sent me your booke willing me withal to spare some time from mine owne most earnest affaires to answere you and so did the rest of my friendes also counsel me to doe And although it might seme a discourtesie not to regarde the request of my friendes yet I would not haue yelded vnto them ▪ if in this your woorke my estimation only had ben touched and not the puritie of the Catholike Religion violated I was also moued thervnto so muche the more bicause I thought it a point of Christian charitie to trie whether you might be brought through my diligence to laie downe somewhat of your engraffed lightnes For doubtlesse I may wel gather of these your writinges that in the writing thereof ye stoode very much in your owne conceite yea and that in some places as it were rauished with good liking of your selfe ye stoode stil looking earnestly about you euen for the fauourable applause of your frinds But how much your cōceit hath deceiued you it shal foorth with appeere First of al wheras ve say that I am a great framer of wordes and sentences whether ye meane truely or whether ye dissēble I can not tel but the praise that you geue me I doe not acknowledge If there be in me any cōmendable grace of speache truly it is bicause I haue bestowed my time and studie not so much in words as to atteine the knowledge of the highest pointes of learning Besides that this qualitie of speach how simple so euer it be in me if it be any thing at al I haue vsed not to the damnable forging of false Religiō but with earnest and zealous good heart to the setting foorth of true godlines In the very beginning of your booke ye laie to my charge a great crime of rashnes and presumption for thus you saie You tooke muche vpon you that being a priuate man separated from vs by land and sea and vnacquainted with our affaires durst so boldly speake vnto the Quenes Maiestie Now Sir I beseche you let me learne this one thing of you What meane you by this worde priuate Is it a worde of reproche only Or may it not be applied also to good vertuous and noble men Are there not emongest you many noble men that beare no office neither serue in any place of the common weale Saie you so Sir Are al those that serue not in the Office of Requestes to be thrust out by you from the presence and speach of Kinges For so you laie the name of a priuate man to me as though ye estemed it to be a woord of villanie and dishonour as though you would saie that my father were some vplandish man and I brought vp in basenes of so smal accompte that I was neuer woorthie to looke any King in the face and therefore had committed a fault woorthie of greuouse punishment that durst in my letters to name Queene Elizabeth whome I alwaies name for honours sake dewe vnto her Princely Maiestie But admitte I were not as I am in deede of a verie auncient gentlemans howse yet it was not the part of a man brought vp in liberal sciences to esteme any kind of men or any kind of honour more then the ornamentes of vertue For al cognisaunces or Armes either of nobilitie or of honour although they be faire and goodlie in shewe yet when true vertue is away being false vaine and void of al sound fruict are despised and holden as worthy of no account with euerie wise mā So that if ye meane to speake to my rebuke charge me with some crime or grieuous offence laie not vnto me the name of a priuate man For before I had the office of a Bishoppe I was both for fauour authoritie and worshippe preferred before a great number of your calling If the name of a priuate man did signifie dulnes or lumpishnes of witte if it did importe any heinouse crime or dishonestie of life then surely he that shoulde obiect that name to me should reprochfully speake of me and contrary to my desertes But for so much as we see oftentimes that emongest Princes those mē are in the highest places of honor which are of al honour most vnworthy and contrariwise those voide of al honour whiche could most faith fully and honorably serue their Princes it cōmeth to passe that the name of a priuate man signifieth not the vnworthines of the persons but the vnluckines of the Princes For they are so besette and holdē with the seruice of lewd felowes that thei can not vse the vertue of good men Now wheras you say that it is nothing decent that I being a straunger seperated from you by lande and sea shoulde write a letter to your Queene I beseke you Sir teache me were letters deuised to aduertise mē of thinges behouesul in their absence or in their presence Doubtlesse in their absence Whie then do ye blame me that bearing very harty good wil vnto your Queene I admonished her being absent and seperated from me by land and sea of thinges apperteining vnto the establishmente of her estate If I had benne present I wolde haue humblie besought her not by letters but by worde of mowth in presence that if she minded to saue her life and mainteine her honour she should eschew the companie and familiaritie of infamous personnes You obiecte also vnto me that I am not skilled in your affaires As though I talked not of such matters as are most perfectly knowen of al men Last of al you increase the vnworthines of my fact with the name of a Princelie Maiestie as though your Quene did excel rather in richesse and puissaunce then in gentlenes and humanitie and as though I were suche a man as could not by my letters aduertise the greatest Prince in the Christian worlde of things of greatest importaunce Acknowledge nowe I pray you your most vnaduised rashnes in this your talke for thus muche you seme to saie Whereas you haue neuer had the practise of the Law neuer borne in any common weale office I meane such office as apperteine to mē of Law neuer offered supplications to any Prince Who hath made you so arrogant and presumptuous as to take vpon you to speake vnto the Queenes Maiestie a thing graunted to me al only and to suche as I am and that for great good cause If you perceiue not M. Haddon howe fonde and childish this your talke is I must nedes deeme that you are bestraught of your senses But if it greaueth you to see that the Quene geueth eare to some other man that is not of your qualitie I can not blame you For whie certaine it is that you can not long enioy this your felicitie if many wise and vertuous mē shal vnto her good wil and authoritie ioyne their seruice and industrie For the counterfeicted attendaunce of feined vertue in the presence of true vertue vanisheth awaie Wherfore I geue you counsel to exclude al honest men of whom as I vnderstand
trust no more to fraude deceit and lying For it is like that hauiÌ„g receiued the brightnes of heauenly light ye dispised foorth with al worldly thinges and were inflamed with the desire of heauenlie life yea and that more is of the diuine nature it selfe Who caÌ„ deny if this be so but that so wonderful an alteration of life doth most manifestly declare the verie presence of Christ him selfe But I would faine learne this of you whether you alone in al England doe enioye these so great benefites or whether thei be common to al suche as haue receiued the brightnes of your new gospel If you alone haue the fruitioÌ„ of this light with so great fruict of the heaueÌ„lâ— vertue the glittering of this newe gospel hath brought no great commoditie to your couÌ„trei for it should haue furdered not any one particular maÌ„ but the whole coÌ„mon weale Oh say you euerie one for as the sonne rising driueth awaie the darkenes from the eyes of al men euen so the brightnes of this gospel putteth awaie the myste that was cast ouer all mens heartes Al thinges are now laid open al thinges are come to light Ther are no faultes in the worlde no wicked offences no heinouse crimes no none at al. Ther is great good cause if this tale be true whie we should forsake our owne countrei and come to dwel in EnglaÌ„d that we might be partakers of this your felicitie with you For what could a man desire more of God then alwaies to behold suche a countrei where for the greater part neither coueteousnes norsensualitie nor hatred nor pride nor contention nor rashnes nor any other spot of vncleane life may take place But Sir I praie you What was the let whie you vsed no iustice or godlines before this new sonne beames shone vpon you Horrible superstition you saie for we beleeued that through the vertue of a peece of lead and the mumbling of a few praiers whiche we vnderstoode not al our offences were forgeauen vs what soeuer we had done in this worlde What saie you is it to be thought you were al so mad that you wolde thinke a sinne conceiued in the hart to be forgeauen through the vertue of a peece of lead or by the pronouncing of praiers the mind being otherwise occupied What a great dulnes of witte was that what a straunge folie who had put that errour into your hartes Were there no men emongest you learned in the holie scriptures to teach you that al the hope of saluation consisteth in the grace and mercie of Christ Trulie I hold vp my handes most humbly vnto the immortal God as you pretend to doe yeelding him most hartie thaÌ„kes that it was my chaunce to be borne and brought vp in Spaigne where no man if he be a Christian was euer so foolish as to thinke that there is any other waie to pourge synne but only by the grace and goodnes of Christ The which to atteine the necessarie and onely meane is according to the doctrine of Christ him selfe to detest and forsake vice to confesse our sinnes coÌ„mitted with bashfulnes and sorow to withdraw our selues froÌ„ sensualitie to coÌ„tinencie froÌ„ vice to honestie froÌ„ malice to charitie to enter into a new trade of life and to exercise our selues in holy workes Now sir of you trusted so much to lead that ye thought it of force to blot out sinne you were not wel in your wit If you saie that al England was in the like blindnes you bring a great slaunder of madnes vpon your countrie that hath brought you vp and placed you in so great worship No say you I saie not so But I meane by the name of lead in the whiche we saw the name and image of the bishop of Rome engraued the authoritie and iurisdiction of the Pope him selâ—e the which manie hundred yeres agoe was holden and esteemed as a thing verie holie of our Fathers and afterward of vs. This authoritie which we sometime reuerenced being now instructed by the most cleere doctrine of this gospel I doe neglecte despise contemne and thinke it to be esteemed as a thing of naught of all wise men Whie then M. Haddon what needed you the name of lead to signifie this authoritie Did you it to make it more odiouse Or rather thought you by iesting at the woord to gette the greater applause of your compagnions For I knowe that pleasaunt sporters as you be are muche delighted with iesting and like to contend not so much with argumentes and sentences as with scoâ—fing and as it seemeth to me with an vnsauerie kind of pratling In suche like scoffes and tauntes Martine Luther your youthlie Patriarke and olde wanton was a great doer And I dowbt not but some of your clawebackes when he came to this place tooke vp a great laughter and bound it with an oth that it was meruelous pleasauntly spoken and excellently wel handled For al thinges are so farre out of course and dew order that it is a verie easie matter for a sawcie reprochful scoffer to get the name of a merie felowe and pleasaunt compagnion But as concerning this matter although the Bishop of Angra hath disputed verie learnedly of the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome yet wil I reason with you as with a seculare man and ciuilian of the said matter in few wordes First of al let this be a grounde worke or foundation The Church of Christ is one and not manie Then let this be agreed vppon It is not ynough for a Prince whiche maketh lawes to establish a common weale to set them out except he also appoint gouernours and inferiour magistrates Let this also be the third ground for so much as you like wel myne opinion as touching the order of a Monarchie that it is most expedient for a common Weale well appointed with customes and lawes to be vnder the rule of one Prince For many doe teare and dismembre a coÌ„mon weale but one by supreme authoritie vniteth and as it were with glew ioineth together the heartes of the people It was therfore most agreable to the best maner of gouernement when the Prince of al Princes vnder whose euerlasting Empire are subiected both heauen and earth intended to set vp a heauenlie coÌ„mon weale in earth that he should first make Lawes and then creat Princes and Magistrates which might according to the prescribed order of Lawes and equitie rule this common weale Suche were the Apostles and the rest of the Disciples of Christe Last of al lest the band of this societie might be dissolued and the peace of the Citie distourbed he appointed a Monarchie and gaue the supreme gouernement thereof vnto Peter Are not these thinges commonly knowen of all men Ymagine you to obscure and darken thinges most clearely spoken Trust you so muche to your malice that you thinke your selfe able to wrest the wordes of the Gospell from the true meaning to serue the filthie appetite and lust of
there is no smal number in England from the familiaritie of the Prince expel them thrust them out by proclamatiōs force them to flee out of the Realme As for me that am so farre of there is no cause whie ye should be greatly careful for so much as it can not be suspected that I shoulde take awaie from you your gaines after which as you shew your selfe you gape so greedilie But by your pacience Sir me thinketh ye are of nature very base and abiecte that for so meane a promotion take so great stomake and courage If ye can not beare so meane a condition but that you must needes in respecte of your office laie vnto me the name of a priuate man what would you doe if you were called to some higher degree of worshippe You saie that I do goe about to appaire the estimation of lawes wheras in deede I doe thinke that the good estate of a common weale standeth and is mainteined by lawes and am hartily sorie that through these pestilēt sectes al good lawes customes and ordinaunces are fallen to ruine and decaie You saie that I appeache all the whole Realme of England I can not tel of what hateful newfanglednes the whiche is also false For I haue heard of credible personnes that the greatest part of that Iland doe continue in the Olde Religion Now wheras you require of me to beare with you bicause you haue talked somewhat freelie with me as being an English mā fostred and brought vp of the Queenes Maiestie and of the affaires of England not ignorant I commend your loue towardes your countrie I commend your loyaltie towards your Prince I cōmend your knowlege of things gotten by long experience I cōmend also your freedom in speache But beware you doe not so muche as in you lieth ouerthrow your Countrie beware you bring not the Quene into daunger of her estate and life and when you are pricked and yearked foorth with the goades of your owne madnes beware you cloke not your erroneous beleefe and licentious life vnder the honest name of libertie Ye promise assuredly that you meane to doe it for no debate or dissension of minde whereas there can not be deuised any greater dissension then this you taking vpon you to mainteine and I contrariwise to inuey against the most wicked and heinouse malefactours of the worlde And where you saie that your purpose is to pul out of mens heartes certaine false opinions that they haue cōceiued of the state of England if you can so doe you shal doe me a verie friendly pleasure But this one thing I meruaile much at that you say that my writings might happē to cause this false rumor and infamie that is now bruted of England What say you Sir Are you only ignoraunt how long time it is sence England was firste charged with this infamouse report How was it possible when the holie men Iohn Fisher Bishop of Rochester and S. Thomas More were openly put to death for their constancie in their faith and Religion when the good Religiouse Fathers the Carthusians were with most cruel tormentes slaine and murdred when the houses of Religion in the whiche was appointed a mansion or dwelling place of perpetual chastitie were laid wide open and turned to prophane vses when many other momentes of holines were vtterly ouerthrowen and defaced how was it possible I saie that England shoulde be without a very exceding greate infamie But without cause saie you Be it so if it please you for I wil not as yet dispute for either part Yet this muche I saie that euen at that time there was a great brand of dishonestie burnt into the estimation of English men But you forsooth that shoulde haue defended al those thinges with maine pollicie and counsel were not yet come to beare the swaie and therfore the matter being destitute of such a spokesman as you are that opinion that was by the constant reporte and brute of al men diuulged tooke place in al the Realmes of Christendome How is it then true that I should caus◠this infamie which is so olde by my writinges set out but the last daie You commend my kinde of writing the which is more then I requir◠of you For that I vse in matters we knowen words not necessarie as yo◠thinke you reproue me But your reproch I am nothing offended withal for my desire is to talke of thinges mo◠clere and plaine and what were to b◠put into my Oration and what to be put out I thinke it dependeth of my iudgement and not of yours whiche peraduenture knowe not what my meaning is You saie that whereas I pretended in the beginning to doe some other thing I fel at the length to taunting and defacing of Religion That is trew in deede if most vile and seditions heresie may be called Religion You say that it is to no purpose for me to goe about to discharge manie Inglish men of the enuie of the facte for that as you saie their case and cause is al one And to proue that you declare the manner of England to be such that no law bindeth the people there vnlesse it be first decreed by the whole communaltie receiued of the nobilitie approued by the Clergie and last of al authorised by the King and therfore can not stand that a lawe being made by the ful consent and agreemēt of al some men should susteine blame and some others should be altogether void thereof The law I like wel But that it is not kept I thīke itmuch to be misliked If the geuing of voices were free and not wrested and gotten out frō men by threatning and punishmēt I would like your saing wel But here to passe ouer with silence the lightnes and inconstancie of the multitude which may verie easilie be brought to any incōuenience either with the hatred of seueritie either with the shew of gentlenes and withal to leaue that point vntouched howe it is a thing impossible for euerie particular man to geaue his voice but of force they must geue ouer their authoritie of geuing voices vnto a few I would you would teach me this one thing for I confesse plainely that I am a straunger and nothing expert in matters of your cōmō weale what horrible fact had the bishop of Rochester cōmitted that neither the grauitie of his person neither the dignitie of a Bishop could saue him from death Went he about anie treason against his coūtrey Had he conspired the death of the Prince Had he entred into talke with foraine ennemies to betraie his owne common weale Nothing lesse But bicause he most constantlie refused to yeeld his consent vnto a wicked statute the holie and innocent man was so punished as though he had ben the most detestable traitour in the worlde What had Thomas More committed a verie good man and excellentlie well learned Had he forged the Kinges letters patentes ▪ Had he embeseled the Kinges treasure Had he kylled
or greuously inuried any of the Kinges subiectes No suche matter But onelie bicause â—e woulde not claw and flatter the â—ing but rather woulde speake his â—inde freelie they chopped of his head before al the people as though he had ben a fellon or traitour But now what saie you to the CarthusiaÌ„s most vertuouse godly and religious Fathers men in pleading at the barre vnacqueinted in the coÌ„mon affaires and practises of the world vnskilful Why were thei so cruellie handled Why were they trussed and hanged vppon gibbets Whie were they dismeÌ„bred and quartered in peaces Whie were they finally burned and coÌ„sumed with fier dowbtlesse bicause they would not with their voice allow and make good a thing that vnto them seemed wicked heinouse and vnworthie to be named What shal I say of the holie bishops whom you haue lodeÌ„ with yroÌ„s fetters and chaines whom you haue shut vp in darke and close prisons whom you haue robbed both of goods and honour Haue you any thing elles to laie to their charge but that they would not geue their asfent to your statutes which semed to them vniust And therfore it is no wonder if other men being with such cruel and horrible punishments put in extreme feare be not ouer bold to declare their mind freelie in open place For where the geuing of voices is not free but forced of men by feare and terrour there reigneth not the couÌ„sel of the whole but the lust and outrage of a few You doe not therefore sufficiently proue that those lawes were made and allowed by the coÌ„mon agreement and consent of al states For it is manifest that they were violently forced and that who so euer did gainesaie them was extremely punished As touching my humble suite vnto the Queene wherein I besought her Maiestie that if I were able by good argumeÌ„t to proue that these authours or brochers of newe fanglednes did most daungerously and perniciously erre it might please her to esteme and hold their doctrine as vngodly and detestable you say that it is a false accusation without strength of argument that it procedeth of stomake and not of loue towardes the trewth that it is grounded vpon a slaunder and not vpoÌ„ reason that it is a reproch and not a disputation laied vpoÌ„ the ground worke of religion â–ª You require of me the verie same thing as I required of your Quene that is to wit that if you were able to shew that I had without good cause found fault with the gouernement of your common weale I should repent me of myne offence First of al I take Christ Iesus to witnes who only knoweth the secrettes of my hart that I wrote those my letters neither for hatred neither for displeasure neither for reproche as you say but for earnest good zeale and loue I beare to the trewth and to the welfare of the whole realme For what haue Inglish men hurt me more then other men What wrong or displeasure haue thei done me Trulie neuer a whit But contrarie wise I haue ben informed by the letters both of Antonius Augustinus Bishop of Ilerda a man for his excelleÌ„t vertues and singular knowledge in the liberal sciences wel deseruing the dignitie of a bishop together with immortal fame who was sometime sent from the bishop of Rome legat vnto Quene Marie as also by the letters of Iohn Metellus a Burgonion a man whom for his courteous and swete conuersation ioyned with rare giftes of learning I loue verie intierly that manie great learned men in England did geaue mâ— a verie honourable report Wherefore there was good cause whie I should rather loue English men then malice or reuile them Neither did I euer thinke to reprooue your common weale but the corrupt lewdnes of a fewe which disquieteth the whole realme And whereas you charge me with curiositie for medling in a straunge common weale I thinke it is no straunge common weale but myne owne For I did not reason of the lawes of your Realme and ciuile ordinaunces but of ChristiaÌ„ religion for the which I am not afraid to loose my life And therefore shal I neuer thinke any thing to be impertinent to me whereby I may mainteine and set foorth the honour of this common weale Consider now M. Haddon how iust your request is This is your demaund If you can conuince and manifestly prooue not that I am in any errour for that were tolerable but that I wrote my epistle for hatred euil wil and reproch you require of me to confesse my fault and to saie that I was ouer rash when I tooke vpon me to control your matters whiche I knew not Can you on the other side prooue whereas I meaÌ„t louingly frindly and religiously that it was done slaunderously enuiously and vntruly But lest you should say I deale to straightly with you this much I promise you faithfully If you be able to proue not that I wrote for any euil intent for that is impossible but that the rearing vp of this your newly framed religion is without all fault and blamelesse I wil repeÌ„t me of my doyng I am not ignorant how daungerous a matter it is to promise thus much to a man of law But bicause I haue a good affiaunce that you shal not be able to circumuent me with any malicious and crafty fetch of the law and my desire is to discharge honest men of slaunderous reportes I promise you thus much of myne honestie if you be able to proue that those felowes be honest godlie and religious men whiche I take to be lewde and wicked verlettes I will neuer speake one word against you You take it in snuffe M. Haddon that I deale so boisteously with your new maisters saing that I doo oftentimes thunder out against them most horrible and fyerie reproches yea so much that mans hart can not deuise any thing more detestable Wherin I perceiue that you can not well discerne what an argument and what a reproch is For I contended not with reprochful woordes but with argumentes such as you can not yet answere Than you saie Where are these monsters of Religion What are thei How long haue they continued Where are those misshapen felowes to be found If you thinke to shift the manifold argumeÌ„tes which I haue vsed with such a glittering shew of wordes you are much deceiued For I loke for reasons and not for a vaine noise of wordes But that that you bring in vpoÌ„ this is a very toy and mockerie Your woords be these Declare the thinges name the persones note the times adde the circuÌ„stances that we may haue some certaintie wherin to staÌ„d with you as also to withstand you I thinke M. Haddon it was longe ere you were set to the Rhetorike schole and that ye were not verie apte to learne it You would be counted a Rhetorician and yet you know not that Rhetorique is a prudencie or discretion in speaking so that what so euer is against discretion is not conuenient
the Image of the Crosse was printed and engraueÌ„ in the hearts of all men this multitude of Images was not so necessariâ— But you doe much like as if a man should say that the remedies of diseases were the causes of diseases for the picture did not cause men to forgette holie thinges but rather it was wisely deuised that men might not forgette them If the vse of Images quenched as you saie that ferueÌ„cie of spirit with the which men were inflamed in the olde tyme then must it needes folow that when Images were first ouerthroweÌ„ of you you were by and by verie hote in spirite Tel me therefore if it please you When you first brake downe the Images tables and other monumentes of Saintes when you defaced them maÌ„gled them and dasshed them in a thousand peeces when you burned the relikes of the most holie Martyr S. Thomas was there foorth with enkendled in you so great a heat as you speake of were you by and by wholly inflamed with fier from heauen I beleeue there fell from aboue not onely fierie tongues but also fierie heartes and bowelles the heate and flames whereof wrought with you so extremely that you are not able by any meanes to abide this strauÌ„ge force of loue which burneth within you Neither do you now liue vpon the earth but in hearte and mind you are in heauen For euen as vpon the ouerthrow of the authoritie of the bishop of Rome ther arose out of hand a new sonne emoÌ„gest you so must it nedes folow that vpon the pulling downe of Images vppon the breaking of the monumentes of Christ crucified vpon the digging vp of the graue of the holy Martyr and burning of his bones you coÌ„ceiued foorth with such a fier of heauenly loue in your bowelles that there is nothing in the world to be seene in your heartes but only that same hoat and sierie loue of God If it be so I commend the vehemencie of your spirite I allowe your doing I thinke this worthie acte of yours deserueth immortall fame and honour for what so euer quencheth the feruencie of the spirite what so euer doth any thing breake or weaken the force of loue it would be put back with the whole bent of the hart Neither ought we to beare anie thing in the world that might cause a dulnes or slakenes in the minde But if it be nothing so if after the breaking downe and defacing of the goodlie monumentes of vertue you were not inflamed by and by with fier from heauen then it is most euident that the Images and reliques of holie men buried vnder the grownde did nothing hinder you from that feruent loue of God Whie then what the diuell madnes came into your heads that you should be so earnestly bent to make a waste and spoile of thinges whereof you could take no commoditie in the worlde At the length you speake verie earnestly as you doe often against the diuinitie of the schoole doctours wherin I can not much blame you for you haue good cause to be offended with them whose whole drifte both of mindes and disputation is altogether against you For they haue receiued a pure and true Doctrine from holie men you haue taken a pudlie and stinking doctrine of most wicked persons They are bound to the verie auncient Religion that was deliuered from the Apostles you falling from the auncient religion are wickedly flitted to this new fangled secte They for the most part of them doe worship Christ with honest conuersation and vpright coÌ„science but you haue done and spoken manie thinges verie impudentlie and rashly to the reproche and dishonour of Christ Nowe whereas you impute the cause of Images to them you shew your selfe to be not only very shamelesse but also very witlesse â—or you doe not accompt emongest the schoole Doctours Cyrillus or Athanasius or Ierome or Ambrose or Augustine Whome then Dowbtlesse such as folowed Petrus Lombardus and beganne manie yeares after his tyme to expound openly in schooles his Sentences as they cal them gathered out of the bookes of the holie Fathers and brought into one volume Petrus LoÌ„bardus flourished about the yeare of our Lord. 1141. And the second Councel of Nice was kept in the yeare 781. Neither was it firste decreed in that couÌ„cel that Images shuld be set vp but that they should not be pulled down And the herefie of such as would haue them to be ouerthrowen was there condemned by the ful agreement of al the fathers Of the which errour as it appeared by the testimonials brought into the Councel the firste brochers were certaine Manichees and Marcionistes It was there declared at that time by the authoritie of Basile Gregorie of Nissa Cyril Ierom Augustin and by the custome receiued in the Church euen from the Apostles time that the Images of Christ of his most blessed Mother and of other holie men had ben set vp vpon a great good consideration to call the mindes of men continually to remeÌ„bre the goodnes of God In the selfe same Councel also was read an oratioÌ„ of Athanasius of a miracle whiche was wrought at Berith a citie of Syria when certaine Iewes pearced the Image of Christe with a speare For out of the wound flowed out bloud whervpoÌ„ the Iewes were turned vnto Christe And although in the Apostles time suche signes were nothing necessarie and as then it was not lawful through the tyrannie of Princes to builde Churches and to bewtifie them with comely ornaments yet doe the auncient monumentes declare that euen at that time there was some vse of Images As for the Images of the Crosse there is no doubt for so much as the most auncieÌ„t monumentes both of Aethiopia and India make mention of them In that part of India which is within the riuers Indus and Ganges towardes the east there is a towne called Mailapur and belongeth to the great kingdoÌ„ of Narsingua where the bodie of S. Thomas was buried Ther not many yeares ago was digged out by the prouideÌ„ce of God a great Crosse made of stone whose top and both sides an arke hewen out of the same stone couered wherein were engrauen letters of verie great antiquitie whiche no man could reade but such as were lerned in the auncieÌ„t letters of the Bracmans The meaning of the letters as it was afterwardes founde was a storie of the death of S. Thomas whiche declared howe a holie man named Thomas in the time of King Sangam ruler of those landes was sent of the sonne of God to visite those countreis and to bring the people vnto the knowledge of God and how the ennemies of religion crucified him vpon the same Crosse â–ª And the Crosse euen at this daie is smeared with spottes of bloud Eusebius also writeth that in a citie called Philips Cesarea there was a brasen Image of Christ set vpoÌ„ a foote of a good heith and before it an other Image of a woman â–ª the whiche being sometime sicke of a bloudie
how so euer it plese your maisters to scorne and scoffe at that word But beleeue me we are nothing troubled with the laughter of vngodlie meÌ„ We herken to S. Iohn which commauÌ„ded such as had alreadie confessed their synnes to doe the worthy fruictes of penaÌ„ce We willingly receiue the selfe same wordes pronownced and repeted by that most high maister of iustice the redeemer of mankind For while we obei the commaundemeÌ„tes of Christe we so litle esteeme the tauntes and scoffes of lewd felowes that we are not only not moued with their reprochful talke but also we reioise excedingly in it Now then seing that this sacrameÌ„t is of so great importaunce to saluatioÌ„ seing that we see so great fruicte to be gathered out of it if we doe feruently desire the saluation of al men can you blame me if I sorow and lament that this great gate of saluatioÌ„ is closed vp to manie Christians through the lewdnes and misbelefe of a few men I talk not with you now for so much as you kepe as you saie your selfe the sacramentes of the Churche But if some man of an other disposition shal be so crewell and vngodlie that he wil attempte to damme vp this waie to saluation casting before it piles or heapes of earth wil you suffer it Will you seeing such a detestable offence so refraine your selfe that you wil not crie out vpon it Blame not me then if I doe as you your selfe wil doe if it be true that you saie that you doe keepe and obserue diligently the sacrameÌ„tes of the church But if you speake otherwise then truth I will not much meruaile at it for your doctours are excellent framers not only of impietie but also of vanitie But you will saye peraduenture that muche euyll and myschiefe ariseth by the occasion of this confession If it be so it is not muche to be merueiled at For there is nothing in the worlde soo holye the whiche men agreed in wickednesse maie not abuse to naughtines and mischiefe But it foloweth not by and by that for the defaulte of a fewe lewde personnes thinges ordeined of God for the saluation of men should be vtterly cast awaie For so ther had ben no good thing left this daie in the worlde For al thinges that are by nature wholesome are vnto corrupt and vicious men hurtful and pestilent And to let passe all other thinges howe manie men are wont to abuse the verie mercie of God when he differreth to punish them for synne to the increase of their damnation And yet is not God for all that remoued from his good will and purpose to deale mercifully with vs. But some will saie we confesse vnto God only Yea but God for so much as he can not be perfectely seene of vs hath appointed his Deputies vpon the earth to exercise his authoritie and iurisdiction to threaten and feare to geaue gentle admonitions to incourage to raise vppe to geaue sentence in so muche that who so so euer doth despise them are to be taken and that for great good cause as though they did despise God him self and refuse his order and commaundemeÌ„t Furthermore it were daÌ„gerous to leaue euerie man to his owne wil in this case For howe manie shall you find that shalbe able to search out and consider their owne synnes that wil confesse them with such shamefastnes and contrition of heart as Dauid saith is a moste acceptable Sacrifice vnto God that wil geaue sentence lawfully vpon them selues for that they are in their owne causes verie parciall iudges It remaineth therefore that he that lyueth not vnder the obedience of the Church and wil not abide the iudgement of a Prieste neither would he at anie tyme be confessed of his synnes vnto God as he ought to be â–ª Dowbtlesse Basile the great sawe ful wel what profitte ariseth by this confession when in his Ethikes he ascribed vnto it the very beginning and foundation of iustice So thought Origen when he willed vs that we shuld not delaie it from daie to daie but so soone as we were fallen we should foorthwith haue recourse vnto the Priest Such was the iudgement of all holie men the which exhort vs so often to this godly exercise Neither did the bishop of Rome first ordeine this Sacrament but being before ordeined and commonly receiued he decreed verie prouidently that it should be put in vre at the least once in the yeare lest it might be neglected to the great decaie of godlines But to coÌ„clude this matter I would faine learne of you howe you thinke that place of Esaie to be vnderstanded where he saieth that it shall come to passe after the birth of Christe that a wained child shal thrust his hand into the Cockatrise hole and pul him out If you wil folow the Iewes you shall vnderstand it thus that euen as the Poetes reporte that Hercules being yet in his cradle caught twoo great snakes that were sent vnto him by Iuno and dasht them together so shal euery sucking babe take venemous serpentes in his handes out of their holes and kil them But if you wil expound the place like a Christian man by the children you muste vnderstande those menne to whome Christe hath geauen power to treade vppon serpentes and scorpions that is to saie vppon the beastlines of synnes vpon the crafte and creweltie of Diuelles that lie lurking in the secrete couerte of sowles And although they be simple as children yet are they endewed with suche great power and strength that they can easilie pull owt those vipers out of the moste priuie corners and innermost creekes of mennes heartes and kill them that they may not infecte and poison such as haue ioyned them selues to Christ by earnest and true faith Nowe this thing as it maie be done of the Priestes of Christ manie waies so there can no waie be deuised by anie wise man more commodious then that whiche is by the wholesome confession of synnes for in confession the Priestes doe thrust their handes into the innermost partes of mens heartes that they may draw out the serpentes of synne and dassh them against a stone and kil them But now let vs come to that wonderful Sacrament of the Aulter But before I enter into this matter it liketh me to set here a goodlie saying of Simias written of Plato in his booke intituled Phoâ—do Plato bringeth in Simias reasoning thus with Socrates Me thinketh Socrates as I iudge you think also that it is impossible or surely exceding hard for a man so long as he is in this life to vnderstand the truthe clâ—rely and perfectely The which although it be true yet me thinketh it were the parte of a weake and faint hearted man not to discusse and examine by reasoning on both sides what so euer is wont to be disputed in these darke matters vntil at the length the matter being diligently weyed and considered we may be able either to lerne the
wel Wilt thou preferre this thy vnsetled fantasie and mad gare before the most sincere meaning of the Apostle of God If he be giltie of the bodie and bloud of our Lord which receiueth this bread vnworthelie He that slaundereth and depraueth it he that reuileth and so muche as in him lyeth rendeth it in peeces he that treadeth vnder his foot◠the bodie and bloude of Christe he that goeth about to take away and vtterlie to abolishe the vertue of that so wonderfull a Sacramente howe shall he be punnished according to his wicked and horrible facte What is it so If thou vnderstande not by what meanes the moste holie bodie of Christ is in this Sacramēt not placed or limited according to the measure and proportion of the greatnesse thereof but presente in the eyes of a faithfull heart through the almightie power of the woorde of God if thou see not that merueilouse chaunge of earthly breade into the nature of heauenlie bread if thou perceiue not by what meanes the most excellent Maiestie of Christ which filleth al things multiplieth the giftes of his whole bodie that he may therewirh feede and refresh the faithfull soules and glewe them all together with charitie within them selues and tye them fast to him selfe with the band of euerlasting loue is it therfore reason that thou shouldst slaunder and depraue this so wonderful a benefite of God What thing doest thou vnderstande What thing doest thou conceiue by discourse and reason What thing is there in all the worlde whiche thy minde is able to perceue exactly and to know perfectlie Why then doest thou not order thy life by cleere faithe and not by troubled reason Tel mee I pray thee doest thou mistrust Gods power or mercie or elles doth the greatnesse of the benefite trouble thee Neyther can the power of God be hindred by any let or staie neyther can his mercy be limited with any bowndes and the greatnes of the benefite is a very good proofe of the truth thereof For why there is nothing more agreeable to the greate bountifulnesse of God then the greatnes of the thing which he geaueth Then I aske thee an other question What is the cause thinkest thou why I doe beleue that the bodie and bloud of Christe is after a wonderfull manner conteined in this Sacrament and thou beleeuest it not It is not surely bicause I will suffer my selfe to be abused for lacke of witte For thou doest not passe mee either in witte or learning But this is the cause Thou trustest thy senses and I directe al my doinges according to the faith of holie Churche Thou doest caste of the yoke and spurne against it but I doe of myne owne accorde put my heade into the moste sweete yoke of Christ Thou doest refuse his benefites but I doe praie vnto him to encrease my faieth Moreouer we see this by daily experience The more a man yeldeth to vice and vncleanes of life the feinter is his beleefe as touching this dreadfull Mysterie Wherevppon it is concluded that he that geaueth him selfe wholie ouer to the pleasure of the bodie and therefore falleth from the vnitie of the Churche wil beleue nothing at all of it But on the other side we see that the chaster and cleaner life any mā leadeth the more sure and constant is his belefe in this point in so much that he persuadeth him self that he beholdeth in this Sacrament euen Christ him selfe nailed vpon the Crosse Surely this agreement of the mind and wil of man is a thing to be woondered at The mind seeketh the thing that is true the wil desireth the thing that is good and the wel gouerned wil foloweth the iudgement of the truly directed mind It foloweth therefore that they only see the truth perfectly which are wel ordered in their life and conuersation for vicious and naughty men are cōmonly tourned away from the truth bicause they haue their mind disordered with vnruly desires Now therefore consider to whom it is better to geaue eare To those holy men the which being of mind most pure of life most chast in holie Scriptures most excellently wel learned haue from the time of the primitiue Church folowed this faith or elles to these madbraines and frantik felowes to these filthie licentiouse ribawdes to the newe vpstart doctours which haue most wickedly and heinously violated this faith This Sacramente the holie Fathers whiche were taught of the Apostles called Synaxim that it to say a bringing together bicause it linked the mindes of men together wi in themselues and brought them to be ioyned al in Christ In like māner they called it Eucharistiam that is a thankesgeuing bicause there is no benefite of God in this life for the whiche we are bound to yeald vnto his Maiestie greater praise and hartier thankes For it supporteth the state of the sowle it establisheth the powers of the minde it clereth the vnderstāding it strēgthneth faith it stirreth vppe hope it enkendleth charitie it inflameth hartes it filleth the godlie and deuout mindes with meruelouse great sweetenes and comfort With this heauenlie foode S. Cyprian so often as any tempest or persecution was towarde thought it good to fortifie them that were appointed to suffer tormentes for the name of Christe And therefore dyd he the sooner admit into the Churche againe such as were yet penitentes that is to witte menne separated from the Church for a tyme to do penance for some offence committed to the intent that being strengthned by this cōmunion of the body of Christ they might stand valiātly to the end against al the power of Satan For the holy mā was of this mind that the foode of this heauēly bread gaue such strēgth ād courage as could not be brokē or weakened by any force of our enemie the deuil What should I here rehearse other holy Martyrs without nūbre al holie writers the faith and agreemēt of the vniuersal Church continued euen frō the Apostles time to our daies And yet wilt thou keepe open war against the ordinaunce of Christe against the doctrine of S. Paule against the inestimable greatnesse of the fruictes in this mysterie cōteined against the experiēce of such wōderful profit and sweetnes against the pure and sincere faith of the Catholik Church And yet wilt thou reprochfully reuile the body and bloud of Christ and depraue like a mad mā the most excellent and highest benifit that euer the goodnes of God bestowed vpon man And yet wilt thou reioyse in thy wickednes and poison many other men with the contagion of this thy most pestilent heresie These thinges M. Haddon thinke them not spoken to you but to your Martyr And now let him stand a side and I wil thus reason with you Could you M. Haddon knowing as you doe verie wel not only the vertue of this wonderful Sacrament whiche is of al other the greatest but also the strength and operation of al other Sacramentes being withall
he saith vnto Moyses I wil haue mercie on whom I haue mercie and I wil haue compassion on whom I haue compassion S. Paule geueth a reason wherfore no man can possibly laie any vniustice to God For the defence of Gods iustice standeth altogether in his mercie For that often repetition of Gods mercie signifieth his great constaÌ„cie in geauing mercie And the mercy of God quiteth his iustice of al slauÌ„den As though oure Lorde him selfe should saie I am by nature so merciful that I pleasure in no thing more then in pardoning of syns and in keeping a most coÌ„stant and euerlasting mercie to mainteine them whome I haue receiued into my protection It may therefore be sene very wel when I do punnish syn â–ª that such as are coÌ„demned do perish through their owne default For if thei would come to good order thei might obtein the like mercy and be saued But forsomuch as of their own accord thei estemed more darkenes then light bondage then freedom â–ª pouertie then riches death then life it was iust that they shoulde be throwen downe headloÌ„g into bitter paine and torment And so by this place which S. Paul allegeth after a heueÌ„li sort of the assured nes of Gods mercie we see his iustice vtterly discharged of al slander Wherfore in the calamity of the Iews no maÌ„ could finde any lacke of truth in God but he might well blame the vnfaithfulnes and wicked stubbornes of them that would not be saued by the mercie of God Then to coÌ„firme this saying aÌ„d to teach vs that al hope of saluatioÌ„ is to be referred to the merci of God which is so freely offred to al meÌ„ he saith It is not therfore in hi that willeth neither in him that ruÌ„neth but in God that taketh mercy Wil importeth a desire ruÌ„ning signifieth an earnest endeuour to honestie the which both are compreheÌ„ded in the benefit of God For it is he the which with often calling vpoÌ„ me causeth me to wil it is he also the which geueth a cheerefulnes vnto my wil. Howbeit neither my desire neyther my cherfulnes shal haue ani good successe vnlesse he of his mercie shall bring both my wil and my earnest endeuour to perfection For our strength is appaired our hopes vanish al to nothing so often as the mercie of God for our vnkindnes of heart departeth from vs. When I therefore doe any good woorke it is to be ascribed neither to mans will as being naturallie inclined to honesty neither to my earnest endeuour but only to the mercy of God But that it might appeare yet more plainely that the Iewes fell not through the vniustice of God as vngodlie men reported but through their owne vnfaithfulnesse and wilfull sinne he reherseth the like example of naughtines and lacke of beleefe For God vsed the like meanes in callinge Pharao to honestie and fraying him from vnbeleefe But he of a pride and stubbornes which was in him would abuse the mercie of God to his farre greater punishmente and damnation Vppon this S. Paule bringeth in these wordes For the Scripture saith vnto Pharao for this haue I stirred thee vp that I maie shewe my power in thee and that my name may be declared in al the earth In the which place two thinges are to be noted The first is that Pharao was not driuen to suche outrage by any violence oâ— force of Gods behalfe as S. Paule declareth him self unon after The other point is that the wickednes of Pharao was therfore tolerated a great while of God the most wise and bountiful Lord of al things which out of euil thinges draweth euermore some good and bringeth thinges disordered into good order that by shewing one example of â—â—ueritie he might kepe a great many men in wel doing And this may appeare much better if we will trie the wordes at the Hebrew fountaine for this sentence might very well be translated after this sorte For this cause haue I suffred thee to stand that I may shâ—we my power to theo and that my name may be honoured in al the earth He sayeth not I haue taken away thy wittes from thee and I haue caused thee to be madde that thou shouldest continually rebell against mee but I haue suffred thee a greate while and haue differred thy due punnishmente that I mighte reserue it to the greater setting out of my glorie and the saluation of many men He called Pharao both to faith and also to honestie But for so much as Pharao regarded not the goodnesse of God but ranne on like a wild colt vpon an vnbridled affection it stode verie wel not onely with Goddes iustice but also with his mercie that many menne should by the most iust example of Pharao be put in feare and so brought to good ordre For as the gouernours of common weales doe vse to out of with constant seueritie such as they can not redresse by lighter punishmentes to the ende that they may by the terrour of that punishment keepe the rest of the citizins in ordre euen so doth that most high gouernour shew sometimes an exaÌ„ple of seueritie vpon them that wil not be refourmed but wil vpoÌ„ sinne wickedly coÌ„mitted heape a shamelesse defence that he maie by the deathe of those lewd persons benefite the whole and that he may in punishing the wicked shew many points of his high mercie What is the cause then that we see that word so often repeted And God hardened the heart of Pharao To hardeÌ„ is to gâ—ue vnto wicked men which do abuse good thiÌ„gs vnto malice some matter with the which they may encreace their syn and stubbornes Knowest thou not saith S. Paule that the goodnes of God mooueth the to penaÌ„ce But thou according to thy hardnes and vnrepentaunt hart doest treasure vp to thy self displeasure In like maner therefore God caused not that hardnes in Pharao but Pharao refused the mercie of God and of a certaine hardnes and frowardnes that was rooted in him abused the clemeÌ„cy of God vnto greater syn and so encreased the heape of Gods wrathe towardes him euery day more and more Now marke how wonderfully the Apostle linketh together his argumeÌ„ts â–ª First of al he declareth that to be a true Israelite cometh not of mans nature but of the grace of God Then he confirmeth the iustice of God by the greatnes of his grace which is offred freely to al men that wil vse it For by that mercie it is euidently seene that such as perished perished through theyr owne default and this doth he declare more plainly by the example of Pharao the whiche refused the mercie of God and was willingly forlorne that it might be gathered by this that the Iewes fell in like manner through their owne wilful blindnes bicause their hearte was to obstinatly bent and harâ—lened in wickednes and that their daÌ„nation is not to be imputed vnto God which called them to saluation â–ª but vnto their owne naughtines and stubbornes
â–ª â—he fault is not so much in her herâ—â—â— in hâ—â— teachers who had the bringing vp of her when shee was of age tender and weake and therefore the more meete to be abused by such subtile and craftie felowes Last of all it is not as yet euidently seene so long as shee is not free from your tyrannie which vnder her name as men saie doe possesse the kingdom what waie she woulde take in al these matters Of thys I am righte well assured that her singular wit is not by nature so obstinately bente to mainteine an opinion once conceiued or so muche geauen to naughtie and false doctrine that it is not very flexible to yealde vnto good reason and verie willing to forsake false doctrine and to folowe that which is true and incorrupted Wherefore I doubte not if she be so wittie as you say shee is but that shee will so soone as euer shee may doe it for your importunitie turne from this your wicked doctrine to the honest godly and profitable doctrine of the Church And wheras you adde these words In the which shee hath found God so merciful vnto her Me thinketh you vnderstand not in what thing the testimonie or proufe of Gods mercy standeth â–ª For it standeth not so much in the glory of the people or in the prosperouse successe of worldli matters as in the peace â—d quietnes of coÌ„scieÌ„ce in a mind beutifully decked with the giftes and graces of God in faith and vpright coÌ„uerâ—atioÌ„ in true and vncorrupted doctrine â—n that state of life which is abundantly â—â—rnished with heauenly vertues Furâ—hermore if shee haue had God very â—erciful vnto her and haue not tryed â—r fealt as yet his iudgement she ought â—o be so muche the more carefull that â—e do not offend him and that she doe â—ot abuse his mercy and clemencie to â—e contempt of his most pure and holy â—eligion And to make so much of fiue yeares prosperitie it argueth a'â—â—erueilouse great rashnes in you When Solon warned Cresus that he shoulde not trust to much to prosperouse fortune he taught him that the prosperitie not of fiue yeares but of manie yeares is to be feared and he shewed withal that no man is to be accounted happie so long as he liueth This Cresus being afterward ouercome by Cyrus and set vppon a pile of wood to be burned called with a lowd voice vpoÌ„ Solon by whome he had ben warned before of the coÌ„dition of mans frailtie and of the sodaine alteration of worldlie felicitie Cyrus hearing the name of Solon demauÌ„ded of Cresus what that Solon had ben To whome Cresus answered that he had ben the wisest man in al Greece of whom he had learned this lesson that it is the greatest madnes in the worlde to be lifted vppe to much with prosperitie Cyrus foorthwith caused Cresus to be taken doune from the pile and vsed him very honourably and him selfe in all his prosperitie held a goodly meane These and the like examples are so wel knowen and daily experience geueth vs such occasioÌ„ to know the vncertaintie of this our condition that there can not be any greater token of madnes or folie then to waxe proude when the worlde serueth vs at will For who so euer is puffed vp with the prosperouse successe of things neither doth he vnderstand how sodainlie all the wealth of the worlde vanisheth awaie and from howe high a griese or step many of the greatest Princes haue sallen to the great wonder of al men neither doth he consider what a violent kinde of seueritie that supreame Iudge vseth wheÌ„ he mindeth to shake as it were with a whirle winde and throw down the estate of such as trust to much to them selues Who is able to saie that al things shal prosper with him euen vntil his dying daie Who is able to assure him selfe of one daie yea of one hower voide of all calamitie or mishappe For as darkenes enseweth vppon lighte as the tempest is wonte to come vppon the watermen and mariners vnwares euen so doth heauy chaunces oftetimes marre the flourishing state of fortunate men and ouerwhelme them in the waues of al aduersity and driue them against the rockes of euerlasting thraldome and miserie And the more carelesse men are the more grieuously are they pained when any suche calamitie falleth vpon them Wherefore it is the parte af a wise man to consider long time before all suche mischaunces as maie happen euery daie and hower yea euerie minute of an hower but it is a token of a foolish and madde felowe in prosperitie to forget the weakenesse of manne especiallie whereas we see oftentimes that almightie God nowe and then suffereth suche as he is most offended withall to haue the longer enioying of their apparente felicitie that he maie of a sodaine strike them that will not repente and geue them the deeper wounde And therefore our Lorde warneth vs that we be not like vnto them which in the daies of Noe liued a rechelesse life and so coÌ„tinued eueÌ„ vnto the time in the which they were oppressed sodainly with the floud which they could not possiblie auoid He teacheth vs also by the sodaine fiering of those Cities that his iudgement catcheth improuideÌ„t men as it were with secrete grynnes or snares in such sort that they can not escape from euerlasting pounishment and tormentes If these thinges be true what a madnes was that in you for fiue yeres prosperitie to vaunt your selfe so arrogantly and vainely To triumph so insolently to build so great an argument of Gods fauour towardes you vpon so slender a ground See you not howe manie nations there are in the worlde vtterly voide of the faith of Christe whose estate is a great deale more flourishing then yours is If this argument were any thing woorth see how easily the Turkes shall be able to auouche their pestilent secte wherein they are drowned You mainteine your cause with fiue yeares felicitie but they wil proue their Religion to be true by their great victories and by the very prosperouse successe which they haue had in all their affaires for the space of many yeares Last of al are you wel ascerteined what alteration one day or rather one hower may bring vnto your state Wherefore are you then so bragge Wherefore do you vaunt your selfe so farre beyonde all modestie as though you were free and past al daunger yea as though you were altogether exempted from the bondes of the condition of man in suche sorte that you coulde not possibly be ouertaken with any sodaine mishap As for the agreement of your councel in bringing the auncient Religion to be set at naught and forgotten if it be so as you saie and in makinge the Quenes Maiestie Superintendent in al spiritual matters I haue already declared that neither of them both coulde be donne without incurringe the grieuouse displeasure of God If you think that you shall escape vnpunished bicause it is delaied take hede if you repeÌ„t
not while you haue time lest you doe increase through this your presumption the plague that hangeth ouer you As for the hope which I conceiued as you saie of your Quene and therfore wrote those my letters vnto her it repenteth me not as yet of my doinges If I haue donne any good it will appeare at the lengthe If I haue donne none yet the signification of my good heart towardes her can not be but wel taken of her if shee wil continue in her accustomed courtesie and gentlenes You saie I shall not bring her to be of myne opinion no althoughe I should write sixe hundred millions of Philippicall Orations I would faine knowe how you are able to auouche that Thinke you that she is of nature so barbarous and sauage that although I doe detecte the craftie dealinge and priuie practises of naughtie felowes and prooue them vnto her by Argumentes inuincible by reasons more cleere then the sonneshine at noone-tide if I set before her eyes the filthines and lewdnes of this counterfeict religion which they haue most wickedlie and heinously deuised if I declare vnto her in plaine words how childish your reasons are wherwith you goe abouâ—â— to mainteine their cause and how il fauoredly thei hang together think you I sai that she wil notwithstaÌ„ding althis rather imbrace your most detestable opinion to her certaine and vtter vndoing then cal to mind againe the true Religion which hath ben forgotteÌ„ for a time through the default and naughtines of such as should haue put her in remembrance of it to her most assured saluation and glory euerlasting If reason shal ouercome heâ— if the authoritie of holie Fathers shall cause her to yealde if the Lawe of God shall put it into her heart that shee wil desire to forsake and detest this your secte yet haue you so good affiaunce in your owne force and so little estimation of the sharpenesse of her witte and iudgemente that you dare warrant that vnlesse you geaue her leaue shee shall neuer retourne doe what shee can vnto that godly order of Religion whiche her moste noble Progenitours obserued and kepte very honourably to their great profit and immortal glorie Shall you Syr haue her at your commaundement and becke shal you take order with her shal you prescribe her what shee shal beleue in such sort that for feare of falling into your displeasure she shal not regard her owne life and dignitie but shal rather suffer her selfe to be carried awaie into euerlasting tormentes and damnation then to gainsaie your opinion be it neuer so vngodlie heinouse and wicked yea and mainteined with neuer so fond and peeuish kinde of talke But be it Admitte she be so much an vnderling vnto you that shee dare not for her life once dissente from you in any thing What if shee shalbe moued by the instinct of the holy Ghost What if Christ him selfe shal stirre her heart to consider and enioye his graciouse giftes What if God wil set vp such a light before her heart that shee may see how certaine wicked persons woorke priuie treason against herlyfe and persone And that I may say nothing els what if she shall receiue but onely such a smal quantitie of the light of God that shee may see that Luther with his disciples and folowers were neuer moued by the holy Ghoste but pricked foreward by the fendes of hel and that they came not to instructe men with wholsome doctrine but to infecte them with moste pestilente errours What Wil you this notwithstandinge holde her backe will you shackle her in such sorte that she shall not possibly geue eare to the holy warninges and counsels of God To continue in a wicked opinion being once conuinced as erroneouse is the parte of a dul and blunt wit to be afraid of the vniust displeasure of her own subiects is a token of a base and cowardlie heart but to refuse the gift of Gods mercy to reiect his gratious aid when it is offred is an argumteÌ„ of an vngodli aÌ„d naughty mid So shal it com to passe that you while you desire to put the worlde to vnderstand what a perilous felowe you are shal falsely charge that Princesse whome you reporte to be moste excellentlie fournished with all vertues passingly well adourned with many singular qualities with dulnes of wit with feintnes of heart and with the crime of impietie Truely M. Haddon she is very much beholdinge vnto you for your goodly seruice if you haue by your diligence so besette her on euery side that although she see her self tombled doune headlong into euerlasting death and damnatioÌ„ yet she may not be so hardy in her hert if you saie nay to it as once to which or step aside to auoide the daunger that hangeth ouer her lest in so doing shee might trouble your patience more grieuouslie perhappes then a man would thinke And yet am I moued to refreine to write vnto her â—ny more of the same matter for verie iust and good causes For I think I haue very wel discharged my duety both in my letters which I sent vnto her as also in this answer which I write against your booke if it happe to come to her hands Either therfore the things that I haue already written shall haue sufficiente force and strength to make her heart to yelde or els I shal not be able to doe it although I write againe And in deede I haue not so much vacante time that I may spend it without any fruict or profite Let vs now come to your good couÌ„sel wherin you aduertise me that I should not once haÌ„dle the holi scriptures you coÌ„mend my wit and my eloqueÌ„ce you do not mislike But you say that I am to be reckoned emongest the Oratours and Philosophers and not emongest the Diuines My bokes of nobility for it is like you neuer read any otheâ— bookes of myne you sale you like very wel I am right glad that my wrâ—tinges are commended by a manne so finely learned and so trymly nourtered and your friendly counsell I take it in good worth And therfore it liketh me to speake vnto you Syr newe Diuine with the selfe same verses as Horatius feineth him selfe to haue vsed to Damasippus a new Stoike Syr Waulter for your counsel true a barber maie you haue Sent from the Gods and Goddesse eke your worthie heard to shaue But howe came you to be so well acquainted with me Who tolde you that I haue not bestowed a great deale more studie in Diuinitie then in Cicero Demosthenes Aristotle and Plato You coÌ„mend my wit what then think you that the study of Diuinitie is mete for dul heads onely and drawlatohes â–ª You like my eloqueÌ„ce 〈◊〉 you therefore that the holy Scriptures would be handled of rudesbies only and homly felowes Wheras you geue authoritie to women to tinkers and tapsters to the rifferaffe of al occupations to iangle and prate at rouers in Scripture matters wil you
eares within themselues they rage and ruffle they tosse and turmoile and in the end they wrecke their angre and malice euen vpoÌ„ them that were the procurers of this libertie And so whereas nothing can longe continew where discord and madnes reigneth it cometh to passe that they leese not onely the libertie and impunitie by the diligence and flatterie of these Populars procured but also their honest and lawfull libertie whiche they might otherwise haue kepte long time These are they that are wont to be called Populars Now it remaineth that we declare whether frier Luther were Popular after this manner Is there anie doubt in the wordle of the matter What other thing I praie you intended Luther but only to flatter the people Al such thinges as the people hated and lothed did he not take them quite awaie The authoritie of the Bishop of Rome did he not vtterly deface it The holie Canons did he not abrogate and disannull them Did he not stirre vp hatred and enuie against the Princes of the Church did he not quench in mens hartes al feare of lawes both of God and man did he not make a faith which assured men of saluation were they neuer so wicked yea and obstinately bent to coÌ„tinew in naughtines did he not shew to al the wordle a great hope of licentiousnes did he not with his doctrine make those men disobedient and rebellious which he him selfe had begoten fostred and brought vp Is it not wel knoweÌ„ that such as had geuen them selues wholly to his doctrine prooued so desperate and headlong that he him selfe could not rule them But how worthely you defend him M. Haddon If he be popular say you that regardeth the health of the people there is no man more popular then he but if you meane by popular such a one as stirreth the people to ciuile discord read his booke in the which he inueieth against the tumultes of the coÌ„mon people in Germanie and slaunder him no more Oh what a wise maÌ„ is this How wittily he quiteth the Prince of his religioÌ„ I cal him Popular whose scholers by hearing his doctrine become seditious You answere me that Luther coÌ„plained of the tumultes in Germanie whiche his scholers and folowers stirred vp And you are so blockishe that you perceue not that you speke for me against your selfe Luther say you speketh earnestly against the tumultes in Germanie Why then he coÌ„fesseth that the selfe same religioÌ„ which he had taken vpoÌ„ him to gouerne which he had instructed with diuine ordinaunces which he had brought backe to the old puritie of the gofpel is stirring and seditious Then did Luther briÌ„g meruelous goodly frutes to his couÌ„treâ— meâ— â–ª for he made them not modest but reprochful not gentle but impatieÌ„t not quiet but seditious yea so much that he him selfe was forced to set out bookes and to repreheÌ„d their desperat madnes O what a holesome gospelisâ—â— doctrine was this what a wonderful light cast this diuine maÌ„ into the wordle what a soueraigne salue laied he to the wounded coÌ„sciences Is this to pourge the Church throughly of vices to restore againe the olde puritie of the gospel to proppe vp the doctrine of the Apostles â–ª begynning to fal to cause by his doctrine such men as were of nature quiet to become so prowd and insoleÌ„t such brawlers and quarellers that their captaine yea their owne deere father could not hold them backe For how manie thowsand men were slaine by ciuile warres in Switzerland styrred vppe by Zwinglius and Oecolampadius What a companie of husband men in Sueuia folowing their captaine Muncer were cut of by the nobilitie What place was there in al Germanie free from this contagious and pestileÌ„t discorde The begynners and ringleaders thereof what were they out of what fountaine sprang they Doubtlesse out of the rage madnes and presumption of Luther out of the shop wher the most infamous Lutheranisme was wrought and coÌ„triued But some of the forenamed personnes fel out afterward with Luther Yea and no meruaile For it was impossible that such naughtie felowes being al agreed in mischiefe should long agree within them selues where euerie one of them sought to be the Captaine What did Luther him selfe did he not make seditious sermons did he not stirre vp the commoÌ„s against their Princes did he not vse verie reprochful and villanous talke against most honorable personages did he not most spitefully reuile th'Emperour him selfe HeÌ„rie king of England George Duke of Saxonie and manie other noble Princes Is it not wel knoweÌ„ that al his sermons teÌ„ded to the stirring vp of discord and sedition What is then more plaine and euident then that the secte of Luther is altogether Populare seditious and troublesome And how daungerous it is to Princes it nedeth no declaration For what so euer is after this sort populare is as I declared in my letters verie much contrarie not only to the good estate of the common weale but also to the maiestie of Princes If you be not of such conuenient witte that you are able to foresee by the causes going before what euent is like to folow you wil neuer fully vnderstaÌ„d it though I should declare it with infinit examples Is it vnknowen thinke you that through the naughtines and outrage of Luther Ludouicus King of huÌ„garie was flaine in the fielde with a great multitude of Christian men For wheÌ„ Solimanus Emperour of the Turks brought against the King a great huge armie aÌ„d great dauÌ„ger was beÌ„t against al Germany yet the cities of Germani being partly entaÌ„gled with ciuile wars within themselues the which Luthers sect had caused aÌ„d partly imbrued with the doctrine of Luther who mainteined in disputatioÌ„ that it was not lauful to withstaÌ„d the force of the Turkes either could not or would not aide Ludouicus If therfore this victorie of the Turkes hath brought such great dishonour to the name of Christians if by it ther is laied open a gap into Christendom to the vtter decaie and ruine of Austria and to the great daunger of all Germanie if the noble kingdome of Hungarie for the greater part of it be brought vnder the rule and gouernement of a most barbarous and crewell ennemie for al this we maie thaÌ„ke the naughtines and owtrage of Martine Luther But peraduenture you neuer heard of this geare and therfore you wil bide by it that your new gospel is no hinderaÌ„ce to Princes What caÌ„ you beignorant of that also how Edward your owne king was in his childhood most traiterously made away with poison know not you â–ª by whom Charles the Emperour a most worthie Prince was both betraid and assaulted heard you neuer saie with how crewel treason quene Marie a womaÌ„ most excelleÌ„tly furnished with princelie vertues was first assaulted with poison and afterward besieged of her own subiects â–ª Is it possible that you should know no thiÌ„g of the coÌ„spiracy in the which was contriued by a coÌ„panie of most
filthie traitors the murder both of the quene and of Cardinall Poole a most noble godlie and wisemaÌ„ what nede I to reherse vnto you the rebellioÌ„ of the freÌ„ch meÌ„ the disloialty the cruelty the wast aÌ„d spoile of churches and holy thinges in FraÌ„ce what should I say of the king of ScotlaÌ„d who was by most cruel vil lanie murdered and slaine Now they that haue stirred vp such great broiâ—es and tumultes they that haue committed such barbarous and horrible actes froÌ„ whens haue they their originall or begynning Is it not euident to the wordle that the verie fountaine and spring of al these mischiefes was in Luther And yet it liketh you to cal him the man of God one sent from heauen for the saluation of mankind Tel me I praie you what vertues appeared in him so great that you should conceiue such opinion of him as you doe what continencie of life what grauitie of maÌ„ners What seueritie what gentlenes what contempte of wordlie thinges what contemplation of heauenly thinges what time spent in coÌ„tinnual praiers what daies and nightes passed ouer in weeping and teares for the health of the people What fasting what groniÌ„g and sighing Finally what deedes of most ferueÌ„t charitie hath coÌ„mended this man vnto you so much that you dare saie of him that he maie wel be compared for his excellencie in vertue and godlines with Basile and Athanasius and al other holie men First of all he was as his owne paiges do confesse of nature crewel in his talke rough wrathful haughtie and prowde yea so muche that he esteemed not Melanchton to be a man Then his vowe solempnely made vnto Christ he brake it and like a most filthie ribaude coupled him selfe with a woman whiche had in like manner vowed perpetual chastitie vnto Christ in a monasterie of Vrgines and by this example shewed him selfe to be a captaine and ringleader to al suche as would doe the like To be short he was infamous for many other most heinouse vices and detestable crimes But least his commendable qualities might seeme to be vtterly defaced with the blemish of manie vices I coÌ„fesse he could with a goodlie shew of humanity somtimes hide his rough and boisteous mad nature and so set forth hiÌ„self to the simple people For he was a pleasant coÌ„pagnioÌ„ and at a baÌ„ket a iolie prater in al kind of myrth verie fine if reprochful tauÌ„ting may be called ciuil finenes He pleasured much in scoffing and tauÌ„ting in reuiling the Princes and gouerners of the Church in mockiÌ„g and scorniÌ„g of honest plain folkes such as were true ChristiaÌ„ meÌ„ â–ª But our lord saith SalomoÌ„ abhorreth scorners and coÌ„municateth the secretes of his couÌ„sel with the simple Wherby it may be gathered that Luther was not replenished with the light of heaueÌ„ And yet you thiÌ„k hiÌ„ worthy to be coÌ„pared with the most holy fathers Of felow ship tel me which of al the auncieÌ„t fathers disteined himselfe with ribaudrie and incest Which of them brought the coÌ„moÌ„ people in hope of liceÌ„tious liuing Which of them stirred vp with his sermons sedition and hurly burly in diuers and sundrie places which of them taught meÌ„ to put the hope of their saluatioÌ„ in faith that is to say in a only rash and folish presumptioÌ„ Which of them tied vp the wil of maÌ„ which god wold haue to be free with I caÌ„ not tel what baÌ„des of destenie which of them durst euer affirme that God was the author or chief cause of al sinne which of theÌ„ euer held that al good works wrought and done of holy meÌ„ by the grace and instinct of the holy ghost were vnclean and spotted with sinne which of them euer toke away the true iustice which by the grace and goodnes of Christ iâ— ascribed vnto faithful meÌ„ and coÌ„sisteth in clean life innoceÌ„t coÌ„uersation and exercise of holy workes and in steede of it substituted a newly deuised iustice such as was neuer heard of before For wheÌ„ Luther denied that syn was quite blotted out in holy meÌ„ by the grace of Christ he affirmed that ther was none other iustice but onely the singular iustice of Christe applied to euerie particular man by faith were he neuer so synnefull and wicked the whiche being but one in all men it was impossible that there shoulde be anie difference in the worlde betwene the iustice of anie common man and the iustice of Paule or Peter yea or of the most holie Virgine mother of God And you demaund of me what those monsters of religion are Al these thinges whiche I haue here most briefely comprised I saie are the most horrible monsters of religion and the father of them is not villanous but villanie it selfe not frantike and madde but verie frantikenes and madnes it selfe What shew of bashfulnes honestie or modestie could you see in this man being the ouerthrower of all honestie continencie and modestie What glimse of vertue could he so dasel your eyes withal that you woulde suffer your selfe to be so daungerously deceiued in him And yet wil you continewe in your errour as you haue begonne And yet wil you acquite suche a pestileÌ„t secte as blamelesse and without faulte And yet will you liken the good holie Fathers to Luther a moste vile and infamous caitiue But you triumph excedingly that he stoode so stiffe thirtie yeares together and was neuer punished for his naughtines and owtrage Can you imagin anie greater punishment in the worlde then the remembrance of a synneful and filthie life The remorse of his heinouse offences made him terribly afraied The feendes of hell tormenters of damned sowles vexed his mind The ennemie the diuel shooke him vp and would not suffer him once to breath or rest him selfe Truth it is he woulde banket and make good cheere with his freendes and therewith somewhat relent his intensifâ— cares But neither chambering nor baÌ„ketting is of that force that it is able to raise vp a mans hart weied downe with the peise of synne But what kind of death died this noble holie Father Being at supper with his frinds ouer night he quaffed somewhat freely and the nexte morning was founde dead You saie afterward that there were brought into England by the goodnes of God a golden couple of olde men Martin Bucere and Peter Martyr whose vertues you coÌ„mend aboue the skies Of them I haue nothing elles to say but that I thinke them to be verie lewde and naughtie felowes if for nothing els yet for this cause onely that you so highly commend them for he that commendeth Luther it is not possible that he should coÌ„mend any thing that is godly honest or holy Whereas you put me in mind that I should somewhat temper my style and not cal such men arrogaÌ„t and prowde as you esteeme for gentle and modest signifying withal after a sort the daunger that by them might ensewe towardes me I woulde ye would aduisedly consider howe illfauouredly your woordes hang together
For if they be verie gentle as you saie they are then although I shall reuile them they will neuer be moued â–ª withall but wil meruelously well keepe their pacience and constancie But if they wil fearcely sette vppon me with villanous and reprochfull language then are they not so gentle as you make them to be I knowe verie wel that vnder the couert of a sheepes skynne as Christe saieth lieth hidden the râ—ugh and crewell nature of wolues It is also by experience well tried that there is nothing in the worlde more shamelesse then these fellowes are For when anie reason is brought against them thei endeuour theÌ„ selues to answerâ— it not by reason but by multiplying of woordes And therefore when they are prâ—ssed with argumentes then beginne they to chafe and sweat to feare and fainte to raile and raue and in the ende fall to plaine scolding vntil thei haue founde for their impudent assertion some shameles shifte But beleeue me I feare no mans slaunderous tongue For I haue committed myne honestie and estimation to the keeping of Iesus Christ and therefore no man shal euer be able to thrust me out of my place by the violence of his tongue And as for your reprochful woordes they moue me no more then the rauing of one that were frantike or out of his witte Were it not that the loue of godlines had moued me had I euer written so much as one letter against you No not one I tooke vpon me this charge of writing not minding thereby to mainteine myâ—â— owne good fame or â—stimation but to â—onfute your wicked and vngodlie talke Wherefore be bolde and spare not to taunt me at your pleasure to perce my good name with fowl words to tourmoile it with villanie to rente and teare it with al dishonestie and I geue good leaue and licence not onely to you but also to all your Bucers and Martyrs most gentle and softe creatures as you cal them to bende them selues as fiercely against me as thei can deuise Wherefore there is no cause why you shuld goe about to make me affraied of them for so muche as vnto their tauntes for the which I care not I wil neuer answere and their reasons are very peuish and alreadi coÌ„futed by the bookes of many learned men and I my self am at this point that I fear nothing in the worlde but only Christe As touching their persons if there be any sense of humanitie in you you see how il you haue defended theÌ„ You say aferwarde that it is nothing true that you shuld stand to the holy Scriptures only for so muche as you do receiue many sentences of the holy Fathers withal What a doubling and incoÌ„stancie is this Now you reiect many thinges for this reason only bicause they are as you say the deuises of men â–ª and by and by you receiue what you list and say that you haue not reiected al the traditions of menne You are so doubteful so diuers and so slipperie that you can not wel tel your selues what you thinke and what you mind to stand to And yet when you spake those wordes you commended them that acknowledge nothing elles but the holy Scriptures and refuse al holy traditions and ordinaunces These are your wordes Truely if it were so then folowed they the example of our Lorde Iesus Christe then folowed they the custome of the Apostles and of the auncient Fathers in the primitiue Church How many things you laie out at a venture It is like forsooth that Christ the mind and wisedome of God the Father by whose power and dispeÌ„sation the law it selfe was made by whom the Prophetes declared thinges to come of whom al holie men of old time receiued their light was content to abyde that lawe him selfe that he would not be so hardie as to speake one woorde which he founde not registred in the holy Scriptures I besech you Sir wher read he in the Scriptures that a man for being angry only although he vttered not one reprochful word shuld incur the daÌ„ger of Gods iudgemeÌ„t wher found he it written that a man for casting his eye alitle aside waÌ„tonly shuld be accounted as an adulterer By what wordes in the Law was a man forbidden to geue a bil of diuorse to his wife In what place was it euer writen that a man minding the perfect obseruatioÌ„ of the Lawe should sell all his goodes and bestowe the money made thereof to the vse of the poore reseruing to him selfe nothing Haue you euer read either in the law or in the Psalmes or in the Prophets that the way to saluatioÌ„ is a narrowe waie or that you ought when a man hath striken one cheeke to holde him vppe the other or that you ought to pray vnto God for their life that speake il of you and woorke your destruction But nowe to come to other pointes of the birth and proceding of God of the regeneration of men in heauenlie life the whiche Nicodemus a man exactlie seene in the doctrine of the lawe vnderstood not of the time in the whiche God would be woorshipped neither at Hierusalem nor in the mountaine of Samaria of the bread of heauen whiche is the foode and sustenaunce of our life of al these thinges what woorde haue you expressely written in any place of the olde Testamente But when Christ spake these wordes there was no Gospell yet written neyther did any writen monumente confirme the sayinges of Christ but looke what he ordeined by woordes was afterward put in writing to the ende that men should not forgette it I doe here let passe many thinges minding not to prosecute al that might be saied for so muche as I haue alreadie spoken sufficientlie to the intent you might vnderstand howe vnaduisedly you haue saied that our Lorde Iesus Christ did also obserue such a rule in his doinges What shall I saie of the Apostles Where had S. Paule read that such as kepte the circumcision of the Lawe were to be separated from the communion of Christe In whiche of all the holie Writers found he that it is vnseemely for a woman to worshippe God bare headed or for a man to couer his head when he praieth to God What shoulde I rehearse vnto you howe he commendeth suche men as were mindful of his Doctrine deliuered vnto them either by writing or by worde What should I speake of that that the Apostles say in their Councel It hath seemed good to the holy Ghost and vs They saie not It is writen in the holie Scripture but It hath seemed good to the holie Ghost and vs. Nowe as touching the holie Fathers which peraduenture you neuer read how durst you affirme of them that they neuer brought in any thing for the gouernement of the Churche but what thei had found writen in the holie Scriptures How many things reherseth S. Basile and disputeth that thei were deliuered from the Apostles vnto the Churche onely by woorde
men Nero was fully perswaded that al men were as euil as him selfe but that their vnbridled lust was restrained by the lacke of thinges that it could not breake out at al times into deedes And this opinion causeth that when vicious men heare tel of anie man or woman that is verie continent they doe not only not beleeue it but they wil deuise ofteÌ„times some infamous crime to burden him withal I graunt you thus muche that neither Luther nor Bucer nor Zwinglius nor Occolampadius nor Caluin nor your Martyr him selfe was able to susteine the assault of the flesh For the heauenly gifte of perpetual chastitie is iustly denied to al suche as haue most wickedly diuided them selues from the church But vnto such as are within the boundes of holy Churche and are desirous to be ioyned with most feruent loue to Christ the chiefe and principal worker of honestie and holines for so much as they are fensed on euerie side with the strong bulwarke of God it is very easie to put fleshlie pleasure to flight to pul vp the verie strings and rootes of al vncleane vice Otherwise S. Paule had neuer geanen counsel to virgins to continew in the state of virginitie he had neuer said that they were farre happiest of al other that folowed the cleanes of his life he had neuer condeÌ„ned widowes only for that they had a wil to be married contrary to their promise he had neuer preferred the state of Virgins before widowhod no our Lord him selfe had neuer approued that kind of geldinges whiche haue gelded them selues for the kingdom of heauen And yet wil you here lament like a Popular felowe a restorer of libertie the wretched boÌ„dage of those virgins that desire to serue Christ more painfully and more chastly then you doe You are altogether ignoraÌ„t what libertie is which doe condemne the most excellent kind of liberty calling it bondage For if it be true libertie to doe what fleshlie lust coÌ„maundeth what naughtines forceth what wrathfulnes moueth what hatred perswadeth what the mad rage of a wilful and headlong mind driueth a man to deuise and doe then I graunt you that they are bondmen which haue crucified their affections and haue fastened them selues with such streight bandes vnto Christ that they can not be tossed to and fro with the swaie ofpestileÌ„t and filthy lustes But if libertie be a power of that part of the minde which hath the rule and gouernment and tendeth to come to that end to the which both the excelleÌ„cie of natural inclination and also the likenes of God in the mind calleth it I would learne of you whome you thinke to be more free that woman that being as it were pulled in sunder with a thowsand diuers busines serueth alwaies with great care her husband her children and her familie or her that being discharged of al these troubles casteth her selfe downe at the feete of Christ and hath no more but one onely care how she may at al times singularly wel please Christ her heauenly spouse That woman whome the force of pleasure being by law permitted yea and of dewtie required constreineth oftentimes to forget heauenly thinges â–ª or her whome no force of pleasure is able so long as she is bound vnto Christe to hinder from the coÌ„templation of God Finally that woman who is thorough the loue of her husband drawen two waies or her which hath set her whol loue vpon the beawtie of Christ Who can denie but that liberty is then geueÌ„ to the mind in dede when reason beareth rule in all the state of the minde WhervpoÌ„ it foloweth that where reason keepeth downe the fleshlie lustes most ther is the mind freest Wherfore it must needes be that the frutefull libertie whiche you haue vnseasonably brought foorth for holie Virgins and Monkes against all right and reason against the holie order of Christian religion is no libertie at al but a detestable and pitiful bondage We haue ben somewhat long in the confirmatioÌ„ of this part bicause I sawe that vpon this lâ—wd point was laied the verie foundatioÌ„ and growndworke of al Luthers most pestilent doctrine For this holiâ— chaplain of Venus I meane not Venus of Cyprus nor Paphos nor Ericine but Venus the RegeÌ„t of hel when he had most filthylie spotted him selfe with leacherie and ribawdrie he thought that not vnough but vsed violent perswasions with so manie as were of his reâ—â—new to doe the like And as we reade in Euripedes that Venus tooke great displesure bicause she was despisâ—d of Hippolitus and therfore deuised craftily to sende certaine monstruous seacalues out of the sea to gallowe his chariot horses by the whiche traine Hippolitus was for the onlie loue of chastitie torne al in peeces and cruelly slaine euen so hath this hellish Venus pricked foreward Luther and Carolstadius and the reste of these horrible monsters not against anie one chaste man but against chastitie it selfe meaning by them vtteâ—lâ— to abolish out of the worlde that heauenly example of chastitie of honestie and of virginitie Moreouer ther was a bâ—tter hatred coÌ„ceiued against the Bishop of Rome whose state Luther ymagined might by this goodlie pollicie be verie much weakened Last of al Luther according to the diuels physick who vseth to cure one euel disease with an other woorse deuised to heale the infamie of incontinencie with impietie and misbeleefe to thintent that when he had perswaded al such as folowed him that it was not only lawful and honest but also that very dewtie and godlines â—ea and necessitie it selfe required that al Nunnes and MoÌ„kes should be maried there should no man be able to blame him for his incontinent and vicious liuing The verie same trade and waie haue you takeÌ„ folowing the steppes of your maister to abolish al good affection towardes perpetual chastitie and now that that was verie vngodly and heinously done you defende it to be done for godlie and iust causes To slide and fall procedeth of the weakenes of man and to continewe in anie vice il begonne is an argument of an vnbridled mind and vnrulie affection But to reioise and glorie in wickednes and to geue the name of honestie and godlines to most filthie vices is so presumptuous and horrible offence that it caÌ„ not by wordes be expressed And yet bicause I did in my letters but only lament this so great a ruine and decaie of religioÌ„ you laie out against me with open mowth And yet you make outcries and in so doing you woulde be taken for an ernest and vehemeÌ„t man And yet you wold beare men in haÌ„d that the thinges that you haue done for hatred malice and rashnes were done charitably prouidently and aduisedly You saie Out vpon this ouer malepart and liceÌ„tiouse desire which you haue to peruert all thinges I saie on the other side Out vpoÌ„ your barbarous and crewel boldnes Out vpon your intolerable impudeÌ„cie Out vpoÌ„ your most wicked and deuilish practises
puritie you vsed in the doing of it For it is like that such fine and deintie felowes as you are were offended with our ceremonies the which peradueÌ„ture might seeme vnto you very stale and old and therefore you deuised other much trimmer then oures the whyche you haue brought not neere but as you terme it exceding neere to the very paterne of the gospel You say afterward that the Church matters are ordered by the bishops but when there iâ— ought to be decreed the diuines do determine it It is euident that you cal theÌ„ diuines who were brought vp vnder Bucer or Caluin Why then haue you diminished the right of bisshops for it perteineth to the bishops to determine the diuines haue no more to doe but only to assist the bishoppes with their aduise But you in geauing ouer the right of the bishops to the diuines declare that your bishops are no diuines Your bishops therfore are as the common report is not only poore scrapers and base felowes but also vtterly ignorant in the holie Scriptures And menne say that the principall cause whie they are chosen is that they muste content them selues with some scantling of their reuenewes and leaue the rest to be rifled of you vnder pretence of the Queenes escheker If this be not true you muste not blame me a man as you say your selfe vnacqueinted in the affaires of EnglaÌ„d but the false report of your il willers Yet this I warne you that you and such as you are doe susteine the great dint of this infamie For when you choose suche Bishops you make menne suspecte that you are greedie and coueteous You conclude at the length that both the administratioÌ„ of the bishops and decrees of the diuines are authorised by the confirmation of the Quenes Maiestie Whie then if there shalbe anie thing done by the bishops or els determined by the diuines that is not for the Queenes profitte that shal not be ratified Here you speake darkely I can not tel what of the Kinges of Israel as though the Priestes in olde time had done al thinges that concerned religion after the prescribed ordre of kinges the which is false You say afterward Then the gospel succeding and diuiding these powers in the first place it setteth the authoritie of Kinges and vnder it other powers by the authoritie of Peter and Paule whose names you abuse to set vp the kingdom of the sea of Rome O what a plague and destruction of common weales what a whirle wind and tempest to your most flourishing IlaÌ„d what an vtter ruine and decaie of al kingdomes and peoples is this that is comprised vnder the naughtines audacitie crueltie and coueteousnes of flatterers What wild beast can anie man deuise in the worlde more horrible and crewel then it is For what so euer the pleasure of Kinges standeth vnto be it neuer so wicked heinouse and vngodly be it not only hurtful to the common weale but also coÌ„trarie to al good and godly ordre it is made forthwith by those clawbackes whome thei cal to their counsel to be dewtiful iust commeÌ„dable religious most wholesome to the coÌ„mon weale and most acceptable to God The which thing is wel knowen to haue chaunced vnto king Henry who was vntil that time both for his vertue wit and deedes a moste noble and renowmed Prince For when as the king had coÌ„ceiued an earnest loue and also an earnest displeasure and was desirous both to satisfie his loue and also to reueÌ„ge the displeasure taken of the Pope who forbad the new mariage he was brought by the persuasion and authoritie of a certaine wicked man to beleeue that he was suprem head of al the Churches that are within the realme of England This thing was the vndoing of the bishop of Rochester and More and of other holie meÌ„ that abid extreme punishments if a most honorable death constantly suffred for the glory of Christ and establishing of religion may be called an vndoing From hence as out of a flouâ—dgate issued so many pestilent opinioÌ„s such a broile of sectes and heresies suche outrages of lewd felowes into the state of the Church of EnglaÌ„d to the great decay of the auncient custome But what was the place the which that most vile corrupter would abuse to proue it Submit your selues saith S. Peter to euery wordly wight for gods sake whether it be to the King as to the more excelleÌ„t personage or els to the rulers as sent froÌ„ God for the punishment of malefactours and coÌ„mendation of good men â–ª what other thing doth S. Peter in these words but only cut of al occasion of disordre and outrage for he would not that by the pretensed name of the libertie of the gospel the coÌ„mon weale should be disordered or the society of men by ciuil policie gathered together be dissolued And therfore doth he bind al ChristiaÌ„ men to the lawes and ordinaunces of menne so that they be not against the lawe of God He commaundeth seruantes to obey their maisters be they neuer so crewel womeÌ„ to obey their husbandes husbandes to honour their wiues children to obei their parentes â–ª parentes to loue their children and to prouide for their bringing vppe and mayntenaunce Finally the holie Apostle commaundeth that ordre both in commaunding and obeying be kept whether it be publike or priuat without any grudging or pretending of excessiue libertie The which ordre was to be kept of Christian men with so much the more diligence as it was coÌ„uenient that their vertue should shine more then the vertue of other menne The selfe same thing doth S. Paule when he warneth vs to submitte our selues to the magistrates and to obey the lawful coÌ„maundementes of Princes He teacheth maisters and seruantes parents and childreÌ„ housbands and wiues the very same lessons I demaund now of you what goodly pregnant wit is this of yours or rather of them that brought you into so great an errour that they would picke such a meaning as you speake of out of these words of S. Peter Did this word More excellent moue you to doe â–ª it Surely that were a manifest token of a verie great folie and extreme madnes For so do we saie in common spâ—ach that that man doth excell in nobilitie or is More excellent whiche is in deede verie noble although he be not of all other moste noble So doe we saie also that a man excelleth or is More excellent then other in vertue or learning or authoritie the which passeth other in these qualities although he passe not al the worlde in them The selfe same signification and meaning hath the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and such is the vse of it Moreouer when we saie that anâ—â— man excelleth in some one thing we doe not by and by in so saying yeald that he doth excel in al thinges but in that thing only whereof we spake If mention were made of the ciuile law and we would saie that M.
by their most honourable death set out their faith excedingly manie haue abiden imprisonement reprochful woordes with diuers other incōmodities manie being loth to see suche a decaie of religion wander from place to place of their owne accord like banished men and outcastes and haue liefer to keepe a continual combat with miserie and needines then to beholde with their eies so heauy a sight The which thing verie manie other men would do also if you would suffer them Moreouer and this I heare that ther are certaine places within that Ilād vnto the which the infectiō of this morreine is not yet come and it is reported that there are manie noble men also which are vntowched A frind of myne an honest and credible person which hath some doinges in England tolde me this for certaine that there are moe in the realme that continue in their faith stil then there are of such as haue forsaken it howbeit they dare not professe it openly for feare of them that are in authoritie For it is lawful for them so long as they are not required to professe their faith openly to keepe it to them selues vntill such time as they must either maintaine their religiō by suffring death if they be put vnto it or els reserue them selues to a better worlde to the ende that all good men decaie not at once And as for them whose heartes are not blinded with pride which are caried awaie not so much of malice and naughtines as of simplicity of mind of the which there are verie manie maie verie easily be brought home againe Wherefore I saied not that al the Iland was geuen to suche vices neither haue I laied downe al hope of the recouerie of the whole no I trust to see within these few daies such an alteration of things that the verie remembrance of this most pestilent plague shalbe vtterlie abolished Furthermore I meant not in those my letters as I tolde you before to make anie enditement or accusation but to aduertise your Prince that she should not suffer her self to be infected with the pestilent sectes of desperate felowes the which thing that I might doe it the better I declared certaine tokēs by the which true religiō might be discerned from false religiō and true Prophetes frō false Prophetes In the doing wherof if I lacked discretion we shal see anon Thus much haue I spokē concerning my letters the which you saie were writen without good argument and without anie comely grace Wherin I find a great lacke of grauitie in you for it is not the part of a graue mā to be moued with a talke which is void of all good argumēt And yet you as a man maie wel cōiecture by your writinges after you had read my letters fell into such a pelting chafe such a rage and madnes that you betraied your griefe by reprochfull and railing talke yea you went so farre in it that you were not ashamed to bewraie to the worlde the verie stammering and stuttering of your tongue You confesse also that my letters were caried vp and down throughout al Christendome the whiche shoulde not haue ben done if they had ben written without anie good grownd But let vs see how you which saie that I had no argument to staie vpon will answere that myne argument by the whiche I prooued that the puritie of the Gospel was not restored by your maisters for so much as emongest the disciples of your Gospel there raigneth a numbre of most detestable vices Tushe saie you it is all false that you report of the dishonestie of the men of our side Such is your impudēcy M. Haddon that you will denie the thing which is knowen and commōly bruted yea which is sealed and cōfirmed by the testimoniall of the whole worlde Doe you not cōfesse the broiles and tumultes of Germany See you not with your eyes how volupteousnes flieth to and fro auancing her selfe how licentious liuing getteth vp and down vncōtrolled how the churches of religious men are prophaned with bloudshead how al places of deuotiō are rifled and robbed how treason and wilie practises are wrought againste Princes by your sectaries how al places where so euer your maisters set vp schoole are distourbed with hurly burlies How then dare you saie that that thing was neuer done which you not only heare of other men but also see it done daily with your owne eyes Admit say you that this were true yet could it neuer com of this cause which you gather I would faine learne of you how it should not come of this cause There was alwaies say you darnel somen emongest the good corne There was alwaies seedes of diuerse kindes of the which some were choked in the thornes and some were dried vp by the heate of the sonne The false Prophettes did alwaies bende them selues against the true Prophets our Lord Iesus Christ fownde Caiphasses the Apostles found Nerons the Martyrs that folowed them founde Decies But to omit these thinges as ouer stale I wil bring you home to your owne doores In your Churche is there not synne committed openly Do not men offend in the sight of the worlde You deny it not Wel then throwe away your argument the whiche either it is of no force or els if it be it is against your owne selfe firste and against your Churche By this talke you thinke that you haue tourned the eadge of our dagger But you see not howe manie faultes there are in it Firste of all I deny not that it was euer so as I said plainely in my letters that there were manie vices in euerie common weale and that the seades of naughtines were sowen emongest the good corne But I required and that instātly to vnderstand how these menne of god had discharged their duetie which tooke vpon them to purge the corne and to plucke vppe al such weedes are were noisome to the corne The which thing when I saw they performed not yea when I saw that through their diligence vice came vp a great deale ranker then it did before I gathered by that that their doctrine was nothing wholesome That the true Prophetes susteined the enmitie of false Prophetes Christe of Caiphas the Apostles of Nerons the Martyrs of Decies I graunt you but that maketh much more for the confirmation of myne argument For vertue was euer enuied of the wicked hatesull to viciouse assaulted by the vnfaithful And yet was it alwaies of suche puyssaunce that it preuailed against al crafte and policie against all subtile practises and priuie awaites against the force of wickednesse and vice and brought to the world a goodly and wholesome ordre For they that gaue eare to the Prophetes that folowed Christ that kept the faith of the Apostles that reuerenced the cōstancie of the Martyrs were not presumpteouse wicked disordered and vicious but they were wise modest gētle courteous decked and beutified with diuerse and sundry vertues For the vertue of holy mē the more
his enemies to magnifie his euerlasting kingdome and empire that we may seeme for verie ioye and gladnesse to be besides our selues His ascension also we recorde in such sort that we thinke it our part to bend our selues as much as we can to clymme vp together with Christ into those goodlie dwelling places of heauen What may be saide of that inestimable benefit wherin the holy ghost enkendled the Disciples of Christe with the loue of God and enflamed them with fyerie tongues to the end that they should go throughout al the world and wrap vp that heauenly fyer in the bowells of faithfull men With howe great ioye and gladnesse is that feast also obserued and kept in all the Church Moreouer whē we keepe the memorie of holy men in whose heartes the maiestie of Christ dwelled with dew reuerence for it is not lawful to separate them from the companie of Christ whom he him selfe taketh vnto him as felowes and comparteners of al his goods we are stirred vp to a hope of a certaine diuinitie when we cast with our selues how they that are of the selfe samè nature that we be of for the likenesse which they had with God in vertue haue most happily atteyned the state euen of Goddes And as we doe most highly prayse the holines of other as it becometh vs to do so do we especially honour reuerence and worship that singular paterne of cleanes virginitie and godlines that heauēly and meruelous tēple of the holy ghoste that most holy and immortal tabernacle of the euerlasting promise out of the which riseth the sonne of iustice to put away with the brightnes of his beames the darkenes of the whole worlde and wee doe with right good affiaunce cal for the helpe of the sayd most blessed Virgin in our distresse and necessitie and wee finde that her prayers doe vs muche good often tymes before her Sonne The seruice of the Church is so ordered that the yeare tourning about there is no benefite of God the remēbraunce whereof the holy Churche wil suffer to be forgotten And the Churche doth represent the memorie of al these benefites in such sorte that it seemeth that they are not so much declared in words as expressed in doinges For as the excellent Poete saith The thinges we heare do not so soone prouoke the mind to rise As doe the thinges that vewed are with true and faithful eyes Al these thinges which I haue here declared with manie other of lyke sorte whiche I haue omitted for I thinke it not necessarie to rehearse particularly euery point are not I graunt you matters of perfection They are certayne introductions and necessarie helpes for vs whiche haue some what to doe as yeat with this mortall condicion as we feele by experience For so often as these ordinaunces of the Churche are litle Regarded the minde waxeth dul diligence fainteth the loue of religion slaketh and so by litle there creapeth into our heartes a certayne forgetfulnes of vertue and godlinesse Agayne when we bende our mindes earnestly to sette vppe agayne those godlie ordres we feele that the loue of religion and godlinesse is stirred and enkendled in vs. And no meruaile For why the brightnesse of that light which hath so wonderfully lightened your mindes is not yet risen vnto vs neither are we so weaned from the acqueintaunce of the body that we may be without all these outward signes of heauenly thinges any tyme without greate daunger This is the ordre of the Churche which is holy simple and one this is the rule and Discipline by the whiche all wee whiche haue not yet atteyned vnto the highest degree of wisedome are instructed Now I haue declared these thinges it remayneth that I tourne my talke vnto those your heauenly felowes and men of God the which being not contented with this beaten and common discipline haue taught their disciples a newe trade and doctrine which is more wonderful then this Geue me leaue therefore to talke with them after this sort It is a great matter right woonderfull Sirs and a harde enterprise whiche you haue taken in hande a thinge of so greate importaunce in deede as none of al those holy Fathers whose vertue and witte we esteeme very much did euer attempt the lyke in all their life to cure an old forgrowen disease with a new kind of medicine When you sawe that the old discipline was fallen that manners were decaied ▪ that vnlauful lust rāged vp and downe without restraint that the Church tended to ruine you did as it became holy men sent from heauen take it verie heauily Wherein I can not blame you For it was a matter worthie of many teares and much bitter weeping But you rested not so bicause it were a token of a feint heart and weake stomake to pitie the fal and ruine and not to procure any other remedie for suche a mischiefe but onely a fewe teares You did not therefore as we are woont to doe sorowe and lament so great a mishap and powre out teares vnto God for it but you thought it good to prouide by your labour studie and wakefull diligence that the Church should not be quite ouerthrowen And who can denie but that this is a token of an honourable hart and a valiaunt cowrage But let vs see after what sort you haue perfourmed this so great so weightie and so worthie an enterprise I must therfore repete a sentence whiche I vsed in my letters for the whiche M. Haddon a man brought vp in your rules and doctrine quarelled with me verie sharply What haue you thought it expedient to heale the woundes which the Christian cōmon weale hath taken by such meanes as the most holy Fathers vsed of old time in propping vp the Churche when it was like to decaie No saie you for they were the deuises of men and so great a mischiefe coulde not be remedied by mans healpe but only by the staie and mightie power of God And therfore you determined to forsake all wordlie healpes and to sticke only to the word of God Verie wel For that is it in deede which healeth the mind fortifieth the strength geaueth light to the soule and bringeth it to euerlasting glorie Wherfore I long to see some worke of this your word of god wherin you glorie so much which maie be so notable and so vndoutedly wrought by God that it mai appere to the world by it that you did not without good cause set all other remedies at naught and lay all the hope of your saluation vpō the only staie of this your gospel But for so much as the kingdom of god that is to saie the gospel and power of the word of God cōsisteth not in the vaunt of woordes but in a meruelous vertue and this vertue standeth not in vndiscret and sawcy talke not in filthy and licentious liuing not in bitter hatred and flamboldnes but in modestie cōtinencie and charitie in the workes of iustice
most florishing state of the primitiue Church to be meanly vertuous they must excell they must be wonderfull The whiche thing bicause they do it not but rather whersoeuer they put their foote they leaue the grownde embrewed with muche naughtinesse and vice it is very euident and plaine that they could not perfourme so much as they had promised For they haue brought into the common weale for the cleannes of the Gospell fowle vices for peace and loue debate for modestie pride for religion wickednes for liberty bondage for good ordre licentious liuing for pleasaunt calmenes a most crewel storme And yet you like a godly man lay before me the iudgement of God to make me afraied in the whiche you say that I poore wretch for so it pleaseth you to terme me shal yeald an accoÌ„pt of this so heinouse and wicked offence before the iudgement seat of Christ bicause I haue presumed to rebuke those holie continent and religious persons In deede there is good cause why I should feare For M. Haddon a wise man and such a one as hath familiar coÌ„ference with God at al tymes wold neuer haue said it vnlesse it had beÌ„ declared vnto him before by some heauenly reuelation Reason would therfore that I should tremble and quake for feare of that iudgement the which you your selfe feare neuer a deale and yet you threaten me very seuerely withal You say that I doe not only laugh at your Gospell and deface your Doctours whiche are very heauenlie menne but also violently wrest Hieremie The which thing how false it is I wil declare hereafter You say afterwarde that all that testimonie of Hieremie concerning false Prophetes perteyneth vnto vs. Howe so sir Hearde you euer say that there was any newe Prophete emongest vs that went about to tourne vs away from the auncient Religion That warranted vs of peace and ioylitie as though he had had commission from Christe so to doe That taught the people that synne should escape vnpunished You retourne once agayne to speake your pleasure by the holy Church the ordre wherof I haue alreadie declared in the whiche although there be some diseases yet they are suche as may be cured For we refuse not the medicine the which without the Church can not be found els where After that you commend your own Church highly The publike fermons say you you commit to certaine seely friers and they declaime after their owne fasshion in other matters they are dome As touching preaching I haue said already that this charge is in no wise to be neglected of the Bishoppes neither doth the holy Churche beare with such negligence but rather exhorteth and chargeth al Bishops most streightly to folow the office of preaching and teaching with all diligence And it is no reason that the negligeÌ„ce of a fewe men should be imputed to the whole Church the which is so careful to take good and wholesome ordre with euery particular man that he should doe his dewtie Moreouer there are as I sayd before many Bisshops emongest vs the which preach oftentymes and stirre vppe their subiectes to the loue of godlines But admitte it were alwaies so that the sermons were made by Monkes doubtlesse it is more tolerable that godly and religious persones should be appointed by the Bishops to doe that office then that base fellowes and suche as are poisoned with most pestilent and erroneous doctrine should be made rulers ouer Churches Whereas you say that at our sermons the audieÌ„ce is brought a sleepe I grauÌ„t it must needes happen so sometimes when he that preacheth can not be so eloquent and fine as you are What then Bicause some man nappeth a litle sometime therefore shall not the rest awake them selues and geaue diligent eare to the sermon shall no preacher be able to moue and exhort his hearers to serue God with greater loue and feruency In the ministring of Sacramentes say you the Priestes only are doers the rest are but lookers on Of lyke you are not pleased with that You haue no liking in modest and seemely ordre You would peraduenture that there should be made a disordre and confusion of offices and that al men should take vppon them the office of priesthood But we thinke that that comely ordre was ordeyned by God that Priestes only should minister the Sacraments and that the rest should take the profit of them with silence and not medle them selues with the diuine seruice As concerning the vnknowen tongue in the which the seruice is saide I â—â—ue spokeÌ„ sufficiently already wherfore bicause I wil not repete one thing often tymes I referre you to those thinges that are said before Let vs now enter say you into the masses in the which you would haue the very marow of religion to be powred out That is very true For they conteine in them a most seruent lifting vppe of the heart vnto God moste holy and deuout prayers the monumentes and remembraunces of Christe whiche represent vnto vs his life his passion his death and merites the ordre and woorking of our saluation and the appeasing of the displeasure of God And that I may say nothing elles in them is offered vppe the moste holie bodie of Christ the selfe same Sacrifice that taketh away the vncleane spottes of synnes that yealdeth vppe thankes to our most mighty Lord and bountiful parent that enkendleth godly mindes and inflameth deuout hearts with the loue of euerlasting life and glorie You say moreouer that no maÌ„ entermedleth with the Gospell emongest vs. You say wel in that For we can not abide that euery man should be a Reader euery man a Doctour euerie man a Prophet But we thinke it expedient to prouide that al thinges may be done honestly and orderly Where you saie that all exhortations out of the Gospell are whisshed omongest vs that is false For we haue continuall preaching and there is expounded what so euer coÌ„cerneth salualtion not vnlearnedly nor yet vnsauerly as you imagine and the hearers keepe silence after a very modest and comely sorte You come saie you to the Lordes Table once per aduenture euery yeare and that more for a solemne ceremonie then for a contrite heart This gesse of yours is very vaine also Truthe it is that al men are bownde by lawe and order to come vnto our Lordes Table once in the yeare but such as doe it but once in the yere are not wont to be coÌ„mended And emongest vs there are of such as feaste them selues at this heauenlie banket very often an exceding great number Whereas you say that it is done for a solemne ceremonie onlie and not for a contrite heart you doe but gesse as your manner it And for so muche as your gesse prooueth false it seemeth that you may woorthilie be numbred emongest the false Prophetes When you saie that in this supper the supper of our Lorde is not remembred of vs you speake with out the booke euen as you didde before
haue ben verie well alleaged of diuers godly and holy men to confirme this matter but if there had ben no such thing yet the faith of the holie Churche which hath alwaies continewed vndefiled euen from the Apostles tyme till our daies might haue suffised vs abundantly But you when you see most euident testimonies when you are not able to shift our argumentes when you are conuinced by the autoritie of the holy Fathers when you may see the agreement of the whole Churche yet wil you of an vncredible stubbornesse continewe in the wicked opinion which you haue once taken What shal I here say of prayers and vowes made in Sacrifice for the liue and the dead Is there any tyme in the which it is not lawful for ChristiaÌ„ men to vse charitie the perfection of whose Religion resteth in charitie Can there be deuised any greater deede of charitie then that wherein we praie vnto God most seruently for the saluation of our brethern Is there any tyme more meete and conuenieÌ„t to doe this holy woorke then that is when we goe about to appeace the maiestie of God not with the Sacrifice of brute beastes but with the bodie and bloude of Christe Is there any thing more agreable to the ordre of our Religion which doe beleeue that suche as departe out of this mortall bodie with true faith doe not die but lyue then to ioyne them with suche as remayne in this lyfe and to praye vnto Christe whiche was offered vppe for vs both for the lyuing as also for them that are departed out of this life Cal you this godlie point of Religion this holy worke of most feruent charitie this wholesome Sacrifice offered vppe not onely for vs but also for our brethern vnto whome wee are knit with an euerlasting bande of loue call you this I say the dishonestie of Religion Is this no outrage Is this no madnesse Is this no impudencie To refuse lawefull authoritie to breake the auncieÌ„t ordre of the Churche to deflowre holy virgins to robbe good matrones of their chastitie to cancell the verie remembraunce of of vertue ReligioÌ„ and iustice to queÌ„ch the loue of honestie and gentlenes to prophane and robbe Churches to take holy men and some to murder some to spoile and put to all the villanie in the worlde some others to bannishe out of their countrey to awrecke the malice your beare towardes godlines vpon the relikes of Sainctes to vaunt your selues like helhoundes in the waste and sacke of holy thinges shal this be accompted as honest and gloriouse shall this be esteemed as a matter worthie of immortal commendation and praise And to be bound to obeie authoritie grounded vppon the commaundement and ordinaunce of Christ to conserue the band of peace and concord to honour and reuerence the iustice and mercie of God ioyned together in one to cal to remembraÌ„ce the goodly monumentes of holines to offer vp that most holy and noble Sacrifice the vertue whereof we caÌ„ neither expresse with woordes neither yet conceyue in heart for the liuing and the dead and for the good estate of the whole Christian coÌ„mon weale shal this be such a dishonestie as may not be borne And yet you are not afraied to cal al these thinges the dishonour of Religion and to say that I am not ignorant by whome these thinges are cropen in but that I dissemble it to serue the eares of my compagnions Of lyke Sir all these thinges whiche you mislike and call the dishonestie of Religion were deuised and brought in by brothels and bawdes or elles by suche felowes as serue the bellie luste or vnstedfastnesse of the people for their commodities sake and not by the spirite of Christe and by most continent and holy menne in whome was the spirite of Christe But you are neuer able to prooue that you say For both reason and the testimonie of all antiquitie as also the authoritie of holy Fathers doe vrge and presse you yea and conuince you of impudencie but wee haue putte backe the violent pusshe of this your vngodlynesse and malice with argumentes most sure with testimonies most graue with examples most true Whereas you say that I speake otherwyse then I thinke to serue the eares of my compagnions I see well you are wel acqueinted with my behauiour I am lyke to be suche a man as would spend my tyme with all diligence to learne to flatter and to write not what I thinke but what I imagine may be best liked of my compagnions I besech Christe the iudge of the liuing and of the dead if I write not in matters concerning Religion those thinges which I thinke whiche I iudge to be true whiche I beleeue assuredly that he suffer me not to enter into that most gloriouse and euerlasting Citie of heauen and that he let me not to haue the ioyfull fruition of his owne light and brightnes for euermore For what is the Popedome els but a ministration of an authoritie which is lawefull and ordeyned by God What is our beleefe of Purgatorie but a declaration of Gods iustice and mercie together What is the honouâ— geuen vnto Sainctes but a reuerent consideration of the worke of God in the which appeereth the almighty power and bountifulnes of God muche more then in the making of heauen yea or in al the works of nature What are the praiers made in our Sacrifice for the liuing and the dead but a work of moste perfecte holinesse of moste excellent Religion of moste seruent charitie These be dishonest points which you haue takeÌ„ a way There is good cause why you should glorie in it and haue your name recorded with honor to al the posterity for you haue brought in for obeying of holy and lawful authoritie rebellion for the feare of purgatorie a rash aâ—fiaunce of licentiousnesse vnpounished for dewe woorshipping of Sainctes the contempte of holinesse and iustice for the religious obseruation of the most holie sacrifice and charitable behauiour of men a despising of religion and forgetting of charitie yea moreouer and this you haue brought in a scornfull laughter exceding al modestie together with a sawcie talke passing all ciuilitie Are these thinges comelie M. Haddon Are these thinges honourable Are these thinges to be commended Are these thinges to mabe a shewe of But you saie that the Bishoppes of Rome keepe warres that in Rome is kept a market of purgatorie that holie thinges are there set out to sale that manie men are to muche incombred with superstition in the woorshipping of Sainctes that Priestes liue not very continently and that they abuse their sacrifices now and then to their luker and gaine First of all as towching warres you must thinke that we can not of reason and equitie condemne all warres For they are some times begonne for the defence of Religion and maintenance of a iust cause As for the buying and selling of holie thinges if in so manie hundred yeares some suche matter haue ben vsed it