the King and his Barons to complaine against the blanke Bulls found in the chests of Beâ—ard de Nympha the Popes agent after his death and of the many machinations of the Romanes to disquiet the Realme Iohn Gerâ—sey next Bishop of Wâ—nchester consecrated at Rome where â—e payd 6000. markes to the Pope and so much more to his Chancellour for his consecration was a great stickler in the Barons warres against King Henry the third as appeares by the forecited passages of Matthew Westminister and was excommunicated by Octobon the Popes Legate for taking part against the King in the Barons warres and forced to goe to Rome for his absolution where he died Henry Woodlocke Bishop of Winchester made request to King Edward the first for Robert Winchelsey Archbishop of Canterbury whom the King had banished for high Treason in which request he called the Archbishop an arch-Traytor his good Lord which the King as he had cause tooke so hainously that he confiscated all his goods and renounced all protection of him Adam Tarleton or de Arleton Bishop of Winchester about the yeere 1327. was arrested and accused of high Treason for aiding the Mortimers against King Edward the second both with men and armour when he was brought to the barre to be arraigned for this Treason the Archbishops of Canterbury Yorke and Dublin with their suffragans came with their Crossesâ— and rescued him by force carrying him with them from the barre in such manner as I have formerly related more at large in the Acts of Walâ—er Rainolds pag. 55.56 Notwithstanding the indictment and accusation being found true his temporalities wereseized into the Kings hands untill such time as the King much deale by his imagination and devise was deposed of his Kingdome If he which had beene a traytor unto his Prince before after deserved punishment for the same would soone be intreated to joyne with other in the like attempt it is no marvell No man so forward as he in taking part with Isabell the Queene against her husband King Edward the second She wiâ—h her sonnes and army being at Oxford this good Bishop steps up into the pulpit and there taking for his Text these words My head grieved me he made a long Discourse to prove that an evill head not otherwise to be cured must be taken away applying it to the King that hee ought to be deposed A Bishoplike application Hereupon they having gotten the King into their power the Bishop fearing least if at any time recovering his liberty crowne again they might receive condigne punishment councelled the Queene to make him away good ghostly advice of a Prelate wherupon she being as ready and willing as he to have it done they writ certaine letters unto the keepers of the old King signifiing in covert termes what they desired they either not perfectly understanding their meaning or desirous of some good warrant to shew for their discharge pray them to declare in expresse words whether they would have them put the King to death or no. To which question this subtile Fox framed this answer Edwardum occidere nolite timere bonumâ—est without any point at all If you set the point betweene nolite and tâ—aere it forbiddeth if betweene nolite and bonum it â—xhorteth them to the committinng of the fact This ambiguous sentence unpointed they take for a sufficient warrant and most pittifully murthered the innocent King by thrusting an hot spit into his fundament and who then so earnest a persecuter of those murthereâ—s as this Bishop that set them a worke who when diverse of his Letters were produced and shewed to him warranting this most trayterly inhumane Act eluded and avoided them by Sophisticall interpretations and utterly denied that he was any way consenting to this hainous fact of which in truth he was the chiefe occasion How clearely he excused himselfe I â—now not But sâ—re I am he like many Arch-trayterly Prelates before himâ— who were oftner rewarded than punished for their Treasons was so farre from receiving punishment as within two moneths after he was preferred unto Hereford than to the Bishoppricke of Worceâ—er and sixe yeares after that translated to Winchester by the Popeâ— at the request of the French King whose secret friend he was which King Edward the third taking in very ill part because the French King and he were enemies detained his temporalties from him till that in Parliament at the suite of the whole Cleargie he was content to yeeld them unto him after which he became blinde in body as hee was before in minde and so died deserving to have lost his head for these his notorious Treasons and conspiracies long before he being the Archplotter of all the Treacheries against King Edward the second Anno. 10. Richard the third 1366. thirteene Lords were appointed by Parliament to have the government of the Realme under the King in diminution of his Prerogative among these Williara Edingdon Bishop of Winchester Iohn Gilbert Bishop of Hereford Lord Treasurer of England Thomas Arundle Bishop of Ely and Chancellour Nicholas Abbat of Waltham Lord Keeper of the privy Seale VVilliam Archbishop of Canterbury Alexander Archbishop of Yorke and Thomas Bishop of Exeter were chiefe and the principall contrivers of this new project which fell out to be inconvenient and pernicious both to the King and Realme the very procurers of this Act as some of the Jâ—dges afterwards resolved deserving death which resolution afterward cost some of them their livesâ— as the Stories of those times declare It seemes this Bishop made great havocke of the goods of his Church for his successor Vâ—illiam VVicham sued his Executors for dilapidations and recovered of them 1672. pound tenne shillingsâ— besides 1566. head of neate 386. Weathers 417. Ewes 3521. Lambes and 127. Swine all which stocke it seemeth belonged unto the Bishoppricke of VVinchester at that time William Wicham his next successor was a great Pluralist the yearely revenues of his spirituall promotionsâ— according as they were then rated in the Kings bookes beside his Bishoppricke amounting to 876. poundâ— thirteene shillings and foure pence besides these Ecclesiasticall preferments he held many temporall offices at the Secretariship the Keepership of the Privy Seale the Mastership of Wards the Treasurership of the Kings revenues in France and divers others Being consecrated Bishop of VVinchester in the yeare 1367. he was made soone after first Treasurer then Chancellor of England It seemes that he was a better Treasurer for himselfe than the King who though hee received hugh summes of money by the ransome of two Kings and spoile of divers large Countries abroad and by unusuall subsedyes and taxations at home much grudged at by the Commons was yet so bare as for the payment of his debts he was constrained to find new devices to raise mony whereupon a solemne complaint was framed against this Bishop for vainely wasting or falsely imbezelling the Kings
either side even up with the said Table V. He in the same yeare 1636. enjoyned that every Minister after he had finished the reading of some part of the Morning Prayer at the Deske should goe out from the same to the holy Table set Altarwise as to a more holy place and there when no Communion was to be administred reade at the said Table a part of the Communion Service now commonly called the second Service whereby the consciences both of the Minister and people have beene not onely very much offended and grieved but also the Service it selfe was made very unprofitable to the peopleâ— who could not heare what was said or prayed in that place VI. That both he in his owne person his Chaplains and others of the Clergy as namely Master Iohn Novell Master William Guest Master Iohn Dunckon and others following his example did ever after the Table was so set Altarwise use and performe such so many and so frequent bowings and adorations before and towards the said Table as have beene dangerous examples to draw others to the like superstitious gestures and have given great scandallâ— and offence to the sound and sincere and well affected Christians VII Hee in the said yeare 1636 enjoyned all the people to come up to the Rayle to receive the holy Communion and there kneele and doe reverence before the holy Table placed Altarwise and gave directions to the Ministers not to administer the Communion to such people as should not so come up and do such reverence as aforesaid And that the Minister should within the Rayle deliver the Bread to such people onely as should so come up and kneele before the said Table as aforesaid This was to the offence of the consciences of many good people who for feare of Idolatry and Superstition durst not come to kneele at the â—aid Rayl before the Table so placed Altarwise and many people not comming up thither though presenting themselves upon their knees in the Chancell have not had the Communion delivered unto them and afterward for not receiving have bin excommunicated as namely Iohn Shyming Samuel Dunckon Peter Fisher Thomas Neuton Edward Bedwell Edmund Day Iohn Frowar and many others VIII He did in the said yeare 1636. enjoyn and command that there should be no Sermons on the Lords Days in the afternoone or on the weeke dayes at all without his Licence And also enjoyned that there should be no Catechising but onely such questions and answersâ— as are contained in the Booke of the Common prayer Not allowing the Ministers to expound or open the points of the same to the poople He and his under Officers affirming in publike places that such an exposition might be as ill as a Sermon And the more to hearten and confirme the people in prophaning the Lords Day He enjoyned the Ministers to read publikely in their Churches a Book published touching Sports on the Lords Day For not reading whereof some Ministers were by the command and directions of the said Bishop suspended viz. Master William Leigh Mr. Richard Proud Mr. Ionathan Burr Mr. Mathew Brumwrigg Mr. Mott and divers others some deprived Master Powell Mr. Richard Raymond Mr. Jeremy Borrowes and some otherwise troubled By all which knowledge was suppressed and ignorance and prophanenesse introduced in that Diocesse IX There having beene formerly two kinds of ringing of Bells and calling people to the Church in that Diocesse viz. one kinde when there were onely Prayers to be read and another kinde when there were both Prayers to be read and a Sermon preached whereby the people did apply themselves to the Service of God in those places where both Prayers and Preaching was to be He to hinder the people in their good desires of serving of God and edifying their soules did in the same yeare 1636. command and enjoyne that there should be no difference in ringing of Bells to Church when there was a Sermon and when there was none X. Whereas many godly Ministers for the preventing of the great sinne in the people of unworthy receiving the holy Communion of the Lords Supperâ— did use to Preach two or three dayes before every Communion a preparation Sermon to prepare and instruct the people in the right and worthy receiving of the Communion He the said Bishop did in the said yeare 1636. forbid Ministers to preach any such prepaâ—ation Sermon in that Diocesse as namely Master Devereux Master Swayn and other Ministers XI Whereas all Gods Ordinances are sanctified and made fruitfull by the blessing of God upon them by Prayer Hee endeavouring to suppresse the power and benefit of Prayer in the yeare 1636. enjoyned that no Minister should use any prayer before his Sermon but move the people to pray onely in the words of the fifty fifth Canon made Anno Dom. 1603. which Canon was not warranted by the Law And that no prayer should be used before or after the Sermon And he in his owne person having beene at the Sermon in the Towne of Ipswich when the Preacher did use or make any other prayer did sit upon his seat without using or giving any reverence of kneeling or otherwise thereby to discountenance such prayer And he in the said yeere 1636. enjoyned that no prayer should be made in the Pulpit for the sicke and that such as were prayed for in the reading Deske should be prayed for onely in the two Collects prescribed for the Visitation of the sicke in private houses XII He the more to alienate the peoples heart from hearing of Sermons in the said yeare 1636. commanded and enjoyned all Ministers to preach constantly in their Hood and Surplice a thing not used before in that Diocesse and much offensive to the people as a scandalous innovation And the Parishioners of Knattshall wanting a Surpliceâ— he did by his Officers in the yeare 1637. injoyn the Churchwardens there that no prayers should be read in that Church till they had got a Surplice which they not getting for the space of two Lords dayes after had no prayers during that time there XIII That during the time of his being Bishop of Norwich which was about two yeares and foure moneths There were for not reading the Service at the Communion Table setâ— Altarwise for not reading the Booke of Sportsâ— for using conceived prayers before and after Sermons and for not observing some other illegall innovations by him and his under-officers by and upon his directions and Injunctions sundry godly painefull Preaching Ministers that is to say Master William Powell Mr. Iohn Carter Mr. Peâ—kâ— Mr. William Bridge Mr. William Greene Mr. Mott Mr. Richard Raymond Mr. Thomas Scot Mr. Greenehill Mr. Nicholas Beard Mr. Hudson Robert Kent Jeremy Burrow Mr. Thomas Allen and others to the number of fifty were excommunicated suspended or deprived and otherwise censured and silenced to the undoing of many of them their wives and children and they could not be absolved without giving promise to conforme to his directions editis
for sundry great offences by them committed Whereupon Gawin Dowglasse Bishop of Dunkeld hearing of this Proclamation though not named in it conscious to himselfe of great offences fled into England and remained aâ— London in the Savoy where he dyed Anno 1569. There was a great rebellion in the North by the Earles of Westmorland and Northumberland and others Murray then Regent of Scotland informed Queene Elizabeth that the Bishop of Rosse then in England was the Authour of that Rebellion whereupon he was committed to the Bishop of London to remaine his Prisoner As the Archbishops of Canterbury Primates of all England have beene the greatest Traytors and Incendiaries of all other our Prelates so have the Bishops and Archbishops of Saint Andrewes Primates of all Scotland beene the like in that Realme of which I shall give you a taste In the yeare of our Lord 1180. Richard Bishop of Saint Andrews deceasing there arose a great Schisme about the election of a new Bishop for the canons of the Church of S. Andrews elected Iohn Scot for their Bishop and William King of Scots made choyce of Hugh his Chaplaine and caused him to be consecrated by the Bishops of his Kingdome notwithstanding the said Iohns appeale to the Pope Whereupon Pope Alexander sent Alexis a sub-Deacon of the Church of Rome into Scotland to heare and determine the controversie betweene these two competitors Who after a long debate finding that the said Iohn was Canonically elected and that Hugh after the appeale to the Pope was violently intruded by the King into the Bishopricke of Saint Andrewes immediately deposed him from his Bishopricke and by his authority imposed perpetuall silence on him confirmed the election of Iohn and caused him to be consecrated Bishop of Saint Andrewes by the Bishops of Scotland the King neither prohibiting nor contradicting it yea permitting it by the Counsell of the Bishops of his Realme But immediately after his consecration the King prohibited him to stay within his kingdome and Hugh carryed himselfe as Bishop no lesse than he did before his deprivation and taking with him the Episcopall Chaplet Staffe and Ring with other things he unlawfully detaining them and beginning his journey towards Rome departed And because he would not restore the things he carryed away Allexis excommunicated him interdicted his Bishopricke and the Pope confirmed that sentence Hereupon the Pope writes three Letters one to the Bishops Abbots and Prelates of all Scotland the Prior of Saint Andrewes and the Clergy and people of that Diocesse honourably to receive Iohn as their Bishop within 8 dayes after the receipt of this Letter and to submit unto him as their Bishop and putting on the spirit of fortitude to labour wisely and manfully for the preservation of Ecclesiasticall Justice and to endeavour to appease the Kings displeasure But if the King were averse or inclining to the Counsell of wicked men then they ought to obey God and the holy Church of Rome more than men otherwise he must and would ratifie the sentence which Hugh Bishop of Durham had pronounced against the contumacious and rebellious Another Letter to all the Bishops and Prelates of Scotland to denounce Hugh excommunicated and to avoyd his company as an excommunicate Person till he restored to Iohn the goods of the Church he had taken away and given him competent satisfaction for the things he had destroyed Moreover the Pope granted to Roger Arch-bishop of Yorke a power Legatine in Scotland and commanded him that he together wiâ—h Hugh Bishop of Durham should denounce a â—entence of excommunication against the King of Scotland and interdict his Kingdome unlesse he would permit the said Iohn to hold his Bishopricke in peace and give security to him to keepe the peace And the same Pope strictly commanded Iohn by vertue of his canonicall obedience that neither act of love nor feare oâ— any man nor through any mans suggestion or will he should rashly presume to relinquish the Church of Saint Andrewes to which he was consecrated and in which he was confirmed by Apostolicall authority nor presume to receive another Bishopricke adding that if he should attempt it he would take away both Bishopricks from him without exception After which Pope Alexander writ a Letter to King William himselfe enjoyning him thereby within twenty dayes after the receipt thereof to give peace and security to the Bishop and to receive him unto his favour so that he ought not to doubt the Kings indignation Alioquin noveritis c. Else he should know that he had commanded Roger Archbishop of Yorke Legate of the Apostolicke See in Scotland to put his Kingdome under interdict and to excommunicate his person notwithstanding any appeale And that he should know for certaine that if he persisted in his violence as he had formerly laboured that his kingdome might have liberty so he would thenceforth doe his endeavour Vt in pristinam subjectionem revertatur that it should revert unto its Priestine subjection He meant I take it not to himselfe but to England But the King obeying in nothing his Apostolicall mandates expelled Iohn Bishop of Saint Andrewes and Matthew Bishop of Aberden his Uncle oâ—t of his kingdome Whereupon Roger Arch-bishop of Yorke Hugh Bishop of Durham and Alexis prosecuting the Popes command Pronounced a Sentence of Excommunication against the Kings person and a sentence of Interdict against his Kingdome And Iohn on the other side fulminated a sentence of excommunication against Richard de Mâ—rtue Constable of Scotland and other of the Kings familiars who disturbed the peace betweene the King and him And Roger of Yorke and Hugh of Durham likewise enjoyned the Prior of Saint Andrewes and all Ecclesiasticall persons within the Diocesse to come to Iohn their Bishop and yeeld due subjection to him else they would pronounce a sentence of suspention against them as contumacious and rebellious And when as certaine Ecclesiastickes of the Diocesse for feare of the said suspension came to the said Iohn the King cast them all out of his kingdome with their children and kindred and with their very sucking children yet lying in their swathing cloutes and hanging on their Mothers brests Whose miserable proscription and exile the foresaid Roger of Yorke and Hugh of Durham beholding Reiterated their former excommunication and interdiction Commanding all Bishops Abbots Priors and Ecclesiasticall persons firmely and unmoveably to observe the same and very warily to shunne the King himselfe as an excommunicate Person Not long after Roger of Yorke fell sicke and dyed which the King of Scotâ— hearing rejoyced exceedingly thereat And taking advise with the Bishops Earles and other wise men of his kingdome he sent Ioceline Bishop of Glascow Arnulfe Abbot of Melros and others to Pope Lucius to absolve him from the foresaid Excommunication and interdict and if they might by any meanes to procure Iohn to be deprived By whose solicitation the Pope released the Excommunication and interdict as appeares by his Letter
edendis by meanes whereof some Ministers were enforced to depart this Realme into Holland and other parts beyond Sea viz. the said Mr. William Bridge Mr. Jeremy Burrowes Mr. Allenâ— Mr. John Ward and others of Norwich to remove into other more peaceable Diocesses as namely Mr. Edmund Calamy Mr. Broome Mr. Beard and others and some of them so prosâ—cuted as hath bin suspected to be the cause of their deaths as namely Mr. Thâ—mas Scot and others the terror of which proceedings hath caused other Ministers to leave their Cures and goe away viz. Mr. William Kirington M. Thomas Warren Mr. John Allen and others if a stranger preached at the Cure of such person suspended the Church-wardens permitting such person so to preach were enjoyned pennance and otherwise troubled as namely the Church-wardens of Snaile-well and the stranger for preaching was also therefore molested viz. Mr. Ash Mr. Eades Mr. Manning and other Ministers XIV That during the time hee was Bishop of the said See of Norwich he did unlawfully compell the inhabitants of the severall parishes within that Dioâ—esse to raise the floors of the Chancells of their respective Churches to raile in their Communion Tables to remove the Pewes and Seats and to make other alterations in the respective Churches in the doing whereof the said Inhabitanâ—s were put to great excessive and unnecessary charges and expences amounting in the whole to the summe of five thousand pounds and upwards which said charges and expences hee did by unlawfull meanes and courses enforce the said Inhabitants to undergoe And such of the said Inhabitants as did not obey the same hee did vex trouble and molest by presentments Citations Excommunications tedious and frequent Journeyes and by attendances at the Court of his Chancellor and other his Officialls viz. the Church-wardens of Lin Ipswich S. Edmunds Bury and others XV. That for not comming up to the Raile to receive the holy Communion kneeling there before the Table Altarwise for not standing up at the Gospell and for not observing and performing of his unlawfull Innovations and Injunctions many other of his Majesties subjects viz. Peter Fisher Samuel Duncon Iames Percivall John Armiger Thomas King and others have beene by him his Chancellors Visitors Commissaries and Officialls by his command and Injunctions much molested disquieted and vexed in their estates and consciences by Citations to the Courts long attendance there Dismission Fees Excommunications Penances and other Censures XVI That by reason of the rigorous prosecutions and dealings in the last precedent Articles mentioned and by reason of the continuall superstitious bowing to and afore the Table set Altarwise the suspending silencing driving away of the painfull preaching Ministers the suppressing and forbidding of Sermons and Prayer the putting downe of Lecturer the suppressing meanes of knowledge and salvation and introducing ignorance Superstition and prophanenesse many of his Majesties subjects to the number of three thousand many of which used trades of Spinning Wâ—aving Knitting and making of Cloth and Stuffe Stockings and other manufactures of Woolls that is to say Daniel Sunning Michael Metcalfe John Berant Nicholas Metcalfe John Derant Busby widdow Mapes Richard Cocke John Dicks Francis Lawes John Senty and many others some of them setting an hundred poore people on worke have removed themselves their families and estates into Holland and other parts beyond the Seas and there set up and taught the Natives there the said manufactures to the great hinderance of trade in this kingdome to the impoverishing and bringing to extreame want very many who were by those parties formerly set on worke to the great prejudice of his Majestie and his people XVII That he the said Bishop finding the people to distaste his innovations hath often in publike and private speeches declared in the said yeare 1636. That what he did in the same was by his Majesties command whereby hee contrary to the duty of his place which he held under his Majestie being Deane of his Majesties Royall Chappell and contrary to the duty of a good and loyall subject endeavoured to free himselfe of blame and to raise an ill opinion of his Royall Majestie in the hearts of his loving subjects XVIII That hee the said Matthew Wren being Bishop of Norwich in the said yeare 1636. in the Tower Church in Ipswich and other places did in his owne person use superstitious and idolatrous actions and gestures in the administration of the Lords Supper consecrating the bread and wine standing at the West-side of the Table with his face to the East and â—is backe towards the people elevating the Bread and Wine to be seene over his shoulders bowing low either to oâ— before themâ— when he after the Elevation and Consecration had set them downe on the Table XIX That he the more to manifest his Popish affection in the said yeare 1636. caused a Crucifix that is to say the figure of Christ upon the Crosse to be engraven upon the Episcopall Seale besides the Armes of the See XX. That he hath chosen and imployed such men to be his Commissioners Rurall Deanes and to be his household Chaplaines whom he knew to be and stand affected to his innovated courses and to popish superstition and to be erroneous and unsound in judgement and practise as namely M. Iohn Novel M. Eâ—mond Mapleâ—ofâ— M. Iohn Dunkin M. Boâ—ek M. Dun and others XXI That he hath very much oppressed divers Patrons of Churches by admitting without any colour of title his owne Chaplaines and others whom he affected into Livings which became void within his Diocesâ— unjustly enforcing the true and right Patrons to long and chargeable suits to evict such Incumbents and to recover their owne right some of which he did against his Priestly word given to the said Patrons or their friends in verbo Sacâ—rdotis not to doe the same This he did in the case of one M. Rivet XXII That he and others in the yeare 1635 sould granted away the profits of his Primary Visitation for five hundred pounds over and above the charges of the Visitationâ— and for the better benefit of the Farmer sâ—t forth a booke in the yeare 1636 intituled Articles to be inquired of within the Dioces of Norwich in the first Visitation of Mathew Lord Bishop of Norwich consisting of 139 Articles and wherein are contained the number of eight hundred ninety seven questions according to all which the Churchwardens were inforced to present upon paine of perjury And some Churchwardens that is to say Robert Langly Charles Newton Richard Hart William Bull and Zephany Ford and others not making presentments accordingly were cited molested and troubled and injoyned pennanceâ— notwithstanding many of the said Articles were ridiculous and impossible XXIII That the Churchwardens and other men sworne at the Visitation were inforced to have their presentments written by Clarkes specially appointed by such as bought the said Visitationâ— to whom they paid excessive summes of money for the same some two and twenty shillings as
Cassell was accused by Iohn Gese Bishop of Lismore and Waterford upon 30. Articles layd to his charge After all that he charged him that he made very much of the Irish and loved none of the English that he bestowed no benefice upon any English man and gave order likewise unto other Bishops that they should not conferre the least living thaâ— was â—pon them That he counterfeited the King of Englands seale and the Kings Letters Patents that he went about to make himselfe king of Mounster also that he tooke a Ring away from the Image of Saint Patricke which the Earle of Desmund had offered and bestowed it upon an Harlot of his beside many other enormities which he exhibited in writing And the Lords and Commons were much troubled betweene these twaine Now in the same Parliament there was debate betweene Adam Pay Bishop of Clon and another Prelate â—or that he sayd Adam went about to unite the others Church unto his but the other would not and so they were â—ent and referred unto the Court of Rome and this Parliament lasted 18. dayes Annoâ— 1532. Iohn Allen Arch-bishop of Dublin Chaplaine to Cardinal Wolsie and his Creature put the Earle of Kildare to great trouble wrongfully to take away his life and that out of affection to his Lord and Master the Cardinall This Arch-bishop Anno. 22. H. 8â— was specially and by name excepted out of the Kings generall pardon of the Premunire and other offences granted to all the Clergie that yeare as appeares by the Act it selâ—e 22. H. 8. c. 15. No doubt it was because the King tooke speciall notice of some great injuries and mis-demeanors by him committed which he meant to question him for After this meaning to sayle into England Anno. 1534. and that secretly lurkingâ— as Tartajus Thomas Fitzgerald and others apprehended and haled him out of his Bed brought him naked in his â—hirt bare footed and bare headed to their Captaine whom when the Archbishop espied incontinently hee kneeled and with a pitifull countenance and lamentable voyce he besought him for the love of God not to remember former injuries but to weigh his present calamity and what malice so ever he bare his person yet to respect his calling and vocation in that his enemy was a Christian and he among Christians an Arch-bishop As he spake thus bequeathing his soule to God his body to his enemies mercâ— Thomas Stibon without compassion and withall inflamed wiâ—h desire of revenge turned his horse aside saying in Irish Away with the Churle meaning the Arch-bishop should be detained as Prisonerâ— But the Caitifes present misâ—onstring his words murthered the Arch-bishop without further delay brained and hackt him in gobbets his blood withall crying to God for revenge the place ever since hath beene hedged and imbarred on every side ungrowne and unfrequented for the deâ—estation of the fact rough and â—igorous Justice deadly hatred of the Giraldins for his Masters Wolsies sake and his owne as he had much crossed and bridled them in their governments promoted their accusations and forged a Letter against them to their prejudice and danger as was likely was the cause of his ruine Anno. 1567. Marice a runne gate Priest going to Rome was consecrated Arch-bishop of Cashell by the Pope arriving in Ireland he made challenge to the same See which being denyed to him by the Arch-bishop placed there by the Queene the sayd supposed Bishop sudainely with an Irish scaine wounded the Bishop and put him in danger of his life Annoâ— 1579. The Lord chiefe Justice of Ireland upon suspition of Treason committed the Chauncellor of Liviricke to Prison for which he was indicted and found guilty and the Bishop likewise upon the same suâ—pition was committed Prisoner to his owne houâ—e Anno. 1600. The Rebells of Mounster by their Agents a certaine Spaniard elect Arch-bishop of Dublin the Bishop of Clonfort the Bishop of Killaloe and Archer a Jesuite had obtained at lengâ—h with praying intreating and earnest beseeching at the King of Spaines hands that succour should be sent into Mounster to the Rebels under the conduct of Don Iohn D' Aquila upon assured hope conceived that all Mounster would shortly revolt and the titular Earle of Desmond and Florenâ— Mac-Carti joyne great aydes unto them but Sir George Carew the Lord President of Mounster had providently before intercepted them and sent them over into England Whereupon D' Aquila arrived at Kinsale in Mounster with two thousand Spaniards old Souldiers and certaine Irish Fugitives the last day of October and straight wayes having published a writing wherein he gloriously stiled himselfe with this Title Master Generall and Captaine of the Catholike King in the warre of God for holding and keeping the faith in Ireland endeavoureth to make the world beleeve that Queene Elizabeth by the definitive sentences of the Pope was deprived of her Kingdomes and her Subjects absolved and freed from their Oath of Allegiance and that he and his men were come to deliver them out of the Devills clawes and the English tyranny And verily with thâ— goodly pretence he drew a number of lewd and wicked persons to band and side with him through these Prelates meanes I have now given a short account of some of â—he Irish Prelates disloyall and seditious Actions in â—ormer ages which I shall close up with the accusations and proceedings against some of them within the limits of this last yeare On the fourth of March last the whole house of Commons in Ireland sent up these Articles of High Treason against Iohn Bramham Bishop of Derry and others to the Upper House of Parliament there which I finde Printed with Captaine Audâ—ey Mermin his speech who presented them at the time of their transmission Articles of the Knights Citizens and Burgesses in the Parliament Assembled against Sir Richard Bolton Knight Lord Chancellour of Ireland Iohn Lord Bishop of Derry and Sir Gerard Lowther Knight Lord Chiefe Iustice of the Common Pleas and Sir George Ratcliffe Knight in maintenance of the accusation whereby they and every of them stand charged with High Treason FIrst that they the sayd Iohn Lord Bishop of Derry c. intending the destruction of the Common-wealth of this Realme have trayterously confederated and conspired together to subvert the fundamentall Laws and government of this Kingdome and in pursuance thereof they and every of them have trayterously contrived introduced and exercised an arbitrary and tyrannicall government against Law throughout this Kingdome by the countenance and assistance of Tâ—omas Earle of Strafford then chiefe Governour of this Kingdome That they and every of them the sayd Iohn Lord Bishop of Derry c. have trayterously assumed to themselves and every of them regall power over the goods persons Lands and liberties of his Majesties subjects of this Realme and likewise have maliciously perfidiously and trayterously given declared pronounced and published many false unjust and erronious opinions Judgements Senâ—ences and Decrees in extra
judiciall manner against Law and have perpetrated practised and done many other trayterous and unlawfull acts and things whereby as well divers mutinies seditions and rebellions have beene raised as also many thousands of his Majesties Liege people of this Kingdome have beene ruined in their goods Lands Liberties and Lives and many of them being of good quality and reputation have beene utterly defamed by Pillory mutilation of members and other infamous punishments By meanes whereof his Majesty and the Kingdome have beene deprived of their service in Juries and other publique imployments and the generall trade and traffique of this Island for the most part destroyed and his Majesty highly damnified in his customes and other Revenues That they the sayd Iohn Lord Bishop of Derry c. and every of them the better to preserve themselves and the sayd Earle of Strafford in these and other trayterous courses have laboured to subvort the rights of Parliament and the ancient course of Parliamentary proceedings all which offences were contrived committed perpetrated and done at such time as the sayd Sir Richard Bolton Sir Gerard Lowther and Sir George Radcliffe Knights were Privie Counsellours of State within this Kingdome and against their and every of their Oathes of the same at such times as the sayd Sir Richard Bolton Knight was Lord Chancellour of Ireland or chiefe Baron of his Majesties Exchequer within this kingdome and Sir Gerard Lowther Knight was Lord chiefe Justice of the sayd Court of Common Pleas and against their Oathes of the same and at â—uch time as the sayd Iohn Lord Bishop of Derry was actuall Bishop of Derry within this Kingdome and were done and speciated contrary to their and every of their allegiance severall and respective Oathes taken in that behalfe For which the sayd Knights Citizens and Burgesses doe impeach â—he saâ—d Iohn Lord Bishop of Derâ—y c. and every of them of high Treason againâ—t our Soveraigne Lord the King his Crowne and dignityâ— What proceedings will insue upon this accusation against this Prelaâ—e time will discover Not to mention â—he lewd beastly Sodomiticall life and most detestable Actions of Aderton Bishop of Waâ—eâ—fordâ—n â—n Ireland for which he was lately aâ—â—aigned condemned and hanged as a Bishop without any preceding degradation to the great dishonour of his Rochet I shall close up this Historicall Epitome of the Irish Bishops with a Petition and Remonstrance of many thousand Protestanâ— Inhabitants in severall Counties of Ireland against Episcopacy presented lately to the High Court of Parliament here in England wheâ—ein the evill â—ruites and seditious oppressive ungodly practises of the present Irish Prelates are fully anatomized To the Honourable Assembly of Knights Citizens and Burgesses in this present Parliament The Humble Petition of some of the Protestant Inhabitants of the Counties of Antrim Downe Tyrone c. part of the Province of Ulster in the Kingdome of Ireland Humbly REpresenteth unto your grave Wisedomes and judicious considerations That your Petitioners having translated themselves out of the severall parts of his Majesties Kingdomes of England and Scotland to promote the Infant Plantation of Ireland wherein your Petitioners by their great labour and industry so much contributed to the settlement of that Kingdome as they were in a most hopefull way of a comfortable abode and when they expected to reape the â—â—uite of their great and long labour partly by the cruell severity and aâ—bitâ—ary proceedings of the Civill Magistrate but principally through thâ—â—nblest way of the Prelacy with their faction ouâ— Soules are starved our estates undone out familâ—es impoverished and many lives among us cut off and destroâ—ed Tâ—e Prelates whose pretended Authority though by some pubâ—â—shed to be by divinâ— Right as we humbly conceive is directly against the same have by their Canons of late their Fines Fees and imprisonments at their pleasure their silencing suspending banishing and excommunicating of our learned and conscionable Ministers their obtruding upon us ignorant erronious and prophane persons to be our teachers their censuring of many hundreds even to excommunication for matters acknowledged by all to be indifferent and not necessary their favouring Popery in this Kingdome a double â—ault their persecuting purity and indeavouring to bring all to a livelesse formality divers of them being notorious incendiaries of the unquietnesse and unsetled estate betweene these Kingdomes with many the like too tedious to relate as more fully in our ensuing grievances doth appeare These our cruell Taske-masters have made of us who were once a people to become as it were no people an astonishment to our selves the object of piety and amazement to others and hopelesse of remedy unlesse hee with whom are bowels of compassion worke in you an heart to interpose for your Petitioners reliefe They therefore most humbly pray that this unlawfull Hierarchicall government with all their appendices may be utterly extirpated such course layd downe as to your great wisedomes shall â—eeme meete for reparation in some measure of our un-utterable dammages â—ustained by the parties thus injuriously grieved your Petitioners setled in a way whereby their persecuted Ministers may have leave to returne from exile and be freed from the unjust censures imposed on them â—â—d an open doore continued unto us for provision of a powerfull and able ministry the onely best way to promote Plantation and settle the Kingdome in the profession and practise of true Religion Which as it is the earnest expectation so it shall be the dayly prayer of many thousands besides your Petitioners who will ever entâ—eate the Lord for your direction herein and in all other your waighty and important affaires as becommeth your poore Petitioners c. A Particular of manifold evills and heavie pressures caused and occasioned by the Prelacy and their dependants BEfore they had so much as a pretended Canon for their warrant the Prelates urged their Ceremonies with such vehemency that divers of our most learned and painefull Ministers for not obeying them were sâ—lenced and many of us for the like oppressed in their Courts In the yeare â—634 they made such Canons and Constitutions Ecclesiasticall as enjoyned many corruptions in the worship of God and government of the Church which exceedingly retarded the worke of reformation animated Papists and made way for divers Popish Superstitions Our most painefull godly and learned Ministers were by the Bishops and their Commissaries silenced and deprived for not subscribing and conforming to the sayd unlawâ—ull Canons yea through the hotnesse of their persecution â—orced to flee the Land and afterward excommunicated to the danger of all and losse of some of their lives In their places others were obtruded not onely ignorant lazie and lukewarme but many of them unsound in doctrine prophane in life and cruell in persecution Many though sufficiently furnished were not admitted to the Ministry onely for not swallowing downe their groundlesse Innovations yea some though conforme yet for appearing strict in Life were likewise kept out Good and painefull
world that it made all men exclaime against and detest King Iohn How much the Barons disliked this Grant of King Iohn his owne words to Pope Innocentius as also the Popes answere do witnesseâ— Our Earles and Barons saith he and the Pope writes the like were devout and loving unto us till we had subjected our selves to your Dominion but since that time and specially even for so doing they all rise up against us The manifold opprobrious speeches used by the Barons against King Iohn for subjecting himselfe and his Kingdome to the Pope doe declare the same Iohn say they is no King but the shame of Kings better to be no King than such a King behold a King without a Kingdoâ—e a Lord without dominion Alas thou wretch and servant of lowest condition â—o what misery of thraldome hast thou brought thy self Thou wast a king now thou art a Cow-heard thou wast the highest now the lowest Fie on thee Iohn the last of Kings the abominaton of English Princes the confusion of English Nobility Alas England that thou art made tribuâ—ary and subject to the rule of base servants of strangers and which is most miserable subject to the servant of servants Thou Iohn whose memory will be wofull in future time thou of a most free King hast made thy selfe tributary a farmer a vassall and that to servitude it selfe this thou hast done that all might be drowned in the Hell of Romish Avarice Yea so detestable was both this Fact of Iohn and dealing of the Pope that Philip the French King though the mortall enemie of King Iohn heaâ—ing thereof even upon this very point That the Barons and State did noâ— consent to that Act did proclaime both the absolute freedome of the Kingdome of England noâ—wiâ—hstanding this grant of Iohn and declaime also against this Pope for seeking to enthrall Kingdomes unto him As the King by the Treason and trechery of these Prelates and especially of the Arch-Bishop was thus enforced most ignominiously to resigne and prostituâ—e his Crowne and Kingdome to the Pope to the losse of his Kingly honour and the hearts of all his Barons and Subjects so he was faine to receive the Arch-Bishop and restore the other Bishops Monkes and banished Rebels against him to their Bishoprickes Goods and Revenues and to give them such Dammages and Recompence as the Pope should thinke 〈◊〉 For this King Anno Domini 1213. intending a Voyagâ— into Guien his Realme standing as yet interdicted his Lords refused to goe with him unlesse the interdicting might be first released and he clearely absolved of the Popes Curse to the end that Gods wrath and the Popes being fully pacified hee might with better speede move and maintaine the Warres whereupon he was constrained to alter his purpose and comming to Winchester dispatched a messenger with letters signed with the hands of twenty foure Earles and Barons to the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the Bishops of London Lincolne and Hereford then sojourning in France requiring them with all other banished men to returne into England promising them by his Letters Patents not onely a sure Safe-conduct for their comming over but that hee would also forget all passed displeasures and frankely restore unto every man all that by his meanes had beene wrongfully taken from them and as yet by him detained Hereupon the Arch-Bishop and other Bishops with all speede came into England with the other exiles and went to Winchester where the King then remained Who hearing that the Bishops were come went forth to receive these Traytors and at his first meeting with the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the King kneeled downe at his feete who should have rather kneeled to the King and asked him forgivenesse and that it would please him and the other Bishops also to provide for the miserable state of the Realme requiring of the Arch-Bishop having as then the Popes power in his hands as being his Legat to be absolved promising upon his solemne received Oath That he would before all things defend the Church and the Order of Priesthood from receiving any wrong also that he would restore the old Lawes made by the ancient Kings of England and namely those of S. Edward which were almost extinguished and forgotten and further that he would make recompence to all men whom he had by any meanes endammaged This done he was absolved by the Arch-Bishop and shortly after sent his Orators to Rome to take off the Interdict The Pope hereupon sent the Cardinall of Tusculum into England to compound the differences and dammages betweene the King and the Bishops and then to release the Interdict Who after a Convocation summoned and sundry meetings had at London Reading Wallingford and elsewhere some messages to Rome ordered the King to pay 40000. Markes dammages to these rebellious Prelates which done the Interdict was solemnly released by the Legat in the Cathedrall of Pauls in London Iune 29. 1214. after the terme of 6. yeares 3 moneths and 14. dayes that the Realme had beene shaken with that dreadfull Dart of Correction as it was then esteemed After this King Iohn raysed an Army intending to goe against those Lords who refused to follow him to Poictou But the Arch-Bishop meeting him at Northampton sought to appease himâ— but hee marching on to Notingham there with much adoe the Arch-Bishop following him and threatning to excommunicate all those that should ayde him enforced him to desist his Enterprise This done he thought all troubles at an end but the worst were yet behind For the King having wound himselfe into the Popes favour by this his Resignation and holding his Crowne from him as his Feudatarie began to curbe the Arch-Bishop and his Faction who finding the King stronger in the Popes favour than they thereupon stirred up the Barons to rebell and take Armes against the King who had lost their hearts by his Resignation In this Rebellion and Conspiracie Stephen Langthon the Arch-Bishop was the Ring-leader yea the principall Abettor Conspirer chiefe Agent and Counsellor as Matthew Paris Wendover Speed Holinshed and other our Historians testifie The Pope hereupon excommunicates the Barons and all other English or French who impugned King Iohn even in the generall Councell of Lateran then heldâ— and the Bishop of Winchester and Pandulph the Popes Legat who solemnly denounced the Popes Curse against the Barons did likewise suspend the Arch-Bishop from all his Episcopall authority who thereupon repairing to Rome for absolution was in the Councell of Lateran accused and convict of Conspiracie and Treason against the King and contempt against the Pope and Churches Censure for which the Pope resolving to depose him from his Sea and dignity by the Cardinals intercession for him hee being their brother Cardinall was intreated to deale somewhat milder but yet confirmed his suspension from his Bishopricke by publik sentence commanding by his Letters all his Suffragan Bishops to withdraw their obedience from him and for a
protesteth likewise that we neither intend nor desire as by Law we neither can nor ought neither doth any of them intend or desire to be present any way in this present Parliament whiles such matters are or shall be in debate but we and every of them will in this part wholly absent our selves And we further protest and every of them protesteth that for this our absence we neither intend nor will nor doth any of them intend or will that the Processe made or to be made in this present Parliament as the which we neither may nor ought to be present as farre as it concernes us or any of them shall in future times be any way impugned debilitated or infringed Which I recite to shew that Parliaments may be held and decree things without Bishops and to checke the pride of those Prelates who this Parliament pleaded hard to be present at the debate of the Lord Straffords Cause I cannot here pretermit the trecherous and bloudy practice of William Courâ—ney against the true Saints of God and the Kings most loyall Subjects for he being not content solemnely to excommunicate and persecute Iohn Wiclife Iohn Ashton Nicholas Herford and Philip Repingdon both at Pauls-crosse and at Oxford for the true profession of the Gospell did moâ—eover by all meanes possible solicite King Henry the fourth to joyn with all the power of his Temporall Sword for that he well perceived that hitherto as yet the Popisâ— Clergy had not authority sufficient by any publicke Law or Statute of this Land to proceed unto death against any person whatsoever in case of Religion but onely by the usurped tyranny and example of the Court of Rome Where note gentle Reader for thy better understanding the practise of the Romish Prelates in seeking the Kings helpe to further their bloody purpose against the good Saints of God This King being but young and under yeares of ripe judgement partly induced or rather seduced by importune suite of the foresaid Arch-Bishop party also either for feare of the Bishops for Kings cannot alwayes doe in their Realmes what they will or else perhaps inticed by some hope of a Sublidy to be gathered by the Clergy was content to adjoyne his private assent such as it was to the setting downe of an Ordinance which was indeed the very first Law that is to be found made against Religion and the Professors thereof bearing the name of an Act made in the Parliament holden at Westminster Ann. 5. Rich. 2. c. 5. commonly intituled An Act against the Lollards the Contents whereof you may read in the Statutes at large and in Master Fox This Act though it beares the name of a Statute both in written and Printed Bookes yet it was fraudulently and unduly devised by the Prelates onely and a meere pernicious forgery to advance their owne Episcopall power and Jurisdiction invade the Subjects liberties tread downe Religion and shed our Martyrs blood with which the Commons were so highly offended as they had just cause so to be that in the Uâ—as of Saint Michael next following at a Parliament summoned and holden at Westminster the 6. yeare of the said King among sundry petitions made to the King by the Commons whereunto he assented there is one in this forme against this spurious Act of theirsâ— Item prayen the Commons that whereas an Estatute was made the last Parliament in these words It is ordained in this present Parliament that Commissions from the King be directed to the Sheriffes and other Ministers of the King or to other sufficient persons after and according to the Certificates of the Prelates thereof to be made unto the Chancery from time to time to arrest all such Preachers and their Fautors Maintainers and Abettors and them to detaine in strong Prison untill they will justifie themselves according to reason and Law of holy Church And the King willeâ—h and commandeth that the Chancellor make such Commissions at all times as shall be by the Prelates or any of them certified and thereof required as is aforesaid The which was never agreed nor granted by the Commons but whatsoever was moved therein was without their assent That the said Statute be therefore disannulled For it is not in any wise their meaning that either themselves or such as shall succeed them shall be further justified or bound by the Prelates then were their Ancestors in former times whereunto is answered Il plest an Roy. i. e. The King is pleased This supposed Statute thus fraudulently devised by the Prelates onely was in like manner most injuriously and unorderly executed by them for immediately upon the publishing of this Law without further warrant either from the King or his Councell Commissions under the Great Seale of Englâ—nd were made in this forme Richard by the Grace of God c. Witnesse my selfe at Westminster the 26. day of Iune in the 6. yeare of our Râ—igne Without more words of Warrant under writâ—en such as in like cases are both usuall and â—equisite viz. Per ipsuâ— Regem per Regem Concilium or Per breve de privato Sigillo Al or any of which words being utterly wanting in this place as may be seene in the Kings Records of that time it must therefore be done either by warrant of this fore-said Statute or else without any warrant at all And whereas the said Statute appointed the Commissions to be directed to the Sheriffe or other Ministers of the Kings or to other sufficient persons learned for the arresting of such persons they fraudulently procured the said Commissions to be directed to the Arch-bishop and his Sufâ—ragans being both Judges Accusers Witnesses and Parties in the Case authorizing them further without either the words or reasonable meaning of the said Statute to imprison them in their owne houses or where else pleased them Yea such was this Arch-Bishops and the other Pâ—elates Treachery and villany in this particular notwithstanding this unjust and spurious Law was repealed upon the forementioned Petition of the Commons and the fraud of the framers thereof sufficiently discovered yet such meanes was there made by the Prelates that this Act of repeale was never published nor ever since imprinted with the rest of the Statutes of that Parliament Insomuch as the said repeale being concealed like Commissions and other Processe were made from time to time by vertue of the said Bastard Statute as well during the Raigne of this King as since against the Professours of Religion as Master Fox in his Acts and Monuments both shewes and proves at large Now what is this noâ—orious forgery this unjust and fraudulent execution of this pretended Act of Parliament even after its repeale by this Arch-Bishop and his Brethren but the very heighth of Treachery Villany Schisme and Sedition yea an Inâ—ernall policy to advance Episcopall Jurisdiction erect a bloudy Inquisition and shed our Martyrs blood contrary both to the Lawes of God and the Realme To end with this
unto himâ— went before him bareheaded to Christ Church from which Church he was attended by the Duke in like â—ort as he was thither ward The Cheere at dinner was as great as for money it might be made with severall Verses Pageants Theaters Sceans and Player-like representations in natuâ—e oâ— a Puppet-play made in puffe-past or March-pane before every Course deâ—cribed more largely by Matthew Parker fitter for a Maske than a Bishops Consecration and savoring of more than Asian Luxurie as this his Sucâ—essor confesseth Beâ—ore the first Messe the Duke himselfe came riding into the Hall upon a great Horse bare headed with his white staffe in his hanâ—â— and when the first dish was set on the Table made obey â—anâ—â—â—â—â—y bowing his body to the Arch-bishop Such Vassals did â—hoâ—e proud Popes of Canterbury make the very greatest Nobles as thus to become their Servants and waite upon their Rocheâ—s In this Arch-Bishops time there fell out great contestations and sâ—ites at Rome betweene him and the Bishops of Winchester London Lincolne Exeter and other his Suffragans touching the Iurisdictions of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury which cost much money After this he and Cardinall Wolsiâ— who by his power Legatine invaded and swallowed up all the Jurisdiction Rightes of the other Prâ—â—aâ—es and of the See of Canterbury had divers contests and bickerings Anno 1512. This Arch-Prelate by an Oration in Parliament against the French King raised up a bloody warre betweene England and France towards which two fifteenes were granted by the temporalty and two tenths by the Clergie after which Anno. 152â— When the Commons were assembled in the nether house they began to Commune of their grieâ—es wherewith the Spiritualty had before time grievously oppressed them both contrary to the Law of the Realme and contrary to all right and in speciall they were sore moved with sixe great causes The first for the excessive fines which the Ordinaries tooke for Probate of Testaments insomuch that Sir Henry Guildford Knight of the Garter and Controller of the Kings house declared in the open Parliament on his fidelity that he and others being Executors to sir William Crompton Knight payed for the Probate of his Will to the Cardinall and the Bishop of Canterbury a thousand Markes sterling After this Declaration where shewed so many extortions done by Ordinaries for Probates of Wills that it were too much to rehearse The second was the great polling and extreame exaction which the Spirituall men used in taking of Corps Presents or Mortuaries For the Children of the desunct should all dye for hunger and goe a begging rather than they would of Charity give to them the seely Cow which the dead man ought if hee had but onely one such was the Charity then The third cause was that Priests being Surveiors Stewards and Officers to Bishops Abbots and other Spirituall headsâ— had and occupied Farmes Granges and Grasing in every Country so that the poore Husband men could have nothing but of them and yet for that they should pay deerely The fourth cause was that Abbats Priors and Spirituall men kept Tan-houses and bought and fold Wooll Cloath and all manner of Merchandize as other Temporall Merchants did The fifth cause was because that Spirituall Persons promoted to great benefices and having their Livings of their Flocke were lying in the Court in Lords houses and tooke all of the parishioners and nothing spent on them at all so that for lacke of Residence both the poore of the Parish lacked refreshing and universally all the Parishioners lacked Preaching and trueâ— Instruction of Gods Word to the great perrill of their Soules The sixth cause was to see one Priest little learned to have ten or twelve Benefices and to be resident upon none and to know many well learned Scholars in the Universities which were able to preach and teach to have neither Benefice nor exhibition These things before this time might in no wise be touched nor yet talked off by any man except hee would be made an Hereticke or lose all that he had For the Bishops were Chancellors and had all the rule about the King so that no man durst once presume to attempt any thing contrary to their profit or commodity But now when God had illuminated the eyes of the King and that their subtile doings were once espied then men began charitably to desire a Reformation and so at this Parliament men began to shew their grudges Whereupon the Burgesses of the Parliament appointed â—uch as were learned in the Law being of the Commons house to draw one Bill of the Probates of Testaments another for Mortuaries and the third for Non-residence Pluralities and taking of farmeâ— by spirituall men The learned men tooke much paines and first set forth the Bill of Mortuaries which passed the Commons house and was sent up to the Lords To this Bill the Spirituall Lords made a faire face saying that surely Priests and Curats tooke more than they should and therefore it were well done to take some reasonable order thus they spake because it touched them little But within two dayes after was sent up the Bill concerning Probate of Testaments at the which the Arch-bishop of Canterbury in especiall and all other Bishops in generall both frowned and graâ—nted for that touched their profit Insomuch as D. Iohn Fisher Bishop of Rochester said openly in the Parliament Chamber these words My Lords you see dayly what Bills come hither from the Commons house and all is to the destruction of the Church For Gods sake see what a Realme the Kingdome of Bohemia was and when the Church went downe then fell the glory of the Kingdome now with the Commons is nothing but downe with the Church and all this me seemeth is for lacke of faith onely When these words were reported to the Commons of the nether House that the Bishop should say that all their doings were for lacke of faith they tooke the matter grievously for they imagined that the Bishop esteemed them as Heretickes and so by his slanderous words would have perswaded the Temporall Lords to have restrained their consent from the sayd two Bills which they before had passed Wherefore the Commons after long debate determined to send the Speaker of the Parliament to the Kings highnesse with a grievous complaint against the Bishop of Rochester and so on a day when the King was at leasure Thomas Audley speaker for the Commons and thirty of the chiefe of the Commons House came to the Kings presence in his Palace at Westminster which before was called Yorke-place and there very eloquently declared What a dishonour to the King and the Realme it was to say that they which were elected for the wisest men of all the Shires Cities and Boroughs within the Realme of England should be declared in so Noble and open a presence to lack faith which was equivalent to say that they were infidels and no Christians as
onely stoutly repugned them but likewise affirmed their owne rites and ceremenies to be farre ancienter and better than those hee prescribed them which having received from their ancesters who were followers of the Apostles and having so long observed they ought not to change propter no vos dogmatistas for new dogmatists pleasures They further added that they would not account him for their Archbishop sâ—eing they had an Archbishop of their owne already resident at Leicester to whom tâ—ey ought to and would obey and that they would not subject themselves to a forraine Bishop With which answer Augustineâ—eing â—eing enraged fiercely threatned future warres and revenge of death unto them which followed soone after For Augustine requesting the Britons in this Synode that they would receive him for their Archbishop and joyne in common labour with him to preach the Gospell to the English Saxons The Britons who were driven out of their owne country by them refused to doe it adding that they had worthily hated the English and their religion which were esteemed by them but as dogs and therefore unworthily contemned This answer of the Britons Augustine gladly â—aid hold on imagining that he had gained an occasion from them whence hee might revenge their neglect and contempt of him Therefore hee greedily carries the newes of this contumely to King Ethelbert which this King not unwillingly laid hold on and thereupon instigated Edelfred King of the Northumbrians his kinsman although a Pagan against the Britons who thereupon Anno Dom. 613. comes with a numerous and almost â—tupendious army to Leicester called by the Britons Caâ—â—legan now Chester where Brochinal the Captaine of the Britans expected his comming and whether Abbot Dinoth-with a great number of Priests Hermites and Monkes â—specially such as were of Bangor monastery had fled These keeping a fast for three dayes space prayed to God to protect his people from the swords of the Barbarians The King commanded them to turne their armies first of all upon those who fought against him though not with armes yet with their prayers which was more whom Brochinal their Generall also terrified with the first comming of the enemies flying most shamefully exposed weaponlesse and naked to the swords of the enemies 50. men onely of them escaped by flight the residue to the number of 1200 were slaine with the sword of â—delfred Beda relates that Augustine taught by divine Oracle foretold this warre to the British Bishops and Clerkes in the Augustinian Councell when as it is more likely that hee having communicated counsell with King Ethelbert was not onely consâ—ious to the inferring of that warre but also the cause thereof For he was familiar with the King by whose perswasion and instigation Edelfred inflicted this calamity on the Britons And verily it is reported that Augustine in his first conference concerning these Rites when hee could not perswade them by entreaties threatned them Moreover Amandus Xierixiensis a man of the order of the Friers Minorites seemes to suffragate to this conjecture whose very words I will subjoyne VVhereas the â—ritains saith he were Catholikes the Saxons were Gentiles to convert whom S. Gregory sent Augustine and Mellitus who converted the Saxons But when as Augustine with his Apostolicall authority would perswade the Brittish Bishops and Abbots to receive him for their Legate and to preach with him to the English discord was moved for their disobedience to Saint Augustine so a warre was raised betweene the King of the Britons and the King of the Saâ—ons who now being converted would make the Britons subject to Augustine by whom writes Matthew Parker we are able to prove out of historians that Religion was overturned and rooted out or at least depraved and corrupted And this they say was predicted by Merlin in these wordsâ— Religion shall be blotted out againe and there shall be a transmutation of the chiefe Sees The dignity of London shall adorne Canterbury which was fulfilled by Augustine who caused 1200. of the Monkes of Bangor in Wales to be slaine because they obeyed him not in the councell as Alexander Essebiensis plainly teacheth It is marvellous that Merlin in one prophecie and in coherent words should thus foretell the deletion of religion the transmutation of the Principall Sees and the transferring of the dignity of London to Canterbury This slaughter of these Monkes of Bangor by Edelfred the avenger of Augustines wrath was avenged soone after by God who hated his cruelty for whiles the King hastned to â—oote out the remainder of them and burne their famous Monastery three Dukes of the Britaine 's met him slew ten thousand and sixty of his souldiers routed his whole army wounded the King himselfe and put him to a shamefull flight This was the fruit of this first Archbishop of Canterbury to raise up such a bloody warre within the bowels of our Kingdomes to the ruine of both parties and all to advance his owne jurisdiction and introduce his Roman ceremonies And verily writes Matthew Parker his successour that first contention raysed by Augustine about the introducing of Roman Rites which could not be appeased but with the overthrow and blood of the innocent Britaines ad nosâ—ra recentiora tempora cum simili pernicie coedeque Christianorum pervenit is desceuded to our latter times with the like destruction of Christians And had he lived to have seen and heard the violent actions practises of his present successor William Laud whose minâ—on D. Iohn Pocklinton in two severall pernitious Pamphlets adjudged solemnely to be burnt in both Universities by the Lords House of Parliament though licensed for the Presse by D. Bray this Canterburies owne domesticke Chaplain who by like order fron the Lords House hath publikely recanted his licensing of these Pamphlets in a Sermon at Saint Margarets in VVestminster before sundry of the Commons House hath proclaimed to the World that this present Prelate of Canterbury derived his lineall succession from this Augustine first Prelate of this See and so through his loynes from Pope Gregory the first founder of it and through his predecessours from S. Peters Chaire at Rome though I doubt Peter never sate Bishop nor ever had any chaire there I say had he but survived to have seene Bishop Lauds strange violent acts and tyrannoâ—s proceedings to advance his Archiepiscopall authority and erect Romes superstitions rites and ceremonies in the Churches of England Scotland and Ireland and that even by warre by blood shed rather than saile in his designes by cutting of Ministers Lawyers Physitians and Mechanicks eares searing their cheâ—kes slitting their noses whipping them openly through the streetes at carts tailes banishing them their Country shutting them up close Prisoners in remote Ilands where neither their kindred friends wives nor children must have any accesse to them no nor yet once set footing in those Ilands to enqâ—ire how their husbands did under paine of like imprisonment noâ— they have pen inke or
paper once allowed them to write to their friends for necessaries and by a bloody cruell warre betweene England and Scotland which Bishop Peirce truly termed Bellum Episcopale the Bishops warre he would have thought himselfe a Prophet this saying of his more experimentally verefied by this Arch-prelate than by any of his Predecessors all whose tyranny malice fury violence injustice lawlesnesse oppression inhumanity trechery pride ambition extravagances treasons and prelaticall vices seeme to meere and lodge together in him as in their propâ—r center as I could largely manifest by particulars did not his unjust and rigorous proceedings against my selfe and all who had relation to mee without any just cause or provocation on my part or theirs command mee silence lest I might seeme malicious or revengefull Since therefore these his practises are so notorious unto all I shall forbeare to rip up particulars and close up all concerning him with the whole house of Commons Articles and Charges of high Treason against him as they were transmitted to the Lords by that worthy Gentleman my much honoured friend M. Iohn Pymme which being a publike charge of all the Commons by way of justice in the supremest Court of Judicature published already to the world in Print I hope it will neither be reputed a scandalum magnatum nor matter of revenge in mee if I here insert them since most pertinent to the Subject matter of this Treatise which I had in part digested many yeares by-past before his last information in Starchamber exhibited against mee A true Copy of the Articles of the Commons assembled in Parliament against WILLIAM LAUD Archbishop of Canterbury in maintenance of their accusation whereby hee stands charged with high Treason and of the Speech or Declaration of JOHN PYMME Esquire upon the same upon their transmission to the Lord. My Lords I Am commanded by the Knights Citizens and Burgesses now assembled for the Commons in Parliament to deliver to your Lordships these Articles in maintenance of their Charge against the Archbishop of Canterbury Their desire is that first your Lordships would be pleased to heare the Articles read and then I shall endeavour to present to you the sense of the Commons concerning the nature of the Charge and the order of their proceedings Articles of the Commons assembled in Parliament in maintenance of their accusation against WILLIAM LAUD Archbishop of Canterbury whereby hee stands charged with high Treason 1. That hee hath traiterously endeavoured to subvert the fundamentall Lawes and Government of this Kingdome of England and instead thereof to introduce an Arbitâ—ary and tyrannicall Government against Law and to that end hath wickedly and traiterously advised his Majesty that hee might at his owne will and pleasure leavie and take money of his Subjects without their consent in Parliament and this hee affirmed was warrantable by the Law of God 2. He hath for the better accomplishment of that his traiterous designe advised and procured Sermons and other discourses to be Preached Printed and published in which the Authority of Parliaments and the force of the Lawes of this Kingdome have bin denyed and absolute and unlimited power over the persons and estates of his Majesties subjects maintained and defended not onely in the King but in himselfe and other Bishops against the Law And he hath beene a great protector favourer and promoter of the publishers of such false and pernicious opinions 3. Hee hath by Letters Messages Threaâ—s and Promises and by divers other wayes to Judges and other Ministers of Justice interrupted and perverted and at other times by meanes aforesaid hath endeavoured to interrupt and pervert the course of Justice in his Majesties Courts at Westminster and other Courts to the subversion of the Lawes of this Kingdome whereby sundry of his Majesties Subjects have beene stopt in their just suits deprived of their lawfull rights and subjected to his tyrannicall will to their ruine and destruction 4. That the said Archbishop hath trayterously and corruptly sold Justice to those who have had causes depending before him by colour of his Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction as Archbishop High Commissioner Referree or otherwise and hath taken unlawfull gifts and bribes of his Majesties Suâ—â—â—â— and hath as much as in him lies endeavoured to corrupt the other Courts of Justice by advising and procuring his Majesty to â—ell places of Judicature and other Offices contrary to the Lawes and Statutes in that behalfe 5. He hath trayterously caused a booke of Canons to be composed and published without any lawfull warrant and authority in that behalfe in which pretended Canons many matters are contained contrary to the Kings Prerogative to the fundamentall Lawes and Statutes of this Realme to the right of Parliament to the propriety and liberty of the subject and matters tending to sedition and of dangerous consequence and to the establishment of a vast unlawfull and presumptuous power in himselfe and his successors many of which Canons by the practise of the said Archbishop were surreptiâ—iously passed in the late Convocâ—tion without due consideration and debate others by feare and compulsion were subscribed by the Prelates and Clarkes there assembled which hâ—d never beene voted and passed in the Convocation as they ought to have beene And the said Archbishop hath contriveâ— and endeavoured to assure and confirme the unlawfull and exorbitant power which hee hath usurped and exercised over his Majesties Subjects by a wicked and ungodly oath in one of the said pretended Canons injoyned to be taken by all the Cleargie and many of the Laity of this Kingdome 6. He hath trayterously assumed to himselfe a Papall and tyrannicall power both in Ecclesiasticall and Temporall matters over his Majesties Subjects in this Realme of England and in other places to the disherison of the Crowne dishonour of his Majestie and derogation of his supreme authority in Ecclesiasticall matters And the said Archbishop claimes the Kings Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction as incident to his Episcopall and Archiepiscopall office in this Kingdome and doth deny the â—ame to be derived from the Crowne of England which he hath accordingly exercised to the higâ— contempt of his royall Majesty and to the destruction of divers of the Kings liege people in their persons and estates 7. That he hath trayterously indeavoured to alter and subvert Gods true Religion by Law established in this Realm and in stead thereof to set up Popish superstition and Idolatry And to that end hath declared and maintained in Speeches and Printed Booke divers popish doctrines and opinions contrary to the Articles of Religion established by Law Hee hath urged and injoyned divers Popish and superstitious Ceremonies without any warrant of Law and hath cruelly persecuted those who have opposed the same by corporall punishments and Imprisonments and most unjustly vexed others who refused to conforme thereunto by Ecclesiasticall censures of Excommunication Suspension Deprivation and Degradation contrary to the Lawes of this Kingdome 8. That for the better advancing of his
trayterous purpose and deâ—igne he did abuse the great power and trust his Majesty reposed in him and did intrude upon the placeâ— of divers great officers and upon the rigâ—t of other his Majesties Subjects whereby hee did procure to himselfe the nomination of sundry persons to Ecclesiasticall Dignities Promotions and Benefices belonging to his Majesty and divers of the Nobility Clergy and others and hath taken upon him the commendadation of Chaplaines to the King by which meanes hee hath preferred to his Majesties service and to other great promotions in the Churchâ— suâ—h as have beene Popishly affected or otherwise unâ—ound and corrupt both in doctrine and mannerâ— 9. Hee hath for the same trayterous and wicked intent chosen and imployed such men to be his owne Domesticall Chaplaines whom hee knew to be notoriously disaffected to the reformed religion grosly addicted to popish superstition and erroneous and unsound both in Judgement and practise and to them or some of them hath hee committed the Licensing of Bookes to be Printed by which meaneâ— divers false and superstitious bookes have beene published to the great scandall of Religion and to the seducing of many his Majesties Subjects 10. He hath trayterously wickedly endeavoured to reconcile the Church of England with the Church Rome and for the effecting thereof hath consorted confederated with divers popish Priests and Jesuites and hath kept secret intelligence with the Pope of Rome by himselfe his Agents Instruments treated with such as have from thence receivedâ— Authority and instruction he hath permitted and countenanced a popish Hierarchie or Ecclesiasticall government to beâ— established in this Kingdome by all which trayterous and malicious practises this Church and Kingdome hath beene exceedingly indangered and like to fall under the Tyranny of the Roman See 11. Hee in his owne person and his suffragans Visitors Sutrogates Chancellors and other Officers by his command have caused divers learned pious and Orthodox Ministers of Gods word to be silenced suspended deprived degraded excommunicated otherwise grieved without any just and lawfull cause and by divers other meanes hee hath hindred the preaching of Gods word caused divers of his Majesties loyall Subjects to forsake the Kingdome and increased and cherished Ignorance and profanenesse amongst the people that so hee might thâ— better facilitate the way to the effecting of his owne wicked and trayterous designe of altering and corrupting the true religion here established 12. Hee hath traiterously endeavoured to cause division and discord betwixt the Church of England and other Reâ—ormed Churches and to that end hath supprest and abrogated the Priviledges and Immunities which have beene by his Majesty and his royall Ancestors graunted to the Dutch and French Churches in this Kingdome and divers other wayes hath expressed his malice and disaffection to these Churches that so by such disunion the Papists might have more advantage â—or the overthrow and extirpation of both 13. Hee hath maliciously and traiterously plotted and endeavoured to stirre up warre and enmity betwixt his Majesties two Kingdomes of England and Scotland and to that purpose hath laboured to introduce into the Kingdome of Scotland divers Innovations both in Religion and Government all or the most part of them tending to popery superstition to the great grievance and discontent of his Majesties Subjects of that Nation aâ—d for their refusing to submit to such Innovations hee did trayterously advise his Majesty to subdue them by force of Armes and by his owne Authority and Power contrary â—o Law did procure sundry of his Majesties subjects and inforced the Clergie of this Kingdome to contribute towards the maintenance of that warre and when his Majesty with much wisedome and Justice had made a Pacification betwixt the two Kingdomes the said Aâ—chbishop did presumptuously censure that pacification as dishonourable to his Majestie and by his counsels and endeavours so incensed his Majestie against his said subjects of Scotland that hee did thereupon by advice of the said Archbishop â—nter into an offensive warre against them to the greaâ— hazzard of his Majesties person and his subjects of both Kingdomes 14. That to preserve himselfe from being questioned for these and other his trayterous courses hee laboured to subverâ—s the rights of Parliament and the ancient course of Parliamentary proceeding and by false and malitious slanders to incense his Majesty against Parliaments By which words counselâ— and actions he hath traiterously and contrary to his allegiance laboured to alienate the hearts of the Kings liege people from his Majesty and to set a division betweene them and to ruine and destroy his Majesties Kingdomes for which they do impeach him of High Treason agaiâ—st our Soveraigne Lord the King his Crowne and Dignity The said Commons do further averre that the said VVilliam Archbishop of Caterbury during the times that the crimes aforementioned were done and committed hath beene a Bishop or Archbishop of this Realm of England one of the Kings Commissioners for Ecclesiasticall mattersâ— and one of his Majesties most honourable Privie Councell and hath taken an Oath for his faithfull discharge of the said Office of Councellor and hath likewise taken an oath of supremacy and Allegeanâ—e And the said Commons by protestation saving to themselves the liberty of exhibiting at any time hereafter any other accusation or impeachment against the said Archbishop and also of replying to the Answers tâ—at the said Archbishop shall make unto the said Articles or to any of them and of offering further proofe also of the Premises or any of them or of any other impeachment or accusation that shall be exhibited by them as the cause shall according to the coursâ— of Parliament require do pray that the said Archbishop may be put to answer to all and every the Premises and that such proceedings examination tryall and Judgement may be upon every of them had and used as is agreeable to Law and Justice The Articles being read M. PYMME proceeded in his Speech as followeth My Lords There is an expression in the Scripture which I will not presume either to understand or to interpret yet to a vulgar eye it seemes to have an aspect something surable to the Person and Cause before you It is a description of the evill Spirits wherein they are said to be spirituall wickednesse in high places Crimes acted by the spirituall faculties of the Soule the Will and the Understanding exercised about spirituall matters concerning Gods Wordship and the Salvation of Man seconded with power authority learning and many other advantages do make the party who commits them very sutable to that description Spirituall wickednesses in high places These crimes My Lords are various in their Nature haynous in their quality and universall in their extent If you examine them Theologically as they stand in opposition to the truth of God they will be found to be against the rule of Faith against the power of godlinesse against the meanes of Salvation If you examine
Treasure for that otherwise it was impossible the King should be fallen so farre behind hand whereupon hee was charged with the receit of 1109600. pound which amounted to more than a million of pounds besides a hundred thousand frankes paid unto him by Galeace Duke of Millaine for all which a sodaine account is demanded of him divers other accusations and misdemeanours were likewise charged against him and by meanes hereof Iohn a Gaunâ— Duke of Lancaster questioning him in the Kings Courts for these misdemeanours William Skipwith Lord chiefe Justice condemned him as guilty of these accusations procured his temporalties to be taken from him and to be bestowed upon the young Priâ—ce of Wales and lastly commanded him in the Kings name not to come within twenty miles of the Court This happened in the yeare 1376. The next yeare the Parliament being assembled and Subsidies demanded of the Cleargy the Bishops utterly rufused to debate of any matter whatsoever till the Bishop of Winchester a principall member of that assembly might be present with him By this meanes Licence was obtained for his repaire thither and thither hee came glad he might be neere to the meanes of his reâ—titution But whether it were that he wanted money to beare the charge or to the intent to move commiseration or that he thought it safest to passe obscurely he that was wont to ride with the greatest traine of any Prelate in England came then very slenderly attended travelling through by-wayes as standing in doubt of snares his enemies might lay for him After two yeares trouble and the losse of ten thousand markes sustainâ—d by reason of the same with much adoe he obtainâ—â— restitution of his temporalties by the mediation of Aliâ—â— Piers a gentlewoman that in the last times of King Edâ—â—rd altogether possessed him Returning then unto Winchester he was received into the city with solemne procâ—â—sion and many signes of great joy Soone after his returne King Edward diedâ— and the Duke hoping bâ— reason of â—hâ—â—oung Kings nonage to workâ— some mâ—sâ—hiâ—fe unto this Bishop whom of all mortall men he most hated perhaps not without just reason began to rub up some of the old accusationsâ— with addiâ—ions of new complaints But the King thought good to be a meanes of reconciling these two personages and then was easily entreated under the broad Seale of England to pardon all those supposed offences wherewith the Bishop had heretofore beene charged This Bishop earnestly desiring to be made Bishop of VVinchester the King himselfe expâ—obrated to him the exilitie and smalenesse of his learning hee being no Scholler at allâ— but a surveyer of his buildings at first though laden with multitudes of pluralities to whom VVickham answered That albeit he were unlearned yet he was abâ—ut to bring forth a fâ—uitfull issue which should procreate very great store of learned men which was understood of those most ample Colledges he afterwards buâ—lt both at Oxford and VVinchesteâ— for which good works alone his name hath since beene famous and himselfe extolled above his deserts in other things which were but ill at best This Prelate having obtained divers goodly promotions which he acknowledged to have received rather as reward of service then in regard of any extraordinary desert otherwiseâ— he caused to be engraven in VVinchester Tower at VVinsor these words VVickhamâ— whereof when some complained to the King as a thing derogating from his honour that another should â—eeme to beare the charge of his buildings and the King in great displeasure reprehended him for it He answered that his meaning was not to ascribe the honour of that building to himselfe but his owne honour of preferments unto that buâ—lding not importing that VVicham made the Tower but that the Tower was the meanes of making VVickham and raising him from base estate unto those great places of honour he then enjoyed The Pope was now growne to that height of tyranny that he not onely placed but displaced Bishops at his pleasure And his meanes to do it was by translating them to some other Bishoppricke peradventure nothing worth at all Hee translated Henry Beauford from Lincolne to Winchester Iune 23. 1426. and made him Cardinall of S. Eusebius This Bishop was valiant and very wise Pope Martin the fiftâ— determining to make warre upon the Boâ—emians that had renounced all obedience unto the see of Rome made this Cardinall his Legate into that Country and appointed such forces as he could make to be at his commandement Toward the charges of this voyage the Cleargie of England gave a tenth of all their promotions and furnished out foure thousand men and more with this power he passed by France doing there some service for his Prince and Country into Bohemia the yeare 1429. There he remained certaine moneths behaving himselfe very valiantly till by the Pope he was discharged In his youth he was wantonly given and begate a base daughter named Iane upon Alice the daughter of Richard Earle of Arundell About the yeare of our Lord 1425. there fell out a great devision in the Realme of England which of a sparkle was like to have growne to a great flame by meanes of this Henry Beauford Bishop of Winchester Son to Iohn Duke of Lancaster by his third wife for whether this Bishop envied the authority of Humphry Duke of Glosterâ— Protector of the Realme or whether the Duke disdained at the riches and pompous estate of the said Bishop sure it is that the whole Realme was troubled with them and their partakers so that the citizens of London were faine to keepe dayly and nightly watches and to shut up their shops for feare of that which was doubted to have insued of their assembling of people about them The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Duke of Quimbre called the Prince of Portingale rode eight times in one day betweene the two parties and so the matter was staid for a time but the Bishop of Winchester to cleare himselfe of blame so farre as hee might and to charge his Nephew the Lord Protector with all the fault wrote a Letter to the Regent of France The 25. day of March a Parliament began at the Towne of Leicester where the Duke of Bedford openly rebuked the Lords in generall because that they in the time of warre through their privy malice and inward grudges had almost moved the people to warre and commotion in which time all men ought or should be of one minde heart and consent requiring them to defend serve and to dread their soveraigne Lord King Henry in performing his conquest in France which was in manner brought to conclusion In this Parliament the Duke of Glocester laid certaine Articles to the Bishop of Winchesters charge First Whereas hee being Protector and Defendor of this Land desired the Tower to be opened to him therein Richard VVoodvile Esquire having at that time the charge of the keeping of the Tower refused his desire and kept the same Tower against himâ—
reddy to submit himselfe to any order of Law whereby hee might cleere himselfe herewith they seemed to be satisfied and appointed to meete and conferre of the matter at a place called Goats-head The Bishop for his better safety betooke himselfe to the Church with his company at which time all the people of the province came to demand justice from the Bishop for some wrongs done them The Bishop answered them over roughly that he would doe them justice for no injury or complaint unlesse they would first give him 400l. of good mony Whereupon one of them in the name of all the rest desired leave of the Bishops that hee might conferre with the rest about this exaction that so they might give him an advised answer which granted the people consulted together without the Church concerning this businesse in meane time divers messages passed betweene the friends of Leulfus and the Bishop about this murther but the more the matter was debated being very odious in it selfe the more his friends and the people too were incensed at last it was told them that the Bishop had harboured Leofwyn and Gilbert too in his house and afforded them countenance since this murther which being once heard and â—ound true they all cryed out it was manifest that the Bishop was the Author of this fact While the company stood in a mummering doubting what to doe both concerning this money and murther too one of some speciall regard among them stepped up and used these words Short read good read slay the Bishop Hereupon without more adoe they â—anall unto the Church killed as many of the Bishops retinue as they found without doores and with horrible noyse and outcryes bid him and his company come out unto them The Bishop to make the best of a bad match and to rid himselfe from danger perswaded his kinsman Gilberâ— there present to goe out unto them if happily his death which he well deserved might satisfie their fury and purchase their safety Gilbert was content and issuing our with divers of the Bishops company were all slaine except two Englishmen servants to the Bishop the rest being Normans They not yet pacified the Bishop besought Leofwyn whose liâ—e hee knew was principally sought to goe out likewise but he utterly reâ—used The Bishop therefore going to the Church dore himselfe intreaâ—ed them not to take his life from him protesting himselfe altogetheâ— innocent of Leulfus his blood shewing them at large how inconvenient it would be to themselves and the whole Country to shed his blood an unarmed Priest and sacred consecrate Bishop their Ruler Governour Magistrate Lastly hoping that his very countenance gravity age white comely head and beard and the Majesâ—y of his person might something move them to compassion hee went out among them carrying a green branch in his hands to testifie his desire of peace when hee saw all this availed not the people running furiously upon him hee cast his gowne over his owne head and committing him selfe to their fury with innumerable wounds was pittifully massacred together with all his retinue to the number of one hundred persons only Leofwyn yet râ—mained in the Câ—urch and being often called would not come forth So they set the Church on fire hee not enduring the fire leapt out at a window and was immediately hewne in a thousand pieces This barbarous slaughter was committed May the 4. 1080. as some Historians or 1075. as others record The King hearing of this tumult sent his brother Odo Bishop of Bayon with many of his Nobles and a great army to take punishment of this murther which while they sought to revenge they brought the whole Country to desolation those that were guilty prevented the danger by â—light so as few of them were appreheâ—ded of the rest that stayd at hâ—me some weâ—e unjustly executed and the rest compelled to ransome themselves to their utter impoverishing and undoing This was the life and death of the first Lord Bishop of this See who joyned both the temporall and spirituall Juâ—isdiction and honour together in his owne person being both a Bishop and an Earle Anno 1074. during this Bishops domination Pluâ—es Episcopi Abbates many Bishops and Abbots with 3. Earles and many Souldiers conspired togeâ—her at Noâ—wich to thrust the Conquerour ouâ— of his Kingdome sending messages â—o â—he King of Denmarke for aide and confederating themselves with the Welchmen whereupon â—hey burnt and spoyled many townes and villages belonging to the Conquerour but at last they were defeated by him some of them being banished the Realme others hanged others deprived of their eyes Who these Bishops were in particular that joyned in this conspiracy and rebellion is not expressed but they were many in number whether this Bishop might not be one of the company I know not William Kairlipho Abboâ— of Saint Vincent his next successour who got so farre into the favour of King William Rufus that he made him his houshold Chaplaine and one of his Privie Councell and did what hee list under him in the yeare of our Lord 1088. joyned himselfe with Odo Bishop of Bayon and Eaâ—le of Kent Geffry Bishop of Constantia and other great men in a rebellious conspiracy against King William who much favoured and trusted him to deprive him of his Crowne as an effeminaâ—e perâ—on both in mind and countenance and of a fearefull heart who would do all things rashly both against right and justice which revolt and treachery of his the King tooke very grievously Whereupon they take up armes against the King wasting the Country in sundry parts intending to set up his Brother Robert in his place as King giving out divers words and sending abroad many Letters to incite men to take armes for this purpose The bishop of Durham held out Durham by strong hand against the King who comming thither in person with his army besieged it so as the Bishop was at length forced to surrender the City and yeeld himselfeâ— whereupoâ— hee was exiled the Land with divers of his complices and for his former preâ—â—nded friendship to the King was suffered to goe Scotfree though worthy a thousand quarterings upon â—hiâ— he presently passed over Sea into Normandy there he continued neere three yeares in a voluntary exile untill Septâ—mber 11. 1190. at what time the King comming to Durham received him into his â—ull favour and restored him to his former dignities After which hee sided with the Kinâ— against Anselme to thrust him out of his Bishopricke that himselfe might succeed him bâ—t hee failed in that projecâ— Falling againe into the Kings displeasure he was summoned to appeare before him at Glocester by a certaine day before which timâ— hee fell sicke of griefe as was â—hought when he appeared not and it was told the King heâ— was sicke he swore by S. Lukes face which was his usuall Oath he lied and did but counterfeit and hee would â—ave him fetcht with a vengeance But it appeares his excuse
a Towne called Tapsham and punishing him grieviously compelled him to eate with his teeth and swallow downe a Parchment Citation wax and allâ— written and sealed with the Archbishops sealâ— which he carried in his bosome wherewith to cite the Bishop Of which misdemeanor the Archbishop complaining to the King hee commanded William Courtney Earle of Devonshire to curbe these Rebells and to apprehend and carry them to the Archbishop who enjoyned them pennance and withall removed William Byd a Dr. of Law and Advocate of the Court of Arches from his Order and place because hee had given counsell to the Bishop of Exeter against the dignity of the See of Canterbury and thereupon prescribed a set forme of Oath to all the Advocates of that Court not to give any advice to any person against that See The Bishop of Exeter after much contention finding the Archbishop too potent for him and that his appeales were like to succeede but ill by reason the King favoured the Archbishop submitted himselfe to the Archbishops Iurisdiction and craved pardon for what was past In Edmund Lacyes time the 21. Bishop of this See there arose great contentions betweene him and the city for Liberties which by arbitrement were compounded After which Anno. 1451. King Henry the sixth came in progresse to the city of Exeter where after great entertainment there was a Sessions kept before the Duke of Sommerset and certaine men condemned to die for Treason and had judgement to be executed to death Edmond Lacy and his Clergy understanding hereof with open mouthâ— complained to the King that he caused a Sessions to be kept within his Sanctuary contrary to the priviledge of his Church and that therefore all their doings being done against Law were of no effect And notwithstanding the King and his Councell had discoursed to them the just and orderly proceeding the hainousnesse of the offences and of the offenders and the necessitie of their condigne punishment yet all could not availe for holy Church for neither holy Church nor the Sanctuary might be prophaned as they said with the deciding of temporall matters whereupon the King in the end yeelding to their exclaimes released a coupple of arrant Trayâ—ors reversed all his former lawfull proceedings and so departed and returned to London his Lawes and Justice being thus captivated to this Prelates will and trayterly encrochments upon his Prerogative so farre as even to exempe and rescuee notorious condemned Traytors from his Justice and condemnation even after judgement of death pronounced against them George Nevill the 23. Bishop of Exeter afterwards Archbishop of Yorke March the 4. 1460. after a solemne procession preached at Pauls Crosse where hee tooke upon him by manifold evidence to prove the Title of Prince Edward afterwards Edward the fourth to the Crowne to be just and lawfull answering all objeâ—tions that might be made to the contrary whereupon the â—aid Prince accompanied with the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and a great number of the common people rode the same day to Westminister Hall and there by the consent approbation of them all tooke possession of the Kingdome against King Henry the sixth who made him Bishop See more of him in Yorke part 1. p. 196.197 The Rebellion in Cornewall and Devonshire in Edward the sixe his raigne was imputed to Iohn Voysey Bishop of Exeter and other Priests who thereupon resigned his Bishoppricke into King Edwards hands having much wasted and impoverished it before Godwin writes of him That hee was Lord President of Wales and had the government of the Kings onely daughter the Lady Mary who afterwards proved a bloody persecuter by the Prelates cruell instigation tutership and evill counsell when she came to the Crowne Of all the Bishops of the Land he was accounted the best Courtier being better liked for his Courtly behaviour than his learning which in the end turned not so much to his credit as to the utter ruine and spoyle of the Churâ—h For of 22. Lordships and Mannors which his Predecessors had left unto him of a goodly yearely revenew he left but three and them also leased out and where hee found thirteene houses well furnished too much for one Prelate he left onely one house bare and without furniture and yet charged with sundry fees and anuities So as by these meanes this Bishopprickeâ— which sometime was counted one of the best is now become in temporall lands one of the meanest Iames Turbevill the 32. Bishop of this See was deprived in the first yeare of Queene Elizabeh for denying the Queenes Supremacy and refusing to take the Oaâ—h of Allegiance William Cotton the 37th Bishop of Exeter was a great persecuter and silencer of godly Ministers in his Diocesse and so was Bishop Cary after him for a season but at last both of them being mollified with gifts and gratuities became more milde selling that liberty of preaching for money which they formerly restrained gratis of purpose to advance this sale to an higher price so as may apply that of Bernard to them Episcopi hujus temporis Christi approbria sputa flagella claues lancem crucem mortem haec omnia in fornace avaritiae conflant profligant in acquisitionem turpis quaestus Et praecium vniversitatis suo marsupio includere festinant hoc solo sanâ— a Iuda Ischariota differentes quod ille horura omnium denariorum emolumentum denariorum numero coâ—pensavit isti voraâ—iori ingluvie lucrorum infinitas exigunt â—pâ—cunias his insatiabili desiderio inhiant pro his ne amittant timent cura amittunt dolent Animarum nec casus reputatur nec salus For the present Bishop of this See a man formerly much honored and deservedly respected both for his Writing and Preaching before he became a Bishop he hath much degenerated and lost himselfe of late not onely by his too much worldlinesse but by his over-confident defence of Episcopacy to be Iure Divino in some late Bookes he hath published and that upon such weake sandy grounds as vanish into smoake when seriously examined I read that Osbertus the second and William Warewest the third Bishop of this See became blinde in their latter dayes I wish this reverent Prelate may not doe the like who doth already Caecutire through the splendor of that Episcopall Lordly pompe and honour which some feare hath dazled his eye-sight I come now to Worceter The Bishops of Worceter Dunstan the sixteenth Bishop of Worceter afterwards of Canterbury put King Edgar to seven yeares penance for ravishing Wildfrid and kept him some twelve or fourteene yeares from the Crowne Which fact of Dunstans Mr. Fox thus expresseth you heard before how King Edgar is noted in all Stories to be an incontinent liver in deflouring Maids and Virgins three notoriously are expressed in Authors to wit Vlstride or Vlfride the second was the Dukes maide at Andever neere to Winchester the third
Impeachment against him reported to the Commons House and now ready for a transmission to the Lords by perusall whereof you may in part discerne what a good Prelate and carefull Bishop he hath been or rather a Wolfe in a Bishops Rochet Articles of Accusation and impeachment by the Commons House of Parliament against William Pierce Doctor of Divinity and Bishop of Bath and Wells THat he hath by his owne arbitrary power against Law since he was Bishop of Bath and Wells being about ten yeares space of purpose to keep the people in ignorance and hinder the Salvation of their Soules which hee should promote in and about the yeares of our Lord 1633.1634.1635 and since suppressed all Lectures within his Diocesse both in Market Townes end elsewhere aswell those that the ministers kept in their severall Câ—res as others that were maintained by severall yearely stipends given by the Founders out of their piety and devotion for such good uses or by the volentary assistance of neighbour ministers some of which Lectures had continued for 50.40.30 and 20. yeares without interruption and were countenanced by his predecessors who used to preach at some of them in their turnes That insteade of incouraging he hath suspended excommunicated and otherwise vexed the sayd Lecturers glorying in his so doing and thanking God that he had not a Lecture left in his Diocesse the very name whereof he sayd hee disliked and affirmed unto Master Cunnant a minister who desired the continuance oâ— a Lecture that he would not leave one within his Diocesse the Bishop alleadging that though there was neede of preaching in the infancy of the Church in the Apostles time yet now there was no such need and thereupon required the said minister upon his Canonicall obedience not to preach and in like manner he dealt with many other Godly Ministers within his Diocesse And in particular hee suspended Master Devenish the Minister of Bridgewater for preaching a Lecture in his owne Church on the market day there which Lecture had continued from Queene Elizabeths time till then and refused to absolve him till he had promised never to preach it more upon which promise the said Bishop absolved him with this admonition of our Saviour most prophanely applyed Goe thy way sin no more lâ—st a worse thing happen to thee And not content to put downe Lectures in his owne Diocesse he hath endeavoured the suppression of them in others by conventing some ministers of his Diocesâ—e before him as namely one Master Cunnant and Mr. Stricklaâ—d and threatâ—ing to suspend them for preaching their turnes at Lectures in other Diocesses neere them That in opposition to preaching and the Spiritâ—all good oâ— the peoples Soules he hath in and about the years aforesaid most impiously and against Law put downe all afternoone Sermons on â—he Lords day throughout his Diocesse and charged the Ministers both publikely in his visitations privatly noâ— to preach at all on the Lords day on the afternoon upon any occasion under paine of suspension after which charge he suspended one Mr. Cornish a Minister only for preaching a funâ—rall Sermon on a Lords day Evening That divers godly Ministers of his Diocesse being restrained from preaching did thereupon take great paines to Catechisâ—â— the people in the principles of Religion on the Lords day in the afternoone in larging themselves upon the questions and answers of the Catechisme in the Common prayer Booke for the peoples better instruction using some short prayers before or after that exercise of which the sayd Bishop having intelligence in and about the yeares aforesayd convented the sayd ministers before him reproving them sharpely for the same threatnâ—ng to punish them if they persisted in that way which he sayd was a Catechising Sermon-wise and AS BAD as if they preached charging them that they should aske no questions nor receive any other answeres from the people but such as were contained in the Catechisme in the Service booke which some not observing were convented thereupon before thâ— sayd Bishâ—p and punished as namely Master Barret Rector of Barmicke who was enjoyned penancâ— for transgressing the Bishopâ— sayd orderâ— and likewise Humphry Blake Church-warden of Bridgâ—water was enjoyned penance by the Bishop for not presenting Master Devenish Minister there for that he expounded upon the Church Catechisme on the Lords day in the afternoonâ— and made a short prayer before he began the same â— the Bishop alleaging that it was against his order and command as is above sayd That he hath in the yeares aforesayd both by precept and example most prophanely opposed the due sanctification of the Lords day by approving and allowing of prophane Wakes and Revels on that day contrary to the Lawes and Statuâ—es of this Realme for which purpose he Commanded afternoone-Service on the Lords day not to be long that so the people might not be hindred from their Recreations pressed and injoyned al the Ministers in his Diocesse in their proper persons to read the book of sports in their severall Parish Churches in the midst of divine Service at morning prayer on the Lords day contrary to the words and purport of the sayd booke which some ministers as Master Hâ—mphry Chambers and Master Thomas refusing to doe he thereupon suspended them both from their office and Benefice and kept them excommunicated for divers yeares notwithstanding the sayd booke was by the Bishops Order published in their Churches by others he convented the minister of Beerecrockeham before him for having two Sermons on the sayd Parish Revell day alleaging that it was a hinderance to the sayd Revell and to the utterance of the Church Ale provided to be spent on that day He convented and punished one Master Thomas Elford a Minister for preaching at the Parish of Mountague upon the Revell day upon the Prophet Ioels exhortation mourningâ— charging him that not onely his Sermon but his very Text wasâ— scandalous to the Revell and gave offeâ—ce to the meeting And for the same reason the sayd Bishop commanded the Church-wardeâ—â— of the Parish of Barecomâ—e to bloâ— out of the Church wall this Text of Scripture therein written taken out of Esay 58.13.14 If thou turne away thy â—ooâ— from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my Holy day and call the Sabbath a delight the Holy of the Lord Honourable and shalâ— honour him not doing thy owne wayes nor finding thine own pleasâ—reâ— nor speaking thine owne words then shalt thou delight thy selfe in the Lordâ— and I will â—ause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feede thâ—e with the heritage of Jacob thy Father for the mâ—â—th of the Lord hath spoken it And he likewise cauâ—ed this clause in Doctor Bisse his monument in that Church formerly Pastor there to be rased out He was an enemy to heeathenish Revels To conntenance which Revels the sayd Bishop in opposition â—o the orders of the Judges of Assiâ—e and Justices of
Oath first and then administred it to others saying that he was glad in his heart that this Oath was imposed upon all the Clergie of England for now the true Children of the Church would bee knowne from the spurious and bastards And further hee hath deâ—yed to conferre Orders upon such who refused to take the said Oath as namely upon one Mr. Gibbonâ— And hath enforced the sayd Oath upon divers he hath ordained Ministers since the making thereof That the sayd Bishop hath beene a great fomentor and incourager of the late divisions and wars betweene the Kingdomes of England and Scotland conventing and urging the Clergie of his Diocesse in the yeares of our Lord 1638. 1639. to contribute a liberall benevolence towards the maintenance of the sayd wars using this speech as one motive to induce them to this contribution that it was Bellum Episcopale and saying that what ever cause the King had expressed in hiâ— Declaration yet in truth this war was for Vs meaning Vs the Bishops And whereas some of the Clergie denyed the payment of so large a Benevolenceâ—s â—s the sayd Bishop demanded in regard of their poverty and because they were still in their first fruites when they were free from Subsidies the sayd Bishop threatned by his power to put more Armes and horses upon them saying that if they would not serve the King with their purses they should serve him with their Armes And thereupon compelled them to pay the summes he demaunded of them against all Law as namely Mr. Roswell Mr. Ioanes Mr. Abbot and others And not contented herewith the sayd Bishop pretending that there were divers poore Vicars and Ministers in his Diocesse that were noâ— able to pay the Benevolence â—o as hee could not raise the summe he expected thereupon directed his Letters to divers of his wealthier Cleâ—gie causing some of them to pay a second contribution 13. That the sayd Bishop not content with this first Benevolence hath since that in the yeare of our Lord 1642. compelled divers of his Clergie to pay all or part of the sixe illegall subsidies or Benevolences imposed by the late pretended Synod without confirmation of Parliament threatning to excommunicaâ—e and deprive them ipsoâ— facto who fayled paymenâ— of it at the dayes prefixed by the Synod and sent out a processe to Master Newton Minister of Tauâ—ton even whiles the sayd Townâ— was much visited by the Pestilence long before the sayd Subsidy or Benevolence was due to enjoyne him to pay it punctually at the day or else he would inflict on him the penalties prescribed by this Synod and used these speeches that if they did not pay the sayd Subsidie or Benevolence they should be ground to powder And the sayd Commons by proâ—estaâ—ion sâ—â—ing to themselves the liberty of exhibiting at any time hereafter any other accusation or impeachment against the sayd Bishop And also of replying to the answeres that he the sayd Bishop shall make unto the sayd Articles or to any of them and of offering proofes also of the premisses or any of them or any other impeachment or accusation that shall be exhibited by them as the cause shall according to the course of Parliaments require doe pray that the sayd Bishop may be put to answere to all and every tâ—e premisses And that such proceedings examinations tryalls and judgements may be upon every of them had and used as is agreeable to Law and Justice By these Articles of impeachment you may easily discover what a prophane impious turbulent Prelate this Bishop is even such a one whom no age I thinke in many particulars is able to parallell whose prodigiously prophane speeches and actions proclaime to all the world that our present Prelates impieties have made them fit for judgement yea to be castout and trampled under feere of men as the very excrements and off-scouring of all things I have now runne through all our ancient Bishoprickes with that of Chester lately revived and given you a briefe account of the extravagant actions of some of those Lordly Prelates who possessed them I shall now in the close of this Chapter give you but a touch of some of the late Bishops of Oxford Bristoll Peterborough and Glocester which Bishopricks were erected out of dissolved Monasteries by King Henry the eight towards the end of his Reigne and so conclude Oxford TO passe by the first Bishops of this See none of the best there have beene three successions of Bishops in Oxford since I left the University Houson Corbet and Bancroft all of them Patriots of Innovations Erronious Popish Arminian Doctrines superstitious Ceremonies prophane Sports Revels and Bacchanals on the Lords day scandalous in their lives notoriously given to the flesh enemies to frequent preaching and the true Practise of Piety Of the two first of them I have given a touch in Durham and Norwich page 519. to which I shall referre you and for the last of them a Non-preaching Prelate who for ought I can learne never preached above one or two Sermons if so many all his life time he had a finger in the late Canons Oath lone in pressing whereof he was not negligent and had not death arrested him with the other two I doubt not but the Parliament had bin troubled with many complaints against them all which now being buryed together with them I will not revive Bristoll THE Bishopricke of Bristoll was first possessed by Paul Bush who was deprived in Queen Maries dayes for being married Iohn Holy-man a Papist succeeded him after whose death the See continued voyd some foure yeares Anno 1562. Richard Cheyny Bishop of Glocester and Iohn Bullingham his successor held Bristoll in Commendam so as it stood void oâ— a Bishop otherwise than as it was held by Commendamâ— one and thirty yeares Richard Fletcher next enjoyed it till he was translated to Worcester Anno. 1593. After which it stood vacant ten yeares to 1603. and then Iohn Thorneborough Bishop of Limbrick in Ireland and Commendatory Deane of York was translated to it This Bishop and some of his successors had great contests with the Major Aldermen and Citizens of Bâ—istoll whom he would force to come every Lords day morning and solemne Holiday to the Cathedrall Sermon to dance attendance and doe their homage to their Lordships which they for some yeares refused till at last after sundry complaints to the King and Councel the Bishops and they according the Major and Citizens yeelded to come to the Colledge now and then on solemne days if the weather were faire and sometimes in the Sommer season Robert Wright one of the late Bishops of this See had a great contestation with the Deane and Chapter of Bristoll and Master George Salterne Steward of the City for opposing him in setting up Images in the Cathedrall and other Churches which gave great offence to the people he was a great Innovator and maintainer of Superstitious Ceremonies at Bristoll to humor
the Gospell whom they burnt and put to death the story of whose persecutions he that list may reade in Master Fox his Actâ— and Monuments Edit ult vol. 2. p. 605. to 626. to which I shall referre the Reader And thus much briefely touching the disloyall seditioâ—s and Schismaticall acts of the Scottish Prelates I now proceed to those of Ireland in whom I shall be briefe The Irish Bishops IN the yeare of Grace 1197. Hamo de Waâ—is with the other Gardians of Ireland and Earle Iohns men offered some injury to Iohn Cumin Arch-bishop of Dublin whereupon the Archbishop willing rather to be banished then to suffer such great injuries to himselfe and his Church to goe unpunished excommunicated the foresayd presumers and passed a sentence of interdict against his Arch-bishopricke and departed commanding the Crosses and images of the Cathedâ—all Church to bee taken downe and hedged about with thornes that so those malefactors might be terrified and recalled from their will of preying upon the goods of the Church But they still persisting in their maligne purpose there happened a miracle not heaâ—d of in our times There was a Crucifix in the Cathedrall Church of Dublin wherein the image of Christ was more exactly carved than in all others in Ireland or elsewhere which they had in most veneration This Image being layd prostrate on the ground and hedged about with thornes on the sixt weeke fell into a trance and his face I doubt if true by the Arch-bishops or Priests Legerdemaine appeared overspread with a vehement rednesse as if it had beene in a fiery furnace and a great sweate issued out of its face and little drops fell down from its eyes as if it wept and on the sixth houre of that day blood and water issued out of its left side and on the right side of its brest which the ministers of that Church diligently gathering up sent an Ambassie after their Arch-bishop Iohn Câ—min commanding him to certifie the Pope the event hereof under the Testimony and Seales of venerable men Yet the other Bishops of Ireland albeit they had often read En tua res agitur paries cum proximus ardeâ— notwithstanding passed by the dammages and injuries which the servants of Iohn Earle of Morton had done to their fellow Bishop with closed eyes and become like rammes not having hornes they retired from the face of the pursuer But Iohn Bishop of Dublin being in Exile came to Richard the first King of England and Iohn Earle of Morton his brother but could have no justice nor restitution of the things taken from him It seemes his cause therefore was not good After which hee continued long in England leaving both his Churâ—h and Diocesse still under interdiction and the others under the sentence of Excommunication O what impiety and malice is there in Prelates who for a meere supposed injury from one or two will interdict an whole Kingdome or Diocesâ—e and wil rob God of his publicke service as they account it and meâ—s soules of all spirituall food and exercises of Religion to wrecke their malice upon an enemie or two But this hath beene their common Atheisticall practise God and men mâ—st suffer in the highest degree rather than they lose their wills or the smallest punctilio of their usurped Antichristian honour Anno. 1212. this Arch-bishop dying Henry Condies succeeded him who was called Scorch Villeyn by occasion of a certaine treacherous act of his for one day calling his Tenants before him to answere by what tenure they held of him those Tenants shewing him their Deedes and Charters he commanded their Deedes and Charters to be burned of purpose to disinherit them of their rights for which most unjust act the Freeholders ever called him Henry Scorch-Villein he was Justice of Ireland and built Dublin Castle buâ— of his preaching to build men up in grace I finde not one syllable Anno 1313. Fryer Roland Ioce Primate of Armach arrived at the Isle of Houth the morrow after the Annunciation of the bleâ—sed Virgin Mary and rising in the night by stealth tooke up his Crosier and advanced it as â—arre as the Priory of Gâ—ace Dieu whom there encountred certaine of the Arch bishop of Dublins servants Iohn Leekes was then Arch-bishop of this See debasing and putting downe that Crosier and the Primate himselfe oâ— Armach they chased with disgrace and confusion out of Lemâ—ter Anno. 1324. Alexander de Bickner Arch-bishop of Dublin being in England joyned with thâ— Arch-bishops and Bishops of England in rescuing Adam de Arlton Bishop of Hereford even when he was openly arraigned for high Treason against King Edward the second at the Parliament barre the highest affront that ever I read offered to publicke Justice the story whereof is formerly recited at large p. 54.55 Annoâ— 1326. he sided with the Queene and other Prelates against King Edward the second his Soveraigne to his deposall and destruction in which he was very active Anno. 1331. on the vigill of Saint Marke the Evangelist the O-Tothely came to Tavelagh and robbed this Alexander Arch-bishop of Dublin tooke away three hundred sheepe and slew Bichard White and other men of his company the retinue of the Lord Archbishop of Dublin were by a traine or ambush slaine by David O-Tothill in Culiagh Anno. 1337. whiles Iohn Charlton was Lord Justice and held a Parliament at Dublin Doctor David O-Hirraghey Arch-bishop of Armach being called to the Parliament made his provision for house-keeping in the Monastery of Saint Mary neere unto Dublin but because he would have had his Crosier carried before him he was impeached by Alexander Arch-bishop of Dublin and his Clerkes and permit him they would not Anno. 1379. The Arch-bishop of Casselâ— in Ireland came from Rome sent thither for certaine urgent causes bringing backe with him a great power of binding and loosing from the Pope when he came to London preaching to the People he denounced the King of Francâ— and as many as adhered to the Anti-Pope to be involved in the sentence of Excommunication affirming that even now it would be an acceptable time to England as well in the cause of the King of England as of the Pope to invade the Kingdome of France especially since it was probable that a King Excommunicated would not have any confidence of resisting Thus this Messenger of Peace proves a publicke Herald to proclaime warre The King of France on the other side makes Proclamation through all his Kingdome that none should obey Pope Vrban and if any did â—ee should be beheaded and all his goods should be confiscated to the Kings use after which the confederates of Pope Clement and Vrban meeting in the field above 5000. were slaine on Clements part in one battle with Bernard Decksale their Generall and many more afterwards Anno. 1420. there was a Parliament held at Dublin at which time Richard O-Hedian Bishop of
I trow that God would commend his Priests if they woulden forsake worldly Lordships and holden them apayd with lifelot and with cloathing and busie them fast about their heritage of Heaven And God saith Numer 18. That is You shall have no inheritance in their Land nor have no part amongst thâ—m I will be your part and inheritance amongst the children of Israel Deut. 18. The Priests and Levites and all that be of the same Tribe shall have no part nor inheritance with the rest of Israel because they shall eate the Sacrifices of the Lord and his oblations and they shall take nothing of the possession of their Brethren The Lord himselfe â—s their possession as he spake unto them And the fourteenth chapâ—er of Luke Even so every one of you which forsaketh not all that he possesseth cannot be my Disciple And Ierome in his 14 Epistle hath the like words And Bernard in his 20 Booke to Eugenius the Pope And aâ—so Hugo in his booke De Sacramentis the second part of his second booke the 7 chapter And also in the 12. q. first chapter Duo sunt and in the chapter Clericus And againe Bernard in sermone de Apostolis upon this place Ecce nos reliquimus omnia Behold we leave all c. Chrysostome upon the Gospell of Saint Matthew c. Walter Brute this Swinderbyes Disciple was Articled against before the Prelates for maintaining the same positions his Master did namely That all Priests are of like power in all points notwithstanding that some of them are in this world of higher dignity degree or preheminence And touching the wealth and Temporalties of Prelates and Clergy men and the taking away of tbem he thus concludes in his Examination before the Bishop of Hereford As touching the taking away of temporall goods from those that are Ecclesiasticall persons offending habitualiter by such as â—re temporall Lords I will not affirme any thiâ—g to be lawfull in this matter as in other matters before that is not agreeable to charity And that because it is a hard matter for a man to take another mans goods from him without breaking of charity because peradventure hee that taketh away is the more moved to such manner of taking away by reason of the desire he hath to those goods which he endureth to take away or else because of some displeasure or hatred to the person from whom he goeth about to take away those goods more then that he from whom those goods be takâ—n â—â—ould be amended Therefore unlâ—sse he that taketh away be onely moved of charity to the taking away of such goods â— dare not affirme that such taking is lawfull And if such taking away proceed of charity I dare not judge it unlawfull because that the Bishop of Rome which received his temporall dominion of the Empeâ—our when the Emperour rebelled and was not obedient unto him deprived him from his tâ—mporall jurisdiction How much more then may temporall Lords doe the same which have bestowed upon them many temporall Dominions and Lordships onely to the intent that they might the better intend to serve God and keâ—pâ— his Commandâ—ments Now if they perceive that they be against the Lawes of God and that they be oveâ— busily occupied about wordly matters I cannot see but that they may well enough take from them those temporall goods which to a good purpose they gavâ— them But if in time to come after this those that beâ— temporall Lords shall take from Ecclesiasticall persons such temporalties let him that desireth to understand this read the Prophet Ezâ—kiel in the chapter of the shepheards of Israel which fed themselves in stead of their flock and so let him read the Apocalyps of the fall of Babylon Let him also read the Popes Decretalâ— against Hereticks and in those he shall find that the taking away of the temporalties from the Clergy shall come to pasâ—e for the multitude of their sinnes This opinion That the temporall Lords might tâ—ke away the temporall goods from Churchâ—â— offending habitually wâ—s likewise maintained about the same time by Nicholas Hereford Philip Râ—â—â—ington John Asâ—â—on and generally by all the Wicklivists of that age and that without any danger at all of sacriledge or sinne with Walter Brute his limitations which opinion the Lordly Prelates of England 〈◊〉 very importunate to cause them to recant by force and flattery William Thorpe a Martyr in Henry the fourth his raigne averred That the covetousnesse of Priests and pride and the boast that they have and make of their dignity and power destroyeth noâ— onely the vertues of Priesthood in Priests themselves but also over this it stirreth God to take great vengeance both upon the Lords and upon the Commons which suffer these Priests charitably Whereupon Arundel the Archbishop said to him Thou judgest every Priest proud that will not goe arayed as thou doest by God I deeme him to be more meek that goeth every day in a Scarlet gowne then thou in thy thredbare blew gowne Whereby knowest thou a proud man And hee said Sir a proud Priest may be knowne when he denyeth to follow Christ and his Apostles in wilfull poverty and other vertues and coveâ—eth worldly worship and taketh it gladly and gathereth together with pleading menacing or with flattering or with Simony any-worldly goods and most if a Priest â—usy him not cheifly in himselfe and after in all other men and women after his cunning and power to withstand sinne And finally he adds that the viciousnesse of these foresaid named Priests and Prelates hath been long time and yet is and shall be cause of wars both within the Realme and without and in the same wise these unable Priests have been and yet are and shall â—e chiefe cause of pestilence of men and murren of beasts and the barrennesse of the earth and of all other mischiefes to the time that Lords and Commons able them through grace to know and to keep the Commandements of God inforcing them then faithfully and charitably by one assent to redresse and make one this foresaid Priesthood to the wilfull poore meeke and innocent living and teaching specially of Christ and his Apostles So hee Iohn Purvey a Martyr about the same time in a Treatise of his declared how the King the Lords and Commons may without any charge at all keepe fifteene Garrisons and find 15900 Souldiers having sufficient Lands and revenues to live upon out of the temporalties gotten into the handâ— of the Clergy and â—ained religious men which never doe thaâ— which pertaineth to the office of Curats to doe nor yet to secular Lords And moreover the King may have every yeare 20000 pound to come freely into his coffers and above also he may finde or sustaine fifteene Colledges more and 15000. Priests and Clarks with sufficient living and an hundred Hospitals for the sick and every house to have a hundred Markes in Lands And all this may they take
of the foresaid temporalities without any charge to the Realmâ— whereunto the King the Lords and thâ— Commons are to be invited For otherwise there seemeth to hang over our heads a great and marvellous alteration of this Relme unlesse the same be put in execution And if the secular Priests and fained religious which be Simoniacks and Hereticks which faine themselves to say Masse and yet say none at all according to the Canons which to their purpose they bring and alledge 1. q. 3. Audivimus Cap. Pudenda Cap. Schisma by which Chapter such Priests and religious doe not make the Sacrament of the Altar that then all Christians especially all the founders of such Abbies and endowers of Bishopricks Priories and Chaunteâ—ies ought to amend this fault and treason committed against their Predecessors by taking from them such secular dominions which are the maintenance of all their sinnes And also that Christian Lords and Princes are bound to take away from the Clergy such secular Dominion as nousâ—eth and nourisheth them in Hereâ—ies and ought to reduce them unto the simple and poore life of Christ Jesus and his Apostles And further that all Christian Princes if they will amend the malediction and blasphemy of the name of God ought to take away their temporalities from that shaven generation which most of all doth nourish them in such malediction And so in like wise the fat tithes from Churches appropriate to rich Monks and other religious fained by manifest lying and other unlawfull meanes likewise ought to debarre their gold to the proud Priest of Rome which doth poyson all Christendome with Simony and Heresie Further that it is a great abhomination that Bishops Monks and other Prelates be so great Lords in this World whereas Christ with his Apostles and Disciples never tooke upon them secular dominion neither did they appropriate unto them Churches as these men doe but lead a poore life and gave a good testimony of their Priesthood And therefore all Christians ought to the uttermost of their power and strength to sweare that they will reduce such shavelings to the humility and poverty of Christ and his Apostles and whosoever doth not thus consenteth to their Heresie Also that these two Chapters of the immunity of Churches are to be condemned that is Cap. Non minus Cap. Adversus Because they doe decree that temporall Lords may neither require tallages nor tenths by any ecclesiasticall persons He writes much more to the same effect The noble Martyr Sir Iohn Old Castle Lord Cobham professed That the will of God is That Priests being secluded from all worldlinesse should conforme themselves utterly to the examples of Christ and his Apostles be evermore occupied in Preaching and teaching the Scriptures purely and giving wholesome examples of good living to others being more modest loving gentle and lowly in spirit then any other sorts of people Where doe ye finde said hee to the Prelates in all Gods Law that ye should thus sit in judgement of any Christian man or yet give sentence of any other man unto death as ye doe herâ— dayly No ground have ye in all the Scriptures so Lordly to take it upon you but in Annas and Caiphas which sate thus upon Christ and upon his Apostles after his ascension Of them onely havâ— yâ— taken it to judge Christs members as ye doe and neither of Peter nor Iohn Since the venomâ— of Iuâ—as was shed into the Church Yee never followed Christ nor yet stood in the perfection of Gods Law â—y venome I meane your possessions and Lordships For then cryed an Angell in the ayre as your owne Chronicles mention Woe woe woe This day is venome shed into the Church of God Before that time all the Bishops of Rome were Martyrs in a manner and since that time we reade of very few But indeed one hath put downe another one hath cursed another â—nâ— hath poysoned another one hath slaine another and done much more mischiefe besides as all Chronicles tell And let all men consider this well that Christ was meeke and mercifull the Pope and his Prelates is proud and a Tyrant Christ was poore and forgave the Pope is rich and a malicious manslayer as his dayly acts do prove him Rome is the very nest of Antichrist and out of that nest cometh all the Disciples of him of whom Archbishops Bishopâ— Prelates Priests and Monks be the body members and these pild Friers the tayle Though Priests and Deâ—cons for preaching Gods word ministring the Sacraments with provision for the poore be grounded on Gods Law yet have these Sects no manner of ground thereof Hee that followeth Peter most nighest in pure living is next unto him in succession But your Lordly Order esteemed not greatly the behaviour of poore Peter what ever ye prate of him Pierce Plowman an anciâ—nt â—nglish Poet writes to the same effect If Knighthood and kinduite and commons by conscience Together love lelly leeveth it well ye Bishops The Lordship of Lands for ever â—all ye lese And live as Levitici as our Lord ye teacheth Deut. 8. Numb 5. per primitias Decimas c. And the Author of the same Treatise in his Plowmans complaint of the abuses of the World writes thus against the Lordlinesse and wealth of Bâ—shops and Priests Lord thou saydst Kings of the Heathen men be Lords â—ver their subjects â—nd they that usen their power be clepen well doers But Lord thou saydst it should not bee so among thy servants but he that were most should be as a servant And Lord thy Priests in the old Law had no Lordship among their brethren but houses and pastures for their beasts but Lord our Priests now have great Lordships â—nd put their brethrâ—n in greater thraldome than Lewdmen that be Lords Thus in meeknesse forsaken The deed shâ—weth well of thâ—se Masters that they desiren more maistery for their owne worship then for profit of the pâ—ople For whâ—n they be Masters they nâ— preâ—cheâ— not so often as they did before And gif they preachen commonly it is before rich men there as they mowen beare worship and also profit of their preaching But bâ—fore poore men they preachen but seldome when they bâ— Masters and so by their workes we may seene that they are but false glossers O Lord deliver the sheepe out of the ward of these Shepheards and these hired men that stondâ—n more to keep their riches that they robben of thy sheep than they stonden in keeping of thy sheep And Lord geve our King and his Lords heart to defenden thy true shepheards and sheep from out of the Wolves mouthes and grace to know thee that art the true Christ the Sonne of the heavenly Father from the Antichrist that is the Son of perdition c. Sir Geoffry Chaucer our renowned Poet writâ—s much the same effect The Emperour gaâ—e the Poet sometime So high Lordship him about That at last the sely Kyme
said unto him O man who made me a divider or judge over you Luke 12. You heare therefore manifestly that Christ was made neither a Judge nor a divider in temporall things Thâ—refore in that state of his received dispensation he neither had a temporall Kingdâ—me nor yet affected it Yea Hee fled from â—t when multiplyin the â—read the people would have made him a Kâ—ng And in the Commission gâ—ven to Peter hee delivered him not the keyes of the kingdome of earth but the keyes of the kingdome of Heavenâ— And it is apparant that the High Priest of the Hebrewes were subject to their Kings and deposed by them which be farre from you And that thou mayst know that Christs Vicar is assumed to a spirituall regiment not to a temporall dominion receive from Paul himselfe no lesse cleare a testimony For he saith thus Every High Priest assumed from among men is ordained for men in those things which appertaine unto God not to governe a terrene Dominion but to offer gifts and sacrifices for sinnes Thou seest therefore that the high Priest is set over those things which appertaine to God whence Panl writes to Timothy No man that goeth a warfare to God intangleth hâ—mselfe in the affaires of this world It is manifest then that Christ exercised no earthly Kingdome nor committed any such to Peter For Peter himselfe saith Acts 6. It is not meet for us to leave the Word of God and to serve Tables that is to dispense temporall things And although some temporall things may bee dispensed by high Priests themselves yet it appeares sufficiently that they ought not to be occupied in governing earthly Kingdomes and Principalities and in managing secular affaires After which hee proves at large That Clergy-men are lyable to pay tribute to Princes and that Princes may take away their Lands and possessions when they abuse them to luxury pomp and their owne private ends and imploy them for the defence and peace of their Realmee which he proves by severall testimonies of Scripture First by the example of King Ioas 1 Kings 12. Who prohibited the Priests to take mony of the people and converted the money which they were to receive from the people towards their maintenance to the repairing of the Temple Which act of his God himselfe commends that he might shew he was not offended thereat because he did it not out of covetousnesse but piety not out of ambition but Religion Secondly By the example of the same Ioas 2 Kings 12.13 Who tooke all the hallowed things that Iehosaphat and Iehoram and Azariah his Fathers Kings of Iudah had dedicated and his owne hallowed things and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord and in the kings house and sent it to Hazaâ—el king of Assyria to divert him from Ierusalem Thirdly By the like example of king Hezikiah 2 Kings 18.15 16. who to preserve his people from the king of Assyria his invasion gave him all the Silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the Kings house And at that time did Hezechiah cut off the gold from the doores of the Temple of the Lord and from the Pillars which Hezekiah king of Iudah had over-layd and gave it to the king of Assyria Now if any say Hezechiah did ill in this he answers that it is said in the 2 Chron. 32. That Hezekiah was blamelesse in all things but onely in the Embassy of the Princes of Babylon Fourthly of David who in case of necessity did eate the Priests Shew-bread which was lawfull for thâ—m onely to eate and yet offended not therein 1 Sam. 21.6 7. Matth. 12.4 Then he addes that all the Revenews of Clergy men but that which is sufficient to provide them food and rayment with which they ought to be content as Paul saith ought to be spent in pious uses and in feeding the poore Which if they be not imployed in this sort kings ought to take care of them Ne animas mortuorum salut emque vivorum defraudâ—tis And he conclâ—des thus Nee est parcendum materiali templo neâ— his quae dedicata sunâ— templo ut salus reddatur pax periclitanti populo Christiano Nec est blandiendum Ecclesiarum superfluitati imò succurrendum â—antaâ— gentis necessâ—â—ati Hoc non est quae Deo data sunt revocare sed illis usibus qâ—â—bus fuerunt data applicare Quae enim sunt Deâ— data ea ipsa sunt piis usibus dedicataâ— Quid enim potâ—rit sanctius esse quà m Christiani populi salâ—s Es qiud precâ—â—â—lus Domino quà m hostes raptoâ—es intersectâ—res arceâ—e à populâ— Christiano Et pâ—cem subjectiâ— fidelibus emere Cum ergo in his bona Ecclesiae expendanur veris usibus quibus suerunt dedicatâ— redduntur Thus and much more Ocâ—am against the secular Jurisdiction employment and greatâ— temporall revenues of Prelates which he thought might lawfully be taken away and put to other good publikâ— uses without any danger of sacriledge What this our learned Ockam thought of the parity of Bishops and Presbyters you may easily guesse by this his determination Quod Sacerdotes omaâ—s c. That all Priests of whatsoever degree they be are of EQVAL AVTHORITY POWER AND IVRISDICTION BY CHRISTS INSTITVTION but that the Pope is superiour by the Emperours institution who may likewise revoke this Which opinion was about the same time justified for truth by Michael Ceenas Petrus de Corbaria Ioannes dâ— Castilione Franciscus de Arcatara and others some whereof were excommunicated others slaine and burnt by the Pope for this verity as Master Fox and others relate But what Ockam thought of this position of the power and errability of the Pope of the temporall possessions of Clergy men and of the incompatibility of secular jurisdiction with Bishops and spirituall men the learned may reade at large in his owne Compendium Errorum Ioannis 22. In his Opus 90 Dierum Super potestate summi Pontificis octo quaestionum Decisiones Printed by Iohn Treschsel in Civitate Lugdunen Anno 1496. to which I shall referre you for brevities sake Onely I shall observe this memorable passage out of his Opus 90. Dierum Cap. 12â— We reade in Chronicles that since the Church of Rome was endowed with temporall riches about twenty seven called Bishops of Rome have beene insnared in most great publike and notorious wickednesses after they were assumed to the Papacy or in the very assumption to the Papacy as the crime of Heresie Idolatry intruâ—ion fostering of hereticall pravity blasphemy fornication and in many other crimes and enormities have they beene involved These were the fruits of their Lordly power great possessions and temporall riches heretofore I reade in our rare Historian Matthew Paris Thomas Walsingham Ypodigma Neustriae Anno 1166. pag. 36. And Iohn Bale Centur. 2. Script Britan. Sect. 96.97 pag. 206.207 That in the yeare of our Lord 1166. certaine sowers abroad of
this purpose and not for the other have you received the keyes of the kingdome of Heaven why then doe you invade other mens bounds or borders The rest I will passe over for brevities cause The seventh Article Falsly and against the Honour State and reverence of the sacred Majesty of the King of Scots hee hath said holden and affirmed that our most noble King of Scots defender of the Christian faith would appropriate unto himselfe all the possessions lands and rents of the Church given and granted by his predecessors and also by himselfe and convert them unto his owne private use And for this end and purpose as hee hath many times written unto him so hath he with his whole endeavour perswaded our said noble Lord and King thereunto It is no marvell though these mad dogs doe so barke against mee whom they thinke to have counselled the Kings Majesty I would to God I had also throughly perswaded him that hee should take away from these unjust sacrilegious possessors the riches wherewith all they are fatted and â—ngreased like Swine For this is the nature of dogs if any man goe about to take away the bone out of their mouth by and by to snatch at him and teare him with their teeth It is out of all controversie unto such as have any wit at all that such men were very childish that is to say ignorant of all learning and judgement which did so fat and feed with their possessions these belly beasts For who would not judge it more then childish to bestow the Kings victuals or meate upon the bellies of the prophets of Baal and Iesabel But all they which at this present doe endowe such filthy sinks I will not call them dens of thieves with such revenues they doe follow the steps of Iesabel for what other thing doe they when as daily they are bleating and lowing before their Images burning of Incense and fall flat downe before their Altars but that which in times past the prophets of Baal did when as they transported the worship of God unto an Idoll Wherefore if Daniel and Elias were spotted with heresie when they would have destroyed the Priests of Baal I grant that I also must bee an Heretique But for so much as then hee did nothing but which was commanded him of the Lord that was able to kill the prophet which had allured the people to follow strange gods he could not truly and justly be accused of heresie so neither can my adversaries spot mee therewithall except peradventure they will condemne me that whereas Elias dealt more rigorously with the prophets of Baal for he cast them into the brooke Kidron I required or desired no more but that the riches which was wickedly bestowed upon them and their possessions might be taken from them The ninth Article He hath openly holden said and affirmed preached and taught that the Lawes of the Church that is to say the sacred Canons approved and allowed by the holy Catholique and Apostolique Church are of no force strength or effect alleadging therefore and affirming that they are made and intended contrary to the Law of God God forbid that I should say that those things which are approved by the holy Catholike Church should be of no effect or value For well I know that the holy Apostolique Church hath never been allowed ordained or taught any thing which shee hath not learned of the Lord the Apostles are witnesses therof Peter and Paul whereof the one of them dared not freely utter or speake of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by himselfe for the obedience of the Gentiles The other exhorteth That if any man speake he should speake the praises of God but I condemne those lawes which the Bishops of Rome have made according to their owne will and mind and say that they are spirituall pertaining unto the salvation of the soule and necessarie unto everlasting life for so much as the writings of the Apostles doe evidently declare that there was no authority knowne amongst them to make or ordaine any ordinances or lawes Furthermore the Scriptures doe manifeâ—tly shew the same how oftentimes even by the Lords owne mouth this foresaid authority is taken from the Ministers of the Church so that no excuse for them remaineth but that they be plaine rebels against the Word of God how many soever doe presume or take upon them to appoint or set any new lawes upon the people of God Which thing is more manifest and evident than the light it selfe in many places of the Scripture For in the three and twentieth chapter of Ioshua it is written You shall observe and doe all that is written in the Law of Moses neither shall you swarve from that either to the right hand or to the left hand But that which is written in the â—welfth chapter of Deuteronomy ought to move them somewhat the more What soever I command saith the Lord that shall you observe and doe thereunto you shall adde nothing neither shall you take any thing from it c. This point hee there excellently prosecutes at large where yoâ— may read more at your leisure M. William Tyndall our famous Martyr in his obedience of a Christian man Printed Câ—m Privilegio at London 1573. p. 98. writes thus of Bishops and their practises God promised David a Kingdomeâ— and immediately stirred up King Saul against him to persecute him to hunt him as men do Hares with Greyhounds and to ferret him out of every hole and that for the space of many yeares to tame him to meere his lusts to make him feele other mens diseases to make him mercifull to make him understand that hee was made King to minister and to serve his brethren and that he should not thinke that his Subjects were made to minister unto his Lusts and that it were lawfull for him to take away from them life and goods at hiâ— pleasure Oh that our Kings were so nurtured nowadayes which our holy Bishops teach of a farre other manner saying your Grace shall take your pleasure yea take what pleasure you list spare nothing wee shall dispense with you wee have power wee are Gods Vicars and let us alone with the Realme wee shall take paine for them and see that nothing be well your Grace shall but defend the faith onely After which he proceeded thus Kings were ordained then as I before said and the sword put in their hands to take vengeance of evill doers that others might feare and were not ordeined to fight one against another or to rise against the Emperour to defend the false authority of the Pope that very Antichrist Bishops they onely can minister the temporall sword their office the preaching of Gods Word laid apart which they will neither do nor suffer any man to do but slay with the temporall sword which they have gotten out of the hand of all Princes them that would The preaching of
hypocrisie might be seene Be learned therefore ye that Judge the world lest God be angry with you and ye perish from the right way Page 141. He proceeds thus When all men lose their Lands they remaine alwayes sure and in safety and ever win somewhat For whosoever conquereth other mens Lands unrightfully ever giveth them part with them To them is all things Lawfullâ— In all Councels and Parliaments are they the chiefe without them may no King be Crowned neither untill he be sworne to their Liberties All secrets know they even the very thoughts of mens hearts By them all things are ministred No King nor Realme may thorough their falshood live in peace To beleeve they teach not in Christ but in them and their disguised hypocrisie And of them compell they all men to buy redemption and forgivenâ—sse of sinnes The peoples sinne they eate and thereof wax fat The more wicked the people are the more prosperous is their common wealth If Kings and great men doe amisse they must build Abbies and Colledges meane men build Chauntries poore finde Trentalls and Brotherhoods and begging Fryers Their owne heires doe men dis-herit to endote them All Kings are compelled to submit themselves to them Read the Story of King Iohn and of other Kings They will have their causes avenged though whole Realmes should therefore perish Page 142.143 He Addes What signifieth that the Prelates are so bloody and cloathed in Red that they may be ready every houre to suffer Martyrdome for the testimony of Gods Word Is that also not a false signe when no man dare for them once to open his mouth to aske a question of Gods Word because they are ready to burne him What signifieth the Pollaxes that are borne before high Legates A Latere whatsoever false signe they make of them I care notâ— but of this I am sure that as the old hypocrites when they had slaine Christ â—et Pollaxes to keepe him in his Sepulcher that he should not rise againe even so have our hypocrites buried the Testament that God made unto us in Christs blood and to keepe it downe that it rise not againe is all their study whereof these Pollaxes are the very signe Is not that Shepheards hooke the Bishops crosse a false signe Is not that White Rotchet that the Bishop and Channons weare so like a Nunne and so effeminately a false signe what other things are their Sandals Gloves Miters and all the whole pompe of their disguising then false signes in which Paul prophesied that they should come And as Christ warned us to beware of Wolves in Lambes skins and bad us looke rather unto their fruites and deedes than to wonder at their disguisings Runne throughout all our holy religious and thou shalt finde them likewise all cloathed in falsehood Againe Page 145. He writes thus But Christ saith Mat. 7. By their fruites shalt thou know them that is by their filthy covetousnesse and shamelesse ambition and drunken desire of honour contrary unto the example and doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles Christ sayd to Peter the last chapter of Iohn Feede my sheepe and not sheare thy flocke And Peter saith 1 Pet. 5. Not being Lords over the Parishes but these sheare and are become Lords Paul saith 2 Cor. 2. Not that we be Lords over your faith but these will be Lords and compell us to beleeve whatsoever they lust without any witnesse of Scripture yea cleane conâ—rary to the Scripture when the open text rebuketh it And Page 146. saith he as for that solemne doubt as they call it whether Iudas was a Priest or no I care not what he was then but of this I am sure that he is now not onely Priest but also Bishop Cardinall and Pope Page 155. he addes Confession is there held thereby know they all secrets thereby mocke they all men and all mens wives and beguile Knights and Esquires Lord and King and betray all Realmes The Bishops with the Pope have a ceâ—taine conspiration and secret Treason against the whole world And by Confession know they what Kings and Emperours thinke If ought be against them doe they never so evill then move they their Captives to warre and to fight and give them pardons to sâ—ay whom they will have taken out of the way They have with falsehood taken from all Kings and Emperours their right and duties which now they call their Freedomes Liberties and priviledges and have peâ—verted the Ordinances that God left in the world and have made every King sweare to defend their falsehood against their own selves So that now if any man preach Gods Word truely and shew the freedome and Liberty of the Soule which we have in Christ or entend to restore the kings againe unto their duties and right and to the roome and authority which they have of God and of shadowes to make them Kings indeed and to put the world in his order againe then the Kings deliver their swords and authority unto the Hypocriteâ— to slay him So drunken are they with the wine of the whore Page 180.181.182.183 He there thus farther proceedes On the other side I have also uttered the wâ—ckednesse of the Spiritualty the falsehood of the Bishops anâ— juggling of the Pope and how they have disguised themâ—elves borrowing some of their pompe of the Jewes and some of the Gentiles and have with subtile wiles turned the obedience that should be given to Gods Ordinance unto themselves And how they have put our Gods Testament and Gods truth and set up their owne traditions and lyes in which they have taught the people to beleeve and thereby sit in their Consciences as God and have by that meanes robbed the world of Lands and goods of peace and unity and of all temporall authority and have brought the people into the ignorance of God and have heaped the wrath of God upon all Realmes and namely upon the Kings whom they have robbed I speake not of worldly things onely but â—ven of their very naturall wits They make them beleeve that they are most Christian when they live most abominably and will suffer no man in their Realmes that beleeveth on Christ and that they are defenders of the â—aith when they burne the Gospell and promises of God out of which all faith springethâ— I â—â—â—wed how they have ministred Christ King and Emperour ouâ— of their roomes and how they have made them a severall kingdome which they got at the first in deceiving of Princes and now pervert the whole Scripture to prove that they have such authority of God And lâ—st the Lâ—y-men should see how falsely they alleadge the places of the â—â—ripture is the greatest câ—use of this perâ—ecâ—tâ—on They have 〈◊〉 Confession for the same pâ—â—pose to â—â—â—â—blish tâ—eir Kingdome withall All secrets know they therebyâ— The Bishop knoweth the Confession of whom he â—usteth throughout all his Diocesse Yea and his Câ—â—ncellour commâ—â—deth the
Ghostly Father to deliver it writtâ—â—â— The Popâ— his Caâ—dinalâ—â—nd Bishopâ— know the confession 〈…〉 Kings and 〈◊〉 all Lords aâ—d by confession â—hey know all 〈◊〉 capâ—â—â—eâ— â—f â—ny â—â—leeve in Chriâ—t by coâ—fâ—ssion â—hey know him 〈…〉 where thou wilt Whâ—ther at Sion Charter-house or at the Observants thy conâ—ession is knowne well enough And thou if thou beleeve in Christ art waited upon Wonderfull are the things that thereby are wrought The wife is fearâ—d and compelled to utter not her owne onely but also the Secrets of her husband and the Servant the Secrets of his Master Besides that through confession they quench the faith of all the promises of God and take away the effect and vertue of all the Sacraments of Christ. They have also corrupted the Saints lives with lyes and fained miracles and have put many things out of the sentence or great curse as raising of Rents and Fines and hiring men out of their houâ—es and whatsoever wickednesse they themselves doe and have put a greaâ— part of the stories and Chronicâ—es out of the way lest their falshood should be seene For there is no mischiefes or disorder whether it be in the temporall regiment or else in the Spirituall whereof they are not the chiefe causes and even the very Fountainâ—â—nd Springs and as we say the Well head so that it is impossible to Preach against any mischief except thou begin at them or to set any reformation in the world except thou reforme them first Now are they indurate and tough as Pharaoh and will not bow unto any right way or order And therefore persecute they Gods Word and the Preachers thereof and on the other side lye awaite unto all Princes and stirre up all mischiefe in the world and send them to war and occupy their mindes therewith or with other voluptuousnesse lest they should have leisure to heare the Word of God and to set an order in their Realmes By them is all things ministred and by them are all Kings ruled marke that which â—olloweth yea in every Kings Conscience â—it they ere he be King and perswade every King what they lust and make them both to beleeve what they will and to doe what they will Neither câ—â— any King or any Realme have â—est for their businesses Behold King Henâ—y thâ— 5. whom they senâ— ouâ— for such a purpose as they sent â—ur King that now iâ— See how the Realme is inhabited Aâ—ke where the goodly Townes and their walls and the people that was wont to be in them aâ—â— become and where the blood Royall of the Realme is become also Turne thine eyes whither thou wilt and thou shalt see nothing proâ—perous but their subtle polling with thâ—â— it is flowing water yea and I trust it wilâ— be shortly a full Sea In all their doings though they pretend outwardly the honour of God or the Common wealth their intâ—nt and secret Counsell is onely to bring all under their power and to take out of the way whosoever letteth them or is too mighty for them As when they send their Princes to Ierusalem to conquer the Holy Land and to fight against the Turkes whatsoever they pretend outwardly their secret intent is while the Princes there Conquer them more Bishoprickeâ— to conquer their Land in the meane season with their false Hypocrisie and to bring all under them Which thou mayst easily perceive by that they will not let us know the faith of Christ. And when they are once on high then are they tyrants above all tyrants whether they be Turkâ— or Saracens How minister they proving of Testaments How causes of Wedlocke or if any man dye intestate If a poore man dye and leave halfe a dozen young children and but one Cow to finde them that they will have for a mercilesse Mortâ—â—ry let come of wiâ—e and children what will Yea let any thing bee done against their pleasure and they will interdict the whole Realme sparing no person Read the Chronicles of England out of which yet they have put a great part of their wickednesse and thou shalt finde them alwayes both Rebellious and disobedient to the Kings and also Churlish and unthankefull so that when all the Realme gave the King somewhat to maintaine him in his right they would not give a miâ—e Consider the story of King Iohn where I doubt not but they have put the best and fairest for themselves and the worst for King Iohn For I suppose they make the Chronicles themselves Compare the doings of their holy Church as they ever call it untâ— the learning oâ— Christ and of his Apostles Did not the Legate of Rome assoyle all the Lords of the Realme of their due obedience which they ought to their king by the Ordinance of God would he not have cursed the king with his solemne pompe because he would have done that office which God commandeth every king to doe and wherefore Goâ— hath put the sword in every kings hanâ—â— that is to wit becauâ—e king Iohn would have pâ—â—ished a wicked Clarke that had coyned false money The Lay men that had not done halfe so great faults must dye but the Clarke must goe escape free Sent not the Pope also unto the king of France remission of his sinnes to goe and Conquer king Iohns Reâ—lme So â—ow â—emission of sinnes commeth not by faith in the Testament that God hath made in Christs blood but by fighting and murmering for the Popes pleasure Last of all was not king Iohn faine to deliver his Crowne unto the Legate and to yeeld up his Realme unto the Pope wherefore we pay Peter-Pence They might be called the Polling-Pence of false Prophets well enough They care not by what mischiefe they come by their purposeâ— Warre and conquering of Lands is their harvest The wickeder the people are the more they have the Hypocrites in Reverence the more they feare them and the more they beleeve in them And they that conquer other mens Lands when they dye make them their heires to be prayed for for ever Let there come one conqueâ—t more in the Realme and thou shalt see them get yet as much more as they have if they can keepe downe Gods Word that their jugling come not to light Yea thou shalt see them take the Realme whole into their hands and Crowne one of themselves King thereof And verily I see no other likelihood but that the Land shall be shortly conquered The Starres of the Scripture promise us none other fortune in as much as we deny Christ with the wicked Jewes and will not have him raigne over us but will be still children of darkenesse under Antichrist and Antichrists possession burning the Gospell of Christ and defending a faith that may not stand with his holy Testament If any man shed blood in the Church it shall be interdicted till he have payd for the hallowing If he be not able the Parish must pay or else shall it stand alwayes
est nefas it is the highest impiety to preferre any other Businesse before this care or for any cause whatsoever to hinder them so as their ministeries be lesse â—ully adhibited to their Churches Moses was most amply endued with the spirit of God and excelled with incredible wisedome and he altogether burned with a most ardent study of planting and preserving the true religion yet seeing hee ought to governe the whole Common-wealth of Iâ—rael hee by Gods command set Aaron his brother with his sonnes over matters of religion that they might WHOLY bestow themselves in them The Maccabees truly joyned the Civill administration to the Ecclesiasticall but with what successe their histories testifie wherefore it is to be wished that Bishops according to Gods Law religionibuâ— solis vacent procurandis should onely addict themselves to matters of Religion and lay aside all other businesses from them though beneficiall to mankind and leave them to those who should wholly bestow themselves on them being chosen thereto by God There is no office that requires more study and care â—han the procuration of soules Satan knowing this very well hath brought to passe that Bishops and chiefe Ecclesiasticall Prelates should be sent for by Kings Emperours unto their Courts to manage publike affaires both of warre and peâ—ce Hence these mischiefes have ensued first a neglect of the whole sacred ministry the corruption of doctrine the destruction of discipline After as soone as Prelates began to usurpe the place of Lords they challenged their luxury pomp to themselves to which end since the wealth of Princâ—s was requisite that which they ought to bestow out of their Ecclesiasticall revenues upon the faithfull Ministers of Churches upon Schooles upon the poore of Christ all these things being taken from them by horrible sacriledge they spent them upon riot and princely pompe And when as the goods of the Church were not sufficient to maintaine this luxury and pompe they flattered away and begged and by various frauds tooke from Kings goodly rich poâ—sessions and great Lordships by which accessions their luxury and pride was thenceforth not onely fostered and sustained but likewise infinitely increased which afterwards so farre prevailed that the spoyles of single Churches would not suffice each of them but they brought the matter to this passe that one at this day may fleece or spoyle three or foure Bishoprickes Abbies and other Prelacies and such a multitude of parish Churches as is horrible to name for they say there is one lately dead in this Kingdome who fleaed above 20. Parishes So Bucer who held Bishops Ministers to be all one and that the power of ordination resting originally in Christ derivatively in the whole Church and ministerially onely in Bishops and Presbyters as servants to the Church belonged as well to Presbyters as to Bishops with whom Peter Martyr his fellow Regius professor of Divinity in the University of Oxford fully concurâ—es in his Commonplaces printed at London cum privilegio Ann. 1576. Class 4. Loc. 1. Sect. 23. p. 849. to which I shall referre you for brevity sake To these I might adde The image of both Pastors written by Huldricke Zwinglius translated into English by Iohn Veron dedicated to the Duke of Somerset Lord Protector and Printed at London Cum privilegio An. 1550. Wherein he proves the parity and identity of Bishops and Presbyters condemnes the Lordly and secâ—lar dominion Wealth Pompe Pride Tyranny Nonpreach and rare preaching of Prelates and manifests Lord Bishops as then they stood and now to be false Pastors and meer papall and antichristian officers not warranted by Gods word but because Zwinglius was a forraigner I shall passe it by without transcribing any passage thereof Mr. Iohn Hooper both a Bishop and martyr of our Church a great opposer of Ceremonies Episcopall Rochets and Vestments in which hee would not bâ— consecrated writes thus of the secular imployments wealth and calling of Bishops For the space of 400. yeares after Christ the Bishops applyed all their wit only to their owne vocation to the glory of God and the honour of the Realmes they dwelt in though they had not so much upon their heads as our Bishops have yet had they more within their heads as the Scripture and Histories testifie For they applyed all the wit they had unto the vocation and ministry of the Church whereunto they were called But our Bishops have so much wit that they can rule and serve as they say in both States in the Church and also in the Civill policie when one of them is more then any man is able to satisfie let him doe alwayes his best diligence If hee be so necessary for the Court that in Civill causes he cannot be spared let him use that vocation and spare the other It is not possible hee should doe both well It is a great oversight in Princes thus to charge them with two burthens the Primitive Church had no such Bishops as wee they had such Bishops as did preach many godly Sermons in lesse time than our Bishops horses be a bridling Their house was a Schoole or treasure house of Gods Ministers if it be so now let every man judge The Magistrates that suffer the abuse of these goods be culpable of the â—ault if the fourth part of the Bishopricke remained to the Bishop it were sufficient the third part to Schoolemasters the second to poore and souldiers were better bestowed If any be offended with me for this my saying he loveth not his owne soules health nor Gods Laws nor mans out of which I am alwayes ready to prove the thing I have said to be true Further I speake of love not of hatred And in his Apologie hee saith It is both against Gods Laws mans that Bishops and clergie men should be judges over any subjects within this Realme for it is no part of their office they can do no more but preach Gods Word and minister Gods Sacraments and excommunicate such as Godâ— Lawes do pronounce to be excommunicated who would put a sword into a madmans hand And in his exposition on Psal. 23.1580 f. 40. Although Bishops saith hee in the raigne of Constantine the Great obtained that among Bishops some should be called Archbishops and Metropolitans c. Yet this preheminencie was at the pleasure discretion of Princes not alwaies tyed to one sorâ— of Prelates as the impiety of our time beleeveth as we may see in the Councell of Calcedon Africke So that it is manifest that this Superior preheminency is not of Divine but of humane right instituted out of civill policie So Hooper The Booke of ordination of Ministers and Consecraation of Bishops compiled by the Bishops in King Edwards dayes ratified by two Acts of Parliament and subscribed to by all our Ministers hath this notable passage and charge against the Lordlinesse and secular imployments of Prelates and Ministers
defieth all his enemies For he saith in his heart Tush I shall neâ—er be cast downe there shall no harme happen unto me He sitteth lurking like a Lyon in his den that he may privily murther the innocent and sucke his blood When such O Lord God as will not obey their Popish and devillish proceedings are brought before that grievous Wolfe they are miserably taunted mocked scorned blasphemed as thy deerely beloved sonne was in Bishop Caiphas house and afterward cruelly committed to prison to the Tower to the Fleete to the Marshalseys to the Kings Bench to the Counters to Lollardes Tower to Newgate c. where they are kept as sheepe in a pinfold appointed to be slaine And as this cruell and bloody Wolfe dealeth with the poore Lambes even so doe the residue of that lecherous litter He with all other of that Wolvish kind hunger and thirst nothing so greatly as the devouring of the bodies and the sucking of the blood of thy poore and innocent Lambes Ah Lord God under that most wicked Queene Iezabel were not the Prophets more cruelly handled than thy faithfull Ministers be now for as in the days of the wicked Queen Iezabel the Priests of Baal were had in great honour were chiefest and of highest authority about the Queen none bearing so much rule in the Court as they none having so much reverence done unto them as they had even so now is it with the idolatrous Priests of England they alone be chiefest and of much estimation with the Queene They alone â—uffle and raigne they alone beare the swing in the Court they alone have all things going forward as they desire they alone be capped kneeled and crowched to they alone have the keyes of the English Kingdome hanging at their girdles whatsoever they binde or loose whispering and trayterously conspiring among themselves that same is both bound and loosed in the starre Chamber in Westminster-Hall in the Parliament house yea in the Queenes privie Chamber and throughout the Realme of England The very Nobility of England are in a manner brought to such slavery that they dare not displease the least of these spitefull spirituall limmes of Antichrist It is writ that certaine men gave their judgements what thing was most mighty and strongest upon earth The first sayd wine is a strong thing The second sayd the King is strongest The third sayd women yet have more strength but above all things the truth beareth away the victory But we may now say unto such an height is the tyranny of the Spirituall Sorcerers growne that Priests in England are mightier than either Wine King Queene Lords Women and all that is there besides But how agreeth this with the example of Christ which fled away when the people would have made him a King or a temporall governour Christ refused to meddle with any worldly matters as the History of dividing the inheritance betweene the two brethren doth declare Christ willed his Disciples to refuse all worldly dominion and temporall rule When they strove among them who of them should be taken for the greatest Christ sayd unto them The Kings of the Gentiles reigne over them and they that beare rule over them are called gracious Lords but ye shall not be so for he that is greatest among you shall be as the least and he that is chiefe shall be as the minister Christ sent not his Disciples to be Lords of the Councell Lords of the Parliament Lord President Lord Chauncellour Lord Bishop Lord Suffragan Lord Deane Master Queenes Amner Mr. Comptroller Mr. Steward Mr. Receiver Sr. Iohn Massemonger c. but to be Ministers and disposers of the Mysteries of God to be Preachers of the Gospell to bee labourers in the Lords harvest to be Pastors and feeders of the Lords flock to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world to be an example to the faithfull in word and conversation in love in spirit in faith and in purenesse to feede Christs flocke so much as lyeth in their power taking the oversight of them not as though they were compelled but willingly not for the desire of filthy lucre but of a good minde not as though they were Lordâ— over the Parishes but that they be an ensample to the flocke that when the chiefe shepheard shall appeare they may receive an uncorruptible crowne of glory But these things O Lord have they all forgotten These ambitious Antichrists are so drowned in vaine glory and in the desire of filthy lucre and worldly promotions that they neither regard God nor the higher powers that they neither esteeme their office nor any one point of godlinesse honesty that they neither think upon the dreadfull day of judgement nor yet remember themselves to be mortall Their whole study in the time of this their Luciferâ— like pride is nothing else but to suppresse thy holy truth and to advance and set up their Antichristan Kingdome that they as Gods may sit alone in the Consciences of men But O Lord God though thou sufferest these Priests of Baal for our unthankefulnesse a while to prosper to raigne to ruleâ— to ruffle to flourish to triumph and to tread downe thy holy Word under their â—eete yet are we certaine that thou wilt at the last arise defend thine owne cause against these Antichrists bring thine enemies unto confusion and set thy people after they have unfainedly repented in a quiet and blessed State So he and blessed be God that he after and we now live to see this verified in part Miles Coverdale once Bishop of Exeter in King Edward the sixth his reigne being deprived of it in Queene Maries would not returne thereto againe in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths raigne but led a private life in London where he writ a booke intituled an Apologie in defence of the Church of England Printed at London 1564. wherein he writes thus of Bishops intermedling with secular affaires and of their Treasons against our Kings by the Popes instigation The Old Canons of the Apostles command that Bishop to be removed from his Office which will both supply the place of a civill Magistrate and also of an Ecclesiasticall person These men for all that both doe and will needes serve both places Nay rather the one office which they ought chiefely to execute they once touch not and yet no body commandeth them to be displaced c. And as â—oâ—uâ— we of all others most justly have left him For our Kings yea even they which with greatest reverence did follow and obey the authority and faith of the Bishops of Rome have long since found and felt well enough the yoake and tyranny of the Popes Kingdome For the Bishops of Rome took the Crowne off from the head of our King Henry the second and compelled him to put aside all Majesty and like a meere private man to come unto their Legate with great submission and humility so as all his Subjects
Parliament holden in the first yeare of the Queenes Majesties Raigne was no Parliament for that your Bishops refused wilfully to agree unto the godly Lawes there concluded yee seeme therein to bewray in your selfe some want of skill the wise and learned could soone have told you that in the Parliaments of England matters have evermore used to passe not of necessity by the speciall consent of the Archbishops and Bishops as if without them no Statute might lawfully be enacted but onely by the more part of the voyces yea altâ—ough all the Archbishops and Bishops were never so earnestly bent against it And Statutes so passing in Parliament onely by the voyces of the Lords temporall without the consent and agreement of the Lords Spiriâ—uall have neverthelesse alwayes bin confirmed and ratified by the reall assent of the Prince have bin enacted published under the names of the Lords spirituall Temporall Read the Statutes of King Edward the first There shall yee finde that in a Parliament solemnly hoâ—tlen by him at S. Edmundbury the Archbishops and Bishops were quite shut forth and yet the Parliament held on and good and wholsome lawes were there enacted the departing or absâ—nce or malice of the Lords Spirituall notwithstanding In the records thereof it is written thus The King keeping the Parliament wiâ—h his Barons the Clergy that is to say the Archbishops and Bishops being shut forth it was enacted c. Likewise In provisione de Martona in the time of King Henry the third Whereas matter was moved of Bastardy touching the Legitimation of Bastards borne before Marriage The Statute past wholly with the Lords Temporall whether the Lords Spirituall would or no yea and that contrary to the expresse Decrees and Canons of the Church of Rome The like hereof as I am informed may be found Rich. 2. An. 11. c. 3. Howbeit in these cases I must confesse I walke somewhat without my compasse Touching the judgement hereof I reâ—erre my selfe wholly unto the Learned Further whereas yee call the Doctrine of Christ that now by Gods great mercy and to your great griefe is universally and freely preached a Parliament Religion and a Parliament Gospell for such sobriety becommeth you well and may stand you in stead when learning fayleth yee might have remembred that Christ himselfe at the beginning waâ— universally received and honoured through this Realm by assent of Parliament and further that without Parliament your Pope himselfe was never received no not in the late time of Queene Maâ—y Yea and even then his holinesse was clogged with Parliament conditions that whatsoever had beene determined in Parliament and was not repealed were it never so contrary to his will and Canons should remaine still inviolable and stand in force Otherwise his holinesse had gone home againe Such M. Harding is the authority of a Parliament Verily if Parliaments of Realmes be no Parliaments then will your Pope be no Pope Therefore as you now call the truth of God that wee professe a Parliament Religion and a Parliament Gospell even so with like sobriety and gravity of speech yee might have said Our Fathers in old times had a Parliamenâ— Christ. And your late Fathers and Brethren had of late in the time of Queene Mary a Parliament Faith a Parliament Masse a Parliament Pope Neither is it so strange a matter to see Ecclesiasticall causes debated in Parliament Read â—he Lawes of K. Inas K. Elfred K. Edward K. Ethelstane K. Edmund K. Edgar K. Canute and yee shall find that our godly fore-fathers the Princes and Peeres of this Realme never vouchsafed to intrâ—at of matters of Peace or Warre or otherwise touching the Common State before all controversieâ— of Religion and causes Eâ—clesiasticall had beene concluded King Canutâ— in his Parliament holden at Winchester upon Christmas day after sundry Lawes and Orders made touching the Faith the keeping of Hâ—ly-dayes Publikâ— prayers learning of the Lords Prayer receiving of the Communion thrice in the yeare the manner and â—orme of Baptisme Fasting and other like matters of Religion in the end thereof saith thus Iam sequitur institutio Legum Secularium Now followeth an order of Temporall Lawes In a Parliament holden by King William the Conquerour it is written thus Rex quia Vicarius Summi Regis est ad hoc constituitur ut Regnum populum Domini super omnia sanctam Ecclesiam regat defendat c. The King for as much as hee is the Vicar of the Highest King is thererefore appointed to this purpose that hee should rule and defend the Kingdome and people of the Lord and above all things the holy Church c. Hereby it appeareth that Kings and Princes are specially and of purpose appointed by God not onely to defend but also to Governe and Rule the Holy Church Thus farre Bishop Iewell who here clearly affirmes that Parliaments may be kept and matters of Religion there determined without Bishops Neither is this any strange doctrine for not onely Mâ— Richard Crompton in his Iurisdiction of Courts fol. 19 20. who cites this passage of Bishop Iewell is of the same opinion but in the famous case of Doctor Standish in the 7. yeare of King Henry the eight at a meeting at Blacke Fryers before the King himselfe the whole Temporall Councell and a Committee of both Houses of Parliament it was resolved by all the Judges That our Lord the King may very well hold his Parliament by himselfe his Temporall Lords and by his Commons altogether without the Spirituall Lords for the spiriâ—uall Lords have no place in the Parliament Chamber of reason of their spirituality but only by reason of their Temporall possessions or Baronies And if this be not sufficient evidenceâ— Bishop Latimer in his fourth Sermon of the Plough p. 19 20. complaines against Bishops placing in being Lords of the Parliament makes this one chiefe cause that they be unpreaching Prelates lazie loyterers and idle Ministers Yea Thomas Bilson Bishop of Winchester a great Patriot of Episcopacie resolves and proves as much in his Booke intituled The true difference betweene Christian Subjection and unchristian Rebellion part 3. p. 540 541 542. If her Majesâ—y receivâ—d and â—stablished nothing but the truth of Christ in her Paâ—liament in vaine do you barke against God and the Magistrate for lacke of competent Courts Ecclesiasticall Judges and legall meanes to debate and decide matters of Religion Whâ—n God commandeth all humane barres and Lawes do cease If they joyne with God they may be used if they impugne the truth they must be despised And yet in our case the Scepter united and adjoyned it selfe to the word of God and therefore if Princes may command for truth in their owne dominions as I have largely proved they may why should not the Prince having the full consent of her Nobles and Commons restore and settle the truth of God within her Realme Phil. Lay men may not pronounce of
though I thinke untrue then it is cleare that this Angel of Ephesus who lost his first love was famous and zealous Timothy not dead when this Epistle was written as Pererius and Alcazar both Jesuites with Lyra Ribera P. Halloix and others confesse And who dare be so presumptuous as to thinke Timothy a man so eminent famous zealous and so much applauded in Scripture would prove an Apostate or backeslider and lose his first love Either therefore you must deny Timothy or this Angell to be the Bishop of this Church Ninthly grant this Angell to be a Bishop yet it was onely such a Bishop as was all one and the same with Presbyters and of which there were many in one Church noâ— one over many Churches according to the holy Ghosts and the Apostles owne institution as appeares by Act. 20.17.28 Phil. 1.1 Tit. 1.5.7 compared with the 1 Pet. 5.2.3 Iam. 5.14 Act. 14.23 1 Tim. 5.17 which maketh nothing for but directly against that Episcopacy you contend for Tenthly and finally grant him such a Bishop as you would make him yet at the best he was an Apostate who had fallen from and lost his first love by being made a Lord Bp And it will be but little credit for our Prelates to found their Hierarchy upon an Apostate And if I conjecture not amisse this may bee one probable reason why so many Ministers prove turne-coates and Apostates losing their first love and zeale to God when they are made Lord Bishops because they have an Apostate Angel both for their foundation and imitation Happy man be their dole let them make the best of this Apostate I will not hinder but rather pitty them in this folly The second Allegation for the divine right of Episcopacy is that Timothy and Titus were Bishops such as our Lordly Prelates now are the one of Ephesus the other of Crete which Bishop White and others endevour to prove especially by the Post-script of the second Epistle to Timothy The second Epistle unto Timotheus ordained the first Bishop of the Church of the Ephesians was written from Rome when Paul was brought before Nero the second time And by this Postscript to the Epistle to Titus It was wriâ—ten to Titus ordained the first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians fâ—om Nicopolis of Macedonia which Post-scripts they say are very ancient if not Canonicall and irrefragable I shall not here enter into a large discourse to prove Timothy neither a Bishopâ— nor first nor sole nor any Bishop at all of Ephesus who as some say preached the Gospell in our Island of Britaine whiles our Prelates would creaâ—e him the Apostâ—ate Angel residing in the Church of Ephesus to whom Christ writ an Epistle by S. Iohn Rev. 2.1.2 or to disprove Titus to be Lord Bishop or rather Lord Arch-bishop of Crete which had an hundred Cities in it in Homers dayes and no lesse than 4. Arch-bishops and 21. Bishops in former times since I have sufficiently manifested this long since in The Vnbishopping of Timothy and Titus not hitherto answered And indeede were there no other Arguments but two First that though Paul in his Epistles mentions Timothy and Titus more frequently than any other persons yet we never finde him so much as once stiling them Bishops no not in the Epistles to them Secondly that Paul doth never write to them in the Ordinary stile of our Lordly Prelates which it seemes he was not then acquainted with and so not with their Office viz. To the Right Reverend Father in God Timothy Lord Bishop of Ephesus To the Most Reverend Father in God Titus Lord Arch-bishop of Crete his Grace Primate and Metropolitan of all that Island which doubtlesse he would have done had they beene such Bishops as ours are and this stile had beene due or fitting for them but onely To Timothy my owne sonne or dearely beloved sonne in the faith To Titus mine owne sonne after â—he common â—aith c. these were sufficient to satisfie any indifferent man that neither of them was a Bishop or Arch-bishop of these places or at least that they were no such Lordly Prelates as ours now are who may well be ashamed of these pompous swelling Titles which no Apostle nor Apostolicall Bishop ever usurped But the onely thing I shall here insist on shall be to take away â—he grounds of this false Allegation to wit the pretended Authority and Antiquity of these two Post-scripts wiâ—h which the world hath beene much abused For their Authority It is confessed by all First that they are no part of the Text or Canonicall Scripture Secondly that they are not of infallible truth many of them being dubious others directly false as Baronius the Rhemists Estius Mr. Beza Mr. Perkins and sundry others prove Thirdly that they were not added to the Epistles Paul bâ— himself when he writ the Epistles as some have dreamed but by some third peâ—son since as the whole frame of the words running onâ—ly in the third person imports For their Antiquity when and by whom they were first added will be the sole question To cleare this doubt I shall have recourse to the Post-script of the first Epistle to Timothy which runnes thus The first to Timothy was written from Laodicea which is the chiefe City of Phrygia Pacatiana This Post-script of the first Epistle no doubt was written either before or at the same time when the Post-script of the Second Epistle was penned and that must needes be after Phrygia was commonly stiled Pacatiana since it is thus named in this Post-script Now we shall not finde Phrygia so stiled in any Authors till about 340. yeares after Christ in the reigne of Constantine the great at which time it begun to be called Pacatiana and that as some conjecture from Pacatianus who as the Code of Theodosius M. Cambden and Speede affirme was Vicegerent of Brittaine some 330. yeares aâ—ter Christ. Who it was who first annexed these Post-scripts to Pauls Epistles onely â—or the other Apostles Epistles have none will be the greatest question For resolution whereof I take it somewhat cleare that Theodoret was the man who flourished about the yâ—are of our Lord .430 For I finde these Post-scripts added to his Commentarie upon Pauls Epistles and in no other Commentator before nor in any after him till Oecumenius his Ape and transcriber who lived about the yeare 1050. Theodoret then being the first in whom Post-scripts are extant and Oecumenius his follower the next it is probable that he was the first Author of them And that which puts it out of doubt is this that Theodoret in his Preface to his Commentaries on Pauls Epistles is the first who doth modestly undertake with scriptum esse existimo onely to shew both the time when and the place from whence Paul writ his severall Epistles which Preface fully accords with the Post-scripts placed not after the text it selfe but after the end of his
dutifull Answer of an Arch Prelate to his Prince * See Holinsh p. 313 Annâ— 1305 * See Mat. West An. â— 305. p. 452 453. An. 1306. p. 457. * Pag. 316 293. * Antiq. Ecclâ—s Briâ— p. 219 220â— 229. * M. 19. E. 3. Fitz. Iurisdictiâ—n 28. 19 WALTER RAYNOLDS Fox Acts â—nd Monuments p. 342. Aâ—t Ecâ—lâ—s p. 226.227 Godwins Gatal p. 129.130 Walsingham Hist. Angl. p. 98.99 101 103 104 105. Speed hist. l. 9. c. 11. p. 667 677 679 680 681 685. Hâ—lin p. 335. * A dutifull speech of a Prelate * The presumptuous dâ—meanour of Preâ—ateâ— * Hanging was too good for him and his complices * See Holinsâ—ed p. 338 339 340 341. Antiq Ecclâ—s Brit. p. 236. to 258. Godâ—in p. 132. to 137. Walsing p. 136. â—s 147. Fox Acts Monuments p. 349 350 409. 20 JOHN STRATFORD Speâ—dâ— hist. l. 9. c. 12. Sect. 64 65â— p. 69â— Foxâ— Acts and Monumâ—nts p. 350. * Antiq. Eccels Brit. p. 239. Hâ—linsh p. 361. †I wish our present sâ—cular Prelates would observe this †An insolent act of a Trayterly Prelate * Ant. Eccles. â—rit p. 241. to 255. Walsing p. 138. â—s 144. Fox Acts and Monuments p. 339 350 351. * Notâ— this proud inâ—olent Answere * So his present Successour and our other Prelates argued in Dr. Bastâ—â—ckes câ—se * Fox Acts and Monuments p. 409. Edit 1610â— 21 SIMON ISLIP * Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. 26â— â—6â— Fox Acts and Monuâ—â—â—â—â— p. Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. â—68 〈◊〉 274. 22 SIMON LANGHAM * Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. 275. to 282. Walsing Hist. Angl. Ann. 1371. p. 181. Et Ypodigma Neustâ—â—â— p. 132. * See Holinsâ—â—d p. 406. Caxton 7. part An. 46. Ed. 3. 23 WILLIAM WITLESEY * See Antiq. Eccles. â—rit p. 282. 24 SIMON SUDBURY * Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. 283. to 205. * Walsing Hist. Angl. An. 1381. p. 261 262 263. Ypodigma Neust. p. 139. Godwins Cat. of Biâ—hops p. 102.103 Graftâ—n p. 336. 25 WILLIAM COURTNEY * Ant. Eccles. Brâ—t p. 282.284 †Antiqu. Ecâ—l Brit. p. 296 to 300 c. Holin p. 475 476. * Ant. Eccl. Brit. p. 299 300â— * Therfore they sit there only by their Tenure as Barons not as Bishops * Fox Acts and Monuments p. 404 c. See Walsing Hist. Ang. p. 300 to 330. Holinshâ—d p. 482 c. * See Master Fullâ—rs Argument p. 8 9. * Note here the Prelates forgery of an Act of Parliament Note here the injustice treachery and bloody practises of the Prelates * Thomas Walsin â—ist Aug p. 348 Anti. Eâ—clâ— Brit. p. 300. †Anti. Eccle. Bri. p. 303 to 311. Godwin p. 152 c Fox Acts Monuments p. 533â— Grafton p. 390 391 Holin p. 488. c. to 514. Polychronicon l. ult c 8. Walsingham hist. Anâ—â— p 397 to 403. 26 THOMAS ARVNDEL * See Fabian par 7 p. 351. * Fox Acts and Monuments p. 474. to 540. * See Iâ—annes de Aton Constit. Prov. f. 104. †Tho. Gascon in Dict. Theol. Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. 311. Fox Acts and Monuments p. 276. the old Edition Godwin p. 110. Holinshâ—d p. â—24 It was spoken like a Prelate * Thomas Walsing Hist. Aug. An. 1414.414.415 Holinâ—â—â—d p. 526. Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. 282. p. 308. Speed p. 775. Walsingham Ypâ—dig Nâ—ustr p. 166. He spake like â— Lord. * Tho. Waldensâ—â— Hist. Aâ—g â—410 p. 422. Ypodig Neuâ—â— p. 174. Hâ—lin p. 536. Fabian Ann. 1410. part 7. p. 386 387. 27 HENRY CHICHâ—LY * Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. 312.315 Godâ—ins Catal. p. 159. Walsingh Hist. Aug. p. 432. * Antiq. Ecclâ—s Brit. p. 317. to 322. where the â—opes Bâ—ll and â—he Arch-Biâ—hops Lettersare â—t large recited * Antiq. Ecclâ—s Brit. p. 322. †Lindwood Prâ—vinc Const. 3. Tit. de Clericis conjugatis p. 94.95 * 37. H. 8. cap. 17. intituled Aâ— Act that Doctorâ— of Civill Law being married may exercise Ecclâ—siasticall Iurisdiction * Meaning our Engliâ—h Prelates * Note this * To wit under Henry Chichâ—ly fore-cited * Notâ— this * Where then is â—ur Bishops pretendâ—d Superiority and Jurisdiction by Divine rightâ— * Not thâ— Bishops Not by Bishops To wit by speciall Pateâ—t which Bishopâ—â—hen had and none have â—oâ— See Bishop Halls 3. late â—ookes of Episcopacy * See the Breviate of the Prelates intolerable Usurpations both upon the Kings Prerogative Royall and the Subjects Liberâ—ies * Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. 323. and Liâ—dwood his Epistle Dedicatory before his Institutions †Fabian part 7. p. 390.139 Hall An. 2. H 5. f 35.36 câ— Holinsâ— p. 54â— 547 c. 583. * Antiq. Ecclâ—s Brit. p. 325. to 330. 28 JOHN STAFFORD * Stâ—phâ—n â—ardiâ—â—r his Letter from the Fleete to the Lord Protector Oct. 14. Fox Acts and Monuments p. 741. in the old Edition quite omitted iâ— the neâ— * Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. 330.331 29 JOHN KEMP Antiq. Ecâ—les Brit. p. 334. to 339. 30 THOMAS BOURGCHIER * Hâ—lin p. 717. to 722. Hall in Edw. the 5. â— 8. to 14. Speed p. 90â— to 912. * Holinsh. p. 725. to 728. Speed p. 918.919 * Holinsh. p. 733.734 Hall f. 25.26 †Pag. 114. 31 JOHN MORTON * Hall f. 30. to 40. Hâ—linshed p. 735. to 760. Speâ—d p. 931.932 to 946. Antiq Eccles. Brit p. 339. to 344. Godwin in his life * Speed p. 960. See Hall Holinâ—â—â—d Polydâ—râ— Virgill Stow and Bacon in the life of Henry the seventh * Antiq. Eccles. Briâ— p. 342.343.344 Godwin p. 117. * Antiq. Eccles. Briâ— p. 342.343.344 Godwin p. 117. * Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. 341.342 * Halls Chron. An. 15. H. 7 f. 50.51 Holinâ—â—â—d p. 78â— * See Stamâ—ord his Plees of the Crowne l. 2. c. 41. to 51. * 4. H. 7. c. 13. 32 HENRY DEANE * Antiq. Eccles. Brit. p. 345.346.347.348 Godwin p. 118.119 Are not such then like to prove faithfull Counsellours of State to Princes Are not such then like to prove faithfull Counsellours of State to Princes * Limina or Lumina * Therefore their owne Kings if the Pope adjudge them such * Mauritiuâ— de Alzedo de Praecellenâ—ia Episâ— dignitatis l. 1. sect 8. Foâ— Acts and Monuments p. 961. Halls Chronicle Aâ—â— 24. Hâ— 8. f. 205.206 D. Burnes his Suppliâ—ation to King Henry the 8. p. â—85 to 201. * Dr. Barnes ibid. * See 25. H. 8. c. 20.28 Hen. 8. c. 10.35 Hen. 8â— c. 1. * 28. H. 8. c. 10. See 35. H. 8. c. 1. to the like clâ—use and Oath * The Bishops naturall Pedegree * As our Bishops in imitation of him pretend their Episcopacy to have (m) In his workes p. 195. to 205. (n) In vi lib. 2. T it de jurejâ—â—andâ— c. Ego Episcâ—pus * The same may be sayd of the Oath of Canonicall obedience to Bishops The holy workes of Bishops (o) In Prâ—â—â— 6. â— Quoniam in â—â—rbo Papa (p) 1 Pet. 5.2.3 Bishop Fisher answered that he was sworne to the Pope and and therefore would not sweare to the Kings supremacy (q) 1
lib. 8. p. 3.18 William Schewes * Francis Thin Ibid. Andrew Steward * Francis Thin Ibid. * Holinshed Hiâ—story of Scotland p. 288. Alexa. Steward * Francisâ— Thin ibid. * Speeds historyâ— p. 1002. Hallâ— chron 36 H. 8. f. 255. * Less pag. 375. Holinsh. history of Scot. p. 303 304. * Fran. Thin Ibid. Andr. Formamâ— * Francis Thin his continuation oâ— Holin history of Scot. p. 451. Iames Beton * Holinshed Hiâ—story of Scotland p. 302.308 David Bâ—tâ—n * Holinsheds history of Scotland p. 330. to 340. Francis Thin his continuation of thâ— History of Scotland p. 452. Bishop of Râ—â—â—e author of the Northerne rebellion an 1569 Martin p. 552. Hâ—linsh p. 959. Speed 1049 c. George Wischart a learned man burnt Iohn Hamilton * Holinshed Hist. of Scot. d. 340.355 Leslaus l. 10. p. 513. * Holinshed Hist. of Scotland p. 366.367 Leslaeus l. 10. p. 538. * Lib. 10. p. 553.574 * Lib. 16. * Hist. of Scotland 567.368.376 * Holinshed 380 6.410.511 See 〈◊〉 Reâ—â—m Scot. l. 17 18. * Holinshed Hist. of Scot. p. 402. Chytraus Chrâ—n Saxâ—niâ— l. 21.641 * Francis Thin his continuation of Holinshed Hist. of Scot. p. 434.435.282 London 1585. Patricke Adamson * Holinshed and Thin Hist. of Scotland p. 438. to 44â— 455.456 * See Andrew Melvin his Patricâ—i Adamsoni Palinodia p. 49.55 And Celsae Commissionis Anaâ—omia Note this * Fox Acts and Monuments vol. 2. p. 614. JOHN CVMIN Arch-bishop of Dublin * Hoveden Annal. pars posterâ—or p. 773. Anno. 1313. HENRY SCORCH VILLEIN * The Annals of Ireland in Mr. Cambden p. 154.155 * The Annals of Ireland p. 168. Iohn Leekes Alexander de Bickner Arch-bishop of Dublin * Wâ—lsingham Hiâ—t Angl. p. 98.99 Holins p. 335. Ant. Eccles. Brit. p. 227. * Walsingh Hist. Angl. p. 101. * The Annals of Ireland fol. 184. David O-Hirraghey * Annals of Ireland fol 187. Archbiâ—hop of Caâ—sels * Walsingh Hist. Ang. p. 224.255 * Anâ—als of Ireland p. 200. in Mr. Cambden Chron. of Ireland in Holinshed p. 77â— Richard O-bedian Iohn Allenâ— * Stainâ—urst his continuation of the Chronicles of Ireland p. 88.92 * Stainhurst Ibid p. 118. * Sâ—ainâ—urst Ibid. p. 166. * Mr. Cambden in his description of Ireland p. 135. * Licet sit expediens quod uni Populo partiali futeli praesit unus Episcopus noÌ„ tamen quod toti populo fideli praesit unus solus Tum quia minus malum est ut populus partialis parvus inficiatur ab uno Episcopo quà m ut totus vel ferâ— totus populus Christianus inficiatur ab uno capite qui omnibus praesit Ockam Dialog l. 2. Tract 1. p. 3. c. 30. ad 8. * See Antiquitates Ecclesiae Brit. throughout Hence most Papists nâ—w live neare Bishops Cathedrals * 37. H. 8. r. 17.1 E. 1. r. 2. * Malmesbury de Geâ—tis Pontificum in the life oâ— Aâ—selâ—e with others forecited p. 12.13 * See Bishop Whiteâ— Epistle before his Doctrine of the Sabbath Heylyn in his Antidotum Lincolniense and moderate answer to H. Burton 1 Sedulius Acts 20.17 28. 2 Anselme * In quo vos Spiritus sanctus posuit Episcopos Dixerat enim suprà Presbyteros Ephesi Miletum vocatos quos nunc Episcopos id est superin â—pectores nominat Non enim una civitas plures Episcopos habere potuit sed eosdem Presbyteros ut verè Sacerdotâ—s sub nomine Episcoporum significat Conjunctus est enim gradus in multis pene similis * Therefore it is of right and duty Epist. 5 6â— 10. b Apologia adu Gentes c. 39. c Epist. 6.18.28.39.45 d Adv. Hâ—r l. 4.43 44. c. 4. e Cypr. Epist. 33.58 Hierom ad â—uagr * Flacius Illericus in the end of his Caral Test. veritatis * In Ephes. 4. Tom. 3.239 * See A Catalogue Se. p. 1.2 3. * Consultatio Artic. 14. Oper. Parisiis 16.6 p. 952. 3 Aelfrick Canons * Henr. Spilmanni Concil Tom. 1. p. 576.586 Episcopi Presbyteri Ordo VNVS 4 Iohn Salis. Petrus Blesensis * Epist. 147â— * Acts 3.6 * Possidonâ—us in vita * Bibl. Patrum Tom. 12. pr. â— p 947 943. * Hosea 8 4â— * Gen. 46 34â— Iohn 10.11 * Ier. 1.101 * 1 Cor. 6.4 * Iohn 21.17 * 2 Tim. 4.2 A good note for Bishops that meddle with Court and Exchequer offices * Matth. 6.24 * See the Booke of ordination and consecration of Bishops Note this * Ruffinus Hist. l. 10. c. 2. Let those Prelates who have had their voices in such sentâ—nces consideâ— this 1 Kings 18.12 Iohn 18 31. 2 Cor. 11.23 * Gal. 6.142 * Mat. 10.25 26. * 1 Pet. 5.2 3. I wish this Charcter did not suit too wel with some of our Lordly Prelates now * The true Title of a Prelates Chaire * â—ccles 10 6â— * Isay 50â—â—â— * See Baâ—â—us Centâ—riae â—criâ— Brit. Richâ— Armachaâ—nus Li. 11. De questionibus Aâ—nenoruâ—â— 1 2 3 4 5 6. Iohn Wiclifâ—e * Quia certum videtur quod superbia Caesarâ—a hos graduâ— ordines adinvenit * Histor. Angliae p. 474. Ypodigma Neustriae An. 13â—9 p. 144â— Dialog li. 4. c. 26. Fox Acts and Monuments p. 414. Thomas Walsingham Hist. Angl. p. 205.302 to 307. Fox Acts and Monumâ—nts p. 398 399.414 Holiâ—shedâ— p. 411. * Dialog l. 3. c. 3â— f. 72. William Swinderby * Fox Acts and Monuments p. 431.434 Edit 1610. and Edit ult vol. 1. p. 609 619.113.615.616.617 â—â—remy 35. * Walter Brute * Fox Acts and Monuments Vol. 1â— p. 622 642â—653 * Fox Acts and Monuments Vol. 1. p. 572. William Thorpe * Fox Acts and Monuments Vol. 1. p. 700 701.707 The viciousnes and pride of Priests infecteâ—h al the world * It is pity Bishops cannot sweare Iohn Purveyâ— * Fox Acts and Monuments Vol. 1. p. 711. * Fox Acâ—s and Monuments p. 514.517 518.522 Walsingham Hist. Angliae An. 1413. p. 429. Lord Cobham Peirce Plowman * Passus 15.2 4 8. * Fox Acts and Monuments Vol. 1. p. 528.529 53â— 532 Edit ult * The Plowmans Tale. Lucifers Letter * Fox Acts and Monuments Edit 1610. p. 462 4â—3 Placing of all mischeife The Church never well governed since the Devils were taken of the Church men Pride in Prelatâ—â— ntoed Popish Prelates neither give to God nor Caesar that which belongeth to God and Caesar. The double jurisdiction of the Popes two swords commeth of Lucifer DoÌ„inus sanctus Sanctissimus The lascivious Whorish life of the Romish Clergy The whorish latter Church of â—ome Pope successor not of Simon Peter but of Simon Magus Wicked unworthy Miniâ—â—ers admitted in the Popes â—hurch unworthy bestowing of benefices Extortion Perverting of Iustice. Acception of person Bribery Love of Lucreâ— Destruction of true faith The life of Pâ—pists contrary 〈◊〉 their teachingâ— The pope increaseth helâ— Antichrist The pope a faigned procuâ—er of peace betweene princes â—â—mony the popes nuâ—se Promoting of proud and rich Cardinalls
what â—nsueth Henry Stalbridg * See the 5 6. part of the Hom. against wilfull rebellion And the 2. part of thâ— Homely on Whitsunday * Ibid. fol. 18. 22. to 31. Note * See a supplication to King Henry the 8. An. 1544. accordingly * M. Tindals practise of Prelates accordingly * Buceâ—us de Regnâ— Christi l. 2. c. 12. * Note See the Supplication to King Henry the eight An. 1544. Mr FISH Fox Acts and Monum p. 926.927 The fruits of Prelates greatnesse sitting in Parliament * Now they bring such into the High Commission there ruine them or force them to give over their actions Note the danger that accrews by making Clergy-men chiefe Temporall officers MARTYN BUCER * Lib. 2. c. 1.2.12 In his Scripoa Anglicana Basilea 1577. p. 65.69.70.71.580 * It is the Divell then not God that calls Bishops to be Courtiers and temporall officers * How Prelates came by their great Lordly possessions See his Scripta Anglicana pag. 254.255.259.291 292 293. and Comment in Matth. 16. And â—he unbishoping of Timothy and Titus p. 106 107 108. Zwinglius Bishop Hooper * Fox vol. 3. pag. 46.137 * Upon the 8. Commandement p. 78. * See Rucerus dâ— râ—gnâ— Christi l. 2. c. 12. Note The Booke of Ordination * 3 Edwâ— 6. c. 12.8 Eliz. c. 1. Canon 36. The Bishop Answer The Bishop Answer The Booke of Homilies Father Latimer * in his Sermons f. 17 18 c. Note this Note this welâ— * Fathâ—r Laâ—ymer would not have Bishops Lords of the Parliament or to sit therein Note this The Spirituall Pastors have a great charge In his Sermons fol. 10.11 Dr. Harpesfield Iohn Bradford Fox Acts Monuments v. 3. p. 293. Edmund Allâ—n This is the present objection for the continuance of Bishops Deanes and Chapters Notâ— IOHN BALE * His Image of both Churches on Apoc. 19. 20. part 3. f. 195.208 MATTHEW PARKER * Antiquit. Ecâ—l Brit. p. 139.140.141.142.143 A strange evill death of a Clergie Lord Treasurer who like Iudas Christs Treasurer and bag-bearer dyed in despaire * Lego omnia bona mâ—a Dominâ— Regi corpus sepulturâ— Animâ—m Diabolo Quâ— dictâ— expiravit c. Note See Nicholas de Clemangiis De Corrupto Ecclesia statu c. 17.18.19 an excellent Discourse against Bishops intermedling in temporall affaires and bearing civill ofâ—â—ces * Hâ—vedâ—n Aâ—â—â—l pars postâ—â—iâ—r p. 779. Speed p 550 * Annal. pars posterior p. 767.768 THOMAS BEACON Isay. 36.10 Mat. 5.13 Joh. 20.21 Wolvish Sheepheards The description of a certaine head Wolfe clathed in a Bishops rotchet A comparison betweene Queen Isabels time and ours Priests chiefe in the Country and thorow out England Awake Nobility The ambition and security of the Papists MILES COVERDALE * Godwins Cat. p. 338. JOHN PONET WALTER HADDON Bishop ALLEY Bishop PILKINGTON Mr. Nowel BISHOP ELMER Few of our Prelates would now refuse such a proffer Act. 3 â— to 7. Cor. 4.12 * 1 Tim. 6.8 NICHOLAS BULLINGHAM IOHN BRIDGES Difference betweene Priests and Bishops * Hiâ—râ—niâ—us 〈◊〉 Titum Dist. 63. Can. Oliâ— idâ—m * Lib. 4. Dist. 24.1 â— Tim. 3â— Instiâ—utiâ— dâ—ctr Christi de shâ—râ— ordinis fol. 196. * Summa Angâ—lica L. Ord. The papistâ— controversie about their holy order The Heavenly and earthly Kingdome are not 〈◊〉 joyned that the Bishops may be earthly Kings M. Sanders objetion and answer Whether a Bishop may take a Kingdome upon him pâ—operly or unproperly Deposing of Princes by the Prelates practises Heb. 10. The Churches promotion Matth. 2â— Glossa in Lyâ—â—â—â—â—â—pâ—r Iâ—h Hofmeister in Luc. 12. Why Christ took not on him the office of a Magistrate Christ abolished not the magistrates office though he himâ—elfe reâ—used it M. Iohn Fox Bishop Iuâ—l * Ad Eâ—agrium * Dâ— simplicit Prelatâ—r Eâ—asm in Schol. in Epist. ad Euagrium M. Harding Hieron iâ— Epist. ad Titum c. I. Erasm. in Schol. iâ— Epist. ad Euagr. Sub. Lâ—â—ne Sâ—ssiâ—ne 10. Erasm. in Apologia ad Pium * Hieron ad Euagrium * Erasmus adversus Albert. Pighium * Hierâ—n in Epist. ad Titum c. 1. * Hieron â—odem locâ— * August Epist. 9. * Chrys. in 1 Tim. Homili 11. Hieron ad Euagrium * Aug. in quaest Novi Vet. Testamâ— q. 101. * Amb. in 1 Tim. cap. 3. * Ioh. de Paristis cap. 22. in vira Silvestri * De câ—nsideraâ—â— ad Eug. lib. 4. â— * Aug. de Civit. Deâ— lib. 19. c. 19. * Chrysost. Hom. 43â— in opere imperfecto in Mat. * Serm. 33. in Cantica * Bern. Serm. 1. in Conv. S. Pauli * Conc. Macrâ—â—se â—itatur ab Illyr intâ—r testâ—s verit p. 121. * Chrys. in Mat. Homil. 35. * Hieron contra Lucifâ—rianos * Hieron in Sophoniam â—ap 1. * Conc. Trident. * Sub Paulo 3. Admonitio Legator * Avâ—ntinus lib. 3. de Rupertâ— * Berâ— in Cantic Serm. 33. Holcot in sapient lect 23. * Bern. in Cantiâ— Serm. 77. * Lauâ— Valla de Donat. Const. Paralipomen * Vrspergen * Bernar. de considerationâ— ad Eugenium l. 4â— (a) 8 Quast 1. Qui Episcopatum (b) August 2. qu. 7. Qui nec Aug. (c) Aug. cont Donatist lib. 6. (d) Bern. de considerat ad Eugenium lib. 3. 1â— Cor. 15. (e) Aâ— Do. 1â—9â— (f) An. 1273. In provisione Marâ—ona c. 9. (g) Extr. Qui silli sunt Legitime (h) Lâ—ges Canuti (i) Robert Keilwey his Reports f. 184. b. (k) Nostre Seigâ—iour le Roy poit assets bien tener son Parliament perlâ—y ses temporall Seigniours per ses Commons tout sans les spirituals Seigniors Carlos spiritual Signiors nont ascun place enâ—â— Parliament Chamber per Reason de lour spiritualty mes solement perâ— Reason de lour Temporall possessions c. Bishop Latymer Bishop Bilsâ—n A Parliament taking part with truth hath the warrant of God and the Magistrate Laymen may make their choice what faith they will professe The Prince is authorized from God to executâ— his Commandement The Jesuites presume that all is theirs The Prince may command for truth though the Bishops would say no. The Jesuites have neither Gods Law nor mans to make that which the Prince and the Parliament did to be void for lacke of the Bishops assents The Kings Judah did command for truth without a Counâ—â—ll * 2 Chron. 14. cap. 15. * 2 Chron. â—9â— 4 Kings 22. Christian Princes may do the likâ— * Constantine authorised Christian Religson without any Coâ—â—cell Eusâ—b de vita Constant. lib. 2. * Iustinian had no Councell for the making of his Constitutions But 6. generall Councels in 790 yeares * Soâ—ra l. 5. c. 10. Theodosius made his owne choyse what Religion he would establish Realmes have beene Christned upon the perswasions of Lay men and women †Ruff. l. â— c. 9. And never asked the Priests leave so to doâ— Soc. l. 1. c. 19. India converted by Merchants †Ruff. l. 1. c. 10. Iberia converted by a woman The Jesuites would have