bring his authority by whome Christian Religion was first planted in England we bring the greatest Clerke that euer antiquity yelded vs we bring one who liued when the bickering with S. Dunstane began and what he wrot of Priests wiues we bring S. Anselme when it was againe renewed we bring the approuance of all the best Historiographers and schollers of the Land so as both our authorityes are positiue in the affirmance far more ancient for tyme and without comparison for esteeme more eminent then any can be alleadged to the contrary and if Tertullians rule be true as M. Hall graunted and denyed it togeather in the beginning of his letter that priority of tyme inferreth infallibility of truth then the cause is ours and M. Hall is cast or els let him produce some more ancient writers or of such credit as S. Gregory S. Bede S. Anselme and the like or if authours want to deale for a farewel more friendly with him let him bring me for the first three hundred yeares after the arriuall of S. Augustine into England but one Bishop Priest or Deacon who was marryed and in that state liued freely with his wife and was so allowed and I will rest contented and put him to no further A large offer made to M. Hal. trouble for prouing his freedome and who seeth not this my offer to be very large in case marriage had byn as freely then permitted to Priests as it is now to Ministers as he contendeth And if neither authority in writing nor example of fact can be found and we shew both the one and other for their single life then I trust none will be so vnequall a Iudge and professed enemy of truth as not to acknowledge it appearing so plainly in her natiue colours and so Al authority standeth for the single life of Priests none against it of any account or worth euidently marked with infallible certainty 112. And it must needs be a great comfort vnto Catholiks to see Heresy haue so weake defence to see this cause so ouerborn by vs as you haue heard to see on our side stand S. Gregory our Apostle S. Bede S. Dunstane S. Ethelwold S. Oswald S. Anselme so many Kings Councells Nobility consent of the Realme continuâ—ll custome of tyme all writers of most account in one word all the flower of authority learning and sanctity which euer our Nation yielded since these broyles of the incontinent Clergy began before also on the other side to see M. Hall for want of other help to lay hold on one obscure Authour Henry Huntington for tyme not very ancient for credit small and for the very thing he affirmeth out of him vntrue al others disclayming from him all pleading for vs vnles they be such as are not worth the taking vp and that euen vntill the tyme of Edward the 6. when also those who there dealt against vs had first in another ParlameÌ„t before pleaded for vs and subscribed to that which afterwards they condemned If any say for their excuse that the later Parlaments are of equall authority with the former and that one may repeale what the other hath enacted I answere that so it is in ciuill affayres which depende vpon the present disposition of persons tymes and things for it may so fall out that one law which heeretofore was very expedient may be now hurtfull or the contrary but for matters of fayth or things thereunto appertayning this rule doth not hold for as the certainty of Religion dependeth not on men who are mutable but vpon the sure immoueable and euerlasting truth of Almighty God alwayes one alwayes inuariable so must the same also be constant one and vniforme in it selfe without any change or alteration at all neither is this fayth to be fashioned out by Parlaments of particuler Nations but if any difficulty arise therein or in any other Ecclesiasticall affayre the Pastours who alone are to direct the flocke of Christ in Generall CouÌ„cels are to sit iudges and define the matter lay men not to intermedle therein This alwayes hath beene the practise of the Christian world by this haue errours beene rooted out vnity purity of fayth mainteyned the people kept in peace the Church in esteeme this failing errours as experience hath too deerly taught vs haue increased heresyes without all order or vnity haue beene multiplyed common peace broken holy Church contemned the whole frame of Christianity shaken and al things disioynted and put out of order 113. Another ponderation may be drawn 4. Ponderation from the difficulty of this graunt for marriage in the very beginning when it was first proposed in Parlament in the tyme of King Edward The first grant for marriage of Clergy men gotten in the ParlameÌ„t with great difficulty the sixth and was so strongly opposed as it could find no passage but only for the tyme past and that also not without some hard straynes it seeming indecorum vnto them all to behold the Pastours as fleshly as the people and no purity or perfection of life to be in one more then in the other but sicut populus sic Sacerdos to be all carnall all drowned in sensuality al alike more corporall then spirituall more attent to the body See the three Conuers par 2. cap. 12. §. 22. c. then soule to pleasure then pennance temporall emoluments then eternall happynes but what should they doe deny it absolutly they could not for the Ministers practise had preuented their hindrance and they came prouided in that behalfe not hauing so much patience as to expect the Parlaments permittance and he had giuen them example who for place authority was the chiefest among them their Archbishop Cranmer the first marryed Metropolitan that euer was in England Cranmer I meane the first marryed Metropolitan that euer England saw and it was to no purpose to go about to restrayne the members from the influence of the head or where the root was corrupted to seek to saue the branches from infection this also being the chiefe point of Euangelicall liberty among them happily renewed as M. Hall sayth with the Ghospell but indeed was so new as a new paire of shooes neuer made before could be no newer And this Ghospell was not according to S. Matthew but Martin Luther as we haue shewed and a very lasciuious Ghospell that to satisfy the lust of these wanton companions did breake all bands and promises made before to God of a better life 114. But seeing afterwards all the ofspring to tracke so constantly this path of their progenitours necessity excluding all counsaile of further deliberation and the great multitude of these marryed men all meanes of redresse they were forced in the next Parlament to permit them all to take wiues permit them I say for approue them they did not and that also in despite of all lawes made euer before in al Prouinciall Nationall Generall Councels to the contrary
craddle of your Ghospells infancy a worke too vnsauery but to shew that we condemne not marriage although in that state there be many aduowtrers for the abuse is to be sequestred as before I haue sayd from the thing the argument were not good to say single fornication is a lesse sinne then aduowtry ergo it is better for men not to marry but to liue at liberty rather chuse to commit the lesser sinne then to put themselues in danger of the greater because both are damnable and all are bound not to commit the one or the other euen so it fareth in Priests of whose state we may not as these men euery wher do against Both wius and concubins to such as haue vowed chastity are vnlawfull all rules of learning or honesty conclude that it is better for them to marry then to keep a concubine as though they were bound to one of these two extrems and that their state after their solemne vows were altogeather the same with other lay men and that it were as free for them to marry as before for both the one and the other after their promise made to God of perpetuall chastity is wicked vnlawfull and damnable and we hold not these to be termini causales or to infer one the other you are bound to auoyd fornication ergo you must needs haue a wife or on the contrary side if you haue not a wife you will haue a hundred harlots for betweene these extremes there is the single life of of such as liue in perpetuall chastity which any one may follow and all are bound to follow who haue vowed it and their marriage is a greater sinne then single fornication with another woman in regard of the iniury done to the vow to the sacrament to the woman marryed to the issue to the vow by breaking the band made to God by a contrary band made to his The marriage of a Priest doth iniury to 4. at once to the vow to the Sacrament to the woman to the issue wife which euen in ciuil contracts among men is held vnlawfull to the Sacrament of matrimony in that he maryeth who is not capable of marriage so prophanely abuseth that which by our Sauiours institution is sacred to the woman he marryed for she being perswaded that it is true lawful matrimony liueth continually in sacrilegious incest being indeed not his wife but an infamous concubine to his issue because it is vnlawfull and bastardly by the Canon law Such is the happynes of this freedome 60. But to end this matter M. Hall not coÌ„tented M. Halls false accusation of Gregory the 7. refuted to haue called Pope Gregory the seauenth the brand of hell vrgeth further against him how his decrees were contemned himselfe was deposed and that the Churches did ring of him ech where for Antichrist let vs heare his owne wordes and then discusse them But how approued those decrees were of the better sort sayth he appeares besides that the Churches did ring of him ech where for Antichrist in that at the Councell of VVorms the French and German Bishops deposed this Gregory in this name among other quarrels for separating man wife violence did this not reason neither was Gods will heere questioned but the Popes wilfullnes what broyles heeron ensued let Auentine witnes Hitherto M. Hall There is no remedy will we nill we this man will begin will go forward will end with vntruths for heere are three more at the least or to speake more plainly no one true word in the whol narration but first let vs consider in a word or two the thing it selfe 61. Dayly experience teacheth vs that where once emnity enters between Princes and Where there is emnity betweene Princes there is also most commonly open detractioÌ„ of ech other men of authority how easy how frequent a thing it is to deuise bitter speaches against one the other and that because both will seeme to haue been iniured both to haue iustice on their side both to mayntayne a lawfull quarrell and whatsoeuer the aduerse part doth though neuer so well or themselues though neuer so ill all are so couered ouer with new coates crests and mantles as a lambe shall seeme a wolfe a fearefull hare a fierce lyon and on the contrary side in behalfe of themselues a Tiger shall be tame and the rude Beare a beautifull beast wherefore from the partyes so interessed no sound vnpartiall iudgment can be expected but that is to be sought from others who being free froÌ„ faction and capacity sufficient to discerne the grounds of the whole contention shall with all candour deliuer the same and there can be no greater coniecturall signe that any Prince mainteyneth a wrong cause then to see his own subiects of most power learning and credit to disclay me from him to rise to write against him to condemne his actions and vtterly to forsake him and this not only happened in Germany to Henry the fourth in this quarrell with Gregory the seauenth but in all other nations at that tyme and all other writers since of any name or note haue condemned him and praysed the Pope or if any mercenary companion haue set his soule to sale and betrayed truth for temporall rewards as the number of such hath beene few so hath their memory beene infamous their credits crazed and their reports as partial as iniurious as lying by all heretiks only excepted who place all their hope in lying been disesteemed 62. In the tyme of Gregory the seauenth ten Authours are cyted by Bellarmine to haue defended 27. Authours alleadged by Bellarmine in defence of Pope Gregory the seauenth him all graue learned and holy men and the chiefest for name or fame that then liued of which the two SS Anselmes were most eminent to wit ours of Canterbury and the other of Luca whose sanctity euen by the testimony of Sigebert the schismaticall monke and fauourer of the Emperour was declared by God in many miracles which he wrought and a little after these men by twenty two other Authours recounted by the same Cardinall of which some report that he shined with miracles as Martinus Polonus Lambertus Shaffnaburgensis and others some Vincent in â—â—â—culo l. 25. c. 44. that he had the gift of prophesy as Vincentius the French Historiographer some that he was most constant in Ecclesiasticall rigour as Otho Frisingensis and Nauclerus in fine for his singular zeale Oth. lib. 6. cap. 32. Naucl. Generat 36. vide Genebrar in Chronico anno 1073. learning vertue iudgment and perseuerance vntill the end all writers cyred in the Cardinal giue him an honourable testimony to which I will adioyne two others by him pretermitted but both of them graue and learned and such as no one who fauoured the Emperour is to be compared with all 63. The first is Harimanus Schedesius a German Scedel Registro Chron. ata 6. who stileth Gregory Virum
bitter combat and so to conclude the matter we see M. Hall in 12. Ten lyes in twelue lines lines to haue told vs no lesse then ten vntruths as 1. That the better sort approued not Gregoryes doings 2. That the Churches did ring of him ech were for Antichrist 3. That at the Councell of VVorms the French Bishops deposed him 4. That he was therein deposed 5. That the cause of this imaginary deposition was for separating man and wife 6. That violence did this 7. That the debaring of Priests wiues was not done by reason 8. That the will of God was not sought therein 9. That all was done by the Popes willfullnes 10. That the broyles betweene the Emperour and the Pope were on this occasion In fine euery thing he speaketh in this matter is a lye 85. At the end of the Epistle M. Hall as a The controuersy is treated whether euer our English Clergy were permitted to haue wiue and not rather to vow perpetuall continency man weary of his trauells abroad returneth home to England and leauing Aegypt Greece Italy and Germany he lands at length at Canterbury and tells vs of the bickering of our English Clergy with their Dunstanes which about this tyme were memorable in our owne history which teach vs how late how repiningly how vniustly they stooped vnder this yoke and for further proofe he sendeth his simple Reader to Bale and Fox two graue Authours scilicet that in case he haue not deceaued him inough there he may be gulled and glutted to the full and to these two Authours cyted in the text he addeth two other in the margent of as much estimation as the former to wit Henry of Huntingdon and Fabian both affirming S. Anselme to be the first who forbad marriage to the Clergy of England and that about the yeare of our Lord 1080. and the same for the yeare sayth foolish Fabian a man too simple God wot to be cyted in so serious a matter 86. Heere befor I go further I must needs let you vnderstand how strongly the text and A grosse contradiction between the text and margent of M. Hall margent of this man do contradict ech other and both of them do conteyne very grosse vntruths for without them M. Hall can do nothing the contradiction resteth in this that in the text S. Dunstane had great bickerings about the marriage of the Clergy and by his withstanding the same M. Hall is taught how late how repiningly how vniustly the Clergy stooped vnder this yoke of single life but in the margent it is sayd that S. Anselme was the first that forbad marriage to the Clergy of England and this as M. Hall telleth vs about the yeare of our Lord 1080. Was there euer man in a dreame could tell thinges lesse coherent or more repugnant and contradictory the one to the other then these For S. Dunstane dyed in the yeare 988. and S. Anselme was not made Bishop vntill the yeare 1093. which is more then a hundred yeares after so as if the margent be true of S. Anselme the text is false of S. Dunstane and if S. Dunstane made this opposition more then a hundred yeares before S. Anselmes tyme then are M. Halls two witnes togeather with his own glosse taken tripping in a lye who will haue it to haue beene first commenced by S. Anselme Was M. Hall in his wits when he made this marginall nore to his text or talking with his wife of some other thing Surely he was somewhat distracted and little attended to what he wrote 87. And indeed the text is more true then the margent for S. Dunstane no lesse eagerly pursued The marriage of Priests coÌ„demned by S. Dunstane long befor S. Anselm his tyme. this matter then S. Anselme and his decrees are no lesse generall for all no lesse seuere for penalty no lesse efficacious for redresse then the others made after neither was he alone for with him in this matter stood S. Ethelwold of VVinchester and S. Oswald of VVorcester of which three glorious Saints and renowned Pastours Malmesbury sayth Ita his tribus viris agentibus quasi triformi lumine Angliam serenante densae vitiorum tenebrae euanuerunt So through the endeauours of these three men as it were with a threefold light shining ouer England the thicke darknes of vices did vanish away So he And with Binuius tom 4. in Concil Londinen â—aron anno 970. ex Actis vitae S. Osw 15. Oct b. in Surio these three shining lamps and lanternes of the world our famous Edgar conspited and this publicke decree by the Bishops of the land assembled in Synod was enacted Vt Canonici omnes Presbyteri Diaconi Subdiaconi aut castè viuerent aut Ecclesias quas tonebant dimitterent That all the Canons Priests Deacons Subdeacons should either liue chastly or forgoe the Churches which they held and S. Anselme in his decree sayd no more as after we shal see but repeated the same Roger â—oueden in Anno 1108. words saying it is decreed that Priests Deacons and Subdeacons liue chastly so as for the extent it is alike in both decrees and after in S. Anselmes decree followeth also the deposition of such as remayned incontinent 88. By which is refelled that which vnaduisedly M. Godwine taxed M. Godwine writeth in S. Anselme saying that he persecuted Priests very extremely Dunstane Oswald Ethelwold and other enemyes to the marriage of Clergy men had only expelled them out of Monasteryes that had wiues but S. Anselm an enemy to marryed Priests S. Anselme vtterly forbidding them marriage depriued them of their promotions who were marryed confiscaâ—ed their goods vnto the Bishop of the Diocesse adiudged them and their wiues adulterers and forced all who entred into orders to vow chastity So he And for this zeale against marryed Priests he boldly taxeth him for being a little too resolute in all his determinations Againe he was more peremptory in diuers of his resolutions then became him that out of a blind zeale he was so boate against Clergy mens mariage so this point pinceth them to the hart that notwithstanding he confesse S. Anselme to haue beene a good and holy man of great learning and for integrity of life and conuersation admirable which true and ingenious testimony I allow and commend yet will M. Godwyn in this be his iudge and tell him that it was blind zeale and imperfection for without marriage among these men nothing shines nothing can be perfect for which cause also he writeth so basely of S. Dunstane of whome all S. Dunstane the historyes of our Nation speake so honourably and out of them Cardinall Baronius shutting vp his life giueth this worthy testimony Moritur Baron in Ann. 988. §. vltum hoc pariter anno mirificus ille Archiepiscopus Cantuariensis c. This yeare also dyed that wonderfull Dunstane Archbishop of Canterbury whome singular sanctity of life priestly and inflexible
A REFVTATION OF M. IOSEPH HALL HIS APOLOGETICALL DISCOVRSE FOR THE Marriage of Ecclesiasticall Persons directed vnto M. Iohn VVhiting IN WHICH Is demonstrated the Marriages of Bishops Priests c. to want all warrant of Scriptures or Antiquity and the freedome for such Marriages so often in the sayd discourse vrged mentioned and challenged to be a meere fiction Written at the request of an English Protestant By C. E. a Catholike Priest Libertatem promittentes cùm ipsi sint serui corruptionis Promising freedome whiles themselues are the slaues of corruption 2. Petr. 2. Permissu Superiorum M. DC XIX AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER WHEREAS according to the order set downe in the ensuing Letter I had determined to adde another Paragraffe to the former three coÌ„teyning A detection of M. Halls errours and ouersights in writing I found in the pursuit therof so aboundant matter as I could not comprize it all within the narrow bounds of a Paragraffe and increasing so much vnder my hands I resolued at length to set it out a part at amounting to more then what I haue already written in answere of this Letter to M Whiting which being one entier Controuersy might perhaps better be set out alone theÌ„ conioâ—ned with other points nothing at all incident to that matter as are the other doctrinall Errours Vntruths Mistakings Impostures and other fraudulent ignorant and malicious behauiour which I am forced to detect and wherwith all the â—apsodyes of his Epistles that conteyâ— any disputable question are fraught to the full Another cause heerof was for that a Gentleman lately come out of England gaue me notice of other bookes of the same Authour which I had not yet seene and of one entituled The peace of Rome on which in particuler dependeth very much of that which I haue written in the Detection especially in refuting that most shameles assertion Decad. 3. Epist 5. that Bellarmin acknowledgeth vnder his owne hand two hundred thirty and seauen Contrarietyes of doctrine amongst Catholiks which is nothing els but 237. lyes in one assertion if he meane as he must do of points that belong to sayth and Religion and not of matter vndecided and meerly disputable in Schooles And yet further which to one not acquainted with the forhead of Heretikes may seeme incredible he auoucheth the dissensions of ProtestaÌ„ts to be only in cerimonyes of the Catholiks in substance theirs in one or two points ours in all Againe ours is in the whole cloath theirs only in the skirts c. with more to the same effect All which or at least the chiefest part I meane the disagreement of Catholiks in fundamentall points are as I suppose discussed in that worke and I cannot so well refute his words in generall vntill I see his speciall prooses that are made against our vnity and the proper subiect of euery particuler dissension Only heere to his generall charge I returne also in generall this answere That neither he nor all of his Sect set togeather can make this good and in case he be so bold in his Peace as he hath beene in his other VVritings we shall find store of most impudent vntruths for lying and detraction if it be for the aduancement of the Ghospell seem with this Man to be meritorious works and those deliuered with such audacity as if they were most certaine and vncontrollable truthes of which kind there be many discoâ—ered in the refutation of this Letter but the number that remaine is without comparison greater which when I consider togeather with his eminent ignorance I cannot but greatly admire the scarcity of learned men in our Countrey that could find no better Doctours to send to Doâ—t Conference to conclude the peace between the skirtwrangling-Brethren then M. Hall no more to be coÌ„pared with learned men then a Pedlar with Merchants a Pettifogger with Lawyers a meer Pedanticall Grammarian with graue and learned Deuines VVere the matter in Controuersy to be concluded with outfacing of lyes M. Hall might sit for Arbiter and Iudge of the whole Assembly vnles they be too shameles ouerbeare them all Of a mayne multitude which already I haue set downe in the Detection I will touch one heer and that only to discharge and cleare my selfe from that wherof I accuse him I meane of detraction and defaming his person Let this then passe for an example which so confidently he writeth in his Quo vadis or Censure of Pag. 41. Trauell where though he say that A discreet man will be ashamed to subscribe his name to that whereof he may be afterwards conuinced yet Pag. 6â— so indiscretly doth he deale as he blusheth not to write in these wordes What packets fly abroad of their Indian wonders Euen Cardinall Bellarmine can come in as an auoucher of these cosenages who dares auerre that his fellow Xauier had not only healed the deafe dumbe and blind but raysed the dead whiles his brother Acosta after many yeares spent in those parts can pul him by the sleeue and tell him in his eare so loud that all the world may heare him Prodigia nulla producimus neque verò est opus c. So M. Hall And I appeale to all the Ministers of Dort whether they euer heard a more impudent vntruth For first Acosta was neuer in the East Indyes at all nor Xauier in the VVest and how then would Acosta spend many years in those parts where Xauier had liued This is one lye and that so long a one as it reacheth as far as it is from the East to the VVest or from the Artick to the Antartick Pole Againe so far is Acosta from pulling Bellarmine by the sleeue or disauowing the miracles of Xauier as in this very worke he doth both acknowledge confesse them for true For thus he writeth Conuertamus oculos in Lib. 2. 10. saeculi nostri hominem B. Magistrum Franciscum virum Apostolicae vitae c. Let vs cast our eyes vpon a man of our age on B. Maister Francis Xauier a man of an Apostolicall life of whome so many so great miracles are recorded by many and those approued witnesses as there are scant recounted more or greater vnles it be of the Apostles of any VVhat haue M. Gaspar Berzaeus other not a few of his CoÌ„panions done in the East Indies How much haue they aduanced the glory of Gods power in conuerting that people by their miraculous workes So far Acosta Out of whose wordes deliuered in so plaine honourable tearmes of this Blessed Man Francis Xauier the Reader may see whether he were a fit witnes to be produced against the miracles of the sayd Father whether he pull Bellarmine by the sleeue and cry so loud in his eare that all the world may heare him or rather whether M. Hall do not most lewdly lye and maliciously abuse his Reader in applyirg that to Xauerius which Acosta spake only of himselfe and others then liuing with him in
they are heer againe repeated and Bellarmine not so much as once named in all the letter but this silence proceeded of no ill policy for he was loath to name the place from whence he had fetcht his store least there the Reader should by his recourse haue found the answers and discouered his weaknes 12. And the like policy he vseth in painting out his margent with Greeke Latin sentences Great vanity and ostentation which to the simple who vnderstand neither the one or other tongue maketh a great shew of sincerity and learning especially being conioyned with so many resolute speaches as when he saith That he passeth not what men and Angells say whiles he heares God say let him be the husband of one wife that one word saith M. Hall shall confirme me against the barking of all impure mouthes Againe That if he conuince not all aduersaries he will be cast in so iust a cause with so many eager chargings of vs with burning blotting out cutting away and peruerting what we cannot answere VVhat sayth he dare not Impudency do against all euidences of Greeke copyes against their owne Gratian against pleas of antiquity this is the readyest way whome they cannot answere to burne what they cannot shift of to blot out and to cut the knot which they cannot vntye and last of all with beating vs backe as he would seeme with our owne weapons For besides the Scriptures you haue Councells and those sacred Fathers and those ancient the Popes decrees Gratian the Canonist the later Cardinalls the Greeke Church and purer times which names alone wherewith his text and margent is stuft being thus ranged togeather cannot but make great impression in the eyes of the ignorant who without further enquiry as being not able to search into these matters take all for true which with these circumstances are deliuered vnto them 13. But these are now haue heretofore bene and wil be alwaies the sleights of heretiks to couer Heretikes couer a wolfe with a sheepe skin a wolfe with a sheeps skinne and on the fowlest matters to make the fairest pretence neuer making a deeper wound then where they would be thought to worke their greatest cure or vsing more deceit then when they most preach of plain dealing for heer M. Hall would seeme to sticke to God against men and Angells when as he cleane leaueth him he offereth to be cast in his cause if he do not euince it when as he relateth a meer fable a notorious vntruth talketh of our burning of bookes tearing out of places and the like where there is no shew or shadow therof he alleadgeth Canons Councells Fathers to no purpose but to delude his reader with their names and to hide his hooke with a more alluring bayte for without this art his wordes would be of no regard or able â—o perswade any Nam nec venator seram saith S. Greg. l. 7. epist ep 112. Gregory aut auem auceps 〈…〉 ret c. For neither â—he hunter would catch the beast or the fowler â—he bird or the fisher the fish if either the hunter â—r fowler should lay their snars open to be seen â—r the fisher with a bayte should not hide his â—ooke by all meanes we are to feare and beware â—f the deceit of the enemy least by a secret blow â—e do not more cruelly kill whome by open tenâ—tion he could not ouerthrow So he of the diâ—ls and we of heretickes 14. But now let vs come to the particulers â— M. Halls proofes and behold how well they â—nclude for somewhat you may imagine he Bernard ep 190. â—th found out quod tot latuerit sanctos tot praeterierit â—ientes or else he would neuer vse such coÌ„fidence and Thrasonical vanting offer the hazard of a diuorce and to the end there may be no mistaking you must know that our controuersy is not whether any Priestes and Bishops haue bene marryed or had children for of that there can be The true state of the question is set downe which in this controuersy is much to be noted no difficulty it being euident the Father of S. Gregory Nazianzen afterward Bishop S. Hilary S. Gregory Nassen and others named in this epistle to haue had wiues some of them by their wiue issue but our question only is whether any afteâ— they were made Priests or Bishops did euer maâ—ry or if they married not whether yet they vse their wiues which before they had whethâ— that vse was approued as lawfull And this thâ— protestants affirme both in doctrine practisâ— and we deny and for our deniall bring the coâ—sent of all times all places all Authors of noâ— and credit for our assertion whereas M. Hallâ— now you shall see produceth little els but iâ— allegations impostures and meer vntruthe this we shall now examine 15. After a few idle wordes to no purpâ— thus he writeth But some perhaps mainteyn oâ— M. Hall beginneth with a cluster of vntruths Mariage not to be lawfull out of iudgment by them make much of that which Paul tells theâ— is a doctrine of diuells were it not for this opiniâ— the Church of Rome would want one euideâ— brand of her Antichristianisme let their shaueliâ— speake for themselues vpon whome their yâ— lawfull vow hath forced a willfull and impâ—ssible necessity I leaue them to scan the old ruâ— in turpi vote muta decretum So M. Hall making you see his first entrance with a fierce assaâ— being set as it should seem into some choller ere we end I hope we shall in part coole his courage and shew his chiefest talent not to be in disputing in which he is no body but in railing and lying wherein we contend not with him but willingly giue him the garland of that conquest and as for vntruthes they will be very frequent with him when as euen heer he beginneth with such a cluster togeather 16. For truly if any one out of iudgment In few lines no lesse then fiue vntruthes doubted of the mariage of priests clergy men he cannot but be further off from beleeuing it when he seeth M. Hall so without iudgment learning or truth to mainteyne it for omitting his railing in these few words are fine vntruths 1. That S. Paul calleth the single life of priests the doctrine of diuells 2. That this is a brand of Antichristianisme 3. That this vow is vnlawful 4. That it forceth an impossible necessity 5. That it is turpe votum which are contradictory tearms for a vow can neuer be turpe because it is defyned by deuins to be promissio socta Deo de meliore bono which can conteyne no turpitude in it I see we shall haue a good haruest ere we come to the end seeing he begins with so great abundance for all this his entrance consisteth only of vntruthes 17. Which vntruthes albeit I might with as great facility reiect as he doth aueâ—re them The first vntruth refuted seeing
being the vniforme opinion M. Hall hardly vrged of all antiquity auouched by so many and neuer by any contradicted of the sense of this place I demaund now of M. Hall whether these yong widdowes in breaking their vowes did synne or not if they did not why shall they haue damnation and why are they condemned by the Apostle for breaking their former promise Why is their marriage reproued which they might lawfully contract if they did synne as indeed they did then how is the vow vnlawful how the brand of Antichristianisme how doth it induce an impossible necessity For no man synneth where there is eyther necessity or impossibility much lesse in breaking a filthly vow as this impure companion speaketh which neuer bindeth the maker let him turne himselfe into all Pretheus his formes he shall neuer auoyd the force of this reason For eyther he must deny the word Faith to signify a promise vow or couenant and then he condemneth the Auncient Fathers or say that these widowes sinned not and then he condemneth S. Paul or graunt that they did synne and then he condemneth himselfe This Gordian knot requires more strength then M. Halls learning and a sharper edge then Alexanders sword to dissolue or cut it asunder 22. And herein I appeale to the iudgments of al schollers whether this one inference of thâ— Apostle do not forcibly ouerthrow all his vntruths togeather for supposing these widdowes to haue vowed their vow to haue beene lawfull the transgression damnable the obseruance laudable who seeth not that it is no doctrine of Diuells but diuine and Apostolicall no brand of Antichristianisme but a band of Christian perfection no vnlawfull vow no impossible necessity no turpitude but Angelicall purity to be conteyned therein and the like I know Caluins ridiculous cuasion some Heretikes of our tyme do vnderstand this first faith of the faith of Baptisme but how can this faith hinder marriage or how do they breake this faith that thereby they should incur damnation This alone might suffice for a full answere to all his first obiection yet to deale more friendly with him I will add a word oâ— two more touching the other three vntruthes 23. The third vntruth is that this vow is The third vntruth refured vnlawfull which he proueth not though it be a fundamentall point in this new Ghospell was the plea of M. Halles Heroicall Luther for so he stileth him when he became so wanton as he In his Passion Sermon could no longer be without his woman and so lewd as to make lawes to mainteyne his vnlawfull lust for by these good workes was the fleshly fancy of iustification by only fayth first framed and set on foot and therefore this point being so essentiall deserued some better proofe then a bare auouching vnles perhaps M. Hall thinke to haue proued it to be vnlawfull by affirming it to be impossible but that is nothing els then to proue onelye by making of another or to speake more properly boldly without prouing anything to multiply vntruthes abuse his Readers and indeed such Propositions deserue no other answere then a resolute denyal with some checke of the maker for supposing the thing that most of al imported him to proue that against all the lawes of learning which call this dealing petitionem principij a fault vnworthy of a puny Sophister who will shame to assume that as euident which is denyed by his aduersary and insteed of prouing fal to supposing by which kind of arguing he may proue what he list and make an asse to haue eight eares because he may suppose him to haue foure heads 24. Neuertheles that this new heresy began with breaking of vowes and pleading the vnlawfulles and impossibility of them I meane vpon the occasion offered of M. Halls words to discusse a little either member a part and let you see both what our Aduâ—rsaries now say what the Fathers whose authority M Hall so much doth reuerence haue sayd in this matter although for the later none can be ignoraÌ„t who read their works how vehemently they haue approued vowes and without all disproofe of marriage haue extolled single life both for perfection and merit before matrimony and M. Hall against vowes of virginity and chastity from them fetcheth no testimony but relyeth on his two foresayd supposed and not proued principles to wit that they are vnlawfull that they are impossible and so being vnlawâ—ull they may not be made being impossible they cannot be kept for that the vnlawfullnes he mentioneth may be as well meant of that which floweth from the very nature and essence of such vowes as from the surmized impossibility of the obiect in regard whereof he calleth it turpe votum a filthy vow as including in it selfe some vncleanes I will shew such vowes to be far from all impurity far from impossibility and consequently that they may lawfully be made and inuiolably obserued by the makers 25. Which point deserueth the greater discussion for the cause alleadged I meane for that these later heresyes began by vow-breakers who to excuse their incontinency coÌ„demned al vowes and made this in particuler to be worse Luther l. de votis Monast tom 6. Ggr. pag. â—32 then aduowtry to be vnlawfull to be impossible Quid igitur de voto castitatis sayth lewd Luther amplius dicam c. What then shall I say more of the vow of chastity my purpose is not to declare by what meanes it is to be kept but by what meanes it cannot or ought not to be kept And what thinke you to be the cause heereof no other truly but that which M. Hall doth heer alleadge that it is an vnlawfull vow Quomodo fieri potest sayth Luther vt tale votum non sit peâ—us quà m adulterium seu fornicatio How can it otherwise be but that such a vow of chastity is worse then adultery or fornication And in the same book he sayth that a man doth mocke God by these vowes no lesse then if he should vow to be a Bishop and that God doth reiect these vowes no lesse then if he had vowed to be the mother Luth ep ad VVolfgaÌ„gum Reissenbusch of God or to create a new Heauen Againe against Catharinus he sayth that the tenth face of Antichrist is the single life of such as do vow chastity planè Angelica facies sed diabolica res indeed it is an Angelicall face but a diabolicall thing to vow the same is nothing els then to condemne and accurse matrimony With this mad Martin Pellican Bucer two other marryed Friers In cap. 1. Matth do in iudgment and opinion accord for they will haue the Law and Commandment of God to be to the contrary that is to inhibite the vow of chastity and to command all men to be housholders all women to be house-wiues 26. And so far did Luther thinke men to be bound by the obligation of this law as thus
coruus malum ouum For this sensuall voluptuous spirit is the seed of heresy and so infecteth the stalkes that as S. Hierome sayth difficile sit reperire haereticum qui diligat Hier. in c. â— Oseae castitatem it is hard to find an heretike that loueth chastity the cause whereof I shall after assigne Only heere M. Hall may see how different the doctrine of the Fathers is from that which he teacheth and how contrary the Counsaile of these Angelical Saints is to that which lewd Luther wrot of S. Hierome saying Sanctus Hieronymus scribit detentationibus carnis paruares est vxor domi In colloq Germ. titulo de vita coâ—iugali detenta facilè huic morbo mederi alicui potest EustochiuÌ„ hac in re potuisset Hieronymo auxilio venire O impure lips and incircumcised tongue o beastly beginner of this new beliefe 44. Let M. Hall if he be able produce vs some proofe although but one classicall authority of any one ancient writer where he hath euer perswaded such as hauing solemnely vowed chastity to vse marriage as a meanes to ouercome tentations and he shall haue some excuse for calling it a filthy vow and his Heroicall Luther for tearming it a diabolicall thing but this is to hard a taske and his owne Trullan Councell in this allowes him no liberty howsoeuer in one only point as in the next Paragraffe shall at large be shewed it do fauour him for thus it defineth Si quis Episcopus vel Presbyter vel Diaconus c. cum Concil Trullan can 4. muliere Deo dicata coierit deponatur vt qui Christi sponsae vitium attulerit sin autem laicus segregetur It any Bishop or Priest or Deacon c. shall carnally know a religious woman let him he deposed as one that hath deflowred the spouse of Christ but if he be a lay man let him be separated to wit by excoÌ„munication from conuersing with other men and this was made against the secret abuse for publike marriage was neuer permitted by any but still condemned by all 45. Which in my opinion is a matter so out of controuersy I meane the not permitting and Marriage neuer permitted to votaryes the condemning of these marriages which is the last proofe I promised out of the Fathers as he who denyeth the same and yet will offer to stand to their tryall may seeme to be either very ignorant or impudent ignorant if he know not their doctrine impudent if he will withstand his owne knowledge and willfully reiect as reuerend a triall as any vnder heauen for heare I pray what they teach touching this matter Illis quae non se continent sayth S. Augustine expedit nubere August de adulter coniugijs lib. 1. c. 15. quod licet expedit quae autem vouerint nec licet nec expedit It is expedient for such women as cannot conteyne to marry and that is expedient which is lawfull but such as haue vowed chastity for them is neither expedient nor lawful and in another place speaking of such a one as had vowed neuer to marry He sayth Non damnaretur Praefat. in psal 83. si duxisset vxorem post votum quod Deo promisit si duxerit damnalitur cùm hoc faciat quod ille qui non promiserat tamen iâ—e non damnatur iste damnatur quare nisi quia iste respexit retro He should not haue beene damned if he had before marryed a wife but after his vow which he hath made to God if he shall marry then he shall be damned when as he doth but the selfe same thing which the other doth who made no vow and yet this other is not damned and he is this for what other cause but for that he who vowed hath with Lots wife looked backward So S. Augustine whose heauenly opinion toucheth very neere the fleshly beginners of this new Ghospel whether we respect the first root thereof in Germany Luther Bucer Oecolampadius Peter Martyr and others or our first English Patriarke Cranmer his adherents whome no vowes made to God no shame of men no conscience or other band or bridle was able to keepe backe from their filthy lust coloured with the honest title of wedlocke but this wedlocke of theirs in the Fathers writings hath another but not so honest title as presently we shall see 46. S. Iohn Chrysostome writing vnto Theodorus the relapsed Monke who presently thought Paraen 2. cap. 2. vpon marriage or how to haue his harlot sayth Si militiae vincula non tenerent quis sibi desertionis crimen obijceret Nunc autem in te nihil penitus tui iuris est c. If the bands of this spirituall warfare did not hold who wold euer obiect vnto thee the crime of this reuolt but now thou hast no power or authority ouer thy selfe at all because thou hast entred vnder the ensignes of Christ for if a woman haue no power ouer her owne body but her husband much more those who liue more to Christ then theÌ„selues can haue no dominion ouer their bodyes Thus he And this reason moued the ancient Fathers not only to condemne these marriages but further to esteeme the vow-breakers as adulterous persons because they brake their first fayth promise contract spirituall coniunction by purity of life with Christ by a contrary fayth promise contract and carnall vnion with a mortall creature an iniury too grosle to be offered vnto our Sauiour a vow to sacred to be violated by so base a motiue an obligation too great so rashly to be broken Si de eis aliqua corrupta fuerit deprehensa sayth Cypr. ep â—2 S. Cyprian agat poenitentiam plenam quia quae hoc crimen admisit non mariti sed Christi adultera est If a virgin that hath vowed chastity be found to haue beene deflowred let her do full pennance because she who hath coÌ„mitted this crime is an aduowtresse not of her husband but of Christ So S. Cyprian 47. And to Theodous the Monke who made lococitato the common obiection of our lasciuious Ministers that marriage is for al and denyed to none S. Chrysostome answeres Neque vllus te fortè decipiat dicens nihil de non accipienda vxore Dominus praecepit c. let not any perchance deceaue you saying God hath commanded a man nothing for not taking of a wife I know very well he hath forbidden adultery not prohibited marriage but you shal commit adultery in case which God forbid you should euer thinke vpon marrying what S. Chrysostome wrote to this Apostata Monke S. Basil wrote to a corrupted Nunne to whome Basil ep 18â— ad virginem lapsam speaking in the person of God he sayth Ipsa antem dilexit alienos viuente me viro immortali adultera appellatur non timet alteri viro commisceri She hath loued others and I her immortall husband being aliue she is called an aduowtresse and she feareth not
is so far from being an euiction as it is a childish illusion and that he cannot but laugh at it Vtricreditis auditeres whome had you rather belieue and follow these most learned and renowned Doctours or this ridiculous light headed Minister 55. Neither do these two alone though they alone where nothing is brought to the contrary might suffice follow this exposition for except Clemens Alexandrinus whose singularity Clem. Alexan 3. Stromâ—t â— in this against the maine multitude of others we rather seeke to excuse then follow and perhaps for this amongst other thinges did Gelasius condemne his bookes as Apocriphall besides him I say al others as well Greeke as Latin interpret as we do So S. Ambrose Tertullian S. Cyprian if he and not Origen were the author of the worke desingularitate Clericorum Primasius Haimo S. Bede S. Thomas and others of the Latin Church and of the Greeke S. Chrysostome Theodoret Occumenius Theophilactus c. who as I suppose vnderstood Greeke somewhat better then our English Ministers do and to charge all these with childish illusions or to laugh at them may better beseeme the franticke folly of some lewd Minister then the iudgment or grauity of any discreet and sober man 56. Againe it is to be noted that Clement albeit he acknowledged more Apostles to haue Clemens Alexandrinus fauoureth not M. Halls cause had wiues then other authors will graunt albeit he interpret S. Paul of carrying them about a pretty vagary for the Apostles wiues to runne vp and downe all the world ouer after their husbands yet doth he deny that they vsed them as wiues but only as sisters so as neither the authority cited out of him or S. Ignatius whome he also citeth maketh any thing against vs at al supposing all were graunted which they say for touching our coÌ„trouersy as well may we graunt all the Apostles to haue had wiues as one and as much difficulty there is to answere one as all for it suffiseth vs that after their calling to be Apostles they vsed not their wiues which Clement confesseth though as Baronius proueth S. Paul had no wife for which we may cite S. Paul Ambros exhâ—re ad vâ—gâ—â—it initio himselfe Non potuisset sayth S. Ambrose ad tantam Apostolatus sui peruentre gratiam si fuisset alligâ—tus coniugij contubernio He could neuer haue come to so great honour of his Apostleship if he had beene tyed to a wife So he the testimony of S. Ignatius to the contrary is a meet forgery of tâ—e â—ther Grecians there being no such thing to be found in all the more ancient copyes that are extant 57. But sayth M. Hall their owne Cardinall learned Câ—ietan dâ—th auouch and euince it We acknowledge Câ—ietan to be our Cardinall we acknowledge Cardinall Caietan neuer allowâ—d that Priests should marry him to haue beene learned especially in schoole learning which far traÌ„scends this poor Epistlers capacity and in interpreting the Scriptures we no lesse acknowledge him to haue had his errours among which this may passe for one of turning S. Paul his companion into his wife wherin he not only swarueth from all commentaryes This place of S. Paul is answered by Bellarmin cap. 20. §. ad loâ—um ex Philip. Greeke and Latin but euen from Caluin and Beza M. Halls great Rabbyns and yet for the cause in hand maketh nothing against vs who rest contented with eyther of these two graunts to wit that he was not marryed at all or if he were marryed that he vsed not his wife after he was made an Apostle and this later our owne learned Cardinall doth both auouch and euince for vs and that in this very place by M. Hall in these Caietan â—om in c. 4. ad Phil. wordes Constantissimè credo nullatenus dubito c I do most constantly belieue no wayes doubt that if S. Paul had no wife before his conuersion that he neuer had any at al for hauing committed vnto him the charge of preaching the Ghospell ouer the whole world he had beene the veryest foole aliue and had gaynsayd the doctrine of Christ if he had marryed a wife and much comfort must the wife haue had of such a husband still ouerwhelmed with iniuryes stripes wounds brands vncertainty of place and excessiue pouerty these I say had beene dainty M Hal by his owne Autâ—ours proued to be stubborne marriages Againe I would most earnestly defend yea clearly euince and perswade one who were not stubborne for it were most easy not one of the Apostls of Christ who followed him after their calling not only not to haue marryed but to haue renounced their wiues which before they had taken So our learned Cardinall will M. Hall allow this learning I thinke not and therefore I may well challenge this Cardinall to be truly ours in this controuersy and all his auoucbing and euincing to be against the Protestants so good choice hath he made of an Aduocate But let vs proceed 58. To end this matter of the Apostles he coÌ„meth from their practise as he sayth to their Constitutions bids his Reader looke in these The Canon of the Apostles CanoÌ„s which the Romish Church fathers vpon the Apostle Fran. Turrian their Iesuit sweats to defend it in a whol volume there you find Can. 5. See this answered in Bellarmine c. 21. §. ad 1. Respondet Hubertus enacted that no Bishop Presbyter Deacon shall forsake his wife 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in preteÌ„ce of Religion vpon paine of deposition it would moue laughter to see how the Iesuits gnaw vpoÌ„ this bone suck in nothing but the bloud of their own iawes while the sixt Generall Councell auers and proclaims this sense truely Apostolicall in spight of all contradiction Hitherto M Hall In which words if you marke them wel M. Hall vrgeth the Apostles Canons for proofe yet will haue theÌ„ to be counterfeit one part doth ouerthrow the other for he sayth of the Canons that the Romish Church fathers them vpon the Apostles that the Iesuits sweat to defend it which is as much as if he had sayd that they are not indeed theirs and by Protestants they are disauowed neither in other things will M. Hall stand to their authority Wherefore this Canon euen in his own opinion is not so Canonicall as now he would make it how then doth he tell M. VVhiting this was their practise what was their constitution How is it made such a hard lone as he who gnawes it can sucke in nothing but bloud out of his owne iawes For granting that it was not made by the Apostles which Protestants do and we may also if we list there is no hardnes or difficulty in it at all Wherefore to obtrude it for such is a meere coosenage of his friend and deluding of his Reader or if he more then his mates will admit these Canons then let him expound vs the
needs laugh them all to scorne but to returne to the Constitutions 65. If M. Hall contend that this authority though not approued by him yet at least vrgeth vs who allow these Canons I answere that our allowance of theÌ„ is not so absolute but may admit restriction for though some plead for them yet others disproue them and Baronius answering this very obiection sayth of all these Canons Apocryphorum non est tanta authoritas c. there is not Baron tom 1. anno 53. §. Hisigitur such authority to be giuen vnto Apocryphall Canons as to infring things so certayne so ratifyed confirmed as is the single life of Clergy men at least M. Hall should not haue put downe the matter in such peremptory and vndoubted tearmes where on all hands he knew to be so much controuersy and it is an vntruth worthy Neuer lawful for Bishops to marry or keep their wiues of himselfe to say that the sixth Councell proclaimes this sense truly Apostolicall in spight of al contradiction for there we find no such proclamation but the contrary especially concerning Bishops for in the next precedent Canon the people of Afrike and Lybia exhibited a complaint against some Bishops for only dwelling with their wiues which they had marryed before they were Bishops and the Councell decreeth vt nihil eiusmodi deinceps vllo modo fiat that no such thing hereafter be in any wise done with this thundring conclusion Si quis autem tale aliquid agere deprehensus fuerit deponatur If any shall be round to do the like let him be deposed For which cause in the next Canon whereon this man most relyeth no Bishop is named but only Subdeacon Deacon or Priest without any further ascent and you may imagine what these would haue sayd and decreed of our Protestant Prelats who not only dwell with their wiues but vse them vs much as before if such a complaint had beene brought and exhibited against them 66. Furthermore in the same Councell the 48. Canon doth both confirm what I haue now sayd of Bishops wiues and explicateth also this other Canon of the Apostles for thus they define Vxor eius qui ad Episcopalem dignitatem promotus Concil Trullan Canon 48. est communi sui viri consensu prius separata c. Let the wife of him who is promoted when he is ordered and consecrated Bishop being by mutuall consent first separated enter into some monastery built far from the dwelling place of the Bishop and let her be maintayned by him So this Canon so it seemeth that these men although incontinent inough were not yet fully arryued to the perfection of our English Protestants The true sense of the Apostolicall Canon but came one degree behind them and it is euident also that when in the Apostles Canon it is prohibited that no Priest eijciat or abijciat turne out of dores his wife or shake her off to shift for her selfe it is to be vnderstood not of their separation the one from the other but of their maintenance that their husbands should be bound to prouide for them the Greeke word which M. Hall so often citeth but seemeth not to vnderstand confirmes this sense for it signifyeth as well warines as Religion and as Bellarmine well Greg. l. 7â— ep â—â— Con. Turon Can. 8. Distin 3â— cap. O 〈…〉 nino obserueth the meaning is that no Bishop or Priest vnder pretext of warines because he is bound to liue continently put his wife away without further care of prouiding for her this sense is also auowed by S. Gregory and the 2. Councell of Towers and was giuen long since to this obiection as M. Hall may find in Gratian where he hath found things of far lesse momeÌ„t but this he listeth not to see 67. And these are all the proofes he could find out of the Apostles writings practise and constitutions wherein how little he hath gayned you haue now seen or rather how he is cast in them all for whatsoeuer Apostolicall authority deliuered in writing what practise soeuer recounted by antiquity all Canons and Constitutions canonicall being taken in the sense they haue alwayes heertofore beene taken that is in their true and proper meaning without wresting mangling misinterpreting or other bad demeanour are so far from succouring his cause as they quite ouerthrow it and yield inuincible arguments for the Catholike truth hauing seen this I say you may well iudge how well he deserueth according to his owne proffer to be punished with a diuorce the greatest punishment as iâ— should seeme that can be inflicted on this tender hâ—rted husband which yet will be more cleare in the ensuing authorityes taken from the Fathers which are lesse lyable vnto his commentaryes then the Scriptures of which many Texts he boldly peruerteth with his own glosse or which is all one with the commentaryes of late hereticall writers repugnant to the ancient but the other testimonyes taken from the Fathers and historyes recounting only matter of fact need no commentaryes for their explication and so are lesse subiect to his abuse Let vs then see what he alleadgeth Of the testimoryes and examples of the ancient Fathers Councells especially the Trullan and Historyes produced by M. Hall for the marriage of Priests and Clergymâ—n §. 2. FROM the Scriptures and Apostolicall tymes M. Hall drawes vs to the Fathers of the Primitiue Church succeding ages as though in the former he had giuen vs a deadly blow he entreth into this with more courage and means as it should seeme to knocke on a pace while the iron is hoate for as if he were afrayd to loose the aduantage if he did not closely pursue vs he sayth Follow the tymes now what did the ages succeding search records whatsoeuer some palpable soysted epistles of A vaine florish Popes insinuate they marryed without scruple of any contrary iniunction many of these ancients admired virginity but imposed it not So M. Hall feigning as you see golden ages of mirth and marrying vnder the most grieuous yoke of tyrannicall persecution when as euery where innocent bloud was shed and Christians sought for to the slaughter That marriage al tymes without contrary iniunction was lawful is not denyed nor will it be proued in hast that Priests or such as had vowed the contrary might vse that liberty and we say not that virginity is violently to be imposed on any for it commeth by free election but where the vow is free the transgression is damnable for we are bound to render our vowes to him to whome we haue made them I need not make my self a souldier vnles the Prince do presse me but if not pressed I put my selfe vnder pay I am bound to march to the field to fight and follow the campe The cause is free the necessity subsequent 2. And it seemeth M. Hall to be halfe afrayd M. Halls starting holes when he shall be pressed by
which is yet more then I need that he hath by this example euinced his cause and will neuer any more mention his diuorce 11. But if in this passage he cog notoriously if he affirme the quite contrary to that which is in his author if as before out of Origen he cut off three wordes with an c. so heer he do add one word which quite altereth the sense then I hope his friends will bethinke them well how they trust such iugglers who with the Aegyptians looke them in the face whiles their fingers be in their purse and I wish that with his falsehood he did but picke their purses and not seduce their soules bought ransomed with the deere price of the precious bloud of the sonne of God And that there be no mistaking betweene What M. Hall doth affirme out of S. Cyprian and I do deny vs remember I pray what M. Hall doth affirme to wit that Numidicus was a marryed Priest and that S. Cyprian auoucheth so much I on the other side deny both the one and the other and say that he was neuer a marryed Priest and that S. Cyprian neuer sayd any such thing but the quite contrary that he was made priest after his wiues death Let S. Cyprian decide the doubt betweene vs. 12. This Numidicus then being a marryed man was by the persecutours carryed togeather with his wife and others to be martyred the rest When Numidicus was made Priest were put to death before him with them he cheerefully saw his wife burned making no other account but to drinke of the same cup and to follow her into the flames he dyd so was left for dead Ipse sayth S. Cyprian semiustulatus Epist 35. iuxta Pamelum alias l. 4. ep vltim lapidibus obrutus pro mortuo derelictus c. He halfe burned couered with stones and left for dead whiles his daughter out of filiall duety sought his body he was found not to be fully departed and being taken out and by carefull attendance somewhat refreshed he remayned against his will after his companions whome he had sent before him to heauen Sed remanendi vt videmus haec fuit causa vt eum Clero nostro Dominus adiungeret But this as we see was the cause why he remayned behind that God might make him of our Clergy and adorne the number of our priesthood made small by the fall of some with glorious Priests Thus far S. Cyprian whose wordes are so plaine as they need not explication for he plainely testifyeth that he was made Priest after his wiues death and for that cause to haue beene preserued aliue and he sayth not as you see Numidicus presbyter vxorem suam concrematam c. Numidicus the Priest saw his wife burned but only Numidicus saw his wife burned A foule corruption the word Priest is added both in the English text and Latin margent by M. Hall and that as you see for his aduantage cleane contrary to the mind of his authour 13. For without that word what doth this testimony auaile him what doth it proue will he reason thus Numidicus after his wife was burned was made Priest therfore he was a marryed Pbesbyter and his example proueth the marriage of all Priests to be lawfull these extremes are too far asunder to meet in one syllogisme and he shall neuer be able to find a medius terminus that can knit them togeather I wish that I were neere M. Hall when some or other would shew him this imposture to see what face he would make thereon whether he would confesse his errour or persist in his folly for I see not but turne him which way he list he must be condemned Protestāt◠neuer write against Catholikes but they corrupt Authors for a falsifyer I know not what fatall destiny followes these men that whatsoeuer they treat of in any controuersy betweene vs them they cannot but shew legier-du-mayne fraud and collusion and yet notwithstanding pretend all candour and simplicity for heer on the word Priest standeth all the force of M. Halls argument and that is foysted in by himselfe not to be found conioyned with the wordes he cyteth in S. Cyprian 14. If M. Hall say which is all he can say that in the beginning of the epistle S. Cyprian hath these wordes Numidicus presbyter ascribatur presbyterorum Carthaginensium numero nobiscum sedeat in Clero c. Let Numidicus the Priest be numbred amongst the Priests of Carthage and let him sit with vs in the Clergy then goeth on with the description of his merits of the courage he shewed in seeing his wife dye c. this plaister cannot salue the soare for this epistle S. Cyprian wrote after he had ordered him Priest and his ordination as there he declareth and you haue now heard was after his wiues death Numidicus himselfe giuing by his rare constancy his so resolutely offering himselfe to dy for Christ occasion of his promotion yea of further preferment for in the end of the same letter S. Cyprian sayth that at his returne to Carthage he meant to make him Bishop as Pamelius doth rightly interpret him So as there is no euasion left for M. Hall to escape 15. I haue purposely transposed the fact of Paphnutius in the Councell of Neece the authority The fact of Paphnutius in the Nicen Councell is discussed whereof although it be more ancient then S. Athanasius who therein albeit present was not Bishop but Deacon yet are the Authors who recount the same much more moderne and all the credit lying on their relation no writer more ancient so much as mentioning any such matter the Councell if selfe disclayming from it these Authors in other things being found vnsincere fabulous I thought it not worth the answering but seeing that M. Hall notwithstanding he saw it fully answered in Bellarmine and others will needs bring it in againe as though nothing had euer beene sayd thereunto Answered by Bellarmine l. ◠de Clericis cap. 20. §. argumentum 5. vltimum and out of his wonted folly and vanity insert heere and there his Greeke words which haue no more force and emphasis then the English with this conclusion in the end His arguments wone assent he spake and preuailed so this liberty was still continued and confirmed I will briefly deliuer what hath beene answered thereunto if first I shew what legier-du-maine is vsed by this Epistler in setting it down with aduantage to make it serue his purpose the better 16. For whereas Socrates recounteth the fact Socrates l. 1. cap. 8. S zom l. 1. cap. 22. of Paphnutius in a particuler matter touching the wiues of such Priests only as were ordered whē they were marryed men whether such should be debarred from their wiues bound to continency as the rest this man from the particuler draweth it vnto the generall from only marryed Priests to
that prison and restored againe to his Bishopricke liuing al the residew of his life as the Author sayth insanctitate iustitia in holynes and vertue alwayes preaching the mercyes of God which to himselfe in such abundant measure had beene shewed 34. What thinke you of this M. Hall Was Sanderus l. 1. de Scis mat Aug. it free in these tymes for Bishops to vse their wiues as you pretend If in these dayes had byn foūd a lasciuious Crāmer with his Dutch Fraw whome when he had vsed for his harlot a while in his old age after for his comfort poore man he must needs marry being then Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of England or els not to rake further into the infamous ashes of our first parents as Thorneborough of Bristow with two wiues at once what think you would they haue sayd what pēnance would they haue enioyned with what vigour and rigour also would they haue chastized such Ministers or rather monsters of the Clergy And truly these two examples being so directly against the vse of wiues and M. Hall being not able to bring one to the contrary wherein it was allowed as lawfull for any Bishop or Priest after holy Orders taken to haue any let the Reader iudge which doctrine and practise best agreeth or disagreeth most with the former tymes and purer ages as our Aduersaries sometymes will cal them of the first six hundred yeares ours or theirs for heer you haue nothing brought for them but that some Bishops had beene marryed men others made Bishops in that state which is not denyed but that then they might vse their wiues M. Hall proueth not and these examples do euince that they did not which point out of diuers Councells we shall a little after further declare 35. And for the catalogue he heere maketh of marryed Bishops it hath no more truth and Many grosse mistakings sincerity in it then the rest for besides that he citeth Authors at randome as Euseb lib. 7. cap. 29. when as there be there but 26. chapters and for things which are not to be found in him which I passe ouer as petty faults besides this I say to increase the number of his Bishops he maketh S. Basils Father a Bishop who was neuer such and further sayth the same of Gabinius brother of Eutichianus Bishop sayth he of Rome whereas Gabinius was neither brother of Eutichianus nor Bishop of Rome or of any place els but hauing beene once marryed and by his wife hauing had one daughter to wit S. Susanna the virgin and Martyr after the death of his sayd wife was made Priest and in the persecution of Diocletian the same yeare with Caius the Pope his brother but not the same day was also martyred So as heere is nothing but mistaking and whether I will or not I see M. Hall must haue a sentence of Diuorce giuen against him out of the Court of Arches for pleading no better for the marriage of Clergy men which he promised in the beginning either to free or els to vndergoe the law there is no remedy I say if iustice preuaile but that he must part from his wife or which I sooner thinke he will do must breake his promse with M. VVhiting for hither to besides vntruths abusing of Authours mistaking the question other impertinēcies nothing hath byn brought to free this matter 36. Now if as I haue shewed the practise of the Primitiue Church so I would also set Bellar. l. 1 de Cler cap. 19. Coccius tom 2. Thesaur l. 8. art 6. downe particuler testimonyes of al the Fathers both Greeke and Latin I should ouerwhelme him with multitude I will remit him only to the places cyted in the margent where he shall find store and that so great as M. Iewell confesseth in this cause our aduantage notorious saying Heere I graunt M. Harding is like to find some good aduantage as hauing vndoubtedly a great number of Iewel defence pag. 164. Fathers on his side So he But my intention is to disproue only what M. Hall doth bring and not to vrge against him to answere I meane not to dispute wherefore he hauing spent all the small store of his authorityes as little boyes who M. Hall playeth small game when they haue in play lost their money will stake their points and when all his gone fall to play at picke straw euen so this man after the Fathers words after the examples of their practise in which both as you see he is foyled and hath lost all he commeth now to play at pick-straw indeed to vrge the palea or chasse which is in Gratian as though it were good corne and out of that will proue that as one man begets another so Popes to haue begotten other Popes who succeeded them in the Episcopall Sea and albeit this fond fiction haue been long since refuted for a fable by D. Harding as it might haue Harding in his detection fol. 237. ashamed any man euer to haue mentioned it any more yet seeing it is againe brought on the stage let vs see a little what it is Thus M. Hall deliuers it 37. To omit others sayth he what should I speake of many Bishops of Rome whose sonnes not spurious as now a dayes but as Gratian himselfe Many vntruths in one passage witnesses lawfully begot in wedlocke followed their Fathers in the Pontificall Chayre the reason whereof that Author himselfe ingenuously rendreth for that marriage was euery where lawfull to the Clergy before the prohibition which must needs be late and in the Easterne Church to this day is allowed What need we more testimonyes or more examples So M. Hall In which wordes that is the first vntruth that Gratian himself witnesseth these to haue byn lawfully begotten in wedlocke for he witnesseth no such matter the witnes for this thing is the Palea or Chasse the Author whereof is different from Gratian and a more moderne writer Baronius in anno 1152. in fine as Baronius truely auoucheth and so his credit the lesse and in this particuler fancy nothing at all as now we shall see 38. The second that the sonnes of Popes now adayes are spurious which with the lye conteynes an iniurious slander for what sonnes doth this man know of Popes of our dayes I feare me in An iniurious calumniation our dayes these men will change our old Grammer and make mentiri of a Deponent to become a verbe Common for no man can passe the impure tonges and lying lips of these men without misreporting or villany We know what Nicetas Nietas in vitalgnat Constant writeth Nihil ita capit animos inuidia odieque imbutos quà m sinistra de eo quem oderis narratio Nothing so much draweth the minds of such as are possessed with enuy and hatred as a false report of him whome you hate and so knowing M. Hall your hatred we wonder lesse at this slanderous and shameles
a reason heeroâ— because that marriage was euery where lawfull to the Clergy before the prohibition which must needs be late and in the Easterne Church to this day is allowed and I answere that the glosse as ingenuously altogeather much more truly reiecteth this opinion with an id verò minimè ita esse there was no such matter in another distinctioÌ„ excuseth Gratian The name of Priest extended by Canon lawyers to all that are in holy orders as taking the word Priest in a larger significatioÌ„ as including all in holy Orders and meaning therby Subdeacons only and not Priests which acception is familiar with Canon Lawyers founded euen in the Canon it selfe where it is sayd Si quispiam Sacerdotum id est Presbyter Diaconus vel Subdiaconus c. If any of the Priests that is to say a Priest Deacon or Subdeacon c. in Dist 31. iniâ— can 1. q. 1. Si quispiam in glossa dist 33. cap. 1. dist 81. c. si quispiam Dist 31. Greg. l. 1. epist 42. which sense we may graunt that the tyme was when some who were marryed were made Subdeacons which is further confirmed because in another distinctioÌ„ before Gratian putting down the title Nondum erat institutum vt Sacerdotes continentiam seruarent It was not yet ordeyned that Priests should conteyne from their wiues he presently cyteth a place of S. Gregory touching Subdeacons of which we shall speake in the next Paragraffe 44. But whatsoeuer he meant we are not Bellar. l. de script Eccles in Gratian. Baron in annis 341 774. 865. 876 964. Posseuin in apparatu §. de Gratiano id scienduÌ„ ist eum saepe errasse c. bound to follow him as an infallible wryter but may with free liberty reiect whome so many graue Writers vpon diuers occasions haue so sharply censured that he gathered so many laws decrees Canons togeather argueth great learning great labour in so large a matter coÌ„ used heape of different authorities to be mistaken is no meruaile wherin he did wel we prayse him where otherwise we pitty the errours but follow them not if therefore he were of opinion as is wordes seeme to sound that Priests were first permitted to marry and were after restayned from that liberty we follow the glosse not the Text because al Authors of credit mainteyne the contrary and as for the commentary Gratian of no infallible authority of M. Hall that this prohibition must needs be very late I must needs tell him that it is another vntruth that also refuted by Gratian himselfe throughout all his 31. Distinction which falsity because I shall touch after againe in due place I heere forbeare further to stand vpon and from Gratian come to the mayne bul warke and fortresse of M. Halls defence I meane the sixth Councell as he calls it of Constantinople in answering of which The authority of the I rullaÌ„ Synod cyted and most insisted in by M. Hall at large refuted because he relyeth so much thereon I will be more particuler 45. And for that M. Hall in vrging this Councell is no lesse eager in charging vs then resolute in affirming that marriage of al Clergy men to be decreed therein and the testimony not to be lyable to any exception as of a generall Councell as he stileth it I will first touch the authority of this Councel then what he sayth for himselfe against vs out of the same and last of al what as well by generall as prouincial Councels hath beene defined against the marriage of Clergy men by which I hope it shall appeare what little cause there was of triumph before the conquest how much our poore aduersaryes make of a little who like petty Pedlars lay open their pynnes and poynts obtruding copper for gold and peeces of glasse for pretious stones 46. This Councell then heere cyted is not See Baron in ann 692. the sixth Councell which made no Canons at â—â— but another Conuenticle made some ten years after the sixth was ended that at the procurement of Iustinian the yonger none of the best Emperours The Councell of TrulluÌ„ not the 6. Councell God wot who calling togeather certaine Greeke Bishops made them sit in a place of his pallace called TrulluÌ„ because it was made round and vaulted and there to gather Canons out of the fift and sixth Synodes which indeed they pretended to do but with many erroneous additions of their own and because it made the collection out of these two Councels it was called Quinisextum as much to say as of the fift and sixth the chiefe suggester of this seditious meeting was Callinicus Patriarke of Constantinople and that for extreme hatred of the Westerne Church by which we see which in many historyes we obserue that it is easy for a Prince who intendeth to be naught to find some one or other Clergy man of the same disposition to second him Iustinian had his Callinicus the fourth Henry Emperour his Benno and our King Henry the 8. his Crammer and others the like 47. And further we see all the circumstances occurring in this Councel to demonstrate it rather to haue beene a seditious conspiracy then The Trullan Synod no lawful Councell but a seditious conspiracy any lawful sinod for iâ— had no forme of a Councell no legats of the Pope no inuiting of the Latin Bishops no authority but imperiall no lawfull conuocation and in fine did out of arrogant presumption that which appertayned not vnto it to do for if in the Councell of Chalcedon after the last session was ended when presently Anatolius to further the better without contradiction his ambitious claime ouer the other Patriarches the Patriarch of Alexandria Dioscorus who should haue withstood him being then newly deposed gathered the Greeke Bishops to make another Decree the same as not done in Councell was annulled what is to be thought of this meeting when not one day but ten yeares after a general Councel was ended these men who were but one part and that the least and lesse sincere without calling the rest or being lawfully called themselues layd hands on two generall Councells at once cut out Canons chopped changed added and altered at their pleasures 48. And how generall this Councell was and how generally accepted euen in the Greeke Church where it was held Anastasius Bibliothecarius Anastasius Bibliothecarius will testify in his dedicatory epistle vnto Iohn the eight before the seauenth Councell which he translated into Latin where after he had sayd that all these Canons were vnknowne in the Latin Church he addeth Sed nec in caeterarum Patriarchalium sedium licet Graeca vtantur lingua reperiuntur archtuis c. Nor yet are they found in the treasuries or places where publike charters or records are kept of the other Patriarchall Seas The Trullan Synod not admitted by the other Patriarks because none of these Patriarks did promulgate
because God being the Author of his own law may alter change dispose and abrogate the same at his pleasure 95. So in this present question the single life of Priests being an ecclesiastical law though Marriage of the Greeke Priests why permitted Apostolicall and still in vse from their tymes to saue the Greeke Church from further reuolt being so carnally giuen and so forward to imbrace all heresies as the Arrian Macedonian Nestorian Iutichian Iconoclasts Monothelites and diuers others begun and nourished amongst them the Church to stay them in the rest permitted them with the former restrictions to take wiues before their ordination for in Ecclesiasticall laws the Church can dispense if they conteine matter of fact and not of fayth or beliefe as this doth that only ad duritiam cordis corum for the hardnes of their hart for heere no other reason entred because as now we shall shew ab initio non suit sic it was not so froÌ„ the beginning euen in the Greek Church and therfore the collection of this man is fond and ridiculous when after these brags he sayth that vntill the tyme of that Councell the marriage of Clergy men was free he might aswel haue concluded thus in King Edward the sixt his tyme it was enacted by Parlament that all Clergy men and Religious might marry ergo before that tyme there was neuer any prohibition to the contrary a noble argument and worthy of the maker 96. And of this it doth proceed that this thing is lawfull in the East and not in the West because that the permission is graunted to that Church and not to the other and euery man liuing vnder the lawes of one certaine Church A thing may be lawfull in one place which is not in another some permission by the whole may be graunted to that part which is not graunted to the rest as in France for some Saturdayes after Christmas it is permitted to eate flesh which permission is not in other Countryes and therfore in that Countrey I may lawfully eate and in others I should sinne mortally by eating because I do violate the contrary precept which forbids me to eate and there doth bind vnles sicknes or some other like necessityes do excuse me But sayth this seely man Do the Ghospells or lawes of equity alter according to the foure corners of the world No gentle Syr nor is your marriage God be praysed yet become the Ghospell for not one of the foure Euangelists or any other giue testimony for your wiues neither haue you brought any one place out of any one of them to that purpose which in such penury of yours had not beene Omitted if any could haue beene sound to fauour you as I suppose 97. And for lawes of equity who seeth not The law of the marriage of Clergy men was no law of equity but of great iniquity that different Kingdomes haue also their different statuts and manner of proceeding either in criminall or ciuill causes And if vnder that title you include the law of marriage of Priests it was so far from all equity as I neuer knew any made with more iniquity or wherein one Parlament did more fight with another and both so tossed the law of God as a tennis ball now banding it to one part now beating it backe againe to the other as in this and the other fiue articles decreed by Kinâ— Henry the eight togeather with this in the year 1540. though repealed by his son King Edward in the very first yeare of his reigne 98. For in King Henryes Statute it is sayd that the King in his owne person came into the Court of Parlament and there like a Prince of most high prudence and no lesse learning opened and declared many things of high learning and great knowledge touching six articles for which godly study paine and trauell the whole Parlament that is the Lords spiritual temporal and commons thought themselues bound to thanke the King and intreat that they might be enacted by authority of the Parlament as they were the first was the reall presence by transubstantiation The stature of siâ— Articles anno 1540. the second that the Communion vnder both kindes by the law of God was not necessary 3. that Priests after their orders taken might not marry by the same law 4. that vows of chastity ought to be obserued by the same law 5. that priuate Masses by the same law also were to be allowed 6. that auriculer confession was to be reteyned These were then out of the high learning and great knowledge of K. Henry determined and seuere penaltyes imposed vpon the transgressours 99. There had passed but six whole yeares when the same Metropolitane Prelats noble men in the same place vnder a King who by reason of his yong age and feeble constitution A notable example of our ParlameÌ„tal inconstancy could not be of high prudence or learning and his vncle the Protectour who also for want of both prudence and learning could declare nothing of any great iudgment or knowledge the same was reuersed and made voyâ— and of no effect with this similitude premised to the decree which well suted the matter in hand that as in a tempest or winter one course or â—arment is conuenient in calme or warme weather a more liberall race or lighter Fine similitudes garment both may and ought to be vsed c. So these good Taylers could shape out new fashions of sayth for all tymes in the rough winter of K. Henryes raigne one forme was cut out in the calme sommer of King Edward another in King Henryes tyme the best course was to go fair soft Velut qui Iunonis sacra ferrent Horace To flatter the King to admire euery thing he sayd as proceeding from high learning and great knowledg to thanke him for his godly study paine and trauell to desire that all might be enacted which he had deuised but vnder his sonne hauing gotten the reynes into their owne hands the tymes were altered and they meant to runne a more liberall race to giue the bridle to al loose liberty and hereticall nouelty therefore they began to laugh at Kings Henryes paynes learning and to esteeme him not only a very foole but the wickedest man aliue in forcing them and in them all the land to subscribe imbrace acknowledge reuerence that to be according to the law of God which in their iudgments they thought to be quite opposite contrary and repugnant to that law and so by that Parlament were declared to be repealed vtterly deuoyd of none effect 100. And not to digresse from this particuler controuersy some six yeares after the former Parlament notwithstanding that K. Henry had declared many things of high learning and great knowledge touching the marriages of Priests and had deliuered in plaine tearmes that Priests after the order of Priesthood receaued might not marry by Gods law yet did his sonne
by another act declare that all Priests or Ecclesiasticall Gods law in two parlamēts made to affirme two contradictoryes persons by the law of God might lawfully marry and all contrary decrees are repealed and made voyd And what will you say to such Parlamēts one sayth that by the law of God Priests may not marry another that by the law of God it is lawfull for them to marry and yet this law of God is but one law and cannot be repugnant to it selfe and it may be noted how far Cranmer dispensed with his owne conscience dissembled Crāmers deep dissimulation in Religion and preuaricated in this K. Henryes Parlament who hauing his own Trull desiring opēly to enioy her yet for feare of the King not ōly kept her close but so also collogued with the rest or rather aboue the rest being the chiefest in place and authority in that Court vnder the King as he not only commended his high learning and knowledge but did also crouch creep to haue that confirmed which in his hart he did abhorre and vpon the first occasion offered did vtterly condemne I see he could make his garment to serue the tyme indeed his horse to trauell according to the weather O constant Prelate and worthy founder of our new English Ghospell 101. These then M. Hall being the first Taylers that framed this wedding garment of yours and tanke riders who taught you to runne this liberall race to let loose the reynes to all carnall delights and yet still to keep the name of spirituall Pastours you haue little cause to call it the law of equity which in the first making condemned the makers of so great inconstancy and faythles leuity as you haue heard but let vs follow you further in your demands Doth God say you make difference between Greece and England Ecclesiasticall and ciuill laws may be altered by such as are in suprem authority in the one and other causes I answere you that he doth and if they make an ill law in Greece you are not bound to follow it in England but to eschew and auoyd it or in case they be dispensed in some Ecclesiastical law by supreme Ecclesiasticall authority propter duritiam cordis eorum and to auoyd a further inconuenience it will not presently follow that you or yours in England may do the same as our Soueraigne in England can exempt a man from any law in particuler it will not I hope presently follow that all other subiects may clayme the same priuiledg againe if his Maiesty make some fauourable and beneficial law for all his subiects in generall which the Emperour in Bohemia would not allow were it not a wise question to demand Doth God make difference betweene King Iames and the Emperour Matthias between Prage London England England Bohemia These things M. Hall which depend on Ecclesiasticall or Ciuil lawes may be dispensed or altered when the occasions are very vrgent by them who haue supreme authority in the one and other Courts 102. Your last demand well bewrayeth your ignoaance and sheweth that you want the first grounds or principles of Philosophy or els you would neuer haue framed so impertinent a M. Hall ignorant demand question If it be lawfull say you why not euery where if vnlawfull why is it done any where I see now that we must take heed for this argument cornu ferit yet shall I with your leaue shew it to be much weaker then you take it for yea to be altogeather loose and impertinent and it may be answered in one word that such thinges as of their owne nature are intrinsecally euill as to kill steale lye slaunder and the like are vnlawful in all tymes places and persons but this is not so in other things which being of their owne nature and intrinsecall essence indifferent are made vnlawfull by some positiue law to the contrary and that either diuine as is working on the Saboth day in the old law marriag of more wiues at once and the like which therfore are vnlawful because they are prohibited but yet so as that they may by God the maker of them be dispensed in as not ill of their owne intrinsecall nature but as they haue annexed his prohibition restraint or Ecclesiasticall as of breaking of fasts commanded of neglecting feasts or omitting the ordinary ceremonyes rites or ordinances of the Church for as all men are children of this Mother so they ought to obey her precepts and no priuate authority can infringe which by so generall and publicke is imposed or els finally Ciuill for if the King command that none beare armes in the night tyme that they carry not corne to other Countreyes that they transpose no cloath or the like these things of their owne nature free are now made necessary by the ciuill command of the Prince and as he may dispense in the one so may the supreme spirituall Pastour in the other the one as chiefest in ciuill the other in Ecclesiasticall causes 103. This difference M. Hall not obseruing as he is dull in distinguishing confoundeth M. Halls confuse hudling of thinges togeather huddleth vp things togeather and supposeth either all things to be of their own nature good or euill or commanded a like by God for all to obserue which is not so for some things are left to the temporall Magistrate others to the spirituall to dispose and as Kings are to be obeyed according to S. Peter so also the Church according to our Sauiour and as to disobey the King in ciuil Matt. 28. matters is capitall so it is schismaticall not to obey the Church and as he is held a traytour who rebelleth against the King so he an Heathen or Publican who will not heare the Church and hence it commeth that as one King is of equall authority with another and so may recall any edict proclamation decree or iniunction made by his predecessours so likewise may one supreme Pastour when vrging necessity shall so require reuoke or repeale any Ecclesiasticall law made before his tyme and that eyther in all or in part as the nature of the thing shall require or a Generall Councell determine or he and his Councell shall thinke expedient and this prohibition of the marriage of Priests being of this nature I meane Ecclesiasticall it may be dispensed for one place and not for another and so it may also be lawfull or vnlawfull in one place and not in the other as the prohibition or dispensation in different places doth either bind or excuse The title which M. Hall giues vs of Romish Church I passe ouer as not worthy of reflexion this poore man must needs shew his nature and be contemptuous in all things 104. At length he commeth to the conclusion of this his obiection out of the Trullan Coūcell which is that it giueth leaue to all to marry This sacred Councell sayth he doth not only vniuersally approue this practise
authority is denyed and M. Hall cannot in any one particuler euer shew vs the contrary practise in any place wheresoeuer to haue been obserued in the Latin or Greeke Church and this supposing S. Isidors words to be spoken of Priests and taken in their most rigorous and Grammaticall sense although I preferre the former opinion as more true most agreable to the whole contexture of that second booke from whence it is taken so as you see nothing can passe this mans pen without many dashes of vnsincere faythles dealing 15. There followeth in M. Hall another authority or rather as he sets it forth a mayne pillar M. Halls mayne pillar of S. Vdalricus his epistle to Pope Nicholas the first at large refuted or ground of his cause which by so much the more deserueth exact discussion by how much M. Hall doth confide on the same as on a matter for truth vndoubted of and for this present controuersy supposing the truth so forcible as it admits no reply which alone so potently doth beare and beate vs downe as if all arguments fayled this by it selfe were able to supply for all and not without our deadly wound yield the cause and conquest to our Aduersaryes in respect wherof I will stand a litle the longer on the matter and let nothing passe either of his text or margent which coÌ„cerneth this matter vndiscussed that I may not seem without cause to make this so curious inspection and stand vpon all particulers of the same I will first set downe the thing out of M. Halls owne words and that without any alteration of any sillable that you may both see the thing it selfe of what force it is and how much he doth repose thereon and then answere euery part and parcell thereof Thus then he writeth 16. But I might quoth he haue spared all Answered by Bellar mine lib. de Clerc c. 22. init this labour of writing could I perswade whosoeuer doubts or denyes this to read ouer that one epistle which Huldericus Bishop of Auspurge wrote learnedly and vehemently to Pope Nicholas the first in this subiect which if it do not answere all cauills satisfy all Readers and connince all not willfull Aduersaryes let me be cast in so iust a cause There you shall see how iust how expedient how ancient this liberty is togeather with the feeble iniurious grouÌ„d of forced continency reade it and see whether you can desire a better aduocate After him so strongly did he plead and so happily for two hundred years more this freedome still blessed those parts yet not without extreme opposition historyes are witnesses of the busy and not vnlearned combats of those tymes in this argument Hitherto M. Hall 17. And heere before I enter further into this fable I cannot sufficiently meruaile that any one who would be taken for learned a sincere writer and searcher of the truth would euer M. Halls indiseretion very singular aduenture in such phrase of speach with such certainty such confidence to gull his credulous Reader with a meer fiction a counterfait toy and most childish imposture is it possible M. Hall that this fond inuention so often answered and refuted by so many learned men as Bellarmine Baronius Eckius Faber Staphilus and in our English tongue by Father Henry Fitzsimons and others shall againe without all proofe for approuance or disproofe of what is obiected against it be againe so earnestly vrged so deliuered as an vndoubted and infallible verity and testimony beyond all exception truely you are of a very weake wit if you see not or prodigall of your credit if you regard not or of a scared Hall charact of Pharas Christ pag. 39. conscience and iron forehead if you feele and feare not the sinne and shame which before God and man will follow of this insolent dealing I meruayl not that you are so cager against such as read Bellarmine and others of the subtilest Iesuits as you â—earme them for writing as you do the policy is good and you may take the larger scope to coyne lyes whiles you turne your Readers eyes from the authors where they should find them detected and read the answer before euer you had made the obiection But to the thing it selfe 18. After that the Lutheran liberty through The first occasion of this fable the dissension of the German Princes had taken away true fayth from men and ouerthrowne the ground of all vertuous actions the better to couer the lewd lechery and filthy incestuous marriages of their first founders to open the gate to all lasciuious behauiour which they saw was far more easy to practise then to perswade seeing the Apostle so plaine for virgins 1. Cor. 7. and naturall reason to shew the excellency of that state aboue marriage all the endeauours of these new flesh-wormes was to bring the thing in hatred by making many fictions of the il obseruance of this vertue in such as by speciall vow had bound themselues to keep it Priests I meane and all Religious persons and for that examples moue the multitude whereof some of fresh memory perhaps were true that in other times the like inconuenience came of vowing virginity they inuented this prodigious history The tale which is related in the counterfait epistle of S. Vdalricus related in the letter of S. Vdalricus whereof now we shall speake 19. And although these companions agree in the end for which this tale should be deuised yet in setting downe the circumstances and the particulers of the fact as it commonly happeneth in things of this nature there were among the brethren diuers opinions first for the plaâ—e where it should happen then who should relate it and at what tyme. The case related in that epistle is this in effect that S. Gregory making a law for the continency of Clergy men as S. Vdalricus is made to say whiles his men went to his poâ—d to catch fish they found more then six thousand heads of yong children which being presented vnto S. Gregory he saw the law that he had made to haue beene the cause heerof and that the Priests to couer their incontinency had committed this murther whereupon he reuoked the law and permitted Priests to marry So S. Vdalricus in his letter to Pope Nicholas the first as M. Hall or second or third as M. Fox will haue it and thus now they tell the tâ—â—e 20. But in the beginning these heads were F. Henr. Fitzsimons Cath. Confuta pag. 3 9. Staphil in defens Theologia trimembris sect vltim sayd to be found in Sicily and that the mothers of these Children might not seeme to be inferiour to their Fathers Flaccus Illyricus as Staphilus writeth sayth that all of them were found neere vnto certayne Monasteryes of Nuns but where these MoÌ„asteryes were he sayth nothing and for the author of this letter some say it was S. Vdalricus others as Binnius reporteth that it was not the
memory Reader is to be admonished that this epistle which by error of the writer is referred to Pope Nicholas the first in my mind is rather to be attributed to the name and tyme of Nicholas the second or Nicholas the third And is it so indeed Syr Iohn then why do you put it out of the due place vnder a wronge Pope why did you tel vs that the first Nicholas restrayned marriage and for that was reprehended by S. Vdalricke Did the Saint grauely and learnedly refute and disclaime against the vndiscreet proceeding of Pope Nicholas the first before the letter and after was proued not to haue sayd one word vnto him at all but to haue spoken to another who was Pope more then a hundred yeares after his death which of these Foxes will you beleeue these are such riddles as I cannot vnderstand them and no more as I suppose did he himselfe when he wrote them and so I leaue them to M. Hall to answere who for this matter in his margent remitteth his Reader to M. Fox and yet he in his last admonition contradicteth M. Hall who is resolute that it was written to the first and not to the second or third Nicholas 26. And M. Fox like a bad tinker whiles he would mend a little hole by knocking he The correction of M. Fox refuted beates out the bottome of the kettle or at least makes the hole much larger then it was before for whereas most Authours agree that S. Vdalricke dyed in the yeare 974. as Herm annus Contractus Vrspergensis Baronius and others or 973. as Crusius how could he write to Nicholas the second who was made Pope more theÌ„ fourescore years after S. Vdalricks death For as Platina Baronius others affirme Nicholas the second was not made Pope vntill the yeare 1059. such a foole or prophet do these men make this Saint to be for if he wrote to the first Nicholas he wrote to one buryed more then twenty yeares before he was borne if to the second to one not made Pope till more then fourescore years after he was buryed and as for the 3. Nicholas he is so far off that I thinke his great grand-father was not begotten when S. Vdalricke dyed for he was made Pope in the yeare 1278. and the other departed this life the year 973. so as there are almost three hundred yeares betweene the death of the one and creation of other so exact are these men in historyes and such regard they haue to deliuer the truth or rather are so impudent and shameles as they care not what they write or what they auouch 27. For whereunto now are all M. Halls boasts come of the force warrant of this testimony M. Hall cast in his cause that it is able to answere all cauills satisfy all readers and conuince all not willfull Aduersaryes or els that he would be cast in so iust a cause For who seeth him not only to be cast but crushed also in this matter who seeth nor on what sliding sands he placeth the chiefest foundations of his surest proofs for now all his fayre words and resolute assurance of his so potent Aduocate is proued to be nothing els but light smoke false coyne a meere cogging collusion which bewrayeth in the writer to too much vanity conioyned with affected ignorance or intollerable stupidity in so much as I may conclude this first argument against M. Hall with the words of the Authour who some yeares past set out S. Huldericks life and in this matter thus writeth in the Preface Scio ad haec impuram nescio cuius nebulonis eptstolam Vdalrici aliquando nomine venditam sed cùm â—a ad Nicolaum Pontificem scripta sit Nicolaus autem primus plusquam viginti annis ante Vdalricum natum suerit mortuus secundus Pontificatum octogesimo quod excurrit anno post eum mortuum inierit ferrei sit oris oportet qui tantum mendacium ausit asserere plumbei cordis cui possit imponere So he Which wordes for courtesy I leaue vnenglished least M. Hall should thinke that I applyed these discourteous tearmes vnto him in particuler which I will not and that authour speaketh to the first framer of this fancy alone or to all in general that will be deceaued by such fooleryes 28. Besides this argument of tyme an euiction vnauoydable other presumptions there are which seeme to me to be very effectuall and No such epistle to be found amongst the Epistls of S. Vdalricus not answerable wherof that is one which Staphilus relateth of the epistles of that Saint all registred and reserued in Auspurg amongst which there is not the least signe or shew of any such letter neither doth Martinus Crusius the Lutheran in his Sueuicall History of which Auspurg is the chiefest Citty so much as once infinuate any such thing which yet should not haue beene omitted if it could haue beene found that authour taking all occasions where he can to calumniate Catholikes and gather vp all scraps of any antiquity which may seem to make against them which yieldeth to this argument more perswasiue validity no Author of those tymes when it was written or any other after vntill our age euer mentioned the same or so much as heard thereof till our late Sectaryes set it forth and many reasons there were to haue vrged the authority thereof in case such a thing had byn extaÌ„t written by a man of that fame for sanctity as S. Vdalricke to such a Pope as Nicholas the first in such a matter so often so earnestly debated with such circumstance of more then six thousand childrens heads a lye fit for Lucian and the like which yet none euer did and their silence is to me a sure signe that no such thing was extant in their dayes Two or 3. yeares before the death of S. Vdalrickâ— was the contentioÌ„ of the incontinent Priests begun in England and yet none euer mentioned this letter 29. And to make this more plaine whereas with S. Vdalricke in Germany at the same time liued S. Dunstane in England who also out liued him for some yeares and there that contention was then hoatly pursued by that Saint others against the licentiousnes of Priests it seemeth to me very strange that such an epistle should haue beene written whils that conflict was on foot which lasted for diuers yeares and no acknowledge thereof to haue beene had in England where it might most auayle and with the authority of the Authour haue giuen more credit to the cause then the others should haue beene able to infringe but no such thing was then euer alleadged not one syllable therof in Malmesbury Houeden Huntingdon Matthew VVestminister VVilliam Nubrigensis Florentius or any other and thereof I inferre that there was no such letter euer written which vpon so vrgent an occasion ar so opportune a tyme and so directly for the purpose of the lewd Clergy could not haue The
their wiues chastity is imposed vpon them for euer to be obseued So S. Bede And his reason carryeth so great force with it and refuteth so well the idle obiection of Protestants as there needeth no commentary to explicate it no authority to confirme it or other reason to be adioyned to make it more This epistle bringeth nothing of moment but the ordinary trâ—ial obiections forcible 39. The other arguments drawne from authority or antiquity in that Rapsody are so barely alleadged so weakely followed some so impertinently applyed as will pitty any iudicious learned Reader to behold and in effect they are the same which M. Hall hath brought and my selfe haue answered and therefore in praysing this epistle he closely also seemeth to prayse himselfe for he bringeth the Text of the husband of one wife the doctrine of Diuells the Apostolicall Canon the story of Paphnutius S. Isidore of contayning or marrying of one that Saint is there stiled the writer of the rule of the Clergy from whence perhaps M. Hall tooke his errour in cyting it vnder the same title and to this is added to conclude the whole matter the imaginary reuocation of S. Gregoryes decree by occasion of more then six thousand infants heads neuer found in his mote but only in the muddy head of that tipling German who halfe drunke halfe in a dreame first deuised that fable and M. Hall as it should seeme was ashamed to mention it as seeing it out of common reason not only improbable but also impossible and set forth with such circumstances as well shew the whole thing to be incredible and a ly in print 40. One place of Scripture that epistle hath more theÌ„ is in this epistle of M. Hall which is let A strange argument but in no mood nor figure euery man haue his owne wife which that honest Man will haue the Apostle to haue meant as well of the Clergy as of the laity and the Catholikes who deny it are false hypocrits do lye and faigne and that the Priests are not afraid to abuse other mens wiues to commit outrage in the foresayd wickednes which is a Bedlam proofe that any lewd companion though neuer so base may obiect against the most innocent man aliue and the Iews against our Sauiour himselfe sayd that the was Homo vorax potator vini a glutton and drinker oâ— Matth. â—â— wine a friend to Publicans open offend ours but Catholiks poore men vnderstand not the Scripture sayth this authour and why good Syr Heare him I pray you in lesse then six lines pleading against vs and for vs and ouer throwing that which he would take vpon him out of this text to put vp These men sayth he haue not rightly vnderstood the Scripture for the saying of the Apostle let euery man haue his owne 1. Cor. 7 wife doth except none in very deed but him only which hath the gift of continency prefixing with himselfe to keep and to continue his virgin or virginity in the Lord. Be it so And then if the Priests haue this gift and haue prefixed this course to themselues in the Lord then they shall not need to marry and the Apostles words shall not concerne them or bind them to haue their own wiues â—s it doth other men And this indeed is the very case of all Clergy men who vow chastity and the obseruance of their vow resteth in themselues assisted with Gods grace to performe it as before I haue sayd so the wordes of S. Paul appertayne not vnto them but to the Laity 41. M. Hall will perchance demand what if one who hath vowed chastity find that he hath not this gift notwithstaÌ„ding he hath prefixed the same to himself in the Lord shal be then be incontinent not marry I lay that neither the one or other is allowable not the first which is neuer lawfull not the later which is vnlawfull to him and this is decyded euen in the very next words of this Epistle where the Author thus speaketh to the Pope Wherefore o reuerend Father it shall be your part to cause and ouersee M. Halls S. Hulderick pleadeth a-against him that whosoeuer either with hand or mouth hath made a vow of continency as all Clergy men in holy orders haue afterwards would forsake the same should be either compelled to keep his vow or els by lawfull authority should be deposed from his order So there in which words you see both a compulsion for the obseruance of the vow deposition from their order in the transgressours both which suppose an ability in the vowmaker of performing his vow or els the suggestion of M. Hall his S. Vdalricke had beene very iniurious vnlawfull and tyrannicall as imposing a punishment where there was no voluntary offence and the thing for which he is punished was impossible for him in our Protestants opinion to perform as that Prince should be a tyrant who should put any subiect of his to one of these extremes either to leese the office and dignity he hath in the common wealth or els to pull the Sunne downe from heauen or remoue the earth into a higher place within three miles of the concauity of the Moone 42. And seeing this doctrine deliuered in the Epistle fathered on S. Huldricke is so contrary to the doctrine of this Epistle of M. Hall who will haue such vowes to be filthy the keeping of them to include an impossible necessity it was great temerity inconsiderate dealing in him to offer to be cast in his cause if this epistle do not satisfy all Readers when as it is so far from satisfying all Readers as it doth not satisfy himselfe who wil haue all such votaryes to change their vowes as filthy and to purify themselues by marriage and make practicall tryall of Iohn Fox his note what it is to marry in the Lord contrary to this Epistle as you haue seene which being so I make this collection as euident to me as any mathematicall demonstration that M. Hall neither careth for his wife nor for his fidelity M. Hall neither careth for his wife nor for his credit nor for his cause nor for his cause Not for his wife because he offered to be punished by a diuorce if he euicted not all Clergy mens marriage which he hath not done or is able euer to do whils he liueth not for his fidelity which he pawned to leese on any decree to be shewed more ample then that of the Trullan Councell for the marriage of Ecclesiasticall men which now he hath seene that in such excesse as in respect therof the Trullan Canon was but like the positiue degree in respect of the superlatiue not for his cause which he aduentureth on this Epistle in which notwithstanding euen in the point in controuersy debated between vs he is both cast and condemned for we graunt a solemne vow of chastity to be made in taking of
orders which this epistle will not haue broken but eyther by compulsion to be kept or punished by deposition so carelesse a husband so bad a Christian so weake a protectour he is or els which I rather thinke so light witted a man as he will offer vpon any occasion to aduenture all he hath be it his wife cause or credit though the conditions on which he doth it be neuer so vnequall disaduantagious or preiudiciall vnto him 43. Before I end this matter I will come from M. Halls text vnto his margent where first he maketh this note saying Whether Huldericus Extreme folly to make no doubt of that which is only doubted of or as he is some where intituled Volusianus I enquire not the matter admits no doubt So he But this is extreme folly for it importeth all in all to know the true Author when all the credit of the thing reporteth lyeth thereon as heere it doth or els any may obtrude whatsoeuer broken peece of a letter they shal find on the dunghill to be written by some Father the thing shall challeng authority from the writer and this thing neuer hauing beene seene or heard of in the world before can haue no credit if it were only written by some late sectary as we haue inst cause to suspect and M. Hall cannot disproue whereas if he could proue it written by S. Huldricke we should more esteeme it and answere it with more regard the authority being greater in the behalfe of our Aduersaryes then if it had beene coyned by some MagdeburgiaÌ„ or elâ— by some Sacramentary either moderne or more ancient To auoyd the suspition of this imposture M. Hall cyteth againe his learned Pope Pius 2. or Aeneas Siluius in sua Germania which title Iohn Fox setteth downe more fully saying Aeneas Siluius hath no mention of the counterfeit epistle of S. Vdalricus Meminit ciusdem epistolae Aeneas Siluius in sua peregrinatione Germaniae descriptione Aeneas Siluius maketh mention of this letter in his pilgrimage and description of Germany but it should seem that Iohn Fox his wit was gone in pilgrimage or or els a woll gathering when he made this note for after some search I haue made of his bookes I thinke I haue better meanes to find them out then Fox had I can find none extant vnder the one or other title nor yet vnder the title of his Germany as M. Hall expresseth it neither doth Trithemius in his catalogue or Posseuinus in Apparatu where they set downe all the bookes they could find of this Pope mention any such worke and so the mention made of this letter in this Pilgrimage is a meere idle toy framed out of the wandring imagination of Iohn Fox and vpon to light credit taken vp by M. Hall There is in his workes extant an answere to one Martin Mayer for defence of the holy Roman Church in which he describeth some parts of Germany by which he had passed and speaking of Auspurg he sayth as the Germans haue printed him in Basill S. Vdalricus huic praefidet qui Papam arguit de concubinis c. S. Vdalricus is patron of this place who reprehended the Pope for concubines it lyeth by the riuer Licus So he as these Sacramentaryes haue set him out Which being all graunted belongeth not to this matter in hand but concerneth only the bad life of the young Pope Iohn then thrust by force of friends and maintayned by tyranny in that seat which abuse the Church is forced sometymes to suffer as temporall states do ill Princes but in the one and the other personall crimes as they tend to the impeachment of priuate fame so nothing derogate from publike authority in such the office is to be considered apart from the life as Moyses his chayre from the Pharisyes who sate thereon their power we reuerence their liues we abhorre no state so high no calling so holy no function so laudable but ill men haue beene found therein and if once we confound the life with the office and out of the vnworthynes of the one inferre the denyall of the other we shall leaue no Pope Bishop Priest Emperour King or other Magistrate whatsoeuer and this supposing these to be the words of Aeneas Siluius of which I haue some cause to doubt both for that I haue seene a printed copy without them and moreouer I haue seen three Manuscripts of which as two were lately written had them so the 3. which was much more ancient in the text had them not but in the margent only by which meanes forged glosses so creep in often tymes as they com at length to be printed with the wordes of the Author but howsoeuer to this purpose they make nothing and the other whom M. Hâ—ll ioyneth with him to wit Gaspar Hedio a late heretike is of no credit to iustify this matter no more then M. Iohn Fox Ioseph Hall or any other professed aduersary 44. Againe it is another vntruth to say that somewhere he is intituled Volusianus for though Benefild against M. Leech call the Author of that letter Volusianus yet doubtles he meaneth The Author of the forged epistle vncertains another man distinct from S. Vdalricke who was neuer named Volusianus by any writer and this maketh the whole tale more to reele seeing it is obtruded as a base child that knoweth not his owne Fathers name and if once we remoue it from S. Vdalricke to whome as I haue proued it cannot agree the thing leeseth all credit and proueth nothing but the corrupt dealing of such as alleage it for this Volusianus is a name inuented to make fooles fayne no man knowing what he was where he was borne when he liued of what calling or credit in the world whether of kyt or kin to the man in the Moon for he neuer liued on our inferiour orbe vnder the first second or third Nicholas if I might interpose my ghesse I should thinke him to be brother to Steuen the subdeacon before mentioned out of Gratian for that he is so ready to father the fatherles and take a child to his charge which he neuer begot 45. But sayth M. Hall the matter admits no doubt which is another vntruth for whether by the word matter M. Hall vnderstand the Authour of the letter or the contents themselus both are doubted yea both are denyed and to take that for graunted which resteth in controâ—ersy to be proued is a foule fault in Philosophy and called petitio principij as if one to credit Petitio principij a foule fault in â— Philosopher M. Hall and to proue that for his learning he deserueth to be estcemed against one who shold deny him to be learned at all should thus conclude All learned men deserue to be esteemed but M. Hall as I suppose is a learned man Ergo he is for such to be esteemed no man will allow that he suppose the Minor as graunted which only is called in
grauissimis tribulationibus concusseruut Frequent contentions very many seditions diuers conflicts risen amongst them shaked the whole Land with most grieuous tribulations So he And heereupon as well Priests as people being apt to cast of the yoke of Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill discipline when they saw neither the one or the other law by reason of the present tumult and confusion of things able to be exacted tooke this lasciuious liberty to do what they listed besides this I say the lewdnes of this young King added oyle to the flame and so concurred with the wicked to discompose the Ecclesiasticall state following the counsaile of his queane as Malmesbury sayth quae tenerum iugiter obsidebat animum who still possessed his wanton mind that gathering the raskality of the land about him Miserrimis satellitibus subnixus he cast out al the Religious men of the whole kingdome seized vpon their goods iniuriously abused their persons tyrannized ouer all the monasteryes of which Malmesbury the house of this Authour was made a stable aboue all he hated S. Dunstane the chiefe pillar of the Religious and therefore banished him into Flanders where as Matthew VVestminster writes his wanton Counsellour laboured also to haue pulled out his eyes but was defeated of her purpose and all this for that the Archbishop Saint Houeden◠anno 957. Odo Vir clerus ingenio sayth Houeden virtute laudabilis spiritu quoque Prophetiae pollens Famous for wisedome renowned for vertue endued also with the spirit of prophecy had vpon S. Dunstans suggestion as they imagined separated this concubine from him punished her againe after her returne excommunicated the King himselfe 108. Vnder this King then and by this occasion the Clergy declining to this bestiality none furthering it but the wicked all the good resisting it as was well seene in Edgars tyme when thinges being restored to their former peace and the Pastours had in their due regard this abuse with great feruour and speed was extinguished we may conceaue how laudable the thing was which did first spring from this lawles liberty and how shameles Henry Huntington is who against the credit of all out best authours Henry Huntingtons vnsincere manner of writing Malmesbury Florentius Houeden Matthew VVestminster Polidore and others sayth that Rex Edwyn non illaudabiliter Regni infulam tenuit King Edwyn worthily swayed the scepter of the Land and lamenteth that vntimely death brake off the course of his prosperous and ioyfull beginnings when as euen at his very entrance to the crowne yea euen the same day he was crowned he left his Nobility and retyred to his two concubins the mother and daughter as some will haue it or els to be naught with his owne kinswoman as Holinshed out of others from whence being perforce recalled by S. Dunstane this quarrell betweene the Saint and him began which was so followed as there was no end of persecuting him till the King had ended his life of which this good Historian hath no one word 109. But afterwards when he recounteth Henry Huntington prayseth the wicked forgeth crimes in the innocent the base incontinent dealing of a Popes Legate sent into England who inueighed against the incontinency of Priests in the forenoone and was taken with a concubine himselfe in the after then he could find his tongue and after a solemne preamble tell vs Res appertissima negari non potuit celari non decuit the thing was most euident it could not be denyed is was not fit to be concealed out it must that in the worst manner the man was taken with such a lust yet this thing which he maketh most euident and not to be denyed is reiected by Baronius as a fable that among diuers other reasons because this man is the first Authour thereof so false in oother things so partiall in this of which neither VVilliam of Malmesbury nor Florentius his Continuer who both were then liuing do speak any one word though the later do mentiō this polidore Virgill Holiashed Stow c. Cardinall and set downe all the Canons of the Councell and had no reason to haue dissembled the things obiected had it beene so notorious and publick as Huntington makes it from whom all our late Protestant writers and others also vpon too light credit haue borrowed and inserted it into their historyes 110. And truely seeing this sole Authour Henry Huntington what he was alone so to reuell in this matter I was moued out of a curious desire to see what he was Bale sayth he was a Canon Regular of S. Augustins order and the title he beareth in the forefront of his booke is that he was Archdeacon of Huntington of It is probable that his father was a Priest when he begot him which profession and degree I did meruaile to see one so inclined to defend incontinency and the marriage of Priests seeing he was not marryed himselfe and that all other Authours at that tyme in England and before had condemned it I found further after some search in the very next page after the place cyted by M. Hall in his owne history that he confesseth his Father to haue beene a Priest and consequently as it may be thought he pleadeth but for his birth right and the best coppy hold of his inheritāce for thus he writeth of him Eodem anno Pater illius qui hanc scripsit historiam mortis legibus concessit c. The same yeare dyed the Father of him who wrot this history and was buryed at Lincolne of whome it is written Stella cadit Cleri splendor marcet Nicolai Stella cadens Cleri splendeat arce Dei The sense of which distich is that the star of A bad child that could put no better Epitaph on his Fathers tombe the Clergy was fallen and the shining of Nicolas ouer cast but he wisheth that the star falling on earth may shine in heauen and to that end desireth al Readers to pray for his soule with an anima eius requiescat in pace and in case my coniecture be true that he begot his son Henry being a Priest he had indeed great need of prayers but of his being a star of the Clergy vnles he did pennance for the same and stood not in defence thereof as the irregular Chanon his son Henry did there is no cause to imagine but rather that he Iud. in ep was to be numbred among those stars which S. Iude calleth sydera errantia for such men are not the starres of the Clergy but the clowds rather and ignominy therof But to digresse no further with this Authour let vs come to some other ponderation 3. Ponderation 111. The third ponderation is taken from the Authours who haue written of this matter M. Hall only cyteth Henry Huntington and he also is fouly streyned to reach home wheras for the Antiquity and learning of the Authors alleadged for the continency of Priests contrary we
haue ended this letter but that his triumphant conclusion forceth me to make a briefe recapitulation of what hath passed in this combat betweene vs that you may as in a table see both what cause there was he should so crow and how that he as well as other of our Aduersaryes haue a speciall grace when they haue proued nothing to vâ—unt aboue measure of their chymericall conquests for if you barre them of that boasting humour of lying of rayling of corrupting Authours and childish disputing their pens will cast no inke their books will be very barren they in short tyme for matters or controuersy will become altogeather mute M. Halls bragging Conclusion is examined togeather with a briefe Recapitulation of what before hath beene sayd HAVING discussed hitherto all M. Halls arguments and deciphered their weaknes or rather hauing shewed how they haue beene answered by others resumed by him without any notice of their former refutation and that with such confident courage as he pawneth his wife his fidelity his cause all theron which if truth and equity may giue sentence he hath all forfeited yet such is the mans misfortune his wit being so shallow and selfe esteeme of his owne worth and works so great that as before he neuer more bragged theÌ„ wher he had least cause and was most ouerthrowne so in the very end where he should haue excused the want of exact performance of what he had vndertaken as necessarily knowing all his proofes to haue beene so disproued before as neither altogeather or any one of them all cold subsiâ—t yet hauing passed the bounds of modesty by his intemperate rayling on vâ— and immoderate praysing of himselfe without further reflection he ruâ—heth on forwards and in lieu of M. Hâ—lls pride â—nd vanity this excuse and humble opinion of himselfe a there is â—o cause God woâ— why â—e should haue any other he coÌ„meth aloft with an Iâ— triumphe like a coâ—querour in his triumphant chariot with lawâ—ell crowne and scepter in hand talketh of nothing els but conquestâ— victoryes subduing Aduersaryes â—eâ—ching and defending the truth which yet in this brauery he so betrayth as euen in this triumphant Conclusion which he maketh there is nothing he hath that includes not in it some notorious â—alshood obseruing in some sort the rules of art which will haue the beginning and end of a worke to haue some proportion and connexion togeather and so as he began bluntly with fiue lyes at once so will he end with as many to speake the least for thus he writeth 2. I haue sayth he I hope fetcht this truth far inough deduced it low inough through many ages to the midst of the rage of Antichristian M. Hall for a fare well giues vs a fardle of vntruths tyranny there left our libeâ—ty there began their bondage Our liberty is happily renewed with the Ghospell what God what his Church hath euer allowed we do enioy wherin we are not alone the Greeke Church as large for extent aâ— the Roman and in some parts of it better for soundnes do thus and thus haue euer done Let Papists and Athiests say what they will it is safe erring with God and his purer Church So he And to all this vaunting there needeth no other answere then that of the Wise man Nubes vâ—ntus plâ—uiâ— non sequentes vir gloriosus promissa non complens As the câ—oud Prouerb 25. and wind and no raigne following so is the man who vaunteth much and performeth not his promises for all these wast words are but clouds without water vaine blasts of presumptuous pride promiâ—ing much and performing nothing and M. Hall in his long trauell is but like vnto one who maketh a great iourney to the sea side to fetch home salt water in a â—yue or to those of whome the Prophet speaketh who sowed much and reaped little and put all their gaine in sacculum pertusum a purse pierced through the bottome from which all did fall out that was put in for if M. Hâ—ll will rightly cast vp his accounts he shall find that he hath gayned as much by all his labour for his cause as if he had sate still and sayd nothing though for his credit this he had gotten to be hâ—ld a very vnsincere and superficiall writer for he wanteth learning to frame an argument reading to find the truth modesty in his tearmes and conscience in telling so many lyes which are as thicke with him as hops in haruest 3. And whosoeuer will consider what before hath beene sayd will see the vayne hope of this man to vanish like smoke he sayth that he hath fetched this truth far inough and deduced it low inough through many ages euen to the midst of the rage of Antichristian tyranny o how much is truth for her deliuerance out of bondage be holding vnto M. Hall to so potent an Aduocate Scilicet liberanda veritas sayth â—ertullian expectabat Marcionem This conquest of fetching truth so far was reseâ—ued to Tertul. â—â— Marciâ—n these â—ymes to M. Halls trauells to his learned pen but in this his valiant exploit of fetching home truth he should not haue forgot that rule thereof deliuered by S. Ambrose and was much worth his noting Veritatis sayth this Father Amb. lib. â—â—e Offiâ— cap. 24. â—â—est regula vt nihil sacias commendandi tui causa quo minor alius fiat That is the rule of truth that you do nothing in your own commendation wherby another may be abased as heere M. Hall doth whiles in praysing himselfe for fetching truth so far of his happy renewing of his liberty by the Ghospell of erring with the purer Church and the like he contumeliously calleth the Catholicke Church and the gouernement thereof Antichristian tyranny and most basely giues as it were the defyance to Papists and Atheists which tearmes needed not were all so cleare on his side as he would haue it but that the leuity and malignity of his distempered brayne where reason fayled would force it out with rayling and he thought his owne praise too little vnles it went combyned with our contumely In this I confesse his faculty is better then in prouing the continuance of the marriage of Clergy men which notwithstanding his brags hath beene found to be to â—ard a taske for his weake ability 4. And when he tells vs how far this truth is fetcht and how low deduced through many ages I must truely tell him that he hath performed no such matter the primitiue church the ensuing ages the later tymes all authority of any weight or worth are against him vntill the tyme of Edward the sixth the freedome he now possesseth was neuer possessed in England no Bishops were marryed no Priests but of lewd life euer attempted it abuse as tymes gaue M. Hall striueth as it should seeme to vtter many vntruthes in a few lins occasion crept in but neuer had publike allowance And if he meane
in Asia Europe and Africke is demonstrated and the contrary by M. Hall is without all proofe or probability affirmed though he streyne far and forge a text of the third Gregory to this purpose and fouly mistake S. Isidore and then vpon no other ground but his owne errour and ouersight most pitifully exclaime against vs with I know not what outragious crime committed to our perpetuall shame whome he calleth his iuggling Aduersaryes and will haue vs deale worse then the Diuell but this shame I haue shaken off â—rom vs it must rest on himselfe and all the iuggling is resolued to this that M. Hall cannot see that which lyeth open before his eyes and therefore as he is suspitious thinketh it by some iuggling deuise to be taken away Alas poore M. Hall I pitty your ignorance but condemne your malice fayne you would byte but wanting teeth you can but only barke you esteeme your selfe a gallant man when you rayle at our doing or doctrine but your wit is so weake and will so wicked as the later which is blind and should be guyded by the former only directeth your pen and sheweth your iudgement and learning to be alike little I meane in respect of the desire you haue to do vs hurt in case you were able God forgiue you and send you a better mynd 14. There followeth another fundamental proofe which is so potent that M. Hall will be cast The fable of S. Huldericks Epistle in his cause if it do not answere all cauills satisfy all Readers and conuince all not willfull aduersaries and this forsooth is a learned and vehement epistle of S. Vdalricus vnto Pope Nicholas the first in which we see saâ—th this blind man how iust how expedient how ancient this liberty is and not only that but there-withall also the feeble and iniurious grounds of forced continency read it sayth he and see whether you can desire a betâ—er Aduocate I haue done his friend M. VVhiting that fauour as to read it for him and I see this Aduocate in writing to the first Nicolas to haue beene as blind as M. Hall for in caâ—e S. Vdalricus had written it as it is euinced that he did not he had written it more then 50. yeares after the partyes death whome he did write it vnto and more then twenty yeares before himselfe who wrote it was borne and therefore I desire in M. VVhitings name a better Aduocate that may plead after the vsuall manner of other men and not write letters before he haue either body or soule eyes to see tongue to speake or hands to write and then â—end them not to the liuing but to the dead and in the coÌ„tents to speake the truth and not tell vs tales of six thousand heads found in one mote with other the like impertinencyes before refuted and finally I must tell M. Hall that the cause is very weakly defended that relyeth on such rotten grounds of forged fictions and if he had esteemed it to be of any worth he would neuer haue made hazard thereof vpon such fooleryes if he be as prodigal of his wealth as he is of his wife cause credit and fidelity his children shall not be ouercharged with any rich inheritance which he is like to leaue them for he will be sure to liue and dye a beggar 15. In this counterfeit epistle there is no antiquity set downe for M. Halls carnall liberty neither can we espy therein the feel lenes of the ground of forced continency because we force none thereunto but compell such as without all inforcement out of their owne free and deliberate election haue vowed it to the obseruance of their vowes which this letter as lawful doth allow though we may not allow this liberty to M. Hall to change the name of Vdalricus into Volusianus nor to authorize it from them that haue mention thereof as Aeneas Siluius nor yet from such as in case they haue some mention are themselus of no credit as Gaspar Hedio Iohn Fox or such like fablers nor finally to vaunt of a happy plea and triumphant conquest where neuer word was spoken or stroke giuen or thing done more theÌ„ in the idle fancy of some new fangled Ghospellers how soeuer this wise man tel vs that heerupon this liberty blessed the world for 200. yeares after but I haue at one dash bated one hundred and fifty more at another and that from the warrant of his owne words and proued this Plea if euer there had been any such as there was not to haue beene very vnlucky as wel for the discredit of the maker as ouerthrow of the matter and that in so short space as hath beene before set downe 16. And because this modest man rayles at the seauenth Gregory for vtterly ruining the marriages of Priests and makes him the most Of Gregory the 7. Nicholas the 2 and Leo the 9. mortall enemy that euer the vow-breakers had which I impute to his great honour as it is also to be reuiled by heretiks I haue at large defended him and his whole contention with Henry the Emperour and shewed how constantly he behaued himselfe in this sluttish busines and although M. Hall would fayne haue him to be amongst the first parents of such as suppressed the marriages of Clergy men yet the truth is that before his tyme these marriages were neuer thought vpon in Germany but then the Clergy brake forth first into that intollerable beastlines and the like is proued by Nicholas the second for the first had neuer any thing to do in that controuersy and Leo the ninth whose decrees are only against concubines and harlots of incontinent Priests without any mention of wiues which in their tims were not any where allowed or perhaps so much as thought vpon and it may seem a woÌ„der to anâ— who knoweth not the custome of Heretiks to see one to claime prescriptioÌ„ of tyme for the marriage of Clergy men that cannot bring one Canon one Nationall decree one direct authority of any ancient Father for seauen hundred years togeather and after that tyme to alledge a meere patched proofe of a schismatical Conuenticle which more hurteth then helpeth his cause and yet to brag that for all that tyme there was nothing but marriage nothing but liberty no vows no chastity but these are the vsuall pangs of hereticall insolency 17. Diuers other points vpon this occasion are discussed as the deposition of Gregory the seauenth feigned to be made in the Councell of VVormes and that for separating man and wife but there was no deposition made no separation mentioned Then whether Gods will which this man still supposeth to stand for the incontinent vow-breakers â—or the Popes willfullnes was sought therein and lastly whether the broyles betweene Henry and Gregory were about this matter and what flocke it was thâ—t was so afflicted by the Popes censures as Auentine reporteth which was not indeed any flock of Christ for such still adhered vnto their
do dwel with men in holy orders but such as haue beene often mentioned in other Councells so of a ToletaÌ„ 2. c. 3. Toledo the second the first of b Hispal 2. cap. 3. Seuill that they vow chastity so the 4. of c ToletaÌ„ 4. cap. 26. Toledo and the eight d Tolet. 8. cap. 5. of the same place where the Canon sayth Quosdam Sacerdotes Ministrâ—s obliuiscentes maiâ—rum ac veterum constitutorum aut vxorum aut quarumcumque feminarum immunda societate execrabili contagionâ— turpari c. They had vnderstood certaine Priests and other Clergy men forgetting their ancestours and old decrees to be defiled with the impure company and execrable Where was M. Hals open freedome when this Canon was made contagion of their owne wiues and other women So there And this sauours little of open freedome for all Ecclesiasticall persons to marry or enioy their wiues as you see these Fathers were so far from thinking any impossible necessity to be in the vowes of Priests as our impure Ministers do teach as they held the returne to their former wiues to be a defiling impurity and execrable contagion 123. Furthermore in the 9. Councell of Toledo there is a Canon which if it were in practise Toletan â— cap. 10. in England would much coole this feruent lust of our wanton Ministers for it is determined that from the Bishop to the Subdeacon if any by detestable wedlock being in that degree should beget children that the Fathers of these children should be put vnder Canonicall Censures A cooling Canon of the ninth Councell of Toledo and the children borne of that polluted copulation should inherit nothing of their Fathers goods but for terme of life be seruants of that Church or Churches wherof their Fathers were Priests and neuer to enioy more freedome So as the Father was deposed the child was a slaue such was the liberty which euen within the seauen hundred years possessed these parts 126. I may not pretermit the Councell of Eliberis the first that was euer held in Spaine in The decree of the Councell of Eliberis the yeare 313. in which ancient Synod is this decree which may seeme rather to be made in the Councell of Trent such vnity and vniformity there is in doctrine manner of speach and practise of the primitiue Church with this of our tyme of that Councell with ours and no lesse repugnance and contradiction with that of our aduersaryes for thus they decree Placuit in totum prohibere Episcopis Presbyteris Diaconis Concil Elibert cap. 33. Subdiaconis positis in ministerio abstinere se à coniugibus suis non generare filios quod quicumque fecerit ab honore Clericatus exterminetur It seemed good to the Councel altogeather to forbid Bishops Priests Deacons Subdeacons appointed for the mynistery of the Church to abstayne from their wiues and not to beget children which whosoeuer begets let him be deposed from the honour of the Clergy So these Fathers And this testimony in the iudgment of any that hath any iudgment left him is able to ouerweigh ten thousand Trullan Conuenticles being for tyme far before it not made in schisme neuer controled neuer condemned in this point nor shal M. Hall euer be able to shew me that euer in Spaine his imaginary freedome was tolerated much lesse permitted in that Clergy 127. In Germany within the prescript of this tyme were no Councels kept that people being not wholy reclaymed to the Christian fayth vntill some yeares after by the worthy endeauours of S. Boniface a most renowned Martyr by birth an English man after whos death which hapned in the yeare 754. there was a Councell kept in that Citty whereof he had beene Archbishop and to shew that new Church to agree Concil Mogunt Can. 10. with the old they defyned that Priests should study to preserue perpetuall chastity and in the same forbid them to haue any women in their houses but such as were allowed by the CanoÌ„s So this new Church lately conuerted to Christ togeaiher with her Christianity imbraced this purity and in alleadging the licence graunted by the Canons confirmed what we haue produced of all the former Councells 128. To conclude with Italy where this practise euen by the confession of our Aduersaryes Single life of Clergy men alwayes in vse in Italy hath euer inuiolably beene obserued and none can shew at what tyme in what part vnder what Pope or Emperour the contrary custome was euer in vse much lesse allowed in the Roman Councell called soone after the first appearance of peace in the Christian Church to wit the same yeare with the Nicen in Greece it is defined that no Subdeacon do marry or presume to violate that decree and if in this of all sacred orders the lowest and least perpetuall chastity be required much more in the other which being of themselues higher require more eminent purity chastity and if it were Chrys l. 3. de Sacerdâ—â—â—â— iâ—it possible as S. Chrysostome well obserueth more cleanes then is in Cherubim or Seraphim or any other Angelicall nature and the same for Deacons and Priests as Baronius noteth was expresly confirmed in another Councell of Rome held in the thirtenth yeare of the Emperour Mauritius and ninth of S. Gregory the Great in which is this Canon Si quis Presbyter aut Diaconus vxorem duxerit anathemasit If any Priest or Deacon marry a wife let him be accursed So as still curses and not blessings haue followed the marriage of Clergy men euen in this tyme of M. Halls prescription 129. Wherefore now to end this matter hauing against the CoÌ„uenticle of TrulluÌ„ brought A collection vpon the premito one and thirty Councells all more sacred all more approued all without any contradiction of these tymes and ensuing ages more accepted then the Councell of Trullum it will need no great deliberation to resolue or discourse to iudge or learning to decide this Controuersy in hand whether for the space of seauen hundred yeares there is nothing to be found but open freedome for all Clergy men to marry or whether this freedome were debarred when as all these Councels were held within the compasse of that tyme which condemne it this Trullan false Synod not vntill some yeares after for all is resolued to this that for seauen hundred years M. Hâ—ll finds not one Councell or ancient Father vnles perhaps some lying Heretike to make for him we haue all the Fathers with one and thirty Councells against him so as this poore soule like a naked child without any thing in his hand commeth forth to fight with a whole army well appointed and although he be not able to strike a strocke but must needs be beaten to the ground and crushed in peeces yet doth he crake that the victory is his and that al the mayne army hath defended him and his cause what
will you say to such madnes 130. And truly to me he seemeth not to be M. Hall ouerthrowne by his owne groundes more mad then blind for otherwise he would neuer haue proclaimed this freedome of 700. years seeing the very forme of wordes vsed by his owne sacred Synod doth so strongly withstand his fond collection for there it is decreed in these wordes Qui sunt in sacris coniugia deinceps ex Concil Trullan cap. 13. hoc temporis momento firma stabilia esse volumus We will that the marriages of such as be in holy orders from this tyme forward be firme and valid for in case this freedome had beene before common neuer doubted of but acknowledged by all why did they vse this forme of wordes â— why did they say from this tyme forward for why did they name the tyme forward which in al the tyme backward had beene still in vse neuer in question were it not a ridiculous decree if it should now by act of Parlament be enacted that from this tyme forward the King of EnglaÌ„d should be reputed to haue title to the Crowne of France which for almost three hundred years he hath taken and possessed If he say that the Roman Church withstood this pretended custome and against that this decree was made I graunt both the one and the other and thereof inferre this freedom to be counterfait as neuer in vse in the Latin Church and as then the Roman vse contradicted the Grecian so doth the French King now contradict our Soueraigne about this title not permitting any booke to be printed there wherin he is stiled King of France and yet doth not this opposition hinder but that such a decree in England were foolish and so is this in Greece if still they had beene in free possession of their wiues as they were neuer before that tyme when by too much flattering the Emperours they layd the first foundatioÌ„ of their future schisme which hath brought them to that most miserable thraldome in which now they liue and may both be an example and terrour of Gods iust reuenge to all others that make the like attempts 131. It is pitty M. Hall that when you got the Rethoricke lesson in Cambrige you had not got the Logicke for in case you had taught Logicke you would haue seene the folly and feeblenes of your inference rather haue made the contrary illation to that which you haue heere made for I appeale to all puny Sophisters in Cambrige whether it be not a better inference to say this thing is decreed from this instant for the tyme forwards to be obserued Ergo before it was not in vse then to dispute as you do thus from this instant forward this shall be allowed Ergo alwayes before it was approued All the walls and windowes from the Hall to the Kitchen may mourne to see an Vniuersity man to haue so little wit as to conclude so fondly and yet you do much worse when you argue that the Trullan false Councel allowed marryed men to be made Priests Ergo before it was lawfull for Ecclesiasticall men to marry when as before that tyme it was alwayes vnlawfull and in that very Councell it is not permitted but in plaine tearmes prohibited for any Clergy men to marry 132. This then being so that this Councel maketh not for you that it contradicteth it self that it brought in a new law in despight of the Roman Church that it was not only a prouinciall but a false and schismaticall meeting that it was neuer allowed that the Authors were seuerely punished by God as well the Patriarcke as the Emperour that the chiefe Pastour condemned it that your selfe do not vnderstand it and on the other side that all the other Synods are beyond exception sincere Catholike lawfull and authenticall I may say to M. Hall as S. August in Iulian. l. 2. cap. vltim Augustine did to Iulian the Pelagian Vsque adeo permiscuit imis summa longus dies vsque adeo tenebrae lux lux tenebrae esse dicuntur vt videant Pelagius Celestius Iulianus caeci sint Hilarius Gregorius Ambrosius Hath tract of tyme so confounded all things togeather turned them vpside downe is darknes so far forth become light and light darknes that the Trullan Councell alone could see the others of all Asia Europe and Affricke were blinded And in the precedent booke hauing alleadged some few Fathers of speciall note he turneth his speach vnto Iulian and sayth as I now Lib. 1. in Iulian. c. 4. say vnto M. Hall and therefore put his name and errours insteed of Iulians Introduxi te in sanctorum Patrum pacificum honor andumque conuentum sit opâ—rae pretiuÌ„ obsecro te aspice illos quomodo aspicientes te c. I haue brought you into the peacable and honourable assembly of the holy Fathers I pray you let me not leese my labour behold them as it were beholding you and meekely and gently saying vnto you is it so indeed M. Hall are we mainteyners of the marriage of Clergy men I pray you what will you answere them how will you looke vpon them what arguments will you deuise what predicaments of Aristotle with which as a sharp disputer that you may assaile vs you desire to be esteemed cuÌ„ning what edge of glosse of your feeble arguments or leadeÌ„ daggers will dare to appeare in their sight what weapons of yours wil not fly out of your hands and leaue you naked will you say perchance that you haue accused none of them by name But what will you do when they all shall say vnto you that it had beene better you had railed at our names then at our Religion by the merit of which our names are written in heauen And a little after Iterum te admoneo iterum rogo aspice tot ac tales Ecclesiae Catholicae desensoret Ibid. atque rectores vide quibus tam grauem tam nesariam irrogaueris iniuriam Againe I warne you againe I intreate you behold so many and so worthy defenders and Gouernours of the Catholike Church see to whome you haue offered this grieuous and wicked iniury So S. Augustine 133. And heere to end if so many lawfull Councells against one schismaticall so ancient against so moderne so expresse decrees against one so intricate as that it maketh more against our Aduersaries then for them so many holy The conclusion of all this Trullan Controsy Bishops against a few seditious and turbulent Prelates so many Countreys against one Prouince yea all Asia Europe and Affrike against one corner of the world if the purer ages and Apostolicall tymes against the later when through the pride of those Princes Patriarches people they began to kindle the coles of that whereof now we see the flames and execrable combustion be not sufficient to moue M. Hall to looke backe but that copper if he list shall still be pure good light darknes and darcknes