knowe his true pathes by which this man retyreth out of darkenesse and endeuoureth to leaue off his wicked labours And that the vine which the right hande of GOD hath planted shal be filled with good braunches That he ought to take héede vnto the worde of God and to the Prophetie of Ieremie chap. 22. for to withstande such interprises who saith thus Thou O pastour which hast dispersed my people and hast cast them out of their habitations behold I wil visit vpon thée the malyce of thy enterprises and there shall not be a man of thy séede which shall sit vppon the seat of Dauid nor shall haue any more power in Iuda so that thy nest shal be a desert and ruinous as Sodome and Gomorra Also that if it happen he be not dreaded by these words nor leaue off from his enterprises nor make restitution of that which he hath taken that they finge for him that is so wickedly hardened the hundreth and eight Psalme As for vs wee will singe dayly prayses openly through Iesus Christ to him vnto whome all thinges do obey For to sée the course thereof more narrowely worde for word looke the saide Epistle the whiche hath beene writen out transtated out of an old booke founde in Englande in the Church of S. Alban He that woulde sée it perfectly let him reade the liues of the Bishoppes and Popes of Rome taken out of the great Catalogue of the writinges of England set forth by Iohn Bale 131 In the yeare 1314. or thereaboutes there was a man named Dulcin of Nauarre who blamed the vices of Churchmen and was executed with his wife Those that bee called Dulcins tooke their name of this Dulcin Naucl. They saide that the authority which Iesus Christ hath giuen to the Church was expyred because of the wickednesse of the Prelates and that the Church of Rome was reproued because it was become a whore Also that they were the Church and followed the rule of the Apostles That al the prelates since Pope Syluester haue bene preuaricatours because they lyued not in true humilitie and that therfore they ought to haue no tythes payed them Many of the adherents of Dulcin were taken about 144. persons dwelling in the mountaynes of Piemount 132 In the same time to wit 1315. and in the raigne of the Emperour Henry the seuenth of that name was a good and faithfull man Arnoldus de villa noua an expert Phisition and an excellent Mathematitian Some say that hee was of Chalons others of Narbonna He was at that time iudged an heretike because he saide that sathan had caused all Christian people to erre out of the right way That the faith of Christians then was none other but such a faith as deuils had That those which bee in the cloysters be out of charitie and doe condemne themselues in falsifying the doctrine of Iesus Christ and leading Christians vnto hell That the diuines haue maliciously and wickedly mingled the songes of Philosophers with the holy scriptures That in the sacrifice of the altar the Priest offereth nothing vnto God and that masses do neither profite the lyuing nor the deade He proued by Daniel and by Sybilla Erithrea that Antichrist in full tyrannie did persecute the faithfull Furthermore in his bookes which hee made of medicine hee wrote against the Iacopins that it was lawfull to eate fleshe A cutting sworde against the Thomistes an admonition of Iesus Christ vnto the Christians Of the craftinesse of false Prophets Of miserie of the Cymbals of the Church Of the consummation of the world other bookes He was iudged an heretyke by the Iacopins of Tarracon Lastly being sent vnto the Pope by Fredericke king of Sicilia he dyed in the way and was buried at Genes being a true champion of our Lord. In the yeare 1328. or there abouts Pope Iohn the 23. wrote vnto the gréekes that there was but one onely Church ouer which he was the head and vicar of Iesus Christ To whom the Gréekes aunswered in fewe wordes thus We doe verely beleue that thy power is very great ouer thy subiectes we cannot abide thy extreame pride nor satisfie thine auarice The deuill be with thée for GOD is with vs. By which breuitie of words they declared what was al the maner of the Popes liuing his estate looke thou Maundeuile lib. 7. Marsilius Patauinus compiled and exhibited vnto the Emperour Ludouike a worthy worke intituled Defensor Pacis written in the Emperours behalfe against the Pope Wherin both Godly and learnedly disputing against the Pope he proueth al bishops and Priests to be equal and that the Pope hath no superioritie aboue other Bishoppes much lesse aboue the Emperour That the worde of God ought to be onely the chiefe iudge in deciding and determining causes ecclesiasticall That not onely spirituall persons but lay men also being Godly learned ought to be admitted into generall councels That the Clergie and the Pope ought to be subiect vnto magistrates That the Church is the vniuersitie of the faithfull and that the foundation and heade of the Church is Christ and that he neuer appointed any vicar or Pope ouer his vniuersall Church That Bishops ought to be chosen euery one by their owne Church and Clergie that the marriage of priestes may lawfully bee permitted That S. Peter was neuer at Rome That the Cleargie and Synagoge of the Pope is a denne of théeues That the doctrine of the Pope is not to be followed because it leadeth to eternall destruction And the corrupte manners of the Christians doe spring and flow out of the wickednes of the churchmen c. he disputeth moreouer in an other worke of frée iustification by grace and extenuateth merites saying that they are no efficient causes of our saluation but onely fine qua non that is to say that workes be no cause of our iustification but yet our iustification goeth not without them for which his doctrine most sounde and Catholicke he was condemned by the Pope Anno. 1324. by the Popes decree extrauagant Chap. Licet intra Doctrinam Concerning the which man and his doctrine I thought good thus much to commit to writing to the intent men may sée that they which charge this doctrine nowe taught in the Church with the note of noueltie or newenesse how ignorant and vnskilfull they bee in the hystories and order of times forepast Iacobus Misnensis who wrote of the comming of Antichrist In the same hee maketh mention of a certeine learned man whose name was Militzius saith he which was a famous and worthy preacher in Perga He lyued about the yeare 1366. long before Hus before Wicklieffe also In the same his writing hee declareth howe the same good man Militzius was constrayned by the spirite of God to goe to Rome and there publikely to preach that afterwarde before the inquisitour he affirmed the same That the same mightie and great Antichrist the which the scriptures make mention of was alredie come He affirmed
of of Recardus or Richarde their king and Leander bishop of Seuile The confession of their faith was sent vnto the councell of Tolete There happened in the time a great controuersie about the primacie of the church for Iohn Bishop of Constantinople was pronounced and declared in the whole Synode of the Grekes vniuersall Patriarch and Mauritius the Emperour commaunded Gregorie bishop of Rome to obey the saide Patriarche of Constantinople but Gregorie woulde not abide that any Bishop shoulde be vniuersall aboue all the rest whereof it came that they called themselues servauntes of the seruauntes of God Looke Gregorie in the 32. Epistle to Mauritius and 28. to Iohn the Patriarche Looke Iohn Caluin his Institution of Christian religion lib. 4. chapter 7. section 4. Some woulde name this Gregorie to be one of the foure Doctours of the Church with Augustine Hierome Ambrose but histories doe make sufficient demonstration what a Doctour he was séeing that he hath brought in a rablement of superstitiōs contrarie to the worde of God Concerning which matter I will not say that the others had such puritie of doctrine sucked and drawen out of the holy scriptures as they ought To conclude in the time of this Gregorie the ecclesiasticall doctrine had almost lost his puritie for it was imbrued and darkened with humaine traditions for monkerie did then take rote and beginne to flourishe and many and sundrie kindes of superstitions were dayly brought in And after the time of Gregorie the great there grewe on still more horible and bitter darkenesse notwithstanding the Lorde hath alwayes raysed vp some good persons that men might vnderstand that all ought to be cut away and forsaken that is contrary to the holy worde of God About this said time was Serenus Bishop of Marseille who caused the images of saints and of our Lorde Iesus Christ to be broken because hee sawe the people worshippe them Then Gregorie reproued him for breaking them but he praysed him for that he forbad the people to honour them Looke the register or booke of his Epistles 10. parte Epistle 4. and Polidore Virgill lib. 6. chap. 13. 108 During the raigne of the Emperour Phocas and in the yeare of our Lorde 604. the primacie of the Pope was established a little before that the abhominable secte of Mahomet beganne to spread the hornes abroad in Asia which being once published abroade farre ouer did corrupt obscure deface the true doctrine in manie places and regions Then albeit that after the time of Gregorie the great there arose vp great multitudes of Monkes some of them being more carefull of their bellyes then to labour for to vnderstande by the holy scriptures the puritie of that true seruice which GOD requireth of vs and although the wrytings of so great a multitude haue brought great plentie of darkenes rather then of light into the Church I will neuerthelesse in speaking of other good men in their order make mention of the most discréete amongst them who had some iudgement and doctrine with them in which notwithstanding were some errours by reason of the confusion of doctrines which had then great libertie Isidorus the younger Bishop of Hispalis composed many bookes Hée flourished in the yeare of our Lorde 630. Within certaine space after was Beda a priest and moncke who was an English man hee lefte behinde him a great multitude of bookes and made commentaries vppon the most part of the bookes of the holy scripture 109 In the yeare 684. and in the raigne of the Emperour Constantine the fourth was holden a generall councell at Constantinople of 289. bishops against the Monothelites who denyed two willes and natures in Christ George bishop of Constantinople forsooke his heresie But Macarius Bishop of Antioch did not leaue it wherefore hee was driuen from his bishoppricke In this councell the discension that was betwixt the East church and the West church was appeased There it was permitted vnto the ministers of Gréece for to haue wiues lawfully and to liue in mariage but not to the ministers of the west church The authour of the booke intituled Fasciculus temporum yeldeth a reason thereof saying that they had vowed chastitie of their owne accorde vnder Gregory but what shall they do then that haue not the gift of continencie And moreouer can they vowe for others that come after them Furthermore they vowed by constrainte and authoritie of the councels as it appeareth here before It was there also ordayned that none should carie any infant to bee baptized except he knewe the Lords prayer and the beliefe of the faithfull Looke the seconde volume of councels Also that they should make no vow against mariage and that the priestes who did separate themselues from their wiues because of their orders shoulde be excluded from the communion Looke Peter Viret in his Dialogue to them of Orbe In that time was Theodore Archbishop of Rauenna who was a great almes giuer and sought howe to kéepe the cleargie in good manners for which cause he was hated of them Naucl. Leger bishop of Authun was also at that time whom Chrion prince of the Pallaice of Fraunce in the time of Theodoricus caused his eyes to bee pulled out the soales of his féete to be cut his tongue and his lippes to be mangled after he caused his heade to be taken off Naucl. and Chron. Sig. This Chrion cast downe Lambert from the Bishopprick of Vtrech Aime byshop of Sens was banished by Chrion Chron. Sig. 110 In the yeare 694. after the natiuitie of our Lorde Iesus Christ and in the raigne of Iustinian the second the Saxons being yet Paganes receiued the Christian Faith by the meane of Sergius Bishop of Rome according to the saying of Sup. Chron. The saide Sergius sent Vmbred vnto the Frysons for to conuert them to the faith Rabod their Duke woulde not thereto agrée alleaging that it was better to follow many then a fewe But afterwardes he being vanquished in war by Pepin great maister of Fraunce the Frisons receiued the faith being taught by one Willebroc a bishop or by Clement as some say 111 In the raigne of Constantine the fifte Emperour of that name and about the yeare 742. was holden a councell in Fraunce by Boniface archbishop of Mayence Burcardus Guntarius other bishops which had not bene fourescore yeares before insomuch that it was saide that religion in Fraunce was cast vnder féete and wasted so saith Naucl. There it was ordeyned that they shoulde euery yeare haue a Synode in Fraunce the church men shoulde carrye no armour They were forbidden hunting that they shoulde kéepe no manner of hounds or hawkes That euery Priest and bishoppe shoulde kéepe himselfe within his parish and there should labour to roote out olde heresies of Paganisme and the errours of sacrificing for the deade the deuinations sorceries and other immolations that were vsed after the manner of the Pagans about the churches vnder the names of Martyrs and confessours vide Naucl.
of the supper the accidents be not without the subiect that is to say that the whitenesse and roundnesse of the breade be not without the bread to wit that contrary to transubstantion which the priests haue forged the breade abideth bread and the wine contynueth in the proper substance Moreouer the conclusions proposed by him at the towne of Lambeth be these If that any Princes or Lordes or any others haue made any donations vnto the mynisters of the Church there is therin a secreate condition to wit that God shoulde be honoured and that the faithfull should be edified And if this condition ceasse then they may take away from wicked pastours that which they had giuen them any excommunication or other whatsoeuer to the contrary notwithstanding That if these dealinges of men were let alone the cleargie which were of couetous persons will bring all the world into their hands Also that the Pope may lawfully be reproued by those whom he kéepeth in obedience vnder him and that for the vtilitie of the Church he may be accused both of the clearks and lay people That the Pope as great a Lord as he reporteth himselfe to be must thinke that he is a brother vnto others and that if he sinne he ought to be brotherly corrected and heare corrections brotherly And when as by the holy scripture his heresie or errour is shewed him he ought not to be obstinate And by many other conclusions he shewed euidently the abuse of the Pope and of the cleargy and how that their possessions of so great reuenewes be vniust To conclude he was assaulted by many and amongest others the begging monkes who rose against him by greate flockes But the Lorde gaue him for a protectour the Kinge Edwarde vnder whose raigne he had some lybertie to speake the truth Richarde the successour of the said Edwarde persecuted and banished him Within a while after he was called again from banishment and returned vnto the parrishe of whiche he was pastour and there like a lustie champion of the Lorde he aboade alwayes constant euen vntill the death he died in the yeare of our Lorde 1388. fortie and one yeares after his death he was digged vp againe by the commandement of the Pope and his bones were burned and the ashes thereof cast into the water but Iesus Christ dieth not in his faithful ones vse the tyrants what cruelty they can He composed many bookes the which were burned in the citie of Oxenford in the yere 1410. there be certaine notwithstanding reserued still for to declare that God hath alwayes some faithfull seruantes who doe resist the errours of the world Amongest his writinges there is an Epistle which he sent to Pope Vrbane He that woulde sée more at large of him and of his historie let him looke in the booke of Martyrs 134 In the persecution raysed vp against Wiclief and in the yere 1400. Sautree a priest imbraced with zeale of true pure religion craued and requested in the ful Parliament the audience might be granted him for the cōmon profit of all the Realme Then albeit that his request was honest and ciuill and that he gaue to vnderstande that he coulde bring great profite yet he was not hearde for the bishops perceiuing that he came caused him to be attached of heresie and for the seauen articles condemned disgraded and burned him Looke Fabius in his Chronicles and Iohn Crespin in the booke of martyrs William Thorpe an Englishman was also a valiant martyre of our Lorde Iesus Christ He sustayned great assaultes of many prelats of of the Church of Rome without forsaking his vocation which was to instruct the people according to the pure word of God And therefore he woulde not agrée to preach the superstitions and humaine inuentions which he declared to be contrarie to the institution of the holy scriptures he was condemned hauing yeelded a testimonie of his faith Nowe of many pointes well worth the noting vpon the interrogations propounded to him I will recite for to auoyde great prolixitie one onely that is that he being demaunded of the Archbishop of Canterburie primate of Englande and Chauncelour of the whole Realme what the Church did signifie he answered that it is Iesus Christe and the companie of saincts Which thing the said Archbishop confessed to be true in respect of heauen but he demaunded further what the Church was here below on earth It is deuided into two partes answered the said Williā Thorp the one of the two parts which is the better hath obtained victorie ouer the enemies and triumpheth nowe with Christe in great ioy the other part fighteth here still on earth by the sworde of faith against the continuall bulwarkes of Sathan of the fleshe and of the worlde There is no strength so violent no pompe so proud no fire of afflictions and persecutions so burning no tyrannie so cruel no reasons of Doctours so discording nor opinions so diuerse which can withdrawe them from the right rule of faith and of the holy scriptures For they be fortyfied by the worde of God in Christ and firmely stablished as vppon a sure rocke that can not be remoued Looke Iohn Crespin in his booke of martyrs Within a while after the death of Iohn Wiclief there arose greate persecution in Englande against the faithfull for the truth of the Gospell which then began to take déepe rooting The worthiest men in the Realme were not then spared the lord Cobham a knight of the order one of the peeres of England was there apprehended but he was executed after these that we nowe speake off And therefore according to the order of time we will hereafter speake of him more at large for he was an excellent martyr of our Lorde Iesus Christ King Henrie then by publike ordinaunce made an edicte and set foorth through the persuasions of the bishoppes and prelates terrible punishmentes for all them that should follow the doctrine of Wicliefe vsing so great seueritie against them that he helde them not onely for heretikes but also as guiltie of treason And for this cause it was ordeined that they should be punished with two sortes of punishmentes that is that they should be both hanged and burned and there was neither fréedome nor any priuiledge whereby they coulde enioye profite so maliciously were they bente againste the faithfull séeking all meanes againste them and in that time they called al them Wicleffians who read the scriptures in the vulgar tongue and which made their assemblies in secrete places in the darke preaching in woodes and bushes Then the Bishops being armed with this edicte of the king exercised great tyrannie against manie good people and many poore innocentes and amongest other against Roger Acton a knight of the order and a true nobleman adorned with great vertues he abhorred the wicked traditions of the Pope had his affections withdrawen from him and from all his assistants For that cause it is reported that he was hated amongest the
due alone vnto him whom al the saintes must honour and reuerence and do put their trust in them which ought to be transserred to God onely and more ouer séeing they are so affectioned towards those images that they like better of and be more deuoute to one them then to another mine opinion is said he the of such do commit Idolatry and a deadly sinne against God vnto whom doth belong all honour glorie and praise Lastly hee saide that hee was thus perswaded that there dwelled none here below vpon earth but was in a pilgrimage either to goe vnto life or els to tende vnto torments That whoso doth so order his life that hee transgresseth the commaundements ordinances of God whither that he knoweth them not or will not knowe them hee must not hope for saluation albeit that hee raunge abroade to all the corners of ths worlde Contrariwise hee that shall kéepe the holy ordinances of God cannot perishe although hee neuer make voyage nor pilgrimage in his life vnto any place whither disordered men haue vsed to goe on pilgrimage There be also founde of his other principall articles as of the two natures in Christ diuine humaine and that like as his diuinitie was here béelowe on earth hidden and couered vnder humanity so in the sacrament of the Eucharistie there is bread and the bodie giuen vs to wit the breade which we sée and the bodie of Christ which wee sée not thus expressed hee his Faith touching the Sacrament c. Also that it is not necessarie for the obtayning of saluation to confesse his sinnes to his owne Curate or any other priest whilest he liueth Also hee denyed not onely the worshipping of Images but also that which we call the holy Crosse Furthermore he saide concerning the power of the keyes and touching the Pope Archbishoppes Bishops and other Prelates that the Pope is very Antichrist and that these Archbishops Bishops and other Prelates be his members and the fryers the tayle of Antichrist like as the Pope is the heade to whome no man ought to obey that is to say to the Pope Archbishops Bishoppes and other Prelats except they be followers of Christ and Peter in life and manners and in conuersation and that hee which is the best lyuer most pure in conuersation is the successour of Peter not otherwise It is reported moreouer that the saide Lorde Oldcastel saide with a loude voyce stretching his handes abroade and perswading those that were present These who iudge and woulde condemneme will beguile you all and leade both you themselues into hell and therefore beware of them To make short sentence of death was pronounced against him not withstanding he forbode a while after as it were banished and was sent away by a wile And at the last hee being taken againe and remayning constant without denying the trueth which he saw conteined in the holy scriptures was condemned to be burned And thus this valiant Doctour and Martyr fynished the course of his life and recommending his soule vnto God and praying for his ennimies after that hee had exhorted the people to applie themselues vnto the true faith and pure religion yelded vp his spirite vnto the Lord. He that woulde sée of him more at large let him read the booke of Martyrs 139 In the same time also that is 1418. 19. 20. and so consequently the Lord shewed sufficiently that the bloude of Iohn Hus and Hierome of Prague and of other good doctours and Martyrs of the Church fell not to the grounde for to be swallowed vp and come to nothing as some pretended but it did greatly fructifie with an incredible commoditie not onely in Englande and in Bohemia but also in Germanie and Fraunce and generally in other realmes countries and prouinces For God hath much more since that time shewed a clearer chaunge of thinges causing tongue to be renewed as messengers and arts to bee as forerunners to Dame veritie who immediately came forth with the brightnesse of the most cleare sunne that is the preaching of the Gospell wherein many times they haue excelled being fortified with all necessaries against darknesse Many haue dealt verie valiantly and haue not onely brought againe diuinitie to his naturall and first puritie but haue also endured martyrdome for a more ample witnessing thereof Amongst others one named Grunfelder a priest called to the order of Iesus Christ was burned in the citie of Rinsbourg in the yeare of our Lorde 1420. William Tayler an Englishe man a master in artes was also martyred The princial cause of the furie raysed vp against him was because hee had composed a booke against calling vpon or praying to saincts For that cause hee was burned in the citie of London in the yeare 1422. hee abode the fire verie constantly Henry Radtgeber of the order of Popish priests first did valyantly fight and endured a cruell death for the profession of the Gospel in the foresaide citie of Rinsbourg this was in the yeare 1423. Iohn Drandorfe of a noble house in the countrey of Misne was executed at Wormes in the yere following 1424. Peter Toraw was afterwarde martyred in the Citie of Spira anno 1426. Iohn Bale an English writer speaketh hereof in his booke of the famous men of England 140 In the yeare 1425. there was a Priest called William Wight an English man who hauing vsed to reade the sermons of Wicliefe chaunged his life wholly and acknowledging the filthinesse of his former life he forsooke his benefice whereby he had receiued large reuenewes After that hee following the holy ordinaunce of God tooke a wife Being maryed he applied himselfe to studie and teaching either publikely or priuately labouring to profite all men At the laste hee was taken in the citie of Norwich and there they layed against him thirtie articles for the which hee was cruelly burned by the procuring of the Bishop and this was in the yeare 1428. His wife following the example of her husband ceassed not according to her facultie for to instructe euery bodie and for this cause she was very hardly intreated by the saide Bishop Also in the yeare 1430. Richarde Houenden an English man and a Citizen of London could by no meanes bee withdrawen from the trueth for any perswasions that coulde bée alleaged and therefore he was condemned to be burned néere vnto the tower of London 141 Many good personages of dyuers Realmes haue greatly beene afflicted and persecuted in the yeares following because they spake and mainteined the pure trueth and haue spilte euen the vttermost drop of their bloude God notwithstanding assisted them the they might make the aduersaries of the puritie of his holy and diuine seruice the more ashamed In the Realme of Bohemia Paul Crau in the yeare 1431. was deliuered to the seculer power by a Bishoppe for to bee burned and that because hee blodly withstoode the wicked opinions of the people touching the Eucharistie inuocation of sainctes auricular confession and
rather shut it as the Pharisees did Cōcerning vowes he disputeth that such as be foolishe and impossible ought to be broken That the hearers ought to discerne and iudge of the doctrine of their prelates and not to receiue euery thing that they say without due examination 141 In these latter times many errours haue bene corrected in the Church and the pure doctrine of the true seruice of God hath beene restored again by Martine Luther and by other good and true seruantes of God And concerning Luther who was borne of honest and renoumed parentes in the yere 1483. and he was called Martin because he was baptised on the day which many do call S. Martins day He after that he had spent some time in studie of the ciuill lawe went contrarie to the opinion of his parentes and friendes to a conuent of Augustins In that monasterie he with fastings and praiers applyed himselfe to the studie of holy scripturs And within a while after he was called to reade diuinitie in the vniuersitie of Wittenberge Then while he was in this course He in the yeare 1517. withstoode the bull published by Pope Leo promising absolution from all sinnes and the kingdome of heauen for a certaine summe of monie that they should giue For to handle his purpose the better and with the more edification he wrote to the Archibishop of Mayence giuing him to vnderstande what these questours ment and complayned greatly that the people steedfastly beléeued the after they had bought these pardons they coulde not choose but be saued as though there were no sinne howe great soeuer it were but the vertue of those pardons could blot out and as though the soules formented in the fire of purgatorie shoulde then haue bene out of paine should flie streight away into Paradice as soone as the monie was put into the chest He declared that the commaundement of Christ was to teach the Gospell and that the proper office of Bishoppes is to instruct the people praying the Archbishop that according to his dutie hee woulde vse his authoritie in prohibiting certaine bookes the some had published in defence of the foresaide facte and that those preachers might followe a better kinde of doctrine He sent also with those letters 95. propositions the which he had not long afore published at Wittenberg for to dispute on in which he treated largely of purgatory of true repentance of the office and dutie of charitie and of indulgences and pardons impugning the vnreasonable sermons of the bribers and that they did all for to séeke again the pure veritie The Archbishop aunswered nothing thereto Also he resisted and spake against a Iacobin named Tekel who caused indulgences pardons to be carried and soulde al abroade in that countrie He wrote also to Pope Leo setting before him the follies that the bribers taught and the extortion they vsed in vsing or rather abusing his authoritie Loe here the beginninges in which Luther did not meane nor regarde any chaunge of ceremonies neither did hee then wholly reiecte indulgences but onely requested that they woulde obserue a meane But after that through vnderstanding of the holy scriptures he had further profited by the grace of God euerie day more and more and had perceiued that the doctrine which he had begon to teache was agreing with the holy scriptures he sustained with a valiant courage all the assaultes of the enemies and al the hatred of the worlde abiding as vmnoueable as a brasse wall and caring for no danger He hauing had marueilous assaultes and disputations and hauing writen many bookes and receiued commaundement and safe conduct from the Emperour Charles the fifth he refused not to appeare before his maiestie at Wormes and before al the princes electours all the estates of the Empyre although many woulde haue diswaded him because that his bookes had béen there burned afore hande alleaging also what had happened to Iohn Hus. He aunswered worthely in that excellent assembly yéelding a good reason for the bookes that he had composed he prayed and besought thē that if there were any man that had ought to say against the doctrine whereof he made profession that he would not dissimule it but that he woulde vtter shewe forth his fault by testimonies of the holy scripture that he woulde be no Schismatike but woulde rather be the first that shoulde set his bookes on fire He shewed that the trueth is cause of troubles And that our Lorde Iesus Christ said that it is natural for the Gospel to moue great debates and alterations amongest such as sticke ouer much to parentes and to their kinsefolkes Moreouer he there warned the Emperour and all the princes to thinke grauely and with aduisemente howe they ought to deale and foresee least in condemning the doctrine offered them through a singular benefite of God they shoulde cause a great plague to hapen vnto all Germanie After many aduertisementes and being demanded whither he would mainteine his bookes or not he aunswered by and by that he woulde not reuoke any thing of that whiche hee had either written or taught except he were vanquished by testimonie of the scripture The sentence of the Emperour was against him and so were the assembly of princes saying that his auncestours had obeyed the Church of Rome and so woulde he and yet in the meane while he kepte his promise made vnto Luther so he sent him agayne safe and sounde to the place where he abode Luther was kept secret by certaine of the worthiest princes He was accused that his bookes raised great troubles He was threatened that if he stoode stiffe in his opinions he coulde not soiourne in any place of Germaine but he feared not any of their meaninges nor for all the hurtes and offences that they sayde might by his meanes happen submitting himselfe to endure death rather then to forsake the worde of God so apparant Then he pronounced openly that he had not reproued all the councels as some reported but onely the councell of Constance because that it condēned the worde of God as appeareth in the article of Iohn Hus which was condemned that is that the Church of Iesus Christe is the communion of the predestinate The councell of Constance condemned this article and so by consequence condemned this article of our faith I beléeue the holy vniuersall Church protesting then that hee refused not to spend his life bloud so as he might not be brought to this necessitie for to denie the manifest worde of God for in mainteining thereof he must rather obey God then men Concerning offence he answered that is double to wit of charitie and of faith The offence of charitie consisteth in manners and in life and is vtterly to be shunned That of faith or of doctrine it lieth in the worde of God and it ought not to be feared séeing that the trueth and will of the heauenly father in that he hath commaunded ought not to be dissanulled although the