how lytle but be vncertayne therof / it foloweth that they be vncertayne of their saluacyon / and wolde for that entent haue vs parte takers of their sorowes for it is a pleasure to wretches to haue some companyons of their wrechydnesse Solatium est miseris sotios habuisse malorum Dyd not god also by the mouthe of Moyses The fourth Non addetiâ— ad vbuÌ„ / quod loquor â—obis net auferetis ab eo Deute iui ec .xvii. coÌ„maunde the chyldren of Israell as foloweth Thou shalt not adde any thyng to this worde nor take any thynge from it I beseche you my wyse vnwritten gospellers for what entent was that / but bycause their worde written was suffycient Be we than in worse case than they were / or dothe not this coÌ„maundement staÌ„de yet in effecte Is it eyther iudiciall lawe or ceremoniall / if it be neyther than it apertayneth to vs as well as to them / and than go playe you with your vnnedefull vnwritten worde Howe say ye now hath not IohnÌ„ the same senteÌ„ce in the last chaptre of thapocalypse wyll ye neuer be wyse Answere to this why dyd the apostels The fyfth set their pennes to the booke to write was it not bycause the gospell of Christ shulde not be forgoten And why than dyd they as ye saye leaue it vnsuffycient Maye not the rest that ye saye is vnwritten be forgotten Yes and is so moche forgotten all redy that ye can not tell what it is nor howe moche By your tale a man myght well accuse as well all as one of the apostels / bothe of vncharytablenesse as of wylfull neglygence and murdre of mens soules in leauynge that vnwritten wetyngly and for the nones that is of necessyte requysyte to the saluacion of our soules / seyng it may be forgoten And yet the coÌ„trary is knowen to well that they were bothe to good charytable and dylygent / and loued the coÌ„maundement of Christe to well to be taken tardye in any suche fautes / wherfore all your bablyng is not worthe a button But what nede vs go aboute to proue The â—yetâ— the negatyfe whan it is suffycyent for our parte to denye there is any thyng necessary to our saluacyon vnwritten in the scriptures therfore oh good reder which art not lerned whan so euer thou hast any suche reason made vnto the demauÌ„de of hym that reasoneth with the what he meaneth by that same worde necessary If he answere necessary to saluacyon denye thou that any suche thynges lacke in scrypture written If he meane of other necessaries be not afrayde to grauÌ„te it hym As thoughe it be not written in scripture that if our fantastycal doctours were vpon the spaynysshe sees in a shyp wtout bottome they must nedes be drowned / yet must thou by necessyte of reason byleue it Onlesse their faythe were better than was Peters whan he wente vpon the see / or that god wolde shewe a a hygher myracle than was done vpon the holy mayde of Kent And thus moche The holy mayde of Kent for the coÌ„futacyon of theyr maior Now to the minor or second parte of their reason Whan they can not auowe the maior or fyrst parte of theyr argumeÌ„t than it is vnpossyble to make good the minor or seconde parte / as whan it can not be ê“ued that there is any thyng vnwryten in scripture necessary to our saluacyon / how is it possyble than to assygne or appoynt any certayne thynge as the fastynge of lent or any other thynge and saye this is one of them for I must fyrst proue that there be some suche thynges vnwryten ere I can say this or that is one of them As in example Yf a man wolde ê“ue that there be some good and honest vnwriten gospellers coude not make it good yf he were put to his probacyon / how the deuyl than were it possyble for hym to assygne and poynt out some certayn man of that secte and saye suche a man is one of those honest and good men And by my truthe I thynke it were as great maystry to proue that there be any good vertuous people of that secte as to proue that Chryst was borne before our lady I take no mo to be of that secte but suche as defende this arronyous opynyon in the pulpet or by wrytynge or obstynate disputacyon Now whan neyther the maior nor the minor can be ê“ued where shall we fynde the conclusyon God knoweth for I can not tell Yet to proue what our ymagynatyfe doctours can do let vs for good company graunte that there be some thynges vnwryten necessary to the saluacyon of our soules / shall it folowe therfore that those same vnwryten verytyes whiche some of them assigne to be the worde of god vnwryten be so in dede I wonder in what fygure this same argumeÌ„t staÌ„deth whether in Bocardo or in Neweâ—ate Suche maner of arguynge is moche lyke as yf one of these vnwryten prophetes goynge to the feldes to shote and lackynge bothe braser and shotynge gloue wolde proue that he neded his wyues nyght cap and argue thus By god I haue nede of dyuers thynges whiche I haue not if I shulde shoote well Mary that is truthe myght an other of the company say Nowe if this wyse man wolde conclude vpon the others graunt and say / ergo it is my wyues nyghtcappe / myght not an vngracyous felowe standynge by saye / ergo it is an halter / or ergo thou wylte neuer be wyse yes in good faythe excepte he wolde make a braser or a shotynge gloue of his wyues nyghtcappe Semblably whan our doctours saye there be many thynges vnwritten in scrypture necessarye to our saluacyon to be byleued ergo this or that is one of them / yet that same this or that foloweth not of necessyte no more than the good wyues nyghtcappe dothe / so that if thou se cause why thou maye as well saye / ergo it is the good wyues nyghtcappe or denye it and put hym to the probacyon of it and of this I dare make the warrantyse that neyther he nor all the frendes he hath shall euer be able to make it good But the best sporte of all is that our vnwritten euaÌ„gelystes be driuen by their owne confessyon to forsake the worde of god written as the thynge that is not able to beare them out in their trouble 〈◊〉 â—ory 〈◊〉 to seke this sorye shyfte of the worde of god vnwritten and that of necessyte as they saye Of what necessyte euery man knoweth Trewly bycause they be not able to proue the bysshoppe of Romes power and tyrannye with other erronyous artycles by scrypture written / but grauÌ„t well and wysely that the worde of god staÌ„deth not on their parte and must therfore make their refuge to the worde inuisyble that flyeth aboute in the ayre and no man can tell what it is nor where to fynde it Be not these sore felowes to fyght in a mannes
Charitas IVSTICIA Fides ¶ A mustre of scismatyke bysshoppes of Rome / otherwyse naming them selues popes / moche necessarye to be redde of al the kynges true subiectes Cum priuilegio PRVDENCIA SPES Obedientia Daâ—entia IB Iohan Byddell Londini in aedibus Thome Bertheleri typis impress Cum priuilegio adimprimendum solum ANNO. M.D.XXXIX ¶ Here foloweth the coutentes of this booke EIrst a prologue whiche discribeth and setteth forthe the maners fassyons and vsages of popes / ryght mete and conuenyent for the tyme that nowe is wherein also the popes power is breuely declared / and whether the worde of god written be suffycient to our saluacyon or not ¶ After that a goodly hystory worthy to be redde of al men of pope Gregory the seuenth / written in the latyne tonge by a ryght holy and vertuous prelate of the churche called Beno cardynall at that same tyme / newly translated into englysshe ¶ Last of al foloweth the lyfe of the fourth Henry emperour of Rome of Amayne newe turned also in to our mother tonge whiche Henry was cruelly imprisoned and deposed by the meanes of the sayde Gregyry The prologue of the translatour ¶ Iohan Robertes to the gentyll indifferent reder sendeth gretynge and well to fare COnsyderyng oh well beloued reder that so many noble authours / as well of science incomparable as of wytte most clere and excelleÌ„t haue in dyuers and sondry workes so lyuely and expresly depaynted and set forthe as a lyuyng ymage before a mans eyen the vse fruyte or coÌ„modytees of hystories / so that nothyng more as concernyng the coÌ„mendacyon of them can be well desyred / I thought it therfore a thyng lytell requysyte as at this tyme agayne of any suche thyngê to make declaracion And though I had attempted so to do yet I do not stande thaÌ„ked be god so hyghly in myne owne conceyte but whan I had done the best I coulde and sought all the corners of my wytte / I thynke not the contrary but there myght haue appered as great difference of eloquence beautye of oracyon bytwyxt my encomye or coÌ„mendacyon and theirs as bytwyxt the clerenesse of the sonne and the leest sterre in the fyrmament Therfore the premysses pondred I haue determyned to leaue that and to procede to my purpose shewe the cause of my labours ¶ There is a fonde folysshe fantasye ragynge in many mens heedes nowe a dayes that wolde to god they were so wyse as they be many in multytude that be troubled with it and that is this The pope saye they can not That the pope can not erre the traÌ„slatouâ—e entenoeth to disprouâ— erre Truthe it is that if he be in a fayre hyghway without any turnynges and wel hedged on bothe sydes vpon his mules backe I thinke he can not moche erre excepte he wolde cause his mule to take the hedge But that lyghtly he can not for a mule men say may abyde the spurre very well This fantastycall blyndnesse was neuer endued by any man of litterature but by some pekysshe pedler or cloutyng colyer it is so grosse of it selfe well be it neuer so grosse yet was I ones grossed therin my selfe For colyers be not grosse alone Than chaunsed to come to my hande the lyfe of Gregory the seuenth otherwyse named Hyldebrande herafter folowyng wherin whan I had redde a lytell way as a man wolde say one leafe and one syde in the latyne tonge se the abhomynacion that there was written I begon some thyng to be moued bote the lyppe scratched my heed and wexed excedynge wery yet forthe I went But whan I came to th ende and remembred the detestacyon execracion and myschefe that I had there met withall by chauÌ„ce / and agayne howe shamfully myserably and pytously the poore symple soules of Christes churche had ben seduced mocked / not onely my selfe and one or twayne mo but hundredes thousandes / ye al the hole worlde with this pestylent persuasyon that the pope can not erre / and dyd se before myne eyen the playne contrary so clere that it can not be denyed / me thought I was bounde in conscience no lesse than vpon the saluacion of my soule to declare vnto other the truthe that I had fouÌ„de and the darknesse out of the whiche by the redyng of this forsayd boke I was delyuered Of this conscyence zeale occasyon I toke vpon me to translate this hystory mencyoned / whiche although it be not so exquisytely done nor with suche eloqueÌ„ce of englysshe as some man wolde loke for in an hystory / yet shall I desyre all men whose chauÌ„ce shall be to rede it to admyt my good wyll endeuoyre And bycause no man in the worlde that nowe is can meane saye or do any thynge so well or with so clere conscience but that the poysoned pestyleÌ„t tonges of false detractours shall peruerte it to the worste therfore I The ê“testaryon of the traÌ„slatour protest here before god or I procede any further that I entende no derogacyon to holy churche holy popes holy bysshops holy fathers holy doctours holy man holy woman or any other holy thynge / but onely the disclosynge vtteraunce of them that be naught and yet notwithstandyng wyll be taken as holy wolde haue men byleue that what so euer they do is well and that they can not erre / â—â—d wyll if a man saye the contrary call hym heretyke and be redy to burne hym for other defence they haue none But truthe it is that a galde horse wyll kycke whâ—n he is rubbed vpon the gall and no man wyll make a prouder bragge souer than 〈◊〉 starke thefe / as Iudas said whan our sauyour Christ shewed his apostels that one of them had betrayed hym Not I good lorde quod he Here coulde I recyte many goodly ensamples of them that wolde be estymed good yet in very dede be starke naught were not for dyuers causes but amonge so many let vs be coÌ„tent with one In the tyme of kyng Henry Cardynall Iohan. the first kyng of Englande there came in to this realme a cardynall of Rome whose name was IohnÌ„ this cardynall made a greuous exclamacyon agaynste preestes concubynes / and sayde that it was a shamfull thynge abhomynable in the syght of god a preest to ryse from a strompettes syde to sacre the holy body of Chryst / whiche notwithstandyng the same daye after that he had songe masse in the mornyng was taken with an harlot hym selfe at nyght lyke a good euaâ—gelycall father This thyng was so opâ—n ly knowen that it myght not be forsaken nor hyd If any man be discontent with the productyon of this ensample I â—hall desyre hym to holde me excused / fyrste bycause I do it of no malyce god to recorde / secondaryly for that that no man entendyng to disclose the maners of them that be naught yet wyll be otherwyse taken can do any other but saye the
but to the ende purpose that he wolde after that demaunde of them their owne fayth and byleue / haue it knowen to all men as it was before knowen vnto hym selfe / to signyfye that his seruauntes frendes and louers whiche be taught inwardly by the spyrit of his father haue an hygher knowlege vnderstandyng and a sure byleue and trust / where as they that be not instructe in their soules by the same spyryte haue but a waueryng mynde opinyon shaken with euery wynde puffe of doctryne The wordes of the scripture ben these whome sayd Christe do men talke that I am that same sonne of man And they answered Some say that thou art IohnÌ„ Baptyst / other saye that thou art Helyas / other that thou art Ieremy or one of the nombre of the prophetes He sayd vnto them But what saye you that I am Than Symon Petre answeryng sayd Thou art Christ that same sonne of the lyuynge god Here thou must vnderstaÌ„de good reder that lykewyse as Christ proponed his question not onely vnto Peter but vnto all his apostels / euen so they all and not onely Peter answered vnto Christes questyon / all be it at the fyrste syght a man wolde thynke the contrary by the wordes of the scrypture but that answere of all them was made in Peter and by Peter in the name of them all / as in worldly besynesse the foreman of a quest answereth and gyueth the verdyte for all his felowes This affyrmeth saynt Augustyne vpon this same place by these wordes Vnus respondit ê“multis Oue Augustyne answereth saythe he for many Item the holy man Bede our owne countrey Bede man Petrus respondit vnus pro omnibus Peter answereth saythe he one for all Item Lyra Peter saythe Lyra as Lyra. though he had ben principall of all gaue answere for hym selfe and for the other And the glose also called Glosa interliniaris saythe the same / and so dothe the ordinary glose And the noble clerke Chrisostome Chrisostom in his .lv. homely vpon this same place of Mathewe / and vpon the last chapiter of IohnÌ„ in his .lxxxvij. homilie calleth Peter the mouthe of thapostels / for that that all they answered in hym by his mouth as by their forman spokesman as men call it And that he was so it apereth well in the syxth chapyter of IohnÌ„ where after a longe sermon that Christ had made vnto the people wherwith they were so sore offended that they went murmuring away forsoke his audyeÌ„ce / he sayd vnto all his apostels atones wyll ye go also Than answered Symon Peter Syr to whom shulde we go Thou hast the wordê of eternall lyfe / and we byleue knowe that thou arte Christ the same sonne of the lyuynge god Marke here that he saythe not I byleue and knowe / but we byleue and knowe as beynge the mouthe and forman for them all Of this it is manyfest bothe by scypture and doctours that Peter answered for all his felowes and they all in hym / and that his cofessyon was their coÌ„fessyon Forget not this good geÌ„tle reder for thou shalte receyue no small fruyte therby lyght as touching the truthe of that that I affirme the bisshop of Rome to haue no more authorite than an other bysshop For this one 's grauÌ„ted as it can not iustly be denyed and as we haue suffyciently proued that all the apostels made answere vnto Christes demaunde and confessed hym to be the sonne of the lyuynge god by the mouthe of Peter / than must it nedes folowe of congruence that what so euer answere and promesse for that confessyon so made semeth onely at the fyrst lokynge to be yelded vnto Peter as retrybucion rewarde of his christyan coÌ„fessyon / must of necessite also be yelded vnto the rest of his felowes For the cause as sayth saynt Augustyn why Peter receyued suche a promesse of Christ as he dyd was his trewe and faythfull confessyon Nowe the same cause of promesse and rewarde beynge in them all that was in Peter / why shulde they not all than enioy and optayne the same gyfte authorite and promesse that Peter enioyed and optayned specially before so rightwyse a iudge whiche had called them al to one offyce of apostleshyp Ye that our reason is bothe good and problable / and that all the apostels had lyke egall promesse made vnto them all / ye euen the very same selfe promesse that Peter had made vnto hym and all at one tyme place / we shall confyrme and stablysshe by thautorite of doctours and reason corroborate by scripture Our fyrst doctour is the holy and worshypfull man Bede whiche confyrmeth our foresayd reason thus Lykewyse sayth this holy man as the apostels generally demaunded of their byleue Peter answereth one for all / euen so that answere that Christ made vnto Peter he made to them al in Peter This geare is playne ynough me thynketh But let vs se what Lyra sayth And I say vnto the sayth Christ that thou art Peter and so forthe where Lyra vpon these wordes of Christ And I say vnto the putteth to this glose for the thy felowes The same affyrmeth Ludolphus in his boke intytled De vita Christi euen by the same wordes and so dothe the foresayd glose interliniar or bytwene the lynes sayeng thus Christ answereth them all in Peter And the ordynarye glose sayth thus The answere is made to one for all to signyfye that vnitie ought to be obserued amonge them all Nowe this one 's proued as we se it is / and as it can not be denyed / but that what so euer promesse of power was here made vnto Peter was equally and at one tyme and place made vnto all the rest of thapostles How can the bysshop of Rome that vsurper tyraunt and bloode supper for shame yf he were not paste all shame ones mouthe it that he sholde haue any authoritie aboue an other bysshop consydering al thapostles had as moche power promysed vnto them as had Peter and all at one tyme as I sayd but euen now Yea that there was no superioritie amongest the apostles appereth in the .xv. chapytre of the actes of the apostles where whan Peter by the waye of sentence and iudgement wolde haue rydde the gentyles that were conuerted vnto Chryste from the bondage of Moyses lawe and from all the partes therof Iames toke vpon hym to correcte Peters senteÌ„ce and adiudged that for the weakenesse of the iewes to th ende that dissencyon stryfe sholde haue an ende bytwene the gentyles and them adiudged I saye that that gentyles sholde abstayne from eatynge of meates offâ—ed vnto ydolles from fornycacyon strangled and bloode / ye and discerned that so it sholde be sayinge My sentence is that is to saye I iudge and ordeyne that we trouble not them of the gentyles whiche be conuerted to god c. And this ordynaunce stode and was a playne correccyon to Peters
truthe as he knoweth And in so doyng he must nedes call a thefe by this name thefe / a knaue by this name knaue and so forth / wherwith no good man ought to be offended Nowe leest we be to tedyous it is mete we aproche to our mater GRegory the seuenth or HyldebraÌ„de â—ergius the secoÌ„de of that name / before he was created pope of Rome / was surnamed / os â—â—râ—i in latyn / in englysshe / swines mouth hogges nose / or pygges snowte / whether ye wyll whiche Sergius bycause he was a shamed of so foule a name / vnmete for suche a dignytye as he thought dyd chaunge his name / called hymselfe Sergius So that euer synce all popes haue vsed the same / as ye se here in experieÌ„ce by Gregorie the. vâ—â— whose surname before was Hyldebrande of whom we spake before besyde that that he was a damnable heretike of the secte of Arriane as it is very euydent to be sene in his lyfe / was also so cruell a tyraunt so leude of maners otherwyse as neuer god put life in a worse And euen here without any more busynesse as an olde rotten house blowen ouer with the wynde cometh downe in a myschefe our olde rotten raynebeaten opinyon that the pope can not erre For that ones admytted that he was an Arriane as truthe is if any credeÌ„ce is to be gyuen to a worldly story than no doute but he was an heretyke condempned by the moste famous counsayle of Nece If the popes warryours wyll fyght agayne thystory and say it is of none authorite and credence I answere that they must approue it nedes if they wyll at leest approue hym that is euen next cosyne germayne to our holy father For he that wrote the booke in the latyne tonge was one Beno cardynall at that same tyme / whiche I suppose was a very good man ye and coulde erre very lytell if the pope can not erre at all Neyther is it best for the sauyng of this opinyon that ye denye the truthe of this story leest in your moste nede other men serue you of the same sauce in the thynges wherin ye wolde best be byleued as in suche thyngê wherof ye haue nothyng to shewe but stories / and than ye be at a prety poynte Peraduenture it wyll be answered that lykewyse as the aperyng of one swallowe proueth not the springe of the yere no more dothe the errour of one man no not of four or fyue conclude that an other or all haue erred in dede Mary that is truthe / who gothe aboute to proue that Our argument is no more but vpon possybylite as thus Gregory the seuenth dyd erre and was an heretyke / ergo an other Fyue popes starke heretikes may so do Or thus Gregory the seuenth was an heretyke Vrbane the seconde was an heretyke Liberius was an heretyke Nouatus was an heretyke Anastasius the seconde was an heretike / and it is not vnpossyble but the rest myght be heretykes ergo all myght be heretykes Ye I dare be bolde to saye that if men wolde make so fatte heretykes as be made now a dayes they were no better all for the moste parte Some man wolde say perchauÌ„ce that myne argument is naught And than I saye agayne sauynge my charyte he vnderstandeth naught For though there were no waye to fortyfye myne argument but the coÌ„men maner of speakynge yet coulde I do it As for an ensample whan men say a dagger is but dethe / it is as moche to say to al men that haue any wytte as all daggers be dethe And whan they saye I wolde not truste my father if his hoode and his cote were sowed togyder or if he dyd weare a shorne crowne some wyse man wolde take it so that none suche were to be trusted / and than me thynke they be but euen a ryght bare sorte Semblably to choke them with their owne princyple whan they say the pope can not erre their meanyng is that no pope can erre and than muste the contrary nedes be trewe that whan men saye the pope maye erre it signyfyeth so moche as all popes maye erre And nowe I truste to god our argument standeth Here haue ye proued that the pope may erre with the experyence of fyue proued herctikes condempned by the testymony of the churche good autentyke stories whiche for the confutacion of this fonde princyple might suffyse after my mynde But bycause fyue make but a lytle shewe in a felde let vs passe forthe and se if we can espye the hole armye of these blyssed bretherne For the more manyfest truthe wherof ye shall vnderstande that from the yere of our lorde god CC .xliij. vnto M. CCCC .xxxiij. there hath ben .xxiij. scismes in the xxiii scismes in the churche churche amonge the popes them selues Of the whiche the .xij. scysme endured xvij yeres The .xxij. scysme .xl. yeres and the thre twenteth .xvi. yeres ¶ The .xxij. scysme aforesayde was so darke doutfull that the cronyclers can not tell all the whyle it endured beynge the space of .xl. yeres who was the right pope / no nor the best lerned men and most of conscyence that than were And yet there was euer more choyce of popes ynough for all that same tyme there were neuer lesse than two or thre at ones So that in my conceyte if the pope can not erre me thynkes one of them myght haue tryed the mater who was the true pope Neyther do I doute but euery man sayde for hym selfe I am the trewe pope But for as moche as none of them in so sayeng were alowed of thother it can not be denyed but that euery one iudged of an other that he lyed and erred bothe / and was for the defendyng of his errour an antypope or ydole yet the moste wondre of all is that it coulde not be discerned who was the trewe pope by the best lerned moste of good conscyence that than were as the cronyclers saye Vpon this it foloweth that there was neuer a true of them all or els that the clergye or churche was very symple and coulde not discerne it / and consequeÌ„tly had not Christ amongest them to enstruct them by his spiryte of all truthes and than they were not the churche of god For Christe hath promysed to be with his churche to the ende of the worlde to enfourme it in all vertue Or if they lyke not that than must they saye their cronycles be false wherwith hytherto they haue founde no faute condempne them / and than we haue made a fayre brewynge Consyderynge than that the popes wolde not at those dayes whan they were two or thre at ones ye and at other tymes whan they were fyue or .vj. at ones alowe one an other / but iudged eche other to lye erre to be antypopes / what nede we any better proues that they may erre than their owne mouthes In the tyme that these .xxiij.
meruayle to moche why my coutrey men of EnglaÌ„de whiche had wont euer more to be cyrcumspecte and haue wysdome in all thyngê and fyerse of corage to defende their kyng and realme manfully / shulde seynge no cause why but many and vrgent causes to the contrary / depende and leane to the vsurped authorite of suche a naughty and leude person what sayd I authorite ye tyrannye whiche bycause our moste gracyous and souerayne lyege lorde the kyng wyll permytte and suffre hym no lenger haue his vsurped iurysdyction within this realme and to carye awaye exhauste and deuoure the golde syluer treasure of his poore subiectes and coÌ„mens to molest and trouble them in his courte at Rome / dyuers wayes to oppresse and vse his tyraÌ„ny ouer them by hym selfe and his as he many yeres heretofore hath ben neglygently suffred to do For this our cause I say it is that he beareth so moche malyce vnto our moste benygne protectour defendour our sayd souereygne lorde the kyng our vndouted capitall heed vnder god / enforseth therfore as moche as lyeth in his frowarde vngracyous pollicy and power to bring his hyghnesse and his realme to his vsurped obedyence / whiche moste manfully lyke a most vyctorious christen kyng he dothe defende not onely for hym selfe but for the tender loue and pytie that he beareth to the weale of this his honorable realme and louyng subiectes the delyueraunce of the same from seruage and thraldome Here me thynkes I se euen the hertes of al true englysshmen leape in their bodyes for the loue that they beare vnto their most gracious liege lord thus shamfully cruelly handled for their sakes speke vnto them selues after this maner Shall we suffre our kynges moste gracyous hyghnesse thus malyciously cruelly and frowardly to be entreated and haÌ„dled mocked and deluded of a bastarde of a symonyake of a false vsurper and of an heretyke / and all for the loue and fauour that he beareth vnto vs his poore subiectes / and for bycause his grace onely myndeth and tendreth our coÌ„modite weale profyte No forsothe we wyll not suffre his grace to receyue such iniuryes wronges in any wyse so farforthe as it shall lye in our power to the coÌ„trary / but we wyll agayue like true louyng subiectes whan so euer his noble grace shall so coÌ„maunde vs ye but euen wynke vpon vs to testify our true hertes myndes / that his moste noble grace dothe not loue vs in vayne and suffre so moch iniuryes for our sakes onely for naught drawe out our swordes lyke englissh men trewe subiectes / and manfully fyght in his graces quarell to spende the best bloode in our hertê to be reuenged of such a false bloodsupper Antychrist Let vs well remembre note and poÌ„der what benefytes we haue receyued of the kynges most gracyous highnesse by the space of .xxv. yeres / what experyeÌ„ce we haue had of his procedynges howe we haue ben defended from all outwarde enemyes what glorious moste victorious actes our sayd souerayne hath opteyned in the said .xxv. yeres whyle he hath ben our king in what welthe we haue lyued vnder hym / besydes the thyng that he now gothe aboute as to defende vs from the theft robbery oppressyon and tyraÌ„ny of the bysshop of Rome that moste myscheuous tyrant Hath not his grace euer ben our protectour and defendoure our shelde and buckler bothe in towne and in felde agaynst the theftes and robberyes of stronge theues murderers who coulde passe out of his dores / ye who coulde abyde at home in his owne house vnrobbed or slayne were not for the feare of the sworde wherwith his hyghnesse moste myghtyly hath euer defended vs whose wyfe coulde be saued from raâ—ysshynge whose doughter and mayde from deflorisshyng who shuld defende vs from the incursyons of outwarde enemyes as of alyens who shulde se vs haue any right in the lawe who shulde defende the poore wydowe the innocent the fatherlesse and the motherlesse Fynally if we had not a gracyous prince as lauded be god no realme hath none such it were moche more pleasure for vs to be out of the worlde than to be in it to be beestes that to be men / coÌ„syderynge the mysery wherin we shulde lyue if the sayd bysshop of Rome and his myght optayne that he and his moste desyre The premysses therfore well consydred why shulde we not loue hym fauour hym and defende hym with our lyues and goodes to the vttermoste of our powers / as our lyege lorde souerayne as our protectour and defendour / ye as a very father vnto vs as he is without questyon And contrary why shulde we in any wyse loue fauour enclyne or depende any thynge to that tyrannouse Antychrist of Rome whiche wolde with all his herte se his grace his realme subiectes also vtterly not onely ruyned but also brought in perpetuall captyuyte and bondage / to th ende that he with his clyentes myght haue his dyuellysshe desyre and luste accomplysshed and all this is for our sakes onely what profyte haue we by that foule romysshe ratten but pyllyng pollyng pykyng robbyng stealyng oppressyon bloodshedyng tyraÌ„ny dayly exercysed vpon vs by hym his Dothe he not enforce to distroy and extynct vs as moche as lyeth hym why shulde we be thus blynde why shulde we be thus insensyble Alas for pytie let vs ones be wyse serue god truly and our kyng / and god shall loue vs fauour vs defende vs and be with vs / than who shall be agaynst vs Remembre good reder what I haue sayd I beseche the hertyly in goddes behalfe and as thou art a trewe subiecte / and away with Antychrist of Rome Here moste gentyll reder all be it I instauntly requyred the a lytell before as thou woldest answer before god to resorte vnto suche bookes as maye perfytely instructe the in the knowlege of the power of the romysshe popet or bysshop yet for bycause the mater is nowe in our handlynge also / and for as moche as I desyre nothynge more than that thou all other my couÌ„trey men may clerely se the playne truthe as consernynge what his power is in dede / and by that to stycke abyde I say boldly affyrme at fewe wordes The bysshoppe of Romes power that the bysshoppe of Rome hath no more authorite than hath any other bysshop in christendome gyuen hym by the scrypture To proue that it shall be necessary to recyte the place of Mathewe the .xvj. wherin all his hope and trust is But first thou shalte vnderstande that our sauyour Christe putteth a certayne questyon vnto his discyples and demaundeth of them what the fame and reporte of the people was of hym and howe they estymed hym toke hym in companye there as the apostels came / not for bycause that he was ignoraunt of the peoples talkynge for howe can any thynge be vnknowen to god
worlde as concernyng his manhode / howe can it be auoyded but the bysshop of Rome must nedes be a subiecte If he be but a subiect how can he depose a straunge and alyen kyng as the frenche kyng or suche another the whiche thyng to do his liege lorde and souereygne hath none authorite Ye what maner of subiecte call ye that that compelleth his owne souereygne to kysse his fete and wyll set the crowne vpon his souereygnes heed with his fete and dasshe it of agayne whan he hath done / ye and depose hym therto whan so euer he lyst Howe agreeth this with saynte Paules doctryne in the .xiij. to the Romaynes whiche sayth thus Let euery soule submytte hym selfe vnto the authorite of the hygher powers By the hygher powers he vnderstandeth onely the temperall power as the processe of the text manyfestly declareth / and excepteth neyther bysshop of Rome bysshop of LoÌ„don nor bysshop of Durham / neyther monkes of the charterhouse nor freres of Grenewyche / neyther father pye nor father crowe / neyther father goose nor father gander / nor yet any suche lyke But he saythe let euery soule submyt hym selfe or be subiecte vnto thautoryte of the hygher powers where note that in sayeng euery soule he except 〈◊〉 And thoughe as I sayde before he 〈…〉 th hymselfe afterwardes co 〈…〉 the authoritâ— of the kynge onely sayâ—ngâ—â—e beareth not the sworde for â—aught yet the apâ—stle Peter setteth out Paules meanynge moche clerely iâ— his fyrstâ— epystle and seconde chapytre sayâ—ng S 〈…〉 ytte your selues vnto all â—aneâ— ordynaunce of â—an for the lordes saâ—â— / whether it be vnto the kynge as 〈◊〉 to the chefe heâ—d / eyther vnto rulers as vnto them that are â—ente of hym for the punysshment of y 〈…〉 doers / but for thâ— laâ—dâ— oâ— theâ— that dâ—well â–ª For so is the wyll of godâ—ye and marke what hyghe â—â—ayse is gyuen thâ— kynge in scrypture For he is the â—ynister of god sayth saynt Paule in the .xiij. chapytre to the romaynes And Salomon also in the viij chapytre of his prouerbes / speakynge in â—hâ— person of goddes wysdome saythe thus â—y â—e kynges do reygne Sâ— yâ— not here howe Salomon extolleth the 〈◊〉 of a kynge / affyrmynge that realmes and kyngdomes beâ— gouerned vpholden and defended by the wysdome of god and that their power offyces lawes and ordynaunces ben the very diuyne power and ordynaunces of god And in the seconde booke and twenteth chapyter of the Paralipoâ—eâ—on it is written thus of worldly princes and rulers Ye do not exercyse the iudgement and lawe of man / but of god For as moche than as the offyce and dignyte of kyngê and suche heed rulers ben ordeyned by the hyghe wysdome and prouydence of god / and for as moche also as his iudgement and lawe is not onely mans lawe and iudgement but euen the very iudgement and lawe of god / it foloweth very well accordyng to the sayenge of saynt Paule that who so euer resysteth the kynge and his ordynaunce / Paule sayth who so euer / â—eâ—cepteth no man resysteth the power ordynaunce lawe and iudgement of god / and shall therfore accordyng to the mynde of the same saynte Paule receyue eternall dampnacyon for his rewarde without amendement Here gentyll and indyfferent redâ—â— euen as I â—ntende not to collect and adde in this one lytell corner all the places of scrypture whiche make stablysshe and confyrme the diuyne authorite power of kinges ye rather of god hymselfe / euen so my mynde was not vtterly to â—â—aue it all bare naked vntouched blynde vnto the / but to shewe that some lyght knowlege and vnderstandyng in the obedyence due vnto thy prince / and gyue the occasyon to enserche and seke further for a more clerer perceyuaunce of the same And thus I leaue speakyng of the kynges power addynge a reason or twayne that we haue no nede of the bysshoppe of Rome to be a generall heed of the churche of god / and that I proue thus If we haue any nede of hym eyther we muste haue nede vnto his lawes correctyon whiche is false / for as moche as the kyng is bothe suffycyent and able with his counsayle to punysshe all maner of synne or els we haue nede vnto his personall prechyng whiche is false also can not be Or els we haue nede to byleue as he byleueth whiche is false vntrue also / for than we had nede to be heretykes traytours / as coÌ„munly he is hym selfe Or elles we haue nede of his myghty power / whiche is as true as that the mone hathe calued / whan hym selfe hathe no more power than hathe an other bysshop / as we haue made clere before Now yf we nede hym iÌ„ none of these poyntes / than it is easye to coniecture to argue for a truthe that he was neuer ordeyned of god to be generall heed vicare of the churche / but hathe purchased that authoritie onely by the swerde / and dothe falsly vsurpe it by tyrannye For god and nature createth nothynge in vayne One thyng I know that he hath had moche of our money wherof whether he had any nede or none let euery man iudge Yes say the papystes / it is mete that there be one that dare boldly tell Emperours kynges and prynces theyr faultes / as who sholde saye / that no man sauynge the puppet of Rome durst purely and syncerely preche teche and wryte the holy worde of god wherein as in a moost true myrrour and glasse bothe kyngê Emperours other may beholde se the spottes of their soules But your meanynge is oh my fayre papystes that it is mete conuenyent that there be suche a tyraunt deuyll as may be able to lay a fayre swerde in the neckes of prynces whiche they and theyr heyres and successours shall neuer be able to recouer whan so euer they shall do any thyng coÌ„trary to your appetites But we taught by good experyence are compelled to tell you agayne that it is bothe necessarye and nedefull that there be none suche and that we reporte vs to good kynge IohnÌ„ with other bothe kynges Emperours dukes whome your almyghty god father the puppet of Rome hath full lyke a false traytour tyrauÌ„t deposed ¶ Here I leaue your lorde the puppet as I fouÌ„de him for this ones spekyng a worde or twayne of some of his clientes whiche cleuyng to the clyfte of his lordshyps clensyng place defende his godheed from the hyghest to the lowest with the worde of god vnwryten / so they call it Truthe it is that the worde of god vnwryten Of the worde of god vnwritten is of as great strength efficacite as the worde of god wryten I meane yf it be the very worde of god in dede And therfore whan so euer any man wyll vsurpe vpon the oh good reder and fortyfye any mater as in the name authorite of the worde of god vnwryten do no more
but denye the vnwryten worde that he allegeth to be the worde of god put hym to the ê“ses of it / and this be sure of that neither he nor any of his shall euer be able to proue it It may fortune he wyll enforce to proue it thus There be many thyngê necessary to be byleued that be not wryten in scripture / this is one of them ergo this must be byleued of necessite To the maior or the first part I answere thus that as concernyng the necessite The fyrst argument that the worde oâ— of god written is suf 〈…〉 â—yent of our saluacyon it is false that there lacketh any thyng in scripture writen / for it is wryten IohnÌ„ Ê’ Sic enim deus dilexit munduÌ„ vt filiuÌ„ suuÌ„ vnigenituÌ„ daret vt ois qui credit iÌ„ euÌ„ noÌ„ pereat sed habeat vitaÌ„ aeternaÌ„ God loued the worlde so intyerly that he gaue his onely sone to th ende that who so eueâ— byleueth in hym sholde not peryshe / but haue lyfe euerlastyng and in the same chapytre Qui credit filio habet vitaÌ„ aeternam He that byleueth the sone hath lyfe euerlastyng And IohnÌ„ the sixth Qui confidit mihi habet vitaÌ„ aeternaÌ„ He that trusteth in me hath euerlastyng lyfe so forth in .vj. hondreth places mo Now ben all articles necessary to our byleue in Chryst in the scripture wryten they do saue vs as is before proued bycause that who so byleueth in Chryst byleueth in the father so in the hole trinite ergo the scripture writen dothe saue vs is suffycyent to our saluacyon And so is the maior / that is to wyte that there be any thynges necessary to the saluacyon of our soules vnwryten in scripture proued false Mary otherwyse to speke of necessary thyngê truthe it is that there be many thynges necessary to be byleued of coÌ„gruence and good reason that be not in scripture / as to byleue that false harlottes shrewes wyll neuer be true And that poules steple can not ryde .xl. myles vpoÌ„ a day no though Lyncolne mynstre were the horse The maior or fyrst parte of their argument aforsayd is proued vntrewe also by thautorite of saint Augustyn Ad fratres Saynt Augustyn in the boke wryten to the chrysten bretherne / lyuyng in wyldernesse in heremo sermone .xxviij. Satis enim nouit charitas vestra quod tota perfectio nostre vite et edificationis ex euangelio accipitur Your charyte sayth saynt Augustyne knoweth perfytly that all the perfectyon of our lyfe edifycacion is taken out of the gospell Nowe myne olde popysshe papystes where is become your worde of god vnwriten necessary to be byleued to the saluacyon of our soules Saynt Augustyne saythe that all the perfectyon of our lyfe and edifycacion is taken out of the gospell If all be taken out of the gospell howe is any thynge vnwritten Ye and he sayth not only all / but addeth ther vnto perfectyon edifycacion whervpon it foloweth that your worde of god vnwritten is of no perfection nor edificacion / and thaÌ„ it is not necessary to be byleued to the saluacion of our soules But peâ—adueÌ„ture ye wyll vse your olde shamlesse fassyons and saye that he includeth in this worde gospell the gospell of god vnwritten Non sic impij noc sic Not so ye wicked not so / for he expouÌ„deth himselfe of what gospell he meaneth in his .xxxviij. sermon to the christen bretherne lyuing in wyldernesse Legite sacram scripturam inquit ille in qua quid tenendum et quid fugiendum sit plene inuenietis Rede ye holy scrypture sayth saynt Augustyne in the whiche ye shall fynde at full what is to be helde and what to be auoyded How say ye now dothe not saynt Augustyne coÌ„maunde vs to rede holy scripture but who can rede that that is not written / wherfore ye se that he speketh of the worde of god written / and he addeth therto that we shall fynde in it at full that is to saye to euery wyse man suffyciently ynough what is to be holden what to be auoyded Howe lyke ye this worde at full whiche before he called all the perfectyon and edifycacyon of our lyfe And yet we fynde not in scripture your worde of god vnwritten wherfore I conclude that it is not to be admytted and helde for as moche as all thynges that are to be holden ben as saynte Angustyne saythe comprehended in the worde of god written at full And a lytell after Et quid tenendum et quid vitandum est apertissime demonstrauit And it hath shewed vs saith he menyng of holy scripture moste clerely openly what is to be helde what to be refused Howe say ye to these termes most clerely openly More ouer to come to holy scripture agayn / saynt Luke in the fyrst chap. of thactes aproueth saint Augustynes wordes thus Superiore quideÌ„ volumine diximus de omnibê° Theophlie que cepit Iesus The seconde argument tum facere tuÌ„ docere c. In our first volume or boke saith Luke we haue writen of al thingê o Theophilus which Iesus both practised taught c. Howe say ye now to theuaÌ„gelist Luke he excepteth nothiÌ„g that Christ dyd or taught wherof he hath not writen wherfore if ye wyll be so good not to be discontent that Christ dyd and taught al thiÌ„gê necessary to our saluacioÌ„ / than must ye nedê coÌ„fesse that they be expressed writeÌ„ of Luke though my new olde maysters haue not the wytte to espy them out and than I put no doute but in the hole bodye of the scrypture written they be sette forthe at full and at large / and so as for your worde of god vnwritten ye may laye it vp to an other yere that there come some derthe of the worde of god written But what name shuld I haue better for these noble diuynes than to call them doctours dreamers or gospellers ymaginatyfe doctores imaginatiui / for all that they proue is by dreames ymagynacions scyence ymagynatyue Paule the fyrst chapiter to the romaynes The thyrbe argument saythe thus Non enim me pudet euangelij Christi Siquidem potentia est dei ad salutem omni credenti I am not asshamed of the gospell of Christ saythe Paule For it is the power of god to saue al that byleue trust or stycke surely thervnto I meruayle sore howe our ymagynary fe doctours or gospellers can auoyde me this place of Paule Paule reputeth the gospell of god to be of suche power and suffyciency to saue all that byleue it and than is the scrypture written suffycyent to our saluacyon / and nothyng vnwritten pertaynyng to the same Do we lacke any of the gospell thynke you than lacke we a pece of our saluacyon Fynally if our ymaginatyue euangelystes byleue that we lacke any parte of it for bycause they can not tell howe moche that parte is nor