intreatyng of so weyghtye and necessari an argument for all Christian men to knowe shold be better welcome to youre grace in oure owne contrye speche for profyt then in any fyner forren language for pleasure The which boke althoughe some men thynck that I myght more boldly haue dedicated to some other yet in my iudgement I knowe certaynely I can not exhibit it to any other more worthily then to your excellent Maiestie Our souereigne Lady of al other moste worthy to haue this boke dedicated to her grace For who is more worthy to haue bokes dedicated to them of veritie which is lykened to syncere and pure virginitie then youre grace a most cleare bryght and vnspotted virgin who is more mete to receaue that precyouse iuel which was presented to the wyse vertuouse and Catholyke Kyng of Poole then you one of the best learned graciouse victoriouse mercyfull Prynces vnder the Pole Therfore most excellent and pearles Pryncesse if I haue any thyng offended in boldnes by reason of dedicatyng this my lyttell laboure vnto your hyghnes your learnyng your wysdome your mercye and all other your Quenely qualities which make your grace as it were a marke for all learned men to direct theyr bokes to our gracyouse Quene a marke for all learned mēnes bokes to be directed to are the causes of myne offence But my trust is that nether I haue offended any good man in dedicatyng thys to your hyghenes nether that youre grace shall displease God in readyng it A true prayse of the reuerēd Father Hosius For who is the Auctour of this booke but Hosius who for his prudence in polityke affayres hathe of the myghtie kyng of Poland bene sent of long tyme in moste weyghtye and honorable Embassages who for hys diuine knowledge and incomparable learnyng was made president of the moste Catholyke and Christian Councell lately holdē at Trent who for his syncere and godly lyfe is worthily called Hosius which after the Greke Etymologie signifyeth holy Althoughe some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose harte is rotten at the rote with rancor whose māner is to reproue good men with rayling whē they arre not able to doo it by reason laboure to drowne the dignitie of such a pearlesse Prelate of such a blessed Byshope of such a famouse father in saying that he will be ouercome with his Polonyshe pottes But no maruayle if Hosius be called a drōkard for euen so was hys Master Chryst before hym called a wyne bybber which is all one to say a quasser a tosse potte As for his boke that youre grace neade not to feare the displeasure of God in readyng it what is it ells but a true treatyse intytuled by the author hym selffe of the begynnyng of heresies in oure tyme and by me the translatour named the hatchet of heresies for so muche as to shewe the begynnyng of heresies The cause why this boke is named the hatchet of heresies is to bryng heresye vnto an end and to cut it downe none other wyse then an hatchet in man his hand layde to the roote of a plant sone supplāteth and ouerthroweth it Euen so truly most souereyne Ladye thys boke is the hatchet which supplanteth that euel plant which Sathā hath sowed in God his groūde what manner of plāt this hatchet heweth down whose roote is raylyng whose body is rebellion whose braunches be bloodshedde whose leaues be lyes whose frute be the aples of Atheisme that is to be of no Religion or to thynck that there is no God at all Wherefore moste humbly vpō my knees I desire your grace not only to reade this excellent treatise your selffe but also to be contented that my dearly beloued countrie men youre graces moste faythfull subiectes may do the same that they may receaue this souerayne salue of their soules withoute any harme of their bodyes that they may here gather the euerlasting treasures of theire myndes witoute any losse of their temporall possessions that they may here see that it is not the expresse worde of God which our Britānical Brētians teache but the pressed and wrested worde of God not the holy Scriptures but prophane scrapinges of dyuerse olde and nue heresies not the traditions of the Apostles but rather I desyre pardon of youre maiestie to speake reason somwhat rowghly the trayterouse additiōs of Apostates Finally that in reading of this notable boke they standyng as it were in the Castell of cōtemplation and seing howe heretykes marche malitiously on toward the other in the medowe of madnes The battayle of heretykes fight one with the other in the felde of al foly howe they one against the other bend the ordinaunce of all disorder cast the dartes of deadly displeasure shote with the crosse bowes of cursed speakyng and to be short leaue nothing vndone to vndoo one an other I say that youre faythfull subiectes my dearly beloued countrymen seing in this boke quietly all theire disquyetnes may lothe deuydyng discorde and returne to Catholyke concorde of Christ his holy Churche vnto whiche no doubt Christ returnyng to his Father sayd these wordes Pacem meam do vobis pacem meam relinquo vobis c. My peace I gyue you my peace I leaue vnto you whiche peace God graunt we may seke ernestly fynde spedily and holde stedfastly This I say moste humbly and ernestly desyring your grace beseching also that it wyll please youre hyghenes to take me as I am youre sure and sounde harted subiect in all seruice that I can I desyre God to be youre graces buckler in battayle youre pillar in peace youre leader in all the slyppery wayes of this lyff and your crowner in the blessed Kyngdome which is to come Amen You re graces faythfull and obedient subiect Richard Shacklock THE TRANSLATOVRE vpon the holy wryter Hosius Semely Susanna was iudged to dye By peruerse iudges which dyd her oppresse But godly Daniel her cause true dyd trye when contrary thynges he herd them confesse So sorrowfull Susan he dyd ryghtly redresse Her which seêmd synfull he proued to be sounde And them which seêmd godly full gylty he founde Euen so holy Hosius in oure dolefull dayes Seing the truthe to be troden with myght Of misshapt Ministers which with wyly wayes Laboure to rob the truthe of her ryght Ragyng and rayling and spyttyng theire spyte One at an other full farre from consent Here tryeth the truth against which thei be bent The truthe being tryde the truthe let vs holde Praying to God to gyue vs hys grace To hate all heretykes so blynde and so bolde which vnder fayr visardes do hide their fowle face And pray we deuoutly for our noble Quenes grace That the spryng of heresies to her being knowen She may roote vp the sedes which Sathā hath sowē TO THE MOSTE REDOVBTED AND MOSTE CHRISTIAN Prince his renomed Lorde Lorde Sigismund by the grace of God Kyng of Poole great Duke of Luten Lorde and Heyre of Russia Prussia Masouia Samogitia
cherefullnes in suffring persecutions the Anabaptistes run farr before all other heretykes If you will haue regarde to the number it is lyke that in multitude they wolde swarme aboue al other if they were not greuously plaged cut of with the knyfe of persecution Yf you haue an eye to the outewarde appearaunce of godlynes bothe the Lutherans and the Zuinglians muste nedes graunte that they farr passe them Yf you wyll be moued with the boasting of the worde of God these be no lesse bolde theÌ„ Caluin to preache that theire doctrin must stand aloft aboue all the glory of the worlde must stand inuincible aboue al poure because it is not they re worde but the worde of the lyuing God Nether do they crye with lesse lowdenes then Luther Anabaptistes not able otherwyse to be ouercomed but by the authoritie of the churche the fourth sect which Suencfeld raysed that with theire doctryn which is the worde of God they shall iudge the Aungelles And surely howe many so euer haue wrytten agaynst this heresie whether they were Catholykes or Heretykes they were able to ouerthrowe it not so muche by the testimony of the scriptures as by the autoritie of the Churche Do you think peraduenture that we be nowe at an end of these Gospelles Nay we be yet very farr from the end For Suenckfeldius hathe broched a fourthe gospell agaynste whome I haue sene fyue bookes wrytten in the Germane tounge in that which one Flaccus brauleth scoldeth with hym When he sawe the Lutherans the Sacramentaries the Anabaptistes and al the heretykes not of oure tyme only but also in tyme past to establyshe they re errours by the Scriptures the which is so certayne sure that the heade carpenter of all heresies in oure tyme Martyn Luther could not deny it Luther in that boke which he intytuled that these wordes of Christ do as yet stand inuincible in so muche that he saythe that the Canonicall Scripture hath at laste gotten thys name that it is called the boke of heretykes because all heresies take theire beginning of it because all heretykes do fly to the scripture for succoure therfore when Suenckfeldius had perceaued this and had peraduenture readen it in Luthers bokes he hym selffe deuysed a newe heresie and leauing to the ayde helpe of the scripture ment aboute to take away all autoritie from the scripture For this talke he was wont to haue among his Disciples It behoueth not a man to be coning in the lawe or in the Scripture but to be taught and instructed of God Althoughe thou reade ouer the Byble a thousand tymes yet for all that shalt thou proue only skylfull in the Scripture but yet neuer learned of God The labour is but loste which is bestowed on the scripture for the scripture is but a creature It is not mete that a Christian man shold be addicted to muche to a creature We must gyue eare to God we must loke to heare his voyce from heauen that it may teache vs. Blessed is the man saythe Dauid whome thou shalt teache O Lorde Psal 43. He teacheth vs nowe a dayes as well as he taught the prophetes and the Patriarches by visions We must gyue hede to dreames for by them God speaketh vnto vs. the voyce of God dothe teache vs a ryght the scripture is not the worde of God but only a deade letter to be rekoned among other creatures Thinck not thy selffe to be learned oute of the scriptures you must loke for the oute of heauen not oute of bokes The holy goste descendeth downe from heaueÌ„ with oute any meane not by the outewarde hearing and preaching by the mouthe ether reading of the scriptures Althoughe that one Thomas Muncerus semeth to be the fyrst Author of visions dreames and reuelations who also was the fyrst which shronck from Luthers sect as Philippus sheweth in that story which he dyd wryte of hym so that Luther was worthye of no lesse condemnation for stretching mennes consciences as it were vpon tentre hokes then the Pope was for bindyng them in Yet among those errours which Philipp layeth to his charge Philipp in his history of Muncer he rekoneth vp only these that he prescribed these wayes and rules of enbrasing Christian godlynes Fyrst that men sholde refrayne from manifest crimes as adulteries murders and blasphemies then that they sholde chasteÌ„ theire bodies with fastinges vyle apparel speakyng lyttell loking sowrely wearing a long bearde then that they sholde go in to secrete places and that they sholde ofteÌ„ think vpon God what God is whether he haue any care of vs whether our fayth be true and that also they sholde requyre signes of God by the which he sholde shew vs that he is carefull for vs and that oure faythe is ryght That they sholde put no confidence in the wrytten worde of God And that they sholde persuade themselues verilye dreames to be the moste certayne tokens that they haue receaued the holy ghoste The same Muncerus dyd say that he had commaundimeÌ„t to chaunge all secular gouernement Wherefore when he was at Alstete he made a boke in the which he wrote the names of all them which had coÌ„spyred with hym to punishe all Princes which were not so Christian lyke as they ought to be to institute a ChristiaÌ„ Magistrate These be the thinges which Philip ascribeth vnto Muncerus As coÌ„cernyng Suenckfeldius whome in despyte he nameth Stenckfeldius Philip. concerning Stencfeld the same man in the preface of hys commentaries which he set furthe the laste yeare vpon the Epistle of Saynt Paule to the Romanes wryteth the Stencfeldius hath a hundred handes that he hathe soldyoures euery where which in his name do not onlye scatter libelles but also moue seditions boste of diuyne inspirations leade men from the publyke ministerye from reading and from thinking of teaching And nowe also in certayne papers set oute agaynst me in the name of Stenckfeldius is repeted that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a pleasaunt song to madd men that God dothe not make men partakers of him by any helpe of wrytten doctryne but withoute all outewarde meanes Nether Philipp only but also Caluine and diuerse others do seme to make Suenckfeldius to be the author of these thinges For allthoughe before hym there were heauenly Prophetes against whome Luther hathe wrytten two indifferent greate volumes of whome Thomas Muncerus is beleued to haue bene captayne and ring leader yet they dyd not so openly fray men from the publyke ministre of the worde from reading the scriptures as Suenckfeldiê with his companions do nowe a dayes which be not ashamed to drawe this place of S. Paule to the mayntenaunce of theire madnes 1. Cor. 13. where he compareth the knowledge of this present lyfe which is by the worde what scriptures SteÌ„ckfeld stayeth his sect vpon with the perfect and reueled knowledge which shall be in the lyffe to come These they wrest to this lyfe ascribyng
and oute of ordre So much dyd he disdayne that any thing shold be set vp or pulled downe of any man a lyue except he had fyrst gyuen oute a coÌ„mission that so it sholde be Luther most gredie of glorie The gentleman was so gredy of glory that he might well syng this verse which dyd become his ambitiouse ielosie Riualem possum non ego ferre Iouem I think greate skorne that God above Sholde fansie the thing which I do love He dyd wryte .ij. bokes against the heavenly Prophetes in one of the whiche he warneth those preachers to be forbidden the benefytes of water and fyar Luther a sore ennimie to image breakers whiche persuade the people to throwe downe images or at the least he willeth so to nypp them in the heades some other way that they presume no more so to prate because after the destruction of images commonly followeth the destruction slaughter of men Good Sirs sayth he the pulling downe of images is not the mark which the dyvell shoteth at but to make hym selffe a muse to start in and oute at to shed blode to make one man cut an others throte The spiryt of imagehaters is not good for it breathes murders and vprores although it beareth a fayre face for a whyle tyll suche tyme as it spyeth any advauntage Thus Luther and Carolstadius dyd burne with deadly displeasure one against the other they dyd rayle so spytefully one against the other that they semed wurse then heretikes one to the other And this was not the least cause of their enimitie contention that bothe dyd chalaunge this prayse vnto him selff for bringing fyrst vnto light the true knowledge of the Ghospell But it is knowen well inoughe Carolstad the fyrst marryed preste in Germany that Carolstadius was the fyrst Preste that euer marryed a wife in Germany and enterprysed those thinges which I made rehersall of a littell before for which cause he thought the prayse of fynding oute the true light of the Ghospell to be only due vnto him But when he perceaued the more accoumpt was made of Luther who in dede passed him farre in wytte learninge and vtteraunce to the intent he might make hys name ryng among hys posteritie he thought it good to coyne some newe conceited doctrine which being suche as Luther had never medled with all he sholde not presume to any part of the prayse which he had newly inuented Luthers doctrine was an occasion of the SacrameÌ„taries sect To the vttering abroade of which doctrine it is playne that Luthers bokes dyd offer occasion who as Calvine dothe recorde wryting against transsubstantiatioÌ„ semed to sounde a larum to rayse vp the heresie of the Sacramentaries For Luther dyd teache that after Consecration there remayned in the Sacrament the substaunce of brade and wyne Caluin in the. 2. defeÌ„ce agaynst Ihon west which some dyd so vnderstand as thoughe Luther had taught that Christ whome the Scriptures wytnesse to haue bene incarnat that is to haue taken vpoÌ„ him oure fleshe had bene in the Sacrament impanate that is taken vpon him bread whome also it shold be idololatrie for any man to worshyp in the Sacrament onles he dyd coÌ„municate As who shold say that the body of Christ were not made in the SacrameÌ„t with the worde of Christ but with oure receaueing and that there coulde not be suche vertue in Christ his wordes to make his bodye there onlesse it were put to oure mouthe What is this ells but to falsifye the wordes of the Scripture and in stede of that which Christ sayde This is my body to say this shall be my body when it shall be receaued But in very dede it is aboue .xx. yeares agone since Luther being as it were caught with Buchers wyly lyme twigges dyd agree vnto this his opinion for Bucer by no meanes wolde be persuaded to confesse the bodie and blood of Christ to be in the SacrameÌ„t substantially onles Luther wolde lykewyse yelde thus muche to him that the body the blood of oure Lorde is not there onles it be receaued as Ruard Tapper a man of excellent learning expounding the tenth article of Louayne dothe wytnesse in his wrytinges Luther beguyled of Bucer became a SacrameÌ„tarie Thus Luther invegled with Bucers baytes whylst he intended to make Bucer holde of his syde he hym selffe becam a Sacramentary For there is nothing which doth more strenghthen the SacrameÌ„taries heresye then this opinion of Bucer which Luther consented to of the which thing Ihon Caluine dothe make his boste in diuerse places Thus farr had Luther marched at that tyme. but as yet he had not taken oute his lesson so farr in his Christ curse rewe that he durst deny the presence of Christ his body and bloode in the Sacrament The fyrst which had the face to deny it in oure dayes Carolstad fyrst presumed to denye the presence of Christ in the sacrament MelancthoÌ„ to Friderike Miconiê° was Andrewe Carolstad to whome Philipp Melancthon wryting of this matter gyueth this commendation Carolstade sayth he hathe stirred vp these coles a sauage man voyde of wyt withoute learnyng lackyng hys common sence whome as yet we neuer could perceaue to vnderstande or practise any poynt of ciuilitie so farre of is it that we could beleue any reuelation to be made to hym by the holy ghoste Of whome also he thus wryteth in an other place Euen as Luther dyd in spyte of the Pope Of oure Lorde his supper agaynst the Anabaptistes so lykewyse Carolstade in spyte of Luther not for any zeale or loue of godlynes raysed vp this controuersy of the supper of oure Lorde And he bryngeth in there a worthy sentence which wold to God he dyd hartily fauoure In my iudgement sayth he it is greate folly to plant any new opinioÌ„s withoute conference consent of the auncient churche Notwithstanding that this fellowe is so paynted oute in his ryght coloures of MelancthoÌ„ yet hathe he so many to take his parte in defending this his dyuellishe doctrine that nowe you may fynde mo Sacramentaries then Lutherans and among them many of excellent learning and singular grace of vtteraunce whiche couet rather to be counted CarolstadiaÌ„s then Lutherans Therefore agaynst thys kynde of herisye he dyd set oute many bokes in one of the which intituled agaynst Zwinglius Oecolampadius and other new Wicleffistes he is meruaylouse hotte agaynst this sort of sectaries and wryteth that they haue digged themselues thorow the scripture allmost ten shyftyng wayes starting holes And that he neuer hathe readen of a more fylthie heresye theÌ„ it is which had euen at the fyrst syght so many heades so many sutes of sectes althoughe in the principal poynte that is in tearying and tormoyling Christ they agree together lyke lambes In that boke which he named That these wordes of Christ stand styll in theire full force This is my body he reciteth seauen and in the treatise which a lyttell
wolde haue men beleue that to be the worde of God which he dyd teache and not that which Philipp dyd teache seing he toke himselffe to be as good in euery poynte as Philip So that there was no cause why hys saying sholde not as well be receaued for the worde of God as Philip his saying Especially seing Philip as in many other thinges Tuentie opinions of the confessionistes cōcerning iustification so in the docttyne of iustification was neuer stayde in one opinion He sayth that there be twentie diuerse opinions of Melancthon concernyng this one artcle and he reciteth fouretene sundrie opinions of his scollers in that boke which he dyd wryte agaynst one Niericorar For saythe he so sone as they spied one place of scripture in the which there was any mention of Iustice by by of it they made a newe Iustice For an example one did reade Abraham beleued it was imputed to hym for ryghteousnes by and by he gathered oute of this one place .ij. kyndes of righteousnes one of this worde beleued so that he sayde that faythe was oure Iustice an other of the worde was imputed so that he sayde that God dyd impute his iustice to vs to accoumpt vs iuste all thoughe we were not and that this was oure ryghteousnes An other dyd reade we be iustified by his blood strayght way he gathered that the pretiouse blode of Christ is oure ryghteousnes An other dyd reade as by the disobedience of one we were made manye synners so by the obedience of one many shall be made ryghteousne by and by he taught that the obedience of Christ was oure ryghteousnes An other did reade he dyd ryse agayne for oure iustification the Resurrection sayth he of Christ is oure iustification An other dyd reade the holy ghost shall reproue the worlde for iustice because I go to my father he affirmed by and by that the goyng of Christ to his father is oure iustice An other dyd reade that we be made ryghteouse withoute desertes by the grace of God he doubted not to holde that the grace and mercye of God was oure iustice An other did reade to shewe his iustice for the remission of many synnes before cōmitted Forthewith he taught that Remission of synnes was oure iustice An other dyd reade by his blue stripes we be made hole he defended oute of hand that the woundes of Christ was oure ryghteousnes Nowe therefore he saythe that he hathe rekoned vp nyne kyndes of iustifications gathered oute of the scriptures disagreing one from an other and yet for all that he hathe not recited all He reherseth afterward what euery one deuised of hys owne heade Some saythe he say that ryghteousnes is the work of God the whiche he worketh in Christ Other that God receaueth vs to euerlasting lyffe other that the meritte of Christ other speake of an other certayne meane ryghteousnes but they can not tell what it meaneth So Osiander rehearseth fourtene opinions of iustification that which he hym selffe is Author of is the fyftene But accordyng to the rekoning which he maketh in hys confutation of the boke which Philip set oute agaynst hym they shall be in all one and twentie Now iudge you most excellent Kyng for so muche as they do so bycker among them selues Howe perillouse a thing it is to beleue sectaries stryuyng about great matters not aboute the moue shyne in the water as the common saying is but by theyr owne confession aboute the cheife article of Christian doctrine which contayneth the whole sum of the Ghospell iudge you I say what a perillouse thing it is to put any of these men in trust with oure soules which being start vp of late do not only swarue from the chefe masters of theyr congregation but also disagree in them selues as we see howe many tymes Melancthon hath turned his cote in this one opinion of iustification Luther sayth it is a sure argumēt that the doctryn of the Sacramētaries proceded from the dyuel because he tolde seauen or eyght sectes of them and for because that euen in the begynnyng it was dispersed in to so manye heades But we haue rekoned vp not seauen but twyse seauē sectes that of Lutherās cōcerning one article of iustificatiō which conteyneth the whole sum of the Ghospell In all there be foure tyme seauen sectes lackyng but one contrarye one to the other aboute other matters One Gespar Querchamer a lay man Citezin of Hallis Six thirtye cōtrary opinions aboute receauing vnder bothe kyndes or vnder one gathered together six and thirtye contrary places vpon one only article which is of the receauing vnder one or bothe kyndes in the Sacrament of the Altar If any man wyll add these six thirtie opinions to the other seuen and twentye there shal be in all three score three And yet howe many sectes be there whiche we haue not rekoned and wyl any man doubt that the dyuell was the author of this doctryne Take hede moste Godly Prince that you thinck not that these men striue for God his cause or that they busye theyr braynes to further and enlarge the worde of God There is nothing further oute of they re thought Glorie is the marke which sectaries shote at but this is the marke the which moste of them pryck at that they may aduaunce theyr owne glory that they maye vtter to the rude people theyr worde in stede of the worde of God they haue called theyr names sayth the prophet vpon yearthe Psal 48. To this end they wrest all they re wytte the they may make all the world ring with theyr name that it may be sayde this is the confession of Melancthon this of Brentius this of Osiander for I wyll now say nothing of the Zuinglians whome they take to be as greate heritykes as the Anabaptistes my talke is only of the Lutherans whome they also iudge to be heritykes no other verdicte do all other Christians gyue of them Of them therefore speake I that euen they be they neuer so lapped in shepe skynnes yet euery one of them hathe theyr hand on theyr halffe penye not regarding the thinges appartayning to Iesu Christ The cōfession of Augusta pleaseth not all the Lutherans euery one of them hūteth after their owne honoure and not after the glory of Christ Wherefore euē they allthoughe chekens hatched in one nest of Luther yet all of them haue not one confession For it is as cleare as the daye that none receaued the confession of Augusta but the churches of Saxonie No it was not receaued so muche as in the citie of Augusta where it was fyrst presented to the Emperoure for that citie semeth rather to weyghe more with the Zuinglians The Citie Augusta hathe mo Suenckfel feldiās the Lutherans and it is sayde that there be founde mo of the confession of Suenefelde then of the confession of Augusta Whiche I think was a cause that for so much as Philipp
A MOST EXCELLENT TREATISE OF THE begynnyng of heresyes in oure tyme compyled by the Reuerend Father in God STANISLAVS HOSIVS Byshop of Wormes in Prussia To the moste renomed Prynce Lorde Sigismund myghtie Kyng of Poole greate Duke of Luten and Russia Lorde and Heyre of all Prussia Masouia Samogitia c. Translated out of Laten in to Englyshe by Richard Shacklock M. of Arte and student of the Ciuil lawes and intituled by hym The hatchet of heresies Haereses ad suam originem reuocasse est refutasse Of heresies to shewe the spryng Is them vnto an end to bryng ¶ Imprinted at Antwerp by Aeg. Diest Anno. 1565. the .10 of August CVM PRIVILEGIO THE TRANSLATOVRE vpon the figure following Sathan the sower of synfull doctrine For pastyme of late dyd pepe oute of hell Being wery of whipping Luther and Caluine To see if his sedes dyd prosper here well And seing bigg trees which no man dyd fell To be sprong of his sedes for ioy he dyd spryng That with sounde of his chaines all hell he made ryng But when with more hede aboute he dyd loke Fixing his eye on Prussian grounde He sawe holy Hosius makyng this boke Myndyng all Sathans craftes to confounde An hater of heretykes which falsely expounde Gods worde which boke so sone as he spyde An hachet an hachet oh me he cryde An hachet I see in Hosius hand Wich felleth my trees which ells myght haue stand Then hauing so sayde byting his lypp He ran agayne Luther and Caluine to whypp INSIGNE FALSITATIS INSIGNE VERITATIS SATHAN RAYLING REBELLION BLODSHED ATHEISME LYES HOSIVS DE ORIGINE HERESIVM THE TRANSLATOVRE vpon the figure before going Who planted this tree which there is set oute Sathan the sower of syn withoute doute The rote is rayling but can you tell why Take away rayling and heretykes dy Sampson Humfrey Cole with others The body is rebellion wherefore can you tell For a cap they be redy their Prince to expell The braunces is blodshed knowe you the cause Thei wold kyl if thei could al without lawes But why with lyes arre so loden the leaues Ah heresie with lyes all the worlde deceaues The apples be atheisme what doth that meane Heresie remoueth religion cleane wherefore dothe Sathan so sowrely loke Oh he is angry at Hosius boke what meaneth the crosse which here you do carue The badge of truth which neuer doth swarue what meaneth the cock which here I do fynde The badge of heretykes which waue with the wynde But what doth the ape vnder the cock Signifieth heretykes which holy thinges mock ▪ TO THE MOSTE EXCELLENT AND GRATIOVSE Pryncesse Elyzabeth by the grace of God Quene of England Fraunce and Irelande defendoure of the faythe your moste humble and obedient subiect Richard Schacklock hartily wysheth all grace and peace from God with long reigne honour helth and prosperitie ALTHOVGHE my faythefull and obedient hart towarde your Royal Maiest moste souereigne gracyouse Lady be so well knowen to God and all good men that it may seme neadeles to declare any outwarde testimoniall of it yet because as S. Chrysostome sayth God wolde neuer haue made the mouthe if it had bene inough in hart to thynck well I could not at thys tyme content my conscience onles I dyd gyue an open and euident signification of my secret fidelitie loyaltie and humble obedience toward your most excellent Maiest The which because I was not able to wytnesse vnto the world ether by famouse feates of armes for lack of experience ether in bryngyng golden gyftes for lack of abilitie ether in writyng workes of nue inuention for fault peraduenture of learnyng and knowledge I thought I myght declare no small token of a true subiectes harte towarde your gracyouse hyghenes in trauaylyng to trāslate some godly worke of some worthy wryter and when I had translated it The education of oure noble Quene to dedicate it to youre excellent Maiestie specyally seing your hyghnes euen from your tender age hath bene trayned vp in the treasure howse of learnyng not so muche bewtyfyed with byllementes and precyouse pearles as garnyshed with maruaylouse gyftes of grace and godlynes and euen with the increase of yeares hathe had an increasyng desyre of true science and knowledge in so much that I here it reported credibly and beleue it verily that euery nyght callyng your selfe to an accompt accordyng to Pythagoras councell howe you haue spent the day if by reason of consulting and caryng for youre common wealth any day scape withoute learnyng of one lesson oute of some godly authour you be wont to saye vnto them which be aboute youre noble grace Frendes this day haue I loste A golden sentence of our excellēt Quene for I haue learned neuer a lesson O sentence worthy to be pronounced of so excellent a Prynce O saying worthie to be translated in to all languages and to be written in letters of golde Truly moste noble Quene thys one saying The cause of our Englyshe Louanians wrytinges dothe encorage many of your graces faythfull and learned subiectes on this syde of the sea to wrytyng some to make nue workes neuer sene before some to translate bokes which haue bene made of other Some to wryte in Latē some in Englyshe some in verse and other some in prose All whose diligence and studye intendeth nothyng lesse then to wryte one worde wyllingly whiche myght displease youre Maiestie which may sowe any sedes of sedition A differēce betwene the wryting of the Catholikes now the heretykes in Q. Maries dayes loke knokes his bokes and others which may disquyet the peace of oure natyue countrie as in your graces deare systers dayes dyuerse sedityouse sectaryes dyd but only to further and to preferre as muche as is possible thys pryncely desyre of knowing the truthe which we heare with greate ioy to be reported of youre Maiestie This is the cause most redoubted Princesse why I am bold to present this my translacyon vnto your noble grace Not that I dyd thynk any such lack of Latten to be in your grace that your grace could not vnderstād it in the tounge in the which the fyrst author dyd wryte it for God hathe made youre grace as it were hys treasure howse of tounges youre fame florysheth for the Frenche your renome spreadeth farre for the Italian your glory glystreth for the Greke and many other laudable languages but that The cause of dedicatyng thys booke in Englishe to oure reedoubted Quene for as much as I haue learned by experyence that no man is so wel indued with the knowledge of forren tonges but when a matter of greate importaunce is tolde hym the truthe of the which he is desyrouse to knowe certaynly and to the which he is mynded to make an aunswer wysely had rather haue it declared in his natural and mother tonge be it neuer so barbarouse then in a straunge language be it neuer so eloquēt I thought that this boke
c. his gratiouse Lorde Stanislaus Hosius Byshop of Wormes profereth his lowly seruice I CAM to the syght most excelleÌ„t King of a certayne booke coÌ„pyled by Ihon Brentius whiche Petrus Paulus Vergeriê° feared not to dedicate vnto youre grace and I haue readen it ouer not withoute greate troble and vexation of mynde He calleth it a golden boke but I can not easyly be persuaded that the * A Prouerbe which had this begynnyng when Quintus Cepio toke bi assaulte the citie of Tolosa in Italy there was founde in the temples greate plentie of golde which being taken away all that had any parte thereof dyed myserably whereof happened this prouerbe wheÌ„ anye man fynished his lyffe miserablie men wolde say that he had golde of Tolosa golde of Tolosa which is a prouerb in euery man his mouthe Aurum TolosanuÌ„ dyd worke more harme to them which dyd handle it then this boke may bryng to vncircircumspect and symple soules which shall take in hand to reade it so that if it deserue to be called golden in this respect it shall be so called because it semeth to be made of the golde of Tolosa For why dothe he not in that boke ouerthrouwe all order dothe not he destroy all polytyke gouernemeÌ„t dothe he leaue any thyng vndone which helpeth to disquiet the peace and tranquillitye of the Churche If it be true which a certayne holy father dyd say that the peace of al thinges dyd consist in the quyet maynetenaunce of an vniforme order what place can be there left for peace where this is only intended that nothing may be done in order where laboure is spent in nothing more then that the Churche which is described terrible set in battayle ray lyke an hoste of warryars which also in the scripture is often tymes called the Kyngdome of heaueÌ„ sholde be made that most pestilent place where no order dothe remayne but euerlastyng horrour dothe dwell And that Vergerius procured that boke to come abroade in prynt I maruayle nothing but in that he had the face to dedicate it to you a Catholyke Christyan and ryght ruled Kyng and by suche meanes to stayne the name of youre Maiestie which throughe the whole worlde as it is for other vertues so for the prayse of true godlynes is notable and famouse euen with the cheifest that is the thyng which I can neuer wunder inoughe at But what can he feare to doo Vergerius his blynde boldnes which not contented to deface as muche as lay in hym youre Maiestie by dedicatyng that boke vnto you durste presume also to abuse a man farre vnlyke vnto hym named Aloysius Lipomanus Byshopp of Verone then the which man for the space almost of six hundred yeares synce what tyme oure countrye receaued the Ghospell of Christ we haue sene in Poole not one of the Apostolicall legates ether a better lyuer ether better learned notwithstandyng this sckyppe Iacke durste take vpon hym with more impudencye then Auxentius the heretyke once vsed towarde the moste graue learned and holy man Saynt Ambrose to prouoke this worthy Prelate to dispute with hym vpon the principall poyntes conteyned in this golden boke as he calleth it before youre Maiestie whome he wolde haue to sette as a Iudge in that controuersye I say what can he be afearde to doo whome we see to haue growen so farre past grace after that denying Christ his faythe and embrasyng Luther hys Lore he hathe lept from one sect to an other that he boasteth of his beastlynes lyke vnto Sodoma nether is ashamed to glorye in his maliciouse manners whilst he openly maketh his vaunte Vergerius twyse periured that he hathe broken that promisse which he twyse had made vnto God the forme of the which he caused to be prynted that he myght make all the worlde wytnesse what manner of merchaunt he was But I maruayle the lesse at his blynde and beastly boldnes whome those writynges only if there were nothing ells which he caused to be scattred among the common people at the laste Parlement holden at Varcauia do planely proue that he hathe shaken of all shamefastnes and that there is not one sparcke of the feare of God left in hym But I can not chose but maruayle greatly that notwithstandyng his naughtynes there be some which reade and in reading gyue credit to this fellowe his fansies which semeth to haue framed hym selffe so to false fordgyng that he hathe had regarde to nothing more then that neuer a true worde sholde scape oute of his mouthe I wyll not speake of all his other mischeuouse doinges for it were to long for me to wryte and for youre grace to reade Only this his epistle Vergerius hys lying epistle whiche he dyd wryte to youre Maiestie howe is it loden with lyes He fayneth that youre grace at the fyrst called a Parlament to set an order in religion whereas in very dede nether in the letters which you commaunded to be sent to youre Councelloures nether in the message which was gyuen to them which as the manner is went to the lower Sessions there was so much as one worde spoken of religion moreouer this is well knowen in many of youre Maiesties dominions that strayght charge was gyuen to them which were appoynted messengers to the hygher Sessions that thei shold not make any mention of religion nether that thei sholde suffer any chaunge to be made in it because thei wolde wyllingly rest in the auncient Religion Of the which charge and coÌ„maundimeÌ„t when they cam to the hygher Sessions some of them were admonyshed Yea that is not hydde from coÌ„mon knowledge that youre Maiestie wolde haue consultation to be had of no other thyng in the Sessions by the Messangers of youre dominions then suche consultation as properly sholde appartayne to the Sessions that is to debate and to consyder howe the Realme myght be mayntayned and defended because you dyd very well iudge Reformation in religion to whom it belongeth that the handlyng and ordryng of Religion dyd belong to the Synodes and coÌ„uocations of Byshoppes not to the Sessions of youre Realme and Empyre VVherefore when the matter required that there sholde be some mention made of religion so your grace caused the thing to be proponed by Ihon Oczieski Lorde Chauncelloure of youre Realme a man indued not only with a syngular wytte and prudence and a maruaylouse grace of vtteraunce but allso with specyall constancye in the Catholyke and true faythe that you gaue in commaundiment that it sholde be declared in euident wordes that it was not youre Maiesties pleasure that they sholde speake they re myndes concerning the reforming of religion which was wellinoughe reformed before but that they sholde say what they thought of this howe in youre Maiesties absence from youre Realme prouision might be made that peace and tranquillitie myght neuer the lesse be preserued and at the lengthe with the consent of all youre Senatours you dyd decree that if hereafter any
once to despyse to set at naught the Authorities of the auncient Doctoures the Decrees of the moste holy Popes Luther the author of ouerthrowyng bothe prestehode sacrifice the Determinatiōs of generall Councelles that is of the vniuersall church at the last he grewe so farr from grace that as we haue made mentyon a lyttell before he laboured to ouerthrowe the ordre of Prestehode and the Sacrifice besyde that he excluded Christ oute of the Sacrament onles he were receaued and forbadde due reuerence there to be done vnto hym lyke as also before he had taught that breade and wyne dyd remayne after the consecration Of this roote dyd spryng afterwarde the Sacramentaries heresie And euē as Luther wolde haue it lawfull for hym of his owne heade to put oute olde ordres to brynge in newe fashions so Caluine with his croked Apostles thought he neaded not to aske leaue to doo the lyke for so much as he dyd set as muche by hys paynted sheathe as Luther dyd and stode so muche in hys owne cōceipt that he was able to matche Luther at all assayes and to answer hym to omnia quare Therefore he dyd that which Luther and all they of hys lure as yet had not done that is he dyd abolyshe holye vestimentes Caluin in what thinges he followed Luther and in what thinges he ouerrā him in wickednes when God hys seruice was celebrated the vse of tapers and candelles the ringing of velles that there myght be no difference betwene holy thinges and prophane and least yf that any worshipp sholde be gyuen to the reuerend sacramēt men sholde conceaue and beleue that there were more in it then breade wyne More ouer and that he gaue charge that the sacrament sholde not be ministred to them which dyd lye a passing oute of thys lyffe which not withstanding the auncient Fathers named Viaticum which may be Englished costage or comfortable prouisyon to trauayle by the way He was of this mynde that they were not to be allowed to receaue the Sacramēt which were not able to receaue with the whole congregation to them which were neither shryuē neither assoylde he wylled that the sacrament sholde be gyuē Besyde thys he dyd put downe holy dayes and the readyng of the Epistle the Gospell as the Churche was wont to vse them And lest he sholde be thought to take so muche vpon hym only in the sacramēt of the altar he dyd also deuyse a newe doctryn in the sacramēt of Baptisme For where as he had learned thys lesson of Luther that they make the deathe of Christ of none effect that they seke an other Mediator besyde Christ which thinke good worckes necessary to saluation nowe because Baptisme is a good worcke he thought that they which teache that we be saued throwe Baptisme do fynde an other meanes to come to heauen then by the deathe of Christ and that they make the blood of Christ to be shedde in vayne which seke for any soule healthe in the water of Baptisme Therefore he teacheth that infantes if so be they be begotten of Christian parentes Baptisme is not necessary for infantes sayth Caluine be made membres of Christ be accompted the children of God and made heyres of the kyngdome of heauen withoute Baptisme So that forasmuch as to the intent they may be saued it maketh no greate matter whether they be Christned or no he is well cōtented that they departe out of thys lyffe without Baptisme alas what haue these fond fellowes left vnryfeled To what boldnes bedlemnes are they not growne which haue not feared to do villanye to the very sacramēts without the which no man may be saued A comparison betwene the Lutherans and the Zuingliās which of them be best Nowe therefore you haue .ij. Ghospelles yf so be it be lawfull to terme so synfull sectes with so honorable a name one of the Lutherans an other of the Zwinglians for bothe sydes will take they re othe vpon a booke that opinion which they defend mayntayne to be the pure and lyuely worde of God If you wyl weygh the doctrin of bothe parties the Zwinglians go farr beyond the Lutherans or certaynly come not much behynde them these alleadge as many places of Scripture to serue they re turne as they do as for theire ioly grace in vtteryng theire myndes and vehementie in persuading they stayne them carry the garland from them If you will haue regarde to an outeward shewe and counterfeyt coloure of holynes the Lutherans graunte that the Sacramētaries be more Godly lyvers then them selues For thus Nicolas Amsdorffius a Lutherā doth wryte of them Nicolas Amsdorff The Anabaptistes and the Sacramentaries do beguyle all Germanye with theyr holynes as monckes dyd deceaue all the worlde with theire pretensed holynes If you wil go by the number the Sacramētaries cleane weyghe downe the Lutherans seing they haue invegled many Lutherans to be of their opinion They them selues confesse this for one of the cheife Cockes of they re game Ihon Westphalus dothe crowe after this sorte In his boke intituled A ryght faythe of the supper of oure Lorde no false doctryn is spred so farr abroade none is mayntayned so ernestly or couered so with the cloke of hypocrisie none doth lede so many in to the by wayes of errours as dothe the deceaueable doctrine of the Sacramētaries who also in an other place writyng agaynst Caluin dothe call his owne cōpany for the smalnes of it a weake and feble flock in comparison of the huge number in whiche he hytteth Caluine in the tothe that he doth glory and putte all hys cōfidence this euery man knoweth the verye fewe embraced Luthers Ghospell except the cities of Saxonie all the residue whether they be in Helvetia or Germany they be either Catholykes or Sacramentaries But if you will haue an eye vnto a stubbern stomack in defendyng a wrong opinion it is so farre of that the Zuinglians yelde one iote to the Lutherans in this point that Caluine maketh his crakes that they be stouter Champions a greate way for at what tyme the Lutherans for profe of theyr doctrin dyd cherefully offer them selves to terrible deathe he sayth that his scolefellowes the Zuinglians were much more redy to scale the truthe of they re doctryn as they toke it with theyr blode and to prove his saying true reade the Regester of all those martyres whiche have stode in the defence of theyr herisye vnto death in oure tyme you shall fynde among them mo Zuinglians then Lutherans So then althoughe the Zuinglians be not one iote behynde the Lutherans and beare them selves no lesse bragge vpon the scriptures then they doe yet eche of them esteme one an other wurse then heretykes specially the Lutherans do so abhorre the Zuinglians that they thynk men shold stoppe theyr eares when they speake and that they re blasphemies ought rather to be cōfuted with the sworde of the
cōcerning his doctrine Among whō one Menno Phrisius who semeth to pass all the sorte of them in learning saythe in this wyse Certaynely o heauenly Father I can not be deceaued in this matter with thy worde I haue beleued and that haue I receaued by the holy Ghoste as the worde of truthe And with in fewe lynes after I knowe certaynely and surely that with this my doctryne which is the worde of God in the day of ryghtwise iudgement I shall iudge not onlye Lordes Princes not only the worlde but also the Aungelles them selues Thus dothe he magnifically make his vauntes of his doctrine as thoughe it were God hys worde with no lesse confidēce and corragiousnes then Luther dyd of hys doctryne Notwithstandyng Luther dyd as hottly inueyhe against this sect as he dyd agaynst the sect of the Sacramentaries and wryting a boke to two Plebanes as before I haue made mentiō among other sayinges he oseth these wordes Whereas the Anabaptistes saye that we fynde in no place of scripture that infantes either haue faythe or the they ought to be baptized we graunte in dede that it can not be proued by any scripture which saythe playnely and euidently in these or suche lyke wordes You ought to baptize younge children for they do beleue if any man be ernest with vs to shewe any suche text we must nedes gyue hym place Luther is fayne to flee for helpe to traditions agaynst the Anabaptistes and graunt hym the victorye for we fynde it not in the whole Byble But good reasonable Christians do demaunde no suche thinges of vs that is the fashion of brablers and obstinate persons to the intent that they may be accompted wyse But they for all they re Byble bablyng and crying for scripture alleadge for them selues no scripture which saythe you ought to baptize those which be of yeares of discretiō but not infantes and younge children By by after by the tradition of the Apostles allwayes obserued in the churche of God he teacheth that younge children are to be baptized all be it no scripture dothe gyue any suche commaundement And lyke as before in defending the Sacrament of the altar so now in mayntayning Christning of younge children he dothe cheifly leane vpon the authoritie of the churche which authoritie for all that he wyll not let vs laye in his way for feare of gyuing him a fall so oftē as he requireth scripture of vs for profe of any one thing be it that it hathe bene receaued and allouwed of the church neuer so many yeares The Anabaptistes wurse thē all other sectaries This therefore is the thyrde Ghospell much more pestilent then the other twayne For besyde that it taketh clene away the sacrifice of the Masse the ordre of Prestehode with the Lutherans and denieth the real presence of Christ in the Sacramēt of the Altar with the Zuinglians it hathe many other articles bothe blasphemouse also seditiouse For it forbyddeth the publyk ministery of God hys worde it defendeth that Christ toke not man hys nature vpon hym of the blyssed virgyn it reneweth the errour of the Chiliastars it despyseth rule and wyll not haue men subiect to laufull authoritie Therefore where so euer this sect taketh place it rayseth vp greate vprores and seditions Examples of thys we haue many cities in Germany especially the citie of Munster An example by the citie of Munster For as Henry Dorpius a Lutheran and he which translated hys history out of the Germane tongue in to Latten Ihon Sleidane a Zuinglian haue wrytten in they re Cronicles aboue foure and twentye yeares agone ther cam fyrst thether certayne preachers to declare vnto the people in stede of Christ hys Gospell the doctryn of Luther whome when the Catholyke Prestes thought in no wyse to be suffred Bernard Rothman with hys cōpanyons Heretykes manner to provoke catholykes to dispute before a laie iudge whome Philipp the Lantgraue of Hessia had sent to further advaunce Luthers learnyng dyd that which all heretykes vse to do that is chosyng appoynting oute certayne cheife learned men of the catholyke faythe they prouoked the Catholykes to ioyne with them in disputation that before a lay Magistrate whome they appoynted to be theyr iudge and before whome they promised to proue the doctryn which the Catholykes held to be false and erroniouse But whē the Catholyke Prestes refused to dispute with them they departed the citie after that they were forbydden to execute theyr office of preaching the worde of God After this departure of the Catholykes before a yeare was comē fully to an end the Anabaptistes lykewyse began in the same citie to sowe the seades of they re doctryn vnder the name of Christe hys Ghospell And whē they had prouoked one an other to set fote to fote in disputation but on the selffe same condition which before was offered to the Catholykes which was that nothing shold be alleaged but Canonicall scripture beholde Bernard Rothman the cheifest trumpetor in all that citie of Luthers Ghospell who makyng the lyke lawe a lyttell before had chalenged the Catholykes to come to disputation now wolde admitt no suche condition So it cam to passe that the Lutherans which not long before had thrust the Catholykes oute of the towne they themselues fearyng to mete or encounter in disputation with the Anabaptistes were shortly after by them banished the same towne No meruayle thoughe they were so handled For the Senators also were pulled downe from they re iudgement seates the churches were spoyled and burned and whosoeuer wolde not take parte with the Anabaptistes perforce was dryuen oute of the citie As for Bernard Rothmā Henry Roles Godfry Stralen sent oute of Hessia as they of Christians grewe to be Lutherans so of Lutherans they becam Anabaptistes and with tothe and nayle furthered the Ghospel of Anabaptistes shewing vs the experience howe true that is which is wrytten in the Scripture The wycked man when he cometh in to the depthe of syn careth not what he dothe For if any man do once forsake Christian Religion vnto what so euer sect he dothe afterwarde inclyne he makethe it but a pastyme to leape from one heresie to an other And this sect truly of the Anabaptistes Anabaptistes be deuided in to diuerse kyndes is diuided in to many sections For they agree not in the principall pointes of they re doctrine In certayne cities of Germany some dyd run aboute naked as thoughe they had a bumble be in theire breche exhortyng the people to repentaunce seking in the meane whyle busyly how they might fynde any opportunytie to set the people together by the eares Neither dyd thys heresie begyn yester day or the day before for it reygned also in saynt Augustyn his tyme. And as the moste parte of all other heresies be so was this in the begynnyng deuyded in to many other partes For some were called Donatistes other Rogatistes other Maximianistes other
that which is vnperfect to the holy scripture that which is perfect to the reuelations of the spyrit to which reuelations so sone as we haue attayned that which is vnperfect that is to say the preaching vse of the scripture they lyke dreaming doctours do think ougt to be cleane abolished To this purpose they strech that place of S. Peter on the laste althoughe in very dede it is contrary to this theire inspiration where he warneth vs to gyue hede to propheticall speache 2. Pet. 1. as to a bright burning candell in a darke place tyll suche tyme as the daye starr doth ryse in oure hartes They take the illusions of Sathan for the lightning of the holy Ghoste and for the morning starre which so sone as it is rysen then is there no more nede of the candell of propheticall speakyng They alleadge also those scriptures which Luther also vouched for the confirmation of his erroure in his boke of abrogating the Masse Heb. 8. Hier. 31. No man shall teache his neighboure or his brother Iacob 3. saying Knowe oure Lorde For all shall knowe me froÌ„ the leaste to the moste of them Matth. 23 There shall not be many masters among you for you haue one Master in heaueÌ„ 1. Ioan. 2. You neade not that any man sholde teache you his anoynting teacheth you Therefore they commaund men to run to this Master for succoure that they may be taught of hym not of the deade scripture or of men Suencfelde fynished that Ghospell which Sathan began by Luther Behold most godly Prince to what issue they haue brought the matter After that by the example of Luther euery man toke it to be lawfull for hym to go from the assent and consent of the whole Churche and to expounde the scriptures after hys owne brayne that what so euer he imagined sholde be receaued as the worde of God it cam to this poynte at the laste that by the autoritie of the scriptures they went aboute to make the scriptures of no autoritye and men were thaught to gyue more credit to dreames and reuelations then to the scriptures Luther toke away outewarde prestehode and the sacrament thereto belongyng when Suenckfeldius perceaued that he did this not only withoute controlemeÌ„t but also that his doing was allowed and approued of many he lykewise toke away the externall minystery of the worde by the same authoritie that Luther toke away the sacrifice For why shold Luthers authoritie be stronger then Suenckfeldius his seyng this man hath mo scriptures on his syde then he For no scripture hath gyuen contrary coÌ„maundiment that mo shold offer sacrifice but that there shold be mo maysters then one it hathe openly bene forbydden in mo places then one For seing we haue one Mayster in heauen his honoure semeth to be defaced his dignitie semeth to be diminished if any other be herd besyde hym as who wold saye that he is not fyt inoughe to teache vs as thoughe there were such lack of abilitie in hym that he coulde not performe so muche withoute the help and ministery of man So nowe the Ghospell which Sathan hathe begone by Luther he hath fynished by Suenckfeldiê that after prestehod is takeÌ„ away after the sacrifice is dispatched after that all holy thinges be brought in to vtter contempt we may see also the outewarde ministery of the worde to be taken from vs the Canonicall scriptures to be so stryped of all they re dignitie that we be charged not to beleue them that the scripture is not the worde of God but only a deade letter which is to be reputed among other creatures to the which to be wedded to muche is not the parte of a Christian man Nether is this Suenckfeldius an oute cast or rascal For Philipp saythe he is an hundred handed captayne that he hathe souldiours in euerye place which in his name do not onlye spred libelles abroade but also stirr vp seditions This pestilent heresye of Suenckfeldius rageth not onlye ouer all Germany but also ouer all Heluetia there is an huge number of them which boaste themselues that they haue this inspiration so that in many greate Cities by hearesay Mo SuenckfeldiaÌ„s theÌ„ Lutherans or Zuinglians you may fynde of the coÌ„mon sorte mo Suenckfeldians then ether Lutherans or ZuingliaÌ„s To say the truthe I knowe not the man nether haue I sene his bokes but when I went on youre Maiesties Embassage to the moste Christian Emperoure and very Catholyke King Charles the fyft of certayne graue persones such as were worthy of al credyt I heard the contrary of that to be affirmed of Suenckfeldius whiche Erasmus Roterodamê once dyd wryte of them whiche falsely vaunt them selues to be Euangelicall men Suenckfeldians meruailouse holy to se to that he knewe none of them which ioyned them selues to their company and coÌ„gregation but he proued much wurse then he was before but how many so euer embrased Suenckfeldiê doctrine it was tolde me that they were sodenly chaunged as thoughe they had bene inspyred by the holy Ghost that they dyd put of olde Adam and put on new Christ that afterwarde they walked no more after the flesh but after the spyrit so that al men myght see that they had crucified theyr fleshe with theyr synnes and concupiscences Here many we see how Sathan many tymes iuggleth him selff in to an Aungell of lyght that by a coloure of holynes he may deceaue the simple people Euen as fowlers do set certayne intising baytes to the intent they may take the byrdes with shewing them deyntie and lykersom meates Holynes of heretykes is the diuell his pytfall to catche soules Origenes so is there a certayne holynes of the dyuell that is a trap or pytfall of man his soule by the which he may with a more subtyll sleyght inuegle snare men with false and forged wordes Euen as Origenes expoundyng Ezechiel more at lardge doth declare Suche pretensed holynes was to be sene in tyme past in the Psalbanes Euchites Anthropomorphites Ebionites Tacians and other heretykes of the same sorte the lyke of the whiche is also to be sene in the Pycardes and the Suenckfeldians which is none other thing as that moste learned man Origenes dothe saye then a certayne trap priuily set and layde for man his sowle by the deceate crafty conueyaunce of the Dyuell A conclusion of the fourth new Gosballes Now haue you foure Ghospells but not according to Mathewe Luke and Ihon but after Luther Zuinglius Muncerus and Swenkfeldius These be straunge names but theire Ghospells be more straunge which you may rather call Goosebelles then Ghospells for so muche as they haue brought in with them the matter of al mischefe not proceding from Christ but from the dyuell the author and founder of them for which cause they chose rather to be called Ghospellers then Christians for that theyr conscience telleth them that they haue nothing to do with
groweth losse and incōuenience for that men do learne by lyttell lyttell to disobey Magistrates Therefore to chaunge old lawes for newe shall be no thing elles but all to gether to weakē the lawes to inure men to chaunge thinges of greater weyght and importaunce whē those thinges which shall appeare very tryfles shall be causes of moste greate calamities and miseries The which thing experience hath taught in the chaūges begone of Luther what wyndowes are made for this Sathanisme whiche nowe we see in Germany Therfore it behoued hym fyrst to haue complayned on them manfullye to haue withstode them A defence of Melancthō against Illiricus And there was no cause M. Flaccus why vnmyndefull of youre dutie you sholde so dispytefully and slaunderously intreate youre Master who had deserued so well at youre handes because he when he sawe it neadefull dyd all hys indeuoure to bryng order disciplyne in to the churche bothe which thinges Luther had taken away to the intent that men might retyre againe to that perfect pathe from the which they had erred and gone a stray This was a good meaning of a mā not of the wurst sort who neuer lyked the chaūges brought in by Luther Frō whose tyranny that he was at laste delyuered he semeth to reioyse seyng wryting to Carlouitius he graunteth that he had bene his filthie bond slaue And I cā not but prayse youre stedfastnes in Religion most godly Prince that when diuerse were suetors to youre grace that you wolde be content The constauncie godlynes of Kyng of Pole that there sholde be an alteration in thinges as some men thought indifferēt you could be persuaded by no meanes to do it least you myght seme to gyue a token of youre going backward frō the Christian religion left vnto you of youre forefathers and of youre bending forwarde to Sathanisme which you see at this present floryshe in many places of Germany and to begin to budd more is the pitie in diuerse partes of youre Realme The thinges which were requested may seme to some man to be of lesser importaunce then that anye man sholde styck to graunte the takyng away of them How peril louse it is to swarne from olde religion in small matters but put the case there were no faute in cutting of those thinges yet in cutting of a man 's his owne selffe from all the rest of Christendome is suche a greate trespasse that al other synnes compared to it seme but a more weyghing in balaunce with a myll poste And this is the thing which many seke for for they desire diuision in men and not in suche thinges as they know well inoughe pertayne nothing to soule healthe This Vergerius hym selffe confesseth in certayne brefe cōmentaries By what degrees Sathanisme dyd infect all Germany which he naughty man as he was dyd write vpon the Pope his Epistle to the kyng hys councelloures Flaccus wryteth very well that these deceaptes be all to gether lyke a wedge which at the poynte is very thynne and being dryuen in to the woode maketh no greate cleft or ryft but yet for al that thoughe the forepart of it be small yet it maketh way for the thycker parte of the wedge so that when that parte is entred in necessarily the other partes shall followe vntyll suche tyme as the wode be quite clouē We see howe Sathan hathe wrought these craftes in Germany The first riuing parte of this wedge was the striuing aboute pardones The second part was somewhat thicker when the layetie had leaue to receaue vnder bothe kyndes when it was graunted that Prestes might haue wyues The middell part was the allowaunce of the confession of Augusta The laste parte was this vniuersall sathanisme of which I haue spokē before with the which all Christendome is so clouen that except God wyll loke vpon vs with the eyes of his mercye it can not easyly be recouered with any remedie Wherefore you dyd bothe wysely and godlyly o moste worthy Prince in that you haue taken hether to diligent hede to youre selffe and youre Realme of this tearyng wedge of the which also here after you must so muche beware howe muche the saffetie of youre selffe and youre countrie is deare vnto you Nowe then by Flaccus rekonyng we haue three or .iiij. sectes of Lutherans Other sectes of Lutherans For he saythe that the Interimistes or Tyme takers of Lipsiabe of two sortes one patched pesed of others the second made of it selffe There must be then .iij. Disorders of Interimistes and one disorder of Adiaphoristes all whose familiaritye Flaccus hathe forbidden all godly Christians The fourth sect is not aboute Adiaphorical or indifferent thinges but cōcerning weyghtye ernest matters For there were certayne at Wittēberdge almost twenty yeares past which as they were taught by Luther dyd reiect that lawe of workes Against whome he inueyed in many disputations and called them in dispite Antinomos Antinomi that is men contrary to lawe The sixt sect is of the Confessionistes of Augusta who not for wearing of a surplesse Linea vestis for whiche cause Flaccus styrred vp suche coles the which he saythe was the first parte of the myserable wedge but aboute the cheife poynte of Christian religion Luther in a boke intytuled operetiones in Psalm aboute that which Luther thinketh to be the head poynte of all Euangelical doctryne on that which hangeth as he sayth the knowledge of hym selffe the knowledge and glory of God which he thinketh to be the opinion of free wyll of the which he euer taught Luther denyeth free will that it only suffereth and neuer dothe any thing that it is a thing of a bare name or ells a fayned matter in thinges or a title withoute a thing because it is in no man hys powre to thinck either good or euell but as Wycliff his article condemned at Constance teacheth all thinges come to passe of necessitie So it is no doubt sayth he this name free wyll to haue come in to the churche from the Master thereof Sathan to seduce men from the way of God in to theire owne wayes euell workes sayth he God worketh in the euell men To which doctryn also Philipp Melancthon dyd subscribe in those cōmon places which he dyd set oute at Wittenberdge Melancthō how arrogantly he at the first denied free wyll when he was but one twenty yeares of age not withoute a certayne youthely arrogancie in no wyse to be borne with all For he durst take vpon hym to gyue hys censure vpō the holy Doctoures Augustine sayth he and Bernard dyd wryte of free wyll Augustine truly dyd recant diuerse tymes in his last bokes written agaynst the Pelagians his opinion of free wyll As for Bernard often tyme he turneth the cat in the pan The Greke Doctoures dyd wryte somthing of this matter but oute of order I for so muche as I followe not the opinions of men
I wyll declare the whole matter moste simply and playnely which bothe olde and newe wryters haue darkened because they dyd so interprete the scriptures as thoughe also they wolde satisfie the iudgemēt of man his reason They thought that it was agaynst all polityke gouernement to teache that a man dyd synn of necessitie they thought it a cruell thing to fynde fault with man hys wyll if it could not turne it selffe from synne to vertue Therefore they attributed more to man his strengthe then they ought to haue done and they dyd meruaylously disagree among them selues for so much as they dyd see that in euery place it was contrary to the iudgemēt of reason and truly in this place where as Christian doctrine disagreeth muche from Philosophy and man his reason yet Philosophy by lyttell and lyttell crept in to Christian doctryne and this wycked opinion of free wyll is receaued the goodnes of Christ is darckned by oure prophane and carnall wysdome The worde of free wyll is vsurped most cōtrary to the holy scripture to the meaning and iudgemēt of the holy ghoste with that which we see holy men haue bene oftē displeased There is added also oute of Plato his philosophie this worde of reason which is as pernitiouse and daungerouse as the other For lyke as in these laste tymes we haue embrased Aristotle in steade of Christ so euen immediatly after the fyrst begynnyng of the Churche Christian doctryne was corrupted with Platos philosophye so is it brought to passe that there be no syncere pure bokes in the Church besyde the Canonicall scripture All the commentaries which learned men haue wrytten smell of Philosophy And with in a lyttel whyle after dothe any man aske me if there be any free wyll I aunswer because all thinges whiche come to passe do necessarilye come to passe according to the predestination of God there is no libertie or freedome of oure wyl What thē you wyl say is there in thinges that I may vse the Papistes wordes no casualtye no chaunce no fortune The scriptures teache vs howe that all thinges come to passe necessarily Eckius sayth that Valla wolde knowe more then euer he had learned because he confuted the scole mennes opinion of free wyll And in the end gathering a sum of all his saynges he saythe If you refer man his wyll to the predestination of God there is no libertie ether in outeward or inward workes But all thinges come to passe according to the predestination of God If you refer oure will to outewarde workes to naturall iudgement there semeth a certayne fredome but if you refer oure wyll to the affections there is no libertie euen by the iudgement of nature At the last he concludeth Thou seest Reader that I haue wrytten more playnely of free wyll then ether Bernard or any Scole men And in his annotations vpon S. Paule to the Romanes expoundyng that place of Paule according to the predestination of God after that he hath confirmed that there is no casualtye in thinges nor libertye of wyll he saythe thus at the lengthe We teache that God dothe not only suffer his creatures to worke but that he him selffe properly dothe all thinges that euen as they graunte the vocation of Paule to haue bene the proper worke of God so let them graunt that all those be the proper workes of God whether they be meanes as eatyng and drinkyng which be common to men and beastes or whether they be euell as the adultery of Dauid the seueritye of Manlius in kylling his sonne seing it is euident that God dothe all thinges not suffering but potenter as Saynte Augustyne his worde is that is mightely working so that the traytery of Iudas is as well his proper worke as the vocation of S. Paule Thus hath Melancthon wrytten in those bokes which he dyd sett oute being as yet but a younge man Luther how much be estemed the wrytinges of Melancthon notwithstandyng they were after chaūged and corrected one of the which bokes Luther wryting agaynst Erasmus of seruile wyll saythe is a boke neuer able to be confuted worthie not only immortall fame but also to be nombred among the Ecclesiasticall Canons to the which saythe he when I compared thy boke it semed so vyle and beggarlye that I toke greate pitie of the. And making a preface to the other he doubteth not to prefer it before the moste learned Commentaries of Thomas Aquinas And that the Commentaries of Hierome and Origen be but starke tryfles and fooles babells if they be compared to his annotations He is not farre from placing hym aboue Paule but certaynely he giueth hym the chayre next to S. Paule But Philipp him selffe often chaunging his mynde hathe condemned bothe those bookes of erroures in many places and specially in this poynte of free wyll For he caused bothe of them to be afterwarde prynted scraping oute many thinges adding chaunging correcting in so muche that the laste bokes were almost nothing lyke the fyrst And in those common places which were printed in the yeare of oure Lorde .1536 at Straesbrughe in the yeare of our Lord .1538 at Wittenberdge in the yeare .1546 at Lips in the yeare 1555. at Wittenberge he openly hath recanted al those thinges which he dyd wryte in those his fyrst bokes of free wyl for thus he speaketh Valla and diuerse other take libertie from man his wyl Melancth confirmeth free wil in his later bokes because al thinges be done after God his determination He addeth in his cōmon places printed in the yeare .46 .55 This imagination sprong oute of the Stoikes disputations bringeth them to this poynte that they take away all casualtie of good and euell actions yea of all motions in beastes and in the elementes But I sayde before that they must not bryng in these Stoicall opinions in to the Church of God nether that fatall necessitie is to be defended in al thynges but that we muste graunt some chaunce or casualtie It was not of necessitie that Alexander kylled Clytus nether must we confound the disputation of God his determination with the question of free wyl And agayne in his places printed the yeare .1536 and .38 or later For so muche as in the nature of man there is left iudgement and a certayne choyse of thinges which be subiect to reason and sence O Melancthē you had not bene a mete mā to be deane of diuinity in Trinitie Colledge at this day in Cambridge there is left also a choyse of outeward ciuile polityke workes wherfore the wyll of man can of her proper poure without renuing do some externall workes of the Law This is the fredome of wyll which the Philosophers do well attribute to man For Paule makyng a difference betwene the spirituall and carnal Iustice graunteth that they which be not baptized haue some choise to refrayne the hand from murder from rapyne from theft and this they call the ryghteousnes of the fleshe but God