wel as other dayes And as for our holy dayes of our own inuenting in whâ—ch we worship the creaturys of god the lord hatyth them as apperyth playnly in the first of Esay Yea god hatyth and abhorryth them sayth the Prophete Amos in the .v chap. And Paul rebuketh them that kepe soch holy dayes Galathyans the .iiij. sayng ye obserue dayes ce I am afrayd lest I haue bestowed labor vpon yow in vayne But our Idle bisshops contrary to the scripturys before cyted haue brought us in bondage that in maner the forth day in the yere thei haue made holy day and not to god only as all men knowe but to his creaturys And how do the peple hallowe them In coÌ„myng to church to a sort of domme ceremonyes to here moch inuented seruyce in a strange tong which thei vnderstond not nor yet .x. among an huÌ„dreth of them seluys And thus the peple depart the church as empty of all sprytual knowlege as thei came thether And the rest of the day thei spend in all wanton and vnlawful gamys as dyse cardys dalyeng with wemen dansing and such lyke But if any man do any bodyly worke though very nede for the mayntenance of his lyuyng coÌ„pel hym there vnto he shal be punysshed and called heretycke to But not witstondyng this thei are coÌ„tent with thankys be to god that if such an heretyck worke euery sunday in the yeare though it be on Easter day for the kyngs grace or by his commissyon it is no offence but lauful as though it were lauful for thâ— kyng to breake gods coÌ„mandment But for all that if thei fearyd not more the kyng than thei doo god thei wold ponyssh them also Oh most suttyl and wyly theuys what kyng or emperor yee what bisshop or Apostle can dyspense with godds word which he eyther biddeth or forbiddeth Where as Chryst saieth thow shalt not put away thy wyfe but only for adultery can all the whole world ye antychrystes dispense with me to put away my wyfe but for that cause only If ye beleuyd ryghtly in god and lyued in his feare ye shuld dispense therwith for no nother cause More ouer the scripture teacheth us mariage to be institute of god Genesis the .ij. and honoryd of Chryst with his presence and first myracle turnyng water in to wyne Iohan the .ij. And. S. Pawl sayâ—h let euery man haue his wife to auoyde fornycacyon â— to the Coryn the .vij. marke he sayth euery man here is no man except For it is honorable sayth Paul to the Hebruys and the bedd thereof vndefyled And in the primatyue church it apperyth that the Apostels had wiues as Peter and Paul as is before rehersed And Paul calleth it a deuyllyssh doctryne to forbyd mariage to them that haue not the gyft of chastyte And yet not witstonding our lecheros bisshops oâ— rather sodomytes as chast as a sawâ— bytch take it for a vyle an vnholy thyng for thei forbyd themseluys and all that beare the marke of the beast antichrist to mary â–ª and haue procured death to them that seke rather to mary than to burne but to kepe whorys their own lawe permytteth Steuyn gardner which was the chefe causer of that wicked act is it not manifest openly knoun that he kepyth other mennys wyues which I could name and wil doo here after if he leaue not his shameles whordom If all the bysshops of Ingland were hanged whâ—ch kepe harlots and whorys we shuld haue fewer poÌ„pos bysshops than we haue Well yow bysshops which had your maryd wyues at the making of that wicked act and put them away for feare loke well vpon it for ye had bene better to haue suffred death than so cowardly to denye the lawe of the lord Wherfor I aduyse yow in the name of the lord bytterly to repeÌ„t with Peter takyng better hold and receyuing your owne maryed wyuys agayne yea though ye shuld giue ouer and for sake all your poÌ„pos auctoryte and vayne ryches And stand fast to gods word euen in the face of princys as did the apostels the Christen bisshop S. Ambrose with all the faythful sort from the begynnyng Remember what Christ sayth he that denyeth me before men him shal I denye agayn before my heuynly father And agayne he that holdeth the plough and lokyth back is not mete for me such other For if ye stop your mowthes your talent shal be taken from yow and geuen to him that hath x. Agayne the scripture teacheth us to confesse our synnes only vnto god with a repentant hart and to loke for absolucyon of them thorow Christ Daniel the .ix. Dauyd confessyd hym to the lord Psalm xxxij and .li. Mâ—nasses made a ryght confessyon as apperyth in his prayer If we so confesse our selues we shal gladly forgeue euyn our enemyes And in thus coÌ„fessing our synnes to the lord with a coÌ„tryte hart repentyng and turning froÌ„ our synnes all that we haue done before shal no more be thought vpon but seperat from us so farre as is the east from the west as sayâ—h the prophet And whan we offend our neyhbers and brethern we may not only confesse vs vnto the lord but also vnto them whom we haue offended and be reconciled one to another as Christ teacheth us in the .v. of Mathew and Iames also in the .v. chapter of his epistle This confessyon taught us the holy gost long before antychryst had fownd out that fylthy â—â—ricular confessyon to his gresy shauelings which was not from the beginnyng neyther shal be to the end Thei teach men to poure their synnes in to the earys of their generacyoÌ„ that thei may sytt in the conscyence of men wher as god alone shuld sytt And agayne thei heare gladly the confessyon of harlottes that thei may know where to spede And the syâ—nes being pouryd in to their eares by mouth not redargyng the repentance of the hart yet thei take vpon them to forgeue such synnys where as it is the offyce of god only to forgyue synne And thei do both robbe god of his offyce and also disceyue the pore blind peple which thynck them seluys to be healed whan thei remayne lepers styll For their malyce remaynyth styll â—uyn agaynst their fryndes many tymes and that for small matters not withstonding their confessyon As for the key of byndyng and â–ª losyng the grettest part of them knowe no more what it meanyth than a bussard Oh ye blasphemers what grownd haue ye to stablyssh your aurycular confessyon Haply ye wyl alledge that place where as Chryst sent the lepers vnto the pryst luke the .xvij. which maketh as moch for that purpose as to lay an vnyon to my lytel fyngar for the tothe ache For Christ sent them to the prystes only to offer an oblacyon after the lawe and that the prystes myght se that thei were whole and so after certeÌ„ dayes to be kept in for a tryal which exspyred and than thei being fownd whole the prystes
mowrnyâ—g vnto hym not slenderly not for a face and custome only as hath bene hetherto vsed to haue an vnholy masse of the holy goost rolled vp with descant pricksong and organes wherby menny â–ª hâ—rtes be rauysshed cleane both from god and from the cogytacyon of all such things as thei oughâ— to pray for Wheras it were more conuenyent that thei were diligently exhorted and put in mynd to consyder and ponder where vnto thei be called and what a recknyng god wil requyre of them And for as moch as the most part of the lordes and burgesses take it rather for an honowr than for an offyce wherfor thei shal answer and for a dignyte rather than for any burthen to be cownted of the parlament or cowncel howse and neuer ponder nor consyder before what thinges in the realme be amysse to be reformed by them It were more necessary in the stede of the mobled and mynsed masse wherby neither god is gloriâ—yed nor the hearers edifyed that some honest well lerned man such one as wold neyther flater lordes burgesses comons nor kyng but franckly and frely speake the veryie shuld be appoynted to preach not only at the begynnyng of the parliament but at the least .iij. tymes euery weke so long as the parliament endureth and to stand in the pulpet an howr at the least and not aboue an howr and an halfe and there to tell the lordes and burgesses their duâ—es and to open vnto them such abuses as are to be reformed in the realme And let all the lordes and burgesses be bownd to be present at euery sermon or els to be excluded the parlameÌ„t howse If ye wil seke such ways than wil the holy gost lyght in your cowncel or â–ª els neuer for all your pyping or singing And kepe both lordes and burgesses all in one house to gether For it is not the ryches or autoryâ—e that bringeth wisdom And what shuld one howse make one act and a nother shal breake and disanull the same that way is not after the doctrine of the gospel But now let us goo to other matters The seconde Chapter Of inhansing of rent ys by land lordes ce COnsyder yow what a wickednes is comonly vsed thorow the realme vnponysshed in the inordinate inhansyng of rentys and takyng of vnresonable fynys and euery day worse then other and euyn of them specially to whom the kyng hath geuen and sold the land ys of those Impys of Antichrist Abbays and nonryes which land ys being in their handys but only for that thei led us in a false fayth as their coÌ„panyoÌ„s the bysshops still doo but for the faythes sake I say for the which thei were iustly suppressyd it had bene more profytable no dowte for the comon welth that thei had remayned styll in their handys For why thei neuer inhansed their landys nor toke so cruel fynes as doo our temporal tyrannys For thei can not be content to late them at the old price but rayse them vp dayly euyn to the cloudys eyther in the rent or in the fyne or els both so that the pore man that laboryth and toyleth vpon it and is hys slaue is not able to lyue And further if another rich couetos carl which hath to moch already will gyue any thing more than he that dwellyth vpon it owt he must be he neuer so poore though he shuld become a begger and after a theâ—e and so at length be hanged by his owtgoing so lytle is the lawe of loue regarded Oh cruel tyrannys Yea it is now a comoÌ„ vse of the landlordys for euery tryâ—yll euyn for his fryndys plesure in case his tenant haue not a lease he shal out hym owt of hâ—s ferme which thâ—ng is both agaynst the law of nature and of charyte also he being an honest man payng his rent and other dutys well and honestly I think there be no such wicked lawes nor custom ys in the vnyuersal world agayne What a shame is this to the whole reâ—lme that we say we haue receyued the gospel of Christ and yet is it worse now in thâ—s matter than it was ouer fyfâ—y or .iij. score yearys whan we hâ—d but the poâ—y law as wicked as it was For thâ—n leassyâ— were not known And now the latyag and engrossing of them leassys I meane is one great cause of theâ— inhansing of reâ—ys wherfore I pray god these leassys may haue a fall and come to an end shortly Looke well vpon this ye Christen burgessys for this inhansing of rentys is not only against the comon welth but also at length shalbe the chefest decay of the princypal commodyte of this realme For why this inordinate inhansing of rentys which is sprong vp within fewe yerys past must nedys make all things deare as well pertaynyng to the back as to the belly to the most gret daÌ„mage of all the kyngs subiectys landyd men only except Yea and euyn thei them seluys were more welthyer whan their landys went at the old pryce For why thei bye all things the dearer and yet the comon welth is robbed therby not with stonding as the godly which sekyth his brothers welth as his own will soone iudge how beit this matter is so farre gone that there is no remedy to the redresse of it but one and that is thâ—s If the kyngs grace of his goodnesse wil consyder where vnto god hath called hym and for what purpose A kyng is annoynted to be a defence vnto the people that thei be not oppressyd nor oueryocked but by all godly and polytick meanys to seke the comon welth of hys people so if his grace will call down the pryce of his ownè landes as thei went ouer fyfty yea forty yearys and compell all other landed meÌ„â— to the same vpon payn of forfetting his whole landys one part of them to the kyngs grace another to be employed to the comon welth and the thyrd to the presenter that can iustyfye the matter a reformacion may be had to the singular ease and coÌ„modyte of the comon welth and that many wayes For this being reformed aboue all other actes shal bryng the cloth of England to a contynuall vent and all vytellys to a resonable price that all clothys of other contryes shal stey where as Englyssh cloth shal come in place as in tymys past hath done which thing old marchaÌ„tes and old clothyers can tel SoÌ„me will obiect and say it is a comon welth to bryng the comodyteys of the realme to an high pryce which I vtterly denye to be a comonwelth for what maketh ryddance or good sale so moch as whan a comodyte is at a pryce resonable As a fore is sayd whan Englyssh clothes were sold at a pryce resonable than all other foren cloth steyd tyl that was sold. But now is englyssh cloth brought to so high a price that the cloth of many contres is sold a fore Englyssh cloth and that causeth marchantes to kepe their clothes long vpon their handes many
Where thei had alweys one or other vicar that eyther preached or hyred some to preach Now is there no vicar at all but the fermer is vicar and person all together and onely an old cast â— way monke or fryre which can scarsely say his mattens is hyred for .xx. or .xxx. shillings meat and drinck yea in some place for meate and drinck alone with owt any wages I knowe and not I alone but .xx. M. moo knowe more than .v. C. vycarages and personages thus well and gospelly serued after the newe gospel of Ingland And if a man say to the fermers why haue the peple no preachers seing ye haue the tythes and offrings ye shuld fynd preachers Thei will answere we haue hyred the personages of this or that lord and he or he is person or vicar we pay for the tythes and offerings to the lord that is parson Well than I say vnto the my lord parson vicar thou doyst wrong to haue personages and vicarages to haue the tenth pyg the teÌ„th sheefe the tenth lambe goose flese and so of all other things seing that thou art no mynyster nor no pryst of Christes church canst neyther preach teach nor doo any offyce of â— parson or of a vicar but polle pylle What canst thou say for thy selfe my lord parson and vicar Thow wilt say parauenture the kyng gaue me the abbey and all that longeth therto which had them geuen hym be the parlament Therfor if thou speake against my being person vicar though I neyther preach nor teach nor yet procure none to do it for me thou art a traytor for this is the .xiij. artycle of our crede added of late that what so euer the parlament doth must nedys be well done and the parlament or any proclamacyon owâ— of the parlament tyme cannot erre Therfor let no man be so hardy in payne of death to speake or complayne for the redresse of any thing that is done amysse eyther by the parlament or by any proclamacyon If this be so my lord parson than haue ye brought Rome home to your own dores geuen the auctoryte to the kyng and the parlament that the carnal bisshops gaue vnto the pope which was this Si papa ce If the pope thorow his faut shuld send infinyte thousandes to the deuyl yet must no man speake agaynst him And if ye haue geuyn the same auctoryte vnto the parlament that the papistes gaue to their general councels that is that thei can not erre and what so euer is onys determyned in a general councel must nedys be true and of no lesse auctoryte than the gospel â—f this be so it is all in vayne to loke for any amendmeÌ„t of any thing And we be in as euyl case as whan we were vnder the bisshop of Rome if we haue all the lawes of hym coÌ„fyrmed with fyre and death Surely the popissh bisshops whan thei were robbed of the pope of Rome thei wold nedys haue a pope and therfor thei wold haue made the kyng their pope and thei gaue hym auctoryte to doo all things in England that the pope dyd in Rome as to forbyd maryage certen tymes in the yeare and than to sell lycencys for the same to selle lycence to eate flessh in lent â–ª non residencys and such other And euen the popys proctor sayd as it was told me that he might make sayntes also And lesse there shuld want any thing to a perfyght pope dome the bisshops caused a proclamacyon to be set out in the kyngs name that from hense forth the ceremonyes of the church that were of the popys makyng shuld no more be taken for the popys ceremonys but the kyngs and so thei made the kyng father to the popys childern But I am sure though the bisshops wold make the kyng pope he wold not take it vpon hym And I trust that euery day more and more his grace shal spye their popissh intentys But to yow my lord personys how can ye defend your seluys if a man shuld bring this argument agaynst you and proue you all theuys that haue personages and vicarages in your handes and can not preach Christ sayeth Iohn the .x. he that entreth not in to the shepefold by the dore but clymeth in another way is a thefe and a murderer but ye entred in another way wherfore ye are theuys and murderers That ye come not in by the dore I wil proue it thus Christ is the dore but by Christ ye came not in to the shepe fold that is to say to be parsons and vicars for ye grant that ye came in by the act of parlament and the act of parlament is not Christ for it is not confirmed by christes word therfor ye came not by christ and so be ye theuys and murderers as your workes prouyd of late in shedding of the blode of so many true prechers and shepardes which spent their lyues for their shepe If this argument be not strong inough what say ye by this All they that come before me sayth Christ are theuys and robbers ye come in to the shepefold before Christ ergo ye be theuys and robbars To come in before Christ is to be a parson or a vicar before Christ send hym And ye came in before Christ sent yow for he sendeth none to be shepardes but such as he knoweth to be able to fede his flocke ergo he neuer sent yow for he knoweth yow vnable to doo that office And thus to conclude ye be theues and robbers for a thefe commeth not but to steale and to kyll Wherfor gyue ouer your personages to learned men enter not in to other mennys vocacyoÌ„s to robbe the ministers both of their office of their liuyng that ye be not punisshed of god But if ye will nedys be parsons and vicars styll and haue all the profightes of the personages and will haue all euen to the tyâ—he eg of a pore woman that hath but .ij. hennys ye must haue the paynes that belong to such parsons as yow be Heare what almighâ—y god sayth vnto yow my lordys which wil be parsons and pastors Ezechel .xxxij. If I say vnto the wicked thou shalt dye the death and thou speake not vnto hym to kepe the wicked from his way the wicked hâ—s own selfe shal dye in his wickednes but hâ—s blode shal I requyre of thy hand Marke well lord parson for thâ—s is sayd to all them that are parsons and take wages and liuyng of the peple as tythes offryngs for feding of them with gods word or â—ls by what tyâ—le canst thow chalenge the tyâ—hes loke well vpon this matter and by 〈◊〉 thy conscyence vpon godds word Of lordes which are shepardes The .xv. Chapter WHan the sprytualty was in prosperyte had the vpper hand in the reame thei did farre excede the teÌ„poral lordes in couetosnes but after thei had a falle the lordes hauyng their spoyles the same pock that was in the clargys wyne