asoyled a greate doubte whereat the kynges grace and all hys noble lordes haue often mused That ys / how yt came that there was so greaâ— wherdome and bawdrye / amonge them that bâ— called spirituall men But now yt ys no wonder / for bawdry ys a spirituall cause and belongeth onlye to the iudgement of bysshops But shortly to oure purpose / The kyngis hyghnes commauÌ„deth yow straytely / to shewe hym by what auctoryte that you take causes out of his hye Court of complaynte / and to brynge them a fore yow / As who shulde saye yow wolde redresse bothe the Kynges lawe / and also the senteÌ„ce there of And not alonly that / but you wyll Master the Kynges grace and his lawe Shortlye to recyte all the iniuryes and wrongys that you doo to the Kyngys hyghnes / to all hys noble bloude and vnto all his trewe subiectis / yt were to longe a processe wherefore breuely I require you by the faith that you owe to christe Iesus / and by the othe that you haue made to the Kinges highnes if you be not dispeÌ„sed with all that you aÌ„swere to these thinges you can not denye but these thinges you do / wherefore what wyll you saie thereto / what aÌ„swere caÌ„ you make / haue you vpholdeÌ„ these thinges so loÌ„ge / haue you shamed / troubled killed so many of the Kynges trew subiectis for that thiÌ„g / which ye caÌ„ not defeÌ„de to be true aÌ„d if you haue nothinge for you / but youre awne dreamis / they wil not helpe you For they be accusyd with you And therfore / the kynges highnes if it pleased him myght laye hie tresone to youre charge / and also the abomynable cryme of heresye / whiche ys all ways in youre mouthes / yf a man speake but ageÌ„st youre olde showes what say yow to these thingis yff they be false / it is a smalle matter for yow to refelle them by holy scrypture / yf they be trewe / why geue you not place you shall well knowe that I wyll defend ernestly Godes cause aÌ„d my prynces / and that not out off myne awne hed / but out off holye scrypture / whyche I doo neyther wrynge nor wreste / but onlye declare it by the practyce off oure most gracyous Master Christ Iesus / and of all hys holy apostles Can you requyre any more It not thys suffycyent probacion Is not thys cause good Is yt not ryghtuous Is yt not to the honoure of god Notwithstondynge I am sure that I haue taken thys matter in hond with you / to my grete dauÌ„ger / yf you may haue youre wyllys / But here do I set my lyffe / and body agenste youres / to defende thys matter agenst you / yf yt wyll plesse the kinges noble grace / to geue me fre pardon and to defende me from youre vyolence / I aske no pardoÌ„ of any trespasse / that you or any dedly enymye that I haue / can proue that I haue done agenste the kynges noble grace / but that alonly I am compelled to flye youre dedly and intollerabylle vyolence But yf yt shall pleasse the kynges highnes to defend me frome youre vyolence in my ryght / I wylle dyscusse thys matter wyth you by Chrystes worde / And yf I be â—uercome / I doo not refuse dethe / and soo shall you be shortly rydde off me / And yf yow be ouercome / yt were ryght that you shulde be punysshed Not wythstondyng I wyll desyer but amendmeÌ„t wherefore Most gracious prince / Humbly aÌ„d mekely / I besech youre highnes and that in the name of oure sauioure Iesus Chryst / a fore whom you must geue an accumpte off youre dignyte / Also I requier you by youre othe / that yow haue sworne to ryght and to Iustice / ye and also by all youre honour do I humbly beseche youre grace that you wyll defende me in my right / as you wil be defended of Chryst Iesus from all youre dedly enymies ye not to defend me / but godes worde / and youre prerogatiue / So that I truste youre grace will not be dyspleased / with youre daylye bedeman / that he requireth you so ernestly / for he desireth of you nothinge but that that stondeth with godes honoure / with youre graces preheminence / and with good ryght and conscience / and also with the othe that youre grace hathe made bothe to god and man Thys wolde youre grace doo / though I dyd not requyre yt / The cause is not myne / but it is Christes veryte which wyll neyther be mocked nor yet ouercome / It is also youre prerogatyue / whiche deserueth defendynge and also audyence / Though there were no worde of god I do requyre as god shal Iudge me no wordlye promosyon thereby / but alonly the verite of Christes worde / and of chrystes ordynaunce Vvhiche thynge yf I can proue / I doubte not but youre graces conscience / wyll Iudge it right that I shulde be harde / youre grace hathe no nede of the bysshops no more than off me / but vn to Chrystes worde / youre grace ys bounde / vnder the payne of euerlastynge damnacyon / from the whych neyther the bysshops / neither all their power / neither theyr pardons / neyther heuen nor erthe can delyuer you if you be fouÌ„de a transgressor This is the veryte / lett them crake aÌ„d face / blaste blowe / Praye / Singe â— Curse / absolue / bringe in their custoÌ„s / bryng in their churche / bringe in their lawes with all their myters their crossestaues / with all theyr spiritual honoure / they can not helpe youre grace but that the daunger shal remayne to youre graces parsone / if any thinge be amisse but this youre grace knowith better than I can telle yt wherfore I wille returne agayne to the cause It is openlye proued that oure master Christ / and all hys holy apostles were subiect / bothe in bodye and goodes to teÌ„porall princes / And toke no temporall rule nor iurisdiccyon on theÌ„ wherefore I conclude / that what so euer they be that will be exempt from the teÌ„porall power / Be neyther Christes apostles / nor chrystes dyssyples / no nor yet trewe chrystened men / though they haue Chrystes and Peter and Paules name / an hundred tymes For Chrystes wordes be playne whych sayth / Matt. 20. yow doo knowe that the lordys of the gentles haue dominacyoÌ„ ouer theÌ„ but so shalle yt not be amonge yow And these wordes were spoken to the apostles and can not be avoyded by alytle dystynccyon / as the bysshops are wonte too avoyde all holly scrypture But what soo euer they saye / the practyce off oure Master Chryst and off all hys holy apostles wyll declare how they vnderstonde yt And moreouer to stope their mouthes I wyll shewe them how holy doctours vnderstode yt / Origene Ro. 13. Orygene vppon thys texte / Omnis anima / sayeth on thys maner / All maner
they to helpe them we ought not to depose a kinge though he be wyked How dare they be so bolde / as to depose a kyng / whyche is ordenyd of god / yee and by hys holy worde / hauyng none example / nor scripture for thē Be they aboue god and hys blessyd worde But they wyl saye / that the kyng was a wyked man / I answere / the cronycles / geue contrary wytnes / how that he was a very good man / ād ryght symple and by cause he was so symple / therfore Pipinus whyche had all the rule vnder hym / thought hym silfe better worthy to rule than the kynge / and so wrote vn to the pope and desyred hym to geue sentence / whether he was better worthy to be kyng that had all the paynes and labours / or he that had no laboure Now the pope / to make Pipinum his frende / gaue sentēce wyth hym / and deposed the other and made hym a monke Thys can I welle proue by good cronycles Now lett youre noble grace consyder / yff yt were ryght / not only to depose such a kinge but also to make hym a monke Thys haue they done wyth other noble kynges / and no doute / but that same or worse / wyll they attempte to doo vn to youre grace / yff you dysplease them / and at the leste they wyll doo their vtter most Lett all the hole rable off thē / tell youre grace / when a trewe preacher off chrystes gospell dyd suche a deade There is no officer that hathe nede to be a frayde off Chrystis gospell / nor yet of the preachers ther off / For they wyll geue them auctoryte tēporalle / But off these preuy traytours / can no man be to ware you may se by experience / how in a maner by their preuy treason they haue gotten in to their handes / halfe youre royalme But lett vs graunt thē / that the kynge was a wyckyd mā The scripture commaundeth vs / to obey to wyckyd princes / and geuyth vs none auctorite to depose thē / who was more wycked than Herode / and yet S. Iohan sufferyd deethe vnder hym who was wyckedder than Pylate And yet Christ did not put him doune but was crucified vnder hym Breuely whyche off all the princes were good in the appostles dayes and yet they deposed none So that gods worde / and the practyse off oure Master Chryst / and hys holy apostles are openly agenste them More over their owne glosse sayeth that he was not deposed / by cause he was vnsuffycient / but by cause he was wanton and lecherous wyth wemen O my lordes yff you be not afrayde of the vengeaunce of god / at the leste take a lyttle shame of the worlde vn to yov / that haue so longe tyme wyth so great tyrannye defendyd these lawes that be so opynlye agēst gods ordinaunce / agenst gods worde / and agenst the commen ordynaunce and consent of all the worlde And this thynge haue yov done / to the greate iniury off noble princes / to the intollerable subduynge off all noble bloude / to the oppressyon off their trew subiectes / to the dystruccyon off alle commen welthes And fynalle to the damnacion off many a Chrystened soule Tell me by youre faithe / doo you beleue that there is a lyuyng god / that ys myghtye to punysh hys enymyes yf yov beleue yt / saye vn to me can yov deuyse for to avoyde hys vengeaunce / whyche be so opynly cōtrayrye to hys worde what answere thinke yov to make to hym Thinke yov that he will suffer youre worde to be harde / lette hys godly worde be dyspysed Thynke yov that yt will be suffycient for yov to saye / that they be the lawes of holy churche Thynke you that he will be thus taught off yov Than were yt tyme to plucke hym downe / ād sett you vpp Naye my lordes he ys no chylde / nor you shalle fynd yt no chyldis game / thus to tryfle playe with hys holy word and hys blessyd ordinaunce / ye and that to the dyspysyng / of the maker bothe of heuyn and erthe Saye what yov wyll / ye are not able neyther by crafte / nor subtyltye and yet be you falce ynough to defende thys matter / neyther a fore god / nor yet afore oure noble prince / nor a fore any mā off lernyng that wyll be trewe to hys prince for whiche waye so ever you turne you / oure Master Christ / and all hys blessyd apostles be agenst you / and will openlye accuse you / that yov be contrarye to their worde / and to their dede Answere ye to them / answere not to me yff I holde my peace / they wyll speake Nor yt will helpe you but lyttle / to crye after youre olde maner heresy / heresy / a Traytour / a traytour for now you crye agēst youre selves / and off those thinges they doo accuse you Doo yov thinke yt with the ordinaunce of god / that you shall depose a kinge by cause he lyuyth in advoutrye / or ys a lecherous man If you thynke yt a lawfull cause / why doo you not preache yt opynly why doo you not laye yt to kingis charges why suffer you them to be kingis that lyue in aduouttry why do you not put youre lawes in execution you saye they be the lawes of holy churche / and there by may you depose princes But yff you will put them in execucion / than were yt moche better / to be a bysshop or a preaste / than to be a kinge / or a duke For you maye lyue in whordom / or in any other vngracious lyuyng / ye and that to the destruccyon off many mens soules / and yet no man so hardye to repreue you / as youre awne lawe dothe openlye commaunde in these wordes Di. 40. Si papa Iff the pope doo drawe wyth hym innumerable people on a hepe to the deuyll of helle / there to be ponyshed for euer / yet shall no mortalle man presume / to repreue hys synnes / for he muste iugde alle men / and may be iudged off no mā c̄ Lykewyse haue you an other lawe in your decretales / that no laye man maye repreue a preate c̄ How thinke yov by these lawys / De. here Cū exiniuncto et sicut in yff they be not off the deuylle / telle me what ys off the deuyll you wyll bothe repreue / yee and also depose princes / but yov wyll neyther be deposed / ner yet repreued off any mortall man what thynke you youre selues godes But how can you depose a kyng / and yt lyeth not in youre powre to make a kyng / For eyther he ys borne a kyng / or he cometh to yt by elecciō / or he wynnethe yt victoriously by swerde which way so euer he cometh by yt / you can not make hym And wyll you depose hym for fornicacion / how wolde
gather oure strength to gether aÌ„d oppresse by violence as many as wyll holde wyth this lerning be he kynge / duke / lorde / Barone / Knight / MaÌ„ / woman / or childe So that they / yf it plese youre grace / go aboute to make the insurrexion to the mayntaynyng of their worldly pompe and pryde / and not the trew preacher for he intendith to mayntayne nothinge but the worde of god and that with suffering persecucion as the nature of the worde ys and not wyth persecuting / and ys also neyther able nor likly nor wylling yf he might to make any resurrexion ageÌ„st youre grace / for he maketh no striuinge yf he be the trew preacher of god nor fyghtynge for this worlde / but sufferith the childern of the world to enioye these worldly thynges / and intendeth alonly to bring in to light the most glorious and heuenly worde of god / but that wyll not the bisshops the childern of the world suffer / whych had rather seke and proue all the crafte suttilty and falshode that they can invent / than these thingis shuld by the worde of God come to lyght / so that they wylle make the insurrexion / and not the preacher Notwythstondyng they ar not a shamed / thus falsly to lay it to the preachers charge / and all by cause they wolde make youre grace to mayntaine ther maylyciousnes So that vnder the pretence of treason / they might execute the tyraÌ„nye of their hartis on lye For who ys that that wolde be a traytoure / or mayntaine a traytoure / agenste youre moste excelent and noble grace I thynk no man / yeâ— and I knowe suerly that no man can doo yt / wyth out the great dyspleasure of the eternalle god For. S. Paule commaundeth straytely vnto alle chrysten / to be obedient in all thynges vn to their princes / saynge on this maner / Rom. 13 Lett euery man submytte him selfe to the auctorite off the hye power For who so euer resystyth the power / resystyth the ordynaunce off god / they that resyste shall receyve to them selues daÌ„nacyon Also S. Peter confermyth thys / 1. Pet. 2. saynge Submytte youre selues vn to all maner ordinaunce off maÌ„ for the lordes sake / whether yt be vn to the kyng / as vnto the cheffe hed / eyther vn to dukes as vn to theÌ„ that are sent off hym for the punishment of evell doars / but to the prayse of them that do welle Here most noble prynce no man is except from the subieccyon of youre most excellent powre / neyther the bisshops / nor yet no nother man Not wyth stondyng yff they were so trewe in dede as they pretend in worde / Thys gospelle shulde they preache them selfe faythefully / puerly / and syncerelye to the people / as Paulle commaundeth Titus / and in hym alle bysshops in these wordes Vvarne them sayth he that they submytte them selues to prynces and to powers / and to obeye the offycers Thys are they commaunded not allonly to obserue them selues / but also to teache the people to obey theyr prynces whyche thynge yff they dyd faythefully in dede / as they dyssemble in worde / than they wolde not make so holy marters of them / that haue dyed agenst the liberte of prynces / in defendyng of their glorie / as they haue done Vve haue many that be made sayntes for rebellinge agenst prynces / for defendyng of theyr fayned spirituall lyberte though yt were in sauing a theuysh preaste froÌ„ the gallous / whyche had deserued dethe / ye and for defendynge of their temporall possessyons / and that preastes shulde be fre / aÌ„d all their goodes / not bounde to paye trybute For these artycles haue they made many holy sayntes / but whaÌ„ made they one for defendinge of gods worde and the kyngys prerogatiue / whiche ys alowed by godes word Neuer one in all their liues nor neuer wyll where fore youre grace may se and perceaue / that they be but dyssemblers and hypocrytis / aÌ„d nether trewe in worde nor dede For yf they were / youre grace shulde haue more auctoryte than you haue in youre realme / aÌ„d they shulde haue lesse in the worlde and more in the worde / but they neyther teache it theÌ„ selues / nor suffer with their wille other men to teache it For if any maÌ„ take in honde to teache the people / that there is no teÌ„poral power with in the realme but in youre hoÌ„de alloÌ„ly / anon they are ready to accuse hiÌ„ of heresie / by cause he speketh ageÌ„st the libertyes of holie churche / and they wil lay to his charge the lawes as they cal theÌ„ of the churche / whiche be none other / but dreamis of their owne inueÌ„cioÌ„ / made ageÌ„ste gods lawe his holy ordinauÌ„ces / cotrarie to the prerogatâ—ue of alle noble princes This will I proue by / lawe that they haue / 15. Q. 6. Alius iteÌ„ whose wordes be these zacharias did deposse the kinge of frauÌ„ce / not alloÌ„ly for his iniquite / but also by cause he was vnprofytable for so greate a power and set in his stede PipinuÌ„ the Emperours father / did asoille alle frauÌ„ce of their othe alegiauÌ„ce / that they had made vnto the olde king / the whiche thing / the holy churche of rome dothe oft timis / by her auctorite How think youre grace by this law is this their obedieÌ„ce that they will shewe / also lerne other meÌ„ to be trewe subiectes to their prince / aÌ„d they be first rebellious traitours / yet wil they accuse al other men of treason I wolde knowe ofâ— them all / who hath deposed anye kynge sythe Chrystes passion sauinge they onlye who wyll be kynges fellowes / ye and coÌ„trollars / sauynge they only A cast of Antichrist ys not this a subtyle crafte of Antychrist / to warne other men off heretykes and of traytours / aÌ„d in the meane ceasone while meÌ„ stoÌ„de lokynge for traytours / cometh he in and playth the parte of an open traytoure / sauyng onlye that he coloureth his name / and calleth him selfe / a trewe subiect / is readie to accuse other men of treason / that he myght escape him selfe / but he is suer / that he will neuer accuse none of them / that speake agenst the auctoryte of prynces / and geue to him full auctorite / But yf any man / doo begynne but to open hys mouth / for to declare that he hathe no teÌ„porall power / thaÌ„ rageth he / aÌ„d cryeth out treason treason But let vs returne to their lawe / aÌ„d se how they caÌ„ proue it by gods worde / aÌ„d how it stoÌ„deth with their trewe subieccioÌ„ / Is this resonable / that the pope / aÌ„d they being by gods lawe but subiectis shall deposse a king Vvhat exaÌ„ple haue they of oure master Christ / or of any of his apostles what scripture haue
to defend the churche from yov For more contrary than yov be / can no man be But the very truth ys / that yov doo intende to make the kyngis grace but youre hangeman thys is a shamfull name for a prynce but the shame be vn to you that are not ashamyd / to geue hym the very offyce off this name / yee and by cause you will doo nothyng but shamfullye also to mock hym / with a glorious title For you make hym but a mynister of youre myschevous tyrannye so that so oftyn as yov haue condemned any man / agenst ryght and agenst godes law / for an heretyke so oftyn must he come and receyve thys man off youre hande for yov saye wyth the Iewes / that yov maye kylle no man and so put hym to dethe / and not once denye yt / nor yet aske yov what he hath done to deserue dethe / for yov are readye to answere hym / and saye as the Iewes did If he were not an evell doar we wolde not commytt hym to youre hondes More getteth he not of you / for you be spretualle men and may kylle no man / but he is bound to doo yt by youre lawe / vnder the payne of losyng his royalme So that he is bound / to crucifye chryst so oftyn as you crye Crucifige / Crucifige Lett euery Christen prynce consyder in hys conscience / whether that the Iewes dyd not procede even on thys maner agenst Christ or no / yee that was more indyfferent than thys ys / for there Pylate was iudge / and here be they Iudgis / and princes be but seruauntes But I pray yov my lordes / where haue yov gotten thys auctorite ouer princes / to coÌ„pelle them to swere to yov in ony cause / what and if the kynge wolde be an infidell / wolde yov expel hym what can you do more bi right than lay the worde of god to him / aÌ„d the daunger of hys infydelite yov haue no auctorite to deposse hym / for Christenyd men must obey to vnfaythefulle princes / did not Christ this did not Peter thys did not Paule thys dothe not the worde of god commaunde yov thys to do saynge 1. Petri. 2 Fere God / honour youre kynge / be subiect not allonly vn to them that be good and easy / but vn to them that be evell Vvhat saye yov to these wordes how can you avoyde them how can yov auoyd the vengeaunce of god But now if yt pleasse youre grace / they wille laye to my charge / that I speke agenst the preuileges of holy churche / I will infringe the lybertyes of holy churche I answere I know no lybertyes nor preuyleges that holy churche hathe / but these that Christ hathe lefte here / Is thys libertye in his worde to do agenst christes holy worde and ordinaunce / and to folowe mens dremes Is Christes holye worde / of so lytle effecte why dyd not Christ than geue this lyberte in his worde to holy churche Did he leue that to yov to do Shewe youre commission Call yov thys a preuilege / to be agenst youre naturall prynce of the royalme / and to make him subiect vn to yov which haue no tytle of preheminence / but alonly of tyranny Than hathe holy churche gottyn a goodlye lyberte But what meane yov whan yov say / holy churche yf yow meane youre selues onlye / than the kynges grace is muche bound vn to yov / that yov do exclude his grace and al his commens out of holy churche / in to the whyche Christ hathe bought them with his most precious bloude And if yov vnderstond by holy churche the wholle congregacion / than are all Chrystenyd men aÌ„d alle there godes exemptyd from the kynges grace and vndernethe yov / So that bi this meanys yov wil make his grace a kynge with out a royalme / and he shal haue the name / and yov shal haue the auctoryte and the foolke But is thys Christes churche Is thys holy churche that is so contrary to the lorde of all holynes who hathe made her so holye why dyd she not clayme this liberte / in christes and his holy apostles dayes But now my lordis oure moste noble and gracious prynce commaundeth yov to answere / and to defende youre awne lawes / to defende youre libertyes / and to laye for yov by what tytle you do vsurpe his graces power / seynge that yow be but his subiectis He wille know by what auctorite yov do kepe any Courtes / or do execute any commaundementes with in his royalme what auctoryte yov haue to prove testamentes / and to take of euery pound a sertyn and to geue letters of mynystracion / ouer those godes / that yov neuer laboured for Vvhat tytle haue you there to The maÌ„ was not youre subiect / and how come yov by the mynistracion of his goodes Also what auctorite haue you to defende youre temporall goodes with bothe swerdes as yt is wrytten in youre lawe 15 q. 6 Auâ—toritateÌ„ 15. q. 6. Auctoritatem This is more than the kynges grace can doo / for he hathe but one swerde / and will you haue bothe But what auctoryte haue you to punysh them that stryke preastes And them that be bacbyters / and sclanderers Furthermore by what auctorite de you coÌ„maund / that preastes shal not appere before temporall iudges 23. q. 8 CoÌ„venior 33 q. 2. Inter hec As yt ys wrytten in youre lawe 23. q. 8. Conuenior in the glosse Also in a nother place 33. q. 2. Inter hec Also by what auctorite / haue yov made that princes shal make no statute as concernynge the goods of the church 23 q. 8 Conuenior in the glosse 23 q. 8 CoÌ„venior But yff ony thinge shal be geuyn vn to you / than the Emperoure and kinges haue sufficient power / but yff you shall paye any thynge to the mayntaynynge of the kynges grace and hys commen welthe / than no man hathe auctoryte wyth out youre consent Haue you not wytched the world this longe tyme But forthermore / the kyngis grace wolde knowe / by what auctorite you haue made that a preast shall not be sued afore a temporall iudge for whoredom These be the wordes of youre lawe Di. 28. c. CoÌ„sulenâ—m But vn to you that be laye men / is lefâ—e no power for to iudge off preastes / nor yet to serche ony thyng of their liuing cÌ„ My lordes maye no man iudge / of youre lyuyng but youre selues a lone not the kynges grace / who hathe geuyn yov this exempcyon who hathe geuyn you power to be iudges over bawdrie Is bawdrye a spirituall cause / Dothe bawdrye belonge to spyrituall men S. paul calleth yt the worke of the fleshe Gala. 5. and will you call yt a spirituall cause It may well be spyrytuall of youre spryte / but I am suer it is agenste the sprete of god But by thys meanys haue you
off synnes that god wolde haue punisshed / he wolde haue them punyshed not by the bysshops and rulers of the churche / but by the Iudgys off the worlde c. be not these wordes playne S. Paule sayeth / Omnis anima / ād origyn saythe / oīa crimina / So that S. Paule takethe awaye all men from their subieccion / And orygen taketh awaye all crymes from their correccion what glosse can they make of these wordes a fore youre grace / yf they laye for them the olde custom ād their lawys I will laye a genst thē oure master Christ S. Paule / S. peter Origen And I will denye their customs / their church and also their lawys And this wil I not doo onlye / but I will proue yt bi their awne lawe that I may doo yt rightfully / These be their wordes Disti 8. c. qui He that doth dispisse the verite ād presume to followe the custome / eyther is envyous malicious agenst hys bretherne to whom the veryte is opened / or els he is vnthankefulle towardes god by whose inspyracion his churche ys instructe / for the lorde sayth not I am the custom / but I am the veryte c. these wordes be playne agēste all customs and al churches that be agenste the worde of god Distin 8. c cōsuetudo This same thynge haue they also in another place in these wordis / that same custom / that ys crept in vn to certayne mē / maye not lett but that the veryte must preuaylle and ouercome For a custom with outh the verite ys but an olde erroure c̄ These wordes be playne that all customs be but errours that be agenste the veryte And as for to denye their churche I maye lawfully do yt / for that is not the churche that ys with out and contrarye to the worde of god for christis churche heareth his worde onlye / as christ sayth my shepe heare my voyce / Ioa. 10. and they follow not a straunger but flye from hym / for they know not hys voyce Also in a nother place / he that is of god hereth the wordes of god / and therfore do not you here / Ioan. 8. by cause yov be not of god Here is yt opyn that they that be not of god heare not the worde of god nor be of hys churche / but of the churche of the deuylle whyche he dothe hate Now haue I prouyd vn to youre grace / that I may ryghtously denye there churche / their lawys and their customs Not with stondynge all thys / yet will I prove by their awne lawe that they haue none auctorite tēporall / but al their auctorite ys allonlye in the ministracion of godes worde whyche they do sore despyce / these be the wordes of their lawe The churche that knoweth no corporall wepons / 16. q. 3. Porro ▪ doth paciently abyd allonly god whyche is her defēder / whan it shalle plese him for to haue mercy c̄ Here is playne that the church knoweth no temporall wepons Also in a nother place The holy churche of god hath no swerde but the spirituall swerde / with the whych she dothe not kylle / 33. q. 2. Inter her but quikkyn These wordes be playne / that the churche hathe no swerde but the spirituall swerde Now how comme the bisshops by the temporal swerd Lyke wyse in a nother place I may morne / I may wepe / I may waylle agenst wepons / agenst sodyars / and agenst the Gothos 23. q. 8. Cōvenior For my teris be my wepons / for suche thyngis be the wepons of preastes / otherwysse I ovght not nor I may not resyst c̄ Here yov this my lordes how that S. Ambrosse had none other wepons / but wepyngis ād prayers / and that he might not in ony wysse defende him selfe with other wepons How thinke yow / was not he of the churche was not he preuileged of god as wel as ye and yet coulde he not nor ought not defend hym nor medylle with the temporall swerde Moreover yt is open in yovre awne lawe .24 q. 4. Quesitum That the temporal swerde / the mynystracyon of the worde are of God / 24. q. 4. Quesitū and these too be dyuers and the one may not vsurpe others auctorite / the wordes of youre lawe be these The mediator betwene god and man Christ Iesus / hathe deuydyd the offices of bothe powers in to their proper actes and in to dystincte dygnityes / Di. 10. ◠Quoniam wyllinge bi hys awne medycinalle meknes that mens hartes shulde be lyfted vpp / and not with mans pryde agayne to be drowned in these inferior thynges / so that christen Emperours As consernyng eternalle lyfe shulde haue nede of bysshops / and lykwysse the bysshops for the course allonly of these temporall goodes / shulde vse the Emperours lawys / so that the spirituall accion shulde be distyncted from the worldlye courses / and he that shuld serue god shulde not wrappe him selfe in worldlye busynesses c̄ Here is playne that youre grace must haue fulle power over al worldlye coursis / and the bysshops allonly mynistracion of the worde of God and as youre grace maye not vsurpe to preache the worde of god / no more maye they vsurpe any power that belōgeth to youre swerde This same sētēce haue they di 96. c. dis 96. c. cū ad verū Cū ad verū So that youre grace may opēly se by godis lawe / by their awne lawe / by the practice of oure master christ of his apostils and bi the exposiciō of holy doctours that the bysshops neither haue nor yet maye haue any power tēporal / but all ys allonly in youre graces honde / and you are bound to vse yt to execute yt / in youre awne parson to the vttermost strength that God hathe geuyn yov And in no wysse may youre grace geue this power or parte thereof vn to other men / for so doyng do yov breake the ordinaunce of godes word and declare youre selfe a fore god that yov are vn worthy and not sufficient to minyster the honoure that god of heuyn hath frely geuyn vn to yov This may not youre grace do / for that were as moch a fore god as though yov wolde controlle his ordinaunce / or els that yov wolde not mekelye a plye youre selfe with dyligēce to mynister that thyng that god hathe enioyned youre grace vn to Not with stondynge / this may youre grace doo allonly yf the busynes be so greate that belongeth to youre administracion that youre grace can not alone discharge thē / than may youre grace chose and assyne certayne other so many as shall be necessary / whyche shal dyscharge all maner of causes All ways prouided / that these men shall be but mynysters and seruauntes vnderneth youre grace / and no kyngis nor they may not vsurpe any power as kyngis by no lawe
insurreccyon agenste youre grace But now youre grace may lyghtly iudge whether that they be traytours that wyll mynyshe youre power / yee and almost take yt cleare a waye / and not soo content except they be also youre fellowes wyth in youre awne realme / or els I that wyll be obedyent with all mekenes and lowlines vnto youre grace / ād also lerne all other men so to be and to geue vn to youre grace all maner off power erthlye vnder god whiche thynge I do not now allonly lerne / but all ways did lerne that same and dyd intende for to haue proceded further in this cause yff yt had pleasyd god that I myghte haue contynued / as myne artycles for the whyche I was condemned do openly declare and testyfye whyche thynge as sone as the bysshops perceyued / they thought yt was not good for them that I shulde contynue and therefore they toke me and condempned me for an heretyke / wyth out scrypture / agenste goodes worde / Agenst all good order / Agenst all good conscyens / agēst all manhod And not soo content / but put me to the greatyst shame that their hartys coulde deuyse ād afterwarde put me in preson allmost thre yearys / and yet not so content but sought all false / vncherytable and vnchrystyned meanys too brynge me to dethe / the whyche no doute but they had done yt / yff they had not feryd youre grace more than god It ys not to be doubted / but that youre grace and also all the worlde / hearynge howe they dyd vse me / wyll suspect and Iudge / that I haue done some intollerabylle cryme / and that I haue offendyd in heresye and too sore agenst god and hys blessyd worde / or ells the bysshops wolde neuer have soo handelyd me / thys all the worlde wyll thynke For they be reuerent fathers and holy men / and great prelates off Christes churche / and men off great lernynge / and suche men that they will not of their honour / handyll any man so sore / except yt wers for a great and an vrgent cause Truthe yt ys that all these thynges they wyll be / but howe honorable / and howe cherytable they haue byn vn to me / the cause wyll declare yt selfe / yff yt please youre grace no more but too rede the artycles for the whyche they haue condempned me And that youre grace ād all the worlde myght se them / I haue put them forthe in prynte I thynke youre grace shall not fynde manye thynges in them neyther agenst god nor yet agenst hys holy worde / but agenst theyr abomynable lyuynge and damnable pompe and pryde be the moste parte off them all Those ware the thyngys / that I toke in honde to dystroye / but these thynges a fore god / and a fore all chrysten men / be very farre from heresy Notwythstondge / yt was not possyble that I and all my frendes coulde deuyse any resonable ende with them / but that I shulde spend all my lyffe in pryson / my trespace as they sayd was so great To speake agēst prynces is at the most but treason / but to speake agenst these holy goodes ys bothe treason and also heresye / whyche ys the greatyst cryme in erth / yf harte coulde deuyse any greater cryme yt shulde be layd vn to hym / suche heuenly parsons be these / It ys euell medlynge for mortall men with immortall godes / for there ys no waye to make satisfacciō This haue I well proued to my vtter vndoynge / for I beynge in preason made dyuers tymys meanys vn to certayne off them / as vn to my lorde of london / fyrst that yt wolde pleasse hys holynes / to speake wyth me / and yf he found me in any errours / that he wolde be so good as to teache me / for I desyred to lerne the veryte and yff he founde me in none / I wolde desyre hys holynes that he wolde laboure for me too my lorde Cardynalles magestye that I myght come out off preason / for I was a younge man / and yf I had made any faute for wante of descrecyon / lernynge / or wysdom / I wold gladlye in time to come by godes grace make a mendes / Allonlye my request was that he wolde be so good as to helpe / that I myght not lose and spend all my lyffe and youth in preason / but at the lest that I myght teache chylderne to wryte and to reade / and lerne them theyr gramer / and soo too gett my lyuynge wyth truth and honestye / and not ydlye to lyue in preason He made me answere that too speake wyth me he had none occasyon / and I was the man that he neuer sawe and therfore he knew no cause why I shulde desyre too speake wyth hym / ād as for teachynge off chyldern he wolde neyther graunte me wyth in preson / nor wyth out Moreouer yf it pleasse youre grace / at a nother tyme I sent certayne off my frendes vn to hym agayne / to the number of .viij. or .x. of the whyche a certayne were aldermen and of the worshypfullest cōmeners wyth in youre Citye of London / and men of so good substance that no courte wyth in youre royalme wolde haue refusyd them for twentye thousande poūde / these men I desyred in the waye off cheryte and for Chryst Iesus sake to go to my Lorde of london / and to desyre hym too be good lorde vn to me for my cause was put to hym that I might come out of preson / and that he wolde take some cherytable ende wyth me / and what soo euer thynge that he wolde require off me lawfulle and resonable I wolde performe yt and therto fynde hym good suertyes Thys thynge dyd youre faythfull subiectes dylygently for me / Alonly off theyr cherite and goodnes but what answere they had / youre grace may knowe off the bysshope off london and off them / Neuer the lesse I dare well say vnder youre graces fauour that the greate Turke could not be moore cruell than the Bysshop off london was / though hys cruelnes were colered a lytle wyth holy hypocrysie For he wolde neyther graunt them any parte off their petycyon / nor yt gladlye heare them too speake for me / but soo handelyd them that they were bothe a frayde too speake wyth me and also to speake for me to any man / yee they were a frayde to geue me meate and dryncke This is truth that I saye to youre grace They be men I truste a lyue and of great honestie for to testifie it / So that youre grace maye se / what cheritable fathers they be / what holy bysshops they be / what men of the church they be / that wyll nothinge but vengeaunce ād dystruccion of their power brethern / and yff a man come in their daunger there is no remedie nor no wayes to come out / nor no man maye labour for hym
the sabboth day not allonly the seventh day / but at all tymes as Esai saith cÌ„ But here my lorde of Rochester sayd / fyrst that I vnderstode not Tertulian Secondarilye / that he was an heretike / but I passe over myne answere for this ys but a lordly worde he coulde on nother wyse saue hys honour / but yet stondeth my scripture fast / S. HieroÌ„ S. Augustyn / also their awne law whose wordes be these / De consecra di 3. c peruenit It ys come vn to me that certayne men whych be of an euill sprytte haue sowed sertyn euyll thynges a monge you and contrary to the holy faythe / so that they do forbyd that men shulde worke on the sabboth day / the whyche men what other thynge shall we call them but the prechers of Antychryst / the which antychryst shall make the sabboth day and the sonday to be kept from all maner of worke Thys lawe clearly declareth you to be Antychrystes / thys is more thaÌ„ I sayde I haue great meruell that the bysshop of bathe beyng so myghty a lorde in coÌ„demnynge of heretykis was not lernyd in thys lawe seynge yt ys hys awne facultye The seconde Article NOw dare no man preache the trewe and the very gospell of god and in especiall they that be feble and feare / but I truste / ye and I praye to god that yt may shortly come / that false and manyfest errours may be playnly shewed / There be sertyn men lyke coÌ„dicionyd to dogges / yff they here any man that is not their contrymaÌ„ or that they loue not nor knowe not / that say any thynge agenst them / than crye they an heretyk / an heretyk / ad Ignem ad ignem / These be the dogges that fere trew preachers Vvhat heresy fynd you in thys Artycle The thirde Artycle VVe make now a days many marters / I trust we shall haue many mo shortly for the veryte could neuer be prechid plainly / but persecutioÌ„ dyd follow Here dyd my lorde of bathe inquire of me / yf I rekkenyd theÌ„ for marters that were burnt at brusellis / I answerd that I knewe not their cause wherfore they deyd but I rekenyd as many men to be marters as were persecutyd aÌ„d deyd for the word of god / but he sayd he wolde make me frye for thys ¶ The .iiij. Artycle THese lawys / These lawyers / these Iusticiarys / that saye that a man may lawfully aske hys awne good a fore a Iuge / contend in iugement for they haue dystroyed all pacieÌ„s / deuocyon / and faythe in chrysten people ¶ The .v. Article THis pleatinge in Iudgement is manyfestly agenst the gospell â— Cor. 6 Luc. 12. Homo quis me coÌ„stituit iudicem / And coÌ„trary to S. paule / I am oâ—o delictuÌ„ est cÌ„ The some of these two articles is / that a chrysten man may not coÌ„tend in IudgemeÌ„t with hys brother for hys priuate welthe / how thynke you is thys heresy what say you to S. paul / whych sayeth Now ys there vtterlye synne a monge you by cause you go to lawe one wyth a nother why rather suffer you not wrong / why rather suffer you not youre selues to be obbid May not I speake these wordis / be they not of holy scrypture was not I a preacher and a doctour was not thys Auctoryte suffycyent Matt. 5. Also oure Master sayeth yf any man wyll sue the at the lawe and take thy cote from the / lett hym haue thy cloke also / wolde not oure master that we shulde rather suffer wronge / than to go to lawe for oure priuate welthe May not I say these wordes / wherfore were they wryttyn by the holy goost but that they shulde be lerned But lett vs goo to youre doctours / Athanasiê° ad cor 6. Athanasius on S. paulis texte / There is vtterly synne a mong you / that is to say yt ys to youre coÌ„demnacion and to youre ignominy that you do excercyse iudycialles a monge you / wherfore do you not rather suffer wronge S. HieroÌ„ ad cor 6 Also S. Hierom / yt ys synne vnto you that yow do agenste the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of christ / that you haue IudgemeÌ„tes a monge you that which ought all ways to kepe peasse / ye though it were with the losse of youre temporall goodes / where fore do you not rather suffer wronge where as you ought by the coÌ„mandemeÌ„t of the gospel / and by the exampyll of the lorde pacyently to suffer / there do you the contrary / not allonly not suffer / but you do wronge vn to them that doo no wroÌ„ge cÌ„ Mark how S. Hierom callethe yt a precept aÌ„d a coÌ„mauÌ„dmeÌ„t and no couÌ„sell Also Haymo sayth / Haymo ad cor 6 yt ys offence and synne in you that you haue Iudicialles for accusacion ingenderth stryffe / Stryffe ingenderth discorde / Dyscorde ingenderythe hattryd And lest peradueÌ„ture they wolde say this is no syne to requyre myne awne / there fore sayth the apostyll / truly it is synne vnto you / for you do agenst the coÌ„mandemeÌ„t of the lorde the whych saythe / Luc. 6. he that taketh a waye thy good aske yt not agayne / wherfore do yow not rather suffer wronge wherfore do you not rather suffer losse that you myght fulfyll the coÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„t of the lorde cÌ„ Mark how he callyth yt the commandemeÌ„t of god and it ys synne to aske oure awne with contencion / 14. Q. d his ita And youre awne lawe sayth They are forbydyn to contende in Iudgement / yt muste be thus vnderstonde that they may not stoÌ„de a fore a Iudge for them selfe but for other men cÌ„ Now what haue I sayd in myne artycle that holy scrypture / holy docturs and also youre awne lawe doo not saye / but vn to thys sayde my lorde off Saynt Asse that these scrypturs were but counselles aÌ„d no preceptes / alleggyd lira for him of this texte / si vis ê‘fectus esse / to whoÌ„ I did laye the auctoryte of S. paul that callyth it sinne which it coulde not be if it were but a counsell Also the auctorite of S. Hierom / which callyth it openly a precept but to this he answeryd shaking of his hed pytuously said / A good M. doctour if you were lernyd in duns you wolde saye other wyse / but the selfe bysshop could saye to a certayne doctor which had great meruell why thy haÌ„delyd me so that I had opyn vroÌ„g but he could not do therto but after this cam a doctour of law whoÌ„ I know not aÌ„d sayd that their lawe had condeÌ„nyd this opynion and declaryd those scripturs to be but couÌ„sells / but I denyed that and sayd I knewe no suche law and sodenly Doctour steuyn shewed me their lawe / whose wordes be these / Illud euangelij / 14. Q. 1. his ita si
haue why do they not put them bothe in vse for they must say as the Iuys sayd / we may kille noman This is the article that did byte yov for yov can not be content with the office of a bysshop but yov wille be also kynges but how that stondeth with godes lawe and with youre othe I haue declaryd yt to oure nobille prince I doute not but he wille put yov to the trial of these articles The .9 Article They saye they be the successors of christ aÌ„d of his apostles / but I can se them follow none but Iudas / for they bere the pursse / and yf they had not so greate possessions I am suer an C. wolde speke agenst them where now dare not one for losse of their promosyon As for this artycle I wil ouer come you with the witnes of alle the worlde yov may well coÌ„demne yt for heresy / but it is as trew as youre pater noster / Iudas solde oure master but once / and yov selle hym as oftyn as he cometh in youre handes The .10 Artycle THere is not the greatyst pharisye in thys churche / but I am suer I prycke him with these wordes and he knowithe that these thynges be trewe though he say the contrary aÌ„d that do I wel knowe This artycle dyd I speake by cause of doctour Rydle which on a tyme grauntyd in master doctour buttes house that the bysshops were clear out of order And therfore I say that I know yt The .11 Article THese ordynary bysshops aÌ„d prelattes do folow that false prophete balaaÌ„ for they wolde curse the people but by the prouisyon of god they are compellyd toblesse theÌ„ / that ys to say / to teache them to lyue wel though they theÌ„ selfe lyue most myschevously so the Assis whych they ryde a pon that is the commen people haue their lyuys in abhominacyon Thys ys the heresy for it speketh agenst the holy fathers which be almost as holy as Balams asse whych dyd ons speke the word of god to a good purposse and so do they neuer / but I graunt that I dyd offend in callyng you ordenary bisshops for I shulde haue callid yov inordinate buchers / and as for that that I coÌ„pare yov to balaam it is youre awne lawe .ij. q. vij Secutisunt / And .c. Nos si And as for youre lyuyng alle the world knoweth it The .12 Article THey sett vp an Idolle to dyseaue the people with alle whych is callyd Baal peor / Or baal phegor which is iÌ„terpretated gaspyng that is their lawes and constitucions that gaspe and gape to mayntayne their worldly honoure / they cause vs do sacryfyce by fayre wymeÌ„ that is by their carnall affeccyons and sweate wordes that god of Israell is for gottyn / aÌ„d so by theyr sweat wordes and benedyctyon they disseue simple people These be the false masters that 2. Pet. 2. S. Peter speketh of / these be the fovntayns with out watter for they geue no good doctryne to the people where ys the heresy in thys by cause I coÌ„pare youre lawys to baal / but loke whether the interpretacion of the word do a gre with the nature of youre lawes or not what do al youre lawes but mynyshe the auctorite of princes / and of al other lordes and exalte youres only calle yov not that a gaspyng Idolle let thys article stoÌ„d tyll yov be able to proue it heresy The .13 Article NOw they selle vs / they selle the people / they selle holy orders / they selle church halowyng / there ys no better marchandysse in chepesyde / wilt thow knowe what is the price of a church halowyng no lesse than .xl. shelinges / they sel pardoÌ„s remyssions of synnes as opeÌ„ly as a cowe and an oxe is solde for thei never graunt them with out monny The suffrigan of ely dyd aske of master Iohan pur golde .xl. shelinges and the offringe for halowynge of S. Edwardes in Cambrige / yee and he wolde not do it so good chepe / but bi cause he had a goddoughter buryed in the churche yarde / But this may be prouyd by exampillys ynow for bryng ye forth one churche in all Englond that yov haue hallowyd with out monny or with out hope of mony / and I wyll graunte my conclusyon false / and as for youre pardoÌ„s all the worlde knoweth youre handelyng I dare say yt is the best marchandyse in the worlde as yov handill yt The .14 article VVylte thou know what their benedictyoÌ„ is worthe They had rather geue the ten benediccions than one halfpeny Is not thys a sore heresy you ryde thorow streates and townys blyssynge man and stone but yov never geue halfpeny to man nor to chylde The .15 Article NOw is come a pardon wherby they say that they haue power to send an huÌ„dred soules to heuyn / and if they may so doo with out any further respect than may they lykewysse send a nother hundred to helle for yt followeth in the texte quodcunque ligaueris / that is what soeuer thou bindest Is not this a sore heresy to say that you may not rule thys matter at youre iudgement / but this is a meruelous texte / QuodcuÌ„que ligaueris / for yt bindeth in helle and losythe in heuyn / and openeth mens pursys and cofers in erthe / yt deposith prynces / yt interdyteth londes yt losyth a man out of his cote / yee oftyn tymes yt losethe a man from his wyffe / yee and the horsse out of the carte And all ys done by this text Quodcunque ligaueris / is not thys a mervelous texte that hathe so great power I know not such a nother in aâ— the hole Bible The .16 Article IT ys abhominable to here how they preache and teache that they may absolue a pena a culpa / which I am suer that yt is â—mpossible as they vnderstond it Make of this what yov can / and loke of youre awne scolasticall doctours The .17 Article VVhat ys the cause that they forbyd vs thou we shuld not dyscusse how great their power is but by cause that they wold make all meÌ„ foles holde vs in ygnoraunce / youre awne scole men saye that the popis power is so great that no man can nor maye dyscusse yt / but this ys for from herysy The .18 Article THey haue a law most abhominable and coÌ„trary to godes lawe and cheryte to excoÌ„munycate the people foure tymes in a yeare / that ys to saye the men that rayse the rent off an housse / that must you vnderstonde yff yt belonge not to the church / for yff yt belonge to the church / thou mayst rayse yt everye moneth once and no man shall cursse the. Also they cursse them that be not buryed in their parish church / that must be vnderstond yff that they be ryche men / for yf they be poore they may be buryed amonge the fryars The bisshope of bathe sayd there was
hathe alonly dyed for vs. The lambe hathe alonly shed his bloude for vs. The lambe hath alonly redemyd vs. These thinges hath he done alone Nowe if these be suffycyent / than hath he alone made satysfaccion / aÌ„d is allonly worthy to opyn the boke Moreouer / Thys tytyll ys geuen to the lambe by them that be in heuyn / and how dare you beyng but stynkynge caryon geue it eyther in parte or in hole to any other Also they that be in heuyn confesse that thys laÌ„be ys allonly worthy to redeme them / be youre workes better thaÌ„ they Or can youre workis helpe them yf they can / than ys not the lambe alonly worthy to redeme them / yf youre workys doo not helpe rheÌ„ than are they alonly Iustyfyde be the lambe / and yf they be / why shall not we also Moreouer the seniours falle doune by fore the lambe / geuinge him alloÌ„ly praise / And shal youre good workys stonde vpe by the lambe / than be they better than the senyours But let vs proue this thing by opyn scripturs / That no maÌ„ shal be able too denye yt Saynt Paul toke so greate labours to proue thys artykyll / as he neuer toke in no nother / and all bycause he wolde make yt playne / and stope the mouthys off the agayne sayers / But all thys wyll not helpe theÌ„ / that haue not the sprete of god / Neuer the lesse we wyll by godes fauour / do the best we can too confounde the croked enymys of Christes bloude / aÌ„d though we can not make them hys frendes / at the lest we wylle so handylle them / that they shall be a shamyd openly to speake agenste hym / as they haue done longe tyme / And soo wyll we handylle them by godes helpe that all the worlde shall knowe that they glory in Chrystes name and by hym be they also hye promotyd in thys worlde that they can not be hyer yet deserue they of christ / worst or all meÌ„ But lett vs go to oure purposse S. paul sayth / All men be synners / and wante the glory of god / but they ar iustifyed frely by hys grace / Ro. 3 thorow the redemcyon that is in christ Iesu Vvhat is this that all meÌ„ haue synned ye are iustyfyde frely How shall a sinner do good workys how can he deserne to be iustifyde what call you frely yf there be any deseruyng lesse or more / than is it not frely what call you by his grace yf it be any parte of workes / than it is not of grace / for as S. paul saithe / Than grace were not grace Ro. 11. here can be none euasioÌ„ / that wordys be so playne yf you bring in any helpe of workys / than for so muche ys not oure redemption frely / nor yet ys yt of grace / but partly of workys / and than doo yow dystroye all S. paule / and hys holle dysputacyon / for he contendyth agenst workys / aÌ„d clearly excludyth workys in Iustyfycacion / and bryngythe in grace only / Now that that ys excludyd in the wholl by contencion / can not be brought in / in parte to the cause Thys ys opyn in hys wordys / where he sayth Vvhere ys nowe thy reioysynge yt ys excluded / By what lawe by the lawe off workys Nay but by the lawe off faythe / we do Iudge and geue senteÌ„ce that a man is Iustifyde by faythe wyth out the workys off the lawe / Here yow not / that the gloryacyon off workys ys excludyd / and yet wyll yow bost youre workys Here yow not playnly Saynt Paules sentence / that Iudgeth clearly wyth faythe / and agenst all workys in thys cause / how can yow a voyd this is it not clear Vvhat can yow answere too yt Is not this Paulis proposion that he toke to proue / fayth only iustifythe It were but lost labour for Paule to proue that workes dyd helpe to iustifycacion / for that the iuys dyd graunt In so moche that they gloryed ageÌ„st the geÌ„tyllis / which had no maner of workes / aÌ„d for that dispysed them as peopell vn worthy to be iustifide / but paradveÌ„ture you wil make a blynd a damnable evasion / and say that Paule condemneth the workes of the olde lawe / as vnworthy to iustificacion / but not the workes of the newe lawe / are yov now satysfyed in youre conscience Thynke yov that yov haue well assoâ—yd S. Paules argument thynke you that this ys sufficient to avoyde S. Paule that hathe taken so great labour to proue this cause thynke you that yov shal be thus discharged a fore god yf yov doo / than goo boldly in to the strayte iudgement off god with this euasion / and doute you not but there shalle yov fynde S. Paule as styfly and as strongly agenst yov aÌ„d youre newe workes as ever he was agenst the Iuys and their olde workes / and yf he dyd condemne the workes of the lawe / that were institute by the mouth of god / thynke yov that those workes that you haue inuented out of youre idylle brayne shalle be there a lowed Breuely what workes can yov doo / or excogitate that be good whiche be not in the olde law / Ergo he speketh of all maner of workes / for the law includythe all workes that euer god instituted / but lett me stope youre mouthis with S. Paule Doth not he brynge to proue his cause / the example of the great father Abraham / whom no maner off workes culde iustify / but faith only / thynke you that S. Paule dothe speke here of the workes of the olde lawe nay doutles For how coulde AbrahaÌ„ do the workes of the law / and there was no law geuen .iiij. C. .xxx. yeres after where fore S. paule constrayneth you to conclude that no maner of good workis though they be so good as Abrahams workys can helpe to iustificacioÌ„ But yet yov haue a nother evasyon that is of youre glosse / how that S. Paule speketh of cerimonial workys / how they do not Iustifye Glossa Thys distynccyoÌ„ is but for mad men / and for theÌ„ that be not lernyd whyche are glad whane they may avoyd holy scriptur / though it be notyng to purposse but alonly with ydille and vayne wordis I pray yov what nede S. paule to proue that the ceremonials did not iustyfy / was there ever any Iue that lokyd to be iustified by theÌ„ Nay doutles For they were not geuyn to Iustificacion where fore what maÌ„ wolde thynke that S. Paule except mad meÌ„ aÌ„d vnlernyd assis wolde take so great labour to proue that thing / that every maÌ„ did gravnt / where fore say what you can Here stondith holy S. paule styfly aÌ„d strongly for me and ageÌ„st yov and saith that we be frely aÌ„d alonly Iustifyed by faith with out allemaner of workis Ambro ad Rom. â— But let vs see what youre awne doctours
an C. and from an C. tyll the offeringe of Isaac which at the lest was seveÌ„ yerys / so that Abraham must nedis be iustifyed xxj yerys afore he offered his sone / ergo by that worke was he not iustifyde Moreouer in the .xxij. chapter where he dyd offer his sone ys there never a word spoken off iustificacion / which must nedis haue byn spokeÌ„ yff he had therefore bene iustifyde / but alonly is there sayd / now doo I know that thou fearyst god / which ys an effect and a worke of iustificacion / and no cause of iustificacion Moreouer the Macabytes bryng the same exampylle of Abraham that his faith was imputed vn to hym for iustificacion 1. Mac· 2. Also S. Paule of whose auctory and lernynge no christeÌ„ man dothe douce / bryngythe the same example bothe to the Romayns and to the Galathyans to proâ—e that faith only dyd iustifye Abraham a fore the byrthe of Isaac / which dothe playnly sygnify that he wold prove that Abraham was iustifyd a fore / and with out the offerynge of Isaac / also in the pystylle to the hebrews is yt opeÌ„ that Abraham was iustifyed by faythe only / yee and that longe a fore Isaac was borne Furthermore as concernynge the example of Raab / yt is open in the boke of Iosue that she dyd say these wordes vnto the messengers / Iosue 2 I doo know that the lorde shall geue you this londe / for truly there is a great feare come a pone vs / aÌ„d all the dwellers of this londe doo pyne away for sorow we haue herd that the lorde hathe dryed vp the reâ— see a fore youre entrynge in whane yov came out of Egypt / we haue hard what thynges you haue done to the two kynges of the amorites cÌ„ youre lorde god ys he the whiche is in heuen aboue / aÌ„d in erthe bynethe / wherefore swere yov vn to me that as I haue shewyd yov mercy / that yov shal lykewysse doo vn to me and vn to my fathers howssold â–ª cÌ„ Be not these wordes off a great faith Dothe not she beleue the promyses of god and of that faith she reseued the mesengers / or els she had neuer reseyued them / and of that faith she requierythe also mercy / whaÌ„ god hathe fulfylled his promise / wherfore of this fayth was she iustifyde / and this fayth made here to doo well vn to the mesengers / Hebr. 11. therfore saith the epistle to the hebrews / That Raab the harlot thorow faith dyd not peryshe wyth the vnbeleuynge persons Here may yov se that Moses / and. S. Paule and other places of scripture doo expound these scripturs contrary to youre epistle / and that not with darcke wordis but with so playne wordes that no christen maÌ„ can say the contrary wherfore I can not beleue that you are abylle to defend this pistle to be S. Iamesys / but notwithstonding al these thinges / I will graunte yov this pystle to be of auctorite that you may haue some thyng to dispute with / what wil yov conclude out of that / that workes doo iustify That were sore agenst christes bloud / for than did christ dye invayne / Aug. 8â— q. c. 76. it is also agenst the exposicioÌ„ of S. Augustyn / whose wordes be these S. Paule sayth that a man may be iustifyed by faith with out any workes goynge by fore iustificacyoÌ„ / but whaÌ„ a maÌ„ ys iustifyed by fayth / how can he but worke well though that he before workinge nothyng ryght wysly is nowe come to the iustificacioÌ„ of faith not by merites of good workes but by the grace of god / the which grace in him / now can not be ydylle seynge that now thorow loue he worketh well And yff he departe out of this lyffe after that he beleuythe / the iustificacion of faith abydythe by hym / not by his workes goynge a fore iustificacioÌ„ / for by his merites came he not vn to that iustificacion but by grace / nor by his workes that follow iustificacion / for he ys not suffered to lyue in this lyffe / wherefore paule aÌ„d Iamys be not contrary for Paule spekythe of workes that go by fore faythe / and Iamys speketh off the workes that follow the iustificacioÌ„ of faith cÌ„ Here haue yov playne that S. Augustyne saithe that no maner of workes / neyther that goo by fore neyther that come after helpe to iustificacion but allonly they follow iustificacion / and a iuste man must nedes do good workes Here haue you also / that S. Iames speketh of workes that follow iustificacyon and not of workes that helpe to iustify for there be none suche Here haue yov also that the iustificacion off faith ys so parfytt that yt saueth a man onlye the which is agenst my lorde of Rochesters dystynacion / for yf workes dyd make perfytt iustificacion / than a man coulde not be saued wyth out the perfeccion of workes / wherefore yt wylle be harde for my lorde of Rochester to saue his honestye S. Augustine ys so opeÌ„ ageÌ„st hym but I feare me that the prouerbe that a wysse man dyd wons lerne me whane men are come to great honour they doo so much regard yt that clearly they for gett all honesty wylle here be found to trewe Also yov haue a nother scripture for you which is this By fore god they are not iustified whych here the lawe but they which do the lawe shalle be iustified / of this texte yov glorye / and crye opera / opera / workes / workes / Rom. 2. but yf yov wolde coÌ„syder the mynd of S. Paule yov shulde welle perseue / that he menyth not howe workes shulde deserue iustificacion / for than coulde not he haue concluded this agenst the Iuys for they dyd the workes of the law to the vtter most and yet ware they not iustifyde / wherefore S. Paule menyth by the herers of the lawe alle them that doo the vtter workes of the law for fere / or for rewarde / or of hypocrisy / or els by them to be iustifyed the doars callyth he theÌ„ that doo the workes of the lawe after the intent of the lawe / and as the lawe commandeth them / that is in the trewe fayth off Christ Ihesus / which is the very ende of the lawe anâ— the fulfyllynge of the lawe as S. Paule saythe to alle them that beleue wherefore alle men be but hearers allonly of the lawe / tylle the tyme that they haue the faythe of Christ Ihesus / whyche ys imputed vnto them for iustis / and the workes of the lawe be no cause of iustificacyon / but allonly an outward testimonye and wytnes that the lawe ys fulfylled inwardly in theyr conscieÌ„s a fore God so fulfyllyd that it hathe no accasacioÌ„ ageÌ„st theÌ„ for christ hathe made satisfaccion for them / of the which they be pertakers by their faith / and so the lawe must be
youre exterior sygnes / with alle youre holye ornamentes / as youre holy myters / youre holy crossestauys / youre holye pyllers and polaxis / youre holy red gloues / youre holy ouches / and poure holye rynges / youre holye anoynted fyngers / youre holy vestmentis / youre holly challisys / youre holy goulden showys / yee take also to helpe yov S. Thomas of Canterberys holy showe wyth alle the holy botys of holye monkys all these to gether can not make one crumme of holynes in yov / nor helpe yov one prycke forward / that yov may be wyth in this churche For if these thynges coulde helpe / than were yt no mastery to make an asse to be of the church of god But oure holy mother the church hathe a nother holynes / that cometh from god the father thorow the sweat bloud of his blessed sonne Iesus Christ / in whome is alle hyr confidens trust Vn to whome she stycketh onlye by stedfast faith / by whose purenes she ys also puer in that that she dothe confesse hyr vnclennes / for she beleueth stedfastly that she hathe an aduocate for hyr synne to the father of heuen / which is christe Iesus 1. Ioan. 2. And he is the satisfaccioÌ„ for hyr synnes And he of his marcye not of hyr merites hathe chossen hyr for to be his / and by cause she ys hys / therfore must she be clene so loÌ„ge as she abyâ—eth in hym This is well declared in Ioan. 15 S. Iohan where oure Master Christe is coÌ„pared to the vyne and all the members of holy churche to the branches / that as the branches / can brynge forth no frute of them selfe / so can holy churche of hyr felfe brynge forth no goodnes excepte she remayne in christ by perfyt faithe This is wel proued by youre awne lawe whose wordes be these / therfore is the churche holy / by cause she beleueth rightwyselye in god cÌ„ De coÌ„ Di 4. c. prima igitur Here yov not the cause wherefore the church is holy by cause she beleueth rightwyselye in god / that is she beleueth in nothynge but in hym / and she beleuethe nor hereth nor worde but hys / as oure Master Chryste berythe wytnes / my shepe here my voyce / and a nother mans voyce doo they not knowe / also in a nother place / he that is of god / herythe the wordes of god / how commythe this that the church of god hathe so suer a iudgement / that she knowythe the voyce of Christe from other voycis and can not erre in hyr iudgement By cause that Christ hath chosen hyr / and by cause she ys lerned of god as oure master Christ saith / and by cause she hath as 1 Iohan. 2. S. Iohan saith the inward oyntement off god / that techyth his alle maner of verite / so that she can not erre / but why can she not erre by cause she may do what she wille By cause that all thynge that she dothe / is well done by cause she maye make newe rules and newe lawes at hir plesure By cause she may invent a newe seruice of god that is not in scripture at hir wille Nay nay my lordes For she is but a woman must be ruled by hyr husbonde / yee she is but a shepe and must here the voyce of hyr sheppard / and so longe as she dothe / so longe can she not erre by cause the voyce of here shepperd can not be false De pene Dis 2. Si in glossa 24. q. 1 A recta et in Glossa This maye be proued by youre awne lawe whose wordes be these / the whole churche can not erre / also in a nother place / the congregacioÌ„ of faith fulle men must nedes be which also can not erre cÌ„ These wordes be playne what churche yt is that can not erre / that is the congregacion of faithfulle men that be gethered in christes name / which haue christes spret which haue the holy oyntement of god / whiche abyde faste by christes worde / and here no nother mans voyce but his Now my lordes gather yov alle to gether with alle the lawes that you can make / and all the holynes / that yov can deuysse / Crye / the church / the church / the counsels / the counsels that were lawfully gathered in the power of the holye gost alle this may yov say and yet lye and yf yov haue not in dede the holly goste with in yov / and iff yov do heare any other voyce than christes / thane are yov not of the church / but of the deuylle / and theuys and murtherars as christ saith For yov come a fore him / that is yov come in to the foulde of Christe wyth out him / yov brynge not his voyce / but yov come with youre awne voyce / with youre awne statutis / with youre awne worde / and with youre awne mandamus / mandamus / precipimus / precipimus / excommunicamms / excommunicamus These be the voyces of murtherars and Theuys and not of Christ / therfore yov can not but erre / for yov be not taught of god / you haue not the holy oyntement yov haue not the worde of god for yov / yov here not the voyce of the trewe shepperd / there fore must yov nedes erre in alle youre counselles This is a nother maner of rule thane my lorde of iochester dothe assine to examen youre counselles by / for he saith / where that the pope and the counsell dothe not agre alle in one there wylle he susspect the counselle not to be ryght who did euer here suche a rule of a christenyd man yee and of a bishop yee and of a doctor of diuinite / where hathe he lerned this diuinite to recken a counselle to be trewe / by cause that the pope aÌ„d so many men do agre in one / yee that suche men as haue so oftyn tymes erred in their counsels / as he dothe declare hym selfe rekenynge the counselle of Constantinople that had .330 bisshops and yet did erre / and he knew no nother cause / but by cause the pope dyd not agre to them / is not thys a resonable cause can not the pope erre lett hym redâ— his awne lawe Dis 19. Anastasius / Dis 40. Si papa and also .24 q. 1. A recta in the glosse / there shall he finde that the pope hathe erred wherfore than shulde the matter stonde in hys iudgement Now how wille he by this rule saue the counselles of constance / and of basel where in both counsels the popes were condemned for heretykes as the same counsels make mencion / also that the counsels haue erred that graunteth he hym selfe / but paraduenture he wyll say / that they were not fulle counsels Now is yt well a mended / what dysticcionis as consernynge the veryte in a
vs if they be impossible what right is in him that daÌ„neth vs for that thing that is impossible for vs to do / I answere o thou blind pÌ„sumtuous / daÌ„nable reson / where haste thou lernyd of ony other creature to inquier a cause of thy makers wyll / or ellis to murmur / agenst the ordynance of thy lyuinge god / what hast thou to do / to requier a cause of his actis he hath made that with out thy consent couÌ„sell may he not sett law ys ê¯maÌ„demeÌ„tis to rule that bi at his plesur with out couÌ„sel thou artworthy of none aÌ„swer / thou arte so presuÌ„tuê° nor there is no godly aÌ„swere that will satifyse that Neuer the lesse I wyll stope thy blasphemynge mouth / by thyne awne wysdom to thy gret shame First thys thyng must thow grauÌ„te me / that thy god is Essencial goodnes / is nothing but goodnes / wherfore he can commande nothyng / but that is good / Iust rightê° / which thngys yf thou doo not or be not abylle to doo Thy maker may not lett his goodnes vndone by cause of thy naughtynes / or for thyne vn a byllnes / And if thou biste not abille to do those good thyngis that he commandyth the / There is no faute in the commander / nor yet in the commandimentis / wherfore than doste thou grudge agenste hym with out a cause But yet wylte thou murmur and say how that he knoweth how they be impossible for the / Truthe that is he knoweth it / Than wylt thou say / wherfore dothe he command them to me O thou presumtuous creature it were suffycyently aÌ„swered to the to say that it is his plesur so to commaunde what couldest thou say more / what occasyon haddest thou to murmur what vroÌ„g haste thou But I wille go forther thy maker knowythe that they be impossible for the he knowithe also / thy damnable and presumtuous pryde / that rekkynest how thou canste do alle thyngis that be good of thyne awne streÌ„gth with out any other helpe / and to subdewe thys presumtuous pryde of thyne / to bryng the to knowlege of thyne awne selfe / he hath geuyng that his commaundymentes of that which thou canste not complayne / for they be bothe righttus aÌ„d good And if thou complayne bi cause they be impossible for the / thane consyder thy damnable pryde / that thoughtest thy selfe so stronge that thou couldest do alle goodnes / But what wylt thou nowe doo these commandimentis be geuyn and cannot nor shalle not be changyd to satysfyse thy presuÌ„tuus pryde / where of wilte thou now complayne godes commaÌ„dimentes be resonable / they be good / they be righttus / and they be laudable / shalle alle these thynges be dystroyd to satisfyse thy pryde / nay not so / But thou shalte rather remayne / with alle thy pryde vnder the damnacion of these commandimentes / what sayst thou ther to caÌ„ste thou avoyd this canste thou say but this is ryght / canste thou saue thy selfe from danger / canste thou a voyde thy damnacion by alle thy carnalle wysdom nay verely / for he that is thy aduersary is omnipotent where fore say what thou wylt / So must it be / for it is godes ordinaÌ„ce whiche may not be chaÌ„gyd But now wilte thou aske what remydy no remydy but this wonly / to confesse thy wekenes / to confesse thy pryde / to knowlege thy vnabyllnes / to graunt that these commandymentes be lawfulle holy and good / and how thou arte bounde to kepe them / and to geue laude and prayse to god for them / and to go to thy mercyfulle maker with this confessyon / and to desyer hym that he wille helpe the / that he wille be mercifulle vn to the / that he wille strength the for thou arte to weke / That he wille geue the his spret / for thy spret is to fleshely / to fulfylle these spritualle commandementes and doute thou not but thou shalt fynd hym bothe mercy fulle and also gracious for he gaue thou these commandymentes for that intent / secretly declaryng bothe thy pryde also thy wekenes / that thou mightest seke aÌ„d calle vn to hym for helpe Thys dothe S. Augustine declare welle in these wordis / de tempo ser 5.3 yf man do perseue that in the coÌ„mandymentes / is any thynge impossible or els to harde / lett hym not remayne in hym felfe / but lett hym runne vn to god hys helper / that which hathe geuyn his commandimentes for the intent / that oure desyer myght be sturryd vpe and that he myght geue helpe cÌ„ Marke S. Augustine saithe that the commandymentes be impossible vn to oure streÌ„gthe / but we must calle to god for strengthe The palagioÌ„s did rekyn / that they had got a grett vyctorduÌ„ whan they had made this carnalle reson / that God wolde commande nothyng that was impossible / of thys reson dyd they glory aÌ„d tryumphe and thought that they must nedes haue some naturalle strengthe and power to fulfylle the commandimentes of god / seyng that god wolde commande nothyng impossible to man Off this same reason dothe my lorde of rochester and alle his scollars glory vnto thys same day But let vs see how S. Augustine answeryth them / Dâ—li arb cap. 16. The palagions saithe he thynke that they knowe a wonders thyng / whan they say God wille not command that thyng the which he knoweth / that is impossibille for man to do / Euery man knoweth this / but ther fore dothe he commaunde sertyn thynges / that we caÌ„ not doo / Eccle. 12. by cause we myght knowe / what thyng we ovght to aske of hym / Faithe is she whych by prayer optaynyth that thyng that the law commandithe / breuely he that saythe / If thov wilt thou mayst kepe my commaÌ„dimentes / In the same boke a littille after saith / he shalle geue me kepyng in my mought Playne it is that we may kepe the commandimeÌ„tes if we wille / but by cause oure wille is prepared of god / off hym must it be askyd / that we may so muche wille / as wille suffice vs to do them / trouth it is / that we wille / whan we wille / but he makyth vs to wille that thyng that is good Here haue yov pâ—ayne that my lord of Rochesters opynyon and the palagyons ys alle won / for they bothe do agre that the commandimentes of god / be not impossible to oure naturall streÌ„gth But S. Augustine saythe they be impossible / And therfore be they geuyn that we shuld know oure wekenes / also aske the strengthe to fulfille theÌ„ / For faythe bi prayer dothe optayne strengthe / to fulfylle / the impossible commandimentes of the lawe Here haue you also / that god mouythe vs and causythe vs to be good willers / aÌ„d geuythe vs a good wille for els we wolde
haue / that be agenst his holy verite / but let vs graunt that that translacion was so false / why did not yov there take a pone yov opynly for to amend it and to sett forthe truly the holy testament of christ yov must nedes graunt that there is an holy testameÌ„t of his in erthe except yov wille deny christ as I dought not but that yov wille in effect where is it whye haue we it not If that wer not it / whye do not yov sett the very trew testament out / yov were reddy to coÌ„demne an other mans faithefulle labor aÌ„d diligence / but yov had no cheryte to amend it / yov thynke alle ways to disseue the worlde with youre holy hypocrysy / men be not so blynd but that they cane welle Iudge / If yov hade condemnyd that testament allonly by cause off errours / yet at the lest ways yov shulde bothe of cheryte / and also of dutye haue set forthe the trew texte / and than wolde men haue thought / that yov condemned the other by the resoÌ„ of errours But men may now euydently se that yov dyd not condemne it for errours sakes / for how shulde they iudge erroures that be soo vnlernyd but alonly by cause that the verite was ther in / the which yov coulde not abyde that men shulde knowe / and that dyd the processe of youre sermon and also youre tyranny that dothe folow wel proue / but mi lord I say to yov / aÌ„d to all youres if yov do not amend it shalle be to youre euerlastyng damnacyon / for god wille not take thys rebuke at youre honde / Esa 62. remember that he hathe sworne by the movght of his prophete hy his ryght honde aÌ„d by the might of his strengthe that he wille defende this cause / Be not these lordly wordes / of the eternalle god / thinke yov to make hym for sworne Heb. 10. Remember how the holygost thretyneth yov in another place saynge / yf a man dyd dysspysse the lawe of Moses / he must with out any mercy dye / howe muche more are they worthy of ponishement / that do trede the sone of God vndernethe their fete / and dyspise the bloud of hys testament / how thynke yov ys not this opynly agenst yov / That coÌ„demne not alonly christ but also his blessed worde / and alle that longythe to hym / Take a way christes word / and what remanythe bi hynd of chryst nothyng at alle I pray yov my lorde to whome was thys worde fyrst preched to whome was it writtyn allonly to prystes not vn to lay men ye was it not writtyn to alle the worlde yes truly / where by wille yov conuerte a turke or an infidelle / not by holy scripture whan they be conuerted / what wille yov lerne theÌ„ what wille yov geue them to rede / any other thyng than holy scripture I thynke nay Now wille yov make youre awne cuÌ„trymen / youre awne citysins youre awne subiectes yee youre awne brethern / redemed wyth christes blessed bloud worsse them Iuys / and infidelles But their is no reson nor no bretherhod / nor no chrysten cheryte that cane moue yov / or that cane helpe yov / for yov are so blynded and so obstinate agenste chryst / that yov had rather alle the worlde shulde peryshe / thane his doctryne shulde be brought to lyghte / but I do promisse yov / if god do spare me lyffe / aÌ„d geue me grace / I shalle so set it out / if yov do not revoke it that it shalle be to youre vtter sâ—ame and confusyon / fynde the best remedy that yov cane / I do beleue stedfastly / that god is myghttyar than yov / and I doo rekkyn and faytheffully beleue / that yov are ten tymys worsse thane the grette Turke for he regardeth no more / But rule dominyon in this world And yov are not there with content / but yov wille also rule ouer mens consyens yee aÌ„d oppresse christ and his holy word / and blaspheme and condemne hys worde / was it not a holy covnselle / of the chanseler of london to conselle a sertyn merchaÌ„t / to by Robyn hoode for his seruaÌ„tes to rede what shulde they do with vitas patryÌ„ / and with bokes of holy scriptur Also the same Chanseler sayed to an other maÌ„ / what fyndest thou in the gospel but a story what good canst thou take there out O lorde god where arte thou why slepist thou why sufferst thou this blasphemy Thov hast defeÌ„ded thy prophetes with wilde fier froÌ„ heueÌ„ / And wylte thov suffer thy wonly sone and thy heuynly worde / thus to be dyspysyd and to be rekenyd but as a story of Robyn hoode Rysse vpe good loorde / Rysse vpe / thy enemys do preuaylle / Thy enymys do multiplye / shewe thy power / defend thy glory It is thy conâ—umely and not oures what haue we to do with it but alonly to thy glory venge this cauâ—e or thy enymys shalle rekkyn yt not to be thy cause / O thou eternalle God though oure synnes haue deseruyd thys / yet loke on thy name / yet loke on thy veryte / Se howe thov arte mockkyd Se how thou arte blasphemid / ye and that by them / that haue takyn on theÌ„ to defend thy glory / But now heuynly father / Seynge that thou haste / so suffered it / yet for the glory of thy name / geue some man strengthe to defend it / or els shalt thou be clearly takyn out of the hartes off allemen where fore most gracious lorde / of thy mercy and grace I besech the / That I may haue the strengthe to defend thy godly worde to thy glory and honour / and to the vtter confusyon of thy mortalle enymys / helpe good lord helpe / and I shalle not fere a thovsand of thyne enymys / In thy name wille I begyn to defend thys cause Fyrst commyth thy faythfulle seruant Moses / trewe and Iuste in alle thy workes / and he commandythe faythefully and trewly / and with grett thretnynges that man / woman and chylde shuld dilygently rede thy holy worde / Sayng / Sett youre hartes on alle my wordes the whych that I do testyfye vn to you thys day / That yov may commaÌ„de them vn to yovre chyldern / to kepe / to doo / and to fulfylle alle thynges that be wryttyn in the boke of thys lawe / Marke howe he commauÌ„ded them / to lerne their chyldern alle thynges that be wryttyn in thys boke / Deu. 32. and so to lerne them that they myght kepe and fulfylle alle thynges that were wryttyn in the boke / Moses maâ—e nothyng of secretnes / and wille yov make secretes ther in how shalle men fulfille those wordes that they know not how cane men know the very trewway of god and haue not the worde of god is not alle oure knowlege ther in The prophete saith / thy
But breuely yf yov wold teche nothynge / but that that oure master christe hathe lefte to be taught / we shulde not haue so meny heretikes as we haue / for now men be none heretikes for spekynge agenst scripture for yov graunte that meÌ„ speke scripture but for spekynge ageÌ„st youre lawe / for that cause be they made heretykes / aÌ„d by that be they prouyd heretykys / now lett euery christen man Iudge in his consyens yf this be right or lawfull Is not thys a meruelus thynge / lett a man lyue in fornycacyon / in whordum / in thefte / in murder / drunkonshyp in extorcyon / in brybery / breuely in all maner of myschyffe / and yow wyll haue nothyng too doo wyth them / yow wyll scaselye repreue hym / yee he shall be a great officer vnder nethe yow and gretly in youre fauoure / But lett a man come and preache the very true gospell of Chryst aÌ„d there by reproue youre damnable lyuynge / and thaÌ„ begyneth he to be an heretyke and yt shalle coste you great laboure yf you make hym nott an heretyke in dede / And yet haue you nothyng that you can reproue in hym as consernynge hys lyuing / But alonly that he prethithe the gospelle / Is not thys a meruelus heretyke whose lyuyng you must nedes graunt to be good / And also you can not proue / but that his lernyng ys of Chryst / but allonly that yt plesythe you not / no yow dare not take in hond to proue yt false / but allonly by vyolynce you wyll condemne yt / Thynke you that god wyll thus suffer remenber what he saythe by the holy prophet / Thow hast repreuyd the vnfaythefull peopylle / Psal 9. aÌ„d haâ—e distroyd the wykkyd / aÌ„d takyn a way their â—ame for euer / The lorde hath preparyd hys troune of Iudgement / Doute you not but he shalle shortly reproue you / his Troune ys set / and to the Iudgement must you come where you shall neuer be able to defend this cause / but you must peryshe for euer But here will you say that you preche the gospell to the peopylle / and that is ynough for they nede not to haue yt in ynglyshe I answere I pray you whaÌ„ was there any law that euer men were bounde to kepe / but that yt was geuen them in writing / I will not say that you doo not teche theÌ„ the right gospell / for yow know it not / But how are they able to bere away that thing that they do but here / And yf they may here it of you why may they not also rede it But loke on S. Luke that wrotte his gospel that men might know / for a certayne those thingis that they were in formyd of Moreouer why did the apostle wryte / yee and that vnto lay men / seyng that they were so dyligent in preching I dare boldly say as you be But lett vs see how lay men were for biddyn to rede holy scripture in the apostyllis tyme Acto 17. The nobelyst of thessalonia / whiche reseuyd the worde serchyd the scryptours dayly whether those thingis that Paule prechyd were so or not / here haue you playne that lay men serchyd scriptours too know whither paulys doctryne were trew or not / aÌ„d also how they rede dayly scriptours / And now come you and say that lay men shall rede noo scriptours but allonly reseue them of youre prechynge / what yf you preche lyes As yt wyll be prouyd too youre face that you do shall it not be lawfulle for them to serche scryptours / but to lerne youre lyes Here wyll I resyte how a gret prelatt of christys churche the fyrst letter of hys name ys Doctour Allen dyd interpretate aÌ„d declare sertyn placys of scryptour / Doctuor AleÌ„ expouÌ„deth scrypture to the gostely instruccyon of Chrystys churche as all men may Iudge The fyrft place was this A thre folde cable ys harde to breke / by thys threfolde cabylle / he vnderstod / the Reuerent father in god my lorde Cardynalle / The fyrst fould was / That he was an ynglyshe man borne / the whyche was a stroÌ„ge thynge and harde to wyth stonde / The seconde foulde was that he was legate and that not after the commen maner / but legatus a latere / that ys spronge out of the blyssyd syde yf oure holy father the pope / This wasse a stronge foulde and coulde not be lyghtly brokyn The thirde foulde / he was a lorde and that of the kingis counsell / Thys was a stronge foulde / and all these thre to gether dyd make so strong a cable that no man wyth in the realme myght breke yt or wythstonde yt I was sore a frayd that he shulde haue reknyd the nobylle and the Ryalle bloud that thys threfolde cable dyd spryng out off / than had yt byn so stronge / that the strongyst Oxe in the buchers stalle coulde not breke it This exposycyon dyd I here and satt by him therfore I can testyfye it the better The Seconde scrypture was thys from syon shalle come out a lawe / and the worde off god from Ierusalem / Thys dyd he expounde on thys maner / The commandemeÌ„t of the most reuerent father in god lorde Legatte / ys Come from hys hye palys / and from hys noble grace hyther vn to you The thryd scrypture / was thys Sumite PsalmuÌ„ et date timpanuÌ„ / thys dyd he expouÌ„de on thys maner / I haue done my visitacioÌ„ / now geue me my mony How thynke you by thys holy Doctor / aÌ„d this prelatte of Chrystes churche hathe he not welle declared holy scryyture / Is he not worthy too be beleuyd Vvhat reason were yt that laye men shulde serche scrypturs than might they reproue this noble prelat what order ware that yt were ryght yf he weâ— well seruyd that he had a threfolde halter too stretche him in / But by suche doctours as these be must the poure peopyll be rulyd and yf they wyll serche for the veryte them selfe / than must they be heretykes by cause they wyll not beleue these holy fathers / Actâ— 18. But lett vs procede in oure matter ageÌ„st these blasphemers of godes word Priscilla and Aquila dyd expound vn to Apollo which was a grett lernyd man the perfyt vnderstondyng of scripturs / These wer lay ê‘sons and yet were they so lerned in scryptours that they were able too teche a grett doctour / And now laye men may not rede scrypturs Thys was alowyd by petter / aÌ„d paule / But their successoures wyll condeme yt as heresy Actâ— 8. Also Enuchus that was the tresurar vn to the Quene of the Ethiopians dyd rede Esay the prophet / The whiche he vnderstode not / tylle god sent him Phillip to declare yt vn to hym / This was a lay man / And also an Infydell aÌ„d yet was not for biddyn of god to rede scripturs But rather holpen to the vnderstonding of
thyng that is commanded vs or els flye / but if any thyng be commanded vs that is agenste the worde of god where by oure faythe is hurt / that we shulde not doo in any wysse but rather suffer persecucyon and also dethe But agenst this power goythe not oure Artycle for it commandeth nothyng as consernynge the consyens / but alonly as consernyng the orderynge of worldly thynges and there fore / it mynistreth a temporalle payne over the boddy wonly and there wyth conteÌ„t / wherfore we wille now speke of the other power whych meÌ„ calle spiritualle Fyrst here is to be notyd that thys is no power Nor none auctorite worldly / but al oÌ„ly a mynystracyon of the worde of God and a spiritualle regement / prechyng the gouernynge of the soule and the mynystracion of the sprett hauyng nothyng to do wyth the exterior Iustes or ryghtwisnes of the world aÌ„d therfore hathe it no power bi ryght lawe to make any statutes or lawys to order the world by / but alonly faythe fullie truli to pÌ„che to minister the word of god there bi iÌ„structiÌ„g the coÌ„syeÌ„s of maÌ„ nothiÌ„g addyng there to / nor takyng there from but as S. Paule saith / 2. Tim. 3 to abyde in those thynges that they haue lerned / Rom. 16 and that be commytted vn to them / for S. Paule as he hym selfe saith durste speke no nother thynge but those thynges which Christe had wrought by him / for he curseth hym be he man or angell that precheth any other gospell / Gala. 1. Hiere 23 than he had preched / therfore the prophete commandeth vs that we shulde not here the wordes of those prophetes which dysseue vs / for they speke visyons of their awne hartes and not out of the mought of god / and yet speke they in the name of god / wherfore these meÌ„ so longe as they speke wonly the worde off god / so longe are they to be harde / as christ him selfe / after that saynge he that hereth yov hereth me / Luce. 10 Mat. 23. Suê‘ IoaÌ„ Trac 46. also what so euer they saye vn to yov syttynge in the chayre of Moses doo yt / on the which texte speketh S. Augustine / By syttyng in the chayre is vnderstonde the lernynge of the lawe of god / and therfore god dothe teche by theÌ„ / but yf they wylle teache their awne doctrine hare yt not / doo yt not / for suche men seke that that ys theires and not Christes cÌ„ These wordes be playne agenst alle them that preche any thynge but the lawe of god wonly / wherefore yff these mynysters wyll of tyranny aboue the worde of god make any law or statute / yt must be consydered after two maner awayes / fyrste whether yt be openly and derectly agenst the word of god and to the dystruccion of the faith / as that statute is where by they haue condemned the new testament / and also forbydden serten men to preche the worde of god hauynge no trew cause agenste them / but alonly their malicius susspeccion / also that lernyng where by they lerne / that workes doo iustify more ouer that statute where by they bynd meÌ„ vnder the payne of damnacyon to be assoyled of them / these statutes I say with other lyke men are not bound for to obey nether of cherite for here is faith hurt which geueth no place to cheryte nor yet for a voydyng of sclander / for the worde of god may not be a voydyd / nor yet geue place / vn to sclander for than shulde yt neuer be preched / but it must be faste stucke vn to and the more that men be offended with alle aÌ„d the styffer that they be agenste yt / the more openly and planlye yee and that to their faces / that make suche statutes must we resyst them with these wordes / Act. 5. we are more bound to obey god than man This is well proued / by Hylarius wordes / Hylarius in Matt. cano 14. alle maner of plantes that be not planted of the father of heuen must be plucked vpp by the rootes / that is to say the tradicions of meÌ„ / by whose menys / the commandimentes of the lawe be broken / must be destroyed / and therfore calleth he them / blynd gydes of the way to euerlastynge lyffe / because they se not that thyng they promys / and for that cause / he saith / that bothe the blynde gydes and they that be led shall faule in to the dyke cÌ„ Marke that alle tradicious of meÌ„ which are agenst godes law must be dystroyed / therfore lett everye man take hede / for yt longeth to their charge / for bothe the blynd gydes and also they that be led shalle falle in the dyke / yt shalle be none excuse / for hym that ys led to saye that hys gyde was blynd / but lett them here the word of god by his holy prophete walke not in the preceptes of youre fathers nor kepe not their iudgementes / Ezech. â—0 but walke in my preceptes / and kepe my iudgementes The other maner of statutes be whan serten thynges that be called indifferent be commanded as thinges to be done of necessite and vnder the paynes of deedly synne / as for an example to eate fleshe or fyshe this day or that day is indiffereÌ„t and fre / also to goo in this rayment / of this collour or that collour / to shaue oure hedes or not / a prest to were a longe goune or a shorte / a gray fryar to were a gray cote or a Russett / a whytte fryar to were a whytte or a blake / a preste to marry or not to marrye / an heremyt to haue a berde or not / these with alle other suche outwarde workes / be thynges indifferent and may be vsed and also lefte / now if the bisshops will make any lawe or statute that these thinges shalle be determynatlye vsed so that it shalle not be lawfulle for vs to leue them vn done / but that we must presyssely doo them and not the coÌ„trary vnder the payne of dedlye synne / here must they be with stoÌ„ded and in no wyse obeyd for in this is hurte oure faith and lyberte of christendome where by we ar fre and not bound / to any exterior worke / but fre in alle thynges and vn to alle men at alle tymys and in alle maner / excepte yt be in suche a cause where as brotherly cheryte / or the commen peace shuld be offended therefore in all these thinges be we fre aÌ„d we must withstonde them that wylle take thys lybertye from vs wyth thys texte of scripture / we are bought with pryce we wyl not be the seruaÌ„tes of men / 1. Cor. 7. this texte is open agenste them that wylle bynd mennes conscyens vn to synne in those thinges that Christe hathe lefte them fre in / off this we
signifiynge and teacheynge that christes ordinance is not to reseue the bloude in the boddy wonly / but to reseue the bloude after his institucion by it selfe out of the cuppe / lest they shulde be found corectours and blasphemers of the holy institution and coÌ„mandymeÌ„t of the lorde / Of whom S. paule reseuyd this coÌ„mandemeÌ„t / and of no counselles Now what christen man can dought but oure Master christ to whom all thing is bare and opyn bothe thingis present and also to come knew that there was bloud in hys awne boddy / Also Saynt paul his scolare which lerned this lesson of him was not ingnorant that there was bloud in his body / And yet firste oure M. christ geuithe his bloud a lone by it selfe out of the cupp / aÌ„d his diligeÌ„t scolar knowing that doctrine of his M. dyd the same regarding his masters doctrine pÌ„ferryng it by fore his carnall reson which knew that there was bloud in euery body / but his M. doctryne taught him that his M. kepte not his blud in his bodi / but for vs / lost daÌ„ned parsons for oure innumerable detestable aÌ„d a boue all capassyte to declare daÌ„nable and abhominable sinnes / Brake his boddy shed his bloud there out pleÌ„tuusly there with made sacrifice aÌ„d satysfaccioÌ„ for all our synnes as S. IohaÌ„ saithe / The bloud of Iesus chryst clenseth vs from alle sinne / also we are santifyde by the offerynge off the body off Iesê° christ wons for all / now that all christeÌ„ meÌ„ whych be santifide by the offering of thys boddy / 1. Ioan. 1· aÌ„d by sheding the bloud out of this boddy / shuld all ways haue bothe those partes in remeÌ„brance / Hebre. 10. he accordyng as the bloud was deuyded froÌ„ the body for all sinners indifferently that wil come vn to christ And a cordynge to hys masters institucyon and coÌ„mandement / ministerde thys sacrament and also ordened yt to be ministred to all men / The body / by it selfe and the bloud by it selfe / That they might all way not remember aloÌ„ly that oure sauyour christ offerd his boddy for vs / but also shed out of that same body his most precius bloud and therfore sayth S. paule as his Master chryst taught him As often as you shall ette thys brede and drink this cuppe / you shall shew the lordes dethe tylle he come Now my lordys come to youre counselles Christ and Saynt Paull defendythe thys thynge partinacyter as yow calle yt that ys stytfy and strongly wyll they a byde by it and wyll nott reuoke it / wherefore after the decre of youre Counselle they be condemned for heretykes I can no more say but god helpe them for there is no remedy with theÌ„ but they must nedis to the fyer / for they wyll not be abiured in nowisse / it is a pittyus case that .ii. so good men as these be / wyll be thus openly agenst the decre of the holy counsel ye and agenst so meny and so noble fathers / aÌ„d so gret clarkis the which knew this matter as ye saye as wel as they / it is not to be thoughe that the holy gost wolde leue so menny excelent and holy fathers / and gret doctours of dyuinite / and so meny noble prynces and wisse men of the world / And be wyth these .ij. poore meÌ„ whych be of no reputacyon in thys worlde / wherefore my lordes procede agenst them after the holy decreys that he inuentyd agenst heretykys / styck not for their namys for it is neyther christ nor paulle that can hurte you / yow haue also coÌ„demned ther lernyng and preuaylyd agenst theÌ„ why shulde you not coÌ„demne them as well / you be lordes / and you haue the streÌ„gthe aÌ„d the wysdum of the worlde wyth you and as a sertyne doctor of lawe sayde / they haue no man to holde wyth them but a sorte of begers and dyspysyd persons of the world / wherfore spare them not / be bolde / Implete numerum patruÌ„ vestrorum / All tyrans be not yet deede But now whaÌ„ you haue coÌ„demned them / yet haue you as muche to doo as euer you had De consecia di 2. â— câ—perimê° for youre awne law is opeÌ„ly agenste yow in these wordes Vve vnderstoÌ„de that sertyn men reseuyng alonly the porcion of the blessyd boddy / do abstayne from the chalys of the holy bloude the whych doughtles seynge I can not telle by what superstycyon they are lerned to abstayne lett them eyther reseue the whole sacrament or elles let them be forbyddyn from the whole sacrament / for the dyuision of won and of the same mystery cane not be done wyth out grett sacrylege cÌ„ How thynke you by these wordes be they not playne that all men shall eyther reseue both kyndes or none / here haue you a nother heretyke / for he Iudgeth and sayth that it is sacrilege which is openly agenst youre counsell to reseue yt in won kinde But peraduenture you will say this law was wryten to pristes I answere To whom so euer it was wryten it maketh noo matter for these wordis be playne / The diuysyon of won mistery caÌ„ not be done with out gret sacrilege / These wordis be not spoken of the persons that shall reseue yt / but of the deuydynge of the sacrament / who so euer shall reseue yt / yt is sacrylege to deuyde this thing / answere yow to that Marke also that youre awne law callythe yt supersticion to reseue but won kynde aÌ„d no dought they that dyd reseue yt so wher blindyd by this damnable reason of youres that there ys no boddy wyth out bloude / and yet he calleth yt supersticion But let vs see what youre glosse sayth on this texte / yt ys not superfluusly sayth he reseued vnder bothe kyndes / for the kind of bred ys referryd vn to the fleshe / aÌ„d that kynd of wyne vn to the bloud / The wyne is the sacrament of bloud in the which is the seatte of the solle / and therfore it is reseuyd vnder bothe kindes to sygnifie that Christ did reseue bothe boddy and soule / and that the pertakynge there off dothe profyte both boddy and soule wherefore if it wer reseuyd alonly vnder won kynd it shulde signifie that it dyd profyte allonly but won parte cÌ„ How thynke you dothe this glosse vnderstonde it of pristes wonly haue lay men no soules May not this sacrament profite theÌ„ bothe body and soule Marke also that he saythe it is not superfluusly nor with out a cause reseuyd vnder bothe kyndes Also an other lawe / De coÌ„secÌ„ di 2. c. cum fraÌ„gimus Vvhan the hoste is brokyn and the bloud shed out of the chalys in to the mouthys of faithfull men / what other thynge is there signyfid but the immolacyoÌ„ off oure lordes boddy on the crosse / aÌ„d the sheddyng of his bloud out of his side cÌ„