and consent as wel of them as of vs and so declared that some of those conclusions were heretical and some of them erroneous repugnant to the determination of the Church as here vnder are described Wee will and commaund your brotherhoode and by vertue of holy obedience straightly enioyne all and singular our brethren and Suffraganes of our body and Church of Canterbury that with all speedye diligence you possible can you likewise enioyne them as we haue enioyned you and euery of them And that euery one of them in their Churches other places of their Citie and Dioces doe admonish and warne and that you in your Church and other Churches of your Citie and Dioces do admonish and warne as we by the tenor of these presents do admonish and warne the first time the second time and the third time and yet more straightly doe warne assigning for the first admonition one day for the second admonition an other day for the third admonition canonicall and peremptorie an other day That no man from hence forth of what estate or cōdition soeuer do hold preach or defend the foresayd heresies and errors or any of them nor that hee admitte to preach any one that is prohibited or not sent to preach nor that he heare or hearken to the heresies or errours of him or any of them or that he fauour or leane vnto hym either publiquely or priuely But that immediatly he shonne hym as he would auoide a Serpent putting forth most pestiferous poison vnder paine of the greater curse the which we commaund to be thundered against all and euery one which shal be disobedient in this behalfe and not regarding these our monitions after that those 3. dayes be past which are assigned for the canonical monition and that their delay fault or offence committed require the same That then according to the tenour of these wrytings wee commaund both by euery one of our felowe brethren our Suffraganes in their Cities and Dioces and by you in your City and Dioces so much as belongeth both to you and them that to the vttermost both ye and they cause the same excommunications to be pronounced And furthermore wee will and commaunde our foresayd felowe brethren and all singular of you a part by your selues to be admonished and by the aspersion of the bloud of Iesus Christ we likewise admonish you that according to the institution of the sacred Canons euery one of them in their Cities Dioces bee a diligent inquisitour of this hereticall prauitie and that euery one of you also in your Cities and Dioces be the like inquisitor of the foresayd heretical prauitie And that of such like presumptions they and you carefully and diligently inquire and that both they and you according to your dueties and office in this behalfe wyth effect do procede against the same to the honor and praise of his name that was crucified and for the preseruation of the Christian faith and Religion Here is not to be passed ouer the great miracle of gods diuine admonition or warning for when as the Archbyshop and suffraganes with the other Doctours of diuinitie and lawyers with a great company of babling Friers religious persons were gathered together to consult as touching Iohn Wickleffes bookes and that whole secte When as they were gathered together at the Gray fryers in Lōdon to begin their busines vpon S. Dunstons day after dinner about 2. of the clocke the very houre instant that they should go forward with their businesse a wonderfull and terrible earthquake fell through out al England wherupon diuers of the suffraganes being feared by the strange and wonderfull demonstration doubting what it shuld meane thought it good to leaue of from their determinate purpose But the Archbyshop as chiefe captaine of that army more rash and bold then wise interpreating the chaunce which had happened cleane contrary to an other meaning or purpose did confirme strengthen their harts and minds which were almost daunted with feare stoutly to proceede and go forward in theyr attempted enterprise Who then discoursing Wickliffes articles not according vnto the sacred Canons of the holy Scripture but vnto theyr owne priuate affections and traditions pronounced and gaue sentence that some of them were simply and plainely hereticall other some halfe erroneous other irreligious some seditious and not consonant to the Church of Rome Item the 12. day of Iune in the yeare aforesaid in the chamber of the Friers preachers the foresayd M. Robert Rigges Chauncelor of the vniuersitie of Oxford Thomas Brightwell professors of diuinitie beyng appoynted the same day and place by the foresayde reuerend father in God Archbyshop of Canterbury appeared before hym in the presence of the reuerend father in God Lord William by the grace of God Byshop of Winchester and diuers others doctours and bachelers of Diuinitie and of the Canon and ciuill lawe whose names are before recited And first the sayd Chauncelor by the said Lord Archb. of Cant. being examined what his opinion was touching the foresayd articles Publiquely affirmed and declared that certaine of those conclusions were hereticall and certaine erronious as the other doctors and clerks afore mentioned had declared And then immediately next after hym the foresaid Thomas Brightwel was examined which vpon some of the conclusions at first somewhat staggered but in the end being by the sayd Archbishop diligently examined vpon the same did affirme and repute the same to be hereticall and erroneous as the foresayd Chancelor had done An other Bacheler of Diuinitie also there was named N. stammering also at some of those conclusions but in the end affirmed that hys opinion therein was as was the iudgement of the foresayd Chauncelour and Thomas as is aboue declared Whereuppon the sayde Lord Archb. of Cant. willing to let and hinder the perill of such heresies errours Deliuered vnto the foresayd Chauncelour there being publiquely read his letters patents to be executed the tenour whereof in these wordes doth folow WIlliam by the grace of God Archb. of Cant. primate of all England and Legate of the Apostolicall see To our welbeloued sonne in Christ the Chancelor of the vniuersitie of Oxford within the diocesse of Lincolne greeting grace and benediction The prelates of the Church about the Lordes flocke committed to their charge ought so much to be more vigilāt as that they see the wolfe clothed in sheepes attire fraudulētly go about to worow and scatter the sheepe Doubtles the common fame brute is come vnto our eares c. Vtin mandato praecedenti We will therefore and commaunde straightly enioyning you that in the Church of our blessed Lady in Oxforde vpon those dayes the which accustomably the Sermone is made as also in the schooles of the sayde Vniuersitie vppon those dayes the Lectures be read ye publish and cause by others to be published to the clergie and people as well in their
and sanctuary shal a people with their Captain that shal come with them destroy whose end shal be vtter desolation and after the end of the war a determined destruction Now he shall in one weeke confirme his couenaunt towardes many and in the halfe weke shal the offring and sacrifice cease and in the temple shall there be an abhomination of desolation and euē to the fulfilling vp of all and to the end shal the desolation continue It is plaine manifest that this prophecy is now fulfilled For the people of Rome with their Captaine destroyed Ierusalem euen to the grounde and the people of the Iewes was slayne and scattered And the abhomination that is the Idol of desolation was placed of Adrian in the last destruction in Ierusalem in the holy place that is to say in a place of the tēple And from that time hetherto haue passed neare about 1290. dayes taking a day for a yeare as Daniel takes it in hys prophecies and other prophets likewise For Daniel speaking of 62. weekes doeth not speake of the weekes of daies but of yeares So therfore when he sayth From the time that the continual sacrifice was taken away c. 1290. dayes must be taken for so many yeares from the tyme of the desolation of Ierusalem euen vnto the reuealing of Antichrist and not for 3. yeares and an halfe which they say Antichrist shall raigne And againe whereas Daniel sayd How long till the ende of these marueilous matters it was aunswered him For a time and times and halfe a time Beholde also how vnfitly they did assigne this time by 3. yeares and a halfe which they say Antichriste shall raigne For when as it is sayde a time times and halfe a time there is a going downeward from the greater to the lesse from the whole to the part because it is from a time to halfe time If therefore there be a going downeward from the whole to the part by the middest which is greater then the whole it selfe the going downewarde is not meete nor agreeing And thys is done when as it is sayd that a time times and halfe a time is a yeare two yeares and halfe a yeare Wherfore more fitly it is sayd that a time times and halfe a time doth signifie 1290. yeares as is before sayde in the chapter preceding Thus therefore is the prophecie of Daniel falsly applied to that imagined Antichrist Likewise is the proces of the Apocalips applied to the same imagined Antichrist too much erroneously Because that the same cruell beast which came vp out of the sea hauing 7. heads and 10. hornes to whome there was power geuen ouer euery tribe people and toung and the power geuen for the space of 42. monethes Thys beast doth note thē Romaine Emperors which most cruelly did persecute the people of God aswell Christians as Iewes For whē as the condēnatiō of the great whore sitting vpon the many waters was shewed to Iohn he saw the same woman sitting vpon the purple coulored beast full of the names of blasphemy hauing 7. heads and 10. hornes and he saw a woman being dronken with the bloud of the Saintes and Martyrs of Iesu. And the angell expounding and telling him the mistery of the woman and the beast that caried her sayde That 7. heades are 7. hilles and are 7. kinges Fiue are fallen one is the other is not yet come when he shall come he must reigne a short time And the 10. hornes whiche thou sawest are 10. kinges who haue not yet taken theyr kingdome but shall receiue theyr power as it were in one hour vnder the beast And finally he sayth y◠woman whō thou sawest is the great Citty which hath the kingdome ouer the kings of the earth And it is manifest that the City of Rome at the time of this prophecy had the kingdom ouer the kings of the earth And this City was borne vp vpholden by her cruell beastly Emperors who by theyr cruelty and beastlynes did subdue vnto thēselues in a maner all the kingdomes of the world of a zeale to haue lordship ouer others and not vertuouslye to gouerne the people that were theyr subiectes seeing that they thēselues did lacke all vertue and drew backe others from the fayth and from vertue Wherfore what cruell beast comming vp out of the sea doth rightly note the Romain Emperors who had power ouer euery language people and coūtry And the power of this beast was for 42. moneths because that from the first Emperor of Rome that is to say Iulius Cesar vnto the ende of Fredericke the last Emperour of Rome there were 42. monethes taking a moneth for 30. dayes as the monethes of the Hebrues and Grecians are and taking a day alwayes for a yeare as commonlye it is taken in the Prophetes By whiche thinges it may playnely appeare how vnfitly this prophecy is applied to that imagined Antechrist and the 42. moneths taken for three yeares and an halfe which they say he shall reigne in agaynst the saying of the Prophetes because that dayes are taken for yeares As in the 1. of the Apocal. They shall be troubled 10. dayes Which do note the most cruel persecution of Dioclesian against the Christians that endured 10. yeares And in an other place of the Apocalips it is written of the smoke comming vp out of the bottomles pit Out of which pit there came foorth Grashoppers into the earth and to them was power geuen as scorpions haue power to vexe to trouble men 5. moneths Now it is manifest that from the beginning of the Friers minours and preachers to the time that Armachanus began to disclose and vncouer their hypocrisie and their false foundation of valiant begging vnder the pouertie of Christ were 5. monethes taking a moneth for 30. dayes and a day for a yeare And to Ezechiel were dayes geuen for yeares Wherfore it is an vnfit thing to assigne the 42. moneths being appoynted to the power of the beast vnto 3. yeares and a halfe for the reigne of that phantasticall and imagined Antichrist specially seing that they do apply to his reigne y◠1290. dayes in Daniel which make 42. moneths and in the Apocalips they assigne hym 42. moneths It is plaine that the Psalterie and the harpe agree not And therfore seing that it is sufficiently shewed that the same fabling tale of that imagined Antichrist to come is a fable and erroneous Let vs goe forward to declare whether Antichrist be already come and yet is he hid from many and must be opened and disclosed wythin a litle while according to the truthe of the holy Scripture for the saluation of the faithfull And because that in the first conclusion of mine aunswere I haue conditionally put it who is that Antichrist lying priuie in the hid Scriptures of the Prophets I will passe on the declaration of that cōclusion bringing to light those things whych lay hid in
flesh of Christ and his bloud Whereupon the veritye himself said vnto his Disciples This is sayth he my flesh which is geuen for the life of the world and to speake yet more maruellously this is none other flesh thē that which was borne of the virgin Mary suffered vpon the crosse and rose out of the sepulchre See how far this chapter differeth from the first And in the chapter which beginneth Ego Berengarius c. This is the confession which Berengarius himselfe cōfessed touching this Sacrament and his confession is of the church allowed I confesse sayth Berengarius that the bread and wine which is layd vpon the aultar after the consecration is not onely a Sacrament but also that it is the very body bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ And the same not onely sensually to be a Sacrament but also verely to be handled with the Priestes hands and to be broken and chewed with the teeth of faythfull men This confession doubtlesse is hereticall for why if the body of Christ be in the Sacrament as of the Church it is so determined it is there then Multiplicatiuè and so indiuisibiliter wherfore not sensualiter And if it be there indiuisibiliter that is in such sort as it cannot be deuided or separated then can it not be touched felt broken nor with the teeth of men chewed The writers of this time and age do affirme that if by the negligence of the Priest the Sacrament be so negligētly left that a Mouse or any other beast or vermine eate the same then they say that the Sacrament returneth agayne into the nature and substaūce of bread Wherby they must nedes confesse that a miracle is as wel wrought by the negligence of the Priest as first there was made by the consecration of the Priest in making the Sacrament For either by the eating of the Mouse the body of Christ is transubstantiated into the nature of bread which is a transubstantiatiō supernaturall Or els of nothing by creation is this bread produced And therfore either of these operations is miraculous to be maruelled at Now cōsidering the disagreing opinions of the Doctors and for the absurdities which follow I beleue with Paule that the bread which we break is the participation of the body of Christ and as Christ sayth that the bread is made the body of Christ for a memorial and remembraunce of him And in such sort as Christ willed the same to be his body in the same maner sort do I beleue it to be his body But whether women may make the body of Christ minister vnto the people or whether that Priests be deuided frō the lay people for their knowledge preeminence sanctity of life or els by externall signes onely Also whether the signe of consure and other externall signes of holines in Priestes be signes of Antichrist and his charecters or els introduced taught by our Lord Iesus Christ consequently it remayneth next to speake of vnto the faythfull sort according to the proces of the holy Scripture first of the three kindes of the Priestes I remember that I haue read the first of them to be Aaronicall legall temporall The second to be eternall and regall according to the order of Melchisedech The third to be a Christian. The first of these ceased at the comming of Christ for that as S. Paule to the Hebrues sayth The Priesthood of Aaron was trāslated to the Priesthood of the order of Melchisedech The legall sort of Priestes of Aaron were separate from the rest of the people by kinred office and inheritance By kinred for that the children of Aaron onely were Priestes By office for that it onely pertayned to them to offer sacrifice for the sinnes of the people and to instruct the people in the precepts and ceremonies of the law By inheritaunce because the Lord was their portiō of inheritaūce neither had they any other inheritaunce amongest theyr brethren but those thinges which were offered vnto the Lord as the first fruits parts of the sacrifices and vowes except places for their mansion houses for them and theirs as appeareth by the processe of Moyses law The Priesthood of Christ did much differre from this Priesthood as Paule doth witnes to the Hebrues chapter 1.8.9.10 First in kinred because that our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ came of the stocke and tribe of Iuda of whiche tribe none had to do with the aultar and in which tribe nothing at all was spoken of the Priestes of Moses The second for that other were made Priestes without their othe taken but he by an othe by him which sayd The Lord swore and it shall not repent him Thou art a Priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech Thirdly by durability for that many of thē were made Priests but during the terme of their liues but he for that he remaineth for euer hath an eternall Priesthood Wherfore he is able to saue vs for euer hauing by himself accesse vnto God which euer liueth to make intercession for vs. The law made also such men Priestes as had infirmities but Sermo that is the word which according to the law is the eternall sonne and perfect by an othe The Priesthood of Christ also did differ frō the Priesthood of Aaron and the law in the matter of the sacrifice in the place of sacrificing In the matter of the sacrifice because they did vse in theyr sacrifices straunge bodyes of the matter of their sacrifices and did shed straūge bloud for the expiation of sinnes But he offering himself vnto God his father for vs shed his owne bloud for the remission of our sinnes In the place of sacrificing because that they did offer theyr sacrifice in the tabernacle or temple But Christ suffering death without the gates of the City offered himselfe vpon the aultar of the crosse to God his father there shed his precious bloud In his supping chamber also hee blessed the bread and cōsecrated the same for his body the wine which was in the cup he also cōsecrated for his bloud deliuering the same to his Apostles to be done for a commemoration and remembraunce of his incarnation passion Neither did Iesus enter into the sāctuary made with mans hands which be examples figures of true things but entred into heauē it selfe that he might appeare before the maiesty of God for vs. Neither doth he offer himself oftētimes as the chief priest in the sanctuary did euery yeare with straunge bloud for then should he often times haue suffered from the beginning but now once for all in the latter end of the world to destroy sinne by his peace offering hath he entred And euen as it is decreed that mā once shal dye and then commeth the iudgement so Christ hath bene once offered to take away the sinnes of many The second time he shall appeare without sinne to them
name for to encrease my beliefe and to helpe my vnbeliefe And for because to the praysing of Gods name I desire aboue all things to be a faithfull meÌ„ber of holy church I make this protestaâ—oÌ„ before you all foure that are now here present couering that all men women that now be absent knew the same that is what thing so euer before this time I haue sayde or done or what thing here I shall doe or say at any time hereafter I beleeue that all the olde law and the new law geuen and ordeined by the couÌ„sell of the three persons of the Trinity were geuen and written to the saluatioÌ„ of mankind And I beleue that these lawes are sufficient for mans saluation And I beleue euery article of these lawes to the intent that these articles ordeined and commaunded of these 3 persons of the most blessed trinity are to be beleued And therfore to yâ— rule the ordinaunce of these Gods lawes meekely gladly and wilfully I submit me with all mine hart that whosoeuer can or wll by authority of gods lawe or by open reason tell me that I haue erred or nowe erre or any time hereafter shall erre in any article of beliefe from which inconuenience God keepe me for hys goodnesse I submit me to be reconciled and to be buxum obedient vnto those lawes of God and to euery article of theÌ„ For by authority specially of these lawes I will thorow the grace of God be vntied charitably vnto these lawes Yea sir ouer this I beleeue admit all the senteÌ„ces authorities and reasoÌ„s of the saynts doctors according vnto holy scripture and declaring it truely I submit me wilfully and meekely to be euer obedient after my cunning and power to all these saynts and Doctors as they are obedient in worke and in word to God to his law and further not to my knowledge not for any earthly power dignitye or state thorow the helpe of God But sir I pray you tell me if after your bidding I shal lay my hand vpon the booke to what entent to sweare thereby And the Archby sayd to me yea wherefore els And I said to him Syr a book is nothing els but a thing coupled together of diuers creatures and to swere by any creature both Gods law and mans law is agaynst it But Syr this thing I say here to you before these your clerkes with my foresayd protestation that how where when and to whom men are bouÌ„d to sweare or to obey in any wise after Gods law and saints and true Doctours according vnto Gods law I will thorow Gods grace be euer ready thereto with all my cunning and power But I pray you sir for the charitye of God that ye will before that I sweare as I haue here rehearsed to you tell me how or whereto that I shal submit me and shew me wherof that ye will correct me and what is the ordinaunce that ye will thus oblige me to fulfill ¶ And the Archbishop sayd vnto me I will shortly that now thou sweare here to me that thou shalt forsake al the opinions which the sect of Lollordes holde and is slaundered with so that after this time neither priuilye nor apertly thou hold any opinion which I shal after thou hast sworne rehearse to thee here Nor thou shalt fauor no maÌ„ nor woman young nor olde that holdeth any these foresayd opinions but after thy knowledge and power thou shalt force thee to wtstaÌ„d al such distroublers of holy church in euery dioces that thou commest in and them that wyll not leaue their false and damnable opinioÌ„s thou shalt put them vp publishing them and theyr names and make theÌ„ knowne to the bishop of the dioces that they are in or to that bishops ministers And ouer this I will that thou preach no more vnto the time that I know by good witnesse true that thy conuersation be such that thy hart and thy mouth accord truely in one contrarying all the seud learning that thou hast taught here before ☞ And I hearing these wordes thought in my hart that this was an vnlefull asking and demed my selfe cursed of God if I consented hereto I thought how Susan sayd Anguish is to me on euery side And in that I stoode still and spake not the Archbishop sayd to me Aunswere one wise or other And I sayd Syr if I consented to you thus as ye haue here before rehersed to me I should becom an appealer or euery bishops espy somoner of al EnglaÌ„d For and I should thus put vp and publish the names of men and women I should herein deceiue full many persons Yea sir as it is likely by the dome of my conscience I should herein be cause of the death both of men and womeÌ„ yea both bodely and ghostly For many men women that stand now in the way of saluation if I should for the learning and reading of theyr beleue publish them therfore vp to Bishops or to their vnpiteous ministers I know some deale by experience that they should be so distroubled diseased with persecution or otherwise that many of theÌ„ I thinke would rather chuse to forsake the way of truth theÌ„ to be trauailed scorned slauÌ„dered or punished as bishops and their ministers now vse for to constrayne men women to consent to them But I finde in no place in holy scripture that this office that ye would now enfeaffe me with accordeth to any Priest of Christes sect nor to any other christen man And therefore to do this were to me a full noyous bond to bee bouÌ„deÌ„ with ouer greuous charge For I suppose that if I thus did many men and women would yea Syr might iustly vnto my confusion say to me that I were a traytor to God and to them since as I thinke in mine hart many men women trust so mikle in this case that I would not for sauing of my life doe thus to them For if I thus should do full many men women would as they might full truely say that I had falsly and cowardly forsaken the truth and slaundered shamefully the word of God For if I consented to you to do here after your will for bonchefe or mischief that may befall to me in this life I deme in my coÌ„science that I were worthy herefore to be cursed of god and also of all his Saynts fro which inconuenience keep me and all christeÌ„ people almighty God now and euer for his holy name And then the Archbishop sayd vnto me Oh thine hart is ful hard indurate as was the hart of Pharao and the deuill hath ouercomen thee and peruerted thee he hath so blinded thee in all thy wittes that thou hast no grace to know the trueth nor the measure of mercye that I haue proferred to thee Therfore as I perceiue now by the foolish auÌ„swere thou hast no wil to leaue thine old errors But
euery man which would beholde and looke vpon the same the forme and tenour wherof here followeth and is such ¶ The protestation of Iohn Hus. FOr so much as aboue all things I doe desire the honor of God the profite of the holy Churche and that I my selfe may be a faithfull member of our Lorde Iesu Christ which is the heade and husband of the holy Church whych hee hath redemed Therefore as heretofore oftentimes I haue done euen so now againe I make this protestation that I neuer obstinately sayd or heereafter will say any thing that shall be contrary vnto the truth and verity and moreouer that I haue alwayes holden do hold and firmely desire for to holde the very true and infallible trueth and veritie so that before that I would defende and maintaine any erroure contrary therunto I would rather chuse by the hope and help of the Lorde to suffer extreeme punishment euen vnto death yea and thorowe the helpe of God I am ready euen to offer this my miserable lyfe vnto death for the law of Christ the which I do beleue euery part and parcell thereof to be geuen and promulgate for the saluation of mankinde by the counsaile and determination of the most holy Trinitie and the saintes of God c. By the whiche his protestation and also other protestations by the sayde M. Iohn Hus being well obserued and noted it may be easily gathered and known that his whole intent and purpose was and is that hee neither would nor will haue spoken or written any thing in hys bookes treatises doctrines or publike sermones or els to haue affirmed any articles the whyche willingly and wittingly he did vnderstand or know to be either erroneous offensiue seditious hereticall or offending the godly eare All beit that these and suche like things are falsely imputed vnto hym by hys enemies But it hath alwayes bene his chiefe intent and purpose and so is that euery poynt conclusion or article contained in his bookes or articles to haue put and affirmed them to thys ende according to the truth of the Gospell the holy Doctors and wryters vppon the holy Scriptures and to that end and purpose as is before expressed in his protestations and if in any poynt he shoulde be founde to varie or goe astray or that he were not well vnderstanded of others by like information to be informed vnderstanded corrected and amended and that he wil by no meanes sustaine or defend any maner of article against the holy Churche of Rome or the Catholicke faith Wherefore most reuerende fathers the premisses notwythstanding his ennemies through the extreeme hatred whych they beare vnto him hath picked and taken out by piece meale certain articles out of the booke of M. Iohn Hus reiecting and not looking vppon the allegations and reasons neither hauing any relation vnto the distinction of their equiuocations haue compounded and made thereof certaine false and fained articles againste him to thys ende that all charitie and loue being sette aparte they might the better ouerthrow hym and bryng hym vnto death contrary vnto the safe conducte vppon good and iust occasion openly assigned and geuen vnto the sayde maister Iohn Hus by the most noble Prince the Lorde Sigismund king of the Romanes and of Hungarie for his iust defence against all the friuolous accusations and assaultes of the ennemies not onely of the sayd M. Iohn Hus but also of the famous kingdome of Boheme and for the quiete appeasing of all such tumultes and rumours rising and springing in the sayde kingdome of Boheme or else where the auoiding of which most perillous vprours the saide king of Romaines doth greatly desire and wish as the right heire and successour of the sayd kingdome Whereuppon the Barons and Nobles aforesayde most humbly desire and require the premisses being considered and respect had vnto the great infamie and slaunder which may happen by the premisses vnto the sayde kingdome and inhabitants thereof that you will put to your handes and take some order meane that maister Iohn Hus may be distinctly hearde by some famous men deuines already deputed or otherwise to be appoynted vpon all and singulare such articles as shall be laide vnto him to declare his owne minde and intent and also the minde of the doctours alleadged for his purpose with the manifolde distinctions and equiuocations in the which the drawers out of the most part of his articles haue also made equiuocations that so according vnto the disposition of witnesses of the which a great number of them are and haue a long time bene his mortall ennemies that at the friuolous instigation of his enemies when hee was miserably deteined prisoner that he should not be condemned vnheard For so muche as by the sayde declarations your fatherly reuerences might be the more better informed of the trueth hee hymselfe is ready alwaies to submit himselfe vnder the determination of thys most sacred councell For your reuerences by the craftie and fained perswasions of his ennemies are thus informed that M Iohn Hus hath bene vncurably obstinate by a long time in most perillous articles the which your reuerences may nowe plainely perceiue to be vntrue and for the more euidence heerein to be shewed there is presented vnto your reuerences an instrumente of publike recognition of the moste reuerend father in Christe the Lorde Nicholas Bishop of Nazareth and Inquisitour of heresies specially appoynted by the Apostolike sea in the dioces of Prage the which by your reuerences is more diligently to be hearkened vnto Wherefore it may please your fatherly reuerences to commaund the sayd M Iohn Hus neither conuicted nor condemned to be taken and brought out of his bondes and chaines in the which he is nowe most greeuously deteined and kept and to put him into the hands of some reuerend Lordes Byshops or commissioners appoynted or to be appoynted by this present councell That the sayd M. Iohn Husse may somewhat be releued and recouer againe his health and be the more diligently and commodiouslye examined by the Commissioners and for the more assurance the Barons and Nobles aforesayd of the kingdome of Boheme will prouide most sure and good sureties the which wil not breake their fidelity and faith for any thing in the worlde Which also shall promise in his behalfe that hee shall not flee or departe out of their handes vntill suche time as the matter be fully determined by the sayd Commissioners In the execution of the which promises wee haue determined to prouide and foresee vnto the fame and honour of the said kingdome of Boheme and also to the safeconducte of the moste worthy Prince the king of Romaines least that the enemies and detractours of the honoure and fame of the kingdome aforesayd might not a little slander and reproue the said Lordes pretending and shewing forth hereafter that they had made vnreasonable or vnlawfull requests for the withstāding of which mischiefe we require your fatherly
Lord Iesus they be murtheres and theeues Then sayde the Cardinall of Cambray beholde both this and all other articles before rehearsed he hath written much more detestable thinges in his booke then is presented in hys articles Truely Iohn Hus thou hast kept no order in thy sermons and writings Had it not ben your part to haue applyed your sermons according to your audieÌ„ce For to what purpose was it or what did it profite you before the people to preach agaynst the Cardinals when as none of them were present It had bene meeter for you to haue told them theyr faults before them all then before the laity Then aunswered Iohn Hus reuerend father for so much as I did see many prieste other learned men present at my sermons for their sakes I spake those wordes Then sayd the Cardinal thou hast done very ill for by such kinde of talke thou hast disturbed and troubled the whole state of the Church The 18. Article An hereticke ought not to be committed to the secular powers to be put to death for it is sufficient onely that he abide and suffer the ecclesiasticall censure These are my wordes That they might be ashamed of their cruel sentence and iudgement specially for somuch as Iesus Christ byshop both of the old and newe Testament would not iudge such as were disobedient by ciuill iudgement neither condemne them to bodily death As touching the first poynt It may be euidently seene in the 12. Chapiter of S. Luke And for the second it appeareth also by the woman which was taken in adultery of who it is spoken in the 8. chapter of Sainct Iohn And it is sayde in the 18. Chapter of Sainct Mathew If thy brother haue offended thee c. Marke therfore what I do say That an hereticke whatsoeuer he be ought first to be instructed and taught with Christian loue and gentlenes by the holy scriptures and by the reasons draâ—ne and taken out of the same as S. Augustine and others haue done disputing agaynst the heretickes But if there were any which after al these gentle and louing admonitions and instructions woulde not cease from or leaue of their stiffnes of opinions but obstinately resist agaynst the truth suche I say ought to suffer corporall or bodily punishment As soone as Iohn Hus had spoken those thinges the iudges red in hys booke a certayne clause wherein he seeined greeuously to enuey agaynst them which deliuered an hereticke vnto the secular power not being confuted or contricted of heresie and compared theÌ„ vnto the high priestes Scribes and Phariseis which sayd vnto Pilate it is not lawfull for vs to put any man to death and deliuered Christ vnto him And yet notwithstanding according vnto Christes owne witnesse they were greater murtherers then Pilate for he said Christ which hath deliuered me vnto thee hath committed the greatest offence Then the Cardinals and Bishops made a great noyse and demaunded of I. Hus saying who are they that thou dost compare or assimule vnto the Phariseis Then he sayd all those whiche deliuered vp anye innocent vnto the ciuill sworde as the Scribes and Phariseis deliuered Iesus Christ vnto Pilate No no sayd they agayne for all that you spake here of doctors And the Cardinall of Cambray according to his accustomed maner sayd Truly they which haue made and gathered these articles haue vsed great lenitie and getlenes for his writings are much more detestable horible The 19. article The Nobles of the world ought to coÌ„strayne and compel the ministers of the Church to obserue and keepe the law of Iesus Christ. I answere that it standeth thus word for word in my booke Those which be on our part do preach and affirme that the church militant according to the partes which the Lord hath ordayned is deuided and consisteth in these partes That is to say Ministers of the Church which should keepe purely and sincely the ordinaunces and commaundementes of the sonne of God and the Nobles of the world that should compel and driue them to keepe the commaundementes of Iesus Christ and of the common people seruing to both these partes and endes according to the institution and ordinaunce of Iesus Christ. The 20. Article The ecclesiasticall obedience is a kynd of obedience which the priestes and monks haue inuented wtout any expresse authority of the holy scriptures I answer and confes that those words are thus written in my book I say that there be three kindes of obedience spirituall secular and ecclesiasticall The spirituall obedience is that which is onely due according to the lawe and ordinance of God vnder the whiche the Apostles of Iesus Christ dyd lyue and all Christians ought for to liue The secular obedience is that which is due according to the Ciuill lawes and ordinances The ecclesiastical obedience is such as the Priestes haue inuented without any expresse authoritie of Scripture The first kinde of obedience doth vtterly exclude from it all euill as well on his part which geueth the commandement as on his also which doth obey the same And of this obedience it is spoken in the 24. chap. of Deut. Thou shalt do all that which the priestes of the kindred of Leuy shall teach and instruct thee according as I haue coÌ„maunded them The 21. Article He that is excoÌ„municated by the pope if he refuse and forsake the iudgement of the Pope and the generall Councell and appealeth vnto Iesus Christ after he hath made hys appellation all the excommunications and curses of the Pope cannot annoy or hurt hym I aunswere that I do not acknowledge this proposition but in deede I did make my complaynt in my booke that they had both done me and such as fauoured me great wrong that they refuse to heare me in the popes court For alter the death of one pope I dyd appeale to hys successor and all that did profite me nothing And to appeale from the P. to the Councell it were to long that were euen as much as if a man in trouble should seeke an vncertayne remedy And therfore last of all I haue appealed to the head of the Church my Lord Iesus Christ for he is much more excellent and better then any pope to discusse and determine matters and causes for somuch as he cannot erre neyther yet deny iustice to him that doth aske or require it in a iust cause neither can he condemne the innocent Then spake the Cardinall of Cambray vnto hym and sayd wilt thou presume aboue S. Paule who appealed vnto the Emperour and not vnto Iesus Christ Iohn Hus answered for somuch then as I am the first the do it am I therfore to be reputed counted an hereticke And yet notwithstanding S. Paule did not appeale vnto the Emperoure of hys owne motion or will but by the will of Christ which spake vnto hym by reuelation and sayd be firme and constant for thou must go
such comfort as no man can vnderstand in that they say that they wil geue you forgeuenes of all your sinnes and great grace pardon to this end that you should warre vpon vs destroy vs wheras their graces and pardons are none other then great lies and a great seducing of the body and soule of all them that beleue them and put their trust in them Thys we would proue vnto them ouercome them by the holy scripture and we wold suffer that whosoeuer is desirous to heare the same shoulde heare it For the Pope and all hys priestes herein deale with you as the deuill woulde haue done wyth our Lorde Iesus Christ. Of whome Luke writeth in hys 4. chap. that be brought him vpon an high hill shewed vnto hym in the twinckling of an eye al the kyngdomes that are in the compasse of the earth said vnto him I wil geue thee c. So the deuill deceiueth the pope and all the priestes with the riches of the worlde and worldly power And they thinke they can geue grace and pardon when they wyll and they themselues shall neuer finde fauour before almighty God except they repent and make amendes because of theyr great deceauing of Christēdom And how can they geue that to others which they themselues haue not So dyd the Deuill who was rich in promising and poore in geuing And like as the Deuill is not ashamed to tell a lye so all they are not ashamed to speake that which shall neuer be found true nor be proued by the holy scriptures because for no cause they stirre vp kinges Princes Lordes and Citties to make warre agaynst vs not to the end that the Christian fayth shoulde therby be defended but because they feare that theyr secret vices and heresies shal be disclosed and made manifest For if they had a true cause a godly loue to the Christiā faith they would then take the books of the holy scripture and would come vnto vs and ouercome vs with the weapōs of Gods word and that is our chiefe desire For so dyd the apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ who came to the Paganes and Iewes and brought them from their infidelitie to the true fayth of our Lorde Iesus Christ and this they dyd in the spirite of meckenes as the Apostle Paule writeth in the 6. chap. to the Galat. Brethren if anye man be agreeued c. So ought they also to doe if they perceiued that they were iust and we vniust And if we woulde not abide instruction then they might take to them kinges Princes Lordes and imperiall citties and resist vs according to the commaundementes of the holy scripture But this is the subtile defence of all the Byshops and Priestes that they say that mayster Hus and Hierome which were burnt at Constance were ouercome of the holy father the Pope and of the whole Councell For ye must vnderstand that they were not ouercome by the holy Ghost but vniustly with wrongfull violence which God may yet hereafter greeuously punishe in all them that gaue their counsel and ayd thereto and they saye it ought not to be suffered tha we should be heard in confessing our fayth How may that be proued by the holy scripture since christ heard the deuilt as it is written in the fourth chap. of Mathewe And they l are not better then Christ nor we worsse then the Deuill If they be iust and haue the truth with them as they saye they haue and we be vnrighteous why do they feare sinc the truth ought not to be afeard of falshod as Esdras writeth in hys second booke the third chapiter Zorobabell declared that truth is of all thinges the most mightye and ouercommeth all thinges For Christ is the trueth Iohn 14. I am the way the trueth c. And the deuill is the father of lies Iohn 8. He is a lyerfrom the beginning and neuer abode in the truth there is no truth in him Therfore if the pope and hys priestes haue the truth let them ouercome vs with the word of God But if they haue lyes then they cannot long abide in al their presumptiō Wherfore we exhort and beseech al the imperiall Cities al kings Princes noble men rich and poore for Gods sake and for hys righteousnes that one of them write hereof to an other and that there may be some meanes made howe we may cōmune with you safely and friendly at some such place as shal be fit both for you and vs and bring with you your Byshops and teachers and let them our teachers fight together with the word of God and let vs heare them and and let not one ouercome the other by violence or false subtiltie but onely by the word of God And if your Bishops and teachers haue better proofes of theyr fayth out of the holy scripture then we and our fayth be found vntrue we will receiue penaunce and satisfaction according to Gospell But if your Byshops and teachers be ouercome of ours by the holy Scripture then doe ye repent and harken to vs and hold with vs. And if your Byshops teachers will cease from their spirituall pride and repent and make satisfaction then wil we helpe you according to our power and will compell them eyther to ioyne with vs or els we will expell them out of Christendome And if your Byshops and teachers will say that it is not lawfull for lay men to heare such reasoning or to be presēt at it that may you vnderstand to tend to no other end but that they feare they should be ouercome and put to shame in the sight of you For if they knew that they should ouercome therein out of doubt they would desire that euery mā should heare it thereby their glory should become the greater their fame and prayses should be encreased vpon the earth And if your Bishops and teachers coūsell you to come to no hearing with vs thē do it whether they will or no suffer not your selues at any time to be so folishly seduced with their folish pardons but tary at home in your houses with your wiues and children And let the pope of Rome come to vs with all his Cardinals and byshops and with all hys priestes with his owne person power to warre with vs let themselues deserue the absolution of sinnes grace and pardon which they preach to you for they haue great nede of forgeuenes of sinnes grace pardō by the grace of god we will geue them pardō enough as they shall neede But their subtile excuse is this they say that it belōgeth not to priestes to fight with bodily weapons true it is that belongeth not to them but it belongeth as little to them to stirre vp to counsaile to fortifie others thereto For Paule saith in the the 1. to the Rom. in the fift to the Galath that all that do such
thou sayest so thou geuest offence Luke 11. The 16. Article is that they in many places lende money or goodes to haue treasure or vsurie and they haue in cities and townes yearely paiments and perpetual reuenues as great Princes and Lordes Wherein they doe against the Gospel which sayth do not ye possesse gold nor siluer And wheras they lend for gaine and vsury againste that speaketh the Lord Deu. 24. Lend not to vsury to thy brother c. Ye honest discrete and well beloued Lords all the foresaide Articles we wil prooue against the Pope and all his priests with many testimonies of the holy Scripture which for breuities sake we haue not here mētioned But note ye chiefly these 4. Articles for which wee striue and desire to defend them to the death The first Article is that all publicke and customably mortall sinnes ought to be forbidden and prohibited to all Priests and lay men according to the commaundement of the holy Scripture The seconde Article is that richesse ought to be taken from the Pope and all hys Priestes from the hyghest to the lowest and they ought to bee made poore as the Disciples of our Lord Iesus Christ were who had nothyng of their own neither possessiōs in this world neither worldly power The third Article is that the word of God ought to be free for euery mā appointed and ordained therto to preach and read in al places whether they shal come without resistance of any man or without any inhibitiō of either spirituall or earthly power openly or manifestly The fourth article is that the body of our Lord Iesus Christ ought to be deliuered to euery christian as our lord hath ordained it and as the holy Euangelists haue wrytten We haue also vnderstood that there shal be a Councell in Basile Wherfore let no mā be exalted but let them diligētly kepe their wiues their daughters and their virgins from Byshops Priests and Monkes And do not thinke that there is made any holy assembly of Bishops and Priests for the common commodity and profit of Christendom but onely to thys end that they may hide their secret vices and heresies with the cloke of hypocrisye and let and hinder the righteousnesse of God which is muche contrary to them and for this cause consider ye diligently that they will not make an holy assembly but the congregation of Sathan And take ye heede that it be not done as some did at Constance who tooke money of Bishops and Prelates suffered them to sleepe with their wiues Ye welbeloued and honest Lordes if ye finde any thing in these aforesaide Articles or wordes wrytten somewhat sharply we did it not to offend or contemne you but to the ende that ye shoulde diligently consider and deuise howe Christendome is so ill kept and led by the Priests of this present age Our Lorde Iesu Christ keepe you both in body and soule Amen In the yeare of our Lord. 1430. Preropus Smahors Conradus Samssmolich Capitaines of Bohemia Nowe to prosecute the warres of the Bohemians againe after Zisca was dead wherof we did intreat before there was great feare sorrow and lamentation in the army the soldiers accusing fortune which gaue ouer such an inuincible captaine to be ouercome with death Immediatly there was a diuision in the host the one parte chusing Procopius Magnus to be their captaine the other parte saying that there was none could be found worthy to succede Zisca whereuppon they chusing out certaine to serue the warres named themselues Orphanes Thus the Thaborites being deuided into two armies the one part retained their olde and accustomed name and the other by meanes of the death of their captayne named themselues Orphanes And all be it that oftentimes there was dissension betwene them yet when soeuer any forein power came towards them they ioyned their powers together in one campe and defended themselues They seldome went vnto any fensed townes except it were to buy necessaries but liued with their wiues and childrē in theyr campe tents They had amongst them many cartes the which they vsed as a Bulwarke For when so euer they went vnto battell they made two wings of them whyche closed in the footemen The winges of the horse men were on the out side and when as they sawe their time for to ioyne battell the wagon men which led the wings going forth vnto the Emperors standerd and compassing in such part of their enemies as they woulde did close themselues in together whereby the ennemies being inclosed so that they could not be rescued they were partly by the footemē partly by the men that were in the carres with their dartes slaine The horsemen fought without the fortification and if it happened that they were oppressed or put to flight by and by the carres opening themselues receiued them as it were into a fensed Citie and by this meanes they got many victories for so much as their enemies were ignorant of their pollicies These 2. armies went foorth the one into Slesia and the other into Morauia and returned againe wyth great pray before their enemies knewe of their comming After this they besieged the towne of Swetley in Austrich where as the Thaborites and the Orphanes two nightes continually assaulted the walles wythout ceasing but Albert Duke of Austrich comming with his hoste to aide the Citizens they fought by the space almost of foure houres the valiauntest warriers being slaine on both partes At the length the battaile was broken of and the Thaborits lost their carres and Albert was put out of his camp tents Within a while after Procopius Magnus came agayne and inclosed the citie of Rhetium in Austria with a notable siege They of Prage were in his army and Boslaus Cygneus of whome we spake before was slaine there with a dart the city of Rhetium was taken by force sacked and burnt The Burgraue of Malderburge Lord of the towne was also taken and caried vnto Prage where also hee dyed in prison These thinges thus done the Emperour sent for the nobles of Boheme which went vnto him vnto a town of Hungary called Posonium in the borders of Austria vpō the bāks of the riuer of Danubius but they wold not enter into the towne but remained wtout the towne in their tents whether as the Emperoure going out vnto them communing muche with them as touching his right title and the recouering of his fathers kingdome promising if there were any cause which did alienate the Bohemians minds from him that he would take away al the occasion therof They made answer that he had made warre vpon them without cause and that he had suffred their countrey men cōtrary to his promise to be burnt at Constance not being heard and the kingdom to be contumeliously interdited and the Nobles of Boheme to be condemned by the church of Rome as heretickes and that he should thincke the force
wholesome and sound doctrine of our Lord Christ Iesus In summe in no case they would enter into any agreement of peace except their foure Articles which they counted for Euangelicall verities were first accepted and approued Which being obtained sayd they if they would condescend with them in the veritie of the Gospell so would they ioyne together be made one with them in the Lord. c. Ex Cochleo Hist. Lib. 7. Whē the Ambassadours saw the matter would not otherwise be brought to passe they required to haue those Articles deliuered vnto them in a certaine forme whiche they sent vnto the Councell by three Bohemian Ambassadours Afterward the Councell sent a declaration into Boheme to be published vnto the people in the commō assemblies of the kingdome by the Ambassadours which were commaunded to report vnto the Bohemians in the name of the Councell that if they would receiue the declaration of those three Articles and the vnitie of the Church there should be a meane founde whereby the matter touching the fourth Article of the Communiō vnder both kindes should be passed with peace and quietnesse They propounded in Prage in an open assembly of the Nobles and commons the declarations of the three Articles in forme folowing For somuch as touching the doctrine of the veritie we ought so to proceede soberly warely that the truth may be declared with wordes being so orderly conceiued vttered that there be no offence geuē to any mā whereby he should fall or take occasion of errour to vse the wordes of Isidore that nothing by obscuritie bee left doubtfull whereas you haue propounded touching the inhibition correction of sinnes in these wordes all mortall sinnes specially open offences ought to be rooted out punished inhibited by them whose dutie it is so to do reasonably according to the law of God here is to be marked and vnderstand that this word whose duty it is is too generall and may be an offence according to the meaning of the Scripture we ought not to lay any stombling stocke before the blinde and the diches are to be closed vp that our neighbours Oxe do not fall therein all occasion of offence is to be takē away Therfore we say that according to the meaning of the holy Scripture and the doctrine of the holy Doctours it is thus vniuersally to be holden that all mortall sinnes specially publicke offences are to be rooted out corrected and inhibited as reasonably as may be according to the law of God the institutiōs of the fathers The power to punish these offenders doth not pertaine vnto any priuate person but onely vnto them which haue iurisdiction of the law ouer them the distinction of law iustice being orderly obserued As touching the preaching of the word of God which Article you haue alledged in this forme that the word of God should be freely and faithfully preached by the fit and apt ministers of the Lord least by this word freely occasion may be taken of disordred libertie which as you haue often said ye do not meane the circumstaunce therof is to be vnderstand and we say that according to the meaning of the holy Scripture and doctrine of the holy Fathers it is thus vniuersally to be beleued that the word of God ought freely but not euery where but faithfully orderly to be preached by the Priests and Leuites of the Lord beyng allowed and sent by their superiours vnto whom that office apperteineth the authoritie of the Byshop alwayes reserued who is the prouider of all thynges accordyng to the institution of the holy fathers As concerning the last Article expressed vnder these words it is not lawfull for the Christian Cleargy in the time of the law of grace to haue dominion ouer temporall goods we remēber that in the solemne disputation holden in the sacred Councell he which was appointed by that Coūcell to dispute propounded two conclusions in this sorte First that such of the Cleargy as were not religious and had not bound thēselues thereunto by a vow might lawfully haue and possesse any temporall goods as the inheritance of his father or any other if it be left vnto him or any other goodes iustly gotten by meanes of any gift or other lawfull contract or else some lawfull arte The second conclusion The church may lawfully haue and possesse temporall goods moueable and vnmoueable houses landes townes and villages castles and Cities and in thē haue a priuate and ciuill dominion Your Ambassadour which disputed against him graunted those cōclusions saieng that they did not impugne the sence of his Article being well vnderstand for somuch as he vnderstandeth his Article of ciuill dominion formally meant Whereby and also by other things it may be vnderstand that those wordes to haue secular dominion expressed in the foresaid Article seemeth to be referred to some speciall maner or kind of dominiō But for somuch as the doctrine of the Church is not to be intreated vpon by any ambiguous or doubtfull words but fully and plainely therefore we haue thought good more plainly to expresse that which according to the law of God and the doctrine of the holy Doctours is vniuersally to be beleeued that is to say the two aforesayde conclusions to be true And also that the Cleargy ought faithfully to distribute the goodes of the Church whose administratours they are according to the decrees of the holy fathers and that the vsurpation of the administration of the Church goodes done by any other then by them vnto whome the administration is Canonically committed can not be without gilt of sacrilege Thus the sacred Councell sayd they hath diligently gone about according to the verity of the Gospell all ambiguitie set apart to expounde the true sence of the three foresayd Articles Wherefore if there do yet remaine any doubt according to the information which we haue receiued in the sacred Councell we are ready by Gods helpe who is the principall veritie to declare the truth vnto you If ye do receiue and embrace the declaration of the sayd three Articles which is grounded vpon the veritie of the holy Scripture as you are bound and will effectually haue a pure simple and perfect vnitie touching the libertie of the communion vnder both kindes which you desire and require which also you can not lawfully haue without the licence of holy Church we haue authoritie from the generall Councell by certaine meanes to intreate and conclude with you trusting that you will shew your selues as you will continue These things thus declared after the Bohemians had taken deliberation they said that they would giue no answere vnto the premisses before they vnderstoode what should be offered them as touching the Communion Wherefore it shall be necessary to declare the matter as it was written in forme following In the name of God and our sauiour Iesus Christ vpon the Sacrament of whose
speedely gathered into the â—arne whiche onely remayneth behinde to come Now if we ascribe such reputation to Godly preachers and worthely which diligently preache the Gospell of Christ when they liue notwithstanding by the benefite of tyme without all feare of persecution howe muche more reasonable cause haue we to prayse and extoll such men as stoutly spend theyr lyues for the defence of the same All these premisses duely of our partes considered and marked seeing we haue found so famous Martyrs in this our age let vs not fayle then in publishing and setting forth their doings lest in that poynt we seeme more vnkinde to them then the writers of the primitiue Church were vnto theirs And though we repute not theyr ashes chaynes and swerdes in the stede of reliques yet let vs yeld thus much vnto theyr commemoration to glory the Lord in hys Saintes and imitate theyr death as much as we may with like constancy or theyr liues at the least with like innocency They offered theyr bodies willing to the rough handling of the tormentors And is it so great a matter then for our part to mortifie our flesh with all the members thereof They neglected not onely the riches and glory of the world for the loue of Christ but also their liues and shal we then keepe so great a styrre one agaynst an other for the transitory trifles of this world They continued in patient suffering when they had most wrong done vnto them and when theyr very heartes bloud gushed out of theyr bodyes and yet will not wee forgeue our poore brother be the iniury neuer so small but are ready for euery trifling offence to seeke hys destruction and cut his throat They wishing well to all men did of theyr own accord forgeue theyr persecutors therefore ought we which are now the posteritie and Children of Martyrs not to degenerate from theyr former steps but being admonished by their examples if we cannot expresse theyr charitie toward all men yet at lest to imitate the same to our power and strength Let vs geue no cause of offence to any And if any be geuen to vs let vs ouercome it with patience forgeuing and not reuenging the same And let vs not onely keepe our handes from shedding of bloud but our tongues also from hurting the same of others Besides let vs not shrinke if case so require martyrdome or losse of lyfe according to their example to yeld vp the same in the defence of the Lordes flocke Whiche thing if men would do much lesse contention and busines woulde be in the world â—hen now is And thus much touching the vtilitie and fruit to be taken of this history To all the professed frendes and followers of the Popes proceedinges foure Questions propounded TO you all and singuler which professe the doctrine and Relâ—gion of the Pope your holy Father and of your mother Church of Rome pretending the name of Catholickes commoÌ„ly termed Papistes wheresoeuer abiding in the Realme of England these foure Questions or Problemes hereunder folowing I would moue desiring you all either to muse vpon theÌ„ or to answere theÌ„ at your leisure * The first Question FIrst forsomuch as Mount Sion which God calleth by the Prophet Iesai the hill of his holines beareth in the scripture an vndoubted type of the spiritual church of Christ for so much as the sayd Iesai. ca. 11. 65. prophesying of the sayd Mount Sion sayth in these wordes Non nocebunt neque affligent in omni monte sancto meo dicit Dominus c. 1. They shal not kill nor hurt in all my holy hill sayth the Lord. c. And agayne in the same chap. thus we read Habitabit Lupus cum agno Pardus cuÌ„ haedo accubabit Vitulus Leo ouis vna commorabuntur puellus paruulus ducet eos c. i. The wolfe shall dwell with the Lambe the Leopard with the Kid the Calfe the Lion the sheepe shall feed together a yong child shall rule theÌ„ The Cow also the Beare shall abide together with theyr yong ones the Lion shall eat chaffe fodder like the Oxe c. Upon these premises now foloweth my question how the church of Rome can be answerable to this hill of SioÌ„ seing in the sayd church of Rome is and hath bene now so many yeares such killing and slaying such cruelty and tyranny shewed such burning spoyling of christen bloud such malice mischiefe wrought as in reading these historyes may to all the world appeare To this if they aunswere expound these wordes of the Prophet as perteining to the church triumphant therevnto I reply agayne that by the wordes in the same place in the same sentence expressed that sence cannot stand for as much as the Prophet in the very same place where he prophesieth of this peaceable dwelling in Gods holy mountayne without hurting or killing meaneth plainly of the earth sheweth also the cause of that godly peace Because sayth he the earth is replenished with knowledge science of the Lord. c. ibid. And furthermore the Prophet speaking of the same day when this shal be addeth saying In that day the root of Iesse shall stand for a signe to the people for the Gentils to be conuerted and to seeke vnto him c. Which day in no wise can be applyed to the church in heauen triumphant but only here militant in earth Touching which place of Iesai further here is to be noted by the way that by this peaceable MouÌ„t Sion which comprehendeth both the states as well ecclesiasticall as teÌ„porall is not restrayned the publicke penalty of good lawes needfull to be executed vpon publicke malefactors but here is restrayned the fiercenes reuenge cruelty violence of mens affections To which affectioÌ„s men being commonly subiect by nature through grace working of the gospel are altered reformed chauÌ„ged to another disposition froÌ„ stoutnes to softnes froÌ„ violence to sufferance from fiercenes to forbearing froÌ„ pride to humility froÌ„ cruelty to compassion from wilynes to simplicity froÌ„ solemne singularity to humanity and meekenes Which vertues if they had bene in the church of Rome according to the rule of S. Paul which willeth men that be stronger to beare with the infirmities of the weaker and that in the spirit of meeknes c. Rom. 15. Gal. 6. I should not haue needed now at this time to write such a long history as this of the suffering of so many Martyrs ¶ The second Question MY second question is this to demauÌ„d of you catholicke professors of the popes sect which so deadly maligne and persecute the protestants professing the gospell of Christ what iust or reasonable cause haue you to allege for this your extreme hatred ye bear vnto the yâ— neither you your selues can abide to liue with them nor yet will suffer the other to liue amongest you If they were Iewes
Turkes or Infidels or in their doctrine were any Idolatrous impitie or detestable iniquitie in their liues if they went about any deadly destruction or priuy conspiracies to oppresse your liues or by fraudulent dealing to circuÌ„uent you then had you some cause to coÌ„plaine and also to reuenge Now seing in their doctrine ye haue neyther blasphemy idolatry superstition nor misbeliefe to obiect vnto them seing they are baptised in the same beliefe and beleue the same articles of the Crede as ye do hauing the same God the same Christ sauiour the same baptisme and are ready â—s conâ—erre with you in all kinde of Christen doctrine neyther do refuse to be tryed by any place of the scripture how then riseth this mortall malice of you agaynst them If you thinke them to be herâ—tickes then bring forth if ye can any one sentence which they arrogantly hold contrary to the minde of holy scripture expounded by the censure of most auncient Doctours Or what is there in all yâ— scripture to be required but they acknowledge confesse the same See try the order of their liues doinges what great fault find you They serue God they walke vnder his feare they obey his law as men may do and though they be transgressors toward him as other men are yet toward you what haue they done what haue they committed or deserued why you should be so bitter agaynst them What offended the poore habitants of Merindal Cabriers when the bishop of Aix the Cardinall of Turon and other Bishops of France wrasting from Fraunces the French king a commission sent Menâ—rius with his Captayne Iohn de Gay to destroy theyr countrey an 1530. who driuing the poore people there into a barn ful of straw set the barn on fire burned vp men women and children And likewise in a church exercised the like crueltie vpon them where were murdered the same time to the number of a thousand yong and old women children and yong infants besides vii whole townes with the most part of the dwellers thering being murdered burnt in the sayd country of ProueÌ„ce Also before that what offended the Cittizens of Tholouse and Auinion when Pope Gregory the ix set Lewes the French king to warre agaynst them and agaynst Raymundus their Earle without cause where also the sayd kyng died at the siege Or to speake of later yeres what hurt or harme did the poore Protestantes in the towne of Uassy who peaceably being at a Sermon were miserably slayne and cut men women and children by the Duke of Guyes and hys armed souldiours besides other infinite examples almost not to be numbred of like crueltie in Calabria Apulia Bohemia Fraunce and now of late in Flaunders and in other countryes moe But to let other countryes passe let vs turne now to the peaceable gouernment in this realme of England vnder this our so milde gracious Queene now presently reigning Under whome you see howe gently you are suffered what mercy is shewed vnto you how quietly ye liue What lacke you that you woulde haue hauing almost the best rowmes and offices in all the realme not onely without any losse of lyfe but also without anye feare of death And though a few of your Archâ—lerkes be in custody yet in that custody so shrewdly are they hurt that many a good Protestant in the realme would be glad with all their hartes to chaunge rowmes and dyet with them if they might And albeit some other for their pleasure haue slipt ouer the seas if their courage to see countries abroade did so allure them who coulde let them yet this is certayne no dreade there was of death that draue them For what papist haue you seen in all this land to lose eyther life or limme for papistry during al these xii yeares hetherto since this Queenes reigne And yet all this notwithstaÌ„ding hauing no cause to complayne so many causes to geue God thaÌ„ks ye are not yet content ye fret and fume ye grudge and mutter and are not pleased with peace nor satisfied with safety but hope for a day and fayne would haue a chaunge And to preuent your desired day ye haue conspired and rise vpp in open rebellion agaynst your Prince whom the Lord hath set vp to be your gouernour And as you haue since that nowe of late disturbed the quiet and peaceable state of Scotland in murdering most trayterously the gentle and godly Regent of Scotland who in sparing the Queenes life there when he had her in his handes hath now therfore lost his own so with like fury as by your rebellion appeareth would disturbe the golden quiet and tranquilitie of this Realme of England if ye might haue your willes Which the mercifull grace of almightie for Christ his sonnes sake our Lord forfend and vtterly disapoynt Amen Wherfore these premises coÌ„sidered my question is to aske of you know what iust or reasonable cause ye haue of these your vnreasonable doinges of this your so mortall and deadly hatred fury and malice you beare agaynst these your euenchristened of these your tumultes coniurations gaping and hoping rebellions mutteringes murders wherewith you trouble and disquiet the whole world Of all which mischiefes if the true cause were well known the truth would be found doubtles to be none other but onely the priuate cause of the Bishop of Rome that he is not receiued and the dignity of his Church exalted Touching which cause how vnreasonable and vniust it is more shal be sayd the Lord willing in reply according as I shal see theyr answere if it shall so please theÌ„ or any of theÌ„ to answere this question In the meane time this for a briefe note shall suffice that it standeth not with the scripture but contrary to the scripture that the Bishop of Rome should so reuenge his owne priuate cause If his title plantatioÌ„ be good of God why doth he not refer it vnto god And no doubt but if it be so God will maintein it though the whole world sayd no. If it be otherwise it will fall be rooted out though all the world sayd yea yea the greatest argument to proue this plantation of the Popes supremacy not to be of God is that the Pope fighting in his owne priuate cause by outward worldly force seeketh his owne glory Christ our sauior being here refused himselfe yet neither reuenged his cause nor sought his owne glory but only the glory will of his father thus speaking of himself Si ego glorifico meipsuÌ„ gloria mea nihil est pater meus est qui glorificat me c. Ioan. 8. i. If I glorify my selfe my glory is nothing my father is he that glorifyeth me c. Euen so I saye with scripture that if the Popes procâ—edings were planted of God he would not so wrastle for his glory as â—e doth But forsomuch as he seeketh by such cruelty and bloudshed to exalt himselfe
excommunicate all those Byshops and churches of Asia as heretickes and schismatickes which disagreed from the Romaine order had not Irenaeus otherwise restrayned him from that doyng as is a foresayd whiche was about the yeare of our Lord .191 in the reigne of Commodus Thus then began the vniformitie of keeping that holy day to be first required as a thing necessary all they accompted as heretickes and schismatickes which dissented from the Bishop traditioÌ„ of Rome With Victor stoode Theophilus Byshop of Cesarâ—a Narcissus of Hierusalem Irenaeus of Lyons Palmas of Pontus Banchillus of Corinthe the Byshop of Dâ—â—roena and other moe All which condescended to haue the celebration of Easter vpon the Sonday because they would differ froÌ„ the Iewes in all things as neare as they might and partly because the resurrection of the Lord fell on the same day On the contrary side diuers Byshop were in Asia of whom the principall was Policrates Byshop of Ephesus who being assembled with a great multitude of Bishops and brethren of those parties by the common assent of the rest wrote agayne to Victor and to the Church of Rome declaring that they had euer from the beginning obserued that day according to the rule of Scripture vnchaunged neither adding nor altering any thing froÌ„ the same Alledging moreouer for them the examples of the Apostles and holy fathers their predecessours as Phillip the Apostle with hys three daughters at Hierapolis also Iohn the Apostle and Euangelist at Ephesus Polycarpus at Smyrna Thraseas at Eumenia Byshoppe and Martyr lykewise of Sagaris at Laodicaea Byshop and Mattyr Holy Papyrius and Melito at Sardis Beside these bishops also of his own kindred and his owne aunceters to the number of seuen which all were bishops before him he the eight now after them All which obserued saith he the solemnitie of the same day after the same wiâ—e and sort as we do now Victor being not a litle mooued herewith by letters agayne denounceth against them more bold vpon authoritie then wiâ—e in his commission violent excommunicatioÌ„ Albeit by the wise handlyng of Irenaeus and other learned men that matter was staid and Victor otherwise perswaded What the perswasioÌ„s of Irenaeus were partly may appeare in Euseb. Lib. 5. cap. 26. the summe whereof tendeth to this effect That the variance and difference of ceremonies is no straunge matter in the Church of Christ when as this varietie is not onely in the day of Easter but also in the maner of fasting in diuers other vsages among the christian For some fast one day some two days some other fast moe Other there be which counting xl houres both day night take that for a ful dayes fast And this so diuers fashion of fasting in the church of Christ began not onely in this our tyme but was before among our fore elders And yet notwithstanding they with all this diuersity were in vnitie among themselues and so be we neyther both this difference of ceremonies any thing hinder but rather commendeth the concorde of fayth And bringeth forth the examples of the fathers of Telesphorus Pius Anicetus Soter Eleutherius and such other who neither obserued the same vsage themselues neither prescribed it to others and yet notwithstanding kept christian charitie with such as came to coÌ„municate with them not obseruing the same forme of things which they obserued as well appeared by Polycarpus and Anicetus which although they agreed not in one vniforme custome of rites yet refused not to coÌ„municate together the one geuing reuerence vnto the other Thus the controuersie being taken vp betwene Irenaeus Victor remained free to the time of Nicene Councell Haec ex Iren. Eusebius And thus much coÌ„cerning the controuersie of that matter and concerning the doings of Victor After Victor succeeded in the sea of Rome Zephyrinus in the dayes of the foresayd Seuerus about the yeare of our Lord .203 To this Zephyrinus be ascribed two Epistles in the first Tome of the Councels But as I haue sayd before of the decretall Epistles of other Romaine Bishops so I say and verily suppose of this that neither the countenaÌ„ce of the stile nor the matter therin contained nor the condition of the â—yme doth otherwise giue to thinke of these letters but that they be verily bastard letters not written by these fathers nor in these tymes but craftily and wickedly pact in by some which to set vp the primacie of Rome haue most pestilently abused the authoritie of these holy auncient fathers to deceaue the simple Church For who is so rude but that in considering onely the state of those terrible tymes may easily vnderstand except affectioÌ„ blind him beside a nomber of other probable coniectures to lead him that the poore persecuted bishops in that time would haue bene glad to haue any safe couert to put their heades in so far was it of that they had any lust or laisure theÌ„ to seeke for any Primacie or Patriarkeship or to driue all other churches to appeale to the sea of Rome or to exempt all Priests from the accusation of any lay man as in the first Epistle of Zephyrinus is to be seene written to the Bishops of Sicilia And likewise the second Epistle of his to the Bishops of the prouince of Egypt containing no maner of doctrine nor consolation necessary for that time but only certain ritual decrees to no purpose argueth no lesse but the said epistles neither to sauor of that man nor taste of the tyme. Of like credite also seemeth the constitution of the Patines of glasse which Damasus sayth that the same Zephyrinus ordained to be caried before the Priest at the celebratioÌ„ of the Masse Againe Platina writeth that he ordayned the ministration of the SacrameÌ„t to be no more vsed in vessels of wood or of glasse or of any other mettall except only siluer gold and tinne c. But how these two testimonies of Damasus and Platina ioyne together let the reader iudge especially seyng the same decree is referred to Vrbanus that came after him Againe what needed this decree of golden chalices to be stablished afterward in the Councell of Tybur and Rhenes if it had bene enacted before by Zephyrinus How long this Zephyrinus sate our writers do varie Eusebius sayth he died in the raigne of Caracalla and sate 17. yeares Platina writeth that he died vnder Seuerus and sate 8. yeares and so saith also Nauclerus Damasus affirmeth that he sate 16. yeares and two monthes Matthaeus author of the story intituled Flores HistoriaruÌ„ with other latter Chronicles maketh mention of Perpetua and Felicitas and Reuocatus her brother also of Saturninus and Satyrus brethren and Secundulus which in the persecution of this Seuerus gaue ouer their liues to Martyrdome for Christ beyng throwen to wild beasts and deuoured of the same in Carthage and in Affrike saue that Saturninus brought agayne from the beasts was
caused theyr bowels and flesh to be deuoured of the hungry swine This rage furye of the wicked Arethusians Zozomenus supposeth to come of this because that Constantinus before had broken them from their country maner of setting forth and exposing their virgins filthely to whom soeuer lusted and destroyed the temple of Venus in Heliopolis restrayning the people there from their filthines and vile whoredome Sozom Lib. 5 cap. 10. Of the lamentable story or rather Tragedy of Marcus Arethusius their Byshop thus writeth the said Sozomenus and also Theodoretus in his third booke in these words as followe This Tragedye saith hee of Marcus Arethusius doth require the eloquence and worthines of Aeschilus and Sophocles which may as the matter deserueth set forth and beautify his great afflictions This man at the commaundement of Constantinus pulled downe a certayn temple dedicated to Idols and in the stead thereof built vp a church where the Christians might congregate The Arthusians remembring the little good wil that Iulianus bare vnto him accused him as a traitour and enimie to him At the first according as the scripture teacheth he prepared him selfe to flee But when he perceiued that there were certaine of his kinsmen or frynds apprehēded in his steed returning agayne of his owne accord he offred himselfe to those that thirsted for his bloude whome when they had gotten as men neither pytiyng his old age worne yeares nor abashed at his vertuous conuersation being a man so adourned both with doctrine maners first strypt him naked pittifully beate him then within a while after they cast him into a foule filthy sinke from thence being brought they caused boyes to thrust him in with sharpned stickes made for the nonce to prouoke his paine the more Lastly they put him into a basket and being annointed with hony broth they hung him abroad in the heate of the sunne as meate for waspes and flies to feede vpon And all this extremity they shewed vnto him for that they woulde enforce him to do one of these things that is either to build vp-againe the temple which he had destroied or else to giue so much money as should pay for the building of the same but euen as hee purposed with him selfe to suffer abide theyr greuous torments so refused he to doe that they demaunded of him At the length they taking him to be but a poore man and not able to pay such a summe of mony promised to forgiue him the one halfe so that he would be contented to pay the other halfe But he hanging in the basket woūded pitifully with the sharpned sticks of boies children and all to be bitten with waspes flyes did not only conceale his paine griefe but also derided those wicked ones and called them base low and terrene people and he himselfe to be exalted and set on high At length they demaunding of him but a small some of money he answered thus it is a great wickednes to confer one halfe penye in case of impietie as if a man should bestow the whole Thus they beyng not able to preuayle against him let hym downe And leauyng him went their waye so that euery man might learne at his mouth the example of true pietie and faithfulnes Although the tractation of these foresayd stories persecutions of Persia aboue premised do stray somwhat out of the order course of time and place as which came neither in the time of Constantine nor be pertinent to the monarchy of Rome yet because in this present history we are in hand with the holy martirs and Saintes of Christ for as much as these also gaue such a faithfull testimony of the Lord Iesus with their bloud I thought therefore not to passe them ouer with some testimony in this our Catalogue of holy Martirs And here an end of these persecutions of the primitiue church ¶ It may peraduenture be marueiled of some reading the history of these so terrible persecutions aboue specified why God the almighty director of al things would suffer his owne people and faithfull seruaunts beleeuing in his owne and onely begotien sonne Iesus so cruellye to bee handled so wrongfully to be vexed so extreemly to be tormented and put to death that the space of so many yeres together as in these foresaid persecutiōs may appeare To the which admiration I haue nothing to aunswere but to say with the words of Hierome Non debemus super hac rerum iniquitate perturbare videntes c. We ought not to be mooued with this iniquitie of things to see the wicked to preuaile against the godly for so much as in the beginning of the worlde we see Abell the iuste to bee killed of wicked Cain And afterward Iacob being thrust out Esau to reigne in his fathers house In like case the Egyptians with bricke and tyle afflicted the sonnes of Israel Yea and the Lorde himselfe was hee not crucified of the Iewes Barrabas the thief being let go Time would not suffise me to recite recken vp how the godly in this world go to wracke the wicked flourishing and preuailing Hiero. Briefly howsoeuer the cause hereof proceedeth whetherfor our sins here in this life or how else soeuer yet this is to vs may be to all men a sufficient stay that we are sure these afflictions and persecutions of God his people in this worlde not to come by any chaunce or blinde fortune but by the prouydent appointment and forewarning of God For so in the old law by the affliction of the children of Israell he hath prefigured these persecutions of his Christians So by the words of Christes owne mouth in the Gospell he did forwarne his church of these troubles to come Again neither did he suffer these so great afflictions to fall vpon hys seruaunts before that he had premonished them sufficientlye by speciall Reuelation in the Apocalips of Iohn his seruaūt in the which Apocalips he declared vnto his church before not onely what troubles were comming at hande toward them where and by whome they shoulde come but also in playne number if the wordes of the prophecye be well vnderstoode assygneth the true tyme howe longe the sayde persecutions shoulde continue and when they shoulde cease For as there is no doubte but by the beast with seauen heades bearing the whoore of Babylon dronken wyth the bloude of Saintes is signified the Citie of Rome So in my iudgement the power of making fortie two moneths in the thirteene of the Apocalips is to bee expounded taking euery Moneth for a Sabboth of yeares that is reckonyng for seauen yeares a moneth so that forty and two such Sabbots of yeares being gathered togither make vppe the yeres iust betweene the time of Christes death to the last yeare of the persecution of Maxentius when Constantinus fyghting vnder the banner of Christ ouercame him and made an ende of all
Item to be against the sound doctrine of S. Paule writing these wordes As concerning virginitie I haue no commaundement of the Lord c. Agayne he that cannot otherwise liue continently let him marrie Item that it was agaynst the Canons both of the Apostles and of Nicene councell Moreouer that it was against the course of nature whiche he required that men beyng sequestred from their naturall wiues and women shoulde be coacted to liue as aungels that is to performe that which nature doth not geue And therefore the bishop therin did open a peruicious windowe to vncleannes and to fornication In summe geuing vp theyr answer thus they concluded that they had rather geue vp their benefices then to forsake their naturall and lawfull wiues against the worde of Christ. And finally if maried priests could not please them they should call downe Angels from heauen to serue the Churches But Hildebrand nothing mooued neither with honest reason nor with the authoritie of holy Scripture nor with the determinatioÌ„ of Nicene councell nor any thing els followeth this matter calleth vpon the bishops stil with his letters and Legats doth sollicitate their mindes accuseth them of negligence and dastardnes threatneth them with excommunication vnles they cause their priests to obey his decree enioyned them Whereupon a great number of bishops for feare of the Popes tiranny laboured that matter with their priests by all means possible to bereaue them of their accustomed matrimony Amongst other the Archbishop of Mentz perceyuing this acte of taking away Priestes mariage might breede him no little trouble talketh with his Clergy gently admonisheth them of the Popes minde decree and geueth them halfe yeres respite to deliberate vpon the case exhorting them diligently to shewe themselues obedient to the Pope and to him and to grauÌ„t with good will that which at length will they nill they needes they must bee forced vnto and therefore of their owne accord to stande content therewith least the Pope should be compelled to attempt wayes of sharper seueritie The time of deliberation expired the Archbishop assembleth his clergy at Erspford the month of October and there willeth them according to the pontificall decree either to abiure for euer all matrimony or els to abrenounce their benefices and Ecclesiasticall liuings The clergy agayne defend themselues against the Popes decree with scriptures with reason with the actes of generall councels with examples of auncestors by diuers strong arguments declaring the Popes decree not to be consonant nor ought to take effect But the Archbishop sayd he was compelled so of the Pope and could not otherwise do but to execute that was enioyned him The clergy seeyng that no reason nor prayer nor disputation would serue layd their heads together coÌ„sultyng among themselues what was best to be done Some gaue counsail not to returne agayne to the Synode Some thought it good to returne and to thrust out the Archbishop froÌ„ hys seat to geue him due punishment of death for his deseruing that by the example of him other may bee warned hereafter neuer to attempt that thing any more to the preiudice of the church and the rightfull liberty of ministers After that this was signified to the Archbishop by certaine spies that were amongest them what the clergy entended to do The Archb. to preuent and salue the matter sendeth to the priests as they were comming out certaine messengers bidding them of good hope and to returne againe to the Metropolitane and they should haue that should content their myndes So beyng perswaded they come again to the Councel The bishop promiseth he would doe hys indeuour what he could to reuoke turne the mind of the Bishop of Rome from that sentence willing them in the meane tyme to continue as they had done in their cure and ministery The next yeare followyng Hildebrand yâ— souldiour of Sathan sendeth his Legate a certaine Bishop called CurieÌ„sis vnto the Archb. of Mentz and assembled there a Councell In the which councel the Archb. againe proposeth the matter commaunding all the clergy vnder payne of the Popes curse there perpetually eyther to abrenounce their wyues or their liuings The clergy defended their cause againe with great constancy But when no defension could take place but all went by tiranny mere extortioÌ„ it burst in the end to an vprore and tumult where the Legate and the Archbishop beyng in great daunger hardly escaped with their lyues and so the Councell brake vp By this schisme and tumult it followed that the churches after that in chusing their priests would not send theÌ„ to the bishops the enemies and suppressors of Matrimony to be confirmed and inducted but did elect them within themselues and so put them in their office without all leaue or knowledge of bishops who then agreed were determined to admit no priests but such as should take an othe of perpetuall singlenesse neuer to marrie after And thus first came vp the othe and profession of single Priesthood Notwithstanding if other nations had followed the like constancie concord of these Germain ministers the â—iuelish drift and decre of this Hildebrand or rather Helbrand had bene frustrate and auoyded But this greedines of liuings in weak priests make them to yeld vp their godly liberty to wicked tiranny Yet this remayneth in these Germains to be noted what concord can doe in repressing vnordinate requests of euil bishops if they constantly stand to truth and hold together And thus much for banishing of matrimony Now let vs proceede to the contentions betwixt wicked Hildebrand and the godly Emperour But before by the way of digression it shal not be much wide from the purpose to touch a little of the properties of this Pope as we find them described in certaine epistles of Benno a Cardinall writing to other cardinals of Rome Which Benno lyued in the same tyme of Hildebrand and detecteth the prodigious actes and doings of this monstrous Pope First declaring that he was a Sorcerer most notable and a Nicromanser an olde companion of Siluester of Laurentius and Theophilactus called otherwise Benedictus nonus Amongst other Benno Cardinals writeth this history of him How vpon a certaine tyme this Gregorius comming from Albanus to Rome had forgot behynd him his familiar booke of Nicromansie which he was wont commonly to cary alwayes with him Whereupon remembring himselfe entered the port of Laterane he calleth two of his most trusty familiars to set the booke charging them at no hand to looke within it But they beyng so restrayned were the more desirous to open it to peruse it and so did After they had read a little the secrets of the Sathanicall booke sodenly there came about them the messengers of Sathan the multitude and terrour of whom made them almost out of their wittes At length they comming to themselues the spirites were instant vpon them to know wherefore they were called vp wherfore they were vexed Quickly said
sinne in hell then in heauen with sinne Which saying and wish of his if it were his may seeme to proceede out of a mynde neither speaking orderly according after the phrase and vnderstanding of the scripture nor yet sufficiently acquainted with the iustification of a christen man Further they report him to be so farre from singularitie that hee should say it was the vice which thrust the angels first out of heauen and man out of paradise Of this Anselme it is moreouer reported that he was so ilwilling to take the Archbishoprike that the kyng had much adoe to thrust it upon him and was so desirous to haue him take it that the Citie of Caunterbury which before Lanfrancus did holde but at the kings good wyll and pleasure he gaue now to Anselme wholy which was about the yere of our Lord 1093. But as desirous as the king was then to place the sayd Anselme so much did he repent it afterward seeking all maner of meane to defeate hym if he might Such strife and contention rose betweene them two for certayne matters the ground and occasion whereof first was this After that Anselmus had bene thus elected to the see of Canterbury before he was fully consecrate the king commoned with him assaying by all gentle maner of wordes to entreat him that such lands possessions of the church of Cant. as the king had geuen and granted to his friends since the death of Lanfrancus they might still enioy the same as their owne lawful possession through his graunt and permission But to this Anselme in no case would agree Wherupon the king conceiuing great displeasure against him did stop his consecration a great season till at length in long proces of time the king enforced by the daily complaintes and desires of his people and subiects for lacke of an Archbishop to moderate the church was constrained to admit and autorise hym vnto them Thus Anselme with much ado takyng his consecration and doyng his homage to the king went to his see of Cant. And not long after the king sailed ouer to Normandy About this time there were two striuing in Rome for the Popedome as is afore touched Urbanus Guibertus Diuers realmes diuersly consenting some to the one some to the other England taking part with theyr kyng was rather enclined to Guibertus called Clemens the 3. but Anselmus did fully go with Urbanus making so hys exception with the king entring to his bishopricke After the king was returned againe from Normandy the Archbishop commeth to him and asketh leaue to goe to Rome to set his palle of Pope Urban which when he could not at the first obtaine he maketh his appeale from the king to the Pope Whereat the king beyng iustly displeased chargeth the Archbishop with breach of his feaultie contrary to his promise made that is if he without his licence would appeale eyther to Urbane or to any other Pope Anselme aunswereth agayne that was to bee referred to some greater councell where it is to be disputed whether this be to breake a mans allegeance to a terrene Prince if he appeale to the vicar of S. Peter And here much arguyng and contending was on both sides The kings reason proceeded thus The custome sayth he from my fathers time hath bene in England that no person should appeale to the Pope without the kings licence He that breaketh the customes of the realme violateth the power and crowne of the kingdom He that violateth and taketh away my crowne is a traitour and enemy against me c. To this Anselme replieth agayne The Lord sayth he easilie discusseth this question briefly teachyng what fidelitic and allegeaunce we ought to geue to the vicar of S. Peter where he sayth thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my church c. And to thee I wyll geue the keyes of the kingdom of heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt bynde in earth it shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou loosest in earth shall be loosed in heauen c. Agayne to them all in general he saith he that heareth you heareth me and who despiseth you despiseth me And in an other place he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of myne eie On the other side what duety we owe to the king he sheweth also Geue sayth he to the Emperour what belongeth to the Emperour and to God geue that to God belongeth Wherefore in such things as belong to God I will yeld and must yeld by good right and duetie my obedience to the vicar of S. Peter and in such thinges as belong agayne to terrene dignitie of my prince in those I will not deny to him my faithfull helpe and counsell so far as they can extend Thus haue ye the grounded arguments of this Prelate to stand so stifly agaynst his prince wherunto peraduenture was ioyned also some piece of a stubburne hart But in this conclusion none of his fellow bishops durst take his part but were all against him namely William Bishop of Duresine To whom Anselme thus protesteth saying who so euer he were that would presume to proue it any breach of allegeaunce of feaulty to his soueraigne if he appealed to the vicar of S. Peter he was ready to aunswer at all tymes to the contrary the bishop of Duresine aunswering againe that he which would not be ruled by reason must with force be cōstrained c. The king hauing on his part the agreement of the Bishops thought to depriue the Archb. both of his pastorall sea and to expell him out of the realme But he could not performe his purpose for Anselme as he was ready to depart the realme he sayd whensoeuer he went he would take his office and authoritie with him though he tooke nothing els Whereupon that matter was deferred till a longer tyme. In the meane season the king had sent priuily two messengers to Pope Urbane to intreat him to send his pall to the king for him to geue it where he would which messengers by this time were returned againe bringing with them from Rome Gualter bishop of Albane the popes Legate with the pall to be geuē to Anselme This Legate first landing at Douer from thence came priuily vnknowing to Anselme to the king declaring and promising that if Urbane was receyued pope in England whatsoeuer the king required to be obtayned he by his priuiledge from the Apostolicall sea would ratifie and confirme the same saue onely that when the king required of the Legate that Anselme might be remoued the Legate therunto would not agree saying that was vnpossible to be obtained that such a man as he beyng lawfully called should bee expelled without manifest cause In conclusion so it folowed that although he could not obtain his request of the Legate yet the Legate wroght so with the king that Urbane was proclaymed lawfull Pope through all the realme Then were sent to
is now lately dead and the maister here of the Dominike Friers is not now present Wherfore we dare not determine in such a weighty cause touching the priuileges of our order without the presence of them And ther fore we desire you of the Uniuersity to holde vs therin excused and not to be so lightly stirred against vs for we are not the worst and vilest part of the Uniuersity c. The next day being the 8. day of the same moneth whithe is also dedicate to the conception of our Ladye vpon which day it was determined likewise that one of the dominicke Friers should preach in the Church of the Franciscane or gray Friers and so he did tending to the same end as the other frier in the other church had done before Whereby it may seeme the prouerb well aunswered vnto whereof we read in the Gospell Facti sunt amici Herodes Pilatus in ipsa die It was not long after that the feast of S. Thomas the Apostle folowed in whose Uigile all the heads of the Uniuersity againe were warned the third day after to congregate together in the Church of S. Bernard at the sermon time Which being done and the assembly meeting together an other Sermō was made by a Diuine of the Uniuersity whose theame was Prope est Dominus omnibus inuocantibus eum in veritate c. Wherein he with many words and great authorities argued agaynst them that woulde not be obedient vnto theyr Prelats c. The sermon being ended then rose vp againe the Bishop Ambianensis who prosecuting the rest of the Theame and comming to the word in veritate deuided it in three parts according to the common glose of the decretals Est verum vitae doctrinae iusticiaeque Primum semper habe duo propter scandala linque Shewing and declaring by many authorities both of canonicall scriptures and out of the law and by euidēt demonstratiō of experience that the Friers first had no verity of life because they were full of hypocrisy neither had they verity of doctrine because in their hart they bare gall and in theyr toung hony neither verity of iustice because they vsurped other mens offices And thus concluding with the same caused agayn to be read the sayd priuileges with the constitution aboue specified And so expoūding place by place did argue and proue that the sayd constitution in no part was euacuat or infringed by that priuilegies aforesayd Which thing being declared he added moreouer that where as the Friers say sayd he that I should be present in the obteining of the priuileges I graunt it to be true when word came to me thrise thereof I went to the Pope reclayming requiring the sayd priuileges to be renoked But the next day after it so pleased the Pope to send me out abroad vpon weighty affayres so that then the matter had no end After that we sent also other messengers with our letters for the same cause vnto the Court of Rome whom the Friers say not to haue preuailed but they lye therein For the sayd messengers agayne brought vs letters from the chief of the court of Rome sealed with their seales which letters we haue diuers times presented to our king wil shortly shew them vnto you all In the which letters the Lord Pope hath promised the sayd priuiledges either to be vtterly abrogate or els to be mitigated with some more playnely interpretation of the which we trust shortly to haue the publicke Bulle or writ from the Pope At last the sayd Bishop required desired of all there of what Dioces or countrey so euer they were that they would copy out the foresayd priuiledges and send them abroad into their coūtries that all men might see what they were and how far they did extēd In fine the matter comming into open disputation it was cōcluded by M. Giles one of the Austine Friers who was thought to be most reasonable of all the other Friers in this wise that after his sentence the Prelates were in the truer part c. Haec ex Godfrido de Fontanis ¶ Concerning this wrangling contention betwene the Uniuersity and Friers of Fraunce heretofore mentioned whereof partly the original cause there may be vnderstand by that which hath bene sayd to rise vpon certaine priuilegies graūted by popes to the Friers to intermedle in matters of Parish churches As to heare confessiōs to preach and teach with power there to annexed to gather for theyr labor to bury within their houses and to receiue impropriations c. because it were long here to describe the full circumstances therof also because the sayd contention dyd endure a long time not onely in fraūce but also came ouer to englād The whole discourse therof more ample Christ willing shal be declared in the beginning of the next booke folowing when we come to the story of Armachanus About what time yere this brawle was in the Uniniuersity of Paris betwene the Friers and Prelats there as hath bene declared the like contētion happened also in the vniuersity of Oxford in the yeare aboue prefixed 1354. saue onely that the strife amōg the maisters of Paris as it rose vpon Frierly ceremonies so it went no farther then brawling wordes and matter of excōmunication but this tumult rising of a dronken cause proceeded further vnto bloudy stripes The first originall wherof began in a tauerne betwene a scholer the good man of the house Who falling together in altercatiō grew to such heat of words that the student contra ius hospitij poured the wine vpon the head of the host and brake his head with the quart pot Upon this occasion geuen estsoones parts began to be taken betwene townes men the scholers In somuch that a grieuous sedition conflict folowed vpō the same wherin many of the townes men were wounded to the number of 20. slayn Diuers also of the scolers grieuously hurt The space of 2. dayes this hurly burly continued Vpon the second day certain religious and deuout persōs ordeined a solemne processiō general to pray for peace Yet notwithstanding all that procession as holy as it was it would not bring peace In the which procession the skirmish stil waxing hoat one of the studentes being hardly pursued by the townesmen for succour in his flight came running to the Priest or Frier which caried about as the maner was the pixe thinking to finde refuge at the presēce of the transubstātiated God of the aultar there caried inboxed Notwithstanding the God there not presēt or els not seing him or els peraduēture being a sleepe the scholer foūd there small helpe For the townesmen in the heate of the chase forgetting belike the vertue of the popes transubstātiation folowed him so hard that in the presēce of the pixe they brake his head woūded him greuously This done at length some peace or truce for that day was taken The
consequently absolue any man confessing hys faulte being contrite and penitent for the same 16. It is lawfull for kinges in causes licenced by the lawe to take away the temporalties from the spiritualty sinning habitualiter that is which continue in the custome of sinne and will not amend 17. Whether they be temporall Lordes or any other men whatsoeuer they be which haue endowed any Churche with temporalties It is lawfull for them to take away the same temporalties as it were by way of medicine for to auoyd sinne notwithstanding any excommunication or other ecclesiasticall censure for so much as they are not geuen but vnder a condition 18. An ecclesiasticall minister and also the Byshop of Rome may lawfully be rebuked of his subiectes and for the profite of the Church be accused eyther of the Clergy or of the Laitie These letters with the articles inclosed being thus receiued from the pope the bishops tooke no litle hart thinking and fully determining with themselues and that in open profession before their prouinciall Councell that all maner respectes offeare or fauour set apart no person neither high nor low should let them neither woulde they be seduced by the intreaty of any mā nor by any threatnings or rewards but that in this cause they would execute most surely vpright iustice and equitie yea albeit presēt danger of life should follow therupon But these so fierce brags stout promise with the subtile practises of these Byshops which thought them so sure before the Lord against whō no determination of mans counsaile can prenayle by a small occasion did lightly confound ouerthrowe For the day of examination being come a certayn personage of the princes court yet of no great noble byrth named Lewes Clifford entring in among the Byshops commaunded them that they shold not proceed with any diffinitiue sentence against Iohn Wickliffe With which wordes all they were so amased and their combes so cut that as in the story is mentioned they became so mute and speachlesse as men hauing not one word in their month to answere And thus by the wonderous worke of God his prouidence escaped Iohn Wickliffe the second time out of the Byshops hands and was by them clearely dismissed vppon his declaration made of his articles as anone shall follow Moreouer here is not to be passed ouer how at the same tyme and in the sayd Chappell of the Archb. at Lamheth where the byshops were sitting vpon Iohn Wickliffe the story writing of the doing therof addeth these wordes saying Non dico ciues tantùm Londinenses sed viles ipsius ciuitatis se impudenter ingerere praesumpserunt in eandem capellam verba facere pro eodem istud negotium impedire confisi vt reor de ipsorum praemissa negligentia praelatorum c. That is I say not onely that the Citizens of London but also the vile abiectes of the Citty presumed to be so bold in that same Chappell at Lamheth where the Byshops were sitting vppon Iohn Wickliffe both to entreat for him and also to let and stoppe the same matter trusting as I suppose vpon the negligence which they sawe before in the Byshops c. Ouer and beside here is not to be forgotten how the sayd Iohn Wickliffe the same time of his examination offered and exhibited vnto the Bishops in writing a protestation with a declaration or exposition of his owne minde vpon the sayd his articles the effect whereof here followeth The protestation of Iohn Wickliffe FIrst I protest as I haue often before done that I doe minde and intend with my whole hart by the grace of God to be a true Christian and as long as breath shal remayne in me to professe and defend the law of Christ. And if it shall happen that through ignoraunce or otherwise I shall fayle therein I desire my Lord God of pardon forgeuenes And now againe as before also I do reuoke and make retractation most hūbly submitting my selfe vnder the correction of our holy mother the church And for somuch as the sentence of my fayth whiche I haue holden in the scholes and els where is reported euen by children more ouer it is caried by children euen vnto Rome Therefore left my deare beloued brethren should take any offence by me I wil set forth in writing the sentēce and Articles for the which I am nowe accused and impeached the whiche also euen vnto the death I will defend As I beleeue all Christians ought to doe and specially the Bysh. of Rome and all other priestes and ministers of the Church For I do vnderstand the conclusions after the sense and maner of speaking of the scriptures and holy doctours the whiche I am ready to expound And if they shall be found contrary vnto the faith I am ready to reuoke and speedily to call them backe agayne An exposition vpon the conclusions of Iohn Wickliffe exhibited by him to the Byshop ALl the race of mankinde here in earth beside Christ hath no power simply to ordayne that Peter c. This conclusion of it selfe is euident for as much as it is not in mans power to stop the cōming of Christ to hys finall iudgement but he must needes come according to the article of our Creede to iudge both the quick and the dead And then as the scripture teacheth shall surcease all ciuill and politicke rule here I vnderstand the temporall and secular dominion pertaining to men here dwelling in this mortall life For so doe the Philosophers speake of ciuill dominion And although the thing which is terminable hath an end is called sometimes perpetuall yet because in holy scripture and in vse of the Church and in the bookes of Philosophers most commonly that is takē to be perpetuall which hath no ende of tyme hereafter to come according to the which sense the Church singeth Gloria Patri c. nunc perpetuum I also after the same signification do take here this woorde perpetually and so is this conclusion consonant to the principles of the Scripture that it is not in mans power to ordayne the course and voyage of the Church here perpetually to last 2. God can not geue to any man c. ¶ To the second conclusion I aunswere vnderstanding ciuil dominion as in the conclusion before And so I hold that God first by his ordinate power cannot geue to any person ciuil dominion here for euer Secondly by his absolute power it is not probable for hym so to doe For so much as he cānot euer detaine his spouse in perpetual prison of thys life nor alwayes deferre the finall beatitude of hys Church 3. To the third conclusion Many wrytings or chartes inuented by men as touching perpetual hereditage ciuile be vnpossible The verity of this conclusion is incident For we must not canonize all maner of Charts what soeuer as Catholicke or vniuersal for then it were not lawful by any meanes to take away
thee and being sold was it not in thine own power why hast thou conceiued this thing in thine hart Thou hast not lyed vnto meÌ„ but vnto God And wheÌ„ Ananias heard these wordes he fell downe and gaue vp the ghost great feare came on all them that heard these things And the young meÌ„ rose vp and tooke him vp and caried him out and buried him And it came to passe about the space of iij. houres after that his wyfe came in being ignorant of that whych was done And Peter sayd vnto her Tel me womaÌ„ sold ye the land for so much And she sayd yea for so much But Peter saye vnto her why haue ye agreed together to teÌ„pt the spirit of the Lord Behold the feete of them which buried thy husbande are at the doore and shall cary thee out And straight way she fel downe before his feete and gaue vp the ghost and the yong men entring in found her dead and they caried her out and buried her by her husbaÌ„d And great feare came on all the church all those which heard these thinges It is meruaile that any man that is wise wyll say that by this processe Peter slue Ananias or hys wife For it was not his act but the act of God who made a wedding to his sonne sent his seruant to cal them that were bidden vnto the wedding and they would not come The king then sent forth his seruantes to the outcorners of the hie wayes to gather all that they could find both good and euill And so they did And the maryage was full furnished with gestes Then came in also the king to view and see them sitting Among whom he perceaued there one sitting hauing not a wedding garment and sayth vnto him frend how camest thou hither And he being dumme had not a worde to speake Then said the king to the seruitures take and binde him hand and foote and cast him into the outward darcknes there shall be weeping and gnashinge of teeth Many there be called but few chosen c. It is manifest that this wedding garment is charitie without which because Ananias entred into the maryage of Christ he was geuen to death that by one many might be informed to learne vnderstand that they which haue fayth not charitie although they appeare to men to haue yet it can not be priuy to the spirite of God that they doe fayne Such there is no doubt but they shal be excluded froÌ„ the mariage of christ as we see this here exemplified in the death of Ananias his wife by the hand of God not by the hand of Peter And how should Peter theÌ„ haue iudged Ananias albeit he had iudged him worthy of death by the rigour of the old law For why by the law he had not bene guilty of death for that part which they fraudulently dissemblingly did reserue to themselues Yea and if they had stolne as much from an other man which was greater neither yeâ— for hys lie committed he had not therfore by the law of iustice bene found gilty of death Wherefore if he did not condeÌ„ne hym by the law of iustice it appeared that he codeÌ„ned him by the law of grace and mercy whiche he learned of Christ. And so consequently it followeth much more apparent that Peter could not put him to death Furthermore to say that Peter put him to death by the meere motion of his own will and not by authoritie of the old law nor by the new it were derogatory and slaunderous to the good fame and name of Peter But if Peter did kill hym why then doth the Byshop of Rome which pretendeth to be successor of Peter excuse himselfe and his priestes from the iudgement of death agaynst heretiques and other offeÌ„ders although they themselues be conseÌ„ting to such iudgements done by lay men For that which was done of Peter without offence may reasonably excuse him and his felow Priestes from the spot of crime Actes 5. It is manyfest that there was another which did more greeuously offend theÌ„ Ananias and that Peter rebuked him with more sharpe words but yet he commanded him not so to he put to death For Simon Magus also remayning at Samaria after that he beleued and was baptised he ioyned himselfe with Phillip And when he sawe that the holye spirite was geuen by the Apostles laying theyr handes vpon meÌ„ he offred theÌ„ mony saying geue vnto me this power that vpon whome soeuer I shall lay my hand he shall receaue the holy Ghost To whom Peter answered Destroyed be thou and thy money together And for that thou supposest the gifte of GOD to be bought with money thou shalt haue neyther part nor fellowshippe in this doctrine Thy hart is not pure before god therefore repeÌ„t thee of thy wiâ—kednesse and pray vnto God that this wicked thought of thy hart may be forgeuen thee for I perceiue thou art eueÌ„ in the bitter gall of wickednes and bande of iniquitie Beholde here the greuous offence of Symon Peters hard sharp rebuking of him and yet therupon he was not put to death Whereby it appeareth that the death of Anamas aforesaid proceeded of God and not of Peter Of all these things it is to be gathered seing the iudgements of death are not grounded vpon the expresse and playn scriptures but onely vnder the shadow of the olde law that they are not to be obserued of Christians because they are coÌ„trarye to charity Ergo the bishop of Rome approuing such iudgements alloweth those that are contrary to the law doctrine of Christ as before is sayd of warres where hee approueth iustifieth that which is coÌ„trary to charity The order of Priesthood albeit it doth iustifie the iudgemeÌ„ts to death of the laity whereby offenders are condeÌ„ned to die yet are they themselues forbidden to put in execution the same iudgementes The priestes of the old law being vnperfect wheÌ„ Pylate said vnto theÌ„ concerning Christ whoÌ„ they had accused worthy death take him vnto you and according to your law iudge him answered that it was not lawful for them to put to death any man Wherby it appeareth that our priests being much more perfect may not lawfully geue iudgemeÌ„t of death against any offenders yet notwithstanding they claime vnto theÌ„ the power iudicial vpon offeÌ„ders Because say they it belongeth vnto them to know the offences by the auricular confession of the offenders and to iudge vpoÌ„ the same being knowne aud to ioyne diuers penances vnto the parties offending according to the quantitie of their offences coÌ„mitted to that the sinner may make satisfactioÌ„ say they vnto God for the offences which he neuer committed And to coÌ„firme vnto theÌ„ this iudicial power they alleage the scriptures in many places wrasting it to serue their purpose First they saye that the Bishop of Rome who is the chief priest and iudge among them hath ful power authority to
offer this my appeale vnto my Lord Iesu Christ my iust iudge who knoweth defendeth and iustly iudgeth euery mans iust and true cause The 22. Article A vicious and naughty man liueth viciously and naughtely but a vertuous and godly man lyueth vertuously and godly I answer my words are these That the deuision of all humaine works is in two parties that is that they be eyther vertuous or vicious For somuch as it doth appeare that if any man be vertuous and godly and that he do any thing he doth it then vertuously and godly And contrariwise if a man be vicious naught that whiche hee doth is vicious and naught For as vice which is called crime or offence and thereby vnderstande deadly sinne doth vniuersally infect or depraue all the acts and doinges of the subiect that is of the man whiche doth them so likewise vertue and godlines doth quicken all the actes and doyngs of the vertuous godly man in somuch that he being in the state of grace is layd to praye and doe good works euen sleping as it were by a certayn meanes working As S. Augustine S. Gregory and diuers other affirme And it appeareth in the sixt chapter of Luke If thine eye that is to say the minde or intention be simple not depraued with the peruersenes of any sinne or offence all the whole body that is to say all the actes and doinges shall be cleare and shyning that is acceptable and grateful vnto God But if thine eye be euil the whole body is darkned And in the second to the Corin. x. Chapter All thinges that you do do them to the glory of God And lykewise in the first Epistle to the Corinthians and last chapter it is sayd Let all your doinges be done with charitie Wherfore all kinde of lyfe and liuing according vnto charitie is vertuous and godly and if it be without charitie it is vicious and euill This saying may well be prooued out of the 23. chapter of Deuteronomy where God speaketh vnto the people that hee that keepeth hys commaundementes is blessed in the house and in the field out goyng and in comming sleeping and waking but he that doth not keepe his commaundementes is accursed in the house and in the fields in goyng out and comming in sleeping and waking c. The same also is euident by S. Augustine vpon the Psal. where he writeth that a good man in all hys doinges doth prayse the Lord. And Gregory saith that the sleep of saints and holy men doth not lack their merite How much more then hys doinges which proceede of good zeale be not weout reward and consequently be vertuous and good And contrariwise it is vnderstanded of hym which is in deadly sinne of whome it is spoken in the law that whatsoeuer the vncleane man doth touch is made vncleane To this end doth that also appertayne which is before repeated out of the first of Malachie And Gregorie in the first booke and first question sayth we doe defile the bread which is the body of Christ when as we come vnworthely to the table and when we being defiled doe drinke hys bloud And S. Augustine vpon the 146. Psalme sayth if thou doest exceed the due measure of nature doest not abstayne from glottony but gorge thy selfe vp wâ— dronkennes whatsoeuer laude or prayse thy tongue doth speake of the grace and fauour of God thy life doth blaspheme the same when he had made an end of this article the Cardinall of Cambray sayd The scripture sayth that we be all sinners And agayne if we say we haue nosinne we deceiue our selues and so we should alwayes liue in deadly sinne Iohn Hus aunswered the Scripture speaketh in that place of veniall sinnes the whiche doe not rtterly expell or put away the habite of vertue from a man but do associate theÌ„selues together And a certayne English man whose name was w. sayd but those sinnes do nor associate themselues with anye acte morally good Iohn Hus alledged agayne S. Augustines place vpon 146. Psalme the whiche when he rehearsed they all with one mouth sayd what makes this to the purpose The 13. article The minister of Christ liuing according to his law and hauing the knowledge and vnderstanding of the scriptures and an earnest desire to edifie the people ought to preach notwithstanding the pretended excommunication of the pope And moreouer if the pope or anye other ruler doe forbid any priestes or minister so disposed not to preach that he ought not to obey him I aunswere that these were my wordes That albeit the excommunication were eyther threatned or come out agaynst hym in such sort that a Christian ought not to doe the commandementes of Christ it appeareth by the wordes of S. Peter and the other Apostles that we ought rather to obey God then man whereupon it followeth that the minister of Christ lyuing according vnto this lawe c. ought to preach notwithstanding any pretended excommunication For it is euident that it is commanded vnto the ministers of the Church to preach the word of God Actes 5. GOD hath commaunded vs to preach and testifie vnto the people as by diuers other places of the scripture and the holy fathers rehearsed in my treatise it doth appeare more at large The second part of this article foloweth in my treatise in this maner By this it appeareth that for a minister to preache and a rich man to geue almes are not indifferent workes but duties and commaundementes Wherby it is further euident that if the pope or any other ruler of the Church do commaund any minister disposed for to preach not to preach or a rich man disposed for to geue almes not to geue that they ought not to obey hym And he added moreouer to the intent that you may vnderstand me the better I call that a pretended excommunication the whiche is vâ—iustly disordered and geuen forth contrary to the order of the law and Gods commaundements For the which the meere Minister appointed therunto ought not to cease from preaching neyther yet to feare damnation Then they obiected vnto him that he had sayd that suche kinde of excommunications were rather blessinges Uerely said Hus eueÌ„ so do I now say again that euery excommunication by the whiche a man is vniustly excommunicate is vnto him a blessing afore God according to that saying of the Prophet I will curse where as you blesse and contrariwise they shal curse but thou O Lord shalt blesse Then the Cardinal of florence which had alwayes a Notary ready at his hand to write such thinges as he coÌ„manded him said The law is that euery excommunication be it neuer so vniust ought to be feared It is true sayd Iohn Hus for I do remember eight causes for the whiche excoÌ„munication ought to be feared Then sayd the Cardinall is there no more but eight It may be said Iohn Hus that there be more The
affirmed and proued that he shoulde ascende and come in another way for Iudas Iscariot was truely and lawfully chosen of the Lorde Iesus Christ vnto his Bishopricke as Christe sayth in the sixt of Iohn and yet he came in an other way into the sheepe folde and was a thefe and a Deuill and the sonne of perdition Did he not come in another waye when as our Sauiour spake thus of him he that eateth breade with me shall lift vp his heele agaynst me The same also is proued by Saynte Bernarde vnto Pope Eugenius Then sayde Paletz beholde the â—â—ror and maddenesse of this man for what more furious or madde thing canne there be then to say Iudas is chosen by Christ and notwithstanding he did ascende an other way and not by Christ. Iohn Husse aunswered verely both partes are true that he was electe and chosen by Christ and also that he did ascende and come in another way for he was a Theefe a Deuill and the sonne of perdition Then sayde Palettez cannot a manne be truely and lawefully chosen Pope or Byshoppe and afterwarde liue contrarye vnto Christe and that notwithstanding he doth not ascende any other wayes But I sayde Iohn Husse doe saye that whosoeuer doth enter into anye Byshoppricke or like office by Simonye not to the intent to labour and trauell in the Church of God but rather to liue delicately voluptuouslye and vnrighteously and to the intent to aduaunce hymselfe with all kinde of pride euery suche man ascendeth and commeth vppe by an other way and according vnto the Gospell he is a theefe and a robber The 7. Article The condemnation of the forty fyue Articles of Wickliffe made by the Doctours is vnreasonable and wicked and the cause by them alleadged is fayned and vntrue That is to say that none of those Articles are Catholicke but that euery of them be either hereticall erronious or offenciue The aunswere I haue wrytten it thus in my treatise the forty fyue Articles are condemned for this cause that none of those forty fyue is a Catholicke Article but eache of them is either hereticall erronious or offenciue O Mayster Doctour where is your proofe you fayne a cause which you doe not poue c. As it appeareth more at large in my Treatise Then sayd the Cardinall of Cambraye Iohn Husse thou diddest saye that thou wouldest not defend any errour of Iohn Wickliffes And now it appeareth in your bookes that you haue openly defended his Articles Iohn Hus aunswered Reuerend Father euen as I sayde before so doe I now say agayne that I will not defende any errours of Iohn Wickliffes neyther of anye other mannes but for so muche as it seemed vnto me to be agaynst conscience simply to consent vnto the condemnation of them no Scripture beyng alledged or brought contrary and agaynst them thereupon I woulde not consent or agree vnto the condemnation of them And for so much as the reason whiche is copulatiue can not be verifyed in euery poynt according to euery part thereof Nowe there remayneth sixe Articles of 39. These are sayd to be drawen out of an other treatise which he wrote agaynst Stanislaus de Znoyma The first Article No man is lawfully elect or chosen in that the Electours or the greater part of them haue consented with a liuely voyce according to the custome of men to elect and choose any person or that he is thereby the manifest and true Successour of Christ or Uicare of Peter in the Ecclesiasticall office but in that that any man doth most aboundantlye worke meritoriouslye to the profitte of the Churche he hath thereby more aboundant power geuen him of God thereunto The answere These things which follow are also written in my booke It standeth in the power and handes of wicked Electours to choose a woman into the Ecclesiasticall office as it appeareth by the election of Agnes whiche was called Iohn who held and occupyed the Popes place dignitye by the space of two yeares and more It may also be that they doe choose a Theefe a Murderer or a Deuil and consequently they may also elect and choose Antichrist It may also be that for loue couetousnesse or hatred they doe choose some person whom God doth not allowe And it appeareth that that person is not lawfully elect and and chosen In so much as the Electours or the greater part of them haue consented and agreed together according to the custome of men vpon any person or that he is thereby the manifest Successour or Uicare of Peter the Apostle or any other in the Ecclesiasticall office Therefore they which most accordingly vnto the scripture doe elect and choose reuelation being sette a parte doe onelye pronounce and determine by some probable reason vppon hym they doe electe and choose wherevppon whether the Electours doe so choose good or euill we ought to geue creditte vnto the workes of hym that is chosen for in that poynt that any manne doth moste aboundauntly worke meritoriously to the profitte of the Church he hath thereby more aboundaunt power geuen him of God thereunto And hereupon sayth Christ in the 10. of Iohn geue credit vnto workes The 2. Article The Pope being a reprobate is not the head of the holy Church of God The aunswere I wrote it thus in my Treatise that I woulde willinglye receiue a probable and effectuall reason of the Doctour howe thys question is contrary vnto the fayth to say that if the Pope be a reprobate how is he the head of the holy churche Beholde the trueth cannot decay or fayle in disputation for did Christ dispute agaynst the fayth when he demaunded of the Scribes and Pharisyes Math. 12. Ye stocke and ofspring of Uypers how can ye speake good thinges when you your selues are wicked and euill and beholde I demaunde of the Scribes if the Pope be a reprobate and the stocke of Uipers how is he the head of the holy Church of GOD that the Scribes and Pharisyes which were in the Councell house of Prage make aunswere hereunto For it is more possible that a reprobate man shoulde speake good thinges for so much as he may be in state of grace according vnto present iustice then to be the head of the holy Church of God Also in the 5. of Iohn our Sauiour complayneth vppon the Iewes saying How can you beleue which doe seeke for glory amongest your selues and doe not seeke for the glory that commeth onely of God And I likewise doe complayne how that if the Pope be a reprobate can he be the head of the Church of God which receiueth hys glory of the world and seketh not for the glory of GOD For it is more possible that the Pope being a Reprobate should beleue then that he should be the head of the Churche of God For so much as he taketh his glory of the world The 3. Article There is no sparke of apparance that there ought to be one head in the spiritualtye to
when the thousand yeares shal be complete Satanas shal be let out of his doungeon and shall go abroad to seduce the people which are on the foure corners of the lād of Gog and Magog to assemble them to battaile whose number is like to the sandes of the Sea And they went vp vpon the latitude or breadth of the earth and compassed about the tentes of the Saintes and the welbeloued Cities c. To the perfect vnderstandyng of this Prophecie three thynges are necessary to be knowen First what is ment by byndyng vp and loosing out of Satanas the old Dragon Secondly at what tyme and yeare first he was chayned vp and sealed for a thousand yeares Thirdly at what yeare and tyme these thousand yeares did end when as he should be loosed out agayne for a litle season Which three poyntes beyng well examined and marked the Prophecie may easely bee vnderstand directly to be ment of the Turke Albeit Anagogically some part thereof may also be referred not vnproperly vnto the Pope as is aboue notified First by byndyng and loosing of Satanas seemeth to be ment the ceasing and staying of the cruell and horrible persecution of the Heathen Emperours of Rome against the true Christians as is to be sene in the x. first persecutions in the primitiue Church aboue described in the former part of these Actes and Monumentes in the whiche most bloudy persecutions Satanas the deuill then raged without all measure till tyme it pleased almightie God to stoppe this old Serpent and to tye him shorter And thus haue you to vnderstād what is ment by the bindyng vp of Sathan for a thousand yeares whereby is signified that the persecution agaynst the Christians styrred vp by the beast that is in the Empire of Rome through the instigation of Sathan shall not alwayes continue but shall breake vp after certaine tyme and shall cease for a thousand yeares c. Now at what tyme and yeare this persecution that is the fury and rage of Sathan should cease is also declared in the Apocalipse before where in the chapter 11. 13. wee reade that the beast afore mētioned shall haue power to worke his malice and mischiefe the space of 42. moneths and no more and then that Sathan should be locked vp for a thousand yeares The computation of which moneths being counted by Sabbates of yeares after the example of the 69. weekes of Daniell cap. 11 it doth bring vs to the iust yeare and time when that terrible persecution in the primitiue Church should end and so it did For giue to euery moneth a Sabbat of yeares that is recken euery moneth for seauen yeares and that maketh 294. yeares which was the full time betweene the 18. yeare of Tiberius vnder whome Christ suffered and the death of Maxentius the last persecutour of the primitiue Church in Europe subdued by Constantinus as may appeare by calculating the yeares moneths and dayes betweene the said yeare of the reigne of Tiberius and the latter end of Maxentius and so haue ye the supputation of the yeare and time when Satan was first bound vp after he had raged in the primitue Church 42. monethes Which moneths as is said being counted by Sabbates of yeares after the vsuall manner of the Scripture mounteth to 294 yeares and so much was the full time betweene the passion of our Lorde which was in the 18. yeare of Tiberius vnto the last yeare of Maxentius And heere by the way commeth a note to be obserued that forasmuch as by the number of these 42. monethes specified in the Apocalips the Empire of Rome must necessarily be confessed to be the first beast therefore it must by like necessitie follow the Bishop of Rome to be the second beast with the two hornes of the Lambe for that he only hath and doth cause the sayd Empyre of Rome to reuiue and to be magnified and so doth not the Turke but rather laboureth to the contrary Wherfore let euery Christian man be wise and beware betime how he taketh the marke of the beast least peraduenture it follow vpon him that he drinke of that terrible cup of wrath mentioned Apocal chap. 14. Thirdly it remayneth to be discussed touching the third point in this foresaid prophesie that as we haue found out through the helpe of Christ the yeare and time of Satās binding so we search out likewise the time and season of his loosing out which by the testimonie of Scripture was appointed to be a thousand yeares after his binding vp and so rightly according to the time appointed it came to passe For if we number well by the Scripture the yeare of his binding vp which was from the passion of our Lorde 294. yeares and adde thereto a thousand yeares it mounteth to 1294. Which was the very yeare when Ottomannus the first Turke began his reigne which was the first spring and welhead of all these wofull calamities that the Church of Christ hath felt both in Asia Affrica and Europe almost these three hundreth yeares past For so wee finde in Chronicles that the kingdome of the Turkes being first deuided into four families an 1280. at length the familie of Ottomanus preuailed and thereupon came these whome now we call Turkes which was about the same time when Pope Boniface the eight was Byshop of Rome Where by the way this is againe to be noted that after the decree of Transubstantiation was enacted in the Councell of Laterane by Pope Innocent the iij. the yeare of our Lord 1215. not long after about the yeare of our Lord 1260. was stirred vp the power and armes of the Oguzians and of the Orthogules father of Ottomannus who about the yeare of our Lord 1294. began first to vexe the Christians about Pontus Bithinia so beginning his kingdome anno 1300. reigned 28. yeares as is afore mētioned Mention was made before of Ezechiell prophesieng against Gog whose words diuers expositours do apply against the Turke and are these Thou shalt come from thy place out of the North partes thou and much people with thee all riding vpon horse a great and a mighty army and thou shalt come vp against my people of Israell as a cloude to couer the land Thou shalt be in the latter dayes and I will bring thee vpon my land that the heathen may know me when I shall be sanctified in thee O Gog before their eyes Thus sayth the Lord God Art not thou he of whome I haue spoken in the old time by the hand of my seruants the Prophets of Israell that prophesied in those dayes and yeares that I woulde bring thee vpon them At the same time also when Gog shall come against the lande of Israell sayth the Lord God my wrath shall arise in mine anger For in my indignation and in the fire of my wrath haue I spoken it Surely at that time there shall be a great shaking in the land of