holye Ghost he went fearcelye vpon them with wo vpon wo callynge them all that nought was As hypocrytes dyssemblers dodypolles fooles blynde beastes bellygoddes scorners false prophetes periures vypers serpentes deuourers rauenours brybers theues tyrauntes murtherers and fyre brandes of hell Loke the .xxiij. chapter of Mathew ye shall fynde that he poured all thys vpon them and doubled yt in the captyuyte of Hierusalem whan the great vengeaunce of all innocent blood lyght greuouslye vpon them For in the syege of that cytie were slayne by vespasianus Titus to the nombre of .x. hondred thousandes of Iues. Not onlye of the inhabytauntes of that regyon there but from all quarters of the worlde aboute which at that tyme came thydre to their Eastre celebracyon Besydes there were there ledde fourth from thens captyue .xcvij. thousande of whome some were solde to the Romanes to become their contynuall seruauntes and slaues and the resydue geuen vnto the Lyons and wylde beastes that they shuld daylye deuoure them and be fed with their fleshe All thys witnesseth Egesippus Iudeus li. 5. Ca. 49. De Hierosolimorum excidio And now after hys most manyfest example Christ wylleth vs also extremelye to rebuke these cruell corrupters of the christyanyte for their most spyghtfull contempt of hys wholsom warnynges the Christen magistrates hereafter or els some other enemye of theirs folowynge with double vengeaunce vpon the heades of them Apoca. 18. Thys plage whan yt shall fall as yt ys not farre of wyll be the most ryghtouse hande of God vpon the malygnaunte generacyon Great wondre wyll yt be vnto manye I know yt wele to beholde their chefe Englyshe sayntes thus rebuked And paraueÌ„ture they wyll thynke that I myght as wele speake agaynst Peter and Iohan Paule and Iames with the other Sayntes Apostles and Martyrs of the prymatyue churche as agaynste these vngodlye hypocrytes of theirs But I tell those men afore hande that they are wretchedlye blynde for want of lyuelye knowlege in the sacred scripturs They haue no true iudgement in them to dyscerne the fallen starre from the starre so fyermelye fixed in the fyrmameÌ„t as neuer coude be yet from theÌ„s remoued Neuer shall he that declyueth to mennys inuencyons be all one with hym whyche onlye folowethe the pure woorde of God But vndoubtedly of no small tyme great honoure wyll yt now be to yow yea rather moche greatter to flee the sede of the Serpent by the worde of God as euer yt was to Saynt George that noble captayne to slee the great hydre or Dragon at Silena as Baptista Mantuanus specyfyeth I speake not thys for that I wolde ye to fall vpon that sorte with materyall weapon but with the myghtye stronge worde of the Lorde For as Esaye Daniel and Paule reporteth they shall be destroyed without haÌ„des Esa. 11. Dani. 8. et 2. Thes. 2. Onlye ys yt Gods true knowlege that nobleth yow before hym be therfor no longar neglygent An vnrecurable dyshonoure were yt vnto yow from hens fourth to be led blynde felde of these bushardes in the darke The most of yow are all redye verye plentuouslye entered that lorde be praysed thynke hym only blessed which perseuereth to the ende Hauynge the gouernaunce of Christes dere herytage drawe not your lawes out of Antichristes rules now that ye knowe Christes wholsom doctryne Neyther yet fatche the breade that ye shall feade your commons with oute of hys bawdye beggerlye bowgettes but lete them haue the pure purueaunce of God out of the vndefyled scripturs Be ones so mercyfull to that christen flocke that ye clerelye delyuer them from that vyle generacyon Lete them no longer worshyp deuyls as they haue done in these dead monkes and theues but lete theÌ„ loke frelye towardes their eternall lyuynge God both to their sowles helthe and yours Amen ¶ Thus endeth the first parte of thys worke called The Actes of Englyshe votaryes Collected by Iohan Bale Anno. 1546. ¶ The Autours names both Englyshe and other out of whom thys present Boke ys collected Abbas Vrspergensis Achilles Pyrminius Alphonsus de Castro Alphredusbeuâ—rlaceÌ„sis Amandus Zierixensis Antoninus FloreÌ„tinus Baptista Platina Baptista Mantuanus Bartholomeus Anglus Bedas Girnuinus Bernardus LutzeÌ„burg Berosus Chaldeus Biblia Sacra Blondus Flauius Caius Iulius Christianus Masseus ClemeÌ„s Alexandrinus Colfridus Abbas Conradus Gesnerus Cornelius Tacitus De utraque Potestate Diodorus Siculus Edgari Oratio Egesippus Iudeus Epiphanius Cyprius Eusebius Cesariensis Festiuale Sacerdotum Flores Historiarum Franciscus LaÌ„bertus Freculphus lexouieÌ„sis Galfredus Monemutensis GeÌ„nadius MassilieÌ„sis Georgius Ioye Gorgius Vuicelius Gildas Britannus Giraldus Cambrensis Guido de Columna Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis Guilhelmus Caxton Guilhelmus Tyndale Guilhelmus Turner Hartmannus Shedel Hector Boethius HelinaÌ„dus Monachus Henricus Huntyngtonensis HemaÌ„nus Contractus HermaÌ„nus TorreÌ„tinus Honorius Augustudunensis Iacobus Vorago Iacobus Bergomas Iacobus Zieglerus Iodocus Badius Ioannes Capgraue Ioannes Hardyng Ioannes Stella Ioannes de Molinis Ioannes Annius Ioannes Nauclerus Ioannes Lydgate Ioannes Textor Ioannes Tritemius Ioannes Pomeranus Ioannes Carion Ioannes Maior Ioannes Lelandus Isidorus hispalensis LegendariuÌ„ Ecclesie Liuthprandus TicineÌ„sis Marcus Sabellicus Marianus Scotus Martinus Carsulanus Martinus Lutherus Matheus Palmarius Merlinus Ambrosius Michael Ricius Nauclerus Ioannes Nennius Britannus Odo Cluniacensis Osbertus CaÌ„tuarieÌ„sis Osuualdus Myconius Otto Phrisingensis Paulus Orosius Paulus Aemilius Paulus Constantinus Petrus Equilinus Philippus MelaÌ„chton Plinius Secundus Polycrates Ephesius Polydorus Vergilius Pomponius Mela. Prosper Aquitannus Ptolomeus Lucensis Ranulphus Cestrensis Raphael Volateranus Robertus Fabyane Robertus Barnes Sigebertus GeÌ„blaceÌ„sis Strabo Cretensis Thomas Braduuardin Thomas Vualden Thomas Scrop VinceÌ„cius BeluaceÌ„sis Vtraque potestas VVernerus Cartusiensis VVilibaldus Anglus Finis The holye Gost shall rebuke the worlde of synne and of ryghtousnesse and of iudgement Ioan. 16. Into the newe Hierusalem shall entre no vncleane thynge neyther that which worketh abhomynacyon nor yet what maketh lyes But they only which are written in the lambes boke of lyfe Apoca. 21. The man of synne shall be opened before the Lordes commynge euen the sonne of perdycyon whiche is an aduersarye and ys exalted aboue all that ys called God whom he shall consume with the sprete of hys mouthe 2. Thes. 2. ⧠Printed at Wesel In the Yeare Of our Lorde God 1. 5. 4. 6. Olde goddes c. newe Dyffa â–ª macyoÌ„s of Marryage blasphemye The deuyls Sayntes vnmaryed Votaryes ChristeÌ„ doctors The antour Chronycles prestes Maryage Vyrgynyte Faythe 2. Cor. â—â— Mat. 7. Myracles Autours Byshoppes Gospel Errour Face of Antichrist Marryage maketh laye Nobylyte Kynge Henry Christ. Matrymonye the first relygyoÌ„ Vnmaryed prestes Gods aduersaryes Cain NoÌ„nes and MoÌ„kes Sodomytes Prestes wyues Prestes wyues Haters of the Pope â—arnes The autour EnglaÌ„de Afore Noe. The flood Iapheth Phaleg Samothes gygas Albion gigas Neptunus Samothytes vestals chastyte TyraÌ„ny now brutus syluius Druydes Athens whores one god beastes worshypped
that shuld after happeÌ„ and graunted therunto hys eternall blessynge Increase sayth he multyplye and fyll the earthe Gene. 1. And thys repeted he thryse after that â–ª Gene. 8. ct 9. to the intent yt myght be groundedlye marked and wele knowne of men to be hys most ernest ordynaunce Thys was the first ordre of RelygyoÌ„ that euer was made and of must holynesse yf we dewlye respect the maker therof with the other cyrcumstaunces besydes preferrynge hys wysdome to maÌ„nys wysdome And for that yt shuld not be reckened a thynge vnaduysedlye done of hym he loked thervpon agayne amonge all hys other workes and coude beholde no imperfeccyon therin but perceyued that yt was of excedynge goodnesse Yet hath there sens rysen a sort whiche haue agaynst Gods heauenlye wysdome set their fleshlye folyshnesse whiche are non other to be reckeued than the verye sede and of sprynge of the serpeÌ„t Thoughe these haue knowne that there is a God yet haue they not gloryfyed hym in faythe and mekenesse but haue become most vayue in their ymagynacyons Where as he hath declared marryage excedynglye good they haue condempned it as a thynge execrable and wicked And where as he hath spoken yt by hys owne mouthe that yt is not good for maÌ„ to be alone they haue improued that doctryne and taught the coÌ„trarye as a thynge more perfyght and Godlye ¶ Marryage contempned of Sathan THus Sathan erected hymself agaynst God in that wycked generacyon whiche beganne first in Cain and hath euer sens contynued in that posteryte For thys presumpcyon God gaue them clerelye ouer and left them to themselues with all their good intentes and vowes wherupon they haue wrought sens that tyme fylthynesse vnspekeable Their chast women vestals Monyals Nonnes and Begynes changynge the naturall vse haue wrougth vnnaturallye Lyke wyse the men in their Prelacyes presthodes and innumerable kyndes of Monkerye for want of women hath brent in their lustes and done abhomynacyons without nombre so receyuynge in themselues the iust rewarde of their errour Of these most hellyshe dyabolyck trutes holy Saynt Paule admonyshed the Romanes in the firste chaptre of hys Epystle vnto them knowynge afore hande that out of their corrupted christy anyte shulde ryse soche a fylthye flocke as shuld worke them euerye where But neyther of Paule nor yet of Peter haue the fore warnynges away led but those brockysh boores haue gone frely forewarde without checke tyll now of late dayes where in God hath geuen vs as more pure syght to beholde their buskelynges ¶ Marryage of Prestes in both lawes TO make manyfest vnto theÌ„ what wyues the lorde appoynted by hys seruaunt Moses vnto the leuytycall prestes in the sacred posteryte of Aaron Leuit. zi et Ezech. 44. yt were but labour lost Eyther to put them in remembraunce that Christ was borne in marryage though hys mother were alwayes a mayde aÌ„d that he left vnto hys Apostles marryage in lyberte euermore yt were in veyne also For all thys hath God shewed vnto them playnelye by hys true prophetes in thys lattre age declarynge the fynall destruecyoÌ„ of that wretched kyngedome As by Martyn Luther Iohan Pomerane Frances lambert Oswaldus Myconius Philpp MelanchtoÌ„ soche other as ys sayd afore but all haue they taken for fables That lorde sent them one vnto their owne doores which effectuallye ded hys massage euen Robert Barnes by name of whose grounded argumentes they haue not yet dyscharged the leaste besydes that they haue had from hym by good Wyllyam Turner and George Ioye And all thys haue they dysdaynouslye laughed to scorne Consyderynge therfore that no geÌ„tyll speche wyll amende them nor yet sharpe threttenynges call them to repentaunce he wyll now cast their owne vyle donge in their faces that yt shall cleaue fast vpon them Mala. 2. He wyll throwe in their tethe by thys boke and soch other the styukynge examples of their hypocrytysh lyues with their calkynges and cloynynges to patche vp that dauberye of the deuyll their vowed wyuelesse and husbandelesse chastyte ¶ Englande inhabyted afore Noe and after ANd for as moche as the tyttle of thys present treatyse only respecteth Englande onlye shall yt treate the vnchast examples of the spirytualte therof with serten examples of Romysh Popes whiche than wrought their iuggelynge mastryes there To fetche the matter from the first foundacyon so to stretche yt forewarde I am fullye assertayned by auncyeÌ„t writynges that thys lande was with people replenyshed longe afore Noes dayes Yea soche tyme as men were multyplyed vpon the vnyuersall earthe Gene. 6. As they than had left God appoynted RelygyoÌ„ and had taken wayes vnto them after their owne good intentes soche vnspekable fylthynesse folowed as brought vpon them the great dyluâ—ye or vnyuersall flod which left non alyue but drowned them vp as yt ded all other quarters Thys wytnesseth both Moses and Berosus the most auncyeÌ„t writers we reade of After the seyd flood was yt agayne inhabyted by the of sprynge of Iapheth the third sonne of Nor. For of theÌ„ sayth Moses were the Iles of the Gentyles sorted oute into regyons euerye one after knowne dyuerse from other by their languages kynde redes nacyons Gene. 10. And in the dayes of Phaleg the sonne of Heber was that dyuysyon of Prouynces lyke as foloweth in the same chapter Samothes the Brother of Gomer whoÌ„ the Byble calleth Mesech restored than agayne thys lande in hys posteryte the prestes therof called Samothei for so moch as he was the first that fournyshed yt with lawes as witnesseth Ioannes Annius in commentarijs Berosi ¶ Albion with hys Samothytes AFter thys grewe yt into a name was called Albion Not ab albis rupibus as fryre Bartylmew hath fantasyed in hys worke De proprietatibus reruÌ„ Nor yet ab Albiana the kynges dougter of Syria as Marianus the monke hath dreamed yt For of latyne wordes coude yt haue no name before the latyne yt selfe was in vse And the other without grounded autoryte apereth a playne fable as witnesseth both Volateranus and Badius But rather yt shuld seme to be called Albion ab Albione Gygante the sonne of Neptunus whiche was afterwarde slayne of Hercules for stoppynge hys passage at the enteraunce of Rhodanus as testyfyeth Diodorus Siculus and also Pomponius Mcla. Not onlye bycause the seyd Albion was a gyaunt lyke as the afore seyd Samothes was afore hym but also for that hys father Neptunus was than take for the lorde of great God of the see wherin yt is enclosed What the chastyte was of the Samothytes or prestes for that age the Poetes dothe declare at large Venus was than their great Goddesse and ruled all in that spirytuall famelye as she hath done euer sens ¶ The Samothytes and their chastyte THey had in their temples vestals whom now we call NoÌ„nes who se offyce was to maynteyne
tolde a serten abbot the same tyme that goynge homewarde he shuld fynde in a wydowes howse .ij. of hys holye monkes whych had lyen with her the nyght afore for easement of their chastyte Saynt Bartellyne hermyte of Stalforde stale out of Irelande the kynges doughter there And as she was afterwarde trauelynge of chylde in a forest whyls he was sekynge the mydwyfe a wolfe came and deuoured both her and her chylde These storyes hath at large Iohan Capgraue in Catalogo sanctorum Anglie Guilhelmus Malmesburye et Ranulphus ¶ Englysh monkes become Antichristes Apostles IN those dayes the moÌ„kes of Englande were becomen so myghtye in superstycyouse lernynge that they were able to peruert all other christen regyons as they ded than in dede Some of them went into Germanye some into Fraunce some into Italye and Spayne and became the Popes instrumentes of all falshed falshyonynge hym vp there a newe kyngedome of all deuylyshnesse to withstande the manyfest glorye of God and subduynge therunto all pryncelye Powers Yow that are exercysed in Chronycles and Sayntes Lyues marke for that age what ys written of Columbanus Colomannus Totimannus Vuenefridus Vuilibrordus Vuilibaldus Vuenebaldus Burghardus kilianus Vuigbertus Egbertus Heuualdus the whyght and the blacke Etto Bertuuinus Eloquius Lullius Lebuinus Liuinus IoaÌ„nes Embertus Gallus Gaudus Gaâ—abaldus Gregorius Megingolus Sturmio and a great sort more with their women and ye shall se in them practyses wonderfull I wyll geue ye out one here breuelye for an example for to moche yt were to write of them all Wenefridus was admytted of Pope Gregorye the seconde for the Archebyshop of Magunce great Apostle of all Germanye and for hys bolde countenaunce was of hym named Bonifacius In London was he first borne and professed a blacke Monke at Cissancestre now called Chichestre vndre abbot wolfharde After the great Synode holden at London by the afore named Brithwalde about the yeare of our Lorde DCC and .x. where as prestes Marryage was iudged fornycacyon and the honourynge of Images accepted for a christen relygyon Daniel than Byshopp of Wynchestre sent thys wenefride to Rome with hys letters of commendacyon for hys manfulnesse there shewed Iohannes Capgraue et Georgius Vuicelius in Hagiologo de sanctis ecclesie ¶ The great Apostle of all Germanye THe Pope after certen conmunycacyons perceyuynge hym in all poyntes fytt for hys purpose sent hym anon into Germanye with hys fulle autoryte as afore ys specyfyed to do hys false feates there and to brynge that styffe necked people vndre hys wycked obedyence whom they call the holye Christen beleue I thynke sens Christes incarnacyon was there neuer non that more lyuelye wrought the Propertees of the other Beaste in Saynt Iohans Apocalyps whyche ryse out of the earthe hauynge .ij. hornes lyke the lambe yf ye marke yf wele Apocal. in the .13 chapter For he was next in autoryte to the Pope by the Popes owne witnesse soche tyme as he came with the hyghe legacye from hys owne ryght syde into all the quarters and Prouynces of the seyd Germanye hym concernynge vowed chastyte rellyques Images the Popes prymacye Kynges deposycyons othes breakynge and soche lyke errours Loke the workes of Nauclerus Vuicelius Bernardus Lutzenburg and Alphonsus de castro ¶ Doctryne of Bonyface with sale of whores MOst dampnable was the doctryne of thys Bonyface concernynge the Pope In a serteÌ„ Epystle of hys we fynde thys most execrable sentence That in case the seyd Pope were of most fylthye lynynge and so forgetfull of hym self and of the whole christente that he ledde with hym to hell innumerable sowles yet ought no man to rebuke hys yll doynge For he he sayth hath power to iudge all men and ought of no man to be iudged agayne Thys haue the Canonystes regestred in the popes decrees for a perpetuall lawe and for a necessarye artycle of Christen beleue Dist. xl Ca. Si Papa Yet wrote he at another tyme to Pope Zacharye to se the manyfest abusyons of Rome reformed specyallye their maskynges in the nyght after the paganes maner and their open sellynge of whores in the markett there For they were he sayd sore impedymentes to hys preachynges For they that had seane those reuelynges there mystrusted moche that faythe He wrote also vnto kynge Ethelbalde and other great meÌ„ in Englande requyrynge them to leaue the aduouterouse occupyenge of noÌ„nes least soche a plage fell on theÌ„ as chauÌ„ced vpoÌ„ kynge Colfrede and kynge Ofrede for lyke doynges And though thys Bonyface allowed not christeÌ„ matrymonye in prestes but hated yt yet after that one Geraldus a marryed byshop was slayne in Thuringia in tyme of the warres there he permytted hys sonne Geilepus to succede hym in that offyce HelinaÌ„dus monachus VinceÌ„cius Antoninus Capgraue c. ¶ The monasteryes of fulda floryake HE buylded the great monastery of Fulda in Germanye in the yeare froÌ„ Christes incarnacyon DCC .xliiij. Into the which no womeÌ„ myght entre but onlye Lieba Tecla .ij Englysh nonnes hys best beloues The bodye of the seyd Lieba he commaunded by hys lyfe of most teÌ„dre loue to be buryed in one graue with hys owne precyouse body So rytche was that monasterye within fewe years after that yt was able to fynde the eÌ„prour in hys warres .lx. thousaÌ„de meÌ„ For the which the abbot had alwayes thys pryuylege to syt vpoÌ„ the ryght hande of the seyd emproure at the hygh feastes An other abbeye was buylden afore that at floriake in fraunce and not farre from orlyaunce in the yeare of our lorde DC.li. These .ij. monasteryes floriake and fulda with their olde inhabytauntes wolde I counsell all Chronycle readers to marke as they fall in their waye for wonders whiche hath comen from thens as wyll apere after A custome the holye fathers had in those dayes to leade nonnes aboute with theÌ„ in straunge laÌ„des where they went As we reade of walburga Hadeloga Lieba and soche other I thynke yt was to helpe theÌ„ to beare their chastyte whose carryage was sumtyme verye comberouse vnto them and they founde not than in all contreyes soche plentye of Nondryes as hath bene sens Sigebertus Capgraue Tritemius Nauclerus Vuicelius ¶ Oxforde shurned And Aleuinus monkes AShamed are not these prestygyouse Papystes to vtter yt in their storyes and reade yt in their Sayntes legendes in contempt of their christeÌ„ gouernours that no kynge maye entre the towne of oxforde without a myschefe bycause one Algar a Prynce aboute thys age wolde haue had Saynt frideswyde to wyfe As though to be a kynge were a farre vyler or vnworthyer offyce than to be a pylde shytten Nonne O blynde bludderynge Balaamytes without all iudgementes godlye Of God only ys the worthy office of a Kyng Prouer. 8. where as your fystynge NoÌ„nes were of Antichrist