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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56127	The antipathie of the English lordly prelacie, both to regall monarchy, and civill unity: or, An historicall collection of the severall execrable treasons, conspiracies, rebellions, seditions, state-schismes, contumacies, oppressions, & anti-monarchicall practices, of our English, Brittish, French, Scottish, & Irish lordly prelates, against our kings, kingdomes, laws, liberties; and of the severall warres, and civill dissentions occasioned by them in, or against our realm, in former and latter ages Together with the judgement of our owne ancient writers, & most judicious authors, touching the pretended divine jurisdiction, the calling, lordlinesse, temporalities, wealth, secular imployments, trayterous practises, unprofitablenesse, and mischievousnesse of lordly prelates, both to King, state, Church; with an answer to the chiefe objections made for the divinity, or continuance of their lordly function. The first part. By William Prynne, late (and now againe) an utter-barester of Lincolnes Inne.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1641 (1641)	Wing P3891A; Wing P3891_vol1; Wing P4074_vol2_CANCELLED; ESTC R18576	670,992	826

interdicted They will be avenged on them that never offended Full well prophesied of them Paul in the second Epistle to Timothy 3. Some men will say wouldst thou that men should fight in the 〈◊〉 unpunished Nay but let the King ordaine a punish●●●●●or them as he doth for them that fight in his Palace and le● not all the Parish bee troubled for ones fault And as for ●heir hallowing it is the juggling of Antichrist A christian man is the Temple of God and of the Holy-Ghost and hallowed in Christs blo●d A Christian man is holy in himselfe by reason of the Spirit that dwelleth in him and the place wherein he is is holy by reason of him whether he be in the field or towne A Christian husband sanctifieth an unchristian wife and a Christian wife an unchristian husband as concerning the use of Matrimony saith Paul to the Corinthians I● now while we seeke to be hallowed in Christ we are found unholy and must be hallowed by the ground or place or walls then dyed Christ in vaine Howbeit Antichrist must have wher●with to fit in m●ns Consciences and to make them feare where there is no ●eare and to rob them of their faith and to make them trust in that that cannot helpe them and to seeke holinesse of that which is not holy in it selfe After that the old King of France was brought downe out of Italy marke what pageants have ●e●ne played and what are yet a playing to seperate us from the Emp●rour least by the helpe or ayde o● us he should be able to recover his right of the Pope and to couple us to the French men whose might the Pope ever abuseth to keep the Emperour from Italy What prevaileth it for any King to marry his daughter or his Sonne or to make any peace or good ordinance for the wealth o● his Realme For it shall no longer l●st than it is profitable to them Their Treason is so secret that the world cannot perceive it Th●y dissimule those things which they are onely cause of and simule discord among themselves when they are most agr●ed One shall hold this and another shall dispute the contrary but the conclusion shall be that most maintaineth their falshood though Gods Word be never so contrary What have th●y wrought in our dayes yea and what worke they yet to the perpetuall dishonour of the King and rebuke of the Realme and shame of all the nation in whatsoever Realmes they goe I uttered unto you partly the malicious blindnesse of the Bishop of Rochester his juggling his conveying his Fox wilenesse his ●opeepe his wresting renting and shamfull abusing of the Scripture his Oratory and alleadging of Heretickes and how he would make the Apostles Authors of blind Ceremonies without signification cont●ary to their owne doctrine and have set him for an ensample to judge all other by The cause why Laymen cannot rule Temporall Offices is the falshood of the Bishops Their polling i● like a consumption wherein a man complaineth of fe●●l●ne●se and of faintnesse and worteth not whence his disease commeth it is like a pocke that fretteth inward and consumeth the very marrow of the bones There seest thou the cause why it is impossible for Kings to come to the knowledge of the truth For these spirits lay awaite for them and serve their appetites at all points and through con●ession buy and sell and betray both them and all their true friends and lay ●aites for them and never leave them till they have blinded them with their sophistry and have brought them into their nets And then when the King is captive they compell all the rest with violence of his sword For if any man will not obey be it right or wrong they cite him suspend him and curse or excommunicate him if he then obey not they deliver him to ●ilate that is to say unto the temporall Officers to destroy him All this and much more he ●ully proves and more largely prosecutes in his Booke intituled The Practise of Popish Prelates Concerning Bishops interm●dling with temporall matters he thus writes Our Saviour Jesus Christ answered Pilate Ioh. 18. that his Kingdome was not of this world And Mat. 10. he saith The Disciple is not greater than his Master● but it ought to suffice the Disciple that he be a● his Master is Wherefore if Christs Kingdome be not of this world nor any of his Disciples may be otherwise than hee was then Christs Vicars which minister his Kingdome here in his bodily absence and h●ve the over-sight o● his flocke may be none Emperours Kings Dukes Lords Knight● Temporall Iudges or any temporall Officer or under false names have any such Dominion or minister any such Office as requireth violence And Mat. 6. No man can serve two Masters where Christ concludeth saying Yee cannot serve God and Mammon that is riches cove●ousne●se ambition and temporall dignities And Christ called his Disciples unto him and sayd● Ye know that the Lords of the Heathen people have dominion over them they that be great do exercise power over them Howbeit it shal not be so among you but whosoever wil be great among you shall be your minister and he that will be chiefe shall be your servant even as the Son of man came not that men should minister unto him but for to minister and give his life for the redemption of many Wherefore the Officers in Christ● Kingdome may have no temporall dominion or jurisdiction no● execute any temporall authori●y or Law of violence nor may have any like manner among them But cleane contrary they must cast themselves downe under all and become servants unto all suffer o● all and beare the burthen of every mans infirmities and goe before them and ●ight for them against the world with the ●word of Gods Word even unto the death after the example of Christ. And Mat. 18. when the Disciples asked Who should be greatest in the Kingdome of heaven Christ called a young Child unto him and set him in the midst among them saying Except ye turne backe and become as children ye shall not enter into the Kingdome of heaven Now young children beare no rule one over another but all is fellowship among them and he sayd moreover Whosoever humbleth hims●lfe after the ensample of this Child he is greatest in the Kingdome of heaven that is to be as concerning ambition and worldly desire so childish that thou couldst not heave thy selfe above thy Brother is the very bearing of rule and to be great in Christs Kingdome And to describe the very fashion of the greatnesse of his Kingdome he sayd He that receiveth one such child in my name receiveth me What is that to receive a childe in Christs name verily to submit to meeke and to humble thy selfe under all men and to consider all mens infirmities and weakenesses and to helpe to heale their diseases with ●he word of tru●h and to live

Elnothus Archbishop of Canterbury about the yeare of our Lord 1036. against his Alleagiance and Oath crowned Harold a bastard having no right to the Crowne King of England Hardi-Canute the right heire being put by his right At first this Prelate seemed unwilling to performe that service for it is reported that hee having the Regall Scepter and Crowne in his custodie with an oath refused to consecrate any other for King so long as the Queenes Children were living for said he Canutus committed them to my trust and assurance and to them will I give my faith and allegiance This Scepter and Crowne therefore I here lay downe upon this Altar neither do I deny or deliver them to you but I require by the Apostolique authority all Bishops that none of them presume to take the same away neither therewith that they consecrate you for King as for your selfe if you dare you may usurpe that which I have committed to God on this his Table Notwithstanding that great thunderclap was allayd with the showers of golden promises of his just and religious Government intend●d though present experience manifested the contrarie and hee perswaded without much intreaty to crowne this usurper King And now having thus long sayled in this troublesome See of Canterbury I shall onely trouble you with a passage out of William Harrison touching the Archbishops of Canterbury in generall and Robert the Norman in particular and then hoise up my sailes and steare my course into the Northern● See of Yorke The Archbishop of Canterbury writes hee is commonly called Primate of all England and in the Coronations of the Kings of this Land and all other times wherein it shall please the Prince to weare and put on his Crowne his office is to set it upon their heads They beare also the name of their high Chaplins continually although not a few of them have presumed in time past to be their equals and void of subjection unto them That this is true it may easily appeare by their owne acts yet kept in record besides their Epistles and Answers written or in Print wherein they have sought not onely to match but also to ma●e them with great rigour and more than open tyranny Our adversaries will peradventure deny this absolutely as they do many other things apparent though not without shamelesse impudencie or at leastwise de●end it as just and not swerving from common equity because they imagine every Archbishop to be the Kings equall in his owne Province But how well their doing herein agreeth with the saying of Peter and examples of the Primitive Church it may easily appeare some examples also of their demeanour I will not let to remember lest they should say I speake of malice and without all ground of likelihood of their practices with meane persons I speake nor neither will I beginne at Dun●tane the author of all their pride and presumption here in England but for so much as the dealing of Robert the Norman against Earle Goodwine is a rare History and deserve●h to be remembred I will touch it in this place protesting to deale with all in more faithfull manner than it hath heretofore beene delivered unto us by the Norman Writers or French English who offer purpose have so defaced Earle Goodwine that were it no● for the testimony of one or two meere English men living in those dayes it should be impossible for mee or any other at this present to declare the tru●h of that matter according to the circumstances marke therefore what I say for the truth is that such Norman● as came in with Emma in the time of Ethelred and Canutus and the Confessor did fall by sundry meanes into such favour with those Princes that the Gentlemen did grow to beare great rule in the Court and their Clerkes to be possessors of the best benefices in the Land Hereupon therefore one Robert a jolly ambitious Priest got first to be Bishop of London and after the death of Eadsius to be Archbishop of Canterbury by the gift of King Edward leaving his former See to VVilliam his Countriman Vlfo also a Norman was preferred to Lincolne and other to other places as the King did thinke convenient These Norman Clerkes and their friends being thus exalted it was not long ere they began to mocke abuse and despise the English and so much the more as they daily saw themselves to encrease in ●avour with King Edward who also called divers of them to be of his secret Councell which did not a little incense the hearts of the English against them A ●●ay also was made at Dover betweene the servants of Earle Goodwine and the French whose Masters came over to see and salute the King which so inflamed the minds of the French Clergie and Courtiers against the English Nobility that each part sought for opportunity of revenge which ere long tooke hold betweene them for the said Robert being called to be Arc●bishop of Canterbury was no sooner in possession of his See than hee began to quarrell with Earle Goodwine the Kings Father in Law by the marriage of his daughter who also was ready to acquit his demeanour with like malice and so the mischiefe began Hereupon therefore the Archbishop charged the Earle with the murther of Alfred the Kings brother whom not he but Harald the sonne of Canutus and the Danes had cruelly made away for Alfred and his brother comming into the Land with five and twenty ●aile upon the death of Canutus being landed the Normans that arrived with them giving out how they came to recover their right to wit the Crowne of England and thereunto the unskilfull young Gentlemen shewing themselves to like of the ●umor that was spread in this behalfe● the report of their demeanour was quickly brought to Harald who caused a company ●orthwith of Danes privily to lay in wait for them as they rod● toward Gilford where Alfred was slaine and whence Edward with much difficulty escaped to his ships and so returned into Normandy But this affirmation of the Archbishop being greatly soothed out with his crafty utterance for he was learned confirmed by his French friends for they had all conspired against the Earle and thereunto the King being desirous to revenge the death of his Brother bred such a grudge in his mind against Goodwine that he banished him and his Sonnes cleane out of the Land● hee sent also his wife the Earles daughter prisoner to Wilton with one onely maiden attending upon her where shee lay almost a yeare before shee was released in the meane season the rest of the Peeres as Siward Earle of Northumberland surnamed Digara or ●ortis Leofrick Earle of Chester and other went to the King before the departure of Goodwine endeavouring to perswade him unto the revocation of his sentence and desiring that his cause might be heard and discussed by Order of Law But the King incensed by the Archbishop and his Normans would not heare on that side

then men of warre yea I am sure that many of their Mothers would have beene ashamed of so nice and wanton array Howbeit they went not to make warres but peace for ever and a day longer But to speake of the pompous apparells of my Lord himselfe and of his Chaplaines it passeth the Twelve Apostles I dare sweare that if Peter and Paul had seene them suddenly and at a blush they would have been harder in beliefe that they or any such should bee their successours then Thomas Didimus was to beleeve that Christ was risen againe from death When all was concluded betweene the king of France and ours that Thomas Wolsie had devised and when the Prelates of both parties had cast their penny-worths against all chances and devised remedies for all mischiefes then the right Reverend Father in God Thomas Cardinall and Legate would goe see the young Emperour newly chosen to the roome and have a certaine secret communication with some of his Prelates also And gat him to Bridges in Flanders where hee was received with great solemnitie as might belong to so great a pillar of Christs Church and was saluted at the entring into the Towne of a merry Fellow which said Salve Rex Regis tuì atque Regni sui Hayle both King of thy King and of his Realme And though there were never so great strife betweene the Emperour and the French king yet my Lord Cardinall jugled him favour of them both and finally brought the Emperour to Cales to the kings Grace where was great triumph and great love and amitie shewed on both parties insomuch that a certaine man marvelling at it asked the old Bishop of Durham How it might be that we were so great with the Emperor so shortly upon so strong and everlasting a peace made betweene us and the French men the Emperour and the king of France being so mortall enemies My Lord answered That it might be well enough if hee wist all but there was a certaine secret said hee whereof all men knew not yea verily they have had secrets this 800. yeares which though all the Lay-men have felt them yet few have spied them save a few Judases which for lucre have beene confederate with them to betray their owne kings and all other Then were wee indifferent and stood still and the Emperour and the French king wrastled together and Ferdinandus the Emperours Brother wan Millaine of the Frenchmen and the Emperour Turnay our great Conquest which yet after so great cost in buil●●●● a Castle we delivered up againe unto the Frenchmen in earnest and hope o a marriage betweene the Dolphine and our Princesse After that ●●e Emperour would into Spaine and came through England where hee was received with great honour and with all that pertaineth to love and amitie The Kings Grace lent him Monie and promised him more and the Emperour should tarry a certaine time and marry our Princesse not that the Card●nall intended that thou maist be sure for it was not profitable for their Kingdome but his minde was to dally with the Emperour and to keepe him without a wife insomuch as hee was young and lustie hee might have beene nozeled and entangled with Whores which is their nurturing of Kings and made so effeminate and beastly that hee should never have beene able to lift up his heart to any goodnesse or vertue that Cardinalls and Bishops might have administred his Dominions in the meane time unto our Holy Fathers profit The King of France hearing the favour that was shewed unto the Emperour sent immediately a Defiance unto our King not without our Cardinals and Bishops counsell thou mayst well witt For Frenchmen are not so foolish to have done it so unadvisedly and so rashly seeing they had too many in their tops already Then our King spake many great words that he would drive the French King out of his Realm or else the French King should drive him out of his But had he added as the Legate Pandulph taught King Io●n with the Popes License his words had sounded much better For there can no vow stand in effect except the Holy Father confirmed it Wee sent out our Souldiers two Summers against the French men unto whose chiefe Captaines the Cardinall had appointed how farre they should goe and what they should doe and therefore the French king was nothing a●raid but brought all his power against the Emperour in other places and so hee was ever betrayed And thus the Cardinall was the Empero●rs Friend openly and the French Kings secretly For at the meeting with the French King beside Ca●es hee utterly betrayed the Emperour yet for no love that h●e had to France but to help the Pope and to have beene Pope happily and to save their Kingdome which treason though all the World smelled it y●●● brake not out openly to the eye till the ●●●ge of 〈◊〉 And the Cardinall lent the Emperour much money openly and gave the French King more secretly Hee plaid with both hands to serve their secret that all men know not as the Bish. of Durham said But whatsoever the Frenchmen did they had ever the worse notwithstanding the secret working of our holy Prelates on their side Finally unto the siege of Pavia came the French king personally with 60. thousand men of warre of which 12. thousand were horse-men and with monie enough And the Emperours host was under 20. thousand of which were but 3. thousand Horse-men with no money at all For hee trusted unto the Pope for aide of men and unto our Cardinall for Money But the Pope kept backe his men till the French-men had given them a field and our Cardinall kept backe his money for the same purpose And thus was the silly Emperour betrayed as all his predecessours have beene this 8. hundred yeares Howbeit there bee that say that the Emperours Souldiers so threatned Stace the kings Graces Embassadour that he was faine to make chevisance with Merchants for money in the kings name to pay the Souldiers withall Wherefore the Cardinall tooke from him all his promotions and played the Tormentor with him when he came home because hee presumed to doe one jot more then was in his Commission But howsoever it was the Emperours men in tarrying for helpe had spent all their Victualls Whereupon Burbon the chiefe Captaine of the Emperour said unto his under Captaines Yee see helpe commeth not and that our victuals are spent wherefore there is no remedy but to fight though wee bee unequally matched If wee winne wee shall finde meate enough if wee lose wee shall lose no more then wee must lose with hunger though we fight not And so they concluded to set upon the French-men by night The King of France and his Lords supposing that the Moon would sooner have fallen out of the skie then that the Emperours host durst have fought with them were somewhat negligent and went the same night a mumming that Burbon set upon them The

Arch-Bishop being desirous to place his own Countrey-men in all roomes of speciall Authoritie and besides having a private grudge at Stigand for forcing him to yeeld Kentish men their ancient Liberties whereof see more in Canterbury procured him to be deprived of both his Bishoprickes upon this point that he had contrary to the Law held them both together He was deprived An. 1069. and dyed a prisoner in the Castle of Winchester soon after About the yeare 1107. King Henry the first taking upon him to bestow Bishoprickes giving investiture and possession of them by delivering the Ring and the Crosier placed divers of his Chaplaines in Bishoprickes without election commanding the Arch-bishop to consecrate them Among divers others hee appointed William Giffard Bishop of Winchester and required Anselme the Arch-bishop to consecrate him Anselme utterly denyed to afford consecration either to him or any other in the like case The King then sent unto Girard Arch-bishop of York whom he found nothing strange but G●ffard saith Matthew Westminster timens rigorem sancti Anselmi spernit consecrationem ejus stood so much in awe of Saint Anselme as hee durst not but reject the offer of the others consecration The King angry hitherto with the Arch-bishop onely was now much more incensed against this Giffard and in great displeasure banished him the Realme In the end the King and the Arch-bishop grew to this agreement that the gifts of the King already passed should be ratified and his Clerkes nominated to Bishoprickes have consecration upon promise that hereafter he should not disturbe Canonicall Elections and utterly renounce his pretended priviledge So after much adoe he was consecrated togegether with divers others An. 1107. Henry de Bloys being Bishop of Winchester when King Henry the first dyed although he with the other Bishops of the Land had sworne fealtie unto Maud the Empresse yet she being absent in Normandy this Bishop doubting left some other stepping up before her arrivall● the Kingdome might be rent away quite from his kindred and passe to some stranger● by vertue of his power Legantine called a Councell of the Clergie who swayed all in those dayes and drawing Roger Bishop of Sali●bury to his partie easily procured his Brother Stephen Earle of Boloigne to be elected King whom they crowned and submitted to as their Soveraigne disinhereting Maud the right Heire The King not long after falling out with these two Bishops seized upon their Castles and imprisoned the Bishop of Salisbury who dyed for griefe The Bishop of Winchester summons a Counsell there to which the Bishop was cited the Case of the Bishops concerning their Castles was there long debated betweene the Pope the Bishops and those on the Kings side he would yeeld to nothing whereupon they moved the Legate to Excommunicate him who replied he durst not doe it without the Popes privitie The Kings unthankefulnesse to the Bishops who onely had set him up did so alienate them from him that thereupon they joyned with Maud the Empresse against him who by their meanes became able to make her part good with Stephen and tooke him prisoner the Bishop of Winchester and a great part of the Realme too receiving her for their Queene Hereupon this Prelate accurseth and excommuncates al the opposites of Maud the Empresse who denying him a suite in the behalfe of his Brother Eustace He thereupon revokes h●s Excommunication secretly falls from her stirres up the discontented Londoners against her mans divers Castles to resist her equivocates in his words and actions with her to worke her ruine fiers Winchester upon her and at last entraps her Thus this turne-coat trecherous Prelate with the rest were Traytors and Rebels on both sides of which see more in William Corbell Arch-Bishop of Cante●bury and Roger of Salisbury and in the Historians hereunto quoted The Pope sent a Pall to this Bishop desirous to constitu●e a new Arch-Bishoprick at Winchester and to assigne 7. Bishops to him Peter de la Roche or de Rupibus Bishop of Winchester who was Protectour and had greatest sway in the Government of the Realme in the beginning of King Henry the 3. his Raigne by his evill Counsell to the King became the chiefe Incendiary and occasion of the Barons warres For having by his false accusations and policies wrought Hubert Earle of Kent out of the Kings favour and plotted his death that hee might solely raigne and predominate over the gentle young King The better to effect this his designe he procures him to displace the English Officers and in their roomes to surrogate Poictovines and Britons who comming over to the number of about 2000. hee stuffed his Castles with them and did as it were wholly intrust himselfe his Treasures strength and the Realme to them So that Judgements were committed to the unjust Lawes to the out-lawes● peace to wranglers and Justice to wrong-doers Such as would have prayed redresse for these abuses were interrupted and put off by this Bishop of Winchester Among them who were removed from their places in Court was one Sir William de Redune a Knight and Deputie Marshall to Richard Earle of Pembroke This was to the Earle very displeasant which joyned with a consideration of the publicke cause and danger hee associates to him certaine of the great Lords as was the fashion of those Lording times upon every discontent and in the company of them advanceth confidently to the King● whom in the hearing of many he reproveth for that hee had through finister advice called in the ●oictovins to the oppression of the Realme and of his naturall Subjects of their Lawes and Liberties humbly therefore hee beseecheth him that he would speedily reforme such abuses which threatned the imminent subversion both of the Crowne and Kingdome which if hee did not himselfe and other Lords would so long withdraw their attendance as hee entertained strangers The Bishop hereunto makes answer That the King might well and lawfully call in what strangers himselfe thought good for the defence of the Crowne and Realme and such and so many of them as might be able to compell his proud and rebellious people to due obedience When the Oracle would speake no otherwise they departed from Court greatly discontented firmly promising one to the other that in such a cause which did so touch them all they would like men stand together while any breath was in their bodies Those who were now most potent about the King nothing sorry for the discontentment of so great a Peere as the Earle Marshall but counting it a part of their strengths to use the Regall power towards the weakning of the English nourish in the King his aversion The Poictovins and other strangers thus bearing the sway● so as the Kings person went guarded with troopes of such the Earles and Barons being by the Kings command summoned to antoher Parliament at Oxford refused to come While the King was there one Robert Bacon who

the King and his Barons to complaine against the blanke Bulls found in the chests of Be●ard de Nympha the Popes agent after his death and of the many machinations of the Romanes to disquiet the Realme Iohn Ger●sey next Bishop of W●nchester consecrated at Rome where ●e payd 6000. markes to the Pope and so much more to his Chancellour for his consecration was a great stickler in the Barons warres against King Henry the third as appeares by the forecited passages of Matthew Westminister and was excommunicated by Octobon the Popes Legate for taking part against the King in the Barons warres and forced to goe to Rome for his absolution where he died Henry Woodlocke Bishop of Winchester made request to King Edward the first for Robert Winchelsey Archbishop of Canterbury whom the King had banished for high Treason in which request he called the Archbishop an arch-Traytor his good Lord which the King as he had cause tooke so hainously that he confiscated all his goods and renounced all protection of him Adam Tarleton or de Arleton Bishop of Winchester about the yeere 1327. was arrested and accused of high Treason for aiding the Mortimers against King Edward the second both with men and armour when he was brought to the barre to be arraigned for this Treason the Archbishops of Canterbury Yorke and Dublin with their suffragans came with their Crosses● and rescued him by force carrying him with them from the barre in such manner as I have formerly related more at large in the Acts of Wal●er Rainolds pag. 55.56 Notwithstanding the indictment and accusation being found true his temporalities wereseized into the Kings hands untill such time as the King much deale by his imagination and devise was deposed of his Kingdome If he which had beene a traytor unto his Prince before after deserved punishment for the same would soone be intreated to joyne with other in the like attempt it is no marvell No man so forward as he in taking part with Isabell the Queene against her husband King Edward the second She wi●h her sonnes and army being at Oxford this good Bishop steps up into the pulpit and there taking for his Text these words My head grieved me he made a long Discourse to prove that an evill head not otherwise to be cured must be taken away applying it to the King that hee ought to be deposed A Bishoplike application Hereupon they having gotten the King into their power the Bishop fearing least if at any time recovering his liberty crowne again they might receive condigne punishment councelled the Queene to make him away good ghostly advice of a Prelate wherupon she being as ready and willing as he to have it done they writ certaine letters unto the keepers of the old King signifiing in covert termes what they desired they either not perfectly understanding their meaning or desirous of some good warrant to shew for their discharge pray them to declare in expresse words whether they would have them put the King to death or no. To which question this subtile Fox framed this answer Edwardum occidere nolite timere bonum●est without any point at all If you set the point betweene nolite and t●aere it forbiddeth if betweene nolite and bonum it ●xhorteth them to the committinng of the fact This ambiguous sentence unpointed they take for a sufficient warrant and most pittifully murthered the innocent King by thrusting an hot spit into his fundament and who then so earnest a persecuter of those murthere●s as this Bishop that set them a worke who when diverse of his Letters were produced and shewed to him warranting this most trayterly inhumane Act eluded and avoided them by Sophisticall interpretations and utterly denied that he was any way consenting to this hainous fact of which in truth he was the chiefe occasion How clearely he excused himselfe I ●now not But s●re I am he like many Arch-trayterly Prelates before him● who were oftner rewarded than punished for their Treasons was so farre from receiving punishment as within two moneths after he was preferred unto Hereford than to the Bishoppricke of Worce●er and sixe yeares after that translated to Winchester by the Pope● at the request of the French King whose secret friend he was which King Edward the third taking in very ill part because the French King and he were enemies detained his temporalties from him till that in Parliament at the suite of the whole Cleargie he was content to yeeld them unto him after which he became blinde in body as hee was before in minde and so died deserving to have lost his head for these his notorious Treasons and conspiracies long before he being the Archplotter of all the Treacheries against King Edward the second Anno. 10. Richard the third 1366. thirteene Lords were appointed by Parliament to have the government of the Realme under the King in diminution of his Prerogative among these Williara Edingdon Bishop of Winchester Iohn Gilbert Bishop of Hereford Lord Treasurer of England Thomas Arundle Bishop of Ely and Chancellour Nicholas Abbat of Waltham Lord Keeper of the privy Seale VVilliam Archbishop of Canterbury Alexander Archbishop of Yorke and Thomas Bishop of Exeter were chiefe and the principall contrivers of this new project which fell out to be inconvenient and pernicious both to the King and Realme the very procurers of this Act as some of the J●dges afterwards resolved deserving death which resolution afterward cost some of them their lives● as the Stories of those times declare It seemes this Bishop made great havocke of the goods of his Church for his successor V●illiam VVicham sued his Executors for dilapidations and recovered of them 1672. pound tenne shillings● besides 1566. head of neate 386. Weathers 417. Ewes 3521. Lambes and 127. Swine all which stocke it seemeth belonged unto the Bishoppricke of VVinchester at that time William Wicham his next successor was a great Pluralist the yearely revenues of his spirituall promotions● according as they were then rated in the Kings bookes beside his Bishoppricke amounting to 876. pound● thirteene shillings and foure pence besides these Ecclesiasticall preferments he held many temporall offices at the Secretariship the Keepership of the Privy Seale the Mastership of Wards the Treasurership of the Kings revenues in France and divers others Being consecrated Bishop of VVinchester in the yeare 1367. he was made soone after first Treasurer then Chancellor of England It seemes that he was a better Treasurer for himselfe than the King who though hee received hugh summes of money by the ransome of two Kings and spoile of divers large Countries abroad and by unusuall subsedyes and taxations at home much grudged at by the Commons was yet so bare as for the payment of his debts he was constrained to find new devices to raise mony whereupon a solemne complaint was framed against this Bishop for vainely wasting or falsely imbezelling the Kings

like the Ninivites they replied neither of these shall be because neither shall they repent neither shall God have mercy on them And I demanding when remission of so great calamities might be expected To this they answered concerning this it shall be so as in case of a greene tree if it be cut in the midest and the part 〈◊〉 off be carried farre from the Trunke when that without any helpe shall be reannexed to the Trunke and begin to flourish and bring forth fruit then a remission of such evills may be hoped for The truth of which prophesie writes Matthew Wstminster the English soone after had experience of in this that England became the habitation of strangers and the dominion of forreiners for a little after no English man was either a Duke Bishop or Abbot upon the comming in of the Conqueror neither was there any hope of ending this misery The Conqueror comming to the Crown had some contests with this Bishop whom he would have removed from his Bishoppricke for insufficiency in point of learning but being found more able than he was reputed he held his Bishoppricke and recovered some Lands from the Archbishop of Yorke taken by the Archbishops from this See which some three or foure Archbishops before had held in Commendam with Yorke The Cathedrall of Worceter being stately built a new from the ground in his time the Monkes thereupon forsaking their old habitation built by Oswald which they pulled downe betooke themselves to this new stately building Which Wulstan seeing burst out into teares and being demanded a reason thereof by some that told him he had rather cause to rejoyce our predecessors saith he whose Monuments wee deface rather I doubt to set up the banners of our vaine-glory than to glorifie God they indeede quoth he were not acquainted with such stately buildings but every place was a Church sufficient for them to offer themselves a reasonable holy and lively sacrifice unto God we contrariwise are double diligent in laying heapes of stones so to frame a materiall Temple but are too too negligent in setting forward the building of that lively Temple the Church o● God In King William Rufus time this Bishop arming such an number of people as the city of Worceter could afford caused to sally out and set upon Roger Earle of Mountgomery and others who attempted to take it whom they discomfited killing and taking a number of them prisoners Maugere the 36. Bishop of Worceter was one of those foure Bishops who Anno. 1208. upon the Popes command excommunicated King Iohn and put the whole Kingdome under interdict whereupon his goods and temporalities were seised and he inforced to flie the Realme dying at last in exile at Pontiniac in ●rance during the time of this interdict the King writes Matthew Parts had most wicked Councellors Qui Regi in omnibns placere cupientes cousiliura non pro ratione sed pro voluntare dederunt who d●sirous to please the King in all things gave counsell not according to reason but will among these he reckons up Tres Episcopi curiales three Court Bishops to wit Philip Bishop of Durham Peter Bishop of Wincester and Iohn Bishop of Norwhich Walter de Cantelupo the 40. Bishop of Worceter as he stoutly opposed the Popes exactions in England so in the yeare 1264. he tooke great paines to worke a peace betweene the King and the Barons in whose behalfe when he had offered the King conditions as he thought most reasonable which might not be accepted he addicted himselfe unto their party exhorted them to fight valiantly in the cause and promised heaven very confidently to them that should die in defence of the same For this he was after justly excommunicated by the Popes Legate and being sicke unto death repenting much this fault of disobedience unto his Prince he humbly craved and received absolution from that excommunication whereupon ensued bloody warres and rapines so● as Matthew Paris writes Nec Episcopi nec ahbates nec ulli religiosi de villa in villam progred● potuerunt quin à vespilionibus praeda●ontur And concludes this yeare thus Trans●it annus iste frugifer benè temperatus sanus● sed in cunctis eventibus Angliae dispendiosus propter bellum commune propter rerum coramunium privatarum flebilem direptionem Most of the succeeding Bishops of Worceter as Adam de Orleton that Arch-traytor and such like were translated to other Sees where I shall meete with them and therefore pretermiting them here I passe to those of Hereford The Bishops of Hereford Iune 16. An. 1056. Griffin King of Wales having overthrowne the forces of the Engishmen about two miles from Hereford immediatly assaulting the city tooke it slew Leovegar the Bishop and seven of the Canons there who denied him entrance into the Church and held it against him spoiled it of all the reliques and ornaments that were portable and lastly fired both Church City and all This See continued voyd foure yeares after the death of Leofuegar after which Walter Chaplaine to Queene Edith was consecrate at Rome by the Pope in the yeare 1060. his end was much more unhappy than his Predecessors He chanced to fall in love with a certaine comely woman that he met in the street A long time he contended with this vile and unseemely affection and he thought hee had quenched the same when a small occasion renewed it to his destruction having certaine linnen to cut out this woman was commended to him for a very cunning Seamster He sent for her and his old flame of filthy desire easily kindling by this little sparke he found errands to send his men out of the way while he set upon her first with words and they not prevailing by force she resisted what shee might but finding him too strong for her thrust her Sheeres into his belly and gave him his deaths wound The King being desirous it should be esteemed false forbid the report of it by a Proclamation which afterwards came to be Chronicled Raynelmus the 30 Bishop of this Diocesse received that Bishoppricke at the hands of King Henry the first who bestowed it freely on him and was invested into it as the manner of those times was by the delivery of the Ring and the Crosier Anselme then Archbishop refused to consecrate him and divers others who received their investitures in this manner from the King he was so farre from importuning him in this matter as being now perswaded this his election to be insufficient he renounced the same delivering againe unto the Kings hands the Ring Crosier that he had received Herewith the King was so offended as he had cause that presently he banished him the Realme after much ado betweene the King and Anselme a reconciliation was wrought and this man consecrated Gyles de Bruse the 30. Bishop of Hereford in the Barons warres was a great stickler wjth them against

the people and also that the labour should be more easie to beare c. Also Chrysostome on that same text Hee would not that a whole Country should be permitted unto one man but hee enjoyned unto every man his Cure by that meanes hee knew that the labour should be more easie and the subjects should be with more diligence governed if the teachers were not distracted with the governing of many Churches but had cure and charge of one Church onely c. Mee thinketh these be plaine words and able to move a man ●o speake as much as I did But grant that you may have all these C●●ies yet can you make it no heresie For my Lord Cardinall granted that it was but against him and against you who be no gods But I poore man must be an heretique there is no remedy you will have it so and who is able to say nay Not all Scripture no● yet God himselfe Sure I am that they cannot by the Law of God have any jurisdiction secular and yet they challenge both powers which if they have why do ●hey not put them both in use for they must say as the Jewes said Wee may kill no man This is the Article that did bite you for you cannot be content with the office of a Bishop but you will be also Kings How that standeth with Gods Law and with your Oat● I have declared it to our Noble Prince I doubt not but he will put you to the tryall of it Have you not this many yeares condemned many a poore man and then delivered him to the Temporal power to be put to death which knew nothing of his cause And if he would that yee should put him to dea●h your selves ●hen answered yee how you might kill no man So that they were always your hangmen They say they b●●he Successors of Christ and of his Apostles but I can see them follow none but Iudas For they beare the purse and have all the money And if they had not so great possessions I am sure an hundred would speake against them where now dare not one for losse of promotion And for this Article I will overcome you with the witnesse of all the world you may well condemne it for here●ie but it is as true as your Pa●er Noster Iudas sold our Master but once and you ●ell him as often as he● commeth in your hands But I would it were that yee could prove mee a lye● and that you followed ●ny of the Apostles ●aving Iudas onely yet I would that yee were in certaine points as good ●s Iudas was These ordinary Bishops and Prelates do follow that ●●lse Prophet Ba●a●m For they would curse the people but by the provision of Go● they were compelled to blesse them that is to say to ●each them to live well though they themselves live most mischievously And so the Asses which they ride upon that is the common people have their lives in abominat●on This is the hainous here●ie For it speaketh against the holy Fathers which be almost as holy as Balaams Asse that did once speake the Word of God to a good purpose And so do they never But I grant that I did offend in calling you Ordinary Bishops for I should have called you inordinate butchers And as ●or that that I compared you to Balaam it is your owne Law 2. quest 7. Secuti sunt And cap. Nos si And as for your living all the world knoweth it I could tell here many holy points of Bishops living as keeping of mens wives and daughters but I will not for I should be reckoned uncharitable But you may do them breaking not your holy charity So he The namelesse Author of a Supplication to King Henry the eight printed 1544. writes thus of Bishops their calling practises and great revenues How cruelly do the Bishops punish all them which pretend to have learning and especially in Gods Word such ●hey call heretiques and persecute with putting them to open shame with imprisonment and in conclusion with death most fea●efull and painfull All this they do to discourage all men from the study of Gods word fearing lest that by such studious braines which learne Gods Word and publish the same their iniquity should be made manifest What study and pains do they take to keep the light from the people● But no man which knoweth the Scriptures will marvell of ●his their policie and cruelty For Saint Iohn declareth their practice plainly saying Hee that doth evill hateth the light and why bec●use his workes which be evill should not be reproved by the light And for as much as our Bishops coun●enance of living their great possessions and Lordly Dominions in them agreeth with Gods Word ●s death with life God with the Devill light with darknesse therefore they hate the light which declareth the same and study 〈◊〉 ●uppresse the same by all ●ra●t and poli●y Also they be enemies 〈◊〉 all men which can and doe preach Gods Word sincerely and truly because they live ●ontrary to the same And ●his i● the originall ground and ca●se of the ab●ndance of ●nd i●cr●●se of darkenes and of sinne 〈◊〉 ●lso of the long contin●●nce o● Popish blindnesse which hath ●aigned in this Realme so l●●g After which he proceeds thus Most dread Soveraigne Lord I see two foule deformities● and great lamentable mischiefes annexed to the vocation and office of Bishops which not reformed will poyson and utterly corrupt the godly vocation and election of the said Bishops The onely infection and pestilent poyson is their great Lordships and dominions with the yearly provents of the same which hath so fashioned them in proud countenances and worldly behaviour that now they be most like the Heathen Princes and most unlike unto Christ although they would be esteemed of all men to be his true successours yet poore Christ saith The f●xes have holes the birds have nests but the Sonne of man hath not wherein to lay his head But our Bishops have gorgeous and sumptuous builded houses mannors and castles pleasantly set about with Parkes well replenished with Deare warrens swarming full of conyes and pooles well stored with divers kinds of fishes And not onely these commodities and pleasures but also divers other pleasures How doth this Lordly and worldly Bishoplike estate agree with Christs words I thinke a man cannot reasonably conjecture or imagine by their countenance and living that they be Christs true Disciples The other mischiefe and evill is that they have too many worldly cares and businesses For to these Mannors and Lordships belong many Tenants for whose leases to be made fines and haryots to be appointed and taken amerciaments to be assessed taxed and also forgiven and dispensed there be no few suits made to my Lord Bishop also the hearing of Testamentary causes divorces causes of Matrimony causes of slanders of lechery adultery and punishment o● bawdery and such other bumme Court matters

all that they doe but onely hurt the temporall goods and the body But these great estates and Prelates of the Church if they be not good and vertuous and do not promote and ●e● forwards the course of the word of God unfainedly and with their hearts they are meere wolves and most cruell murderers of soules And it is much like in evill and wicked Bishops as if Satan having a Miter on his head and rings on his fingers did ●i● in a chaire and did rule the people Wherefore even the Bishops also which doe not teach the pure Word of God are no lesse to be eschewed than the Devill himselfe For wheresoever the Word of God is not there without doubt is nothing else but humane errour meere doctrine of Devills and butchery and slaughter of soules for the consciences or soules without the Word of God can neither live no● bee delivered from the Devill But here I know well enough they will object and say that it is jeopardy lest sedition might be raysed up against those Bishops and Prelates of the Church Loe I make answer Shall the Word of God I beseech you for this your fained objection be neglected and shall therefore the whole people perish And is it I pray you right and convenient that all soules should perpetually perish and be slaine that the temporall and most vaine pompe of such men might be preserved and maintained and might endure and continue in her peace and quietnesse Nay it were better for spirituall harmes are most to be weighed that sixe hundred times all the Bishops should perish for ever in their pride and dignity and that all the Churches collegiate and al Monasteries were plucked up by the rootes were overthrowne and utterly destroyed so it were done by the authority of the higher powers th●n that one soule should perish Because I will not in the meane season say that infinite soules yea that all soules shall perish for any thing that such as they doe I pray you tell me what profit commeth of many of the Bishops that now are or wherefore serve they but onely to live in voluptuousnesse and pleasures and to play the rioters and wantons of other mens labour and sweat and in the meane season with much grievo●s threatnings and with dreadfull feares to condemne to hisse out to cast out and to warre against the Word of God Good men they take exceeding great thought and care for themselves and with marvellous great unquietnesse of minde feare and dread seditions in the temporall common-wealth but as for the death of soules being thereof all carelesse and without any manner of fea●e or unquietnesse of minde they doe neglect and passe nothing upon it I beseech thee good Reader are not these goodly wise and exceeding bold and manly heardsmen of the Church If they did receive the Word of God and of truth and did principally search for the life and safeguard of soules then the God● as the Apostle saith of patience and of Comfort and hope would be with them that they should not neede to feare any seditions or risings of the people which is but their crafty cloaked excuse to blind the eyes of the Princes But in as much as they like deafe Serpents stopping their eares will not heare the Word of God but such is their fury and madnesse doe rage against it with excommunications cursings imprisonments with the sword and finally with fire I beseech you what other thing doe they as concerning their part with this their extreame woodnesse then which God defend even willingly provoke that there should rise up a very great sedition and that some certaine tempest and storme should violently and suddenly come upon them which should rid them at once out of the world And surely if any such thing did chance unto them yet were they nought else but to be laughed and scorned as Wisedome saith in Proverbs 1. Because I have called and you have refused to come I have stretched forth my hand and there was none of you that would looke to me and you have despised all my counsell and have set at nought my rebukings I also will laugh in your destruction and I will mocke and scorne when that thing which you did feare shall be chanced and come unto you The Word of God doth not stirre or raise up seditions and strifes but the stubborne aud obstinate disobedience of them which doe rage against it is the cause that trouble and sedition is stirred up among the people and that then by such seditions that thing should happen unto them which they had deserved through their owne unbeleefe and frowardnesse and wicked blindnesse for whosoever receiveth the Word of God that man raiseth up no manner of seditions at all albeit that he doth no longer feare those vaine ●ugges neither doth worship those Episcopall Puppets now since that he doth know the Word of God and because that men doe not feare and reverence their vaine imaginations as heretofore they have done that same is the thing if I be not beguiled which they doe call seditions and this is the thing that those persons doe so greatly feare which have hitherto suffered themselves to be worshipped and feared like Gods as though they had beene true Bishops or true Hear●smen of the Church After which he addes S. Pe●er saith of these The Lord knoweth how to keepe the unrighteous persons unto to the day of judgement for to be punished Namely such as following the flesh doe walke in the concupiscence and lust of uncleannesse and doe despise the Governors and Rulers being presump●uous stubborne and which doe no● feare to raise and speake evill words on them which are in high authority Our delicate Bishops doe ●ot beleeve that this was spoken of them But I beseech thee good Read●r marke here how well the words of Peter doe agree with Paul when he describeth their filthy and uncleane life For where he saith presumptious stubborne there are scantly any men to whom those words doe sooner agree For it is they which of all men doe most set by themselves insomuch that they doe despise all worldly Rulers and Officers and whatsoever other person is of high dignity and authority in the world in comparison of themselves and doe also rayle upon them and speake opprobrious words against them For the Pope hath many yeares agoe taken this monstrous tyrannie unto himselfe that hee hath not beene afraid to tread Kings and Princes under his feete to depose them to excommunicate them to curse them unto the 4.5 and 6. Generation and after their owne pleasure to exercise all things which any manner of way whatsoever it may belong and helpe unto extreame and wonderfull tyranny none otherwise than if the Princes and Governours were Swine or else Dogges notwithstanding that the Scripture willeth all men to ●e subject and obedient unto the Princes and Governours of the publicke peace and