is there this one thynge whiche principally perteyneth to the shame ignominie misery and confusyon of the abominable popedoÌ„ That euen by the same Emprours Kynges by whom it was stablyshed in whome he moste trusted whome he most dignifyed magnifyed w t hys flateryng lying titles to be hys defeÌ„ders of hys faythe his first begotten sonnes most catholyke Kynges moost Christen Kynges c. By y t same Kinges shal he at last be plukt vp by the rotis that w t the most hygh ioy of al y e holy faithful saintes which for y e same fal shall brekeforth into this laude prayse before God and synge Helthe honor glory power be to the Lorde our God for true and iuste are his iudgementes done vpon the greate whore whiche hathe corrupted and polluted the earth w t her vnshaÌ„faced whoredome and hathe auenged the blode of hys seruauÌ„tes delyuered out of her handes These wordes out of Ioan be suf fycient Now let vs also hear Paul writting to the Thessalonians thus Paul we praye you brethern for y e coming of our Lord Iesu Christ and of our gathering together into hym that ye be not sone caryed awaye of your owne opinion neyther be ye troubled by spirit nor by pistle as it weÌ„t forth by vs as though y â— day of Christe were now at hand let noman de ceyue you in any wyse For the Lorde shall not come to the laste iudgement except there come before a departynge or a fallyng awaye Osi. By whiche the prouynces shall fall awaye from the Roma ne imperye and Romane kyngedom be fallen and destroyed Paul And the man of sinne and sonne of perdicioÌ„ be vttered reueled Osi. That is y e pope of Rome Paul Whiche is ayenst God is extolled lifted vp aboue y e most highe God aboue whatsoeuer is worshipped as god so that eueÌ„ in the teÌ„ple of God Osi. That is in the chirche as it is said the temple of God is holy whiche temple be you Paul he wil sitte Osian That is he will occupie y e chayer seat pulpit place or office to teache and rule al men Paul OsteÌ„ting himself and bosting him as he were God Osi. For his doctors of his canon lawe affirme the pope not to be a pure man but to be taken vp of God into the fulnes of powr Paul Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I tolde ye these things Osi. EueÌ„ the same that the Apoca. hath writen Paul And now what yet letteth ye to know it that he be not reueled tyl in his tyme For eueÌ„ now he worketh his secrete mistie mischief Osian For the bishops of Rhome with their carnal clerkis bishops cardinals for very fewe of theÌ„ were good eueÌ„ then fro the tyme of the Apostles aspired priuely vnto the dominacion and lordeship whereby by succession of tyme thei haue oppressed the hole vniuersall chirche Reade the Epistle of Zepherin and of Pontiane and suche lyke annexed to the bokis of the recognicions of Clement and thou shalt see howe erely and spedily by what craft and subtiltye thei begane to worke this their secrete mistie mysteryes But yet then dyrst they not openly brekeforth and in very dede chaleng to themselues the dominacyoÌ„ so loÌ„g as the monarchy of the Cesars floryshed at Rome Paul Onely so y t he that nowe holdeth let hym holde fast tyâ— he be takeÌ„ out of the seat Osi. The monarchie of y e Cesars and Emperours which rule ouer all sayth he let them stande holde fast theyr kyngdome tyll the Empyre be traÌ„s lated fro Rome to Constantinople or vn tyll the former dominacyon of the citye of Rome be deuolued into the Popis pri macie which was when they fayned theÌ„ selues to haue had suche a ryche gyfte of Peters patrimonie by the legacie of CoÌ„stantyne Themperour Paule And then shall that wicked Antichrist be disclosed Osi. And euen then dyd the aight heade the Pope steke forthe hys hornes put out hys head as it is to fore sayde in the Apocal. Paul Whome the Lorde shall slay with the breath of hys mouth Osi. That is with the power of hys worde which after the xxx iubilei of the church openly ayen and with a mightye spirite shalbe preached â–ª Paul And he shall destroye hym with the brightnes of hys co myng Osi. For as the gray morning cometh before the sonne euen so shal y â— sprirer preachyng of the pure Gospell come before the commyng of oure Lorde Iesu Christ the sunne of ryghtuousnes For Christ sayd This Gospell of my kyngedom that Christ is our Kynge and not y t Pope shalbe preached in the vniuersall worlde into a testimonye for al nacyons and then shal the ende come For this cleare preachynge of the Gospell shall destroye the dominacyon of the Pope as it hathe now begune So be it For hys dominacyon shal not dure vnto Christes comyng or els how shuld it be fulfilled that at Ioan sayth of the x. Kynges that they shall leaue this beast desolate naked her flesh eaten vp and at last burne here vp God so putting it into theyr her tis Pau. Whose coming is w t the worke of Satan in great power with lying signes and fayned myracles with a migh ty deceyt with wyked stronge illusyons to theÌ„ y t be forlorne Osi. This is y e most holy sanctitie of our most holy prelate y â— Pope Pau. And for y t thei haue not recei ued the loue of the trouth therby to be saued therfor shal god send theÌ„ y e operacioÌ„ of errour to beleue lyes â–ª that thei al be dampned y t haue not beleued the trowth but haue consented to wykednes These things hath Paul prophecied of the last dominacion and fall of Rome and of hir popedom Wherfore ye peple of Christ gete ye out spedily farre from hir lest ye be partakers of hir wykednes be plaged also with the beast and hir vnclene clergye as the Aungel cryeth in the Apoca vnto vs. And as for the Emprour of Rome albeit he be yet so called yet posse deth he not Rome nether dare he once loke thitherwarde without the popis con sent which is so come to passe by the extreme wykednes and execrable subtiltie of the serpent and his vicar the pope of Rome for this same cause that if any man shuld be so bolde as to once opeÌ„ his mouth to laye any of these oracles prophecies ayenst the execrable wikednes intolerable Romish dominacioÌ„ ouer our faith he shuld apere to obiecte it ayenst the Emprours maiestie because he bereth â—til the name of the dominacion of Rome and is no lorde therof But the thing it self declareth clerely the euident difference enoughe betwixt the Emperours dominacyon ouer Rome and the Popis albeit they be bothe sayd to be y e one of Rome Emperour the tother of Rome the Pope So
beastis was done when Christ went and ascended to hys Father in the cloudis from the erthe the laste shalbe done when Christe shall returne in the cloudis wyth grete maiestye into the erthe And to be short there is nothing in this place of Daniel that thou maist wreste vnto the last iugment except thou woldest obscure and depraue the hole vision Da. I went to one of the bystanders asking him the trwthe of all these thinges whiche interpreted to me these thinges saing These iiij beastis be iiij Kyng domes whiche shall ryse out of the erth Osi. That is to saye The Babylonik the persik the greke and the Romane Da. And the most hyghe faythfull of God shall receyue and obtayne their Kingdome for euer and euer Osi. That is the former Dominacyon of Rome ended not only Christe but his faythfull with hym shall reygne for the godheyt of Christe once declared by the preachyng of the Gospell and throwing downe of the olde Idolatry there began Christen magistratis to rule and thence forth all imperies were holden to obeye hym Also sith Christ wolde raygne not by violence and weapeÌ„ but by hys word and holy ghoost hym self then not spekynge presentely but only by hys holye faythfull it followeth these faythfull to raygne with Christe because they teache and interprete the word and wyl of god wherfor he sayd Who so heare you heareth me and who so despyse you despyseth me Wherfore whatsoeuer any one of the leaste of the very faythfull shall teache by Christes worde hys spirite shall commaunde or forbydde euen the same also ought not the hygh monarchies of the worlde more to contempne or transgresse then yf Christ hym selfe presently hath commaunded it them in hys owne persone And except they obeye it doutles they shall suffer therfore other her or to come Note also that Daniel cal leth the holy faythfull the most highe for so is it in the hebrwe as thoughe he wold saye I speke not of euery called ho ly one but of the very holy heuenly whiche be sanctifyed wyth the word and spyryte of Christe for there be some holy ons in a certayne externe chosen holynes because they be shauen anointed and oyled of whome we haue called manye the moost holye hyghest fathers in Christe when they be the mooste prophane accursed execrable wretches and abominacyon before God Da. After thys I wold haue lerned diligently concernynge the fowerth beaste which was so muche vulyke all the other and so hugly terryble whose tethe klawes were yerney he eatyng and crasshyng the bones and fleshe and treadyng the rest vnder hys fete And of the .x hornes whiche he had in his head and of the tother that sprange vp before whome the iij. hornes dyd fal euen of the horne that had eyes and a mouth speakyng stought arrogant wordes and was greater then the other I beheld it and lo thys horne made battayll agaynste the holye faythfull Osi. I had behelde the beaste ere he was iudged to death c. Da. And he preuayled agaynste them tyll the olde aged came and gaue the iudgemente to the hyghe sayntes and the tyme came that these holye ons obteyned the kyngedome And he sayd thus Osi. That is to saye The Aungell so sayde whiche was one of the by standers Da. The fourthe beaste shall be the fourth kyngedome vpon the earthe greater then al the other kyngdomes and shall deuoure the vniuersall earthe and trede it downe to duste Also the tenne hornes shalbe tenne Kynges Osi. After the Hebrew maner he calleth them the ten Proconsuls gouernynge the Romane citye and empyre with the moost hyghe administracyon Da. And another shall aryse after them Osi. That was the Emperoure Cesar and Monark Ye must by thys horne changed into the heade vnderstande all the Romane Emperoures reygnynge in contynuall successyon as by euerye one of the tenne hornes all the proconsuls one after another succedyng gouernyng the same prouince Da. And he shal be mightyer then the former And the .iij. Kynges Osi. They be the .iij. counsellers beryng the moâ—st hyghe imperye that is the two counsayllers of the citie and Pompeius Da. He shall brynge them ful law Osi. Thou seyst here that he shal not dissolue the dignitie and power of the x. but only the persons shall he ouercome so y t they humbled and brought vnder shal grauÌ„t hym the imperyall or as Cicero calleth it the kyngly dominioÌ„ Da. And he shall speke wordes agaynst the hyghe God breke downe the moste hyghe holymen and shall thynke to maye change tymes and lawes Osi. That is to oppresse and extirpe the christen religion For the Hebrew hath times and the maner of the re ligyon that is the name remayninge brynge the religion of Christ into a daÌ„pnable supersticiouse abuse To chaÌ„ge the tymes is of eatynge dayes to make fastynge of merye and glad dayes to make sorrouful and sadde dayes of work dayes to make ydle dayes And so to alter Goddes determined tymes as to thynke to preuent with swerde and fyre and to dispoint God of hys immutable infalli ble prouidence which al yet do Thempe rours Popes Kynges Da. And they shalbe delyuered into his hand vnto a ty me and tymes and to half a tyme. That is D. xxxij yeares after Christes ascensyon M. CC. Xl. yeares after the buyldyng of Rome which is vnto thende of the firste dominacyon of Rome For Rome stode fyest vpon Kynges senatours counsayllers and Emperours M. cc. xl yeares vntyll the yeare of Christ. ccccc li. and sence that time put to the first nouÌ„ber of D. xxxij yeres and so haue we froÌ„ Christ. c. lxxxiij but from the beginninge of y e fyrst duminacyoÌ„ we haue M. ccccccc lxxij but let vs heare theautor Osi. This must be vnderstanden after the maner of the holye scripture not that thys onelye horne hauing eyes and mouth shal dure so long But the hole dominicacyoÌ„ of the Romane citye from her fyrst buyldyng vnto thende of her former dominicacion As in the boke of the iuges the scripture sayth Cap. iij. The children of Israel did euyll in the sight of God forgote theyr God seruyng Balim and ast aroth And the Lorde bent hys anger agaynst Israell deliueryng them into the handes of Cusan Rasatham Kynge of Mesopotamye whome they serued viij yeres And they cryed to the Lorde which stered theÌ„ vp a sauioure and delyuered them and the lond had reste xl yeres For this can not be vnderstanden that after theyr delyuerauÌ„ce they had peace xl yeres coÌ„tinu ally but all this together that they synned y t they forgote God serued ydols were delyuered vp to theyr enemies cryed to y e Lord were delyuered had peace for a certain time was done in xl yeares Likewyse here of Rome it may not be vnderstandeÌ„ y t this one horne dured so long tormeÌ„ting the holy meÌ„ but this holy tyme altogether wherin the Romane impery sprang vp grewe so that it was
what it is to blas pheme the tabernacle of God them y ◠dwell in heuen it is plainly perceiued in the. ix of Daniel where it is thus prophe cied of Antioche Out of one of thē there went forth a litle horne it was magnifyed and extolled vp vnto the strengthe tower or tabernacle of heuē he threwe downe some of the starres treding them vnder his feete For trwth it is y t he vnderstode therby the temple of God and the holy men in the peple of Israel And euen so do y e pope blaspheme the church of God and his holy faithfull callinge them heretiques saing y t there is no hope of saluacion except we holde vpō the pope be vnder the court of Rome obe dient to his deuilish lawes and doctrine when it is here clerely said non to haue the trewe hope of saluacion that abide in the popes doctrine But ther be infinit lyke things which aske a nother treatise Ioan. And it was geuen him to make ba taill with the holy faithfull and to ouercome them Osi. So great is the might powr of the lyes of the iuglings of the false coulored doctrine of the false miracles and of the ipocrisye of the popedom that euen the very holy faithful mē shal seme to be ouercomen and taken for here tiques when y ◠pope so dampneth decla reth thē Which thing except we perceiue remember well we can not abhorre and fear his blasphemies But because he blasphemeth non euill men as the self thing witnesseth it but onely the good and the very trwe churche euen Gods holy faithfull we ought to ioye reioyse when we be thus blasphemed of him For it happeneth to vs in to the testinionie that we haue nothing to do with y ◠abominable beast but that we estiewe lothe and abhorre him Ioan. And there was geuen him powr ouer al the trybes and peple tongues folke Osi. This doth thaungel interprete where he saith The. x. hornes whiche thou sawest ar x. Kings which yet haue not receiued their Kingdom but with the beast shall they in one hower receiue powr as Kings These haue one counsel and shall delyuer vp their powr to the beast that is to saye As the first dominacion had x. prouinees ruled by the counsellers euen s◠shall the second dominacion when the beast is now waxen strong haue hir x. Kings as I said to fore For that as before was but one Romane imperie is now diuided into x. kingdōs of which euery one hath hir king which in Ioans time had not yet receiued kingdō For y ◠beast hirself had not then put vp hir head and hornes but they were to receyue it at howr one w t the beaste y t was at the same tyme not so y t one shuld raygne after another as dyd the vn ▪ heades in the secla re imperye but altogether and in the self tyme as we see it in very dede For these Kynges with one counsayll or sentence delyuer vp theyr power to the Pope y t is with a styl secrete cōsent in theyr course and lot they humbly acknoweledge y ◠Pope to be theyr head reuerencyng him for the vicar of Christ submittynge them selues and theyrs vnto hym And thus dyd the beaste get hym power ouer euery kynred trybe people tongue and folke as farre as was the Christendom wyde For when he wold gouerne and rule vnder the holy pretence of religiō so might not hys power extende to the infidels Ian. And all that inhabite the earth shall worshyp the beast whose names be not written in the boke of y ◠liuing lōbe whiche was slayne fro the beginnyng of the world Osi. God which is ryche in mercye for hys excedynge loue wherewith he loued vs when we were dead in synnes he reuiued vs that truely beleued in Christ and hath made vs to sitte in heauenly seatis as wryteth Paul to the Ephes◠Wherfore when the Pope blasphe meth vs he blasphemeth the dwellers in heauen But they whose names be not written in the boke of lyfe they dwell in the earthe for they sauoure but earthely thynges and therfor worshyp they the beaste Ioan. Who so haue eares let him heare who so leadeth into captiuitie him selfe goeth into captiuitie he that slayeth with swerde shall be with swerd slayne And here is the pacience and the fayth of the sayntes Osi. That is yf any man by these thynges spoken can not yet know who is this beaste let hym at least wyse yet vnderstand this one thing yfhe now haue any eares to heare That where the holy faythfull for the faythes sake and trewe doctryne of Christe be led into bōdage of mennis tradiciōs or smytē with swerde or by any other meanis slayne whiche is suffered without shame that openlye for in thys oure tyme manye haue ben slayne and manye presoned and persecuted onelye because with a good conscience they marye theyr lawfull wyues preache and professe the truthe wyll worshyppe non Idols wyl receyue bothe the partes of the souper and not the halfe there is the kyngedome of thys beaste whome God so hateth and detesteth that he wyll vtterlye remesure her with the same measure wherewith she measureth hys sayntes For at her ty me he shall saye Render to her as she hath geuen to vs geue her twyse double accordyng to her owne dedes For the cup that she hathe mengled for you fyll it to her twyse full and howe muche she hath magnifyed herself and sitten in her delicate ease and pleasures so muche rewarde hir with tormentes and waylinges Ioan. And I saw another beast ary syng and ascendynge from out of y ◠erth Osi. And this beast signifyeth as do al y ◠other a certayne kyngdome not of one man but of a certayne greate confuse filthy swarme by a certayn conspirisie and sediciouse consent swarming together on heap as though thei were one body And who be this beast Ioan himself interpreteth it cha xix callig hir y ◠false prophetis which make wondres and miracles befo re the beast Thys beast therfor signifyeth the false flocke the stinkyng donghil the coniured couent and kyngdome of al the false teachers preachers euē y ◠Popes bocherly spiritualty in the hole pope dom And thys beast is sayd to ascende clyme out of the earth to put difference fro the bealtis ascendynge out of the sea For the water is a more thick and grosser element then the ayer and therfore it bryngeth forth greater and grosser beastes And as the water signifye muche pe ple in heapes makyng rumore and tumul te and folke of grosser witte in who encreaceth the loue of voluptuousnes lust to raygne euen so to ryse fro the earthe signifyeth men of more subtyle witte for that not in the water but in the ayer they be created and therin to lyue This beaste therfore is risen vp out of men
ler ned wittye and ingeniouse but yet vngodlye Of whome at Rome and her to there is the most mighty and mischeuouse multitude Ioan. And she had two hor nes lyke a laÌ„b but sue spake as did y e dra gon Dst The lambe is Christe whiche fyghteth not with any corporal swerde but with hys spirituall hornes that is w t hys word which is diuided into two hornes that is into the word of the law which is the worde of wrathe and death and into the worde of the gospell which is the horne of helth grace and lyfe And euen so hathe thys beast or college of fal se Prophetes a double doctrine of which one they call the doctryne of faythe the tother the doctryne of good maners or morall but they bothe be contamyned corrupt with errours But yet thus reteine they the color and gliteryng shew as though they were Christen doctores teachyng Gods worde For in this pretence theyr hornes be lyke the lombes hornes But in very dede they speke as dothe the dragon The dragon or Satan Christ to witnes which stode not in the trouth but is a lyer and the father therof And wheÌ„ he speketh lyes he speketh them oute of hys owne head And euen so these false teachers stonde not in the pure doctryne of Christe but speke forth and teache vs theyr owne dreames and cogitacions out of theyr owne sence Ioan. And he dothe all the power of the former beaste in the presence of hym Osi. This beast blown together of the false teachers serueth ministreth vpholdeth and defendeth the Po pis kyngdome whyles hymself sittinge careles in all ease exempt from all charges taketh hys delicate lustes and pleasu res and as say the Italyaus triuÌ„pheth at home in all securitie Ioan. And he maketh the earth and the dwellers therin to fall downe and worshyp the fyrst chiefe or heade beast Osi. That is the beast y â— Lordely ruleth in the seat of Rome For hys Byshops Cardinals Priestes and preachers teache hym to haue that prima râ—e and to be supreme head of the church iure diuino by Godis lawe and they lye to Ioan. Whose deadly wound was healed Osi. As the heythen had once in admiracion the inuicte stabilitie of the Romane monarchye as I sayd tofore euen so had they it again wheÌ„ Rome had now fallen from Emperours and had by the popedom erected herselfe gloryouslye proudly vp agayne The supersticiouse the vngodlye whose names be not written in the boke of lyfe began to wonÌ„der and to haue in lyke admiracyon the inuicte maiestie of the Popedom and prima cie of the proude Romyshe Bishop thinkyng God therfor to haue had stablished the Romane monarchie to this ende y â— at last it shuld growe vp into the PopedoÌ„ Ioan. And he doeth great wonders and miracles so that he will make fyer fall downe from heauen into the earth in the syght of all men Osi. S. Paul in hys ij to the Thessalo Chap. ij calleth these woÌ„ ders signes miracles prodigiouse lyes for partlye be they mere mistyeing gling castis as wheÌ„ they bore thorow ymages of tree and water powrd in they can ma ke them to wepe teares falling downe with oyle make them to sweat or when they strewe kreuesses in churche pardes crepyng in the nyght with waxe candels eudes lyght and stoked vpon theyr bokes as dyd the priestes of late in dordrake to make the people beleue that the soules of the dead cruciated inpurgatory so returned to seke theyr helpe by theyr wont misses and suffragies on all soules daye And partely are they mere lyes as when they tell vs suche weping images to speake to moue themselues y â— soulis returned fro purgatory to tell vs y t they shall be delyuered by this many misses which done and the priestes paid y t kreuesses crepe there no more But those in finite mo lyinge signes wounders ste red vp so great deuocyon in the fonde ignorant people that the fyer of the holye ghooste semed by these beastes false doctryne and falser miracles written and preached with so great confidence to be slyden downe into the hertes of this maner of supersticyouse folke Ioan. And he seduceth the dwellers in the earthe wyth hys prodigyous tokens and wounders whiche were geuen hym to make in the presence of the beaste spekyng to biddynge the dwellers in the earth that thei make the image of y e beast which hath y e deadly wounde of the swerde and yet li ueth Osi. Of thys manifolde mencyon and repeticion of hys deadly wounde whiche netheles was yet healed it plainly apereth it to be also founde a lyke in bothe the dominacyons of bothe the beastes as is the mouth spekyng so stought thynges and the tenne hornes and also Gog and Magog comon to them both For they of whome Ezech. prophechied perteyn to the former dominacion but they that be mencioned of Ioan shalbe found at laste in thys later as yet many other thynges moo So that as the Monarchie of the Cesares in C. Iulio Cesar semed vtterly to be extinct by the swerd and yet was reuyued euen so the monarchye of the Pope was wounded to death by the swerde of the spiryte which is the word of God when Christe sayd to all hys Apostles and to theyr successours yea and euen to Peter that the Kynges of the heythen shal play the Lordes ouer theyr folke but so do not you And the Africane counsell decreed out of the same worde of God that no Byshop no not the Byshop of Rome ought to be called the Prince of priestes or chief head or ru ler or ouermost of the churche or the hyghest priest ouer all or the vniuersall Bishop so farre of is it that anye shulde be called Papa that is father of al fathers Pope in Englysh distin xcix Ca. prim This beast had neuer so deadly an heade wounde as the swerd of Goddes worde hath nowe geuen hym in these laste xxx yeares sence Erasmus Mar. Luth. Zwi glius DecolaÌ„padius MelanchtoÌ„ Pelli cane Bullinger Bibliander Bucer Cal uine with many gretilerned godly meÌ„ mo haue beguÌ„ to write teach preache and yet the more stroÌ„gly fiercely al his sworne sourgens and Popish Pharisees and Antichristen writers teachers as Cocleus Einser Alphons Eccius Piggiâ—s Latomus Bartholomeus Latom. Iohn fisher Bish. of Rochester Syr Tho mas More chaunceller of EnglaÌ„d StaÌ„dysh Steuen gardiner Bissop of Wynchester doctor Smith peryn with al their sworne swarme of fryers Cardinals Byshops hauyng now the Emperoure Charles v. one theyr side hyered of y e Po pe hys spiritualtie confedered with An tichrist to fyght ayenst the lorde his anointed as he haue of late beginne vnhappelye agaynst the Germanes hauynge I saye on theyr syde manye yet blynde Kynges and Prynces of the earthe the more fiercelye I saye these hys synfull supersticiouse sourgens secular and spirytual with