sinne in hell then in heauen with sinne Which saying and wish of his if it were his may seeme to proceede out of a mynde neither speaking orderly according after the phrase and vnderstanding of the scripture nor yet sufficiently acquainted with the iustification of a christen man Further they report him to be so farre from singularitie that hee should say it was the vice which thrust the angels first out of heauen and man out of paradise Of this Anselme it is moreouer reported that he was so ilwilling to take the Archbishoprike that the kyng had much adoe to thrust it upon him and was so desirous to haue him take it that the Citie of Caunterbury which before Lanfrancus did holde but at the kings good wyll and pleasure he gaue now to Anselme wholy which was about the yere of our Lord 1093. But as desirous as the king was then to place the sayd Anselme so much did he repent it afterward seeking all maner of meane to defeate hym if he might Such strife and contention rose betweene them two for certayne matters the ground and occasion whereof first was this After that Anselmus had bene thus elected to the see of Canterbury before he was fully consecrate the king commoned with him assaying by all gentle maner of wordes to entreat him that such lands possessions of the church of Cant. as the king had geuen and granted to his friends since the death of Lanfrancus they might still enioy the same as their owne lawful possession through his graunt and permission But to this Anselme in no case would agree Wherupon the king conceiuing great displeasure against him did stop his consecration a great season till at length in long proces of time the king enforced by the daily complaintes and desires of his people and subiects for lacke of an Archbishop to moderate the church was constrained to admit and autorise hym vnto them Thus Anselme with much ado takyng his consecration and doyng his homage to the king went to his see of Cant. And not long after the king sailed ouer to Normandy About this time there were two striuing in Rome for the Popedome as is afore touched Urbanus Guibertus Diuers realmes diuersly consenting some to the one some to the other England taking part with theyr kyng was rather enclined to Guibertus called Clemens the 3. but Anselmus did fully go with Urbanus making so hys exception with the king entring to his bishopricke After the king was returned againe from Normandy the Archbishop commeth to him and asketh leaue to goe to Rome to set his palle of Pope Urban which when he could not at the first obtaine he maketh his appeale from the king to the Pope Whereat the king beyng iustly displeased chargeth the Archbishop with breach of his feaultie contrary to his promise made that is if he without his licence would appeale eyther to Urbane or to any other Pope Anselme aunswereth agayne that was to bee referred to some greater councell where it is to be disputed whether this be to breake a mans allegeance to a terrene Prince if he appeale to the vicar of S. Peter And here much arguyng and contending was on both sides The kings reason proceeded thus The custome sayth he from my fathers time hath bene in England that no person should appeale to the Pope without the kings licence He that breaketh the customes of the realme violateth the power and crowne of the kingdom He that violateth and taketh away my crowne is a traitour and enemy against me c. To this Anselme replieth agayne The Lord sayth he easilie discusseth this question briefly teachyng what fidelitic and allegeaunce we ought to geue to the vicar of S. Peter where he sayth thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my church c. And to thee I wyll geue the keyes of the kingdom of heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt bynde in earth it shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou loosest in earth shall be loosed in heauen c. Agayne to them all in general he saith he that heareth you heareth me and who despiseth you despiseth me And in an other place he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of myne eie On the other side what duety we owe to the king he sheweth also Geue sayth he to the Emperour what belongeth to the Emperour and to God geue that to God belongeth Wherefore in such things as belong to God I will yeld and must yeld by good right and duetie my obedience to the vicar of S. Peter and in such thinges as belong agayne to terrene dignitie of my prince in those I will not deny to him my faithfull helpe and counsell so far as they can extend Thus haue ye the grounded arguments of this Prelate to stand so stifly agaynst his prince wherunto peraduenture was ioyned also some piece of a stubburne hart But in this conclusion none of his fellow bishops durst take his part but were all against him namely William Bishop of Duresine To whom Anselme thus protesteth saying who so euer he were that would presume to proue it any breach of allegeaunce of feaulty to his soueraigne if he appealed to the vicar of S. Peter he was ready to aunswer at all tymes to the contrary the bishop of Duresine aunswering againe that he which would not be ruled by reason must with force be cōstrained c. The king hauing on his part the agreement of the Bishops thought to depriue the Archb. both of his pastorall sea and to expell him out of the realme But he could not performe his purpose for Anselme as he was ready to depart the realme he sayd whensoeuer he went he would take his office and authoritie with him though he tooke nothing els Whereupon that matter was deferred till a longer tyme. In the meane season the king had sent priuily two messengers to Pope Urbane to intreat him to send his pall to the king for him to geue it where he would which messengers by this time were returned againe bringing with them from Rome Gualter bishop of Albane the popes Legate with the pall to be geuē to Anselme This Legate first landing at Douer from thence came priuily vnknowing to Anselme to the king declaring and promising that if Urbane was receyued pope in England whatsoeuer the king required to be obtayned he by his priuiledge from the Apostolicall sea would ratifie and confirme the same saue onely that when the king required of the Legate that Anselme might be remoued the Legate therunto would not agree saying that was vnpossible to be obtained that such a man as he beyng lawfully called should bee expelled without manifest cause In conclusion so it folowed that although he could not obtain his request of the Legate yet the Legate wroght so with the king that Urbane was proclaymed lawfull Pope through all the realme Then were sent to
remit sinnes Wherupon they say that he is able fully wholy to absolue a man a poena culpa so that if a man at the time of his death had this remission he should straigtwaies flie vnto heauen without any paine of Purgatory The other Bishops as they say haue not so great authoritie The priests constituted vnder euery Byshop haue power say they to absolue the sinnes of thē that are confessed but not al kind of sinnes because there are some grieuous sinnes reserued to the absolutions of the Byshops and some againe to the absolution onely of the chiefe and high Byshop They say also that it behoueth the offēders for the necessitie of their soule health to call to remēbrance their offences and to manifest the same with al the circumstances therof vnto the priest in auricular cōfessiō supplying the place of God after the maner of a Iudge afterwarde humbly to fulfill the penaunce enioyned vnto him by the priest for his sinnes except the sayde penaunce so enioyned or any part thereof be released by the superior power All these things say they are manifestly determined as wel in the decrees as decretals And although these things haue not expressely their foundation in the playne and manifest doctrine of Christ nor any of the Apostles yet the authors of the decrees and decretals concerning thys matter haue groūded the same vpon diuers places of the scriptures as in the proces of Christ in the Gospell of Saynt Mathew the xvj chapter Wherupon they ground that popes power iudicial to surmount the powers of other priests as where Christ sayd vnto his disciples whō do men saye that I am And they aunswered some saye that thou art Iohn Baptist some Elias some Ieremy or one of the Prophets To whom he sayde but who saye you that I am Symon Peter makinge aunswere sayde Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God And Iesus answered and said vnto him Blessed art thou Symon the sonne of Ionas for flesh bloud hath not opened this vnto thee but my father which is in heauen And I say vnto thee that thou art Peter vpon this rocke wil I buyld my church and hel gates shal not preuaile against it And I wil geue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen And whatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth shal also be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt lose vpon earth shall bee loosed also in heauen Out of this text of Christ diuers expositiōs haue drawen diuers errours For when Christ sayd And I say vnto thee that thou art Peter and vpon this rocke wil I build my Church Some therupon affirme that Christe meant he would builde his Church vpon Peter by authority of that text as it is writtē in the first part of the decrees Dist. 19. cap. Ita dominus noster The exposition hereof is ascribed to Pope Leo the errour wherof is manifestly known For the Church of Christ is not builded vpon Peter but vpon the rocke of Peters confession for that he sayd Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God and for that Christ sayd singularly vnto Peter I will geue vnto thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt binde c. By this saying they affirme that Christ gaue vnto Peter specially as chiefe of the rest of the Apostles a larger power to binde and to lose then he did vnto the rest of the apostles or disciples And because Peter answered for him self al the Apostles not only confessing the faith which he had chiefly aboue the rest but also the faith whiche the rest of the Apostles had euen as himselfe by the reuelation of the heauēly father It appeareth that as the fayth of al the Apostles was declared by the answere of one so by this that Christ sayd vnto Peter whatsoeuer thou shalt binde c. is geuen vnto the rest of the Apostles the same power equallitie to binde to lose as vnto Peter Whiche Christ declareth in the Gospell of S. Mathew the 18. chapter in these words Verely I say vnto you what thinges so euer you shall binde vpon earth shal be bound in heauē whatsoeuer you shal lose vpon earth shal be also losed in heauē And further he addeth And agayne I say vnto you that if two of you shall consent vpon earth and request whatsoeuer it be it shall be graunted vnto you of my father which is in heauen For when two or three be gathered together in my name I am there in the midst of them And in Iohn the xx chapter he sayth generally vnto them Receaue ye my spirit Whose sins ye shall remit shal be remitted vnto them and whose sinnes you shall retayne shall be retained By this it appeareth that the power to bynde and to loose is not specially graunted to Peter as chiefe and head of the rest and that by him the rest had their power to bind and to loose for that the head of the body of the Churche is one which is Christ and the head of Christ is God Peter and the rest of the Apostles are the good members of the body of Christ receiuing power vertue of Christ wherby they do confirme and glew together the other mēbers as well the strong noble as the weake and vnable to a perfect composition and seemelines of the body of Christ that all honour from all partes and members may be geuē vnto Christ as head and chiefe by whome as head all the members are gouerned And therfore Paule 1. Corinthians chap. 3. When any man sayth I hold of Paule and an other sayth I hold of Apollo are ye not carnall men For what is Apollo what is Paule The minister of him in whom ye haue beleued and he as God geueth vnto euery man I haue planted Apollo hath watered but God hath geuen the increase Therfore neither he that plāteth is any thing neither he that watereth but God that geueth the increase And Paul to the Gal. chap. 2. God hath no respecte of persons Those that seemed to be great and to do much auayled or profited me nothing at all But contrariwise when they saw that the Gospell of the vncircumcision was committed vnto me as the circumcision vnto Peter for he that wrought with Peter in the Apostleship of the circumcision wrought with me also amōg the Gentiles and when they knew the grace which was geuen me Peter Iames and Iohn straightwayes ioyned themselues with me and Barnabas wee among the Gentiles and they in circumcision onely might be mindefull of the poore the which to do I was very carefull Hereby it appeareth that Paule had not his authoritie of Peter to conuert the Gentiles to baptise them and to remit their sinnes but of him which said vnto him Saule Saule why persecutest thou mee It is hard for thee to kicke agaynst the pricke Heare is Paule the head of the
DispensatioÌ„ from Pope Alexander to forsake his first wife and to marry an other Ludouicus Vladislaus sonne king of Hungary Boheme Warre betwene Charles Duke of Burgoyne Fredericke the Emperour Anno. 1475. Charles Duke of Burgoyne slaine in warre Anno. 1477. Mary daughter of Charles of Burgoyne maried to MaximiliaÌ„ Warre dissention among Christen princeâ— The discord of Christians scourged by the Turkes Discord and dissention in the Church noted Ambition auarice of the church of Rome Ex Rapulario Henrici Token The sea of Rome is turned into an Oceane that haâ—â— no bottome What a million is Concilium Bituriense Pragmatica Sanctio Ex loan Maria Belga de Schismat Conciliis cap. 24. Pope pius laboreth that Pragmatica Sanctio should be abolished The counsaile of Paris appealeth from the pope to the generall Councell Vid. supra pag. 670. The complaint of the Germaines to the Emperour for helpe and ayde against the oppression of the Pope Fredericke made the Germaines twise subiect vnto the Pope Frid. Albertus his brother and Sigismundus striue for the dukedome of Austria Warre betwene Franciscus Sfortia and the Venetians about Millaine Warre betwene Lewes the French king and the citie of Millaine Iohn a Notherde of Franconia Martyr Anno. 1476. Iohn de Wesailia persecuted Anno. 1479. The articles and opinioÌ„s of Iohn de Wesalia Free will nothing Prelates haue no more power ouer scriptures then other men Extreme vnction reproued Against the primacy of the Pope Iohn de Wesalia brought before the prelates The Inquisitour speaketh The answer of Wesalianus reasonable The cruell proceeding of the Inquisitour The greater cause of the Pope described Scio. Credo His opinion of the sacrament His opinion of Monkes and Nunnes The vowe of chastitie Mortall sinne founnd by the Pope beside that which is expressed to be mortall in the scripture What is this article but to make the Pope a god Christ left no vicar in earthe Pardons and indulgences be of no effect The treasure of saintes merites is not in earth This saying waâ— taken out of one Cantor Pariensis which was went to say thaâ— pardoÌ„s were holy decertes because that laye men there were prouoked by naughtie decerteâ— to geue good almes Degrees â—nscripture forbidden to marry Nothing to be beleued but which is in scripture conteyned The Church geueth witnes who were the writers of the scripture but hath no authoritie aboue that which is writteÌ„ By this inquisition Christ himselfe might be condemned Ex Orth. Grat. Ex Paralip Abat Vrsper Discorde betwixt Reals Nominals Ex Orth. Grat. Doct. Iohn de Wesalia reuoketh his opinioÌ„s Albert duke of Saxonie called Dextra manus imperis Albert Marques of Brandenburg called Achilles Germanicus Anno. 1484. The abhomination of Pope Sixtus Ex Declamatione Agrippa ad Lonanienses The warres of Pope Sixtus Ex Ioan. Laziardo lib. Historia Vniuersalii cap. 284. A large gift of the Pope to the begging Friers Alanus author of our Ladies Psalter Then had the blessed virgine Mary two husbandes An olde knaue to sucke his wiues brest The detestable impietie and blasphemie of the popishe lying religion Mendacem memorem esse oportet Ex Latinâ— Codice impresso cui tituluit Rosasea Maria Corona The death of Pope Sixtus 4. Here endeth Platina The death of king Edward 4. Anno. 1483. Burdet Tyranny in miscoÌ„string a mans wordes The lawes of the realme misconstred for the princes pleasure K. Edward 5 Eccle. 10. Vaepuero regi in suo regno Richard Duke of Glocester made protectour The young king committed to Duke of Gloucester The Duke of Buckingham a great doer for the protectour Both king Edwardes children in the possessioÌ„ of the protectour The deuelisliâ— protectour picketh quarelles The Queene Shores wife falsely accused of the protector to bewitch his arme Adultery punished of God Murder iustly punished of god L. Hastings arrested for a traytour L. Stanley wounded B. Morton The tyranny of the protectour The L. Hastings beheaded The beastly protectour accuseth his owne mother Doct. Shawes impudent sermoÌ„ at Paules crosse Sap. 4. Example for all flattering preachers to bâ—ware The Duke of Buckingham an other minister for the protectours furie The Duke of Buckingham speaketh for the protectour in the Guildhall An hard thing to make the tongue speake against the hart A stolne consent in the Guild-hall Fye of hipocrisie The hypocrisie of the protector denying the crowne thrise before he would take it King Richard 3. vsurper King Richard crowned The truth of Robert Brabenbury to his prince Iames Tyrel I. Dighton Miles Iorest cruell traytors and murtherers of their Prince YouÌ„g princes The 2. children of king Edward murdered The iust punishmeÌ„t of God vpoÌ„ the minderers of them two The punishment of God vpon K. Richard The punishmeÌ„t of God vpon the Duke of BuckinghaÌ„ Doct. Shaw and Doct. Pinkie two flattering preachers Gods iudgement vpon flattering preachers The first motion of ioyning the two houses Yorke and Lancaster togeather Earle Henry maketh preparation toward his iourney The arriuing of Henry Earle of RichmoÌ„d in Wales K. Richad gathered his power to encounter with Earle Henry K. Richard taketh the field of Bolworth This Lord Stanley was he which was hurt at the Tower when the L. Hastings was arested vide pag. 727. Bosworth field The history of Sir Tho. More word â—or word taken out of Polid. Virg. W. Brandon Charles Brandon The death of king Richard Duke of Northfolke slaine Lord Tho. Haward Earle of Surrey aduaunced by K. Henry 7. K. Richards sonne punished for the wickednes of his father K. Richard proposed to marry Elizabeth his brothers daughter L. Stanley husband to K. Henries mother forsooke k. Richard The L. Strange meruelously preserued The shamefull tossing of king Richardes dead Corpes Anno. 1485. King Henry 9. K. Henry marieth with Elizabeth The two houses of Yorke and Lancaster ioyned together Anno. 1486. Maximilianus Emperour The reigne and death of Fridericus Emperour Anno. 1494. Maximilian marieth the Duches of Burgoyne This Mary was neece to king Edward 4. The learning of Maximilian coÌ„mended Maximilian writer of his owne stories Ex leaÌ„ Carione Maximilian first ordeiner of the vnyuersitie of Wittenberg Learned meÌ„ begin to grow in Christendome Doct. Weselus Groningensis Weselus called Lux Mundi The doctrine of Weselus Groningensis Ex lib. D. Weseli De sacrameÌ„to peniteÌ„tia The Popes supremacie written against Ex Epist. cuinsilam in opere Weseli Christes aunswere to Tho. de Corselis touching this place Quicquid ligaueris Not what so euer is said to be loosed in earth is loosed in heauen but whatsoeuer is loosed in very deede in earth that is also loosed in deede in heauen Against tiches in the Church The preceptes of the Pope prelates how they binde The Popes keyes Vowes Doctrine not to be receaued without examinatioÌ„ Excommunication Ex Nouiomago A prophesie of Weselus This Oftendorpius was a man well learned and Canon of the minster of Lubecke Here it appeareth that
contrary but that both by true certificate and common rumour you haue heard of the indifferencie of our cause and good handling therof yet for that more credite is commonly geuen to that the eye seeth then to that the eare receiueth we thought good to present vnto you the naked truth of such things which the Popes successiuely haue put forth forged against vs. To the perusing and consideration of which my case and letter I beseech your gentlenes amongst other times of laisure you wil spie out some fit and conuenient time therfore And all other whatsoeuer that shall haue desire to heare princes 〈◊〉 affaires let them in like sort attentiuely consider First whether our predecessours haue bene destitute or not of godly zeale iust dealing righteousnes or whether we may not lawfully reuenge our selues being so much prouoked of such euils and iniuries as haue ben wrought against vs. Secondly let them consider whether Christes vicare doth followe Christes steps or not and whether Peters successors do follow his example or not and also by what law equitie right that sentence which they haue pronounced against vs may be maintained and allowed As also what name they may iustly geue it and whether that may be sayde to be a sentence which is geuen by an vnsufficient iudge or not For although we acknowledge that the Lord hath geuen full power in spirituall things vnto his Churche that whatsoeuer the same bindeth in earth is bound in heauen whatsoeuer the same looseth is also loosed yet we reade neither by Gods lawe nor by any lawe of man that we ought of duetie to be subiect vnto him or that an Empire ought at his pleasure to be transformed and transposed or that he may geue any such sentence or iudgement to punish Princes temporally and depriue them of their kingdomes For why although our consecreation belongeth vnto him by right and custome as he chalengeth yet our deposing and depriuing doth no more belong to him then doth that presumption belong to any other prelate of other Realmes which doe consecrate and annoynt their kings as the custome and manner is Or put case it were so we nothing hindered thereby that hee had such power Hath he that power to the intent to reuenge himselfe vpon whomsoeuer his malicious minde consenteth and without all equitie and law to bring them vnder his iurisdiction He hath proceeded of late against vs as is sayd but not by the order of accusation for so much as neither was there any sufficient accuser neither went there out any inscriptioÌ„ or processe before Neither yet by denunciation for so much as there lacked a lawful denouÌ„â—er neither yet by the way of inquisition for that there went before it no manifest accusation But hee peraduenture will say that all things that he layeth against vs were manifest and notorious but that do we deny and nothing to be notorious but that which may by a sufficient number of witnesses be approued tried For so may euery iudge himselfe contemning the order of lawe affirme what he list to be notorious and thus condemne whom hee list There were against vs as well it may be sayd in counsell certaine false witnesses although not many of whome the Byshop of Calin was one whose neare kinsman or nephewe by our lawes condemned for treason to be hanged maketh also to vs an infestiue enemie With such like effect prosecuting the rest of his Epistle which for breuitie sake I omit This pollicie vsed the Pope to vexe and disturbe both the countrey of Germany and the whole Empire and not so onely but also vtterly to destroy and subuert the same by the ruinous decay whereof the Pope and his Prelates thought to make vp their mouthes And thus whilest that Germanie was nowe newly againe deuided some taking part with Fredericke the Emperour and Conradus Caesar his sonne other nobles and princes of the Empire some wyth those that shoulde by the Popes procurement be the electors of the new Emperour other some with neither of both as men not minding nor tending the publique vtilitie but to serue theyr owne purposes armed themselues And thus was the publicke peace and quiet brokeÌ„ and disturbed and altogether in tiâ—nult and hurley burley For whilest the one part laboured by all force to retaine the dominion by publique and common coÌ„sent first to hym committed the other part in like sort indeuored themselues with all their force power to vse and occupye the same according to the decree of the bishop of Rome to take it from Fredericke and thus great conflicts grew on all partes By these ciuill warres Germany suffered no little calamity In euery place was maÌ„slaughter and murder the country spoyled the townes and villagies set on fire and brent the churches and temples violated robbed wherin the husbaÌ„d meÌ„ had put their goods substaunce houses were pulled down the goods deuided euery mans cattel driuen away To conclude in this turmoyle coÌ„tentioÌ„ of deposing chusing an other emperor in this factioÌ„ of princes in this liberty of wearing armor in this liceÌ„ce of hurting sinning The impudent boldnes of diuers priuate souldiors especially of such as were the horesemeÌ„ theÌ„ couÌ„ted the better sort of souldiors was so great there vnbridled vnsatiable desire in robbing spoyling and taking of booties catching snatching al that came to haÌ„d so much that nothing could be sure and in safety that any good in aÌ„ enioyed Wherefore a litle before the death of Guilielmus the king 60. Cityes and Townes which were belonging to Ludouicus Palatinus Duke of Boioria and Rhenus and Otho his sonne and other princes whose names Auentinus in his 7. booke of the Annales of the Boiores maketh mention oft ioyned themselues in a league for the expelling of these rebels repressing of their so great iniurious rapines and slaughter of men Of which armye the sayd Ludouicus being captaine chased draue the whole rout of theÌ„ to the vttermost partes of Germany and puld down and ouerthrew their castles and fortresses and cuery other place where they had intrenched themselues Otho Boius yet notwithstanding kepeth his promise and fayth most constantly made before to the emperor Fredericke and Conradus his sonne Whereupon Philippus Iuuauensis Albertus and others calling a councell at Mildorsus by the Popes commaundement sent for Otho vnto them vnto whom they opened the Popes pleasure commaundement To all which wheÌ„ he had heard Otho aunswered I cannot maruell at some of you enough that when as heretofore you persuaded me to leaue and forsake the part I tooke with the Bishop of Rome whome ye your selues affirmed to be Antichrist that I should take part with the Emperour why that you your selues will not keepe your fidelity and promise made to those good Princes And sayd that he perceiued in them a great inconstancy and leuity both in their woords and deedes which
ben yfed with soure grasse sory baren lesewe And yet they feden but seldome and when they han sorilych fed them they taken great hyre and gone away from thy sheepe and letten them a worth And for drede least thy sheepe wolden in theyr absence goe to thy sweet lesewe they han enclosed it all about so stronglich and so high that there may no sheepe comen there with in but gif it be a walisch leper of the mouÌ„tayns that may with his long legs lepen ouer the wallys For the hirid men ben ful certayn that gif thy sheepe had ones ytasted the sweetnes of thy lesewe They ne would no more bene yfed of these hyred men in their foure leweses therfore these hyred meÌ„ kepen theÌ„ out of that lesewe For hadden the sheepe once ytasted well of thy lesewe they wouldeÌ„ without a leder go thider to their mete and then mote these hired men sechen them another labour to liue by than keping of shepe And they bene sel and ware ynowe thereof and therefore they feden thy sheepe with soure meate that naught is hiden from thy shepe the swetenes of thy lesew And so though these hyred men gone in shepes clothing in their works they ben wolues that much harme done to thy sheeps as we haue ytold ¶ O Lord they comeÌ„ as shepe for the seggeÌ„ that they ben poore and haue forsaken the world to liuen parsetlich as thou taughtest in the gospell Lord this is shepes clothing But Lord thoâ—â— ne taughtest not a man to forsaken the trauelous liuing in porenesse in the world to liuen in ese with riches by other mens trauell haue Lordship on their brethreÌ„ For lord this is more to forsakeÌ„ thee go to the world ¶ O Lord thou ne taughtest not a man to forsake the world to liuen in poorenes of begging by other mens trauell that bene as feble as they ben Ne Lord thou ne taughtest not a man to liuen in poorenes of begging that were strong inough to trauell for his lifelode Ne Lord thou ne taughtest not a man to ben a begger to beg of meÌ„ more then him nedeth to build great castles and make great â—uasts to thilke that han no need ¶ O Lord thou ne taughtest not men this poorenes for it is out of charitye But thy poorenes that thou taughtest nourisheth charitye Lord sith Paul sayth that he that forsaketh the charge of thilke that ben homelich with him hath forsaken his fayth and is worse then a misbeleued man How then now these men seggen that they beleueÌ„ in Christ that han forsake their poore feeble frendes let them liue in trauell and in disese that trauelled full sore for theÌ„ when the weren young and vnmighty to helpen themselfe And they woleÌ„ liue in ese by other mens trauell euermore begging withouten shame ¶ Lord thou ne taughtest not this maner poorenes for it is out of charite And all the law is charity and thing that nourisheth charite And these shepheards send about to kepe thy shepe to feden theÌ„ other whiles bareyne lewsewes Lord thoune madest none such shepheardes ne kepers of the sheepe that â—â—â—desory lich thy shepe and for so litle trauell taken a great â—â—â— and sitheÌ„ al the yeare afterward do what them liketh and let thy shepe perish for defaut of keping But thy shepherdes abiden still with their sheepe and feden theÌ„ in thy plenteou lesewe of thy teaching and gone byfore thy shepe and teachen them the way into the plenteous and swete 〈◊〉 we and kepen thy flocke from rauening of the wilde beastes of the field O Lord deliuer the sheepe out of the ward of those shepheardes and these hyred meÌ„ that stonden more to kepe their riches that they robben of thy shepe than they stonden in keping of thy sheepe O Lord when thou come to Ierusalem some time thou droue out of the temple sellers of bestes and of other chaffre and saydest Mine house shoulde ben cleped an house of prayers but they maden a deÌ„ of theues of it O Lord thou art the temple in whom we shoulden prayen thy father of heauen And Salomons temple that was ybelded at Ierusalem was figure of this temple But Lord he that clepeth himselfe thy vicar vpon earth and sayth that he occupyeth thy place here on earth is become a chapman in the temple and hath his chapmen walking in diuers countreys to sellen hys chaffare and to maken him rich And he sayth thou gaue him so great a power abouen all other men that what euer he bindeth other vnbindeth in earth thou bindest other vnbindest the same in heauen And so of great power he selleth other men forgeuenes of their sinne And for much money he will assoylen a man so cleane of his sinne that he behoteth men the blesse of heauen withouten any payne after that they be dead that geuen him much mony Bishopriches cherches such other chaffares he selleth also for mony and maketh himselfe rich And thus he beguiled the puple O Lord Iesu here is much vntruth and mischiefe and matter of sorow Lord thou saydest sometime that thou wouldest be with thy seruantes into the end of the world And thou saydest also there as tweyne of three ben ygadred to gedder in thy name that thou art in the midle of theÌ„ A Lord then it was no need to thee to maken lietetenaunt sith thou wolte be euermore amongest thy seruauntes Lorde thou axedst of thy disciples who they trowed that thou were And Peter aunswered and sayd that thou art Christ Gods sonne And thou saydest to Peter Thou art I blessed Symon Bariona for flesh and bloud ne showed not this to thee but my Father that is in heauen And I say to thee that thou art Peter and vpon this stone ych wole byld my Churche and the gates of hell he shullen not auaâ—len agens it And to the ych wole geue the keyes of heauen and what euer thou byndest vppon earth shall be bound in heauen what euer thou vnbyndest on earth shal be vnbounden in heauen This power also was graunten vnto the other disciples as well as to Peter as the Gospell openlich telleth In this place men seggen that thou graunted to Peters successors the selue power that thou gaue to Peter And therefore the Bishop of Rome that sayth he is Peters succcessour taketh this power to him to binden and vnbynden in earth what him liketh But Lord ych haue much wonder how he may for shame clepen himselfe Peters successour For Peter knowledged that thou were Christ and God and kept the hestes of thy law but these han forsaken the hestes of thy law and hath y maked a law contrary to thyne hestes of thy law And so he maked himself a false Christ and a false God in earth And It row thou gaue hym no power to vndoe thy law And so in taking this power vpon
make the Pope subiect vnto the Church for it is conuenient that the lesse perfect be subiect vnto the more perfect There be also many other testimonies reasons wherof we will now somewhat more entreate If authoritie be sought for sayth S. Hierome for I willingly occupie my selfe in his senteÌ„ces as in a most fertile field the world is greater then a Citie What then I pray you Hierome Is the Pope mighty because he is head of the Church of Rome His authoritie is great notwithstanding the vniuersall Church is greater which doth not onely coÌ„preheÌ„d one Citie but also the whole world Hereupon it followeth that if the Churche be the mother of all faithfull then she hath the Bishop of Rome for her sonne Otherwise as S. Augustine saith he can neuer haue God for his father which will not acknowledge the Church for his mother The which thing Anacletus vnderstandyng called the vniuersal Church his mother as the writers of the Canons do know And Calixtus sayth as a sonne he came to doe the will of his father so we do the will of our mother which is the Church Whereby it appeareth that how much the sonne is inferiour to the mother so much the Church is superiour or aboue the Bishop of Rome Also we haue sayd before that the Churche was the spouse of Christ the Pope we know to be a Vicare but no maÌ„ doth so ordaine a Vicar that he maketh his spouse subiect vnto him but that the spouse is alwayes thought to be of more authoritie then the Vicar for somuch as she is one body with her husbaÌ„d but the Vicar is not so Neither will I here passe ouer the wordes of S. Paule vnto the Romaines Let euery soule sayth he be subiect vnto the higher powers Neither doth he herein except the pope For albeit that he be aboue all other meÌ„ yet it seemeth necessary the he should be subiect to the Church Neither let him thinke himselfe hereby exeÌ„pt because it was said vnto Peter by Christ whatsoeuer thou bindest c. In this place as we wil hereafter declare he represeÌ„ted the person of the Church for we finde it spoken afterward vnto theÌ„ Quaecunque ligaueritis super terraÌ„ ligata eruÌ„t in coelis i. Whatsoeuer ye shal binde vpoÌ„ earth shall be also bounde in heaueÌ„ And furthermore if all power be geueÌ„ of Christ as the Apostle writeth vnto the CorinthiaÌ„s it is geuen for the edifiyng of the Church not for the destruction therof why then may not the Church correct the Pope if he abuse the keyes and bring all thinges vnto ruine Adde hereunto also an other argument A man in this life is lesser then the aungels for we read in Mathew of Iohn Baptist that he whiche is least in the kingdome of heauen is greater then he Notwithstanding Christ sayth in an other place that amongest the children of women there was not a greater then Iohn Baptist. But to proceede meÌ„ are forced by the exaÌ„pâ—e of Zacharias to geue credite vnto auÌ„gels least through their misbelief they be striken blind as he was What more The Bishop of Rome is a maÌ„ Ergo he is lesse then the aungels and is bound to geue credite to the aungels But the aungels learne of the Church and do reuereÌ„tly accorde vnto her doctrine as the Apostle writeth vnto the EphesiaÌ„s Ergo the pope is bouÌ„d to do the same who is lesse then the aungels and lesse then the Churche whose authoritye is suche that worthely it is compared by S. Augustine vnto the Sunne that lyke as the Sunne by his light doth surmount all other lightes so the church is aboue all other authority and power Wherupon S. Augustine writeth thus I would not beleue the Gospel saith he if the authority of the church did not more me thereunto the which is not in any place souÌ„d to be spoken of the bishop of Rome who representing the Church and being minister thereof is not to be thought greater or equall to hys Lorde and maister Notwythstanding the wordes of our Sauiour Christ do specially proue the Byshop of Rome to be subiect to the church as we will hereafter declare For he sending Peter to preach vnto the church sayd go and say vnto the Church To the confirmation of whole authoritye these wordes do also pertaine hee that heareth you heareth me The which wordes are not onely spoken vnto the Apostles but also vnto their succesaurs and vnto the whole Church Wherupon it foloweth that if the Pope do not harken geue eare vnto the Church he doeth not geue eare vnto Christ consequently he is to be counted as an Ethnicke Publicane For as S. Augustine affirmeth when as the Church doth excommunicate he which is so excommunicate is bounde in heauen and when the Church looseth he is loosed Likewise if he be an heretike which taketh away the supremacie of the Churche of Rome as the Decrees of the councel of Coustance doth determine how much more is he to be counted an hereticke which taketh away the authoritye from the uniuersall Church wherein the Church of Rome and all other are conteined Wherefore it is now euident that it is the opinion of al men before our daies if it may be called an opinion which is confirmed by graue authors the the Pope is subiecte vnto the vniuersall church But this is called into question whether he ought also to be iudged of the general Councel For there are some which whether it be for desire of vaine glory or that thorough their flattery they looke for some great reward haue begon to teach new and strange doctrines and to exempt the byshop of Rome from the iurisdiction of the generall Councel AmbitioÌ„ hath blinded them wherof not only this present Schisme but also all other Schismes euen vnto thys day haue had their originall For as in times past the gredy desire ambition of the papacy brought in that pesriferous beast which through Arrius then first crept into the church euen so they do specially norish and mainteine this present heresie whych are not ashamed to begge Of the which number some cry out say the workes of the subiects ought to be iudged by the Pope but the Pope to be reserued only vnto the iudgemeÌ„t of God Others said that no man ought to iudge the high and principall Seate and that it can not be iudged either by the Emperour either by the Clergy either by any king or people Other affirme that the Lord hath reserued vnto himselfe the depositions of the chiefe Bishop Others are not ashamed to affirme that the Byshop of Rome although hee cary soules in neuer so great number vnto hell yet hee is not subiect vnto any correction or rebuke And because these their words are easily resolued they runne straight waies vnto the Gospell and interprete the wordes of Christ not according to the sense and meaning of the holy Ghost
but according to their owne wil and disposition They doe greatly esteeme and regard this which was spoken vnto Peter Tu vocaberis Cephas i. Thou shalt be called Cephas by the which worde they make hym the head of the Church Also I will geue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt bind vpon earth c. I haue prayed for thee Peter that thy Faith would not faile And againe feede my sheepe Last thy net into the depe Be not afrayd for from theÌ„ceforth thou shalt be a fisher of men Also that Christ commaunded Peter as the Prince of the Apostles to pay tolle for them bothe and that Peter drew the net vnto the land full of great fishes that onely Peter drew his sword for the defence of Christ. Al which places these meÌ„ do greatly extol altogether neglecting the expositions of the fathers the which if as reason were they would consider they shuld manifestly perceine by the authorities aforesayde that the Pope is not aboue them when they are gathered together in Councell but when they are separate and deuided But these things being passed ouer for somuch as answere shall appeare by that which heereafter shall followe we will now declare what was reasoned of by the learned men vppon thys question But first wee woulde haue it known the all men which are of any name or estimation do agree that the Pope is subiect to the Councell and for the proofe therof they repeat in a maner al those things which were before spoken of the church for they suppose all that which is spoken of the Churche to serue for the generall Councell And first of all they alledge this saying of the Gospel Dic Ecclesiae tell it vnto the Church In the whych place it is conuenient to vnderstand that Christ spake vnto Peter instructing him what he should doe as touching the correction of his brother He saith if thy brother offend or sinne against thee rebuke him betwene thee and him alone If hee geue care vnto thee thou hast wonne thy brother but if he doe not geue eare vnto thee take in thee one or two that in the mouth of two or thee witnesses all truth may stand if theÌ„ he wil not geue eare vnto thee Dic Ecclesiae tell it vnto the Church What shal we vnderstand by the church in that place shall we say that it is the multitude of the faithfull dispersed throughout the whole worlde My yoke is pleasaunt sayth the Lord my burden is light But howe is it light if Christ commaunde vs to doe that which is impossible to be done For howe coulde Peter speake vnto the Churche which was dispersed or to seeke out euery Christian scattered in euery Towne or Citie But the meaning of these words is farre otherwise and they must be otherwise interpreted for which cause it is necessary that we remember the double person which Peter represented as the person of the high byshop and a priuate man The sense and meaning of his words are euident and plaine inough of themselues that they neede no supplement or alteration We must first marke and see what thys worde Ecclesia signifieth the which we do find but only to be twise spoken of by Christ once in this place and againe when as he said vnto Peter Tu es Petrus super hanc Petram edificabo Ecclesiam meam That is Thou art Peter and vpon this rock wil I build my Church Wherfore the Church signifieth the connocation or congregation of the multitude Dic Ecclesiae tell it vnto the church That is to say tel it vnto the Congregation of the faithful the which forsomuch as they are not accustomed to come together but in a generall Councel this interpretation shall seeme very good Dic Ecclesiae tel it vnto the Church that is to say Dic generali Concilio tel it vnto the generall Councell In this case I would gladly heare if there be any man which doth thinke thâ—se words to be more properly expressed in any Prelate then in the councell when as they must put one man for the multitude whych if it be admitted in the scriptures we shall from hencefoorth finde no firme or stable thing therein But if any man doe maruaile at thys interpretation let him search the old wryters and he shall finde that thys is no newe or straunge interpretation but the interpretation of the holy fathers and olde Doctours whyche haue first geuen lyght vnto the Churche as Pope Gregorie witnesseth a man worthy of remembrance both for the holines of his life and his singular learning whose wordes are these wrytten in his Register vnto the bishop of Constantinople And wee sayde hee against whome so great an offence is committed through temeratious boldnesse do obserue and keepe that which the truth doth commaunde vs saying Si peccauerit in te frater that is If thy brother do offend against thee c. And afterward he addeth more if my rebukes and corrections be despysed it remaineth that I do seeke helpe of the church The which words doe manifestly declare the Church heere to be taken for the generall Councell Neither did Gregory say that he wold seeke helpe of the Church that is dispearsed abroad in euery place but of that which is gathered together that is to say the generall Councell for that whych is dispearsed abroad cannot be had except it be gathered together Also Pope Nicholas reproouing Lotharius the king for adultery sayd if thou doest not amend the same take heede that we tell it not vnto the holy Church In the which saying Pope Nicholas did not say that he wold go throughout the world to certifie euery one man by man but that hee would call the Church together that is to say the general councell and there would publish and declare the offence of Lotharius the he which had contemned the Popes commaundements shoulde feare the reuerence of the general councell I could recite an infinite nuÌ„ber of witnesses for that purpose the which all tende vnto one ende but this one testimony of the Councell of Constance shall suffice for them all wherein it is sayde that not onely the Pope in the correction of his brother is remitted vnto the Councell when as he can not correct him of hymselfe but also when as any thing is done as touchyng the correction of the Pope himselfe the matter ought to be referred to the councel Wherby it appeareth our interpretation to be most true which doth expound the Church to be in the generall Councell Hereupon the Actes of the Apostles the Congregations whych were then holden were called the Church Also in the councell of Nice and in other Councels wheÌ„ as any man shuld be excommunicated alwayes in a maner thys sentence was adioyned Hunc excommunicat Catholica Apostolica Ecclesia The Catholicke and Apostolicke Church doth excommunicate thys man And heereuppon that title is geuen
read ouer hee shall finde the Byshoppe of Rome to be comprehended amongst the other Bishops It was also prohibited by the councels of Africa that the Bishops of Rome shoulde not receiue or heare the appeales of any which did appeale froÌ„ the Councell whych altogether declare the superioritie of the CouÌ„cell And this appeareth more plainly in the Actes of the Apostles where as Peter is rebuked by the congregation of the Apostles because he went in to Cornelius a Heathen man as if it had not bene lawfull for him to attempt any great matter weout the knowledge of the congregation and yet it was said vnto him as wel as others Ite Baptizate c. Go baptise But this seemeth to make more vnto the purpose which S. Paule wryteth vnto the Galathians whereas he sayth he reststed Peter euen vnto his face because he did not walke according to the verity of the Gospell Which words if they be wel vnderstand signifie none other thing by the veritie of the Gospel then the Canon of the Councel decreed amongest the Apostles for the Disciples being gathered together had so determined it Whereupon S. Paule doth shew that Peter ought to haue obeyed the generall Councell But nowe to finish thys disputation we will here adioyne the determination of the Councell of Constance the which Councell aforesayd willing to cut off al ambiguitie and doubts and to prouide a certain order of liuing declared by a solemne decree that all men of what estate or condition so euer they were yea although that they were Popes themselues be bound vnder the obedience and ordinances of the sacred generall Councels And although there be a certaine restraint where as it is sayde in suche thinges as pertaine vnto the faith the extirpation of schisme and the reformation of the Churche as well in the heade as in the members notwithstanding thys amplificatiue clause whych is adioyned is to be noted Et in pertinentibus ad ea that is to say withall the appertenauntes The which addition is so large that it containeth all thinges in it whych may be imagined or thought For the Lord said thus vnto hys Apostles goe ye forth and teach all people He did not say in three poynts onely but teach them to obserue and keepe al thinges what soeuer I haue commaunded you And in an other place he sayeth not thys or that but whatsoeuer yee shal binde c. which altogether are alledged for the authority of the Church and generall Councels For the preserment wherof these things also come in place He that heareth you heareth me And againe It is geuen vnto you to knowe the mysteries of God Also where 2. or 3. bee gathered in my name c. Againe whatsoeuer yee shall aske c. O holy father saue them whom thou hast geuen me c. And I wil be with them euen vnto the ende of the worlde Also out of S. Paul these places are gathered We are helpers of God c. Which hath made vs apt ministers of the new Testament c. And he appoynted some Apostles and some Prophetes c. Iu all which places both Christ and the Apostles spake of the authority of many which altogether are alledged for the authority of that vniuersall Church But for somuche as that Churche being dispersed and scattered abroad can not decree or ordaine any thing therfore of necessity it is to be said that the chiefe and principall authority of the church doth consist in the generall Councels where as they assemble together And therfore it was obserued in the primatiue Church that hard and waightie matters were not intreated vpon but onely in the general councels congregations The same is also founde to be obserued afterward For when as the churches were deuided general councels were holden And in the Councel of Nice we do finde the heresie of Arrius condemned In the Councel of Constantinople the heresy of Macedonius In the Councell of Ephesus the heresye of Hestorius In the Councell of Chalcedon the heresies of Eutichius were also condemned for somuch as they thought the iudgement of the bishop of Rome not to suffice to so great waighty matter and also they thought the sentence of the Councell to be of greater force then the sentence of the Pope for somuch as he might erre as a man but the Councell wherein so many meÌ„ were gathered together being guided with the holy ghost could not erre Also it is a very excelleÌ„t saying of Martianus the Emperour which serueth for that purpose whose words are these Truely he is to be couÌ„ted a wicked and sacrilegious person which after the sentence of so many good and holy men wil sticke to withdraw any part of his opinion For it is a poynt of meere madnesse at the noone time faire day light to seeke for a fained lighte for he which hauing found the truth seketh to discusse anything further seeketh but after vanities and lies Now I thinke it is euident inough vnto all men that the bishop of Rome is vnder the Councell Notwithstanding some do yet still doubt whether he may also be deposed by the Councel or not For albeit it be proued that he is vnder the Councell yet for all that will they not graunt that hee may be also deposed by the Councell Wherefore it shall be no digressing at all from our purpose somewhat to say vpoÌ„ that matter and first of all to speake of these railers which are yet so earnest for the defence of the Byshop of Rome which being vanquished in one battaile still renew an other and coÌ„tend rather of obstinacie then of ignoraunce They would haue here recited againe that whych we haue before spoken as touching the preeminence of the Bishop of Rome or the Patriarcke And as there are many of theÌ„ more ful of words then eloquent they stay much of this poynt where as Christ sayd vnto Peter Tibi dâ—bo claues regni coelorum I wil geue thee the keies of the kingdom of heauen what soeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth shal be bounde in heauen as though by those wordes hee should be made head ouer the other And againe they do amplify it by this Pasce oues meas Feede my sheepe whyche they do not finde to be spoken to any other of the apostles And because it is sayde that Peter was the chiefe and the mouth of the Apostles therefore they iudge it well spoken that no man shall iudge the chiefe and principall sea being all of thys opinion with Boniface which sayde the the Pope ought to be iudged for no cause except he bee perceyued or knowen to swarne from the farth although he do cary innumerable people with him headlong into hel there to be perpetually tormented as though hee coulde not open the kingdome of heauen to others if any other could shut it against him neither that he could feede other if hee
we may well argue his proceedings not to be of God and that he shal be brought low c. Luke 18. ¶ The third Question MY third question I take of the 13. chap. of the booke of Reuelation Which booke as it conteineth a Propheticall history of the Church so likewise it requireth by histories to be opened In this chapter mention is made first of a certayne beast comming out of the Sea hauing vij heads x. hornes with x. diademes of blasphemy Unto the which beast the dragon the deuill gaue his strength and great power to fight agaynst the Sayntes to ouercome them to make xlij monethes of the which beast one of his heades was wounded at length to death c. After this immediatly in the same chap. mentioÌ„ foloweth of an other beast rising out of the land hauing 2. hornes like a lambe spake like a dragon did all the power of the former beast before his face and caused all dwellers of the earth to worship the beast whose head was wounded and liued Who also had power to geue spirit life to the sayd former beast to make the Image of the beast to speak to cause al men froÌ„ the highest to the lowest to take the marke of the beast in theyr handes and foreheades whosoeuer worshipped not the Image of the beast should be killed c. Upon this description of these two beastes riseth my question wherin I desire all papistes from the highest to the lowest either to answere or to consider with theÌ„selues what the spirit of the prophesy meaneth by the sayd 2. beastes Neither is the mistery of this prophesy so obscure but being historicall by histories it may be explaned easely expouÌ„ded Writing therfore to the Papistes as men expert in histories my question is this that seing the prophesy of these 2. beastes must needes prefigure some people or dominioÌ„ in the world of some high estate power they will now declare vnto vs what people or domination this should be Which if they will do playnely and truely according to the markes propertyes of the sayd ij beastes here set forth they must needes be driuen of force ineuitable to graunt and confesse the same only to agree to the City Empyre of Rome to no other Which by these reasons folowing of necessity must needes be concluded First the beast wich came out of the sea hauing the strength the seat and power of the great Dragon the Deuill called the Prince of this world committed to him who also had power geueÌ„ ouer all tribes nations languages people and countryes in the earth must needes be an Empyre or Monarchy of great force passing all other Monarchies in the world besides and this must needes argue the Empyre of Rome and none other Secondly in that the best had vij heads x. hornes with x. diademes full of blasphemy vpoÌ„ theÌ„ those vij heades being expounded in the sayd booke cap. 17. for vii hilles notoriously importeth the Citie of Rome wherein were 7. hilles conteyned The like also may be thought of the x. hornes being there expounded for x. kinges signifying belike the x. Prouincies or Kingdomes of the worlde subdued to the Romayne Empyre with x. crownes of blasphemy vppon their heades all which conueniently agree to the Cittie of Rome Thirdly where the sayd beast had power to make 42. monthes and to fight against the Saintes and to ouercome them c. therby most manifestly is declared the Empyre of Rome with the heathen persecuting Emperours whiche had power geueÌ„ the space of so many monthes that is from Tiberius to Licinius 294. yeares to persecute Christs Church as in the Table of the primitiue Church hereafter following is discoursed more at large Fourthly where the prophet speaketh of the one of the heades of the beast to be wounded to the death the wouÌ„d afterward to be cured agayne by that ye haue to vnderstand the decay and subuersion of the Citie of Rome of Italy which being one of the heades of the Romayne Monarchie was subdued by the Gottes Uandals Lombards and the Cittie of Rome thrise sackt and taken betweene the reigne of Honorius Emperour of Rome and the tyme of Iustinian Emperor of Constantinople so remayned this head of Rome wounded a long time vnder the dominion of the Lombards till at length this wound was cured agayne as the sequele of this prophesie declareth For so it followeth in the foresayd chap. of the Reuelation And after this I saw sayth he an other beast rising out of the land hauing two hornes like the lamb and spake like the Dragon Who practiâ—ed all the power of the first beast before his face and caused all the inhabitantes of the earth to worship the first beast whose head was wounded and cured agayne c. And to him it was geuen to geue life to the Image of the beast and to make it speake and also to make all them that will not worship the image of the beast to bee slayne and caused all from the most to the least both rich and poore free men and bondmen to take the marke of the beast in their right hand and in their foreheades so that none should buy and sell vnles he had the beastes marke about him c. The description of this second beast being well viewed it cannot be auoided but needes must be applyed to the byshop of Rome and to none other as by the history and order of times is euident to be proued For who els representeth the hornes of the lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world but only he who speaketh with the voyce of the Dragon so proudly as he The voice of the Dragon spake once to Christ That all the glory of the world was his to geue to whom he would that he would geue it c. And doth not thys falâ—e horned lambe speaking in the same voyce of the Dragon say by the mouth of Pope Gregory 7. that all the kingdomes of the earth were hys and that hee had power in earth to loose and take away Empyres Kingdomes Dukedomes and what els soeuer mortall menne may haue and to geue them where he would c. Ex platina in Vit. Gregorij 7. Furthermore at what time the declining state of Rome began to decay and Italy was brought vnder subiection of the Lombardes then the Pope stirred vp Pipinus and Carolâ—s Magnus to take his part agaynst the Lombardes and to restore agayne the old glory of the Monarchie to hys former state And therfore who cured the wounded head of this beast agayne but onely he who gaue life and speach to the Image of the beast but he who after that by helpe of the French kings had subdued those Lombardes with other aliens and had gotten the possession of Rome into hys own handes he so repared aduaunsed the fame and name of Rome
will not name And here now commeth in the Argument of Pighius Hosius and Eccius to be aunswered vnto who arguyng for the antiquitie and authoritie of the Church of Rome reason on this maner Da That for somuch as an ordinary a knowen Church visible must here be knowen cōtinually on earth during frō the time of the Apostles to the which church all other Churches must haue recourse xi And seeyng then there is no other Church visible orderly known to haue indured from the Apostles time but onely the Church of Rome j. They conclude therfore that the Church of Rome is that Church wherunto all other Churches must haue their recourse c. To the which Paralogisme I aūswere thus that this word Durans Ecclesia the during Church in the Minor hath fallaciā aequiuoci For although the name of the Church and outward successiō of Byshops haue had their durance frō tyme of the Apostles yet the definition and matter which maketh a true Apostolicall church in deede and vniuocè neither is now in the church of Rome nor yet the forme institution of the church now vsed in Rome was euer frō the Apostles whiche Apostles were neuer Authors or fathers of this title iurisdictiō and doctrine now taught in Rome but rather were enemies euer to the same Agayne to the Maior which standeth vpon two partes I aunswere first although the necessitie of the churche duryng from the Apostles may and must be graūted yet the same necessitie was not boūd to any certaine place or persō but onely to fayth so that wheresoeuer that is to say in whatsoeuer congregation true fayth was there was the church of Christ And because the true fayth of Christ must needes euer remaine in earth therfore the Church also must needes remaine in earth And God forbid that the said true faith of Christ should only remaine in one citie in the world and not in other as well And therfore to the secōd part of the Maior is to be sayd that as this true and sincere fayth of Christ is not so geuen to remaine fixely in one place or citie alone so neither is there any one church in the world so ordained appointed of God that al other Churches should haue their recourse vnto it for determination of their causes and cōtrouersies incident c. And thus much to the Argument of Pighius and Hosius c. Now as touchyng the authorities allegations of the auncient Doctours and holy fathers in the commēdation of the Church of Rome here commeth in also to be noted that whosoeuer will vnderstand rightly their authorities and aūswere to the same must first learne to make a difference and distinction of the sayd Church of Rome frō that it was to that it is for as much as the Church of Rome is not the same Church now which it was then but onely aequiuocè otherwise as touching the very propertie and definition of a Church it is an other Church and nothing agreing to that was then saue onely in outward name and place therefore by this distinction made I aunswere the place of Irenaeus Cyprianus and other famous Doctours commendyng the Church of Rome as Catholicke and Apostolicall and say that these Doctours speakyng of the Church of Rome which then was sayd not vntrue calling it Catholicke Apostolicall for that the same Church tooke their ordinary succession of Byshops ioyned with the ordinary doctrine and institution frō the Apostles but speakyng of the Church of Rome whiche now is we say the sayd places of the Doctours are not true neither doe appertaine to the same all which Doctours neither knew the Churche of Rome that now is neither if they had would euer haue iudged any thyng therein worthy such commendation Ouer and besides our aduersaries yet more obiect agaynst vs who heauing and shouyng for the antiquitie of the Romish Churche for lacke of other sufficient reason to proue are driuen to fall in scannyng the tymes and yeares What say they where was this Church of yours before these fiftie yeares To whom briefly to aunswere first we demaund what they meane by this which they call our Church If they meane the ordinaunce and institution of doctrine and Sacramentes now receaued of vs and differing from the Church of Rome we affirme and say that our church was when this church of theirs was not yet hatched out of the shell nor did yet euer see any light that is in the time of the Apostles in the primitiue age in the tyme of Gregorie the first the old Romane church when as yet no vniuersall pope was receiued publikely but repelled in Rome nor this fulnesse of plenary power yet knowen nor this doctrine and abuse of Sacramentes yet heard of In witnes wherof we haue the old actes and histories of aūcient tyme to geue testimony with vs wherein sufficiēt matter we haue for vs to declare the same forme vsage and institution of this our church reformed now not to be the begynnyng of any new church of our owne but to be the renewyng of the old aūcient church of Christ nor to be any sweruyng from the church of Rome but rather a reducyng to the church of Rome Whereas contrary the churche of Rome whiche now is is nothyng but a sweruyng from the churche of Rome as partly is declared and more shall appeare Christ willyng hereafter And where the sayd our aduersaries doe moreouer charge vs with the fayth of our fathers and Godfathers wherein we were baptised accusing and cōdemnyng vs for that we are now reuolted frō them their fayth wherin we were first Christened To this we aūswere that we beyng first baptised by our fathers Godfathers in water in the name of the Father of the Sonne of the holy Ghost the same fayth wherin we were Christened thē we do retaine because our Godfathers were thē selues also in the same fayth therfore they cā not say that we haue forsaken the fayth of our Godfathers c. As for other points of Ecclesiasticall vses circumstaunces cōsidered besides the principall substaunce of fayth and baptisme if they held any thyng whiche receaded from the doctrine and rule of Christ therein we now remoue our selues not because we would differ from them but because we would not with them remoue from the rule of Christes doctrine Neither doth the Sacramēt of our baptisme binde vs in all points to the opiniōs of them that baptised vs but to the fayth of him in whose name we were Baptised For as if a man were Christined of an heretique the Baptisme of him notwithstandyng were good although the Baptiser were nought so if our Godfathers or fathers which Christened vs were taught any thyng not consonant to Christiā doctrine in all pointes neither is our Baptisme worsse for that nor yet we boūd to folow thē in all thynges wherein they them selues did not
and here againe I take his regall gouernment from him charging and forbidding all christen men that haue bene sworne vnto him whom I discharge here of their oth that hereafter they obey him in nothing but to take Rodolphus to their king who is elected by many princes of the Prouince For so right it is and conuenient that as Henry for his pride stubburnes is depriued of his dignitie and possession so Rodolphus being gratefull to all men for his vertue and deuotion be exalted to the Imperiall throne domination Therfore O you blessed prince of the Apostles graunt to this and confirme with your authoritie that I haue sayd so that all meÌ„ may vnderstand if you haue power to bynd and loose in heauen you haue also power in earth to geue take away Empires kingdoms principallities and whatsoeuer here in earth belongeth to mortall men For if yov haue power to iudge in such matters as appertain to God what then should we thinke you haue of these inferior prophane things And if it be in your power to iudge the angels ruling ouer proud princes what then shall it be seen â—â—â— you to do vpon their seruants Therfore let the kings vnderstand by this example all other princes of the world what you be able to do in heauen what you are with God that thereby they may feare to contemn the commaundement of holy church And now doe you exercise this iudgement quickely vpon Henricus whereby all men may see this sonne of iniquitie to fall from hys kingdome not by any chaunce but by your prouision and onely worke Notwithstanding this I would craue of you that he being brought to repentance through your intercession yet in the day of iudgement may finde fauour and grace with the Lord. Actum Romae Nonis Martij indictione 3. Furthermore Pridebrand Driveur and not yet content with this interditeth deposeth also Guibertus Archb. of RaueÌ„na for taking the Emperors part commaunding all priestes to geue no maner obedience to him and sendeth thether to Rauenna an other Archb. with full authoritie After vpon this Henricus Rodulphus to try the matter by the sword coped together in battaile not without bloudshed where Henricus by the fauour of God against the iudgement of Hildebrand had the victory Rodulphus there greatly wounded in the conflict was had out of the army and caried to Hyperbolis where he commaunded the bishops chief doers of his conspiracy to be brought before him when they came he listed vp his right hand in which he had taken his deadly wound and sayd This is the hand which gaue the oth and sacrament vnto Henricus my Prince and which through your instigatioÌ„ so oft hath fought against him in vaine Now go and performe your first othe allegeance to your king for I must to my fathers and so dyed Thus the Pope gaue battaile but God gaue the victory Henricus after his enemy beyng thus subdued and warres being ceased in Germany forgate not the old iniuries receiued of Hildebrand by whom he was twise excommunicate expulsed from his kingdom and iii. daies making humble sute yea that in sharpe winter coulde find no fauour with him Besides that he incited moreouer aided his enemy against him wherfore calleth together a councell or assembly of diuers bishops of Italy LoÌ„bardy and Germany at Brixia an 1083. where he purged himself accused the bishop Hildebrand of diuers crimes to be an usurper periured a Necromanser Sorcerer a lower of discord complaining moreouer of wrongs iniuries done by the bishop and church of Rome in that the church of Rome preferred the bishop before him wheÌ„ that his father being emperor before him had inthronised set in diuers sundry bishops there by his assignment with out all other electioÌ„ And now this bishop contrary to his oth promise made thrust in himself without the wil and knowlege of him being their king and magistrate For in the time of his father Henricus 3. This Hildebrand wyth other bound themselues with a corporall oth that so long as the Emperour and his sonne now beyng kyng should liue they should neither themselues presume nor suffer any other to aspire to the Papal seat without the assent and approbation of the foresayd Emperours which now this Hildebrand contrary to his corporal oth had done wherfore the foresaid councel with one agrement condeÌ„ned this Gregory that he should be deposed The tenor of which condemnation is thus expressed in Abbate Vrspergensi The Sentence of the Councell of Brixia against Hildebrand BEcause it is not vnknown this bishop not to be elected of God but to haue intruded himselfe by fraud and money who hath subuerted all Ecclesiasticall order who hath disturbed the gouernment of the Christian Empery manasing death of body and soule against our catholike peaceable king who hath set vp maintayned aperiured kyng sowyng discorde where concorde was causing debate amongst friends slaÌ„ders offences amongest brethrenne diuorcementes and separation amongest the maried for he tooke away the mariage of priests as Henricus Mutius witnesseth and finally disquieting the peaceable state of all quiet lyfe therefore we here in the name authoritie of God congregate together with the Legates handes of 19. Bishops the day of Pentecost at Mentz doe proceed in Canonicall iudgement against Hildebrand a man most wicked preaching sacriledge and burning maintaining periury and murthers callyng in question the Catholike fayth of the body and bloud of the Lord a follower of diuination and dreames a manifest Necromancer a Sorcerer and infected with a Pythonicall spirite and therefore departed from the true fayth we iudge hym to be deposed expelled And vnlesse he hearyng this shall yelde and depart the seate to be perpetually condemned Inacted vij Calend. Iulij feria 5. indictione 3. This being enacted sent to Rome they elected Guibertus Archbishop of Rauena in the place of Hildebrand to gouerne the Church of Rome named Clemens 3. But when Hildebrand neither would geue ouer his hold nor geue place to Clement the Emperour gathering an army to send to Italy came to Rome to depose Gregory and to place Clement But Hildebrand sendyng to Matilda the Countesse before in eÌ„tioned required in remission of al hee sinnes to withstand Henry the Emperor and so she did Notwithstanding Henricus preuailyng came to Rome where he besieged the Citie all the Lent and after Easter got it the Romaines being compelled to open the gates vnto him so he comming to the temple of S. Peter there placeth ClemeÌ„t in his Papacy Hildebrand straight flieth into Adrians tower with his adherents where he beyng beset round about at length sendeth for Robert Guiscardus his frend a Norman in the mean time while Robertus collecteth his power the Abbot of Chiniake couferryng with Gregory exhorteth him to crowne Henricus emperor in Lateran which
newe to honour the Priestes and with great reuerence to defend them after the example of the godly prince of most happy memory 4 Constantinus which sayd when a complaint of the Clergy was brought to him You said he can be iudged by no secular iudge which are reserued to the only iudgement of God And for so much as we doe read that the holy Apostles and their successors appoynted by the testimonie of God cōmanded that no persecution nor troubles ought to be made nor to enuie those which laboure in the fielde of the Lorde and that the stewardes of the eternall King shoulde not be expelled and put out of their seates Who then doubteth but that the Priestes of Christ ought to be called the fathers and maisters of all other faithfull princes Is it not a miserable madnesse then if the sonne shoulde go about to bring the 5 father vnder obedience or the scholer his maister and by 6 wicked bondes to bring him in subiection by whome he ought to beleue that he may be bounde and loosed not only in earth but also in heauen If you be a good and a catholike king and will be such a one as we hope or that we rather desire you should be be it spoken vnder your licence you are the childe of the church and not the ruler of the Church You ought to learne of the priestes and not to teach them you ought to 7 folow the Priests in ecclesiasticall matters and not to goe before them hauing the priuiledge of your power geuen you of God to make publike lawes that by his benefites you shoulde not be vnthankfull against the dispensation of the heauenly order and that you shoulde vsurpe nothing but vse them with a wholesome disposition Wherfore in those things which contrary vnto that you haue through your malitious counsel rather then by your own mind wickedly vsurped with all humilitie satisfaction speedily geue place that the hande of the most highest be not stretched out against you as an arrowe against the marke For the most highest hath bended his bowe openly to shoote against him that will not confesse his offences Be not ashamed whatsoeuer wicked men say vnto you or that traitors do whisper in your eare to humble your selfe vnder the mightie hande of God For it is he which exalteth the humble and throweth downe the proude which also reuengeth himselfe vpon Princes he is terrible and who shall resist him You ought not to haue let slip out of your memorie in what state God did finde you howe he hath preferred honoured and exalted you blessed you with children enlarged your kingdome and established the same in despite of your enemies In so much that hetherto in a maner all men haue sayd with great admiration that this is he whome God hath chosen And howe will you reward or can you reward him for all these things which he hath done vnto you Will you at the prouocation and instaunce of those which are about you that 8 persecute the Church and the ecclesiasticall ministers and alwaies haue according to their power persecuted them rendring euil for good bringing oppressions tribulations iniuries and afflictions vpon the Church and church men do the like Are not these they of whome the Lorde speaketh he that heareth you heareth me he that despiseth you despiseth me he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eie Verely forsaking al that thou hast take vp thy crosse that thou maist folow thy God our Lorde Iesus Christ. Yet wil it scarsely be or not at all that thou shalt appeare a thankefull recompencer of the benefits receaued at his hand Search the scriptures of such as are learned and you shall vnderstande that 9 Saul albeit he was elect of the Lord pearished with his whole house because he departed from the waies of the Lord. Ozias also king of Iuda whose name is spoken of and spread ouer all through the manifould victories geuen him of God hys heart was so puffed vp to his destruction because the Lorde did helpe and strengthen him in euery place that he contemning the feare and reuerence of the Lord would vsurpe vnto himselfe that which was not his office that is to say the priesthoode to offer incense vpon the altar of the Lord for the which he was stricken with a leprosie and cast out of the house of the Lorde Manie other kings and holy men of great substaunce because they haue walked aboue their estate in the meruails of the world presuming to rebel against God in his ministeries haue perished and at the last they haue founde nothing of their substance in their power Also king Achaz because he did vsurpe the office of Priesthoode was likewise striken with a leprosie by God Oza also albeit he was not king yet for somuch as he touched the arke and held it when it would haue fallen by the vnrulines of the Oxen which thing perteined not vnto him but vnto the ministers of the Church was striken by the wrath of God fell downe by the Arke O king it is a famous prouerbe that a man forewarned by an other mans misfortune will take the better heede vnto himselfe For euery man hath his owne busines in hand when his neighbours house is on fire Dearely beloued king God woulde haue the disposing of those things which pertaine vnto the church to belong only vnto priests and not vnto the secular power Do not chalenge vnto thy selfe therefore another mans right neither striue against him by whom al things are ordained least thou seeme to striue against his benefites of whome thou hast receiued thy power For by the common 10 lawes and not by the seculare power and by the bishops and priests almighty God would haue the cleargie of the christen religion to be ordered and ruled And Christian Kings ought to submit al their doings vnto ecclesiastical rulers and not to preferre themselues for it is written that none ought to iudge the bishops but onely the Church neither doeth it pertaine vnto mans law to geue sentence vpon any such Christian princes are accustomed to be obedient vnto the statutes and ordinaunces of the church and not to prefer their owne power A prince ought to submit himselfe vnto the bishops not to iudge the bishops for there are two things wherwith the world is chiefly gouerned that is to say the sacred authoritie of bishops and royall power 11 In the which the bishops charge is so much the more waighty in that they shal at the latter iudgement render accompt euen of the kings themselues Truely you ought to vnderstande that you depend vpon their iudgement and can not reduce them vnto your owne will for many Bishops haue excommunicated both Kinges and Emperours And if you require an especiall example thereof Innocentius the Pope did excommunicate Arcadius the Emperour because he did consent that Iohn Chrisostome should be expulsed from his seate and S. Ambrose also did
and oxen and all the whole cattell of the field WheÌ„ therefore it is sayd he made all thinges subiect to him He excludeth nothing as the Apostle there sayth whereby it is apparant that as concerning his humain nature in the which he was made lesse then the Angels all things were subiect to him Also this appereth in the 2. chap. to the philippians he humbleth himselfe wherefore God exalteth him c. And it foloweth that in the name of Iesus should euery knee bow both of thinges in heauen and of things in earth and of things vnder the earth Beholde here that by nature by which he did humble himselfe he was exalted because euery knee should bow downe to him Thys in like maner hath S. Peter in the 10. chapter of the Actes where he sayth he was constituted of God the iudge ouer the quicke and the dead And he speaketh of that nature which God raysed vp the third day as the whole Scripture proueth And likewise S. Peter had this power geuen him whoÌ„ Christ constituted and made his Uicar who also condeÌ„ned by sentence iudicially Ananias and Saphira for lying and stealing Act cap. â— Paule also condemned a fornicator conuicted 1. Cor. 5. And that Christ would the correction and iudgement of â—â—he matters to appertayne to his Church a text in the â—â— of Mathew expressely declareth where it is sayd If thy brother trespasse agaynst thee goe and tell him his fault betweene him and thee if he heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother But if he heareth not theÌ„ take with thee one or two that in the mouth of two or three witnesses all thinges may be established if he heare not then tell vnto the congregation if he heare not the coÌ„gregation take him as an heathen man and a Publican Uerily I say vnto youâ— whatsoeuer you binde on earth the same shall be bounde in heauen and whatsoeuer you lose on earth the same shall be losed in heauen Beholde how expressely it is commaunded that when soeuer in any matter one offeÌ„deth the other he being first charitably admonished the matter must be published and referred to the order of the Church and congregation But if the offender do not obey and heare the admonition he is to be taken as an heathen a Publican Which is as much to say like one that is excommunicate by the Church congregation so that he may haue no communion or participation with it And that this was the intention of Christ this seemeth much to proue it where in geuing the reason hereof he immediately addeth Uerely I say vnto you Whatsoeuer c. where note this terme distributiue whatsoeuer so as the Apostle argueth to the Hebrewes the 2. chapter that if he ordained al things to be subiect vnto him he excludeth nothinge vnsubiected Wherefore thus I may argue If all things that the church and congregation doth lose be losed and euery thing that the Church bindeth is bound There is nothing that the church may not lose bynd Or by Logicke thus I may reason There is nothing bounde by the Church that is not bound in heauen whiche argument is good by a certayn rule of Logicke which sayeth that contraries if the negatioÌ„ be put after are equiualant For euery thing nothing what soeuer thing and no maner of thin be coÌ„trary one to the other And so nothing not is as much to say as all thinges Secondly I doe proue it out of an other text of S. Luke cap. 22. Which place alledged to make for his purpose I will strike him with his owne weapon For where he sayd that by the two swordes the two powers teÌ„porall spirituall were to be vnderstood it was so in deede but to whose handes would he I pray you haue these two swords coÌ„mitted Truely to the handes of Peter other the Apostles c. But the holy Father the Pope succeeded Peter and the other Apostles the Bishops disciples curates persons as in the glose appeareth Luk 10. wherby thus I argue that by the 2. swords the 2. powers are ment But Christ willed those two swordes to be put into the churches handes ergo he would likewise the two powers But you may reply and say that Christ did reprehend Peter because he strake with a temporall sword and cut of an care saying vnto him put vp thy sword c. whithe reason is of no force For Christ did not will Peter to cast away quite froÌ„ him the sword but to put it into the skabard to keepe it geuing to vnderstand therby that such power although it be in the churches hands yet the execution therof as much as appertaineth to bloud shedding in the new law he would haue to appertayne to the secular iudge notwithstanding yet perhaps according to the discretion and will of the Clergy Thirdly I proue this by the intent of S. Paule in the 1. Cor. 6. where he sayth that they which haue secular busines and conteÌ„d one agaynst another ought to be iudged by the sayntes And that they should iudge therin therfore he made this argument know you not that the saynts shall iudge the world and if the world be iudged by you are ye not good enough to iudge smal trifles As though ye wold say do ye not know how that ye shall iudge the Angels How much more then may you iudge things secular And it followeth If you haue iudgement of secular worldly matters take them which are dispised in the Church and congregations make them iudges neither doth it make any thing against because the Apostle in the same place inferreth AdverecundiaÌ„ vestram dico I say it to your shame For that is to be referred to those where he saith appoynt those which are dispised Wherfore the Apostle speaketh ironiously in this matter as meaning thus Sooner the rather you ought to runne to the iudgemeÌ„t of the dispised which be in the church theÌ„ to the iudgemeÌ„t of those which be out of the Church Ergo the rather to resort to the iudgement of the wise who remayne in the Church and congregation Wherfore the Apostle by and by added wheÌ„ he sayd I speak to your shame What not one wise maÌ„ amoÌ„gest you that can iudge betwene brother and brother Meaning thereby that there was some By these therfore and many other like reasons it appereth which for breuity I omit that both the powers may be in an ecclesiasticall mans hand And that an ecclesiasticall man is Capax both of the temporall and spirituall iurisdiction Nor is it any matter if it be obiected that Peter and other Apostles Christ himselfe vsed litle thys temporall power For in them was not the like reason as now is in vs as is proued in the 22. q. 1. ca. and in many other places of the law The Apostles at the first beginning took no receipt of landes possessions but the price onely therof which now
him maketh him a false Christ Antichrist For who may be more agens Christ than he that in his wordes maketh himselfe Christes vicar in earth And in hys werkes vndoth the ordinaunce of Christ and maketh men byleueÌ„ that it is needful to the heale of mens soules to byleuen that he is Christes vicar in earth And what euer he byndeth in earth is ybounden in heauen vnder this colour he vndoth Christes law and maketh men alwayes to kepen his law and hestes And thus men may yseene that he is agenst Christ and therefore he is Antichrist that maketh men worshupen him as a God on earth as the the proud K. Nabugodonosor did somtime that was K. of Babylon And therfore we lewed men that knowne not God but thee Iesu Christ beleuen in thee that art our God and our king and our Christ and thy lawes And forsaken Antichrist and Nabugodonosor that is false God and a false Christ and hys lawes that ben contrary to thy preaching And Lord strength thou vs agenst our enemies For they ben about to maken vs forsaken thee and thy lawe other elles to putten vs to death O Lord onlich in thee is our trust to helpe vs in this mischiefe for thy great goodnes that is withouten end Lord thou he taughtest not thy disciples to assoylen men of her sinne and setten them a penaunce for their sinne in fasting ne in prayeng ne other almous dede ne thy selfe ne thy disciples vseden no such power here on earth For Lord thou forgeue men their sinnes and bede him sinne no more And thy disciples fulleden men 〈◊〉 name in forgeuenesse of her sinnes Nor they toke no such power vpon them as our priestes dare now And Lord thou ne affoâ—tedest no man both of his sinne and of his peyne that was dew for his sinne ne thou grauntedst no man such power here on earth And Lord me thinketh that gif there were a purgatorye and any earthliche man had power to deliueren sinfull men from the peynes of Purgatory he shoulde and he were in charitie sauen euerich man that were in waye of saluation from thilke peynes sith they make them greater then anye bodeliche peynes of thys world Also gif the Bishop of Rome had such a power he himselfe should neuer comen in purgatory ne in hell And sith we see well that he ne hath no power to kepen himselfe ne other men nother out of these bodilych peynes of the world and he may goe to hell for his sinne as an other man may I ne by leue not that he hath so great power to assoylen men of their sinne as he taketh vpon hym abouen all other men And I trowe that in this he higheth hymself aboue God As touching the selling of Byshopricks personages I trow it be a poynt of falsehed For agenst Gods ordinaunce he robbeth poore men of a porcion of theyr sustenaunce and selleth it other geueth it to finde proud men in idâ—enes that done the lewd puplelitell profite but much harme as we told before Thus ben thy commaundementes of treweth of meekenes and of poore nesse vndone by him that clepeth himselfe thy vicar here vppon earth A Lord thou gaue vs a commaundement of chastice that is aforsaking of fleshlich lustes For thou broughtest vs to a liuing of soule that is ygouerned by the word For Lord thou ordeinedist woman more frele than man to ben ygouerned by mans rule his help to please thee kepe thine hests Ne thou ne ordeinedist that a man should desire the company of a woman and maken her his wife to lyuen with her in hys lustis as a swyne doth or a hors And his wife ne like him not to his lustes Lord thou ne gaue not a man leaue to departen hym from his wyfe and taken hym an other But Lord thy mariage is a common accord betwene man woman to lyuen together to theyr liues ende and in thy seruice eyther the better for others helpe and thilke that thus ben ycome together bene ioyned by thee and thilke that God ioyneth may no man depart But Lord thou sayest that gif a man see a woman to coueten her than he doth with the woman lecherye in his hart And so Lord gif a man desire his wife in couetise of such lustes and not to flye from whoredome his weddins is lechery ne thou ne ioynest them not together Thus was Raguels doughter ywedded to seuen husbandes that the deuill instrangled But Toby tooke her to lyue with her in clennes and brynging vp of her children in thy worship and on him the deuill ne had no power For the wedding was I maked in God for God and through God A Lord the people is farre ygo from this maner of wedding For now men weddeÌ„ theyr wyues for fairenes other for riches or some such other fleshlich lustes And Lord so it preueth by theÌ„ for the most part For a man shall not finde two wedded in a lande where the husband loues the wife and the wife is buxum to the man as they shoulden after thy law of maryage But other the maÌ„ loues not his wife or the wife is not buxum to her man And thus Lord is the rule of prefe that neuer fayleth no preue whether it be done by thee or no. And Lord all this mischiefe is common among thy people for that they knowe not thy worde but theyr shepheardes and hyred men sedden them with their * sweuens and leasinges And Lord where they shoulden gon before vs in the field they seggen theyr order is so holy for thy mariage And Lord he that calleth himselfe thy vicar vpon earth will not suffren priestes to taken them wiues for that is agaynst hys law But Lord he will dispensen with them to kepen horen for a certayne somme of mony And Lord all horedome is forfended in thy law And Lord thou neuer forfendest priestes their wiues ner thy Apostles neyther And well I wote in our land priestes hadden wiues vntill Anselmus dayes in the yeare of our Lord God a leueÌ„ hundred and twenty and nyne as Huntingdon writes And Lord this makes people for the most part beleuen that lechery is no sinne Therefore we lewd men prayen thee that thou wolt send vs shepheardes of thine owne that wolen feeden thy flocke in thy lesewe and gon before theÌ„selfe and so written thy law in our harts that from the least to the most all they mayen knowne thee And Lord geue our king and his Lordes hart to defenden thy true shepheardes and thy sheepe from out of the wolues mouthes and grace to know thee that art the true Christ the sonne of thy heauenly father from the Antichrist that is the sonne of pride And Lorde geue vs thy poore sheepe patience and strength to suffer for thy law the cruelnes of the mischieuous Wolues And Lord as thou hast promised shorten these dayes
written in Deuteronomium If there shall arise a Prophet amongest you or one that shall say hee hath seene a dreame and shall foretell a signe and a wonder if that shall come to passe that he hath spoken and he shall say vnto thee Let vs go and follow straunge Goddes whom thou knowest not and let vs serue them thou shalt not harken vnto the wordes of that Prophet or dreamer for the Lord your God tempteth you to make it known whether ye loue him or no with all your hart and with all your soule In Ieremy the 12. chap. Are not my wordes euen lyke fire sayth the Lord and like an hammer that breaketh the stone Therfore behold I wil come against the Prophets whiche haue dreamed a lye sayth the Lorde whiche haue shewed those things and haue seduced the people through theyr lies and their miracles when as I sent theÌ„ not neyther commanded them which haue brought no profit vnto this people sayth the Lord. In Marke the 13. chapter sayth Christ For there shall arise false Christes and false Prophetes and shall shewe great signes and wonders to deceiue if it were possible euen the very elect Paule in hys second Epistle to the Corinthians the xi chap. Suche false Apostles are deceitfull workers transforming themselues into the Apostles of Christ and no maruayle For euen Sathan transformeth himselfe into an angell of light therefore it is no great thing though his ministers transforme themselues aâ— though they were the ministers of righteousnes whose end shal be according to their works In the Apocalips the 13. chap. Iohn saw a beast ascending vp out of the earth and it had two hornes like a lamb but he spake like the Dragon and he did all that the first beast could do before him and he caused the earth and the inhabitantes therof to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed and did great wonders so that he made fire come downe from heauen on the earth in the sight of men and deceiued theÌ„ that dwell on the earth by meanes of the signes which were permitted to him to do in the sight of the beast By these thinges it is most manifest and playne that in miracles this manifold errour oftentimes happeneth thorough the working of the deuill to deceiue the people wtal Wherfore we ought not for the working of miracles to depart from the commaundements of God I woulde to God that they which put confidence in miracles would geue heed vnto the word of Christ in the 7. chap. of Math. thus speaking Many shall say vnto me in that day Lord Lord haue we not in thy name prophecied and in thy name cast out deuils and in thy name done many great workes c. I wil professe vnto them I neuer knew you depart from me all ye which worke inquitie By this saying it is most manifest that the seruauntes of Christ are not discerned by the working of miracles but by the working of vertues departing from iniquitie and obeying the coÌ„maundements of God Wherfore it is woÌ„derful that any in this life dare presume to preuent the day of the iudgement of God to iudge by meanes of miracles that some are Saints whom men ought to worship whoÌ„ peraduenture God will in the last iudgement condemne saying depart from me all ye which worke iniquitie If any man could here on earth iudge sinners to be condemned then if this iudgement were certayne Christ shoulde not iudge the 2. tyme and what soeuer such iudges bynde in earth the same ought to be bound in heauen But if such a iudgement be vncertayne then it is perillous and full of deceit when as by it men on earth may in steede of saintes worship suche as are damned with the fellowship of the deuils and in prayer require their ayde who euen like as the deuils their companions are more ready and more of might to euill then to good more to hurt then to profite I wonder they marke not what Christ sayd when his kinswoman came vnto him desiring and requiring something of him and saying Commaund that these my two sonnes may sit one vpon thy right hand and the other vpon thy left hand in thy kingdome But Iesus aunswering sayd Ye know not what ye aske can ye drinke of the cup whiche I shall drink of they sayd vnto him we cna He sayd vnto them Of my cupp in deede ye shall drinke but to sit at my right hand or at my left it is not mine to geue but vnto whom it is prepared for of my father Christ being equall vnto the father according to his God head exceeding all maner of men according to his manhode namely in goodnes and wisedome sayde to sit my right hande or at my left is not mine to geue but vnto whome it is prepared of my father If it were none of his to geue to sit at the right hand or at the left c. How then is it in the power of anye sinnefull man to geue vnto any man a seate eyther on the right hand or on the left in the kingdome of God whiche sinnefull man knoweth not whether suche haue anye seate prepared for theÌ„ of the father in his kingdome They much extoll themselues which exercise this iudicial power in geuing iudgement that there are some sayntes which ought to be honoured of men by reason of the euidency of dreames or of deceitfull miracles of which men they are ignoraunt whether God in hys iudgement will condemne them or not together with the deuils for euer to be tormented Let them beware for the vnfallible truth sayth that euery one that exalteth himselfe shall be brought low By these thinges is gathered that the warres of Christians are not lawfull for that by the doctrine and life of Christ they are prohibited by reason of the euidency of the deceitfull miracles of those whiche haue made warres amongest the Christians as well agaynst the Christians as also agaynst the infidels Because Christ could not erre in his doctrine for as much as he was God And forasmuch as heauen and earth shall passe awaye but the wordes of Christ shall not passe away He therefore whiche establisheth his lawes allowing warres and the slaughter of meÌ„ in the warre as well of Christians as of Infidels doth he not insâ—â—ie those thinges which are contrary vnto the gospell law of Christ Therefore in this he is against christ and therfore Antichrist seducing the people making men beleeue that to be lawfull meritorious 〈◊〉 them which is expressedly prohibited by Christ. ¶ And thus much concerning the first parte touching peace and warre wherin he declareth Christ and the pope to be contrary that is the one to be geuen al to peace the other all to warre and so to proue in conclusion the Pope to be Antichrist Where in the meane time thou must vnderstand gentle reader his meaning rightly not that hee so thinketh no kind
all your vicious liuing praying to him euer deuoutly of charitable counsel and contynuance Hoping without dout that if ye coÌ„tinue thus busying you faythfully to know to kepe his biddings that he wil for he onely may forgeue you al your sinnes And this man said to me Though God forgeue men their sins yet it behoueth men to be assoyled of priests to do the penance that they enioyne them And I sayde to him Sir it is all one to assoyle men oâ— their sinnes to forgeue meÌ„ their sinnes Wherefore sined it pertayneth only to God to forgeue sinne It sufficeth in this case to counsel men women for to lâ—aue their sinne and to comfort them that busy them thus to do for to hope stedfastly in the mercy of God And agayne ward Priestes ought to tel sharply to customable sinners that if they wil not make an ende of their sinne but coÌ„tinue in diuers sinâ— while that they may sinne all such deserue payne without any en And herefore Priests should ouer busye them to liue wel and holyly and to teach the people 〈◊〉 truly the worde of God shewyng to all folke in open preaching and in priuy counseling that the lord God only forgeueth sinne And therefore those priests that take vpoÌ„ theÌ„ to assoyle meÌ„ of their sinnes blaspheme God since that it perteineth onely to the Lord to assoile men of all their sinnes For no doubt a thousand yeare after yâ— Christ was man no Priest of Christ durst take vpon him to teach the people neither priuily nor apertly that they behoued nedes to come to be assayled of them as Priests now do But by authoritie of Christes word Priests bounde indurate customable synners to euerlasting paines which in no time of their lyuing would busy theÌ„ faithfully to knowe the biddinges of God nor to kepe theÌ„ And again al they that would occupy al their wits to hate to flye al occasion of sinne dreading ouer al thing to offend God and louing for to please him continually to these men women Priests shewed how the Lord assoyleth them of all their sinnes And thus Christ promised to confirme in heauen al the binding and loosing that priests by authoritie of his word binde men in sinne that are indurate therin or loose theÌ„ out of sinne here vpon earth that are verely repentaunt And this maÌ„ hearing these words said that he might well in conscience coÌ„sent to this sentence But he sayd Is it not nedefull to the lay people that can not thus do to go shrine them to priests And I said If a man feele himselfe so distroubled with any sinne yâ— he can not by his own witte auoide this synne without counsel of them that are herein wiser than he In such a case the counsell of a good Priest is full necessarye And if a good priest fayle as they do now coÌ„monly in such a case S. Augustine sayth that a man may lawfully common and take counsel of a vertuous secular maÌ„ But certain that maÌ„ or womaÌ„ is ouerladen and too beastly which cannot bring their owne sinnes into their minde busying them night and day for to hate to forsake al their sinnes doing a sigh for them after their cunning and power And sir full accordingly to this sentence vpoÌ„ MidlentoÌ„ SuÌ„day two yeare as I gesse now agone I hard a Monk of Feuersam that men called Morden preache at CauÌ„terbury at the crosse within Christ Church Abbey saying thus of coÌ„fession That as through the suggestioÌ„ of the feend without counsell of any other body of themselues many men women can imagine and find meanes ways inough to come to pride to theft to lechery and other diuers vices In contrary wise this Monke said Since the Lord God is more ready to forgiue sinne than the feend is or may be of power to moue any body to sinne than whosoeuer wil shame and sorow hartely for their sinnes knowledging them faithfully to God amending them after their power and cunning without counsell of any other body than of God and himselfe through the grace of God all such men and women may find sufficient meanes to come to Gods mercy and so to be cleane assoiled of all their sinnes This sentence I sayd sir to this man of yours and the selfe words as neere as I can gesse ¶ And the Archbishop said Holy Church approoueth not this learning ☞ And I said Sir holy Church of which Christ is head in heauen and in earth must needs approue this sentence For loe hereby all men women may if they will be sufficiently taught to know to keepe the commandements of God to hate to flie continually all occasion of sinne and to loue and to seeke vertues busily to beleue in God stably and to trust in his mercy stedfastly so to come to perfect charitie continue therin perseuerantly And more the Lord asketh not of any man here now in this life And certaine since Iesu Christ died vpon the crosse wilfully to make men free Men of the Church are to bold and to busie to make men thrall binding theÌ„ vnder the paine of endles curse as they say to do many obseruaunces and ordynaunces which neither the liuing nor teachyng of Chryst nor of his Apostles approueth And a Clerke said theÌ„ to me Thou shewest plainly here thy deceit which thou hast learned of them that trauell to sow people amoÌ„g the wheat But I couÌ„sel thee to go away cleane froÌ„ this learning submit thee lowly to my lorde and thou shall finde him yet to be gracious to ther. ¶ And as fast then an other Clerke said to me How wast thou so bold at Paules Crosse in London to stande there hard with thy upper boundeÌ„ about thine head and to reproue in his Sermon the worthy clerke Alkerton drawing away al that thou mightest yea the same day at afternoone thou meeting the worthy Doctour in Watlyng streete calledst him false flatterer and hipocrite ☞ And I said Sir I thinke certainely that there was no man nor womaÌ„ that hated verelye sinne loued vertues heauing the SermoÌ„ of the clerk at Oxford and also Alkersons Sermon but they sayd or might iustly say that Alkerton reproued that clerke vntruely and slaundered him wrongfully and vncharitably For no doubt If the liuing teaching of Christ chiefly and of his Apostles be true no body that loueth God and his law wil blame any senteÌ„ce that the clerke then preached there since by authoritie of Gods word by approued Saints Doctours by opeÌ„ reason this Clerke approued all thinges clearely that hee preached there ¶ And a Clerke of the Archbishops saide to me his Sermon was false and that he sheweth openlye since he dare not stand forth and defend his preaching that he theÌ„ preached there ☞ And I saide Sir I thinke that he purposeth to stande stedfastly thereby or els he scaundereth fouly himself
be it here to all the worlde that he neuer since varied in any poynt therefro but this is playnly his beliefe that all the sacramentes of the churche be profitable and expedient also to al them that shall be saued taking them after the intent that Christ and hys true church hath ordayned Furthermore he beleeueth that the blessed sacrament of the aulter is verily and truely Christes body in forme of bread After this the bishops and priests were in much great discredite both with the nobilitie and commons partly for that they had so cruelly handled the good Lorde Cobham partly agayn because hys opinion as they thought at that tyme was parfect concerning the sacrament The Prelates feared this to grow to further incōueniēce towards thē both wayes wherfore they drew theyr heads together at the last consented to vse an other practise somewhat cōtrary to that they had done afore They caused it by and by to be blowne abroad by theyr feed seruauntes frends and babling sir Iohns that the sayd Lord Cobham was becomen a good man and had lowly submitted himselfe in all thinges vnto holy Church vtterly 〈◊〉 his opinion concerning the sacrament And thereupon they counterfayted an abiuration in hys name that the people shoulde take no hold of that opinion by any thing they had hearde of him before and to stand so the more in awe of them Cōsidering hym so great a man and by them subdued This is the abiuration say they of sir Iohn Oldcastle knight sometime the Lord Cobham * An Abiuration counterfaited of the Byshoppes IN Deinomiue Amon. I Iohn Oldcastle denounced detected and conuinced of and vpon diuers articles sauoring both heresye and error before the reuerend father in Christ my good Lord Thomas by the permission of God Lord Archbishop of Caunterbury and my lawfull and rightfull iudge in that behalfe expresly graunt and confesse that as cōcerning the estate and power of the most holy father the Pope of Rome of his Archbishops his Bishops and hys other prelates the degrees of the church and the holy Sacramentes of the same specially of the Sacramentes of the aultar of penaunce and other obseruaunces besides of our mother holy Church as Pilgrimages and pardons I affirme I say before the sayd reuerend father Archbishop els where that I being euill seduced by diuers sedicious preachers haue grieuously erred and heretically persisted blasphemously aunswered and obstinately rebelled And therfore I am by the sayd reuerend father before the reuerend fathers in Christ also the bishops of London Winchester and Bangor lawfully condemned for an hereticke Neuertheles yet I now remembring my selfe and coueting by this meane to auoyd that temporall payn which I am worthy to suffer as an hereticke at the assigned 〈◊〉 of my most excellent Christen prince and siege Lord King Henry the 5. now by the grace of God most worthy Kyng both of England and of Fraunce Minding also to prefere the wholesome determination sentence and doctrine of the holy vniuersall Church of Rome before the vnwholesom opinions of my selfe my teachers and my followers I freely willingly deliberately and throughly cōfesse graūt and affirme that the most holy fathers in Christ S. Peter the Apostle and his successors byshops of Rome specially now at this time my most blessed Lord Pope Iohn by the permission of God the xxiii Pope of that name which now haldeth Peters seat and each of them in theyr succession hath full strength and power to be Christes Vicar in earth and the head of the church militant And that by the strēgth of his office what though he be a great sinner and afore knowne of God to be damned he hath full authority and power to rule and gouerne bynde and loose saue and destroy accurse and assoyle all other Christen men And agreeably still vnto this I confesse graunt and affirme all other Archbishops Byshops and Prelates in their prouinces Dioces and Parishes appoynted by the sayd Pope of Rome to assiste him in his doinges or busines by his Decrees Canons or vertue of his office to haue had in times past to haue now at this time and that they ought to haue in time to come authoritye and power to rule and to gouerne binde and loose accurse and assoyle the subiects or people of theyr aforesaid prouinces dioces parishes and that their said subiectes or people ought of right in all things to obey them Furthermore I confesse graunt and affirme that the sayd spirituall fathers as our most holy father the Pope Archbishops Bishops Prelates haue had haue now and ought to haue hereafter authority and power for the estate order and gouernaunce of their subiectes or people to make lawes decrees statutes and constitutions yea and to publishe commaund and compell their sayde subiectes and peoyle to the obseruation of them Moreouer I confesse graunt and affirme that all these foresayd lawes decrees statutes and constitutions made published and commaunded according to the forme of spirituall law all christen people and euery man in himself is straightly bound to obserue meekely to obey according to the diuersity of the foresayd powers As the lawes statuts canons and constitutions of our most holy father the Pope incorporated in his Decrees Decretals Clementines Codes Chartes Rescriptes Sextiles and Extrauagants ouer all the world and as the prouinciall statuts of Archbishopps in their prouinces the Sinodall actes of Bishops in their dioces and the commendable rules customes of prelates in their colledges and Curates in their parishes all Christen people are both bound to obserue also most meekly to obey Ouer besides all thys I Iohn Oldcastle vtterly forsaking and renouncing all the aforesayd errors and heresies and all other errors and heresies like vnto them lay my hand here vpon this booke or holye Euangely of God sweare that I shall neuer more from henceforth holde these aforesayd heresies nor yet any other like vnto them wittinglye Neither shall I geue counsell ayde helpe nor fauor at any time to them that shall holde teach affirme or maintayne the same as God shall helpe me and these holy Euangelies And that I shall from henceforth faythfully obey and inuiolably obserue all the holy lawes statutes Canons and constitutions of all the Popes of Rome Archbishops Bishops and Prelates as are conteyned and determined in their holy Decrees Decretalles Clementines Codes Chartes Rescriptes Sextiles Sumnies papall Extrauagantes statutes prouinciall actes synodall and other ordinary regules and customes cōstituted by them or that shall chaunce hereafter directly to be determined ormade To these and all such other will I my selfe with all power possibly apply Besides all this the penaunce whiche it shall please my sayd reuerend father the Lord Archbishop of Caunterbury hereafter to enioyne me for my sinnes I will meekely obey and faythfully fulfill Finally all my seducers and false teachers and all other besides
the Prophette Esay Thy rulers are vnfaythâ—â—ll misbeleuers fellowes and companions of theeues they all loue bribes and followe after rewardes Beholde the Prophet calieth the rulers of the Church infidels for their offences for all such as do not keep theyr fayth inuiolate vnto theyr principall Lorde are vnfaythfull seruauntes and they also are vnfathfull children wich keepe not theyr obedience feare and loue vnto God their father Item this proposition is verified by the saying of the Apostle the 1. chap. to Titus They doe confesse that they know God but by their works they do deny him And for so much as they which are sinnefull do swerue away from yâ— meritorious work of blessednes therfore they do swerue from the true fayth grounded vpon charity for so much as fayth without workes is dead To this end doth also pertaine that which the Lord speaketh Math. 23. of the faythfull and vnfaythfull seruaunt The 4. Article These wordes of Iohn in his 22. chap. Receiue the holy Ghost And whatsoeuer you sholl binde vpon earth c. And Mathew 16. and 18. chapter for lack of vnderstanding shall terrifye many Christians and they shal be wonderfully afrayd and others shal be deceiued by them presuming vpon the fulnes of theyr power and authority The answere This sentence I do approue and allow and therefore I say in the same place that it is first of all to be supposed that the saying of our Sauiour is necessary as touching the vertue of the word forasmuch as it is not possible for a Priest to binde and loose except that binding and loosing be in heauen But for the lacke of the true vnderstanding of those wordes many simple Christians shal be made arrayd thinking with themselues that whether they be iust or vniust the Priestes may at their pleasures whensoeuer they will binde them And the ignorant Priestes do also presume and do take vpon theÌ„ to haue power to binde and loose whensoeuer they wil. For many foolish and ignorant priestes do say that they haue power and authority to absolue euery man confessing himself of what sinne or offence soeuer it be not knowing that in many sinnes it is forbidden them and that it may happen that an hypocrite do confesse himselfe or such one as is not coÌ„trite for his sinne wherof proofe hath oftentimes bene founde and it is euident for so much as the letter doth kill but the spirite doth quicken The v. Article The binding and loosing of God is simply playnly the chiefe and principal The answere This is euident forsomuch as it were blasphemous presumption to affirme that a man may remit and forgeue an euill fact or offence done agaynst such a Lord the Lord himselfe not approuing or allowing the same For by the vniuersall power of the Lord it is necessary that he doe first absolue and forgeue before that his vicare doe the same neyther is there one Article of our fayth which ought to be more coÌ„mon or knowne vnto vs then that it should be impossible for any man of the militant Church to absolue or binde except in suche case as it be conformable vnto the head of the Churche Iesu Christ. Wherefore euery faythfull Christian ought to take heed of that saying if the Pope or any other pretend by any maner of signe to binde or loose that he is thereby bound or loosed for he that doth graunt or confesse that must also consequently graunt and confesse that the Pope is without sinne and so that he is a God for otherwise he must needes erre and doe contrary vnto the keyes of Christ. This saying proueth the fact of the Pope who alwayes in his absolution presupposeth contrition and coÌ„fession Yea moreouer if any letter of absolution be geuen vnto any offender which doth not declare the circumstances of the offence which ought to be declared it is sayd that thereby the letter of absolution is of no force and effect It is also hereby euident that many Priestes do not absolue those which are coÌ„fessed because that either through shamfastnes they do cloke or hide greater offences or els that they haue not due contrition or repentance for vnto true absolution there is first required contritioÌ„ Secondly a purpose intent to sinne no more Thirdly true coÌ„fessioÌ„ And fourthly stedfast hope of forgeuenes The j. appeareth by Ezech. if the wicked do repent him c. The ij in the v. 8. of Iohn do thou not sinne any more The third party by this place of Luke shew your selues vnto the Priestes And the fourth is confirmed by the saying of Christ My sonne beleue and thy sinnes are forgeuen thee I also added many other probations in my treatise out of the holy fathers Augustine Ierome and the maister of the sentences The 6. Article The Priestes do gather and heape vppe out of the Scriptures those things which serue for the belly but such as pertayne to the true imitation and folowing of Christ that they reiect and refuse as impertinent vnto saluation The aunswere This Saynt Gregory doth sufficiently proue in his 17. Homely alledging the sayinge of Christ The haruest is great the workemen are few speaking also that which we cannot say without griefe or sorrow that albeit there be a great number which willingly heare good things yet there lacketh such as should declare the same vnto them for behold the world is full of priests but notwithstanding there is a scarcitye of workemen in the haruest of the Lord. We take vpon vs willingly priesthood but we do not fulfil do the workes office of priesthood And immediately after he sayth we are fallen vnto outward affayres busines for we take vpoÌ„ vs one office for honour sake and we do exhibite geue an other to ease our selues of labour We leaue preaching and as farre as I can perceiue we are called Bishops to our paine which do retayne the name of honour but not the verity And immediatly after he sayth we take no care for our flocke we dayly call vpon for our stipend wages we couet and desire earthly thinges with a gredy mind we gape after worldly glory we leaue the cause of God vndone and make haste about our worldly affayres busines we take vpoÌ„ vs the place of sanctity and holines and we are wholy wrapped in worldly cares troubles c. This writeth saynt Gregory with many other thinges more in the same place Also in his Pastorall in his Morals in his register Also Saynt Bernard with many other places Likewise in his xxxiij Sermon vpon the Canonicalles he sayth all frendes and all enemies all kinsfolkes and aduersaryes all of one householde and no peace makers they are the Ministers of Christ and serue Antichrist they goe honourably honoured with the goodes of the Lord and yet they do honour c. The 7. Article The power of the pope which doth not folow Christ is not
thinges which he most eloquently profoundly Philosophically had spoken in the sayd audience neither can anye tongue sufficiently declare the same wheerfore I haue but onely touched here the superficiall matter of his talke partly not wholly noting the same Finaly when as by no meanes he might be perswaded to recant the premisses immediately euen in his presence the sentence iudgement of hys concondemnation was geuen against him read before him ¶ The burning of maister Hierome of Prage The which sentence so geuen before his face ended A great lōg miter of paper was brought vnto him painted about with red deuils the whiche when he beheld and saw throwing away his hood vpon the ground amongest the Prelates he tooke the miter and put it vpon his head saying Our Lorde Iesu Christ when as he shoulde suffer death for me most wretched sinner did weare a crowne of thorne vpon his head and I for his sake in stede of that crowne will willingly weare this miter and cappe Afterward he was layd hold of by the secular power After that he was ledde out of the sayde Church to the place of execution when he was going out of the Churche with a cherefull coūtenance a loud voyce lifting his eyes vp into heauen he began to sing Credo in vnum Deum as it is accustomed to be song in the church Afterward as he passed a long he did sing some Canticles of the Church The which being ended in the entring out of the gate of the city as men go vnto Gothlehem he did sing this himne faelix namque And that respond being ended after he came to the place of execution where as Maister Iohn Hus before had suffred death innocently kneeling downe before an image which was like vnto the picture of M. Iohn Hus which was there prepared to burne M. Hierom he made a certayne deuout prayer While he was thus praying the tormentors tooke him vp and lifting him vp from the ground spoyled him of all his garmentes and left him naked and afterward girded him about the loynes with a linnen cloth and bound him fast with cordes and chaynes of Iron to the sayde Image whiche was made fast vnto the earth and so standinge vpon the ground when as they beganne to lay the woode about him he songe Salue festa dies And when the himne was ended he songe agayne with a loude voyce Credo in vnum Deum vnto the end That being ended he sayde vnto the people in the Germaine toung in effect as foloweth Dearely beloued children euen as I haue now song so do I beleue and none otherwise And this Creede is my whole fayth notwithstanding nowe I dye for this cause because I would not consent and agree to the councel and with them affirme and hold that maister Iohn Hus was by thē holily and iustly condemned For I did know well enough that he was a true preacher of the Gospell of Iesu Christ. After that he was compassed in with the wood vp to the crowne of the head they cast all his garments vpō the wood also and with a firebrand they set it on fire The which being once fired he began to sing with a loud voyce In manus tuas domine commendo spiritum meum when that was ended and that he began vehemently to burne he sayd in the vulgar Bohemian tongue O Lord God father almighty haue mercy vpon me and be mercifull vnto mine offēces for thou knowest how the sincerely I haue loued thy trueth Then his voyce by the vehemency of the fire was choked stopped that it was no longer heard but he moued continually his mouth and lips as though he had still prayed or spoken within himselfe When as in a maner his whole body with his beard was burned round about and that there appeared through the great burning vpon his body certayne great bladders as big as an egge yet he continually very strongly stoutlye moued shaked his head mouth by the space almost of one quarter of an houre So burning in the fire he liued with great paine Martyrdome whiles one might easily haue gone from S. Clementes ouer the bridge vnto our Lady Church he was of suche a stout and strong nature After that he was thus deade in the fire by and by they brought his bedding his strawbed his bootes his hood all other thinges that he had in the prison and burned them all to ashes in the same fire The which ashes after that the fire was out they did diligently gather together and cary thē in a cart and cast them into the riuer of Rheine which ran hard by the City That man whiche was the true reporter hereof and which testified vnto vs the actes and doinges about the condemnation Maister Hierome and sent the same vnto vs to Prage in writinge doth thus conclude All these thinges sayth he I did beholde see and heare to be done in this forme maner And if any man do tell you the contrary do not credite him for al those things which happened vnto him when he came toward Constance and also at his first comming vnto Constance of his own free well and afterward when he was brought bounde vnto Constance as is aforesay I my selfe did see and perfectly beholde and for a perpetuall memory thereof to be had for euer I haue directed the same vnto you not lying or falsifying any poynte thereof as he which is the searcher of all mennes hartes can beare me witnesse willing rather to sustaine the note of ignoraunce rudenesse of stile to beare witnesse vnto the trueth then I would by any meanes bee compelled by tickling or flattring the cares of the hearers with fayned and cloked speach to swerue or goe aside from the truth Thus end the tragicall histories of M. Iohn Hus and M. Hierom of Prage faythfully gathered and collected by a certain Bohemian being a present witnes and beholder of the same written and compiled first in Latine so sene by the said Bohemian into his country of Boheme and agayne translated out of the Latine with like fidelitye into our English toung In the meane time while Maister Hierome was in this trouble and before the Councell the nobles and Lordes of Boheme and of Morauia but not a little agreeued thereat directed theyr letters vnto this barbarous Councell of popishe murderers in tenour and forme of wordes as followeth ¶ The letter of the 54. Nobles of Morauia written vnto the Councell of Constaunce in the defence of Mayster Iohn Hus and Hierome of Prage ☞ To the right reuerend Fathers and Lordes in Christ the Lordes Cardinals Patriarkes Primates Archbishops Bishops Ambassadours Doctors Maysters and to the whole Councell Constaunce We the Nobles Lordes Knightes and Esquyres of the famous Marquesdome of Morauia wishe the desyre of al goodnes and the obseruation of the commaundementes of our Lord Iesu
22. Item whether he beleueth that an euill Priest with due maner and forme and with the intentiō of doing doth verily consecrate doth verily absolue doth verily baptise and doth verily dispose all other sacramentes euen as the Church doth 23. Item whether he beleeue that Saint Peter was the Uicar of Christ hauing power to bynde and to lose vppon the earth 24. Item whether he beleue that the Pope being canonically elect whiche for the tyme shall be by that name expresly be the successor of Peter or not hauing supreme authoritie in the Church of God 25. Item whether he beleue that the authoritie of iurisdiction of the Pope an archbishop or a Bishop in binding loosing be more then the authorititie of a simple priest or not although he haue charge of soules 26. Item whether he beleue that the pope may vpon a iust and good cause geue indulgēces and remission of sins to all Christian men being verily contrite and confessed especially to those that go on pilgrimage to holy places and good deedes 27 Item whether he beleue that by such graunt the pilgrimes that visite those Churches and geue thē any thing may obtayne remission of sinnes or not 28. Item whether he beleue that all Bishops may graūt vnto their subiectes according as the holy Canons doe limit such indulgences or not 29. Item whether he beleue and affirme that it is lawfull for faythfull Christians to worship Images and the reliques of sayntes or not 30. Item whether he beleue that those religions whiche the Churche hath allowed were lawfully and reasonably brought in of the holy fathers or not 31. Item whether he beleueth that the pope or any other Prelate for the time being or their vicars may excommunicate their subiect Ecclesiasticall or secular for disobediēce or contumacie so that such a one is to be holden and taken for excommunicate or not 32. Item whether ye beleue that for the disobediēce and contumacie of persons excommunicate increasing the prelates or their vicares in spirituall thinges haue power to agrauate and to reagrauate to put vpon men the interdict and to call for the secular arme and that the same secular arme or power ought to be obedient to the censures by their inferiors called for 33. Item whether he beleue that the pope and other prelates or els their vicares haue power in spirituall things to excommunicate priestes and lay men that are stubberne and disobedient from theyr office benefice or entrance into the church and from the administration of the sacraments of the Church also to suspend them 34. Item whether he beleue that it is lawfull for ecclesiasticall persons without committing sinne to haue anye possessions temporall goodes and whether he beleeue that it is not lawfull for lay men to take away the same from thē by their authoritie but rather that such takers away incrochers vpō ecclesiasticall goods are to be punished as committers of sacriledge yea although such Ecclesiasticall persons liue naughtely that haue such goodes 35. Item whether any such taking away or incrochyng vpō any priest rashly or violently made although the priest be an euill liuer be sacriledge or not 36. Item whether he beleue that it is lawfull for lay mē of whether sexe soeuer that is men and women to preache the word of God or not 37. Item whether he beleue that it is lawfull to al priestes freely to preach the word of God whersoeuer whensoeuer and to whom soeuer it shal please them althogh they be not sent at all 38. Item whether he beleue that all mortall sinnes and especiall such as be manifest and publike are to be corrected and to be extirpate or not Furthermore wee will commaunde and decree that if any by secrete information by you or any other to be receiued shall be founde either enfamed or suspected of anye kind of the pestiferous sect heresie doctrine of the most pestilence men I. Wickleffe I. Hus and Hierome of Prage the archheretickes aforesaid or of fauoring receiuing or defending the foresayd damned men whilest they liued on the earth their false followers and disciples or any that beleeueth their errours or any that after their death pray for thē or any of them or that nominateth them to be amongst the number of catholick men or that defendeth them to be placed amongst the number of y◠saintes either by their preaching worshipping or otherwaies wherin they deserue to be suspected y◠then they by you or some of you may be cited personally to appeare before you or some of you wtout either Proctor or Doctor to answere for them an oth being opēly taken by them as is aforesayd to speak the plain mere veritie of the articles aboue written and euery of them or other oportune as case and circumstance shall require according to your discretion as you or anye of you shall see expediēt to proceed against them or any of them according to these presentes or otherwise canonically as you shall thinke good Also that you do publish solemnly cause to be published these present letters omitting the articles interrogatories herein contayned in the citties other places of your dioces where conueniently you may vnder our authoritie there to denounce and cause to be denounced all singular such hereticks with their abbetters fauorers of their heresies erroures of what sexe or kinde soeuer that do hold defend the sayd erroures or doe participate any maner of way with heretickes priuely or apertly of what state dignitie or condition soeuer he or they be Patriarche Archbishop king Queene Duke or of what other dignitie either Ecclesiasticall or seculare he be also with their aduocates and procurators whosoeuer whiche are beleuers followers fauourers defenders or receiuers of such heretickes or suspected to be beleuers followers fautors defenders or receiuers of them to be excommunicate euery sonday and festiuall day in the presence of the people Furthermore that you dilligently do to be inquired by the sayd our authoritie vpon all and singular such persons both men and women that mayntayne approue defend teach such erroures or that be fauourers receauers and defenders of them whether exempt or not exempt of what dignitie state preeminence degree order or condition soeuer And such as you shal finde in the sayd your inquisition either by their own confession or by any other meane to be diffamed or otherwise infected with the spot of suche heresie or errour you through the sentence of excommunication suspension interdict and priuation of their dignities personages offices or other benefices of the Church and fees which they hold of any church monastery and other Ecclesiastical places also of honours and secular dignities and degrees of sciences or other faculties as also by other paynes and censures of the Church or by wayes and meanes whatsoeuer els shall seeme to you expedient by taking and imprisoning of their bodies and other corporall punishmentes
Windeham Tho Plowman Iohn Fellis Tho. Loue of Rokeland Rich Knobbing of Beckles Rich. Grace of Beckles Iohn Eldon of Beckles William Hardy Wil. Bate Iohn Weston Katherine Hobs. Iohn Daw. Rob. Grigs of Martham Wil. Calis Priest Tho. Pert. Priest Katherine Dauy. Iacob Bodhome Margaret his wife Iohn Manning of Marton Iohn Culling of Beemster Rich Fletcher of Beckles and Matild his wife Iohn Eldon of Beckles Rob. Canel Priest Nich. Drey Wil. Hardy of Mundham Iohn Poleyne These forenamed persons and souldiors of Christ being much beatē with the cares and troubles of those dayes although they were constrayned to relent and abiure that is to protest otherwise with their tonges then theyr harts did thinke partly through correction and partly through infirmity being as yet but new trayned Souldiours in Gods field yet for theyr good will they bare vnto the trueth although with theyr tongues they durst not expresse it we haue thought good that theyr names should not be suppressed as well for other sondry causes as especially for this either to stop the mouthes of malignant aduersaryes or to aunswere to theyr ignorance Who folowing rather blinde affection thē the true knowledge of times and antiquities for lacke of knowledge blame that they know not accusing the true doctrine of the worde of God for newelty and carping the teachers therof for new broched brethrē Who if they did as well foresee times passed as they be vnwilling to follow times now present they should vnderstand as well by these storyes as other before how this doctrine of the grace of God lacking no antiquity hath from time to time continually sought to burst out and in some places hath preuayled although in most places through tyrāny and the malice of men Christes procedinges haue bene suppressed and kept vnder from rising so muche as mans power and strength ioyned with craft and subtlery coulde labor to keepe downe the same as here by these good men of Northfolke and Southfolke may well appeare For if the knowledge and the good towardnesse of those good mē had had the like liberty of time with the helpe of like authority as we haue nowe and had not ben restrayned thorough the iniquity of time and tyranny of Prelates it had well appeared how olde this doctrine woulde haue bene which now they contemne and reiect for the newnes therof neither needed Boner to haue asked of Tho. Hawkes and such other where their Church was for xl yeares ago in as much as for xl yeares ago and more within the coūtry of Norfolke and Suffolke was then soūd such plenty of the same professiō like doctrine which we now professe And thus much for the nūber of the names of thesepersōs Now touching theyr Articles whiche they did mayneteine and defend first this is to be considered as I finde it in the registers such society and agrement of doctrine to be amongst them that almost in theyr assertions and articles there was no difference The doctrine of the one was the doctrine of all the other what theyr articles were partly it is shewed in the lease before and partly here followeth to be declared more at large Although it is to be thought concerning these Articles that many of them either were falsly obiected agaynst thē or not truely reported of the notaryes according as the cōmon maner is of these aduersaryes where the matter is good there to make heresy and of a litle occasion to styre vp great matter of slaunder as they did before by the articles of Iohn Wickliffe and Iohn Hus and others mo So in like maner it semeth they did in the Articles of these mē either mistaking that which they said or misunderstanding that which they ment especially in these two articles concerning baptisme and paying of tithes For where as they speaking agaynst the ceremonicall and superfluous traditions then vsed in baptisme as salt oile spittle taper light crisomes exorcising of the water with such other accoūted them as no materiall thing in the holy institution of Baptisme the notaryes slaunderously deprauing this theyr assertion to make it more odious to the eares of the people so gaue out the article as though they should holde that the sacrament of Baptisme vsed in the church by water is but a light matter and of small effect Agayne in speaking agaynst the Christening the midwiues vse in priuate houses agaynst the opinion of suche as thinke suche children to be damned which depart before they come to theyr Baptisme they are falsely reported as though they shoulde say that Christen people be sustiently baptised in the bloud of Christ and nedeth no water and that infants be sufficiently baptised if their parents be baptised before them Whiche thing is so contrary to the manifest worde that it is not to bee thoughte anye to bee so ignoraunt of the gospell that euer would or did affirme the same Moreouer they thought or sayd peraduenture that in certayne cases tithes might be witholden from wicked priestes sometime and be conferred to better vses to the be hoofe of the poore Therfore they are falsly slaundered as saying and affirming that no tithes were to be geuē to the ministers and curates of the churches And likewise for matrimony wherin they are reported to hold and affirme as though it consisted onely in the mutuall consent betwixt the man woman neding no other solemnizing in the publicke church and all because as it is like they denyed it to be a Sacramēt Other articles were obiected agaynst them as these which hereafter folow That auricular confessiō is not to be made vnto a priest but vnto God onely because no priest hath any power to absolue a sinner from his sinne Item that no Priest hath power to make the body of Christ in the sacrament of the aultar but that after the sacramentall words there remayneth pure materiall breade as before Item that euery true christian man is a priest to God Item that no man is bound vnder paine of damnatiō vnto Lent or any other dayes prohibited by the Church of Rome Item that the Pope is Antichrist and his Prelats the Disciples of Antichrist and the Pope hath no power to binde and loose vpon earth Item that it is lawfull for euery Christian to doe any bodely worke sinne onely except vpon holy dayes Item that it is lawfull for priestes to haue wiues Item that the excommunications and ecclesiastical cēsures geuen out by the Prelates are not to be regarded Item it is not lawfull to sweare in priuate cases Item that men ought not to go on pilgrimage Item that there is no honor to be geuē to the Images of the crucifixe of our Lady or any other saynt Item that the holy water halowed in the church by the priest is not holyer or of more vertue then other running or well water because the Lord blessed all waters in theyr first creation Item that the death of Thomas Becket was
be ioyned Emperour with him with whom he reigned the space of 7. yeares till the death of the sayd Fridericke hys father who departed an 1494. after he had reigned ouer the Empire 53. yeares lacking onely but iii yeares of the reigne of Augustus Caesar vnder whome was the byrth of our Lord and Sauiour Christ. This Maximilian as he was a valiaunt Emperoure prudent and singularly learned so was hys reigne intangled in many vnquiet and difficile warres first in the lower Countryes of Flaunders and Brabant where the saide Maximilian was taken captiue but shortly after reschued deliuered agayne by hys father 1487. It was signified before how this Maximilian by the aduise of that Burgundians had to wife Mary the onely daughter of Charles Duke of Burgundy afore mentioned by whome he had 2. children Phillip and Margarete an 1477. Whiche Mary not long after about the yeare of our Lorde 1481. by a fall from her horse fell into an agew and departed Other warres many mo the same Maximilian also achieued both in France in Italy in Hungary and diuers besides So happy was that education of this Emperour in good letters so expert he was in tongues and sciences but especially such was his dexteritie and Promptnes in the latin stile that he imitating the exaÌ„ple of Iulius Caesar did write and comprehend in Latine historyes his owne actes and seates done and that in such sort that when he had geuen a certayne tast of his history to one Pircamerus a learned man asking his iudgemeÌ„t how his warlike stile of Latine did like him the sayd Pyrcamerus did affirme and reporte of him to Iohn Caron the witnes and writer of this story that he did neuer see nor read any Germane storye a thing more exactly and that in such hast done as this was of Maimilian Moreouer as he was learned himselfe so was he a singular patrone and aduauncer of learned studentes as may well appeare by the erecting and setting vp the vniuersitie of Wittenberge By this Emperour many in those dayes were excited to the embrasing as wel of other liberall artes as also namely to the searching out of old antiquities of historyes whereby diuers were then by him first occasioned in Germany to set their mindes to exercise their dilligence in collecting explicating matters pertayning to the knowledge of history as well of ancient as also of latter times as namely Cuspinianus Nauclerus Conradus Peutingerus Manlius and other Here now it began right well to appeare what great benefite was broched to the world by the Arte and facultie of Printing as is before mentioned Through the meanes of which printing the church and common wealth of christ began now to be replenished with learned men as bothe may appeare by this Emperour being so induced himselfe with such excellent knowledge of good letters and also by diuers others famous and worthy wittes whiche began now in this age exceedingly to encrease and multiplye as Baptista Mantuanus Ang. Politianus Hermolaus Barbarus Picus Mirandula and Franciscus his cousin Rodol Agricola PoÌ„tanus Philippus Bero aldus Marsilius Ficinus Volateranus Georgius Valla with infinite other Among whom is also to be numbred Weselus Groningensis otherwise named Basilius who was not longe after Ioan de Wesalia aboue recited both muche about one tyme and both great friendes together This Weselus dyed the yeare of our Lord. 1490. After that Ioannes Doctor De Wesalia aforesayd was condemned this Weselus being familiar with him thought that the Inquisitour woulde come and examine hym also as he himselfe in a certaine Epistle doth write He was so notable and worthye a man that of the people he was called Lux Mundi That is The light of the worlde Concerning his doctrine first he reprehended the opinion of the papistes as touching repentaunce which they deuided in three partes of the which three partes satisfaction and confession he did disalow Likewise Purgatorye and supererogation of workes pardons he did disproue both at Rome and at Paris He spake agaynst the popes indulgences by the occasion whereof diuers of the Popes court perswaded by him began to speake more freely agaynst the same matter then he himselfe had done The abuses of Masses and praying for the dead he disalowed and likewise the supremacy of the Pope he vtterterly reiected as appeareth in a booke of his De Sacramento poenitentiae denying vtterly that any supreme head or gouernour ought to be in the world ouer all other affirming also saying many times that the pope had no authoritie to do any thingby commaundement but by truth that is so farre as trueth goeth with hym so farre hys sentence to stand neither that he ought to preuayle by commaunding but onely by teaching so as euery true christian Bish. may preuayle ouer an other Also in some place in his writings he denyeth not but that popes and their spirituall Prelates proceeding agaynst Christes doctrine be playne Antichristes such as were infirm and not able to perform the bond of chastitie taken vpon them he sayd they might wel breake their vow Also the sayd Weselus witnesseth that the forefathers which were before Albert and Thomas did resiste and westand the popes indulgences calling them in theyr wrytinges playne Idolatry mere fraude and erroure adding moreouer that vnles the seueritie of some good Diuines had not withstand these pardons and indulgences of the Pope innumerable erroures had ouerflowne the church Amongest these workes of Weselus there is a certaine Epistle of one written to hym â—in which the authour of the Epistle confesseth that in hys time there was a certayne learned man at Paris called maister Thomas de Curselis a Deane who being in the councell of Basill whereas diuers began to aduaunce the power of the pope to farre declared and affirmed to be sayd to him of Christ Quicquid ligaueris super terram erit ligatum in coelo c. Et non quicquid dixeris esse ligatum That is What soeuer thou shalt bynde vpon earth shall be bound in heauen but not what soeuer thou sayst to be bound As who should say the pope cannot nor doth not binde therfore because he so sayth except truth and righteousnes go also with him then he doth so bynde in deed There is a certayne booke of this man amongst diuers others which he intiruleth De subditis superioribus in that which he disputeth greatly against that pope his Prelates affirming that the pope vnlesse hys faith doctrine be found ought not to be obeyed He affirmeth also that the pope may erre and when he erreth men ought by all manner of meanes to resist him Item that great superfluous riches in the clergy do not profite but hurt that church That the pope doth wickedly distribute the rentes of the Church and the Church it selfe to vnworthy Ministers by Simony for hys owne profite and gayne wherby it
of all the Churches plāted once by y◠Apostles are now degenerated into Turks onely a small hādful of Christiās reserued yet in these West partes of Europe of the which small residue what shall also become shortly except Christ himselfe do helpe Christ onely himself doth know How great this defection hath bene spokē of by S. Paule thou mayest soe gentle Reader in the table aboue described pag. 741. Notwithstanding this text of the holy Apostle as I afore said may be verified also with no lesse reason vpō the Byshop of Rome thē vpon the Turke both for that he is a man of sinne that is his seate Citie is a great mainteiner of wickednesse also for that he is an aduersary that is contrary in all his doynges and proceedyngs to Christ. Thirdly for that he sitteth in the temple of God and so did not Mahumet Fourthly because he is an exalter of himselfe sitteth more like a God then a man in Rome wherof see more in the booke set forth in English called the CONTESTATIONS of the Popes Fiftly for that he seduceth and hath seduced by his apostasie the most part of all Christendome from the doctrine and free promises of God into a wrong and straūge way of saluation which is not to be iustified freely before God onely by our fayth in Christ his welbeloued sonne vnto the whiche fayth the promise of God freely and graciously hath annexed all our saluation onely to no other thyng but hath taught vs to worke our saluation by an infinite number of other thynges In so much that he bindeth the necessitie of our saluation also to this that we must beleue if we will be saued and receaue him to be the Uicare of Christ in earth c. But to returne agayne vnto the Turkes among all the prophecies both of the old Testamēt of the new there is none that paynteth out the Antichristian kyngdome of the Turkes better then doth the reuelation of S. Iohn whose wordes let vs weigh and cōsider Who in the Apocalipse 9. where he speaketh of openyng the seuenth last seale which signifieth the last age of the world and there writyng of the vij trompets of the vij Angels at the soundyng of the vi Aungell saith Loose the iiij Aungels which are bound in the great riuer Euphrates And the foure Aungels were losed which were ready both day and houre and moneth and yeare to slay the third part of men And the number of horsemen were 20. thousand tymes ten thousand and I heard the number of them And thus I sawe in a vision horses and them that sate on them hauing fiery habbergions and of Iacinth stone and of brimstone and the heads of the horses were as the heads of Lyons and out of their mouthes went foorth fire and smoake and brimstone of these three plagues was the third part of men killed that is of the fire smoake and brimstone which proceeded out of their mouthes c. By the seauenth seale is meant the seauenth and last age of the world which last age of the world is from Christ to the iudgement and resurrection of the dead By the seauen Angels with their seauen Trumpets is signified the seauen plagues that come in this seauenth and last age of the world By the sixt trumpet of the sixt Angell is meant the sixte plague comming last and next before the plague of the great iudgement day which sixt plague is heere described to come by the East Kings that is by the Turkes as foloweth to be seene By losing the Angels which had rule of the great riuer Euphrates is signified the letting out of the East Kings that is the Turkes out of Scithia Tartaria Persia and Arabia by whome the third part of Christendome shall be destroyed as we see it this day hath come to passe It followeth in the prophesie Their power shall be in their mouthes and in their tayles For their tayles be like Serpents hauing heads and with them they hurt c. Meaning that these Turkes with the words of their mouthes shall threaten great destruction of fire and sword to them that will not yeald vnto them and in the end when the Christians shall yeald vnto them trusting to their promises they like Serpents shall deceaue thē in the end kill them as appeareth by the story of the Turkes aboue past pag. 752. 753. 757. The like prophesy also after the like words and sence is to be seene and read in the 16. chap. of the Apoc. where S. Iohn entreating of seauen cuppes filled with the wrath of the liuing God geuē to the hands of 7. Angels by one of the foure beasts that is in the time of one of the four Monarchies which was the Monarchy of Rome speaketh likewise of the sixt Angell which poured his viole of Gods wrath vpon the great riuer Euphrates the waters thereof dryed vp that the way of the kings of the East should be prepared c. By the sixt Angell with the sixte viole is meant as before the last plague saue one that shall come vpon the Christians By y◠Kings of the East are meant the Saracens and 12. Ottoman Turks By drieng vp the riuer of Euphrates is signified the way of these Turkes to be prepared by the Lords appointment to come out of the East to the West parts of the world to molest and afflict the Christians It foloweth more in the text And I saw three vnclene spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet for they are the spirits of deuils doing wonders to go vnto the Kings of the whole earth to assemble and gather them together to the battayle against the daye of the great God omnipotent c. And it foloweth shortly after And he assembled them together into a place which is called in Hebrue Armagedon that is a trap or trayne of destruction And immediatly it followeth in the same place And the seauenth Angell poured out his viole in the ayre and a mighty voice came from heauen out of the Throane saieng factum est It is done or finished c. Whereby it is to be vnderstoode that toward the last consummation of the world great force shall be seene and a mighty army of the enemies shall be collected and gathered against the people and Saints of the highest and then commeth the consummation with factum est c. Wherefore it is not for naught that the holy Spirite of God in the same place a little before the sixt Angell doe poure out his viole doth exhort all the faithfull sayeng Behold I come like a theefe in the night Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments least he walke naked and men see his fylthynes c. Nicol. de Lyra and Paulus Bishop of Burdens and Mathias Dorinke writing vpon
my Diocesse as my Canonistes do say and all men are bound to beleue 220. except they will imagine as the Manichies doe two beginninges which is false and hereticall For Moses faith In the beginning God made heauen and earth and not in the beginninges 221. Wherefore as I begon so I conclude commanding declaring and pronouncing to stand vpon necessitie of saluation for euery humaine creature to be subiect to mee ¶ The end of the first Volume of the Booke of Martyrs A liuely picture describing the weight and substaunce of Gods most blessed word agaynst the doctrines and vanities of mans traditions ¶ AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye dwelling ouer Aldersgate beneath Sainct Martins Anno. 1583. Cum gratia Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis A Table of the X. first Persecutions of the Primitiue Church vnder the Heathen Tyrannes of Rome continuing the space almost of ccc yeares after Christ from the tyme of Tiberius vnto Constantinus Emperours of Rome with the sundrye kindes of Tormentes deuised agaynst the Christians as by the places here noted and quoted in the story is to be found more at large THese persecutioÌ„s of the primatiue Churche lasted ccxciiij yeares counting from the beheading of S. Iohn Baptist which was the xxxii yeare of the raigne of Tiberius till the end of Licinius the last persecuting Emperour of Rome CoÌ„cerning the which ccxciiiij yeares S Iohn in his Reuelation doth Prophesie before in sundrye places first Cap. ji where he sayth The Gentiles shall tread downe the holy Citie xiij monethes And agayne in the xiij Chapter And power was geuen to the Beast to make xlii monethes c. Which xlii monethes being counted by Sabbates of yeares after the common vse of Scripture of Daniell that is euery moneth for vii yeares doe rise to the number aforesayd of ccxciiij yeares Wherein is to be noted the errour of theÌ„ which taking these xlii monethes simply as the letter standeth for iij. yeares and a halfe do affirme thereby that Antichrist when he shall come being borne of the tribe of Dan shall reigne but onely iij. yeares and a halfe not vnderstaÌ„ding how these xlii monethes are mistically to be reckened by Sabbates of yeares that is vij yeares to euery moneth after the vse of Scripture and so they make ccxciiij yeares During the tyme of whiche yeares Antichrist then reigned in the Primitiue Churche till the comming of Constantine the Christian Emperour The lyke vnderstanding also hath the iij. dayes a half meÌ„tioned in the Reuelation Cap. xi where is sayd That after three dayes and a halfe the two Prophetes shall reuiue agayne c. For count euery houre of the day whiche bexii by Sabbates of yeares that is for vii yeares and it commeth to ccxciiij yeares And so whether ye count by monthes or by dayes both wayes it geueth a time tymes and halfe a tyme. For as one tweluemonth whiche is one yeare maketh one tyme ii tweluemonthes whiche is ii yeare make ii times vi monethes which is halfe a yeare make halfe a tyme making altogether xlii monethes so likewise in one day ij dayes and halfe a daye may be vnderstand a tyme tymes and halfe a tyme mentioned in the Reuelation cap. xii Furthermore where in the sayde Reuelation of S. Iohn cap. xii mention is made of a M. cclx dayes it commeth likewise to the same reckening For in geuing xxx dayes to a moneth so many dayes doe amounte in all to xlii monethes Which as is sayde being reduced to Sabbates of yeares make ccxciiii yeares and so long continued these Persecutions Note moreouer that after the tyme of these Persecutions expired S. Iohn in the sayd booke of his Reuelations Cap. xx prophesieth that Sathan shoulde be tyed vp for a thousande yeares and after that let lose agayne in the worlde for a little space that is that the rage and violence of Persecution shoulde then be styrred vp agaynst Gods people as before Which loosing of Sathan falleth vpon the yeare of our Lorde 1324. At what time the kingdome of the Turkes first beganne vnder Ottomannus wasting and destroying then the Churches of Asia and afterward of Europa Read the Actes and Monumentes Pag. 735.736.738 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Auxilium Christs in concinnando hoc opere Felix ac gloriosum pro Christo mortem oppetere Papae nomen nunc probrosum Cardinalium Monachorum noÌ„narum nomina ad ignominiam nunc relicta Deploratio nostrorum morum et temporum Quanta degeneratio nostrorum nunc hominum ab exemplis superiorum Martyrum Necessaria precatio Ne sutor vltra crepidam Profite to be taken by examples of christian Martyrs Gods workes to be obserued in histories What vse commeth by reading of Histories The partiall deâ—liâ—g of storie writers Primum quodque veâ—â—â—mum est Tertul. Image of both Churches The descent of Christs Church from the Apostles time described How the truâ— Church of Christ is visible and not visible The antiquitye of the Churche here in England with the descent of the same Transubstantiation not yet receaued for a publicke doctrine The Church when it began to fall from 〈◊〉 Aeneas Silâ—uius â—ayth that Mathilâ—a made the Pope heyre of those landes which is called the Patrimonye of S. Pâ—ter Ex Auen lib. 6. Monkery when it beganne to â—â—ignem England The true Church when it began first to decay The true Church continueth in the middest of their enemies Extrauagant cap Non sine multa Ex Nicholao Emerico lib. Inquisitionum Ex Ioan. Auentins lib. 7. Extrauagant cap. Licet intâ—a doctrinâ—m Ex Bulliâ— quibâ—â—dam Othonis Epist. Herbipoâ—ensis Extrauagant Ioan. 22. Ex Ioan Frosiardo volum 1. Cap. 211. Ex Tritemio Ex Bulla Gregorij cap. 11. Ex Illirico Ex Brushio Ex Christiano Masseo Ex Ioan. Bacon Dist. 2. Quest. 1. Statut. in An. 5. Rich. 2. An. Domini 1390. Ex Statut. in An. 2. Henr. 4. cap. 15. An. Domini 1402. Ex Literis Archiepiscopi Cant. ad Martinum 5. Anno. Domini 1422. Bloudy markes of Christes passion seene on mens garmentes in Germany Anno. 1501. Seuentie yeares of captiuitie well neare expired Exhortation to the Church of England Multitude of bookes lamented Comparison betweene worldly soldiours and â—â— the soldiours of Christ. Esay 63. A comparison betweene the Martyrs of the Primitiue Church and of the latter Church Foure demaundes or questions put forth to the Papistes The 1. question Esay 11.65 Obiâ—ction Refutatâ—on Publicke execution of lawes not forbidden in Scripture The conditions and properties of the true Church of Christ. Rom. 15. Galath 6. The 2. question The deadly hatred of the Papistes agaynst the Protestantes grounded vpon no iust cause nor deseruing Malice and crueltie of Papistes against the countrey of Merindoll and Cabriers Malice of Papistes agaynst the Citizens of Tholouse in France Malice and crueltie of Papistes agaynst the Protestantes in the towne of Vassy Clemencie and mercy shewed to Papistes in the raigne of
in Egipt Petrus Byshop of Alexandria Faustus Didius Ammonius Phileas Hesichius Pachiminus Theodorus Byshops and martirs The Christian souldiours and Martyrs of Thebes The Christian souldiours and Byshops in Antino Asela Philemon Apollonius Martyrs 79. Martirs The persecution in Europe Euphemia Persecution in Fraunce Victor martyr Lucianus Martyr The persecucion in Spayne Eulalia Adula Vincentius Sabina Christina Lencadia Martyrs 18. Martyrs in Spayne Rictionaru notable 〈◊〉 The 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 made riuers Agrippina Augusta Martyrs The persecution in Brittany or England Beda de ratione temporum Dioclesianus did but dally in the beginning of the persecution Sundry sortes of tormentes deuised agaynst the Christians Euseb. lib 8. cap. 6.7.8 The woemen of Thebaide Martyrs Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 8. The persecution in Antioche Persecution in Pontus Persecution in Alexandria The contentes of the Epistle of Phileas sent to hys congregation Euseb. lib. 8. cap 10. Straunge kindes of tormentes Euseb. Lib. 8. cap. 10. Ex Sabellico Lib. 7. cap. 9. An holy martyr of Nicomedia tormented Eusebius a beholder and a witnes of their suffering The swordes blunt and the hangmen weryed with slaughter The marueilous constancie of the martyrs of God in persecution and at the tyme of death Martyrdome more desired in the olde tyme then Bishopprickes be now Christians that denyed in this persecution Miletius reuolteth from the fayth and is excommunicated Marcellinus the bishop reuolteth and coÌ„meth agayne to the 〈◊〉 and is mâ—â—â—tyred A hundreâ— martyrs 〈◊〉 one day Euseb. li◠〈◊〉 cap. 9. Seuenteen thousand Martyrs a one moâ—â—â—â— Three hundred slayne at one tyre in Alexandria Gereon Martyr Mauritius with 6666 Martyrs Victor 〈◊〉 360. martyrs slayne The history of Mauriâ—â—â—us captaine of the Theban souldiours Euery tenth man in the legion slayne The oration of the souldiours to the Emperour Mauritius and hys company Martyred The constant boldnes of Victor in refusing to eat with the cruell persecutors for the whiche he was also slayne Victor Martyr The number of the Christians increased for all this persecutioÌ„ Dioclesian and Maximinian were tyred with persecution and gaue vp their kingdome Euse. lib. 8. cap. 10. An. 309. The names of the tyrantes Dioclesian Maximinian Emperors deposed Gale Maximinus Constantius Emperours Maximinus Seuerus Constantinus Caesars Maxentius Emperour Licinius Caesar. Anno. 318. The commendation of Constantius O happy Constantius Euseb. lib. 8. Cap 13. Constantius gratious to the Christians Zozomenus lib. cap. 6. Constantius proueth who were true Christians in hys Court and who were not Ex Euseb. de vita Constan. Lib. 1. Ex Zozomeno lib. cap. 6. False Christians discerned from true Euseb. lib de vita Constan. Maximinus an enemy to the Christians The wickednes of Maximinus described A terrible plague sent by God to Maximinus Maximinus killeth hys phisitions Maximinus countermaund in the behalfe of the Christians Euseb. lib â— cap. vlt. Sabinus in the fauour of the christians publisheth the decree Euseb. lib. 9. Cap. 1. Persecution ceaseth for a time The infidels acknowledge the God of the Christians One alteration vpon an other The deuelish practise of Theotechnus The vayne practises of the HeatheÌ„ agaynst Christ and his religion A deuised accusation agaynst the Christians by harlots Maximi recountermaund graueÌ„ in brasse Euseb. Lib. 9. Cap. 3. The copy of the recountermaund made agaynst the Christians Wicked blasphemy The workes of the liuing God falsly imputed to dead stockes and Idoles Horrible blasphemy The lyke argument of wether corne plenty made the vnfaithfull Iewes and also make now our faythlesse Papistes Euseb. lib. 9. cap. 7. Persecution renued a fresh Syluanus Byshop Lucianus Elder Petrus Byshop Quirinus Byshop Marcellus Byshop Tymotheus Elder Martyrs The persecution of Maximinus the yonger Euseb. lib. 9. cap. 7. Niceph. lib. 7. cap. 44. Ex facisculo temporum Cosmas Damianus Dorothea with other martyrs 270. Martyrs Gemenianus with 79. Martyrs Seuerall kindes of tormentes Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 15. Euseb. Lib. 9. cap. 6.10 The worke of God agaynst the foresayd edict The proud and blasphemous proclamation of the Emperour proued false and contrary Ex Euseb. lib. 9. cap. 8. A terrible hunger among the heathen persecutors described Pestilence among the persecutors The charity of the Christians to the enemyes Let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works and glorifie your father which is in heauen The wisedome and pollicy of man ouerthrowne in hys owne turne Qui comprehendit sapientes in astutia The promise of Christ verified Mat. 6. the gates of hell shall not preuaile agaynst the Churche builded vpon the fayth of Christ. The death and end of Maximinian The wickednes of Maxentius described Euseb. lib. 8. Cap. 14. A shameful act of incontinency A Christian matron slayeth her selfe to auoyd the lust of Maxentius A monster in the likelihoode of an Emperour A liuely paterne of an hipocrite Euseb. Lib. 8. cap. 15. The Romaines send to Constantine for succour An. 318. Maxentius feared for hys magicke and sorcery A miracle of a crosse appearing to Constantine in heauen In hoc Vince Euse. lib. 2. Niceph. lib. 7. cap. 29. Eutropo lib. 11. Sozom. li. 1. cap. 3. Socrat. lib. 1. cap. 2. Vrspurgens Chronic. Paul Diacon lib. 11. This vision reported and testified by constantine himselfe to be true An admonition concerning the material crosse not to be woâ—shipped but to be a meanes to bring Constantine to the faith of him whiche was crucified Constantinus with hys army approcheth toward Rome Psal. 7. Maxentius taken in hys owne trap Maxentius beaten in the field Maxentius drowned by hys owne bridge Pharao a figure of Maxentius the last persecutor in Rome Pharao and Maxentius compared Exod. 15. The figure of the old testament verefied in the new The glorious and victorious host of Christ. Persecution in the West ceaseth for a M. yeares till the time of Wycklâ—ffe Euseb. Lib. 9. Cap. 9. Note well these thousand yeares and then read the xx chap. of the Apoc. Satanas was bound vp for a thousand yeares c. The copy of the imperiall constitution of Constantinus and Licinius Euseb. Lib. 10. cap. 5. The consideration of Gods work in defending hys Christians The kinges of the earth haue risen and Princes together agaynst the Lord and agaynst hys Christ. Psal. 2. No counsell standeth agaynst God The destruction of the cruell Emperours Dioclesian dyeth for sorrow The effect of the decree which Maximinus made against hys wil or suriecountermaund for feare of C. and L. in the behalfe of the Christians The surrecountermaunde of Maximi dissembled Ex Euseb. Lib. 9. ca. 9. The vnfayned repentaunce and finall decree of Maximinus for the christians A large graunt of Maximinus to the Christians Euseb. lib. 9. cap. 10. An. 319. God maketh his enemies to coÌ„fesse him The end and death of Maximinus The persecution of the church vnder Licinius An enemy to learning Euseb. Lib. 8. cap. 13. Euseb. Lib. 9. Cap. 9. Licinius an Apostata The fountayne of Apostacie