antonynes within the Subiectes are mēnebecōe vnto Idols. cyte and diocese of London, to make the matter more gloryouse. Sure we are that the saynt Antonyne which there dwel­leth is a prophane beastlye, Idoll, and so are all they that stande vp in tabernacles within hys temple. To be the vycegerēt, or to represent the persone of soche an I­doll, is non other (I suppose) thā to be an Dani. 14, Zacha. 11. Ezech. 34 Idoll in dede. For, an Idoll doth zacha­rye call that sheparde, whych doynge I­doll seruyce, omytteth to fede hys flocke with the trewe lawes of god. Vvherfor I wyshe the seyd poore mā no longar to be vnder soche tyttles and offyces, as can Osee. 11. Sopho. 1. ne not be vsed without daunger of sowle. 4. To be a cytezen of London is no more harme before God than it is to be a dweller in any other quarter of the worlde. But to be of the diocese is to be a member Math. 23. Apoc. 13. of antichristes kyngedome whych is moche worse in dede. 5. Non other hath denounced hym of errours, detected him of heresye, and presented hym to my lorde bysshoppe of London for a sedicious 1. Cor. 6. Ephe. 5. Apo. 21. persone, but ther owne fylthye frye, the cursed generacyon of Idolatours, whore mongars, extorcioners, and epycures. Of re­non [Page 16] other for the trewthes sake hath he bene vehementlye suspected, noted, and infamed, to be a fauourer, furderer, and receyuer of heretykes as they call them, than was Christ and hys Apostles, with Lucae. 23. Ioan. 7. Act. 24. all soche lyke abiectes of thys worlde. 6. Sedicious must he be noted that hath opinyons ageynst the false faythe of ther whorishe mother the churche of ātichrist the strompe [...]t of babylon, the rose colou­red Here. 3. Apo. 17. harlot [...] with the cuppe of all fylthye abhominacyons, daylye dronken with the bloude of the wytnesses of Iesu. He schuld not els be the seruaūt, massenger, Math. 10. Ioan. 15. Marci. 13. nor yet a iust folower of his master. Neyther schuld the worde of God els be fo­unde trewe, nomore than is the tale or fable of a synner. By non other token is the trewe churche of Christ knowne from the false and cownterfett synago­ge, but by persecucyon for ryghtousnes­se Mathr 5. Ioan. 13. Lucae. 6. sake. For hys churche ys euermore as he was, hated, blasphemed, vexed, tro­bled, scorned, dysdayned, accused, lyed vpō, and cruellye afflicted vnto deathe, els is it not of hys marke. Not wurthy is 1. Cor. 6. Ioan. 15. Math. 5. he to be a mēber of Christes bodye, but to be cutte from it, that wyll not suffer with him. Blessinges of the gospel (wherbye the churche is made holye) are ney­ther [Page] promysed to myter nor rochett, shauen crowne nor typpett, whode nor sy­de gowne, stole nor cope, cuppe nor can delstyck, a [...]oyntinge nor prestode, mas­se nor mattens, sensynge nor ceremonie, consistorye nor sessyon syttynge. But to Lucae. 6. Esa. 61. 1. Pet. 3. them that be meke, mercifull, faythfull, pyttefull, gē [...]ill, peaceable, poore in spre­te, and that pacyētlye suffer all maner of shame and rebuke for the trewthes sake. No puffed vpp Prelates, gloryous bys­shoppes, dysgysed prestes, sophysticall masters, nor paynted hypocrytes doth he knowe for hys, but symple preachers, godly beleuers, and mēne persecuted for Luce. 13. Math. 19. Gal. 6. hys worde. For they are those are those which car rye hys lyuerye. 7. Catholyck they call the faythe of ther churche (which terme the scripture hath not) and it maye well be. For catholyck is as moche to saye, as Calepin▪ 9 Perottus et [...]re [...]to nus. vnyuersall, or admyttynge all. For in dede they allowe all maner of faythes, that faythe only excepted which they owght to allowe most of all. No Iewyshe cere­monye refuse they, nor yet heythen super stycyon. So longe as the gospell is not trewlye preached, ther faythe is good y­nowgh. For it is catholyck. Vniuersally All super stycyouse beleues ad mytt the papystes. all false beleues and wycked worshyp­pynges contrarye to Gods prescripcyon [Page 17] it alloweth, no kynde of Idolatrye and supersticyon reiected. Neyther haue thys generacion sens the begynnynge repro­ued pylgrymages nor pardons, rellyckes nor false reuerences, sensynges nor cādel sacrifices, la [...]yn bussynge nor lyppe ser­uyce, dead shaddowes nor Idel obserua­cyons, Neuer re­pent they the [...] mys­chefes. with soche lyke pylde pedlarye and romyshe ware. For it is ther owne proper good. And that wyl plentuouslie apere here after in thys present declaraty­on, wherin thys poore man is more depelye compelled to accuse hymself.

The manne of synne.
¶ Hys dysclosynge.

[Page]FOr fauourynge, mainteyninge, and defendynge Christes godlye verite, was steuen as a blasphemer stoned vnto deathe at Hierusalem. Antipas the Act. 7. Apoc. 2. faythfull wytnesse of the lorde was slayne at pergamos. And Christes Apostles were dyuerselye afflycted the worlde o­uer, Math. 23. 1. Thes. 2. Rom. 16. Act. 17. by thys viperous generacyon. Iason for receyuynge Paule and Sylas with o­ther dysciples and teachers of the gospel, was brought before the cownsell at thessalonica, and accused for a sedycious traytour ageynst Caesar. No maruele therfor thowgh thys pore mā be vexed of the same Ioan. 16. Act. 9. Phil. 2. sort; mainteininge the same doctrine, and fauorynge the teachers therof. Is the­re anye other rewarde folowynge the trewe seruauntes of God now then hath bene afore? No surely, vnlesse christ hath now of late changed hys former promy­se, and is now become a speaker ageynst himself, which is so vnpossible as he not to be God. If they haue persecuted hym, Lucae. 21. Ioan. 15. 1. Cor. 6. Math. 10. Lucae. 21. nedes must they persecute hys members. If they haue called the master of the howse belzebub, so wyll they do hys how sholde ye schall be hated of al mēne (sayth Christ) for my names sake. It is no newe thynge to se poor menne thus hādled, blasphemed, and openlye schamed, [Page 18] without reasonable cause.

2 For heretykes must they be taken, which folowe not ther tradycyons, nor regarde ther sacred sorcerye. Thus maye christ was no good churche manne. they cal christ an heretyke also, for he neuer allowed ther ceremonyes. He neuer went processyon with cope, crosse, and candelstyck. He neuer sensed ymage nor sange lat [...]yn seruyce. He neuer gaue or­ders nor sate in confession. He neuer preached of purgatorye nor pardons. He ne­uer honoured sayntes nor prayed for the dead. He neuer sayd masse, mattens, nor Christ taught no popyshe ceremonies▪ euensonge. He neuer fasted frydaye nor vygyll, lent nor aduent. He neuer hallo­wed churche nor chalyce, ashes nor pal­mes, cādels nor belles. He neuer made holye water nor holye brede, with soche lyke. But soche domme ceremonyes not hauynge the expresse cōmaundement of God, he called the leuen of the Pharysees Math. 16. Lucae. 12. Deut. 4. Apoc. 22. Psal. 68. Gal. 4. and dampnable hypocresie, admonyshinge hys dyscyples to be ware of them. He curseth all thē that addeth vnto hys worde soche beggerlye shaddowes, wypynge ther names cleane out of the boke of lyfe. Saynt paule testyfyeth them to haue no porcyon in Christ, which wrappe themselues ageyne with soche yokes of bondage.

[Page]3 Bokes of heresie must all those workes be, whych rebuketh anye of ther abusvons, be they neuer so godlye. That caused them so longe tyme to locke vpp 2. Pet. 3. 1. Cor. 14. Ioan. 3. Ephc. 5. the scripturs in a straunge language and vnder an vnknowne speche, least the peple by readinge of them schuld perseyue ther workes to be nowght, and so rebu­ke them. Yea, they haue not bene asha­med of late years, to call the prophecyes of the olde lawe, the .iiij. gospels, paules epystles, and the holye apocalyps, with other treatyses of the sacred Byble, most The holy scriptures cōdēpned for here­sye. detestable bokes of heresye, and to burne manye good godlye and innocent crea­turs for hauynge thē in ther howses, and for readynge of them vnto other, and all vnder the tyttle and auctoryte of princes lawes. In the meane season also haue they boasted themselues for the peculyar pe­ple of God, for the holye churche, the cō ­secrate The brag ges of an­tichristes shorlyn­ges. nombre, the spirytuall sort, the catholyck doctors, the chosen persones, the godlye companye, the relygious brether hede, the wyuelesse vyrgyns, the good gostlye fathers, and that they haue done nothynge but in the zelous quarell of the lorde. But nomore are they of hys kyn­gedome than was phassur and semeias Hiere. 20. 2. Tim. 3. which persecuted Hieremye, Iannes and [Page 19] Iambres which resysted Moyses, Cay­phas and Annas which putt Christ vnto Ioan. 18. Actu. 4. deathe and vexed hys apostles, with so­che lyke bludthurstye prelates and malycyous mourtherers. For hys churche or kyngedome is a congregaciō of symple, Math. 19. Ioan. 18. 1. Cor. 6. Gala. 5. meke spreted, lowlye, pytefull, and gen­tyll teachers, and not of prowde glottōs, glorious lechours, cruell byteshepes, and rauenouse robbers, as they are. Neuer schall ye se them trewlye grounde ther doynges vpon Gods holye worde, but eyther vpon ther owne fylthye tradycyons or vpon the croked customes of the Marci. 7. 4. reg. 17. Esa. 34. Psal. 145. cuntre brought in fyrst of all by ther cur­sed counsell, or vpō the auncyentnesse of ther fathers, or holinesse of ther doctours or els most chefelye vpon the myghtye auctoryte of princes.

4 Marke how the byssoppe of London layeeh forth here the kynges procla­macyons and ordynaunces ageynst thys poore mānne, for hauynge in hys custo­dye A marriage betwixt beliall and christ God and the deuyll bokes ageynst the bysshoppe of Ro­me, and how he doth couple them with hys owne Antichristiane decre and inhybycyon. Yea, consider how blasphemouslye and trayterouslye he doth here abu­se them, to the abhorrynge of all Christē [...]ares, and the great dolour of all faythful [Page] hartes. Here is not the trewe preachynge of the gospell called vpon by the kynges proclamacyons, to the glorye of God. Neyther is here sowght the adolishment of the bysshoppe of romes vsurped poure, Nothyn­ge for christ but all for the pope. nor yet the layēge asyde of deuylyshe supersticyons, (which are all effectuallye required in hys godlye ordinaunces) For they are not the thynges that mi lorde se­keth to vpholde. But here is sore cōplayned of, the slacknesse in goynge of pro­cessiō My lor­de here vnd' propeth ba­bylon for fallynge. at euēsonge, in the saynge of romy she howres, in the makynge of holy water ād holy brede. And what make these to the Christen erudycyon, or to anye o­ther godly purpose? What are these [...]oyes eyther to the mayntenaunce of faythe, or of anye common welthe? Must so many ydle Bysshoppes and prestes be masted vpp so fatte to the great hyndraunce of the publique welthe, for the vpholdynge vnder prices auctoritees worke they ther feates of thynges of so small profyght? Alac that euer the prices auctorite schuld thus be vsed to the blasphemye of God, and to hys gre [...]t dyshonour. Thys maketh forē peple to report moche shame which is not here to be spoken, to the great heuynesse of trewe faythfull hartes.

5 If the decrees and inhybycyons of Ther sinodes are all ageynst God and hys christ [...] my lorde ordynarye of London, and [Page 20] of other soche holye ordynaryes of eng­lande (as they be here named) were dily­gentlye sowght out, and well wayed, I feare me they schuld apere verye scant honest men, well, the lorde seeth all, and schall surelye iudge it at a daye.

¶ The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

GIR euous burdens and intollerable yokes laye they styll vpon the shoulders of menne, syttynge in Moyses Math. 23. Luce. 11. Math. 15 [...] chaire. Nothynge esteme they the cōmaū dements of God in comparyson of ther [Page] owne tradi [...]yons. No fawte ys the bre­kynge Frutes of the popes holye spyrytualte. of them here noted. Idolatrye, sy monye, sacrilege, whoredome, hatred, se dycyon, glottonye, couetousnesse, cruel­te, rape, and mourther ys neyther here blamed nor yet spoken yll of. Onlye ys Gods verite here condēpned vnder the Christ is persecu­ted in hys poore mē bers. Lucae. 21. Apo. 9. blacke tyttle of heresye, the poore mem­ber of Christ made a lawghige stocke to all the worlde for yt, blasphemed, dys­dayned, and abhorred. Soch is yet the ab homynacyon of thys sixt age of the churche. Vvhan sathan tempted Christ in the desart, in hys fyrst .ij. suggestions he na­med the sonne of God. But in thys decla­racyon Math. 4. Lucae. 4. (yea, rather temptacyon of hys peple) schalt thu not fynde one syllabe mē ­cyoned, neyther of hym nor yet of hys he auenlye father. Reade yt ouer hardelye god is not ones na­med in all thys doc­trine. with iudgement, and marke yt with we pynge eyes, lamētynge that the dere floc­ke of the lorde ys thus myserablye ledde. For there is no plage vnder heauen to it. If thys be not the defec [...]yon from Christ, mencyoned by Paule to the Thessalonia­nes, 2. Thes. 2. Daniel. 9. Math. 4. 1. Ioan. 2. I thynke ther ys non. I feare yt that my lorde of london hath taken vpp the third suggestyon of sathan with hys co­uetours and ambycyous kyngedome, and as a fearefull tempter, seduceth the peple [Page 21] to ther dampnacyon. For what a doctri­ne is thys [...] wherin neyther God nor hys sonne is mencyoned. Vvele may it be called errour in hypocresye and doctrine of 1. Tim. 4. 2. Pet. 3. 2. Cor. 11. Gene. 3. deuyls, yea, ād worse yf worse maye be. Se how the deuyll resembleth here the angell of lyght. Sens Christes ascenciō hath not soche a declaracyon bene after thys sort spredde amonge the peple, by Chri­styane nor Antichristiane, Iewe nor pa­gane, angell nor deuyll, a poore manne compelled so openlye to professe the sa­me No deuyl of hell so blasphe­mose as are Papy­stes. and no mencyon made of god nor of christ. If this be not a misterie of iniquire, and a workynge of Sathan vnder a de ceytfull powre, neuer was there anye.

2 A grett matter is made here of a thī ge of nowght, and it must be proclamed at Paules crosse. Tolwin must stāde forth ther for an heretyke. And whye? For he A verye sore offence. hath not obserued the laudable ceremonies, rytes, ād custōes of this catholyck churche of englande. Vvherin I praye yow?

3 He hath not gone processyon vpon saturdayes at euensonge. A verye hay­nous offence, and worthye to be iudged no lesse thān hygh treason ageynst yowr holye father agapitus popett of Rome, Petrus de natalibus wernerus [...]arthusia­nus. whych fyrst dreamed it out, and enacted it for a lawdable ceremonye of yowr [Page] whoryshe churche, for christ knoweth it not. But I maruele sore that ye obserue yt vpon saturdayes at nyght at euensonge, he cōmaundynge yt to be obserued vpon the sondayes in the mornynge betwixt holie water makynge and hygh masse. Parauēture ye wyll saye, ye do both, and so doble yt (as we perseyue ye do in de­de) least the holie obseruacyon of your father Ranulph. cestrensis Ioan. stel. schuld droppe awaye, and yow be founde neglygent in your obedyēce. For soth ye shewe yourself a verye naturall childe to your holye mother, in so hol­dinge her vpp for fallynge now in her latter age, ād wurthye ye are to haue her blessynge. If ye wolde wytsaue to put [...] One wyekednesse auaū [...]eth an other. the. 7. staciōs of Rome unto it in the worshyp of the▪ vii. deadlye synnes after the olde wonte, your ceremonye myght ape [...]e more solempne. Moch is Sa [...]urnus be­holden vnto yow (whych ys one of the olde goddes) to garnyshe the goynge out Saturdaie is dedica­te to saturne, of ol­de vsage. of hys daye with so holye an obseruacy­on. Ioye yt ys of your lyfe, so to remēber your olde fryndes. Doubtlesse yt ys a fyne myrye pagent, and yow worthye to be called a Saturnyane for yt. Vvher of thys and other proper pagētes of yours be called lawdable, we can not tell, for we can neyther fynde worde nor commaunde­ment of god for them and therfor we re­ferre [Page 22] it vnto yow.

4 An other lawdable ceremonye of A sore matter in the popes bokes. yowrs Tolw in hath not well handled, nor as a workemāne of that occupacyon schuld do. He hath not made hys holye water ād his holy brede after the olde v­sage and maner, nor as it is customablye yet vsed of other conynge artyfycers of your lyuerie ād marke. Though he hath made thē ād well seasoned thē with sal­te Platina [...] vitis pōti. Sigebert. gēblacensis. after the rew les of pope alexander, yet hath he left out the holy exorcysmes and cōiuracyōs, supposynge the good crea­turs of Gods creacyon to haue no deuyls within thē, remēbringe also hys prynces pleasure, which hath wylled all supersty cyousnesse to be taken awaye frō the ceremonyes. Notwithstādinge yow se an o­ther thynge in it. The lawdable institu­cyon of your holy fathers popes of rome schuld perishe if it were not so vsed. Yea A ceremonye borowed of sorcerers. we, schuld haue nothīge to dryue away spretes with, nor yet to take away vēge able synnes. For neyther hath christ nor yet a Christen mannys faythe the powre that holy water hath. Therfor set hāde to it harde lye, and regarde neyther god nor Opē penaunce for holye water makinge. yowr kynge, but lett the heretyke knaue do opē penaūce in spight of thē bothe to putt other in feare, least the feate of holy water makynge be forgottē amonge thē.

[Page]5 Confessyon is also a laudable ce­remonye of yowrs, and was fyrst admitted by pope innocent in the most pestylēt counsell of laterane for a mayntenaun­ce platina in vita pape [...]epherini of yowr markett. Se now that it decaye not for wante of lokynge to. Consy­der fyrst of all that for yowr commodite it hath deposed and dysherited more th [...] ij. hondreth lawfull kynges, and shorne them into monasteryes of monkerye so­me of ther eyes putt out. It made frede­ricus barbarossa the Popes fote stole at sigebertꝰ Ioānaucle rus ge. 40 venys, and subdewed manye other no­ble emprowrs. For soche a treasure it is as euer helpeth whan yowr matters are in daunger. By the vertu of confessyon was the plesaunt kyngdome of Italye destroyed, Eginhard Matheus. Palmeriꝰ and became saynt peters patri­monye, the kynge therof called desyderius with hys wyfe and children exyled into lyons, and endynge hys lyfe in gre­att myserye. Throwgh the same was the empyre of constantynople translated frō the grekes to the frenchemenne your ol­de Volateranus et wernerus Ranulph. cestrensis. fryndes, bycause they wold not for your profyght to haue ymages worshypped. Kynge Iohan of englande a manne of no small valeauntnesse and vertue, through the hydden mysteryes of the sa­me was brought into hate of hys nobyly [Page 23] [...] and commons and compelled to geue vpp hys crowne and tyttle for hym and [...]ys heyres to the apostolyck seate. Ray­mundus also the last erle of tholose and Nicolaus bertrādus in hysto. tholosana most valeaunt warryour of all christen­dome, abowght the same tyme onlye by [...]ause he wold not burn the albigesyanes within hys dominyon (whō your holye [...]athers iudged for heretykes for that they [...]esysted ther seyd eare confessiō, ther prymacye, Guido perpinia­nus in lib. de heresi­bus. ther purgatorye, ther praynge to [...]ead sayntes, with other soche pylde ped [...]arye, which they had establyshed in the [...]fore seyd counsell of laterane for ne­we artycles of the Christen faythe, and as matters necessarye vnto saluacyō he was [...]ruellye compelled to stāde forth naked Guilhel. de podio Meyerus & kyrian der. in hys shyrt in the face of the worlde, ba­re [...]oted and bareheaded, and to axe mer­ [...]ye vpon hys knees before the legate cardynall of sayn [...] angell, hys naturall peple standynge abowt hym, waylynge, wepynge, and cryenge out for verye pyte. For he was not onlye enforced there by penaunce (as they call it) to geue to Nicolaus bertrādus in histo. tholosa. ther clergye. 27. thousande marke, but also to dysheryte hys whole stocke for e­uer, and to warre vpon the turkes with­out powre, the sonnar to brynge hym to hys ende with other most cruell ininuc­cyons, [Page] as are to be seane more at large in the hystorye of tholose compyled by Nicolas Bertrande doctour of both lawes. Beware ye tell no [...]ales out of scole. It schall stande tolwyn in hande therfor from henceforth to take better hede, and not to dallye with your confession as he hath done, seynge yt ys so daūgerous a matter

6 No maruele ys yt thowgh ye call Iacobus Bergomē sis. Sigebert. & Platina [...]ere consequētlye vpon your latyne masse saynge, for that farre passeth a lawda­ble ceremonie, beynge the instytucyon of so manye holye popes, beynge also a sa­crifice necessarye for the quycke and the dead, and so profytable also to the vp­holdynge of yowr gloryous glytteryn­ge kyngedome. That hath made your purses wayghtye ād your kychynes war me, your chekes fatte and your fleshe ple sa ūt. Therfor Iudge the speakīge ageynst holde fast thys Iewel or all wyl a­waye. The rely­gyon of the popes churche. yt, no lesse than heresye and treason, make cruell lawes of deathe, prouyde fa­gottes yuowgh and borne the losels apace. For yf that ones fall, your precious robes, myters, crosers, fyne rochettes, scar­lett frockes, sandals, and typettes, with the monstruouse marke of madyan wyll fo­lowe sone after. And than farwel the Romyshe relygyon. Adewe than all spiri­tual vayneglory. Consyder what years [Page 24] yt cost e [...]e yt cowde be fynyshed, and how manye holye popes wer abowt yt Vverne­rus in fas. temporū. ere yt cowde be browgt to passe. It was more than vi. hondreth and lxx. years after Christes incarnacyon ere the fyrst latyne masse was sayd. For as wytnesseth platina in the lyues of romyshe bysshoppes, Platina. Antonin. Nauclerꝰ Iohan bysshoppe of portuense was the fyrst that euer sayd masse openlye, pope Agathō approuynge yt than in the .vi. generall synode at Constātinople in the yeare of ower lorde. 677 where as marrya­ge was fyrst forbiddē to prestes ād whordome Achilles Gassarus & Vver­nerus. admytted by thys rewle. Si non caste tamen caute. Remēber also that yt was the worke of more than. 20. holy fathers of Rome, euerye one of thē clowtynge in a patche vnto yt, And lett not the labour of so ma [...]ye peryshe amonge these Luthe ranes for a lyttle lokynge to. Ye haue more auctoryte than euer had Cayphas and Annas. For ye maye call sessyons where Cayphas coude neuer both accuse ād iudge. and whan ye wyll. Ye may syt vpō lyfe and deathe, and be both accuser ād iudge. If the warmode quest wyll not cōdēpne your accused, brynge out a false of your owne, of Rome rōners, pardoners, par­rysh clarkes, and bellryngers, as ye ded now of late for Rycharde mekyns, a poore simple ladde of. 17. years of age. [Page] And geue hym a bylle of wrōge articles Richarde Mekyns brent of my lorde. in hys hande to reade whā he cometh to the fyre to shaddowe with your mys­cheff.

7 Though Christ calleth yowr laty­ne howres Idelnesse, hypocresye, moche bablynge, and lyppe laboure, yea, and Math. 6. Esa. 29. 1. Cor. 14. Roma. 1. though saynt Paule doth esteme it a po [...]t of vayne folishnes and moche more madnesse to vtter a processe in an vnknowne language amonge the peple, yet sett your romyshe wysdome ageinst them both, and stande fast in your olde popyshe o­pynyon, makynge Gods cōmaundemēts of non effecte for your owne dyrtye tra­dycyōs. Vvhere as christ hath cōmāded Math. 15. Marci. 16. Ioan. 10. [...]. Ioan. 2. yow syncerelye to preache hys gospell, do as thowgh ye owght him no seruice, nor were non of hys. Obeye it not, but saye that ye knowe a moche better waye Ye haue a master (whose lyuerye and marke ye weare) whych geueth better wages for the darkenynge of the gospell The Po­pes rewarde for darkenyge the gospell. thā christ geueth for the preachīge of yt. The pope geueth forth gloryous tytles, fatte bysshopryckes greatt benefices, princely howses, delycyous meates and drynkes, with other mennys wyues to lye bye whā they be yonge and faire, where as Christ ys all to the contrarie. And ther [Page 25] for ye wyll rather folow hym thā Christ Thys maketh yow so straytlye to loke Verye sharpe balyes in the popes be­halfe. vpon yt, that mattēs, pryme, howres, masse, euen songe, and complyne, be done as they owght to be. That ys to saye, accor­dynge to the holye instytucyon of pope Pelagius, whych fyrst ordayned them to blemyshe the gospell preachynge and to fyll the tyme with Idell vanytees. Yea, ye wuld putt menne to deathe rather than Ioan. 16. Miche. 7. Math. 23. fayle, for not obseruīge them, yf they ded not thus with pore Tolwyn shamefullye recante. So good, faythfull, obedient, and louynge are ye to your holie fathers of Rome, though your wylye pretence be an other.

The manne of synne.
¶Hys dysclosynge.

1 THys ys an olde practyse of owr holye prelates, euermore to leaue [Page] one craftye clause or other as a startyn­ge hole to Rone to, yf daunger happen An olde practyse of bysshopes. to them of ther dedes here after. Thynke yow that my lorde of London wyll be founde fawtye in thys acte, in case yt be proued in processe of tyme, blasphemouse, trayterouse, cruell, and deuylyshe, by the sacred scripturs and by the kynges statutes Mat. 23. Prou. 16. Lucae. 3. Math. 27. and lawes? Naye, I warande yow. He ys of a more craftye generacyon than so. I trowe my lorde wyl washe hys handes here with Pylate. Not one spotte shall apere in hys rochett of all that ys done in thys matter.

2 Rather schall Tolwyn confesse hymselfe here to be hys owne accuser to my Full workemanlye conuay­ed of my lorde. lorde, not all vnlyke to hym that hāgeth hymself or drowneth hymself. So workmanlye wyll thys matter be handled. Partlye hath Tolwyn by hys owne confession denounced hym self for a sedycy­ouse doer, detected hymself for an here­tyque, and presented hymself for a gre­uouse offender for not obseruynge the popes But sathā can not thus hyde hys mys­chefe. holye tradycyons. And thys ys y­nough to clere my lorde, yf anye lykely­hode of olde fryndeshypp towarde hys holye fatherhede do here after apere. But who extorted thys confessyon more se­mynge a deuyll than a manne, with thret [Page 26] tenynges of fagottes and fyre? That wyll be easye to knowe to hym that marketh the termes. Neuer coude tolwyn throughlye Vnto ane we scole ys Tolwī brought. knowe what these rhetoryckes ment, as are denuncyacyon, deteccyon, and presentacyon, so longe as he was in cambry­ge, neyther by hys art stodye, nor yet by hys scole dyuynyte, tyll he came to my lorde of Londons howse. There was he sone made perfyght in them, by some well stodyed manne of the popes lawe. For from thens they came fyrst in dede. Neuer ys a manne to olde to be taught, and be brought in farder practyse.

3 The wytnesses also receyued the sa­me whye the wytnesses are called suffycyēt. doctrine, to the same selfe ende and purpose. And here they are called suffy­cyent. Vvhether yt be for that they we­re manye in nombre whych than accused hym, or be cause they are accounted ho­nest menne for ther goodes falselye gotten or in that yt pleased hys Good lorde shypp so to accept them for ther olde fay­thes sake, lett the dylygent reader iudge. Soche allowaunce of catholyck wytnes­ses and recordes ageynst heretyques, for Christ was also thus ser­ued. the vpholdynge of holye churche, ys no newe thynge, yf ye serche the scripturs ād hystoryes. For they that accused Christ for a malefactor, a supporter of synners, a [Page] deuyly she persone, a subuerter of the pe­ple, Ioan. 18. Lucae. 23. Marc. 3 Math. 26. Ioan. 7. a blasphemouse heretyque, a breaker of ther Sabboth, a defyler of ther lawes, a sower of sedycyon, and destroyer of ho­lye churche, a traytour ageynst cesar, and soche lyke, were accepted and abeled of Annas ād Cayphas for honest, credible, wyse, and suffycient menne, though all the worlde knoweth them for false per­iures Act. 3. Marci. 14. Ioan. 16. Act. 4 and knaues. So sone as the Apostles beganne ones to preache after Christes ascencyon, by soche ghostlye chyldrē of holye churche were they accused and cō pelled to make answer in the spūal court of the Iewes. And sens that tyme hath the bysshopps bene seldome without soche prodygyouse pykethankes and glaueringe Bysshops are neuer without ther Iuda­ses and Iewes. glosers, to brynge menne coram no­bis. Vvhich thynke they do God great good scruyce, whan they brynge one of hys pore lambes vnto deathe, as they do in dede, though ther seruyce be nothinge to ther owne sowles profyght, as it wyll apere in the last rekenynge. Vvell, these suffycyent wytnesses and recordes of my lorde, or true vpholders of the popes ol­de Vphol­ders of the popes ho­lye chur­che. faythe, hath suffycyentlye proued Tol wyn an heretyque in that behalfe, besy­des hys owne confession. That is to saye, in that he hath not gone processyon vpō [Page 27] saturdayes at euensonge, nor workeman lye made hys holye water and holy breade, nor confessed hymselfe as the vse of Smell he­re what yowr holye prela­tes are. Rome is, and so forth. And vpō these suffycyent accusacyōs wolde my lorde haue condēpned hym to the fyre without mercye, had he not recanted at Paules crosse. Sone maye ye knowe wher of yowr holye prelates smelleth, yf ye way thys matter a ryght. Now resort we ageine to the text.

¶ The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

1 PReposterouse alwayes are the iudgementes of thys vyperouse generacyon. Euermore esteme they that is Math. 12 Esa. 5. Prouer. 3. euyll to be good, and that is good to be euyll, as wytnesseth Esaye. Ambycyon, pryde, and vayne glory take they for spi [Page] rituall holynesse, clerelye reiectynge the Ephe. 6. Math. [...]5. Iudae. 1. ryghtousnesse of God for ther owne be­astlye tradycyons whom hys hart abhor­reth. Thus putt they darkenesse for lyght and lyght for darkenesse. Mennys wys­dome Esa. 1. Ioan. 3. Rom. 12 Eph. 4. Iaco. 3. 1. Cor. 1. (whych ys but errour, dottage, and blyndenesse of the sprete) preferre they to the eternall wysdome of God. Verye fo­lysnnesse, heresye, and madnesse do they iudge the gospell, whych ys the stronge power of the lorde vnto saluacyon to all them that beleueth yt. That make they so­wer whych [...]s more swete than honye, and that vyle whych ys most precyouse, as to putt in the lorde owr whole confy­dence Psal. [...] Esa. 13. Colos. 1. Psal. 11 [...]. 1. Tim. 4. Hiere. 23. Miche. 3. Roma. 1. Ephe. 4. 2. shes. 2. Exod. 7. Apoc. 11. and trust, lyke as hys holye worde leadeth vs. For hys vndefyled lawes, my nystre they the doctryne of deuyls, with lyes in hypocresye. Thus doth the chyldren of thys worlde peruert all god­lynesse. As the very antychrystes turne they the tre rotes vpwarde. Into a wyc­ked mynde therfor hath the lorde geuen them ouer, strongelye to delude the vn­beleuers for ther vnbeleues sake. S [...] how thys subtyle charmer, thys coniurer of E­gypt, thys vnbonere bysshopp Boner, a very blodye bocher of Babylō doth hād le thys poore innocent Chrystyane.

2 So hath he bywytched hym with [Page 28] hys craftye legerdemayne. So hath he fe­ared hym for chynges of no wayght. Yea so hath he compassed hym with thrette­nynges of terryble deathe, that nedes he must graūt synne where no synne ys, and antichrist can make synne ver tu, ād ver tu synne. opēlye cōfesse a greuouse offence where as nō ys at al. He must acknowlege to the peple to haue deserued no small ponnysh mēt at my lordes hāde, though hys cōscyence standeth clere to the cōtrarie. Vvhat haynouse treasō hast thu done good symple manne, that thu standest thus forth for a wonder of the worlde? Vvhat ys thy Prestes ar neuer thus pon­nished for Idolatrye and whor dom. offence, that yt requyreth soche open sha­me? Is yt these or murther, whoredome or Idolatrye, superstycyon or sacrylege? Than were yt more mete that my lorde stode there than thu. For of these frutes and soche other, he hath moche more sto­re than thyselfe hath, as yt ys easye to per­seyue by thys processe. If yt be for not obseruynge the commendable rytes, ceremonyes, and customes of holye churche, as ys seyd afore. Than ought my lorde al­so to suffre the same selfe ponnyshment, Auncyent rytes and lawdable ceremonyes of holy churche. for not goynge abought with saynt Nycolas clarkes, for not hallowynge pel­grimes to Hierusalem ānd Rome, for not sensinge the plowghes vpō plowgh mondaye, for not rostynge egges in the [Page] palme ashes fyre, and for not syngynge Gaudeamus in the worshypp of holye Thomas Becket, with soche other lyke, which were sumtyme more lawdable ceremonyes, than eyther saturdaye proces­syon or yet holye water makynge vpon the sondaye. But my lorde doth here moche Esa. 10. Math. 23. Lucae. 11. Oseae. 11. after the practyse of his olde predecessours, which heaped vpon mennys sholders intollerable burdens of tradycyons. They layed vpō thē heuy yokes ynough therselues not ones mouynge ther fingars therunto for soylynge.

3 He that doth couete to knowe the naturall compassyon, gentylnesse, and sa­uoure, whyche regneth in a bysshopp of antichristes kyngedome, lett him here as in a glasse behold it. For Tolwyn hath founde my lorde verye fauorable and good vnto hi, as he here ꝓtesteth. Vvhat though he hath stāde forth at Paules crosse The fauorable go­odnesse of my lorde of Londō to hys rudyculouse reꝓche, for not obseruynge the lowsye lawes and Idele ce­remonyes of the pope, yet is my lorde verye charitable vnto hym. Vvhat though thys vncomelye prospect hath made of hys fryndes hys vtter enemyes, and brought hym out of al honest estymacyō of menne, yet hath my lorde shewed gre­at goodnesse vnto hym. Vvhat though [Page 29] thys recantacyon declareth hym of a frynde an enemye to godes truthe, preparynge Lerne he­re to kno­we the mercye of a bysshop hym to the fyre in case he here after fall in relapse and turne ageyne to Christ, yet ys my lorde verye plentuouse and large in mercye towardes hym. Thīke yow that the wolfe (whych ys naturallye ge­uen to rauyne) sheweth not great gentyl­nesse The chorlyshe nature of a wolfe ys not to spare. whan he suffreth hys praye to passe from hys gredye mouthe, and so leaueth hym vndeuowred, what though he hath afore spoyled hym both of hys wolle ād skynne? Yes surelye doth he, and farre o­therwyse than he hath of hys chorlyshe nature. Than commende my lorde bon­ner of London for thus charytablye han­delynge Tolwyn, consyderynge that the serpentyne nature of a bysshopp of that kynde wolde otherwyse. But trulye yf thys be my lordes charyte, goodnesse, ād Do as ye wold be done to dwelleth not with my lorde mercye, hys dyspleasure, hate, and maly­ce ys the deuyll and all.

4 But how cometh yt to passe that my lorde hath shewed hymself here so mercy full vpon my humble submyssyon and penytent sute vnto hym, sayth Tolwyn. Yea marrye, now I here the. I wolde els haue thought yt moche more than a myracle, Lowe crepeth the shepe to the l [...]ō to haue hys poor lyfe the wolfe so to haue left the shepe, the foxe the capon, and the marleon the poore byrde. I warrand the goode poo­re [Page] creature thy submyssion was not small to temper the furye of soche a woluyshe tyraunt. Thy sute was not lyttle with promes and othe to maynteyne all Romishe poperye, to saue thy syllye carkas from the fyre. Oh, my serable calamyte of sow­le. Oh, most vngodlye handelynge of Christen peple. Awake ones ye Christen gouernours out of your slouthfull drea­mes, Sap. 6. Ps [...]l. 2. Math. 13 3. Reg. 10 Psal. 98. Apoc. 11. Prou. 29. and attende to your ryght offyce. For whyls yow are a slepe, the enemye soweth tares amonge the good sede. Suf­fre not the peple of God to peryshe amonge these proude gloryouse glottons of So dome and Egypt, for want of lokynge to. Leaue them not to the handes of soche vnmercyfull tyraūtes, vnlesse ye care not for them. If anye blasphemouse spectacle maye moue yow to shewe your selues godes true mynysters, lett thys be one hardelye. For all the worlde wondreth of yr, as they maye full well, yow sufferyn­ge Rom. 13 the holye ghost to be in soche contēpt, hys graces not regarded. Heb. 6.

¶ The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

F [...]Or not straynynge out a gnatt (as Christ calleth the fryu [...]louse obser­uacyon Math. 23. Lucae. 11. Zach. 11. of the Idell ceremonyes) ys all thys terryble tragedye, thys outwarde penaunce, thys open shame of the worlde, called here the charitable goodnesse and fatherlye mercye of my lorde of Londō. Moche easyer had yt bene for Tolwyn to Gods cō ­maunde­mentes no thynge regarded. haue broken all the commaundementes that euer God gaue, great and small, pre­ceptes and counseles as they call the, than one beggerlye tradycyon of the popes whoryshnesse, so ferce are hys horned warryours in hys holye cause, though they speke yt not. For a māne (they saye) maye loue hys howse well, though he sit not vpon the toppe therof. Had he com­mytted an hondreth kyndes of Idolatrye superstycyon, hypocresye, treason, force­rye, theft, rape, fornycacyon, fylthynesse, Cōfessyō dyschar­geth al these myschefes. sodometrye, and the deuyll and all els, (as ther smered shauelynges doth dalye) Benedicite vnder a stoole had bene able to dyscharge hym. If he had betrayed hys [Page] kynge .vii. tymes▪ murthered a score of innocentes, and defyled an hondreth vyr­gyns (as many of that generacyon hath done) Ego absoluote had bene able to Hier. 7. Tush we are absol­ued quyte saye they. clere hym ageynst all menne. But an here sye commytted ageynst holye churche (whych ys the verye execrable whore of Babylon, hauynge nothynge ryghtlye of Christ) is no power able to remytt. That must in the syght of all menne with most extremyte be ponnyshed.

2 An open declaracyon must be ma­de therof to the peple, to make yt to ape­re Open pō ­nyschmēt to dryue other frō the truthe vnto ther blynde eyes an offence mo­che more greuouse than eyther whoredome or murther, fellanye or treason, beynge no synne att all but godlynesse. Nō o­ther ys yt but an offyce dewlye belongynge to a Christen hart to abhorre suche be­stelvnesse as obscureth the glorye of God

3 Yea, a solempne promyse must be A profes­syon to becō a traytour to all godlynesse. made also vpon thys declaracyon, of stu­dyouse indeuoraunce with all dylygen­ce and power possyble, to Remayne frō hence forth a false periured Chrystiane, a double sworne papyst, a newe professed traytoure ageynst God ād all godlynesse

4 Vvhom my lord calleth a catholycke mā. Vvhych ys as moche to saye, as a mā ne liuynge styll after the same rewles and [Page 31] the same selfe customes that were vsed in thys realme before the popes puttynge Vvhat yt ys to become a catholyk papyst. downe. And what ys thys els, but layser­lye by a lyttle and lyttle to sett hym vp a­geyne and to restore hym to hys olde seate, or els to rayse vpp soche an other antichryst for hym though yt maye not so be spoken? Vvhan olde practyses wyll no lōger helpe, thā must newe be sought Baptista Mantuan, lib. 3. Fast out, to the vpholdīge of owr gaye glyt­terynge Gabaon. This maye ye se that yt ys moche lesse daunger to offende a god­lye mynded woman, than a proude paynted whore, a meke spreted ladye, than a malycyouse modye qweane. For pacyēt­lye wyll she remytt all iniuryes done, Psal. 38. Hier. 26. Eph. 5. Math. 18. Apoc. 2. where the other wyll spyghtfullye reuenge them. The gentyll spouse of Chryst (whych ys hys churche wythout spotte) ys euermore redye to forgeue, though the offence be done seuētye seuen tymes. The cruell synagoge of sathan (whych ys the sodomytycall swarme of smered sor­cerers) prouoketh euermore her horned whoremongers to fyght in her quarell, All diuerse ys the popes churche from chrystes. and to persecute her offenders vnto dea­the by manye vniust lawes and decrees.

5 Farre vnlyke schall ye fynde these ij. churches, yf ye conferre them togyther, brynge them to the touche stone, proue [Page] ther spretes, and trye them by the scripturs The office of a Christen byshopp were r [...]ther to preache than to ponnyshe, rather 2. Tim. 4. Ioann. 21. Math. 28. Coll. 1. Apoc. 9. Hiere. 23. Ezech. 34▪ Zacha. 11. to fede than to famyshe, rather gentyllye to allure than curryshely to rebuke before the worlde, were he after the ordre of Christ and hys apostoles. But my lorde ys of an other smokye brode, whose na­ture vs to rauyshe and destroye, to deuoure the flocke and fede them selues with the fatte, executynge vpon them all tyrā ­nye possyble. Lorde pyte thy poore pe­ple, and wytsaue ones to open the in warde eyes of worldlye rewlers, that they maye in thy feare beholde these mysche­fes with Iosaphat; hiehu, Ezechias, and 3. Reg. 22. 2. Par. 34▪ godlye Iosias, for as yet we are farre from godlynesse for all owr newe reforma­cyon.

The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

SIE yf there be in the worlde anye myschefe, abhomynacyō, or deuylyshnesse lyke vnto thers. In euery poynt do they Luc. 16. Math. 12. Gene. 3. shewe them selues the verye aduersaryes of God, and the rebellynge sede of the serpent. Christ at hys departure from thys worlde, commaunded onlye preachyn­ge Mat. 28. Marci. 16. and baptyme to hys apostles, and ney­ther syngynge nor sensynge, holye watte rynge nor massynge. Thys do they with all threttenynges inhybytt, as ys here spe­cyfyed. The papystes pon­nyshe with dea­the whan Chryst ys obeyd. For Tolwyn ys here commaun­ded from hence forth neyther to preache nor to teache, vpon soche peynes and pe­naltees as are due to heretyques, whych ys no lesse thā burnynge in smythfeld, or hangynge in the lollars tower at myd­nyght whan menne be a slepe. Vvo ys vnto me (sayth saynt Paule) or dampna­cyon 1. Cor. 9. Act. 9. 1. Cor. 1 to my sowle, yf I preache not the gospell. Christ hath not sent me to baptyse, but to publyshe the glad tydynges of helthe, moche lesse than to go processyon or to saye a popysshe masse. Thys necessarye They for­byd and condempne that christhath commast­ded. mynystracyon in the worde, whych Christ hath ordayned, do they lyke anti­christes condempne. The wholsome offyce of preachynge that he hath commaun­ded, [Page] do they most streyghtlye inhybitt. Ryghtlye therfor ded Christ declare thē contempners of hys fathers heauenlye or­dynaunces for ther owne fylthye tradycyons and customes, whych are most abho­mynable blasphemyes.

2 But here parauenture my lorde wyl allege for hymselfe, that hys present inhy Heresye call they the gos­pell. bycyon concerneth the onlye preachynge of heresyes ād errours, whych he wyll in no wyse haue taught in hys dyoces. If my lorde had so well assertayned vs what an heresye ys, as he hath here sett out Tolwyn for an heretyque, we schuld moche Vvhat he resye ys, they tell not. better haue vnderstande hym. But surelye yf heresye be a contrarye doctrine to the wholsome doctrine of Chryst, my lorde ys here the most rāke herety qne and wyt lesse antychryst that cuer I harde of. And as for Christ, here ys no maner of mency­on of hym. He ys not so moche as ones named Not ones ys Chryst here na­med. in all thys frantyke declaracyon. He re ys not one thynge that the scrypture of God can iustlye maynteyne, so Babylo­nyshe, heythr [...]ysse, ād hellyshe ys yt. And therfor yt ys no doctryne of hys, but all ageynst hym. My lord thynketh that the­re Heresyes after my lordes me anynge. are nō other heresyes but those whych rebuke the superstycyons of hys popyshe churche. Non other errours, but that speaketh [Page 33] ageynst ther ambycyouse pryde and vayne glorye. Non other noughtye opynyōs but soche as towcheth ther couetouse cloynynge and insacyable auaryce. Thē Herety­ques after the popes doctors. thynketh he onlye heretyques with Tho­mas, Bonauenture, Dons, Bachonthorpe, and other sentencyoners, whych dysobeyeth the Rome churhe. He remembreth not that accordynge to Christes promyse, the holye gost at hys commynge schuld re­proue the worlde of synne, ryghtousnesse Ioan. 16. Luc. 12. 1. Tim. 4. and iudgement, whych betokeneth infydelyte, hypocryse and mannys wysdo­me. For he fyndeth yt not in hys portifo­lium, nor yet in owr ladyes mattens. And therfor whan soche straunge voyces soū deth in hys eare for lacke of a through acquayntaūce with them, he taketh thē for Esa. 5. Hier. 2. Ezech. 38 Lucae. 3. Math. 15. Eph. 4. heresyes, errours, and noughtye opynyōs Thus maye he also iudge Esaie, Hiere­mie, Ezechiel, and Daniel with the other prophetes, Christ, Iohan Baptyst, Paule, and Peter with the other apostles to be heretyques, for all ther prophecyes and wrytynges are full of soche heresyes.

3 Euerye where are they contrarye to the catholyke faythe of your churche, whych ys the worshyppynge of Idols, the callynge vpon menne that are depar­ted, and the gasynge vpon goddes that [Page] are seane with the eye. Euerye where are The catholyk fay­the of pa­pystes in dead Idols they ageynst that holye mother of yours, in opynyon, faythey and doctryne. No Christen beleue fatcheth ther dyscyples, and scolers frō your laye mēnys calēder your dead boke of Images, nor yet from iour latyne seruyce whō they vnderstāde not, but frō the lyuynge worde of the lorde. The fay­the of tru Chrystia­nes in the liuynge God. Ther faythe ys a substaūce of thynges vnseane, and not of gaudes and fables a­perynge to the eye. In sprete and verite do they worshyp ther eternall father ād not in outwarde shaddowes and toyes. Vnholie do they iudge that mother whych bryngeth forth daylye so manye proude porkelynges, so manye couetou­se Phil. 3. 2. Tim. 3. 2. Pet. 2. Psal. 105. charmers, so manye Idell hypocrytes, oyled Idyotes, shorne bellye goddes, wedlock breakers, defylers of maydēhe de, open persecuters of the truthe, sleers of innocentes, sodomytes, and beastes, of ferynge thēselues vp for astynkige sacry­fyce vnto belphegor in the fylthye fyre Daniel. 13 Eph. 4. 1. Tim. 4. of concupyscence, burnynge heates of ther lustes, ād vnsacyable desyres of ther lueshe with a desperate conscyence, con­tempnynge the iust ordynaunce of God to obserue ther papystycall vowe.

4 The catholyke faythe of thys ma­lygnaunt madame, the churche of anti­ [...]st, the mother of myschefe (whych ys [Page 34] abhomynable whoryshnesse) hath Tolwyn promysed to hys symple power to Errours lies ādthe doctryne of deuyls in hypo­crysye. maynteyne with holye water makynge to defende with errours and lyes in hypo crysye, and to auaunce with the holye docrysye, of deuyls, accordynge to hys ne­we made othe and professyon in my lordes preuye closett, for the scripturs wyll not therto serue hym. They knowlege nō other churche of christ, but the kynges doughter whych ys from wythin, as Dauid doth largelye descrybe her in hys Psal. 44. Luc. 17. Math. 12. 44, psalme and ys therfor called the kyn gedome of heauen, whych neyther hath myter nor cope, mattens nor masse, sha­uen crowne nor anoyntynge.

5 To thys newe professyon and so­lempne othe of Tolwyn, that he schall durynge hys lyfe, maynteyne, defende, and auaunce the popes olde relygyon or ātychristes whether ye wyll (for yt ys nō of christes) the worshypfull cyte of London, London must hea­re thys ꝓ sessyō, to obeye yt. my lorde mayer, the shryues, and the whole commynnalte must beare re­corde, that they maye also obeye the sa­me, though they haue both godes lawes and ther kynges actes to the contrarye. Is not thys thynke yow a bolde enterpry fe and a wonderfull spectacle vnto men­ne, soche a thynge to be done in the face [Page] of the peple, the pope so latelye putt downe, antichrist hath here an vnshamefast face. the gospell so clerelye dyuulgate, and the kynge makynge soche constytucyons for the scrypturs mayntenaunce. Are not the peple of thys realme wonderfullye abused by soche masterye workers as my lorde ys? Vvhat yow thynke of yt in En glande I can not tell, but I wote all chri­stendome besydes wondereth of yt, the The kyn­ge doth one, ād the bysshops an other. kynge thus doynge one thynge and the bysshoppes an other. If they dare be so bolde openlye and vnder the kynges nose, I doubt not butt hey are bold ynow a brode and farder of, and ther prestes lac­keth no good counsell ther vnto in ther conuocacyons and seanes. In dede thys farre passeth the calkynge of doctor Crōke horne with hys secrete reuelacyons, and Doctor Cronck­horne ād doctor Bockyng also the pratye practyses of doctor Boc­kynge and the holye mayde of kente, yf all thynges be consydered. Now folo­weth the text in hys course.

The manne of synne.
[Page 35]Hys dysclosynge.

O [...] F a farre other sort was Christ in takynge of synners to repētaunce, than ys my good lorde of London, for he compelled non of them to do soche Christ was more easye to seke vnto than my lorde. open penaunce, nor yet shamefullye to slaunder them selues a fore the multytu­de. Magdalene, Zacheus, the aduowte­roose womā, and the thefe on hys ryght hande, had fauorable wordes of hym, with manye swete commendacyons, blesssynges, and promyses. The spyghtfull Luc. 7. Luc. 19. Ioan. 8. Luc. 23. Eze. 18. Math. 26 Marci. 14. Ioan. 18. Matth. 11. traytour whych betrayed hys bodye vnto deathe, refused not he to kysse. The dyscyples whych forsoke both hym ād hys doctrine to the great slaunder therof, ded not he cōstrayne to recant openlye. Lerne of me (sayth he) for I am gentyll and meke harted. My yoke ys easye and my burthē lyght. But perchaūce my lorde wyll saye here in hys owne behalf (as he ys a man of great lernynge and lesse godlye wyt­te) that he hath done in thys as ded Peter whā he strake of Malchus ryght eare. Thā My lorde smytethof Malchus eare with Peter. must my lorde cōsydre what thāke Peter had of hys master for so doynge, ād how lyttle pleasure that enterpryse ded hym. He was by and by commaunded lyke a braynelesse fole to put vpp hys weapon ageyne, with soche an ernest checke, that [Page] he neuer durst drawe yt sens. Vve must Math. 26 Lncae. 22. Ioan. 18 2. Cor. 6. remembre also that Malchus was a bys­shops seruaunt, whych dyschargeth my lorde of Peters felyshypp. For non agre­ment can Christ haue wyth Belial, nor yet lyght with darkenesse. A true christiane ought by hys Christen professyon, in the sprete of lenyte and gentylnesse to examyne Ioan. 5. 1. Ioan. 4. Iacobi. 4. 1. Pet. 1 all doctrines, and to proue all spre­tes whether they be of God or nay, ād not rashelye to condempne hys poore Chri­sten brother whom Christ hath so derelye redemed.

2 But thys newe professyon of my lorde in Tolwyn, ys of an other veyne, and af a farre dyuerse sort from that. For yt must vtterlye detest, abhorre, and auoy­de all. But what all I can not tell yow, vnlesse All godlinesse and veryte cō dēned by professyō yt be all godlynesse and veryte, or all that Englande hath done ageynst the pope, for yt ys not here expressed. It ys soche an all, as standeth here in mysterye, cō prehendynge my lordes whole mynde in holye churches behalfe with out vtteraunce.

3 Seynge therfor that thys all, beynge My lorde loketh for a tyme of more myschefe. vnder a secrete trope or fygure maye not be dysclosed tyll my lorde seeth a better tyme, we wyl lett hym alone, and passe forth to the all that foloweth, whych car [Page 36] ryeth hys contentes with hym. That ys to say, all maner of heresyes, errours, and noughtye opynyons vnnamed, least they schuld shewe my lorde in hys ryght co­lours. Not vnlyke ys my lordes honora­ble lordshypp here in thys condempnacy on to the great bellyed braggers or sorbonycall masters in Parys, whych commynge with rede faces from the cherefull ban­kett of Bacchus, called prandium theolo­gicum Martyn Luther cōdempned in sorbon at Parys. condempned Martyne Luther in the reare of owr lorde. M. D. ād XXIIII hys artycles not examyned. It must nedes be an heresye, an erroure, and a noughtye opynyō yf my lorde so iudgeth yt though yt be Christes owne worde. It ys ynough for my lorde but to speake yt, for a Chri­sten My lorde ys a great pyllar of the popes churche. mā nys beleue. For hys reuerende lordeshypp ys a great pyllar of the popes holye churche, whych maye condempne the gospell by quodcun (que) ligaueris.

4 Yea, he that schall professe thys ne­we rewle of olde papystrye, must vtter­lye deteste and abhorre all these (I wote not what) with the fauorers of them, the maynteyners, defēders, or obiecters what so euer they be, kynge or coūsell, for both they haue depelye entred soche matters.

5 For whye yt foloweth in the text Thys do­ctrine tea Thys do­ctrine tech eth to ab horrekyn ge ād con̄ sell. here, or anye of them. Vvhych ys an ana­gogycall [Page] trope or hygh speakynge of my lorde aboue hys compasse, I had almost haue seyd, beyonde hys wytte. And thys must be for euer and euer durynge hys lyfe. For so hath Tolwyn promysed, for example. Thys vowe of relygyon maye ne­uer be broken, though godes commaun­dementes and Christes aduertysementes Take he­de of. xxi years in thys vnad uysed vo we. schuld go all to the deuyll of hell. For the breakynge therof myght brynge in both fagottes and fyre. And all thys must be do ne for the auauncement of holye churche, as ys a fore spoken. Butt tell me thys. Vvhat godlye wyse manne can thynke that churche holye or good, whych seeth Holye churche knoweth not a tray tour from a saynt. not in so manye years a traytoure from a saynt, but auaunceth hym with so manye false myracles, as ther churche hath done beckett, and styll doth more of the same generacyon. She schall be of a moche bet­ter syght, and of a more godlye iudgemēt ere I crust eyther her, or yet her anoynted chyldren as spirituall as they be. Vvele I wote that the churche, whych ys the im­maculate Apoc. 19. Eph. 5. Cant. 4. Ioan. 12. spouse of the lambe Iesus christ, had neuer soche a spotte in her garment. The eternall father be ones mercyfull to hys peple, and delyuer them from thys dampnable plage of darkenesse, yf yt be hys pleasure.

¶The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

I 1 Vvyst yt wolde at the last apere frō Tyrānye springeth out ofther lordshyp whens all thys Pharaonycall tyrannye spryngeth, thys cruell persecutynge, thys murtherynge of innocentes. It cometh frō a lordshypp, by ther owne confessyon. For hys honorable lordshypp ys conten­ted here vpon couenauntes made be­twixt them, to respyte the resydue of Tol wyns penaunce. But from whens aryseth Apoc. 20 Zach. 9. Ioan. 18. Luc. 22. thys spyrituall lordshyp, or worldye monarchye rather. Not from Christes doctrine, for they taught euermore the cōtrarye. My kyngedome (sayth he) ys not of thys worlde. The rewlers of nacyons haue the vnyuersall domynyon, and are called gra cyouse lordes, but yow schall not so. Pe­ter, Iohā, lames, and Paule, with the other apostles and dyscyples were onlye prea­chers Marc. 26 1. Cor. 4. Act. 4. of the gospell, mynysters, dysposers, and geuers Forth of the secretes of god.

[Page]They neuer became anye lordes, but perse cuted abiectes, as manye are uow adayes. Thys gloriouse lordshypp came in wham phocas the false emproure made Rome the Phocas the Em­prour. Apoc. 20 head churche of the worlde for moneye. And yt was spred abrode after a thousan de years from Christes natyuyte, whan Sa than was losed out of hys preson, and per mytted to go at large to deceyue the vn­godlye multytude for ther vnbeleues sa­ke. So that thys lordshypp ys non other, but the power, auctoryte, and seate of the Daniel. 9 Apoc. 13. Ezech. 22 dragon geuen vnto the great antichrist, which ys the beastlye bodye of Sathan, of whom my good lorde here ys a member, and so are all they that worke lyke feates in the same generacyon.

2 Vvhat my lorde schuld meane here The rest of Tol­wyns penaunce ys burninge byr espytynge of the rest of Tolwyns pe­naunce, I can not well tell, vnlesse he tar­ryeth a tyme or wayeht a layser to haue hym in relapse, and so to burne hym vp for an heretyque all together, lyke as hys holye predecessours hath done euer sens Iohan wycleues tyme and sumwhat a fo­re. Iohā wyc leues bat tayle a­geynst an [...]y christ. As I purpose shortlye (the lorde lēdyn ge me lyfe) to declare in a farre more lar­ger treatyse. Yet plucketh my lorde backe thys respyte ageyne full lyke a mercyfull father of holye churche, to apere charyta­ble [Page 38] yf yt maye be.

3 Tolwyn vpon hys good deseruyn­ge Vvhat a good de­seruynge ys. maye chaunce to haue a full for geuenesle of my lorde. But what call ye a good deseruynge I praye yow? Marke that fo­loweth here after, and ye schall se how honorablye my lorde hath dyffyned yt he re vnto Tolwyn, with a lumpe of good lernynge.

4 It ys to do accordynge to hys seyd My lor­des owne dyffyny­cyon ther rof. promyse. That ys to saye, to become from hence forth a good processyon goer vpon saturdayes at euēsonge, a good holye water maker, a good mattenser, masser, and so forth, but no true gospell preacher. More ouer yt ys to become a catholyke man­ne, Vvhat ys a catho­lyck man ne of ho­lye chur­che. otherwyse called a popyshe rebellion but saye neuer a worde I cha ge yow. Yt ys also to auaunce the popes holye chur­che, and to detest and abhorre the nough­tye heretyques, otherwyse called good faythfull Christen mēne. Loo ser, all thys ys called here a good deseruynge.

5 If Tolwyn perfourme all thys accordynge to hys seyd promyse, my lorde ys contented to forgeue all togyther lyke a good gentyll vertuouse prelate. If not, the Be a false periureor els bew a re the fyre lorde of heauen haue mercye vpon hym, for he goth surelye to the fyre. For that ys the olde rewarde of bysshoppes, whan [Page] menne wyll not be rewled and obeye the good lawes of holye churche. That holye mother of thers can not abyde an enemye to blowe ones vpō her, but she consumeth Holye churcheys becō all fyerye. them with burnynge cooles, not all vnlyke to Proserpina and the olde god Vulcanus, so full of sober pacyence ys she. Her nature ys now, not to ouercome the worlde with faythe as she was wont to do, but with flame, so feruent ys she waxen sens she became a gloryouse madame of the earthe. Fyre can she make to come dow­ne Apoc. 13. Ioan. 16. Miche. 7. Rom. 8. from heauen in the syght of mē, causynge them to beleue that yt ys godes wyll to haue the heretyques consumed. Thus pro­uoke she that good creature of God vn­wyllyngly (as saynt Paule speaketh yt) to serue her vanyte, cleane contrarye vnto hys gracyouse ordynaunce. As where yt ought to be mannys cōfort to worke hys The new myracles of anti­chryst. confusyon, and where yt ought to serue hys nede, vnsemynglye to deuoure hym and swallowe hym cleane vp. Soche wō ders can they do in the face of the worlde and yet be an holye consecrate ordre styll I doubt not but the lorde wyll ones make ther inyquyte full knowen to all menne, whan they schall saye with horrible fea­re and anguyshe. These are they whom Nahum. 3 2. Thes. 2. we sumtyme had in derysyon. Vve [Page 39] thought ther lyues verye madnesse, and ther [...]de without honoure. But loo how Sap. 5. they are counted amonge the chyldren of God, and ther porcyon ys amonge the sayntes. Therfor haue we erred from the The de­sperate cō playnt of antichry­stes slaughter men. waye of truthe, the sonne of ryghtousnes­se hath not shyned vnto vs, nor the clere­nesse of vnderstandynge ouer spredde vs, with hys bryght beames. Vve haue tyred owr selues in the rewles of wyckednesse and destruccyon. Tedyouse wayes haue we gone, but the iust waye of the lord haue we not knowen. what good hath owr pryde done vnto vs? Or what profyte Eccle. 12. 1. Ioan. 2. hath the pōpe of rychesse brought vs. All those thynges are passed a waye lyke a sheaddowe, and so forth as yt foloweth styll in the fift chapter of sapyence.

¶ The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge. The serpē tyne nature of antichristes mēbers.

O [...]H what a cōpas of deceyt ys thys to auoyde the suspycyon of tyrannye before the blynde worlde? Thys poore manne ys shamed openlye. He hath lost [Page] hys good name for euer. Of a dere chylde of Christ he ys made a sworne chylde of the deuyll by thys newe professyon, wherin neyther Christ ys named nor yet hys Am Impe of hym whych of freth hys fete to be kyssed. eternall father. Yet must hys fryndes co­me with cappe ādknee, to geue hartye thā kes to thys terryble termagaunt, thys Nē ­roth, thys Pharao, thys Hieroboam, thys Olopherne, thys antyochus, thys Herode, yea, thys mytred mahounde, and verye deuyll incarnate. I haue in my tyme seane letters No soche blasphe­mye in saracen nor turke. and wrytynges dyuerse, whych hath comen from the great Turke and Souldane. But neuer sawe I anye of them with out the name of god as thys lordlye declaracyon ys. Vvo ys that realme that hath manye soche ghostlye gydes. It had bene great pyte except yt had bene declared at Paules crosse, and that Tolwyns fryndes sehuld geue hartye thankes for yt, there ys in yt so moche goodnesse.

2 But vnto what purpose schuld these Thankes for playnge the ty­raunt. thankes be geuen? That my lorde maye be iudged a prelate most charytable, and that he hath done all thys but of gētylnesse and fauer, where as he myghthaue burned the heretyque by the popes holye lawes, of whom he ys a commensed canonyst. Vvhye? call ye that an acte of charyte, to Vvo to them that calleth sower swete. Esa. 5. Marci. 8. Math. 16. Ioan. 8. Apoc. 13. shewe soche vyolence for matters of so [Page 40] small wayght? Yea, for thiges whych are rather deuylyshe than godlye, whose ful­fyllynge ys sylthye abhomynacyon and blasphemye? For non other cause was Peter called Sathan of Christ, but for fauo­rynge thynges that were not of God but of menne. Lete hym geue hym thākes ther for that hath sett hym a worke, to kyll as manye as wyll not do ther homages to the beastlye bodye of the olde serpēt of hell. And lete not honest godlye menne now worshypp that Image, whych ys la­telye raysed of the beastes wounded he­ad, of whom I haue written a large volu­me The Ima­ge of bo­the chur­ches. called the Image of both churches comprehēdynge an whole commentarye vpō the reuelacyon of Iohan, whych I trust ye schall shortlye haue with other thynges els. For a doctryne of saluacyon ys that Apocalyps, and so necessarye to be vnderstande & knowne, as yt ys to be a mem­ber of Christes churche, consyderynge yt ys non other but a manyfestacyon of the estate therof for all ages vnto the worldes Necessa­rye do­ctrine of saluacyō. ende. Now to owr purpose ageyne. My lorde wolde fayne by these farre fett co­lours hyde a wolfe, but yt wyll not be. Falshede wyll apere falshede, ād axe hym no leaue. Great peynes he taketh to weue the spyders webbe, and to hatche the coc­catryce Iob. 8. Esa. 59 Ezech. 13. Apoc. 14. 16. & [...]. Oseae. 8. [Page] egges, but all wyll not helpe.

He vnder proppeth Babylon with vntempred claye for fallynge, but hys buyl­dynge wyll not fashyō. Her irrecuperable fall ys at hāde. The calfe of Samaria must be take awaye. Yet wyl they do myschefe as lōge as they maye, so deuyllyshe ys ther nature.

3 Vvhych ys here included in thys latter Take warnyn­ge by Tolwyn or els ye burne. admonycyon of Tolwyn. Vvherin he desyreth hys fryndes to take an example of warnynge by hym, and therbye to auoyde lyke claunger. And me thynketh thys counsell ys fryndlye, yf yt be hys. For indede they schuld not fynde yt easye to come in soche tyrannouse hādelynge. But I thynke verelye, that thys latter ende ys no lesse my lorde of Londons, than ys all that went a fore. Not for anye good loue or benyuolence that the wolfe beareth the Ezech. 22 Ioan. 10. Lucae. 11. Heb. 13. flocke of Christes lambes. But in purpose to scattre them, and to fraye them awaye from the swete pasture and fatte fedynge of the gospell whych ys hys eternall testament. A contynuall practyse hath thys be­ne amonge owr spirituall Mahometes e­uer sens ther begynnynge. And I thynke A prac̄tyse borowed of the Romanes they lerned yt fyrst of the romanes, as they haue done all other deuylyshnesse els. Vvhose custome was, whan so euer the [Page 41] flood of Tiber raged, to throwe in a man ne or a woman, therwith to pacyfye hys furye. And in dede waters in dyuerse pla­ces Psal. 76. Apoc. 17 Act. 6. & 21. Lucae 2. of the scripture, betokeneth the peple. Those hastye voyces ageynst ther proude kyngedome, they vse oft to apeyse with soche a fraye bugge as was Tolwyn at Paules crosse, whom my lorde sett vp the re for a sygne of contradyccyon. If Iohan Porter that gētyll and godlye yonge man ne and true dyscyple of Christ (whom my Iohā por­ter famyshed ī new gate for Christ. lorde latelye quelled in preson for readynge the byble) had submytted hymselfe to thys symple office and professyon of pa­pystrye, forswerynge Christ and hys veryte, he had bene māne alyue, (and so had other more) where as now he ys dead ād gone. But be thu certayne and sure of yt (thu terryble and cruell Cerberus) that Precyou­se ys the deathe of the fayth­full befo­re God. God hath not lost hym. Full dere ys he vnto hys mercyfull redemer though thu hast wretchedly cast hym awaye. Yea, full precyouse in hys syght ys hys deathe, though he dyed in the stynkynge dōgyon of new gate with the wydowes almes of no smal wayght vpon hym, besydes the most sharpe hōger and greuouse famyshmēt whych dryed vpp hys bowels. Or strangelynge vpp in the nyght as your commō feate ys, The commen cha­ryte of mytred prelates. for ye haue yowr hyred slaughter menne [Page] in soche hydden corners for soche busye byble readers. Remember what ye sayd, whan he came before yow, that ye were glad he was come to your handes. Ye thought than to dyspatche hym for a­nye more readynge in Paules, as ye haue now done in dede, though he were a manne of ryght stronge nature and stomake. But blessed be our lorde God, though ye Psal. 113. Math. 10. Lucae. 9. Ioan. 12. Marci. 8. Math. 25. haue slayne hys bodye, ye can do no har­me to hys sowle. He that loseth hys lyfe for Christ, schall fynde yt ageyn to auauntage. The corne that dyeth in the grounde, bryngeth forth moche frute. He that loseth hys sowle here, schall fynde yt in the lyfe euerlastynge, whan tyrauntes schall haue rewarde with the deuyll and hys angels.

4 Tolwyn hath not done all amys therfor in admonyshynge hys fryndes afore hande to take example by hym, for the a­uoydaunce The blo­od of the­se and o­ther axeth vengeaū ­ce. of lyke daunger or els worse. For yf they lyst not to beware by hym. they maye take warnynge by that hath be done vnto Rycharde mekyns, Robert warde, and now last of all Iohan porter, whose blood axeth daylye vengeaunce ouer thys cruell tyraunt, as ded the inno­cent blood of Abel ouer that spyghtfull murtherer Cain. By thys and soche other, as by most enydent tokens, maye christen An euy­dēt sygne of Chry­stes doctrine. Idols and the stewes neuer persecuted. [Page 42] mēne se that yt ys christes doctrine whych hath bene taught now of late, by gods appoyntment and the kynges permyssyon. For yf yt were of the worlde, the fleshe, or the deuyll, yt schuld haue the clergye to frynde, lyke as hath Idolatrye, whoredo­me and all other fylthynesse, with the stynkynge stewes whom they neuer persecute. Our eternall God ād mercyfull father delyuer ones hys peple frō the­se cruell enemyes, whom he hath redemed with the precyouse blood of hys son­ne Iesus Christ

Amen.

The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

1 IN case lyke was Tolwy [...] whā my lorde of Londo [...] examyned hym, as wa [...] Christ whan he came b [...] fore Mark the examynacyon of Annas. Ioan. 18. Annas the hygh pre [...] of the Iewes, as yt ys here manyfest. O [...] hys dyscyples and doctrine ded Annas e [...] amyne hym, so ded my good lorde of L [...] don poore Tolwyn for the ordre of hy [...] cure, and what lernynge he taught them▪ For the fyrst was the afore seyd declarac [...] on, and for the other ys thys processe [...] Dyuersy­te of mat­ters herin specyfyed folowynge of the names of serten boke [...] [Page 43] perteynynge also to the same. Dyuerse are ther tytles partlye for the dyuersyte of the matters, and partlye for the more solēpne settynge forthe of thys notable worke to the vpholdynge of holye churche a­geynst heretyques. The first matters respe­cteth The fyrst cōcerueth hys paryshe or pe­ple. hys dyscyples or parryshners vn­der the tyttle of declaracyon, whom he hath not fedde with the pharysees leuen, nor yet pampred vp with the popes swylle and dregges accordynge to hys first professyō, but now of late with the pure worde of god as he coude conuenyentlye procure yt. Thys present processe concerneth hys doctryne vnder the tyttle of the na­mes Thys ys all of the doctryne whych he taught. of bokes, wher wyth he was both detected and presented of them that neyther vnderstode them nor knewe them, the cō [...]entes therof not declared att all.

2 Vvhat haynouse heresyes and daun­gerouse doctryne the seyd bokes contay­neth, wyll here after apere as ther names come to hande in ther course. But I maruele The bag­ge schuld be cōdēpned with the bokes moche that the bagge ys not so wele expressed in thys tytle as are the bokes, con­syderynge they came to Paules crosse to­gyther. So wele ys he worthye to be con­demned of heresye by the popes lawe as [...]y, for hys couerynge, carryenge, and conueyenge of them, as he ded. And as Nothyn­ge ys here seane but names. [Page] manye heresyes hath he whan he ys emptye as they haue, for ought wese here yet sauynge ōlye the names. Vvhat we schall se here after I can not tell.

3 Vvolde Tolwyn haue bene a good Idoll mayntener with holye water and sensynge, latyne Iabberynge and waw­lynge, accordynge to the offyce of saynt The office of saynt antony­nes personage. Antonynes personage, he had not bene thus brought forth for ā heretyque. Vvolde he haue shewed hymself the popes go­od swyneherde, and haue fedde hys porkelynges apace with sosse and syllybubbes, coddes and swaddes with other lyke purueaunce, the great swyne had not so gre­delye deuoured hym.

4 Neyther had they detected hym for Luc. 5. Matth. 7. Esa. 66. a loller, nor yet presented hym for an heretyque. In no wyse can they awaye with the clenlye prouysyon of Christ, nor yet broke the seruyce of hys apostles. The swete brede of the gospell hath in ther mou­thes no sauer, nor yet the dulcett gust of the other scripturs. The wholsom delyca­tes Math. 15. Act. 17. Ioan. 8. that the holye ghost hath prepared, cā they not awaye wyth. Geue them the dra [...] fe they were wont to haue, with the swyllynges of the popes olde vessels, for they are soche worne bottels as wyll rather Marci. 2. Luc. 5. burst than holde newe wyne. Better ys a [Page 44] fylthye puddell vnto them to wallowe in, than a fayre clere ryuer to make them 2. Pet. 2. cleane. Ye can haue a swyne no better thā he ys of hys owne vngentyll nature. Therfor Iete swyne be fylthye swyne, and vyle gootes be gootes styll. As the meke lambes Apoc. 22. Ioan. 10. 1. Pet. 2. of Christ, folowe yow hys voyce, whych ys the hygh shepeherde of yowr sowles, and late swyne be swyne styll. Now foloweth the seconde processe of thys declaracyon.

The manne of synne
Hys dysclosynge.

1 Vvhan the wylye foxe fawneth, Ezech. 13. Prou. 11. Psal. 36. beware your chyckens, as the common adage admonysheth yow. For nought ys yt not, that he calleth yow here good peple, ye maye be sure of yt. Vvych [Page] he, I praye yow? Euen my lorde bonner of London. For though the voyce be Tolwyns, the wordes of the voyce are my lordes. The wordes of Tolwis voy­ce are my lordes. Full heuye was he in hys hart good sowle, to geue hym the vtteraunce of thē, yf he myght otherwyse haue chosen. But he must nedes forth (they saye) that the deuyll dryueth, be he neuer so vnwyllynge. My lorde hath rhetorycallye begonne hys proposycy on to wynne hys audytorye, and to make them attentyue and dylygēt, in callynge them good peple.

2 But whatys hys narracyon or processes Hys pontyfycall rhetoryck cōceruynge a sa­chell. Ofserten small bokes contayned in a bagge or sachell, whych Tolwyn shoke forth at Paules crosse, with a feble countenaunce and a more feble stomake. And what ment my lorde in thys matter? That the peple schuld iudge Tolwyn an horryble heretyque, and that they schuld ther­bye be ware of soche noughtye heresyes ageynst holye churche. But what were the Heresyes not kno­wē but to the bagge heresyes? Naye, that we can not tell. For they were fast shutt vpp in a bagge, and myght in no wyse be seane. The fathers in the prymatyue churche confoūded alwayes ther heretyques with the open testymo­nye of the most euydent scripturs, and not with the shakynge of bokes in a bagge. Yea, than was thā, and now is now. Thā [Page 45] were they called herety ques that spake a­geynst God. But now ys there non heretyques Differen­ce of heretyques now and than. except they speake ageīst holye churche. Than were serten philosophers rea­sons blasphemouse, but now they are go­od dyuynyte, and the verye scripturs are fou [...]e heresyes. Therfor my lorde ys now moche wyser than so. For yf the bokes were seane and the artycles throughlye My lorde playeth here 3. partes. knowne, hys selfe myght perchaunce be iudged both an herety que and a traytour, and also a cruell persecuter of Christ in hys faythfull mēbers, whych were a gre­at blemyshe to hys lordhypp. And that causeth hym so secretlye to worke. It ys Inough for my lorde to saye, there be er­rours The kyn­ges true subiectes abused. in the bagge, though he neuer bryn­ge them forth. And yt schall become all the kynges true subiectes to beleue yt, vn­der the peyne of hangynge or els burnynge. For whye my lordes quarell in thys, ys the kynges quarell. There ys now non heresye but ys also treason (as yt was in Thomas waldē in prologo primi li▪ cōtra wic leuistas. kynge harrye the fiftes tyme) that they maye be both partyners in one plage of the lordes vengeaūce, yf innocent blood be shedde. So naturallye good and louyn ge ys he to hys prynce.

3 But what meaneth my lorde to saye here, thys bagge or sachell? Me thynketh [Page] the tone of thē had bene suffycyēt [...]nough in so lyght a matter. No ser, not so. Ye knowe Equiuocacyon of thys my­stycall▪ terme, bag­ge. thys worde bagge ys ā equyuocall terme, and hath manye dyuerse sygnyfycacyons. Sumtyme yt betokeneth a safron bagge, sumtyme an alame bagge. Sumtyme a moneye bagge, and sumtyme an olde nayle bagge. Yea, sumtyme a wallett, and sumtyme the ende of a worne sacke, with so­che otherlyke. My lorde hath therfor de­clared rhetorycallye by a cyrcūlocucyon A tokē of remēbraū ce ageynst an other tyme. what maner of bagge yt ys, euen a verye sachel, that menne myght throughlye knowe yt ageynst an other tyme. That yf Tolwyn schuld chaunce here after to be bur­ned vpon relapse, they myght yet testyfye that hys heresyes were schewed at Paules crosse in soche a bagge as ys called a sachel and that therfor be was wele worthye to dye.

4 But what meaneth my lorde to call these bokes erronyouse, heretycall and The bag­ge kno­weth more thā we noughtye bokes▪ That can the bagge tell whych cōtayneth them, for we are not so farre taught as yet. Thys large circūstaun­ce of speakynge (I suppose) cometh of the angrye zele that my lorde hath in holye churches quarell, wherin he wolde all her yll wyllers wer clerelye consumed.

5 The resydue of thys text ys easye to The fer­uent zele of my lorde for ho­lye chur­che. In custo­dye and out of cu­stodye. The po­pes sworne benefactours. [Page 46] vnderstande, as where these heretyque bokes remayned, where they where founde, and what tyme they were founde, as ys here sett forth for a necessarye doctrine of thys newe Christen faythe. They were re­maynynge in Tolwyns howse, and they were founde in hys custodye, soche tyme as he was in my lordes custodye, and wolde fayne haue bene farder of.

6 And soche tyme also as he was de­nounced of the popes sworne fryndes for not goynge processyon, and detected of hys pr [...]uye spyes for not werkemālye makynge hys holye water,

7 Vnto the reuerende lorde late rysen out of the donge hyll and now consecrate bysshop of London to vpholde rhe regne of antichryst, tyll the lorde turne yt ouer with the breathe of hys mouthe. No lesse London as fortunate as rome fortunate ys London than ys Rome yt selfe, to haue soche a gracyouse gyde and spirituall pastour as mynystreth soche god­lye doctryne as here ys, to the edyfycacy­on of sowle. But who yt was that sought A myste­sterye left here vn­dysoussed out these bokes to the clerer settynge out of thys wortlye pagent, that schall remayne styll as a secrete mysterye vndyscussed (whether they were hys accusers or my lordes owne seruauntes, or els both toge­ther) because yt ys not here expressed.

The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

1 SVmwhat we are lyke to haue out of thys sachell, to proue Tolwyn an Names of bokes but nothynge els. heretyque by. Vve schall haue the na­mes of the bokes therin cōtayned, though we haue nothīge els. And that ys Inough to make foles beleue the mone ys made of a grene chese. If my lorde schuld saye that saynt Paules epystles in Englyshe we The olde faythe ād beleue of holy churche. re heresye, as hys predecessours hath done they must geue credence to yt. For whye they must nedes beleue as holye churche doth teache them, though they schuld go to the deuyll for yt, as they are lyke to do, yea, both that holye churche and her chyl­dren, vnlesse they repent in tyme. For whan the blynde doth leade the blynde, Gal. 4. Lucae. 13. Math. 15. Ioan. 8. they must both fall into the dytche. The onlye lyght of saluacyon ys Christ, and alone the waye to eternall lyfe. He that [Page 47] walketh not in that light, schall neuer at­teyne vnto that lyfe, haue he neuer so ma­nye Ioan. 14. Ioan. 1. Esa. 55. counterfe [...]t lyghtes of my lordes ho­lye churche of antichristes foundacyon. Names of bokes hath my lorde here pro­mysed vs, whych schuld declare Tolwyn an heretyque.

2 But he halteth verye sore at the first, My lorde halteth at the fyrst. geuyng vs a boke of frythes without a na me. Of a lykelyhode hys lordshypp neuer opened that boke, or els he lyked not ther of the tyttle, iudgynge frythes name, Y­nough to cōdempne yt without anye far­der syght of yt. Yet hath he broken coue­naunt (no derogacyō be yt to hys honour) My lorde breaketh couenaūt in that he hath promysed here not the na­mes of the mēne which made the bokes, but the names of the selfe bokes. Sure I am that Iohan fryth made no boke without a name. Eyther yt had the tyttle of a dyspu [...]acyon ageynst purgatorye, or of an an­swere The bo­kes that Iohā frith cōpyled. vnto mores epystle, or of the exa­mynacyon of hys artycles, or of an exhor­tacyō to the folowers of Christes gospell, or of a myrrour to knowe owr selues by, or of a bulwarke ageynst rastell, or els concernynge the sacrament of the bodye and blood of Christ, yfyt were hys. And as touchynge the reuelacyō of antichrist, The reue­lacyon of antichryst translated by Iohan Frith. though he ded translate yt out of a foren [Page] tonge into Englyshe, with an antithesis annexed vnto yt, yet was yt not of hys ma­kynge. But trulye yf I myght vtter my cō ceyt, I wold saye that thys boke of frythes were hys disputacyon of purgatorye, by cause yt ys here vnnamed. In dede by the goynge downe therof, my lordes kychyn ys not the warmer, nor yet hys purse the wayghtyer, and therfor yt must nedes be heresye.

3 Thorpe and oldecastell are the names of .ij. dyuerse menne, and not of one seue­rall The exa­mynacyō of master Vvyllyā Thorpe. boke, and therfor though my lorde hath pervsed the bagge, yet hath he not dyscretelye pervsed the bokes. For a monstruouse thynge yt were .ij. menne to be­o [...]e boke, vnlesse he coude brynge yt in by some straunge fygure of the canon la­we whych now adayes worketh manye newe myracles. The boke of master Vvyllyam thorpes examynacyon comprehen­deth The chefe artycles theryn cō prehēded onlye these artycles. That Images schuld in no case be worshyped. That mē schuld not go to them on pylgrymage. That prestes haue no iust tytle to tythes by the gospell. That yt ys not law full to swe are by anye creature. And that the sacra­ment of Christes bodye ys no accydent without a materyall substaunce as fryre Thomas hath fantasyed.

[Page 48]4. The other small treatyse called the examynacyon of ser Iohā oldecastell the lorde Ser Iohan oldecastel the lorde cobham. Cobhā and worthye warryour of Ie­sus Christ contayneth onlye these artycles. That bysshopes hath made lawes for ther couetousnesse, whom no Christen menne ought to folowe. That no prest ought by goddes lawe to sytt vpon anye mannys deathe. That sens venym was shedde into the churche they neuer folowed Christ. That the pope in hys lawes and lyuynge ys vnto Christ an aduersarye. That the Artycles cōtayned cheflye in hys exa­mynacyō churche of Rome ys the nest of antichrist, whose tayle are monkes and fryres. That the sacrament of the aulter ys Chrystes bodye and bread after Christes and Paules doctryne. That mānys saluacyon, came in by Christ ād not by the crosse he dyed on nor yet by anye other dead thynge. That God oft tymes curseth where as bysshop­pes Sore matters to be condēned doth blesse. And that an ignorāt prest lyuynge wyckedly ought to heare no mā nys confessyon. In the condempnacyon of these artycles, ye also condempne manye godly thynges that owr gracyouse prince hath done by the auctoryte of gods wor­de so forgetfull are ye of yourselfe in your My lorde cōdēneth the kyn­ge. dronken generacyon. Nothynge ys lyke to be allowed at your handes (I se well) that maketh ageist your glytterīge regne [Page] of blasphemye. Styll are ye of the same Lyke ys my lorde to the ol­de brutes of Baby­lon. selfe burnynge zele and stomake, that Tho mas Beckett, Vvyllyam Cortenaye, Tho mas Arundell, Harrye Spenser, and soche other terryble termagauntes of yowr spy rytualte were in the quarell os yowr ho­lye churche. A wonderfull thynge ys yt, that ye neuer repent yowr myschefes, nor yet recant yowr errours, superstycyons, and blasphemyes. But euermore persecu­te Euermo­re perse­cute our bysshops with Cai phas. and murther for the vpholdynge of thē playenge styll the same partes that other cayphases hath done before yow. Not on lye are ye contented to beholde the cruell actes of yowr popyshe predecessours, but also ye must conferme them a freshe by a newe conclempnacy on of the popes ene­myes to the great slaunder of yowr pryn­ce, least ye schuld lose yowr part in the An easye part hath my lorde played he re. vengeaunce promysed for the shedynge of innocentes blood. Lett menne dylygēt lye serche those. [...]. treatyses, ād they schall easelye perseyue what a faythfull part ye haue played here, in condempnynge in a maner all thynges that he hath made law­full by the scripturs.

5 The boke of the olde God and the The olde God and the newe newe was compyled (so farre as I can re membre) by one Hermannus a germane more than, xx. years a go. And onlye yt [Page 49] toucheth the pryde, couetousnesse, and tyrannye of the bysshopp of Rome, the Ido­trye of hys churche, and the hypocrysye of hys sectes. Moche do I maruele wheri that God ys he re named onlye to hys con­dempna­cyon. boke schuld offende yow, but that I kno­we your hart by your frutes. Thys ys the fyrst tyme that god ys named in thys secō de processe of my lordes declaracyon, and yt ys in the tyttle of thys heresye boke, els had yt gone by at thys tyme, and therfor thanke the boke for yt and not hym.

6 The commentarye whych the vertu ouse lerned manne master Lancelot Ryd­leye made vpon saynt Paules epystle to Rydleyes commen­taryes v­pon Pau­le to the Ephesya­nes. the Ephesyanes for the true erudycyon of hys Christen bretherne, hath my lorde he re also cōdempned for heresye. But what the cause ys I can not tell. Vnlesse yt be for auauncynge the gospell, as the thynge wherby we are made ryghtouse without eyther decre or ceremonye. Or els for ad­mony shynge vs to be ware of mennys tradycyons and doctrines, least we schuld by Tradycy­ons maye not be touched. them trust in anye other thynge than in Christ, ād least we schuld for ther glytte­rynge gawdes refuse the spyrituall armou re ageynst the deuyll and hys members, whom Paule hath there prescrybed vnto vs. So charytable ys my lorde to Chrystes Nothyn­ge cōmeth from my lorde but condemp nacyon. congregacyon, that nothynge cometh frō [Page] hym to ther edysyége neyther [...] preachyn ges nor yet in wrytynges, but all in con­dempnacyons of both to ther destruccyō. Here ys thys latter boke called rydlyes cō mentaryes, as though they were manye v­pon thys one epystle beynge but one, by cause he wyll be true in nothynge.

¶ The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

MOche a do haue we styll with these bokes. Not yet ys my lordes myn­de More bo­kes spot­t'd with heresye. Thomas Venato­rius i Pau lum ad Ti motheum satysfyed with them, but more of ther names must be blowen abrode to proue Tolwyn a ranke heretyque. Now cometh forth Thomas venatorius, whych with great grace, lernynge, and eloquence hath wrytten an excellent worke vpon the .ii. epystles of saynt Paule to Timothe. Thys boke maye not come a brode to be tryed [Page 50] by the scrypturs and most auctentyue do­ctours, but yt must in a bagge be cōdemp­ned at Paules crosse for heresye, non arty­cles named. And what ys the cause thynke yow? For yt sheweth the ryght offyce of a Christen bysshopp, how he schuld tea­the and gouerne, whych my lorde cā not The prin­cipall con tentes of that god­lye wor­ke. awaye with. It commaūdeth to resyst fal­se preachers, whom my lorde doth daylye maiteyne. It describeth soche wycked pre lates as teacheth the doctryne of deuyls with lyes [...] hypocresye forbyddynge mar ryage and meates, of whose nombre hys lordshypp ys one. It exhorteth all spiritu­all gydes of the peple to be vertuouse and The ryght office of a christēbys hoppe charytable, to cleaue to Chrystes gospell, and to shurne superfluouse argumentes, and not to deceyue the worlde with hypo cresye, sufferynge all abhomynacyons vn der the shaddowe of outwarde holynesse to haue ther fre course, but my lorde wyll non of that.

2 The compendyouse treatyse of Gods prouydēce, whych that most notable clar ke Huldricus Zuinglius wrote at the in­stan̄t Huldricus Zuingli­us de pro­uidentia Dei. request of the ryght worshypfull lor de Phylypp the Lādgraue of Hesse, onlye comprehendeth the matters here folowyn ge. That God necessarylye dysposeth all creaturs accordynge to hys inscrutable [Page] wysdome. That the prouydence of God The contē tes of that famouse and excol lent wor­ke. ys hys perpetuall and vnchangeable ad­mynystracyō of all thiges. That the ryght consyder acyon of the creaturs byneth yt a playne waye to deduce vs into knowle [...] ge therof. That manne ys not onlye a terrestryall but a celestyall creatur also. Vvhat the lawe of God ys, and vnto what ende yt was geuen vnto manne. That the eter­nall wysdome of God knowynge man­nys Marke what my lordehath here con­demned. dyuerse fall afore hande, coude in no case erre, ouershote her compasse, nor yet be deceyued, neyther in creatynge nor yet in geuynge the lawe. That Gods eleccyon or predestynacyon (as the doctours doth call yt) taketh grounde of hys goodnesse and wysdome, and ys immutable. And that hys eternall decrees or sett purposes are alwayes as he ys, vnchangeable, stronge, and sure, with soche other lyke. And All con­demneth he with outrespect all these hath my lorde of hys pontyfycall dyscressyon cōdempned here for heresye, with all that was spoken of afore. Vvherin I stāde i moche doubt whether he hath condempned hys prynce for an heretyque or no. I wyll not saye that my lorde ys an assehead without true knowlege, nor yet The re­port of dyuerse ler­ned mēn [...] a beast without godlye iudgement, yet here I dyuerse lerned menne so daylye report hym, for condempnynge thys boke, [Page 51] and soche other, One thynge I wolde de­syre the dylygent reader to marke here, whych I haue oft rehersed a fore. In the fyrst of my lordes declaracyon was ney­ther God nor Christ ones named, neyther God foū ­de amon­ge heretyques ys cōdēpned. yet in thys latter fytt tyll we come to the rehersall of heretyques bokes, ād that doth [...]he all of spyght. But blessed be that lorde that he wyll be foūde there yet. I thought so moche all thys tyme, that came we ones amonge them, we coude not be lōge with out hym. In the verye tyttles of ther bokes doth he apere, moch more in the processe God bea­reth no rewle amō ­ge bys­hops. within. Vvhere as in the whole matter of an holye spirituall, gloryouse, glytteryn­ge prelate he can not ones be seane. True ys that lorde of hys worde and iust of hys promyse, that he wyll be with the pore contemned dyscyples to the ende of the worlde.

3 Next foloweth. 4. dyuerse bokes of Psal. 118. Mat. 28. 4. cathe­chysmes of faythe. one tyttle, called all catechysmes, or insty­tucyons of the true Christen relygyon. Vvhom my lordes holye fatherhode in the zele of a contrarye or popyshe relygy on, condēpneth here for heresye. The fyrst ys the catechysme of Phylypp Melanchtō, Philippus Melanch­ton com­pyled the fyrst. whose manyfolde erudycyon the best ler­ned of chrystendome greatlye cōmendeth. Thys treatyse of hys, ys an onlye chrysten [Page] instytucyō for the bryngynge vp of yow the, teachynge thē the cōmaūdementes of God, the artycles of the Chrysten faythe, the lordes prayer, and the ryght vse of the sacramentes. I wonder what my lorde me aneth to condempne these for heresyes.

4 The seconde ys the catechysme of Vrbanus Regiꝰ made the se­conde. Vrbanus Regius, a manne also Chrysten­lye lerned and of a syncere lyuynge? Thys worke contayneth the necessarye pryncy­ples of the chrysten relygyon afore reher­sed, whose knowlege ys lyfe, and whose ignoraunce ys dampnacyon. Thys coude not my lorde reprehēde had he not an eye geuen to wyckednesse.

5 Of Balthasar Hiebmeir Pacimonta­nus Balthasar Pacimon­tanus ma­de the iij. ys the thyrde catechysme, whom in dede I knowe not but by name, as I haue redde yt in other mennys writynges. But I cō ceyue here the better o pynyon of hym, for that my lorde hath condempned hym amō ge these menne, whose doctryne I knowe to be pure and perfyght.

6 Erasmus Sarcerius Anemontanus Erasmus Sarcerins cōpyled the forth. (whose name ys also notable and hys ler­nynge famouse) made the fort catechysme, whom he elegantlye dyffyneth to be an in stytncyon or teachynge by mouthe, com­prehendynge the necessarye poyntes of the Christen faythe and relygyon. Nothynge [Page 52] ys more bewtyfull in a Christen manne, than purelye to worshypp God, ād ryght Rebukes geueth the bysshops for godlynesse. lye to exercyse the wurkes of faythe, whych these bokes throughlye teacheth. Rather were soch menne worthye thākes than rebukes, for so regardynge the Chri­sten common welthe, yf bysshoppes not doynge soche thynges were as they schuld be, regardynge the peples helthe. But so­che are euermore the vnworthye wayes of thys worlde, malygnelye to blame men ne for ther wele doynge, ād flatterynglye to holde the other sort vp in all kyndes of wyckydnesse. As my lorde doth here full Hier. 10. Math. 23 fatherlye, whych wyll neyther enter into the kyngedome of God hys selfe nor yet suffre anye other that wolde gladlye do yt

The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

STyll ys my lorde busye with thys bagge or sachell, declarynge the contentes [Page] therof to the great confusyon of Tolwyn, The wol­fe chaseth the poor lābe [...] styll. I had almost sayd of hymselfe but that I stopped yt in tyme. For bysshoppes can ta [...] no scathe here, bnt what ys towardes thē in the next worlde, that ys in the ryghtfull iudges handes. More of these errony­ouse bokes must be condēpned yet, no remedye. Specyallye one westmore vpon the concylyacyon of fathers. My lorde by Bartholomeus west hemerus a lerned mā ne. all lykelyhode was here i some great ago­nye or whote passyon of prelacye, forget­tynge the ryght tyttle of thys boke. In dede he that made yt ys called Bartholomeus Vvesthemerus, whych ys yet a māne of great lytterature and iudgement. The tyttle Concili­atio sacrae scripturae. of hys boke ys, The cōcylyacyon of the holye scrypturs and most aūcyent fathers, And not westmore vpon the concylyacy­on of fathers. He compyled the selfe treaty se, and not wrote vpon yt as mēne do that glose a text. My lorde therfor beynge Ig­noraunt Christ ys condempned of my lorde. of the true tyttle, schuld seme to be ignoraunt also in the contentes of that boke, and so to condempne he woteth not what. But by hys absolute power he maye do soche actes, and condempne Chryst to yf he come in hys waye, in so hastye an o­uer syght. In thys boke as in a clere myr­rour, maye mēne beholde wherī the holye Vvhat ys to be sea­ne in that godlye volume. doctours, coūsels, canōs, Rome bysshops, [Page 53] constytucyons, customes, and cronycles dyffereth as concernynge Christen relygyon, from the sacred scripturs of both testa­mentes. And thys ys a matter necessarye to be knowne of all menne that coueteth to walke ryghtlye, rather than to be condēpned without lokynge on, yf we haue ey­ther conscyence, wytt, or grace. But all Ioan. 5. Esa. 50. Math. 15. Luc. 6. my lordes labour ys to make hys ghostlye chyldren to grope styll in the darke, tyll they droppe into the dytche for all.

2 I moche blame not my lorde for be­ynge offended with the boke of the counterfett bysshopp, partlye for that yt was made by Martyn Luther the capytall ene­mye Martyn Lutherma de the coū terfett bysshoppe. of antichristes bysshoppes, and part­lye for that my lorde ys therin so lyuelye sett out in hys pontyfycall colours. Yet wondre I ageyne that he schuld condempne that pycture whych he beareth out so lyuelye in the syght of the worlde. Para­uenture he ys well contented to playe the proude pagent, but he wolde not haue the scripturs to busye to tell hym therof. No­thynge taketh thys treatyse from a ryght 1. Tim. 3. Esa. 1. Apoc. 18. christen bysshopp, though yt toucheth the tyrauntes of Sodome, and the gloryouse, glottons of Babylon. Therfor lett thē we­xe furyouse, frātyk, and madde at ther spirytuall pleasure, full lyttle careth Martyn [Page] for that thonderynge or earthquake of thers.

3 The godlye confessyon of faythe, whych the noble princes of germanye mekelye The cōfes­syō of the Germanes offred to the emproure for the churches reformacyon (whom my lorde cal­leth here the confessyon in Englyshe full wyselye) with the lerned Apologye of Phylypp Melāchton, hath he also blotted with the blacke tyttle of heresye. Ryght­lye Math. 7. Esaye. 50. Phil. 3. Math. 33. compareth Christ soche shamelesle hypocrytes to rauenynge dogges and swyne cruellye tearynge hys truthe and treadyn­ge vnder ther fylthye fete the precyouse pearle therof. Full lyttle knoweth thys blynde bysye busharde what he doth condempne in these godlye bokes here reher­sed. He dāpneth dyuerse verytees of God All god­lynesse condempneth Bon­ner. as our iustyfycacyō i Christ, the puttynge downe of the pope, the confutynge of the anabaptystes, the true obedyence to prin­ces, the abolyshynge of superstycyōs, with manye godlye thynges that our kynge hath done ageynst the false kyngedome of antychrist. Vvhat godlye wyse manne cā Vvith all that ower kynge hath done iudge otherwyse of hym, whan he condē pneth all that ys in them contayned with out respect. Certayne I ā that these are the pryncypall poyntes therin decysed.

4 Vvhat the postylles are vpō the epysteles [Page 54] and gospels, (whych foloweth cōsequentlye vnder the same condempnacyō) The postilles of Ri­charde taverner. I can not tell, vnlesse they be Rychard ta­uerners. Vvhom he compyled together of a good godlye mynde, that yowr asseheaded prestes whych can do no soche thyn­ges) schuld not be all Idell, but shewe so­me godlye instruccyons to the peple. By thys furyouse acte therfor maye all mē ne Nothyn­ge seck the bys­shops but destruccyon of sowle. se, that ye mynde no maner of godlynesse to the dere flocke of Christ, but all de­struccyon and myschefe. In the chamber of thys poore manne (whom ye thus procla­me for an heretyque) founde ye dyuerse bokes of papystrye and treason to your price were they so narrowlye loked vpō as these are. But them left ye there behynde vntouched, as matters necessarye to the vpholdynge Bokes of pystryeā [...] treasō no [...] cōdēpned [...] of your holye churche. Lett Tol wyn haue so manye of them as he wyll, and he schall neuer be blamed, but be your owne whyght sōne. Ye passe not a whytt how moche treasō be a brode, for by that alwayes hath your ruffelynge relygyon had mayntenaunce. Onlye ys yt heresye Treaso [...] ys non h [...] resye, bu [...] onlye th [...] scripturs (as ye call yt) that moueth your spretes. For by that ys decayed yowr vayne glo­rye. Ye force not though a hondred thou­sande of those bokes were abrode that myght teache menne to be dysobedyent [Page] to God in the matters of faythe, and vnto your prynce in the causes of ther true alle­geaunce. The enchyridion of Eckius that Iohan Ec­kius with hys Enchirydion. impudent proctour of antichrist offendeth yow nothynge at all. Yet cōtayneth yt all doctryne of deuylyshnesse, as the popes auctoryte, power and prymacye, hys coū ­sels cōstytucyons and customes, hys confirmacyons orders and vnccyons, hys wors­hyppynge of Images rodes and rellyques, The ghostlye treasure ther in cōtayned. hys excommunycacyons interdyccyons and cursynges, hys purgatorye pardons and pylgrimages, hys immunytees pluralitees and tot quo [...]es with the deuyll ād all of soche fylthynesse. Euerye where ys thys boke sought and enquyred for ī cyte, markett, and feyer. Euerye ser Iohan must ha­ue To lerne therwith to make trayters a pace. yt that can rede, to make hym therwith a Christen curate, a good ghostlye father, and a catholyck member of holye churche Verye fewe popyshe prestes with in my lordes dyocese are at thyssame houre with out yt, eyther in ther chambers, sleues, or bosoms. For yt ys a most precyouse trea­sure to hym that wyll heare confessyons Necessa­rye doctrine for ho­lye chur­che. and kepe a cure well to antychristes behoue. That embrase the gentyll menne of the popes lyuerye and marke, that culle they, that kysse they, that drawe they to them as a worke of most holye wholsom catho­lyck [Page 55] doctryne. No lesse myght harrye pep well in Paules churche yearde, haue out of harry pep well sto­kyslayes prouider. Michael Hillenius howse, in Anwerpe at one tyme than ā whole complete prynte at the holye request of stokyslaye. In a short space were they dyspached and a newe prynte in hāde, soche tyme as he also commaunded Barlowes dyaloges to be prea­ched of the curates through out all hys dyocese. The auc­tor suspended for prechyn­ge the gospell. I knowe yt the better for that he at the same tyme suspended me from prea­chynge in estsexe bycause I wold not leaue the gospell and be sworne to the obser­uacyon of hys iniunccyons. I haue know­ne in my tyme more than vi. dyuerse pryntes of thys erronyouse and deuylyshe boke whych ys a manyfest token that the vtte­raunce therof hath not bene small. Dyuer­se Other bokes els of the seyd papyst Eckius. of them hath besydes thys, hys dronken dysputacyons ageynst heretyques, hys apostolyck crede, hys crysopassus of dyuyne predestynacyon, hys aurycular confessyō, hys boke offre wyll, hys primacye of Peter to pope Leo the tent, and hys postylles of papystrye. Manye other dyrtye dyuy­nes haue they els of the same pharyseycall leuen, to maynteyne the same selfe doctri­ne. As Thomas of Aquyne, Bonauenture, More lousye doctors of the same leuen. Vvalden, Prierias, Catharinns, Clychto­ueus, Radinus, Empser, Cocleus, Latho­mus, [Page] Scatzger, Herbron, Hochstrate, Na­talis Beda. Tregarius, Pelargus, Hofme­ster, Alphonsus de Castro, Iohan Fysher, and Thomas More, with canonystes and Romystes the deuyll and all. But at these can my lorde wynke, in hope of, I saye no At these canthe bysshops wi­ke. more. Vvhether these wayes be ryght or naye, lete menne of godlye and rype dys­cressyon iudge.

The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

NOt yet haue we done with these bokes, A boke of prayer made by Martin luther. but styll are they a foule blott in my lordes eyes. Now cometh a boke of prayer made by Martyn Luther, yet no­thynge ys seane but the bagge. Anon my lorde wyll saye that heretyques despyse good workes, and write ageynst fastynge Bonner wyl pro­ue hym­self a fowle lyer. ād prayer. But lete hym be ware least thys boke ꝓue hym a lowde lyar in the face of [Page 56] all the worlde. In that small treatyse (yf yt be hys) ys nothynge els contayned but the lordes prayer, the commaundementes, and crede. It ys moche maruele to me, yf they are now become heresye, and legenda au­rea, with sancta Maria ora pro nobis out Legenda aurea, ▪ with ora pro no­bis. of your ordynarye pye and portas beco­meth ageyne so wholsom lernynge. But parauenture yt ys for Luthers names sake. If the whole doctrine of the trynyte came in that name, yt schuld sure into the sachell without lokynge on, and be condempned for heresye. Ye, yf God came hymfelfe vnder hys tyttle, he schuld surelye stāde forth God and all hys cō ­maunde­mentes cō dempned here for an heretyque in my lordes great mode He hath alredye cōdempned hys cōmaundementes, hys prayer, and the artycles of hys faythe, for Martyns sake ōlye. And no maruele. For he ys the father heretyque ād enemye of all holye churche. If God wold God myght haue thankes to take lu­ther awa­ye. The dore of holye scriptur ys Christ. Ioan. 10. ones take hym out of the waye, doubtles­se he schuld hane great thankes of my lor­de and of the ranke rable of Romyshe ruf­felers.

2 Next cometh forewarde in course the dore of holye scripture. Vvhether thys be Christ or no, I am in moche doubt. For in dede he sayth vnto hys dyscyples in the x. chapter of Iohan. I am the dore into the shepe folde. He that entreth in by me schal [Page] go in and out, and fynde good fedynge. But I fere me that my lorde ys one of tho­se Ioan. 10. Treno. 3. Col. 3. 2. Tim. 3. Exod. 7. Psal. 2. Act. 4. Hier. 26. Math. 26. theues and robbers that Christ speaketh of there, for stoppynge vp of thys dore. For he in so doynge depryueth the peple of that lyfe whych ys in hym, and so sleeth ther soules, holdynge them styll captyue in synne. Alwayes hath my lordes generacyon bene thus rebellyouse ageynst the lorde and hys worde. As we haue for exam­ple ī the olde lawe, the false prestes whych compassed Hieremye the prophete, and in the newe lawe the spirituall prelates that sought Christes deathe. If thys dore of ho­lye scripture be a treatyse, than had yt bene more wysdome for my lorde to haue christenlye reproued the errours therof (in case A tyttle offerynge moche godlynesse condēpned. ther be anye) and not to condempne soche a clere perfyght tyttle as offreth nothynge but godlynesse. I thynke eyther hys wyt­tes are not hys owne or els he ys dronke with excesse of the Babylonyshe cuppe of hys holye mother.

3 The compendyouse postyls of Anto­nius Postille Antonij▪ Coruini, vtiles & necessarie Coruinus vpō the sondayes ond sayntes, are iudged of menne that be syncerelye lerned, to be faythfull and godlye. And so moche the more necessarye to a preacher that ys but meanelye lerned, that within a small compasse they contayne moche christen [Page 57] erudycyon. But my lorde admitteth nothige that perteieth to that office. He careth No ryght preachynge but sensynge of Images. the newe māner of preachynge now a dayes. The aun­cyēt workes of holy church for nothynge but for holye water ād sensynge ꝓcessyō and massynge. He thynketh that .iiij. tymes in the yeare or ones in a quarter ys ynough for preachynge, and therin onlye to declare the kynges actes cō cernynge ceremonyes and tythes in stede of the popes sentence of cursynges whych now is worne out. If they Iyst to preache anye other thynge els, they haue yet ther olde festyuall, mammotractus, Gesta roma norum, Sermones discipuli, Sermones dormi secure, Rationale diuinorum, Manipulus curatorum, postilla guilhermi, ād dyuerse other more, whych are auncyent workes allowed of holye churche. They haue also a famouse newe worke called Ioh Eckāius postyll, which battelleth for the newe postyl of Iohā. Ec­kius. the holye fathers primacye harde. These and soche other are bokes of catholyk lernynge, and schall neuer be condempned, for they make all togyther for holye churche.

4. In the bottom of the bagge lyeth .ij. olde written bokes, and they haue no na­mes Two ol­de written bokes without name. here to fulfyll my lordes promes wyth, But thus moche hath my lorde gathe­red of them, that the one of them is for scolers, ād the other ys takē out of Io. frythes [Page] bokes. But wonder yt ys to me what that boke schuld offende whych ys onlye for scolers, and hath non other tyttle. Vvyl Vertuouse educacion is become here­sye. my lorde styll destroye all godlynesse without excepcyon? Non other ys yt to condempne a boke for scolers, (hauynge non other addycyon) but to condempne for heretyques doctryne ther vertuouse bryngynge vpp in good letters and ma­ners, In thys doth my lorde declare hymselfe an enemye vnto nature, whych delyteth Arist. 2. de aia. & 1. coeli. in necessaryes, besydes that he hath done vnto faythe.

That the other treatyse taken out of Io­han frythes bokes schuld be an olde boke, yt ys a fowle lye, though yt be newlye The age of Iohan fryth. practysed of my lorde. For he was not. 27 years olde in the 8. yeare afore thys decla­racyon, whan my lordes generacyon Stokyslaye, Gardyner, and soche other, (whō Esaye calleth the tyrauntes of Sodoma) Esa. 1. Gen. 9. Iohan. 10. putt hym to most cruell deathe in the yea­re of owr lorde God. M. D .xxxiij. for Christes congregacyon sleeth no manne for hys faythe. And therfor it cā not now be olde, and collected of hys bokes. Not all vnlyke ys my lorde here, vnto the olde 4. reg. 23. Hiere. 36 1. math. 1. tyrauntes in the condempnacyon of these bokes. Ioachim the kynge of Iuda tare Hie remyes prophecye and consumed yt in the [Page 58] fyre for vtterynge the truthe. Antiochus cō maunded the bokes of the scripturs to be brent also, and the readers of them to be putt vnto deathe. Herodes the Ascalonyte or Idumyte destroyed the monymentes of Ioan ba­chonis .3. sentē dist. 20. the Iewes, and cruellye slewe ther notaryes. Besydes that hath be done by the conse­crate prelates of Constantynople and Ro­me, whych also destroyed manye workes of Chrysostome and Gregorye, as the cro­nycles mencyoneth. And Tōstall in owr tyme (whych ys now bysshop of Durhā) Tonstall burned the testa­mentes in. englyshe. whan the testamentes came first into En­glyshe, bought vpp a greatt nombre of them and brent them in Paules churche yearde, for the great deuocyon he had vnto them, and bycause he wolde shewe hys kynde. But what became of the asore na­med tyrauntes, for workynge soche wyckednesse? Trulye Ioachim was ledde cap­tyue Hiere. 22. 4. reg. 24 3. para. 36 Math. 1. 1. math. 6 petrus cō mestor li. 19. cap. 16 into Egypt, and at the last dyed there myserablye, hys name secluded frō Christes genealogye. Antiochus departed in a straunge lande, ouerwhelmed with dys­payre, ād innumerable sorowes els. Herode was vexed with manye sore disseases, as ytche, scall, mange, gowte, feuers, collyke, and at the last consumed of wormes, most wretchydlye ended hys lyfe. what schall become here after of my lorde bon­ner [Page] and Tohstall for doynge lyke feates I Boner ād Tonstall vnder the lordes vē geaunce. wyll not nor can not dyffyne, for yt ys in the handes of God. But sure I am that yt wyll be remembred whan blasphemers schall receyue rewardes accordinge to ther dedes. My lorde parauenture thynketh the menne be yll, and therfor he maye iustlye condempne ther workes. My lorde must consydre ageyne, that though Balaam, Sa­ul, Num. 24▪ 1. reg. 26. Ioan. 11. Lucae. 6. 1. cor. 12. and Cayphas were wycked persones, yet doth not the scripturs condempne ther true prophecyes. Vvhat these mēne are ther frutes schall declare. For no manne can saye that Iesus ys the lorde (whych my lorde hath not yet vttred in all hys processe) but in the holye ghost. And as for my lordes thynkynge, we remembre in Esaye that Esay. 5 & 55. they whych holde darkenesse lyght and lyght darkenesse, haue thoughtes and iud­gementes full vnlyke to the thoughtes and iudgementes of God. They saye they do well (sayth Micheas the prophete) whan they labour to shede blood and hunte ther Mich. 7. Zach. 11. Ioan. 16. bretherne to deathe. They slee the shepe (sayth Zacharye) and yet they take yt for no synne. No, they suppose they do God good seruyce in so doynge. But lete them take hede of yt and they lyst, for Esaye ge­ueth Esa. 5. Psal. 54. them warnynge that hell gapeth full wyde and openeth her mouthe at large to [Page 59] rewarde that good seruyce of thers.

The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

NOw face out your matter with a carde of tenne. Sumwhat must be sayd here to make foles beleue, ye haue done A blynde rēnaunt must styll holde vp Babylon Psal. 52. Ezech. 10 Esa. 44. Hiere. 18. a good acte though it turne all to allye. A blinde rēnaunt of peple must ye alwayes deceyue to vpholde ye still in your mi­schefes. And they be those dustye dreamers that Esaye speaketh of, whych can haue no fre conscyence to reason with themselues, or ones to thynke in ther mides. Maye not I erre? Soche dawyshe dodypolles were the parentes of hym that was borneblide, which wolde not confesse Christ to haue Ioan. 12. Math. 10. Ioan. 12. Ioan. 16. healed ther sōne, for feare of dyspleasynge [Page] the prestes, and least the bysshoppes schuld them excommunycate, or curse them out of churche. In these bokes (ye saye) are contayned manye sondrye errours and heresyes. It maye wele be your saynge, for we se neyther them nor the bokes as yet. Ye ha­ue buryed thē both in a bagge. If ye schuld Not one of the doctours are without errours. reieētet all bokes that hath errours, ye schuld retayne verye fewe workes of saīt Augustin, saynt Hierom, Orygene, Tartu lyane, Basile, Chrisostome, Cyrill, Damascene, Isodre, Bede, haymo, or anye of your other doctours. If errours offende you, I maruele ye suffre Thomas of Aquyne to Thomas of aquine with hys affinite. remayne, whose dyrtye dyuynite hath made the pope Christes vycar in earthe, and all Christen kynges hys sworne subiectes all your scole doctours, canonystes, senten cyonystes, and summystes agreynge to the same.

2 Bokes ye haue ād that manye, whych Adā car­dinalis in dialogo regis & episcopi. deryueth all princes powers out of the popes auctoryte, as braunches out of the vy­ne, and small ronnynge ryuers out of the head sprynge, secundum esse & exercitium (soche are your Ynkehorne termes) onlye to execute in polytyque ordynaūces at hys holye mynde and pleasure, but them brynge Thomas waldenꝰ cōtra wic leuistas .l. 2. ye not forthe. In them fynde ye neyther blasphemouse lyes, detestable errours, nor [Page 60] yet abhomynable heresyes (as ye call them here) though they expreslye saye, that the­re ys no lawfull Christen kynge, vnlesse he receyue hys vnccyon, other, promes, faythe, iurysdyccyon, auctorite, seate, po­wer, swerde, scepter, and crowne of hī or Idē wal­denuscontra wicle uistas lib. 2. cap. 78 of hys deputes. Yea, ād to make thys good ye cōpare your prestes vnto the sunne, the sowle, ād vnto fyne golde, ād the kynges with ther peple vnto the mone, the wret ched bodye, and course leade, As though your prynces were a farre more vnwor­thye peple thā you by reason of your gre­synge and shauynge, for fewe other ver­tues haue ye. If yowr canon lawe (wherof The canō lawe and ceremonies tryed bi the scripturs. ye are a commensed doctour) and all the ceremonyes whych ye haue of the pope were brought to the tryall of gods worde they schuld not onlye apere sondrye er­rours, but also blasphemouse beggerye, detestable lernynge, and abhomynable wyt­cherye, the pharysees leuen, lyes of hypo­crites, Math. 16. Esa. 59. Hiere. 23. Sopho. 1. Ezech. 4. 1. Tim. 4. Matt. 24. adders egges, spyders webbes, bry­res, tares, cockle, chaffe, menstrue, rust, dust dregges, dreames, dottage, dronkēnesse, dogges dyrt, swylle, swynes draffe, fylthynesse, stubble, snares of enemyes, execrable doctrine of deuyls, Gods curse, and abho­mynacyon syttynge in the holye place.

3 These bokes (ye saye) are ageynst the [Page] blessed sacramēt of the aultre, and ageynst other sacramentes of christes churche. Aud A pretēce of godly­nesse to coloure ther my­schefe. all thys ys not els but to colour your cau­tels of myschefe vnder some pretence of godlynesse. Vnder thys colour name ye christ, aud yt ys the first tyme of axynge, though it be not greatlye to hys honour▪ who are more ageynst that godlye myny stracyon than yow? whych hath in euerye They cō ­trarye christes instytuciō poynt corrected, yea, rather contraryed christes clere instytution? Ye geue it a newe lyuer ye besydes the gospell▪ yow call it the sacramēt of an aulter, whych ys as moche to saye, as the holye sygne of an heape of bryckes. They call yt the holye The pa­pystes blasphe­me the sa­crament. supper of the lorde, or a mutuall pertycy pacyon of christes bodye aud blood, ac­cordynge to hys godlye instytuciō. Ther­for yow blaspheme yt aud not they, yow erre aud are the heretyques, aud not they. Moche better yt was wyth vs whā christ Hebr. 13. Psal. 50. Rom. 12. Deut. 12. Esa. 65. Apoc. 18. Collo. 2. Osee. 4. Osee. 10. Esa. 2. was owr onlye aulter, aud we the lyuyn­ge sacrifyce offred thervpon in a syncere faythe vnto god the father, than now ha­uynge yowr brycke aulters amōge dead mennys graues (as Esaye telleth your tale) aud yow to stande vpp there as newe re­demers and sauers for moneye, with touche me not for I am holyar than thu. Ose­as the prophete sayth, that ye eate vpp the [Page 61] synnes of the peple, and corage them in your wyckednesse. And therfor vpō your Apoc. 6. Math. 26. 1. Cor. 11. aulters schall growe both thystles ād thornes whan yow schall hyde your heades. The mutuall supper of the lorde, whō he made cōmon to all hys true beleuers, haue yow turned into a brekefast of your ow­ne deuysynge, bycause ye are moche wy­ser [...]stes pre­che vnto walles ād wyndo­wes. thā he. wherin ye turne yowr arses to the peple, ye tell a longe ꝓcesse to the walles, wyndowes, aulter clothes, aud Y dols in a forē lāguage whych the more part of yow vnderstādeth not. And whan ye haue eate aud drōke vp all, ye blesse all your neybers with the emptye cuppes bottom and god bewith them, neuer p̄achynge the lordes deathe tyll he come. If ye crucyfye 1. Cor. 11 Hebr. 6. Math. 20. Luc. 18. christ a freshe (as yow saye ye offre a sacrifyce for the quycke and the dead) ye must ageyn betraye hī, accuse hym, scorne him, scorge hym, iudge hym, nayle hī to the crosse ād perce hym to the hartwyth a speare. For all these were necessarye offyces in the first sacrifyce. One oblacyon made Hebr. 7. 9. & 13. 1. Pet. 3. Ephes. 5 he ones for all to sanctyfye vs vnto god, and that can not ryghtly be renued ageyne, vnlesse all these partes be played. And that ye leaue vndone in thys po­ynt, ye perfourme full manerlye in the members of hys mystycall bodye, whō ye neuer cease to persue vnto deathe.

[Page]4 Vvith your other sacramentes we The other sacramentes. Apoc. 2. Ioan. 10. Hiere. 13. wyll not here medle, bycause ye do not expresse them. But of thys we assure yow, that churche ys not Christes whych folo­weth your voyce ād not hys. Not hys flocke are they that goeth a whore hontynge to manye straūge Goddes, after your rradicyons and customes.

5 Ye saye consequentlye that the afore The arty­cle of mā nys fre wyll. named bokes are a gaynst the fre wyll of manne, and in so doynge they make God the auctor of synne. Vvhat yow make of God I can not tell. But wele I wote, thys doctrine of yours ys straunge. Sumwhat ye wolde fayne haue to auaunce your owne ryghtousnesse, and depresse the rygh­tousnesse they seke to depresse the ry­ghtousnesse of god. of God, and that must vp for a newe artycle of ower faythe. For nō other purpose wolde ye haue a fre wyll, but to proue therbye that your whole iustyfyca­cyon cometh not by Iesus Christ, but mo­che by your good merytes and workes. Augusti­nꝰ de ver bis apo­stoli. Augusti­nus in so­liloquijs Cap. 15. what fredome can we haue of that whych hath brought vs into all bondage of dea­the, synne, helle, and the deuyll? we are of ower selues nothinge (saith saynt Austyn) but all togyther vanyte, a shaddowe of deathe, a darke bottomlesse pyt and a voyde barren grounde, nothynge bryngynge forthe but confusyon, synne, and deathe. [Page 62] Truthe yt ys that before the fall of Adam, mannys wyll was fre. Sens hath yt not bene Fre onlye in bodily thynges. fre but in bodylye thynges, as to eate, drynke, and slepe, or to do all maner of wyckednesse. Now are we not able of that wyll ones to thynke a good thought. All ys now synne in vs that ys not of fay­the. 2. cor. 3. Rom. 14. Ioan. 1. 1. Cor. 4. Neyther of the wyll of the fleshe nor yet of mannys wyll, become we now Gods chyldren, but of an onlye beleue in hys name, and that ys hys gyft also. Stoyckes and epycures maye that fre wyll make vs, but no true chyldren of God. It fareth Here. 10. Rom. 7. Prou. 25. Phil. 2. by the braggers of thys fre wyll as by hym which boasteth that sumtyme he had a fayre howse, where as now ys neyther rose nor wall. A tyttle yt hath that soche a thynge ther was, but yt ys nothynge lesse in ef­fect. Fayne wolde yowr scole doctours with ther vnsauerye sophystrye make sum The papystes boro of the pe­lagyanes and Ma­nychees. what of yt, yf they coudebrynge yt so to passe. Somtyme with the pelagyanes ye garnyshe yt with the excellent gyftes of nature. And whan that wyll not serue, with the subtyle manychees ye preuent yt with a grace, least the first entraunce of synne schuld be imputed vnto yt, besydes that ye borowe of the Iouynyanystes, Iacoby­tanes, All one are they in opynyon with the anabapti­stes. priscyllyanystes, predestynates and other heretyques more. Fynallye with the [Page] anabaptystes ye graūt it in owr powr to fulfyll the cōmaundementes of god. Thus are ye all one in opinion with heretyques olde and newe, and yet ye pretende to be cōdempners of thē. If God be the worker of all good thinges, as he reporteth himselfe Esay. 44 Ephc. 1. Iacob. 2. Math. 10. Ioan. 14. Rom. 9. in Esaye. If he worketh all in all, accordynge to hys owne pleasure. If all good­nesse cometh frō the father of lyght. If we can not speake a ryght, but in hys sprete. If non can come to the father but by christ. If we be saued onlye by the eleccyon of hys grace, what can owr fre wyll do? Canne we meryte grace with synne? or deserue to be ryghtoused by folye? O blynde beastes Hypocrytes geue al to thēsel­ues, block heades, ād hypocrites, lerne ones to be wyse and godlye, and to referre more vnto god and lesse to your selues.

6 Ye saye yf we allowe not thys fre­dome in mannys wyll, we make god the auctour of synne. Yowr argument is as An olde argumēt of pelagius. yow are, vnlerned, fantastycall, and dol­tyshe. Thys wyse reason of yowrs came first frō Pelagius the first fynder out and mayntener of your fre wyll, as wytnesseth saynt Austin i hypognostico. Loo (sayth Augusti­nusi hypo gnostioc versus fi­nem. he to the pelagyanes) bycause your best be loue or fre wyll, whō ye haue so moche commended, hath conceyued lewdenesse, engendred synne, ād brought forth deathe [Page 63] ye constytute god the author of synne. Ye call both hym and hys apostle a tēpter of God is not the causer of synne. Iaco. [...]. yll menne, bycause (after your opynion) he hath created the thinges that prouoketh them to euyll, and so causeth them to peryshe. But saynt Iames cleareth thys, saynge. That manne is tempted, drawne, and allured of hys owne concupiscence, which is now hādefast to your fre will. The gentyles (sayth chrisostome) vndyscretelye no­teth Chriso­stomus Hom. 4. super Io­annem. christ a destroyer of the peple, for that he called them with so moche gentylnesse and not brought them in by compulsyon. Vvhat are these els, but the frutes of men­nys wysdome and blasphemouse fanta­syes? The scriptur sayth that God comma­unded Semei to curse Dauid. He reserueth 2. reg. 16. Prou. 16. Esa. 54. 3, reg. 22. Rom. 1. Eccl. 11. Amos. 3. the wycked vnto an euyll daye. He ma­keth the waster to destroye. He promiseth to be a lyenge sprete in the mouthe of all false prophetes. He hath geuen menne vp to ther hartes desyre to worke vncomlye thynges. Good and yll, lyfe and deathe cō meth all of the lorde. Is there anye plage (sayth Amos) or my shappe in a cyte, that is not of the lordesdoynge? with soche o­ther more. And schall we saye for these, that he is the author of synne? No, God Nune. 23. 2. para. 19 is not in case as is manne, that he can lye, or do anye other wyckednesse. That is sin [Page] ne in manne, is eternall ryghtousnesse in Michaell bononien in. 2. sent. hym, as wytnesseth, all the sentencyoners in amaner. I maruele therfor what my lorde wyll stande to, whā neyther the scrip­turs nor yet hys owne doctours can serue hym. Lete neuer the pott earthe in the handes of the potter reasō what vessel he will Hie. 18. Rom. 9. Prou. 15. Eccl. 3. Esa. 38. make hym, least he be brokē in hys anger for serchynge so hygh thinges. He that mekeneth hymselfe schall fynde grace. Sure we are that non can peryshe, which fayth fullye obeyeth hys callynge. For he is of infinite mercye. If any be lost for not obey enge it, the faute is thers and not hys.

The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

DEd not I tel ye afore, we schuld not My lorde bonerproueth hymselfe a fo­wle lyar. nede to seke farre to proue yow a lyar, for your owne confessyō wolde do it? ye saye these bokes are ageynst good workes, and ye declare here what good workes ye meane. Specyally fastynge (ye [Page 64] saye) prayer, and almes dede. I maruelé ye are not ashamed, to be so double of your wordes. A fore ye sayd, there was in the Alwayes hath anti­christ a shameles­se face. Daniel. 8 sachell a boke of prayer made by Luther and here now ye saye, they are ageynst prayer. Of prayer ād ageinst prayer is not all one, by anye godlye mannys iudge­ment. But fyrst lete vs go to good workes. If it be a good worke to abhorre vnfaythfulnesse, to detest Idols, to All these are good workes and requiaed in those bokes. shurne hypocresye to repent wyckednes­se, to resort to christ, to seke hys glorye a­lone, to obeye christen rewlers of lone, to lyue after Gods cōmaundemētes, to praye without supersticion, to brynge vp yow the in vertu, with soche other like, thā are yow a most wycked blasphemer. For all Ther monye sacricesare not in thē cō ­mended. they are in these bokes most ernestlye de­syred. Marrye in dede the good workes that myght make to the fyllynge of your spirituall purses, are not there greatlye cared for and that is the cause of yowr great anger.

2 As moche care yow for true fastyn­ge Eccle. 34. Za. h. 7. Esayc. 58 Luce. 6. Baruch. 2 (whych is to cease from synne, and to do the workes of mercye) as doth the de­uyll of hell. Vvhan delyuer yow the op­pressed? Vvhan dysolue yow vngolye promises? whan hūger yow for the ryght ousnesse of God? Abstynēce from meates [Page] maketh vs not Gods seruauntes. For than were the deuyll most holye, which neuer eateth nor drynketh. The fastynge that ye Math. 6. 1. Tim. 4. Eusebius in histor. Eccl. 11. 5. ca. 16. 17. [...]. 18. call vpon doth Christ name hypocresye, and saint paule the doctrine of deuyls. Mō tanus a peruerse heretyque was the fyrst that made the lawes of compulsyon in fastynge, whom yow styll occupye to thys present daye. Ageynst whom at the same tyme wrote Melciades, Appolonius, and Serapion with other notable fathers, and therfor, ye had nede to condēpne ther bokes also, The cause now whye ye take so­che peynes in thys matter, ys to holde vp (yf it may be) your lēt made by pope The Blondus & platina in vitis pontificū Roma. olespherꝰ, your ēbrynge dayes ordayned of pope Calixtusthe first, your fryday fast cōfermed by pope leo the fort, as wytnesseth master Eckius, your satturdaye vygyle cōstytute by pope Innocent the first and pope Gregorye the seuenth, wyth yowr rogacyons and sayntes vygyls. Se yow to yt that soche ware fall not to the groū ­de for breakynge, A wonderfull thynge is it that yow (whose god ysyour bellye) Phil. 3. Baptista man [...] ­nus aeglo ga. 1. doth call so moche vpon abstynence. No menne doth lesse occupye yt than yow, whych daylye stuffe your panches to the verye vomete. No manne can make vs beleue, ye wolde euer take soch peynes, were there not more profyght to be had [Page 65] vpon the callynge on than vpon the ob­seruacyon therof. Saint Paule sayth, that Rom. 14. 1. Cor. 8. Hebr. 13. Act. 11. the kyngedome of god ys not meare and drynke, but peace and Ioye in the holye ghost. Good is it (sayth he) not to stablyshe the hart with meates, but with grace.

3 And as concernynge prayer, who is more ageynst it thā yow? whych hath clerelye changed the ryght vse of yt into a brawlynge in the temple and a bletynge in the stretes, in a foren speche and in the 3. reg. 18. Esa. 29. Mat. 6. Act. 10. syght of menne, where as Christ hath re­quired yt to be secretlye done and frō the hart with out moche bablynge, These manye clogges also haue ye layed vpon yt to confoūde yt altogether, your canonicall houres, mattens, masse, processyon, sensynge, The hy­pocrites burdens and yo­kes con­foundyn­ge prayer sayntes honorynge, holydayes, euen­songe, complyne, letanyes, inuocacyons, knelynge to Images, dyryges for the dead owr ladyes psalters, with baptysed belles bedes, organes, songe, waxe, lyght, pyc­turs, rellyques, banners, crosses, aultres. holye water, and the deuyll and all of soche Idolatro use beggerye. Ye bynde it fynal­lye More su­perstycy­ouse than mahomete. to the cyrcumstaūce of place and tyme more superstycyouslye than euer ded Ma­homete with all hysfalse prophetes, enforcynge the poore cōscyences of the symple to the cōfydēce of creaturs. Ye haue (sayth [Page] the prophete Amos) sett vp tabernacles to Amos. 5. Leuit. 20 yowr God Moloch (whych ys all that ye worshypp besydes God, after rabi Moy­ses) and the fygurs of yowr Idols, to haue them worshhpped. All these do the lorde Esa. 1. Hier. 6. zach. 7. Doctours tell yow by hys prophetes that he doth abhorre, ād yet ye beleue yt not. Ageynst yow also in these pointes, are saint Iohan chrisostome, Cipryane, Cyrill, Austyn, Hierome, Ambrose, Clement, fulgencius and other, I maruele therfor ye condem­pne them not.

4 No menne maye with lesse honeste The arty­cle of al­mes. complayne of them whych are ageynst almes than yow. For nō hath bene so great ennemyes vnto yt as yow, whych hath­cuer sens your begynnynge consumed the patrymony of the poore. Remember what The cler­gye hath robbed the poore emprours, kynges, dukes, and other men­ne of power hath lest in yowr handes to the behoue of the sycke, nedye, impotent, halt, lame, and blynde, and what they ha­ue Hiere. 23. luce. 6. zach. 11. Daniel. 14. now of it at your handes, and harde­lye leaue sekynge of motes in other men­nys eyes, iudgynge yowr selues verye yll stewardes. Cōsydre also your daylye pollage in offerynges, confessyons, deuocyōs tythes, courtes of bawdrye, and soch o­ther, wherin with out iust tyttle of Chri­stes gospell, ye sucke vp the sweate, and [Page 66] eate vp the labour of the poore māne that ysmore vertuose than you, deuourynge a Eccl. 34. Ezech. 16 Math. 23. great camel for strayninge out a g [...]at, or doynge a thynge of nought. Vvhat your almes ys to the poore, specyallye yf they be of god, ye haue largelye instruct vs by Iohan porter whom ye latelye famyshed Bonners almes v­pon Iohā porter. or els strangled vpp in newgate, and by other more that hath selt your benyuolēt charite. Soche a benefactour are ye to fa­stynge, prayer, and almes dedes, that ye cā do soche myracles yet. Ye can murther the lyuynge sayntes, and make ye aduocates of them that are dead, though ther endes Ambrosi us in epis tolam ad Roma. 1. were doubtful. Ye can dāpne them for heretyques, and sett vp the other for sayntes. Ye canne burne the bodyes of the lyuyn­ge, and decke the graues of the dead for auauntage. For soth great ys your charyte I dare saye so moche for yow, that there was no martir thys fyue hondreth yeare, sens sathan was throughlye at large, that hath not bene putt to deathe by your ho­lye Bysshop­pes almes ys to ma­kemartirs generacyō, so Good almes menne are ye, Lete other menne iudge therfor whe­ther ye be ageynst yt or naye. Neuer are Good workes spoken ageynst but whan yowr abhomynacyons are touched. So­che mystes ye haue styll, to blynde the eye syght of the worlde wyth.

[Page]5 Now come ye in with confessyō in The arty­cle of confessyon. the eare, that these heretyque bokes schuld be ageynst that also. But ye speake no­thynge of confessyon to god ād owr ney­ber whan we offende them, (whych on­lye Psal. 32. Apoc. 18. Hirem. 6 are allowed in the scirpturs for they brynge in no swete profyghtes with thē. Some of the frutes of thys your eare con­fessyon, haue I tolde yow afore. Notwithstandynge whan newe occasyōs be offred newe matters cometh oft to remembraunce. Gracianus monachus the first sower Gracianꝰ dist. 1. de penitēcia et Glossa­tor. togyther of your popyshe lawes, in the first dystynccyon of penaunce, leaueth it all in doubt whether a manne be bounde to confesse hymselfe to a prest or no, beynge onlye but an ordynaunce of manne. The grekes (he sayth) were neuer bounde bycause they receyued not the same con­stytucyon. Begonne yt was in dede at constantynople zozome­nus in hi­storia tri­pert li. 9. ca. 35. by Nectarius the bysshopp, and by hym ageyne putt downe vpon thys occasyon. A gentyll woman confes­sed there to a prest, and enioyned to fast and praye in the churche, was in the tyme of her penaunce constuprate by an holye deakon, whych toke great peynes there in the saynt warye, to obserue the vowe of chastyte. And therfor vpon the peples Ciprianꝰ Episto. 11. exclamacyon, yt was vtterlye there dys­solued [Page 67] ageyne. Chrisostome sayth ypon the. 12. chapter to the hebrues. I say not vnto chrisostomus hom 31. in epi­stolam ad hebr. Ambrosius super lucam. the that thu schuldest bewraye thyselfe abrode neyther yet accuse thyselfe before other. But I wyll that thu obeye the pro­phete whych sayth, Shewe vnto the lorde thy waye. Peter mourned ād wept (sayth saynt ambrose) bycause he erred as a man­ne, but I fynde not what he sayd. I knowe that he wept, and I reade of hys teares, but I reade not of hys satisfaccyon. Vvhat haue I to do with menne (sayth saynt Au­styn) Augusti­nus li. 10 confessio. num ca. 3. that they schuld heare my conscyen­ce, as though they coude heale all my dy­seases? here ys a curyouse and a bysye kynde of menne, to knowe an other mannys lyfe, and a slowe sort to amende ther owne. Vvherfor seke they to heare of me what a manne I am, whych wyll not heare of the (o lorde) what ther selues be? So­che The olde doctours are ageīst eare con­fessyon. sentences are there innumerable amonge the olde doctours both grekes and latynes, I maruele therfor that my lorde doth not bagge them vp and condempne them at paules crosse. All thys yet denyeth not owr cōmynge to the prest for counsell, in case he be a sober wyse māne ād lerned in the scripturs. For the lorde sayth, we schal 1. Esdre. 7 Aggei. 2. Osee. 5. Malach. 2 Hier. 23. Mat. 7. Act. 20. Ezech. 13. seke the lawe at the mouthe of the prest, [Page] but not nombre our synnes in a bōdage▪ we schall requyre to be taught, but not coacted to accuse owr selues. But yf he be a blasphemouse and vnlerned papyst (as the most of them are) we ought to shurne hym as the most noyful poison. For in thē hath confessyon bene a sure holde of con­spyrycye and treason thys fyue hondreth years and more, as all the cronycles wyt­nesseth. Captayne cobler ād master Aske. That made captayne cobler and master aske full notable captaynes, ād raysed them vp a valeaunt armye in ther late pylgrymage of grace.

6 More ouer, these bokes (sayth my lorde) are ageynst the vowe of chastyte. yea, so ys my lorde also wyth hys whole Math. 12. 2. Cor. 11 Iude. 1. 2. Pet. 3. generacyon, yf we speke of that chastyte that saynt Paule commendeth in the co­ryntheanes, besydes ther fornycacyon, whoredome, sodometrye, sacrylege, and all other fylthynesse els. I wolde fayne Ezech. 16 Apoc. 17. &. 19. Prou. 6. Psal. 17. Hebr. 12. Eccl. 13. but knowe how they coude be chast, ha­uynge an execrable whore to ther mo­ther, ād they brought vp in whory shnes­se all the dayes of ther lyfe. Canne hys clothes be vnbrent that hath fyre in hys bosome? Is yt possyble that he hath whole fete whych euermore goeth vpō hote cooles? Naye, who so toucheth pytche, wyth the same schall be defyled. what haue yow els [Page 68] to kepe your chastyte wyth but Idle vanitees? All the worlde knoweth, ye abhorre Papystes abhorre holye scripturs. the scrypturs, and all godlye verytees els, whych schulde make ye chast. If menne want probacyons of thys, lete them come hyther and proue thys doctryne of yours and they schall fynde yt so true as ys possyble. Fewe exāples haue we of your ho­nest lyuynge, but innumerable of your fylthynesse. linthprandus ticinē sis li. 2. ca. 13. Iohan the. 10. pope of that name was begote in aduouterye by pope Sergi­us of an whore called Marozia in the ty­me of hys holye papacye. Pope Iohan the. 13. by Iohā the. 12. also, after soche an other contynēt sort. Betwixt an holye nōne and Ioannes textor, & a prest were borne at one tyme Petrus lō ­bardus the master of yowr sentences or scole dyuynyte, Petrus commestor the master henricus agrippa de anne monoga­mia. of your hystoryes, and Gratianus monachus the compyler of yowr canon Ia­wes. And wyth the doctrine of these. 3. frutes of one fornycacyon, hath both the churche and the scripturs bene corrupted these. 4. hondreth years, yet are they not brought to yowr satchel. Phylypp the holye volatera­nus, & loannes textor, in of­ficinis. abbott of vallisolett and archebys­shopp of hispalis in spayne, kept hys ow­ne brother Alphonsus wyfe called Chri­styane the kynge of denmarkes dowter, he beynge a lyue. Petrus mendosa the car­dynall [Page] of valence in the same regyon oc­cupied Germanus quidam. helysabeth the wyfe of kynge Fer­dinandns, and had by her. 2. bastardes he beynge also alyue, besydes other wōders whych are not to be named. Ower last cardynall Thomas wolsaye was not all be­hynde The car­dynall of englande wolsaye Pope Iu­lius. wyth hys part, as apereth by ma­ster wynter, and other more abrode. what busynesse popeIulius made wyth the car­dynall of Nātes to haue had the occupyē ­ge of. 2. yonge laddes whych the frenche quene Anne had commytted unto hym to be brought vp in vertu, yt wolde abhor­re anye māne to heare, and therfor I wry­te yt not. Soche noble stewes ded pope Sixtus Henricus agrippa, de incerti tudine sci enciarum. buylde at Rome in hys tyme, as yet bryngeth in yearlye more than. 20. thou­sande duckates to the augmentacyon of saynt peters patrimonye. Iohā stokyslaye yowr predecessour, a myghtye maynte­ner of that vowe, dyed not wythout ys­sue, as hys frutes declareth not farre out of london. Neyther yet wyllyam warham The chast examples of owr tyme in the bysshops. the olde archebysshopp of caunterburye, whose increase ys wele knowne in kēt, besydes hys dallyaunce wyth the holye mayde there. Manye prodygyouse won­ders are yet tolde in sothfolke by serten worshypfull gentylwomen of Rychard nyxe the blynde bysshopp of norwych [Page 69] (whych putt master bylneye the true martyr of god to most cruell death by the coū sell Thomas bylneye the verye martyr of god. of P [...]lles and Godsalue) besydes hys contynuall occupyenge wyth the balyes wyfe of hoxton. Dyuerse fyne tryckes of good relygyouse bawdrye wrought by bysshopp Brygett, kyte, and vnderwode, all thre holye p̄lates, are not yet all for­gote amonge the peple. Not manye years Spirituall prouysyō for the holye vowe of chasty­te ago a bysshopp remoued a nonne from ycklyngton in cambryge shere, vnto dat forth in kent whych hath had in her tyme a good honest increase, I coude name them both yf I lyst. wylye wynche­ster also hath not wrought so warelye­in the wanton workes of venus sens hys 21. years, but he hath bene smelled out of some partyes, besydes the store that he The ste­wes of lō don. Deut. 23. Apoc. 2. is steward of for the common welthe of the cyte. The peple of Israel were longe without whores, lyke as God had com­maunded them. But owr Nycolaytanes condempnynge the scripturs and all godlye ordre, wyll haue no common welthe without them, hycause they wyll haue a­fore Baruch. 6 Psal. 49. God ther porcion with theues and aduouterers. There is yet alyue an other bysshop in Englande which schall be namelesse at thys tyme, that kept a mannys wyfe and my cosyne. 20. years ago, before [Page] he was bysshopp, whom I chaunsed to Aduow­tery of. 20 years hur­teth no spirituall vowe. Manye wonder­full examples are in the cronycles. fynde syttynge at hys table within these .iiij. years. If I schuld recyte all the whol­som frutes of your chast vowe, which I haue redde in cronycles and hystoryes, ād knowne by your exāples besydes forth, manye menne wolde maruele that ye synke not to hell with yowr prodygiouse chastyte. For innumerable knaueries hath your holye abbottes, priors, doctors, pre­stes, persons, curates, and relygiouse (as ye cal thē) done. Some one ghostlye father of yowrs hath for hys lyfe tyme corrupted an hondreth nonnes and maydes, some. 2. hondreth that we rede of, some more some Ioan boc­cacius &, Pogius. lesse, and yet haue they bene chast gel­dynges and good wyuellesse virgyns. So longe as they haue not marryed, all hath bene wele. For some of ther doctours Henricus Agrippa aduersus louanien­ses. Spirituall rentes. Hericus a grippa de incertitu­dine scien ciarum. hath not bene ashamed to write yt, that monkes and prestes hath not vtterlye for sworne whoredome, but marriage only. It is no small sōe of moneye that some of yow in the worlde and yowr notaries taketh of prestes for whore kepinge, and al is (I knowe well) for the abatemēt of that vowe, which ye call your seconde bap­tym. Henricus agrippa doth testyfye that a sertē bysshopp boasted at hys table, that he had in hys dyocese a .xi. thousande prestes, [Page 70] which paeyd yearlye a frenche crowne a pece for whore kepynge, besydes the cap. 64. pryce of occupyenge with other mennys wyues. And therfor it is no maruele though it styll be maynteyned, and matri monye put backe, for the profyghtes ther of are swete,

☞ 7 Now commeth in the sorest matter Marryage of Bys­shops detested most of all. of all, and that doth most ernestlye moue yow. And that is the marryage of pre­stes. Afore were these bokes ageynst frewyll, fastinge, prayer, ād so forth, which in the kynde ye vse them, are your owne propre wares. Now are they with marriage, which is nō of yours. Ye vtterlye for 1. Tim. 4. sake it as a thynge hurtfull to your holye orders, whych whoredō ād buggerye cā not defyle. Though God the father hath instytute yt, God the sonne consecrate it, Gene. 2. Ioan. 2. Prou. 8. and God the holye ghost moche commended it in the scripturs, yet is it not wholsō for yow. Though it were in Abraham, Isaac, ād Iacob, i Moyses, Aaron, and Sa­muel, in Gedeō, Iob, ād Tobias, a waye of rightousnesse in the lordes sight. Though Gala. 3. Luce. 1. Math. 1. Luce. 2. 1. cor. 9. it were in Zacharye the prest and Helysabeth hys wyfe a walkynge before hym without rebuke. Yea, though Iesus christ were borne vnder it, and his blessed mo­ther lyued longe in it, and the apostles embraced [Page] it, yet is it no honest state of lyuynge for yow, for your office (ye saye) is a­boue all thers. Though saynt Paule doth saye that wedlock is honorable amonge Hebr. 13. 1. thes. 4. Ephe. 5. 1. tim. 4. all peple, and the chambre therof vndefy­led. Though he sayth also that God wyll condempne aduouterers and whore ke­pers, and that the forbyddynge therof is the verye doctryne of deuyls, all that can not moue yow. Though the primatyue Eusebius. Platina. Nauclerꝰ Apo. 20. churche had it in great pryce, and so styll ded vse it tyll Syluester the 2. ded fatche the deuyll fron hell by his nicromancye (where as he was a fore tyed vp for a thousande years) to seale the obligacyon of his papacye. yet do yow take it for carnall be astlinesse, bycause master Eckius doth so Ioan. Eckius. report it, which neuer the lesse had. 3. ba­stardes the same selfe yeare that he dispu­ted that matter at lipsia. Oh, verye sede of Genesis. 3. Esay. 1. Math. 12. Marci. 8. the serpent, and cytezens of sodome. Not without cause was it that Christ called yow a false and an aduouterouse genera­ciō. Full wele knewe he what we schuld haue of yow, the heauenlye father be mercyfull vnto vs. Vvith all abhominacions Styll ymagyne they fylthynesse. haue you fylled the worlde, and yet to thys daye Imagyne ye non other thynge. Is your doctrine in thys anye other than the dyrt of the pope, and the fylthye shy­tynges [Page 71] of olde heretyques? The Tacyanes taught that matrymonye was in no case Iustinus. Hirencus. Eusebius. Epiphan. lawfull. The Marcianistes wolde admytt nō to baptim, vnlesse they renoūced wed locke. The Eustachyanes helde opynyon that non coude be saued in marryage. Mō tanus with hys sect, leadynge women a­bought, with hym, noted yt a lyght thynge, Alphōsus de castro. and sayd it myght be broke wele y­nough. The priscyllyanystes separated the menne from ther wyues, and the wo­mē from ther husbandes ageynst ther willes. The Abelynes allowed maryage, but guido per pinianus [...] lib. de he­sibus. no carnall copulacyon therin. The Ada­mytes improued it as an vncleane thynge for that Adam knewe not hys wyfe before he synned. The Nicolaytaynes were of thys opynyon, that wyues ought to be cō mon. Clemēs alexādrinꝰ 3. lib. stro­matum. Bernardꝰ lutzenburgus. The pope agreth with al heretyques a ageynst marriage. The Cataphrygeanes, Catharystes, and Tartulyanystes, condempned for ad­uoutrye the marryage of widowes. The Esseanes, Nouacyanes, Carpocracianes, Apostolyckes, Iouynyanistes, and other more, hath opinion of matrimonye in dyuerse other respectes. Last of all commeth your holye father of Rome with hys ra­ble of rutters, myters, hattes, hoodes, cap­pes, crownes, conyes skynnes, cattes tay­les, in all maner of colours and proporcyons, and he hath an ore with them all, as [Page] an vpholder of al heretiques ageynst this holy estate. Yea, holy I say ageyn, though it be vnreuerentlye vsed of manye. For it Ther vo­wes ma­keth innumerable sodomites maketh neyther whore keper not sodo­myte as yowr chastyte doth daylye innumerable. Vyhan now in thys latter age, thys buyldinge of yowrs through the gospell preachynge suffred a great earthquake, and was lyke to fall to the grounde without recouer, commeth forth master Ioā Ecki. Eckius a verye connynge artifycer in the se workes of yours, and he vnderprop­peth it with an olde broken sparre. Mar­ryage De celiba tu clericorum decre tū Calix­ti. maye be graūted to no prest (sayth he) by no maner of dispensacion, for the vowe that is ānexed to ther chastite. And for the establyshment of thys doctrine, he bryngeth in the inhibicion made by po­pe Calixtus, bycause no scripturs wyl serue hym. But where as he sayth with no Henricus Agrippa. small cyrcumstaūce, to make hys matter good, that the pope neuer yet dispensed with that vowe, He lyeth of hys holye father. Raphael volateranus sayth that a serten Voleteranus & Sa­bellicus. Lamber­tus shafna burgensis monachus monke called Nicolas marryed Anne the duke of venys dowter by the popes consent. Burghardus the prouost of tryere or vttereth in Germanye had to wyfe the prince of the ruzeanes syster by the dispē sacyon of pope Gregorye the. 7. otherwise [Page 72] called hyldebrande, the same selfe yea­re he inhybited the maryage of prestr̄es. Pope pelagius ded create a bisshopp at syracusa Dist. 28. canonū. in the lande of sycill, and he had both wyfe and chyldren. Henricus agrippa maketh mencion of a Cardinall in Rome, whom the Pope permytted to take a wyfe in maryage, and at hys pleasure to returne ageyn to hys cardinalshypp after Agrippa aduersꝰlouanienses Achilles & paulus phrigio. he had chyldren, without anye maner of irregularyte. Colomannus the bysshopp of uaradyne, left that spiritual office and was made kynge of hungarye by the Popes dyspensacyon of purpose to haue ys­sue, about the yeare of owr lorde. M. lxxvi. and regned there .xix. years. Daniel a Gaguinus & paulus Phrigio. prest was lyke wyse constytute kynge of fraunce by a lyke dyspensacion, and was called after warde Chylpericus, gouer­nynge that regyon the space of .iij. years. Petrus Elsacius a prest and elect Byshopp Iacobus meyer in Cronicis flandrie. of Cameryk, was dubbed a knyght and marryed leonor the countesse of nyuer­ne, which had bene called Sybyll. Reme lius a monke beynge aged, was taken out of hys monasterie by the popes lycēs, Robertus abbas mō tensis. and made kynge of Aragone after the disseace of hys father Sanccius about the ye­are of owr lorde, a thousande a C. and lx. ād had by hys wife Mawde a dowter [Page] which was afterwarde marryed to Ray­mondus the erle of Barchinona. Pope Ce Platina & nauclerus lestyne the thirde lycensed Henrye the. 6 emprour, to haue to wyfe Cōstaunce kyn­ge Rogers dowter of sycyll for a yearlye pensyon, whych was a professed nonne at panorme. Fredericus dongianus was releaced In vita diui alber ti drepa­nensis. of hys vowe to the Carmelytes or­der, ād constytute kynge of Sycyll▪ Sardo nye, and Calabre, for the syngular cōmo­dyte of those landes. Mathew the erle of bulleyne marryed Marye kynge Steuens dowter of englande, and had her out of Flores hi­storiarum anglie. Iacobus guisianus in ānali­bus hāno­nie. ramsaye abbeye where as than she was ab basse, ād had. 2. dowters by her called Ida and Matilda. Bochardus aueniensis a man ne of great byrthe and lernynge forsoke hys presthode and benefyces (whych than he had manye) ād Ioyned hymselfe in we diock to Margarete, the emprour Balde­wyne of constantynoples dowter, and had manye fayr chydren by her, pope Gre gorye the. 9. after moche sute and expēses iudgynge yt godlye. Iohan the bastarde Polydo­rus in cro nicis āglo rum li. 10 sonne of Fardynandus beynge a cysteane monke was constytute kynge of portyn­gale, Iohan of gaunte thā beynge duke of lācastre ād kynge of castele geuynge hym hys dowter Phylypp to marrye after that he had in the yeare of owr lorde. 1388. op­tayned [Page 73] a dyspensacyon of pope vrbanus the. 6. Iames the last kynge of cypres beynge bysshopp of Nycose not longe afore Achilles et paulus phrigio. was permytted of pope paule the seconde to haue a Venecyane to wyfe, to that in­tent that hys lande schuld become the Ve­necyanes, as yt now ys in dede. In lyke case Canutus, whych had bene a professed Albertus crantz. monke. 6. years at clunyake, was dyspen­sed wyth for moneye to haue a wyfe. So­was a sertē abbott of Redynge here in Englande. So was vrsynus a prest of nursia Ioannes rauisius textor. vo lateranus et naucle­rus. and a great nombre els, as we fynde in dyuerse cronycles ād wrytynges. Vvhye schuld soche a furyouse beast than so sha­mefullye lye, to establyshe an errour of de uyllyshenesse? But that he ys ignoraunt in the hystoryes, and also that soche dyrtye doctrine standeth onlye by lyes. Ioannes Ioannes tex tor & pogius Damasus platina & nauclerus Ranul­phus ce­strensis in policroni co .li. 7. Ca. 2. andreas (whom they call the fountayne of ther canon lawe) was a prestes sonne, so was Franciscus phylelphus that famouse oratour and poete, so was my lorde Bo­ner of london by report of hys next ney­bers, wyth dyuerse other more. I reade of more than. 13. popes that had prestes to ther fathers. I moche maruele where ther vowe of chastyte dwelte in those dayes. Soche tyme as contencyon was betwyn Lanfrancus and Thomas norman the ar­che [Page] bysshopp of yorke for the prehemy­nence of Caunterburye, he proued hym a prestes sonne before pope Alexandre the seconde. Eckius wolde fayne haue sum [...]ynche­ster hel­peth Ec­kiꝰ with hys xxi. yeares. what to proue a thynge of nought, but yt cōmeth scant wyselye to passe. Than worketh wynchester on the other syde wyth hys one and twentye years, to holde vpp thys broken byldynge of vnad­duysed vowes and as vnaduysedlye ma­de. If these 2. stoles holde not, we are lyke to fall to the grounde wyth owr vnchast vowe, for these are the last stayes 1. Reg. 25. Marci. 14. Math. 14. Act. 23. in that matter. Therfor stande fast now or els neuer. Vvhan Dauid made a solem pne vowe to destroye Nabal and all that Belonged vnto hym, Peter to stande by hys master to the deathe, Herode to gra­unte what so euer Herodias dowter ax­ed, And the xl. menne at Hierusalem ney­ther to eate nor drynke tyll they had slay­ne Herode onlye perfour­med hys vowe. Paule, were aboue .xxi. years of age. Yet was there non of them that perfour­med hys vowe but Herode, whan yt had bene better for hym to haue brokē yt, for all the standynge of a kynges worde. wynchester also was beyonde that age whan he made hys solēpne vowe in Cā ­bryge to be the popes true seruaunte, yet hath he sens made a vowe to the contra­rye, [Page 74] and broken that also in maynteynynge a freshe the same dyrtye doctrine of his. If ye wyll nedes haue soche vowes wynche­ster hath broken hysvow [...] on both sydes. obserued, sett vp your monasteryes and cloysters ageyne. Lete them haue ageyne the howses ye toke from them, yf ye wyll haue the same relygyon kept. Geue them not abrode more occasyons to fall, and than ponnyshe them worse than afore. Oh tyrannye tyrannye, God gaue ye to knowe the abhomynable frutes of that vnmercyfull tyranny destroynge bo­dye and sowle. stynkynge vowe in the generall vysyta­cyon of abbeyes and pryoryes, yet wyll ye styll yoke the poore wretches wyth yt. So vnmercyfull are ye to that peple, whom ye ought to gyde and not to de­uoure, to norryshe and not thus shame­fullye to destroye. Vvolde ye consydre yowr owne lyues in that behalfe, ye zach. 11. Ezech. 13. 1. Petri. 5. Iude. 1. Luce. 11. 2. Tim. 4. Rom. 14. Ioan. 8. schuld fynde them bad ynough. Ye sna­re ther conscyences wyth that ye ought to take from them (whych ys synne) were ye as ye schuld be. All that ys besydes the wyll of the sprete and the sacred scrip­turs. (as ys that popyshe vowynge) ys playne Idolarrie and wyckednesse. Para­uēture ye wyll now lashe at me wyth Ec­kiꝰ first argumēt vpō, Vouete et reddite, Psal. 75. Deut. 23. saynge wyth dauid. Vowe ād perfour­me, promyse and paye. But than ye must [Page] take with yow the clause that foloweth, Ione. 2. whych is. Onnes qui in circuitu eius affertis munera. All you rounde about that brynge offerynges with yow. Here are no monkyshe vowes mencyoned, for there No monkyshe vowe but obedyen­ce vnto God. were no soch shorne sodomytes in those dayes. Here is no chastyte called vpon, for yt was spoken to them that had wyues Not withstandynge marryage is a chastyte, or a gyft of God to auoyde fornycacy­on. But herin was than requyred a fay­thfull obedyence vnto god in the fulfyl­lynge of hys commaundementes, ād no so 8. reg. 15. 1. pet. 2. Nume. 25 Eccl. 5. Baruch. 6 domytycall sacrifice to Belphegor as ye wolde haue yt yet styll. In folyshe vowes (sayth the wyse manne) hath the lorde no pleasure. I coude tell ye wonders of chyl­dren that hath bene buryed in the lakes, for sauynge the honour of that vowe, Myracles done for that holy vowe. wyth other maruels els, but I lete yt alone for thys tyme. The vtteraunce of yowr vertuouse examples in that holye obseruacyō, myght teach more myschefe thā goodnesse. To confute thys obieccyon of yours Saynt Paul sayd he had no commaunde­ment 1. Cor. 7. 1. Tim. 3. Gal. 3. for vyrgynyte. Moche lesse than for a popyshe promes, or a snare of the deuyl If we schuld (sayth he) obserue the vowes thā vsed, we schuld haue no maner of porcyon with Christ. Soche vyllenouse con­tempt [Page 75] of matrimonye, spryngynge now of late out of Eckius olde dyuynyte and wynchesters newe canon lawe, hath brought Eckius and wynchester. 1. reg. 17. Deut. 28. 2. reg. 12. 2. reg. 16. vpon Dauid for all hys wonderfull vyctorye ouer the lyon, beare, and phylystyne, the plage promysed of the lorde for soche vngodlynesse, the sunne lokynge brode vpō yt in the myd daye to no small dyshonour. I canne not iustlye tell whe­ther yow perseyue yt or no, but wele I wote all the whole worlde els beholdeth yt. And that maye chaunce herafter to apere, Dysho­noure fo­loweth of vngodlynesse euer­more. Thus are they pla­ged that foloweyll coun­sell. whan mēne schall be occasyoned to se­ke examples in soche purpose. I wryte thys with heuyneste as a premonyshment afore, lamentynge the thynge and fearyn­ge worse to folowe yf repentaunce come not in tyme. Vvhere as other mēne maye chaunce after thys with Moyses and Sa­muel to describe yt at large, to the war­nynge of other in that behalfe, and to owr perpetuall reproche. Vvyth soche holye prophetes and coūsellers (as yow are) now a dayes were Ioram, Achab, Ochosias, Ioachim, Sedechias, and other kynges more of Israel and Iuda deceyued, and brou­ght into the great indygnacyon of God. Ioannes nauclerus gen. 36. & Benno cardinalis Thys tyrannouse coaccyon to fylthynesse came in first of all by pope Hyldebrāde a superstycyouse monke, a nycromanser, a [Page] murtherer and a cruell suppresser of Christen princes, in the yeare from Christes in carnacyon. M .lxxiiij. as all the cronycles mencyoneth. Vvhych Hyldebrande ne­uer the lesse that pharaonycall constytu­cyon, Lamber­tus shafna burgen­sis mona chus in cronicis. kept Mawde the duchesse of lotha­rye both by the lyfe dayes of her husbande Gozilon, and also after hys deathe, leadynge her abought with hym, and she maynteynynge hym ageyne in myschefe wyth the great possessyons that she had there ād in Italye. He toke like wyse Agnes the Sigeber­tus & Benno cardi­nalis. emprours mother clerelye from hym, not without a blacke report also vpon her syde. At the same selfe tyme begāne the bys­shoppes and great benefised prestes to bu­ylde nonncryes for remedye of that sore dyssease. He that schall reade the hystorye Herman­nus sche­del & wernerus carthusia­nus. of V do the archebysshop of magdeburgh and prymate of almayne, how he ordred hys nōnes in hys holye vysytacyōs, schall fynde yt no badde matter. Vvhat cōmocyons, scysmes, lyghtenynges, tēpestes, earth quakes, ād other terryble mouīges apered at that tyme, yt were a wondre to reherce. Ioannes nauclerus genera. 36 Ex Ioan­ne capgraue anglo. Amonge all other a Comete was seane at that season, of whom Elmerus a monke of malmesburye in Englande gaue thyssentē ce. Art thu come (sayth he) art thu come? Vnto manye mothers hast thu brought wo ād sorowe. I sawe the longe afore, but [Page 76] now in dede I beholde the more terryble, Euen the verye destruccyon of thyslande. Soche an other warnynge brought the lawe Iacobus mayer in cronicis flandrie. master of Turnay in massage vnto Coleyne to the emprour at the same verye tyme, of a woman prophecyenge that anti­christ was thā in hys full course. Vvhych woman so vanyshed awaye and was neuer more seane. Yet coude not thys cruell enforcemēt be receyued in Englande, tyll Ranul­phus ce strensis & Robertus fabianus in suis cronicis. Anselmus a frenche monke also, and arche bysshopp of Canturburye brought yt in by a synode holden at london, in the yea­re after christes natyuyte, M. C .ix. whych Anselme bad longe contended afore with kynge wyllyā rufus and kynge Henrye the first for the commodytees of antichrystes gloryouse kyngedome, and had than gote the vyctorye of them in dede. Yet Ranul­phus in polycro­nica li. 7. Ca. 13. Guilhel­mus mal­mesbury [...] washe at that tyme so accombred with so domytes, that he was euerye sondaye compelled openlye to excommunycate them. After thys kept the prestes concubynes o­therwyse called whores (for that was more holye than marryage) the space of mo­re than .xv. years, tyll loannes de Cremo­na an holye legate frō the popes ryght syde, came in a great heate from Rome, and toke that from them also hy an other coū ­sell holden at Paules, hys selfe taken wyth [Page] an whore the nyght folowynge to be­gynne the relygyon wyth. Se how bu­sye flores hi­storiarum & henritꝰ huntyng­don .li. 7. thei are yet with al deuylyshe deuy­ses possyble to holde vp thys wyckednesse styll, whych was begonne with soche myschefes, and hath contynued with fyl­thynesse vnspekeable. The multytude of prestes (sayth Oseas the prophete) is lyke The day­ly stodye of bysshoppes. an heape of theues, murtherers, bloudthurstye rauenours, for they haue wrought ab homynacyon. In the desyre of vnclenlye lustes (sayth Heremye) they are become altogyther lyke ranke stoned horse neyen­ge Osee. 6. Marci. 11. Apoc. 18. hiere. 5. euerye where after ther neybers wyfe. They go about (sayth the lorde) with ther owne inu [...] ̄ [...]yōs, but I se thē well ynough. They make the kynge and princes to ha­ue delyght in ther wyckednesse and lyes. Osee. 7. Michee. 3 Hiere. 20 proue. 29 All these burne in aduouterye as yt were an ouen that the baker heateth, whan he hath left knedynge. I wyll vysyte all tho­se (sayth the lorde also by Sophonias the prophete) whych weareth straunge clo­thynge, Sopho. 1. Math. 23. zacha. 12. Osee. 10. Gal. 6. Apoc. 18. Hiere. 5. and treadeth ouer the thresholde so proudelye, whych fyllther lordes house with roborye and falshede. But now they haue plowed wyckednesse they schall surelye reape synne, and eate the frute of lyes wherin the mother schall pery­she wyth her chyldren and the braunches [Page 77] with ther stocke, bycause they are not the lordes.

¶ The manne of synne.
¶ Hys dysclosynge.

STyll is my lorde reparynge hys bro­ken Hiere. 2. Iosue. 13. Esaie. 12. Cant. 4. Ioan. 4. pyttes, to holde in the fylthye waters yf it maye be. In no wyse can he awaye with the wholsom watter, that refresheth to lyfe euerlastynge. All hys ney­bers wolde he haue of the same dyet that he ys of, so charytable ys he, makynge thys good prouysyon for thē. He thynketh Bysshop­pes seke onlye the sowles destruccyō. god to lacke wytte and hys sonne dyscressyon, and therfor he wyll non of ther rewles. There ys an other waye whiche pleaseth hym moche better, and that he wyll haue obserued in hys dyocese, so longe as he ys lorde ordynarye of londō. 1. Cor. 1 Deut. 12. Esaie. 5. The law dable rytes and ceremonyes of hys mother the holye churche of Rome [Page] whych brought hym vp of a whelpe ād gaue hym the swete sucke frō her pappes, It wyll not away that ys bredde by the bone. The bragges of ser Iohan. Thynges of no profyht. schall not droppe awaye, so longe as he maye vpholde them. A sort of noughtye heretyques hath writtē ageynst thē now of late, but yt maketh no matter (sayth owr ser Iohā) for my lorde hath condēp­ned all ther bokes in a sachell. I maruele what my lorde meaneth by all thys ruffelynge abought matters of no wayght nor yet godlynesse. In all the newe testament ys no mencyon made of these .ij. wordes Ceremonyes and Rytes in the latyne, neyther i the Gospels nor yet in the Epystles, neyther in the Actes nor yet i the Apocalyps. I wolde fayne knowe thā what we haue to do wyth them? lyke wyse in the No mēcy on of thē in all the scripturs. Psalmes ād Prophetes we rede not of thē by those .ij. termes, sauynge ones in Eze­chiel, ād that ys but a rehersall of thynges done in fygure. In Moyses .v. bokes and in other hystoryall treatyses are they oft spoken of in dede, and there are they to Eze. 44. Exod. 18. 3. Reg. 2. Hebre. 9. vs but shaddowes of good thynges to come, whych we are at a poynt with, hauynge Christ p̄sēt. yet rytes are there more reprehended than praysed, as the ve­rye superstycyouse customes of the paga­nes. 2. Para. 28 3. reg. 18 Math. 10. But what doth my lorde meane, yf he schuld go to the best of them? wyll [Page 78] he make vs Iewes ageyne? wyll he ma­ke vs bonde seruauntes, and christ hath Gal. 3. 4. &. 5. Rom. 6. Amos. 5. made vs fre chyldren? Saynt paule sayth. If we clogge owr selues ageyne with that yoke, we fall from grace, we go quyte from christ, and hys deathe schall pro­fyght vs nothynge. Therfor there ye offre Zach. 7. bebr. 7. Thomas aquinas prinia. 2. vs wronge. Your owne lawes and doc­trynes besydes the scpiture, graūteth abrogacyon of the lawes ceremonyall. If ye brynge vs in anye rytes therfor taken of the heythen customes, as are your sayntes holydayes, your processyons, your leta­nyes, your dyryges, your sensynge of aulters, Heithē customes a­re become cristen ce­remonyes your knelynge to Images, your cal­lynge vpon dead menne, your kyssynge of reliques, your coniurynge of spretes your consecracyons, vowes, and sacrifyces for synne, with soche other, ye do vs great iniurye also. Non that setteth han­de to the plough (sayth christ) and loketh ageyn backe, ysfytt for the kingedome of Luce. 9. Gene. 19. Luce. 17. Ioan. 4. god. ye knowe, lothes wyfe for doynge soche a feate, was turned into a salt stone, Christ hath sayd also in Iohā, that the true worshyppers schuld worshypp god on­lye in sprete and in veryte. Than are they the false woshyppers whych worshypp The false worshyppers. in outwarde thynges, specyallye the out­warde thynge selfe. As for baptym and [Page] the supper of the lorde are christes holye Baptim and the supper instytucyons, and non of your popyshe ceremonyes. Happye yt ys that ye cā not accuse these beretyque bokes for speakynge ageynst the ryght vse of them. Bycau­se of the trust that the Iewes had in the cō maūded Ceremo­nyes detested of the lorde. ceremonyes, god detested them. Here. 7. Esa. 1. psal. 50. Amos. 5. zach. 7. ād Mychee. 6. moch more the wātō rytes of your p̄scripcyon. The Ceremonyes of cristē mē (yf ye wyl haue thē so called) are now spūall offerynges of the hart. 1. The churche ys now all in sprete. cor. 10. Eph. 5. Col. 3. for the true christē churche ys all frō within. ps. 44. The outwarde are all for the benyuolence, ayde, confort, and other nedes cōcernynge owr neyber. Tobi. 4. Malach. 2. Rom. 13. Eph. 4. Eccle▪ [...]. Esa. 28. Math. 7. 1. Ioā. 3. And No cere­monye maye bid the conscience. though we graunt vnto those that be ho­nest and semelye for an outwarde come­lynesse in thynges necessarye, yet ought they nat to bynde owr conscyence or be anye part of owr iustyfycacyō. Neyther maye they be superstycyouse, or in anye poynt ageynst christes doctryne. But so The cri­stē rytes most supstycyouse of all other. ys owr christen relygyon (as you call yt, and as I wolde yt were) clogged with your heythnysh rytes, that neyther Iewe nor Saracene, Arabyane nor Turke wylcome vnto owr faythe, thynkynge ther [Page 79] owne rytes moch better, as they maye wele ynough. To whom'ye wyl hame vs referre the clause that here foloweth, that ys A comparysō falselye gathered of Bō ner. to saye, Comparynge the maner of wed­dynge to the beastlye fashyon of a sawte bytche, we cā not wele tell, ye haue putt yt here so dyffuselye. As wele maye yt extende to yowr ceremonyes as to the bo­kes, standynge in place here as yt doth. Vvell, we wyll take yt that ye meane the A doubt vndyscussed of my lorde bokes. But than there ys a doubt ageyne, whether ye meane all the bokes or part of thē, bycause ye haue not here declared yt. If ye meane all, than haue ye marred your markett in prouynge your selfe a lyar, for in dede the most of them speaketh lyt­tle A lyar ys hys lorde shypp proued both wa­yes. or nothynge of marryage. If ye meane some one pertycular boke, yet are ye a lyar also for falselye reportynge yt, and so schall ye be a lyar both wayes. Para uēture yt sayth (as yt maye fullwell) that your neglygēt prestes or ignorāt hob lurches doth Ioyne thē togyther, with who The po­pyshe maner [...] marryages. schall haue thys womā and a fewe other bablynges more, geuynge them no ma­ner of godlye istruccyōs how they schuld in the feare of god behaue themselues the one to the other in that comelye estate of 1. Thes. 4. Hebr. 13. Gene. 2. lyuynge. Neyther do they tell them what marryage ys, nor yet to what ende [Page] yt was instystute of god. They declare 1. Cor. 7. 1. Thes. 4. Tobie. 3. not vnto them that yt ys an onlye reme­dye ageynst fornycacyon, and ought to be vsed with moche honeste, clennesse, and sobernesse, after the Godlye exam­ple of Tobias and Sara. But turne them forth togyther with tyrlerye tregobett, neyther barell better hearynge. Hoppe whore, and ronne thefe. I am as good as My lorde hath here a sawte bytche of hys owne thu, and I besure we thy whoresons hart, tyll they fall to the tryall of the matter for the best game to catche thē an heate. And what ys thys els, but dogge and bytche? Is yt so haynouse a matter to tell you of thys? The examples therof are to euydēt a brode. Vvho so euer be rebuked for ther Heresye ys yt to rebuke the anoynted charmers. vycyouse lyuynge, your anoynted mustre maye not be ones touched. Your ser Ny­colas nydypolles maye not ones be bl­owne vpon, but straytwayes yt must be proclamed heresye. O father of heauen, whan wyll ye be ashamed of yowr lew­denesse? Neyther speake ye here of the Ther owne honour here sought, and not Gods. thynge selfe, but of the maner of vsage of the Ceremonye therof callynge yt wed­dynge and marryage, as though yt were ij. dyuerse thynges. I thought this blast was for some matter of yowrs. I wolde haue marueled, yf ye had sought so mo­che honour to marryage. But I wondre It ys late­lye fallen from a Sacrament to a Ceremonye. [Page 80] sore how yt now becommeth but onlye a ceremonye, and was sumtyme one of your sacramentes? Surelye ye haue con­ceyued some dyspleasure ageynst yt now of late. And I thynke yt ys for that ye ha­ue knowne prestes gone so fast vnto yt within fewe years, contrarye to your ho­lye decrees and canons, to the destruccyon of your Sodome and Gomor, whych ye Sodome and Go­mor de­stroyed by mar­ryage. haue gloryouslye maynteyned euer sens the dayes of Anselme .iiij. hondreth years and more.

3 But where as ye wryte that ye mar­rye vyrgyns, yt ys not true, specyallye in soche marryages as yow promote. I haue harde of, and knowne dyuerse of your An other sawte bytche of my lordes owne fe­dynge. generacyon that hath marred virgyns be­fore they haue marryed them, yea, sumty­me in the selfe mornynge afore, whyls the pyes were in bakynge, so spūallye haue they vsed that godlye ordynaunce. I thynke thvs be yet worse than dogge and byt­che. Neyther ys yt true in other marrya­ges Prestre [...] rather marre thā make in marryage where as yow are no medlers, yf ye make a dyfference betwyne wyues and vyrgyns. For wyues they are before they come there, els are they made nou by yow. The lorde hath knytt them togyther afore in one mutuall knotte of loue, Vvhych yow haue nomore power to [Page] knytt ageyne than ye haue to dyssolue yt. As for grace and the holye ghost whom Prestes wyll ge­ue that they haue least store of. ye pretende therin to dyspense, lyttle ne­de haue yow to geue them from yow, hauynge so small store at home. Neuer sawe I menne so full of those gyftes and so ry­dye to geue them, hauynge so fewe of thē in ther owne lyuynge. He that made the bande a fore hath plentye of them wyth Math. Gene. 2. Eccl. 18. Psal. 83 Prou. 12. Eccle. 3. out yow. At hys hande must they nedes be had, and not at yowrs. The couplynge of thē in the face of the congregacyon de­spyse we not, but greatlye allowe vpon manye consyderacyons necessarye, were yt godlye done, as there ys nothynge clea­ne in your handes. Notwithstandynge all thys, in marryage and out of marrya­ge we wolde call them a chast virgyne, as 2. Cor. 11. Esa. 57. Ezech. 23 Paule doth the corryntheanes, were they clere from the aduoutrye of your Romy­she lawes and customes. But that wyll not be in your dayes.

4 For here ye holde your selfe also greued with these bokes (ye saye) for beynge ageynst mennys lawes and tradycyons. If The arty­cle of mē nys law­es. ye coude so well haue seyd, ageynst gods lawes, we had had yt of you ere thys. But blessed be owr lorde ye can not so speake yt wout a great lye. The lawes of menne [...]e to be allowed, so longe as they ag [...]ello [Page 81] the lawes of God. For els are they no la­wes, but vyolence and tyrannye. Prynces Lawes of menne ought to agre with Gods la­we. Act. 5. 1. Mac. 2. Leuit. 10. 2. Reg. 17▪ and magystrates beynge the mynysters of god, ought to make no lawes for ther priuate cōmodite, but for the publyque wel­the of ther commōs. Neyther ought they to decre anye thynge ageynst Gods ho­nour. If they do, than thys rewle of the lorde must be obserued. Necessarye yt ys ra­ther to obeye God than manne. And so ye ought to tell thē. But whoo chylde there. Rather sett ye them a worke thā staye them, whan soche thynges are in doyn­ge lyke olde temptynge serpentes. Matha­thias 1. Mac. 2. Exod. 1. Iosue. 2. Math. 1. 2. Mac. 6. Act. 4. wolde in no case obeye the cruell decrees of Antiochus. Nomore wolde the mydwyues of egypt the vngodlye com­maundement of Pharao. For dysobeyen­ge a wycked precept, was Rahab blessed of God, so was Eleazarꝰ with the .vij. machabees ād ther mother. The apostles preached not whithstandynge the inhybycyō of Annas, Cayphas, Ioannes, and Alexan­der with other of the hygh counsell of August. de libero arbitrio. Isidorus dist. 4. & li. 2. ethi­mol. the Iewes. That constytucyon (sayth saynt Austyn) ys no lawe at all, whych ys not ryghtose. A lawe (sayth Isidorus) ought to be iust, honest, easye to be borne, commo­dyouse to the cōtre, respectynge tyme and place, necessary, profytable playne with­out [Page] cautels, for no pryuate welthe onlye, but for the cōmon profyght of the whole multytude made.

5 But as touchynge yowr lowsye tra­dycyons, Tradycy­ons of papvstes. Hiere. 2. Ezech. 4. Esa. 64. Amos. 6. 1. Tim. 4. Hiere. 25. Apoc. 1 [...]. Marci. 7. wherwith ye loke to be lordes ouer the saythe and conscyence of menne, the scripture sayth they can mynystre to vs no goodnesse. For they are but chaffe, swylle, mennys dyrte, menstrue, dreames, dronkennesse, Gall, wormwode, veno­med dartes, fylthye waters, whoredome, abhomynacyons, errours, lyes, deuylysh­nesse, the curse and cuppe of the lordes in­dygnacyon, as I haue tolde yow afore. Ye can nō otherwyse saye, but these your tra­dycyōs are mēnys cōmaundemētes, vnlesse ye wyll be holden all together for Goddes. And Christ telleth yow playne, that Math. 15. Marci. 7. Math. 23. [...]. Tim. 4. Act. 20. 2. Ioan. 1. 2. Petri. 2. Iude. 1. all they worshypp hym in vayne whych worshypp hym after them. Yea, he sayth more to yow, that they make menne dou­ble the chyldrē of hell. Saȳt Paule sayth also they are lyes ī hypocresye, ād the verye doctrine of deuyls. Than what wolde ye haue vs to make of them, whan they ma­ke so lyttle of them? Vvolde ye that we schuld beleue yow ād not them? Vvolde ye haue vs counte them false lyers, and yow true spirituall menne? Be that farre from vs. Though Christ sent ye forth at Marc. 16. Luce. 21. Ioan. 15. Iacob. 4. Math. 15. [Page 82] the first to preache hys gospell (whom ye now persecute) he bad ye make no newe lawes, for he had made lawes suffycyent. Saynt Iames sayth, there ys but one lawe geuer that cā saue and destroye. But yow put hys lawes a part, to haue yowr owne obserued for auauntage. And nothynge do ye els after Sophonias, but fyll the lor­des Soph. 1. Osee. 12. Mat. 23. Osee. 11. Esa. 1. howse with roborye and falshede. Euermore are ye increasynge lyes to de­struccyon. All hypocrites yokes brynge ye vpon the peple, to clogge them downe to hell, for nothynge make they towardes heauen. Paule the first pope of that name made your lēt seruyce, Vitellianus yowr syngynge with organes, Gregorye the first yowr ceremonyes, Theodorus yowr Martinus carsulanꝰ Hugo floriacensis. paschall, Honorius yowr letanye, Fabia­nus yowr oyle and creme, Felix yowr dedycacyons and aulters, Agapitus yowr processyons, Caius your holye orders, Calixtus yowr embrynge dayes, Bonifaci­us .iiij. all hallowne daye, Felix .iiij. yowr Ptolomaeus lucēsis. Godfri­dus viter biensis. extreme vnccyons, Euticianus the blessynge of benes vpon the aulter, Alexander yowr holye water, Paschalis yowr relly ques, Gregorius .iij. yowr worshyppyn­ge of Images, Stephanus .iij. yowr sensyn­ge of them, Virgilius candelmasse daye, Anicetus yowr shauynge, Sergius yowr [Page] shrynes, Zepherinus yowr chalyces, Le [...] Antoni­nus florē tinus. Ioā nes rufus dominicanus. ij. yowr paxe at masse, Vrbanus .ij. yowr ladye mattens, loānes .xix. all sowle daye Syluester yowr confirmacyons of chyl­dren, Sauinianus yowr bell ryngynge, Hyldebrandus yowr vowe of chastyte, Bonifacius .v. yowr saynt waryes for the­ues, Mamertus the bysshopp of vyenne Gui Ihel­mus durā di in ra­cionali diuinorū (whych was no pope) yowr rogacyon daves, and the deuyll and all els. Vvith all these and with manye more besydes ouer charge ye the peple. In all these kyndes of Idelnesse do ye brynge thē vpp, ther chri­sten dewtye commaunded clerelye layed a part. That wyll the iudge onlye demaū ­de Marci. 7. Math. 25. Iude. 1. 1. Ioan. 4. I. Thes. 5. at the latter daye, whan all these schall go with yow to the deuyll. If I schuld cō ­ferre them with the syncere scripturs of the prophetes and apostles, they wolde a­pere the verye frutes of hell. Consydre what the lorde sayth by hys prophete E­saye. Vvhye offre yow (sayth he) so ma­nye Esa. 1. Zacha. 7. Hiere. 6. Amos. 5. Osee. 3. Amos. 8. Osec. 2. Math. 6. sacrifyces vnto me? I haue no pleasure in them. Vvho hath requyred soche thynges at yowr hādes? Offre me nomore ob­lacyons, for yt ys but lost labour. I abhor­re yowr incense. I maye not awaye wyth yowr solempne feastes. Yowr assemblyes are all in vayne. I hate yowr fastynges ād newe holye dayes, euen at my verye hart. [Page 83] They make me werye, I can not abyde th [...] Though ye holde out yowr handes, yet turne I myne eyes from yow. And though ye make many prayers, yet heare I nothynge at all. For yowr hādes are full of blood Holye churche standeth by that the scrip­turs con­dēpneth. Esa. 29. Luce. 6. Full are all the ꝓphecyes of soche terryble chrettenynges ageynst soche wretched beg gerye and beastlynesse. Yet thys do yow make the peples God. To thys holde they vpp ther handes. To thys ronne they by heapes. And vpon thys wondre they, as though there were non other heauē. Thus yow blynde asses leade thē blynde with yow into the dytche of dampnacyon.

The manne of synne.
¶ Hys dysclosynge.

Thys folower of Balaam seketh yet Num. 23▪ 2. Ioan. 1. Heb. 2. 2. Pet. 2. more colours of deceyt, to optayne the rewarde of inyquyte. The drye foūtayne ys he without water, and the cloude carryed forth, of a tempest, to [Page] whom ys reserued the myst of darkenesse for euer. He vttereth proude wordes to Iude. 1. Psalm. 16 Ioan. 8. 2. Pet. 2. Luce. 11. Prou. 26. Eccle. 34. Act. 13. entyce vnto wantonnesse ageynst god. Hys labour ys to brynge mēne into bon­dage of synne, ād to make the last errour worse than the first. He enforceth the dogge to turne ageyne to hys vomete, and the sowe that was washed to wallowe her a geyne in the myre. Se what a cūpasse thys subtyle charmer fatcheth, to call the peple backe, least they schuld clerely fall frō ther olde errours. But sett yowr hart at rest ye Zach. 3. Math. 7. Ioan. 10. Cant. 5. Math. 17. Hiere. 23. Esa. 55. Ezech. 7. Eccle. 51. Osee. 11. Luce. 11. crastye Sathā, for non wyll folowe yow but dogges and swyne, soch as neuer re­gardeth the graces of the lorde. The lam­bes knoweth ther shepeherd. Hys voyce wyll they heare, as ther heauenly father hath cōmaūded. They wyll nomore be acquaynted with the voyces of straungers. Esaye hath sent ye worde, they wyll geue nomore moneye for the thinge that fedeth not. They wyll spende nomore laboure about that satysfyeth not. Ye laye yokes verye fast vpon mēne (sayth oseas) but ye ease thē not of ther burthen. These bokes (sayth my lorde) are ageynst the commu­nyon and howselynge at easter, and spe­cyallye 1. Pet. 4. Act. 2. Ioan. 13. vnder one kynde. Vvhat the cō ­munyō ys we are throughlye assertayned by the scripturs.

[Page 84] [...] But of your easter howsell we can not skyll. And therfor ye haue done wele here to make them dyuerse. Surelye yt ys the most lerned poynt we se in yow yet, for they are dyuerse in dede. So dyuerse, Luce. 11 Math. 12. 2. Ioan. 1. 2. Cor. 6. Luce. 22. Math. 26 Marci. 14▪ Col. 2. that the one ys with Christ, the other ys ageynst hym. The one allureth vnto hym, the other scattereth frō hym. And no mar­uele, seynge the one ys of Christ, the other of Anticrist. Christ sayd vnto hys dyscy­ples, Take yt and deuyde yt amonge yo­wr selues, And so cōstytuted therin a mu­tuall perticipacyō of hys bodye ād blood. Yow wyll suffre nō to touche yt, be they neuer so cleane that daye, bycause they 1. Cor. 11. haue not yowr oyles. But ye geue euerye manne hys brekefast alone, bycause yt schuld be no communyon. After thys sort Ioan. 13. receyued Iudas a soppe alone, as non of that communyon. Ye thynke ye haue done wele in changynge Christes ordynaū ­ce. Ioannes cuspinia­nus de sa­racenis. Alas wretched creaturs, ye haue done most wyckedly. No saracene nor Turke dare change one Iote of Mahometes la­we (whych ys but a wretched thynge) ād yow spare not to alter the sett purpose of the eternall god. And where as yewyll suffre no laye mēne to takeyt in ther hādes Colo. 2. Treno. 3▪ yt ys but a superstycyose nycenesse of ye. For christes dyscyples were neuer smered [Page] with yowr popyshe grease and yet they layd handes vpon yt. Yea, Eusebius cesa­riensis and Dyonisius Alexandrinus also Histo, tri pertit. Lib. 9 ca. 30. writeth that a yonge ladde ded mynystre yt vnto one Serapion at Alexādria, as he laye a dyenge, and yt was than wele allowed. Theodosius the emprour had yt geuen hym into hys owne handes by the as­sygnaciō of saynt Ambrose the bysshopp Iacobus de vora­gine. of millayne. Hypolitus a laye manne ded mynystre yt vnto hys how sholde seruaū tes, and is yet to thys daye commended of manye auncyent wryters for so doynge. The communyon ys a mutuall socyete Ephes. 4. Rom. 12 1. cor. 10 Gala. 2. of menne in one Christen faythe, knytt together in one brotherlye loue, as mem­bers in one bodye to ther head, in the true partycypacyon of that heauēlye mysterye Vnto thys communyon was Paulus and Barnabas receyued, whan Peter, Iohan­and Acto. 6 Ioan. 2. Apo. 18 Iames gaue them ther ryght handes of felyshypp.

2 Vvherof your how sell ryseth, or wher vpon yt hath cawte that name, we cā not wele tell. Vnlesse yt be vpon thys Ex. 6. sy­nodo. quest. Ca Nullus episco. How sell ye? that ys to saye, those wares for there ys nothynge els but merchandy­ce in yt. The one selleth hys master with Iudas, ād the other byeth the holyeghost with Symon magus. And to maynteyne [Page 85] thys rewle, must tythes and offerynges with other deuocyōs and dewtyes be payed, the whole accōptes therof than ma­de in confessyon. I coude wryte manye Esa. 3. Hie. 23. Dani. 14. thynges cōcernynge ther craftye cloynin­ge and pyllage of the poore labourynge menne and womenne, seruaūtes and prenteses, to be catchynge yet of sūwhat, but for thys tyme I lete yt passe. Thys your Easter how sell was first instytute by po­pe platina in vitis pōt. Innocen­cius. 3. de pen. & re Zepherinus and after confermed by a popyshe decretall called, Omnis vtrius (que) sexus. The communyon of Christ ys fre to hys peple, and bounde to no daye, but all dayes at ther pleasure boūde vnto yt, for they are now no seruauntes to the daye, but the daye vnto them. For the lorde created not manne to serue the daye, but the Marci. 2. Math. 12. Luce. 6. Gala. 4. Col. 2. daye to serue manne. How hapneth yt (sayth saynt Paule) that ye turne ageyn to the weake and beggerlye tradycyons, de syerynge a freshe to be in bondage? Ye obserue dayes ād monethes, tymes and years I am in feare of yow, least my labours be in vayne amonge yow. The arty­cle of the Euchary­stye in both kyndes.

3 In the ende of thys artycle, ye con­dempne these bokes for admyttynge both kyndes ī the Eucharystye vnto the laye peple (as yow name them) though they be vnto Christ more holye thā yow whych [Page] hath the popes vnccyons. Vvhether yow be the heretyques or they that made the bokes, lete Christ be iudge. He ernestlye commaunded Mat. 26. Marc. 14. Luce. 22. hys dyscyples to drynke of yt all. And they dranke of yt all, sayth Mar­ke. Yow saye, hande of in peyne of bur­nynge or els hangynge, bycause Eckius dronkē dyuynyte hath so taught yow. Parauēture ye wyll saye with hym, that the An argu­ment out of Eckius dyuynyte 1. Cor. 11. Ambro­sius et Hieronimus. bodye ys not without the blood? Christ knewe that also so well as yow. Yet my­nystred he the chalyce, as ye call yt. Saynt Paule in lyke case writynge a lawe of christen lyuynge vnto the Corintheanes (whych were laye menne and no pre­stes) commended both kyndes vnto them, lyke as he had of the lorde receyued, and yow make lawes of deathe for yt. In the wycked counsell of Constaunce was yt Baptista panecius sermone 56. atque alij. first inhybytt in the .xiij. syttynge, by po­pe Iohan the .xxiij. whych was there de­posed for poysenynge hys predecessour Alexāder, by the false workynge of Mar silius de parma a phesycyane. Vvhere as the holye menne of God Ioannes huss and Hieronimus de praga for withstan­dynge Panormitanus. A­cta consi­lij Basili­ensis. yt, were done to most cruell dea­the, in the yeare of ower lorde. M .cccc. xv. yet was yt .xxiij. years after graunted ageyne vnto the Bohemes in the generall [Page 86] counsell of Basyll after manye great dy­sputacyons. And therfor yt ys a sore mat­ter to putt menne to deathe for, but that ye must folowe the steppes of yowr fathers Genes. 4. Math. 23. Ioan. 10. Zach. 11. to be partyners with them in that plage. Both must ye be theues and murtherers depryuynge the peple as wele of helthe as of lyfe.

4 And where as ye seke to maynteyne the inuocacyon of sayntes, condempnyn­ge these bokes for speakynge ageynst yt. Ye she we yowr selfe a more folyshe heretyque, Bōner fo­lyshe. Ec­kius ob­stynate. Idolatour, and papyst than anye that I can heare of els. Though master Ec­kius be a verye obstynate aduersarye to Christ and hys worde, and an vnshame­fast captayne of antichristes warres, yet ys he not so folyshe ā Idolatour, as to allow what Ec­kius allo­weth, the sayntes. inuocacyon to the sayntes, though he al­lowe them both veneracyon and prayer. Therfor ye are lyke in thys to stande fole alone without the helpe of hys doctrine or yet of anye other, vnlesse ye seke to the olde queresters of Baal, or the chap­leynes 3. Reg. 18. Dani. 14. Hiere. 51. Osee. 4. of Bell the olde God of Baby­lon that ded eate vpp all the sacryfyces as yower generacyon doth styll. Vvhat I schuld write of thys I can not tell, yt ys so folyshe. Sauynge that I remembre .viij. years ago I was afore Edwarde lee [Page] the archebysshopp of yorke. Vvhereas I The au­thor exa­myned vpō sayntes wor­shyppynge. An olde dottynge doctor dodypoll The ans­wer of my lorde archebys­shopp of yorke. was examyned vpon the artycle of ho­nourynge and prayenge to sayntes, deuy­ded into .xvij. artycles. In the tyme of that examynacyon was there an olde doctour whych greatlye lamented (as my lorde doth here) that he myght no longar make inuocacyon to sayntes, and thought hym selfe halfe lost for yt, good doctour Downes standynge by and smylynge at hys fo­lyshnesse. Vnto whom the archebysshop sayd these wordes. Speake not (sayth he) of inuocacyon concernynge sayntes. For that respecteth a peculyar worshypp on­lye due vnto God. And with that the mā was pacyfyed, and argued no farder. So that I can se non agre with my lorde here in thys opynyon, vnlesse they be blynde dastardes and asseheades, as thys olde dottynge fole was. Thys ys yet sūwhat wor­se Vvhat the popes hath graū ted vnto sayntes. than ys the popes doctrine. For though pope Sergius gaue them shrynes, Theodatus churches, Felix holye dayes, Gregorye veneracyon, Honorius prayenge to, Leo hympnes and psalmodye, Iohan .vij. py­cturs, Constantyne Images and taberna­cles Iacobus bergomē sis, Plati­na, et nauclerus. puttynge them in the masse. Theodo­rus waxe, Stephanus sensynge, and Ale­xander holye water, yet wa there non of them all that euer gaue them honour vn­der [Page 87] the tyttle of invocacyon. That ys the onlye newe years gyft of my lorde of londō here, borowed altogyther of the olde Idolatours. And as moche worshyppys Perottus & hermā nus torrē tinus ī elucidarīo. he worthy to haue for yt as had Herostratus, whych burned the great temple of Diana at Ephesus onlye be spokē of. Neyther graunteth the scriptur sayntes hono­rynge, nor yet ther prayenge to. Neyther are they allowed there for intercessours, medyatours, nor aduocates. In the prima­tyne The sayntes are no medya­tours. churche were they had in memorye, onlye for imytacyon of ther godlye workes, but yet of non other than Christ had cōmaūded. For saynt Paule hys selfe wol­de non otherwyse be folowed of other, than he had folowed Christ afore. 1. cor. 4. Phil. 3.

5 Yet ys not the ragynge furye of my lorde pacyfyed for these bokes, but nedes they must be condempned for hauynge Masse, mattens euensōge offyces of anticrist. mater ageynst masse, mattens, and euensō ­ge, though they be onlye offyces of anti­christes relygyon, yea, rather superstycyō Vvhat yowr masse is we haue partlye declared afore as occasyon hath bene offred vs. If euerye pope schuld haue home ageyne the fedder he hath putt vnto yt, yt A creatu­re of the popes creacyon. schuld be a verye naked monstre, not all vnlyke vnto Isopes choughe, whom we commonlye call Iacke dawe. Yet must yt [Page] be a sacrifyce satisfactorye for the quycke and the dead, to the great derogacyon ād blasphemye of that onlye sacrifice of ow [...] Hebre. 10 1. Pet. 1. Phil. 3. redemption, which Christ ones made for all. These beastlye bellygoddes hath not bene ashamed in ther scolastycall lernyn­ge or deuylishe diuynite', to saye that the masse of the worke selfe delyuereth from The dirty dyuinite of papy­stes for ther mas­se. actuall synne, optayneth remyssion, graunteth deseruīge, geueth meryte, minystreth grace, and dischargeth both the gyltynesse and peyne due thervnto, where as Chri­stes deathe is nomore but a dyscharge for oryginall synne onlye, Yea, it is not longe a go sens Stokyslaye and other besydes, mynistred the same for a Christen doctri­ne Stokys­laye and Standys­he, both blasphe­mers. at paules crosse. Standyshe that blasphe mouse Idyote, maynteyninge the same selfe lowsye lewde lernynge, was not aba­shed to compare the precyouse blood of Christ to the fylthye blood of a swyne in hys deuylyshe preachinge. Vvhich I haue touched more at large in an other boke a­geynst hys slaunderose reproche of Bar­nes, Neuer are soche matters condempned The au­thor age­ynst stan­dyshe for Barnes. nor yet recanted. No, they are to swete to ther purses, panches, and pratye pygeons of paules, to be throwne awaye so sone. It were better a hondreth thousande sow­les went to the deuyll, than they schuld lose [Page 88] an ynche of those wanton pleasurs. Oh, wretchednesse, of menne. If there were in No com­passyon nor pyte in papy­stesbut destruccyō. yow but one sparke of godlynesse, it wolde abhorre yow thus to delude, slee, dāp­ne, and destroye your poore symple bre­therne with this wycked masse of yowrs Of whom ye boast christ ād hys apostles to be the authors, not beynge able throu­ghlye to brynge one godlye māne for the Not crist but anti­christ foū ded the Masse. Fylthye drynkes of synne. Apoc. 17 Prou. 15. Polydo­rus de re­rum inuē toribus. Lib. 6. author therof as yt ys now. I speake on­lye of yowr patched masse, and not of cristes wordes in the ryght kynde.

6 And as touchynge your mattēs and euensonge, they are also fylthye drynkes of the same whores cuppe of Babylō, ve­rye execrable and noyfull to them that schall receyue them in faythe without vnderstandynge, as a fulfyllynge of ther dutye to god. Onlye are they instytucyons of popes, As of Damasus, Gelasiꝰ, Pelagius, Gregorius, Vitelianus, Vrbanus. And soche lyke. And of monkes agreynge to the same, As of Ioannes cassianus, Paulus Diaconus, Isuardus, Alcuinus, Rabanus, Osmiidus, ād soche other more, takē out Ioānes tritemius, & Cestrēsis. Math. 6. Esa. 29. Lucae. 11. 3. Reg. 18. first of the supsticiose vse of the gētiles ād the hypocritishe customes of the pharyse­es. Vvhan ye praye (sayth Christ) speake not moche as doth the heythen, nor stan­de not vp in the synagoges as doth the hypocrytes. [Page] For the one thynketh to be har­de by moche bablynge, and the other se­keth to be seane of menne. They both are Marc. 16. Ioan. 20. Math. 28. without rewarde of God. Vvhan Christ went from the worlde, he sent forth non other but preachers onlye to instruct the multitude to lyue after the rewles whych he had afore taught by his gospell. Now The po­pes dylcyples are mattēsers and mas­sers. commeth the pope which is of a contrarie relygion from hym, and he sendeth forth mattens mongers, masse momblers, holye water swyngers, and euensonge clatterers with other hypocrites els, to fulfyll the tyme with ther Idell supersticyons, and clerelye to exyle the gospell. And thys is the religyō that my lorde laboreth here with tothe and nayle to maynteyne. But God Hiere. 15. Psal. 1. (I doubt it not) wyll shortlye delyuer his, and the wayes of the wvcked schall come to nought.

¶ The manne of synne.
Hys dysclosynge.

[Page 89]RYghtlye hath the apostle Iude, o­therwyse called Thadeus described Math. 10. Ioan. 14. Iude. 1. Act. 20. Psal. 13. 2. Tim. 3. 2. Petri. 3. Luce. 18. thys false generacyon in hys epyst­le, callynge them blasphemers, mockers, murmurers, quarellers, and proude spea­kers, walkynge in vngodlynesse accor­dynge to ther owne lustes. These are they whych separate them selues from the multytude, and are not as other mēne be. Beast lye are they in ther doctrine and lyuynge, hauynge neyther sprete nor grace. Marke Bōner ys here by hys frutes a verye ā ­tichrist. well the frutes of my lorde in thys processe, ād ye schal saye they are the same. Styll cōplayneth he of these poore bokes with­out eyther wytt or lernynge, and wyll in no wyse be pacyfyed. Next ys he in hāde here with that he obserueth least, whych An othe before a iudge. ys to sweare to be true and perfourme yt. These bokes (sayth he) are ageynst the ge­uynge of an othe before a iudge. I wote he meaneth here the vniust examynacyōs of the verye martyrs of God, ser Iohā ol­decastell Vvalde­nus in fa­sciculo heresum, & cōtra wic leuistas. the lorde cobham, and of master wyllyam thorpe prest, whych vtterlye refused to be sworne to antichristes abho­mynacyons before that uerye mynystre of sathā Thomas arundell thā archebysshopp of caunterberye and chancellour of En­glande. I schall first infourme the (good christen reader) of the cruelte of thys ty­raunt, [Page] [...] I fynde in dyuerse cronycles, and Polydo­rus, Ioan. maior, Fabianus & Caxtonꝰ thā cōsydre thu the newe practyses of my lorde here. As Thomas arundell persey­ued the veryte of God to sprynge ād flo­ryshe by the contynuall lecturs, determy­nacyons, and preachynges of master Iohā wycleff and hys clyentes (whych was in those dayes of most wonderfull lyfe and lernynge) and that kynge Edwarde the Vuolphā gus Kiri­ander in persecuti­onibus ecclesiae. thirde in hys latter age sumwhat fauored the same, ād also that kynge Rycharde the seconde succedynge hym, wolde not per­secute yt to hys mynde. He first conspyred ageynst the seyd kynge Rycharde wyth the erle of Darbye whych was also duke of harforde. Than procured he the Iryshe Polydo­rus & Io­annes maior, ī chronicis. menne to ryse, hys owne commons to re­bell, hys lordes to depose hym of hys re­gne, ād fynallye to settvp in hys rome the seyd erle of Darbye, famysshynge hym vnto deathe at the last in the castell of pom­frett. Than caused he the gospell readynge Vvalde­nus cōtra Vvicleuistas, & Fabianus: to become both heresye and treason, and procured for yt both hangynge and bur­nynge, where as afore yt was but exylyn­ge onlye, or els headynge at the most. So that there were in one daye at hys procu­rement both hanged and brent in saynt Robertus fabianus ī chronicis Gyles feldo .xxxvi. besydes ser Roger a­cton knyght, master Iohan browne es­quyre, [Page 90] and ser Iohan beuerlaye prest, in the yeare of owr lorde. M .cccc. xiij. And all was for that they wolde not obeye the popes relygyon. Greuouslye ys my lorde Anticrist wolde yet be o­beyed in hys my­schefes. of london offended here with these bokes bycause thys great prelate was not obeyed there in these wholsom workes of holye churche. Trulye thys ys the othe he cōplayneth of here, that ys there denyed afore a iudge. It wyll not awaye they saye, that ys bredde by the bone. In dede yt so ape­reth, yf ye waye thys gere well.

2 Vvho hath cōstytute bysshoppes for Sapi. 12. Ioan. 18. Luce. 22. Prou. 8. Apoc. 13. Danie. 7. iudges in lyfe and deathe ouer mēne? Not the eternall God whych onlye gaue that authoryte to kynges, but the infernall ser­pent that hath geuen power to the beast to make battayle with the sayntes ād to ouer come thē. Vvere ye of Christes institucyō as ye are of anticristes, your offyce were Of prea­chers are prestes be comemur therers. Saynt frā ces first bretherne Christes false bre­therne. to preache lyke poore dyscyples, and not to sytt in iudgemēt of them whose beleue ys now moche better than yowrs. But yt fareth by yow as by the first bretherne of saynt Frāces (as the tale goeth amonge the peple) he left them penytentes, and founde them theues at hys returne. So christ left yow preachers, and now fyndeth yow murtherers vp of hys peple. Ye ought ra­ther to counsell from swearynge (beynge [Page] in yt so great parell as there ys) than to en­force menne cruellye vnto yt. A dampna­ble Hiere. 5. Math. 5. Deut. 6. vse haue ye brought into the worlde amonge manye other, to swcare vpō a boke whych ys but a creature, where as mennys othes ought to be vpon God onlye. For thys abhomynable custome of pleyne Idolatrie, are ye sore rebuked of saynt Io­han Chrisostome in hys .xliiij. homelye v­pon Chrisost. hom. 44. super Matheum. Mathew, as ye schall fynde yt more at large declared in the christen exhortacyon vnto customable swearers. How bosshop peshath bestowed ther othes to ther pryn­ces sens the conquest and sumwhat afore, Guilhel­mus mal­mesburiē sis, lib. 2. Cestrēsis, lib. 6. ca. 29. Robertus fabianus. Cestrēsis, Caxtonꝰ flores & alij. they that are expert in the cronycles kno­weth full wele. Robert the arche bysshopp of caunterburye within a whyle after hys othe of allegeaunce to kynge Herolde, brought into thys realme duke wyllyam of normādye a bastarde, with a bāner frō pope Alexander the seconde, and cleane remyssyon of synne to subdue both hym and yt. Vvhat prankes hath bene played sens by Egelwinus, Odo, Anselme, Ran­dolf of durham, Rafe of chychester, Alexāder of lyncolne, Nigelliꝰ of helye, Roger of salesburye, Thomas becket, Steuen lāg­ton, Edmonde of pountnaye, Thomas of herforde, Rychard scrope, Hērye spenser, Thomas arundell, Thomas the late cardy­nall Thomas wolseye cardynall. [Page 91] of Englande, and a great nombre of thē more, yt wolde axe great tyme to de­clare: And therfor yt ys no maruele thow my lorde loketh here so strayghtlye vpon the matter, yt ys so faythfullye obserued Bonner hath bene sworne thryse to antichrist amonge thē. It were mete for hym to rec­kē with hym selfe how he hath bestowed hys owne. He hath bene thryse sworne to the Pope at the least before a iudge for hys spirituall degrees, and yet hath he of late years bene ageynst all those promyses out wardlye. Sens hath he sworne to hys prince, A periure becometh he now to hys prynce. and now becometh he a periure to the same, so depelye maynteynynge the kyn­gedome of Anticrist as he doth here.

3 In the ende of thys matter to proue hym self altogyther a lyar, he accuseth the­se bokes of a verye peruerse ād sedycyou­se opynyō, whych in dede they haue not, A sedycyouse opynyon of the anabaptystes, and of monkes. Authors confutynge thys opynyon but are vtterlye ageynst yt. As to haue all thynges cōmen amongest the peple. Onlye ys thys opynyon holden and maynteyned of the Anabaptystes, whych had yt first of ther mōkyshe sectes, whose custome was sumtyme for themselues to haue all in cō ­men, but for no manne els. In thys vncri­sten artycle hath Martyn luther, Melanch­ton, Zuinglius, Venatorius, Vrbanus re­gius, Vvestmerus, Sarcerius, Coruinus, and dyuerse other confuted the seyd Ana­bapty­stes, [Page] not onlye with invyncybl [...] argumentes but also with bokes written, as all the worlde knoweth. Vvhere as Henricus Agrippa contral▪ ouanienses & alibi. my lordes oyled generacyon was not a­ble to do yt, or at the least wolde take no soche labours vpon them. And therfor my lorde schall in thys poynt be a lyar by daye lyght. But in dede in thys he vseth the practyse of hys olde scolemasters the holye pharysees and scrybes, whych lay­ed Luce. 23. Act. 24. Ioan. 16. 1. Petri. 2. Esa. 28. first vnto Christ, than vnto Paule, and consequentlye vnto the other dyscyples, that they were sturrers vp of sedycyon, whan they se non other thynge wolde helpe them out of the waye. And thys hath contynued euer sens in Antichristes churche as a necessarye polycye ageynst heretyques. To saye they are subuerters Genes. 16. Act. 6. Galat. 4. of the peple, and destroyers of good la­wes, whan they playe the partes ther sel­ues. Though my lordes spiritualte are not of thys opynyon towardes other monne, yet are they of yt towardes themselues, se­kynge The pre­stes wor­keth yt in effect. to make all mennys goodes com­men vnto them by tyttle of tythes, offe­rynges, deuocyons, pylgrimages, abso­lucyons, indulgences, bequestes, mortua­ryes, monthesmyndes, yearmyndes, and the deuyll and all besydes, deuourynge Math. 23. Esa. 10. Psal. 13. vpp poore wydowes howses with the [Page 92] patrimonye of the desolate and fatherlesse

4 Now last of all whan thys matter of my lordes ys fynyshed, cometh poore Tolwyn as a manne halfe hartlesse with Tolwyn subscry­beth to thys do­ctrine. penne and ynke in hys hande, and subscribeth vnto yt for feare of burnynge. Ita est (sayth he good symple sowle) yt ys euen as my honorable good lorde of london hath sayd here. These bokes are all here­sye, and I haue bene an heretyque for re­taynynge of them. But now from hence He ꝓmy­seth obe­dyence to the same. forth I wyll become (I trust) an obedyent chylde to the popes holye churche. And than he played Iacke a napes, swearynge by hys tēne bones, with Vvilhelmus Tolwyn, manu propria.

5 I Vvyllyam Tolwyn make my ne­we professyon to my lordes grace here in A newe professyō vnto Romyshe papystrye. the Popes stede, and promyse to obserue these in iunccyōs of myne ordinarye with out the grace of god ād my kynges true o­bediēce, vnto my lyues ende. Myne owne hande wrytynge to wytnesse least anye thȳge be layed to my lordes charge for yt ā other daye. I dare saye yfhys good lorde A verye prodygy ouse kynde o [...]ty­rannye ys thys here. of london schuld haue sayd vnto hym at that houre that Crist was a these ād hys father an hangemanne, he wolde haue sub­scribed vnto yt for the sauegarde of hys lyfe. And wyth as good a conscyence [Page] myght he haue done that as thys, the ver [...] tees consydered whych are herin cōdempned. Thꝰ drawe they poore innocentes to Acto. 20. 2. Ioan. 1. Math. 23. 2. Tim. 3. Apoc. 13. the deuill by compulsion. Ye hypocrites (sayth christ) ye compasse see and lande to make a preselyte, or a nouice as mōkes call thē, and so to brynge hym into yowr beleue. And whā he ys ones brought [...] ye make hym two folde more the chylde of hell thā ye your selues are.

¶ The manne of synne.
¶ Hys dysclosynge.

SO notable ys thys new worke of my lorde here that yt maye want no cyr­cōstaūce They are not asha­med of ther deuilyshnesse. to ꝓmote yt for warde, ād to bri­ge yt to a worshypfull sale. The gret workes of saint Austyn ād Chrisostome hath not a more solēpne sealynge vp, thā hath thys pylde patche of papystrye, nor yet Christes holye testament neyther. It ys he­re The blas­phemose frutes are Boners. sayd to be imprynted at Lōdō, though it be not greatlye to the honour of so worshypfull a cyte, to sende forth soche blas­phemouse [Page 93] frutes. Not with stādynge the­re ys no fawte in the cite in that, for whye the frutes be not thers but ther bysshoppes A plage to be vn­der Anti­christ. A sorowfull plage ys yt surelye vnto thē to be in captyuyte of conscyence vnder so che ā apostle of Antichrist as mynystreth no better lernynge. Great confort wolde yt be vnto them, yf yt wolde please the lorde te sēde them soche a pastoure as Po­lycrates Polycra­tes. Poly­carpus. And Meliton. was vnto Ephesus, Polycarpus vnto Smyrna, and Meliton vnto Sardis, delyuerynge them from thys tyraunt. He first sett vp Bybles in Paules not purpo­synge anye christen erudicyon to the pe­ple, but as snares to catche them by. For in Hys by­bles are snares to knowe and to catche. mediatlye after he sett vp a cōmaūdement that God shuld geue place to the Pope, ād Christ vnto Antichrist. There shall be no readynge (sayth he) for the tyme of gods seruyce. As though ther wayne, Idell, and blasphemouse supersticyons were onlye gods seruice and the byble readynge no God must geue pla­ce to ther vanytees. part therof, but a verye prophane thynge Vpon thys polycie ded he sett them vpp there, to knowe whych were the busy byble menne of Londō, that he myght spea­ke with thē at layser. For he had hysspyes euermore and hys Iudases there at hande. Cōsydre the cruell. Some hath al redye proued yt ād also payed the harde pryce therof. So that they [Page] whych at ther first commynge helde vp handelynge of [...]o­ [...]ā ▪ porter ther handes vnto god for ther good bys­shopp, doth now holde downe ther hea­des and can saye, that Sathan hath shewed hymselfe for all hys angelyk face.

2 In saynt Sepulchres paryshe was thys Vvhat saynt Se­pulchre ys ād w­here he was bor­ne. famouse worke imprinted in the olde bailye. But what maner of saynt ys thys sa­me saint Sepulcre? where was he borne, or where ys he shryned? Is he Martyr or a Cōfessour, a Virgine or a Matrone? I wolde fayne knowe the certen [...]e. He ys non of all those ser. It ys the graue that Christes bodye was layed in after yt was Bartholomeus a saligniaco. Brocardꝰ Iudolphꝰ Nicolaus Huen. taken from the crosse. Naye, that ys a fal­se tale. for that was beaten out of the har­de rocke, and coude neuer be remoued from the place yt ys in, as all the writers and Luke also doth wytuesse. And what yf yt were the same? Yet coude yt be ma­de no saynt. The pope vseth to canony­se no soche thynges for sayntes, though he Onlye ys saynt Se­pulcre the shaddo­we of an Idoll. suffreth them to be worshypped. But now I perseyue yt ys made by some car­uer, and garnyshed with colours by so­me paynter. And than ys yt sum what worse▪ than an Idoll, for yt ys but his s [...]addowe or simylitude, and parauēture nothynge like yt. The scripture sayth, Psal. 96. Sap. 13. Ose. 11. Gala. 3. that vnhappye are they, whych haue a▪ [Page 94] vayne stone to ther patron [...]. And they that sense Images are gone quyte frō god. But be there neuer so moche abhomina­cion in soche thynges, neuer schall ye se them at Paules crosse condemned by the bysshopp. Manye testamentes of crist hath Testamē tes brēt at paules but no Idols. there bene brent, but neuer Idolls openlye rebuked, sauynge the gapynge rode of Boxlaye ād the duckes blood of Hayles. My lorde can suffre both saynt Sepulchre and saynt Antonyne, and allowe them here [...] hys boke for sayntes, notwithstandinge Non re [...]ā teth for I­dolatre nor yet for ther buggerye all the myschefe they haue done in castinge awaye so mayne thousāde sowles through Idolatrye, ād yet neuer cēpell thē to recant at Paules, nor yet his selfe for the sufferaunce of them. No, this ys non here­sye thys. It ys euen the holye father of Romes relligyon, and therfor yt maye not be hyndred. Oh most abhomynable workers, whan wyll ye forsake yowr Neuer ashamed of sinne. vngodlinesse? whā wyll ye be ashamed of synne? No where cāne ther dwell anye peple, but they make them captyue slaues vnto soche Idols. Eyther must they be vn­der the tittle of saint Thomas of acres, sait All are captyun to Idols. Do [...]stone, saynt Botolp [...]e, saynt Bryde, saint Magnꝰ, saint Foster, saint Gyles, sait Benett, saint Crowche, saint Sprite, or of soche other like. And all thei are made but [Page] of paynters [...]d caruers. More godlynesse were in it to sett vp ther makers than thē Rather worshyp the caruer than thē. for they are yet the creaturs of god. A godlye acte was yt to seclude the bysshopp of Rome, But a moche more godlie acte were yt, to putt a syde hys fylthinesse. For that remaineth yet still vnder the tyttle of lawdable rytes and ceremonyes, and [...]e­we The po­pes fylthynesse re­mayneth. menne are greued therwith. A farre other waye went Asa, Iosaphat. Iehu, ād Iosias the godlye kinges of Iuda and Isra­el to worke in destroynge the wyckednesse 2. Pa. 14. 4. reg. 10. 2. Pa. 34. 4. Reg. 18 Nume. 21 Eccle. 48 of Idolatrye, Speciallie good Ezechi as whych brake the brasen serpent in pe­ces that Moyses had made at the lordes cō maūdement, whan he se yt ones becomē an abhominacyō. He wolde in no case at the counsell of false prestes, suffre the thynge to remayne the onlye supersticyons ta­ken awaye. But he toke awaye the occa­siō Moche worse ys the occa­sion than the super­stycion. with the supersticyōs, least they schuld ryse ageine. Neuer come thinges ryghtlye to passe, be owr pretenses neuer so godlye so longe as we myngle with the eternall wysdome of god ower owne carnall wysdom.

3 Vvhat ys ment here by the olde bay­lye, The olde baylye, what yt meaneth. I can not wele tell, vnlesse yt be a stre­te, where as they sūtyme dwelt whych sa­we the best rewle obserued. If a newe or [Page 95] dre were takē in thys matter, God wolde be moche better pleased. Richarde laut ꝓmoteth thys. worke.

4 Now cōsequentlye cometh Rychar­de Lant, and he also setteth hys name to thys notable worke, not as the maker but as the putter forth of yt by hys prynt. He ys wele contented to be vnder that venge Apoc. 18. Sap. 15. Math. 15. aūce whych hangeth ouer Babylō, to gett a lyttle moneye. My lorde ys hys diocesa­ne, ordinarye, and bysshopp, and therfor he dare be the bolder to sett hys fote whe­re A thefe to god and his verite my lorde setteth hys, though yt be in a fylthie soyle. A sayenge there ys that as yll ys the thefe as he which setteth him a worke. If Rychard lant had bene a true tenaūt Saynt se­pulchres tenaūt a­geynst God. of the eternall lyuige god as he ys to saynt Sepulchre, hys fore syght wolde haue be­ne moche better. If he had dwelt in the newe baylie as he dwelleth in the olde, he wolde haue done no soche thynge. But yf both the hande and the tole of bym that Proue. 8. Sap. 14. Exod. 20 Deut. 27. maketh an Image be accursed (as the lor­de saith they are) I thynke Richarde Lant ys not farre frō the same.

5 And wher as he hath Ioyued hys prynces auctoryte vnto yt, Ad imprimendum Ad ipri­mēdū so­lum, not golye v­sed here. solum, to bringe hym also vnder the same curse of God (for I knowe God ys true of hys worde) he hath played no honest mā ­nys part, nomore than hath some other [Page] more of his [...]ellawes▪ Besydes that he hath done here ageynst the glorye of god, he God, kynge, and cū tre ys he­rin dyshonoured. hath dyshonoured hys kinge and dysho­nested his cuntre, in offerynge vnto the peple vnder his tyttle of preuylege to dryn­ke ageine ther owne fylthie vomete of abhominable papistrye to the vtter destruc­cyon of ther sowles more thā afore. Lete menne of godlie knowlege iudge but ac­cordynge to cōscyēce what lernynge this Nehē. 1. 1. Ioan. 5. Hiere. 7. Hebre. 10 ys, ād lament with heuynesse the seduccy­on of Christes dere herytage. Herin are they cōpelled bi cruell ēforcemētes, to sine the synne vnto deathe to the blasphemye of Gods name for whō remayneth neither sacrifyce nor yet prayer, but a fearfull expectacyon of iudgement without mercye The eternall father with hys sonne Iesus 2. Thes. 3. [...]. Ioan. 5. Christ and the holye ghost, thre persones in one euerlastinge godhede redresse ones thys matter with soche other more▪ to hys owne glorye ād the peples helthe. ¶ Amē