and gouernours making them to yelde accompt of their doinges than without faile will the princes and gouernours be as diligent to see the people doo their duetie And so shall the common wealthe be godly and prospre and God shalbe glorified in all But thou wilt saye what if the nobilitie and those that be called to cōmon Coūselles and should be the defendours of the people will not or dare not execute their autoritie what is than to be done The people be not so destitute of remedie but God hathe prouided an other meane thas is to complayne to som minister of the worde of God to whō the keyes be geuen to excōmunicate not only common people for all notorious and open euilles but also kaisers kinges princes and all other gouernours whan they spoile robbe undoo ād kill their poore subiectes without iustice and good lawes And what so euer suche minister of Goddes worde byndeth vpon those occasiones here in earthe it is fast bounden in heauen before the face of God And no meane to vndoo it by any good worke muche lesse by popes pardone or friers prayers without repentaunte of the partie offending ād satisfactiō made to the partie offended for the iniustice and iniu ries committed and the mercie of God through the on ly merites of our saueour Iesus Christ. Exāple we haue of S Ambrose who being no pope nor popes Com missary but bishop of Millane excommunicated the Emperour Theodosius Whose doinges bicause thou maiest the better knowe I will in fewe wordes expres se theffecte of the historie This Theodosius albeit he were an Emperour and a Christen man yet was he of nature colerike and muche disposed to be āgrie and as it semeth without consideration It chaunced that in a sediciō at Thessalonica sōof his officers were stoned to deathe and some very euil intreated He in a rage sendeth thider a nōbre of merciles men of warre who making no differēce betwene thautours of the sediciō and thinnocent people make an horrible slaughter of the poore people mā woman and childe Afterwarde thēperour after his accustumed maner came towarde the churche and S. Ambrose mette him at the churche dore ād wolde not suffre him to entre but not only tolde him it was no place for murtherers but also did excommunicate him out of all christen companie til he repented and made satisfactiō for the hor rible murther cōmitted by his souldiours Thēperour being brought vp and instructed in the worde of God as I wolde to God all christē princes were at this pre sent and knowing thoffice bothe of the minister of Goddes worde ād of an Emperour obeyed and return◅d wepīg ād crieng to his palace Eight monetes af t◅r came the feast of the natiuitie of Christ ād Ruffinus lorde great maister or stuarde of his house came to thēperour whō he founde very heauie weping and sobbing He beig familiar with him desired to knowe the cause of his sorowe Ah Ruffinus saieth thempe rour thou art mery for thou felest not mi paines I l◅ mēt ād mourne for my calamitie It is free for slaues and beggers to goo to the churche ād ther to praye to God but I maie not come ther no heauē gats be schut to me Christes words goo not out of my hart what so euer ye binde on earthe shalbe boūdē also in heauē At leynght beīg ēcouraged by Ruffinus that he might be absoiled of S. Ambrose he sendeth hī before to be a meane for hī ād he him selfe folowed But Ruffinus could not intreat the bishop After themperour cometh but durst not entre in to the churche but without the dores fell on his knees to S. Ambrose and desired absolucion S. Ambrose saied he was not mete to be absoiled for his comyng was more like a tiranne one that wolde by force be absoiled than a christen man that shewed him self penitēt and sory No sayeth thēperour I wil not presume against the ordre of the churche to entre in by force but I hūbly beseche thee to lose me out of these bōdes of excōmunicatiō ād that thow wilt remē bre the mercie that God useth and that thou wilt not shutte against me the gate that God opened to all that be penitent The bishop asked him what worthy penaūce he had shewed syth the tyme he had cōmitted that wicked acte or with what medicine he had healed those most greuous woundes It is your part sayeth themperour to prepare the medicine and myne to re ceaue and use it At leynght S. Ambrose required ther might be a lawe ordayned that thexecucion of reuēge should not be done sodainly but delaied so as it should not proced of angre and thēperour made that lawe Afterwarde he was releassed of thexcōmunicatiō ād commyng in to the churche he made his praiers not standing nor kneling but lyeng flatte on the grounde pulling his heare beating his browe wepīg lamēting and cryeng with Dauid My soule cleaueth to the pauement quicken me O lorde according to thy worde ād asked mercie ād forgeuenesse Thus ye see what any minister of the churche maie doo upō the greatest prince if he will execute his office ād the power that Christ geueth him But thou wilt saie what if the minister passe not on his duetie but be contēt to winke at all the uices of the gouernours be thei neuer so wic ked so he maie haue a bishopriche a deārie a prebēde or a good fatte benefice ād liue ūpunished in all abomi naciō Yea ād what if ther be suche special grudges be twene the nobilitie and commones that the one sorte neither trusteth nor loueth the other so as the one dare not open the necessitie ād meane of suche correction and redresse of the euil gouernours vices for feare least if the purpose come to light before hande the mater be dashed and the mocionar leape headles for his labour as it is in these daies often sene What shifte than In dede ther be certain examples and paternes in the holy Bible Which I will not sticke to rehearse though not expounde but holly referre them to the further debating and iudgemēt of thine owne conscience through the holy goost by whose prouidence they are enrolled for our learning We reade that after the lorde God hade sondry times deliuered his people of Israel from wicked tirānes with whom he hade plaged them for their wickednesse and Idolatrie at leinght whan through aboundaunce of wealthe and quietnesse they fell to a certain careles securitie of life not only forgetting God and his holy sincere worde but also seking euery one his owne singular self gaine with the hurt and contempt of his neighbour God toke from them their natural liege lorde the good Iudge Othoniel and placed yee saieth the scripture he streynghtened a straunge prince among them an Idolatrous persone and a wicked called Eglon. This Eglon vsed the matier so with bribing those Israelites that for preferrement wold be traitours to their natural countrey and specially in
ye passed nothing on it but as the Iewes being downed in sinne mocked scorned and murthred the prophetes of God which long before prophecied vnto them their captiuities and vtter destruction so ye laughed and iested at your preachers wordes nothing regarding the threattes of God but contēnyng thē yea increaceīg in your wickednesse ādnowat leyn ght murthering most cruelly the ministers of God And seing wordes of warnyng toke no place with you God for his louing mercie hathe warned you also by monstrous maruailes on the earthe and horrible wonders in thelement to put you beside all maner of excuses What wonderfull monstres haue ther now lately ben borne in Englande What celestial signes most horrible A childe borne besides Oxforde in the yeare M. D. LII with two heades and two partes of two euil shaped bodyes ioyned in one A childe borne at Couentree in the yeare M. D. LV without armes or legges A childe borne at Fulhā by Londō euen now this yeare with a great head euil shaped the armes with bagges hanging out at the Elbowes and heles and fete lame A childe newe borne at Lōdō furthewith speaking as a prophet and mes sager of God An horrible Comete this year besides diuerse eclipses whiche folowe But what were these only bare signes No certaynly they doo and must signifie the great wrathe and indignacion of God Not long after the passion of our saueour Christ whan the Britaines our cōtreymen went about to re couer their libertie and to be despeched of the most cruel seruitude and miserie which the Romaines kept thē in wherein no Britayn was certayn of wife childrē goodes no not of their liues all thigs were so in bōd◅ ge of the cruel Romaynes pleasur ther were of our coūtreymē slayne at one tyme three score ād ten thousaūt mē ād at an other tyme thrittie thousaūt Before which slaughters ther were many wōders sene in Eng lād Thimage of the Idole which the Romaines hade in their tēple called Victorie was turned backe as though she gaue place to thenenies The sea was like blood ymages of mēnes bodyes founde on the sea syde And womē were out of their wittes ād cried destructiō at hāde destructiō at hāde so that the Britaynes were in great hope ād the Romaynes in great feare Before Britayn now called Englād came in to the full power of the Danes kīg Edmūde the sōne of Ethelberte beīg slayne ther were diuerse straūge thinges wherby all men gessed that an alteration of the Realme was towarde but chiefly they gessed the great calamitie by the sodain swelling of the sea without any euidēt cause which so brake in to the lande that it destroyed many townes and people Before that great slaughter of Englishe men and Normādes which was by reason of the warres that were in Normandie betwene king Hēri the furst king of Englāde and Robert Duke of Normandie his brother at which tyme Normandie was ioyned to Englande the ryuer of Trent did not runne one hole daye together but was so emptie that men passed ouer on fote and at that tyme a sowe brought furthe a monstre with the face of a man and a henne a foure foted monstre So that by that that is past ye maye the boldlier diuine of that that is to come The childe by Oxforde what did it betoken but that our one swete head king Edwarde should be taken awaye as he was in dede and that ther should be in his place two headdes diuerse gouernours and a towarde diuision of the people but not all together which so manyfestly folowed that no man can denye it or two people should be knytte together but not in god proporcion nor agrement The childe of Couentrie without the principal membres to helpe and defende the bodye must nedes signifie that the natural body that is the people of Englande shalbe helpeles ready to be troden vnder the fote of euery creature and non to releue or succour it The childe of Fulham what can it signifie but that the natural body of England shalbe weake the chief membres tharmes and legges which is the nobilitie so clogged with chaynes of golde and bagges of money that the hande shall not be hable to drawe out the sweorde nor the heles to spurre the horse to helpe and defende the body that is the commones And as the head of it is the greatest part and greater than it ought to be with to muche superfluitie of that it should not haue wherfore it must pull from the other membres to confort it and lacke of that good proporcion it ought to haue so shall the gouernours and headdes of Englande sucke out the wealth and substaunce of the people the politike body and kepe it bare so that it shall not be hable to helpe it self yet shall the head neuer come to that nature requireth What is to be gathered of the yōg chil de I doo not saie it is true bicause the father was forced onles he wold haue lost his life to r◅cant it but might it not be true Is ther not as muche to be saied for it as for the popes trāsubstāciacion Dothe not Eusebius Pamphili a man of as good credite as Thomas Aquinas Scotus Gratianus and suche other the inuētours and mainteners of transubstanciacion write that a lambe contrary to nature and possibilitie did in plaine wordes before declare the nature and disposicion of Bochorus king of Egipt They that write the cronicles of the Romaines saie that a dogge a serpent and oxen did speake But scripture plainly saieth that Baalams asse a creature vnreasonable without possibilitie to speake did saie to his maister why beatest thou me And Iohn the baptist contrary to the common course of nature lept and reioiced in his mothers wombe whan Christes mother being with childe came to see Elizabeth his mother If men that beleued not the miracles which the gogle ◅ied Roode of Boxley the Idole of walsinghā the bawde of willesdō which euery foole might see to be deceates and open illusions were condemned and burned for heretikes how should they be taken that doo not beleue the manifest workes of God The horible Comete and blasing starre that was sene this yeare greater in Englande than elles wher what elles dothe it betoken but the great displeasure of God and therfore famin pestilēce warres sediciō deathe of princes inuasion of forain naciones destruction of som or many cities and countreies and the alteracion and chaungeing of the state and gouernement For if it be laufull for man to diuine of Goddes wonderfull workes and by the like thinges past coniecture those that be to come why should we not affirme that these plages will folowe Before the great warres made by Xerses against the Grecianes and the ouerthrowing of the hole state of Grece ther was a blasing starre sene of the shape of an hor◅e and an eclipse of the sunne Before the last and vtter destruction of the citie of Ierusalem ther was sene hanging in thelement ouer
as his maistership dothe by the masse saieth he that bocher the bishop of LoÌ„doÌ„ wil cut al the geÌ„tilmeÌ„s throtes in EnglaÌ„d if he caÌ„ Thus ye maie see the marcke wherat these hippocrites the papistes shoote They make religioÌ„ aÌ„d Goddes worde nothing elles thaÌ„ a colour to couer their wickednesse aÌ„d to maiÌ„tene their lewdnesse And therfore they wraste and wrythe scripture to serue their purpose and so they haue nede to doo for ther is not one worde in all the scripture for theÌ„ but euery worde against theÌ„ And bicause ye be retourned to their deuociones haue forsaken God aÌ„d his worde aÌ„d cleaue to the pope and his tradiciones aÌ„d maintene suche a sorte of hipocrites dissemblers and open enemies of God aÌ„d the Realme of EnglaÌ„de therfore haue all these plages lighted on you aÌ„d the rest will shortly folowe without faile Loke vpon the xxviij Chap. of deuteronomie wher it is writteÌ„ thus If thou wilt not hearkeÌ„ to the voice of the Lorde thy God to kepe and to doo all his coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes aÌ„d his ordinauÌ„ces which I coÌ„â—…auÌ„de the this daie al these curses shal come vpoÌ„ thee aÌ„d ouertake thee Cursed shalt thou be in the tow ne aÌ„d cursed iÌ„ the fielde cursed shal thy basket be and thy stoare Cursed shalbe the frute of thy body aÌ„d the frute of thy lande and the frute of thyne oxen and the flockes of thy shepe The lorde shal sende vpon thee cursing destruction and rebuke to all that thou settest thy hande to and that thou doest vntil he destroie thee and bring thee to naught quickly bicause of the wickednesse of thyne inuenciones and bicause thou hast forsaken me The lorde shall smite thee with mad nesse blyndenesse and dasing of heart Thou shalt be oppressed with wrong and be polled euermore and no man shah succour thee Thou shalt be betrouthed to a wife and an other man shall lie with her Thou shalt builde an house and not dwell therin Thine oxeÌ„ shalbe killed before thine eies and thou shalt not eate therof Thine asse shalbe violently taken from the aÌ„d shall not be restored to the againe Thy shepe shalbe geuen to thine enemies and noman shall rescue theÌ„ The frute of thy lande and all thy labours shall a nacion which thou knowest not eat aÌ„d thou shalt continually suffre violence and be oppressed alwaie so that thou shalt be cleane beside thy self for the sight that thine eies shall see Thou shalt cary muche sede out in to the felde and shalt gather but a litel in for the gresse hoppers shall destroie it All thy trees and frâ—…te of thy lande shalbe marred with blasting The straunger that is among you shall climbe aboue thee on highe aÌ„d thou shalt come downe beneathe alowe Moreouer all these curses shall come vpon thee aÌ„d shal folowe the aÌ„d ouertake the til thou be destroied bicause thou herkenedest not to the voice of the lor de thy God to kepe his coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes aÌ„d ordinauÌ„ces which he coÌ„mauÌ„ded the aÌ„d they shalbe vpoÌ„ the as miracles and vpoÌ„ thy sede for euer bicause thou seruedest not the lorde thy God with ioifulnesse aÌ„d with a good heart whan thou hadest abouÌ„dauÌ„ce of al thiÌ„ges therfore thou shalt serue thine enemie which the lorde shal sende vpoÌ„ thee in huÌ„gre and thirst in nakednesse and in nede of all thing and he shall put a yowke of Iron about thy necke til he haue brought the to naught And the lorde shall bring a nacion vpoÌ„ thee a nacion whose tongue thou shalt not vnderstande an harde fauoured nacioÌ„ which shal not regarde the persone of the olde nor haue coÌ„passion on the yong The same shall eat the frute of thy catail and the frute of thy lande til he haue destroied thee and shall leawe thee neither corne wine nor oile neither the increace of thine oxen nor the flockes of thy shepe til he haue brought the to naught And the lorde shall sende vpon the and thy sede great plagues and of long continuaunce euil sickenesses and of long duraunce And it shall come to passe that as the lorde reioiced ouer you to doo you good and to multiplie you euen so he will reioyce ouer you to destroie you aÌ„d to bring you to naught And amoÌ„g these naciones thou shalt finde non ease neither shall the sole of thy foote haue rest But the lorde shal geue the an vnquiet hart aÌ„d dasing eies aÌ„d sorowe of minde c. And in the ende of the xxix Chap. of the same it foloweth Than shall all naciones saie wherfore hathe the lorde done on this facion vnto this lande And men shall saie â–ª bicause they lefte the TestameÌ„t of their fathers which he made with them whan he brought theÌ„ out of the laÌ„de of Egipt For they went aÌ„d serued straunge goddes aÌ„d worshipped the. Goddes which they knowe not and which hade geuen them naught And the wrathe of the lorde waxed hotte against this laÌ„de to bring vpoÌ„ it all the curses that are writteÌ„ iÌ„ this boke c. By this scripture ye are plain ly tolde the vndeniable cause aÌ„d mater wherfore the lorde God threatneth and sendeth plages Reade all the histories of the bible aÌ„d the ê“phecies of the Prophetes aÌ„d ye shal euideÌ„tly see how people aÌ„d nacions haue beÌ„ destroied for mainteniÌ„g of suche Idolaters aÌ„d wicked liuers as the papistes are and wher suche wickednesse hathe beÌ„ vsed as is amoÌ„g you aÌ„d not cor rected as I haue before declared But thow wilt saie what shall we doo to auoide the calamitie aÌ„d miserie that is bothe present and towarde wolde to God thou diddest aske it froÌ„ the botome of thy harte But I feare thou doest dissemble aÌ„d speake it with thy lippes only as thou wast wont WhaÌ„ the great sweat was in England in the tyme of king Edwarde a litle signi ficatioÌ„ of a greater scourge foloweing and many that were mery at dyner were buried in the euenyng som that went at night to slepe lustie were founde in bedde dead in the morning some that went not farre froÌ„ their owne house neuer returned Than as long as the ferueÌ„tnesse of the plage lasted ther was cryeng Peccaui peccaui peccaui I haue synned I haue synÌ„ed I haue siÌ„ned mercie good lorde mercie mercie mercie The ministers of Goddes worde were sought for in eueri corner thei could not rest they might not slepe ye must come to my lorde ye must come to my lady my maister prayeth you to come straight vnto hiÌ„ my maistres must nedes speake with you Come if ye loue God and if ye loue their saluacioÌ„ tarye not For Goddes sake M. Minister saye the sicke folkes tell vs what we shall doo to auoide Godds wrothe Ta ke these bagges paye so muche to suche a man for I deceaued him geue him so muche for I gate it of him by â—…surie I made a craftie bargain with suche a one restore him so muche and desyre him to forgeue me I haue taken bribes of suche a one