of late yeres the Translators and the Prynters of Christes testament and as the Byble is handled nowe in some churches in Englande and namely in westminster I marke also that Dauid in thys psalme wherof I haue made mēcion sayeth .viii. tymes that he was and wolde be in time to come exercised in the lawe of God Yf he were a true man and no lyar thoughe he had sayd it but ones we ought to beleue hym Yf we do beleue hym ye maye se that Dauid the good kynge whyche was so muche exercised in the scripture vnderstandeth the cōmaundement of reading and studyeng the scripture to perteyne to the kynges and gouerners them selues and to their owne persones and not onely vnto their seruauntes and clergye Kynge Salomon as well borne and as noble a man as any is thys daie in Europa and as wyse a man and as wel learned as any coūseller in Englande or els where and therfore knewe the meanyng of the cōmaundement of the scripture to be reade of princes thought not scorne to syt in iudgement in hys owne persone and because he knewe that it was hys office to gyue iudgement vnto his people and that he could not do that of fire well excepte he had great learning and knowlege whē as almightye God offered vnto hym to gyue hym frelye what so euer he dyd axe answered God after thys maner folowyng Thou haste shewed great mercy to Dauid my father and hast ordened me kynge in hys place Nowe Lorde God let thy worde be done which thou promysed vnto my father Dauid For thou haste made me a kynge ouer a great nombre of thy people whyche is as vntellable as the duste of the earth Gyue my wysedome and vnderstandyng that I may go in and out before thy people for what man is able to iudge worthely suche a great nombre as is of thys people God answered fayd vnto hym Because thys hathe more pleased thy herte and haste not axed ryches and substance and honour nether the lyues of them that hate the nether lōge lyfe Thou hast axed wysedome knowlege that thou maist iuge my people ouer the which I made the a kynge wysedome and knowlege ar geuē vnto the I wil gyue the ryches substance honour also Dauid this noble gentleans father in .119 psal desyreth God .xiiii. times to teache him his witnesses his cōmaundemēts but wherfore I pray you that God shulde teach him to saye the .x. cōmaundemēts or to read them onely in diuers tonges Nay for he could say them by herte wel enough But for thys ende sayd he so oft teache me thy cōmaundements that it myghe please God to gyue hym the true vnderstandynge of the scripture that he myght order hys lyfe accordynge vnto hys commaundementes Where vpon seynge that Dauid so wyse a man and so wel learned desyred almightye God so earnestlye and so ofte to teache hym the vnderstandynge of the scripture and exercised hym so muche in it it foloweth that as the true vnderstandynge of Goddes worde is necessary for a prince so it can not be had without prayer great payne labour and exercise Then when as God commaundeth Kynges and Iudges to be learned and learnynge can not be had with out great studye and laboure it appereth very playne that the chief labor that a noble gentlemā shulde be occupied in al the dayes of his life is the studye of scripture and suche other wrytyng as help to the vnderstandyng of the scripture and to the declaracion of the same Lucius the fyrst christian kynge of our lande who sent to Rome for Baptisers preachers and receaued the baptisme of Christ wyth all his after that he had receaued the christian fayth caused many bookes of latin to be translated into hys owne naturall tonge he also parted and bestowed the day and night after this maner he spent eyght houres in studye and in prayer .viii. houres in hearynge of causes and eyght houres in slepynge and in suche necessary thynges as were necessary for his bodye Picus the noble erle of Mirādula sayd a very notable sayeng whyche I wolde al erles noble men shuld marke and beare awaye and it is thys Learnyng is vnto a Yomā mā in the stede of syluer to a gentlemā in the stede of golde and to erles princes in the stede of precius stones Now my lordes and maisters whether is it more mete that we shall folowe the counsell and examples of al wyse philosophers and moste noble kynges that were vnder the lawe of nature and the commaundemēt of holy scripture and the example of all holy and noble kinges vnder the law of Moses and also the saynges and doynges of the best kynges that were vnder the lawe of the Gospel whych thought it necessary for kynges and noble men to be learned euen their owne selues or to folowe the counsel of a sorte of vnnaturall and vnlearned curtely crowes whiche saye that a kynge or a noble mā nede not to be learned but that it is sufficient for him yf that his chauncelers or chaplaines other officers belōging to him be learned for him As farre as I can perceyue ye that are noble men and gentlemen and nowe speciallye ye that are of the Quenes coūsell and are lordes of the parlament had neuer more nede of learnyng then ye nowe at thys present tyme haue For the religion whiche hath ben brought in agayne of late by the myght of goddes worde and hath bene receyued thorowout al thys realme sauyng of a fewe obstinate Papistes hath bē brought to thys perfection that it is now at not onely wyth great labour ieopardye but wyth the deathes of many an honeste and learned man is nowe taken for heresye and false doctrine And yet there is no smale nōbre of them that wyll aduenture bothe lyfe goodes that it is the true religion that was exercised in kyng Edwardes dayes and that it whyche begynneth nowe thorowe out Englande to take place agayne and was alowed in the tyme of the late kynges kynge Henry the .vii. the viii war ryght Papistrye and false learnynge of men onely able to be defended by longe tyme the falsly pretended auctoritie of Christes Churche whych wyl brynge in and set forth none other doctrine then suche as her husbande Christ hathe cōmaūded alowed Thys cōtencion is about no smale matter it is aboute goddes seruice and about the true doctrine religion and worshippyng of God The saluacion and dānacion of many a thousand hangs vpon these matters therfore seyng that God hath made you gouerners vnder the Quene iudges in these matters ye had nede to loke wel vpon the worde of God that ye gyue not sentence against goddes truthe to the destruccion of your owne soules and many thousandes mo The one parte bryngeth forth scripture and the wrytten worde of God and the other parte bryngeth forth lōge customes fathers and the authorite of the Romyshe churche whyche hathe erred
the better there by but fylled wyth il moysture whiche ingendreth a new thyrst so is it also in the spirituall water syknes the golde and the syluer the landes the houses the fermes the shepe the bullockes oft tymes do nether the couetous men them selues any good at length nether theyr chylder for whome they are so gredy and so carefull For some dice awaye theyr shepe some lawe awaye their bullockes some banket awaye theyr benefices and fermes some pisse all that they get agaynst the walles some waite theyr euel gotten goodes vpō hores and harlotes And thoughe they kepe theyr goodes stil for them selues and theyr chylder for a while as some do thē vnthrifty sonne wil as vnthryftelye spende hys fathers euell gotten goodes as hys father got them vnlawfully or vncharitably dyd holde them from the poore people whyche ought to haue parte of them Nature philosophye and holy scripture and the cōmon and dayly experiēce do teache vs that the goodes of the couetous men for the moste parte nether profyt the couetus mā him selfe nor make his childrē ryche in suche ryches at the least that wyl endure For the cōmon sayeng is that the thirde heyre shal neuer enioye goodes or landes euell gotten A couetus gentleman is lyke a gredy gliede A gliede otherwyse called a pottock or a kyte hath the forme and fashion of an hauke and a farre of loketh very lyke an hauke whyche is a noble byrde but yf ye come nere hande hym ye shall knowe hym by hys whinning and lamentable pewynge as thoughe he coulde neuer get enoughe ye shall also se hym do other thynges then a ryghte hauke dothe whyche for the moste part fedeth vpō his owne praye that he hath gotten hym self The kyte resteth but lytle and is almoste alwayes flyeng and euer he loketh downewarde to the earth after one praye or other In the tyme that he byldeth hys neste he caryeth al that he can catche and snatche vnto it ragges cloutes napkins kerches boyes cappes and sometyme purses as I haue herde saye And all the hole yeare thorowe there is no pray the cōmeth amysse vnto him he eateth vpō al kynde of carion he thinketh no shame to eat wormes he cleketh away goslynges ducklinges chickins al kindes of yōge birdes that can not flye or otherwyse prouide for thē selues He is so bold sōe tyme in Englād I neuer saw it so nether in Italy nether in any part of Germany where as I haue bē that he dare take butter bread out of boys hādes in that stretes of townes cities villages He is more vnshamefaced thē euer ani begging frere was For he wil without any axyng or beggyng take away trypes and puddynges frō wyues whylse they are in washynge of them And thys doth he moste eranestly and vnshamefastly when as he hathe yonge But what profyt cōmeth vnto hym and all hys for hys manyfolde robbery and rauin very lytle For he abydeth styl a foule kyte hys yonge ones as I haue sene it my selfe ar always slaueryng it out that the father hath stollē and robbed for thē Marke here howe that nature teacheth vs howe that it whych is gotten wyth rauin and robbery is as soone spent and wasted of the chyldren as the couertus fathers haue gotten it Dauid in the .36 psalme speaketh thus of the couetus men and of theyr heires and chyldren The armes of the synners shal be broken Psal 36 but the Lord strengtheneth the ryghtuous The Lorde knoweth the dayes of the vndefyled and theyr he ritage shal be for euer But the enemyes of the Lorde anone after that they be set in honour and be alofte they shall fade as smoke vanyshe awaye The vnryghteous shal be ponyshed and the sēde of the wycked men shall peryshe Salomō also in the .xx. Pro. 20 chapter of hys prouerbes wytnesseth that suche heritage as is gotten hastely and with couetousnes shal not endure The heritage sayeth Salomon whereto is great haste made in the begynnyng shall not prosper at the length Ecclesiasticus wrytyng both of the right godly gentle and of the vngodly and false gentlemen sayeth these wordes Ecc. 44 Ecclesiastici 44. Al these haue gotten glory in the generations of theyr kynred and in theyr dayes they were praysed They that were borne of them haue lefte a name to tell the prayses of them And there are some whose memory are quyte worne out They haue perished as thoughe they had neuer bene and they are borne as not borne and so are theyr children with them But the other men are of mercy who haue not wanted god lynes and a good heritage continueth the sede of theyr chylders chyldren hath stande in the testament and theyr chyldren for theyr sake abyde for euer Theyr sede and theyr glory shal neuer decaye Eccle. 5. Ecclesiastes in the .v. chap. hath a sayeng not vnlyke vnto thys The couetous man sayeth he shall neuer be fylled with mony he that loueth ryches shall not take any profyt of them Besydes all these authorities we learne by experience dayly that cōmonlye the greatest grediest gatherers are not alwayes the rychest at the length that theyr chyldren for the whych they vse suche catchyng and snatchyng ether are taken out of the worlde or els become fooles or vnthryftes so that the euel gotten vncharitably holden ryches prosper not in the chylder of the watersyck Ye remember what gentlemē sick in the dropsy haue of late yeres ben taken away from al their gredely vncharitably purchased landes ye can name some chylder which haue loste by theyr fathers death all that they prepared for them Ye knowe also one watersyck gentleman yf ye wyl gyue me leaue to cal such a carle a getlemā whych had dronkē vp almoste an hole contre that his children myghte haue drinke enoughe who is now chyldles hath not thē for whom he had so gredely scraped and scratched so muche ryches together Whether dranke kinge Henry the seuenth or kynge Hēry the .viii. more I thynke that there is none of you all but that ye wyll saye that kynge Henry the eyght dranke .xx. tunnes more then hys father dyd For he dranke vp all the monkries freries and nunries in Englande he dranke vp the tenthe parte of all spirituall mennes lyuynges in all the hole realme Yea and al the profytes and fyrste fruytes of all benefyces that fell in hys tyme for the fyrste yeare after that he fell in to the greate dropsye that is sence the makynge of the deuelyshe and abhominable acte of fyrste fruites and tenthes Yf one man had sene bothe the kynges cut vp after theyr deathes as it is not vnlyke but doctour Chambers dyd perchaunce he shulde haue sene as muche blood in kynge Henry the seuentes harte as in kinge Henry the eyghtes and perchaunce more But I let that passe and wyll talke of it that is better knowen Whether of these two dyed the rycher the greater
his seruauÌ„t Dauid in the second psalme Et nunc reges intelligâ—te erudimini iudices ierre Bet you vnderstandynge o ye kynges and be you lerned o ye that iuge the earthe Here haue al kynges a playne coÌ„maundement to seke seke for learnynge and to be learned and not onely they but al other whych by theyr callyng are ordened of God to iuge hys people or to gyue sentence betwene one man and an other Almyghty God in the .xvii. Deute 17. of Deuteronomi geueth an expressed and a plaine coÌ„maundement vnto kynges that they shulde diligently study the scripture the wordes of God are these After that the kynge sytteth in hys seate of dignite or hys kyngdome he shal wryt out for him selfe the Deuterono of this lawe in a volume and he shall take the copy of the offerers or preestes of the trybe of Leui and he shall haue it wyth hym and shal read it al the dayes of hys lyfe that he may learne to feare hys lorde God and to kepe hys wordes and ceremonies The same commaundement was geuen vnto the noble gentleman Iosue the Iudge and gouerner of the chyldren of Israel in these wordes Take a good harte vnto the and be very stoute that thou may kepe and fulfyl al the lawe whyche my seruaunt Moses hath coÌ„maunded the to kepe Thou shalt not turne from it nether to the right hande nether to the left haÌ„de that thou maye vnderstand al thinges that thou doest Let not the volume of thys boke go awaye froÌ„ thy mouth but thou shalt be occupyed in it daye and nyght that thou maye kepe and do all thynges wrytten in it It is a meruelous thynge to se how that noble men wemen are so busy to kepe those thinges that the deuel the worlde the fleshe haue founde out and coÌ„maunded howe slacke and slowe they are to do it the God hath commaunded so earnestlye The deuel deuysed dycyng and cardyng and wantoÌ„ daunsyng the worlde wyth the deuell hath founde out to costly proude lyght and temptyng apparel the fleshe with the deuel hath founde out waÌ„ton balades and bokes of loue and lechery whether are there mo gentlemeÌ„ in Englande that folowe the counsel of theyr Lorde God which byddeth them studye the scripture be exercised therin or of them that folowe the counsel of the aforenamed enemyes both to God and man Wyl ye not nowe my lordes and maysters take those phisicianes for murtherers of your soules whych forbyd you to eate of almyghty goddes triacle that is to reade hys worde whych he hath so earnestly coÌ„mauÌ„ded for the sauing both of your bodyes and soules Are they worthy to be of a kynges counsel or of a quenes counsell that haue burned thys booke whyche God inioyneth you to reade and haue ponysh the readers thereof as heretikes yf they be of the same iudgement styll Nowe let vs se whether that the coÌ„maundement of God concernyng that princes should be learned and the scripture to be red of al kynges and rulers was so vnderstande of holy men euen as it standeth that is that they should studye and reade the scripture in their owne persones or they muste learne the scripture and reade it and knowe it onely by their chaplaynes other suche like officers as the moste part of princes and noble men expound that commaundement of God now a dayes All blessed and happy and holy meÌ„ reade the scripture and are exercised in it nyght and daye their owne selues in their owne persons Then they that wyll not reade the scripture nether nyght nor day in their owne persones nether ar exercised in it are cursed vnhappye and wycked be they neuer so ryche noble so holye in the syght of the blynde worlde Dauid in the fyrst psalme describing a blyssed happy and godly man proueth it that I sayd now to be true Blessed is the man sayeth Dauid whose wyl is in the law of the Lorde and in hys lawe is exercysed in his mynde thinketh vpon it both day nyght And the cursed man or the wycked man sytteth in the seat of scorners that is to say wyll nether be vertuously occupied in goddes worde them selues nor wyl suffer other to read it but mock the readers of it as they do nowe a dayes that for a spytfull mocke call the readers of Goddes lawe gospellers sometyme heretikes mock them that ether in open preachyng or in preuie admonition tell them of their fautes and exhorte them to godlynes and vertuous lyuynge Dauid in the .119 Psal 119. psalme beareth also wytnes that the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of almyghty God concernyng the scripture to be reade and studyed of kynges iudges and noble men ought to be vnderstande that they shulde reade it and be exercised in it in their owne persones they that talke not wyth them selues of the scripture and are not exercised therin their owne selues are not blessed happy and godly but cursed vnhappy and vngodly for he sayeth Beati qui scrutantur testimonia eius in mandatis tuis exercebor considerabo vias tuas in iustificationibus tuis meditabor non obliuiscar sermones tuos Seruus tuus exercebatur in iustificationibus tuis nam testimonia tua meditatio mea est consilium meum iustificationes tuae Ne auferas de ore meo verbum veritatis vsquequaque ConfundaÌ„tur superbi quia iniuste iniquitatem fecerunt in me ego autem exercebor in mandatis tuis Tribulatio angustia inuenerunt me mandata tua meditatio mea est concupiui salutare tuum lex tua meditatio mea est Yf it be true that the noble men whych serche and seke for the commaundementes of God and studye the lawe of God and are exercysed therin are good and blessed men theÌ„ are they euel cursed and vnhappy men whyche searche not for the commaundementes of God nether studye the scripture nether exercise them selues there in The reason is good for all the good kynges wherof is mencioÌ„ made in the scripture were diligent setters forth and readers of the scripture and the wicked vngodlye kynges cared not for it reade the bokes of the kynges and the bokes of the cronicles and you shall fynde thys that I saye ryghte true 4. Reg. 22. In the .xxii. of of the .iiii. of the kynges ye maye se in the historye of Iosias howe that al hys forfathers that were euel kynges cared not for the scripture but let it lye many yeres buryed hyd so that they were not exercysed therin accordyng to the expressed commaundement of God Yf ye require one priuate exaÌ„ple of one man Iere. 36. reade the .36 of Hieremie the prophete and there shall ye fynde how that the wycked kyng Ioachim cut in peces the worde of God and burnt it in the fyre and sought after and persecuted Hieremie the authour of the boke and Baruch the writer of it as certaine geÌ„tlemen bothe of the laite and also of the clergie haue intreated
praesenti seculo ne sitis elato animo neque spem ponite in diuitijs incertis sed in Deo viuente qui praebet nobis omnia affatim ad fruendum Benefacite vt diuites sitis bonis operibus Estote faciles ad impertiendum libenter communicantes recondentes vobis ipsis fundamentum bonum in posterum Psa 39. vt apprehendatis vitam eternam Spera in Domino fac bonitatem inhabita terram pasceris in diuitijs eius Delectare in Domino dabit tibi petitionem tuam Nouit Dominus dies immaculatorum hereditas eorum in aeternum erit Inimici vero Domini mox vt honorificati sunt exaltati deficientes quemadmodum fumus deficient Iunior fui Psa 36. senui non vidi iustum derelictum nec semen eius querens panem Psa 118 Iniusti puni entur semen impiorum peribit Inclina cor meum in testimonia tua non in auaritiam I haue wrytten thys in latin for theyr sake that had leuer read their confortatiue and diet in latin then in Englyshe But yf I shoulde leue thys latine not turned into English I wolde be aferde that some vnlearned persones shulde abuse thys my wrytyng as the Popyshe sacrificeyng prestes and the coÌ„mon popyshe sorte of the vnlearned people abuse the physicke of Christ written in latin For when as Christ had made many noble medecines against dyuers diseases and the Apostles and Euangelistes had written the same in Greke and learned men hadde turned them out of Greke into latin some of the coÌ„mon people beleuyng that Christes medicines was very good desyred the prestes to reade vnto them Christes preparatiues purgations confortatiues and diet to their comforte and for the same cause they came euery sondaye vnto the churche But the Popyshe prestes rede ouer the sicke ê‘sons heades Christes aboue named medicines iÌ„ latin as though the bare redynge of the phisicians byll in a straunge tonge shulde helpe the syck men when as they vnderstande neuer one worde thereof And the same prestes nether taught the people howe they sholde vse theyr preparatiue nether theyr purgation nor confortatiue nether dyd they declare what diet the people shulde holde but read the diet other medicines in a strauÌ„ge tonge I wyll therfore make my hole counsell and my other medicines in Englyshe for them that vnderstande no latin and yet I counself them that are sycke in thys disease when as I couÌ„sell them that they daylye reade thys confortatiue and preseruatiue that they loke for no helpe of the only readynge of them but that they shoulde do those thynges that are wrytten not onely heare them or se them or saye them but also order theyr lyfe according vnto the coÌ„fortatiue the foreappointed diet The sonne of maÌ„ came to seke out and to saue that which was lost I came not to call the ryghteous but synners vnto repentaunce Repente you for the kyngdome of heauen is at hande Come vnto me all ye that labour and are ladeÌ„ and I shal refreshe you So God loued the worlde that he gaue hys onely begotten sonne that all whych beleue in hym sholde not peryshe but haue lyfe euerlastynge I wyll not the death of a synner but rather that he conuert and lyue The preseruatiue Thou shalt not desire thy brothers wyfe nor hys house nor hys lande nor hys seruauÌ„t nor hys mayde nor hys oxe nor his asse nor any thynge that is hys Be ye not carefull what ye shal eate nor what ye shal drynke or wherwyth ye shal be clothed Fyrst seke the kyngdome of God and the righteousnes therof al these thinges shal be gyuen you The Lorde shall not suffer the soule of the ryghteous to be greued wyth honger The yonge Lyons are greues wyth penurye and honger but they that searche out the Lorde shall lake nothyng that is good When thou shalte be made a kynge thou shalte not purchace vnto thee many horses thou shalte not haue many wyues nether exceadynge greate weyght of golde and syluer A ryghteous kynge setteth vp the laÌ„de but a couetus man destroyeth it Extreme pouerty nor great ryches gyue not vnto me giue me necessary thinges for my lyuyng leste paraduenture I beyng fylled shal be intysed vnto the deniyng of thee and saye who is the Lorde or I beynge compelled wyth pouerty shulde stele forswere the name of my Lorde God i. timo vi 1. tim 6 Seperate thy selfe from those whyche thynke gaynes to be godlynes for godlynes is great vauÌ„tage when a man is content in hys owne mynde for we brought nothyng into the world nether we can cary any thynge out therof but hauyng sufficient fode and clothynge let vs be content therwyth for those that wyll be ryche entre into many temtacions and snares and wycked desyres folyshe and hurtfull whyche drowne men cast them into death daunger and destruction For couetousnes is the roote of all euell You that are riche in this present world be not of an hyghe mynde 1. tim 6 and put not your hope in vncerteine riches but in the lyuyng God whych shall gyue you all thynges plenteously to inioye them Do you well that ye maye be ryche in good workes Be you easy to distribute gladly giuing parte layeng vp for your selues a good foundacion agaynst the tyme to come that ye maye take holde of euerlastyng lyfe Psal 37. Psal 37 Trust in the Lorde and do good and dwel vpon the earth and thou shalt be fed in the ryches of it Delyte or trust in the Lorde and he shall gyue the thy desyre The Lorde knoweth the dayes of the vndefyled and theyr inheritaunce shal be euerlastyng But the enemyes of the Lorde streyght way as they be honored and set vp they fadynge awaye do vanyshe as the smoke I was yonge and am olde and I haue not sene the ryghteous forsaken nor theyr sede beggynge their breade The vngodlye shal be ponyshed and the sede of the wicked shall peryshe Moue my harte vnto thy wytnesses and not vnto couetousnes So farre the preseruatiue After that they be ones perfytly healed they muste not onely vse thys foresayd dyet but they muste also exercise them selues leste they by to muche reste fall into theyr sycknes agayne For thys diet that I haue prescribed after Goddes phisik wyl not helpe except they be exercised in some good workes for the spirite of God sayeth Psal 33. declina a malo fac bonum flie euel do good But your chiefe exercyse shall stande in goynge walkynge and runnyng Exercise ye muste rune wyth Dauid Psal 118 which sayd viam manda torum tuorum cucurri I haue runne the waye of thy coÌ„maundementes ye muste also walke as Dauid sayeth in lege Domini in the lawe of the Lord and ye muste go as the same prophet sayd a virtute in virtutem from one vertue to another Althoughe there be many vertues wherein a