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A14151
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The practyse of prelates. Compyled by the faythfull and godly learned man, Wyllyam Tyndale
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Tyndale, William, d. 1536.
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1548
(1548)
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STC 24466; ESTC S105209
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56,056
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134
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of Rome rome is the head of the eÌ„pyre wherfor of right I muste be the Father of all waten And thus whether they chalenged theyr title by the aucthorite of God or man or by peter or poulinge it was all one so they myghte be greatest And great intercession was made vnto the Emperours of both parties but in vayne a greate season for the emperours stopped their eares at such ambicious requests longe time tyll at the last there cam an Emperour called Phocas whyche laye long in Italy was a very soft man a praye for prelates Phocas Pope bonâ—face the 〈◊〉 In whose time Boniface the third was bysshop of Rome a man ambicious gready vpon honour of a very subtil wit nothing inferiour vnto Thomas wolf ser cardinall of yorcke This Boniface was greate with the emperour Phocas with his wylyâ— persuasions greate intercessioÌ„ together obtayned of Phocas to be called the chefest of all bysshops that his churche shulde be the chefe church Which auctorite as sone as he had purchased he sent immediatly his coÌ„maÌ„dmeÌ„t with the emperours power wherunto all the bisshopps of Almanye â–ª â—â—mauÌ„diâ—g the euery bysshop shuld call all the priestes of his diocese the chastitâ— of priestes how it came vp charge theÌ„ that euery man shuld put awaye his wyfe vnder payne of excoÌ„municatioÌ„ Which tyranny thogh great resistauÌ„ce was made agaiÌ„st it he yet brought to passe with the emperours swerde and his owne subtiltie to gether for the Bysshops were rych and durst not displease the pope for feare of the Emperour As sone as Nemroth yâ— myghtie him 〈◊〉 had caught this praye that he had compelled all bysshops to be vnder hym and to swere obedyence vnto hym then he began to be greate in the earth and called him self papa Papa wyth thys interprecaâ—yon father of fathers And when the Pope had exalted his throne aboue hys fellowes then the vnitie that ought to be amonge bretheren in Chrystes Church brake and diuisyon begaÌ„ betwene vs and the grekes which grekes I suppose were at that time the one half of chrystendome DiuisioÌ„ in the church And when any pope â—ens exhorted them to vnitie they aÌ„swered that he which wyl reygne ouer hys brethereÌ„ with violeÌ„ce breaketh vnitie not they that they wyl not be vnder hys tyrannye whervnto he calleth them vnd a colour of vnite And from hense forth with the helpe of his bisshops which were sworne tâ— be true lygâ— men vnto him when before tyme they were admitted to their bisshoprikes of the emperours and kinges he began to ley abayte to catch the hole Empyre into his handes also ¶ By what meanes the pope inuaded the Empire AT that same ceason Mahomete the auctour of the sâ—cte of the turckes and saracens beganne mahomete the pâ—pe began at â—â—ne time And as sone as he had got muche People vnto him with wiles and fayned miracles he inuaded the empyre of Rome in those quarters And loke how busy Mahomet was in those partyes so â—esy was the pope in these quarters to inuade the empyre with the helpe of his sworne bysshops which preached all of non other God then the Pope whyle the emperour was occupied a farre of in resisting of Mahomete Gregory the pope came vp by the frenchmen by the he cotinnueth his estate styll And within few yeares after when the kinges of Italy nowe and then vexed our holye fathers for the covetouse ambicion then Gregory the third ioyned amite wyth the Frenchmen and called them to helpe by whose power they gatte all they haue also mayntaine it vnto this daye For if any man sens that time hether dyspleased the pope neuer so lytle he iÌ„mediatly cursed hiÌ„ and excommuniâ—ated hym aÌ„d proclaymed him no ryght enheritoure and that it was not laufull to holde of him and obsoluâ—â— hys lordes and subiectes of theyr alleages aunce and seÌ„t his blessing vnto the french king and remissyon of sinnes to go and coÌ„quere hys lande the pope and french kynge alwaye diuiding the spoyle betwene them the bisshops and all that serued god for yâ— belly preaching the popes myght â–ª how that he had power so to do and all thinges to bâ—de and lose at hys wyll wrestinge the scriptures to serue for their purpose corrupting all the lawes both of God and man to proue hys godhead with all pope zacharias the .i. Hilderichê° THeÌ„ cam pope Zacharias the first in whose time hulderichus was kynge of fraunce a maÌ„ yâ— gouerned his royalme as it ofte chauÌ„ceth by a debitie as parsones preache one Pipine a lord of his oâ—ne his sworn subiect pipinus This pipine seÌ„t an holy bisshop to pope Zacharias that he shuld helpe to make hym kynge of Fraunce and he wold be hiâ— defender in Italy as the maner of â—â—aulâ— horses is the one to clawe the other Zacharias answered that he was more worthy to be kyng that ruled the Realme and â—oke the laboures than an ydle shadowe that went vp and downe and did nought And so vpon that the lordes of Fraunce by the persuasions of the prelates consented vnto Pipine aÌ„d thrust downe their right kinge vnto whom they were sworne ynd made a monke of him And both the lordes also Pipine toke dispensacions for theyr othes of our holy father and were forsworne Thus was oure holy father the Pope crepte vp in to the consciences of men with hys false interpretation of byndyng aÌ„d loâ—synge good .viij. hundred yeres agone Then came Pope Stephanus the secoÌ„d out of whose haÌ„des Estulphus kyng of Lombardie wold faine haue scratched som what pope steueÌ„ the second estulphus for he thought that the holye fathers gathered to faâ—â—â— and had all readye raked to muche vnto them But the new kynge Pipine of fraunce warned of hys duetie and seruice promysed aÌ„d mindefull of old frendshippe and hopynge for parte of the praye came to succoure the pope and when he had subdued the Kyng oâ— Lombardye he gaue vnto our holy father or rather to saynt Peter that hungry begger greate prouinces contreys in Lombardye and in Italye with the yle corsica and many greate cyties of which some perteyned vnto the Emperoure being then at Constantinople yet the Emperour had sent before vnto king Pipine that he shuld not geue of his townes vnto the pope But Pipine answerâ—â— that he cam for the same intent to inhaunce our holy father And our holy father receaued them And thus the Empyre was deuided in two partâ—s the Pope and the frenchking partyng the one halfe betwene them And as the Emperour decayed the Pope grewe And as the pope grewe so the secte of Mahomete grew for the Emperour halfe his empyre lost was not able to defend him selfe agaiÌ„st the infidels And the pope wold suffer no help hence to come for two causes One lest the Emperour shuld recouer his Empyre agayne and an other
english to mynystre the almesse of the people vnto the pore and neadye For in the congregation of christ loue maketh euery maÌ„s gifte and goodes comune vnto the necessyte of hys neyghboure Wherfore the loue of god beyng yet hore in the hartes of men the rych that had the substance of thys worldes goodes brought of theyr aboundaunce grete plentye vnto the sustentation of the poore and delyuered it vnto the Handes of the Deacons And vnto the helpe of the Deacons were wydowes of .lx. yeare olde holy vertuous and destitute of frendes chosen to tende and wayte vppon the sycke and to washe the sayntes fete that came from one Congregacion vnto an other whether for any busynes or for feare of Persecucyon And these commune goodes of the churche offered for the succour of the poore grewe in all churches so Exceadyngly that in some coÌ„gregâ—cion it was so much that it was sufficyente to Mayntayne an hoste of men In so muche that tyrants dyd oft tymes ê‘secute the christen for those commune goodes as thou seist in the lyfe of S. Laurence the deacon of Rome And moreouer the couetuousnes of the prelates was the decaye of chrystendome aÌ„d the encresyng of the kyngdome of Mahomette For by the first springing of the empyre of Mahomete the Emperoures Kinges and greate lordes of christendome had geuen their treasure so myghtely vnto the church what after great victoryes what at theyr deathes that their successours were not able to mainteyne battell against the Saracenes and Turkes for the woorlde was not yet in such captiuitie that they coulde make theyr subiects swere on bokes what they were worth rayse vp taxes at theyr pleasur so that a certein wrytter of stories sayth The prelates gaped when the laye men wolde take the warre vpon theÌ„ agaiÌ„st the Turkes and that lay men loked when the prelates wolde laye out their money to make the warre with all and not to spend it in worse vse as the most part of theÌ„ were woÌ„t to do spendynge the moneye that was goten with almesse and bloude of marters vppon goodly place and greate vessels of golde and syluer without care of things to come despising God whome they worshypped for their belyes sake onely and also maÌ„ Moreouer it was the custome euen then sayth the auctor to axe what the bishopryke was worth ye and to leaue a worse for a better or to kepe both with a vnioÌ„ And at the same time Isacius the debitie of the Emperour came to Rome to confirme the Pope in his se with the Emperours aucthoritie for the electioÌ„ of the pope was theÌ„ nothynge worth except it had bene coÌ„firmed by the emperour and he founde so great treasure in the church of saynt Ihon Lateran yâ— for dysdayne which he had that they shulde haue such treasure in sâ—ore not to helpe the emperour in his warres agaiÌ„st the Turckes seing his souldyers lacked wages he toke it away with violence agaiÌ„st the wyll of the prelates of which he exyâ—ed some and payde his owne men of warre with one part toke an other part vnto him self sent the thyrde parte vnto the Emperoure whiche must nedes haue bene a great treasure in one church ¶ By what meanes the prelates fell from Chryst THe office of a Bysshop was a roume at the begynnynge that no man coueted and that no man durste take vppoÌ„ him saue he only which loued christ better then hys owne lyfe For as Christ sayeth that no man myght be hys disciple excepte that he were ready to forsake lyfe and all eueÌ„ so myght that officer be sure that it wolde coste hym hys lyfe at one tyme or an other forbeariÌ„g record vnto the truth But after that the multitude of the chrysten were encreased and many great men had receauâ—d the fayth than both landes and rentes aswell as the other goodes were geuen vnto the maintenaunce as well of the clergye as of the poore because they gaue then no tythes to the priestes nor yet nowe do saue in certeyne couÌ„treys For it is to much to geue almesse offeringes landes and tythes also And then the bysshops made theÌ„ whych they call pryest and kepe the name bisshop vnto them selues But out of the deacons sprange all the myschefe For thorow their handes wente all thynge they ministred vnto the clergye they ministred vnto the poore they were in fauoure with great small And when the bisshops office begaÌ„ to haue rest to be honorable then the deacons through fauoure and gyftes clam vp thervnto as lyghtlye he that hath the old Abbots treasure succedeth with vs. And by the meanes of their practise accointauÌ„ce in the world they were more subtile and woorldly wyse then the olde bysshops and lesse learned in Goddes worde as oure prelates are when they come froÌ„ studentshyppe in Gentlemens houses and from surueing of greate mens landes lordes secrets Kynges counsels ambasadourshyp from warre and ministring all worldly matters yea worldlye mischefe and yet nowe they come not thence but receaue all and byde there styll The prelates must bâ—de styll in the courte yea they haue enacted by playne parlyament that they must byde in the courte styll or els they may not haue pluralytie of benefyces And then by lytle and lytle they inhaunsed them selues and turned all to them selues minysshynge the poore peoples parte and encreasing theyrs and ioyniÌ„ng accoyntaunce with greate meÌ„ and with their power clam vp and entitled theÌ„ wich the chosing and confyrming of the Pope and all bisshoppes to flatter and purchase fauoure and defenders trustynge more vnto their worldly wysdom then vnto the doctryne of Chryst whych is the wysdom of God and vnto the defence of maÌ„ then of God Then whyle they that had the plowe by the tayle loked â—acke the plow went a wrye â–ª Faythe waxed feble and faint loue waxed cold the scriptur waxed darke Chryst was no more sene he was in the mounte wyth Moses therfore the bysshops wolde haue a god vpon the earth whom they might se and thervpon they beganâ—e to dyspute who shulde be greatest ¶ How the Bysshop of Rome became greater then other and called him selfe Pope TheÌ„ quod worldly wisdoÌ„ HierusaleÌ„ must be yâ— greatest for that was christs sete et factum â—st so it caÌ„ to passe for a seasoÌ„ And in coÌ„clusioÌ„ where a greate cytie was and much riches ther was yâ— bisâ—hop ever greater then his fellowes Alexander in Egypte and Antioch in Grece were greater then theyr neyghbours TheÌ„ those decaying ConstaÌ„tinople and Rome waxed greate and stroue who shuld be greater And Constantinople sayd where the Emperour is there ought to be the greatest seat and chefest bisshop For the Emperour layâ— most at Constantynople because it was I suppose nygh the middes of the empyre therfore I must be the greatest sayde the bisshope of CoÌ„staÌ„tinople Nay quod the bisshoppe of Rome though the Emperour lye neuer so muche at constantinople yet he is called Emperour