power possyble to holde vp Antichristes kyngedome for fallynge and that with the most spyghtfull â—omempt of his Christen bretherne which is but a fylthye buyldynge For more enclynynge to Christes clere veryte than to their vnwolsom Papistye he accuseth them here most malyciouslye of preuye vpstorynge and close enclosynge togyther of cankred heresye As though the Gospell of y â— lorde which they haue receyued as his onlye power to saue them were most cankred and pestylent heresye Thus do they to cause the people to abhore yt and to brynge the worlde in an yll opinion of them that oweth yt fauer Non other is the nature of soche execrable loâ—ustes which are crept out of the smoke of the bottomlesse pytt but alwayes to stynge hurte sleâ— and destroye all that is grene vpon the earth All that hath receyued anye quyekenesse of beleue by the worde of the lyuynge Lorde wolde they wyther vp to the fyer of hell 4 True is the clause of Ecclesiastes that Pantolabus here allegeth for a full confirmacion of his matter yf yt were trulye bestowed Stultorum infinitus est numerus Of foles is there an infynite noumbre or an innumerable sort This was not spoken for the small flocke of Christes persecuted members whom the worlde reputeth for foles for they are but fewe in nombre Manye are called sayth he but verye fewe are chosen But this was first vttered for that pleasauÌ„tlye disposed multitude of this worlde whoÌ„ God hath reputed and styll doth yet repute foles in his scripturs The noumbre of those foles are infynite in dede and their swarme innumerable Of his faythfull seruauntes doth the Lorde knowe the noumbre for he hath their names wrytten in the boke of lyfe But of these ruffelynge rutters he knoweth no noumbre for his knowlege most coÌ„monlye is his acceptacion which they shall neuer enioye Wysdome had yt bene for Pantolabus to haue consydered this text there also Vidi cuncâ—a que fiunt sub sole Et ecce vniuersa vanitas afflictio spiritus I behelde all thynges sayth the wyse manne done vndre the sunne And I perceyued wele they were all but vanyte and vexacion of mynde By this myght he haue consydered what his folyshe Papistrye is not rysynge of the expresse worde and commaundment of God but of the syckle fantasyes of men That yt is but mere vanyte and madnesse and that the obseruacion therof is execrable fylthynesse A mysterye 1 But I praye God To spare the rod. 2 And that vvith hart They maye conuert 3 And call for grace Vvhyle they haue space 4 Dum lucem habetis credite in lucem vt filij lucis sitis Ioan. 12. ¶ The openinge 1. By all pâ—uyshe pathwayes of Papistrye hath Pantolabê° wandered here at the last he playstreth vpp his pedlarye poesyes and falleth full vndeuoutlye to his prayer He desyereth God without that fayth which riseth of his veryte to spare that rodde which he neuer yet threttened vnto manne For the crosse of contynuall persecucioÌ„s which coÌ„monlye lyghteth vpon the elect members of Christ are not threttened vnto them but promysed with his eternall rewarde yf they faythfullye beare them Only are plages threttened to the disobedient breaâ—eâ—s of the Lordes commaundementes And those plages are the verye curses of God where as persecuâ—ions for his truthes sake are his most wholsom blessynges Blessed are your sayth he whan meÌ„ne reuyle yow and falselye report yow for my names sake For great is youre rewarde in heauen A moche better waye therfore were yt for Pantolabus and for his bloodthurstye generacion to leaue their murtherynge vp of innocentes and to repent from the hart their manyfolde myscheues past And that ones done than to praye vnto the Lorde in faythe to withdrawe from them that vengeaunce of innocent blood she dynge which hangeth ouer their heades as a perpetuall plage rodde or scourge of eternall damâ—nacion Thus doynge they myght beccome of publycanes true Apostles with Matthew of cruell murtherers faythfull minysters with Paule the elect vessell of God 2 Charytable wolde Pantolabus gladlye apere now that he hath spewed out all his poyson and myschefe agaynst y â— true seruauÌ„tes of God A fayre colour sett they alwayeâ— vpon the matter be their workynges neuer so vengeable And in that they agre with their spirituall head the serpent which temptynge Eua shewed a bewtyfull face outwardlye with swete and pleasaunt wordes Whan they sytt in their consistoryes vpon condempnacion of the innoceÌ„tes with Cayphas they outwardlye pretende all godlynesse They first call vpon the name of God openly protestyng that they haue his ryght honour before their eyes in all that they go abought They sweare also vpon the holye Euangelyes that they will there do nothynge of displeasure hate percyalyte nor malyce Yet is the poore innocent in the ende coÌ„dempned accursed geuen to the deuyll disgraded fyered and burned onlye for his fayth in the Lorde Iesus Christ. Neuer the more is Pantolabus here to be trusted that he prayeth so bytterlye for their conuersyon For abhomynable is that charyte which foloweth of so moche malyce as he hath afore here vttered and that apereth by the fylthye frutes therof Not vnto Christ and his holye verytees wolde he haue them here with all their hartes to conuert but vnto the Antichrist of Rome by a newe obedience of his olde cankred customes whoÌ„ their lorde God doth detest and abhorre This is y â— dissemblynge charite of this worme of way wardnesse or maliciouse membre of SathaÌ„ This is the conclusion he seketh 3 Fayne wolde Pantolabus haue them to conuert to that false obedience of Antichrist that he might lyue lyke a gentylman and haue his dishes the fatter and his purse the waghtyer Oh it is a pleasaunt thinge to haue the people on both sydes of the way salutinge them with cappe and knee It is a good syght saye they whan the flocke foloweth the shepeherde and y â— parryshynes their curate yea but alas what is it whan the lambes folowe the wolfe which is a cruell thefe a destroyer and a murtherer For whose grace wolde Pantolabus haue Christen menne to call For the grace of holye churche of his holye father the Pope of his good lorde of Wynchestre his good lorde of London His good lordes of lyncolne yorke and Durham with soche other ghostlye fathers If he meaneth the grace of God I maruele that he forgetteth himselfe his owne generacion Me thinketh they ought in soche prayer to be had most in remembraunce consideringe they are fardest of all meÌ„ne froÌ„ his grace yf they seke not for it whilâ— they haue here space and layser it wyll be wyde with them whan they shall come ones to their strayght reakininge But they thynke it safe ynough so longe as they haue y â— Popes powr still in their handes w t Ego absoluote vndre a stulticia a stole I shuld saye For yf they maye geue grace vnto others they haue grace ynough for themselues
abbot of Redynge the abbot of Lolchestre and the prior of Lenton not farre from Nothyngham Besydes that was done at Walsyngham in Northfolke by syr Nycolas Mylam a Chanon George Gysborow fryre Peckoc and other more But all these captaynes were out of Pantolabus remembraunce at this tyme. 2 Onlye is poore Iohan Frith a captayne sounde out here to his purpose because he was to the Pope a capitall enemye Though Pantolabus be but a fole he knoweth what he wotteth wele ynough I warande you he hath no worse opinyon of all these former captaynes than hath the holye father of Rome That is to saye though they were byheaded hanged quartered yet dyed they full vertuouse menne as ded holye Thomas Beckett for the lybertees of holye churche By this maye ye se that yt is not all one to dye forholye churche and to dye for the Gospell For they that dye for holye churche are holye sayntes and martyrs where as they that dye for the Gospell are but heretyques and trayters But what this will apere in y â— latter iudgement that daye shall declare when no worldlye polycies will helpe This poore yonge manne Iohan Frith which is here coÌ„tempned for the veruytees sake maye chaunce at that daye as the membre with y â— head with Christ to iudge y â— truthes aduersaryes for folowynge him in the same persecucyon For an offyce yt is to a certen sort belongynge But sure I am that they are not those which lyue here voluptuouslye Than must yt nedes be they that suffre all wronges here in that verytees cause 3 The wyfe man sayth that they are those whom y â— worlde had sumtyme in dirisyon thynkynge their doctryne madde folyshnesse and their latter endes withoute honour yet are they rekened amonge the chyldren of God their porcyon is plentyfull amonge the holye sayntes Of this vnlerned hypocrite and braynelesse babler is Iohan Frith noted to be without pyth of lernynge wyte Where as the contrarye is knowne to his whole generacyon which neuer were yet able to confute his boke of purgatorye agenst Rastell More and Rochestre besydes his other workes The veryte hath yet victorye at his hande though he for a tyme be throwne vndre the aulter there callynge for a iust reuengement of that vnpytefull violence so cruellye here ministred vnto him What pythe of wytt and lernynge Pantolabus had whan he wrote this Genealogie yt is wele perseyued of them that hath redde yt yf they were not as he is all wytlesse and gracelesse Scarselye worth a nytt is the best verse therof to him that shall seke eyther wytt or lernynge But as the sayinge is draffe is good ynough for swyne and dyrtye puddynges for dogges As good as the best is this fylthye baggage for the Papistes which seketh nothynge els but errours and lyes in hypocrisye 4 In his allegacyon of scripture Pantolabus shulde seme neyther to be wytty nor lerned For in both his cappyes imprinted by Iohan Redman and Robert Wyer he noteth yt to be in the .xii. Psalme of Dauid and yt is not there but in the .xii. chapter of Salomons Prouerbes There is this text in dede Via stulti recta in oculis eius Loke what a fole taketh in hande that thynketh he onlye wele done A verye folyshe syght hath Pantolabus in Genealogies to take y â— father for y â— sonne Of a lykelyhode he dreamed that he was at Mattens whan he was at masse by takynge of Dauid for Salomon By the orderyng of his scripturs he semeth better lerned in his portas or Masse boke than in the sacred Byble No where had that text bene better bestowed than vpon his owne precyouse bodye yf he had seane himselfe ryghtlye For by his shadowe we maye trace out an ydyote moche more by his persone most of all by his doltyshe doctryne here ministred In the same chapter is this text also verte impios non erunt domus â—ustorum permanebit Turne ouer the wycked and they are nomore seane but the buyldynge of the ryghtouse shall neuer perishe Frith shall be coÌ„mended for his godlye wysdome whan Pantolabus shall be reputed a presumptuouse fole Abominable are deceytfull lyppes before the Lorde but they that labour for the truthe doth please him greatlye A mysterye 1 He dyd saye playne There ded not remayne 2 Ryaâ—â—ye present In the blessed sacrament 3 Os iusti pascitur imperitia Pro. 15. ¶ The openinge 1. ODyouse vnto Pantolabus is Iohan Frith aboue all other and that apereth by this Though he hath afore here accused Wyclef Husse Luther Melanchton Oecolampadius and zwinglius for heretyques yet hath he layde agaynste them non artycles of heresye But now in a great fume he layeth to Iohan Frithes charge the sacrameÌ„t of the aultre and that with no small circumstauÌ„ce Manye menne thynketh that this hote enterpryse of his is more for the losse that he and soche other hath sustayned in dyrge pens sowle grotes masse offerynges treÌ„tals monthmyndes yearmyndes and soche lyke than for anye other deâ—â—ryon That is the comberouse collyâ—k that pangeth him his generacyon daylye at the verye hart roâ—e that maketh them so malancholye madde and modye agaynst heretyques They are not coÌ„tented that Iohan Frith was so playne in his wrytynges concernynge that matter wherin all their commodyte and profyghtes lyeth enclosed Had he medled with anye other thynge els he had not so fore displeased them For yf that ones were taken awaye small substauÌ„ce wold remayne vnto them towardes their spirituall mayntenaunce in pryde whoredom slouthe ydelnesse glottonye buggerye and soch other beastlye frutes of their vnâ—cyons and shauynges 2 Wonderfullye haue they busyed themselues to holde vp that buyldynge of theirs That holye Masse or sacrifice for the quyeke and the dead patched togyther by so manye holye Popes with so manye ceremonyes dysgysynges syghtes instrumentes gyâ—nes legerdemaynes turnynges beckynges dreamynges dottynges mowynges gapynges breathynges with ho he haue at all cryenges crossynges doppynges dossynges blessynges breakynges deâ—owrynges syppynges rynsynges thombe lyckynges manye other toyes besydes All their wyttes labour disygence and stodye haue they with Demetrius occupyed to prepare stronge bulwerkes for this shryne of Dyana Afterthat their Pope had ones optayned of Phocas the false emprour to be head of y â— churche By the craftye practyses of the moÌ„kes Paschasiê° Berno Guido Humbertê° Gulmundus Algerus Rogerus Lanfrancus Ansâ—lmus and soche other was realyte adioyned to the sacrament Than were vnyuersytees founded euerye where by monkes also to vpholde that newe buylded butteras Than stode forth Peter the Lombarde or the Master of their sentences which was begotten bredde and borne of an holye whore a nonne I shulde saye vndre the sacred vowe of chastyte and he gaue vnto yt transubstanciacyon Than folowed transmutacyon transicyon and transaccidentacyon but not transsyguracyon yet to this daye Than ded Pope Innocent the .iii. of that name make yt Accidens sine subiecto Thomas of
For all youre crepynge and crowchyng to soche ydolouse shepeherdes is for that swete Ambicion whom youre hart so sore coueteth And as concernynge sedicions and scysmes Not one hath bene in Christendome notable these D.CCC. yeares but youre false generacion hath bene therin the chefe doers as all the Chronicles mencioneth What myschefe ye ded ones in the cyte of London in kynge Rychardes tyme the seconde abought an horse lofe it is shame yet to reherse besydes that ye haue wrought there in other quarters of Englande euer sens that tyme. 2 He that doth speake the thynge that is true and certayne without false colours of cauteles doth vtter it in wordes playne is moche better occupyed than euer were you yet For that which you haue taught in the churche and yet do styll teache daylye so but the verye doctryne of deuyls so vncertayne and vntrue as they are Nothynge els are youre histories of the Saintes but fables lyes and fantasyes taken out of Legenda aurea made by fryre Iames de voragine The promyses that ye make to the people concernynge youre Masses that some of them shuld be wholsom for the poxe somme for the pestylence somme for the ague somme for the headake somme for y â— fâ—wle euyll and soche other are false and abhominably practysed of you to deceyue the simple for moneye And lyke wyse youre frydaye fastynges ladyes psalters and rosaryes with bedes primers pyâ—turs candels holye waxe other wytcherye more Neuer are the swete promyses of the Gospell made playne vnto the people by you but darkened euermore with youre hypocrites gloses Neyther will ye entre into the kyngedome of God youreselues nor yet suffre anye other that wolde gladlye entre All youre stodye is to vpholde those mytred Mahometes the Bisshoppes to maynteyne you styll in the kyngedome of fleshlye ydelnesse And for that ye care not how manye Christen sowles ye murther 3 As connynge as ye make ye in fyndynge ye shewe youre selfe here but a false and a deceytfull sercher ye saye first to Barnes charge that he sowed sedicion This is no newe thynge in you but an olde vsed practyse in youre craftye generacion Of sedicion was Christ accused by the hyghe Prestes yet caused they Barrabas that was the sedicion worker and a murtherer also by their instaunt labour to be saued Paule was complayned of to the debyte Felix to be a commocion maker not without the false counsell of the Bisshoppe Ananias yet was he a manne most peceable and godlye Happye is Robert Barnes therfore with them so to be noted of the same selfe sort Playne are his wordes good manne in all the workes he hath made coÌ„cernynge obedieÌ„ce dewe both to God and to his prince In all his wrytynges can not I fynde one clause of disobedieÌ„ce to eyther of them Manifestlye declared he his obedience towardes God in that he for his truthes sake forsoke all worldlye estimacion that he myght â—ele haue had at the latter ende gaue his lyfe for it also And as touchynge the kynges mageste his large supplycacion vnto him directed is a sufficient wtynesse therof towardes him besydes y â— boke which he wrote vnto him in Latine coÌ„cernynge the lyues of the Romishe Popes But it will here after apete some other obedience that Pantolabê° complayneth of than eyther of these be 4 I perseyue by the circumstaunce of this matter that the holye obedieÌ„ce which Pantolabê° meaneth here that coude not be founde out of Barnes smelleth towardes Rome For it is a spirituall obedience belongynge onlye to his mother holye churche which is no congregacion of the lewde layte but of spirituall prelates as his holye father the Pope with all his college of carde makers arche byteshepes and byteshepes dockers presters and currates These are the hyghe powers that he speaketh of here after to whom he wolde haue vs so sore bounde to be obedient in peyne of deadlye synne because that his honorable mastershyp myght be loked vpon also as a ryght worshypfull curatâ— amonge them concernynge his tythes offerynges For it is an yll worlde whan the people will not knowe their dewtye to hâ—lye churche A great decaye is it to their holye mother that the cursynge sentence is gone This was the obedieÌ„ce that doctor Barnes coude neuer fynde in all the scripturs therfore meanes were sought out to haue him brent for an heretyque without examinacion of his articles Where as yf he had acknowledged this he had bene styll a lyue Thus playe these Romishe gentylmenne colle vndre the candelstick cloynige vndre craftye colours to clought vp their false kingedom of deuyllishnesse ageyne yf it may be The subtilte of the serpent is not yet all dead but lyeth styll lurkinge in their generacion to worke all myschefes 5 Scripturs haue we non of this wretched Papyst but eyther they are wrasted hacked maÌ„gled or els falselye alleged Vir Apostata iurgia seminat is here now brought in whiche wanteth no lessethan .xvii. wordes of the whole sentence to serue his false purpose And to amende the matter he noteth it the .vi. Chapter of Sapience where is it is not so but the .vi. Chapter of Salomons Prouerbes His concordaunce there deceyued him For that onlye he sought for this text and not the Byble And thê° lyâ—th the text there Homo apostata vir inuitlis graditur ore peruerso annuit oculis terit pede digito loquitur prauo corde machina turmalum et omni tempore iurgia seminat A dissemblynge persone a manne myndinge no goodnesse hath all these propyrteâ—â— with him He carryeth a deceitfull mouthe his eyes winketh wyles his fete traceth toyes he pointeth with his fingars he is alwayes Imageninge euill and in euery place coÌ„monlye he soweth discorde To this ende doth not Pantalabus bringe in this text here but onlye to proue Barnes an apostata for leauinge his fryres cote with y â— Popes obedience And in this hath he shewed himselfe here in his owne right colours a through Papyst in dede I will not saye a raÌ„ke traytour to approue my coniecture afore Easye is it to se what lyeth in the hartes of these pestilent poyseners of the people whaÌ„ the forsakinge of a pylde frytes cote is so wayghtye a matter with them yet styll The sequele of that Chapter ded not Pantolabê° marke for his owne amendement others For he found it not in his coÌ„cordaunce Sex sunt que odit Dominus et septimum detestatue anima eius Sex thinges are there which the lorde hateth and the seuenth he abhorreth without remedye A proude loke a dissemblinge tonge handes shedinge innocent blood an hart Imageninge euill fete that are swyft to do myschefe a false lyenge wytnesse and he that soweth discorde amonge bretherne In this clere myrrour he might haue seane himselfe in the hate of God and a great sort more of his cumpany A mysterye 1 To the commanndement Of the hygh povvers At anye hovvres 2 On payne