parysshe preestes bysshops of cyties are of egall power amoÌ„ge them selues and as touchyng to the auctorytie of a bysshop that one is nothynge superyor to an other and that he hym selfe also is felowe preest with theym and hath nomore power and auctorytie in his owne cytie then haue the other or euery one of theym in theyr owne congregacion Lo peter maketh hym selfe egall not superyour to the bysshops / what I beseche you wyll those beastes allege here agaynst these thyngê whiche do not cease not onely to be lordes and haue domynyon but also to exercyse moste cruell tyrannye vpon our soules our goodes / which also do neuer cease with excedynge madde braulynges and suytes to contende stryue amoÌ„ge them selues about the dyfference degrees of power auctoryte And that I maye ones make ende Chryste hym selfe in the .xxii. chapytre of Luke saythe THe prynces of the paynymes are lordes ouer theym and they whiche haue power and auctorytie ouer theym are called be nefycyall and gracyous / but it shall not be so amonge you / but he that is eldest amonge you let hym be made as yongest HEreunto herken and gyue good attendauÌ„ce you pom pous lordly bysshops Lo all the hole Chrysten people requyre of you a reason cause of your domynacyon and lordshyp whiche you haue hytherto with so many tytles and also with so many tyrannous dedes taken vyolently vsurped chalenged vnto your selues / Lo I say the chrysten worlde requyreth a cause of this your doynge / for this you can not denye whiche is so open euydent afore the iyes of all men that your kyngedome is an outwarde and a worldlye kyngedome / yea and that more worldly then the kyngdome of any worldly prynce For you play the lordes openly bothe vpon the bodyes and also the myndes / and that not by the worde of god but by exteryour pompe / by exteryour and worldly tyrannye / as other prynces and rulers of the hethen people do / I saye go to therfore nowe and tell me Doe non sic howe those wordes of Chryst vos autem non sic / that is but so shall not you do / howe do they agree with that your kyngdome go to nowe because you shall not as you are verye slypper slyppe from me let vs enserche and ponder well the naturall strengthe and sygnyfycatyon of the wordes what is the meanyng of these wordes But you not so For here vndoubtedlye is rebuked your kyngdome and your condy cyon and state For this ought not to be suche a one as it is yf it were a Chrysten state ¶ Nowe lette it be what soeuer maner one you wyll yet for all that Chryste spekynge of the domynacyon of those worldly prynces sayth playnlye vnto you for you wyl seme to be bysshoppes But you shall not do so / tell me I saye do not bothe your eares ryng and glowe at these wordes of the soueraygne maiestie but you shal not so / why do you kepe scylence why are you dumbe Nowe let vs se what you begyn to answere with so many great bokes of decretalles vnto these wordes of one sillable vos autem noÌ„ sic But you not so I saye to you what can you say to this litle sentence of thre sillables vos noÌ„ sic you not so peraduenture as you are bolde to do and say all thynges / suche is the madnes of you you wyll begyn to make a cauyllacyon as though these wordes / vos non sic The papystê wyl kepe the true significacioÌ„ of wordê no loÌ„ger theÌ„ they lyste were as moch to say as ye shall do so for so ye be wonte to chaunge at your pleasures the sygnyfycacyon of wordes And shall teache that the Pope hath also more power and auctorytye then Chryst hym selfe But why do I thus rebuke those obstynate persones They are blynde and guydes of the blynde / I wyll here earnestly aduertyse the good gentyl reader that thou do leaue and forsake these men and euen lykewyse as yf thy deadely foo and enemye dyd come vnto the vndre the semblaunce and lykenes of a moch dearlye beloued brother thou woldest at the least wyse haue hym in suspectyoÌ„ and woldest with great dylygence eschewe his company euen so now flee from those tourmentours of conscyences and haue theym in suspectyon whiche do come vndre the vysures and tytles of true bysshops and be none For Paule hathe shewed before that lykewyse as the deuyll doth transfygure hym selfe in to an Aungell of lyght euen so those his Apostles shulde take vpon theym the lykenes and the name of the mynysters of Iustyce and of the Apostles of Chryste / but by theyr fruytes that is to saye by theyr workes and theyr doctrynes we do knowe them For they do not preache nor suffre to be preached any other thynges then lucre / and the chestes and coffres of Indulgences and pardons ¶ The fyfte vertue of the Bulle of the bysshop of Rome I He Pope taketh vpoÌ„ hym power and auctorytie to chaunge vowes For money vowcebe chauÌ„ ged in to other good workes and that not frelye and for nothynge but for money but yet alwayes the vowes are excepted of goynge to saynte Iames to Rome to Hyerusalem and also the vowe of chastytie Many thynges ben heretofore wryten concernynge vowes whiche be nothynge nedefull to be rehersed here agayne in this place But yf I do here demaunde of the Pope of Rome that blynde hedde A questy on concernynge vowes and begynne to call sore vpon hym for an answere what is the cause that he dare dispence with certeyne vowes onely and not with all vowes indyfferentlye I knowe well ynoughe he knowethe not what other answere to make then that of the thynges whiche are vowed some are greate as for example to lyue chaste and some agayne are smalle thynges and of no greate wayghte as for example to faste breade and water And therfore he maye chaunge the vowe of lytyll thynges but not lykewyse of great thynges / Lo howe starke blynde this people of vysures is and without eyther wyt or brayne whiche do esteme and iudge the wayght and value of vowes not accordyng to the vertue and strength of goddes coÌ„maundement but accordyng to workes But I pray the tell me is it not an othe aswell when thou swerest depely in a matier of thre halfepens as yf thou haddest sworne in a matyer of an hundred talentes Is not the Relygion and strength of the othe in all poyntes egall in bothe those thynges why then shulde it not be egally kepte bothe in lytle thynges and in great thynges Shuld it therfore be broken in a great suÌ„me be cause it is an harder thynge to pay an hundred talentes then to pay thre halfepens This people therfore of vysures is pleynlye madde and in all poyntes starke furyous wood wherfore embrace thou this substancyall and fyr me and stable sentence ¶ Neuer make thou
the worde of god and of truthe and dydde pryncypallye searche for the lyfe and sauegarde of soules then the god as the apostle sayth of pacyence 2. cor 1. and of comforte and hope wolde be with theym that they shuld not nede to feare any sedycions or rysynges of the people / whiche is but theyr craftye cloked excuse to blynde the iyes of the prynces But in as moche as they lyke deafe serpentes stoppynge theyr eares Psalmo 57. deafe serpentes woll not here the worde of god but suche is theyr furye and madnes doo rage agaynst it with excomunycacyons cursynges imprysonemeÌ„tes with the swerde and fynally with fyre I beseche you what other thyng do they as concernynge theyr parte / with this theyr extreme woodnes then which god defende euen wyll inly prouoke that there shulde ryse vp a verye great sedycion and that some certayne tempest storme shuld violently sodaynly come vpon theÌ„ which shuld rydde them at ones out of the worlde And surely yf any suche thyng dyd chaunce vnto theym yet were they noughte elles but to be laughed scorned as wysdome saythe in the fyrste chapytre of the prouerbes BEcause I haue called you haue refused to com I haue stretched forth my hande there was none of you that wolde loke to me you haue despysed all my couÌ„sayl haue set at nought my rebukynges I also wyll laughe in your destruccyon and I wyll mocke scorne when that thynge whiche you dyd feare shal be chaunced coÌ„men vnto you THe worde of god dothe not styrre or rayse vp sedycyoÌ„s and stryues They the resyst the worde of god be sedycyous persones but the stubburne and obynat dysobedyence of them whiche do rage agaynst it is the cause that trouble and sedycyon is styrred vp amonge the people / and that then by suche sedycyons that thynge shuld happen vnto theym whiche they had deserued through theyr owne vnbelefe and frowardnes and wycked blyndnes For who soeuer receyueth the worde of god that maÌ„rayseth vp no maner sedycyons at all albeit that he dothe no longer feare those vayne bugges neyther doth worshyp those episcopall puppettes nowe syns that he doth knowe the worde of god And because that men do not feare reuerence theyr vayne ymaginacions as here tofore they haue done that same is the thynge yf I be not begyled whiche they do call sedycyons What the bysshpos call Sedycyon and this is the thynge that those persones doo so greatly feare whiche haue hytherto suffred theym selues to be worshipped and feared lyke goddes as though they had ben true bysshoppes or true herdes men of the Churche SedycyoÌ„ is agaiÌ„st the worde of god And yf any man do rayse vp sedycyons or warre that man abuseth the worde of god to his owne affeccyons and to his owne luste and appetyte For the worde of Chryste or the worde of god dothe neuer cause no strife or trouble bodely but to wycked meÌ„ and namely vnto tyrauntes it doth oftentymes manace and shewe before bataylles and boldely destruccyons to ensue as it appereth in the bokes of the ê“phetes / But the sayd worde doth delyuer by lytle and lytle the soules from the bondes of tyrauntes that they may be despysed whiche is of all other the most myghtye and strongest remedye to breake ouercome the tyraÌ„ny of them For what soeuer thynge begynneth to be lytle set by is despysed in the hertes of men it nedeth not to go about with great myght power to destroy the thynge For it is fallen euen all redye can not stande nor coÌ„tynue longe as it is sayd in the .ix. psalme 9. psalme So lykewyse this people of visures nedeth none other destruccyon then onely that it be discouered openly shewed Carnan that it is dysgysed a couÌ„terfayte an hypocrytal people For this thing ones knowen they begyn to be lytle regarded a monge all men are forsaken But we wyll here vse a certayne playne famyly are example In the olde tyme the bisshops mytre was a certayne mystycall sygne token The bysshoppes mytre The two hornes in the toppe of it dyd sygnyfye the two testamentes the olde the newe whiche the bysshops dyd beare in the toppe of his mynde that is to say in his vnderstandynge / he was cuÌ„nynge well skylled in the holy scryptures as saynt Paule coÌ„maundeth in the fyrste epystle to Tymothe And the two fyllettes or labelles hangynge downe behynde at his backe The fyllettes or labelles of the my mytre dyd betoken the offyce of preachynge by whiche he dyd frely boldly pronounce declare the scrypture of both testamentê amonge the people and goynge hym selfe before theym by holy pure honest maner of lyuynge dyd teache them to couÌ„terfayte folow hym But now a dayes when we do se the bysshops wearyng those cappes with hornes I beseche thou what shall they signyfy There are certayne mery conceyted felowes whiche do suppose that the two hornes doo betokeÌ„ that a bisshop ought to be lerned iÌ„ the scripturê of both testameÌ„tê but the two fyllettes hangynge so at al auentures behynde theyr backe they do thynke to sygnyfy contrary wyse that they are excedyngly ygnorauÌ„t in bothe not so moche as to be wyllynge to learne theym For the pryncypall vertue whiche appereth moste sheweth it selfe in our bysshops cardynalles is in a maner this that they ar earthen pottes and scalpes or sculles without brayne or wytte excedynge dulle and insensyble and so ygnorauÌ„t that one wolde wondre at it / in so moche that in these bytter and myserable tymes of the decretalles The tymes of decretalles it hath begonne to be accompted a great shame rebuke for a bysshop to stody in the Bible not without a cause aê‘dueÌ„ture For what shulde so great a prynce lorde vexe and trouble hym selfe with these so paynfull cares whiche yf I be not begyled do hurte both the hed and also remeÌ„braunce seynge that there are on euery syde lymoturs ynough freers and relygyous men ynoughe on euery syde whiche may be hyred euen for a lofe of brede to declare many suche good thynges out of the bible to hym eyther whyles he sytteth at dyner or elles whyles he lyeth iÌ„ his bedde and so with readynge of suche holye wrytte may bryng the reuerende holy father a slepe / But nowe in good sadnesse I beseche you what other thynge are our bysshops in comparyson then mere visures suche maner bysshops in all poyntes as children do make wheÌ„ they playe onely because they can skylle to spyncle dumbe stones yf god be pleased with frankensence cast in to the senser to make smokes selle smokes / that is to wyt that them selues beynge nought els but stockê trees may also consecrate and halowe trees stockê that them selues beynge none other thynge then dumbe stones maye baptyze stones But they do all these
courtlye so farre vnlyke contrarye to all the offyce duetie of an Apostle namely to the mynystracion of the worde that all this deuylysshe kyngdome of the bisshop of Rome may be ouerthrowen destroyed or yf they can not in very dede destroye it doo crye agaynst it do dysprayse and condempne it and do auoyde it as abhomynacy on all those persones that so done are the sones of god and true chrysten men fyghtynge and helpynge the faythe of the gospel in spyrytual batayll agaynst the gates of hell Contrarye wyse who soeuer do fauour the kyngdome of the popes bysshops so wycked and that so tyrannous and deuy lysshe crueltie and do wyllyngly and gladly submyt them selues and obey vnto it those persones are the mynystres of the deuyll fyghtynge as enemyes agaynst the wordes the lawes and ordynauÌ„ces of god This sentence of myne nay rather of goddes iudgement I proue with stronge effectuall argumeÌ„tes in this wyse The apostle Paule coÌ„maundeth Tite that he shulde ordeyne and constytute a bysshop in euery cytie such one as was the husbande of one wyfe a man vertuous vnreprouable c. This is the worde this is the wyll and sentence of god Agaynst this sayde wyll of god these men do nowe stryue and fyghte which haue taken quyte away al true bysshops out of all cyties and in stede of true bysshops haue constytuted shoppes or workehouses of most colde ceremonyes monasteryes and churches collegyate haue brought in them selues in theyr stede that by this meane they myght be made bysshops or ouer seers of many cyties and also of many prouynces Nowe the sentence of Paule or rather the wordes of the holy ghoste dothe contynue fyrme stable and not able to be moued or stered of the gates of hel doth stande as styffe as a brasen wall whiche saythe playnly and euydently that in euery cytie there ought to be constytuted and ordayned one bysshop and these then shall be euery one of them of egall power with the other For Paule speaketh playnly of euery cytie and he gyueth to euery bysshop full power auctorytie in his owne cytie God to therfore nowe ye worldly bysshops Why do you not here ryse Why do you not boldely and manfully resyste why do you not breake forthe all the maynye of you together here you haue to do not with me but with the Apostle Paule Here you resyste that may I saye with the holy martyre Steuyn not me Act. vii but the holy ghoste whiche lykewyse agayne of his parte dothe myghtcly resyste you Go to then what wyll you saye here I beseche you wyl you al holde your peace and saye nothynge at all Lo your sentence is gyuen and pronounced agaynst you you haue the matyer iudged that is to wytte that vnto all chrysten men it belongeth of theyr parte with the worde of god agayne to destroye to plucke vp by the rootes and vtterly to extyncte bothe you and your kyngdome whiche you do tyrannously exercyse to extyncte and destroye the gospell you haue harde nowe that they be in the indygnacyon of god who soeuer fauoureth you and on the other syde that they are in the fauour of god who soeuer ouerthroweth and destroyeth you But I wylle not in any wyse these wordes whiche I doo speake of the destruccyon and vtter subuersyon of the kyngdome of false bysshops so to be vnderstanded or taken ye se here the the preachere of the gospesl teache no sedycyon sheddyng of bloode or fyghting with the hande as thoughe it ought to be done with the hande or with swerde or with vyolence or bodely inuasyon of them For with this destruccyon of the men we shall be nothynge further in this so great a matyer that is to wyt goddes cause or busynes But as Daniel prophecyed in the .viii. chapytre THe kyngdome of antechrist is to be broken all to peces without any hande of man ANd it shal com to passe that euery man shall speake and preache agaynst it by the worde of god vntyll that wretched synfull man be of his owne accorde confounded and forsaken of all men and so do fall downe deade and be vtterly destroyed This is the very true destruccyon belongynge to chrysten men to the bryngvnge of whiche to passe we ought to bestowe al that euer we haue or elles maye doo But here I wyll gyue you metely good counsel yf you wyl so take it because you shall not thynke that I doo vtterly hate all your hole ordre The coilsayf of author It is expedyeÌ„t for you here to reteyne and hyre what so euer it do cost you as you ar bysshops of golde and of money some excellent craftie lyer which maye so wryte a pleasaunt lytle boke lykewyse as many a foolys she asse of your sorte haue done as though they could haue chauÌ„ged the whole worlde with those wretched papers For yf the wordes of saynt Peter in whiche he speketh of al christeÌ„ men sayeng YOu are a regall presthode and a prestly kyngdome YF these wordes I say may be wrested vnto this that they do sygnyfye preestes shauen and annoynted as thoughe Peter wolde that all chrysten menshulde be such maner annoynted and shauen preestes what thyng dothe let that Paules wordes may not by the same crafte se that a craftes man haue that handelyng of it which is inferior to no maÌ„ in lyes vnshamefastnes haue the necke of them wrythen so be applyed to this sense as thoughe we ought to vnderstande it of two maner bysshops Spyrytuall hysshops so that spyrytuall bysshops after that exposycyon are all the preachers of the worde of god in cyties townes vyllages althoughe they doo neyther bye palle nor gowne ne yet any other garment of those bawdes the Romanystes Corporal hysshops And the corporall bysshops are you which bearyng forked myters on your heddes vnder the apparayll of Aaron doo in very dede playe the veraye starke tyrauntes are felowes vnto Nero Caligula rydynge vpoÌ„ fatte wel fedde palfrayes and slyke mules afterwardes with your rynges onely your gloues your syluer shepehoke yf god be pleased you do playe the bysshops Now yf Paule beynge god wot but a symple an abiecte creature wolde refuse dysalowe this glose or exposycioÌ„ of so holy fathers he were worthy to be stryken with that spyritual swerde of excommunicacion to be feared with the indignacyon at the leaste wyse of saynt Peter for as moche as he is gyltie here in this thyng after that style of the Romane bulles or elles at that leaste wyse he were worthy to be honestly rewarded with a good buffet on the eare lykewyse as Ananias the bysshop dyd vnto hym For why shuld not he being but one ê‘son alone be content to be taught to learne of so many holy fathers why should not they with a prowde contenaunce by theyr auctorytie coÌ„maunde sylence and saye Paule I saye be content to be admonysshed and