hath the spirite of God spokeÌ„ Heauen and earth shal perishe but the wordes of the spirite shall not perish but be fulfylled Nowe herken you possessioners and you rich men lifte vp your ears ye stuards of the Lord marke what complayntes are layede agaynste you in the high courte of the liueynge God Lorde sayeth the Porphete hast thou forsaken vs doest thou hide thy selfe in the tyme of our trouble Whylse the wicked waxe proude the pore man is aflicted and troubled Would to God the wicked myght feale the same thinges that they inuent for other For the sinnere prayseth hym selfe in the desyers of hys soule and he extolleth and fetch furth the couetouse man He prouoketh the Lorde and is so proud that he wyll not seke hym He neuer thynketh vpon God His wayes be defiled at all tymes He loketh not vpon thy iugementes Lorde be will reuenge hym vpon al hys enimies He thynketh thus with hym selfe I wyll not remoue from one generacion vnto an other without mischefe Hys mouth is full of malediction and euill reporte fraude deceyte Esai 50. and vnder his tonge is afliction and iniquitye He lyeth in wayte wyth the rychemen of the villages or graynges in secrete corners to the intent to slea the innocent His eyes are fyexed vpon the pore he layeth awayete euen as a lyon in his denne He layeth a wayte to take the poore man by force and when he hath gotten him wythin his reache then wyll he take hym violentlye In hys net will he ouerthrowe the pore and through hys strength shall the mutitude of the oppressed be ouer charged and fall For in his hert he sayeth God hath forgotten God turneth a waye hys face and wyll neuer regarde the oppression of the poore etc. to the ende of the same Psalme ☞ What sentence thinke you wil the Lorde gyue vpoÌ„ this euidence No doubt most worthy counsellers euen the same that we reade in Esaie the Prophete I loked for iudgement and rightouse dealynge amongeste my people and beholde there is iniquitie Esaie 5. I loked also for iustice and beholde there is an outcrye Wo be vnto you therefore that do ioyne houre vnto house couple one fielde to an other so longe as there is any ground to be had Thinke you that you shal dwel vpon the earth alone The Lorde of hostes sayeth the prophete hath spoken these wordes vnto me Manye large and goodlye houses shall be deserte and wythout inhabitauntes .x. acres of vynes shal yelde but one quarte of wyne and .xxx. bushelles of seede shall yelde but .iii bushelles agayne Beholde you engrossers of fermes and teynements be holde I say the terrible threatnynges of God whose wrath you can not escape The voyce of the pore whoÌ„ you haue with money thruste out of house and home is well accepted in the eares of the Lorde and hath steared vp hys wrath agaynste you He threateneth you moste horrible plages Ten acres of vynes shal yelde but one quarte of wyne and .xxx. bushelles of sede but .iii. bushelles agayn The sede of Goddes worde sowen in youre hertes shall be barrayne and not bringe forth fruite ☞ For couetyse the rote of al iuelles occupieth that grounde so that the heauenlie sede can bi no meanes geue encrease This is a plage of al plages most horryble And doubt ye not you lease mongres that take groundes by lease to the â—ntente to lette them out agayne for double and triple the rent your parte is in this plage The Lorde shall take his spirite from you He shall forbyd the cloudes of his mercy to rayne vpon you wyth the swete dwe of hys greace And you surueighers of laÌ„des that of x. li laÌ„de can make .xx. you shall not be forgotten in the effuâ—ion of thys plage ☞ For wheÌ„ you haue multiplied your reÌ„ttes to the higheste so that ye haue made all youre tenantes your slaues to labour and toyle and bringe to you all that maye be plowed and digged out of youre groundes then shal death sodaynly strike you then shall God wythdrawe his confortable greace from you theÌ„ shall your conscience prycke you then shall you thynke with deâ—perat Cain that your sinne is greater theÌ„ that it may be forgeuen For your owne coÌ„science shall iudge you worthye no mercye be cause you haue shewed no merci Yea the same enimie that hoth kendled and doeth yet mayntayne in you thys mischeuouse outragiouse and vnsaciable couetousnes shall then bee as busy to put you in mynde of the wordes of Christ saienge the same measure that you haue made vnto other shal be nowe made vnto you You haue shewed no mercye howe can you than loke for mercye Oh noble counsailours be mercyful to your selues Destroye not your owne soules to enriche your heyres Enlarge not your earthly possession wyth the losse of the eternal enheritaunce Learne to knowe the estate that God hath called you vnto to lyue accordinge to your profession Know that you are al ministres in the common weale and that the procion which you are borne vnto or that your prince geueth you is your estate Knowe that your office is to distribute not to scrape to gether on heapes God hath not sette you to surueye his landes but to playe the stuardes in hys householde of this world and to se that your pore felow seruantes lacke not theyr necessaries Consider that you are but ministers and seruauntes vnder the Lorde oure God and that you shal render a streyght accompt of your administracion Stand not to much in your own conceyte gloriynge in the worthynesse of your bloude for we are all one mans chyldren and haue by nature lyke right to the rychesse and treasures of thys worlde whâ—rouf oure natural father Adame was mâ—de Lord and Kinge Whiche of you can laye for hym selfe any naturall cauâ—e whyche shoulde possesse the treasure of this worlde but that the same cause maye he founde in hym also whome you make your slaue By nature therefore you can claime nothinge but that which you shall gette wyth the swet of your faces That you are Lordes and gouernoures therfore commeth not by nature but by the ordinaunce appoyntment of God Knowe then that he hath not called you to the welth and glorie of this worlde but hath charged you wyth the greate and rude multitude And if any if them perishe thorowe your defaute knowe theÌ„ for certentie that the bloude of them shal be required at your handes If the impotent creatures perishe for lacke of necessries you are the murderres Ezech. 33 for you haue theyr enheritaunce and do not minister vnto them If the sturdye fall to stealing robbyng reueynge then are you the causers therof for you dygge in enclose and witholde from them the earth out of the which they shoulde digge and plowe theyr lyueynge Psal 11â— For as the Psalmiste writeth All the heauen is the Lordes but as for the earth hee hath geuen to the childrene of
men ☞ The whole earth therfor by birth ryght belongeth to the chyldren of men They are all inheritours thereof indifferently by nature But because the sturry shoulde not oppressâ— the weake and impotent God hath apoynted you stuards to geue meate vnto his housholde in due reasone And if you be founde faythfull in thys litel then knowe that he wyll preferre you to muche greater thynges But if ye bee found oppressing your felowe seruauntes theÌ„ knowe for certentie that the Lorde your maister shall at hys comeynge rewarde you wyth many strypes Call to your remembraunce the History of Kynge Nabuchodonosor whoe for Luke 12. Dani. 4. his presumption became as a brute beast feaddinge vpoÌ„ grasse and hey as other beastes dyd ☞ Considre Pharao wyth his great armie whom the Lorde ouerwhelmed in the red sea for oppressing and persecuting his people Yea considre al the nobilitie that haue possessed the earth euen from the begynnyng and then saye howe you be theyr successours and by what title you cleyme that which was theyrs ☞ Many hundred yeres sence the noble Romains helde all Europa and parte of Affrike and Asia in quiete possession and where are they that succeade them in theyr impeir The brutishe Gothes inuaded and vaÌ„quished the impier of Rome and where are theyr successours ☞ What shoulde I stande in the rehearsall of the great possessioners that haue hertofore possessed the earth whose liniall descent caÌ„ not be founde It shal suffice me to remitte you to the wordes of the Lorde vnto Nabuchodonosor whiche are wrytten in the boke of Daniell the Prophet Dani. 4. ☞ There shal you learne that it is God that gyueth the impier to whoÌ„ it pleaseth hym and that all power is from aboue accordynge to the answer that our sauiour Christe made vnto Pilate when he bragged hym wyth the power than he had to crucifie hym and to deliuer hym Thou shouldest sayed our sauiour haue no power ouer me at all Iohn 19. were it not gyuen the from aboue ☞ Thus it is euident vnto you moste worthy counsaylours that your power and estate cometh frome aboue and that by nature you can cleyme nothynge of the possessions of thys worlde more then that whiche you gette wyth the swet of your faces ☞ I doubt not therfor but that your consciences do condescend and agre vnto that which I haue spoken concernynge youre office and ministerie knoweynge that God hath appointed you to minister necessaries to the impotent and to defende the innocent ☞ Do not therfore neglect thys principalle poynt of your dutie to seke in this parliament a redresse of thys great oppression wherwyth the pore membres of this noble realme ar most vnmercifully vexed on euery syde ☞ The lande lordes for theyr partes suruey and make the vttermost peny of al their grouÌ„des bysydes the vnreasonable fynes and incomes And he that wyl not or can not geue all that they demaunde shall not enter be he neuer so honest or stande he neuer so greate neede ☞ Yâ—a though he haue ben an honest true faythfull and quiete tenant many yeres yet at the vacatioÌ„ of his Copie or Iudentur he must paye welmoste as much as woulde purchayse so much grownde or else voide in haste though he his wyfe and childrene shoulde perishe for lacke of harbour ☞ What a sea of mischifes hath floued out of thys more then Turkyshe tyraÌ„nie what honeste housholders haue ben made folowers of other not so honest mens tables what honeste matrones haue ben brought to the needy rocke and cardes what menchyldrene of good hope in the liberall sciences and other honeste qualites wherof this realme hath great lacke haue ben compelled to fal some to handycrafts and some to daye labour to sustayne theyr parents decrepet age and miserable pouertie what froward and stoubourne children haue herby shaken of the yoke of godly chastisement rennyng hedlonge into all kyndes of wickednes and finally garnyshed galowe trees what modeste chast and womanly virgins haue for lacke of dourie bene compelled either to passe ouer the dayes of their youth in vngrate seruitude or els to mary to perpetuall miserable pouertie what immodeste wanton gyrles haue hereby bene made sisters of the Banke the stumlyng-stocke of all fraile youth and finally most miserable creatures lyinge and dyinge in the stretes full of all plages and penurie what vniuersall destruction chaunceth to thys noble realme by thys outragious and vnsaciable desire of the surueiers of landes I reporte me to you moste christian counseilours whiche are here assembled from all partes of thys noble realme to consult for the wealth of all the meÌ„bres of the same ☞ On the other syde there be certeyne tenauntes not able to be lande Lordes and yet after a sort they coÌ„terfaite lande lordes by obteininge leases in and vpon grouÌ„des and tenementes and so reyse fines incomes rentes and by such pillage pike out a portion to mainteyne a proude port and all by pilling and polling of the poore commons that must of necessitie seeke habitations at theyr handes ☞ That this is true I report me to my lorde the Maire other the heade officers of the Citie of London who if they be not ignorant of the state of the Citie can witnes with me that the moste parte yea I thinke ix of the .x. partes of the houses in London bee set and let by them that haue them by lease and not by the owners ☞ Howe thei polle the pore tenaÌ„tes would sone be tryed if theyr leases were conferred with theyr rentrolles It is not to be thought contrary but that the greate leasmuÌ„gers haue greate gains by their leases for the litleons that hold but a piece of houseing of .xx. or xxx.s by yere can fynde the meanes to holde and dwell vpon the chiefe parte therof rent fre by letynge out the residue for the whole yerely rent ☞ I thinke not contrary but these thinges do appeare in the syght of many to bee but verey trifles and not worthy to be spokeÌ„ of in so noble an assemble as this most honorable parliament For they are no mattiers concerneyng the welth of the nobilitie yea it is rather hyndrance to many of them to haue these thynges redressed then any encrease of theyr welth Yea euen you moste christian counsaylours whych are here assembled to debate the weightie mattiers of thys realme are not all so free from this kynde of oppression but that you coulde be well contented to wyncke at it And therfor for asmuche as the inordinate loue of men towarde them selues is such that eyther they can not se theyr owne fauts or else if they do se them or be tolde of them they take them not to be so great as they are in dede I thinke it no meruayle though such of you most worthy counsaylours as haue any profite by this oppression do wythin them selues deride and laugh to scorne my fole hardines and rashe interprise herein knowyng that it is not the
coffen to put the body in agreynge to paye to the keeper therof his accustomed dutie and in lyke maner to the graue maker and the foure poore men to cary the bodye so that the whole charges had ben but vii.d ☞ But when the corps was buried wythout other crosse or holy water stycke Dirige or Masse with praiers of as smal deuotion as any pore curate could say yet must we needes paye vii.d more That is to saye i.d to the curate whiche he called an heade peny and vi.d to .ii. clerkes that we had no neede of ☞ Thys was done in Sepulchres parishe in the Citie of Lodon And if it shall please any of this noble assemble to trye the truth of this I wyl verifie it where so euer I shal be called euen in the presence of all the ydle ministers of the same churche ☞ This haue I written moste worthy counsailours to gyue you an occasioÌ„ to set such an ordre in thys and suche other thynges that either we may haue ministers founde vppon the teÌ„thes that we paie yerli to the churches other els that it maye be leaful for vs to do such ministeries our selues and not to be thus coÌ„strained to feede a sorte of carion crowes whiche are neuer so mery as when we lament the losse of our frendes ☞ Thys muche haue I spoken of the extortion that reygneth frely in the Clergie Nowe wyth your pacience I wyl with like breuitie speake of the great intollerable vsurie which at this daie reigneth so frely this realme ouer al and chiefely in the Citie of London that it is taken for moste leaful gaines Yea it is welmoste heresie to reproue it for men say it is alowed by Parliament Wel. The most part I am sure of this most Godly assemble and parliameÌ„t do knowe that the occasion of the acte that passed here coÌ„cerning Vsurie was the vnsaciable desire of the vsurers who coulde not be coÌ„teÌ„ted with Vsurie vnlesse it were vnreasonable much To restrayne this gredy desire of theirs therfore it was coÌ„muned and agreed vpoÌ„ and by the authoritie of Parliament decreed that none should take aboue x.li by yere for the lone of an C.li. ☞ Alas that euer any christiaÌ„ asseÌ„ble should be so voied of gods holy spirite that they should alowe for leaful any thynge that Gods word forbiddeth Be not abashed most worthy counsaylours to cal this acte into question againe Scan the wordes of the Psalmist concerning this matter Lorde sayth he who shal enter into thy tabernacle and who shal rest in thy holy mouÌ„taine Hâ— answereth That entreth wtout spot worketh ryght That speaketh truth in his hert hath not deceiued with his tonge that hath done his neighbour ho harme nor accepted any reproche against his neighbour He regardeth not the wicked but theÌ„ that feare the Lorde he glorifieth praiseth He that swereth to his neighbour deceyueth hym not He that hath not giueÌ„ his money vnto vsurie hath not taken gyftes rewardes agaynst the innocent ☞ If you moste christian counsaylours do glorie in the knowledge of Gods spirite who hath spokeÌ„ these wordes by the prophet howe can you suffre this acte to stande which shal be a witnes against you in the later day that you alowe that which Goddes spirite forbiddeth ☞ If he that geueth not his money to Vsurie shal dwell in the Lordes tabernacle where shal he dwel that giueth his money to Vsury shal he not be shutte out cast into vtter darknes Theyr workes be contrary why should not their rewarde be also contrary If the one be receyued in the other must be shut out Yea and you that haue made this lawe vnlesse you do reuoke it and establysh an act to the câ—ntrary the Brydegroume the onely sonne of God shal at the laste daye deny you and saye that he neuer knewe you Math. 7. Depart froÌ„ me shal he saye al ye workers yf iniquitie Scanne the wordes of the Prophete therfore and scanne the wordes of oure sauioure Christe also in the .vi. of Luke where he sayeth thus Do you lende lokynge for no gaynes therof and your rewarde shal be plentuous and you shal be sonnes of the highest bicause he is gentle liberall towarde the vnthankful and wicked ☞ I am not ignoraunte what Glosses haue ben made vpon this place and howe men haue wrested made it no precept but a counsaile of our sauiour therfore not to infer necessitie to christians but to leaue them at libertie either to do it or leaue it vndone ☞ Oh mercifull Lorde what maner of religion is it that these men professe ☞ They boast them selues to bee the disciples of Christe and setters forthe of his glorie ☞ They wyll beare the name of hym and be called christians and yet wylbe at libertie to chose whether they luste to folowe hys counsayle or leaue it vndone ☞ Our shepherd Christe of whose flocke they boaste them selues to bee sayeth that hys sheepe heare his voyce and folowe hym And immediatly before he sheweth Iohn 10 the cause why the Iewes dyd not credyt hys wordes to be none other but that thei wer not his shepe ☞ And doubte ye not moste worthy counsaylours what so euer he is that wyll defende or teach that any one lytle iote of the counsayles of Christ shoulde be so vaynly spoken that any of hys flocke myght refuse to practise the same in hys lyuynge to the vttermoste of hys power is nolesse then a membre of the Deuell and a verey Antichriste ☞ For he that desyreth not in hys herte to practise in his lyueynge all the counsayles of Christe our maister and teachar shall be numbred amonge the obstinate Iewes for none of the flocke of Christ because he heareth not his voice nor foloweth him Thus I mak an ende Wyshyng vnto you most worthy counsaylours the same spirit that in the primitiue church gaue vnto the multitude of beleuers Actu 4. one herte one mynde to esteme nothyng of this worlde as theyr owne ministrynge vnto euery one accordyng to his necessities That you led by the same spirite may at the lestwaye ordeine such a lawe that the oppressioÌ„ of the pore reigne not frely amonge them that beare the name of christians But if they wyll be styll oppressyng the pore membres of Christ after once or twyse admonicioÌ„ let them nomore be named christians after Christ whom thei serue not but MaÌ„monistes after MaÌ„mon whose badge they beare And this reformacion had no doubt the maiestie of God shal so appere in all your decres that none so wicked a creature shal be fouÌ„de so bold as once to opeÌ„ his mouth against the ordre that you shal take in al matters of religion Yea the very enimies of Dauid shall do Omage vnto SolomoÌ„ for his wisdom Al the Kynges christined shal learne at you to reforme theyr churches You shal be euâ—n the light of al the world ☞ But if ye lette these thynges passe and regarde theÌ„ not be ye sure the Lorde shal coÌ„fouÌ„d your wisdome Inuent Decre Establish and authorise what you caÌ„ al shal come to nought The wayes that you shall inuent to establyshe vnitie and concord shal be the occacions of discorde The thynges wherby you shal thinke to wyn prayse through al the worlde shal tourne to your vtter shame and the wayes that you shall inuent to establysh a kyngdome shal be the vtter subuercioÌ„ of the same The mercifull father of our Lorde Iesus Christe indue you wyth hys spirit that you be not parttakers of these plages AMEN