withstande them with their craftes impugne them with their lyes and vexe them wyth their deuyllyshnesse as necessarye it is they shuld do For yf they haue trobled the head they must beâ—e also the members If the howsholder be called Beelzebub the howsholde must suffre the same No better is the seruauÌ„t than his lorde nor the massenger than he that sent hym 4 They shall also ouercome them not with the scripturs but with their beggerlye customes constitucions lawes decrees tradicyons They shall scourge them or dysgrade them in their synagoges They shall delyuer them vp to iustyces debitees and rewlers makynge them their bothers aÌ„d slaues so washinge their owne holye handes froÌ„ the shedynge of innocentes bloode 5 They shall kylle theÌ„ also by their couÌ„sell to fulfyll the measure of their fathers that all ryghtuouse bloude maye lyght vpon them which hath bene shedde vpon earthe Yet shall they not hurte their sowles but through faythe they shall haue victorye bothe ouer them and the deuyll 6 And their bodyes shall lye in the stretes of the great cyte In this worlde shall their carkases remayne where as they haue rewle and domynyon Here shall they be iudged and condempned At their pleasure shall it be to haÌ„ge theÌ„ heade them or burne them And thowgh they laye no handes vpon them for soylynge their coÌ„secrate fyngars yet must it be done by their ghostlye cownsel aÌ„d ordred also after their spyrituall appoyntment Non other is it to lye in the stretes of their greate cyte than after â—oche lawes as they haue practysed toke brought vnto deathe 7 For spiritually is their cyte called A gloryouse name vsurpe they as though they were noÌ„ of the world They wyll be called the holy churche good ghostlye fathers godly dyuines spirituall meÌ„ne not coÌ„siderynge of what sprete they are spiritual They are those into whoÌ„ the vncleane sprete hath entred with .vij. other spretes worse than hym self With the sprete of falshede the sprete of fylthynesse the sprete of lyes the sprete of wytchecrafte the sprete of erroure the sprete of blindenesse aÌ„d the sprete of cruelte And of these onlye with soche lyke are they spyrituall and of no godlye sprete as their frutes declareth And therfor the sprete of god doth iudge here this great cyte not to be called HierusaleÌ„ but stinkinge Sodome most myserable Egypte the prophecyes and other scripturs agreynge to the same For loke what fylthynesse and abhomynacion was in Sodome what Idolatrye and deuylyshnesse was in Egipt the same is now reygnynge in this paynted spyritualte and is accounted there great holynesse 8 Amonge this consecrate multytude or smered sort is Christ yet crucyfied as he was amonge the Iewes whych knewe hym not yet boasted theÌ„ selues outwardlye for the peculiar chosen peple of God Not onlye ys Christ amonge theÌ„ persecuted scourged ponnyshed aÌ„d put vnto deathe in hys membres but also he ys proued of them an vnsufficyent Sauer without their dayly doynges Their masses must be satysfactory sacrifices profytinge both the quicke and the dead And that must menne beleue vnder peyne of deathe and dampnacyon Thus crucyfye they Christ ageyne and make a mocke of hym as wytnessed Paule and yet do they call hym their lorde not vnlyke to the tormentours whych crowned hym with thorne and saluted hym with Aue rex Iudeorum The Text. 1 And some of the peple and kynredes and tunges and of the nacions 2. shall se theyr bodyes thre dayes and an halfe 3. and hall not suffre theyr bodyes to be putte in graues 4. And they that dwell vpon the earthe 5. shal reioyce ouer them and be gladde 6. and shall sende gyftes one to an other 7. for these two prophetes vexed theÌ„ that dwelte on the earthe ¶ The Paraphrase 1 And as they lye thus dead in the stretes or are contempned as heretykes aÌ„d despysed as wycked doars some of the peple peruerted by these enemies some of the kynredes or sectes of dyuysion some of the tonges or blasphemouse bablers aÌ„d some of the nacyons of al wycked workers shall beholde their bodyes iij. dayes and an half 2 They shall for all ages abhorre them hate theÌ„ reuyle them and spyghtfullye report them In ther cronycles shal they wryte them for seducers of the peple in their storyes regestre them for dampnable heretykes For the .iij. dayes an half dyuided into .vij. halues betokeneth the .vii. ages of the churche wherin they haue and shal styll both persecute and blaspheme 3 And these wycked sortes of peple kynredes tonges and nacyons or of false iustyces prestes lawers and relygyouse shall not suffre their bodyes to be putte in graues But be these wytnesses ones iudged heretykes by the clergye aÌ„d so condempned by the layte eyther shall their bodyes be resolued in to ashes by fyre or els consumed by the fowles of the ayre Seldome shal ye se a knowne heretyke buryed amonge them but most commonlye burned Examples of thys hath bene â—aâ—elye seane here in Englande by Thomas hyttoon Thomas bylueye Iohan frith George baynham WilliaÌ„ tindale Iohan lambert Robert barnes Wylliam Hyerome Thomas garade Rycharde spenser and in Partrick hamilton of Scotlande with manye other more And longe afore our tyme in sir Iohan olde castell the lorde CobhaÌ„ sir Roger acâ—on knyght sir Reynolde pecock byshop of chychester Master IohaÌ„ Ayshton sir Willyam thorpe sir Willyam â—awtre sir Richarde with sir Iohan balle sir Willyam tayloure and sir willyam whyght prestes with dyuerse other The body of Formosus was first taken vpp by Steuen the .vi. Bishopp of Rome and disgraded After was yt beheaded mangled and throwne into the flood of Tyber by Sergius the thyrde Saynt Herman after .xx. years from hys buryall was taken vpp and burned at Ferraria in Italie by Boneface the ryhht The bones of Master Iohan wycclef were taken vpp and burned also the .xl yeare after hys death as waldene wytnesseth to hys boke de Sacramentalibus ti .ix. Capi .lxxxix. So was of late yeares in worcestre dyocese the bodye of master WilliaÌ„ Tracye esquire in LondoÌ„ the bodye of Rycharde honne merchande taylour Moreouer Iohan colet deane of Paules in londoÌ„ also was not farre froÌ„ the same for readynge of Paules Epistles by hys lyfe had not other wayghtye matters bene in the waye Soche heretykes shall not rest in their cyte they shall not be buryed amonge them They shall not be shryued canonysed nor allowed for Sayntes for they buylded no monasteries they sett vpp no chauÌ„teryes they subdewed no Princes nor yet dyed for the lybertees of holye churche They sâ—ode not in defence that prestes doynge Idolatrye thefte murther wytche crafte whoredome buggerye with other abhominacyons shuld remayne vnponnyshed But rather to the contrarye that they shuld worshypp but one God lyue by their labours take wâ—â—es of their owne teache nothynge but Gods lawes 4 And they that dwâ—ll vpon the earthe sayth the lorde or haue their felycite herewith the
him that tangle them selâ—es with soche workes of bondage as he neuer knewe as are all their Idell obseruacions hauynge no expresse commaundementes of the worde of God Onlye loke we saith Paule in sprete to be iustyfied through faythe which by loue is mightye in operacyon 6 And for them that so beleueth is this disiunctyue or put betwyn theyr handes and foreheades For all they that outwardlye kepe these heythnishe obseruacyons haue not their conscyences defyled with them for their inwarde faythes sake though they perfourme the outwarde workes doubtynge the terrour of the lawes Yet wolde I counsell them not therin to trust but at the worde of the lorde to go from it For though loth dwelt in Sodome yet at the lordes voyce he departed from thens 7 This Image made also that no maÌ„ne myght vye or sell saue he onlye that had the Marke or the name of the Beast or at the least the nombre of his name The actes of Iustynyane the Emproure shall make this good so shall the constitucyons of Adelstane and Edgare and manye other kynges here in Englande which for the ordre and commodyâ—e of the clerge made manye polytyque lawes Specyallye kynge Inas Gouernour of the west Saxons which first gaue the Peter Pens vnto Rome and made him selfe a monke there But in thys spyrytuall generacyon amonge them selues is non allowed for a merchande vnlesse he come in by Symonye Non was made bysshopp pastoure nor â—urate but payed for it their taxed sommes byshoppes to the pope and the prestes to the byshopps besydes Irem in brybes Non myght els be allowed to vtter to auauntage the wares of the beast or distribute the rytes of that holye whoryshe churche 8 Neyther were anye made free of that marte vnlesse they had the marke of the beast which is not onlye the outwarde sygne of their head shauinge and anoyntinge of their fingars but also the inwarde prynte of their consciences receyued by profession made to that wicked monster For lyke as true faythe in Iesus Christ is the marke of a perfyghâ— christiane so is a false beleue in popishe tradicions a token of Antichristes member By their frutes sayth Christ shall ye knowe them For the one foloweth the rewle of Gods worde the other hath counterfet workes of mennes prescripcion 9 Els must they haue the name of the Beast to be called spyrituall menne or the holye consecrate nombre as his holye fatherhode is called 10 Or at the least they must haue the noÌ„bre of his name which is a note of magnificence and worthynesse Lesse caÌ„ they not be called than lordes so manye as are sworne to that spirituall markett The most ragged ronegate and idle ydiote amonge them is no lesse thaÌ„ a â—yre which is a lorde in the Lattyn as sir Iohan sir Thomas sir Willyam In the Lattyn onlye hangeth their great lordeshippes Amonge their vnknowne lattyn howres their masses and their dyrigees lyeth their plentuouse patrimonye in their portasses and masse bokes Noâ— he that leaueth all wyth poore peter maye be called from fishynge nor wyth Mathew from the custome howse to do these offices But he that catcheth all with Iudas aÌ„d Symon Magus must come from Symonye to do them Not he that is called of God as was Aaron shal haue cure of sowle but he that offereth to Corban with Annas and Cayphas Soche a worlde hath it bene and is yeâ— styll in the worlde abrode amonge them The Text. 1 Here is wisdome 2. lete him that hath wytte 3. counte the nombre of the Beaste 4. For it is the noÌ„bre of Manne 5. And his nombre is sex hâ—ndred sextye and sixe ¶ The Paraphrase 1 Here is wysdome to be had sayth saynt Iohan. Lete hym that hath wytte count the nombre of the Beast for it is the Nombre of manne And his Nombre is sixe hondred sixtie and sixe 2 For so moche as Christ hath willed vs diligentlye to searche the scripturs and the holye Ghost here doth committ the iudgement of this secrete to the witte of manne some wryters hath deducted thys Nomber out of serten Greke wordes betokeninge thys great Antichrist because thys present Reuelacion was first written in the Greke language As out of antemos which signifyeth one contrarye to Gods honoure out of Arnume which signifieth a denyer of God and out of Teitan which betokeneth the sunne All these .iii. voâ—ables though they seme dyuerse yet contayne they after the Greke rewles neyther more nor lesse than thys sett Nomber And all this maye stande both with scripture and reason For he that ys not with Christ ys agaynst hym callynge that ys good yll and that ys yll good mynystrynge darkenesse for lyght Soche lyenge masters as hath brought in sectes of perdicyon hath denyed the lorde that bought them They are not the lyght as they boast themselues to be for all they loke to be called spyrituall but they are the fallen Starres and verye Apostaraes froÌ„ God SathaÌ„s traÌ„sfonemynge themselues into the angels of lyght by dyuerse kyndes of Hypocresye 3 Some expositours leauynge the Greke hath practysed the same thynge by these .ii. latyne wordes Dic lux contaynynge in numerall letters the same setâ— NoÌ„bre Which sygnifyed that they call them selues the lyght or menne of a spyrytuall sort beynge nothynge lesse For they in dede are the same self darkenesse that wyl in no wyse receyue the light but rather persecuteth yt with most spygâ—t and cruelte After thys sort myght I brynge in Diabolus incarnatus or filius perdictonis the deuyll incarnate or the sonne of perdycyoÌ„ for both they are the names of this beastlye Antichrist by the scripturs the one wantynge in the numerall letters but .iiii. of the NoÌ„bre the other but .vi. which myght be supplyed in the other letters But a monge all these thys worde Arnume most nyghlye towcheth the myâ—erye which ys as moche to saye as I denye Euydentlye semeth he to haue the marke of the Beast or to be sealed with the Nombre of hys name that sayeth whan he heareth the manyfest veryte I wyll neuer admitt ye whyle I haue a daye to liue it is ageynst good order yt standeth not with laudable custome our doctours agree not thâ—â— vnto our holye canoÌ„s alloweth yt not yt hath not the holye fathers consent vs prayâ— aÌ„d hope for it hath great likelyhode of a moche farder apperaunce â— Sens the worldes begynnynge haue the misterye of iniquite wrought in Caâ—n and in hys posteryte and so contynued in the Beastlye meÌ„bers of Antichrist and so shall do styll to the latter daye Therfor is yt no lesse than the Nombre of manne sixe hondred sixtye and sixe Thus ys he tokened with all wyckednesse that admitteth the false faythe of this Beast and foloweth the same in hys lyuynge by the subtle perswasyons of the Bishoppes and their lyenge Prophetes and ys sealed vp to eternall dampnacyon vnlesse the lorde call hym in tyme. Not onlye in Englande ys healed
ryche glotton shall reioyce ouer them and be gladde 5 They shall clappe their handes whaÌ„ these godlye wytnesses be brought out of the waye They shall common ryote and bancket hauynge amonge themselues Ioye without measure that the heretykes be gone so hatefull ys the lyght to theyr eyes aÌ„d the veryte to theyr wycked hartes 6 And they shall sende gyftes or presentes one to an other for gladnesse as for example My lorde byshoppe hath had a summe of manye of the prestes for doynge hys part so well My lorde abbote aÌ„d master doctor haue had phesondes plouers partriches pigges gese capoÌ„s for dysparynge theyr matters so vaâ—eauntlye â–ª Master persone hath bene coÌ„mended for scoldynge and ser saundeâ— smelle smocke our perryshe preste for bearynge false witnesse Master fryre hath had a treuâ—all and father limit oure a bushell of maâ—â— or a cheâ—â— for playnge the knaues also And hardelye my lorde chefe iustyce hath not bene without his rewarde noâ— yet master ChauÌ„celloure neyther master Scrybe What made Thomas More for his tyme with so prodigiouse â—yâ—anâ—â—e to persecute the truthe aÌ„d seus Godfathe of Norwiche whartoÌ„ of Gongaye 〈◊〉 Baker of kÌ„te with soche other lykeâ— but auri sacra fames as 〈◊〉 both call it Thus do they 〈◊〉 triuÌ„phe whaÌ„ they haue wrought my 〈◊〉 and moche it deliteth theÌ„ whaÌ„ they bene 〈◊〉 vngodlye thiâ—ges 7 For 〈…〉 prophetes sayth the lorde vexed them that dwell on the earthe â–ª A great troble it is to theÌ„ to haue their fawâ—es seane a sore vexacion to haue their craftes knowne and an excedynge displeasure to be put from their plesaunt Euphrates by the preachynge of soche busye heretikes Moche was Herode offended with Iohan the byshoppes with criâ—t the prelates religiouse with Paule and a sore grefe it was to their hartes whan they rebuked their vyces The Text. 1. And after thre dayes and an halfe 2 â–ª the sprete of lyfe from God entred in to them 3. And they stode vp vpon theyr fete 4. and great feare came vpon theÌ„ which sawe them 5 And they herde a great voyce from heauen saynge vnto them Come vp hyther 6 And they ascended vp into heauen in a cloude 7. and theyr enemyes sawe theÌ„ 8. And thesame houre was theâ—â— a great earthquake 9. and the teÌ„th part of the cyte fell 10. And in the earthquake were slayne names of men seueÌ„ thousande 11. And the rennaunt were feared 12. and gaue glory to God of heauen 13. The seconde wo is past 14. And beholde the thyrd wo wyll come anone ¶ The Paraphrase 1 And after thre dayes an halfe sayth Saynt Iohan ded the sprete of lyfe by the powre of God entre in to them In the myddes of their Ioye and triumphe whan they thynke them selues well quyeted the heretykes thus taken a waye an other storme falleth vpon theÌ„ moche worse than the other Manye more aryseth out of their ashes to their confusion and to the chosens confort And the same wytnesses they are agayne geuynge the same testymonye though they be not the same persones 2 The same lyuynge sprete haue they confessinge the same veryte that had the other No longe tyme can Christes congregacion be without faythfull testes he promysinge to be with them to the ende of the worlde 3 These witnesses stode vp vpon their fete In the tyme full past ys this spoken for the certeÌ„te of the thynge though moche of it be to come For so certeÌ„ is it as it were all fynyshed An ernest stomake shall they haue and with moche boldenesse shall they speake The ryghtouse shall stande vp sayth the boke of wysdome in great feruentnesse of sprete agaynst them that hath extremelye handled them and taken awaye theyr labours persecuted them and blemyshed theyr doctryne 4. And great feare came vpon theÌ„ which sawe them Whan the Antichrystes se they can not preuayle moche are they inwardlye anguyshed vexed and tormented Then doubt they their falle thaÌ„ feare they their vtter destruccion They trymble and quake whaÌ„ they se their lawes wyll no longar stande nor their insurreccions no longar helpe them lokinge for a terrible daye With horryble feare shall they wonder sayth the aforesayd boke of wisdome â–ª at the comynge of the sodayne helthe gronynge for sorowe and mournynge for verye anguyshe of mynde and saynge within them selues These be they whom we somtyme had in deuysion Vnwisely we thought their lyues to be madnesse their endes to be without honour And now they are rekened amonge the chyldren of God their porcion is amonge the Sayntes Therfor haue we erred froÌ„ the waye of truthe the lyght of ryghtousnesse hath not shyned vnto vs. We haue weryed owr selues in the pathes of wickednesse but the waye of the lyuinge lorde haue we not knowne 5 And they harde a great voyce from heauen saynge vnto them Come vp hyther The Antichristes shall heare thys noyse they shal knowe theÌ„ to be in the fauer of God greate heuynesse it shall be vnto theÌ„ For this voyce is the fre eleccyon of God accordynge vnto grace aÌ„d not after manes deseruynge And it conmeth froÌ„ heauen as doth all other good gyftes froÌ„ the father of lyght It calleth vp them that afore walked sumwhat after the fleshe aÌ„d durst not for feare of poÌ„nyshmeÌ„t wytnesse the veryte It commaÌ„deth them to aryse vnto God to be more perfyght more spyrytuall more godlye and to haue their conuersacion in heaueÌ„ They atteÌ„de vnto the voyce they obeye yt and do after yt For yt foloweth 6 And they ascended vp into heauen in a clowde By the powre of God they are taken vp From worldlye affectes are they changed to the pure loue of God aÌ„d from carnall prudence to the wysdome of the sprete In a cloude are they rapte Compassed are they with thys fleshe the yll desyres taken from them Euerye where resemble they Christ and are daylye better and better They cease not of theyr progresse no peyne caÌ„ separate theÌ„ from the loue of Christ tyl they perfyghtly come to the syght of the God of Goddes in the supercelestiall Syon 7 And their enemies saue them The Antichristes knoweth that they are gods seruauntes the hypocrites perseâ—ueth they haue heauenlye knowlege Yea manye tymes they so report them both in their wordes and writinges In manye of them Chronycles they â—fâ—rme tâ—at Berergaâ—ius Ioannes scotus the elder Iohan wycleff Iohan husse Hierome of Prage Thomas thedonensis a whyght fryre of Bryttayne burned in Rome Hieronimus sauonarola a blacke fryre burned in florence diuerse other more were menne of most excelleÌ„t wyttes of most hygh lernynge of most godlye conuersacyoÌ„ of a most perfight lyfe ferueÌ„t constauÌ„t vnmoueable in in the tyme of their deathes Bylney BaynhaÌ„ Befeld frithe Tindale Barnes other are yet reported yea of somewhich to this hewe hateth their opinioÌ„s to haue dyed charetably aÌ„d godly Yet beleue they neuer the better they come neuer the senner