the Friars be not liegemen to the King ne subject to his lawes For though they stealen mens Children to enter into their orders it is sayd there goes no law upon them Friars saien apertly that if the King and Lords and other men stonden thus against their begging and other things Friars will goe out of the land and come againe with bright heads and looke whether this be treason or no Friart faynen that though an Abbot and all his Covent ben open traytours yet the king may not take from them an halfe penny Friars also destroyen the Article of Christian faith I beliefe a common or generall Church for they teachen that thâ— men that shall be damned be members of holy Church and thus they wedden Christ and the divel together Friars by hypocrisie binden men to impossible things that they may not doe for they binden them over the commandements of God as they themselves say Friars wast the treasure of the land forgetting Dispensations vaine pardons and priviledges But of the pardon that men usen to day fro the Court of Rome z they have no sikernes that is certainty by holy writ ne reason ne ensample of Christ or his Apostles By this we see that Wickliffe stoutly opposed those Innovatours the Friers who like their successours the Iesuites taught and practised obedience to another Soveraigne than the King persecution for preaching the Gospell exemption of Cleaâ—gy-men the use of Legends in the Church and reading of fables to the people pardons and indulgences the heresie of an accident without a subject singular and blind obedience and lastly workes of Supererogation Now whereas Wickliffe was reputed an Heretike it is likely that this imputation was laid upon him especially by Friars to whose innovations he was a professed enemy PAP Many exceptions are taken against Wickliffe and namely that hee held That God ought to obey the divell PROT. Our learned Antiquary of Oxford Doctour Iames hath made Wickliffes Apology and answered such slanderous objections as are urged by Parsons the Apologists and others Now for the objection made there is neither colour nor savour of truth in it there was no such thing objected to him in the Convocation at Lambeth neither can his adversaries shew any such words out of any booke written by Wickliffe although he wrote very many Indeed wee finde the quite contrary in his workes saith his Apologist for Wickliffe saith That the divel is clepid that is called Gods Angell for he may doe nothing but at Gods suffering and that he serveth God in tormenting of sinfull men The phrase indeed is strange and if either he or any of his Schollers used such speeches their meaning haply was that God not in his owne person but in his creatures yeeldeth obedience to the devill that is sometimes giveth him power over his creatures PAP Wickliffe taught That Magistrates and Masters are not to be obeyed by their subjects and servants so long as they are in deadly sinne PROT. Even as light House-wives lay their bastards at honest mens doores so you falsely father this â—is-begotten opinion on Wickliffe which some of your owne side say belongs to one Iohn Parvi a Doctour of Sorbone And indeed in right it is your owne inasmuch as you upon colour and pretence of heresie in Princes absolve subjects from their Allegeance and raise them up in armes against their lawfull Soveraigne witnesse your bloody massacres in France the death of the two last Henryes in France the untimely death of the Prince of Orange the many attempts and treasons against Queene Elizabeth as also that hellish designe of the Gun-powder treason But supppose Wickliffe said so yet his words might have a tollerable construction to wit that a Prince being in state of mortall sinne ceased to be a Prince any longer he ceased to be so in respect of any spirituall right or title to his place that he could pleade with God if he were pleased to take the advantage of the forfeiture but that in respect of men he had a good title still in the course of mundane justice so that whosoever should lift vp his hand against him offered him wrong Wickliffe indeede admonisheth the King and all other inferiour Officers and Magistrates as elsewhere he doth Bishops That he beareth not the sword in vaine but to doe the office of a King well and truely to see his Lawes rightly executed wherein if hee faile then he telleth him that he is not properly and truely a King that is in effect and operation which words are spoken by way of exhortation but so farre was hee from mutiny himselfe or perswading others to rebellion that never any man of his ranke for the times wherein he lived did more stoutly maintaine the Kings Supremacy in all causes as well as over all persons ecclesiasticall and civill against all usurped and forreine Iurisdiction and one of his reasons was this that otherwise he should not be King over all England but Regulus parvae partis a petty governour of some small parts of the Realme PAP Wickliffe taught that so long as a man is in deadly sinne he is no Bishop nor Prelate neither doth he consecrate or baptize PROT. If Wickliffe said so he sayd no more than the Fathers and a Councell said before him Saint Ambrose saith Vnlesse thou embrace and follow the good-worke of a Bishop a Bishop thou canst not be The Provinciall Councell saith Whosoever after the order of Bishop or Priesthood shall say they have beene defiled with mortall sinne let them be remooved from the foresaid orders The truth is Wickliffe lived in a very corrupt time and this made him so sharpely inveigh against the abuses of the Cleargy but abusus non tollit rei usum and yet Wickliffe writeth against them that will not honour their Prelats And hee elsewhere expresseth his owne meaning that it is not the name but the life that makes a Bishop that if a man have the name of a Prelate and doe not answere the reason thereof in sincerity of doctrine and integrity of life but live scandalously and in mortall sinne that he is but a nomine-tenus Sacerdos a Bishop or Priest in name not in truth Neverthelesse his ministeriall Act may be availeable for thus saith Wickliffe Vnlesse the Christian Priest be united unto Christ by grace Christ cannot be his Saviour nec sine falsitate â—icit verba sacramentalia Neither can he speake the Sacramentall words without lying licèt prosint capacibus Though the worthy receiver be hereby nothing hindred from grace PAP Wickliffe held that it was not lawfull for any Ecclesiasticall persons to have any temporall possessions or property in any thing but should begge PROT. This imputation is untrue for what were the lands and goods of Bishops Cathedrall Churches or otherwise belonging to Religious houses which were given Deo Ecclesiâ— were they
professors commonly called Waldenses There was also in England in the time of Henry the first for his knowledge surnamed Beau-clerke or fine scholler great contention touching investitures or the collation of Bishoprickes When Thurstan elect Archbishop of Yorke received his consecration from the Pope the King understanding thereof forbad him to come within his Kingdomes This contention betweene the Crowne and the Mitre was hoâ—ly pursued betweene King Henry the second and Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury it was partly occasioned by one Philip de Broc Canon of Bedford who being questioned for a murder he used some reproachfull speeches to the Kings Iustices for which he was censured and I finde that in these dayes as the Monke of Nâ—wborrough who then lived saith the abuses of Church men were growne to a great height insomuch as the Iudges complayned in the Kings presence that there were many robberies and rapes and murthers to the number of an hundred committed within the Realme by Ecclesiasticall persons upon presumption of exemption from the censure of the lawes Herewith the King was so highly displeased that he required that Iustice should be ministred alike unto all sine delectu saith Novoburgensis and Roger Hoveden saith the Kings pleasure was that such of the Cleargie as were taken in any murther robberie or felonie should be tryed and adjudged in his temporall Courts as Lay-men were but the Archbishop would have the Cleargie so offâ—nding tryed onely in the spirituall Courts and by men of their owne coate who if they were convict should at first onely be deprived of their benefices but if they should againe be guilty of the like they should be adjudged at the Kings pleasure But the King stood upon his Leges Avitae his Grandfathers lawes and customes which were indeed the auncient lawes of this realme not first enacted by the Conqueror but onely confirmed by him and received from his predecessors Edgar the peaceable and Alfred the learned Prince and accordingly the King in a great assembly at Clarendon confirmed the foresaid lawes of his Grandfather and enacted that none should appeale to the Sea of Rome for any cause whatsoever without the Kings License That it should not be lawfull for any Archbishop or Bishop to depart the Realme and repaire to the Pope upon his summons without the Kings license That Clerkes criminous should be tryed before secular Iudges By this we finde two maine branches of Papal Iurisdiction to wit Appeales and the exemption of Clergie men from being tryed in causes criminall before Christian Magistrates strongly opposed by the King and the State PAâ— Name your men for this age PROT. There were divers worthies who â—lourished in this age namely Hugo de Sancto victore a second Augustine as Trithemius calleth him Zacharias Chrysopolitanus Saint Bernard Abbot of Clarevaux Robert Abbot of Duits in Germany usually called Rupertus Tuitiensis Peter Abbot of Clugni usually called Petrus Cluniacensis â—oachim Abbot of Courace of the order of the Cistertians a man very famous in this age and thought to have had a propheticall spirit Petrus Blesensis Peter of Bloix Archdeacon of Bath and Chancellour of Canterbury a man for his pleasant wit and learning in great favour with the Princes and Prelates of his time and of inward acquaintance with Iohn of Salisbury Bishop of Chartres Now also the Schoolemen began to arise of whom Peter Lombard Master of the Sentences was the first who was afterward made Bishop of Paris Aventine saith he hath heard of his Masters Iames Faber of Estaples and Iodocus Clichtoveus above a thousand times that this Lumbard had troubled the pure fountaine of Divinity with muddy questions and whole rivers of opinions and this saith he experience doth sufficiently teach us if we be not wilfully blinde And yet some of their distinctions being purged from barbarisme and cleerely applyed to the point in question may be of good use especially when as according to the proverbe we can eate the Dates and cast out their stones and herein Zanchius and Iunius were excellent It is reported that Lumbard Gratian and Comestor three pillers of Poperie Gratian for the Cannon law Comestor for the history of the Church and Lumbard for Schoole-divinity were three bastards borne of one woman who in her sickenesse comming to confession could not be drawne to be sorry for this her incontinuencie but thought shee had done well in bearing those great lights of the Church whereunto her confessour replyed that that was not hers but Gods gift they proved such great scholler however she was to be sorry for her fault and be heartily sorry for this that she could not sorrow and lament as she should One of these brothers was called Comestor as it were booke-eater because he was such a Helluo librorum a devourer of bookes as if booke learning had beene his ordinary food and repast he had the Bible so perfectly by heart as though he had swallowed it Now what opinion was held of the Papacie may be seene by the testimonies of such of their owne as were famous in this age Iohannes Sarisburiensis had a conference with Pope Adrian the fourth called Nicholas Breake-speare an English man which himselfe hath lâ—ft us in writing I remember saith he I weâ—t â—nto Apulia to visit Pope Adrian the fourth who admitted me into great familiarity and inquired of me what opinion men had of him and of the Roman Church I plainely layd open unto him the evill words I had heard in dâ—vers Provinces for thus it is sayd The Church of Rome whicâ— is mother of all Churches behaveth her selfe towards others not as a mother but as a stepdame The Pope saith he laughed at it and thanked me for my liberty of speech The same Iohn of Sarisbury saith that thâ—y wholy apply themselves unto wickednes that they may seeme Concilium vanitatis a Councell of vanity the wicked Synagogue of the Gentiles ecclesia malignantium the Church of the envious and evill doers Peter of Bloyes describeth unto us in the person of an Officiall the fashion and manner of the Church of Rome For as much saith he as I love thee in the Bowels of Iesus Christ I thought good to exhort thee with wholesome admonitions that thou in time depart from Vr of the Chaldees from the midst of Babylon and leave the mysterie of this most damnable stewardship Richard the first King of England and Philip the second of France being on their voyage to Ierusalem and comming into Sicilie and there hearing of Abbot Ioachim who was thought to have the gift of Propheâ—ie they desired to know of him what successe they should have in this their expedition the Abbot saith Paulus Aemilius answered they should not then recover it and therein hee proved too true a Prophet besides this they heard him expound the vision of Saint Iohn in the Apocalypse touching the Churches afflictions
answere God forbid it should be so God forbid it should bee so you have judged well once said the Roode and to change that againe is not good Now this Oracle made for Saint Dunstan and against the Priests who said this was but a subtile tricke of the Monks in placing behind the wall a man of their owne who through â— Tâ—unke uttered those words in the mouth of the Roode the matter therefore came againe to sâ—anning the Prelats and the States met at Cleve in Wiltshire where after hot and sharpe Disputation on either side a heavie mischance fell out for whether through the weakenesse of the Foundation or the overpresse of weight or both The upper Lâ—ft where the Councell sate fell downe and many of the People were hurt and some slaine outright But Dunstan the Monkes Prolocutor remained unhurt For the Post whereon his Chaire stood remained safe By this fall fell the cause of the Secular Priests and they of Dunstans side thought these rotten joysts foundation enough whreon to build their Prohibition of Marriage But Henrie Archdeacon of Huntington interprets this casualtie more probably To be a signe from God that by their Treason and murder of their King who was slaine the yeare after they should fall from Gods favour and be crushed by other Nations as in the event it prooved And thus did Dunstan by his fayned Miracles seduce King Edgar to drive out the Secular Priests whâ—re yet Dunstan haply thought not to thrust married men out of the Clergie but to thrust married Clergie men out of Cathedrall Churches because they â—equired a daily attendance as the Learned bishop Doctor Hall hath observed Howsoever it fell out it is worth the observing that the Clergy pleaded Praescription for themselves for so their owne Monke of Malmesbury hath recorded their plea they alleadged saith he That it was a great shâ—me that these upstart Monks should thrust oâ—t the ancient possessors of those places that this was neither pleasing to God who gave them that long continued habitation nor yet to any good man who might justly feare the same hard mâ—asure which was offered to them Mathew of Westminster speaking of Pope Gregorie the seaventh saith that He râ—moved married Priests from their function a new example and as many thought inconsiderately prejudicialâ— against the judgement of the holy Fathers And Henrie of Huntington saith Archbishop Anselme held a Synod at London wherein hee forbad wives to the Priests of England before not forbidden Was not this now an Innovation Besides we find that in King Edmunds reigne a West Saxon Prince before the dayes of Edgar or Dunâ—tan bishop Osulphus with Athelme and Vlricke Laicks thrust out the Monks of Evesham and placed Canons married Priests in their roome And afteâ—wards when not onely the meaner sort but the Nobles and great ones â—ided even then also Alferus a Mercian Duke favouring the cause of married Priests cast out the Monks and restored againe the ancient revenewes to the Clerks and it seemes they were the ancient owners and others but incommers inasmuch as divers Cathedrall Churches originally were founded in married Cleargy-men and afterwards translated from them to Monks as appeares by that which the Monks of Worcester wrote under their Oswald Archbishop of Yorke Per me fundatus Fuit ex Clericis Monachatus That is By me were Monks first founded out of Cleâ—ks So that the Monks were not the first possessors but came in by such as Dunstan who wrought with that good King Edgar by dreames visions and miracles mostly tending to Monkery as namely that When the Devill in the likenesse of a faire woman tempted Dunstan to lâ—st he caught him by the nose with an hot paire of tongs and made him roare out for mercie that Eastwardâ— That Dunstans harpe hanging upon the wall played by 〈◊〉 selfe the tune of the Anthem Gaudent in coelis animae Sanctorum By the meanes of this Dunstan and his Cousins Athelwold and Oswald King Edgar was set on worke for the building of religious houses wherein he surpasâ—ed Charles the Great for whereas he built as many as there be letters in the Alphabet or A. B. C. King Edgar as appâ—ares by the Chartâ—r of the foundation of Worcester Church he built almost as many as there be Sundayes in the yeare I have made saith he 47 Monasteries and I intend if God grant life to make them up fiftie which seemes to be the number that Dunstan set him for his penance THE ELEVENTH CENTVRIE From the yeare of Grace 1000. to 1100. PAPIST YOu said of the last Age that Satan was let loose was he bound in this PROTESTANT Hee that brake loose in the former tyrannâ—zed in this for now those two great Enemies of the Church the Pope and the Turke the one in the East and the other in the West began to rise to their greatnesse about the yâ—are 1075 lived Pope Hildebrand who forbad marriage and deposed Kings from their lâ—wfull thrones so that for his doctrine the Churches did ring of him for an Antichrist In their Sermons saith Aventine boâ—n about the yeare 1466 they declared him to be Antichâ—ist that under the title of Christ he playd the part of Antichrist That he sits in Babylon in the Temple of God and is advanced above all that is called God as if he were God he glorifieth that he cannot erre This fine man denyes those Priests which have lawfull wives to be Priests at all in the meane time he admits to the Altar Whoremongers Adulterers Incestuous persons and afterwards Everard Bishop of Saltzburg in Germanie in an assembly at Regenspurge spake thus of the Pope Hildebrand under colour of Religion layd the foundation of Antichrist's kingdome thus doth that child of perdition whom they use to call Antichrist in whose forehead is written the name of blasphemie Revel 13.2 I am God I cannot erre he sits in the Temple of God and beareth rule far and neere Now began the Croisier staffe to beate downe Crownes and Scepters when Hildebrand deposed the Emperour Henry the fourth and yet this fact of his was opposed and condemned by divers worthy Councels Bishops and Historians both in France and Germany and the like Papall Vsurpations Appeales and Investitures were also resisted in England Hubert your Legate saith William the Conquerour in his letter to Gregory the seventh came unto me warning me from your Holinesse that I should doe fealty to you and your successors as for fealty I neither would doe it to you neither will I because I neither promised it my selfe nor doe I find that my predecessors have done that to your predecessors When Anselme an Italian was chosen Archbishop of Canterbury he craved leave of king William the second to goe to Rome to receive his Pall of Pope Vrban wherewith the King greatly offended answered That no Archbishop nor bishop in
were so powerfull that they brought an hundred thousand fighting men into the field and were then very likely to have utterly overthrowne Simon Montfort Generall of the Papall armie had not the unexpected death of the King of Arragon intercepted by ambush quite discouraged and dissolued the Albigenses army Besides if the Waldenses had not had any visible assemblies what needed such councels consultations conferences disputations inquisitions and examinations bans and excommunications against them They set up the order of Dominican and Franciscan Friers to preach against them they leavied forces of Pilgrimes Cruciferi or crossed souldiers to fight against them they published their Croysadoes promised their pardon of sinnes and remission of pennance enjoyned to as many as would take up the badge of the crosse and weare it on their coate-armour and goe against the Waldenses as against Sarracens and Infidels Now sure had the Waldenses beene but some few dispersed and meane persons they needed no such stirre to suppresse them But we finde that they used all possible meanes for to quell them Pope Inncent the third about the yeere 1180 called a a solemne Councell at Lateran against them Caelestine the third in the yeare 1197 confirmed the order of the Cruciferi or crossed souldiers and they were to warre against them The Monke of Auxerre in France saith That the Pope sent his Bulls farre and neere and granted them pardon of sinnes and absolution of pennance to such as should serve in his warres against the Waldenses About this time was the holyhouse of Inquisition set up by Pope Innocent the third and the mastership thereof committed first to Frier Reiner and Guido and afterwards to Saint Dominicke and his order Eymericus hath given certaine directions to the Inquisitors and Commissioners and Francis Pegna hath glossed upon them and there were lately to be seene the severall consultations of the Bishops and Lawyers of France in what sort they were to proceed against the Waldenses And the Monk of Newborrow tels us that when the Waldenses came into England under the name of Catharist's or Publicans there was strict charge given under paine of excommunication that none should receive harbour or keepe them within their houses liberties or territories nor to have any commerce or manner of dealing with them and if any of that sect dyed in that state that upon no termes they should have any prayer or Christian buriall but they saved them a labour of buriall for Caesarius saith that at the taking of La-vail there were foure hundred of them burnt and the rest hanged and the like execution done in divers other places and namely at Vaurcastle where after they had strangled the Governour Aimerius they stoned to death the Lady Girard the Popes Legats not sparing as Thuanus saith any Sexe at all Now all this they patiently endured so that as Altissidore saith the beholders were astonied to see them goe so cherefully to their death and withall to exhort one another to abide the fierie tryall PAP There might be great numbers of the Waldenses and them of the meaner sort PROT. That is not so for Du Haillan saith that many Noble and worthy men tooke part with them even to the hazzarding of their lives and estates namely the Earles of Tholouse of Cominges of Bigorre of Carmain of Foix as also the King of Arragon for Remond had marryed Ioane once Queene of Sicilie sister to Iohn King of England by whom he had a sonne called also Remond after the decease of Ioane he married Elenor sister of Peter King of Arragon so that he was strong in affinity and confederacy besides that he had as one saith as many citties and castles and townes as the yeere hath dayes By the way we may observe that considering the neere alliance which was betweene the Earle of Tholouse and his brother in law the King of England as also the Earles lands lying so neere to Guienne then in the possession of the Englâ—sh hence I say we may observe that this made the way more easie to communicate the doctrine and profession of the Waldenses unto their neighbouâ—s of the English Nation PAP You tell us of great troupes of the Waldenses and yet they had but bad successe PROT. We must not measure the lawfulnesse of warre by the issue nor judge the cause by the event The eleven Tribes of Israel were appointed by God himselfe to goe and fight against the Benjamites the Israelites were moe in number than the Benjamites and had the better cause and yet the Israelites were twice overcome by the Benjamites so King Lewis of France fighting against the Turke his army was scattered and himselfe dyed of the Plague â—esides you have little reason to stand on the successe of this warre It is true indeed that their chiefe Cittties Tholouse and Avignion were taken and the King of Arragon was slaine in the Waldensian warre but so also was Simon Montfort Generall of the Popes army he was slaine like Abimelech Iudges 9 with a stone cast out of a sling or engine and the same supposed to be â—lung or darted by a woman And as for King Lewis he dyed at the siege of Avignion and as Mathâ—w Paris saith sustained great losses by a terrible plague strong and venemous flyes and great waters devouring and drowning his army so that there were two and twenty thousand French slaine and drowned during that seige Lastly the Waldenses had no such ill successe for though themselves were persecuted yet their doctrine was thereby communicated to others and spread abroad throughout the world PAP You make as if the Pope had dealt ill with the Albingenses but they dealt ill with him for the Earle of Tholouse or some of his subjects killed the Popes Legat Frier Peter de Casteaneuff and this was it that stirred up the Pope PROT. This was but a colour of the warre and an untruth when the Popes Legat charged the Earle with this fact his answere was that he was no way culpable of the Fryers death that there were many witnesses of the death of the sayd Monke slaine at S. Giles by a certaine Gentleman whom the said Monke pursued who presently retired himself to his friends at Beâ—caire that this murther was very displeasing to him and therefore he had done what lay in his power to apprehend him and to chastise him but that he escaped his hands that had it beene true which they layd to his charge and that he had beene guilty of the fact yet the ordinary courses of justice were to be taken against him and not to have wracked their anger upon his subjects that were innocent in this case In the end he was forced to confesse that he was guilty of the murder onely because it was committed within his territories so that he was glad to doe pennance and that in a strange sort for the Legat
put a stole about his necke such as Priests use to weare and having his head feete and shoulders bare he led him by the sayd stole and made him goe nine times about the grave of the deceased Fryer scourging him with rods which the Legat had in his hand as long as he went about the sayd Sepulcher the Earle to get himselfe out of the Legats hand went to Rome and was there absolved by the Pope upon his returne the Legat refused to restore him but renewed the excommunication against him not as being guilty of the death of the sayd Monke but because he had not driven the Albigenses out of his Country as he was bound by promise The Earle seeing the Legats dealing strengthneth himselfe with his Allies and Confederates and so they fell to open hostility Lewis the sonne of Philippus Augustus was signed with the crosse on his military Cassocke and strongly beseiged Avignion one of the Earles chiefe Citties swearing that he would not depart thence till hee had taken the Towne but he was glad to goe aside to anâ— Abby not farre distant to avoyde the Pestilence whereon hee shortly after dyed the Legat the more easily to winne the Cittie kept secret the Kings death and despairing to prevaile by force attempted to doe it by fraud He cunningly perswaded the Citty to send unto him twelve of their Cittizens to conferre upon some good conditions giving them his oath for their safe returne protesting and swearing that he prolonged the seige for no other end but for the good of their soules but whâ—n the gates were opened to receive them so returning his army rushed in and tâ—oke the gate and finally the Citty contrary to his oath given Thus the Cittie of Avignion which could not be taken in three monethes seige and assault by the power of the King of France was easily taken by the fraud and perjury of the Popes Legat. Mathew Paris the Monke of Saint Albanes tells us what others thought of these proceedings it seemed unto many a great wrong saith he to trouble a faithfull Christian thus who earnestly entreated the Legat to examine the faith of his people and if any Citty held out against the Catholike faith he would make them give satisfaction and be punished as the Church should thinke fit and for himselfe he offered to give an account of his faith but as Mathew Paris saith the Legat nothing at all regarded these offers but sleigted them nothing would satisfie him unlesse the Earle would reâ—igne and quit claime his lands and his territories pro se haeredibus suis for himselfe and his Heyres for ever and accordingly they were given to Simon Montfort for service done and to be done to the Church PAP You must shew the continuance of your Waldenses as well as their numbers and multitude but that I thinke you cannot doe for now it seemeth they were rooted out PROT. Indeed that was strongly attempted Saint Dominick spent ten yeeres amongst the Tholousians and he and Didacus a Spanish B. marched against the Land of the Albigenses the Fryers Preached the Inquisitours ploted the Princes warred against them and the Popes they accursed their persons and interdicted their lands tolli tamen non poterant saith Paulus Aemylius and yet for all that the Pope could doe they could not be suppressed and yet the Pope condemned both the Humiliati and the poore men of Lyons for so they nicknamed them Iohn de Serres in his Inventory of the Historie of France tells us out of a Manuscript that as the Pope would have continued his persecution against them and that the Marshall de la Foy so called for that he was as it were the cheefe champion of the immortall warre decreed against the Albingenses prepared for a new sâ—arch to roote out the remainders Lewis would not allow of it saying that they must perswade them by reason and not constraine them by force whereby many families were preserved in these provinces By this wee see some reason given of their preservation and continuanceâ— and Thuanus a noble and unpartiall historian sometime president of the Court of Parliament in France directs us to the place of their aboade and habitation Though the Waldenses saith Thuanus were tossed from post to pillar as they say yet there were ever some found who in their severall courses have revived and renewed their doctrine buried as it were for a season and such were Iohn Wickliffe in England Iohn Hus in Bohemia Ierome of Prague and in our dayes Martin Luther so that reliquiae eorum the remnant and remainder of their doctrine and profession began to be kindly entertained and countenanced by many at Martin Luthers comming specially towards the Alpes and the provinces thereunto adjoyning The same Authour saith that after the Waldenses were overcome by force of armes they retired into Provence and towards the Alpes and in those plaâ—s they sought out some shelter for their life and profession of doctrine some of them went into Calabria where they continewed a long time even unto the dayes of Pope Pius the fourth anno 1560 some of them went into Germany and Bohemia and there set up their rest others of them came Westward into Brittaine and there tooke Sanctuary and harbour and â—here I leave them and come to Saint Bernard In this age â—lourished that devout Father Saint Bernard who in divers maine points of Religion held with us He beleeved Iustification by faith alone saying Let him beleeve in thee who justifiest the ungodly â—eiâ—g justified â—y faith only he shall haue peâ—ce with God He disclaimed Iustification by workes for he accounted no better of mens best actions as they proceed from man than of a menstruous cloath according to that of the Prophet All our righteousnesse is as filthy clouts Indeed he held good workes to bee the meanes by but not the causes why to be the Kings Highâ—way to eternall life but not to be any proper cause of salvation Now the high way is not the cause that makes a man come to his journeyes end the way is but the meanes the motion is the cause He left his owne Inherent and layd hold on Christs righteousnesse imputed to us saying What shall I sing of mine owne righteousnesse No Lord I will remember thy righteousnesse alone for that is mine too thou art made unto me of God righteousnesse should I feare that it will not serve us both It is not a short Cloake such as cannot cover two thy large everlasting mercie shall fully cover both thee and me in me it covers a multitude of sinnes in thee Lord what can it cover but the treasures of pietie and riches of bounty Concerning free will Saint Bernard reporteth that whiles he commended Gods free grace which prevented promoted and as he hoped would perfect the good worke begun in him some that stood by râ—plyed what is it
knowledge of Letters and study of Tongues specially the Greeke Latin began to spread abâ—â—ad thorow divers parts of the West Of this number were Emanuel Chrysoloras of Constantinople Theodorus Gaza of Thessalonica Georgius Trapezuntius Cardinall Bessarion and others in like sort also afterwards Iohn Capâ—io brought the use of the Greeke and Hebrew tongues into Germany as Faber Stapulensis observeth And in the beginning of this age Hebrew was first taught in Oxford as our accurat Chronologer Mr. Isaacson hath observed Now also lived Nicholas de Lyra a converted Iew who commented on all the Bible In this age there were divers both of the Greeke and Latin Church who stood for Regall Iurisdiction against Papall usurpation and namely Barlaam the Monke Nilus Archbishop of Thessalonica Marsilius Patavinus Michael Cesenas Generall of the gray Friers Dante the Italian Poet and William Ockam the English man sometime fellow of Merton Colledge in Oxford surnamed the Invincible Doctor and Scholler to Scotus the subtile Doctor Now also lived Durand de S. Porciano Nilus alleadgeth divers passages out of the generall Councels against the Popes supremacy and thence inferreth as followeth That Rome can not challenge preheminence over other Seas because Rome is named in order before them for by the same reason Constantinople should have the preheminence over Alexandria which yet she hath not From the severall and distinct boundaries of the Patriarchall Seas he argueth that neither is Rome set over other Seas nor others subject to Rome That whereas Rome stands upon the priviledge that other places appeale to Rome he saith That so others appeale to Constantinople which yet hath not thereby Iurisdiction over other places That whereas it is said the Bishop of Rome judgeth others and himselfe is not judged of any other he saith That St. Peter whose successour he pretends himselfe to be suffred himselfe to be reproved by S. Paul and yet the Pope tyrant-like will not have any enquire after his doings Barlaam prooveth out of the Chalcedon Councell Canon 28. That the Pope had not any primacy over other Bishops from Christ or S. Peter but many ages after the Apostles by the gift of holy Fathers and Emperours if the Bishop of Rome sayth hee had anciently the supremacy and that S. Peter had appointed him to be the Pastour of the whole Church what needed those godly Emperours decree the same as a thing within the verge of their owne power and jurisdiction Marsilius Patavinus wrote a booke called Defensor Pacis on the behalfe of Lewis Duke of Baviere and Emperour against the Pope for challenging power to invest and depose Kings Hee held that Christ hath excluded and purposed to exclude himselfe and his Apostles from principality or contentious jurisdiction or regiment or any coactive judgement in this world His other Tenets are reported to be these 1 That the Pope is not superiour to other Bishops much lesse to the Emperour 2. That things are to be decided by Scripture 3. That learned men of the Laiety are to have voyces in Councels 4. That the Cleargy and the Pope himselfe are to be subject to Magistrates 5. That the Church is the whole coÌ„pany of the faithfull 6. That Christ is the Head of the Church and appointâ—d none to be his Vicar 7. That Priests may marry 8. That St. Peter was never at Rome 9. That the popish â—ynagogue is a denne of theeves 10. That the Popes doctrine is not to be followed With this Marsilius of Pâ—dua there joyned in opinioÌ„ Iohn of Gandune and they both held that Clerkes are and should be subject to secular powers both in payment of Tribute and in iudgâ—ments specially not Ecclesiasticall so that they stood against the Exemption of Clerkes Michael Cesenas Generall of the Order of Franciscans stood up in the same quarrell and was therefore deprived of his dignities by Pope Iohn the two and twentieth from whom he appealed to the Catholicke universâ—ll Church and to the next generall Councell About this time also lived the noble Florentine Poet Dante a learned Philosopher and Divine who wrote a booke against the Pope concerning the Monarchy of the Emperour but for taking part with him the Pope banished him But of all the rest our Countrey-man Ockam stucke close to the Emperour to whom he sayd that if he would defend him with the sword he againe would defend him with the Word Ockam argueth the case and inclineth to this opinion that in temporall matters the Pope ought to be subject to the Emperour in as much as Christ himselfe as he was man professeth that Pilate had power to judge him given of God as also that neither Peter nor any of the Apostles had temporall power given them by Christ and hereof he gives testimony from Bernard and Gregory Ockams writings were so displeasing to the Pope as that he excommunicated him for his labour and caused his treatise or worke of ninety dayes as also his Dialogues to be put into the blacke bill of bookes prohibited and forbidden It is true indeed that Ockam submitted his writings to the censure and judgement of the Church but as hee saith to the judgement of the Church Catholike not of the Church malignant The same Ockam spoke excellently in the point of generall Councels Hee held that Councels are not called generall because they are congregated by the authority of the Romane Pope and that if Princes and Lay-men please they may be present have to deale with matters treated in general Councels That a generall Councell or that congregation which is commonly reputed a generall Councell by the world may erre in matters of faith and in case such a generall Councell should erre yet God would not leave his Church destitute of all meanes of saving truth but would raise up spirituall children to Abraham out of the rubbish of the Laiety despised Christians and dispersed Catholikes Wee have heard the judgement of the learned abroad touching Iurisdiction Regall and Papall let us now see the practice of our owne Church and State In the Reigne of King Edward the third sundry expresse Statutes were made that if any procured any Provisions from Rome of any Abbeyes Priories or Benefices in England in destruction of the Realme and holy Religion if any man sued any Processe out of the Court of Rome or procured any personall Citation from Rome upon causes whose cognisance and finall discussion pertained to the Kings Court that they should be put out of the Kings protection and their lands goods and chattels forfeited to the King In the Reigne of King Richard the second it was enacted That no Appeale should thenceforth be made to the Sea of Rome upon the penalty of a Praemunire which extended to perpetuall banishment and losse of all their lands and goods the words of the statute are If any purchase or pursue