William Cowper Esqr. Clerk of the Parliaments FAX MENTIS HONESTAE GLORIA The first two partes of the Actes or vnchast examples of the Englysh votaryes gathered out of their owne legenades and Chronycles by Iohan Bale and dedycated to our most edoubted soueraigne kynge Edward the syxte â–ª ¶ Beware of the leuen of the pharisees which is hypocrisye But there is nothing hyd that shall not be dyscouered neyther secrete that shall not be knowne Therfor what so euer they haue done in darkenesse that same â—â—all be known in the light Lu. xiâ— To the most vertuouse myghtye and excellent prynce kynge Edwarde the. vi by the grace of God kynge of Englande Fraunce and Irelande defendar of the faythe and in earthe vndre Christe of the churches of the seyde England and Ireland the supreme heade his most humble subiect Iohan Bale wisheth all honour helthe and felycyte LIke as man was of ij substaunces constytuted most worthie and excellente prynce that is to say of sowle and of bodye so were there for his specyall coÌ„modyte in them both for hys wholsome continuaunce in longe successyon ordayned of God ij necessary functyous or administracyons from the worldes begynnynge Neyther myghte the one of them without the other at any time be nomore than the bodie without the sowle but anon after a deadly decaye therupon folowed in that common welthe In the bokes of kynges and of Paralipomenoâ— is this so playnely declared â—or the diuided kingdomes of Israel and Iuda that at no hand it can be denyed The fyrste of them was the explanacion of the heauenly doctryne whom we now cal the godly office of a preacher The other we vnderstande to be the publique or politique regimet which is in the high gouernauÌ„ce autorite power oâ— a king The first of these ij most necessary offices the eternal soÌ„ne of God instituted in paradise The other toke beginning of god the father which held an euerlasting monarchy befor the worldes constitucioÌ„ and on the earth by his speciall gifte it toke successe in man Through me do kinges reigne sayth he through me do princes make iust lawes Prouer. viij In the Godhed are they here alone but in person diuerse The one gouerneth the other teacheth The seid sonne of God as an euerlastinge prest bishop first called Adam Eua to repentaunce by the voyce of such a lawe as both detected and rebuked their synne Furthermor he published the promise coÌ„cerning the holy seed of the womaÌ„ which shuld breake the head of the wicked serpeÌ„t Thus preached he than the fyrste Gospell of saluacyon whyche is a ioyfull massage declarynge full remyssyon to be gyuen frelye in Chryste or for Christes only sake a righteousnesse in the holy ghost folowing therupon â–ª with the life euerlastinge As Adam was confyrmed the ymage of God appointed to rule the whol earth Gen. i. He succeded him his eternall sonne in these ij hygh offices of Gouernaunce and of doctryne through the gydaunce of hys holye sprete so be comminge to the one a vicegerent or liefe tenaunt and to the other an hygh vycar general He instructed his posteryte in the ryght rules of fayth for that age and prudently vsed theyr politique regyment In thys perfyghte trade succeded the fathers Enos Cainan Malalehel Iared Henoch Mathusalah and Lamech one after an other tyll the dayes of Noe. Whyche gouerned most godly and preached repentaunce for an hondred and. xx yeaâ—es space After the generall floude stode Noe vp agayne and executed these ij offyces more earnestly than afore Melchysedech hys sonne was both a kynge and a preste so was faythfull Abraham and hys chyldren after hym as apereth both by their warres and sacryfyces And all though Moyses at tymes executed but one of these ij offyces and Aaron hys brother the other yet were they afterwardes agayne both vnyted in Iosue and hys successours assysted by the byshoppes and Leuytes tyll the Iewes despred a kynge Than helde Saul the temporall domynyon and Samuel the hygh presthode Dauid and Abiathaâ— SalomoÌ„ and Sadoch in the same trade folowyng tyll the realme was deuyded into Israell and Iuda for the wyckednesse of rulars And as the false worshyppynges or execrable ydolatryes began to increase by the deuylyshnesse of false prestes God raysed vp the prophetes with an earnestnesse to rebuke them and agayne to renewe the heauenly doctryne and gouernaunce And as their course was out by a myserable mutacyon through warres and captyuyte that lyuely doctryne of saluacyon by the sectes of pharysees Saducees Esseanes was yet ones agayne obscured and the hygh gouernaunce clerely decayed and also remoued from the chosen flocke of God the scepture traÌ„slated to Herode a cruel strauÌ„ger The sonne of God the eternall father called Iesus Christe than entered into the fleshe at hys tyme appoynted and became our hygh kyng and preste euerlastynge by hys tryumphaunt passyon and ascensyon restorynge these ij offyces and reseruynge them in hys gloryfyed humanyte to a sempyternall monarchye To hys Apostles and dyscyples he appoynted the admynystracyon of hys heauenly word leauynge to the worldely rulars the hygh gouernaunce of peoples Thys hath bene breuely the very ordre course and processe concernynge these ij most hygh offyces sens the worldes begynnynge How the great aduersary of God Antichrist hath sens Christes ascensyoÌ„ wrought in hys wycked course to depraue these ij mynystracyons of God and to cause them to serue his moste blasphemouse and fylthie affectes the fyrste ij partes of my Englyshe votaryes here presente dothe plenteously shewe And my hope is that the ij lattre partes whyche wyll God wyllynge most spedylye folowe shall declare it yet muche more at large I haue therin decreed for difference of the bokes and apt argumentes of the matters contayned in them to gyue them iiij seuerall tytles of rysynge buyldynge holdynge and falling For the fyrst part treateth of theyr vp ryspng to myschefe by the olde ydolatours in the reygne of perdycyon The seconde parte sheweth of theyr hastye buildynge by the hypocrytyshe monkes to establish the wicked kingedome of Antichrist The thirde part wil declare the crafty vpholdinge of their prowde degrees possessyons by the wilye and subtile slayghtes of the. iiij orders of frires And the fort part shal manifest their horrible fall in this lattre age by that grouÌ„ded doctrines of the true preachers writers These votaries do I take for those instrumeÌ„tes of SathaÌ„ which coÌ„tinually from time to time haue destroied these ij hygh mynistracions by darkenynge the doctryne of God and peruerting iustyce in the rulars Next to the scriptures I take their moste wicked examples for witnesses in that matter If your learned maiestye in thys second part do marke theyr wycked procedynges in takynge from princes the inuestynge of prelates and from the churches minysters theyr marryed wyues ye shall fynde them the greattest traytours that euer were on thys earthe both to God and to man For by takynge from prynces
the inuestyng of prelates they deminyshed more than halfe theyr autoryte makynge them bouÌ„de seruauntes to Antichriste And by condempnynge of marryage in the mynysters they not onlye peruerted the doctryne of fayth but also of godly preachers they made ydel workemeÌ„ and vncleane doers ydolatours coniurers lyers opprâ—ssours tyrauntes whoremongers and most execrable buggerers so secludynge theyr names from the lambes boke of lyfe and theyr sowles froÌ„ saluacyon in Christe Apo. xxi Thys symple worke haue I dedycated to your excellent maiestie partlye to declare my obedyent hart to the same and partlye to detecte the subtile slaightes of the hipocrites your mortal enemyes in the kyngedome of Antichrist Therin maye your highnesse as in a myrrour beholde the auncyent enemyes of your noble predecessours se theyr procedynges knowe theyr coÌ„ueyaunces and clerely perceyue theyr practyses of deceyt Ye maye also therby be assertayned dyuerse wayes by a nombre of theyr vngodlye examples of lyfe that your noble father of famouse memory ded ronne for hys tyme a most profytable course to the christen coÌ„men welthe whan he fyrste ouerthrewe that most odyble monstre of Rome wyth hys vncleane generacyon The eternall father of our lorde Iesus Christ send your learned maiestye longe lyfe on the earth that ye maye in the sprete of Helias double hys vyctoryouse doynges as I haue no doubt but ye wyll So be it Domine in misericordiatus saluum facregem ¶ The Autours names both Englysh and other out of whome thys present boke is collected A ADelbaldus Traiectensis Aegidius Faber Aneas Syluius Alanus Teukesbury Albertus Crants Alexander Tertius Alphredus Beuerlacensis Andreas Althamerus Andreas Osiander Anonymus Anglus Antoninus Archiepiscopus Aulus Gellius B Baptista Platina Baptista Mantuanus Barnefridus Vrspergensis Bedas Girvuinus Benedictus de burgo Petri. Benno Cardinalis Berengarius Turonensis Bernardus Clareuallensis Bernardus Lutzenburgus Berosus Chaldeus Biblia sacra Blondus Flauius C Caius Sempronius Caesarius Monachus Christianus Massaeus Christophorus Marcellus Chronicon Calesianum Chronicon Buriense Compendium noui chronici Conradus Gesnerus Cornelius Agrippa D Doctor Origenes Dunelmensis Monachus Damianus Cardinalis De utraque potestate E Eadmerus Cantuariensis Egesippus Historicus Erasmus Roterodamus Etheiredus Rhieuallensis Eusebius Caesariensis F Fabianus Chronographus Fabius Pictor Flauius Blondus Flores historiarum Franciscus Bonadus G Georgius VVicelius Giraldus Cambrensis Godfridus Viterbiensis Gracianus Monachus Guido Perpinianus Guilhelmus Malmesbury Guilhelmus Cantuariensis Guilhelmus Caxton Guilhelmus Horman H Haremannus Shedel Hector Boethius Helinandus Monachus Henricus Huntendunensis Henricus Bradsha Herebertus Boseham Hieronymus Stridonensis Hildebertus Cenomanensis Huldricus Mutius I Iacobus Meyer Iacobus Bergomas Ioannes Hagustaldensis Ioannes Sarisburiensis Ioannes Fiberius Ioannes Baconthorpe Ioannes de Columna Ioannes VVicleuus Ioannes Tyssyngton Ioannes Treuisa Ioannes Euersden Ioannes Hardinge Ioannes Boccatius Ioannes Capgraue Ioannes Annius Ioannes Liechtenberger Ioannes Hagen Ioannes Paleonydorus Ioannes Nauclerus Ioannes Stella Ioannes Huttichius Ioannes Tritemius Ioannes Cibenius Ioannes Textor Ioannes Carion Ioannes Maior Ioannes Functius Ioannes Scuish Ioannes Eckius Ioannes Riuius Ioannes Lelandus Irenaeus Lugdunensis Iustinus Martyr L Lambertus Shafnaburgensis Lanfrancus Archiepiscopus Legendarium Ecclesiae Lelandus Antiquarius M Macrobius Aurelius Marcus Cicero Marcus Sabellicus Marianus Scotus Martialis Valerius Martinus Carsulanus Martinus Lutherus Matthaeus Paris de S. Albano Matthaeus VVestmonasteriensis Monachus Dunelmi Monumenta coenobiorum N Nauclerus Historicus Nicolaus Treueth Nigellus Eliensis O Odo Cluniacensis Origines Doctor Osbernus Cantuariensis Otho Phrisingensis Ouidius Naso P Pamphilus Graecus Paulus Phrigio Paulus Aemilius Petrus Damianus Petrus Blesensis Petrus Equilinus Philo Historicus Plutarcus Chaeronaeus Poenitentiarum Romanum Polydorus Vergilius R Radulphus de Diceto Radulphus Niger Radulphus Cogeshale Ranulphus Cestriensis Raphael Volateranus Ricardus Hagustaldensis Ricardus Diuisiensis Ricardus Praemonstratensis Ricardus Croilandiensis Ringmannus Philesius Robertus Montensis Robertus Gaguinus Robertus Goulet Robertus Fabyane Robertus Barnes Rogerus Houeden Rogerus Cestriensis Rodolphus Gualtherus S Scalamundi Sebastianus Murrho Sigebertus Gemblacensis Simeon Dunelmensis Stephanus Langton T Thomas Rudborne Thomus Monmouth Thomas VValden Thomas Scrope Titus Liuius Turstinus Eboracensis V Valerius Martialis Valerius Anselmus Rid. Vergilius Maro Vergilius Polidorus Vincentius Belâ—â—censis VVernerus Cartusiensis X Xenophon Atheniensis FINIS Faultes escapinge the printer in the first part of this worke Fo. 15. pag. 2. li. 9. Orosius fo 16. pag. 2. li. 12. pretensed fo 17. pa. 1. li. 7. of these pa. 2. li. 26 reuelacyons fo 32. pa. 10. li. 2. the gantes or his stardes there fo 42. pa. 1. li. 19. she founde pa. 2. li. 6. capite fo 46. pag. i. li. 26. Apoca. xiij fo 49. pag. 1. li. 18. to the generall fo 51. pa. 1. li. 15. Carsulanus fo 59. pa. 2. li. 31. Cap. xiij fo 71. pag. 2. li. 9. Hardecanutus fo 72. pad 1. li. 7. reasons fo 73. pag. 1. li. 28. the. xij yeare fo 74. pag. 1. li. 12. alvuayes fo 78. pag. 1. li. 5. lete them pag. 2. Hermannus Contractus Faultes escapinge the prynter in the seconde parte of thys vuorke Fo. 3. pa. 2. li. 28. deficiunt Sâ—urius Lucretius Spurius Papyrius fo 6. pâ— 2. li. 9. deficit Yea that great mother of myschefe Apoca. xiij fo 11. pa. 2. li. 11. hys bokes fo 13. pag. 2. li. 28. feast of all sayntes fo 15. pag. 1. li. 20. no drynke fo 17. pag. 1. li. 32. He shryned fo 51. pag. 2. li. 26. If thys fo 52. pag. 1. li. 3. but also pag. 2. li. 25. VVhole consent fo 54. pag 2. li. 25. famouse fo 57. pa. 2. li. 7. fame fo 59. pa. 2. li. 21. set ordynaunce fo 46. pag. 2. li. 5. deficit Thus are these verses to be Englished fo 64. pa. 2. li. 29 deficit Thus do I Englysh them fo 65. pa. 1. li. 9. dyspleased fo 66. pa. 2. li. 20. the abbesse fo 69. pag. 1. li. 4. both of Christ. fo 89. pag. 2. li. 15. deficit Thus to be Englyshed ¶ The fyrste part of the Actes of English votaries comprehendynge their vnchaste practises and examples by all ages from the worldes begynnynge to the yeare of our Lord a M. collected owte of their owne legendes and Chronycles By Iohan Bale ¶ Learne herin good reader to proue all spretes and to iudge false myracles rebukynge no Christen beleuer but those obstinate hipocrites onlye whiche yet lyue after theyr popes olde rules Reade but laugh not O thu mayden of Chaldea Thou shalt no moâ—â— be called tender and plesaunte Thy shame shall be discouered and thy preuytees shall be seane for I sayth the lorde will auenge of the and no man shall let me Esa. 47. ¶ The preface of thys boke GIldas that auncyent Brytayne in hys fyrst treatyse of the dolorouse destruction of hys contreye hath this worthyesen thence agaynste them which were the chefe cause therof And borowed it is of the. xxiiij chaptre of
the kynge and Maude the empresse he called a counsel of prelates and enacted it for a lawe that what so euer he were that layed violent handes vpon a churche man he stode accursed wyth boke belle and candell and mighte of none be assoyled but of the popes owne persone He ordeyned also that no preste froÌ„ thens fourth shulde assiste any kinge in his warres Ioannes Hagustaldensis in historia xxv annoruÌ„ Rogerus Houeden Giraldus Cambrensis Mattheus Paris Polydorus Ranulphus ☞ The kynge enprisoneth the canons wiues of Paules RAdulphus de Diceto doth shewe it plainely in his abreuiacioÌ„s of chronycles that in the yeare of our lord 1137. The kinge was in displeasure with William the deane Raufe Langforde Richarde Belmeis and thâ— other canons of Paules at London about the eleccion of their bishop For coÌ„trary to his expectacion they had chosen Amselme the other Anselmes nephew which was than abbot of Burie a man of suspected liuing as witnessed Turstanus in an epistle to the pope Wherupon the king toke all their wiues otherwise called their kichine maydes for doubt of the spiritual lawes in their best apparelinges and put theÌ„ all in the tower of London Where as they were kept very straightly and not deliuered againe withoute bodily shame deminishment of their fame and greuouse expenses the storie saith The bishoppes archedeacoÌ„s chauÌ„celloures deanes were in those daies most coÌ„menly al of one kindred as the seide Radulphus reporteth The bishop of Ro. InnoceÌ„t than wrote into England that Peters litle ship being long tossed on the water vexed troubled oppressed of enemies was very like if remedy were not fouÌ„d in time to be ouer rowne drouned the shourges of scismatikes of heretikes wer so great Loke Ricardus Hagustaldensis in hys small treatyse de bello Standardico IoaÌ„nes hagustaldeÌ„sis in descriptione eiusdem belli By the scysmatykes he ment those prestes whych wolde not leaue their wyues at hys wycked persuasyons and by the lytle shyppe hys owne sorcerouse synagoge of besmered shauelynges ☞ An other counsell holden agaynst prestes and their wyues VPon thys occasyon came Albericus the byshop of Hostyense in post from Rome in the yeare of our lorde a M.a. C. and. xxxviij as the vycege rent of Pope Innocent the second in Englande and Scotlande Thys Albericus called a synode at Westmynstre in the xiij daye of Decembre for thys whole regyoÌ„ wherin he had to assocyate hym xviij byshoppes and. xxx abbottes besydes the greate nomber of other dysgysed prelates Hys chefe actes were that no preste deacoÌ„ nor subdeacon shulde holde a wyfe or woman within hys howse vndre payne of dysgradynge from his Christendome and playne sendynge to helle That no prestes sonne shuld clayme any spirytuall lyuyng by heretage That none shulde take benefyce of any laye man That none were admytted to cure whyche he had not the letters of hys orders That prestes shuld do no bodyly labour And that their transubstancyated God shuld dwell but. viij dayes in the boxe for feare of worme eatynge mowlyâ—ge or stynkynge with such lyke In all their counsels they songe styll one song folowynge the rustye voyces of HyldebraÌ„de and Paschall Ricardus Ioannes Hagustaldenses Wonders were seane in the skye about thys tyme Mathew Paris sayth In England was felte a palpable darkenesse with a terryble earthquake the sunne aperynge lyke sacke clothe Apo. vi Such an horryble eclyps sayth he was ouer all thys lande that men feared the heauens to haue bene decayed The sunne in some places Ioannes HagustaldeÌ„sis sayth apered lyke quycke syluer to the wonderynge of manye These maruels wolde be marked of them whych couete to vnderstande the mysteryes of tymes after the holye scryptures ☞ The true meanynge of sygnes in the firmament declared BY thys tyme had the prelates a nombre of crafty wyttes in the vniuersytees whych were as able by schole learnynge to defende a falshede as euer were Christes dyscyples by hys heauenly doctryne to maynteyne a veryte These by a contynuall exercyse in disputacyons bicame very crafty and subtyle They toke it for an ornature of learnyng and for a thynge very conducyble to the vnderstandyng of the scriptures to define and diuyde all thynges as ded the peripatetyckes or naturall philosophers of Aristotles secte and so to proue them by naturall demonstracyons Gloryenge in the sublymyte of their wyttes they wolde be taken for men much wyser than were the Apostles and prophetes and in their doynges preferred the Idees or ymagynacyons of Plato to the eternal sprete of Christ. In the rowme of the lyuely phylosophie of God they placed faynt and vnfruitefull allegoryes as ded the olde Esseanes and as doth in our tyme the wycked secte of Anabaptistes imputyng those thynges to our synnefull wurkes whych only pertayneth to the kyngdome of faythe Thus ded the wysdome of the fleshe erect her selfe agaynst Gods heauenly wysdome preparynge a waye to Antichrist and the deuyll These doctours busyly dysputed of Peters autoryte and of the worthienesse of monkery to make good the pryde of the byshopp of Rome and to confirme the shynynge shewe of hypocresye Of thys nombre was Ricardus de Sancto Victore a Scott in Paris Alexandre Nequam and Robert Crikelade here in England all regular chanons By thys maye ye vnderstande what it ment that the sunne apeared so darke in the skye For the heauens Dauid sayth declareth the glorye of God and the firmament sheweth hys handye wurke or dedes of hys permyisyon Psal. xviij ☞ More examples declarynge those marueyles ABout the same tyme were the byshop of Romes lawes brought into thys realme by Baldewyn the archebyshop of Canterburye But so sone as kynge Steuen had knowledge therof he condempned them by acte of Parlement commaundynge by proclamacyons and streygth iniunctyons that no man shulde retayne them vndre great penalte By meanes whereof they were in some places torne to peces and in some places brent in the fyre as by good mennis iudgement they were no lesse worthie For they were verye muche agaynst the commodyte of kynges and their commeÌ„ welthes christeÌ„ magistrates powers Ioannes Sarisburiensis in Polycratico de nugis aulicorum libro viij cap. xxij Both the monke Gracianus whych collectyd togyther the Popes decrees into our volume called the concorde of lawes dyscordaunt and also Peter Lombarde hys brother in the rablement of hys vnsauery sentences complayned very sore that many in their tyme beleued the only substaunce of breade to remayne in the sacrament of Christes bodye Yea the best learned maisters of Paris Iohan Tyssyngton sayth in his boke agaynst the confessyon of Wycleue were at the same season of thys opynyon that in the sacramental wordes Esse was to be taken for significare Agaynst whom these adulterouse chyldren Gracianus and Petrus brought forth thys smokye conclusion not out of the scriptures but froÌ„ their