Enormytees vsyd by the Clergy Here floweth dyuers enormytees vsyd by the Clergy / and by some wryters theyr adherentis / and specyally agaynst the heresy of symony vsyd by the Clergy ¶ How some of the Clergy and theyr adherentis causeles haue sklaÌ„derously spoken agayns this noble realme of Englande and agayns dyuers of the Kynges lay subiectes / and haue prechyd wrytyn agaynst small offeÌ„sys / leuyng the greter offensys in the law of god vntouheyd Ca. i. THe grace of our lorde Ihu Chryst / the charyte of god / and the comunycacyon of the holy goste / be euer with our noble Kyng with his nobles counsellours and with vs all Amen OF late tyme aboute the begynnyÌ„g of this presente parlyament / that was begonne the thryd day of November in the .xxj. yere of the Reygne of our moste drad soueraygne lorde that now is / Kyng henry the yght defensor of our feyth / when the clergye hard tell that the greate extorcyon that they had long tyme vsed / in the wrongfull takyng of mortuaryes / and by probate of testamentys / shulde be reformed / and more meanely qualyfyed to the greate relyfe and comforte of all the kynges laye subyectes / Then one of theym stode vp / and sayde opynly / that it was to be feared that the comons of this realme of Englonde / be mych infected with heresye bycause they intendyd to minyshe and to plucke from the churche the lybertyes of Chrystes churche / dredyng that thereby it myght fortune to this realme / as lately be fell to the realme of Boeme / that was the subuercion of that same realme / But it semyth that therin the clarke there opyned his couetous stomake / then callynge theyr wrongfull exaccyoÌ„s to be the lybertyes of Christes church / nat consideryng that there be .ii. lybertyes in the churche / one that is temporall that hath be geuyn by the kyng by his noble progenytours which may be resumed by lyke auctoryte And there is an other spirytuall lyberty that comyth only from god / that is spokeÌ„ of .i. Coryn .iij. sayeng Our lorde is the spyryte / and where the spyryte of god is / there is lybertye / and that lybertye none Emperoure ne Kyng can ne may take from the churche ¶ Now although percase the sayde clerk be a famouse doctor / precher of the worde of god / and be also a chaste man of his body / yet it aperyth euydeÌ„tly by that seyeng that he is sore infected with Aueryce / which is the seruytude and bondage of Idolls and is also roote of all euylls / god of his grace amend it in hym and all other / but he wolde nat there speke of the volupteous conuersacion / and extorcion / and other abhomynacyoÌ„s of the clergy / that ryseth of the superfluite of theyr temporall possessions / and of the mysusyng thereof / neyther of the vsurpacion of theyr temporall dyngnytes and auctorytes / neyther yet of the grete and moste detestable heresye of symonye vsed and longe tyme accustomed among theym self ys / as shall be sayde here after ¶ And also sythyn that tyme of the begynnyng of this same forsayd presente parlyamente it hath byn a comon sayeng of dyuerse of the clergy / that there were neuer so many herytykes in Englond / as be now at this present day / yea and also dyuerse of the lay gentlemen lerned in the comon law of this realme / and other folkes beyng of kynred or hauyng offyces / fees or rewardes or belyechere of the clergy / with a counterfett petye / monefully affyrme / and openly speke thesame / wherein it semyth that they be nat well circumspect in theyr sayenges / for onlese that they be able to name / and to bryng forth those persons that they speke of / and meane it by / and also that they can shew theyr opynyons / and can proue them to be heretycall / It shulde ells seme to be a greate blasphemy to the Kynges hyghnes / beyng moste catholyke and chrystyane defensor of the feyth And also to be an vnnaturall and execrable sclander to his most honorable counsel / to this his hygh courte of parlyament / and to all this noble and good catholyke realme / wherein is no lytell offence yf it be well considered ¶ And yet percase in theyr so sayng all though they mystake the lay fee therein yet regardyng the clergy in theyr sayd sayenges / they may fortune to say more trewly therin than they be ware of / as shal be sayd hereafter / ¶ And although the heresye of dyuerse of the clergye shal be here sum what spoken of / yet the good sorte of good catholyke and vertous clerkes be nat offeÌ„ded thereby / for this wryter and compyler / euer hath sayd / and contynually wyll say with saynt Austen / O veneranda sacerdotum dignitas / in quorum manibus dei filius velud in vtero virginis incarnatur / O felices sacerdotes / si sacerdotaliter vixeritis .c. yet of the voluptuous and heretycall sorte of the clergye it may be sayde in contrary wyse as thus / O misera et detestanda superborum / cupidorum / IracuÌ„dorum / luxuriancium / gulosorum / Inuidorum / accidiosorum / voluptuosorum hereticancium sacerdotum / animalis diabolica condicio / in quorum manibus dei filius iterum quantum in vobis est crucifigitur morti traditur / et non defensi sepulcro / sed fetido sterquilinio mittitur / videlicêª in ora et corpora sacerdotuÌ„ multiphariis viciis heresi plenorum / O infelices sacerdotes / si non sacerdotaliter vixeritis / And it is sayd Dist xl Ca. multi sunt .c. that there be many prestes / and that there be but few prestes / many in name and but few indede / and therof reade in aboke called Dextra pars oculi sacerdotis ¶ And also where some men haue lately taken greate study pleasure / to ympung a vertuous Clerke a good holsom precher of the word of god / so estemed to be in the opynioÌ„ of many good meÌ„ / also dyuerse meÌ„ hath byn sett with theyr talles in theyr handes to wryte to marke many of his sayenges in the pulpit thynkyng therby to confounde / to abiure or to brenne hym / wherein appered greate lacke of good benygnyte / of charyte / therby semith to appere greate plentye of craftye eÌ„uyoê° cruelnes / also some meÌ„ wryte agaynst dyuerse good catholyke crystyn laymeÌ„ / callyng some of theym iÌ„ mockage / the pacyfyer some other of them EuaÌ„gelyke broders / other dyuerse names at theyr plesure / wtout any louyÌ„g frainall spryte of good councell / or of charytable or secrete reformacyon ¶ And also they haue taken greate study in confutyng of some other mens wrytynges / which they thought to be erroneous / and it semyth to them to be welldon
/ and in thy name / we haue cast out deuyles / in thy name we haue done or made many vertues / And theÌ„ Christ shall knowlege to them / that he neuer knew theym as to they re saluacion and wyll bid theym / go ye froÌ„ me all ye synners / workers of iÌ„yquite ¶ And here ye shal ê‘ceyue on the one syde the great superfluous fauour heretofore shewed to the clergye by the Kyng / by his noble ê“genytours / by the lordes and by other theyr laye subiectê / and on the other syde ye shall ê‘ceyue the great crueltye / ê‘cyalyte of the ordynaries of other Clerkys of auctoryte / custumably shewed to the Kynge to his noble ê“genytouris / to his lordis to other his laye subiectis / ¶ For where Clerkis many tymes by theyr euyll gouernaunce / as by theyr thefte / murder / sacrilege other theyr greuous offeÌ„cys haue loste the pryuylege of theyr Clergy / as hath byn sayd before / by theyr owne law / that is by many holy canons in the holy decrees / by Christis gospell / yet the Kyngê hyghtnes / his noble ê“genytourê the lordys / other theyr laye subiectis haue alweys ben contented at theyr desyrys and requestys / to make statutys / in fauour of suche clerkys murderers and other / thynkyng thereby / to haue deserued thanke of god / and of the other good sorte of the clergy / where they in recompeÌ„ce of such reuerence greate curtesy / and good fauorable humanyte shewed to them / haue alweys iÌ„ contrary wyse shewed to the noble progenytourys of the kyng / to his grace / to his lordys temporall / and to all other the kynges lay subiectys / all cruelty / and customable percyalyte in suche theyr auctorytes as they haue vsyd / sumetyme presomtuously and cruelly / few tymes or neuer louyngly / nether fauorably nether yet indyfferently / as now shal be sayd And fyrst of theyr presumpcyon ¶ Where god by the mouth of the prophet Esaye .x. cursyth all them that maketh any wyked lawes / yet the prelatys and other the clergy nat dredyng that curse haue made secretely in theyr conuocacioÌ„ house / here within the Kynges realme presumtuously certeyne constituicions that they call prouyncyall / wherein iÌ„ sum case they spare nat to curse to eÌ„terdyte the Kynges castels royall / other honorable his dominyons all the inhabytauÌ„ce therof / how noble / how good / how vertuous / howsyke / and how nygh the artetycle of deth so euer they be / as it appreth in the constitucions prouynciall in the chapiter / Contingit aliquando / and all that is done for mayntenaunce of theyr temporall possessions and of theyr temporall honourys / where it semyth that none such shulde be longyng to them ¶ And here now folowith soÌ„what more of the cruelte and percyalyte longe tyme shewed and contynued by the prelates and other that Clergy to all the Kynges laye subiectes and of the vnlawfull and parcyall fauour borne by the sayd prelatys to the vnthryfty cursyd sorte of the clergy In the holy decrees Dist .l. There is a lytell chapter that begynyth thus / Si quis viduam / wherin it is ordeyned that yf any man marye a wedow or woman lefte of an other man he shall neuer there after take any holy orders / and yf he hapen to take any suche holy orders he shal be put from them / And in the same chapiter it is ordeyned that who so euer at any tyme after his baptysme be in dede / or by counsell / or in his defence / gyltye or agreable to any murder / or manslaughter / he shal neuer take holy orders / And yf he happen to take any then he shall be put from them / and he shall neuer take communyoÌ„ or howsyll but lyke a laye man / And also in the nexte chapiter folowyng Peruenit ad nos There it is ordeyned that yf any clerke at any tyme after holy orders by hym taken / fall in lapse of the flesshe he shal be put from all holy orders he shall neuer serue at the aulter as before is sayd ¶ Now / no man can rede that euer any lay man hath byn fauoryd or dyspensed withall by his ordynary in this case / how honest / how good / and how vertuous so euer he and his wyfe or wyffys were / and yet all his doyng in that case / hath be done by the law of god of the holy church / wherin the sayd ordynaryes haue vsyd eyther to hygh Iustyce or to greate cruelte without dyscrecyon or mercy ¶ And on the other syde few men or none can tell or hath redd that euer any of the clergye comyttyÌ„g felony wylfull murder fornycacyoÌ„ adultery inceste sacrelege / or tape before takyng of holy orders / or aft takyng of them / hath at any tyme lost any orders / or that he hath ben forbodyn or denayed minystracioÌ„ at the aulter at any tyme / wherin the prelates hath shewed theyr vndyscrete fauour and great percialyte / Therfore it were a charytable dede to make an acte of parlyament that all such vnhappy prestes whom the holy canons puttyth from mynystracyon at the aulter / shulde at the temporall law lose all maner of benefytes of theyr clergy / and shulde dye for felony or morder done by them for they be no clerkys ne shall neuer be admyttyd to theyr clergy as before is sayd Dist .l. ¶ And although diuers prelates may percase trewly say that they neuer comytted nether such presumptuous rygoure nether suche vndyscrete ê‘eyall fauour as now hath byn spokyÌ„ of / yet they can nat excuse them selfys / but that they know that hyt hath byn so this long tyme vsyd / and yet euery one of them sufferyth it / and neyther speke / neyther preche / neyther yet wryte agaynst it / wherefor it may be sayd to them as chryst sayd to the phareseys Ipocrytys Math. xxiij wo be to you .c. ¶ And yet ouer this the sayd clergy hath made an ordynauÌ„ce and decre that who so euer teche preche or frowardly menyth contrary to any of the fore sayd decrees decretallys or ordynaunces in theyr constitucyons prouyncyall shall be Iugyd an heretyke / as it aperyth in the sayd constytucions ê“uyncyall titulo / de hereticis Cap. nullus quoque / And where the kyng of his Iustyce and gracyous fauour proclaymyth all his Actys made in his hygh courte of parlyamente / in euery shere within this his realme / and causyth them to be in prynte bycause no man shulde be excusyd by ygnoraunte / The clergye doth in a contrary wyse / make theyr constycyons to be secrete from / the temporall lay subiectes of the Kyng / whereby they may daylye fall in daunger of heresye / and that Ignorantly / wherin semyth to be myche craftye cruelte ¶ Of the most detestable heresye of symonye vsyd
of theyr lyues / to retayne and enioye the benefycys and all the frutys and profytes of the same symonytly and heretycally gotten / without scrupulosyte of conscyence ¶ And yet the pope and the clergye wyll nat be contented / that the Kyngys hyghnes shall at any tyme perdone the lyfe of any lay heretycall persone / that they haue onys Iuged to the fyer or haue put from them to the lay handes / although it be euydently knowen / that the kyng hath more power ouer the bodyes of his subiectes / than the pope and all his clergye hath / where by it shulde seme that the pope is nat only an heretyke hym selfe / but also a customable maynteyner and vpholder of heretykes and heresies And yet herof we can here no prechyng nether see no wrytyng of late seson / but some one hath scornefully sayd / I pray you be good to the clergye / wherefore it may be sayde to many of the prechers / and to such wryters and confuters of the smaller heresyes / that leuyth the greter offencys in goddys lawe as the sayde symonycall heresyes and other be / to be vnprechyd / vnwrytyn and nat coÌ„futed / as Christ sayd to the phareseys Ipocrytê Math. xxiii as before is wryten / wo be to you .c. ¶ The correccion of all suche enormytes in the clergye of this realme be longyth to the kynges hyghnes as to his seculer-power / as it aperyth by dyuerse holy canons that is .xxiii. qÌ„ i. Si apud carnales xxiii qÌ„ iii. Qui poÌ„t xxiii qÌ„ v. Sunt que daÌ„ enormia / and there de lyguribus vene ticis / and there Regum officium est ther / Qui malos ê‘cutit / and there Si ê“pterea / and in manye other dyuerse placis of the holy decrees ¶ And euery man both temporall and spuÌ„all is bownde to be obedyent and to beleue in all the holye canons / and to maynteyn / nothing contrary to any of theym vppon payne of heresye as it is sayd and coÌ„maunded in the sayd coÌ„stitucions ê“uyncyall / Titulo de hereticê Ca. Nullus quoque and also .xxv. qÌ„ i. violatores canonum / ¶ And in coÌ„fyrmacioÌ„ of the Kynges Auctoryte for correccion of all enormytees in the Clergye / ye may harkyn what is sayd therof Ioh. xix Whan Christ stode before Pylate and was there vntrewly accused of treson agaynst Cesar / there Pylate sayd to Christ / knowest nat thou that I haue power to crucyfye the / and also to dyscharge and to forgyue the / Chryst denayed it nat / but affermed it / saying / Thou shuldest haue no power vppon me but yf it had be geuyn the from aboue / as from god / Harkyn also saynt Paule Ro. xiii Wher he wylleth euery man to be obedient to the hygh power of the Kyng seying lett euery man be subiect to the powers / There is no power but of god / he that resysteth power / doth resyst the ordynaunce of god / And they that so resyste gere dampnacion to theym selfys / for pryncis be nat sett here in drede of anye good warke / but of euyll .c. He berith the sword nat without cause / he is goddys mynystre and auenger wrathfullye to hym that euyll doth c. And saynt Peter i. Petri. ii sayth Be ye subiect to euery humayne creature for god .c. to the vengeaunce of euyll doers and to the laude and prayse of good men .c. ¶ The prechyng / wrytyng / shewyng of theyse forsayd and other great and greuous offeÌ„sys agaynst the lawe of god / And the declaracioÌ„ of the Kynges power in punysshyng therof / had byn and yet wylbe moche plesant to god / And also it shuld haue bene good acceptable seruice to the Kynges hyghnes / for it shulde haue put / and yet may put his grace in good perfyte knowledge / what beloÌ„gyth for a Kyng or prynce to do herafter in all suche outrageous offeÌ„sis / yf the Clergye / do nat cease ther of / And so the correcion thereof had byn / and yet may be a helpe furtheraunce to the mayneteynauÌ„ce of the Kynges honour / and of his prerogatyfe reyall / For by estymacioÌ„ the knowlege therof hathe byn longe tyme kepte from his grace / and from his noble progenytours / and from the temperall lordes peeris of this Realme / wherfore in the honoure of god and for the dewtye that ye owe to the Kyng / ye prechers wryters that haue herto fore prechyd / and wryten / of suche tryfyls and smaller of fensys in godys lawe as is before rehersed / Now preche ye and wryte ye furste in reprouyng and oppressyng of these for sayde greate and detestable vycys / and that done than may ye preche and wryte of other smaller offencys at your pleasure quia ipsa oportet facere illa non omittere And so ye maye also a voyde froÌ„ your self ys the greate perelous curse that is fallen on Symon Magus / or els the foresayde holy canon i. qÌ„ i. quisquis per pecuniam / reporteth that ye be in greate daunger therof / And in so doyng / the tyme shal be well spente / and god and the Kynge shal be well seruyd / and the comynaltye of this realme may be therby sett at moche rest and peace / ¶ For the clergye in theyr cruell persecucyon of the kynges laye subiectes do all contrarye to Chrystes doynges and to his comaundementes and also contrary to the holy canon xxiiij qÌ„ iii. Cap. vltimo in which holy canoÌ„ is rehersed Chrystes acte and comaundement Math. xiij Seyeng / suffyr ye as well the cokell as the good corne to growe bothe to gether tyll haruyst tyme / for drede that when ye wolde wede and plucke vp the cokell ye shall also therwith plucke vp the goode corne by the rote / And there the sayde holy canon seyth It is necessarye that some heresyes heretykes be / And also Math. xv where Chrystis appostolys sayd to hym / Thou knowyst that in this thy worde the pharyseys be sklanderyd / And there Chryst bade comaunded those pharyseys to be suffred / seyyng they were blynde and leders of blynde men or of blynde thynges / And no clerk dowtyth but knowyth those pharysees to be heretykes / and yet Chryst bade suffer them / But the sayd cruell sorte of the Clergye hath nat of late season done so / But some tyme it hath ben thought that they wold abiure a good crystyan man causeles / as yt semyth by some persons lately beyng in theyr daunger prison / wherefore these premyssys well consydered it shulde seme to be very necessarye counsell to the ordynaryes spuÌ„all and to other the Clergye / to aduyse theÌ„ / to leue they re cruell handelyng of the kynges lay subiectes for such heresyes as be but small heresyes in comparysoÌ„ of greter / tyl they may clere and clense theym self ys from symonye that is