begynne at the lowest it sharpulethe / and waste the his temporall goodes and landes / and hathe made many ryche / and great men of landes and honour / worse than beggers / caused many to stele / robbe / sle And seconde as vnto the body hathe therby ben put vnto laboures otherwise intollerable as waychynge / wakynge / fastynge / rydynge / goynge / by nyght and by daye / in hete and colde / frost snowe / hayle and rayne And many tymes in ieoparty of lyfe / and all for the fylthy and swynishe synne of the body And therby also hathe the body bene wasted / brought out of all fashon vnto great deformite and feblenes And vnto diseases and sekenes vncurable as the frenche pockes / and diuerse maners of leprenes / and variauÌ„t pestilences / defaded / and wasted the floure of yonge age / made the persones longe byfore theyr tyme olde / and so made the lusty youthe sekefull and odious / and theyr age miserable and slouthsome ¶ Howe this fylthy lechery / is nat onely noyous vnto the goodes / and vnto the body / but also vnto the name or same / and vnto the soule The .xxi. Chapitre YEt go forther / vnto the name and fame of man / the moste goodly and precious possession of this lyfe / ferre passyng all the goodes / ryches / and worldly substance / whiche natwithstandyng by the moste abhominable synne is lost and gonne For the name and uoyse or fame of that synne dothe more largely sprede and flye abrode / and more styncke in the eares and hearynge of all persones than of any other synne Yet doth the minde / the soule of man excell all these / that is / al the temporal goodes of this worlde / all the helthe and state of the body / and also the state of that noble iuell / name or fame yet doth this fury of fylthy vnclennes rauysshe the mynde / take away the wytte / and also that vnto maÌ„ is most proper natural reason / and so maketh a maÌ„ as we sayd worse than a beest / taketh hym away from all lernynge / and honest study / and from all good maner And causeth hym to forgette / nat only god and the dyuell / heuen and hell but also his naturall parentes / kynne and frendes / hym selfe also / so ferre that as a sowe in the canell / wrapped all iÌ„ stynkyng myre and fluche he can nothynge speke ne thynke but vnclennes / fylthe and shamefull abhominacion And thus doth he rendre and make him selfe / in his youth infamous and lyke a madde furious ê‘sone And in age odious hateful / miserable / wreched / fylthy / and abhominable / so that no man wyll haue hiÌ„ in coÌ„pany Let hym therfore remeÌ„bre howe he hathe sped / what chauÌ„ces hath happed vnto hym in the vsyng of the beestly lyfe / what laboures he hath takeÌ„ / howe longe he hathe wayched / and howe yrke and werye he was / what sekenes and diseases he hathe caught and taken therby many tymes in ieoparty of lyfe / to sle / or be slayne / many tymes in ieoparty to be openly shamed / and somtyme hathe ben diffamed therby And mispent al his goodes / in begge red hym selfe / wasted weked his body that he is able nothynge to gette So he muste nede other begge or stele / these suche other lyke let hym remeÌ„bre And say vnto hiÌ„selfe / wylt thou mad furious beest swalowe agayne that hoke that so often hath taken the / brought the into so depe mischefe Shall I wylfully do the thynge agayne that shall brynge me vnto newe sorowe payne I haue cause I trowe to be ware And thaÌ„ let hym call vnto our lorde for grace Let hym also remeÌ„bre / the exaÌ„ples chauÌ„ces of other ê‘sones / what ende they came vnto / that so misused theÌ„ selfe And on the coÌ„trarie ê‘te let hiÌ„ corrage hym selfe with the good exaÌ„ples of many yong ê‘sones men women / that haue restreyned theÌ„ froÌ„ that foly / by theyr honeste purite of lyuyng haue coÌ„men vnto honoure / worshyppe / good state / condicion Rebuke thy selfe saye / thou beest why can nat thou kepe chastite as well as he / or she / so / or so brought vp Thynke than / howe goodly / howe beautious / how louely vnto all ê‘sones / howe worshipful / how ê“fitable / howe pleasauÌ„t a thynge is the honeste cleÌ„nes of the soule body / whiche maketh maÌ„ familiar coÌ„panions with Angelles / for the clene body soule is the teÌ„ple lodging place of our lorde god And the holy ghost / the singlerly doth loue purite cleÌ„nes is neuer more greuously auoyded dryueÌ„ away froÌ„ the soule than by vncleÌ„nes And coÌ„trarie neuer dothe he rest more quietly thaÌ„ in virginal soules chaste bodies / ymagen maÌ„ thynke howe it / bynoÌ„meth a christiane / a meÌ„bre of Christ to mourne / waxe pale / lene / to drouse / syghe / wepe / to flater speake fayre / to gyue diligeÌ„ce / do pleasure as a bonde captiue vnto a stynkynge scorte / an vnclene ê‘sone And all this they do / many thynges more incoÌ„uenient for theyr sakes whome they folowe in the folysshe affection Where is than the name of a christiane The seruice of god / the realme regne of Christe is chauÌ„ged vnto the seruice coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„t of the fylthy scort Nowe they chyde / brale somtyme fyght to gether And anone agayne they done retourne into grace / fauoure flaterie And in a whyle agayne They bacbyte / slaunder / diffame eche other / an other tyme eche praise other as they say beyond the mone what a lyfe is this that reasonable creature shuld thus wylfully / put hiÌ„selfe to be so mocked / scorned / tossed / turmoyled / torne / reÌ„t / maymed slayne / both in soule body Let hiÌ„ also considre what maner of pudel / what muchepe of mischeues this synne doth hepe gether to gether For with other synnes some vertues done byde dwell / but with this beestly vice no vertue can agre For all other vices ben coupled and ioyned thervnto ¶ Howe this lechery althoughe it were no great sine yet shuld it be auoided abhorred ye. xxii cha PVt a case that to misuse the body / as a scort were but a smal sine as they done say / that ben drouned tehrin yet is it a greuous thiÌ„g to be obstinat again the fader moder / to set nothiÌ„g by theyr coÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„t to despise al honest freÌ„dê / to wast hê patrimony / laÌ„dê and goodes / to brybe / stele / and robbe other folkes goodes / to kyll / slee / and murther / to lye / forswere / and bere false wytnes / to vse wichcraft / charmes / to blaspheme and forsake god / and wylfully to sel him selfe vnto the duuell / to by bonde caytyue for
yet thoughe they wolde they can nat wytte or knowe howe to auoyde it / wherfore in the diuision aboue rehersed I iuged this eye sight and intent of good reason to be the worse of the .ii. yuell inteÌ„tes / nat bycause it is more maligne or malicious but bycause it is more perilous For ignoraunce doth make a persone more sure and careles of hym selfe And suche securite and surete dothe make hym more dull and stuggysshe but nat more wycked or yuell For they ben bothe lyke in wyckednes or yuell / natwithstande yet is this intent worse doutles than the other / bycause the other hath but one of the two forsayde vices / that is to say an yuell mynde and purpose And this hathe also with the yuell intent / a fals consideracion or opinion The other eye / or syght / lacketh but one of the sayd vertues / that is to say good zele / and this inteÌ„t lacketh bothe good zele and also true iugement Of this worst eye syght / and intent / than / that hathe nother of the sayd vertues / charite / or good zele / nor yet science or true iugement And also of the other best eye syght and entente / that lackethe nother of the same vertues dyd our sauiour / very essensiall trouth dispute argue / the hole body / that is / the hole wercke or dede of the persone other to be wrapped in the darnes of synne / or els to be garnysshed with the syght of grace For the other two eye syghtes or intentes bycause that nother of them hathe / other bothe the sayd vertues / or yet both the said vices can gyue nother lyght nor darkenes vnto the hole body / that is / the worke or dede of the persone / although they myght partely gyue some lyght or darkenes thervnto Let vs nowe retourne agayne vnto your demauÌ„de and question If than that eye or syght / and intente be verely wycked / that both peruers or frowarde / also blynde and ignoraunt do a good dede / and yet byleue it be yuel so in doyng and workyng ryghtly and well but supposyng in opinion wyckedly and â—mys he doth by that meane tourne that thyng that was good into yuell vnto hym selfe / also he dothe tourne it into as great yuell as he byleuthe it be Bycause that accordynge vnto the sentence of oure sauiour the wycked eye syght and intent Matth. 6. doth render and make all the hole body that is al the worke tenebroule and darke / without any lyght of grace For what is lefte referred vnto the lyght of grace where nother a deuoute or good intente nor yet a good opinion is had or founde But yet it foloweth nat therof / that he that on the contrarie parte doth yuell and supposeth byleueth he doth good shuld therfore fynde or wynne merite accordyng vnto his feith and byleue And why so For this of a surete is nat suche a symple eye or syght / intent / as we dyd byfore describe / and define / that shulde by the iugement of trouthe render make all the body bryght / that is all the worke good For that intente and mynde is nat all voyde of darkenes where the ignoraunce of trouthe He that dothe good intendynge yuele dothe heurte hym selfe alone / dothe profite vnto other by the good dede / but he that dothe yuele intendynge well / he dothe bothe heurte hym selfe by ignoraunce / and also heurte vnto other by the yuele dede doth obscure and blemyshe the lyght of the wyl Syth than the frowarde blynde eye / syght / and intent / that doth good / intendynge yuell hathe bothe of the two said vyces / that is yuel wyll and ignoraunce And syth also this eye / syght / and intent / that doth yuell / intendynge good hathe nat both the sayd vertues / zele / and science doth nat good reason requyre and conclude that he that dothe yuell / in stede of good doth more noy and hurte thaÌ„ the other doth profytte / that doth good intendynge yuell For it is nat consequent / nor accordynge vnto reason that one good thyng / maye so moche auayle and profitte vnto goodnes / as may two yuel thingê vnto yuell And yet wolde I say / that a good religious deuout intent alone is worthy lande prayse And yet shall the good wyll for a surete not be defrauded of coÌ„digne worthy rewarde / iÌ„ a dede also nat good / that is in an yuell dede And yet natwtstaÌ„dyng very simplicite shall neuer be deceyued wtout some maner of yuell Why so say you doth nat siÌ„plicite / or the siÌ„ple ê‘sone do all of feyth / or accordynge vnto feyth I saye nat nay / but he do it of feyth / but yet I saye / that his feythe is deceyued false / so I may rather say that he doth it nat of very feith For a fals or deceyued feyth is no feyth Ro. 14. And I thynke and iuge verely / that the Apostle spake of very and true feyth / and nat of deceyued or fals feith whan he sayd / all that is nat of feyth is synne and offence But that thyng that is yuell can neuer be supposed nor byleued of very true feythe to be good For yuel is fals And therfore is it synne That chapiter therfore of the Apostle Paule / where he sayth / all that is nat feyth is fynde c. dothe conteyne and couple bothe these sayd vices / that is to say both blynde malice / also deceyued innoceÌ„cy or siÌ„plicite For what so euer is done of an ignorauÌ„t ê‘sone is amys / for if it be good an yuell intent doth vtterly condempne it make it nought And if it be yuell the ryght or good intent dothe not fully excuse it / whether than a persone do thynke / suppose / or iuge / a good thyng that he doth by chaunce or by ignorauÌ„ce to be yuell or whether he shall byleue an yuell thynge that he doth in like maner to be good he is deceyued For bothe be synne / bycause nother is of feyth / nor accordyng vnto very true feythe Althoughe for a certeiÌ„te the persone that with a good intent doth a dede / reprouable and semyng yuell outwarde / dothe lesse synne than doth he that with a priue malicious intent doth a dede that is nat yuell For that thynge can neuer be pure good that is done with any maner synne / thoughe neuer so lytell Howe may than a thynge that is nat pure good / be coÌ„pared in effecte and workyng vnto that thyng / that is pure vtterly nought / yuell that is to meane Howe may the imê‘fecte good intent worke in effecte and cause / as moche good vnto the persone as the pure yuell intent may cause hurte / yuell vnto the other ê‘sone it can nat be let thefore these coÌ„clusions / determinacions / suffice you as vnto this question
they were in byfore / howe they lacke nowe / that they were wont to haue / in thyngê temporall so haue they more care for bodely pleasure / than for spirituall increace and perfecte And where they promysed at theyr entre nat only to forsake the worlde / and all the pleasures therof but also to here pacientely the yoke of Christ / mekely to suffre the peines / laboures of religioÌ„ now they loke backe from the plogh / or plowe / whervnto they put theyr hande / and dyd promyse by solempne vowe Luce. 9. G to folowe the same continually with diligence vnto the same continually with diligeÌ„ce / vnto the ende of theyr lyfe And so done they retourne agayne as a dogge vnto his vomytet and rendre them selfe vnapte and full vnmete and vnable for the kyngdome of heuen Turmoylyng agayne in the worlde / set theyr mynde / and study to fynde ways / and meanes somwhat to gete of theyr kynne or freÌ„dê / or by theyr owne laboures / in wrytyng or sendynge of tokens to gete acquayntaunce And to make frendes to laboure for theyr promocion / or to gyue theÌ„ great gyftes / for small tryfles And than done they begynne to store / loke vp / and hede all that coÌ„meth to hande And lest conscience shulde any thynge murmure / or be coÌ„trarious vnto theyr appetites they aske liceÌ„ce of the souereynes to vse and retayne suche thynges so obteyned And many tymes the souereynes bene so ferre ouer sene that they done presume to gyue the liceÌ„ce / aboue theyr power / and so as is sayd bothe the parties ben dampnably deceiued These maner of religious ê‘sones Math. 26. 27. A. ben disciples vnto Iudas the traytour that solde Iesu For so he retourned vnto the worlde by the mysuse of money / was daÌ„pned for his labour An other occasioÌ„ or cause of ê“priete in the subiectes is mere curiosite / that is euer grouÌ„ded on pryde Cassianus vt supra And these ê‘sones therfore ben moste odious / moste vnreasonable And that is of those that made lawfull entre into religton / bene there as well intreated / cherisshed or moche better thaÌ„ euer they were in the worlde / yet somtyme suche ê‘sones they ben that were of lowe byrth / pore folkes chyldreÌ„ / of pore educacion hardly broght vp / and yet whan they haue tarred a whyle in the religion / done ê‘ceyue theÌ„ selfe felous or seniores vnto such as in the worlde were ferre aboue theÌ„ they beginne to set theÌ„ selfe forth / and take vpon them / as though they were of hyghe blode / had ben of great reputacion And whan a dyshe coÌ„meth byfore theÌ„ that they knowe nat in flesshe / or fysshe what thynge it is for they neuer sawe ne knewe any such byfore yet wyll they take vpon theÌ„ to iuge the same / also of wynes of the coloure / odoure / sauoure / or taste / and of the dressynge / and seasonyng of all thynge as thoughe they were expert And if they can be flaterye / gyftê / or pleasures obteyne the fauoure of the souereyne than wyll they be nothynge content with the coÌ„mune fare / ne with the coÌ„mune habite aray but they wyl desyre to haue siÌ„gularites / that none other haue but they alone And if they be denied thaÌ„ wyl they murmure / grudge / be seke / for displesure And do no duete of religion or very lytell / that full dully and feyntly And if theyr fantasy can nat be obteyned / or coÌ„tinued of the charges of the monasterie / or els bycause they wyll nat stande in dauÌ„ger therfore than done they make frendê / retourne so agayne vnto the worlde as the other dyd / with theÌ„ done fall into the daÌ„pnable dongion of propriete And these religious ê‘sones 4. Reg. 5. ben disciples / subiectes vnto Giezi / that was disciple / seruauÌ„t vnto the prophete Helizey / he is theyr abbotte / they done folowe hym For he was nat conteÌ„t with ynoghe / but he wolde haue that he neuer had byfore the tyme / therfore he dyd nat onely forgo and lose the grace of propriete / that he shulde haue had by succession but also he had the leprenes of Naaman for euer was a lazare or lepre And so douteles shall they haue that wyll be his disciples Here ben nowe thre examples of holy scripture / of the daunger of propriete One of Anany Saphira The seconde / of Iudas the traytoure The thyrde of Giezi / whiche done signifie thre maner of religious persones One / of theÌ„ that done bryng goodê into the monasterie with theÌ„ for theyr owne vse pleasure / so bryng in the poyson pestileÌ„ce of ê“priete / nat onely done drye thervpon theÌ„ selfe but also done infecte many other The seconde of theÌ„ / that wyl haue in religion as they had byfore And the thyrde of them that wyll in religion haue more thaÌ„ they had byfore And surely there ben many / many / to many mo occasions in the subiectes of this serpent propriete / in gendred by folysshe ne we fangle fantasies / by dulnes / negligence / and want of lernynge They knowe nat theyr reuls or vnderstande them nat / some neuer red ne herde them And so some lytell care fore them And so done fall and leyne vnto excuses nothynge reasonable Some wyll allege scripture for them / sayng Beatius est magis dare quam accipere Act. 20. It is better say they to gyue thaÌ„ to take / that is to meane That ê‘sone is more in welth that is of substauÌ„ce / may gyue than the nede ê‘sone / that must take And for that cause they wolde they say haue somwhat to gyue Cassianus ca. 16. But saynt Iohan Cassian doth counsayle theÌ„ nat so to abuse holy scripture But rather let theÌ„ consyder / that if it be good to gyue they haue done that good / that in the moste meritorious maner For they haue gyueÌ„ nat onely all that they had but also all that they were possible to haue And yet for thermore they haue gyuen theÌ„ selfe So that nowe they haue nothynge to gyue And no man wyll saye in reason that better is / or yet that it may be good to gyue that is nat his / but that doth apperteyne vnto a nother persone They shuld therfore despysing all thynges temporall / thynke or iuge in theyr myndes / that better is and more happy / gracious to gyue / or to receyue spiritual thynges than teÌ„poral thynges And let theÌ„ thaÌ„ke our lorde god / that hath if they kepe theyr promyse / be pore in spirite gyuen vnto theÌ„ in proper possession the kyngdome of heuen / and power so to gyue / and liberally to deele spirituall thynges / vnto the nedy / or pore / and also vnto the riche And so to
and continue as it nowe is And that is more lyke vnto the turkes araye than vnto christianes / or rather more defourme and abhominable thaÌ„ of any infideles For surely the world in many thynges draweth moche vnto Ientilite Natwithstandynge that saynt Paule sayde vnto his disciples Ro. 12. A. Nolite conformari huic seculo Haue nat you wyll / appetite / or desyre / to be in any thyng conformable / or lyke / vnto the synfull people of the worlde This answere is hederto as we sayd lyke vnto lyke ¶ Of the conueniency of habite accordynge vnto reason founded vpon auctorite The .xxi. Chapitre NOwe for our parte we shall put a reason for a foundacion or grounde / whiche I thynke none of them wyll deney / that is the more nere that the araye / habite / or byhauoure of any ê‘sone be vnto the institute ordinaunce of god the more is it of perfection / and the more of all godly persones to be alowed / effected / and desyred And contrarie the more it be contrarious and agayne the prohibicion and ordinaunce of god and holy scripture / the more is it of imperfection and the more to be dissalowed / dispraysed / and abhorred Nowe let vs se than what habite / or araye is fouÌ„de in holy scripture to be of the ordinaunce of god / and what of the mysorder of man The fyrste hole garment that euer was made for the hole body of man god hym selfe dyd make For whan man was in the state of innoceÌ„cie byfore he had done synne he nede no clothes / and thoughe he were naked yet was he nothynge ashamed nor abashed therof For innoceÌ„cy myght neuer suffer noyante ne displeasure But after synne committed and done Adam was sore abashed and ashamed of his wyfe / and she lykewyse of hym In so moche they hyd themselfe in a busshe / and made them selfe priue clothes of fyggetre leues And sone after that tyme Gene. 3. D. our lorde as the scripture sayth made for Adam for his wyfe / skynny cotes or cotes of skynnes / and clothed or couered them with the same / whiche garmentes shulde seme nat very ryche / natwithstandynge if the same garmentes were nowe present to be shewed they myght peraduenture be more worthe than a kynges roobe / they myght be so fyne furres and so do I suppose they were / natwithstandynge they were nat thaÌ„ of hygh pryce / nor of any curiouse fasshone / and what the coloure was we maye well suppose no dyed coloure at all ¶ Of the reason or cause of garmentes / and of the varians or diuersites of the same The .xxii. Chapitre HEre nowe semethe vnto me conuenieÌ„t to serche out / to shewe the reason / cause / or occasioÌ„ of garmeÌ„tê or clothyng / whervnto or vnto what ende what purpose or effect / clothiÌ„g garmeÌ„tes were ordened made For byfore man had done synne he was as we said byfore all naked / and yet without any shame or bashement / but sone after his synne he made a garmeÌ„t for very shame So than may we proue that the fyrst occasion of garmente was shame and abashement And the effecte where vnto the garment dyd inseruer was to couer and to hyde the meÌ„bres of maÌ„ / which by synne onely were shamefull / or bashfull in so moche that the man and wyfe lawfully maried by god hym selfe and bothe yet virgyns / and alone without company for no reasonable creature was than in the worlde that with bodely syght / or loke myght beholde or se them / but onely them selfe and yet were they eyther a shamed of other / and moche abashed to be sene naked Here let all christianes note wel / howe shameles / howe beastely / and howe vnnaturall some persones ben / that without shame or abashement by more than beastly boldnes wyll take delectacion / pleasure in abhominable syght / and byholdynge of nakednes Shame than or abashement is one cause or occasion of garment or clothynge to couer or hyde the bashefull partes of the synfull man And this cause is alowable in reason / thoughe none other cause were founde For it hathe grounde and auctorite of holy scripture An other reasonable cause of garment is the necessite or nede of our miserable nature For as man may nat longe lyue without fode so in some contres bene clothes more necessarie / where colde is so intens / so sharp thaâ— man shulde soner dye and be distroyed by cold than by honger or thurste / and where a man myght lenger lyue without fode than without clothes And therfore dyd our lorde god couer / and clotheâ— Gene. 3. the hole body of man / for defense agayne all maner of weders A thyrde cause yet maye be of garmente or clothyng / and that is coÌ„modite / wherby we done meane profyte or ease / whiche beyonde or bysyde the other two causes of abashement and necessite was by the promission and suffraunce of god founde out by mans inuencion / and ordeyned by wyll and reason / for ease and profyte / and so bygane some variete / diuersitie / and exchaunge of garmentes / as some for rydynge / some for goynge / some for somer / some for wynter / some for the daye tyme / and some for the nyght tyme / yet can no man deney / but those persones that can be content to folowe in clothynge moste nere vnto the ordinaunce of god of nature / is of the moste hyghe perfection that bylongeth vnto habite / clothynge or araye Syr saye some persones here Obiection there is no perfection in any habite or araye Habitus non facit monachum The habite or garmente dothe nat make a ê‘sone religious I say this is trouthe For els a freres habite Answere shulde make an Asse a frere But I saye yet this is the coÌ„mune excuse of dissolate persones For I may say to them agayne Habitus facit non monachum That is that the habite maye rendre and make a religious persone a very Asse / and no religious persone For if a persone that is professed in religion wolde without cause to be alowed in the lawe put awaie the habite of his professioÌ„ and were a seculer habite / that persone I saye were excommunicate or accursed / and so worse than an Asse But nowe let vs reason herein They saye there is no perfection in the clothynge And I saye there is no perfection in meate nor drynke / yet saye I a ê‘sone by due fedynge maye in the qualite quantite of meate drynke moche meryte / obteyne ê‘fection / contrarie lose meryte / and be more inperfecte So is it of the vse of the garment or clothynge For the clothynge or araye may sklaunder and gyue occasion vnto the negheboure / and also maye edefie Wherof doth folowe the fourth cause or occasion of clothynge or garmentes / and of the variete or difference of the same / that is to
wherfore they conclude / there shulde be no suche obedience vnto any spirituall persones For they saye there bene no spirituall persones but onely the seruauÌ„tes of the dyuell Answere For the dyuell say they is a spirite suche as done call theÌ„ selfe spirituall persones ben of his flocke and housholde Nowe muste we answere vnto these thynges althoughe by digression I praye you of pacience / whiche surely I can nat well take towarde them For without feile / I haue great merueyle of theyr madnes and of theyr presumptuous falshede And specially the merueylous malice they haue agayne the churche catholyke / and also of the crafty labourê / and wyly wayes they take with ferueÌ„t study to deceyue the symple and vnlerned people They done flater the seculer prynces exalte theyr power bycause they shulde defende them and theyr heresy And yet in the meane tyme they make them no better than hethen houndes For they done compare the Christiane princes / vnto hethen prynces / that by moste cruell tyranny dyd persecute and destroye the ryght feythe / yet saye they saynt Paule dyd coÌ„maunde his disciples to be vnto these prynces obediente / trouthe saye I in all theyr lawes that were nat contrarie vnto the feythe of Christe / whyle they were vnder theyr tyranny and lordshippe / so bene nowe many good christianes vnder the Turke / vnto whose lawes they may shulde be obedient whyle they lyue vnder hym in all as I sayd that ben nat contrarie vnto the feythe of Christe And so dyd Christe hym selfe pay the tribute vnto the Emperour nat of any duete as ryght but as vnder theyr rule dominacion Syr say they So may euery christiane prynce more reasonably take of his subiectes obedience This saye I is the laude they gyue vnto theyr prynces / they wolde I say make them tyrannes as the hethen houndes ben And bycause Christ wolde wylfully suffer tyranny and wronge both in his goodes and body for the loue of man / bycause that his Apostles and many other holy men dyd in lyke maner suffer for his loue therfore wolde they it shulde be lawfull for christiane prynces to do as the hethen houndes dyd Saynt Paule made appellacion vnto the Emperoure whan he was vniustly vexed vnder the power of them that were subiectes vnto the Emperour and hethen as he was But where done they rede that saynt Paule or any of the Apostles dyd appele from any christiane power vnto a nother 1. Cor. 6. A. Saynt Paule was discoÌ„tent with his disciples bycause that in theyr seculer causes they wolde sue and pleade byfore the hethen iuges / and that rather they wolde nat amonge them selfe chose certeyne persones to be iudges in suche causes / and those iuges shulde be of the moste vyle presones amonge them For those he thought good ynoughe to meddell with seculer causes / let all the heretikes shewe if euer any of the Apostles or any of theyr disciples in the fyrst begynnynge of the churche were subiecte and vnder the obedience of any christiane prynces But contrarie they shal fynde that kynges as sone as they were conuerted to Christes feythe and baptized and so christianes they forthwith left and put away theyr Dyademes and crownes Vt in legeÌ„ ad Matt. Apostoli and were subiectes vnto the clergie and vnder theyr obedience And shortely to conclude they shall fynde by the order of all scripture as well in the olde testament as in the newe that euermore the spirituall parte of the people of god had the gouernauÌ„ce and rule of the temporall parte / and the temporall parte in all thynges obedient vnto the spirituall Christe as we sayd in the fyrste parte of this werke was lorde of all his flocke / as well in temporalte as spiritualte / yet these heretikes say that Christe wolde gyue no iugement betwene two bretherne the stroue for temporaltes / but asked who made hym iuge betwene them And I saye agayne / they were none of his flocke but whan his owne flocke byganne to stryue for temporall power he toke than quyckely the Iugement in hande and satisfied the parties The Apostles after Christes AsceÌ„cion were the souereynes of al christianes and toke also requyred of them due obedience / as well in temporaltes as spiritualtes / whiche thynge dothe playnly appere in Ananie and his wyfe Saphira / that for the defraudynge and deceyt of theyr temporall goodes were iuged by saynt Peter and suffred dethe Act. 5. A. Dyd nat saint Paule committe the charge and gouernaunce of all the christianes that he had conuerted vnto Timothe / Tite / Appollo / and suche other spirituall fathers / whome he had made bysshopes / prestes / and deacons / amonge them Saynt Ignacius also / that was disciple vnto the Apostles iÌ„ his epistoles vnto the christiane people wrytteth / that they shulde nothynge do without the commaundement condicte and counsayle of the prestes / or els of the diacons that were ordened theyr gouernoures and gyders Forther than to conclude All maner of christiane prynces / Emperoures / Kynges / and suche other temporall rulers of the people done yet vnto this daye in theyr consecracions and coronacions receiue the auctorite of theyr power of the spirituall parte of Christes churche / and done make solempne othe of theyr obedience thervnto So that euermore amonge the wel ordred people of god the temporall or seculer persones haue ben bounde vnto the obedience of the spirituall persones And nat contrarie as these fals heretikes done flater the seculer prynces For the great heretyke Tyndall / wrytethe in his Englysshe boke of obedience that there is no spirituall parte in Christes churche / but the dyuels lymmes For he sayth the dyuell is a spirite / and all the spirituall parte is the flocke saythe he of the dyuell And I say thervnto that where he sayth the dyuell is a spirite he sayth trouthe / and I graunt thervnto But I saye agayne / that god is also a spirite The dyuell is any yeuell spirite / and god is the good spirite / and maker and gouernour lorde and maister of al good spirites And he create and made the dyuell a good and glorious spirite / but he as a fals apostata made hym selfe an yuell spirite / and dothe continue the lorde and maister of all apostatas / of Tyndall I saye and of his mayster Luther with all theyr disciples And our lorde god is also a spirite and a good spirite / and the gouernour and gyder of his flocke as well spirituall as temporall For our sauiour hathe made and ordered his churche lyke vnto hym selfe in the ende of the worlde as in the begynnynge he made fyrste the hole worlde of two partes / one spirituall and heueÌ„ly And the other bodely and yerthly Gene. 1. A. In principio sayth the scripture creauit deus celum et terram God in the begynnynge / hathe made heuen yerthe Heuen is the spirituall parte /
1. D. IbideÌ„ 3 A. And in a nother place he doth complayne that certeyn persones were vnto hym disobedient And yet after that / howe persones wolde be disobedient and what shulde be theyr peyne and punisshemente therfore TituÌ„ 1. C. And he coÌ„mauÌ„ded his disciple saynt Titel that he shulde sharpely correcte the inobedient persones Heb. 1. A. And vnto the Ebreuse he sayth that inobedieÌ„ce hath ben euer iustely punisshed / and therfore let nat vs byleue or truste to escape if we be disobediente Saynt Iames in his epistle doth perswade his disciples vnto due obedience Iaco. 1. C. reuoke theÌ„ froÌ„ inobedience For our lorde god sayth he doth resiste the proude disobedient persones / vnto the meke and obedient ê‘sones Iaco. 4. B. 1. Pe. 1. C. he gyueth grace And saynt Petre sayth / go forth in grace as chyldreÌ„ of obedieÌ„ce leue vtterly your fore vsed disobedience and all the malice / gyle / dissimulacion / enuy / all detractions bylongyng thervnto Ibi. 2. A. And agayne he warned the people to by ware of the ê‘sones of inobedieÌ„ce / shewyng the ieoê‘tes therof 2. Pe. 2. A. ibi B. C. D And yet agayne he sayd that euer there haue ben some false ê“phetes of disobedience / suche shuld come amoÌ„g theÌ„ / there he shewed what vengeauÌ„ce our lorde wolde take vpon theÌ„ for theyr disobedience 1. Io. 2. A. And saynt Iohan sayth / that who so euer saith he knowith god is inobedieÌ„t vnto his coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes is a false lyer and trouth is nat in that persone And agayne / Who so euer is inobedient vnto the doctrine of Christe 2. Io. B. hath no god / but is feythles And in a nother place 3. Io. C. Iude. B. he rebuketh a certen ê‘sone by name for disobedience And the holy Apostle Iude / sayth that the ê‘sones of disobedience entryng amoÌ„g the good people dyd moche hurte / and after he sheweth what veÌ„geauÌ„ce our lorde wyl take vpon the ê‘sones of disobedience IbideÌ„ E. The Appocalips ouer all Appoca doth chalenge and rebuke the persones disobedient doth shewe the peyne and punisshement therof The doctoures of the churche in lyke maner Saynt Hierome iÌ„ his epistles Iero. ti 1. sheweth of a monke caled Malchus / that for his inobedience vnto his abbote suffred great trouble and ieopardy bothe of soule and body Augustinê° de ci dei And saynt Augustyne doth allowe the iustice of a pagan or paynem caled Marcus torquatus a capitayne of the Romaynes / that put his owne sone vnto deth for disobedience / bycause that contrarie vnto his commaundemente he made batayle agayne his enemies / natwithstandyng also that he had a noble victorie / as wryteth Valerius maximus And he sayth in a certeyn place that the principall moste great yuell and mischefe of all thynges Valerius maximus suê‘ Gene. ad litteraÌ„ li. 8. Ca. 6. C. is to folowe selfe wyll / whiche is caled sayth he inobedience A certeyn persone that by saynt Benet was delyuered of a wyked spirite was by inobedience accepte and taken agayne of the same spirite And in vitas Patrum bene many exaÌ„ples of many sondry and diuerse peynes and punisshementes that haue folowed this great abominable synne of disobedience / and shewed vnto the monicion and warnyng of all christianes / specially religious persones I byseche our lorde we maye all take hede thervnto euer for the reuerent drede of hym we may auoyde and flee all occasions therof Amen And thus an ende of this fyrste membre of this thyrde parte whiche is the fyrste borde of our vessell / Toune / or Pype / the other with the helpe and grace of our lorde shall shortly folowe ¶ A worke or boke of the reuereÌ„t father noble clerke holy saynt Bernarde / named by the tytle thus De precepto et dispensatione That is to saye / of commaundement and dispensacion / whiche is to meane howe / and in what thynges / and in what fourme or maner the souereynes of religion / maye coÌ„maunde and dispense with theyr subiectes And agayne howe and wherin the subiectes shulde be obedient / which sayd worke is translate and tourned in to Englyshe by a brother of Syon Rycharde Whytforde ¶ The preface of the translatour as argument vnto the worke that foloweth Bycause good deuout readers the matter that folowethe may be vnto you the more open playne you shall vnderstande the two religous men monkes of saynt Benettê rule made instaÌ„ce meane and requeste by wrytyng of diuerse epistles vnto saynt Bernarde / to haue knowlege and exposicion or declaracion for theyr conscience of certeyne poyntes of theyr sayd rule And he to satisfie theyr deuout mynde made this boke or worke for an answere And dyd dedycate / directe / and sende forth the same worke vnto a father of religion / the abotte of Columbens / and by hym to be sende vnto hym that was abbotte souereyne vnto the sayd religious brethreÌ„ The ende of yepÌ„face ¶ Saynt Bernardes Epistle The tytle ¶ Brother Bernarde / caled abbote of Clareuall vnto the lorde abbote of Columbens / salutacion I Haue cured and gyuen diligence to sende fyrste vnto you accordynge vnto my promyse my wrytyng of answere vnto the epistles of the two bretherne moÌ„kes of Carnoteus / wherin also the other thyng that you coÌ„mauÌ„ded is fulfylled For where I had determined shortely to writte vnto theÌ„ agayne to haue rendred an epistle for answere vnto bothe theyr epistles I haue now at your request as you may se drawen my style mater in lengthe vnto the fourme of a boke or worke So that by many thynges put so in length and in more large declaracion many persones maye be the more largely edified / whiche worke whan you haue red and sene ouer Delyuer I pray you nat vnto them for whome it was made but fyrste vnto theyr abbote And after if theyr abbote so coÌ„maunde let it come vnto them / for they bene religious ê‘sones Note that nothyng may be sent forth ne receiued without licence And therfore as by the lawe and ordinaunce of theyr rule they ben prohibitte and forboden to sende forth any epistles / writynges or letters without knowlege and lycence of theyr abbotte So ben they lyke maner ê“hibite forboden any thyng to receiue For whiche cause I haue as you knowe well differred and taried the answere or in makyng answere althoughe it were moche and often requyred of them For bycause as it semed vnto me they presumed to sende theyr epistles vnto me without licence or knowlege of theyr abbote / the thing dyd nat I suspect without cause / as after I playnly perceyued and proued I gaue vnto this worke at the begynnyng as vnto the reders maye appere the name of an epistle But bycause that nowe by your coÌ„mauÌ„demente the mater hath passed the measure and coÌ„mune
maner of that name to be caled an epistle let it be caled a boke or a worke and nat an epistle And forbycause / that among other questioÌ„s and conclusions by me in the same worke answered and determined this thynge is moste chefly and moste subtely or clerely / and as I truste profytably intreated / that is to saye what coÌ„maundementes / and by whome / and howe largely dispensacions maye be gyuen or grauÌ„ted let the boke haue this tytle / and be caled the boke of pÌ„cepte or coÌ„maundement / and dispensacion Excepte any other tytle seme vnto you more conuenient Vale / fare you well ¶ The prologe of holy saynt Bernarde / vnto his boke / draght / or treaty / of pÌ„cept dispeÌ„sacion By what excuse mynde maye I nowe kepe silence and yet / by what boldnes or hardines may I speke brother you by your many folde epistles messages done so constreyne and compell me that other I muste bytraye / disclose shewe forth myne owne foly or ignoraunce or els muste I deney the office of charite But I rather wyllyng to be founde ê“ued wtout doctrine / coÌ„nyng or lernyng which doth moue vnto pryde 1. Cor. 8. than to be fouÌ„de or ê“ued without that vertue that doth edifie all persones / that is charite nowe at the last vanquisshed and ouercoÌ„men by your request and prayer haue put my soft and teÌ„der nayles vnto harde knottes and as I feere nat otherwyse than to be brused or broken Here by doth saynt Bernarde meane that he doth interpryse take iÌ„ hand a worke of great difficulty and harde laboure But all this do I speke as appereth vnto you iÌ„ vayne For as you writte as byfore you haue writen myn owne wrytyng whan I am absent and myne owne wordes whan I am presente done render and declare me vnexcusable / to make onely excuse For what rowme or place is lefte forme to complayne or to lay for my selfe any impossibilite iÌ„ these maters specially vnto you / that done by byleue for a certeynte bothe of the euidence of my wordes and of my hert or mynde what or howe moche I can do iÌ„ such thynges Trustyng therfore in your feyth and byleue or opinion rather than in myne owne wytte I shal entre this depe see of subtyle questions / nat knowyng god wote howe nor whiche waye to gete out and to escape drownyng The charite of my herte shall prest be redy / wolde our lorde that trouth may be in lyke maner as redy But if by chaunce defaulte of wytte can nat excuse my dede yet surely shall you nat haue cause to blame my good wyll I wyll attent and asay to comprehende and bryng to gether all your questions if I may in a shorte maner after the fourme of a pystle / although the pistle be nat shorte For it is no merueyle though I be somwhat long in discussyng / exponing and assoiling of your questions whyll you in onely puttyng and mouing of them haue made vnto me tweyne epistles those very long ¶ The selfe tracte or worke THe fyrst question than of your demaunde is aboute our reule / wherof if I be nat deceyued all the other questions haue grounde / occasion or begynnyng For you done demaÌ„de or aske howe / or vnder what fourme or maner / and howe ferre / or howe depely the institucion and ordinaunce of our sayd rule / shulde be weyed / pondred or considered / of them or vnto them that done professe the same That is to say A question of .iii. membres or ê‘rê The fyrste whether all the poyntes of the same rule / shulde be supposed and accouÌ„ted as preceptes and coÌ„maundementes to be kepte vnder peyne of deedly synne and so coÌ„sequently to be vnto the brekers / damnous and ieopardous of dampnacion Or els whether the sayd poyntes of the rule The second membre of the questioÌ„ ben but onely counsayles And by that reason the vowe / ê“fession or promyse of theÌ„ shulde nat be of any weght or but very lytell charge And the breakyng of theÌ„ no great offence or trespasse The thyrde Or els for the thyrde parte you wolde knowe whether some of the sayd poyntes ben deputed and appoynted as preceptes coÌ„maundementes And other some be reputed and supposed as onely counsayles And so the sayd pointes myght for one parte be lawfully broken / and for the other parte myght in no wyse so be And yet for ther / if I wolde graunt this last distinction that is to say that some of the sayd poyntes of the rule ben counsayles onely / and some coÌ„mauÌ„dementes ThaÌ„ done you forther requyre / that I shuld setforth and lymitte all those poyntes ynto theyr proper distinction / that is to say to shewe whiche poyntes ben lymitted and assigned vnto precepte and coÌ„maundement / and whiche vnto counsayle onely / lest els peradueÌ„ture occasion myght be gyuen vnto some persones to waure and to folowe at more liberte pleasuce the variauÌ„t opinions of theyr owne sence / wyt or vnderstandyng And so myght they by chauÌ„ce or in case as is sayd in ê“uerbe melt or mynce a gnat / and swalowe a Camell hole / to stumble at a strawe and leape ouer a blocke / that is to meane to haue in some pointes to lytell conscience / and in some ouer moche bycause they knowe nat howe moche cure diligence they shulde gyue vnto euery obseruaunce This as ferre as I can remember is the same sence or meanyng of your particion and demaunde All tvoughe they be nat the same wordes And in that you subioyne and continue to inquyre and aske of obedience by what degrees it is diuided / and iÌ„ whiche termes and poyntes it is concluded / restreyned or determined apperteyneth as I suppose vnto the same diuision Specially syth amoÌ„g al the decrees and preceptes of our rule obedience is the chefe And I suppose if due sufficient answere be made thervnto nothynge shall remayne of the other quesstions that may be douted The rule than of saint Benedicte is after my iugement vnderstaÌ„dyng offred and setforth indifferently vnto all maner of persones And vnto no persone coÌ„maunded or charged / it doth moche profytte if it be duely receyued truely kepte And yet natwithstandyng if it be nat receyued it doth nothyng noyne hynder For that thyng that is in the proper wyll of the / receyuour nat in the power of the purposer / mouer or ordiner may I well call voluntarie and nat necessarie / that is to saye a thyng to be receyued of fre wyll at libertie / nat of any necessite / natwithstandyng the same thyng that nowe I call voluntarie if a persone by proper wyll do ones admitte and receiue promyse from thens forth to kepe perfourme it for a surety than doth he couert and tourne the same thyng vnto hym selfe into necessite So that nowe he hathe nat at liberte and in power