ler ned wittye and ingeniouse but yet vngodlye Of whome at Rome and her to there is the most mighty and mischeuouse multitude Ioan. And she had two hor nes lyke a laÌ„b but sue spake as did y e dra gon Dst The lambe is Christe whiche fyghteth not with any corporal swerde but with hys spirituall hornes that is w t hys word which is diuided into two hornes that is into the word of the law which is the worde of wrathe and death and into the worde of the gospell which is the horne of helth grace and lyfe And euen so hathe thys beast or college of fal se Prophetes a double doctrine of which one they call the doctryne of faythe the tother the doctryne of good maners or morall but they bothe be contamyned corrupt with errours But yet thus reteine they the color and gliteryng shew as though they were Christen doctores teachyng Gods worde For in this pretence theyr hornes be lyke the lombes hornes But in very dede they speke as dothe the dragon The dragon or Satan Christ to witnes which stode not in the trouth but is a lyer and the father therof And wheÌ„ he speketh lyes he speketh them oute of hys owne head And euen so these false teachers stonde not in the pure doctryne of Christe but speke forth and teache vs theyr owne dreames and cogitacions out of theyr owne sence Ioan. And he dothe all the power of the former beaste in the presence of hym Osi. This beast blown together of the false teachers serueth ministreth vpholdeth and defendeth the Po pis kyngdome whyles hymself sittinge careles in all ease exempt from all charges taketh hys delicate lustes and pleasu res and as say the Italyaus triuÌ„pheth at home in all securitie Ioan. And he maketh the earth and the dwellers therin to fall downe and worshyp the fyrst chiefe or heade beast Osi. That is the beast y â— Lordely ruleth in the seat of Rome For hys Byshops Cardinals Priestes and preachers teache hym to haue that prima râ—e and to be supreme head of the church iure diuino by Godis lawe and they lye to Ioan. Whose deadly wound was healed Osi. As the heythen had once in admiracion the inuicte stabilitie of the Romane monarchye as I sayd tofore euen so had they it again wheÌ„ Rome had now fallen from Emperours and had by the popedom erected herselfe gloryouslye proudly vp agayne The supersticiouse the vngodlye whose names be not written in the boke of lyfe began to wonÌ„der and to haue in lyke admiracyon the inuicte maiestie of the Popedom and prima cie of the proude Romyshe Bishop thinkyng God therfor to haue had stablished the Romane monarchie to this ende y â— at last it shuld growe vp into the PopedoÌ„ Ioan. And he doeth great wonders and miracles so that he will make fyer fall downe from heauen into the earth in the syght of all men Osi. S. Paul in hys ij to the Thessalo Chap. ij calleth these woÌ„ ders signes miracles prodigiouse lyes for partlye be they mere mistyeing gling castis as wheÌ„ they bore thorow ymages of tree and water powrd in they can ma ke them to wepe teares falling downe with oyle make them to sweat or when they strewe kreuesses in churche pardes crepyng in the nyght with waxe candels eudes lyght and stoked vpon theyr bokes as dyd the priestes of late in dordrake to make the people beleue that the soules of the dead cruciated inpurgatory so returned to seke theyr helpe by theyr wont misses and suffragies on all soules daye And partely are they mere lyes as when they tell vs suche weping images to speake to moue themselues y â— soulis returned fro purgatory to tell vs y t they shall be delyuered by this many misses which done and the priestes paid y t kreuesses crepe there no more But those in finite mo lyinge signes wounders ste red vp so great deuocyon in the fonde ignorant people that the fyer of the holye ghooste semed by these beastes false doctryne and falser miracles written and preached with so great confidence to be slyden downe into the hertes of this maner of supersticyouse folke Ioan. And he seduceth the dwellers in the earthe wyth hys prodigyous tokens and wounders whiche were geuen hym to make in the presence of the beaste spekyng to biddynge the dwellers in the earth that thei make the image of y e beast which hath y e deadly wounde of the swerde and yet li ueth Osi. Of thys manifolde mencyon and repeticion of hys deadly wounde whiche netheles was yet healed it plainly apereth it to be also founde a lyke in bothe the dominacyons of bothe the beastes as is the mouth spekyng so stought thynges and the tenne hornes and also Gog and Magog comon to them both For they of whome Ezech. prophechied perteyn to the former dominacion but they that be mencioned of Ioan shalbe found at laste in thys later as yet many other thynges moo So that as the Monarchie of the Cesares in C. Iulio Cesar semed vtterly to be extinct by the swerd and yet was reuyued euen so the monarchye of the Pope was wounded to death by the swerde of the spiryte which is the word of God when Christe sayd to all hys Apostles and to theyr successours yea and euen to Peter that the Kynges of the heythen shal play the Lordes ouer theyr folke but so do not you And the Africane counsell decreed out of the same worde of God that no Byshop no not the Byshop of Rome ought to be called the Prince of priestes or chief head or ru ler or ouermost of the churche or the hyghest priest ouer all or the vniuersall Bishop so farre of is it that anye shulde be called Papa that is father of al fathers Pope in Englysh distin xcix Ca. prim This beast had neuer so deadly an heade wounde as the swerd of Goddes worde hath nowe geuen hym in these laste xxx yeares sence Erasmus Mar. Luth. Zwi glius DecolaÌ„padius MelanchtoÌ„ Pelli cane Bullinger Bibliander Bucer Cal uine with many gretilerned godly meÌ„ mo haue beguÌ„ to write teach preache and yet the more stroÌ„gly fiercely al his sworne sourgens and Popish Pharisees and Antichristen writers teachers as Cocleus Einser Alphons Eccius Piggiâ—s Latomus Bartholomeus Latom. Iohn fisher Bish. of Rochester Syr Tho mas More chaunceller of EnglaÌ„d StaÌ„dysh Steuen gardiner Bissop of Wynchester doctor Smith peryn with al their sworne swarme of fryers Cardinals Byshops hauyng now the Emperoure Charles v. one theyr side hyered of y e Po pe hys spiritualtie confedered with An tichrist to fyght ayenst the lorde his anointed as he haue of late beginne vnhappelye agaynst the Germanes hauynge I saye on theyr syde manye yet blynde Kynges and Prynces of the earthe the more fiercelye I saye these hys synfull supersticiouse sourgens secular and spirytual with
pene fyer and swerd conteÌ„d and enforce to heale theyr beastes deadly wounde geuen hym with Gods worde the more vncurably do hys wounde feister the deper it rotteth the wyder it wexeth into hys present destruction and deathe as ye see thys daye the almighty mercyfull power of God resisting theyr cursed cure fyghtyng agaynst the enuyouse enforcemeÌ„tes of the Emperour Po pe and all Kynges contendynge to heal the Popis wounde with theyr fryerlye Pharisaicall Phisicions But who wold haue beleued this dominacyon fyrste of Christ and then of the councell so openly and iustly condempned and so wounded to haue had any more lyued And yet after these deadly woundes she lyued and yet lyued to thys daye but neuer so syke as now And therfor hys false doctors fo lysh sourgens falser Prophetes then fayned hym to haue holden hys domina cyon and primacie by the lawe and word of God And perswaded men as they yet with Wynchester labour the countrye that the ymage of thys beaste be made and set vp For as the ymage of God is the worde of God so is the ymage of the popedom the worde doctrine and tradicions of the Pope For he is set vp in the temple of God boastyng ostentyng hym self for God And in this he countre fayteth God that he be getteth his worde doctryne rytes cere and tradicioÌ„s out of hys owne brayne lyke vnto hys awne Antichristen ymage Syth theÌ„ the doctryne of the Popedom whiche these false defenders defende these false teachers do teache be double that is to saye of faythe and maners necessarelye are theyr two bokes coÌ„pyled that is the boke of theyr sentences and theyr boke of decrees and decretals which be euen the very selfe ymage of the popedom lyuely expressyng al theyr facyon forme theyr faythe theyr lyfe religyon merciles maners And thus it clerely apereth thys later beast to be blowen together of the lyinge doctors of the scolasticall diuinitie turning and studiyng the master of theyr sentences the holy Byble so neglected that many of them neuer redde it ne haue had it in their scoles and of the doctors of theyr common lawe treatynge y â— filthy deuely she decrees of Popes amoÌ„g the which doctors the inquirers of their hereticall prauitie as they cal them wor thely obteyne the hyghest place beynge in the stede of the heade to execute hys mercyles and tyrannouse offyce in burnynge All these men enstructe armed with hys demlly she double doctryne of the popedom as it were with theyr two mighty hornes fyght for and defende y â— Popis kyngdom Ioan. And it was geuen to hym that he shulde geue spirite breath to the ymage of the beast that the beastes ymage might speake Osi. That is thys latter beaste blown together of these falfeteachers hath in effect brought it to passe that the ymage or doctryne of the Pope shuld take breathe boldenes spyrite to lyue and speke For by theyr counsels conspirisons conuocacions and perswasyons haue they esâ—ectuonsly ma de it that the popysh doctryne muste be taught in all scoles and vniuersities and raygne and rule in all preachynges and pulpyts sitte in all spirituall courtes sessyons yea and euen in the consciences of men For in very dede this is it for hym to lyue and to speake when with publike autoritie not onlye is he thus preached taught but also accordynge to thesame hys lyfe must be estemed he iudged in iâ— gementes and stand in his kyngdoÌ„ And here it apereth wherfore he calleth thys beaste the doughâ—ll of false teachers that is to saye to be a certayn filthye viciouse kyngdom For it is playnly no little king dom that they obteyne in the church eueÌ„ so ferme faste and terryble that eueÌ„ that same former Emperyall beaste Emperoure as he was and is must be compelled to feare them and to fall downe and kysse the clouen stinkyng fete of theyr heade the Pope And therfor no man is created Doctor of diuinitie or of the canoÌ„ lawe in the Popedom excepte before amonge all other thinges he be also swor ne plainly into these wordes I shalbe an helper to defeude to maintaine to retey ne the Popedom of Rome agaynste all men Whiche thynge whyles they do it they verelye stablysh and confirme all thys latter beastes power before hir at her beâ— and pleasure as is tofore sayd Ioan. And he shall brynge it diligentlye into effecte that whosoeuer wyl not wor â—hyppe and fall downe before the image of this beast he shalbe slayne Osi. Who so beleue not this popysh doctryne to be egall yea and aboue GODS worde and so worshyppe hym and it he is iudged and condempned for an hereiyque of the inquisitors and yf he recant not he is burned For the Pope dare saye all hys constitucyons so hyghly to be taken as thoughe they shulde procede by the voyce of God out of S. Peters mouthe Distin. xix Cha. Sic. Ioan. And he maketh all bothe small and greate rych and poore free and bonde to take hys charactere in theyr ryght haudes or in theyr foreheadis and no man to may bye or sell except he hathe his character or the name of the beaste or the noumber of his name And here is wysedom He that hathe vnderstandynge let hym reken and accompte the noumber of thys beast For it is the tale and noumber of a man and hys noumber is CCCCCC lxvi Osiander To receyne the Character or marke of the beast is a metaphoryk and translated speche as much to saye as a man outwardly in al facions factis so to be haue and conforme and fashion hiÌ„ selfe that all may see and vnderstande hym to perteyne to the beastes familie or churche and to be subiecte and sworne to the beaste as haue all these seruing men in courtes theyr Lordes or masters badge or coginzane in or vpon their cotes The character or marke of the beast and her noumber and her name be taken all for one thynge And he commaundeth them that vnderstand the wordes hither to spoken to reken accompt the nouÌ„ber of the name of the beaste so that yf they can fynd iustly in her name the noumber of CCCCCC lxvi then be they sewer to haue the very knowledge of this beast and to see her in her own colours sitting lyke the whore of Babylon euen in her seat at Rome Ioan. Sheweth hymselfe to haue respecte to the Hebrewe and greke tongue as in other places in the name of the aungell called Abaddon and in y â— name of the place called Haâ—ageddon For Sepher in Hebrew signifieth a boke or scripture or a nowmber wherfore he alludeth so diuersly in the worde now calling it the name of the beast now the nowmber of the beast now the marke of the beast and character of the beast that is the scripture of y e beast I admonished the o Reader before in Daniel to consider diligently the nowmber of the Hebrew name of the fourth
to arise and crepe vp vnder the cloke and name of the christen religyon in supersti cion chosen holynes and false miracles and falser doctryne In whiche false pretext to be descrybed y â— autor of the Apoc. xvi most ernest and diligent setting before vs thys one thynge euen as it were the open marke to beholde that the domi nicacion of Rome after it was once falseÌ„ and vtterlye extinct she shuld crepe vp out of her graue and put forth her heade agayne after a newe facyon in another vâ—sare But Ioan wolde in no place open lye name her the citie of Rome in playne wordes lâ—st she made more cruell angry for her open name for the wicked the more she is monyshed by name vtte red the worse is she shuld haue persecuted the churche the greuousâ—yer and the sharplyer whiche persecucyon was yet euen then most bitter and tyrannouse He therfore here treateth .ij. necessary thynges Fyrst he diligently describeth what maner one was this later beast before y â— former fall of the dominacion of Rome whome he will not openly name which also after that fall and vtter destruction so swyftely wexed so stronge agayn as though she had ben rysen from death to lyfe so that all the circumstances diligeÌ„t ly expressed only her name suppressed he most certainly assewerth is that he speketh of the citie of Rome Secondly he paynteth before vs most artificiously all the conditions of the later dominacioÌ„ in what thing she agreeth with the former and in what she agreeth not so that she once diligently knowne we might auoyd and abhorre her as hell gates and the pitte of euerlasting dâ—mpnacyon Nether was he content with that so diligent picture which he dyd sette before our eyes in his xiij Cha. but also did adioyne in his xvij Ca. the interpretacioÌ„ which he receyued of the Aungell lyke Daniels which we for the more briefnes shall as it were weaue it into our narra cion Thus sayth Ioan. I sawe the beast arisyng out of the sea Osi. This beaste in the xvij Cha. He sawe agayn the aungell interpretyng hyr sayng The beaste whom I sawe was and is not that is she was euen suche one as Daniell deseri bed her but she is not for the imperye was then but anon after taken away of God as we haue heard it to fore But because that heauenly decre of God the Fa ther concernynge Christe was not yet put in execucyon therfore the Aungell a litle after speketh it clerelyer sayng She was and is not For albeit she then beynge in her flowers yet was she then cer taynly appoynted and destined to her destruccyon thoughe not yet vtterly extirped Ioan. Hauing vij heades x. hor nes Osi. This the Aungell also interpreted thus saiyng And here it behoueth a mynde that hath wisdome The .vij. heades are the vij hilles vpon which the wo man sitteth and they be vij Kinges And a litle after in the ende of the xvij Ca. he sayth The woman whome thou sawest is the great citie which hath the kyngdoÌ„ and dominion ouer the Kynges of the earth Wherfore the vij heades haue a double interpretacyon First they signify the .vij. hylles or y â— vij hill toppes which Rome coÌ„teyneth within her walles buyl ded vpon the same as Virgel descrybeth her situacyon Rome to compasse aboute within her walles seuen litle hilles lyke seuen Towres which is one of the notable tokens and shâ—wes of the Citie of Rome that she is builded vpon these vij hilles which thyng was neuer herd said of any citie els in all the worlde SecoÌ„dly the vij heades signify vij Kinges But be cause the x. hornes also signifye x. Kynges which thynge semeth to make confu sioÌ„ therfor y e apt differeÌ„ce is to be sought consentyng with the veritie which verelye is sone espyed in the interpretation of the aungell which sayth of the. vij Kynges v. to haue had ben fallen and one is and the last not yet to haue had ben comen Wherof it is playn these vij Kynges to haue had reygned one after another But of the x. Kynges thus he sayth These shall receyue power in one hower that is they all shall reygne at one tyme together one in hys place as dyd the. x. proconsuls in the former dominacion of Rome But here must ye knowe and diligently note it that in suche maner misteries A Kynge signifyeth not one singular persone but all the Kynges one succe dynge another in a continual lyue so loÌ„g as that maner of raigne be not changed as it is in Daniell xi Where the Kynge of the southe signifye all the Kynges of Egypte frâ— Ptolomeo Lagâ— vnto Cleopotram And the Kynge of the Northe signifyeth all the Kynges of Syrie fro Seleuco Nicanore vnto Antiochum Epiphanem Wherfor euen her also muste they be so taken Manifest it is the citie of Rome in her former dominacyon to haue had vij heades that is vn kyndes of kynges or rulers of the most hyghe impery successiuely For first of all kyn ges dyd constitute hir first gouernance and dominacion Then the counsellers the seconde After that the tenmen wyth the most highe autorite were created to write and make hir lawes which constituted the thirde regiment Then the Dic tatores the fourth The Thremen after the death of Iuly did constitute the fift And the Cesares the monarkes made the sixt And at last the externe or straÌ„ge emperours which were not of the house of the Cesars constituted the seuenth head Wherfore the angell speketh right ly and clerely when he sayeth Fyue are fallen that is to weit The Kinges the counsulers the Tenmen the Dictatores and y e Thremen were past gone The sixt was the monarchie of the Cesars which then stode wheÌ„ Iohn wrote these wordes for he wrote them vnder Cesar Domiciane But the seuenth was not then comen For then as yet was there no straÌ„ge or externe Emperour created â–ª And the x. hornes which be the x. kinges then yet for to reigne al at once in diuerse places and not one aftir an other in any one place were in the former domina cion the proconsulers But in this later dominacion they be the. x. Kingdoms whiche reuerently yet confesse or haue confessed Rome to be the head â–ª of all the churches as Spaine Portugale France Englond Scotlond Denmark Poole Boheme Hungarye and euen he that yet huldeth now the Kingdom in name only or empir of Rome is not that is to weit Charlis v. Let him hold fast the title How be it there were other in other places as when one fyll ther stert vp another albeit they were euer about x. in nowmber Ioan. And vpoÌ„ his hornes he had x. diademes Osi. For they were deckt garnesshed with y â— most highe imperie in their popish prela tes as cardinals Bisshops exalted aboue their Kinges Ioan. And vpon his owne head
what it is to blas pheme the tabernacle of God them y ◠dwell in heuen it is plainly perceiued in the. ix of Daniel where it is thus prophe cied of Antioche Out of one of thē there went forth a litle horne it was magnifyed and extolled vp vnto the strengthe tower or tabernacle of heuē he threwe downe some of the starres treding them vnder his feete For trwth it is y t he vnderstode therby the temple of God and the holy men in the peple of Israel And euen so do y e pope blaspheme the church of God and his holy faithfull callinge them heretiques saing y t there is no hope of saluacion except we holde vpō the pope be vnder the court of Rome obe dient to his deuilish lawes and doctrine when it is here clerely said non to haue the trewe hope of saluacion that abide in the popes doctrine But ther be infinit lyke things which aske a nother treatise Ioan. And it was geuen him to make ba taill with the holy faithfull and to ouercome them Osi. So great is the might powr of the lyes of the iuglings of the false coulored doctrine of the false miracles and of the ipocrisye of the popedom that euen the very holy faithful mē shal seme to be ouercomen and taken for here tiques when y ◠pope so dampneth decla reth thē Which thing except we perceiue remember well we can not abhorre and fear his blasphemies But because he blasphemeth non euill men as the self thing witnesseth it but onely the good and the very trwe churche euen Gods holy faithfull we ought to ioye reioyse when we be thus blasphemed of him For it happeneth to vs in to the testinionie that we haue nothing to do with y ◠abominable beast but that we estiewe lothe and abhorre him Ioan. And there was geuen him powr ouer al the trybes and peple tongues folke Osi. This doth thaungel interprete where he saith The. x. hornes whiche thou sawest ar x. Kings which yet haue not receiued their Kingdom but with the beast shall they in one hower receiue powr as Kings These haue one counsel and shall delyuer vp their powr to the beast that is to saye As the first dominacion had x. prouinees ruled by the counsellers euen s◠shall the second dominacion when the beast is now waxen strong haue hir x. Kings as I said to fore For that as before was but one Romane imperie is now diuided into x. kingdōs of which euery one hath hir king which in Ioans time had not yet receiued kingdō For y ◠beast hirself had not then put vp hir head and hornes but they were to receyue it at howr one w t the beaste y t was at the same tyme not so y t one shuld raygne after another as dyd the vn ▪ heades in the secla re imperye but altogether and in the self tyme as we see it in very dede For these Kynges with one counsayll or sentence delyuer vp theyr power to the Pope y t is with a styl secrete cōsent in theyr course and lot they humbly acknoweledge y ◠Pope to be theyr head reuerencyng him for the vicar of Christ submittynge them selues and theyrs vnto hym And thus dyd the beaste get hym power ouer euery kynred trybe people tongue and folke as farre as was the Christendom wyde For when he wold gouerne and rule vnder the holy pretence of religiō so might not hys power extende to the infidels Ian. And all that inhabite the earth shall worshyp the beast whose names be not written in the boke of y ◠liuing lōbe whiche was slayne fro the beginnyng of the world Osi. God which is ryche in mercye for hys excedynge loue wherewith he loued vs when we were dead in synnes he reuiued vs that truely beleued in Christ and hath made vs to sitte in heauenly seatis as wryteth Paul to the Ephes◠Wherfore when the Pope blasphe meth vs he blasphemeth the dwellers in heauen But they whose names be not written in the boke of lyfe they dwell in the earthe for they sauoure but earthely thynges and therfor worshyp they the beaste Ioan. Who so haue eares let him heare who so leadeth into captiuitie him selfe goeth into captiuitie he that slayeth with swerde shall be with swerd slayne And here is the pacience and the fayth of the sayntes Osi. That is yf any man by these thynges spoken can not yet know who is this beaste let hym at least wyse yet vnderstand this one thing yfhe now haue any eares to heare That where the holy faythfull for the faythes sake and trewe doctryne of Christe be led into bōdage of mennis tradiciōs or smytē with swerde or by any other meanis slayne whiche is suffered without shame that openlye for in thys oure tyme manye haue ben slayne and manye presoned and persecuted onelye because with a good conscience they marye theyr lawfull wyues preache and professe the truthe wyll worshyppe non Idols wyl receyue bothe the partes of the souper and not the halfe there is the kyngedome of thys beaste whome God so hateth and detesteth that he wyll vtterlye remesure her with the same measure wherewith she measureth hys sayntes For at her ty me he shall saye Render to her as she hath geuen to vs geue her twyse double accordyng to her owne dedes For the cup that she hathe mengled for you fyll it to her twyse full and howe muche she hath magnifyed herself and sitten in her delicate ease and pleasures so muche rewarde hir with tormentes and waylinges Ioan. And I saw another beast ary syng and ascendynge from out of y ◠erth Osi. And this beast signifyeth as do al y ◠other a certayne kyngdome not of one man but of a certayne greate confuse filthy swarme by a certayn conspirisie and sediciouse consent swarming together on heap as though thei were one body And who be this beast Ioan himself interpreteth it cha xix callig hir y ◠false prophetis which make wondres and miracles befo re the beast Thys beast therfor signifyeth the false flocke the stinkyng donghil the coniured couent and kyngdome of al the false teachers preachers euē y ◠Popes bocherly spiritualty in the hole pope dom And thys beast is sayd to ascende clyme out of the earth to put difference fro the bealtis ascendynge out of the sea For the water is a more thick and grosser element then the ayer and therfore it bryngeth forth greater and grosser beastes And as the water signifye muche pe ple in heapes makyng rumore and tumul te and folke of grosser witte in who encreaceth the loue of voluptuousnes lust to raygne euen so to ryse fro the earthe signifyeth men of more subtyle witte for that not in the water but in the ayer they be created and therin to lyue This beaste therfore is risen vp out of men
that there is no perell in callyng the Emperour or the Pone of Rome Antichrist as theyr confederation and coniuracyon thys day ayâ—â—st the Lorde and hys worde declare them But let vs at last returne to our coniectu re Syth it is geuen to the beast nowe agayn puttynge vp her heade to exercyse and execute her tyrannye xlij Romane moneths which staÌ„d vpon xxx dayes y t is to weit dayes m. cc. lx and the thynge compelleth vs to take them for Aungels dayes that is for m. cc. lx of oure comon yeares it can not be doubted but that these yeares once fulfylled the ende of the worlde is anone at hande But the doubt is where we shall begynne these yeares Some there be that thynke them to begynne anone from the tyme of the Emperoure Constantyne the great because of the gyfte that is fayned to haue had ben geuen to Pope Syluester and because of the translation of the seat Emperyall to Constantinople for that Paul saith He that holdeth must be takeÌ„ away and then that man of sinne shalbe reueled truely fro that tyme wherin they fayne themselues to haue had that ryche gift of Constantyne and they endoted enryched w t the best part of the Empyre euen with hole Rome Italy and halfe y e Empyre as they saye there was a voice herde in the ayer That now is the moste pestilent poysone entred into the churche of Rhome From that day I say yf the noumber be tolde which I wold gladly it shulde there beginne then is the Popedom at an ende within these xxxin yea res or after Daniel within lxiij yeres For then shuld the ende of the world fall about y e year of our Lord. m. ccccc lxxvij or after Daniel m. cccccc vij as it apeared to me by turnynge y e dayes into weâ—is wheÌ„ I gathered my exposicion vpon Daniel as ye may there read my coÌ„iectu re But by what fraud els soeuer y e beast then gote her emperyal possessions priÌ„ cely riches it semeth not true to me saith Osiander y t Constantyne gaue it them for eueÌ„ y e style only of y e instrumeÌ„t made of the same deuocyon gift or legacie proueth it playnlye to be a stark lye of all lyes y t euer were made vnder heuen the most shameles as the moost well lerned man Laurence Valla and Nicholaus de Cusa also Ierome Gatlatanus and other most graue writers now sence haue mooste clerely shewed proued it Wherfor albeit Constantine made a beginnyng to take awaye the former domi nacyon whiche letted y e mouing of y e ryches to y e popedom yet because the beast had not then as yet ben vtterly destroid she myght not be sayd properly to putte forth hir hornes or to lyfte vp her heade ayen except she had first haue ben vtter ly subuerted ouerwhelmed as it were w t waters And therfor we shal iustly begiÌ„ne to reken fro y e yere in y â— which after the translatioÌ„ of the empire Rome was takeÌ„ spoyled breÌ„t of y e Gothes brought thyther of theyr Capitain Alaricho For this is y e very iust end of y e former dominacion after Daniel And this was done in the yeare of the citie about m. c. lxiiij in y t yere of Christ about CCCC xij put nowe together the yeares of Christ. cccc xij and the yeres of the Pope M. cc. lx and thou hast the iuste noumber of M. CCCCCC lxxij And wheÌ„ we shal write and tell so many yeres from Christe then is the fatale ende of the Pope of the citye of Rome present at hande yf it rather be not so as I haue coniectured it aboute xxx yeares to come And thys coÌ„iecture maketh me that I thynke the yea res fro the celestiall Adam vnto the fyerve floude in the seconde coniecture and the iubile yeares of the churche in the thirde coniecture must not be rekened fro the byrthe of our Lorde but from hys re surreccyon For before that tyme he bore the forme of a seruaunte as hymself said to not haue ben comen to be serued but to serue From hys resurrection therfore he beganne iustely to possede hys kyngdom when he sayd All power is geuen me in heauen and earthe For so shall it come to passe that the ende of bothe the Pope and of Rome and of the worlde shall fall into the yeare of our Lorde aboute m. cccccc lxxxviij Whiles the fall of the Pope is lyke to come in the yeare of Christ about m. cccccc lxxij So that y e Popedom slayn extinct yet shal there remaine as it were â–ª xvi yeris in whiche men the aduersary of Christe and antichrist taken away and the gospell frely preched they shal begin ayen to lyue in a wealy securytye and in almaner voluptuose lustis as they wer wont to do And when they shall say peace and secu ritie then shal the soden destructioÌ„ come ouer them as the panges of a woman trauelling of childe and they shall not auoid it Wherfore let vs awake watch and be sober lest this daye take vs as a thefe in the night These things haue I setforth of the coniectures of the laste tymes and ende of the worlde For ther be yet many other things which I will not open nor communicate to the multitude But as for these things what credit there ought to be geuen to them I leaue it to be estemed of the spirituall church of Christe which can iudge all thinges them selues iudged of noman Couiecturs ar they I knowleg and confeâ—â—e it and no oracles Not withstandinge yet vnlesse I be begyled they shal not litely begile ne deceiue any Christen reader Come down Lord Iesu vnto iugement and deliuer they persecuted lytell sely flocke So be it Another coÌ„iectur added of y e translater When the citie of Rome was olde M xxxvij abouth y e yere of Christ. cclxxxvij when Dioclesane themprour begane to raigne there were suche dissencious sectis heresies false doctrine in the church of Rome as of the Manicheis PelagiaÌ„s Arrius c. as had not ben herd of before the popis then being Felix or rather In felix Euticianus an heretique Caius not good By whose contencious scismes and sectis and their so gredy ambicion for euen then begane they to begge and steall from the emprours parte of theyr most pleasant cities and richest possessions and londes and to set themprours and Kings togither by the earis Dioclesiane was so greuosly offended that he abhorred them and their false religioÌ„ and persecuted it whiche they called the christen religion as they do now the popis faith when it was nothing lyke Christe and his gospell but rather Sathans Kingdom and worse then the haithen Here begane the popis of Rome todeclare them selues very antichristis the beast was reueled eueÌ„ vnto the very haithen emprours For