¶ The way to wealth wherein is plainly taught a most present remedy for Sedicion Wrytten and imprinted by Robert Crowley the .vii. Of Februarye in the yere of our LORDE A thousand fiue hūderd fiftie ☞ In Elie rentes in Holburne ¶ Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum ☞ Who so thou be that doest desyre to liue and good dayes se Loke that in thy tonge and thy lyps none yl or disceite be Fle from yl and do that good is whereof commeth no blame Seke thou for peace diligently and then ensue the same Psalm xxxiiii ¶ By what meanes Sedicion maye be put awaye and what distruction wil folow if it be not put away spedely Consultatio Robert Crolei COnsidering that al mē maye playnely perceiue the greate hurte that of late daies Sedicion hath done in thys realme that all wyse men maye esilye gather what greater hurte is lyke to ensue if it be not spedely sene vnto it shal be euery true Englyshmans duty forth wyth to employe his whole study to the remouynge so greate an euel oute of so noble a realme and commone wealth leste haply if throughe negligence it growe and take deper rote it be shortly to stronge and more suerly grounded thā that it maye be rooted oute wythoute the vtter destruction of the whole realme For what can be more true then that whych the trueth it selfe hath spoken Euery kyngdome sayeth Christe that is deuided in it selfe Mathew xii shall be broughte to nought Intendynge therefore to playe the parte of a true Englyshman and to do all that in me shall ly to plucke thys stincking wede vp by the rote I shal in thys good busines do as in their euell exercise the diseplayars that gladlye woulde but haue nothynge to playe for do Holde the candle to them that haue wherewyth and wyll sette lustily to it And so doyng I shal be no lesse worthy the name of a true herted Englishman then the trumpettar is worthy the name of a man of war thoughe he do not in dede fyght but animate and encourage other Sedition therfore beinge a daungerous disease in the bodie of a commen wealth muste be cured as the expert Phisicians do vse to cure the daungerous diseases in a naturall bodie And as the moste substanciall waye in curinge diseases is by puttinge awaye the causes wherof they grewe so is it in the pullinge vp of Sedition For if the cause be once taken awaye then muste the effecte nedes faile If the rote be cut of the braunch must nedes die The boughes cannot budde if the tree haue no sappe Geue eare therfore o my countrey men geue eare And do not disdaine to heare the aduise of one of the leaste of poure brethren for the matter requireth euerie mans counsell Daniel xiii and God reueiled vnto younge Daniell that whiche the whole counsell of Babilon perceiued not Geue eare I saye and if I tell you trueth be not ashamed to do that I bid thoughe ye knowe me to be at youre commaundement Gene. xxi For Abraham was contented to do at the biddinge of Saraie his wife because he knewe that hir biddinge was gods will And the Niniuites did at the biddinge of pore Ionas Ionas iii. sit in sackecloth ashes because they perceiued that he tolde them the trueth Yea cruell Herode did not refuse to heare Iohn Baptiste because the thinge whiche he told him was true marcke vi Leaste you therfore shulde be more loftie then the Babilonians more shamefast then Abrahā more stubborne then the Niniuites more cruell then Herod geue eare and patientlye heare what I shal saye The causes of Sedition muste be roted oute If I shuld demaunde of the pore man of the contrey what thinge he thinketh to be the cause of Sedition I know his answere ▪ He woulde tel me that the great fermares the grasiers the riche but hares the men of lawe the marchauntes the gentlemen the knightes the lordes and I can not tel who Men that haue no name because they are doares in al thinges that ani gaine hangeth vpon Men without conscience Men vtterly voide of goddes feare Yea men that liue as thoughe there were no God at all Men that would haue all in their owne handes men that would leaue nothyng for others men that would be alone on the earth men that be neuer satisfied Cormerauntees gredye gulles yea men that would eate vp menne women chyldren are the causes of Sedition They take our houses ouer our headdes they bye our growndes out of our handes they reyse our rentes they leauie great yea vnreasonable fines they enclose oure commens No custome no lawe or statute can kepe them from oppressyng vs in such sorte that we knowe not whyche waye to turne vs to lyue Very nede therefore constrayneth vs to stand vp agaynst them In the countrey we can not tarye but we must be theyr slaues and laboure tyll our hertes brast and then they must haue al. And to go to the cities we haue no hope for there we heare that these vnsaciable beastes haue all in theyr handes Some haue purchased and some taken by leases whole allyes whole rentes whole rowes yea whole streats and lanes so that the rentes be reysed some double some triple and some four fould to that they were wythin these .xii. yeres last past Yea ther is not so much as a gardē grownd fre from them No remedye therfore we must nedes fight it out or else be brought to the lyke slauery that the french men are in These Idle bealies wil deuour al that we shal get by our sore labour in our youth and whē we shal be old and impotent thē shal we be driuen to begge and craue of them that wyl not geue vs so muche as the crowmes tha◠fall from their tables Such is the pytie w◠se in them Better it were therfore for vs to dye lyke men then after so great misery in youth to dye more miserably in age Alasse poore man it pitieth me to se the myserable estate that thou arte in Both for that thou arte so oppressed of them by whō thou shouldest be defended from oppressiō and also for that thou knowest not thy dutye in thys great misery Thou art not so much oppressed on the one side but thou art more destituted on the other syde They that should norish and defend thy body in thy labour do oppresse the they that shuld fede thy soule strengthen thy mind to beare al this paciētly do leaue the alone If thy shepherde had bene a diligent watchman had espied the woulfe comyng vpon the before thou hadst bene wtin his reach he wold haue stepped betwene the thine enemi enstructed the in such sort that though he had come in nine shepe skinnes yet he shoulde not haue deceiued thy syghte The deuell shoulde neuer haue perswaded the that thou myghtest reuenge thyne owne wronge The false prophetes shoulde neuer
his laws nor loue to your contrei For if there had beÌ„ obedience in you you wold forthwith haue put al his laws in executioÌ„ to the vttermost of youre power And if you had loued your contrei woulde you not haue preuented the great destructioÌ„ that chauÌ„ced bi the reasone of your vnsaciable desire I am sure you be not rulars in your contrey but ye can se before what is likely to folowe vpon such oppression especiallye in a realme that hath hertofore had a noble and a valiaunte enmminalti But graunt ye were so beastish yet haue you not lacked theÌ„ that haue tolde you of it both by wordes and writtinges You haue ben tolde of it I saye and haue had the threatninges of God laied plainlye before your eies wherin you must nedes se the veÌ„geaunce of God hanging ouer your heades for your lacke of mercy Ther is not one storie of the Bible that serueth to declare how readi God is to take vengeaunce for the oppression of his people but the same hath ben declared vnto you to the vttermoste beside the notable histories and cronicles of thys realme wherin doeth most plainly appeare the iustice of god in the reuenging of his people at such time as they haue kept theÌ„selues in quiete obedience to their prince rulers their destruction when they haue rebelled Wittinglye and willinglye therfore ye haue boeth disobeied youre kinge and his lawes and also broughte youre contrei into the miseri it is in bi pulling vpoÌ„ your self the vengeaunce of god whiche of his iustice he can not holde backe from such people as do wyllinglye and wittynglye oppresse him in his membres in such sorte as ye haue done Howe you haue obeyed the lawes in rukeinge together of fermes purchaisinge and prollynge for benefices robbing the people of good ministers therby al the world seeth and all godly hertes lament Loke the estatutes made in the time of our late souerayne of famouse memorye Henrie the .viii. saye if ye maye by those estatutes taken in theyr true meaninge either beinge no priestes nor studentes in the vniuersities haue benifices or other spirituall promotions as you call theym for ye are ashamed to calle theym ministracious because ye neyther wyll nor can minister or beinge priestes haue pluralities of such ministrations Well I wyl burden you no more wyth youre faultes leaste perhappes you can not wel beare theÌ„ But thys I shall saye vnto you You shall neuer the soner be gentlemen for your shout oppression nor the later haue thynges in priuate for that ye let youre tenauntes lyue by you vpon they re laboure And thincke not to prospere the better in youre vnsatiable desyre for that you tryumphe so Lordelyke ouer the poore Captyfes that beynge seduced by the vayne hope of vyctorye promysed theym in piuyshe Prophecies haue greatly offended God by rebellion for the greater their offence is the greater shall your plage be when it commeth For you haue bene the only cause of theyr offence If he therfore that is the occasion of one mans fallyng vnto any kynd of vyce were better haue a mylstone tied aboute hys necke and be cast into the depe sea wythall what shal be thought of you that haue bene the occasioÌ„ of so many mens fallyng into so detestable synne and trespasse agaynste God as to distrube the whole estate of their contrei with the great perill and daunger of their anointed Kyng in hys tender age whose bloud if he had perished should haue bene required at your handes as the bloud of al them that haue perished shal Oh merciful god were it not that goddes mercy is more then your synnes can be ther were no way but to despeyre of forgeuenes But god is not onely mightye in mercy able to forgeue al the sinnes of the whole world but he is also redye to forgeue al that returne froÌ„ theyr wycked wayes and with a constant faith sure beleue to obtayne do call on hym for mercye I aduertise you therfore in the name of Christ whose name you beare I require you that wtout delaye ye returne to your hertes acknowledge your greuous and manifold offences coÌ„mitted in your behauiour to wardes the poore members of Christ youre brethren boeth by religion and nation whome you haue so cruellye oppressed wyshe euen from the bottome of your hertes that you had neuer done it Be fully determined to make restitucioÌ„ of that ye haue misse takeÌ„ though ye should leaue your selues nothynge For better is a cleare conscieÌ„ce in the hour of deth in a beggars bosome then mountaynes of gould with a conscience that is gilty Wishe that you had contented your selues with that state wherin your fathers left you and striue not to set your children aboue the same lest god take vengaunce on you boeth sodenly when ye be most hastie to clime And if for youre worthines god haue called you to offyce so that ye may wyth good conscience take vpoÌ„ you the state that ye he called vnto then se you deale iustly in all poyntes folowe not fylthy lucre to make your children Lordes but studye to furnish them with al knowledge and godly maners that they may worthily succede you Grudge not to se the people growe in wealth vnder you neither do you inuent waies to kepe theÌ„ bare lest haply it chaunce vnto you as it did to Kinge Nabuchodonozer and hys seruauntes when they diuised wayes to kepe the Hebrues in slauery stil Exodi iâ— They rebelled not but quietly did theyr labour referrynge theyr cause to God They prepared not for warres neither had any coÌ„fidence in theyr owne strength but when the Egiptians thought to haue had a faire day at them Exodi xii God drowned them al in the redde sea and draue theyr deade bodies on land in such sorte that they whom they thoughte to kepe styll in slauerye myght easyly take the spoyle of them Thincke not therfore but if the people quiete theÌ„selues in theyr oppression and cal vnto God for deliueraunce he wyll by one meane or other geue them the spoile of their oppressours He is as mighty nowe as he was in those dayes and is now as able to flea boeth you and youres in one night Exodi xiiii as he was to flea al the firste borne of the Egiptyans And then who shal haue the spoile Be warned betime least ye repeÌ„te to late leaue of your gredie desire to pul away the liueynge from the cleargy and seke diligentlye to set suche ministers in the churche as be able and wyl enstruct the people in al pointes of theyr dutie that you with them and they with you may escape the wrath of God that hangeth presently ouer you both Ionas iii. The kinge Citizens of Neniue were not ashamed to fitte in sackecloth and in ashes lamentynge their synnes and there vpon founde mercye Wherefore if ye wyll â—ynde mercye ye muste not be ashamed to do the lyke
for certenlye the greatnes of your sinnes importeth as present distruction to you as if ye were the same Niniuites that Ionas was sēt vnto Be not ashamed therfore to proclame a solemne fast thorowe out the whole realme that all at once with one voyce we may crye vnto god for mercy Leaue of your cōmunions in a corner come to the opē temples that men may se that ye regard the Lords institucion Breake your bread to the pore that al men may se that ye regard fastyng For that is the true fast to refraine the meate drinke that accustomably we were wout to take geue the same or the value therof to the nedy So shal you both fele know theyr disease and ease it also Trust not to your great nūber of valiant warriours neither to your mightye prouisions but remēber what befel to Holofernes the stout captaine of king Nobuchoddnozer when he woulde not harken to the right aduice of Achior hys vndercaptaine For certenly I say vnto you Iudeth v. god was neuer more redy to deliuer his people of Israel frō oppressiō at al times when they walkinge in his wayes committed their cause vnto him then he is now redy to deliuer al christen mē that do wyth lyke confidence cal vpon him If you therfore wyl not he arken vnto Achior his counsel but determine to tormēt him when ye shal triumpth ouer the rest doubte you not but Iudith shal cut of al your hedes on after another god shal strike youre retinew with such a feare Iudeth xiii and .xv. that none shal be so bolde as once to tourne hys face Yea if there were no men left on liue to put thē in feare they should be feared wyth shadowes And though ther were no gonnes to shote at thē yet the stones of the strete shuld not cease to flye emonge them by the mightye power of God who wyl rather make of euery grasse in the field a man then such as trust in hym should be ouerrun or kept in oppression Be warned therfore seke not to kepe the commones of England in slauery For that is the next way to destroie your selues For if thei cōmit theyr cause to God quiet thē selues in their vocacion beyng contented with oppression if goddes wyll be so then shal ye be sure that God wyll fyghte for them and so are ye ouer matched But if they wyl nedes take in hand to reuenge theyr owne wronge God wyll fyght agaynst you boeth so that you boeth consumynge one the other shall shortly be made a praye to thē that ye doubt least of al the world As you tender your owne wealth therefore and the publique wealth of thys noble realme of Englande which God hath enriched wyth so manye and so greate commodities as you desyre to vse and enioye the same and not to be led away captiue into a straynge nacion or else be cruelly murthered among your wyues kinsfolke and children and finallye to be damned for euer so loke vpon these causes of Sedicion and do your best endeuour to put them awaie You that be oppressed I say refer youre cause to God And you that haue oppressed lamēt your so doinge and do the office of your callinge in defendinge the innocente and fedinge the nedye Let not couetyse constraine you to robbe the people of that porcion which they paie to haue godly ministers to enstruct thē in their duetie and to releue the vnweldy that be not able to labour for theire fode Be carefull and diligent to seke for suche ministers and when you haue founde them let them haue al that the people paye yearely out of their encrease that they may liue ther on and minister vnto the pore out of the same Thus doinge ye shall not onelye escape the vengeance that hangeth presentlye ouer you but also be rewarded at goddes hande boeth with excedinge plenti of al good thinges in this life also with life euerlastinge when nature shal ende the same Where as if ye wyl not take counsell but remayne styl in your wycked purpose ▪ Pharao nor the Sodomites were neuer so hardened as you shal be neyther is the remembraunce of theyr distruccion so terible to vs as the distruccion of you shal be to others that shall come after The spirite of GOD worcke in youre hertes that ye beynge admonished of the sword that is commynge maye by repentaunce of your syn escape the daunger therof ☞ So be it ☜