Abbotes deposed and prestes in Northfolke depryued IN this solempne counsell a great nombre of abbottes were deposed and dysgraded chefely these by name Guye the abbot afperscour Aldewyne the abbot of Ramseye Wymunde the abbot of Tauestoc Godryck the abbot of Peterburgh Haymo the abbot of Ceruel Agelryck the abbot of MydeltoÌ„ Richard the pryour of Hely Robert the abbot of S. Edmondes Bury the abbot of Mycelney the abbot of Stoke certen others I thynke it was for hauntyng of whores or for bandy rule kepynge For Simeon of Durham Radulphus Niger Roger Houeden Iohan Euersdene and other historyanes report that they lyued without all honestie Byshopp Herbert of Norwych had muche a do with the prestes of hys dyocese anon after this counsell For they wolde neyther leaue their wyues nor yet gyue ouer their benefyces Wherupon he wrote to Anselme the archebyshopp for counsell what was to be done therin Whyche Anselme requyred hym by writinge to persuade the people of Northfolke and Southfolke that as they professed a Christianite they shuld subdue them as rebelles agaynst the churche and vtterly dryue both them and their marryed wyues out of the contreye with rebukes and shame placynge monkes in their rowmes Loke the C. lxxvi epystle of Anselme This was the reuerence that the fallen starres had in those dayes of hypocrâ—sye to that holye ordynaunce of marryage whych God had prouyded for mannys naturall necessyte O subtyle Sodomytes how deuylyshely demented yow mennys eyes in that age that they ded not perceyue your wycked sorceryes ☞ The raylynge ryme of a folysh monke ABout the same tyme as malycyouse moÌ„ke or beast without all good learnynge made these folysh verses in dyspyght of the marryed prestes and set them vpon doores and postes to cause the people to abhorre theÌ„ for their marriages O male uiuentes uersus audite sequentes Vxores uestras quas odit summa potestas Linquite propter euÌ„ tenuit ê— morte trophaeuÌ„ Quod si non facitis inferni claustra petetis Christi spoÌ„sa iubet ne presbyterille ministret Qui tenet uxoreÌ„ domini quia perdit amorem Contradicentem fore dicimus insipientem Non exrancore loquor haec potius sed amore Ye prestes that lyue so naughtyly Heare these my verses by and by Your wyues forsake whome God doth hate For the lambes sake immaculate If ye do not ye shall to helle The spowse of Christ bad me so telle She wylleth no prest any masse to saye Whych hath a wyfe but that he decaye We call hym a fole that beleue not thus I speake not of hate by swete Iesus Thys founde I at Ramseye abbeye in a lyttle treatyse de monachatu Was it not good stuffe to confounde prestes marryage with Where founde thys raskal moÌ„ke that marryage was a naughty lyfe eyther yet that God euer hated the wyfe of a preste consyderynge that Abraham Aaron and Peter pleased their lorde God in marryage Who wolde for righteousnesse thretten helle but a fylthie Antichrist knaue Neuer was it Christes dere spowse that forbad the mynystracyon of a marryed mynyster but the sorcerouse synagoge of the deuyll They are godly wyse that withstande this hypocresy of SathaÌ„ and no foles though thys beastly fole so call them of a spyghtfull hate agaynst the veryte of the lorde ☞ The earnest resystaunce of Yorke dyocese GErarde the archebyshop of Yorke whan he was ones satled at home after the aforesayd great counsell laboured to sett that waye of wyckednesse in hys prouynce of Yorke that Anselme had planted afore hym in the prouynce of Canterbury For as the kynges had their regyons of God so had these sorcerers their sorted out prouynces of the tyrannt of Rome and wolde be aboue them within their owne nacyons as their wycked maistre wolde be aboue God in hys monarchycall meddelynges Whan thys Gerarde had begonne hys feates to depryue the prestes of their wyues not only ded they knytt hym vp with bytynge wordes but also they manfully reasoned argued and dysputed with hym And whan that wold not helpe they sharpely threttened hym and reuyled hym saynge if they myghte not by the newe statute holde wyues of their owne they wolde not spare the wyues of their neybers make what lawes they wolde Professyon of chastyte wolde they none make otherwyse than was their olde custome Neyther coulde he cause them by any persuasyon to take their newe orders whyche had none orders afore for doubt of the vowe annexed newly to them And muche a do he had with the archedeacons sonne whome for a certen summe of moneye he had made sure of hys fathers lyuynges afore hys dysseace Bicause it was done afore that great synode he wolde gladly haue dyssolued it but it wolde not so come to passe Loke the epystles of Anselme in the lattre ende ☞ An other Synode at London for Sodomytes IN the next yeare after thys great counsel at Westmynstre for prestes diuorcementes which was the yeare of our lorde a M.a. C. and. iij. rumours and complayntes were brought to Anselme that the lande was sore replenyshed with the execrable vyce of Sodometry sens the clergye was inhybyted marryage Thus entered in thys plage here with the wyckednesse of the Romanes for our vnbeleues sake as S. Paule afore prophecyed Roman i. Than was Anselme compelled to call an other counsell at Paules within London where as he specyally enacted it amonge other matters that euery sondaye in the yeare the Sodomytes shulde be pronounced excommunycate Ranulphus Rogerus Treuisa He ordayned also that no cattell shulde be sold that daye to seme to sytt vpon other matters so wele ae vpon that sumwhat to shadowe the filthienesse of his masmoÌ„gers Wilye wer the wurkers in that wicked generacioÌ„ to blind so the syght of the simple The acte for Sodometrye was this Sodomiticum flagitium facientes eos in hac uoluntate inuaÌ„tes graui anathemate damnamus donec poenitentia confessione absolutionem mercantur Wyth a greuouse curse we condempne both them that occupye the vngracyouse vyce of sodometrye and them also that wyllyngly assyst them or be wycked doars with them in the same tyll suche tyme as they maye deserue absolucyon by penaunce and confessyon Is not here thynke yow good matter and relygyously handeled Wher was the learnynge of the lorde yea where were godly gouernours in thys wycked age Oh that the people of God shulde be ledde by such helhoundes and theues as these sodometrouse shauelynges were ☞ A generall curse agaynst Buggerers NOw foloweth the rest of thys acte marke it good reader thou shalt beholde these holy canonysed deuyls in their owne ryght colours Qui uero in hoc crimine publicatus suerit statutum est siquidem fuerit persona religiosi ordinis ut ad nullum amplius gradum promoueatur si quem habet ab illo deponatur Si autem
other Saynt Augustyne both blacke which came in wyth Byrinus the Archebyshop of Dorcestre in the yeare of our Lord. DC xxxvi from Pope Honorus the fyrste to deceyue the west Saxons For yche Pope and byshopp preferred euermore the secte he was of These ij wrought so their wycked feates in those dayes with lyenge sygnes in hypocresy that they caused the afore named starres Regnum et Sacerdocium Regalite and presthode to fall clerely from heauen Iohan Capgraue Ranulphus et Polidorus ¶ The fall of kingdoms and rayse of the Papacy MArke in the Chronicles and ye shall fynde thys moste true That lyke as the Papacye had hys fyrste rayse in and of the fall of the Empyre so had those kingdomes whiche fyrste obeyed it their orygynall begynninges of the ouerthrowe of the inferyour kingdomes As Englande vndre King Inas by the fall of the Brytaynes and Fraunce vnder Kinge Pypyne by the puttinge a sydy of the Merouyngeanes Sens these lecherouse locustes crepte first into Englande neuer throne that kingedome of the auncyent Brytaynes whose spyrituall heade was God alone but euerye daye more and more decayed tyll it was fullye ended Marke it hardelye from the fyrste comminge hither of the seyd Augustyne tyll the yeare of our Lord. DC lxxxix wherin Cadwallader their last Kyng dyed a most desolate pilgrime at Rome offeringe hymselfe vp there moste myserablye to the Pope Euer sens hath yt bene to hym obediente in all blasphemouse errours and doctrynes of Deuilles by the space of DCCC and. xliiij yeares tyll the yeare of our Lord. M. CCCCC and. xxxiij wherin at our noble kynges moste wholsome request we vtterlye by othe renounced that odyouse monstre Nowe is it Gods owne kingdome agayne and our King his immedyate ministre That Lorde graunte of hys infynyte mercye that lyke as we haue put a syde hys name we maye euen frome the harte also cast ouer hys Idolatrouse yokes folowing from henceforth the vncorrupt rules of the Gospell A like comparison hath Paulus Orosius lib. 2. Cap. 4. Historiarum mundi of Babilon and Rome Very like begynnynges sayth he had Babilon and Rome like powers like prides like continuaunces like fortunes and like ruynes sauynge only that Rome arose of the fall of Babilon and so fourth ¶ An olde prophecy of Merlyne disclosed AS I was in wrytynge this matter an old Prophecy of Merline came vnto my remembraunce That after the manyfolde irrupcions of straungers the kinges of thys realme shuld be ones agayn crowned wyth the Dyademe of Brute and beare his auncyent name the new name of straungers so vanishinge awaye He that applyeth vnto this a right vnderstandinge shall fynde it very true The Diademe of Brute is the pryncely power of thys whole region immediatly geuen of God without any other meane mastry worker to Antichristes behoue Fre was that power from the great whores domynyon which is the Rome churche tyll the violent conquest of the English Saxons which they had of the Brytaynes for their iniquities sake And now prayse be vnto that Lorde it is in good waye to that fredome agayne and would fullye attayne therunto were here heythnysh yokes in religion ones throwne a syde as I doubt it not but they will be within short space As well may ye geue credeÌ„ce to this Merlyne whan he vttereth the verite as vnto olde Balaam the sothsayer whiche at a tyme prophecyed the commynge of Christ. Num. xxiiij And as coÌ„cernyng the returne of the name marke in thys age the wrytynges of lerned meÌ„ ye shall wel perceyue the change for now commonly do they wryte vs for Englyshemen Brytaynes ¶ The whores fleshe eaten of the. x. hornes THE. x. hornes of the first Beast whiche were kyngdomes maynteynyge that whore now ioyned all into one doth mortallye hate her at this present instaunt is makynge her desolate and maked in Englande In the ende they shall eate her fleshe and clerely consume her with the fyre appointed Englande was sumtyme into vij kyngdomes deuyded by the consent of al writers and wales into ij called Venedotia Demetia or north wales South wales Ireland makyng vp the truth Or if ye holde wales but for one let Scotland supplye that rowme whiche oweth vnto Englande perpetuall homage â–ª As all these are now in one moste worthye and victoryouse Kyng but one so wyll God put into all their hartes one consent to fulfyll hys will and to geue her kyngdome vnto the beast or to sende it agayn to the deuell from whens it fyrst came Apoca. xvij Consydre with your selues the late ouerthrowe of the monasteries couentes collegis and chaunteries alleages of vncleane spretes and holdes of moste hatefull byrdes by the manifest worde of God And thynke not but the fyltye habitacions of the great mastre deuyls wyll folowe sone after Apoca. xviij Let the gogle eyed Gardyner of wyncestre gyrde at it tyll his rybbes ake and an hondred dyggynge deuyls vpon his syde yet shall not one Iote of the lordes promes be vnfulfylled at the tyme appoynted for that blasphemouse whores ouerthrowe hys moste holye mother Praye in the meane season good christen readers praye praye praye that hys heauenly wyll be done in earth and not mannys and fashyon your lyues to the fourme of his moste dere sonne Iesus Christes doctryne Amen ¶ Actes of vowed virginite for that age NOw to returne agayne to their spiâ—ituall actes of chastyte for that age WhaÌ„ one Sedia the father of saynt Aidus perceyued that he by no meanes could haue a chyld by his wyfe he brought her to these continent fathers for remedy of her barrennesse she was spede the next nyght after by a miracle for all were miracles they dyd IoaÌ„ Cap. Guenhera a Cornysh woman whoÌ„ som writers call fayre Elyne that made king Arthure a cuckolde was after his death deuoutely receiued into Ambesbury non drye as a penitent to their spirituall vse Guilhelmus Malmesbury Saynt Oswalde sayd his wyfâ— Bebla in bed with a relygiouse hermyte And wheÌ„ the great heate came vpoÌ„ him as the spiritual fathers are hasty she found the meanes that he was cast in cold water to abate his hote corage This is one of the holy actes wherupon the pope hath made the sayd Oswald a saint IohaÌ„ hardyng Saint Ebba whiche was in those dayes the mother of all noÌ„nes was generate of an whore as were al her fathers childreÌ„ besides her ij of theÌ„ only excepted This Ebba had in the monastery of Coldyngham not farre â—â—om Barwyck both men womeÌ„ dwellyng togyther fell by fell as the maner was than of all Nondryes in England which exercysed the battayles of chastyte so longe that in their nyght metynges they went to bed togyther by couples theyr religiouse loue was then so great tyll God sent a wylde fyre vpon them for that contempt of
farre from orlyaunce in the yeare of our lorde DC.li. These ij monasteries floriake and fulda with their olde inhabitauntes would I counsel al Chronycle readers to marke as they fall in their waye for wonders whiche hath comen from thens as wyll apeare after A custome the holye fathers had in those dayes to leade nonnes about with them in straunge landes where they went As we reade of walburga Hadeloga Lieba and suche other I thynke it was to helpe them to beare their chastite whose carryage was sumtyme verye comberouse vnto them and they founde not then in all cotreyes suche plentye of Nondryes as hath bene sens Sigebertus Capgraue Tritemius Nauclerus Vuicelius ¶ Oxforde shurned And Alcuinus monkes AShamed are not these prestygiouse Papystes to vtter it in their storyes and reade it in their Sayntes legendes in contempt of their christeÌ„ gouernours that no kynge maye entre the towne of Oxforde without a mychefe because one Algar a Prince aboute thys age would 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 yâ— the worhy offyce of a King Prouer. 8. where as your fisting Nonnes were of Antichrist and the deuill Capgraue Fabiane Polidorus Aboute the same tyme was Alcuinus a doctour of England made abbot of Turonia in Fraunce by the gift of Charles the great which on a nyght founde all his monkes dead in the dorter by the soden stroke of God for their Sodometrye one only excepted Odo cluniacensis Guilhelmus Malmesburye Vincencius Antoninus Ranulphus Capgraue postuitam Ythamari A great matter had it bene in the popes bokes yf these men had had wiues For than he could not haue sent them to the deuill so fast accordinge to the generall commission whiche he had of Sathan his great mastre in that vycarship of his ¶ English men ponnished at Rome AFter Kyng Ethelwolphe beynge subdeacon and prest through wanton occupieng had had a bastard by the popes dispensacion he married Olburga his butlers doughter and had by her iiij sonnes which all succeded Kynges after him Guilhelmus Malmesbury et Ioannes Harding As this Kinge on a tyme chaunced to be at Rome he se many English men there wearynge fetters and gyues of Iron as they had bene murtherers or theues And as he enquyred what the cause shuld be answere was made hym that it was for spyrytualll offences done For those wylye watchers by that tyme had put manye thynges in practyse by force of their penytenciall Summe made by Theodorus afore They myght than make what synnes they wolde and sende vnto Rome whome so euer yt pleased them vpon the reseruacyons of cases Pontifycall and papall or by reason of the aggrauacyons of circumstaunces of synnes makynge men beleue they coude not dyspense wyth them whan the matter was not worth ij haste nuites And thys was the cause of their greuouse correccyons than For redresse of this the Kynge conuenaunted than with the Pope to geue him by yearâ— a penye of euery fyre howse within hys lande as Inas and Offa had done before him for their domynyons He promysed hym also in acquytynge the churches trybutes to geue him iij. C. marke yearlye And finally he repared the English hospitall there which had bene decayed by fire Ranulphus Platina Petrus Equilinus Fabianus et Polidorus ¶ An English monkes peramoure is a Pope THe monastery of fulda in Germanye was in those dayes much frequented of Englysh monkes byâ—â—use it was first buylded of the forseyd Archebyshop Boniface whych was an Englyshe man borne A yonge wenche borne and brought vp in Maguncia therebye Gilberta by name so mynded one of those monkes that she changed her apparell and went awaye wyth him lyke a waytynge boye or lackeye into straunge landes and became in all scyences of learnynge verye counynge and was called Englyshe Iohan. As yt chaunced thys monke to dye she get her vnto Rome and became there a common reader of publique lectours and was had in soche wonderfull estymacyon that Pope Leo the fort beynge dead she was solempnelye elected and intronysed Saynt Peters vycar in the yeare of oure Lorde DCCC.Liiij called Iohan the viij after dyuerse wryters By helpe of a Cardinall her most familier chamberlayne she was in conclusyon begett wyth chylde whan she had bene pope almost ij yeares and an halfe And in a most solempne procession to Laterane whan their churche was in the most pride by fall of the empire and subieccion of christeÌ„ princes the prelates in their most pompouse aparell the daye shynynge verye fayre she was openlye delyuered of chylde without midwife and so dyed Wherin God declared mâ—nifestlye to the worlde that their glitteringe churche was altogyther an whore to make good that was wrytten in the reuelacion of Saynt Iohan. Apo. 17. Oh he that had seane the countenaunce of the prelates than shuld haue beholden a great thange ¶ Popes chosen from thens fourth by their N. SEns that tyme hath popes alwayes bene chosen as stoned horse are in a colte feyer by their doutye dimiceries that they can no more be deceyued that way For at the solempne stallynge of them the last deacon Cardynall doth grope them brechelesse at an hole made in the seate for that ghostlye purpose and than cryeth yt out before all the multitude that he hath ware suffycyent to proue hym no woman Moreouer the strete where she was delyuered hath euer sens bene shurned in all generall precessyons for feare of yll happes As is of women a serten brydge in a Scottysh I le called Leuissa where as yf but one woman shuld paste ouer they saye there are no salmons seane in that ryuer all the yeare after Hector Boethius in Scoteci regni descriptione For the hystorye afore reherced of thys woman Pope was yt partlye my desyre that ye shuld â—arke that monasterye of fulda For she was one chast frute of our Englysh clergye yssuynge from thens ye may chaunce after thys yet to heare of more Such an enemye to prestes marryage was not in hys tyme as was that Boniface which was therof the first buylder For euery where ded he in all his gâ—nerall Synodes condempne yt for aduoutery by the popes canon lawes For the scripturs wolde not serue hym The life of this female pope sheweeh more at large Iacobus Bergomas in li. De claris mulieribus Platina Sabellicus Martinus Carsulanus Volateranus Nauclerus Mantuanus Ioannes Stella Ioannes textor Robertus Barnes in uitis Romanorum Pontificum ¶ Holy water with a boke against marriage IN the yeare of our Lore DCCC LVIII as a serten day deuill at the forsayd Maguncia was hunted of the prestes wyth procession and holye water for dyuerstye vexynge the
The conclusyon of thys fyrst boke HEre haue I paynted out before your eyes most derely beloued contrey meÌ„ the chast holy coÌ„secrate spirituall actes of your Enâ—lyshe votaryes priestes monkes byshoppes from the worldes begynnyng to a full complete thousande years sens Christes incarnacion Not all haue I here rehersed for that were a laboure without ende they beynge so innumerable but a serten of them for euerye age that ye maye vp them perceyue what the rest hath bene In the next part or boke which shal begynne at Sathans goynge fourth at large after hys thousande yeares tyenge vp Apoca. 20. and so contynue to thys yeare of our Lorde a. MD. and. LI. that ye maye knowe what chere hath bene amonge them what occupyenge they haue had what masteryes they haue played what miracles they haue done for that thyme and space also I thynke it wyll apere an other maner of thynge then that which hath gone afore For so muche as Sathan their ghostlye gouernoure hath for that tyme wrought moste strongely No more wyl I be ashamed to reherse their fylthye factes lett them trust vpon it then they haue bene to do them in effect and to set them four the for holye spirituall coÌ„secrate chast honorable and ghostly good workes beynge abhominable and most stynkynge knaueries The worlde shall well knowe what Sodomytes and Deuyls they are that haue all this tyme contempned christen marryage instituted of God and do not yet repent their moste dampnable doynges in that behalf but contynue styll the same leadyng their lyues in vnspekeable fleshlye fylthynesse Christ promysed ones to all suche as they are that al their hydden mischeues should come to light if they would not at the call of his moste holye Gospell repent Nothyng sayeth he is so closelye hydden amonge those spirituall murtherers but wylbe clerely openeed neyther yet so secretly coueted but shall apere manifest and be knowen to the worlde Mat. x. Marc. iiij Luc. xij Christ suffered verye longe the Phaâ—ysees and Byshoppes the lewde predecessours of our proude spirytualte But whan he ones perceyued none other in them but conteÌ„pt of his verite with wylfull resistauÌ„ce of the holy Ghost he weÌ„t 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 Mathewe and ye shall fynde that he poured all this vpon them and doubled it in the captyuyte of Hierusalem when the great vengeaunce of all innocent bloud 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 inhabitauntes of that regyon there but from all quarters of the worlde about whiche at that tyme came thyder to their Eastre celebracyon Besydes these 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 should dayly deuoure them and be fed with theyr fleshe All thys witnesseth Egesippus Iudeus li. 5. Ca. 49. De Hierosolimorum excidio And now after his moste manifest example Christ wylleth vs also extremelye to rebuke these cruell corrupters of the christyanite for their moste spyghtfull contempt of hys wholsome warnynges the Christen magistrates hereafter or els some other enemye of theyes folowynge with double vengeaunce vpon the heades of them Apoc. xviij This plage when it shall fâ—ll as it is not farre of wyll be the moste ryghtouse hande of God vpon that malygnaunte generacion Great wondre wyll it be vnto manye I knowe it wele to be holde theyr chefe Englyshe Sayntes thus rebuked And parauenture they wyll thynke that I myght as well 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 menafore hande that they are wretched lye blynde for want of lyuelye knowledge in the sacred scryptures They haue no true iudgement in them to dyscerne the fallen starre from the starre so fyermelye fixed in the fyrmament as neuer coulde be yet from thens remoued Neuer shall he that declyneth to mennes inuencions be all one wyth hym whyche onlye foloweth the pure worde of God But vndoubtedlye of no small tyme haue the fallen starres darkened the clere starres of heauen the popes hypocrytysh Sayntes the true Saintes of Christ and perfyght chyldren of Abraham The chefe cause of thys hath bene the cruell contempt of holye wedlocke and the bragge boastynge out of theyr vnholoye chastitie Neuer sawe ye yet any holye dayes made of Adam Seth Enos and Enuch for the first age Neyther yet of Noe Abraham Isaac Iacob Ioseph Moises Dauid Zorobabel and suche other for the other ages I thynke if Peter and Paule with the other Apostles had bene knowen meryed men they had neuer had so many perfuminges and sensynges It is only marryage that hath made men secular abiectes and vnholye lowsye lewde laye people In spight of that haue the spirituall Sodomytes in the legendes of their sanctyfyed sorcerers disfamed the Englyshe posterite with tayles as I haue shewed afore That an englysh man now can not trauayle in an other lande by waye of merchaundise or anye other honest occupyenge but it is moste contumeliously throwne in his â—ethe that all Englyshe men haue tayles That vncomly note and report haue the nacion gotten without recouer by these laysye and Idell lubers the Monkes the priestes whiche could fynde us matters to aduauÌ„ce their Canonysed Cayâ—sby at their Sayntes as they call them but manyfest lyes and 〈◊〉 In the meane tyme haue they boosted their own most fylthye whores their Nonnes and veyled systers for sanctyfyed vyrgynes and the pure spowses of Christ. Neuer was there yet so precyouse and oryent a coloure to hyde all their knaueryes as was that counterfeit chastite of theyrs That fayre face of the subtyle serpent hath hytherto deceyued all the worlde and wrought innumerable myschefes therin But if those their sorcerers be Sayntes as they saye they are then may the Deuyls of hell be Sayntes also Let Dunstanes deuyll stande than checkemate with Dunstane hys mastre and be a popysh Saynt as he is for he neuer did a quarter of so muche mischefe as he hath done Stande vp ye noble men and women in the true knowledge of youre lord God if ye wyll hereafter be noted valeaunt Be not as your fore fathers haue bene afore yow beastlye ignoraunt in the wayes of hys truthe Folowe the Christen pryncyples of your most worthy IouÌ„as kynge Eduward the syxt and
in Alpaida the harlot admytted by Pope Zachary to the crowne as testyfyeth Robertus Goulet in compendio sexaetation mundi ¶ Necessary is it that sumwhat be sayd here of their chast relygyon also In Rome were and are yet certen temples into whoÌ„ neyther honest matrone nor yet chast vyrgyne were suffered to entre what was permytted to commen whores oppressers of the people and Sodomytysh prestes in that behalfe I thynke all the worlde knoweth at thys daye Thys madde superstycyon sayth Iacobus Zieglerus in sua Syria had her fyrst orygynall in the mounte of Olympus within the yle of Cypres wher as a solempne temple was dedycate to Venus into whom no woman was permitted to entre and passed from thens to the Romanes beynge there admytted for a most hygh relygyon Neuerthelesse the commen whores had there allowed them for theyr lascyuyouse occupyenge most fayre mansyons in a strete called Suburrs as both Martialis and Pamphilus hath vttered Neyther hath any mannys doctryne sens the worldes begynnynge bene more hyghly accepted of the Romanes and theyr clergye than the crafty and darke learnynge of bawdy Aristotle whych not only besydes hys Sodometry kept a most fylthy whore called Hermia but also after her deathe ded sacryfyce vnto her as to a great Goddes and made hymnes in her prayse Thys sheweth Origene and Iohan Textor in hys offycynes Both Simon Magus and hys whore Selenes whych at Tyâ—us a cytie of Phoenices had maynteyned the brothell howse or stues were admytted of the Romanes for their execrable sorceryes to be worshypped for Goddes wyth yearely sacryfyces Loke Iustinus Irenaeus and Eusebius Caesariensis all auncyent writers ☞ In Englande here sumtyme myght no byshop ryde but vpon a mare as testyfyeth Bedas li. ij ca. xiij CestrieÌ„sis li. v. ca. xij Robbert Fabiane Pa. v. ca. cxxx Which holy obseruacyon they had from Rome it is not without mystery of theyr buggerysh beastlynesse The great aduouterer Pope Sergius after certen reuelacyons and myracles of the deuyll broughte fourth a great chyste full of dead mennys bones and caused the people both to kysse them and to worshypp them in the heade church of Rome to double the whoredome there Thys wytnessyth first Bedas de temporum ratione and than both Platina and Petrus Equilinus All these vncomely hystoryes consydered Rome with her vnchast vowes and votaryes is that blasphemouse Babylon Apocal xvo that Sodome and Aegypt Apo. xi whom all the scriptures detesteth Her cytezens are they whom God hath gyuen vp into most prodygyouse lustes of vnclennesse for changynge hys truthe to a lye For they vndre the professyon of chastyte leauyng the naturall vse of women sayth S. Paule haue brent in their owne lustes one to an other that man wyth maÌ„ that is to saye monke wyth monke nonne with nonne fryre with fryre prest with prest wrought fylthynesse Roma i. besydes that they ded with boyes bitches and apes with other beastes yea the holyeâ—t fathers of theÌ„ If ye spell Roma backwarde ye shall fynde it loue in thys prodygyouse kynde for it is preposterus amor a loue out of order or a loue agaynst kynde I shame no more to tell thys to the Popes remnauÌ„t here in England than they shame to blaspheme marryage whych is Gods holy instytucyon and to playe styll the whoremasters Sodomytes in euery corner The eternall God ones clerely delyuer thys ChristeÌ„ laude froÌ„ that monstruouse generacyon Amen Iohan Bale to the Reader IT wyll be thought of many most gentyll reader that I haue not herin done wele in bryngynge so many fylthy examples of the Popes vnchast masmoÌ„gers to lyght whych ought rather to haue bene buryed in oblyuyon I wyshe these to consydre whose vyces the scripture hydeth and whose it detecteth to rebuke and shame The same God whych couered the nakednesse of Adam and Eue with skynnes after their fall Gene. iij. The same God hath dyscouered the shame of Babylon whych now is the Romysh churche and shewed fourth her vncomely preuytees accordynge to promyse Esay xlvij Beholde sayth the lorde of hostes I wyll brynge thyne owne wayes vpon thyne heade Ezech. xvi I wyll vpon the thou bewtyfull harlot and maistres of witchcraft sayth God and wyll pull thy clothes ouer thy heade that I maye shewe thy nakednesse amonâ—e the Heythen and thy shame amonge the kyngedomes I wyll caste durte vpon the to make the be abhorred and a gasynge stocke Nahum iij for he that commytteth aduoutry getteth hym selfe shame and dyshonour such as neuer shall be put out of memory Prouer. vi Partly haue these with a great sort more of the scriptures prouoked me to fynysh thys worke partly the incessaunt callynge on of a great nombre of men both worshypfull godly and learned whych with Dauid Psal. Cxxxviij do perfyghtly and throughly hate these bandy brothels contempners of marriage and vtter enemyes of God I haue oft tolde them I hope in the zele of God that I wolde as lyttle abashe to shewe their fylthy actes by the wytnesse of their owne legendes Chronycles as they haue abashed to do them I haue tarryed these foure yeares sens I wrote the fyrst part of thys worke to beholde their repentaunce for this kynd of wyckednesse and I fynde them now more wyllfull and peruersed in their deuylysh opynyon than afore Therfore wyll I now ernestly detect the Sodometrouse actes of their holy Romysh chastyte The admonyshementes of S. Paule to their forefathers the Romanes of their hypocresy lyâ—s falsehede vnclennesse ydolatry prodygyouse lustes defylynges of bodye chaungynge of the naturall vse into an vse agaynst nature and other vnspeakable beastlynesse Roma i. haue they not regarded but haue wrought those most execrable myscheues and worke them styl in effect without repentaunce Therfore wyll I declare them in effect to cause gods people as necessary it is effectually to abhorre them Iudge me not herein to gyue a doctryne of vyce but rather an earnest doctryne to the contrarye in conteÌ„pt of such abhomynacyons as that college of the deuyll hath offered to the worlde for precyouse fruttes of spirytuall holynesse Vale. ¶ The shame of Aegipt shall be dyscouered They that dwell in the yles shall se euen the same daye Esay xx Ad illustrissimum Anglorum regem Edvuardum sextum Ioannes Balaeus Of olde hystoryes we haue it not only to consydre what thynges hath happened vnto vs afore but also to be ware in tyme to come that we maye make the kyngdome guyet and peaceable for all men Hester xvi ¶ The second part or contynuacyon of the English votaries comprehendynge theyr vnchast examples for CC. yeares space from the yeare a thousande from Christes incarnacyon to the reigne of kyng Iohan collected of theyr owne wryters by Iohan Bale ¶ The rynge leader of our votaries IN the. xx chaptre of S. Iohans reuelacyon is it sayd that whan