cite vp both parties and to haue the hearing and deciding of the cause as did Macarius and Hesychius send to Iulius then bishop of Rome c. Item in that certaine of the Arrians returning from their Arrianisme offered vp and exhibited vnto the bishops of Rome their libels of repentance and were of them receiued againe as Vrsatius and Valens did to Iulius Socra lib. 2. cap 24. The x. cause was also for that Gratianus the Emperour made a law that all men should retaine that religiō which Damasus bishop of Rome and Peter bishop of Alexandria did hold Sozom lib. 7. cap. 4. And also if it happened the bishop of Rome to disalow the ordering of any minister or ministers the Popes perceiuing how diligent and redy they were to seeke their fauour and to send vp their messengers to Rome for their purgation tooke therby no little maner of exaltation Theodoret lib. 5. cap. 23. Besides these aforesaid the bishops of Rome had also an other artificiall practise that in sending out their letters abroad as they did to many in all their Epistles if the Epistles be theirs and not forged euer they were harping of the greatnes of their name and of their Apostolike sea and of the primacie of S. Peter their predecessor and prince of all the Apostles c. And this they vsed in euerie letter when so euer they wrote to any as appeareth in all their letters decretall namely in the letters of Miltiades Marcellus and Marcus c. Againe if any of the East church directed any writing to them wherein any signification was conteined of neuer so little reuerence giuen vnto them as learned men commonly vse for modesties sake that was taken by by and construed for plaine subiection and due obediēce as declareth the letter of Damasus written to the bishops of the East Church beginning thus Quod debita reuerentia c. in English thus but that your charitie yeldeth due reuerēce to the Apostolicall sea you in so doing deare children do much for your selues c. Theodoret. Lib. 5. cap. 9. where as the Bishops of the East Church notwithstanding had shewed little or no reuerence in their Epistle to Pope Damasus before Thus haue ye the first and originall groundes by the meanes wherof the Archbishops of the Romish Sea haue atchieued to this their great kingdome and celsitude ouer Christes church first beginning the mysterie of their iniquitie by that which was modestly and voluntarily giuē them Afterward by vse and custome claiming it ambitiously vnto them of dutie seruice lastly holding fast as we see that which once they had gotten into their possessiō so that now in no case they can abide the birdes to cal home their fethers againe which they so long haue vsurped And thus much concerning the life iurisdiction title of the Romain bishops In all which as is declared they and not we haue fallen from the church of Rome To these I might also ioyne the maner of gouernment wherin the said Romish Bishops haue no lesse altered both from the rule of Scripture and from the steps of the true church of Rome which gouernment as it hath bene and ought to be only spirituall so hath the bishop of Rome vsed it of late yeres no otherwise thē hath an earthly king or prince gouerned his realme dominiōs with riches glory power terror outward strēgth force prisō death executiō lawes policies promooting his friends to dignities reuenging his affections punishing and correcting faults against his person more then other offences against God committed vsing and abusing in all these things the word of God for his pretext cloke to worke his worldly purpose withall whereas indeede the word of God ministreth no such power to spirituall persons but such as is spirituall according to the saying of the Apostle Arma militiae nostrae non sunt carnalia sed spiritualia c. The armour and artillery sayth S. Paule of our warfaire is not carnall but spirituall such as serue not against flesh and bloud nor against the weake person of man but against Sathan agaynst the gates of hell and the profundities of the wicked power c. Which armour as it is al spiritual so ought they which haue the dealing therof to be likewise spirituall well furnished with all such giftes and graces of the holye Ghost meere for the gouernance of his spiritual Church as with wisedome and knowledge in the Scripture to instructe the ignorant with inward intelligence foresight of the craftye cogitations and operations of Sathan with power of the spirit to resist the same with practise and experience of tentations to comfort such as be afflicted and oppressed of Sathan with heauenly discretion to discerne spirits and truth from vntruth with iudgment and knoledge of tounges and learning to conuict errour wyth zeale of Gods glory with feruencye of prayer with patience in persecution with a minde contented with all cases and states incident with teares and compassion on other mens greeues with stoutnes and courage against proud and stout oppressours with humilitie towarde the poore and miserable with the counsaile of the Lorde Iesus by his word and spirite to direct him in all things to be done with strength against sinne with hatred of this worlde with gift of fayth power of the keyes in spirituall causes as to minister the word the Sacraments and excommunication when the worde biddeth that the spirite may be saued and to reconcile againe as case requireth c. These and such like are the matters wherin consisteth the sinews and strength of the church and the true gouernance of the same But cōtrary to these aforesaid both the Bishop clergie of this latter Church of Rome proceeding in their administration and gouernaunce as who vnder the name and pretence of Christ and his word haue exercised of long time nothing els but a worldly dominion seeking indede their owne glory not the glory of Christ riches of the world not the lucre of soules not feeding the flocke but fillyng the purse reuenging their owne wronges but neglecting gods glory stryuing against man onely and killing him but not killing the vice nor confuting the errour of man strong against flesh and bloude but weake against the Deuill stout against the simple but meeke against the mightie briefly doing almost all thinges preposterously more like to secular Princes then spirituall Pastours of Christes flocke with outward forcement and feare of punishment wyth prysoning famishyng hanging racking drowning headyng slaying murdering and burning and warring also on the other side with his riches and treasures wyth his garde and gardiance with strength of men with Court and Cardinals with pomp and pride about them with their triple crowne with the naked sworde with theyr ordinary succession with their lawes and executions their promotions and prefermēts their biddings and commandings threatninges and reuenginges c. In fine to compare therfore the Images of a
saluation contrary to the working of the holy spirite of God And thus the Church of Rome pretending onely the name of Christ and of his Religion is so farre altered from the truth of that which it pretendeth that vnder the name of Christ it persecuteth both Christ his Religion working more harme to the Church of Christ then euer did the open tirants and persecuting Emperours among the heathen not much vnlike herein to the olde Sinagoge of the Scribes and Phareseis who vnder the name of God crucified the sonne of God and vnder pretence of the law fought against the Gospell and vnder the title of Abrahams children persecuted the childrē of Abraham And as they bragging so highly of the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lorde did in deede destroye the true Temple of the Lord right so these pretensed Catholikes in these dayes after they haue raysed vppe a Catholike Churche of their owne and haue armed the same with lawes and haue gathered vnto them a power of Priestes Prelates Abbats Priors of religious men of Cardinals and also of secular Princes to take their part now vnder the name of the Catholicke Church they persecute the true Catholike church and coloring their procedings still with In nomine Domini most cruelly they put to death which die pro nomine Domini condemning them for heretikes schismatikes and rebles not which deny any part of the creede which they themselues professe nor such whome they can conuince by any Scripture but onely such which will not ioyne wyth their errours and heresies contrary to the honour of God and truth of his worde And lest any should thinke this that we here protest against the corrupt errours manifold deformities of this latter Church of Rome to proceede of any raucor or affection rather then grounded of necessary causes and demōstrations euident my purpose is by the Lordes leaue to take herein some litle paine that as I haue collected a litle before the summe cōtents of S. Paules doctrine where with the old Church of Rome was first seasoned and acquainted so now as in a like summary table to discrye the particular braunches and contents of the Popes doctrine now set foorth to the intent that all true Christian readers comparing the one with the other may discern what great alteration there is betwene the church of Rome that now is and the church of Rome that then was planted by the Apostles in the primitiue time And to the ende to open to the simple reader some waye whereby he may the better iudge in such matters of doctrine not be deceaued in discerning truth from errour first we wil propound certeine principles or general positions as infallible rules or truthes of the Scripture wherby al other doctrines opinions of men being tried and examined as in the touchstone may the more easely be iudged whether they be true or cōtrary whether they make agaynst the scripture or no. ¶ Certeine Principles or generall verities grounded vpon the truth of Gods word ¶ The first principle 1. AS sinne and death came originally by the disobedience of one to all men of his generation by nature so righteousnes and life come originally by the obedience of one to all men regenerated of him by faith Baptisme Rom. 5. ¶ The 2. Principle 2. The promise of God was freely giuen to our first parentes without their deseruing that the seede of a woman should breake the Serpents head Gen. 3. ¶ The 3. Principles 3. Promise was giuen freely to Abraham before he deserued any thing that in his seede all nations should be blessed Gen. 12. ¶ The 4. Principle 4. To the worde of God neither must wee adde nor take from it Deut. 4. ¶ The 5. Principle 5. He that doth the workes of the law shall liue therein Leuit. 18. Gal. 3. ¶ The 6. Principle 6. Accursed is he which abideth not in euery thing that is written in the booke of the law Deut. 27. Gal. 3. ¶ The 7. Principle 7. God onely is to be worshipped Deut. 6. Luc. 4. ¶ The 8. Principle 8. All our righteousnes is like a defiled cloth of a woman Esay 64. ¶ The 9. Principle 9. In all my holy hill they shall not kill nor slay saith the Lord. Esay 11.65 ¶ The 10. Principle 10. God loueth mercy and obedience more then sacrifice Osee. 6.1 Reg. 15. ¶ The 11. Principle 11. The lawe worketh anger condemneth and openeth sinne Rom. 3. ¶ The 12. Principle 12. The end of the law is Christ to righteousnes to euery one that beleueth Rom. 10. ¶ The 13. Principle 13. Whosoeuer beleeueth and is Baptised shall be saued Mat. vlt. ¶ The 14. Principle 14. A man is iustified by faith without workes freely by grace not of our selues Gal. 2. Ephes. 2. ¶ The 15. Principle 15. There is no remission of sinnes without bloud Heb. 9 ¶ The 16. Principle 16. Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14. without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. ¶ The 17. Principle 17. One Mediatour betweene God man Christ Iesus 1. Tim. 2. he is the propitiatiō for our sinnes 1. Iohn 2. ¶ The 18. Principle 18. Who soeuer seeketh in the law to be iustified is fallen from grace ¶ The 19. Principle 19. In Christ be all the promises of God Est Amen 2. Cor. 1. ¶ The 20. Principle 20. Let euery soule be subiect to superiour powers gyuyng to Caesar that which is Cesars to God that which is Gods Rom. 13. These principles and infallible rules of the Scripture as no man can denie so if they be granted the doctrine thē of the Popes Church must needes be found not to be Catholike but rather full of errours and heresies as in the sequele folowing remaineth more expressely and particularly by the grace of Christ to be conuinced ¶ Here foloweth a Summary collection of the errours heresies and absurdities conteyned in the popes doctrine contrary to the rules of Gods vvord and the first institution of the Church of Rome Of Faith and Iustification FIrst as touching the onely meanes and instrumentall cause of our iustificatiō wherby the merits of Christes Passiō be applied to vs made ours ye heard before how S. Paule onely ascrybeth the same to faith as appeareth by all his letters especially to the Romanes Where he excluding al kind of works ascribeth al our saluation iustification righteousnes reconciliation and peace with god onely to faith in Christ. Contrary to which doctrine the Pope and his church hath set vp diuers and sondry other meanes of their owne deuising whereby the merites of Christes passion they saye are applyed to vs and made ours to the putting away of sinnes and for our iustification as hope charitie sacrifice of the Masse auricular confession satisfacion merits of Saintes and holy orders the
preuailing agaynst hâ—m ouerthrew diuers of his houses in the city For the which he did excommunicate theÌ„ The Romanes then flying to the Emperour desired his ayd succour but he be like to pleasure the Pope gathering an army went rather agaynst the Romanes TheÌ„ the popes army whose Captaynes were the Earle of Tholouse to purchase the Popes fauour and Peter the foresayd Byshop of Winchester whom the Pope for the same had sent for froÌ„ england partly for his treasure partly for his practise and skill in feates of warre and the Emperours host ioyued together and bordering about the Citty of Rome cast downe the castelies or mansions belonging to the citizens round about the Suburbes to the number of 18. and destroyed all theyr vines and vineyardes about the City Wherat the Romanes being not a litle offended brast out of the Cittye with more heat then order to the number of 100000. as the frorye reporteth to destroy Uiterbium the Popes City with sword and fire But the multitude being vnordered and out of battaile ray aud vnprouided for ieoperdies which by the way might happen fell into the handes of theyr enemies who were in wayt for them and of them destroid a great nuÌ„ber so that on both parts were slayne to the vew of 30000 but the most part was of the Citizens And this dissention thus begun was not soone ended but continued long after By these and such other storyes who seeth not how farre the church of Rome hath degenerated from the true Image of the right Church of Christ which by the rule example of the Gospell ought to be a daughter of peace not a mother of debate not a reuenger of her selfe nor seeker of warres but a forgeuer of iniuries humbly and patiently referring all reuenge to the Lord not a raker for riches but a winner of soules not contending for worldly maistership but humbling themselues as seruantes and not Uicars of the Lorde but ioyntly like brethren seruing together Bishops with Bishops Ministers with Ministers Deacons with Deacons and not as Masters separating themselues by superiority one from an other and briefly communicating together in doctrine and couÌ„sell one particular church with an other not as a mother one ouer an other but rather as a sister Church one with an other seking together the glory of Christ and not their owne And such was the Church of Rome first in the olde auncieÌ„t beginning of her primitive state especially while the crosse of persecution yet kept the Bishops and Ministers vnder in humility of hart and feruent calling vpon the Lord for helpe so that happy was that Christian then which with liberty of conscience onely might holde hys life how barely soeuer he liued And as for the pride and pompe of the world striuing for patrimonyes buying of Bishoprickes gaping for benefices so far was this off froÌ„ them that then they had litle leisure and lesse list yea once to thinke vpon them Neither did the Bishoppes then of Rome fight to be Consuls of the City but sought how to bring the Consuls vnto Christ being glad if the Consuls would permit them to dwell by them in the city Neither did they theÌ„ presume so hye to bring the Emperors necks vnder theyr gyrdles but were glad to saue theyr necks in any corner from the sword of Emperors TheÌ„ lacked they outward peace but abounded with inward consolation Gods holy spirit mightely working in their harts Then was one catholicke vnity of truth and doctrine amongest all churches agaynst errors and secres Neither did yâ— east and west nor distance of place deuide the church but both the eastchurch and westchurch the Greekes and Latynes made all one church And albeit there were then 5. Patriarchall Seas appoynted for order sake differing in regions peraduenture also in some rites one from another yet all these consenting together in one vnity of catholicke doctrine hauing one God one Christ one fayth one baptisme one spirit one head and lincked together in one boÌ„d of charity and in one equality of honor they made altogether one body one church one communion called one catholicke vniuersall and Apostolicall church And so long as this knot of charity and equality did ioyne them in one vnity together so long the church of Christ florished and encreased one redy to helpe and harbour another in time of distresse as Agapitus and Uigilius flying to Constantinople were there ayded by the Patriarch c. so that all this while neither forrein enemye neither Saracen nor Souldane nor Sultane nor Calipha nor Corasmine nor Turke had any power greatly to harme it But through the malice of the enemy this Catholicke vnity did not loÌ„g continue and all by reason of the bishop of Rome who not contented to be like his brethren begaÌ„ to extend himselfe to claime superiority aboue the other 4. Patriarchall Seas all other Churches in the world And thus as equality amongst christian byshops was by pride and singularity oppressed so vnity began by little litle to be dissolued and the Lordes coat which the souldiors left whole to be deuided Which coat of christian vnity albeit of long time it had bene now seamcript before by the occasion aforesayd yet notwithstanding in some peece it held together in some meane agrement vnder subiectioÌ„ to the sea of Rome till the tune of this pope Gregory the 9. an 1230. at which tyme thys rupture and schisme of the church brake out into a playn deuisioÌ„ vtterly disseuering the Eastchurch from the westchurch vpon this occasion There was a certayn archbyshop elected to an Archbishoprick among the Grecians who comming to Rome to be coÌ„firmed could not be admitted vules he promised a very great summe of mony Which when he refused to do and detested the exectable simony of the court of Rome he made his repayre home agayn to his country vncoÌ„firmed declaring there to the whole nobility of that land the case how it stood For yâ— more confirmation whereof there were other also which comming lately from Rome there had proued the same or worse came in and gaue testimony to his saying Whereupon all the church of the Grecians the same time hearing this departed vtterly away from the Church of Rome which was in the dayes of this Pope Gregory the 9. In so much that the Archbishop of Constantinople comming afterward to the generall Councell at Lyons there opeÌ„ly declared that where as before time he had vnder him aboue thirty Bishopricks and Suffraganes now he had not three adding moreouer that all yâ— Grecians certayne other with Antioche and the whole Empyre of Romania cueÌ„ to the gates almost of Constantinople were goue from the obedience of the Church of Rome c. Math. Paris fol. 112. c fol. 186. By the occasion of which separation aforesayd of the Grecians from pope Gregory it happened shortly after being the yeare of our
successors But if thou haue geuen any we iudge the gift to be voyde and call backe how farre so euer thou hast gone forward And whosoeuer beleueth otherwise we iudge them heretickes Vnto this letter of the Pope king Phillip maketh answere agayn in maner order as followeth which is this ¶ Phillip by the grace of God King of Fraunce to Boniface not in deedes behauing himselfe for Pope little friendship or none TO Boniface bearing himselfe for chiefe Byshop little health or none Let thy follishnes know that in no temporall things we are subiect to no man and that the giftes of prebendes and many benefices made and to be made by vs were and shall be good both in time past and to come And that we will defend manfully the possessours of the sayd benefices and we thinke them that beleue or thinke otherwise fooles and mad men Geuen at Paris the Wednesday after Candlemas an 1301. After these aforesayd and other writinges passing to and fro betweene the French kyng and the pope within a yeare and a halfe after the king sommoneth a Parliament sending downe hys letters to his Sheriffes and other officers to summon the Prelates and Barons of the Realme vnto the sayd Court of Parliament according to the tenor of the kinges letters here following PHilip by the grace of God king of Fraunce c. Whereas we would take counsaile with the Prelates Barons and other our faythfull about weighty matters and hard and suche as belong greatly to our right and touching our honour state liberties and lawes of this our Realme Churches and Ecclesiasticall persons and would also go forward and proceede in the foresayd matters according to their counsayle We commaund you that ye dilligently in our behalfe require straightly charge all the Prelates in your baliwicke and also all and singuler Abbots and Priors of the same your foresayd baliwicke to certayne of the whiche we haue directed downe our special letters for the same cause that as they fauour our honour the good state both of the realme of théselues and of the Church they repayre to vs in their own persōs all lets and delayes set aside and all other busines left of Shewing to them moreouer that we can iudge none of them to be eyther to vs faythfull subiects or friendes to the Realme which shall faile herein or withdraw himselfe in the foresayd busines counsayles and helpes in tyme. Wherin if peraduenture any shall slack or refuse to resort and come toward vs within 8. dayes frō the tyme of this charge geuen by you or your commaundement That then you to seise all hys temporall goodes into our hand so seised to holde them vntill you receiue other commaundement from vs. Geuen at Paris the Monday before the Natiuitie of S. Iohn Baptist in the yeare of our Lord. 1303. ¶ A declaration of maister William Nagareta made against Pope Boniface the eight with his appellation also made at Paris afore the kyng and his Counsaile in the Church of Paris IN the name of God Amen In the yeare of our Lorde 1303. Indictione secunda the 12. day of March and the ix yeare of the Popedome of the most holy father the L. Boniface the 8. by Gods prouidence pope and in the presence of vs common notaries and witnesses written vnder the noble man maister William Nagareta knight a worshipfull professour of the lawes standing afore the most excellent Prince the Lord Philip by the grace of God most noble king of Fraunce spake with liuely words and gaue in writinges these thinges that follow There haue bene false Prophetes among the people as there haue bene also among you false teachers c. S. Peter the glorious prince of the Apostles speaking to vs by the spirite tolde vs thinges to come that likewise as there were false Prophetes afore tyme so there should come among you false teachers bringing in sectes of destruction by the which the way of trueth shall be defaced and couetously they shall make marchandise of you with fayned wordes and further addeth that such maisters did follow the way of Balaam of Bosor whiche loued the reward of wickednes and had hys bridled Asse to correct hys madnes whiche speaking in a mans voyce did stop the foolishnes of the Prophet All which thinges as they be shewed to vs by the greatest Patriarch himself Your eyes see them fulfilled this day according to the letter For there fitteth in S Peters Chaire the mayster of lyes causing himselfe to be called Boniface 1. a well doer where he is notable in all kinde of euill doyng And so both he hath taken to himselfe a false name and where he is not a true ruler and maister he calleth himselfe the Lord Iudge and mayster of all men And comming in contrary to the common order appoynted by the holy fathers and also contrary to the rules of reason and so not entring in at the doore into the Lordes shepefold is not a shepheard nor hierling but rather a theefe robber For he the true husbād of the Romish church yet liuing deceiued him that was delighted in simplicitie entised him with fayned flatterings gifts to let him haue his spouse to be his wife let no man separate at length laying violent handes vppon hym perswading him falsely that thing which the deceiuer sayd to come from the holy spirite was not ashamed to ioyne to himselfe with wicked practise that holye Church which is maistresse of all Churches calling hymselfe to her husband where as he cannot be for Celestinus the true Romish Byshop agreed not to the said deuorce being deceiued by so great subtiltie nothing is so contrary to agreeing as errour and deceit as mans lawes beare witnes that I neede not to speake of his violence But because the spirite inspireth where he will and he that is led with the spirite is not vnder the lawe the holy vniuersall Church of God not knowing the craftes of that deceiuer stumbling and doubting whether it came from the holy ghost that Celestinus should leaue of his gouernment and the sinnes of the people deseruing it for feare of a schisme suffered the foresaid deceauer although according to the doctrine of our Lord by hys fruites he might be knowne whether he came to the say'd regiment by the holy ghost or otherwise his fruites as it is playnely here written beneath are now manifest to all men by which it is apparaunt to the worlde that he came not in by God but otherwayes and so came not in by the sheepefould His fruites are most wicked and hys ende is death and therefore it is necessary that so euill a tree according to the Lordes saying should be cut downe and cast into the fire This cānot auaile to his excuse which is said of some men that is that the Cardinals did agree vpon him agayn after the death of the sayd Celestinus the pope seing he could not be her husband whom
preach no lyes nor vayne iests or other things not authorised but only the law of Christ the minds of the holy doctors And he that doth so preach necessity occationing or mouing him therunto in case there be no Pope or Bishop or in case possible to withstand the preaching of heretickes or false preachers he in so doing doth not vsurpe the office of preaching and in suche case there is no doubt but he is sent of God and this doth also answere vnto that which is consequently sayd that if any man will peradueÌ„ture craftely answere that such preachers are inuisibly seÌ„t of God although not visibly of meÌ„ when as that inuisible seÌ„ding of God is much more better theÌ„ the visible sending of men A man may reasonably answere therunto that forsomuch as that interuall seÌ„ding is secret it is not sufficient for a man onely to say that he is sent of God forsomuch as euery hereticke may so say but he ought to proue the same his inuisible calling by the working of some miracle or by some speciall testimony of the scripture Here it is to be noted according to S. Augustine in his 65. booke of quest vnto Orosius that there is 4. kindes of sending The first is from God onely whereof we read in Moises other which were inspired by God And this kinde sending loseth from the daunger of the statute so that he whom the spirit of God hath enspired this prelate geuing thankes may proceed vnto a better life WherupoÌ„ Pope Urbane sayd 19. quest 2. There be sayd he 2. lawes the one publick the other priuate The publick law is that which is confirmed in writing by the holy fathers such as is the canon law which is only geuen for transgressions As for example it is decreed in the canons that none of the clergy shall go froÌ„ one bishoprick vnto an other without the letters commendatory of his bishop the which was ordeined onely for offeÌ„ders that no infamed persons should be receiued of any bishop For they were wont when they could not celebrate or do their office vnder their owne Bishopricke to go vnto another which now is forbidden by the lawes and precepts The priuate law is that which by the instruction of the holy Ghost is written in the hart as the Apostle speaketh of many which haue the law of God written in their hartes And in an other place Forsomuch as the Gentiles haue not the law of God but naturally doe those thinges which are of the law they are lawes vnto theÌ„selues And afterward he sayth the priuate law is much more worthy then the publicke law For the spirit of god is a law And they which are moued by the spirit of God are led by the law of God And who is he that can worthely resist agaynst the holy Ghost Whosoeuer therfore is led by the spirit of God albeit his bishop do say him nay let him go freely by our authority for the law is not appointed for the iust man for where as the spirit of God is there is liberty and if ye be led by the spirite of God ye are not vnder the law Beholde here it is affirmed that the sending by God through inspiration is not bound vnder the bondage of the law for that law is more worthye then the publicke law Secondly that the law is made for transgressors offenders and not for the iust Thirdly that whosoeuer is ledd by the spirite of God although his Bishop stand agaynst him he may proceed vnto a better life Wherby it is euideÌ„t that a deacon or priest disposed to preach and being led by the spirit of God he may freely preach the gospell of christ without the spiritual licence of his bishop It is euideÌ„t for somuch as it is good that a deacon or priest do liue well preach fruitfully Ergo he may proceede from idlenes vnto the labor office of preaching and so vnto a better life But where as it is sayde afore that for so much as the inward sending or calling is secret therfore it is not sufficient for a man barely to affirme onely the he is sent of god when as euery heretick may so say but it is necessary that he do confirme proue his inuisible sending by the working of some miracle or by some speciall testimony of the scripture Here is to be noted that there are 2. kindes of preachers some true preachers of our sauior Christ other seducers of Antechrist The first sort following the mayster Christ teach the people in truth The other sort being of a corrupt minde and reprobate touching faith resist against the verity And through couetousnes by their fained words do make marchandise of the people And these meÌ„ do geue shal geue miracles as our sauior saith Math. 24. There shall arise false Christs and false prophets the which shall shew great signes and wonders in so much that euen the elect theÌ„selues if it were by any meanes possible shoulde be brought into error And the apostle in â—he 2. to the Thes. 2. as touching their head Antechrist writeth thus whose comming shal be according to the operation of sathan with al power and signes false miracles seducing vnto iniquity those which do perish because they haue not receiued the charity and loue of truth that they might be saued Therfore will the Lord send vpon them the operation of error that they shall geue credit vnto lies That all such as haue not belued the truth but consent vnto wickednes should be iudged Behold how expressely our Sauior by himself and by his Apostle doth teach vs how the disciples of Antechrist with theyr head should shine through their great signes and woÌ„ders But the true disciples of Christ shall not so do in the time of Antechrist For as S. Isidor sayth in his first book 22. De summo bono Before that Antechrist shall appeare all vertues and signes shall cease from the Church that he may the boldlier persecute the same as an abiect For this profit shall all miracles and signes cease vnder Antechrist that thereby the patience of the holy meÌ„ might be known and the lightnes of the reprobate which are offeÌ„ded may be opened also that the cruelty of the persecuters shuld be made more scare Thus writeth S. Isidor S. Gregory in his 24. booke of Morals sayth For why by a terrible examination of Gods secret dispeÌ„satioÌ„ shall all signes of vertue or power be takeÌ„ away from the holy church before that the Leuiathan appeare in yâ— most wicked and damnable man whose shape he doth take vpon him For prophecy is hidden the gift of healing is takeÌ„ away the vertue of loÌ„g abstineÌ„ce is deminished the words of doctrine is put to silence and the wonderfull workes of miracles are extinguished which things nothing can vtterly take away but onely the dispensation of God But this dispeÌ„satioÌ„ is not so openly manifoldly
spoile his subiects defloure virgins dishonest matrones and do all things licentiously and temerariously do not the nobles of the kingdome assemble together deposing him from his kingdome set vp another in his place which shall sweare to rule and gouerne vprightly and be obedient vnto the lawes Verely as reason doth perswade euen so doth the vse thereof also teach vs. It seemeth also agreeable vnto reason that the same should be done in the Church that is to say in the Councell which is done in any kingdome And so is this sufficiently apparant which we haue before sayd that the Pope is subiect vnto the Councell But now to passe vnto the argumentes of Diuinitie the foundation of the matter which we do intreate vpon are the wordes of our Sauiour Iesu Christ in diuers places but specially where as he speaketh vnto Peter Tu es Petrus super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam portae inferi non praeualebunt aduersus eam i. Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it Vpon whyche words it seemeth good to begin this disputatiō forsomuch as some were wont to alledge these words to extoll the authority of the Bishop of Rome But as it shall by and by appeare the words of Christ had another sense and meaning then diuers of them do thinke for he saith the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it Verely this is a great promise and these wordes of the Lord are of great importance For what greater word could there haue bene spoken then that the gates of hell should not preuaile against the church These gates of hel as S. Hierome saith do signifie sins Wherfore if sinnes can not preuaile against the Church neither can any maligne spirites preuaile against the same which haue no power at all ouer mankinde but only through sinne And for that cause where as it is sayd in Iob that there is no power vpon the earth that may be cōpared vnto the power of the maligne spirite whereby it followeth that the power of the Church is aboue all other power We may also vpon the same saying reason after an other sort for somuch as the gates of hel that is to say sinnes can not preuaile agaynst the Church the Church thereby is declared to be without sinne the which cā not be spoke of the pope which is a mortall mā for somuch as it is written seuen tymes in the day the iust mā doth offend If the Church be without spot because it can not be defiled with sinne who is it that will preferre a sinnefull mā before an vndefiled Churche Neither let vs geue eare vnto those whiche will not referre these woordes of Christ vnto the Church where as he sayth Oraui pro te Petre vt non deficiat fides tua That is to say Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth should not fayle thee For as S. Augustine sayth in the exposition of the Psalmes certaine thyngs are spoken as though they seemed properly to pertaine vnto the Apostle Peter notwithstanding they haue no euident sense but when they are referred vnto the Churche the person wherof he is vnderstāded figuratiuely to represent Wherupō in an other place in the questiōs of the new old Testament vpon the wordes Rogaui pro te Petre I haue prayed for thee Peter What is doubted Did he pray for Peter did he not pray for Iames and Iohn beside the rest It is manifest that vnder the name of Peter all other are conteyned For in an other place of S. Iohn he sayth I pray for them whom thou hast geuen me I will that wheresoeuer I am they shall be also with me Wherupon we do oftentymes by the name of Peter vnderstand the Church which we do nothing at all doubt to be done in this place otherwise the truth could not consist for somuch as within a while after the fayth of Peter fayled for a tyme by the deniall of Christ but the fayth of the Church whose person Peter did represent did alwayes perseuere inuiolate As touching the Bishops of Rome if time would suffer vs we could rehearse many crāples how that they either haue ben heretickes or replenished with other vices Neither are we ignoraunt how that Marcellinus at the Emperours commaundement did sacrifice vnto Idols that an other whiche is more horrible did attaine vnto the Papacy by a deuilish fraude deceite Notwithstandyng the testimony of Paule vnto the Hebrues shall suffice vs at this tyme who sayth euery Bishop to be compassed in with infirmitie that is to say with wickednesse and sinne Also the testimonies of Christ him selfe do approue that the Church remaineth alwayes without sinne for in Mathew he saith I am with you euen vnto the end of the world The which wordes were not onely spoken vnto the Apostles for they continued not vnto the end of the world but also vnto their successours neither would Christ then signifie that he was God dispersed throughout all the world as he is also perceiued to be amongest sinners but would declare a certain gift of grace through his assistaūce whereby he would preserue the holy Churche consisting amongest his Apostles and their successours alwayes immaculate and vndefiled And agayne in an other place I sayth he will pray he shal geue you an other cōforter that he may remaine w e you for euer euē the spirite of truth whō the world cānot receaue because the world seeth him not neither knoweth him but you shall know him because he shall remayne with you The which wordes being spoken vnto the Disciples of Iesus are also vnderstāded to be spokē vnto their successours so cōsequently vnto the Church And if the spirite of truth be cōtinually in the Church no man cā deny but that the Church ought to continue vndefiled By the same authoritie also that Christ is called the spouse of the Church who seeth not but that the Church is vndefiled For the husband the wise as the Apostle sayth are two in one flesh as he doth also adde no mā hateth his own flesh thereby it commeth to passe that Christ can not hate the Church for somuch as she is his spouse and one flesh with him no mā cā hate himselfe Ergo the Church doth not sinne for if it did sinne it should be hated for sinners the Lord doth hate The which authorities being gathered together we ought with the Apostle to confesse that the Church of God hath neither spot nor wrincle Also he writyng vnto Timothe affirmeth the Churche to be the piller foundation of the truth whereupō in this song of the spouse it is sayd My frend thou art altogether fayre beawtifull neither is there any spot in thee These wordes peraduenture may abash some that I do go about to proue the Church to be without
quin in supremo illo iudicio tuo quum virtutes coelorum mouebuntur omnis eorum ad amussim excutietur causa ante tribunal tuum est tamen aliquid hîc quoque in ecclesia tua causam ipsorum facta vitaeque virtutes caeteras non ignorari Tunc autem ad illos vberior gloria ad nos interea maior redundabit fructus quando ex ipsorum rectè factis integritate innocentia fide ac patientia constarâ— poterit non quid ipsi solum fecerint sed quid nobis eorum sit exemplo faciendum Sed hic rursus dulcissime Iesu opus est benigno fauoris tui praesidio Nos enim qui filij Martyrum tuorum sumus quosque maximè maiores nostros imitari conueniebat nunc nihil serè parentum tenemus praeter vitae solam hanc quam suo partam sanguine reliquerunt libertatem qua etiam ipsa nimium abutimur intemperanter vtiam periculum sit ne non filij modò Martyrum sed ne fratres quidem ipsorum haberi mereamur Quantum enim intersit discriminis quamque prorsus disconuenit ordine toto nostra consuetudo ab illorum vestigijs disciplina pudet profectò referre Sed quid ego tibi referam cuius nihil non perspicit maiestas ac intuetur Quanto illis studio ac curae fuit amore tui caetera quaeque adeoque seipsos ad vitae etiam contemptum abdicare mundum cum omnibus desideriâ—s floccifacere voluptates tanquam nugas spernere Nec sinebant pericula vndique imminentia opibus congerendis multoque minus honoribus cumulandis vacare Contra verò nostra nunc vita studium omnisque adeò contentio quid nisi mundum spirat quid aliud quà m perpetuum quoddam fluxarum rerum opum ac honorum aucupium videtur ambitus At illi quam praeclarè secum actum putassent si vel viuere modò licuisset Ideoque multi fuere eoruÌ„ qui Mariae Reginae facultates possessiones omnes adusque extremum assem obtuleruÌ„t dummâ—do solam ipsis remitteret conscientiam Et quae nos tanta haec habendi intemperies exagitat quibus nec vnus nec mediocris victus possit esse satis Sine modo sine fine opibus sacerdotijs censuique dilatando inhiamus Quanto ambitu amicos fatigamus inimicos non vt viuamus solum verum vt sublimes viuamus honorati De fide de mansuetudine eorum tolerantia simplicitate ac patientia incredibili quid dici satis potest Quanta constantia qua animi alacritate perpessi sunt quicquid infligebatur vindictam omnem deo remittentes cui causam commendabant Nulla vis eos aduersariorum deijcere nec minae frangere non ludibria mouere non pericula non tormenta vlla consternere nec delinire blanditiae potuerunt Componamus nunc nostram cum his mollitiem Sed pudor prohibet Nam quae tam leuis nos tentationis aura afflare possit quae non illico praecipites ac transuersos rapiat in auaritiam in fastum voluptates turpitudinem vindictam in quid non malorum Quae tam leuis obijci poterit iniuriola pro qua non coelum terrae miscemus mariáque turbamus ab imo Ex quo in promptu est colligere quantum ab eo absumus vt mortem simus vnquam tua causa subituri siquando res Martyrium flagitet quum nec affectus quidem istos tuo amputare iussu velimus Quapropter vt Martyrum quidem illorum causa gratias agimus nomini tuo sancto ita nostra vicissim causa deprecamur vt qui largitus sis ipsis vincendi facultatem nobis itidem pia eorundem exempla imitandi foelicitatem aspires sicque ecclesiae tuae affulgeat tua gratia necubi seducti huius mundi illecebris secordiores ipsi in retinenda Euangelij tui victoria quà m illi in comparanda strenui videamur Postremo quoniam historiam hanc tuo nutu ac voluntate aggressi in ea re operam studiumque posuimus quo facta gestaque sanctorum tuorum sanctissime Iesu ad nominis tui gloriam in commodum ecclesiae publicum emergerent adde nunc labori fructum simulque historiae tutelam in te recipias magnopere petimus cui opus ipsum totumque meipsum quem tot modis tuae misericordiae debeo toto corpore anima totisque viribus commendo dedico consecroque cui omne cadat genu omnisque vox lingua confessionis gloriam per omnes ecclesias tribuat personétque Amen ¶ To the Right Vertuous most Excellent and Noble Princesse Queene ELIZABETH our dread Lady by the grace of God Queene of England Fraunce and Ireland Defender of Christes Faith and Gospell and principall Gouernour both of the Realme and also ouer the sayd Churche of England and Ireland vnder Christ the Supreme head of the same c. Iohn Foxe her humble subiect wisheth daily increase of Gods holy spirite and Grace with long raigne perfect health and ioyfull peace to gouerne hys flocke committed to her charge to the example of all good Princes the comforte of his Churche and glory of hys blessed name CHRIST the Prince of all Princes who hath placed you in your throne of Maiestie vnder him to gouerne the Church and Realme of England geue your royall highnesse long to sit and many yeares to raigne ouer vs in all flourishing felicitie to his gracious pleasure and long lasting ioy of all your subiects Amen When I first presented these ACTES and MONVMENTES vnto your Maiestie most deare Soueraigne Queene ELIZABETH our peaceable SALOME which your Maiesties rare clemencie receiued in such gentle part I well hoped that these my trauailes in this kynd of writing had bene well at an ende whereby I might haue returned my studies agayne to other purposes after myne owne desire more fitte then to write histories especially in the English tong But certaine euill disposed persons of intemperant tongues aduersaries to good procedings would not suffer me so to rest fuming and fretting and raising vp such miserable exclamations at the first appearing of the booke as was wonderfull to heare A man would haue thought Christ to haue bene new borne agayne and that Herode with all the Citie of Ierusalem had bene in an vprore Such blustring and stirring was then against that poore booke thorough all quarters of England euen to the gates of Louaine so that no English Papist almost in all the Realme thoght himselfe a perfect Catholike vnlesse he had cast out some word or other to geue that booke a blow Whereupon considering with my selfe what should mooue them thus to rage first I beganne with more circumspect diligence to ouerlooke agayne that I had done In searching whereof I found the fault both what it was and where it lay which was in deede not so much in the Booke it selfe to say the truth as in an other certayne priuy mysterie and
liuing Lord within the Arke of his true spirituall and visible Churche And where is then the friuolous bragge of the Papistes which make so muche of there paynted sheath would nedes beare vs downe that this gournment of the Church of Rome which nowis hath bene of such an old standing time out of minde euen from the primitiue Antiquitie that neuer was any other church demonstrable here in earth for men to follow besides the said only Catholick mother church of Rome whē as we haue sufficiently proued before by the continual descēt of the Church till this present tyme that the sayd Church after the doctrine which is now reformed is no new begunne matter but euen the olde continued Churche by the prouidence and promise of Christ still standing which albeit it hath bene of late yeares repressed by the tyranny of Romayne Byshops more then before yet notwithstanding it was neuer so oppressed but God hath euer maintayned in it the truth of his Gospell agaynst heresies and errours of the Church of Rome as in thys history more at full is to be seene Let vs now proceede farther as we began deducing this descent of the Churche vnto the 1501. yeare In which yeare the Lord began to shew in the partes of Germany wonderfull tokens and blody markes of his Passion as the bloudy Crosse hys nayles speare and Crowne of thornes which fell from heauen vpon the garments and cappes of men and rockes of woman as you may further read in this booke pag. 816. By the which tokens almighty God no doubt presignified what grieuous afflictions and bloudy persecutions shoulde then begin to ensue vppon his Churche for hys Gospels sake according as in this history is described wherein is to be seene what Christen bloud hathe bene spilt what persecutions raysed what tyranny exercised what tormentes deuised what trechery vsed agaynst the poore flocke and Church of Christ in such sort as since Christes tyme greater hath not bene seene And now by reuolution of yeares we are come from the time of .1501 to that yeare now present 1570. In which the full seuenty yeares of the Babilonicall captiuitie draweth now well to an ende if we count from the first appearing of these bloudy markes aboue mentioned Or if wee recken from the beginning of Luther and hys persecution then lacketh yet xvi yeres Now what the Lord wil do with this wicked world or what rest he will geue to hys Church after these long sorrowes he is our father in heauen his will be done in earth as seemeth best to his diuine maiestie In the meane time let vs for our partes with all patient obedience wayt vpon hys gracious leysure and glorifie his holy name and edifie one an other with all humilitie And if there cannot be an end of our disputing and contending one agaynst an other yet let there be a moderation in our affections And for asmuch as it is the good will of our God that Sathan thus should be let lose amongst vs for a short time yet let vs striue in the meane while what wee can to amende the malice of the tyme with mutuall humanitie They that be in errour let them not disdayne to learne They whiche haue greater talentes of knowledge committed instruct in simplicitie them that be simple No man liueth in that common wealth where nothing is amisse But yet because God hath so placed vs Englishmen here in one common wealth also in one Church as in one shippe together let vs not mangle or deuide the shippe which being deuided perisheth but euery man serue in his order with dilligence wherein he is called They that sitte at the helme keepe well the poynt of the needle to knowe how the ship goeth and whether it should Whatsoeuer weather betydeth the needle well touched with the stone of Gods word will neuer fayle Such as labour at the oares start for no tempest but doe what they can to keepe from the rockes Likewise they whiche be inferiour rowmes take heede they moue no sedition nor disturbance agaynst the rowers and mariners No storme so daungerous to a shippe on the sea as is discord and disorder in a weale publique What countryes and nations what kingdomes and Empyres what Cities townes and houses discord hath dissolued in storyes is manifest I neede not spend tyme in rehearsing examples The Lord of peace who hath power both of land and Sea reach forth hys mercifull hand to helpe them vp that sincke to keepe them vpp that stand to still these windes and sourging seas of discord and contention among vs that wee professing one Christ may in one vnitie of doctrine gather our selues into one Arke of the true Church together where we continuing stedfast in fayth may at the last luckely be conducted to the ioyfull porte of our desired landing place by hys heauenly grace To whome both in heauen and in earth be all power and glory with his father and the holy spirite for euer Amen The vtilitie of this Story SEyng the worlde is replenished with such an infinite multitude of bookes of all kinde of matters I may séeme perhaps to take a matter in hand superfluous and needles at this present to set out such Uolumes especially of histories considering now a dayes the world is so greatly pestered not only with superfluous plenty therof but of all other treatises so that books now seeme rather to lacke Readers then Readers to lacke bookes In which multitude of bookes I doubt not but many doe both perceiue and inwardly bewayle this insatiable boldnes of many now a dayes both in writing and printing which to say the truth for my part I do as much lament as any man els beside and would therefore no man should thinke that vnaduisedly or with rashnes I haue attempted this enterprise as one being not onely doubtful but also both bashfull and feareful within my self for setting the same abroad And why first I perceaued howe learned this age of ours is in reading of bookes neither could I tell what the secret iudgementes of readers woulde conceaue to see so weake a thing to set vpon such a weighty enterprise not sufficiently furnished with such ornamentes able to satisfie the perfection of so great a story or sufficient to serue the vtility of the studious and the delight of the learned Which abilitie the more I perceiued to be wanting in me the lesse I durst be bold to become a writer But agayne on the other side when I weyed with my selfe what memorable Actes and famous doynges this latter age of the Churche hath ministred vnto vs by the patient suffringes of the worthy martyrs I thought it not to be neglected that so precious Monumentes of so many matters meet to be recorded and regestred in books should lie buried by my default vnder darkenes of obliuion Me thought somewhat was to be sayd of them for their well deseruing and something agayne of our partes for benefites by
that since that time all persons from the hyest to the lowest both rich poore haue bene glad to send seek to Rome yea Kinges Emperors Queens Dukes haue bene glad to kisse the Bishops feete and to lead hys horse by the bridle So that the Maiesty of Rome in the old heatheÌ„ Emperors days was neuer more terrible nor glorious nor neuer had more power to persecute ouercome gods Saintes theÌ„ these lambelyke Byshops of Rome haue had and haue exercised these 500. yeares in Christendome And therefore who els in all the world hath so much power to do the workes of the first beast before hys face as he or who but he alone which forceth both high and low rich and poore free and bond to receaue the seale and to become loyall to the Citie and sea of Rome so that whoseuer hath not the marke whereby to be knowne to holde of the Churche of Rome shall haue no place to buy and sell nor to occupy in all Christendome Now if any Papist whatsoeuer in answering to this my questioÌ„ can apply this propheticall mistery of these 2. beasts otherwise then thus I would hartely desire him to take so much paynes to satisfie this doubt at his good pleasure laysure In the meane season let this stand for a Corolarium that the bishop of Rome by this description must be that second beast prophesied to come in the latter time of the Church vnder a false pretensed lambe to restore agayn the old persecutions of Rome and to disturbe the whole Church of Christ as this day to truely is come to passe ¶ The fourth Question AS touching my fourth question although I could vrge you with an other like propheticall place of scripture no lesse euident agaynst the bishop of Rome taken out of the second Epistle of S. Paule to the Theâ—la where mention is made of the sonne of perdition sitting in the Temple of God as god aduauÌ„cing himselfe aboue al that is called god c. which place ye can by no reasonable euasioÌ„ auoyd yet notwithstanding to let this passe I turne my questioÌ„ to aske this of you whether the religion of Christ be mere spiritual or els corporall If ye affirme it to be corporall as was the old religioÌ„ of the Iewes coÌ„sisting in outward rites sacrifices ceremonies of the law theÌ„ shew if ye can what any one outward actioÌ„ or obseruatioÌ„ is required in christian religioÌ„ by the scripture as necessary in a christen man for remissioÌ„ of sinnes saluation saue onely the two Sacramentall ceremonies of outward Baptisme of the Lordes Supper Howbeit neither these also as they are corporall that is to say neither the outward action of the one nor of the other coÌ„ferreth remissioÌ„ of sinnes nor saluation but onely are visible shewes of inuisible spirituall benefits And furthermore if our god whoÌ„ we serue be spirituall how can his religioÌ„ seruice be corporall as we are taught by the mouth of our sauior saying God is a spirit and therfore they that worship him must worship in spirit verity c. Ioan. 4. Now if ye graunt as ye must needes this our christen religion to be spirituall not a corporall religioÌ„ theÌ„ shew if ye can any one poynt of all these thinges which ye striue for so much with vs to be spirituall but altogether corporall externe matters ceremoniall obseruations nothing coÌ„ducing to any spirituall purpose as your outward successioÌ„ of bishops garmentes vestures gestures coâ—lors choise of meates differeÌ„ce of dayes times places hearing seing saying touching tasting numbring of beades gilding worshipping Images building monasteries rising at midnight silence in cloysters absteining from flesh white meat fasting in Lent keeping Imberdayes hearing masse diuine seruice seing adoring the body in forme of bread receiuing holy water holy bread creeping to the crosse carying palmes taking ashes bearing candles pilgrimage going sensing kneeling knocking aultars superaltars candlestickes pardons In orders crossing annoynting shauing forswering mariage In baptisme crossing salting spatling exorcising washing of handes At Easter earâ— confession penaunce doing satisfaction And in receiuing with beardes new shauen to imagine a body where they see no body though he were there present to be sene yet the outward seing touching of him of it selfe without fayth conduceth no more theÌ„ it did to the Iewes At RogatioÌ„ daies to cary banners to follow the crosse to walke about the fieldes After Pentecost to go about with Corpus Christi play At halowmas to watch in the church to say a dirige commendations to ring for all soules to pay tithes truely to geue to the high aultar And if a man will be a Priest to say Masse Mattens to serue the Saynt of that day and to lift well ouer his head c. In sicknes to be aneled to take his rites after his death to haue funerals obites sayd for him and to be rong for at his funerall moneth mind and yearemind c. Adde moreouer to these the outward sacrifiâ—â— of the Masse with opus operatum sine bono motu vtentis c. All which thinges aboue recited as they conteine the whole summary effect of all the popes catholicke religion so are they all corporall exercises consisting in the externe operation of man Which if they can make a perfect right catholicke christian then it may be said that men may be made perfect christians by flesh and bloud without any inward working of faith or of the holy ghost For what is in all these but the flesh bloud of his strength is able to accoÌ„plish though no inward strength or motion of the holy Ghost did worke But now the order of our religion way of saluation consisteth not in such corporall or outward things as these but in other more higher more spirituall gifts which farre exceed the capacity of flesh bloud of the which giftes the chiefest onely meane cause that saueth man remitteth sinnes is his fayth in Christ. Which fayth I thus define for a man to beleue by the bloudshedding of Iesus the sonne of god his sinnes to be forgeuen Gods wrath to be pacified himselfe to be iustified perfectly from all accusations that can be layd vnto him c. And though the Papistes make a light matter of this to beleue in Christ and when they heare vs say that fayth onely iustifieth they obiect to vs again and make it a small matter to be saued if fayth onely iustifie vs. Yet notwithstanding this fayth if it be well examined is such a thing that flesh and bloud is not able to attayne therto vnles Gods holy spirite froÌ„ aboue do draw him Moreouer besides this fayth many other thinges are incident also to the doctrine of our saluation Albeit as no causes therof but either as Sacramentes and seales of fayth or as declarations thereof or els as fruites effects
folowyng the same So Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord be as testimonies and profes that by our fayth only in Christ we are iustified that as our bodyes are washed by water and our life nourished by bread and wine so by the bloud of Christ our sinnes be purged and the hunger of our soules releued by the death of his body Upon the same fayth riseth also outward profession by mouth as a declaration thereof Other thinges also as fruites and effectes do follow after fayth as peace of conscience ioy in the holy Ghost inuocation patience charitie mercy iudgement sanctification For God for our fayth in Christ his sonne therfore geueth into our hartes his holy spirite of comfort of peace and sanctification whereby mans hart is moued to a godly disposition to feare God to seek him to call vpon him to trust vnto him to stick to him in all aduersities and persecutions to loue him for hys sake also to loue our brethren to haue mercy and compassion vpon them to visite them if they be in prison to breake bread to them if they be hungry and if they be burdened to ease them to clothe them if they be naked and to harbour them if they be houseles Mat. 25. with such other spirituall exercises of pietie and sanctification as these which therefore I call spirituall because they proceede of the holy spirite and law of God which is spirituall And thus haue ye a Catholicke Christian defined first after the rules of Rome and also after the rule of the Gospell Now conferre these Antitheses together and see whether of these is the truer christian the ceremonial man after the Church of Rome or the spirituall man with his fayth and other spirituall fruites of pietie following after the same And if ye say that ye mixt them both together spirituall thinges with your corporall ceremonies to that I aunswere agayne that as touching the end of remission of sinnes and saluation they ought in no case to be ioyned together because the meane cause of all our saluation and remission is onely spirituall and consisteth in fayth and in no other And therefore vpon the same cause I come to my question agayne as I began to aske whether the Religion of Christ be a mere spirituall religion and whether in the Religion of Rome as it is now is any thing but onely mere corporall thinges required to make a catholicke man And thus I leaue you to your aunswere IN turning ouer the first leafe of this booke which is pag. 2. col 1. and in the latter end of the same colume thou shalt finde gentle Reader the argument of Pighius Hosius wherein thus they argue That forsomuch as Christ must needes haue a catholicke Church euer continuing here in earth which all men may see wherunto all men ought to resort and seeing no other church hath endured continually from the Apostles visible here in earth but only the church of Rome they conclude therefore the Church onely of Rome to be the right Catholicke Church of Christ. c. In aunswering whereunto this is to be sayd that forsomuch as the medius terminus of this argument both in the Maior and Minor consisteth onely in the word visible and vnknowne if they meane by this word visible in the Maior that Christes Church must be seene here to all the world that all men may resort to it it is false Likewise if they meane by the same word visible in the Minor that no other Church hath bene seene and known to any but onely the Church of Rome they are likewise deceiued For the true Church of Christ neyther is so visible that all the worlde can see it but onelye they whiche haue spirituall eyes and bee members thereof nor yet so inuisible agayne but suche as be Gods elect and members therof doe see it and haue seen it though the worldly eyes of the most multitude cannot so doe c. Wherof read more in the protestation aboue prefixed to the church of England Foure considerations geuen out to Christian Protestantes professours of the Gospell with a briefe exhortation inducing to reformation of life ¶ The first consideration AS in the page before foure questions were moued to the Catholick Papists to answere them at theyr leysure so haue I here to the Christian Gospellers foure considerations likewise for them to muse vpon with speede conuenient THe first consideration is this euery good man well to weigh with himselfe the long tranquillitie the great plenty the peaceable libertie which the Lord of his mercy hath bestowed vpon this land during all the reigne hetherto of this our Souereigne and most happy Queene ELIZABETH in such sort as the like example of Gods aboundant mercies are not to be seene in any nation about vs so as we may well sing with the Psalme in the Churche Non fecit taliter omni nationâ— opes gloria suae non manifestauit eis first in hauing the true light of Gods gospel so shining among vs so publickly receiued so freely preached with such libertie of conscience without daunger professed hauing withall a Prince so vertuous a Queene so gratious geuen vnto vs of our owne natiue country bred and borne amongst vs so quietly gouerning vs so long lent vnto vs in such peace defending vs agaynst such as would els diuoure vs briefly what could we haue more at Gods hand if wee woulde wish or what els could we wish in this world that we haue not if this one thing lacked not grace to vse that well which we haue ¶ The second consideration AS these thinges first are to be considered concerning our selues so secondly let vs consider likewise the state and tymes of other our countrymen and blessed Martyrs afore past what stormes of persecutions they susteined what little rest they had with what enemies they were matched with what crosses pressed vnder what Princes vnder what Prelates they liued or rather dyed in the dayes of King Henry the 4. king Henry 5. King Henry 7. King Henry 8. Queene Mary c. vnder Boâ—er Bishoppe of London Gardiner Bishoppe of Winchester Cholmley Story Bishoppe Arundell Stokesley Courtney Warham At what time children were caused to set fire to their fathers The father adiured to accuse the sonne the wife to accuse the husband the husband the wife brother the sister sister the brother examples whereof are plenty in this booke to be seene pag. 774. ¶ The third consideration THirdly let vs call to mynd considering thus with our selues These good men and worthy Martyrs in those dangerous daies tastyng as they did the heauy hand of Gods sharpe correction beginning commonly with his owne house first if they were aliue now in these Alcion daies vnder the protection of such a peaceable prince O what thanks would they geue to God how happy would they count themselues hauing but halfe of that we haue with freedome onely of conscience and safetie of lyfe Or if in
wherein they haue made manifest defection from the old faith of Rome as in depriuing the Church of one kinde of the Sacrament in taking from the people the knowledge and reading of Gods word in praying and speaking to the people and administring sacramentes in a tongue vnknowne in mistaking the authoritie of the keyes in their vnwritten verities in making the authority of scripture insufficient in vntrue iudgement of the Churche and the wrong notes of the same in the supremacy of the sea of Rome in their wrong opinion of Antichrist But because these with all other partes of doctryne are more copiously and at large comprehended in other bookes both in Latine and Englishe set foorth in these our dayes I shall not need further herein to trauell especially seeing the contrariety betweene the Popes Church and the Church of Christ betweene the doctrine of the one and doctrine of the other is so euident that he is blind that seeth it not and hath no handes almost that feeleth it not For briefely in one note to comprehende which may suffice for all where as the doctrine of Christ is altogether spirituall consisting wholy in spirite and veritie and requireth no outwarde thing to make a true Christen man but onely Baptisme which is the outwarde profession of fayth and receauing the Lordes supper let vs now examine the whole religion of this latter Church of Rome and we shall finde it wholy from toppe to toe to consist in nothing els but altogether in outwarde and ceremoniall exercises as outward confession absolution at the Priests hand outward sacrifice of the Masse buying of pardons purchasing of obites externe worshipping of Images and reliques pilgrimage of this place or that building of Churches founding of Monasteries outward workes of the law outwarde gestures garments colours choise of meates difference of times and places peculiar rytes and obseruauncies set prayers and number of prayers prescribed fasting of vigiles keeping of holidayes comming to Church hearing of seruice externe succession of Bishops and of Peters sea externe forme and notes of the Church c. so that by this religion to make a true Christian and a good Catholike there is no working of the holy Ghost almost required As by example to make this matter more demonstrable let vs here define a Christen man after the Popes making whereby we may see the better what is to be iudged of the scope of his doctrine A Christen man after the Popes making defined AFter the Popes Catholike Religion a true Christen man is thus defined first to be baptised in the Latine tongue where the Godfathers professe they can not tell what then confirmed by the Byshop the Mother of the childe to be purified After he be growen in yeares then to come to the Church to keepe his fasting dayes to fast the Lent to come vnder benedicite that is to be confessed of the Priest to doe his penance at Easter to take his rites to heare Masse and diuine seruice to set vppe candels before Images to creepe to the Crosse to take holy bread and holy water to go on processiō to cary his palmes candle and to take ashes to fast the Ember daies Rogation daies vigiles to keepe the holy dayes to pay his tithes and offeringe daies to go on pilgrimage to buy pardons to worship his maker ouer the Priestes head to receaue the Pope for his supreame head and to obey his lawes to receaue S. Nicolas Clerks to haue his beades to giue to the high altar to take orders if he will be Priest to saye his Mattens to sing his Masse to lift vp fayre to keepe his vow and not to marry When he is sicke to be anneeld and take the rites of holy Church to be buried in the church yard to be rong for to be song for to be buried in a Fryers coule to finde a soule Priest c. All which pointes being obserued who can denie but this is a deuoute man and a perfecte Christian Catholike and sure to be saued as a true faithfull childe of the holye mother Church Now looke vpon this definition and tell me good reader what faith or spirite or what working of the holye Ghost in all this doctrine is to be required The grace of our Lord Iesus giue the true light of his Gospell to shine in our hartes Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ¶ The first booke contayning the 300. yeares next after Christ. THese things before premised hauing thus hitherto prepared the way vnto our story let vs nowe by the grace and speede of Christ our Lord enter into the matter that as we haue heretofore set forth in a generall descriptiō the whole state as wel of the primitiue as of the latter times of this Church of Rome so now consequently to discourse in particular sort the Actes and doings of euery age by it selfe in such order as is afore prefixed First to declare of the suffering time of the Church which conteineth about the time of three hundreth yeares after Christ. Secondly the florishing growing time of the same conteyning other 300. yeares Thirdly the declining time of the Church and of true Religion other 300. yeares Fourthly of the time of Antichrist raigning raging in the Church since the loosing of Sathan Lastly of the reforming time of Christes Church in these latter 300. yeares In the tractation of all which things our chiefe purpose and indenor shal be so neare as the Lord will giue vs grace not so much to intermedle with outward affaires of Princes or matters ciuile except somtime for example of life as specially minding by the helpe of the Lorde to prosecute such thinges which to the Ecclesiasticall state of the Church are appertaining as first to entreat of the stablishing of Christian faith then of the persecutions of tyraunts the constancy and patience of Gods Saintes the first conuersion of Christen Realmes to the faith of Christ namely of this Realme of England Scotland first beginning with king Lucius and so forwarde following the order of our English kings here in this land to declare the maintenaunce of true doctrine the false practise of Prelates the creping in of superstition and hipocrisie the manifold assaultes warres and tumults of the princes of this world against the people of God Wherein may appeare the wonderfull operation of Christes mightie hand euer working in his church neuer ceasing to defend the same against his enimies according to the verity of his owne word promising to be with his Church while the worlde shal stand so as by the proces of this story may welbe proued and be testified in the sequell thereof In the traction of all which things 2. especiall pointes I chiefly commend to the reader as most requisite and nenessary of euery Christen man to obserue to note for his owne experience and profite as first the disposition nature of this worlde secondly the nature
houre shal be within a litle while after put out extinguished but thou knowest not the fire of the iudgement that is to come and of euerlasting punishment which is reserued for the wicked vngodly But why make you all these delayes giue me what death soeuer ye lift These many other such like thinges being by him spoken he was so replenished with ioy and boldnes and his countenaunce appeared so full of grace fauour that not onely he was not troubled with those things which yâ— Proconsul spake vnto him but contrarily the Proconsul himselfe began to be amased and sent for the crier which in the middle of the stage was commaunded to cry 3. times Policarpus hath confessed himself to be a Christian which wordes of the cryer were no sooner spoken but that all the whole multitude both of the Gentiles and Iewes inhabiting at Smyrna with a vehement rage and loude voice cried This is that Doctour or teacher of Asia the father of the Christianes and the destroyer of our gods which hath instructed a great nuÌ„ber that our Gods are not to be worshipped after this they crid vnto Philip the gouernour of Asia and required him that he would let loose the Lion to Policarpus To whom he made aunswere that he might not so doe because he had already his praye Then they cried againe altogither with one voice that he woulde burne Policarpus a liue For it was requisite that that vision which he saw as concerning his pillow or bolster should be fulfilled which when he had seene burnt as he was in his prayer he turned himselfe vnto the faithful sort which were with him saying by the way of prophecie it will so come that I shall be burned a liue And the Proconsul had no sooner spoken but it was out of hande performed For why the multitude by and by brought out of their shops workehouses and baynes woode and other dry matter for that purpose and especially the Iewes were most seruiceable for that matter after their woÌ„ted maner And thus the pile being layd and that now hee had put of his garments vndone his girdel and was about to pul of his shooes which he had not done before for that all the faithfull sort amongst themselues striued as it were who should first touch his body at their farewell bicause for the good conuersation of his life yea from his yonger age he was had in great estimation of al men Therfore straightway those instruments which are requisite to such a bonfire were brought vnto him when the would haue nayled him to the stake with yron hoopes he said let me alone as I am for he that hath giuen me strength to suffer and abide the fire shal also giue power that without this your prouision of nayles I shall abide stirre not in the middest of this fire or pyle of woode Which thing when they heard they did not nayle him but bounde him Therefore when his handes were bounde behinde him euen as the chiefest Ramme taken out of the flocke he was sacrificed as an acceptable burnt offring to God saying O father of thy wel beloued and blessed sonne Iesus Christ by whom we haue attained the knowledge of thee the God of aungels and powers and of euery creature and of al iust men which liue before thee I giue thee thankes that thou hast vouchsafed to grauÌ„t me this day that I may haue my part amongest the number of the Martyrs in the cup of Christ vnto the resurrection of eternall life both of body soule through the operation of the holy spirit among whome I shal be this day receaued into thy sight for an acceptable sacrifice as thou hast prepared and reueled the same before this time so thou hast accomplished the same Which canst not lye O thou most true God Wherefore Im lyke case for all things prayse thee blesse thee and glorifie thee by our euerlasting Bishop Iesus Christ to whom be glory euermore Amen And assoone as he had ended this word Amen and finished his prayer the tormentors began to kindle the fire as the flame flashed out vehemently we to whom it was giue to discerne the same saw a marueilous matter which were also to this purpose preserued that we might shewe the same to other For the fier being made like to arâ—â—fe or vaute of a house and after the maner of a shipmans â—â—yle filled with wind compassed about the body of the Martir as with a certaine wall and he in the middle of the same not as flesh that burned but as gold and siluer wheâ— it is tried in the fier And surely we smelt a sauour so swete as if Myrre or some other precious balme had giuen a sent At the last when those wicked persons sawe the hys body could not be consumed by fire they commaunded one of the tormentors to come vnto him thrust him through with his sworde Which being done so great a quantitie of bloude ran out of his body that the fire was quenched therewith the whole multitude marueyled that there was so much diuersitie betwene the infidels and the elect of whom this Policarpus was one being a Disciple of the Apostles and a propheticall instructour of our times and Bishop of the Catholique Church of Smyrna for what worde soeuer he spake both it was and shal be accomplished But the subtil and enuious aduersary when he saw the worthines of his martirdome that his conuersation euen from his youÌ„ger yeares could not be reproued and that he was adourned with the crowne of martirdome and had now obtained that incomparable benefite gaue in charge that we should not take deuide his body For feare least the remnaunts of the dead corps should be taken away so worshipped of the people Whervpon diuers whispered Niceta the father of Herode and his brother Dalces in the eare to admonish the Proconsul that in no case he should deliuer his body least saith he they leaue Christ begin to worship him And this spake they because the Iewes had gyuen them secret warning prouoked them thervnto who also watched vs that we shoulde not take him out of the fire not being ignoraunt how that we ment at no time to forsake Christ which gaue his life for the saluation of the whole world as many I meane as are elected to saluatioÌ„ by him neither yet that we could worship any other For why him we worship as the sonne of God but the Martirs do we loue as disciples of the Lord that worthely for their aboundaunt loue towardes their king and maister of whom we also desire and wish to be companions to be made his disciples WheÌ„ therfore the Centurion saw perceaued the labour of the Iewes the corps being layd abroad they burnt the same as was their maner to doe Thus good Policarpus with xij other that came from
intreaty nor waging them with money whiche were appointed for watchmen but they so narowly loked vnto the matter as though they should haue gotten great benefite and profite thereby Thus were the bodies of the martirs made a wonderyng stocke and laye sixe dayes in the open streetes at the length they burned them threwe their ashes into the riuer of Rods so that there might appeare no remnaunt of theÌ„ vpoÌ„ the earth And this did they as though they had beene able to haue pulled god out of his seat to haue let the regeneration of the Saintes and taken from them the hope of the resurrection whereof they being perswaded sayd they bring in this newe and straunge Religion and set thus light by death and punishment Atque haec haec ex Epistola Viennensium c. Amongest other that suffered vnder Antoninus mention was made also of Iustinus who as it is said before exhibited two Apologies concerning the defence of christian doctrine the one to the Senate of Rome and the other to Antoninus Pius the Emperour coÌ„cerning whose suffering and the causes therof is partly before declared this Iustine was borne in Neapoli in the countrey of Palestine whose father was Priscus Bachius as he himselfe doth testifie By whom in his youth he was set to schole to learne wherin processe of time he became a famous and worthy Philosopher oâ— whose excellency many learned notable men doe record For first he being altogither inflamed and rauished with desire of knowledge would in no wise be satisfied in his mind before he had gotten instructors singularly seene in all kinde of Philosophy wherevpon he writeth of him selfe in the beginning of his Dialogue Cum Tripone thus declaring that in the beginning he being desirous of that sect and societie applied himselfe to be the scholer to a certaine Stoicke remaining with him a time when he nothing profited in diuine knowledge wherof the Stoicke had no skill and affirmed the knowledge therof not to be necessary he forsoke him and went to another of the sect of the Perepatetick a sharp witted man as he thought with whom after he had beene a while he demaunded of him a stipendâ— for his teaching for the better confirmatioÌ„ of their familiaritie Whereupon Iustine accoÌ„pting him as no Philosopher left him departed And yet not satisfied in mind but desirous to heare of further learning in Philosophye adioyned himselfe to one that professed the Pithagorian â—ect a man of great fame and one who made no small accompt of himselfe Who after he had followed a time his maister demaunded of him whether he had any sight in Musicke Astronomy and Geometry wythout the sight of whiche science he saide he coulde not be apte to receiue the knowledge of vertue and felicitie vnles before he had vsed to apply his minde from sensible matters to the contemplation of things intellible And speaking much in the commenâ—ation of these sciences how profitable and necessary they were after that Iustine had declared him selfe not to bee sene therin the Philosopher gaue him ouer which greued Iustine not a little so much themore because he thought his master to haue some knowledge in those sciences After this Iustine considering with himselfe what time was requisite to the learning of these sciences and thinking not to diâ—â—erte any longer thought best to resort to the secte of the Platonistes for the great fame that ran of them wherefore he chose vnto him a singuler learned man of that secte which lately was come to those parties so remaining with him seemed to profite not a litle in contemplation of supernall things inuisible formes insomuch that he thought shortly to aspire to such sharpnes of witte and wisedome that out of hand he might atchiue to the comprehension conteÌ„plation of god which is the end of Plato his Philosophie And in this maner he bestowed his youth but afterward he growing to a riper age howe by what meanes the said Iustine came to the knowledge profession of chritianitie it foloweth likewise in his saide first Apologie where he affirmeth of him selfe as witnesseth Eusebius in his fourth booke that when he did behold the christians in their torments and sufferinges to be so constaunt in theyr profession was therwith maruâ—ilously mooued after this maner reasoning with himselfe that it was impossible for that kinde of people to be subiect to any vice or carnalitie which vices of their owne nature are not able to sustayne any sharpe aduersitie much lesse the bytternesse of death The sight wherof helped him not a litle being of his own nature inclined to the searching of true knowledge vertue to begin thereby to loue and imbrace Christian Relygion for so he doth witnes of himselfe in the ende of the fyrst Apologie signifiyng there how it was his seking and indeuor to attaine to Christianitie Understanding how the Christians by malice of wicked persons were coÌ„pelled to suffer wrong and tormentes and to be euill spoken of By sight whereof as he saith himselfe he became a Christian through this occasion for being thus afflicted in his minde as is aforesaid it came in his head for his more quietnes to go aside to some desert and solitary place void of concourse of people vnto a village or grauÌ„ge neare to the seaside whither as he approched thinking there to be al alone there meeteth with him an old auntient father of a comly visage and gentle behauior who folowing him a litle of began to reason with him where after loÌ„g disputation when the old man had declared vnto him that there was no knowledge of truth amongst the Philosophers which neither knewe God neither were aided by the holy Ghost further had reasoned with him of the immortality of the soule of the reward of the godly punishment of the wicked then Iustine being confirmed with his reasons and arguments yelded to him of his owne accorde and demaunded of him by what meanes he might attaine to that true knowledge of God Wherof he had spoken Who then counsailed him to read searche the Prophetes adioyning therewith prayer but what master quoth Iustine should I vse for the instruction therof who shal be able to helpe vs if these philosophers as you say lacke the truth are voide of the same To whom the old father aunswering there haue bene saide he many yeres before these philosophers other more auÌ„tient then all these which beyng accompted for Philosophers were iust and beloued of God who spake by the spirite of God foreseing and prophesiyng these thinges which wee see now come to passe therfore they are called Prophets These only haue knowen the truth and reueled it to men neither fearing nor passyng for any who were seduced with no opinions of mans inuention but only spake taught those things which they themselues both heard and sawe being inspired with
the holy spirit of god whose writings and works yet to this day remaine Out of which the reader may receiue great profite knowledge of thinges as concerning the first creation of the worlde end of the same with al other things necessary to be knowne of euery true Philosopher which wil giue credite vnto them Neither in their teaching they do vse any demonstration as being more certaine o◠themselues then that they neede any such demonstration to be made For asmuch as the accomplyshing and the end of things both paste now present constraineth vs of necessitie to beleue the words and doctrine which they taught which men not only therefore are to be beleued but also for their miracles and wonders done are worthy of credite for that they both preached of God the maker and creator of all thinges And also did prophecye before of Christ his sonne to be sent of him The which the false Prophets being seduced with false and wicked spyrits neither haue done nor do but onely take vpon them to worke certaine prodigious wonders for men to gase at setting out thereby to the worlde false vncleane spirites But then afore all thinges make thy prayer that the gate of light may be opened vnto thee for otherwise these things cannot be attained vnto of euery man but onely of such to whom God and his Christ giueth vnderstanding These thinges with much more which now leasure serueth not to prosecute after the foresaid old father had declared vnto him he departed exhortyng him well to follow the things which he had spoken And after that Iustine as he himselfe witnesseth saw him no more Immediatly after thys Iustine being all inflamed as with fyre kindled in his breast began to conceiue a loue zeale toward the Prophets and all such as were fauoured of Christ. And thus he reuoluing in his mind more and more these wordes found only this Philosophie among all other professions both sure and profitable and so became he a Philosopher in time by these meanes afterwards he was made a Christian and Baptised But where he receiued this holy Sacrament of Baptisme it is not read of nor yet by what occasiō he left his country and came to Rome This only we read in Ierome that he was in Rome there vsed certaine exercises which he called Diatribas disputing there with Crescens a Cinycal philosopher as is before touched But this is certaine how that Iustine after he had receaued the professiō of Christian Religiō became an earnest defēder of the same traueiling and disputing against al the aduersaries thereof fearing neither peril of life nor daunger of death whereby he might maintaine the doctrine of Christ against the malicious blasphemers and also augment the number of Christian beleuers As may appeare by his vehement disputations against the heathen Philosophers Also moreouer aswell appeareth in that long disputatiō which he had with one Tripho at Ephesus as also in his confutations of heretikes Furthermore his conflictes and Apologies which with great courage security he exhibited against the persecutors of the Christians both the Emperour and the Magistrates yea and the whole Senate of Rome doe testifie the same Of the which Apologies the first he wrote to the Senate of Rome and after to Antoninus Pius the Emperour as is before mentioned where in the fyrst writing wyth great liberty to the Senate he declared that of necessitie he was compelled to write and vtter his minde and consciēce to them For that in persecuting of the Christians they did neglect their duety and highly offended God and therfore neede they had to be admonished And further writing to Vrbitius liefetenaunt of the Citie sayd that hee put men to death and tormentes for no offence committed but for the confession onely of the name of Christ which proceedinges and iudgementes neyther became the Emperour nor hys sonne nor the Senate defending moreouer in the sayd Apology and purgyng the Christiās of such crimes as falsely were layd and obiected agaynst them by the Ethnikes And likewise in hys second Apology writing to Antonius the Emperour and his successours with like grauity and free libertie declareth vnto them how they had the name cōmonly beyng reputed taken as vertuous Philosophers mayntayners of iustice louers of learning but whether they were so their actes declared As for him neither for flattery nor fauour at their hands he was cōstrayned thus to write vnto them but onely to sue vnto thē and desire a serious righteous kind of dealing in their iudgements and sentences For it becommeth Princes to folow vprightnes pietie in their iudgements not tiranny and violence also in playne wordes chargeth as wel the emperour as the Senate with manifest wrong For that they did not graunt the Christians that which is not denied to all other malefactors iudging men to death not conuicted but onely for the hatred of the name Other men which be appeached said he in iudgement are not condemned before they are cōuicted but on vs you take your name only for the crime when as indede you ought to see iustice done vpō our accusers And againe saith he if a Christian being accused onely denie that name him you release beyng not able to charge him with any other offence But if he stande to his name onely for his confession you may cast him where indeede it were your duety rather to examine their maner of life what thing they confesse or denye and according to their demerites to see iustice done And in the same further he saith you examine not the causes but incensed with rash affections as with the spur of fury ye slay murder them not conuicted without any respect of iustice And further he addeth Some peraduenture wil say certaine of them haue bene apprehended taken in euill doinges as though saith he you vsed to enquire vpō them being brought afore you not commonly to condemne thē before due examination of their offence for the cause aboue mentioned Where also in the ende of the said Apology after this maner he reprehendeth thē You do degenerate quoth he from the goodnes of your predecessours whose exāple you followe not for your father Adrian of famous memorye caused to bee proclaymed that Christians accused before the iudge should not be cōdemned vnles they were found gilty of some notorious crime I finde that all his vehement and graue Apologie stādeth vpon most strong firme probations denying that the christians ought by conscience at the will commaundement of the Emperour Senate to doe sacrifice to the Idols For the which they being condemned affirme that they suffer open wrong approuing moreouer that the true only Religion is the Religion of the Christians whose both doctrine and conuersation hath no fault Iustinus although with these and such like perswasions did not so preuayle with the Emperour to cause him to
loue his Religion become a christian for that is not written yet thus much he obtained that Antoninus writing to his Officers in Asia in the behalfe of the Christians required and coÌ„maunded them that those Christians which onely were founde giltie of any trespasse should suffer and such as were not conuicted should not therfore onely for the name be punished because they were called Christians By these it is apparant with what zeale and faith this Iustinus did striue against the persecutors which as he said could kill onely but could not hurt This Iustinus by the meanes and malice of Crescens the Philosopher as is before declared suffered Martyrdome vnder Marcus Antoninus Verus a little after that Polycarpus was martired in Asia as witnesseth Eusebius Lib. 4. Here is to be gathered how Epiphanius was deceiued in the time of his death saying that he suffered vnder Rusticus the president and Adrian the Emperour being of xxx yeares of age which indeede agreeth not neither with Eusebius nor Ierome nor Swide nor other moe which manifestly declare and testifie how he exhibited his Apology vnto Antoninus Pius which came after Adrian Thus hast thou good Reader the liâ—e of this learned blessed martir although partly touched before yet now more fully amply discoursed for the better commendatioÌ„ of his excellent notable vertues of whose small ende thus writeth Photius saying that he suffering for Christ died cheerefully with honor Thus haue ye heard the whole discourse of Iustinus and of the blessed Saints of Fraunce Vetius Zacharias Sanctus Maturus Attalus Blandina Alexander Alcibiades with other recorded and set foorth by the writing of certaine Christian brethren of the same Church place of Fraunce In the which foresaid writing of theirs moreouer appeareth the great meekenes and modest constancie of the said martirs described in these words such folowers were they of christ who when he was in the forme of God thought it no robbery to be equal with god being in the same glory with him that they not once nor twise but oft times suffered martyrdome taken againe from the beastes bearing wounds tearinges and skarres in their bodies yet neither woulde counte them selues Martirs neyther woulde they suffer vs so to cal theÌ„ but if any of vs either by word or letter woulde call them Martirs they did vehementlye rebuke them saying that the name of martirdome was to be gyuen to Christ the faithfull and true martir the first borne of the dead the captaine of life testifiyng moreouer that martirdome belongeth to such who by their martirdome were already passed out of this life and whom as christ by their worthy confession hath receiued vnto him selfe and hath sealed vp their Martirdome by their ende finished As for theÌ„ which were not yet consuÌ„mated they said they were not worthy the names of martirs but only were humble and worthy confessours desiring also their brethren with teares to praye without ceasing for their confirmation Thus they performing in deede that whiche belonged to true Martirs in resisting the heathen with much lybertie and great patience without all feare of man being replenished with the feare of God refused to be named of their brethren for martirs And after in the said writing it followeth more they humbled themselues vnder the mightye hand of God by which they were greatly exalted Then they rendred to all men a reason of their faith they accused no man they loosed all they bounde none And for them which so euill did intreate them they praied following the example of Stephen the perfect Martir which sayde O Lord impute not their sinne to them And after againe Neither did they proudly disdaine against them which fell but of such as they had they imparted to them that lacked bearing toward them a motherly affection shedding their plentifull teares for them to God the Father and prayed for their life and saluation and as God gaue it them they also did communicate to their neighbours And thus they as conquerers of all thynges departed to God They loued peace and leauing the same to vs they went to God neither leauyng any molestation to their mother nor sedition or trouble to their brethren but ioye peace concorde and loue to all Out of the same writyng moreouer concernyng these Martyrs of Fraunce afore mentioned is recorded also an other history not vnworthy to be noted taken out of the same booke of Eusebius cap. 3. Which history is this There was among these constaunt and blessed Martirs one Alcibiades as is aboue specified which Alcibiades euer vsed a very straight died receiuing for his foode and sustenaunce nothing els but only bread and water when this Alcibiades now â—eing cast into prison went about to accustome the same straightnes of diet after his vsual maner before it was reueiled by God to Attalus afore mentioned one of the said company being also the same time imprisoned after his first conflict vpon the scaffolde that Alcibiades did not well in that hee refused to vse and take the creatures of God also thereby ministred to other a pernicious occasion of offensiue example Whereupon Alcibiades being aduertised reformed began to take al thinges boldly and with giuing thankes whereby may appeare to all scrupulous consciences not only a wholesome instrucion of the holy Ghost but also here is to be noted how in those dayes they were not destytute of the grace of God but had the holy spirite of God to be their instructor Haec Euseb. The foresaide martirs of Fraunce also the same tyme commended Irenaeus newly then made minister with their letters vnto Eleutherus Bishop of Rome as witnesseth Euseb. in the x. thap of the same booke which Irenaeus fyrst was the hearer of Polycarpus then made minister as is sayde vnder these Martyrs And after their death made Byshop afterward of Lyons in Fraunce and succeded after Photinus Besides this Iustinus there was also the same time in Asia Claudius Apolinaris or Apolinarius Byshop of Hierapolis And also Melito Bishop of Sardis an eloquent learned man much commended of Tertullian who succeeding after the time of the apostles in the reigne of this Antoninus Verus exhibited vnto him learned and eloquent Apologies in defence of Christes Religion like as Quadratus and Aristides aboue mentioned did vnto the Emperour Hadrian whereby they mooued him somewhat to stay the rage of his persecution In like maner did this Apolinaris and Melito stirred vp by God aduenture to defende in writing the cause of the christians vnto this Antoninus Of this Melito Eusebius in his fourth booke making mention excerpeth certaine places of his Apologie in these wordes as followeth Nowe saith he which was neuer seene before the godly suffereth persecution by occasion of certaine Proclamations Edictes proclaimed throughout Asia for vilanous Sichophantes robbers spoylers of other mens goods grounding them selmes vpon those Proclamations and taking occasion of them robbe
wyth Zoe hys wyfe Tranquillinus wyth Martia his wyfe Traglinus Claudius Castor Tiburtius Castullus Marcus and Marcellinus wyth other moe Basilius in an other Sermon also maketh mention of one Barlaam being a noble and famous Martyr which abode al the torments of the executioners euen to the point of death which thing when the tormentors sawe they brought him and laid him vpon the altar where they dyd vse to offer sacrifices to their idoles and put fire frankensence into his right haÌ„d wherin he had yet some streÌ„gth thinking that the same his right hand by the heate force of the fire would haue scattered the burning incense vpon the aultar and so haue sacrificed But of that their hope the pestiferous tormentors were disapointed for the flame eate round about his hand and the same indured euen as though it had bene couered with hote embers when Barlaam recited out of the Psalmes this saying Blessed is the Lord my God which teacheth my handes to fight To this narration of Basilius touching the Martyrdome of Barlaam we will anexe coÌ„sequently an other story of Ambrose Hee making a certaine exhortation to certaine virgins in the same Oration coÌ„mendeth the martirdomes of Agricola Vitalis who suffered also in the same persecution vnder Dioclesian and Maximinian as they so affirme at Bononie This Vitalis was seruaunt to Agricola who both togyther betweene themselues had made a compact to giue their liues wyth other Martyrs for the name of Christ. Wherupon Vitalis being sent before of his maister to offer himselfe to Martirdome feâ—l first into the hands of persecutors who laboured about him by all maner of meanes to cause him to deny Christ. Which when he would in no case do but stoutly persisted in the confessioÌ„ of his faith they began to exercise him with all kinds of torments So vnmercifully that there was no whole skinne left in all his body So Vitalis in the middest of the agonie paineful torments after he had in a short praier coÌ„mended him selfe to God gaue vp his life After him the tormentours set vpon Agricola his Master whose vertuous manners gentle conditions bicause they were singularly wel liked and knowen to the enimies his suffring therfore was the longer deferred But Agricola not abyding the long delay and driuing of and prouoking moreouer the aduersaries to quicker speede at length was fastned vnto the crosse and so finished his martirdome which he so long desired Ambros in Exhortatione ad Virgines No lesse worthy of commemoration is the lamentable Martyrdome of Vincentius whose historie here followeth This Vincentius was a Spaniard and a Leuite most godly and vertuous who at this time suffered Martyrdom at Valence vnder Dacianus the President as we may gather by Prudentius in his hymne Bergomensis in his supplement reciteth these words concerning his martyrdome out of a certaine sermon of S. Augustine Our heart conceiued not a vaine and fruitles sight as it were in beholding of lamentable tragedies but a great sight marueâ—lous certainly and there with singulare pleasure receiued it when the paineful passion of Victorius Vincentius was read vnto vs. Is there any so heauye harted that will not be mooued in the contemplation of this immooueable Martyr so manly or rather so godly fighting against the craft and subtilty of that Serpent against the tiranny of Dacianus against the horrors of death by the mightie spirite of his God conquering all But let vs in few wordes rehearse the degrees of his tormentes though the paynes thereof in many wordes can not be expressed First Dacianus caused the Martir to be layde vpon the torture and all the ioyntes of his body to be distended and racked out vntill they crackt againe This being done in most extreme and cruel maner al the members of his painful and pittiful body were greuously indented with deadly woundes Thirdly that his dolors griefes might be augmeÌ„ted they miserably vexed his flesh with yron combes sharpely filed And to the end the tormentors might vomit out al their vengeaÌ„ce on the meeke milde martyrs fleshe the tormentors themselues also were vily scourged at the Presidentes commaundement And lest his passion through want of paines might seeme imperfect or else to easie they laid his body being all out of ioint on a grate of iron which body when they had opened with iron hookes they seared it with firie plates with hote burning salt sprinkling the same Last of all into a vyle dongeon was this mighty Martir drawen the floure whereof first was thicke spredde wyth the sharpest shels that might be gotten his fete then being fast locked in the stockes there was he left alone without all worldly comfort but the Lorde his God was with him the holye spirit of God whose office is to comfort the godly afflicted fulfilled his hart with ioy gladnes Hast thou prepared a terrible racke O cruell tyraunt O deuouring Lion for the Martirs bed the Lorde shall make that bed softe and sweete vnto him Rackest thou his bones and ioyntes al a sunder His bones his ioints his heares are al numbred Tormentest thou his flesh with mortal wounds the Lord shal poure abuÌ„dantly into al his sores of his oyle of gladnes Thy scraping combes thy sharpe fleshookes thine whote searing yrons thy parched salte thy stincking prison thy cutting shelles thy pinching stockes shal turne to this patient Martyr to the best Altogether shall worke contrary to thine expectation great plenty of ioy shall hee reap into the barne of his soule out of this mighty haruest of paines that thou hast brought him into Yea thou shalte proue him Vincentius indede that is a vanquisher a tryumpher a conqueror subduing thy madnes by his mekenes thy tiranny by his patâ—ence thy manifold meanes of tortures by the manifold graces of God wherewith he is plentifully enriched In this cataloge or company of such holy martirs as suffered in this foresaid tenth persecutioÌ„ many mo and almost innumerable there be expressed in authors beside theÌ„ whom we haue hetherto comprehended as Philoromus a man of noble byrth great possessions in Alexandria who being perswaded by his friendes to fauour himselfe to respect his wife to consider his children and familie did not onely reiect the counsels of them but also neglected the threates and torments of the Iudge to keepe the confessioÌ„ of Christ inuiolate vnto the death losing of his head Euseb. Lib. 8. cap. 9. Niceph. Lib. 7. cap. 9. of whome Euseb. beareth witnes that he was there present himselfe Of like estate and dignitie was also Procopius in Palestina who after his conuersion brake his images of siluer and golde and distributed the same to the poore and after al kinde of torments of racking of cording of tearing hys flesh of goring and stabbing in of fiering at leÌ„gth had his head also smitten of as witnesseth Niceph. Lib. 7. cap. 15. To this maye be ioyned also
thinkest to possesse the gift of God by thy money therefore thy part nor lot is not in this worde Neither ought we to bee shauen on the crowne onely because Saint Peter was so shauen but because Peter was so shauen in the remebraunce of the Lords Passion therfore we that desire by the same Passion to be saued must weare the signe of the same passion with him vpon the top of our head which is the highest part of our body For as euery Church that is made a Church by the death of the Sauiour doth vse to beare the signe of the holy crosse in the front that it maye the better by the defence of that banner bee kept from the inuasions of euill spirits by the often admonition therof is taught to crucifie the flesh with the concupiscence of the same In like maner it behoueth such as haue the vowes of Monkes and degres of the Clergy to bind them selues with a straiter bit of continencie for the Lords sake And as the Lord bare a crowne of thorne on his head in his passion wherby he tooke caried away from vs the thornes and prickes of our sinnes so must euery one of vs by shauing our heads patiently beare and willinglye suffer the mockes and scorners of the worlde for his sake That wee may receaue the crowne of eternall life which God hath promised to all that loue him shall by shauing their corporal crownes beare the aduersity contemne the prosperity of this worlde But the shauing which Symon Magus vsed what faithful man doth not detest together with his magicall arte The which at the first apparance hath a shew of a shauen crowne but if you marke his necke you shal finde it curtailed in such wise as you will say it is rather meete to be vsed of the Symonistes then of the Christians And such of foolishe men be thought worthye of the glory of the eternall crowne whereas indede for their yll liuing they are worthy not only to be depriued of the same but also of eternall saluation I speak not this against thē that vse this kinde of shauing liue Catholikely in fayth and good workes but surely I beleeue there be diuers of them be very holy and godly men Amongst the which is Adamnan the Abbot and worthy Priest of the Columbians who when he came Embassadour from his country vnto king Alfride desired greatly to see our Monastery where be declared a wonderful wisedowe humilitie and Religiō both in his maners and wordes Amongest other talke I asked him why he that did beleue to come to the crown of life that should neuer haue end did vse contrary to his belief a definite Image of a crowne on his head And if you seke quoth I the felowship of S. Peter why doe you vse the fashion of his crowne whom S. Peter did accurse and not of his rather with whom you desire to liue eternally Adānā answered saying you know right well brother though I vse Symons maner of shauing after the custome of my country yet doe I detest with all my heart abhorre hys infidelitie I desire notwithstanding to imitate the footesteps of the holy Apostle as far forth as my power wil extend Then said I I beleeue it is so But then is it apparaunt you imitate those thinges which the Apostle Peter did frō the bottom of your hart if you vse the same vpon your face that you know he did For I suppose your wisedome vnderstandeth that it is right decent to differ in the triming your face or shauing frō his whom in your hart you abhorre And cōtrariwise as you desire to imitate the doings of him whom you desire to haue a mediator betweene God you so it is meete you imitate the maner of his apparell and shauing Thus much saide I to Adamnan who seemed then well to like our Churches in so much that he returning into Scotland reformed many of his churches there after our celebratiō albeit he could not do so amongst the Monks with whom he had special authority He endeuoured also to haue reformed their maner of shauing if he had bene able And nowe O King I exhort your maiestie to labor together with your people ouer whom the King of Kinges and Lorde of Lordes hath made you gouernor to imitate likewise in all these points the Catholicke and Apostolical churches So shall it come to passe that in the end of this your temporall kingdome the most blessed prince of the Apostles shall opē you the gates of the heauenly kingdome together with the other elect of god The grace of the eternal king preserue you most derely beloued sonne in Christ long time to reigne ouer vs to the great tranquility of vs all When this letter was read before king Nayton wyth other of his learned men and diligentlye translated into his proper language he semed to reioyce very much at the exhortation therof insomuch as rising vp from among his noble men he kneled on the ground and gaue God thankes that he had deserued to receaue so worthye a presente out of England so caused it forthwith by publike proclamation to be writen out learned obserued throught out all the prouinces of the Pictes defacing the errours that had bene vsed there by the space of 700. and 4. yeares For all the ministers of the altar all Monkes were shauen on the crowne And al the people reioiced for the new dyscipline of the most blessed Prince of the Apostles S. Peter which they had receaued ¶ By this monkish letter aboue prefixed voide of all Scripture of all probation truth of history thou maiest note gentle Reader howe this vaine tradition of shauen crownes hath come vp vpon how light and trifling occasion which in very deede was none other but the dreaming phantasies of Monkes of that time falsely grounding vpon the example of Peter when by no olde monument of any aūtient record they can euer proue either Peter or Symon Magus to haue bene shauen Moreouer in the said leter also is to be noted how the Scottish Clergy at that season did weare no such Priestly crownes as our English Churchmen then did But to cut of this matter of shauing more worthy to be laught at thē to be storied let vs now againe returne where as we left at king Iue of whom W. Malmesbery and Fabian in his chronicle do record that whē the foresaide Iue had ruled the west saxons by the tearme of 37. yeares by the importunate perswasion and subtile policie of his wife Ethelburga was allured to go to Rome there to be made a Monke Which Ethelburga after she had a long tyme laboured him to leaue the world and could not bring about her purpose vpon a season when the king and she had rested them in a faire pallace richly behanged were vpon the morow thence departed she by her commaundement caused the pallace to
had read with me this which so happened I thinke they would not be so rash in their doing and iudging fearyng at least the Lordes commaundement Doe not iudge that ye be not iudged And S Paule sayth Who art thou that iudgest an other mans seruant Either he standeth or falleth to his owne maister but he shall stand for the Lord is mighty and able to make him stand Therfore let your holynes cease to compell and enforce those whom onely ye ought to admonish least through your owne priuate commaundement which God forbid you be found contrary as well to the olde Testament as to the new For as S. Augustine sayth to Donatus this is onely that we do feare in your iustice lest not for the consideration of christian lenitie but for the grieuousnes and greatnesse of transgressions committed you be thought to vse violence in executyng punishment of that which onely we do desire you by Christ not to do For transgressions are so to be punished that the lyfe of the transgressours may repent Also an other saying of Augustine we would you to remember which is this Nil nocends fiat cupiditate omnia consulendi charitate nihil fiat immanâ—ter nihil inhumaniter That is Let nothing be done through the greedines of hurting but all things through the charitie of profiting Neither let any thing be done cruelly nothing vngently Item of the same Augustine it is written In the feare and name of Christ I exhort you which of you soeuer haue not the goods of this world be not greedy to haue them Such as haue them presume not to much vpon them For I say to haue them is no damnation but if ye presume vpon them that is damnation if for the hauing of theÌ„ ye shal seeme great in your owne fight or if ye do forget the coÌ„mon condition of man through the excellencie of any thing you haue Vse therfore therin due discretion tempered with moderation the which cup of discretion is drawen out of that fountaine of the Apostolike preaching which sayth Art thou loose froÌ„ thy wife Do not seeke for thy wife Art thou bound to thy wife Seke not to be loosed from her Where also it followeth Such as haue wiues let them be as though they had them not and they that vse the world let them be as not vsing it Item concerning the widow he sayth Let her marry to whoÌ„ she wil only in the Lord. To marry in the Lord is nothing els but to attempt nothing in coÌ„tracting of matrimony which the Lord doth forbid Ieremy also saith Trust not in the words of lies saying The temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord. The which saying of Ieremy Hierome expounding saith thus this may agree also be applied vnto such virgins which brag vaunt their virginitie with an impudent face pretending chastitie when they haue an other thing in their conscience and know not how the Apostle defineth the virgin that she should be holy in body and also in spirit For what auayleth the chastitie of the body if the mind inwardly be defloured Or if it haue not the other vertues which the prophetical Sermon doth describe The which vertues for as much as we see partly to be in you and because we are not ignorant that this discretioÌ„ although neglected in this part yet in the other actioÌ„s of your life to be kept honestly of you do not dispaire but you dispaire but you wil also soone amend the little lacke which is behind And therfore with as much grauitie as we can we cease not to call vpoÌ„ you to correct and amend this your negligeÌ„ce For although according to our common calling a bishop is greater then a Priest yet Austen being lesse then Hierome notwithstaÌ„ding the good correctioÌ„ proceeding froÌ„ the lesser to the greater was not to be refused or disdained especially when he which is corrected is found to striue against the truth to please meÌ„ For as S. Austen faith writing to Boniface the disputatioÌ„s of all meÌ„ be they neuer so Catholick or approued persoÌ„s ought not to bee had in stead of the Canonicall Scriptures So that we may disprooue or refuse sauing the honor reuerence which is due vnto theÌ„ any thing that is in their writings if any thing there be found contrary to trueth and what can be found more contrary to the trueth then this When as the trueth him selfe speaking of continency not of one onely but of all men together the number onely excepted of them which haue professed continencye sayth He that can take let him take the which saying these men mooued I cannot tell by what occasion doe turne and say he that cannot take let him be accursed And what can bee more foolishe amongest men then when anye Byshoppe or Archdeacon runne themselues headlong into all kinde of lust to adultery and incest and also Sodomitry yet shame not to say that the chaste mariage of Priestes doe stincke before them And as voyde of all compassion of true righteousnesse doe not desire or admonish their Clerkes as their fellow seruauntes to abstayne but commaund them and enforce them as seruauntes violentlye to abstayne Vnto the whiche imperious commaundement of theirs or counsell whether you will call it they adde also thys foolishe and filthy suggestion saying that it is more honest priuily to haue to doe with many women then apertly in the sight and consciences of many men to bee bounde to one wife The whiche truely they would not say if they were eyther of hym or in him which saith wo to you Phariseis which do all thinges before men And by the Psalmist because they please men they are confounded for the Lord hath despised them These be the men who rather ought to perswade vs that we should shame to sinne priuily in the sight of him to wheÌ„ all things be open theÌ„ to seeme in the sight of men for to be cleane These men therfore although through their sinful wickednes deserue no counsell of godlines to be giuen theÌ„ yet we not forgetting our humanitie cease not to giue them counsell by the authoritie of Gods word which seketh al mens saluation desiring theÌ„ by the bowels of charitie saying with the wordes of Scripture Cast out thou hypocrite first the beame out of thine owne eye and then thou shalt see to cast out the mote of the eye of thy brother Moreouer this also we desire them to attend what the Lord saith of the aduouterous woman which of you that is without sinne let hym cast the first stone against her As though hee would say if Moses bid you I also bid you But yet I require you that be the competent ministers and executors of the law Take heede what yee adde thereunto take heede also I pray you what you are your selues for if as the Scripture saith thou shalt well consider thy selfe thou wilt neuer defame
them that robbe them It belongs also to my care to prouide necessary things to the ministers of the Churches to the flockes of the Monkes to the company of virgins and to prouide for their peace and quiet The examining of all whose maners belongeth vnto vs whether they liue chastly if they behaue themselues honestly towarde them that be without whether they be diligent at Gods seruice if they be earnest to teache the people if they be sober in eating and drinking if they keepe measure in apparell and if they be discreete in iudgement If ye had regarded these thinges with a triall of them O reuerende fathers by your leaues I speake suche horrible and abhominable thinges of the Clearkes shoulde not haue come vnto our eares I omit to speake how their crowne is not broad nor their rounding conuenient the wantonnesse in your life your pryde in your gesture the filthinesse in your wordes doe declare the euill of the inward man Furthermore what negligence is in Gods seruice when scarce they will be present at the holy vigils And when they come to masse they seeme rather to be gathered to play and laugh then to sing I will tell that that good men be sory for and the euil laugh at I will speake with sorrow if so be I may expresse it how they be riotous in banquetings in chambering dronkennes and vnshamefastnes that now clerkes houses may be thought to be a stewes of harlots and a couent of players There be dice there is dancing and singing there is watching to midnight with crying and shouting Thus the goods of kinges the almes of princes yea and that more is the price of that precious bloud is not esteemed Haue our fathers thē spent their treasures for this purpose Hath the kinges cofers decayed by taking awaye many reuenues for this cause Hath the kinges liberalitie geuen landes and possessions to Christes Churches for this intent that Clarkes harlots shoulde be decked with the same that riotous feastes might be dressed that houndes and haukes and such other toyes might be gotten The souldiours crye out of these thinges the people grudge minstrels sing and daunce and yet ye regard it not ye spare it ye dissemble it Where is the sworde of Leuy and the zeale of Simeon whiche killed the Sichemites and the Circumcised which bare the figure of them that defile Christes Churche with filthy deedes because they abused Iacobes daughter as a harlot Where is Moyses spirite whiche spared not hys owne kinsfolke that worshipped the head of the Calfe Where is Phinies the priestes dagger which pacified Gods anger by his holy zeale when he killed him that plaied the harlote with the Madianite Where is Peters spirite by whose power couetousnes is destroied simonical heresie is condemned Be earnest ye Priests be earnest to followe the waies of the Lord the righteousnes of our God It is time to doe against them that haue broken the law of God I haue Constantines sword and yee haue Peters sworde in your hands let vs ioyne right hands let vs couple sword to sword that the lepers may be cast out of the tēples that the holy place of the Lord may be purged and the sonnes of Leuie may minister in the temple who said to his father and mother I know you not and to his brothers I know not you Goe to diligently I pray you least we repent to haue done that that we haue done to haue geuen that that we geue If we shall see that to be spent not in Gods seruice but on the riotousnes of wicked men through vile and corrupt liberty of life for lacke of chastisement let the reliques of holy saintes which they despise and the holy altars before which they play the madde men mooue you Let the great deuotion of our ancetours moue you whose almes the madnesse of the Clearkes doeth abuse My great graundfather as yee know gaue the tenth parte of all hys landes to Churches and Abbeys My greate greate graundfather Alfredus of holy memorie thoughte it not meete to spare hys Treasures his goodes no costes nor rentes that he might enriche the Church My grandfather the elder Edward your fatherhoode is not ignoraunt howe great things he gaue to the Churches It becommeth you to remember with what gifts my father his brothers did enrich Christes altars O father of fathers Dunstane beholde I pray thee the eyes of my father looking on thee from that bright place of heauen Harken his complaining words sounding in thine eares thus pitifully lamenting O father Dunstane thou thou I say geuest me counsell to builde Abbaies and Churches thou wast my helper and fellow worker in all things I chose thee as a shepheard and bishop of my soule and a keper of my maners Whē did I not obey thee what treasures did I preferre in respect of thy counsels What possessions did I not despise if thou badde me If thou thought meete to geue any thing to the poore I was ready If thou thought meete to geue any thing to Churches I deferred not If thou complained that Monkes or Clearkes wanted any thing I supplied Thou saidest that almes lasted for euer and that there was none more fruitfull then that which was geuen to Abbeis or Churches For with that both Gods seruaunts are sustained and that which remaineth is geuen to the poore O worthy almes O worthy price of the soule Oh wholesome remedie for our sinnes which nowe doeth stincke in the sweete furres of priests lemmans wherwith they adorne their eares decke their fingers apparelling their delicate bodies with silke and purple O father is this the fruite of mine almes is this the effect of my desire and of thy promise What wilt thou answer to this complaint of my fathers I know I know when thou didst see a thiefe thou runnest not with him neither hast thou put thy portion with adulterers Thou hast rebuked thou hast exhorted thou hast blamed them but wordes haue bene despised Nowe we must come to stripes of correction thou hast here with thee the worshipfull father Edward bishop of Winchester Thou hast the reuerend Prelate Oswold bishop of Worcester I commit this businesse to you that both by Bishoply correction and the kings authority the filthy liues may be cast out of the Churches and they that liue orderly may be brought in c. In this Oration of K. Edgar aboue prefixed 3. things are chiefly to be noted considered to them that haue iudgements to marke and vnderstand to witte The religious zeale and deuotion of kings both in geuing to the church also in correcting the maners of churchmen 2. Secondly the dissolute behauiour and wantonnesse of the clergie then abusing the great donatiōs and patrimonies of princes bestowed vpon them 3. Thirdly the blinde ignorance and superstition of that time in both states as well Ecclesiastical as temporal in esteeming Christes religion chiefly to consist in geuing to Churches and in
horrible for the which we are all worthy to be burned alyue meanyng of the Sacrament of the body of Christ which Sacrament Hildebrand when he thereof inquired a diuine aunswer agaynst the Emperour and would not speake threw into the fire and burned it contrary to the perswasion of the Cardinals that were present and would haue resisted the same In the second holy day in the Easter weeke when the clergy the people were assembled at S. Peters Church to heare masse after the Gospell he went vp into the pulpit as he was in his pontificall attire and in the presence of diuers bishops Cardinals a great company both of the Senate and the people of Rome beyng gathered together openly preached among manye other wordes of diuination that the kyng whose name was Henry should die without all peraduenture before the feast of S. Peter next ensuyng or els at least wise that he should bee so deiected from his kingdome that he should not be able any more to gather together aboue the number of vj. knights This he preached to the bishops and cardinals and all that were present crying out of the pulpit in these wordes Neuer accept me for Pope any more but plucke me from the aulter if this prophesie be not fulfilled by the day appointed About the same tyme he went about by helpe of priuy murtherers to kill the Emperour but God preserued him And many there were eueÌ„ at that tyme which thoght Pope Hildebrand to be guiltie and to bee the deuiser of the treason because that then he before the deed put in execution presumed of the death of the kyng beyng by him falsly prophesied of before which wordes of his wounded many mens hartes And it came to passe that Hildebrand by his wordes was openly condemned in the congregation which as is sayd gaue iudgement of himselfe to be no Pope neither that he would be counted for Pope any longer but thought to be both a belyer and a traitour vnlesss that before the feast of S. Peter next comming the Emperour should dye or els should bee depriued of all kingly honour In so much he should not be able to make aboue 6. knights on his part And thus by the appoyntmeÌ„t of God it came to passe that by his owne mouth he was condemned for an heretike Thus sayth the Lord The prophet which of arrogancie will prophesie in my name those things I haue not commauÌ„ded him or els will prophesie in the name of other Gods let him be slaine And if thou shall say with thy selfe how shall I know what thyng it is that the Lord hath not commaunded to be spoken This token shalt thou haue to know it by Whatsoeuer thing the Prophet in the name of God shal prophesie the same come not to passe that mayest thou be sure the Lord hath not spoken but the Prophet hath imagined through the hautinesse of his owne mynde therfore thou shalt not be afrayd of him When the tyme was expired that Hildebrand in his diuination had set and that neither the king was dead neither the power of the Empire empayred and fearing least by the wordes of hys owne mouth he should be reprehended and condemned subtleâ—y turned his tale saying and perswading the ignorant people that he ment not of the body of the king but of his soule as though the soule of the king had lost all sauing 6. of his knights or souldiours or els had bene dead during that space and thus by these sleights he beguiled the ignorant people Against such Prophets S. Gregory vpon Ezechiel sayeth Betwene true Prophetes and false this difference there is that true Prophets if they speake any thing vpon their owne mynd they be soone rebuked but the false prophets both they tell lies and not hauyng the spirite of truth they perseuere in their falsitie Ouer and beside the sayd Hildebrand iudged to death 3. men before they were conuict or els confessed their crime wythout the sentence of any secular iudge and caused them to bee hanged vpon a paire of gallowes ouer against the Church of S. Peter in a place called Palatiolum without any delay or aduisement contrary to the lawes which commaund that euery publike offender should haue 30. dayes space before he be put to execution Which thing euen amongst the Paganes is in vre and obserued as teacheth the authoritie of S. Ambrose and the Martyrdome of holy Marcelianus and Marcus He cast Centius the sonne of Stephen the Alderman into prison beyng before his trusty friend and in a vessell being thick set with sharpe nayles he tormented him to the poynt of death who after that he was escaped apprehended the sayd Hildebrand Of this apprehension before he was let at liberty he openly forgaue all the conspiratours Which thing afterwardes contrary to his fidelitie he brake and reuenged caused Centius to whome he had forgeuen all offences to be taken and hanged him 9. of his men vpon the gallowes before S. Peters porch There was at the apprehension of Pope Hildebrand a certain widowes sonne to whom and others moe for their penaunce he enioyned a yeares banishment Which tyme beyng explete or run out the widow in tokeÌ„ of more ample satisfaction thinking therby to haue appeased the mynd of Hildebrand put a halter about her sonnes necke and drawyng her sonne by the rope to the foot of Hildebrand sayd My Lord Pope at your hands will I receaue agayne my sonne which one whole yeare hath endured banishment and other penaunce by your holynesse enioyned Then the sayd Hildebrand for that instant because of those which were with him in company dissembling his wrath deliuered her her sonne very churlishly saying get thee hence woman I bid thee and let me be in rest After this he sent his officers appreheÌ„ded the widowes sonne and gaue commaundement to the Iustices to put him to death who altogether makyng aunswer sayd that they could no more condemne or meddle with him for that hee had for his crime committed appealed once to the Pope abidden the banishment and done the penaunce by him enioyned Hereupon this glorious Hildebrand beyng displeased wyth the Iudges caused the foote of the widowes sonne to be cut off makyng neyther repentaunce nor the lawes and ordinaunces to be of any estimation with hym And thus his foote beyng cut off he dyed within three dayes after with the payne thereof Many other wicked deedes did this Hildebrand vpon whom the bloud of the church cryeth vengeance shed by the sworde that is the miserable trecherie of his tong For which things and that iustly the church refused to communicate with him Haec Benno An other Epistle of Benno to the Cardinals TO the reuerend fathers of the Church of Rome and to hys beloued in Christ and to his brethren that shall for euer be beloued Benno the Cardinall of the Churche of Rome wisheth faythfull seruice
thus to come About the yeare of the Lord 1160. it chaunced that diuers of the best and chiefest heades of the Citty of Lyons talking and walking in a certayne place after their olde accustomed maner especially in the Sommer time conferred and consulted together vpon matters either to passe ouer time or to debate thinges to be done Amongst whom it chaunced one the rest looking vpon to fall downe by sodeine death In the number of whom this foresayd Waldus there being amongest them was one Who beholding the matter more earnestly then the other and terrified with so heauy an exaÌ„ple being as is sayd a rich man and Gods holy spirit working withall was stroken with a deepe inward repeÌ„tance wherevpon folowed a new alteratioÌ„ with a carefull study to reforme his former life In somuch that first he began to minister large almes of his goods to such as needed SecoÌ„dly to instruct himselfe and his familye with the true knowledge of Gods word Thirdly to admonish all that resorted to him by any occasion to repentaunce and vertuous amendment of life Wherby partly through his large geuing to the poore partly through his diligent teaching wholesome admonitions more resort of people daily frequeÌ„ted about him Whom when he did see ready and diligent to learne begaÌ„ to geue out to them certayne rudiâ—ents of the Scripture which he had translated himselfe into the French tongue For as he was a man welthy in riches so he was also not vnlearned Although Laziardus Volateranus with other note him vtterly vnlearned charge him with ignoraunce as who should procure other to write and translate for him By other that haue seene his doings yet remaining in old parchment monuments it appeareth he was both able to declare and translate the books of scripture also did collect the doctors mind vpon the same But whatsoeuer he was lettred or vnlettred the byshops and prelats seing him so to intermeddle with scriptures and to haue such resort about him albeit it was but in his own house vnder priuate confereÌ„ce could not abide either that the scriptures should be declared of any other neither would they take the paines to declare it theÌ„selues So being moued with great malice against the man threatned to excommunicate him if he did not leaue so to doe Ualdus seing his doing to be but godly and their malice stirred vp vpoÌ„ no iust nor godly cause neglecting yâ— threaminges frettinges of the wicked said that god must be obeied more then man to be brief the more diligeÌ„t he was in setting forth the true doctrine of Christ against the errors of Antichrist the more maliciously their fiercenes increased Insomuch that when they did see their excommunication to be despised would not serue they ceased not with prison with sword and banishment to persecute till at length they had driuen both Ualdus and all the fauourers of his true preaching out of the city Wherupon came first their name that they were called Ualdenses or pauperes de Lugduno not because the would haue all things coÌ„mon amongst them or that they professing any wilfull pouerty would imitate to liue as the Apostles did as Siluius did falsly belie them but because they being thrust out both of coutrey and goods were coÌ„pelled to liue poorly whether they would or no. And thus much touching the first occasion and beginning of these men and of the restoring and maintayning the true doctrine of Christs gospell agaynst the proud proceedings of popish errors Now concerning their articles whiche I finde in order and in number to be these SOlis sacris literis credendum esse in ijs quae ad salutem c. That is Onely the holy Scripture is to be beleued in matters pertayning to saluation and no mans writing or man besides 2. All things to be contayned in holy Scripture necessary to saluation and nothing to be admitted in religion but what onely is commaunded in the word of God 3. To be one alonely mediator Other saintes in no wise to be made mediators or to be inuocated 4. To be no purgatory but that all men either by Christ are iustified to life or without Christ to be condemned and besides these two neither any third or fourth place to be 5. That all masses namely such as be song for the dead to be wicked and to be abrogate 6. All mens traditions to be reiected at least not to be reputed as necessary to saluation and therefore this singing superfluous chaunting in the chauncell to be left constrained prefixed fasts bouÌ„d to dayes tunes difference of meates such variety of degrees and orders of Priestes friers monkes nunnes superfluous holidayes so mady sundry benedictions hallowing of creatures vowes peregrinations with all the rabblement of rites ceremonies brought in by man to be abolished 7. The supremacy of the Pope vsurping aboue all churches and especially aboue all politick realmes gouernments or for him to occupye or vsurpe the iurisdiction of both the swordes to be denied neither that any degree is to be receiued in the Church but onely Priests Deacons and Bishops 8. The communion vnder both kindes to be necessary to all people according to the institution of Christ. 9. Item the church of Rome to be the very Babilon spoken of in the Apocalips And the Pope to be the fountaine of all error and the very Antichrist 10 The popes pardons and indulgences they reiect 11. The mariage of Priestes and of ecclesiasticall persons to be godly and also necessary in the Church 12. Such as heare the word of God haue a right fayth to be the right Church of Christ. And to this Church the keyes of the church to be geuen to driue away wolues to institute true pastors to preach the word and to minister the Sacraments These be the most principall articles of the Uladenses albeit some there be that adde moe to them some agayne deuide the fame into moe partes But these be the principall to which the rest be reduced The same Ualdenses at length exiled were dispersed in diuers sundry places of whom many remayned long in Bohemia which writing to theyr king Uladislaus to purge themselues agaynst the slaundrous accusations of one D. Augustine gaue vp theyr confession with an Apology of theyr christian profession defending with strong learned argumeÌ„ts the saine which now is receiued in most reformed churches both concerning grace fayth charitye hope repentaunce and workes of mercy As for purgatory they say that Tho. Aquinas is the author thereof Concerning the Supper of the Lord their fayth was that it was ordayned to be eaten not to be shewed worshipped for a memoriall not for a sacrifice to serue for the preseÌ„t ministration not for reseruation to be receiued at the table not be caryed out of the dores according to the auncient vse of the primitiue church when they vsed to coÌ„municate sitting And this they proue
an example to the flocke and when the chiefe Pastor shall appeare you shall receiue an incorruptible crowne of eternall glory c. And this is the doctrine of Peter as they shal se which do not obey it As for vs the other part of the sayd Epistle is sufficient Wherein he willeth thē to reioice which are in heauines through manifolde temptations that the triall of theyr sayth being much more precious thē gold that perisheth and is tryed in fire may be theyr laud honour and glory at the appearing of the Lord Iesu. c. But beare with me I pray you O holy Father and of all your Predecessors most meekest and suffer my wordes though the seme something sharpe for they be sighings of a sorrowfull hart Wherefore gird about your loynes with fortitude and light vp the candle of your descretion and seeke the groat that is lost of the vnity I meane of sayth And we will also with like compassion ioyne with your holynesse and will not spare this weake body of mine in pretending any excuse either of age or lēgth of the way For the more laborous the trauell is the moe crownes it bringeth And S. Paule sayth Euery man shall receiue reward according to his trauell c. Neither are we ignoraunt if it please your holinesse that like as we Grecians for our partes do labour in all respectes to keepe and obserue the sincerity of true sayth and doctrine not to erre ne swerue in any part or poynt from the statutes of the blessed Apostles and auncient fathers so the Church likewise of old Rome doth for her part labour also we know well to follow the sincere verity of Christian doctrine and thinketh her selfe to erre in nothing nor to neede any remedye or reformation And this we know is the iudgement and saying of both the Churches aswell of the Greekes as of the Latines For no man can see any spot in his owne face without he stoope downe to the glasse or els be admonished by some other whether his face be blotted or no. Euen so haue we many great sayre glasses set before vs first the cleare Gospell of Christ the Epistles of the Apostles and diuinitie bookes of auncient writers Let vs therefore looke in them well They will shew euery mans minde and iudgement whether he go right or wrong The God of peace tread downe Sathan speedely vnder our feet The author of peace confound the sower of discord He that is the cause of all goodnes destroy the hater of that which is good and which geueth cause of offence and slaunder And he which is God of all ioy and peace send to vs whiche are the shepheardes of his sheepe reasonable the aungell of peace and messenger of great glad tidings as he did in the Natiuitye of Christ to the shepheardes of brute sheepe and vnreasonable and make vs worthy to sing that ioyfull song of Gods prayse Gloria in excelsis Deo in terra pax hominibus bona voluntas and to receiue one an other with an holy kisse The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the peace of God the Father and the communion of the holy spirit be with you alwayes Amen ¶ An other Epistle of the sayd Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople and Primate of the Greek Church to the Cardinals of Rome AN other letter the sayd Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople wrote also the same time to the Popes Cardinals wherin he first commending them for theyr wisedome and counsell and shewing what vtility commeth by good counsell geuing for so much as God sayth he many times that he hydeth from one inspireth to an other so that that good thing which by the almighty God is sonderly dispensed to diuers through common counsell and conference spreadeth to the publicke vtility of many c. After this eftsoones he beginneth to exhort them that they like charitable ministers and discrete counsellors will take in hand the spirituall armour of God to cast downe the stoppe partition walle of the olde discord betweene the Greekes and Latine Church that they will be a meanes to the Bishop of Rome that they which so long haue bene disseuered by dissention may now be conioyned in vnity of peace in brotherly charity and communion of fayth Concerning which matter I haue sayth he already written to his holynesse And now I beseech the king of heauen whiche tooke the shape of a seruaunt to helpe his miserable seruauntes and was exalted vpon the crosse to raise them vp which were fallen into the profundity of desolation that he will vouchsafe to put from your hartes all elation of minde extolling it selfe ouer and aboue the vnity of your brethren and fellow seruauntes and to lighten your consciences with the true light of vnderstanding that we may altogether agree in one that there be no schisme amongst vs. Let vs therefore as we are instructed so abide in one minde that it be not sayd of vs as it was of the Corinthians before vs I hold of Paule I of Apollo I of Coephas and I of Christ but that all we as we holde the name of Christ and are all called Christians so may also abide in that wherein we are instructed in one minde that is to follow loue and charity in Christ Iesus hauing alwayes in our hartes the wordes of the Apostle saying One Lord one Fayth one Baptisme And now to be playne with you in that I haue to say I shal desire you not to be offended with me in vttering the trueth as a frend vnto you The wordes sayth Salomon of a wise man telling trueth be like to nayles which be driuen in deepe And truth for the moste parte breedeth enemies And therefore though I am partly afrayd yet will I simply confesse the trueth vnto you Certes this diuision of Christian vnity amongst vs proceedeth of no other cause but onely of the tiranny oppression and exactiōs of the Church of Rome which of a mother is become a stepdame and hath put her children from her whome long time she nourished after the maner of a rauening bird which driueth her yong from her which children how much the more humble and obedient they are to her the lesse she esteemeth them and treadeth them vnder foot not regarding the saying of the Gospel Who so humbleth himselfe shal be exalted Let modesty therefore something temper you and let the auarice of the Court of Rome although it can not well out of the flesh which is bred in the bone yet surcease a while and let vs together condescend to the triall of the trueth which trueth being found out on both sides let vs constantly embrace the same For why we haue bene altogether some times both Italians and Grecians in one fayth and vnder the same Canons hauing peace each with other and defending one an other and confounding the enemies of the Church At what tyme many flying out of the west
and bridle him withall that peace thereby and loue might dwell vppon the face of the earth But alas the B. of Rome sitting in the chaire of peruerse doctrine or pestilence that Pharisee anoynted wyth the oyle of iniquitie aboue the rest of his consortes in this our time which for his abhominable pride is fallen from heauen indeuoureth with his power to destroy and vndoe all and thinketh I beleeue to stellifie againe himselfe there from whence hee fell Hys purpose is to darken and to shadowe the light of our vnspotted life whilest that altering the veritie into lies his Papall letters stuft with all vntruthes are sent into sondry partes of the world of his owne corrupt humor and vpon no reasonable cause blemishing the sinceritie of our Religion The Lord Pope hath compared vs vnto the beast rising out of the sea full of names of blasphemy and spotted like a Lyberd But we say that he is that mōstrous beast of whom it is sayd and of whome we thus read And there shall come an other red horse out of the sea and hee that shall sit on him shall take peace away out of the earth let them therefore that dwell vpon the earth destroy him For since the tyme of hys promotiō he hath not ben the father of mercy but of discord A dilligent steward of desolation in stead of consolation and hath intised all the worlde to commit offence And to take the wordes in right sense and interpretation he is that great Dragon that dath deceiued the whole worlde hee is that Antichrist of whom he hath called vs the forerunner he is that other Balaam hired for money to curse vs the Prince of darcknes which hath abused the Prophetes This is the Aungel leaping out of the sea hauing his Phials fild with bitternes that he may both hurt the sea and the lande the counterfait Vicar of Christ that setteth forth hys owne imaginations He sayth that we doe not rightly beleue in the Christen fayth and that the world is deceiued with three maner of deceiuers which to name God forbid we should open our mouth seeing that openly we cōfesse onely Iesus Christ our Lord and Sauiour to be the euerlasting sonne of God coequall with hys father and the holy Ghost begotten before all worldes and in processe of tyme sent downe vpon the earth for the saluation of mankinde Conceaued not by the seede of man but by the holy Ghost which was borne of the glorious virgin Mary after that suffered and dyed as touching the flesh and by hys Godhead the third day he raysed from death that other nature which he assumpted in the wombe of his mother But we haue learned that the body of Machomet hangeth in the ayre and that his soule is buryed in hell whose works are damnable contrary to the law of the most highest We affirme also that Moyses was the faythfull seruant of God and a true teacher of the law and that he talked with God in mount Sinay vnto whō the Lord sayd Rubrum c. By whō also God wrought miracles in Egipt and deliuered the law written to the Israelites that afterwards with the elect he was called to glory In these and other thinges our enemy and enuier of our state causing our mother the church to accuse her sonne hath written agaynst vs venemous and lying sclaunder and sent the same to the whole worlde If hee had rightly vnderstoode the Apostles meaning he woulde not haue preferred his violent will before reason which beareth such sway with him neither would he haue sēt out his Mandates to the suggestion of those which call light darcknes and euill good whiche suspect hony to be gall for the great good opinion they haue cōceaued of that holy place which in deed is both weak infirm cōuerteth al truth into falshood affirmeth that to be that is not Truly my opinion so indifferent on euery side ought not in any case to be infringed and auerted from the fayth to such enemies of so corrupt a conscience Wherefore we greatly are inforced not a little to meruaile which thing also doth much disquyet vs to see that you which be the pillers and assistentes in office of righteous dealing the Senators of Peters Citie and the principal beames in Gods building haue not quallified the perturbation of so fierce a Iudge as doth the planets of heauē in their kynd which to mittigate the passing swift course of the great orbe or sphere of heauen draw a contrary way by theyr opposite mouinges In very deed our Imperial felicitie hath bene almost euen from the beginning spurned agaynst and enueied at of the papall see and dignitie As Simonides being demanded why he had no mo enemies and enuiers of hys state answered and sayd quia nibil falsciter gessi for because sayth he I haue had no good successe in any thing that euer I tooke in hand And so for that we haue had prosperous successe in all our enterprises the Lordes name be blessed therefore especially in the ouerthrow of late of our rebellious enemies the Lombardes to whom in their good quarrell he promised life and absolution and remission of their sinnes is the cause wherefore this Apostolicall bishop mourneth and lamenteth And now not by your councels I suppose he laboureth to impugne this our felicitie but of hys owne power of bynding losing wherof he glorieth so much he impugneth it But presently where power and habilitie wanteth to redresse there doth abuse take place We see in hym which was so mighty a king and the worthiest prince amongst all the Prophetes to desire craue the restitution of Gods holy spirit when he had polluted the dignitie of hys office But the prouerbe is Vti indissolubilia non solnuntur ita inligabilia non ligantur As thinges indissoluble are not to be losed so thinges that cannot be bound are not to be bound Which thing manifestly is proued in him For why the scriptures of God doe instruct men how to liue they mortifie our soules whiche are immortall and quicken the same whiche are dead for want of lyfe And doubtles he is able to humble and bring downe those that are vnworthy of dignitie as much as him pleaseth and when him pleaseth Doubtlesse if the Byshop of Rome were a true Byshop indeed innocent impolute and not associate with wicked liuers and euill men his life should declare him so to be He would not then be an offerer of dissentious sacrifice but a peaceable offerer of loue charity would cense not with the incense of griefe hatred but with the sweet smelling incense of concord and vnity neither yet would alter suum pontificium in maleficium That is make of a sanctified office an execrable abuse If he were such a Byshoppe as he ought to be he would not wrest or abuse the preaching of the word into the fruite and gayne of his owne dissention neither
as your spirituall pastour we also desire you so to esteeme and thinke of them which also make like report of other that haue bene with your grace beyonde the seas that they haue naughtely falsely serued you wherby you haue lost the towne of Tourney much honor els which you might haue wonne gotten there May it please your grace to call before you the Prelates and Pieres of your Realme in some conuenient place where wee and other moe may safely come and resorte and there also to make search and enquirie in whose hands after the beginning of your warres the money and what thing els so euer which was graunted vnto you in aide of the same your warres vntill thys present day doeth remaine and is not laide out againe as also by whose default you were so enforced to leaue the sayde siege of Tourney and those which shal be founde in any poynt faultie and guiltie therin against you as a good Iusticer your grace wil cause to be punished according to the lawe and in so much as appertaineth vnto vs therein we aske iudgement of our Peeres the state alwayes of holy Church of vs of our order reserued inuiolate according as we haue wrytten vnto you heerein And for Gods sake Syr beleeue not either of vs or any other your true subiectes els more then that you shall vnderstand the veritie of for if men should be punished without making answere to that which is obiected against them there should be then no difference in iudgement betwixt the good doer and the bad And Syr may it please you well to consider of the great enterprise you haue in hande the great good will which you haue neede of for this cause and of your great ennemies the Scots and the great ieoperdie of your realme besides For if your Prelates your nobles al the wisemen of your realme were of one minde and will without any discorde or diuision amongst them to dispose and set in order those things which are needeful in so great affaires and businesse they shoulde haue all inough to beate their heads about for the maintenance of your great enterprise begon the honour of you and sauegarde of your Realme And Syr may it please your grace not to be displeased that so rudely and grosely we declare vnto you the veritie for why the great loue affection which we beare vnto you alwayes haue done the same the preseruation of your honour and sauegard of your realme as also for that we are although vnworthy the primat of the whole realme of England which thing appertaining vnto vs by our office being your spirituall father doth incite vs the rather both to say and coÌ„maund that which may turne to the benefite of your soule and profite of your realme and kingly estate Thus the holy spirite saue you both body and soule and giue your grace both to heare and beleeue good counsaile and further giue you victorie ouer all your enemies Written at Cant. the 1. day of Ianuary By your graces chaplen the Archbishop of the same And thus node the case betweene the king the Archbishop of Caunterbury who comming thus as is said in secret wise into Englande from the siege of Tourney hys army in the meane while by ships was conueyed to little Britaine Of whome a great number through vnseasonable and inconuenient meats and drinks was there consumed To whom also no lesse danger happened by the seas comming out of Britain into England by tempest thunder and lightening stirred vp as is thought by the Necromaucers of the French king About whych season approchyng to the yeare of oure Lorde 1341. were sent from the Pope two other Cardinals to entreat wyth Kyng Edwarde for thre yeres truce to be concluded more wyth the Frenche Kyng beside the former truce taken before for one yere and all by the popes meanes For heere is to be vnderstanded that as it was not for the Popes purpose to haue the Kyng of England to raigne ouer so many couÌ„treis so his priuy supportation lacked not by all meanes possible both by Archbyshops Cardinals and also by the Emperor to maintain the state of the French king and to stablish him in his possession Ex Tho. Walsing ex chron Albanens In the said histories where these things be mentioned it is also noted that the same yeare such plentye there was here in the realme of victuals that a quarter of wheat was solde for ii s a fat oxe for a noble and as some say a sheepe for iiii d. And thus farre endureth the hystorie of Ranulphus Cestrensis called Polychronicon The next yere following which was 1342 Ludouicus Bauarus the Emperor who before had shewed great curtesie to king Edward as in his first viage ouer in so much that he made him his Uicar or Uicegerent general and offered hym also aide against the French king Now â—yther turned by inconstancie or seduced by the pope wryteth to him contrary letters wherein hee reuoketh agayne the Uicegerentship graunted to hym and seeketh all meanes in the fauour of the French king against king Edwarde as by his letters heere vnder written may better appeare The letter of the Emperour vnto the king of England LVdouicus by the grace of God Emperor of the Romaines alwaies Augustus c. To Edward king of England his beloued brother greeting and vnfained loue Although great and vrgent busines of our owne do oppresse vs about the same our waighty affaires are daily incombred yet with the discord variaunce betwene your kingly dignity and the renowmed Phillip the king of Fraunce our cosine for your sake wee are not a little troubled And the rather the great charges which may heereafter growe both to you and to your kingdome thereby considered bothe of men and money vnlesse the same be taken vp doth more earnestly prouoke vs to geue our selfe to the carefull studie of your affaires Wherefore wee geue you to vnderstande that the foresayde Philip at our request hath geuen vnto vs by his letters authoritie and power to intreat and conclude a peace betwene you touching the variance begon which peace al the state diligently coÌ„sidered both of your selfe your kingdome and subiects wee take and beleeue to be right expedient for you moouing there withall your charity and earnestly desiring you that to this also you will geue your consent wherby we may bring you both to concord and vnitie and establish betweene you a firme peace to endure whereunto with willing minde we would apply our selfe and bestow our painfull labour in prosecuting of the same And heerein if you will condescend and agree vnto our counsaile as we trust you wil. It may please you by your letters to geue vnto vs the like autoritie as is aboue sayd to entreat peace or ordering of a truce for one yeare or two at least to continue Neither let it moue you that betwene vs and the sayde
Churches that should be next vacant beside Bishopricks and Abbotshyps to the extent of two thousand Marks Wherupon the procurators of the sayd Cardinals were sent down for the same But the kyng and nobility of the realme not suffring that vnder paine of imprisonment caused the sayd procurators foorthwith to depart the realm wherupon the nobles and commons shortly after writeth a fruitfull Epistle to the Pope for the liberties and the maintenance of yâ— English church Whereunto as saith the author the pope and the Cardinals were not able to answer The argument and tenor of which letter out of French wee haue caused to be translated into Englishe as insueth The letter of the king of England and nobles of the same to the Pope against the reseruations and prouisions which he had in England TO the most holy father in God Lord Clement by the grace of God of the holy church of Rome and of the vniuersal church chiefe and high Bishop His humble deuout children the Princes Dukes Earles Barons Knights Citizens Burgeses and al the comminaltie of the Realme of Englande assembled at the Parliament holden at Westminster the 15. day of May last past Deuoute kissings of his holy feete with all humble reuerence and humilitie Most holy father the holy discretion gouernment equitie which appeareth to be in you and ought of duety so to be beyng so high and holy a prelate and head of the holy church by whom the holy vniuersall churche and people of God ought to be as by the sunne beames inlightened Geueth vs good hope and likelyhode that the iust petitions to the honour of Iesus Christ holy Church and your holinesse also by vs declared shal be of you graciously heard and considered And that all errours and other iniquities quite taken away and remooued in stede thereof fruitfull exployts and necessary remedies by the grace of the holy spirite which you in so high an estate haue receiued may be by you likewise graciously ordained and disposed Wherfore most holy father all we vpon great deliberation and common assent come vnto your holines shewing and declaring that the noble kings of England our progenitours our auncitours and we according to the grace of the holy spirite to them and vs geuen euery one according to his deuotion haue established fouÌ„ded and endowed with in the realme of Englande Churches Cathedrals Colleges Abbeis Priories and other diuers houses of religion in the same ordained and to the Prelates and gouernours of the same places haue geuen landes possessions patrimonies franchesies aduowsons and patronages of dignities reuenues offices churches with many and diuers other benefices vnto them geuen whereby the seruice of God and faith of Christ might haue bene honoured and had in reuereÌ„ce that the hospitals almes houses that are made with all the churches edifices might be honestly kept maintained and that deuout praiers might in those places be made for the founders the poore parishioners aided and comforted And such only ought to haue the cure therof as are able to heare confessions and in their owne naturall toung otherwise meete to informe teach their parishioners And for so muche as most holy father that you caÌ„not well come to the notice of diuers such errours defaults neither yet vnderstand the condition of the places being so far of vnles your holines be enformed aduertised We hauing the perfect intelligence and vnderstanding of the sayd errours and defaultes of the places abouesayd within the sayd Realme haue thought meete to signifie the same vnto your holines That diuers reseruations prouisions and collations by your predecessours Apostolicke of Rome and by you most holy father in your time haue bene graunted and that more largely then they haue bene accustomed to be vnto diuers persons as well straungers and of sundry nations as vnto some such as are our enemies hauing no vnderstanding at all of the tongue and conditions of them of whom they haue the gouernment cure Whereby a great number of soules are in perill a great many of their parishners in daunger the seruice of GOD destroyed the almes and deuotion of all men diminished the hospitals perished the churches with their appurtenaunces decayed charitie withdrawne the good and honest persons of our realme vnaduaunced the charge and gouernement of soules not regarded the deuotion of the people restrayned many poore schollers vnpreferred and the treasure of the realme caryed out against the myndes and intentes of the founders All which errours defaultes and flaunders most holy father we neyther can nor ought to suffer nor indure We therefore most humbly require your holines that the slaunders errors and defaultes which we haue declared vnto you may be through your great discretion considered and that it may please you that such reseruations prouisions and collations may be vtterly repelled that from henceforth the same be no more amongst vs vsed But to take such order and remedy therein that the said benefices edifices rightes with their apertinentes may be to the honour of God by our owne countrymen cured defended and gouerned And that it may further please your holines by your letters to signifie vnto vs without delay and other detract of tyme what your plesure is touching this our lawful request demaund and that we may doe our indeuour with dilligence herein for the remedy correction and amendment of those enormities aboue specified In witnes wherof vnto these letters patentes we haue set our seales Geuen in the full Parliament at Westminster the 8. day of May an 1343. After these thinges thus passed ouer the King shortly after sent ouer his Procuratours Earle of Lancaster and Darby Hugh Spencer L. Rafe Stafforde wyth the Byshop of Exâ—tor and diuers other to the popes court to discusse and plead about the right of his title before the pope Unto whom the said Pope Clement the 6. not long after sent down thys message how that Ludouike duke of Bauarie the Emperour whom the pope had before deposed had submitted himselfe to hym in all things and therefore deserued at his hands the benefite of absolution And how the pope therfore had coÌ„ferred and restored vnto him iustly and gratiously the Empire which he before vniustly did holde c. Which message when the King did heare beyng therwith moued to anger answered againe saying That if he did agree and compound also with the Frenche king he was ready to fight with them both c. Ex chro Albanen Within the time of this yere pence halfepence and farthings began to be coyned in the tower And the next yere folowing which was an 1344. the castle of winsor where the king was borne began to be repared and in the same the house called the rounde table was situate the diameter wherof from the one side to the other contained 200. feete to the expeÌ„ces of which house weekly was allowed an C. li. for the mainteining
suffer them secretly to talke with vs for the safegard of our honor The intention of your hart to make the foresayd peace complayning and bewayling therein the death of Christen men the losse of their goodes the perill of their soules the lamentable waylings of the poore of orphanes the widowes and destruction of other pittyfull persons the pillage and robberies of Churches and other mischiefes innumerable and namely the diminishing of Christen sayth in the East partes which by the warre betwene our aduersary of Fraūce and vs is sore decayed as the said letters playnely do import And that forasmuch as God hath geuen you triumphant fortune that so much the more we ought to abase and humble our hart and to be the readyer to make and incline to a peace As touching these thinges holy Father we geue your holynesse to vnderstand that aswell vnto your foresayd Legates as other messengers sent from you vnto vs we haue offered vnto euerye of them reasonable wayes of peace and euery day declare the same and that not secretly but openly For we doubt not to let our purpose be vnderstoode for he that is the high Iudge both of him and vs in whose disposition all thing lyeth hath geuen vnto vs the crowne of Fraunce to our right and proper heritage The which right our foresayd aduersary hath by force of long time deteyned from vs we seeking to obtayne the same in peaceable wise and yet do if we might obtayne the same in any good maner rather for the benefit of christen men and that the foresayd euilles might cease which by his wrongfull meanes onely haue increased growne Yet notwithstanding as before this time you know we assented to a truce with certayne Articles conteined in the same writing all this he hath infringed Neither doth the wrong suffice him which he offereth vs in our foresayd heritage but endeuoureth himselfe during the sayd truce to inuade our realme of England and other our landes and further maynteineth the Scottes aydeth them to the vtter destructiō of vs our people lands aforesayd whereby we were inforced for the safegarde of our people and landes by such lawfull meanes we may to defend our selues and put him from his wicked purpose And furthermore for the same our quarell being in the handes of God haue we commen against him to conquere our inheritaunce of Fraūce ouer whom God hath geuen vs diuers victories as we haue trusted he would by his rightwise iudgement and power whiche thing he hath shewed vpon vs all chaunce of fortune set a part in respect of our rightfull title therein and without our desertes Wherefore with all humility of hart we geue him thanks alwaies therefore most deuoutly night and day praysing his holy name for we acknowledge the same commeth not by our strength and force Wherefore most holy Father we desire your holynesse and somuch as in vs lyeth require the same that you that supplye the place of the sonne of God in earth and hath the gouernement of the soules of all Christen men and ought to be vpright and equall towardes all men without exception of persons that ye will receiue good information and true of the obiections aboue sayd and will put to your holy helping hand as much as in you is that our sayed aduersarye of Fraunce may acknowledge his wrong whiche he hath done to vs herein and may be by your ayde redressed and that he in this his wrong haue no mainteynance and ayde at your hand For if it be so we then appeale vnto the iudge of iudges which suffereth for a time wronges to be donne for the sinnefull default of man but in the end redresseth the same leauing no good deed vnrewarded nor euill vnpunished most humbly requiring him to be to vs a true and vpright iudge of all our controuersyes for his mercies sake as in the meane time we repose our full trust and confidence in him The holy spirit of God c. Moreouer during yet the siege of Calis the French king had sent certayn offers to the men of Flaunders that if they would relinquish the king of England and adhere to him First he would remitte all their former transgressions Secondly he would vnburdē them of their interdict Thirdly he would send vnto them such plēty of corne that what was sold for 12.5 with them should be sold for 4.5 and that for 6. yeares Fourthly he would store them with plenty of French woll to make cloth for a small price that they might sell the sayd clothes both in Flaunders and in Fraunce that the Frēch men should vse the same cloth for so much as al other maner of cloth should be forbid in Fraunce so long as any of that made of French woll might be found Fiftly he would restore them to these three Cities Insulam Rowocum and Betony Sixtly he would defend them from all their aduersaries And in pledge of the same would sēd them mony before hand Seuenthly such as were able and forward men amōg them he would reteine and promote them c. But these offers seming to proceed more of faire words to serue the presēt turne then or any harty truth were not receiued Thē the L. Iohn Prince heyre to the French king during the foresayd siege of Calis aboue mentioned comming with a mighty army of French men set vpon y◠men of Flaūders and English men in the towne of Cassels In the which conflict during from morning to noone the Frenchmē were vanquished and the young Dolphin driuen backe from whence he came Of whose number diuers were slaine and taken prisoners Where on the other side through the Lordes defence not one is reported to be grieuously wounded As this passed on not long after about y◠7. day of Iune an 1347 king Edward continuing still his siege agaynst Calis Philip the French king came downe with a mighty army purposing to remoue the siege where not farre of from the English host he incamped himselfe Which done 2. Cardinals Ambaldus Stephanus procured for the same purpose going betwene the two kinges gaue to the king of England thus to vnderstand that if he would cōdescend to any reasonable way of peace the French king was ready to offer such honest prosers vnto him as to reason to his contentation should seme agreeable But in cōclusion when it came to talke the nobles could not agree vpon y◠conditions Wherefore the french king seing no other remedy did it to be signified to king Edward that betwene that present Teusday the next friday if he would come forth into the field he should haue battell geuē him Thus the place being vewed of foure Captaines of either host for the battaile to be fought it so fell that the French K. on Wednesday at night before the battell should ioyne secretly by night setting his pauilions on fire returned backe with his army out of the sight of
priest haddeÌ„ their part of sacrifices and the first bygeten beastes and other things as the lawe telleth And Lorde S. Paul thy seruant sayth that the order of the priesthode of Aaron ceased in Christes comming and the lawe of that priesthode For Christ was end of sacrifices yoffered vpoÌ„ the crosse to the father of heauen to bring man out of sinne and become himself a priest of Melchisedeks order For he was both king priest without beginning and end and both the priesthoode of Aaron and also the law of that priesthode ben ychaunged in the comming of Christ. And S. Paul sayth it is reproued for it broghâ— no man to perfection For bloude of gotes ne of other beastes ne might done away sinne for to that Christ shad his bloud A Lord Iesu wether thou ordenest an order of priests to offreÌ„ in the auter thy flesh and thy bloude to bringen men out of sinne and also out of peine And whether thou geue them alonelych a power to eat thy flesh and thy bloud and wether none other man may eate thy flesh and thy bloud with outen leue of priestes Lord we beleeuen that thy flesh is verey meate and thy bloude verey drinke and who eateth thy flesh and drinketh thy bloud dwelleth in thee and thou in him and who that eateth this bread shall liue without end But Lord thine disciples sayd this is an hard worde but thou answerest them and seidest When yee seeth mans soone stiuen vp there hee was rather the spirite is that maketh you liue the wordes that yche haue spoken to you ben spirite life Lord yblessed more thou be for in this worde thou teachest vs that hee that kepeth thy wordes and doth after them eateth thy fleshe and drinketh thy bloude and hath an euerlasting life in thee And for we shoulden haue minde of thys liuing thou gauest vs the sacrament of thy flesh and bloud in forme of bred and wine at thy supper before that thou shouldest suffer thy death and tooke bread in thine hand and saidest take ye this and eate it for it is my body and thou tookest wine and blessedest it and sayde thys is the bloud of a new and an euerlasting testament that shall be shed for many men in forgeuenes of sinnes as oft as ye haue done doo ye this in minde of me A Lord thou ne bede not thine disciples makeÌ„ this a sacrifice to bring men out of paines gif a priest offred thy body in the alter but thou bede them go and fullen all the folke in the name of the father the sonne and the holy ghost in forgeuenes of their sinnes and teache ye them to keepe those thynges that ych haue coÌ„manded you And Lord thine disciples ne ordeined not priests principallich to make thy body in sacrament but for to teach the people and good husbandmen that well gouern their housholds both wiues children their meiny they ordeind to be priests to teachen other men the law of Christ both in worde in dede they liuedein as true Christen men euery day they eaten Christes body and drinken his bloude to the sustenance of liuing of theyr soules and otherwhiles they tooken the sacrament of his body in forme of bread and wine in mind of our Lord Iesu Christ. But all this is turned vpse downe for now who so will liuen as thou taughtest he shal ben holden a foole And gif he speake thy teaching he shal ben holden an heretick accursed Lord yhaue no lâ—nger wonder hereof for so they seiden to thee wheÌ„ thou wer here some time And therefore wee moten take in pacience theyr wordes of blasphemy as thou didest thy selfe or els we weren to blame And truelych Lord I trowe that if thou were nowe in the world and taughtest as thou diddest some time thou shuldest ben done to death For thy teaching is damned for heresy of wise men of the world and then moten they nedes ben heretickes that teachen thy lore and all they also that trauelen to liue thereafter And therfore Lord gif it be thy wil helpe thine vnkunning lewde seruaunts that wolen by their power and their kunning helpe to destroy sinne Leue Lorde sithe thou madest woman in helpe of man in a more fraile degree then man is to be gouerned by mans reason What perfection of charity is in these priests and in men of religion that haue forsaken spoushod that thou ordeinedst in Paradise betwixt man and woman for perfection to forsaken traueile and liuen in ease by other mens traueile For they mow not do bodilich workes for defouling of their handes with whom they touchen thy precious body in the aulter Leue Lorde gif good men forsaken the company of woman nedes they moten haue the gouernaile of man then moteÌ„ they ben ycoupled with shrewes and therfore thy spoushode that thou madest in clennes from sinne it is nowe ychaunged into liking of the flesh And Lord this is a great mischiefe vnto thy people And young priestes and men of religion for defaulte of wiues maken many women horen and drawen through their euell ensample many other men to sinne and the ease that they liuen in and their welfare is a great cause of this mischiefe And Lord me thinketh that these ben quaint orders of religion and none of thy sect that wolen taken horen whilke God forfendes and forsaken wiues that God ne forfendeth not And forsaKen trauail that God commaunds and geuen their selfe to idlenes that is the mother of all noughtines And Lorde Mary thy blessed mother and Ioseph touched oftentimes thy body and wroughten with their honds and liueden in as much clennes of soule as our priestes done nowe and touched thy body and thou touchedest them in their soules And Lorde our hope is that thou goen not out of a poore mans soule that traueileth for his liuelode with his handes For Lord our beliefe is that thine house is mans soul that thou madest after thine owne likenes But Lord God men maketh nowe great stonen houses full of glasen windowes and clepeth thilke thine houses and Churches And they setten in these houses Mawmets of stockes and stones and to fore them they knelen priuilich apert and maken their prayers and all this they sayen is thy woorship and a great herieng to thee A Lorde thou forbiddest sometime to make suche Mawmetes and who that had yworshipped such had be woorthy to be deeade Lorde in the Gospell thou sayst that true heriers of God ne herieth him not in that hil beside Samarie ne in Hierusalem neyther but true heriers of God herieth him in spirite and in trueth And Lord God what herying is it to bilden thee a church of dead stones and robben thy quicke Churches of their body liche lyueloode Lord God what heryeng is it to cloth mawmets of stockes and of stones in siluer and in golde and
the law and words which the Lord of hostes sent in his holy spirite by the Prophetes aforetime Also Esay witnessing after the same effect cap. 30. sayth For it is an obstinate people lying children and vnfaythfull children that will not heare the law of the Lord which say to the Prophetes meddle with nothing and tell vs nothing that is true and right but speake frendly wordes to vs. c. All this shall be verified when the Prelates begin to hate thē that tell them trueth and haue knowledge like vnto such of whō Amos speaketh chapter 5. They beare him euil wil that reproueth them openly and who so telleth them the playne trueth they abhorre him And therefore sayth the Lord to the Church of Ierusalem Ose 4. Seing thou hast refused vnderstanding I haue refused thee also that thou shalt no more be my priest And for so muche as thou hast forgotten the law of thy God I will also forget thy children and chaunge theyr honor into shame And so shall it be like priest like people c. And many other sayinges there be in the prophets speaking of the deiecting and casting downe of the priestly honor Besides these foresayde signes and tokens hitherto recited there be also diuers other As the backsliding from righteousnes the lacke of discreete and learned Priestes promoting of childrē into the Church with such other like But these being alreadye well noted and marked you may easely iudge and vnderstand whether these times now present of ours be safe and cleare from tribulation to be looked for and whether the word of the Lord be true according to my theame Iuxta est iustitia mea vt reueletur my righteousnes is neare at hande to bee reuealed c. And thus muche of the second part Now to the third part or member of my subdeuision which is concerning the false and perilous opinions of some vpon thys word of my theame vt veniat c. which opinions principally be 4. repugning all agaynst the truth of the canonicall Scripture The first opinion is of such men who hauing to much confifidence in thēselues do think and perswade with themselues that the Prelates be the Church which the Lord will alwayes keepe and neuer forsake as he hath promised in the persons of the Apostles Mathew 28. saying And I will be with you to the end of the world c But this is to be vnderstanced of fayth whereof Christ speaketh Luke 21. I haue prayd for thee that thy fayth shall not fayle Whereof we read Ecclesiast 40. fayth shall stand for euer c. And albeit Charity waxe neuer so colde yet fayth notwithstanding shall remayne in few and in all distresses of the world of the which distresses our Sauiour doth prophecy in many places to come And least peraduenture some shoulde thinke themselues to be safe from tribulation because they be of the church this opinion the Lord himselfe doth contrary in Ieremy the 7. Trust not sayth he in false lying wordes saying the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord and a litle after but you trust in wordes and lying counselles which deceiue you and doe you no good The second opinion is of them which deferre tyme for thys they well graunt that the Church shall abide trouble but not so shortly thinking thus with thēselues that these causes tokens afore recited haue bene before at other times as well in the churche For both by Gregory and Bernard holy doctors in time past the Prelates haue bene in like fort reprehended both for theyr bribinges for theyr Pompe and pride for the promoting of persons and children vnfitte vnto ecclesiasticall functions and other vyces moe which haue reigned before this in the Church of God more then now and yet by God his grace the Churche hath prospered and stand Doe ye not see that if an house haue stand and continued ruinous a long season it is neuer more neare the fall thereby but rather to be trusted the better Moreouer many times it commeth so to passe in Realmes and Kingdomes that the posterity is punished for the sinnes of the predecessors Whereof speaketh the booke of Lamentations the 5. chapter Our fathers haue sinned and are now gone and we must beare their wickednesse c. Agaynst this cogitation or opinion well doth the Lord aunswere by the Prophet Ezechiel chapter 12 saying Beholde thou sonne of man the house of Israel sayeth in this maner Tush as for the vision that he hath seene it will bee many a day or it come to passe It is farre of yet the thing that he prophecieth Therefore say vnto them thus sayth the Lord God The wordes that I haue spoken shall be deferred no longer looke what I haue sayd shall come to passe sayth the Lord. c. We haue seene in our dayes thinges to happen which seemed before incredible And the like hath bene seene in other times also as we read written in the booke of Lamentations chapter 4. The kinges of the earth nor all the inhabitaunce of the worlde would not haue beleeued that the enemy and aduersary shoulde haue come in at the gates of the Citty for the sinnes of her priestes and for the wickenesse of her Elders that haue shedde Innocentes bloud within her c. by Hierusalem as is sayd is ment thē Church The third opinion or error is very perilous and peruerse of all such as say veniat let come that will come Let vs conforme out selues to this world and take our time with those Temporifers which say in the booke of wisedome Sap. 2. Come let vs enioy our goodes and pleasures that be present and let vs vse the creature as in youth quickly c. Such as these be are in daungerous case and be greatly preiudicial to good men in the Church And if the heades and rulers of the Church were so vile to haue any such detestable cogitation in them there were no place in hell to deepe for them This Church founded by the Apostles in Christ consecrated with the bloud of so many Martyrs enlarged and increased with the vertues and merites of so many Sayntes and indued so richly with the deuosion of so many secular princes and so long prospered hetherto If it now should come into the hands of such persons it should fall in great daunger of ruine and they for theyr negligence and wickednes well deserued of God to be cursed yea here also in this present world to incurre temporall tribulation and destruction which they feare more by the sentence of the Lord saying to them in the booke of Prouerbes cap. 1. All my counsels ye haue despised and set my correctiō at nought Therefore shall I also laugh in your destruction when tribulation and anguish shall fall vpon you Fourthly an other opinion or errour is of such as being vnfaythfull beleue not any such thing to come And this errour
vnto this time whiche was about the yeare of our Lord 1367. the offices here in England as the Lord Chauncellor Lord Treasurer of the priuy seale were wont to be in the handes of the clergy But about this yeare through the motion of the Lords in the Parliamēt and partly as witnesseth mine author for hatred of the clergy all the sayd offices were remoued from the clergy to the Lordes temporall After the death of Pope Urbane next succeeded Pope Gregory the 11. who among his other acres first reduced agayne the papacy out of Fraunce vnto Rome which had from thence bene absent the space now of 70. yeres being therto moued as Sabellicus recordeth by the answere of a certain bishop whom as the Pope saw standing by him asked why he was so long from his charge and church at home saying not to be the part of a good Pastor to keepe him from his flocke so long Wherunto the Bishop aunswering agayne sayd And you your selfe being the chiefe Bishoppe who may and ought to be a spectacle to vs all why are you from the place so long where your Church doth lye By the occasion whereof the Pope sought all meanes after that to remoue and to rid his Court out of Fraunce againe to Rome and so he did This 11. Gregory in a certayne Bull of his sent to the Archb. of Prage maketh mētion of one named Militzius a Bohemiā saith in the same bull that this Militzius should hold apinion teach an 1366. that Antechrist was alredy come Also that the said Militzius had certayn cōgregations folowing him that in the same congragation were certain harlots who being conuerted frō theyr wickednes were brought to a godly life Which harlots being so conuerted he vsed to say were to be preferred before al the holy religious virgins And therfore commaunded the archbishop to excōmunicate and persecute the sayd Militzius which in foretime had bene a religious man of Prage and after forsook his order and gaue himselfe to preaching and at length was by the foresayd Archb. imprisoned Iacobus Misnensis a learned man and a writer in the time of I. Hus maketh mention of this Militzius and calleth him a worthy and a famous Preacher Also citeth many things out of his writings In the which writinges thys good Militzius thus declareth of himself how he was moued vrged by the holy Ghost to search out by the sacred Scriptures concerning the comming of Antechrist And that he was compelled by the same holy spirite at Rome publickly to preach and also before the Inquisitor there to protest plainly that the same great Antechrist which is prophesyed of in y◠holy Scriptures was alredy come Moreouer his saying was that the church through negligēce of the pastors was desolate did abound in temporall riches but in spirituall riches to be empty Also that in y◠Church of Christ where certayne Idols which destroyd Ierusalē and defaced the Temple but hypocrisye caused that those Idols could not be sene Also that many there were which denied Christ because that knowing the truth yet for feare of mē they durst not confesse their conscience c. And thus much of good Militzius liuing in the time of Gregory 11. and king Edward the third an 1370. The which king of England holding a Parliamēt in the 3. yeare of this Pope sent his Embassadours to hym desiring him that he from thenceforth would abstayne frō his reseruatiōs of benefices vsed in the court of England And that spiritual men within his realme promoted vnto Bishopricks might freely enioy theyr electiōs within the realme and be confirmed by theyr Metropolitanes according to the auncient custome of the realme Wherfore vpō these and such other like wherein the king and the realme thought thēselues greued he desired of the Pope some remedy to be prouided c. Wherunto the Pope returned acertayne answere agayne vnto the king requiring by his messengers to be certified agayn of the kings mind cōcerning the same But what answere it was it is not in the story expressed saue that the yere folowing which was 1374. there was a tractation at Burges vpon certain of the said articles betwene the king the Pope which did bāg two yeares in suspēse so at length it was thus agreed betwene them that the pope should no more vse his reseruatiōs of benefices in England and likewise the king shoulde no more cōferre and geue benefices vpon the writ Quare impedit c. But as touching the freedome of elections to be confirmed by the Metropolitane mentioned in the yeare before therof was nothing touched As touching these reseruations prouisiōs and collations with the elections of Archbishops Bishops beneficed men and other wherwith the Pope vexed this realme of England as before you haue heard The king by the consent of the Lordes and commons in the 25. yeare of hys raigne enacted that according to a statute made in the 30. yeare of his graundfather Edward the first wherein was made an act against the rauenous pillage of the Pope thorough the same prouisions reseruations collations c. but not put in execution By the which prouisions the state of the realme decreased more and more the kings royaltie prerogatiue greatly obscured and diminished innumerable treasure of the realme transported aliens straungers placed in the best and fattest by shoprickes abbeyes and benefices within the realme And suche as eyther for their offices in Rome as Cardinalships such like could not be here resident or if resident yet better away for causes infinite as partly haue bene touched before Not onely reuiued the sayde statute made by Edward the first hys graundfather but also inlarged the same Adding therunto very strayt and sharpe penalties against the offenders therin or in any part therof as exemptiō out of the kings protection losse of al their lands goods and other possessions and theyr bodies to be imprisoned at the kings pleasure And farther who so euer was lawfully conuict or otherwise for want of appearance by proces directed forth were wythin the lappes of this statute or premunire for so bare the name therof shuld suffer al and euery such molestation iniuries as men exempted frō the protection of the king In so much that who so euer had killed such mē had bene in no more daunger of lawe therefore then for the killing of an outlaw or one not worthy to liue in a commō weale Lyke vnprofitable members were they then in that tyme yea of ignoraunce esteemed in thys common weale of Englande as would offer themselues to the wilfull slauery and seruile obedience of the pope which thyng in these dayes yea and that amōgst no small fooles is coūted more then Euangelicall holynes He that list to peruse the statute and would see euery braunch and article therof at large discussed and handled wyth the penalties therfore due Let him read the
statute of prouision and premunire made in the 25. yeare of thys kynges dayes And let hym read in the statutes made in the parliamentes holden the 27 yeare and 38. yeare of hys raigne And vnder the same title of prouision and premunire shall finde the popes primacie and iurisdiction wythin this Realme more nearely touched and much of hys papall power restrayned In so much that who soeuer for any cause or controuersy in law either spirituall or temporal the same being determinable in any of the kyngs courts as all matters were whether they were personall or reall citations or other or should eyther appeale or consent to any appellation to be made out of the realme to the pope or see of Rome should incurve the sayd penaltie and daunger of premunire Diuers other matters wherein the Pope is restrained of his vsurped power authoritie iurisdiction within this realme of England are in the sayd titles and statutes expressed at large set forth who euer list to peruse the same which for breuities sake I omitte hastening to other matters About this tyme being the yeare of our Lorde 1370. lyued holy Brigit whom the Church of Rome hath canonised not onely for a saint but also for a Prophetesse who notwithstanding in her booke of reuelations which hath bene oft times imprinted was a great rebuker of the pope and of the filth of his clergie callyng him a murtherer of soules a spiller and a pyller of the flocke of Christ more abhominable then Iewes more crueller thē Iudas more vniust then Pilate worse then Lucifer hymselfe The see of the Pope she prophesieth shal be throwne down into the deepe lyke a mylstone And that his assister shall burne with brimstone Affirmyng that the prelates byshops priests are the cause why the doctrine of Christ is neglected and almost extincted And that the clergie haue turned the ten commaundementes of God into two wordes to wyt Da pecuniam that is Geue money It were long and tedious to declare all that she against them writeth Among the rest which I omytte let this suffice for all where as the sayde Briget affirmeth in her reuelations that when the holy Uirgine should say to her sonne howe Rome was a fruitfull and fertile field yea sayd hee but of weedes onely and cockle c. To thys Briget I will ioyne also Catherina Senensis an holy virgin which lyued much about the same tyme ann 1379. Of whome writeth Antoninus part historiae 3. Thys Katherine hauyng the spirite of prophesie was wōt much to complaine of the corrupt state of the church namely of the prelates of the court of Rome of the pope prophesying before of the great schisme which then folowed in the Church of Rome and dured to the Councell of Constance the space of xxxix yeares Also of the great warres ano tribulation which ensued vpon the same And moreouer declared before and foretold of this so excellēt reformation of religion in the Church now present The words of Antoninus be these After this Uirgine in her going to Rome had tolde her brother of the warres and tumultes that should rise in the coūtries about Rome after y◠schisme of the two Popes I then curious to know of thinges to come knowing that she vnderstood by reuelation what should happen demaunded of her I pray you good mother sayd I and what shall befall after these troubles in the Church of God And she sayd By these tribulations and afflictions after a secret maner vnknowne vnto man God shall purge his holy Church and stirre vp the spirit of his elect And after these thinges shall follow suche a reformation of the holy Churche of God and suche a renouation of holye Pastors that the onelye cogitation and remembraunce thereof maketh my spirit to reioyce in the Lord And as I haue oftentimes tolde you heretofore the spouse which now is all deformed and ragged shall be adorned and deckt with most rich and precious ouches and brouches And all the faythfull shall be glad and reioyce to see themselues so beautified with so holy shepheards Yea and also the Infidels then allured by the sweet sauour of Christ shall returne to the catholicke folde and be conuerted to the true Bishop and shepheard of their soules Geue thankes therefore to God for after this storme he will geue to his a great calme And after she had thus spoken she stayd and sayd no more Beside these aforenamed the Lord which neuer ceaseth to worke in his Church styrred vp agaynst the malignant church of Rome the spirites of diuers other good godly teachers as Matthias Parisiensis a Bohemian borne who about the yeare of our Lord 1370. wrote a large book of Antechrist and proueth him already come and noteth the Pope to be the same Which booke one Illiricus a writer in these our dayes hath promiseth to put it in print In this booke he doth greatly inuey against the wickednesse and filthines of the Clergy and agaynst the neglecting of theyr duety in gouerning the church The Locustes mentioned in the Apocalips he sayth be the hypocrites raigning in the church The workes of Antechrist he sayth be these the fables and inuentions of men raigning in the Church the Images fained reliques that are worshipped euery where Itē that men do worship euery one his proper Saint and Sauior beside Christ so that euery mā and City almost hath his diuers and peculiar Christ. He taught and affirmed moreouer that godlines true worship of God are not boūd to place persons or times to be heard more in this place thē in an other at this time more thē at an other c. He argueth also agaynst the cloisterers which leauing the onely and true Sauior set vp to them selues theyr Franciscanes theyr Dominickes and suche other and haue them for theyr Sauiors glorying and triumphing in them and fayning many forged lyes vpon them He was greatly and much offended with Monks friers for neglecting or rather burying the word of Christ and in stead of him for celebrating setting vp theyr own rules and canons affirming it to be much hurtfull to true godlines for that Priestes Monkes and Nunnes do account themselues onely spirituall and all other to be lay secular attributing onely to themselues the opinion of holynes contemning other men with al theyr politick administration the office as prophane in cōparison of theyr owne He further writeth that Antechrist hath seduced all Uniuersities Colleges of learned men so that they teach no sincere doctrine neither geue any light to the Christiās with theyr teaching Finally he forewarneth that it will come to passe that God yet once againe will raise vp godly teachers who being feruent in the spirite and zeale of Helias shall disclose and refute the errors of Antechrist and Antechrist himselfe openly to the whole world This Mathias in the sayd booke of
Antechrist alledgeth the sayinges and writinges of the Uniuersity of Paris also the writings of Guilielmus de sacto amore and of Militzius afore noted About the same time or shortly after an 1384. we read also of Ioannes of Mountziger Rector of the Uniuersity of Ulme who opēly in the scholes in his Oratiō propoūded that the body of Christ was not God and therfore not to be worshipped as God with that kinde of worship called Latria as the Sophister termeth it meaning thereby the Sacrament not to be adored which afterward he also defended by writing affirming also that Christ in his resurrection tooke to him agayne all his bloud which in hys passion he had shed Meaning thereby to inferre that the bloud of Christ which in many places is worshipped neither can be called the bloud of Christ neither ought to be worshipped But by and by he was resisted and withstood by the Monks and friers who by this kinde of Idolatry were greatly enriched till at length the Senate councell of the city was fayne to take vp the matter betwene them Nilus was Archbishop of Thessalonica liued much about this time He wrote a long worke agaynst the Latins that is agaynst such as tooke part and held with the Church of Rome His first book being written in Greeke was after translated into latin lately now into english in this our time In the first chap. of his book he layeth all the blame and fault of the dissention schisme betwene the East and the West Church vpon the Pope He affirmed that the Pope onely would commaund what him listed were it neuer so contrary to all the olde auncient canōs That he would heare and folow no mans aduise that he would not permit any free coūcels to be assēbled c. And that therfore it was not possible that the cōtrouersies betwene the Greeke Church and Latine Church should be decided and determined In the second chap. of his book he purposedly maketh a very learned disputation For first he declareth that he no whit at all by Gods commaūdement but onely by humain law hath any dignity more thē hath other bishops which dignity the Councels the fathers the Emperors haue graunted vnto him Neither did they graūt the same for any other consideration more or greater ordinaunce then for that the same City then had the Impery of all the whole world and not at all for that that Peter euer was there or not there Secondarily he declareth that the same premacy or prerogatiue is not such and so great as he and his Sicophāts do vsurpe vnto thēselues Also he refuteth the chiefest propositions of the Papistes one after an other He declareth that the Pope hath no dominion more thē other Patriarches haue and that he himselfe may erre as well as other mortall men and that he is subiect both to lawes councels as well as other Bishops That it belonged not to him but to the Emperor to call generall councels that in Ecclesiasticall causes he could establish and ordeine no more then all other Bishops might And lastly that he getteth no more by Peters succession then that he is a Byshop as all other Bishops after the Apostles be c. I can not among other folowing here the occasion of this matter offered leaue out the memory of Iacobus Misnensis who also wrote of the comming of Antechrist In y◠same he maketh mentiō of a certayn learned man whose name was Militzius which Militzius sayth he was a famous and worthy preacher in Parga He liued about the yere 1366. long before Husse and before Wickliffe also In the same his writings he declareth how y◠same good man Militzius was by the holy spirit of God incited and vehemently moued to search out of the holy Scriptures the maner and comming of Antechrist and found that now in his time he was all ready come And the same Iacobus sayth that the sayd Militzius was constrayned by the spirite of God to go vp to Rome there publickely to preach And that afterward before the Inquisitour he affirmed the same That the same mighty and great Antechrist the which the Scriptures made mention of was already comen He affirmed also that the Church by the negligence of the Pastors should become desolate and that iniquitye should abound that is by reason of Mammon master of iniquitie Also he sayde that there were in the Church of Christ idols which shoulde destroy Ierusalem and make the tēple desolate but were cloked by hypocrisy Further that there be many whych deny Christ for that they keepe silence neither do they heare Christ whome all the world should know and cōfesse his verity before men which also wittingly do detaine the verity and iustice of God There is also a certaine Bull of Pope Gregory 11. to the Archbishop of Praga wherin he is commanded to excommunicate and persecute Militzius and his auditours The same Bull declareth that he was once a Chanon of Praga but afterward he renounced his Canonship began to preache who also for that he so manifestly preached of Antichrist to be already come was of Iohn Archbishop of Praga put in prison declaring what hys errour was To wit howe he had his company or cōgregation to whō he preached and that amongst the same were certain conuerted harlots which had forsaken their euill life and did liue godly and well whych harlots he accustomed in hys sermons to preferre before all the blessed virgins that neuer offended He taught also openly that in the Pope cardinals Bishops prelates priests other religious men was no truth neither that they taught the way of truth but that onely he such as held with him taught the true way of saluation His Postill in some places is yet to be sene They alledge vnto him certaine other inconuenient articles which notwtstanding I thinke the aduersaries to depraue him with all haue slanderously inuented against hym He had as appeared by the foresaid Bull very many of euery state and condition as wel rich as pore that cleaued vnto him About the yeare of our Lord. 1371. liued Henricus de Iota whom Gerson doth much commend and also his companiō Henricus de Hassia an excellent learned and famous man An Epistle of this Henricus de Hassia which he wrote to the Bishoppe of Normacia Iacobus Cartsiensis inserted in his booke De erroribus Christianorum In the same Epistle the author doth greatly accuse the spirituall men of euery order yea and the most holyest of all other the Pope himselfe of many and great vices He sayd that the Ecclesiasticall gouernors in the primitiue Church were compared to the sunne shining in the day time and the politicall gouernors to the Moone shyning in the night But the spirituall men he said that now are do neuer shine in the day time nor yet in the night time but rather with theyr darcknes do obscure both the day
the saying of our sauior Iesu Christ. There shall rise vp amongst you false prophets which shall worke straunge miracles Secōdly it is approued that they are greater straūger miracles to confesse the truth to do iustice then to worke any other kind of miracle Thirdly it is gathered therby that what soeuer minister or deacon doth loue his enemies contemneth riches despiseth the glorye of the worlde and flyeth frō al worldly troubles meekely sustaineth suffreth most terrible and cruel threatnings and strokes for the gospel sake he worketh miracles hauing thereby a testimony and witnesse that he is the true disciple of Iesu Christ. And it is euident by the saying of our sauior Iesu Christ. Mathew V. Let your good workes so shine before men that they may see your good works glorify your father which is in heauen And likewise Iohn x. Trust vnto your good workes wherevpon Saint Gregory in his first booke of Dialoges wryteth thus the estimation of a true life consisteth in the vertue of his workes and not in the shewing of signes whereby it is fourthly concluded by that which is aforesaide that it is a more effectual testimony and witnes for a priest or a deacon that he is sent of God to confesse the truth and follow Christ in the aforesayde vertues then to cast out deuils or to do any other miracles As it is euidēt by the saying of Chrisostome before alleged whomsoeuer thou doest see to cast out deuils if the cōfession or acknowledging of the trueth be not in his mouth neither righteousnesse nor iustice in his handes he is not a man of God This is also confirmed by the wordes of Christ. Math. 7. Many shall say vnto me in that day Lord Lord haue not we prophecyed in thy name haue not we cast out Deuils in thy name and haue not we also wrought many great wonders and miracles in thy name Then I will aunswere say vnto them forsomuch as I haue not knowne you any time depart frō me ye workers of iniquity as touching the second part Chrisostom saith If you see a mā confessing preaching the trueth working righteousnes although he do not cast out deuils he is a man of God Hereby it appeareth that euery deacō priest or minister confessing the truth and working iustice hath a perfect sure testimony that he is sent of God that it is not necessary for him to approue this his sending by the working of any miracle in stead of working righteousnes neyther by any testimonial the which should plainely declare hint by name that he was sent of the Lord to preach The first part appeareth manifest by that which is alreadye spoken that all miracles in the time of Antichrist shal cease in the elect The second part is also euident for so much as none of the present preachers can shew by the scripture of that lawe of God that he is specially named therevnto And likewise do I also affirme say as touching all preachers which shal come hereafter that they are not named by name But let no man here obiect Enoc Elias which were auncient preachers prophecied by the holy spirit of God And it is apparent that like as it is not a cause sufficient to proue that this priest or deacon is sent of God to preache because he woorketh miracles so is it not a cause sufficient to proue that he is not sent of God to preach because he doth no miracles but to confesse the truth to worke righteousnes to contemne the world with the glory therof paciently to suffer rebukes is a sufficient testimony for any priest or deacon hauing knowledge of the lawe of God freely to preach the gospell of Iesus Christ. For so much as in such case he is sent of God this is the sending which the Apostles speaketh of in the x. Romains How should they preach without they be sent Wherevpō that glose of S. Augustine writeth thus These things serue to set forth gods grace declaring that all our goodnesse is preuented of grace For be sayth beleefe cōmeth of hearing hearinge commeth of preaching preaching by the sending of God so that altogether holly cōmeth out of the fountain of grace preaching truly cōmeth of sending This hath the glose how shal they then preach without they be sent of God And this is euidēt that the first principall sending is frō God alone as it is proued by Moises The second sending is both from God mā as by the example of Iosue others which were sent both by God and the rulers to preach The third sending is from man alone the which is not founded in the lawe of God but in mens traditions which they rather esteeme The fourth sending which hath but the name onely is proper to them which of themselues vnworthely vsurpe the office of preaching as those false prophets of whō god speaketh in that xxiii of Ieremy I did not send them they ran I spake not vnto them and they prophecied If they had continued in my counsels had declared my wordes vnto my people I would haue conuerted thē from their ruill waies wicked imaginatiōs our sauior speaketh of these Prophettes in Mathew saying There shall arise false Prophets And peter his true vicar in his second Epistle and second chapter prophecying vnto the faithful beleuers in Christ speaketh thus of thē There were amōgst the people false Prophets as there shal be amongst you also maisters of lies thorow whom the truth shal be blasphemed and slaundered And that he might the better instruct the people to knowe them he addeth that they shall go about with fained wordes for couetousnes sake to make merchaundice of you Wherefore euery faithful man diligently waying these things in his minde may now easely perceiue how great a nomber of false Prophets there be thorowe whom the Christian truth is blasphemed And all couetous dealyng is exercised these are they which freely preach lies But the hūble true ministers of Christ wheresoeuer they do apneare by by they are persecuted whereby the prophecie of that Apostle is verified which is written in the second Epistle to Timothe the iij. All men sayth he which desire to liue godly shall suffer persecution but the euil men seducers shal prosper in their wickednes running dayly more more into al kinde of errours The wicked haue now so much preuailed that they do preache lies making heretikes of the faithfull christians neyther is there any man that dare prohibet them their lying so that they doe not preache agaynst the byces of the prelates Howe then can you say that Antichryst is not exalted aboue all that which is called God suppressing downe the members of Christ in his office fortefying and fostring his members in lying Therefore the trew and faithfull disciples of Christ ought to stand ready girt about their loynes and shewes vpon their feete
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
in vs. If we confesse our sinnes God is faythfull and iust he will remit them and clense vs from all our iniquities If we say we haue not sinned we make him a lyar and his word is not vs. My welbeloued children this I write vnto you that ye sinne not but if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for our sinnes onely but for the sinnes of the whole world Therfore we ought to confesse our selues chiefly vnto God euen froÌ„ the hart for that he chieflye doth remit sinnes without whose absolution litle auaileth the absolutioÌ„ of man This kinde of confession is profitable and good The authors of the Canons say that although auricular confession made vnto the Priest be not expresly taught by Christ yet say they it is taught in that saying which Christ said vnto them diseased of the leprosy whom he coÌ„mauÌ„ded Go your wayes shewe yourselues vnto the Priestes because as they say the law of clensing lepers which was geuen by Moyses signified the confession of sinnes vnto the Priest And wheras Christ commauÌ„ded the lepers to shew themselues vnto the Priestes they say that Christ ment that those that were vncleane with the leper of sinne should shew theyr sinnes vnto the Priestes by auricular confession I maruell much at the authors of the Canons for euen from the beginning of their decres vnto the end they grounde theyr sayings vpoÌ„ the old law which was the law of sinne and death and not as witnesseth Paule vpon the words of Christ which are spirite life Christ sayth the wordâ—s which I speake vnto you are the spirit and life They grouÌ„â— theyr sayings in the shadow of the law and not in the light of Christ. For euery euill doer hateth the light commâ—th not into it that his deeds be not reproued but he that doth the truth commeth into the light that his workes may be openly sene because they are done in God Joh. 3. Now let vs passe to the words that Christ spake to the leper Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean And Iesus stretching forth his hand touched him saying I will be thou cleane and straight wayes he was cleansed of hys leper And Iesus sayd vnto him See thou tell no man but go and shew thy selfe to the Priest and offer the gyft that Moyses coÌ„maunded for a witnesse of these thinges This Gospell witnesseth playnely that the diseased of lepers were clensed onely by Christ and not by the Priests neither did Christ commaund the leper to shew himselfe vnto the priestes for any helpe of cleansing that he should receiue of the Priestes but to fulfill the law of Moyses in offering a sacrifice for his clensing for a testimony vnto the Priestes who alwayes of enuy accused Christ as a transgressour of the law For if Christ after he had clensed the leper had licensed him to communicate with others that were cleane before he had shewed himselfe clensed vnto the Priests theÌ„ might the Priestes haue accused Christ as a transgressour of the law Because it was a precept of the law that the leper after he was cleansed shoulde shewe himselfe vnto the Priestes And they had signes in the booke of law whereby they might iudge whether he were truely cleÌ„sed or no. And if he were clensed then would the Priestes offer a gift for his clensing And if he were not cleansed then would they segregate him froÌ„ the company of others that were cleane Seing euery figure ought to be assimuled vnto the thyng that is figured I pray you then what agreement is there betwene the clensing of lepers by the law the confession of sinnes By that law the Priest knew better whether he were leprouse then he himselfe that had the leper In coÌ„fession the priest knew not the sinnes of him that was confessed but by his owne confession In that law the Priest did not cleÌ„se the leprouse How now therfore ought the priests to clense sinners from their sinne that without theÌ„ they cannot be clensed In this law the Priest had certein signes by the which he could certaynly know whether a maÌ„ were clensed froÌ„ his leper or not In confession the Priest is not certaine of the clensing of sinnes because he is ignoraunt of his contrition He knoweth not also whether he will not sinne any more without the which contrition and graunting to sinne no more God hath not absolued any sinner And if God hath not absolued a man without doubt then is he not made cleane And how then is confession figured vnder that law Doubtlesse so it seemeth to me vnder the correction of them that can iudge better in the matter that this law beareth rather a figure of excommunication reconciliation of him that hath bene obstinate in his sinne is reconciled agayne For so it appeareth by the processe of the Gospell that when as the sinner doth not amend for the priuate correction of his brother nor for the correction of two or three neither yet for the publick correction of the whole Church Then is he to be counted as an Ethnike a Publicane as a certayn Leper to be auoyded out of the company of all men Which sinner notwithstanding if hee shall yet repent is then to be reconciled because he is then clensed from his obstinacy But he which pretendeth himselfe to be the chiefe vicar of Christ and the high Priest sayth that he hath power to absolue A poena culpa Which I doe not finde how it is founded in the scripture but that of his owne authority he enioyneth to sinners penance for their sinnes And grauÌ„t that froÌ„ their sinnes he may well absolue them yet froÌ„ the payn which they call a poena he doth not simply absolue as in his indulgences he promiseth But if he were in charitye and had such power as he preteÌ„deth he would suffer none to lie in Purgatory for sinne forsomuch as that payn doth farre exceed all other payne which here we suffer What maÌ„ is there being in charity but if he see his brother to be tormeÌ„ted in this world if he may he will helpe him and deliuer him Much more ought the Pope theÌ„ to deliuer out of paynes of Purgatorye indifferently as well rich as poore And if he sel to the rich his indulgeÌ„ces double wife yea triple wise he seduceth them First in promising to deliuer theÌ„ out of the payne from wheÌ„ce he doth not neither is able to deliuer theÌ„ And so maketh theÌ„ falsly to beleue that which they ought not to beleue SecoÌ„dly he deceiueth theÌ„ of their mony which he taketh for his indulgence Thirdly he seduceth them in this that he promising to deliuer them froÌ„ payne doth induce theÌ„ into greuous punishment in deed for the heresy of simony which both of theÌ„ do coÌ„mit therefore are worthy
and laye men whether in defect of the other they may exercise the action of praier and administration of Sacraments belonging to Priests wherein he declareth the vse receiued in the Popes Churche for women to Raptise which sayth he cannot be without remission of sinnes wherefore seeing that women haue power by the Pope to remit sinne and to baptise why may they not aswell be admitted to minister the Lordes Supper in like case of necessity Wherin also he maketh relation of Pope Iohn 8. a woman Pope mouing certayne Questions of her All whiche for breuitye I pretermitte proceeding to the ministration of prayer and blessing or sanctification appropriate to the office of Priestes as followeth Furthermore as touching the fūction office of praying and blessing whereunto Priestes seme to be ordeined to omitte here the question whether women may pray in Churches in lacke of other meete persons it remayneth now also to prosecute Christ being desired of his Disciples to teach them to pray gaue them the common prayer both to men and women to the which prayer in my estimation no other is to be compared For in that first the whole honor due vnto the deity is comprehended Secondly whatsoeuer is necessary for vs both for the time present or past or for time to come is there desired praid for He informeth vs besides to pray secretly and also briefly secretly to enter into our close chāber and there in secrecy he willeth vs to pray vnto his father And sayth moreouer when ye pray vse not much babling or many words as doth the heathen For they thinke in their long and prolixe praying to be heard Therfore be you not like to thē By the which doctrine he calleth vs away frō the errors of the healthē Gentils frō whom proceed these superstitious maner of actes or rather of ignoraunces as Necromancy the art of diuinatiō other spises of coniuratiō not vnknown to them that be learned for these Necromansers beleue one place to be of greater vertue then an other there to be heard sooner then in an other Like as Balaam being hyred to curse the people of God by his arte of southsaying or cherming when he could not accomplish his purpose in one place he remoued to an other but he in the end was deceiued of hys desire For he intending first to curse them was not able to accurse thē whom the Lord blessed so that his curse coulde not hurt any of all that people After like sort the Nicromancers turne theyr face to the East as to a place more apt for theyr prayers Also the Necromāsers beleue that the vertue of the words of the prayer the curiosity therof causeth thē to bring to the effect which they seek after which is also another poynt of infidelity vsed much of Charmers Sorcerers Inchaūters Southsayers such like Out of the same arte I feare proceedeth the practise of exorcising wherby deuils spirits be coniured to do that wherunto they are inforced by the Exorcist Also wherby other creatures likewise are exorcised or coniured so that by the vertue of their exorcisme they may haue theyr power and strength exceeding all naturall operation In the Church of Rome many such exorcismes coniurations be practised are called of them benedictions or halowings But here I aske of these Exorcisers whether they beleue the thinges and creatures so exorcised and halowed haue that operation and efficacy geuē them which they pretēd If they so beleue euery child may see that they are farre beguiled For holy water being of them exorcised or cōiured hath no such power in it neither cā haue which they in theyr exorcisme do cōmaund For there they inioyn and commaund that whersoeuer that water is sprinckled all vexatiō or infestatiō of the vnclean spirit should auoid and that no pestilēt spirit there should abide c. But most playn it is that no water be it neuer so holy can haue any such power so to do as it is commaunded to wit to be an vniuersall remedy to expell all diseases This I woulde aske of these Exorcistes whether in theyr commaunding they do coniure or adiure the thinges conuired to be of an higher vertue and operation thē their own nature doth geue Or els whether they in their prayers desire of God that he wil infude into them that vertue which they require If they in theyr commaunding doe so beleue thē do they beleue that they haue that power in thē to the which the inferior power of the thing exorcised must obey in receiuing that which is commaunded And so doing are much more deceiued forasmuch as they see themselues that they which are so authorised to the office of exorcising say to the deuill being coniured Go he goeth not And to an other come and he cōmeth not many thinges els they commaūd the inferior spirite their subiect to do he doth not So in like case when they pray to God to make the water to be of such vertue that it may be to them health of mind and body and that it may be able to expulse euery vncleane spirit to chase away all maner of distemperature and pestilence of the ayre being an vnreasonable petition asked sore displeasing to God it is to be feared least theyr benediction their halowing blessing is chaūged into cursing according to that saying that followeth And now O you priests I haue a message to say vnto you If you will not heare and beare well away in your mindes to geue the glory vnto my name sayth the Lord God of hostes I will send scarcety amongest you and I wyll curse your blessings What things and how many are blessed or halowed in the Churche that in halowing thereof displease God and are accursed And therfore according to the saying of S. Iames they aske are not heard because the aske not as they should that they in theyr owne dsires may perish Let a man beholde the blessing or halowing of their fire water incense waxe bread wine the church the aultar the Churchyard ashes belies copes pallmes oile candles salt the hallowing of the ring the bed the staffe of many such like things I beleue that a man shall find out many errors of the hethē Magicians Witches southsayers and charmers And notwithstanding the auncient and old Magicians in their bookes commaund those that be coniurers that they in any wise liue deuoutly for otherwise as they say the spirites will not obey their cōmaūdements and coniuratiōs yet the Romane cōiurers do impute it to the vertue of the holy wordes because they be they which worke and not the holynes of the coniurers How commeth it to passe that they say the thinges consecrated of a cursed and vicious Iauell should haue so great vertue in pronouncing as they say the holy and misticall words as if they were pronoūced of a Priest neuer so
and also many other that haue great trust that he will stand by the truth of the Gospel For I wote wel this Sermon is writen both in Latin and English and many men haue it they set great price thereby And sir If ye were present with y◠Archbishop at Lambeth when this Clarke appeared and was at his aunswere before the Archbishoppe ye wote wel that this Clerke denied not there his Sermon but two daies he maintained it before the Archbishop and his Clerkes And then the Archbishop or one of his Clerkes said I wote not which of them that harlot shal be met wyth for that Sermon For no man but he and thou and such other false harlots prayseth any such preaching ¶ And then the Arbhb. said Your cursed sect is busie and it ioyeth right greatly to contrary to destroy the priuilege and fredome of holy Church ☞ And I said Sir I know no men that trauell so busily as this sect doth which you reproue to make rest and peace in holy church For pride couetousnes and simony which distrouble most holy Church this sect hateth fleeth and trauayleth busilye to moue all other men in like maner vnto meekenes and wilfull pouerty and charitie and free ministring of the Sacraments this sect loueth vseth and is full busie to moue all other folkes thus to do For these vertues owe all mēbers of holy church to their head Christ. Then a Clerke said to the Archbishop Sir it is farre dayes and ye haue farre to ride to night therfore make an end with him for he wil none make But the more sir that ye busy you for to draw him toward you the more cōtumax he is made and the farther fro you ¶ And then Malueren said to me William kneele down and pray my Lord of grace leaue al thy phantasies and become a child of holy church ☞ And I said Sir I haue prayed the Archbishop oft and yet I pray him for the loue of Christ that he wil leaue hys indignation that he hath against me and that he wil suffer me after my cūning power for to do mine office of priesthode as I am charged of god to do it For I couet nought els but to serue my God to hys pleasing in the state that I stand in and haue taken me to ¶ And y◠Archbishop said to mee If of good hart thou wilt submit thee now here meekely to be ruled from this time forth by my counsel obeying mekely and wilfully to mine ordinance thou shalt finde it most profitable best to thee for to doe thus Therefore tary thou me no lenger graunt to do this that I haue sayd to thee now here shortly or denie it vtterly ☞ And I said to the Archbishop Sir owe we to beleeue that Iesu Christ was and is very God and very man ¶ And the Archbishop sayd Yea. ☞ And I said Sir owe we to beleue that al Christes lyuing and his teaching is true in euery point ¶ And he sayd yea ☞ And I sayd Syr owe we to beleue that the liuinge of the Apostles and the teaching of Christ and all the Prophetes are true whiche are written in the Bible for the health and saluation of good people ¶ And he sayd yea ☞ And I sayd Syr owe all Christen men women after their cunning and power for to conforme all their liuing to the teaching specially of Christ and also to the teaching and liuing of his Apostles and of Prophets in all thinges that are pleasaunt to God and edification of his Church ¶ And he sayd yea ☞ And I sayd Syr ought the doctrine the bidding or the counsell of any body to be accepted or obeyed vnto except this doctrine these biddings or this counsel may be graūted and affirmed by Christes liuing and his teaching specially or by the liuing and teaching of his Apostles Prophetes ¶ And y◠Archbishop said to me Other doctrine ought not to be accepted nor we owe not to obey to any mans bidding or counsell except we can perceiue that his bidding or counsell accordeth with the life and teaching of Christ and of his Apostles and Prophets ☞ And I sayd Syr is not all the learning and biddings and counsels of holy Church meanes and healefull remedies to know and to withstand the priuy suggestions and the aperte temptations ot the fiende and also wayes and healeful remedies to slea pride and all other deadly sinnes and the braunches of them and souereign meanes to purchase grace for to withstand and ouercome all the fleshlye lustes and mouinges ¶ And the Archbishop sayd yea ☞ And I sayd Syr whatsoeuer thing ye or any other body bid or counsel me to do accordingly to this forsayd learning after my cunning power through the helpe of god I will meekly with all my hart obey therto ¶ And the archbishop sayd to me Submit thee than now here meekly and wilfully to the ordinance of holy church which I shall shew to thee ☞ And I sayd sir accordingly as I haue here now before you rehearsed I will nowe be ready to obey full gladly to Christ the head of the holy Church to the learning and biddinges and counselles of euerye pleasing member of him ¶ Thē the archbishop striking with his hand fiercely vpō a cupborde spake to me with a great spirit saying By Iesu but if thou leaue such additions obliging thee now here without any exceptiō to mine ordinance or that I go out of this place I shall make thee as sure as any theefe that is in the prison of Lanterne Aduise thee now what thou wilt do And then as if he had bene angred he went fro the cupborde where he stood to a window ¶ And then Malueren and an other Clerke came nearer me and they spake to me many words full pleasantly and an othe while they manassed me and counselled full busily to submitte me or els they sayd I shoulde not escape punishing ouer measure For they sayd I should be degraded cursed and burned so then damned But now they sayd thou mayst eschew all these mischiefes if thou wilt submit thee wilfully meekely to this worthye prelate that hath cure of thy soule And for the pitty of Christ sayde they bethinke thee howe great Clerkes the Bishop of Lincolne Hereford and Purney were and yet are and also B. that is a well vnderstanding man Which also haue forsaken reuoked all the learning and opinions that thou and such other hold Wherfore since each of them is mikle wiser thē thou art we counsell thee for the best that by the example of these foure Clerkes thou follow them submitting thee as they did And one of the Bishops Clerkes sayd then there that he heard Nicoll Hereford say that since he forsook reuoked all the learning Lolards opiniōs he hath had mikle greater fauour and more delite to hold agaynst them then euer he had to
grace to perform his purpose the same vow or othe is vnreasonable and vndiscreet neither can any Prelate compell him to keep the same except he will do contrary vnto Gods ordinaunce But he ought to commit him vnto the gouernance of the holy ghost of his owne conscience for so much as euery man which will not fulfill his vow or othe can not do it for that cause 6. Whosoeuer taketh vpon him the office of priesthood although he haue not the charge of soules cōmitted vnto him according to the custome of the Churche Not onely they may but ought to preach the Gospel frely vnto the people otherwise he is a thief excommunicated of God and of the holy Church 7. That Innocentius the third Pope and 600. bishops and a thousand other Prelates with all the rest of the clergy which together with the same Pope agreed and determined that in the sacrament of the aultar after the couersion of the bread and wine into the body bloud of Christ that the acesdentes of the sayd bread and wine do remayne there without any proper subiect of the same the whiche also ordeyned that all Christians ought to confesse theyr sinnes once a yeare vnto a proper priest to receiue the reuerent Sacrament at Easter made certaine other lawes at the same time All they sayth he in so doing were fooles and Blockeheades Heretickes Blasphemers and Seducers of Christian people Wherfore we ought not to beleue their determinations or of their successours neither ought we to obey theyr lawes or ordinances except they be plainly grounded vpon the holy Scripture or vpon some reasō which can not be impugned ¶ Other Articles drawne out of Purueyes bookes more at large by Ry. Lauingham AS touching the Sacramēt of thanks geuing he sayth That that chap. of repentance and remission Omnis vtriusque sexus wherin it is ordeined that euery faithfull mā ought once euery yeare at the least that is to say at Easter to receiue the Sacrament of Eucharist is a beastly thing hereticall and blasphemous Item that Innocenius the 3. Pope was the head of Antichrist who after the letting loose of Sathan inuented a new article of our sayth and a certayn fayned verity touching the Sacrament of the aultar That is to say that the Sacramēt of the aultar is an accidēt without a substance or els an heape of accidences without a substaunce But Christ and his Apostles doe teach manifestly that the Sacrament of the aultar is bread and the body of Christ together after the maner that he spake And in that he calleth it bread he woulde haue the people to vnderstande as they ought with reason that it is very and substaunciall bread and no false nor sayned bread And although Innocētius that Antichrist doth allege that in the councell at Lions where this matter was decided were 600. Bishops with him and 1000. Prelates which were in one opiniō of this determination Al those notwithstanding he talleth fooles according to that saying of Eccl. Of footes there are an infinite number And so in like maner he calleth them false Christes false prophets of whom Christ speaketh the 24. of Mathew Many false Christes and false Prophets shall arise and deceiue many And therfore euery Christian man ought to beleue firmly that the sacrament of the aultar is very bread in deed and no false nor sayned bread And although it be very bread in deed yet notwithstāding it is the very body of Christ in the sort he spake and called it his body and so it is very bread and the very body of Christ. And as Christ concerning hys humanity was both visible and passible and by his Diuinity was inuisible and unpassible So likewise this sacrament in that it is very bread may be sene with the corporal eie and may also abide corruption But although a man may see that Sacrament yet notwithstanding cannot the body of Christ in that Sacrament be seene with the corporall eye although it be the body of Christ in that maner he spake it For that notwithstanding the body of Christ is now incorruptible in heauē So the Sacrament of the cup is very wine the very bloud of Christ according as hys maner of speaking was Also Innocentius 3 with a great multitude of his secular Clerkes made a certayne new determination that the Sacrament of the aultar is an accidence without a substance whereas neither Iesus Christ nor any of his Apostles taught this sayth but openly and manifestly to the contrary neither yet the holy Doctours for the space of a thousand yeares more taught this faith openly Therefore when Antichrist or any of his shauelinges doth aske of thee that art a simple Christian whether that this Sacrament be the very body of Christ or not affirme thou it manifestly so to be And if he aske of thee whether it be materiall bread or what other bread els say thou that it is such bread as Christ vnderstood and ment by his proper word and such bread as the holy ghost ment in S. Paule when he called that to be very breade whiche he brake and wade thou no further herin If he aske thee how this bread is the body of Christ Say thou as Christ vnderstoode the same to be his body which is both omnipotent and true in whom is no vntrueth Say thou also as the holy Doctors do say that the terrestriall matter or substaunce may be conuerted into Christ as the Pagan or infidell may bee Baptised and herby spiritually to be conuerted and to be a member of Christ and so after a certayne maner to become Christ and yet the same man to remayne still in his proper nature For so doth S. Augustine graunt that a sinner forsaking his sinne and being made one spirite with God by fayth grace and charity may be cōuerted into God and to be after a maner God as both Dauid and S. Iohn do testifye and yet to be the same person in substaunce and nature and in soule and vertue to be altered chaūged But yet men of more knowledge and reasō may more plainely conuince the falsity of Antichrist both in this matter and in others by the gift of the holy Ghost working in thē Notwithstanding if those that be simple men will hūbly holde and keepe the manifest and apparaunt wordes of the holy scripture the playn sense and meaning of the holy ghost and proceed no farther but humbly to commit that vnto the spirite of God which passeth theyr vnderstanding Then may they safely offer themselues to death as true Martyrs of Iesus Christ. As touching the Sacrament of penaunce That chapter Omnis vtriusque sexus by which a certayne newe founde auricular confession was ordeined is full of hipocrisye heresy couetousnes pride blasphemy he sayth and reproueth the same chapter verbatim and that by the sentences of the same proces Also that the
profite vs Because that therby he should seperate vs from all his wicked lawes and frō the charges of sustaining of so many thousand shauelings which with smal deuotiō or none at all patter and charter a new solid song seoundum vsum Sarum So that not whatsouer the pope in his generall counsell hindeth in earth is bound of God in heauen either for that he hindeth vnreasonably and cōtradictorily doth agaynst himself or els for that he hath forsaken the iudgement of God As touching the preaching of the Gospell whoseuer receiueth or taketh vpō him the office of a priest or of a bishop and dischargeth not the same by the example of his good cōuersation and faythfull preaching of the Gospel is a theef excommunicate of God and of holy church And further if the curates preach not the word of God they shal be damned and if they know not how to preach they ought to resigne their benefices So that those prelates which preach not the Gospel of Christ although they could excuse themselues from the doing of any other euill are dead in themselues are Antichristes and Sathans trāffigured into angels of light might theues manquellers by day night betrayers of Christ his people Concerning the sacrament of Matrimony Notwithstanding any spirituall kinred or gossopry a man and woman may lawfully mary together by the law of god with out any dispensatiō papistical And in the same place he sayth that if our realm do admit one not borne in matrimony or illegitimate to the imperiall crowne so that he doth well discharge the office of a king God maketh him a king and by cōsequence doth reiect an other king or heyre of the kingdome being borne in matrimony and legitimate So for such spirituall kindred there ought no diuorse to be made Also notwithstanding the Cap. Si inter de sponsalibus If any man shall make any contract with any woman by that wordes of the future tence by an oth taken afterwards shall with an other woman make the like contract by the wordes of the present tence that then the second contract standeth Also it a man make any cōtract with a womā by the wordes of the future tence vpō his oth taken maketh afterwardes the like contract with another not altering the words and hath carnal copulation vpon the same the first contract maketh the matrimony good and not the second Also if a man before witnes assure himselfe to a woman by a contract made in the present tence hath children by the same woman afterward the same man marieth another woman with the like wordes in the present tence before witnesse Although the first witnesses be deade or els by bribes corrupt and the second bring his witnesses before the iudge to proue the second contract the first cōtract yet standeth in force although the Pope allowing the secōd contract doth compell them to liue in adultery agaynst the conmaundement of God Also he condemneth the decretall of the restitution of things stollen Cap. Literas tuas which wrileth that a man and woman hauing carnall copulation in the degree of consanguinity forbiddē and hath no witness hereof If the woman will depart from the man she shall be compelled by the censures to remayne with him and to yelde her debt Also in case where a man hath made cōtract with two women with one secretly hauing no witnesse and wich the other openly hauing witnesse Then were is better to acknowledge the insufficiency of the law and to suffer men to be ruled by their owne consciences then by the censures to compell them to committe and lyue in adultery As touching the keping and making of vowes That vow or othe is beastly and is without al discretion made which to performe and keep a man hath no power but by grace geuen him of God Because that some such there be whom god doth not accept to perseuere in the state of chastity and perpetuall virginity and such a one cannot keep his vow although he make the same Also that euery one making a vow of continencye or chastitye when making the same he shall not be accepted of God doth very vndiscretly and as one without al reason maketh the same whē he is not able of himself without the gift of God to fulfil his promise according to that saying of the wise mā cap. 8. No man hath the gift of cōtinency vnles that God geue it vnto him For otherwise if god help not such a one to perform the vow or othe which he hath made and sakē No prelate can compell him vnles he do cōtrary to Gods ordinance but he ought to cōmit himself to the gouernment of Gods holy spirit and his owne conscience For the possessions of the Church In another treatise it is declared how the king the Lordes and commōs may without any charge at all kepe 15. garrisons finde 15000. souldiours hauing sufficient landes and reuenues to liue vpon out of the temporalties gotten into the hands of the clergy fained religious men which neuer do that which pertayneth to the office of curates to doe nor yet to secular lords And moreouer the king may haue euery yere 20000 pound to come freely into his cofers and aboue Also may find or sustaine 15. Colledges more and 15000. priestes and clerkes with sufficient liuing and a 100. hospitals for the sicke euery house to haue one hundreth marks in lands And all this may they take of the foresayde temporaltyes without any charge to the realme wherunto the king the Lords and the commons are to be inuited For otherwise there seemeth to hang ouer our heads a great and maruelous alteratiō of this realme vnlesse the same be put in execution Also if the secular Priestes and sayned religious which be simoniackes and heretiques which sayne themselues to say masse and yet say none at all according to the Canons which to their purpose the bring and alledge 1. q 3. Audiuimus cap. Pudenda cap. Schisma By which chap. such priestes and religious do not make the Sacrament of the aultar That then all Christians especially all the soūders of such Abbeyes and indowers of bishoprickes priories and chaunteries ought to amend this fault and treason committed agaynst their predecessors by taking from them such secular dominiōs which are the mayntenance of all their sinnes And also that Christian Lords princes are bound to take away from the clergy such secular dominion as noseleth nourisheth them in heuesies ought to reduce them vnto the simple and poore life of Christ Iesus and his Apostles And further that all Christian Princes if they will amend the maledictiō and blasphemy of the name of God ought to take away their temporalities frō that shauen generation which most of all doth nourish them in such malediction And so in likewise the fat tithes from Churches appropriat to rich monks other religions fained by manifest
Christenmasse what condites were made what Maiors and shirifes were in London what battails were fought what triumphs and great feasts were holdē when kings began their raigne and when they ended c. In such vulgare and popular affairs the narration of the Chronicler serueth to good purpose may haue his credite wherein the matter forceth not much whether it be true or false or whether any listeth to beleue them But where as a thyng is denied and in cases of iudgement and in controuersies doubtfull which are to be decided and boulted out by euidence of iust demonstration I take them neither for Iudges of the bench not for arbiters of the cause nor as witnesses of themselues sufficient necessarily to be sticked vnto Albeit I deny not but hystories are takē many times and so termed for witnesses of times and glasses of antiquitie c. yet not such witnesses as whose testimony beareth alwaies a necessary truth and bindeth beliefe The two witnesses whych came against Susanna being seniours both of auncient yeares bare a great countenance of a most euidēt testimony wherby they almost both deceiued the people oppressed the innocent had not yōg Daniel by the holy spirite of God haue take thē aside and seuerally examining them one from the other found them to be falsliers both leauing to vs therby a lesson of wholsome circumspection not rashly to beleeue euery one that commeth and also teaching vs how to try thē out Wherfore M. Cope following here the like example of Daniel in trying these your records whom ye inferre against these men we wil in like maner examine them seuerally one frō an other and see how their testimonie agreeth first beginning wyth your Robert Fabian Which Robert Fabian being neither in the same age nor at the deede doing can of himselfe geue no credite herein without due proofe and euidence conuenient Now thē doth Rob. Fabian proue this matter of treason true what probation doeth he bring what authoritie doth he alleage And doth Rob. Fabian thinke if he were not disposed to conceiue of the L. Cobham and those men a better opinion but to be traitors that men are bounde to beleue him only at his word without any ground or cause declared why they shuld so do but only because he so saith and pleased him so to write And if yee thinke M. Cope the word only of this witnes sufficient to make authority speaking against the Lord Cobham and prouing nothing which followed so many yeres after him why may not I as well and much rather take the worde and testimonie of Richard Belward a Northfolke man and of the towne of Crisam who liuing both in his time possible knowing the party punished also for the like trueth is not reported but recorded also in the registers of the church of Norwich to geue this testimonie among other his articles for the foresaid L. Cobham that is that sir Iohn Oldcastle was a true Catholike man and falsely condemned and put to death wythout a reasonable cause c. Ex Regist. Noruic Agaynst this man if you take exception say that one hereticke will hold with an other why may not I with the like exception reply to you agayne say as well one Papist hold with an other and both cōiure together to make and say the worst agaynst a true Protestant Further yet to examine this foresayd Fabian witnes agaynst Sir Iohn Oldcastle as Daniell examined that witnesses agaynst Susanna I will not here aske vnder what tree these adherentes of sir I. Oldcastle conspired agaynst the king subuersion of that land but in what time in what yeare and moneth this conspiracie was wrought Fabian witnesseth that it was in the moneth of Ianuary Cōtrary Edward Hall other our Abridgementers followyng him doe affirme that they were condemned in the Guild hall the xij of December and that their executiō vpon the same was in Ianuary followyng so that by their sentence the fact was done either in the moneth of Decēber or els before so Fabianus mentitus est in caput suum vt cū Daniele dicam or if it were in the moneth of Ianuary as Fabian sayth then is Hall and his followers deceiued testifying the fact to be done in the moneth of December And yet to obiect moreouer against the sayd Fabiā for so much as he is such a rash witnes agaynst these burned persons whom he calleth traytors it would be demaūded further of him or in his absence of Maister Cope in what yeare this treason was conspired If it were in the same yeare as he cōfesseth himselfe in which yeare Iohn Cleidon the Skinner Richard Turmine Baker were burned then was it neither in the moneth of Ianuary nor in the first yeare of kyng Henry the fift For in the register of Cāterbury it appeareth playne that Iohn Claydon was condemned neither in the tyme of Thom. Arundell Archbyshop nor yet in the first nor second yeare of kyng Henry the v. but was cōdemned in the second yeare of the translation of Henry Chichesly Archbyshop of Canterbury the. 17. day of August which was the yeare of our Lord. 1415. So that if this conspiracie was in the same yeare after the witnesse of Fabiā in which yeare I. Cleydon was burned then doth the testimony of Fabian neither accord with other witnesses nor with him selfe nor yet with truth And thus much concerning the witnes of Rob. Fabian Let vs next proceede to Polidore Uirgill whose partiall and vntrue handling of our history in other places of of his bookes doth offer vnto vs sufficient exception not to admit his credite in this And yet because we will rather examine him then exclude him let vs heare a little what he sayth how he fayleth in how many pointes numbring the same vpon my fiue fingers First ending with the life of king Henry 4. hee sayeth that hee raigned 14. 14. yeares and 6. moneths and 2. dayes Angl. hist. lib. 21. whyche is an vntruth worthy to be punyshed wyth a whole yeares banishment to speake after the maner of Apulenis when as truth is he raigned by the testimony of the story of S. Albones of Fabian of Hall of our old English Chronicle and of Scala mundi but 13. 6. moneths lacking as some say 5. dayes Hal saieth he raigned but 12. yeares The second vntruth of Polydore is this where as hee speaking of this sedition of sir Iohn Oldcastle and his adherents affirmeth the same to be done after the burning of Iohn Hus and of Hierome of Prage whych was sayeth he An. 1415. in which yere sayth he Thomas Arundell died Hys wordes be these In eodem concilio damnata est Ioh. Wicliffi haeresis ac Ioan. Hus Hieronymus Pragensis in ea vrbe combusti sunt Quod vbi reliquis consocijs qui etiam tunc in Anglia erant patefit tanquam furijs agitati primùm
make nothing for the purpose for albeit anyman be not a true Christian is he not therefore true Pope Byshop or Kyng when as these are names of office and to be a Christian is a name of merite and desert and so may any man be a true Pope Byshoppe or King although he be no true Christian. Then sayd Iohn Hus if Pope Iohn the xxiij were a true Pope wherefore haue ye depriued him of hys office The Emperour aunswered the Lordes of the Councell haue now lately agreed thereupon that he was true Pope but for his notorious and manifest euill doinges wherewithall he did offend and trouble the Church of God and dyd spoyle and bring to ruine the power thereof he is reiected and cast out of his office The second Article The grace of predestination is the bond whereby the body of the Church and euery parte and member thereof is firmely knitte and ioyned vnto the head The aunswere I acknowledge this Article to be mine and it is proued in the text out of the eight chapiter to the Romaynes who shall seperate vs from the charity and loue of Christ. c. And in the tenth chapter of Iohn My sheepe heare my voyce and I know them and they followe me and I geue them eternall life neyther shall they perish eternally neither is there any man which shal take them out of my handes This is the knotte of the body of the Church and of our spirituall head Christ vnderstanding the Church to be the congregation of the predestinate The third Article If the Pope be a wicked man and specially a reprobate then euen as Iudas the Apostle he is a Deuill a Theefe and the Sonne of perdition and not the head of the holy mylytant Churche for so muche as he is no parte or member thereof The aunswere My wordes are thus if the Pope be an euill or wicked man and specially if he be a Reprobate then euen as Iudas so is he a Deuill a Theefe and the Sonne of perditition How then is he the head of the holy militant Church where as he is not truely no member or part thereof for if he were a member of the holy Churche then shoulde he be also a member of Christ and if he were a member of Christ then shoulde he cleaue and sticke vnto Chryste by the grace of Predestination and present iustice and shoulde be one spirite with God as the Apostle sayth in the first Epistle to the Corinthians the sixt Chapter knowe ye not that your bodyes are the members of Christ The 4. Article An euill Pope or Prelate or reprobate is no true pastour but a theefe and a robber The answere The text of my booke is thus If he be euill or wicked theÌ„ is he an hireling of whom Christ speaketh he is no sheepe heard neither are the sheepe his owne Therefore when he seeth the wolfe comming he runneth away and forsaketh the sheepe and so finally doth euery wicked and reprobate man Therefore euery such reprobate or wicked Pope or Prelate is no true Pastour But a very theefe and a robber as is more at large proued in my booke TheÌ„ sayd Iohn Hus I doe so limitte all thinges that such as touching theyr desert are not truely and worthely Popes and shepheardes before God but as touching their office and reputation of men they are Popes Pastors and Priestes Then a certayne man rising vp behinde Iohn Husse clothed all in silke sayd my Lordes take heede least that Iohn Hus deceiue both you and himselfe with these hys gloses and looke whether these thinges be in his booke or not for of late I had disputation with him vpon these Articles in the which I sayd that a wicked Pope c. was no Pope as touching merite and desert but as touchyng his office he was truely Pope Whereupon he vsed these gloses which he had heard of me and did not take them out of his booke Then Iohn Hus turning himselfe vnto him sayd did you not heare that it was so readde out of my booke and this did easily appeare in Iohn xxiij Whether he were true Pope or a very theefe and robber Then the Bishoppes and Cardinals looking one vpon another sayd that he was true Pope and laughed Iohn Hus to scorne The 5. The Pope is not neither ought to be called according vnto his office most holy For then the king ought also to be called most holy according to his office Also the tormentors lictors and deuilles ought also to bee called holy The aunswere My wordes are otherwise placed in this maner so ought a fayner say that if any man be a most holy Father then he doth most holyly obserue and keepe hys Fatherlynesse And if he be a naughty and wicked Father then doth he most wickedly keepe the same Likewise if the Byshoppe be most holyest then is he also most good and when as he sayth that he is Pope it is the name of his office Wherupon it foloweth that the man which is Pope being an euill and reprobate man is a most holy man And consequently by that hys office he is most good And for so much as no man can be good by hys office except he do exercise vse the same his office very well it followeth that if the Pope be an euill reprobate man he cannot exercise or vse his office wel Forsomuch as he cannot vse the office wel except he be morally good Mat. 12. How caÌ„ you speak good things when you your selues are euil immediatly afâ—er it foloweth If the Pope by reasoÌ„ of his office be called most holy wherefore should not the King of Romaynes be called most holy by reason of his office and dignity When as the Kyng according vnto Saynt Augustines minde representeth the Deitye and Godhead of Christ and the Priest representeth onely hys humanity Wherefore also should not iudges yea euen tormentours be called holy forsomnth as they haue theyr office by ministring vnto the Church of Christ. These thinges are more at large discoursed in my booke but I cannot finde or knowe sayth Iohn Husse any foundation whereby I shoulde call the Pope most holy when as thys is onely spoken of Christ. Thou onely art most holy Thou onely art the Lord. c. Shoulde I then truely call the Pope moste holy The 6. Article If the Pope liue contrary vnto Christ. Albeit he be lawfully and Canonically elect and chosen according to humayne election yet doth he ascende and come in another way then by Christ. The aunswere The text is thus if the Pope liue contrary vnto Christ in pride and auarice how then doth he not ascend and come another way into the sheepe folde then by the lowlye and meeke doore our Lord Iesus Christ But admitte as you say that he dyd ascend by lawfull election the which I call an election principally made of God and not according vnto the common and vulgare constitution and ordinaunce of men yet for all that it is
the holy communion And I warne you that you enter into no tauernes with ghestes be not a cōmon cōpany keper For the more a preacher keepeth him frō the company of men the more he is regarded All be it deny not yet your helpe and diligence where soeuer you may profite other Against fleshlye lust preache continuallye all that euer you can For that is the raging beast which deuoureth men for whom the flesh of Christ did suffer Wherfore my heartily beloued I beseech you to flie fornication for where as a man woulde most profite and doe good there this vice vseth most to lurke In any case flie the company of yong women and beleeue not their deuotion For S. Austen sayth the more deuout she is the more procliue to wantonnesse and vnder the pretence of religion the snare and venome of fornication lurketh And this knowe my welbeloued that the conuersation with them subuerteth many whome the conuersation of this worlde coulde neuer blemish nor beguile Admit no womē into your house for what cause so euer it be and haue not much talke with them otherwise for auoiding of offence Finally howsoeuer you do feare God and keepe his precepts so shall you walke wisely and shall not pearish so shall you subdue the flesh contemne the world and ouercome the deuill so shall you put on God finde life and confirme other and shall crowne your selfe wyth the crowne of glory the which the iust iudge shall geue you Amen ¶ This letter of Iohn Hus conteineth a confession of the infirmitie of mans flesh Howe weake it is and repugnant against the spirite Wherein he also exhorteth to perseuere constantly in the truth HEalth be to you from Iesus Christ. c. My deare frend knowe that Palletz came to me to perswade me that I shuld not feare the shame of abiuration but to consider the good which thereof will come To whome I sayd that the shame of condemnation and burning is greater then to abiure and why shuld I feare then that shame But I pray you tel me plainly your minde Presuppose that such articles were laid to you which you knewe your selfe not to be true what would you do in that case Would you abiure Who aunswered The case is sore began to weepe Many other things wee spake which I did reprehende Michael de Causis was some times before the prison with the deputies And when I was wyth the deputies thus I heard him speake vnto the keepers Wee by the grace of God wil burne this hereticke shortly for whose cause I haue spent many Florenes But yet vnderstand that I wryte not this to the intent to reuenge mee of him for that I haue committed to God and pray to God for him with all my heart Yet I exhort you again to be circumspect about our letters for Michael hath taken suche order that none shall be suffered to come into the prisone no not yet the keepers wrues are permitted to come to me O holy God howe largely doth Antichrist extend his power and crueltie But I trust that hys power shall be shortned and his iniquitie shal be detected more more amongst the faithfull people Almighty God shal confirme the hearts of his faithful whom he hath chosen before the costitution of the world that they may receiue the eminall crowne of glory And let Antichrist rage as much as he wil yet he shal not preuaile against Christ which shal destroy him with the spirite of his mouth as the Apostle sayeth And 〈◊〉 shall the creature be deliuered out of seruitude or corruptions into the libertie of the glorye of the sonnes of God as sayeth the Apostle in the wordes following we also wythin oure selues doe grone waiting for the adoption of the sonnes of God the redemption of our body I am greatly comforted in those wordes of our Sauiour◠happy be you when men shall hate you and shall seperate you and shall rebuke you and shall cast out your name as execrable for the sonne of man Reioyce and be glad for beholde great is your rewarde in heauen Luke 6. O worthy yea O most worthy consolation which not to vnderstande but to practise in time of tribulation is a hard lesson This rule sainct Iames with the other Apostles did well vnderstand which saieth count it exceeding ioy my brethren when yee shall fall into diuers tentations knowing that the probation of your faith woorketh patience let patience haue her perfecte worke For certainely it is a great matter for a man to reioyce in trouble and to take it for ioy to be in diuers temptations A light matter it is to speake it and to expounde it but a great matter to fulfill it For why our most patient and most valiaunt champion him selfe knowing that hee shoulde rise againe the thirde day ouercomming his ennemies by his death and redeeming from damnation his electe after his last Supper was troubled in spirite and sayde My soule is heauie vnto death Of whom also the Gospell sayeth that hee began to feare to be sadde and heauie Who being then in an agonie was confirmed of the Aungell and his sweat was like the droppes of bloud falling vpon the ground And yet he notwithstanding being so troubled sayde to his disciples let not your hearts be troubled neither feare the crueltie of them that persecute you for you shall haue me with you alwaies that you may ouercome the tyranny of your persecutours Whereupon those his souldiours looking vppon the Prince and king of glory sustained great conflictes They passed throughe fire and water and were saued and receiued the crowne of the Lord God of the which S. Iames in his canonicall Epistle sayeth Blessed is the man that suffereth temptation for when he shall be proued he shall receaue the crowne of life which God hathe promised to them that loue him Of this crowne I trust stedfastly the Lord wil make mee partaker also with you which be the feruent sealers of the trueth and with all them which stedfastly and constantly doe loue the Lord Iesus Christ which suffred for vs leauing to vs example that we should follow his steppes It behooued him to suffer as hee sayeth and vs also it behooued to suffer that the members may suffer together with the head For he sayeth If any man will come after mee let him denie himselfe and take vp hys crosse and followe me O most mercyfull Christ draw vs weake creatures after thee for except thou shouldst draw vs we are not able to follow thee Geue vs a strong spirite that it may be ready and although the flesh be feeble yet let thy grace goe before vs goe with vs and follow vs for without thee we can do nothyng and much lesse enter into the cruell death for thy sake Geue vs that prompt and ready spirite a bold hart an vpright fayth a firme hope and perfect charitie that we may geue our lyues paciently and ioyfully for
thy names sake Amen Written in prison and in bondes in the Vigill of holy S. Iohn the Baptist who beyng in prison and in bondes for the rebuking of wickednesse was beheaded ¶ Among diuers other letters of Iohn Hus which he wrote to the great consolation of others I thought also here to intermixt an other certaine godly letter writteÌ„ out of England by a faythfull Scholler of Wickleffe as appeareth vnto Iohn Hus and the Bohemians which for the zealous affectioÌ„ therein coÌ„teined seemeth not vnworthy to be read ¶ A letter to Iohn Hus and to the Bohemians from London GReetyng and whatsoeuer can be deuised more sweete in the bowels of Christ Iesu. My dearely beloued in the Lord whom I loue in the trueth and not I onely but also all they that haue the knowledge of the trueth whiche abydeth in you and shall be with you through the grace of GOD for euermore I reioysed aboue measure when our beloued brethren came and gaue testimony vnto vs of your trueth and how you walke in the trueth I haue heard brethren how sharpely Antichrist persecuteth you in vexyng the faithfull seruauntes of Christ with diuers and straunge kyndes of afflictions And surely no maruaile if amongest you since it is so almost all the world ouer the law of Christ be too too greuously impugned and that redde Dragon hauyng so many heades of whom it is spoken in the Apocalyps haue now vomited out of his mouth that great floud by whiche he goeth about to swallow vp the woman but the most gracious God will deliuer for euer his onely and most faythfull spouse Let vs therfore cofort our selues in the Lord our God and in his vnmeasurable goodnes hopyng strongly in him which will not suffer those that loue him to be vnmercifully defrauded of any their purpose if we according to our duety shall loue him with all our hart for aduersitie should by no meanes preuaile ouer vs if there were no iniquitie raignyng in vs. Let therefore no tribulation or sorrow for Christs cause discourage vs knowing this for a surety that whosoeuer the Lord vouchsafeth to receaue to be his childreÌ„ those he scourgeth For so the mercifull father will haue them tried in this miserable life by persecutions that afterwardes hee may spare them For the golde that this high artificer hathe chosen he purgeth and trieth in this fire that he may afterwardes lay it vp in his pure treasurie For we see that the time which we shall abide here is short and transitory the life which we hope for after this is blessed and euerlasting Therefore whilest we haue time let vs take paine that we may enter into that rest What other thyng do we see in this brickle life then sorow heauinesse and sadnesse and that which is most greuous of all to the faithfull too much abusing and contempt of the lawe of the Lord. Let vs therefore endeuoure our selues as much as we may to lay holde of the things that are eternall and abiding despising in our mindes all transitory and fraile things Let vs consider the holy fellowship of our fathers that haue gone before vs. Let vs consider the Saincts of the olde and newe Testament Did they not passe through this sea of tribulation and persecution were not some of them cut in peces other some stoned others of them killed with the sword Some others of them went about in pelts and goates skinnes as the Apostle to the Hebrues witnesseth Surely they all walked straight wayes following the steppes of Christ which sayde he that ministreth vnto me let him follow me whether so euer I go c. Therfore let vs also which haue so noble examples geuen vs of the Saintes that went before vs laying away as muche as in vs lyeth the heauy burden and the yoke of sinne which compasseth vs about runne forwarde through patience to the battaile that is set before vs fixing our eyes vppon the author of faith and Iesus the finisher of the same who seeing the ioy that was set before hym suffred the paines of the crosse despising death Let vs call vppon him which suffred suche reproche against himselfe of sinners that we be not wearied fainting in our hearts but that we may heartely pray for helpe of the Lorde and may fight against his aduersary Antichrist that we may loue his law and not be deceitfull labourers but that we may deale faithfully in all things according to that that God hath vouchsafed to geue vs and that wee may labour diligently in the Lordes cause vnder hope of an euerlasting reward Behold therefore brother Hus most deaâ—ly beloued in Christe although in face vnknowen to me yet not in faith and loue for distance of places cannot separate those whom the loue of Christ doth effectually knit together be comforted in the grace which is geuen vnto thee labour like a good souldiour of Christ Iesus preach be instant in word and in example and call as many as thou canst to the way of truth for the truth of the gospel is not to be kept in silence because of friuolous censures and thunderboltes of Antichrist And therefore to the vttermost of thy power strengthen thou and confirme the members of Christ whych are weakened by the deuil and if the Lord wil vouchsafe it Antichrist shall shortly come to an end And there is one thing wherein I do greatly reioyce that in your realm and in other places God hath stirred vp the harts of some men that they can gladly suffer for the word of God imprisonment banishment and death Further beloued I knowe not what to wryte vnto you but I confesse that I could wish to powre out my whole heart if thereby I might comfort you in the lawe of the Lorde Also I salute from the bottome of my heart all the faithfull louers of the law of the Lord and specially Iacobellus your coadiutor in the gospell requiring that he will pray vnto the Lorde for me in the Vniuersall churche of Iesus Christ. And the God of peace which hath raised from the dead the shepheard of the sheepe the mighty Lorde Iesus Christ make you apt in all goodnesse to doe his will working in you that which may be pleasant in his sight All your friendes salute you which haue heard of your constancie I would desire also to see your letters wrytten backe to vs for knowe yee that they shall greatly comfort vs. At London by your seruaunt desiring to be fellow with you in your labors Ricus Wiceewitze priest vnworthy ¶ An other letter of Iohn Hus to his friendes of Boheme THe Lord God be with you I loue the counsaile of the Lorde aboue gold and precious stone Wherfore I trust in the mercy of Iesus Christ that he wil geue me his spirit to stand in his truth Pray to the Lord for the spirit is ready and the flesh is weake The Lord almighty be the eternal reward vnto my Lords which constantly firmely and
thinges shall come to passe and be brought by little and little in order of times dispensed of God for the same purpose And this God doth and will do for his owne goodnes and mercy and for the riches of his great longanimity and pacience geuing time and space of repētance to them that haue lōg line in theyr sins to amend and flye from the face of the Lordes fury whyle that in like manner the carnall people and carnal priestes successiuely and in time shall fall awaye and be consumed as with the moth c. ¶ An other letter of Iohn Husse MAister Martin my deare brother in Christ I exhorte you in the Lord that you feare God keepe hys commaundementes and flee the company of women and beware of hearing their confessions least by the hipocrisie of women Sathan deceiue you trust not their deuotion You know how I haue detested the auarice and the inordinate life of the Clergy wherefore through the grace of God I suffer now persecution which shortly shal be consummate in me neither doe I feare to haue my hart powred out for the name of Christ Iesus I desire you hartely be not greedy in seeking after benefices And yet if you shal be called to anye cure in the country let the honour of God the saluation of soules and the trauaile therof moue you therunto and not the hauing of the lining or the commodities thereof And if you shall be placed in any such benefice beware you haue no yong womā for your cook or seruant least you edifie and encrease more your house then your soule See that you be a builder of your spirituall house being gentle to the poore and humble of mind and waste not your goodes in great fare I feare also if you do not amend your life ceasing from your costly and superfluous apparell least you shal be greuously chastised as I also wretched mā shal be punished which haue vsed the like being seduced by custome of euill men and wordly glory wherby I haue bene wounded agaynst God wyth the spirite of pride And because you haue notably knowne both my preaching and outward conuersation euen from my youth I haue no neede to write many thinges vnto you but to desire you for the mercy of Iesus Christ that you do not followe me in anye such leuitie and lightnes whiche you haue in seene in me You knew how before my priesthoode whiche greueth me nowe I haue delighted to playe oftentimes at chesse and haue neglected my time and thereby haue vnhappily prouoked both my self and other to anger many times by that play Wherfore besides other my innumerable faultes for thys also I desire you to inuocate the mercy of the Lord that he will pardon me and so directe my life that hauing ouercome the wickednes of this present life the flesh the world and the deuill I may finde place in the heauenly country at the least in the day of iudgement Fare ye well in Christ Iesus with all them which keepe hys law My gray coate if you will keepe to your selfe for my remembraunce but I thinke you are ashamed to wear that gray colour therfore you may geue it to whō you shall thinke good My white coate you shall geue the minister N. my scholer To George or els to Zuzikon 60. groates or els my gray coate for he hath faythfully serued me ¶ The superscription I pray you that you doe not open this letter before you be sure and certayne of my death The consolation of Mayster Hierome to Mayster Hus. MY maister in those thinges which you haue both written hetherto and also preached after the law of God agaynst the pride auarice an other inordinate vices of the Priestes goe forward be constant and strong And if I shall know that you are oppressed in the cause and if neede shal so require of myne own accorde I will folow after to helpe you as much as I can BY the lyfe actes and letters of Iohn Hus hetherto rehearsed it is euident and playne that he was condemned not for any errour of doctrine which they coulde well proue in hym who neyther denyed their popishe transubstantiation neither spake against the authoritie of the church of Rome if it were well gouerned nor yet the 7. Sacraments also sayd masse himself and almost in al their popish opinions was a papist with them but onely of euil wil was accused of his malicious aduersaries because he spake agaynst the pompe pride and auarice other wicked enormities of the pope Cardinals Prelates of that Church and because he could not abide the high dignities liuings of the Churche and thought the doinges of the pope to be Antichristlike For this cause he procured so many enemies false witnesses agaynst him Who strayning and picking matter out of hys bookes and writinges hauing no one iust article of doctrine to lay vnto him yet they made hym an hereticke whether he would or no and brought him to hys condemnation This can hatred and malice do where the charitie of Christ hath no place Whiche being so as thy charitie good reader may easely vnderstand in perusing the whol course of hys story I beseech thee thē what cause had Iohn Cochleus to write his 12. bookes agaynst Iohn Hus and Hussites In which bookes how bitterly intēperately he misuseth hys penne by these few words in hys second booke thou mayst take a little tast which wordes I thought here briefly to place in English to the ende that all English men may iudge thereby with what spirite and truth these Catholickes he caryed Hys wordes be these Lib. 2. Hist. Dico igitur Ioan Huss neque sanctum neque beatum habendum esse sed impium potius c. That is I say therfore Iohn Husse is neither to be counted holy nor blessed but rather wicked and eternally wretched insomuche that in the day of iudgement it shal be more easie not onely with the infidell Pagans Turks Tartarians and Iewes but also with the most sinfull Sodomites the abhominable Persians which most filthily doe lye with their daughters sisters or mothers yea also with most impious Cain killer of hys owne brother with Thyestes killer of hys own mother and the Lestrygones other Andropophagi which deuour mans flesh yea more easie with those infamous murderers of infants Pharao Herode then with him c. These be the words of Cochleus Whose rayling books although they deserue neyther to be read nor aunswered yet if it pleased God it were to be wished that the Lord would stir vp some towardly yong man that hath so much leasure to defend the simplicitie of thys Iohn Hus whiche cannot now aunswere for himselfe In the meane tyme something to satisfie or stay the readers mynde agaynst thys immoderate hyperbole of Cochleus in like fewe wordes I wyll bryng out Iohn Hus to speake and to cleare hymselfe agaynst this slaunder whose wordes in
wherwith heretickes are punished or are wont and are commaunded by canonical sanctions to be vsed and if they be clerkes by degradation doe correcte and punishe and cause them to be corrected and punyshed with all dilligence Furthermore that you do rise vp stoutly and couragiously agaynst such heretickes and the goodes as well of them as of the lay men according to the canonicall sanctioÌ„ made agaynst heretickes and their followers vnder the which we will and commaunde them and their partakers to be subiect And also such persons as shall be infamed of the heresies or errors aforesayd or any of the premisses shall be bounde to purge themselues at your arbitrement but the other which either be witnesses or by their owne confessions or other allegations or probations shal be conuicted of the foresaid heresies or articles or of any the premisses they shal be compelled to reuoke and abiure publikely and solemnly the sayd articles and erroures and to suffer condigne penaunce and punishment yea euen to perpetuall imprisonment if need be for the same And to the intent that they shall not nourish any kinde of heresies hereafter either in word deede or gesture or shall induce other either in worde or deede priuely or apertly directly or indirectly to beleeue the same they shal be forced to put in sufficient suretie Who if it so chaunce that they wil not publikely and solemnly renounce and abiure their articles and errors and take at your handes condigne penaunce though it be to perpetual or teÌ„poral punishment according to your discretion neither wil be coÌ„tented to put in sufficient suretie that they will not hereafter holde nor nourish those erroures and heresies neither wil induce other by word or deed priuily or apertly directly or indirecly or by any other maner of colour to beleue the same that then you shall proceede agaynst them according to the qualty of their erroures and demerites yea and if you see it so expedient as against heretickes as infected with heresie by our authoritie according to the canonical sanctions suâ—marily and simply and plainly sine strepitu figura iudicij of office all appellatioÌ„ or appellations whatsoeuer ceasing and that you punish the same according to the sanctions traditions canonicall yea if neede be in leauing and committing them to the secular power and agayinst such as be superiors or learned doctors laying the censures of ecclesiasticall excoÌ„munication al appellation set aside also innocating if neede shall require ayd of the secular arme The constitution as wel of our predecessor P. Boniface 8. of blessed memory wherein is decreed that no man without hys City or dioces except in certayne cases or in places being one daies iornye distant from thence where he inhabiteth shal be called into iudgement that no man do presume to depute iudges froÌ„ the sea Apostolicke wtout the city dioces where they are deputed to proceede agaynst any or do presume to coÌ„mit their authority to any other person or persoÌ„s or to fetch remoue any man beyond one dayes iorny froÌ„ out his Dioces where he dwelleth or at most two dayes iourny if it be in a generall councell as also all other constitutions of any byshop of Rome touching as well Iudges delegate as persons not to be called to iudgement beyond a certaine number or els any other edict indulce priuelege or exemption generall or special graunted from the Apostolike sea for anye person or persons not to be interdicted suspended or excommunicated or cited vp to iudgement without the compasse of certaine limites or els what soeuer thing otherwise may hinder stop or impeache your iurisdiction power and free proceeding herein by anye meanes to the contrary notwithstanding Dat Constant. the first yeare of our popedome ¶ This bloudy and abhominable commission of pope Martine which I haue copied out of a certaine olde monument remaining in the handes of Maister Hackluyt student in the Temple seemeth to be directed and geuen out to the publike destruction of all faithful Christen men about the latter end breaking vp of the councel of Constance an 1418. By the which the prudent reader hath this to note and consider what labour what pollicie what couÌ„saile what lawes haue bene set what wayes haue bene takeÌ„ what seueritie hath bene shewed how mens power wit and authoritie of the whole world haue conspired together from time to time coÌ„tinually by all maner meanes to subuert and supplant the worde and way of the Lorde And yet notwithstanding man hath not preuayled but all his force deuised pollicies haue bene ouerthrown dispatched and with the councell of Achitophell and Ammon haue bene brought to nought and contrary to the furye of the world the gospell of Christ hathe still increased Neither yet for all this will the Pope cease to spurne and rebell still against the kingdome of Christe and of hys Gospell agaynst which neyther he nor yet the gates of hell shall euer preuayle The Lord of hostes be mercifull to hys poore persecuted flocke Amen Agaynst this pestilent Bull and Inquisition of Pope Martine the great antechrist I thought good here to adioyne and annexe an other contrarye writing of the Bohemians bearing the name and subscription of Procopius Conradus and other Captaynes of the Bohemians which seemeth not long after the death of Zisca to be written agaynst the pestiferous sea of Rome the tenour whereof here followrth A fruitfull and Christian exhortation of the Bohemianes to kinges and princes to stir them vp to the zeale of the Gospell THe almighty God the father by hys welbeloued sonne Iesus Christ may in hys holy spirite open the vnderstanding both of you and of all Christians lighten your hartes with the light of hys doctrin of righteousnes and may make you to continue therin surely established to the end This we desire of you for your saluation all ye honourable wise honest noble men al the Comminaltie ye rich and poore heare and consider with dilligent heede the wordes of this present letter which is sent vnto you from the Country of the Bohemianes It is manifest and well knowne to you and many other citties Kynges princes and Lordes that now a certayne number of yeares there hath ben great discord betwixt vs and you and there haue bene some which haue moued you by letters and prouoked you to make warre against vs and to destroy vs. And as well on your part as on ours many men as wel noble as vnnoble haue foolishly lost their lyues Yet neuer hetherto haue ye in any parte vnderstoode our fayth by our owne confession neither whether we be able to proue the same out of the scriptures yea or no and yet in the meane time kinges Princes Lordes and Citties haue sustayned great dammage And hereof we greatly meruaile that ye do so much trust and beleue the pope and hys priestes which geue you drinke full of poyson and
and remembraunce beleued that a man ought not to coÌ„fesse his sinnes to a Priest This Article he also confessed that he doubted vpon Now remayneth to declare what these doctors aforesayd concluded vpon the articles whose aunswere vnto the same was this First of all as touching the first article they sayde that the article in the same termes as it was propouÌ„ded is not simply an heresy but an error Item as touching the second article the doctors agree as in the first Item as touching the third Article they affirme that it is an heresy Vnto the fourth Article they aunswered as vnto the first and second Item the doctors affirme the 5. article to be an heresy Item as touching the 6. Article the doctors conclude that if the sayd Nicholas being of perfect mind and remeÌ„brance did doubt whether the sacrament of the aulter were the very perfect body of Christ or no then that Article is simply an heresy Wherupon the sayd Commissary declared pronounced the sayd Nicholas Canon vpoÌ„ the determinatioÌ„ of the foresaid doctors to be an heretick and therupon forced the sayd Nicholas to abiure all the sayd Articles That done he enioined the sayd Nicholas penance for his offeÌ„ces thre displinges about the cloyster of the Cathedrall Churche of Norwich before a solemne procession bare headed barefoote carying a Taper of halfe a pound in his hand going after the maner aforesayd like a mere peniteÌ„tiary the which his penance the iudge commaunded should be respited vntill the comming of the Bishop into his dioces and that in the meane time he should be kept in prison to the end that he should not infect the flock with his venune and poyson of errors and heresyes Thus haue we briefly discoursed vnto you the greate troubles and afflictions which happened in Norfolke and Suffolke by the space of those 4. yeares before mentioned hauing drawen out briefly for euery yere certayne notable examples sufficient for the declaration of all the rest for so much as their opinions being nothing different theyr penaunce and punishment did also nothing differ otherwise then by those particuler examples may be playnely seene Thomas Bagley Priest ANd now to proceede as we haue begon with our former storyes generally we find in Fabians Chronicles that in the same yere of our Lord. 1431. Thomas Bagley a priest Vicar of Monenden beside Malden being a valiant disciple and adherent of wickliffe was condemned by the Byshops of heresy at London about the midst of Lent was disgraded and burned in Smithfield ¶ Paule Craw a Bohemian THe same yeare also was Paule Crawe a Bohemian taken at S. Andrewes by the Bishop Henry and deliuered ouer to the secular power to be burnt for holding contrary opinions vnto the Church of Rome touching the sacrameÌ„t of the Lords supper the worshipping of Sainets auricular confession with other of Wicklesses opinions The story of Thomas Rhedon a French man and a Carmelite Frier burnt in Italy for the profession of Christ. WE haue declared before how this cruell storme of persecution which first began with vs in England after it had long raged heere against many good and godly men it brake out passed into Boheme and after within a short time the fire of this persecution increasing by little and little inuaded Scotland and from thence now wyth greater force and violence this furious deuouring flame hath entred Italy and suffereth not any part of the world to be free from the murther and slaughter of most good godly men It hapned about this time that one Thomas Rhedon a Frier of that sect which taketh his name of the mount Carmelus by chance came with the VenetiaÌ„ Ausbassadours into Italy This maÌ„ although he was of that fort and secte which in stead of Christians are called Carmelites yet was he of a farre other religion vnderstood the word of God iudging that God ought not to be worshipped neither in that mount nor at Ierusalem onely but in spirit truth This man being a true Carmelite â— fauoring with his whole hart that new sweet must of Iesu Christ with earnest study desire seeking after a ChristiaÌ„ integritie of life prepared himselfe first to go into â—â—ly trusting that he should find there or else in no place sonne by whole good life and liuing he might be editied and instructed For where ought more aboundance of verme good liuing to be then in that place which is counted to be the forte and fountaine of all religion And how could it otherwise be but that wheras so great holines is professed wherupon all mens cies are bent as vpon a stage vnderas S. Peters seate is and is thought to be the ruler gouernour of all the Church all things should florish and abesid worthy of so great expectatioÌ„ in that place This holy man hauing these things before his eies and considering the same with himselfe forsooke his owne countrey Citie went vnto Rome conceiuing a firme sure hope that by the example of so many notable and worthy me he should greatly profile in godlines learning but the successe of the matter did vtterly frustrate his hope for all things were cleane coÌ„trary Whatsoeuer he saw was nothing else but meere dissimulatioÌ„ and hypocrisie In stead of gold he found nothing but coales and for to say the truth he found nothing else there but gold and siluer In stead of heauenly gifts there raigned amongst them the pompe and pride of the world In place of godlines riot In stead of learning and study douthfulnes and superstition Tyrannie and hautinesse of mind had possessed the place of Apostolicke simplicitie that now there remained no more any place or libertie for a man to learne that whiche hee knew not or to teach that which he perfectly vnderstoode Finally all things were turned artic versie all things hapned vnto him contrary to his expectation wheresoeuer he went But nothing so much offended this good mas mind as the intolerable ambition and pompous pride in them whome example of humilitie should especially commend and praise to the whole worlde And albeit that hee saw here nothing which did accord agree with the rule of the Apostles yet these things did so much passe all measure and pacience that he could by no meanes resraine his long in so great abuse and corruption of the Church seing such ambitions pride in their buildings apparell in their places in their daintie fare in their great traynes of seruants in their horsse and armour finally in all things pertaining vnto them Which things how much they did vary from the prescript rule of the Gospel so much the more was this good maÌ„ forced to speake Albeit he did well vnderstand how litle he shoulde preuaile by speaking for if admonition would profite any thing at all the bookes of Wicklesse and diuers other were not wanting The famous testimonies of Iohn Hus
to be admitted with the bishops to the deciding of hard doubtfull matters Neither ought we to be ashamed to follow the example of that most sacred and great Councell which also followeth the examples of the Councell of Pisa and the great Councell at Lateran wherein it is not to be doubted but that the Priestes did ioyntly iudge together with the byshops Moreouer if Abbotes as we do see it obserued in all Councels haue a determining voice which notwithstanding were not instituted by Christ why should not priests haue the same whose order Christ ordayned by hys Apostles Hereupon also if one byshops shoulde haue a determining voice nothing should be done but what pleased that Italian nation the whith alone doth exceed all other nations or at the least is equall with them in number of byshops And howsoeuer it be I iudge it in this behalf to be a work of God that the inferiours shold be admitted to the determinations for God hath nowe reuealed that vnto little ones which he hath hidden from the wise Behold you do see the zeale constancy vprightnes and magnanimitie of these inferiours Where should the councell now be if onely bishops and Cardinals shoulde haue their voice Where should the authoritie of the Councels be Where should the Catholicke fayth be Where shoulde the decrees and reformation be For all things haue now a long time bene vnder the will of Eugenius and he had now obtained hys wicked naughty purpose except these inferiours whome you now contemne had withstād him These are they which haue contemned the priuation made by Eugenius These I say are they which haue not regarded hys threatninges spoyle and persecution These are they which being takē imprisoned tormented haue not fered to defend the trueth of the Councell yea euen these are they who albeit they were by Eugenius deliuered ouer for a pray yet would they still continue in the sacred coūcell and feared not to to suffer warre famine most cruel pestilence and finally what thing is it that these men haue not willingly suffered for the right and equity of the councel you might haue heard this inferior sort euen in the midst of their tribulations with a loud voycr cry out and say albeit that all men become obedient vnto that subuerter of the Church Eugenius and that euery man do depart from the veritie of the fayth and constitutions of the fathers consēting vnto the commaundementes of Eugeneus yet we our brethren will be constant and doubt not to dye for the truth and traditions of the holy fathers the which in deed they haue done Neither could they be feared with threatnings or discouraged with any spoyles neither could any feare or hope turne them from their most blessed purpose and to speake somewhat of mine own order whether any Cardinals haue done the like or no that iudge you As for Byshops whō Panormitane alone wold haue to determine you see how few of them are on our part euen they which are here present are not able by vertue to ouercome iniquitie they feare the terrene power and commit offence with their hast Haue ye not heard how they al sayd they would consent vnto the kinges will and pleasure But the inferiors are they which haue had truth righteousnes god himselfe before their eyes they are greatly to be commended for shewing themselues such men vnto the Church of God But why do I defend that cause of these inferiours When as some will also exclude those byshops which are but byshops by name and title and haue no possession of the Church from our company not vnderstanding that whilest they go about to put backe those mē they do condemne Peter and the other Apostles who as it is euident were long without any great flocke neither was Rome vnto Peter nor Ierusalem vnto Iames at anye tyme wholy obedient for at that tyme no great number of people but a small flocke beleued in Christ. For I pray you what is that we shold require of these byshops They haue no flocke but that is not their fault They haue no reuenues but money maketh not a byshop and as the Lord sayth Beati pauperes spiritu i. Blessed are y◠poore in spirite Neither was there anye rich Byshops in the primitiue Church neither did the auncient Church reiect Dionysius Byshop of Millayne Eusebius Bishop of Uercelles or Hillary Byshop of Pictauia although they were neuer so poore and banished without a flocke But if we will graunt the truth the poore are more apte to geue iudgement then the rich because that riches bringeth feare and their pouertie causeth libertie For the poore men doe not feare tyranny as our rich men do whiche being geuen ouer vnto all kinde of vanities idlenes and sloth will rather deny Christ then lacke theyr accustomed pleasures whom not theyr flock but theyr reuenues make bishops deliting so muche in riches that they iudge all poore men vnhappy But as Cicero sayth nothing can happen better vnto a wise man then mediocritie of substaunce Wherupon it is written in the Gospel It is easiar for a Cammel to passe through a needle eye then for a riche man to enter into the kingdome of heauen But now to returne to a more full declaration of Panormitans words I determine to passe ouer two poynts which he pronounced in the beginning of hys Oratiō that is Qui petant cur petant i. who maketh the petition and for what cause they make their petition We graunt the they are great men men of power and as he doth affirme the they haue deserued good of the church neither do I doubt but that they are moued thereunto with a sincere affectiō But whether it be a small matter that is required or that the same effectes would ryse thereupon which he spake of it is now to be enquired A delay sayth he is required a delay for a few dayes A small matter a matter of no importaunce a matter easy to be graunted Notwithstanding let Panormitane here marke well that he requireth a delay in a matter of faith The verities are already declared they be already discussed and determined If now there shoulde be but a little delay it would grow to a long delay for oftē times the delay of one momēt is the losse of a whole yere here of we haue many examples Hanniball whē he had obteined his victory at Cannas if he had gone strayght vnto Rome by all mens iudgementes he had takē the city But for so much as he did deferre it vntill the next day the Romaines hauing recouered theyr force agayne he was shutt out and deserued to heare this opprobry Vincere scis Hannibal vti victoria nescis Hannibal thou knowest victory to get But how to vse it thou knowest not yet Likewise the French men after they had taken Rome and besieged the Capitoll whiles that they gredely sought to haue great summes
Embassadors they would only haue the first conclusion decreed and therupon sent agayne vnto Arelatensis vnto whō answere was made that the chief force did consist in the two other conclusions and that the Coūcel would specially determine vpon them If the Ambassadors would not be present they should vnderstand that the concord was broken by them which would not obserue that which they had offered With which auswere they departed the Sessiō begā to be celebrate There was no Prelate of the Aragons present at it neither out of Spayn and our of Italy onely the bishop of Grosserane and the Abbot of Dona whiche for theyr constancy steadfast good will toward the vniuersall church could not be chaūged from their purpose but of doctors and other inferiors there were a great number of Aragons and almost all the inferiors of Spayne and Italy for the inferiors feared not the princes as the Bishoppes did and then the worthy stoutnes of the Aragones Cathelanes appeared in the inferiour sort which woulde not shrinke away in the necessity of the church Of the two other nations there were only present 20. bishops The residue lurked in theyr lodginges professing the fayth in theyr hartes but not in theyr mouthes Arelatensis considering afore what would come to passe caused praiers to be made after their praiers made vnto almighty god with teares and lamētation that he would send them his holy spirit to ayde and assist them they were greatlye comforted and encouraged This congregatiō was famous and albeit that there were not many bishops present yet al the seats were filled with the Bishoppes Proctors Archdeacons Presidents Priors Priestes and Doctors of both lawes which I iudged to be about the number of 400. or more amongst whō there was no noyce no chiding no opprobrious wordes or contētion but one exhorted another to the profession of the fayth and there appeared a full and whole consent of them all to defend the church The bishop of Massilia a noble mau read the decree which was attentiuely harkened vnto and not one word interrupted When it was ended Te Deum laudamus was song with great ioy and gladnes so the Session dissolued whiche was in number the xxxiii Session and amongest all the rest the most quiet and peaceable The day following being the xxii of May the Princes Embassadors without all mens expectation came vnto the general congregatiō by that theyr doing at the least geuing theyr assent vnto the Session before passed In celebrating wherof if the fathers had erred it had not bene lawfull for the Princes and Embassadours to haue holden the councell with those fathers But it was thought that they were touched with remorse of conscience and euen now to detest and abhorre that which they had done as it was not hidden to the Embassadours of the Empyre and Fraūce For the bishop of Lubecke sayde that the cause of his absence was for that he was appointed by the Emperors cōmaūdement to intreat a peace Wherfore it was not comely for him to be present at any businesse whereby he should be vexed or troubled with whome the peace should be intreated Notwithstanding he did much commend the session before holdē and beleued the decree therein promulgate to be most good and holy and the verities therin contemed to be vndoubted sayd that he would sticke therunto both now and euen vnto the death But the bishop of Turnō a man both learned and eloquent speaking for him and hys felowes sayd that he heard how that they were euill spokē of amongst some in that they had not honored theyr king in that most sacred Sessiō whom it becommed specially to exalt and defend the fayth which also for that cause aboue all other kings was named most christen notwithstāding he sayd that they had a lawfull excuse in that it was cōuenient that they which were sēt to intreat peace should doe nothing whereby theyr Ambassade shold be stopped or letted Also there are two kindes of iniustice sayd he wherby either thinges are done that should not be done or thinges that should be done are not done The first doth not alwayes bind because it is conuenient to haue respect of time place and persō But the last doth alwayes bind wherin he sayd they were not culpable But as touching the first poynt they might seme vnto some to haue erred because they wer not present at the Session but yet in this poynt they had sufficient to answere forsomuch as if they had bene present at that Session they should haue bene vnmeete to haue intreated any peace with Eugenius And therfore albeit they were wanting at so holy a businesse in that point they followed the example of Paule which albeit he desired to be dissolued to be which Christ yet for the further profit and aduauncement of the church it was deferred So likewise he sayd that they had now done for that they were not absent because they doubted of the conclusions whiche they iudged to be most true and holy whereunto they would sticke euen vnto the death but because they woulde not be vnmeet for the treaty of peace for which they came and yet that which they had not done in theyr owne persō they had fulfilled sayd he by theyr seruaunts and household whom altogether they commaunded to reuerence that Session I would that I had bene then in the place of some great prelate surely they should not haue gone vnpunished whiche thought to haue playd bo peepe For what doth the declaration of the trueth hinder the treatye of peace Or if it doe hurt why is he not counted as great an offender which cōsenteth to him that declareth the truth as he which doth declare it What shal we need any further testimony for now the Embassadors of the Princes haue declared Eugenius to be an enemy vnto the truth But to passe ouer these thinges it is sufficient that Eugenius wrote afterward vnto the king of Fraunce that he did vnderstand the Bishop of Tournon to be become his enemy After that the Bishop of Tournon had made an ende Cardinall Arelatensis gaue thanks vnto God which had so defended his Church after great stormes and cloudes had sent fayre cleare weather cōmending the good wyll of the Emperour and the King of Fraunce towarde the Church he also praysed the bishop of Lubecke and Tournon for that oftentimes in the Councell and also of late at Mentz they had defended the authority of the coūcell But specially he commēded this theyr present doings that they had opēly confessed the trueth and had not sequestred them selues from the fayth of the Church Afterward he entring into the declaration of the matter sayd that he was at Pysis and at Constance and neuer saw a more quiet or deuout Session then this affirming y◠this decree was most necessary to represse the ambition of the Bishops of Rome whiche exalting
the Tower where he beyng adiudged for a traytor was priuely drowned in a but of Malmesey What the true cause was of his death it can not certainely be affirmed Diuers coniectures and imaginations there be diuersly put forth Some partly impute it to the Queenes displeasure Other suppose it came for taking part in the cause of his seruaunt which was accused and cōdemned for poysonyng sorcery or inchantmēt An other fame there is which surmiseth the cause hereof to rise vpō the vayne feare of a foolish Prophecie commyng no doubt if it were true by the craftie operation of Sathan as it doth many tymes elles happen among infidels and gentiles where Christ is not knowen where among high Princes and in noble houses much mischief groweth first murther and parricide thereby ruine of auncient families and alteration of kingdomes The effect of this Prophecie as the fame goeth was this that after kyng Edward should one reigne whose name should begyn with G. And because the name of the Duke of Clarence beyng George began with a G. therfore he began to be feared and afterward priuely as is aforesayd was made away ¶ By these experimentes and mischieuous endes of such Prophecies and also by the nature of them it is soone to be seene from what fountaine or author they proceede that is no doubt from Sathā the auncient enemy of mākynd and Prince of this world agaynst whose deceitfull delusions Christen men must be well instructed neither to maruell greatly at them though they seeme straunge nor yet to beleue them though they happen true For Sathā being the Prince of this world in such thyngs worldly can foresee what will follow and cā say truth for a mischieuous end and yet for all that is but a Sathan So the dreame of Astiages seeing a vine to growe out of his daughter which should couer all Asia and fearing thereby that by his nephew he should lose his kingdome proued true in the sequeale thereof and yet notwithstanding of Sathan it came and caused cruell murther to folow first of the shepheards child then of the sonne of Harpagus whome he set before his owne father to eate Ex Iust. lib. 1. Likewise Cyrus was Prophetically admonished by his dreame to take him for his guide whome he first met the next morow In that also his dreame fell true and yet was not of God In the same number are to be put all the blind Oracles of the Idolatrous Gentiles which although they proceede of a lieng spirit yet sometime they hit the truth to a mischieuous purpose The like iudgement also is to be giuen of Merlynes Prophecies The Sorceresse mentioned 1. Reg. 28. raising up Samuell told Saule the truth yet was it not of God In the 16. chap. of the Actes there was a Damosell hauing the spirit of Pytho who said truth of Paule and Sylas calling them the messengers of the high God and yet it was a wrong spirit The vncleane spirits in geuing testimonie of Christ saide the truth yet because their testimony came not of God Christ did not allow it Panlus Diaconus recordeth of Ualence the Emperour that he also had a blinde Prophecie not much vnlike to this of king Edward which was that one should succeed him in the Empire whose name should begin with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereupon one Theodorus trusting vpon the prophecie began rebelliously to hope for the crowne for his labour felt the paines of a traitour Notwithstanding the effect of the prophecy folowed For after Ualence succeded Theodosius Wherfore Christen Princes and noble men all Christes faithfull people must beware learne 1. First that no man be inquisitiue or curious in searching to knowe what things be to come or what shall happen beside those things only which are promised and expressed in the word 2. Secondly to vnderstand what differēce there is and how to discerne the voice of God frō the voice of Sathan 3. Thirdly how to resist and auoide the daunger of false and diuelish prophecies Many there be which being not cōtented with things present curiously occupy their wittes to search what is to come and not geuing thanks to God for their life whiche they haue will also know what shall be chance them how when their end wil come how lōg Princes shal reigne and who after shall succeede them and for y◠same get vnto thē southsaiers astrologers sorcerers coniurers or familiars And these are not so much inquisitiue to search or aske but the deuill is as ready to aunswere them who either falsly doubleth with thē to delude thē or else telleth them truth to worke them perpetuall care sorow Thus was Pope Siluester the sorcerer circumuented by the diuell who told him that he should be at Hierusalem before he died and so it fell For as he was saieng his Masse at a chappell in Rome called Hierusalem there he fell sicke and within three daies after died vide sup pag. 167. To King Henry the fourth also it seemeth it was prophecied that he should not die before he went to Hierusalem who being brought to the Abbots chamber of Westminster and hearing the name of the chamber to be called Hierusalem knew his time to be come and dyed pag. 557. By such deceitfull prophecies it can not be lamented inough to see what inconuenience both publikely and priuately groweth to the life of men either causing thē falsly to trust where they should not or else wickedly to perpetrate that they woulde not as may appeare both by this king and also diuers moe So was Pompeius Crassus and Caesar as writeth Cicero deceiued by the false Chaldeis in declaring to them that they should not but die in their beds and with worship and in their olde age Of such false trust rising vpon false prophecies S. Ambrose in his booke of Exameron writeth speaking of rayne which being in those parties greatly desired was promised and prophecied of one certainely to fall vpō such a day which was at the changing of the new Moone but sayth S. Ambrose there fell no such raine at all till at the praiers of the Church the same was obteined geuing vs to vnderstand that raine commeth not by the word of man nor by the beginnings of the Moone but by the prouidēce and mercie of our creatour Ex Ambros. in Examer Ioan. Picus Earle of Mirandula in his excellent bookes written against these vaine startellers and Astrologers Lib. 2. writeth of one Ordelaphus a prince to whom it was prognosticate by a famous cunning man in that science called Hieronimus Manfredus that he should enioy long continuance of health and prosperous life who notwithstanding the selfesame yeare and in the first yeare of his mariage deceassed and after diuers other examples added moreouer vpon the same he inferreth also mention and the name of a certaine rich
matrone in Rome named Constantia who in like maner departed the same yeare in which she receiued great promises by these Southsayers and Astrologers of a long and happy life saieng to her husband these words behold saith she how true be the prognostications of these southtellers If it were not for noting of thē which now are gone and whose names I would in no case to be blemished with any spot otherwise I could recite the names of certaine especially one which taking his iourney in a certaine place after diligent calculation and forecasting of the successe and good speede of his iourney was notwithstanding in the same iourney apprehended and brought where he would not after that neuer enioieng good day in short time he departed In Basill this I my selfe heard of one which knew and was conuersant with the partie who hauing a curious delight in these speculations of chances and euents to come by his calculation noted a certaine day which he mistrusted should be fatall vnto him by something which at that day should fall vpon him Whereupon he determined with himselfe all that day to keepe him sure and safe within his chamber where he reaching vp his hand to take downe a booke the booke falling downe vpon his head gaue him his deathes wounde and shortly after he died vpon the same Of these and such like examples the world is full and yet the curiousnes of mans head will not refraine still to plucke the apple of this vnluckie and forbidden tree Beside all this what murther and parricide commeth by the feare of these prophecies in great blouds and noble houses I referre it vnto them which reade and well aduise the stories as well of our Kings heere in England as in other kingdomes moe both Christened and Turkish whereof another place shall serue as well Christ willing more largely to entreat and particularly to discourse To this perteineth also the great inconuenience hinderance that groweth by the feare of such Prophecies in the vocation of mē forsomuch as many there be which fearing some one danger some another leaue their vocations vndone and follow vnordinate waies As if one hauing a blinde prophecie that his destruction should be on the day would wake and do all his busines by night and candle light and so forth in other seuerall cases of mē and women as euery one in his owne conscience knoweth his owne case best The second thing to be considered in these prophecies is rightly to discerne and vnderstand as neare as we cā the differēce betwene the prophecies proceeding frō God and the false prophecies counterfeited by Sathan For Sathan sometime plaieth Gods Ape and transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light bearing such a resemblaunce and colour of truth and Religion that vnneth a wise man is able to discerne the one from the other and the most part is begiled Concerning prophecies therefore to know which be of God which be not three things are to be obserued 1. First whether they go simply and plainely or whether they be doubtful and ambiguous wherof the one seemeth to taste of Gods spirit such as be the Prophecies of the scripture the other to come otherwise hauing a double or doubtfull interpretation Although y◠time of Gods prophecies as also of miracles is commonly and ordinarily expired yet if the Lord in these daies now extraordinarily do shew any prophecie by the simplenes plainenes thereof partly it may be discerned 2. Secondly this is to be expended whether they bee priuate tending to this familie or that family or publike For as the Scriptures so commonly the Prophecies of God haue no priuate interpretation but generall for so much as the care of Gods holy spirit is not restrayned partially to one person more then to another but generally and indifferently respecteth the whole Churche of his elect in Christ Iesus his sonne Wherefore such Prophecies as priuately are touching the armes of houses or names of men rising or falling of priuate and particular families are worthely to be suspected 3. The third note speciall argument to discry the true prophecies of God from the false prophecies of Sathan and his false Prophets is this to consider the matter and the end thereof that is whether they be worldly or whether they be spirituall or whether they tende to any glory or state of this present world or whether they tend to the spirituall instruction admonition or comfort of the publicke Church Now remayneth thirdly after we know what prophecies be of God and what not that we be instructed next how to eschew the feare and perill of all diuelish Prophecies which make against vs. Wherein two speciall remedies are to be marked of euery Christen man whereby he may be safe and sure against all daunger of the enemie The first is that we set y◠name of Christ Iesus the sonne of God against them through a true faith in him knowing this that the sonne of God hath appeared to dissolue the works of the Diuell And againe this is the victory saith the Scripture that ouercommeth the world euen our faith Whatsoeuer then Sathan worketh or cā worke against vs be it neuer so forceable faith in Christ will vanquish it Such a maiestie is in our faith beleeuing in the name of the Sonne of God The other remedy is faythfull prayer which obteineth in the name of Christ all things with the Lord. So that wicked feende which had killed before seuen husbands of Tobias wife could not hurt him entring his matrimony with earnest praier so no more shall any sinister prophecie preuaile where praier out of a faithful hart doth striue against it Neither am I ignoraunt that against such temporall euils and punishments to this life inflicted a great remedy also lieth in this when Sathan findeth nothing wherin greatly to accuse our conscience But because such a conscience is hard to be founde the next refuge is to flie to repentaunce with amendment of life For many times where sinne doth reigne in our mortall bodies there also the operation of Sathan is strong against vs to afflicte our outwarde bodyes heere but as touching our eternall saluation neyther worke nor merite hath any place but onely our fayth in Christ. And thus much briefly touching the two speciall remedies whereby the operation of all diuelishe Prophecies may be auoyded and defeated Now many there be which leauing these remedyes aforesayd and the safe protection which the Lorde hath set vp in Christ take other wayes of their owne seeking by their owne policie how to withstande and escape suche Prophecies either in eschuing the place and time subtilly or else cruelly by killing the partie whome they feare whereof commeth iniury murther and parricide with other mischiefes in cōmon weales vnspeakable To whom commonly it cōmeth so to passe that whereby they thinke most to saue themselues by the same meanes they fal most into the snare being
Wherupō by the helpe of certeine learned men he begā to seek reformatiō in hys own order Which thyng the pope perceauing and fearing that the sayde Hierome which was now in great reputation amōgst al men shold diminish or ouerthrow his authoritie he ordained his vicar or prouinciall to see reformatiō of these matters which vicare with great superstition began to reforme thinges but the sayd Hierome did alwayes withstand hym wherupon he was complayned of to the Pope and because that contrary vnto the popes commaundement he did wtstand hys vicare he was accursed But for all that Hieronimus lefte not of preaching but threatned Italy with the wrath and in dignation of God and prophecied before vnto them that the land should be ouerthrowne for the pride and wickednes of the people and for the vntruth hipocrisie and falshood of that clergy which God would not leaue vncenēged as ofterward it came to passe when as king Charles came into Italy and to Rome and so straitly beset the pope Alexander that he was forced to make composition with the king Now for somuch as the said Hierom would not leaue of preaching he was commaunded to appeare before the pope to geue accompt of his new learning for so thē they called the truth of the Gospell but by meanes of the manifold perilles he made his excuse that he could not come Then was he againe forbidden by the pope to preach and his learning pronounced and condemned as pernicious false and sedicious This Hieronimus as a man wordly wise foreseeing the great perils and daungers that might come vnto him for feare left of preaching But when as the people which fore hungred and longed for Gods word were instant vpon him that he would preach agayne he began agayne to preach in the yeare of our Lord. 1496. in the Cittie of Florence and albeit that many counsailed him that he should not so do without the Popes commaundement yet did he not regard it but went forward freely of his owne good will When as the Pope and his shauelinges heard newes of this they were greuously incensed and inflamed agaynst him and now againe cursed him as an obstinate and stifnecked hereticke But for all that Hieronimus proceeded in teaching and instructing the people saying that men ought not to regard such curses whiche are agaynst the true doctrine and the cōmon profite whereby the people shold be learned and amended Christ kingdome enlarged and the kindome of the deuill vtterly ouerthrowne In all his preaching he desired to teach no other thing then the onely pure and simple word of God making often protestation that al men should certifie him if they had heard him teach or preach anye thing contrary thereunto for vpon his owne conscience he knew not that he had taught anye thing but the pure word of God What his doctrine was all mē may easely iudge by his books that he had writtē After this in the yeare of our Lord. 1498. he was takē and brought out of S. Markes cloyster two other Fryers with hym named Dominicke and Siluester whiche fauoured hys learning and was caried into prison wheras he wrote a godly meditation vpon that most comfortable 31. psalme In te Domine speraui non confundar in aeternūsed in iusticia tua libera me Wherein he doth excellently describe and set forth the continuall strife betweene the flesh and the spirite After this the Popes Legates came to Florence called forth these three good men threatning thē marueilously but they continued still constant Then came the chief coūsailers of the citty with the popes commissioners whiche had gathered out certain Articles against these men wherupon they were condemned to death the tenour of which Articles hereafter ensue 1. The first article was as touching our free iustification through fayth in Christ. 2. That the communion ought to be ministred vnder both kyndes 3. That the indulgences and pardons of the pope were of no effect 4. For preaching against the filthy and wicked liuing of the Cardinals and spiritualtie 5. For denying the popes supremacie 6. Also that he had affirmed that the keyes were not geuen vnto Peter alone but vnto the vniuersal Church 7. Also that the pope did neither follow the life nor doctrine of Christ for that he did attribute more to his owne pardons and traditions then to Christes merits and therfor he was Antichrist 8. Also that the popes excommunications are not to be feared and that he which doth feare or flye them is excommunicate of God 9. Item that auriculer confession is not necessary 10. Item that he had moued the Cittizens to vprore and sedition 11. Item that he had neglected and contemned the popes Citation 12. Item that he had shamefully spoken agaynst slandered the pope 13. Itē that he had taken Christ to witnes of his naughtines and heresie 14. Also that Italy must be clensed through Gods scourge for the manifold wickednes of the princes and clergy The Martyrdome of Hierome and his two companions Thus was the worthy witnesse of Christ with the other two aforesaid first hanged vp openly in the market place and afterward burnt to ashes and the ashes gathered vp cast into the Riuer of Arum the 24. day of May in the yeare of our Lord 1499. Ex Catal. testium Illyrici This man foreshewed many thinges to come as the destruction of Florence and Rome and the renuing of the Church which three things haue happened in these times within our remembraunce Also he foreshewed that the Turkes and Mores in the latter dayes should be conuerted vnto Christ. He also declared that one should passe the Alpes into Italy like vnto Cirus which should subuert and destroy all Italy Whereupon Iohannes Franciscus Picus Erle of Mirandula called him a holy prophet and defended him by his writings against the pope Many other learned men also defend the innocencie of the saide Sauonarola Marsilius Ficinus also in a certayne Epistle doth attribute vnto him the spirit of prophecie greatly commending and praysing him In the like maner Philippus Comineas a French historiographer which had conference with him witnesseth that he was a holy man and full of the spirit of prophecie for so muche as he had foreshewed vnto hym so many thinges which in euent had proued true There were besides these many other not to be passed ouer or forgotten as Phillip Norice an Irishman professour at Oxford who albeit he was not burned yet as it is sayd he was long time vexed and troubled by the religious route But would to God that such as haue occupied themselues in writing of histories and haue so dilligently committed vnto memory all other thinges done in foreign common wealthes had bestowed the lyke dilligence labour in noting and writing those thinges which pertayn vnto the affayres of the Churche whereby the posteritie might haue had fuller and more perfecte vnderstanding knowledge of
in S. Paules Epistle ad Chessall and also in the reuelation of S. Iohn Which Scriptures otherwise without the opening of these historyes can not so perfectly bee vnderstand of the whiche Scriptures we mynde hereafter Christ graunting orderly as the course of matter shall lead vs to make rehearsall An other cause is that we may learne thereby eyther with the publique Churche to lament with our brethren such a great defection and decay of christian fayth through these wicked Turkes or els may feare thereby our owne daunger The thyrd cause that we may pōder more deeply with our selues the scourge of God for our sinnes and corrupte doctrine which in the sequele hereof more euidently may appeare to our eyes for our better admonition Fourthly the consideration of this horrible persecution of the Turkes rising chiefely by our discord and dissention among our selues may reduce vs agayn from our domesticall wars in killing and burning one of an other to ioyne together in Christian patience and concorde U. but chiefely these great victoryes of the Turkes and vnprosperous speed of our men fighting agaynst thē may admonish teach vs folowing the example of the olde Israelites how to seek for greater strēgth to encounter with these enemyes of Christ then hitherto we haue done First we must cōsider that the whole power of Sathan the prince of this world goeth with the Turkes Whiche to resist no strēgth of mans arme is sufficient but onely the name spirite and power of our Lord Iesus the sonne of god going with vs in our battels as among the olde Israelites the Arcke of Gods couenaunt and promise wente with them also fighting agaynst the enemies of God For so are wee taught in Scripture that we christen mē haue no strength but in Christ onely Whether we warre agaynst the deuilt or agaynst the Turke it is true that the Scripture sayeth Sine me nihil potestis facere i. without me you ea do nothing Otherwise there is no puissaunce to stand agaynst the deuill or to conquere the world Nisi fides nostra that is our fayth onely all the promises of God touching saluation be annexed beyonde which promises we muste not goe for the worde must be our rule He that presumeth beyond the promises in the word expressed goeth not but wandereth hee can not tell whether Neither must we appoynt God how to saue the worlde but must take that way whiche he hath appointed Let vs not set our God to schoole nor cōprehēd his holy spirite within our sculles He that made vs wtout our counsell did also redeeme vs as pleased hym If he be mercifull let vs be thankefull And if his mercyes surmoūt our capacity let vs therfore not resist but search his word and thereunto apply our will which if we will doe all but contentious wil soone be at a poynt Let vs therfore search the will of our God in his word and if he will his saluation to stand free to all nations why do we make marchandise thereof If he haue graciously offred his waters to vs without mony or mony worth let vs not hedge in the plētuous springes of his grace geuen vs. And finally if God haue determined his owne sonne onely to stand alone let not vs presume to admixt with his maiesty any of our trumpery He that bringeth S. George or S. Deuise as patrons to the field to fight against the turk leaueth Christ no doubt at home Now how we haue fought these many yeres agaynst the Turke though storyes keep silence yet the successe declareth We fight agaynst a persecutour being no lesse persecutours our selues We wrastle against a bloudy tyraunt and our handes be as full of bloud as his He killeth Christes people with the sword and we burne them with fire He obseruing the works of the law seeketh his iustice by the same the like also do we But neither hee nor we seeke our iustification as we shoulde that is by fayth onely in the sonne of God And what maruell then if our doctrine being as corrupt almost as his and our conuersation worse if Christe fight not with vs fighting agaynst the Turke The Turke hath preuayled so mightely not because Christ is weake but because that Christians be wicked and theyr doctryne impure Our temples with Images our hartes with idolatry are poluted Our priestes stinck before God for adultry being restrayned from lawfull matrimony The name of god is in our mouthes but his fear is not in our harts We warre agaynst the Turke with our workes Masses traditions and ceremonies but we fight not agaynst hym with Christ and with the power of his glory whith if we did the field were wonne Wherfore briefely to conclude saying my iudgement in this behalfe what I suppose this hope I haue do beleue that when the Churche of Christ with the Sacramentes therof shal be so reformed that Christ alone shall be receaued to be our iustifier all other religions merites tradition images patrons and aduocates set a part the sword of the Christians with the strength of Christ shall soone vanquish the Turkes pride and fury But of this more largely in the processe of this story The sixte and last cause why I thinke the knowledge of the Turkes history requisite to be considered is this be cause that many there be which for the they be farther frō the Turkes and thinke therfore themselues to be out of daūger take little care and studye what happeneth to theyr other brethren Wherefore to the intent to excite theyr zeale and prayer to almighty God in this so lamentable ruin of Christes church I thought it requisite by order of history to geue this our natiō also something to vnderstand what hath bene done in other nations by these cruell Turkes and what detriment hath bene and is like more to happen by them to the Church of Christ except we make our earnest inuocatiō to almighty God in the name of hys sonne to stop the course of the deuill by these Turkes and to stay this defection of Christians falling daylye vnto them and to reduce them agayn to his fayth which are fallen frō him Which the Lorde Iesus of his grace graunt wyth speede Amen Before we enter into this story of the Turks and Saracens first let vs call to remembraunce the Prophecy and forewarning of S. Paule writing to the Thess. in his 2. Epistle in these words Be not moued nor troubled in your myndes eyther by preaching or by writing or by letter frō vs as though the day of the Lorde were at hande for the Lord will not come except there come a defection first and the wicked person be reuealed c. Of this defection sundry mindes there be of sundry expositours some thinking this defection to meane a falling away from the Empyre of Rome some from the obedience of the Pope But as S. Paul little passed vpon the outward glory of
Metropolis Bulgaria Bulgaria was wonne of Baiazetes the Turk from the crowne of Hungarye through the vnprosperous warre of Sigismundus at the fielde of Nicopolis an 1395. This Sigismund was the burner of Iohn Hus and the persecutor of his doctrine Wallachia Tergouistus or Teruis Huniad where Ioannes Huniades was borne Transyluania or SepteÌ„ castra Hermenstat Cronestat Saltzburg Alba Iulia or Weissenburg Seruia Gyula Samandria Columbetz Rascia Walpo Vid. sup pag. 740 Nouigradum Varna Moldauia  Hungaria Buda or Osen Alba regalis Belgradum or Taurinum Strigonium Varadinum Neapolis Maior Minor Austria Pestum ¶ As I was writing hereof a certayne souÌ„d of lamentable newes was brought vnto vs howe the Turke whome wee had hoped before to haue bene repulsed by the Emperour Maximilian out of Christendome hath now of late this present yeare 1566. got the towne of Gyula about Transyluania after they had susteined 16 of his most forceable assaultes destroying in the same most cruelly many thousand of our chisten brethren men women and children but because we haue no full certaynty we will referre the story therof to further information ¶ The Prophecyes of the holy Scriptures considered touching the comming vp and finall ruine and destruction of this wicked kingdome of the Turkes with the Reuelations and foreshewinges also of other authours concerning the same FOr so muche as you haue hitherto sufficiently heard to what quantity largenes the dominon of the Turkes hath encreased doe vnderstand what cruell tyranny these wretched miscreants haue and do dayly practise most haynously wheresoeuer they come agaynst the seruaunts and professors of Christ it shall not be vnprofitable but rather necessary and to our great comfort to coÌ„sider and examine in the Scriptures with what prophesyes the holy spirit of the Lord hath premonished and forewarned vs before of these heauy persecutions to come vpon his people by thys horrible Antichrist For as the gouernment and constitution of times and states of monarchies pollicies fall not to vs by blind chauÌ„ce but be administred and alotted vnto vs from aboue so it is not to be supposed that such a great alteration and mutation of kingdomes such a terrible generall persecutioÌ„ of Gods people almost through all ChristeÌ„dome and such a terrour of the whole earth as is now moued and gendred by these Turkes coÌ„meth without the knowledge sufferauÌ„ce and determination of the Lord before for such endes and purposes as his deuine wisedome doth best know For the better euideÌ„ce testimony wherof he hath left in his Scriptures sufficieÌ„t instructioÌ„ declaration whereby we may plainly see to our great coÌ„fort how these greeuous afflictions troubles of the Church though they be sharpe heauy vnto vs yet they come not by chauÌ„ce or by maÌ„s working onely but euen as the Lord himselfe hath appointed it and doth permit the same And first to begin with the tyme of the old Testament let vs seriously aduise ponder not onely the Scriptures Prophecies therein conteined but also let vs coÌ„sider the whole state order and regimeÌ„t of that people the Church I meane of the Israelites For although the Scriptures and Prophetes of the old Testament were properly sent to that people haue their relatioÌ„ properly to things done or thaÌ„t should be done in that coÌ„moÌ„wealth of which prophetes Iohn Baptist was the last made an end as our Sauiour himselfe witnesseth saying The law and Prophets be vnto the tyme of Iohn c. Yet notwithstaÌ„ding the sayd people of that old TestameÌ„t beareth a liuely Image resemblaunce of the vniuersall Church which should folow plaÌ„ted by the sonne of God through the whole earth So that as the Prophetes of God speaking to them from the mouth word of God prophecied what should come to passe in that people so likewise the whole course Hystory of those Israelites exemplifieth beareth a Prophetical image to vs declaring what is to be looked for in the vniuersall Church of God dispersed through the world plaÌ„ted in Christ Iesus his sonne according as Phil. Melanâ—thon grauely gathering vpon the same testifieth in diuers places in his Commentary vpon the Prophete Daniell As first the History of godly Abell slayne by wicked Cain what doth it importe or Prophecie but the conditioÌ„ of the people and seruauntes of God which commonly go to wracke in this world and are oppressed by the contrary part which belongeth not to God The like may be said also of Isaac and Ismaell of Iacob and Esau. Of whoÌ„ those two which were the children of promise and belonged to the election of God were persecuted in this world of the other whiche were reiected Where moreouer is to be noted coÌ„cerning Ismaell that of his stocke after the fleshe came the Saracens whose sect the Turkes do now professe mainteine And as Ismaell had but xii sonnes so it were to be wished of God that this Solyman which is the twelfe of the Turkish generation may be the last But of this better occasion shall folow the Lord willyng hereafter Furthermore of the xii tribes of Israel the sacrate history so reporteth that after they had a long season coÌ„tinued together by the space of 8. or 9. C. yeares at length for their idolatrie transgression of their forefathers x. tribes of them were cut of and dispersed amoÌ„g the Gentiles 130. yeares before the captiuitie of Babilon so that but ij tribes onely remayned free and they also at last after a. 130. yeares were captiued vnder the Babylonians for a certaine time No otherwise hath it happened with the Church of Christ almost in the vniuersall world of which Church the greatest part both in Asia in Africa almost in Europe where the holy Apostles so laboured and trauailed we see now to be disparcled among the Turkes and their caÌ„dlestickes remoued the Lord of his great grace reduce them agayne Amen So that of xij partes of Christendome which was once planted in Christ scarse ij partes remayne cleare and they how long they shall so continue the Lord knoweth And albeit thorough the mercy of the Lord they escape the dauÌ„ger of the Turkes yet haue they bene so beaten with the Pope that they had bene better almost to haue bene in the Turkes handes Agayne after the sayd Israelites returned being restored of Cyrus let vs consider well their story the continuance of tyme the maner of their regimentes and what afflictions they susteined in the tyme of the Machabees and we shall see a liuely representation of these our dayes expressed in that Propheticall people accordyng as S. Paul writyng of them sheweth how all thynges happened to them in figures that is the actioÌ„s and doynges of that one nation be as figures and types of greater matters what shall happen in the latter times of the whole Church vniuersally in Christ collected So the transmigration deliueraunce agayne of those two tribes
of all the Churches plāted once by y◠Apostles are now degenerated into Turks onely a small hādful of Christiās reserued yet in these West partes of Europe of the which small residue what shall also become shortly except Christ himselfe do helpe Christ onely himself doth know How great this defection hath bene spokē of by S. Paule thou mayest soe gentle Reader in the table aboue described pag. 741. Notwithstanding this text of the holy Apostle as I afore said may be verified also with no lesse reason vpō the Byshop of Rome thē vpon the Turke both for that he is a man of sinne that is his seate Citie is a great mainteiner of wickednesse also for that he is an aduersary that is contrary in all his doynges and proceedyngs to Christ. Thirdly for that he sitteth in the temple of God and so did not Mahumet Fourthly because he is an exalter of himselfe sitteth more like a God then a man in Rome wherof see more in the booke set forth in English called the CONTESTATIONS of the Popes Fiftly for that he seduceth and hath seduced by his apostasie the most part of all Christendome from the doctrine and free promises of God into a wrong and straūge way of saluation which is not to be iustified freely before God onely by our fayth in Christ his welbeloued sonne vnto the whiche fayth the promise of God freely and graciously hath annexed all our saluation onely to no other thyng but hath taught vs to worke our saluation by an infinite number of other thynges In so much that he bindeth the necessitie of our saluation also to this that we must beleue if we will be saued and receaue him to be the Uicare of Christ in earth c. But to returne agayne vnto the Turkes among all the prophecies both of the old Testamēt of the new there is none that paynteth out the Antichristian kyngdome of the Turkes better then doth the reuelation of S. Iohn whose wordes let vs weigh and cōsider Who in the Apocalipse 9. where he speaketh of openyng the seuenth last seale which signifieth the last age of the world and there writyng of the vij trompets of the vij Angels at the soundyng of the vi Aungell saith Loose the iiij Aungels which are bound in the great riuer Euphrates And the foure Aungels were losed which were ready both day and houre and moneth and yeare to slay the third part of men And the number of horsemen were 20. thousand tymes ten thousand and I heard the number of them And thus I sawe in a vision horses and them that sate on them hauing fiery habbergions and of Iacinth stone and of brimstone and the heads of the horses were as the heads of Lyons and out of their mouthes went foorth fire and smoake and brimstone of these three plagues was the third part of men killed that is of the fire smoake and brimstone which proceeded out of their mouthes c. By the seauenth seale is meant the seauenth and last age of the world which last age of the world is from Christ to the iudgement and resurrection of the dead By the seauen Angels with their seauen Trumpets is signified the seauen plagues that come in this seauenth and last age of the world By the sixt trumpet of the sixt Angell is meant the sixte plague comming last and next before the plague of the great iudgement day which sixt plague is heere described to come by the East Kings that is by the Turkes as foloweth to be seene By losing the Angels which had rule of the great riuer Euphrates is signified the letting out of the East Kings that is the Turkes out of Scithia Tartaria Persia and Arabia by whome the third part of Christendome shall be destroyed as we see it this day hath come to passe It followeth in the prophesie Their power shall be in their mouthes and in their tayles For their tayles be like Serpents hauing heads and with them they hurt c. Meaning that these Turkes with the words of their mouthes shall threaten great destruction of fire and sword to them that will not yeald vnto them and in the end when the Christians shall yeald vnto them trusting to their promises they like Serpents shall deceaue thē in the end kill them as appeareth by the story of the Turkes aboue past pag. 752. 753. 757. The like prophesy also after the like words and sence is to be seene and read in the 16. chap. of the Apoc. where S. Iohn entreating of seauen cuppes filled with the wrath of the liuing God geuē to the hands of 7. Angels by one of the foure beasts that is in the time of one of the four Monarchies which was the Monarchy of Rome speaketh likewise of the sixt Angell which poured his viole of Gods wrath vpon the great riuer Euphrates the waters thereof dryed vp that the way of the kings of the East should be prepared c. By the sixt Angell with the sixte viole is meant as before the last plague saue one that shall come vpon the Christians By y◠Kings of the East are meant the Saracens and 12. Ottoman Turks By drieng vp the riuer of Euphrates is signified the way of these Turkes to be prepared by the Lords appointment to come out of the East to the West parts of the world to molest and afflict the Christians It foloweth more in the text And I saw three vnclene spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet for they are the spirits of deuils doing wonders to go vnto the Kings of the whole earth to assemble and gather them together to the battayle against the daye of the great God omnipotent c. And it foloweth shortly after And he assembled them together into a place which is called in Hebrue Armagedon that is a trap or trayne of destruction And immediatly it followeth in the same place And the seauenth Angell poured out his viole in the ayre and a mighty voice came from heauen out of the Throane saieng factum est It is done or finished c. Whereby it is to be vnderstoode that toward the last consummation of the world great force shall be seene and a mighty army of the enemies shall be collected and gathered against the people and Saints of the highest and then commeth the consummation with factum est c. Wherefore it is not for naught that the holy Spirite of God in the same place a little before the sixt Angell doe poure out his viole doth exhort all the faithfull sayeng Behold I come like a theefe in the night Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments least he walke naked and men see his fylthynes c. Nicol. de Lyra and Paulus Bishop of Burdens and Mathias Dorinke writing vpon
are vnprofitable seruants ye haue done but what your bound duety was to doe Luc. 17. Againe here also is to be vnderstand that where such rewardes be ascribed vnto mens deedes it is not for the worthines of the deede it selfe but for the faith of the dooer which faith maketh the worke to bee good in Gods sight for els if an infidell should do the same worke that the christian doth it were nothing but meere sinne before god In that therefore the christian mans worke is accepted be it neuer so small as to giue a cup of cold water the same is onely for his fayth sake that doth it and not for the worke which is done Whereby againe we may learne how faith onely doth iustifie a man and that three maner of wayes First it iustifieth the person in making him accepted and the child of God by regeneration before he begin to doe any good worke Secondly it iustifieth a man from sinne in procuring remission and forgiuenes of the same Thirdly it iustiâ—ieth the good deedes and workes of man not onely in bringing foorth good fruites but also in making the same workes to be good and acceptable in the sight of God which otherwise were impure and execrable in his sight The office therfore of faith and works is diners and must not be coÌ„founded Faith first goeth before and regenerateth a man to God iustifieth him in the sight of god both in couering his yll deedes and in making his good deedes acceptable to God clyming vp to heauen there wrastling with God and his iudgement for righteousnes for saluation and for euerlastins life Workes and charitie folow faith and are exercised here vpon the earth glorieth onely before man but not before God in shewing foorth obedience both to God to man Further then this our good works doe not reach nor haue any thing to doe in the iudgement of God touching saluation I speake of our good workes as S. Paule speaketh Rom. 7. as they be ours imperfect For els if our workes could be perfect according to the perfection of the lawe as Christ wrought them in the perfection of his flesh that is if we could perfect them as it is sayd Qui fecerit ea viuet in eis But now seeing the imbecilitie of our flesh cannot atteine thereto it foloweth thereof that all glory of iustifying is taken from workes and transferred onely to faith And thus much concerning the principall contents of S. Paules doctrine Wherein the Church of the auncient Romanes first was grounded planted and so continued in the same or at least did not much alter during the prymityue state of the Church Likewise the same forme of doctrine the latter Romanes also that followed shoulde haue mainteined and not haue fallen away for any mans preaching but hold him accursed yea if he were any Apostle or an Angell from heauen teaching any other doctrine besides that institution which they haue receaued Gal. 1 for so were they warned before by the Apostle S Paule to doe And yet notwithstanding all this forewarning diligent instruction of this blessed Apostle of the Gentiles what a defection of faith is fallen among the Gentiles especially among the Romanes whereof the sayde Apostle also foretold them so long before forepropheciyng That the day of the Lord shall not come except there come a defectioÌ„ before and that the man of sinne should be reuealed the proude aduersary of God c. Thei 2 meaning no doubt by this defection a departing and a falling from that faith which the holy ghost had then planted by his ministery among the Gentiles As we see it now come to passe in the Church of Rome Which Church is so gone from the faith that S. Paule taught that if he were now aliue and saw these decrees and decretals of the Bishop of Rome these heapes of ceremonies traditions these masse bokes these Portuses these Festiuals and Legendes these Processionals Dymmes and Sequences these Beades and Graduals the maner of their inuocation their Canons Censures latter Councels such swarmes of superstitious Monkes and Friers such sectes of so many dyuers religions the Testament of S. Fraunces the rule of S. Benedict of S Brigit of S. Anthony c. the intricate subtelâ—ies labyrynthes of the scholemen the infinite cases and distinctioÌ„s of the Canonistes the Sermons in Churches the assertions in schooles the glory of the Pope the pride of the clergie the cruelty of persecuting Prelates with their officials and promotors he woulde saye this were not a defection but rather a plaine destruccion and ruine of fayth neyther that this were any true Church of Christ but a newe found Religion or paganisme rather brought in vnder the shadow of Christianity wherin remaineth almost no thing els but the name onely of Christ and the outwarde forme of hys religion the true vayne and effect whereof is vtterly decayed as to them which list to examine all the parts of this new Romish religion may some appeare For saue onely that they pretend the solemne forme and wordes of the Crede and are Baptised confessing the name of the father the sonne holy ghost As touching all other points and true sincerity of the Christian faith which they outwardly professe they are vtterly degenerated from that which S. Paule the word of God first had taught them First they coÌ„fesse the father in word but his will in his word expresed they renounce his grace they acknowledg not his benefits and promisses giuen vnto vs in his sonne they receaue not the vigor of his law they feele not the terrour of his iudgements earnestly they feare not his commaundementes they obserue by the traditions and commaundements of their owne Likewise the name of Christ his sonne in worde they confesse but his office indede they deface and deminish his glory they seeke not but vnder his name they do seke their owne the power of his bloud and passion they know not or els dissemble it who neither they admit to be the head of his Church alone nor sauiour alone nor only to be our patrone aduocate but match with him our Lady and other patrons so that euery Parish almost in christendome hath his peculiar patrone besides Christ to hold by In like maner they confesse the name of the holy Ghost But God himselfe knoweth how farre they are from the comfort knowledge and tast of the holy ghost as wel may appeare by their councels by their expounding of Scripture by their superstitious ceremonies by their outward worshipping and Idolatrous inuocation to stockes and stones and dead creatures by their scrupulous obseruatioÌ„ of dayes tunes places numbers gestures And no lesse also by their doctrine which defraudeth the poore harts of simple Christians of their due consolation ioy and liberty in the holy Ghost kepeth them still in a seruile bondage and a doubtfull incertainty of their
faithfully do stand for righteousnes to whom the Lorde God shall geue in the kingdome of Boheme to knowe the truth For the following of which truth necessary it is that they returne againe into Boheme setting apart all vaine glory following not a mortall and miserable king but the king of glory which geueth eternall life O howe comfortable was the geuing of the hande of Lorde Iohn de Clum vnto me which was not ashamed to reache foorth his hand to me a wretche and such an abiecte hereticke lying in fetters of yron and cried out vpon all men Nowe peraduenture I shall not speake much hereafter with you Therfore salute in time as you shall see them all the faithfull of Boheme Palletz came to me into prisone His salutation in my vehement infirmitye was this before the Commissaries that there hath not risen a more perillous hereticke since Christ was borne then was Wickliffe and I. Also he sayd that al such as came to heare my talke were infected with this heresie to thinke that the substance of bread remained in the sacrament of the altare To whome I answered and sayd O maister what a grieuous salutation haue you geuen me and how greatly do you sinne Behold I shal die or peraduenture to morow shall be burnt And what rewarde shall be recompenced to you in Boheme for your labour This thing peraduenture I shoulde not haue wrytten least I might seeme to hate him I haue alwayes had this in my heart trust not in princes c. And againe cursed be the man whiche trusteth in man and maketh flesh to be his arme For Gods sake be you circumspecte how you stand and how you returne Carie no letters with you Directe your bookes not all by one but diuersly by diuers frendes Knowe this for certaine that I haue had great conflictes by dreames in such sort as I had much a doe to refraine from crying out For I dreamed of the Popes escape before he went And after the Lord Iohn had told me therof immediately in the night it was told me that the Pope shuld returne to you again And afterward also I dreamed of the apprehēding of maister Hierome although not in ful maner as it was done Al the prisonments whether and howe I am caryed were opened to mee before although not fully after the same fourme and circumstance Many serpents oftentimes appeared vnto me hauing heads also in their taile but none of them could bite me and many other things more These thinges I wryte not esteeming my selfe as a prophet or that I extoll my selfe but onely to signifie vnto you what temptations I had in body and also in mind and what great feare I had least I shoulde transgresse the commaundement of the Lord Iesus Christ. Nowe I remember with my selfe the wordes of maister Hierome which sayde that if I shoulde come to the Councell hee thoughte I shoulde neuer returne home againe In like maner there was a good and godly man a tailor which taking his leaue of me at Prage spake to me in these words God be wyth you said he for I thinke verely my deare and good maister Iohn that you shall not returne again to vs with your life The king not of Hungarie but of heauen rewarde you with all goodnes for the faithfull doctrine which I at your hands haue receiued c. ¶ And shortly after the writing hereof he sendeth also vnto them an other propheticall vision of his to be expoūded touching the reformation of the church written in his 44. Epistle the contentes whereof be these ¶ An other letter of Iohn Hus sent to the Lord Iohn de Clum I Pray you expound to me the dreame of thys nyght I sawe how that in my churche of Bethleem they came to rase and put out all the images of Christ and did put them out The next day after I arose and sawe many painters which painted and made more fairer Images many more then I had done before which Images I was very glad and ioyfull to behold And the painters wyth much people about them sayde let the bishops and priestes come now put vs out these pictures Which being done much people seemed to me in Bethleem to reioyce and I with them And I awaking therewith felt my selfe to laugh c. ¶ This vision Lorde Iohn de Clum and Iohn Hus himselfe in his booke of Epistles in the 45. Epist. semeth to expounde and applyeth these Images of Christ vnto the preaching of Christ and of his lyfe The which preachyng and doctrine of Christ though the Pope and his Cardinals should extinguish in him yet did he foresee declare that the time should come wherin the same doctrine shuld be reuyned againe by others so plenteously that the pope with al his power shuld not be able to preuaile against it Thus much as cōcerning this visiō of Iohn Hus. Wherunto doth wel accord the Prophesie of Hierome of Prage printed in the coyne called Moneta Hussi of the which coyn I haue my selfe one of the plates hauing this superscriptiō folowing printed about it Centum reuolutis annis Deo respondebitis mihi That is After a hundreth yeres come and gone you shal geue a count to God and to me Wherof God willyng more shal be sayd hereafter Furthermore in 48. Epist. the sayd I. Hus seemyng to speake with the like spirit of Prophecy hath these wordes folowing Sed spero quod quae dixi sub tecto praedicabuntur super tecta That is but I trust that those thinges which I haue spoken within the house hereafter shal be preached vpon the top of the house And because we are here in hand with the Prophesies of Iohn Hus it shall serue well in place here moreouer to recorde his wordes in a certayne treatise by hym written De Sacerdotum Monachorum carnalium Abhominatione wherein the sayd Iohn Hus speaking prophetically of the reformation of the Church hath these wordes following Ex istis vlterius aduerte incidentaliter quod Dei ecclesia nequit ad pristinam suam dignitatem reduci c. That is in english Moreouer hereupon note and marke by the way that the church of God cannot be reduced to his former dignitie or be reformed before all thinges first be made new The truth whereof is playne by the Temple of Salomon Like as the Clergie and Priests so also the people and laity Or els vnless all such as now be addict to auarice from the least to the most be first conuerted and reclaymed as wel the people as the clergy and Priests Albeit as my mind now geueth me I beleue rather the first that is that then shall rise a new people formed after the new man whiche is created after God Of the which people new Clerkes Priestes shall come and be taken whiche all shall hate couetousnes and glory of this life hasting to an heauenly cōuersation Notwithstanding all these