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
not synners because they should sinne so neither doth infirmitie of falling diminish the grace of Christ but rather doth illustrate the same as it is written My strength is made perfect in infirmitie 2. Cor. 12. and againe Where sinne aboundeth there superaboundeth also grace In remission of synnes therefore these foure thinges must concurre together the cause that worketh which is the sacrifice of Christes body 2. the promise that offereth 3. fayth that apprehendeth 4. the repenting sinner that receaueth And although sinnes daily do grow which daily prouoke vs to craue remission yet as touching the cause that worketh remission of our daily sinnes the meanes which apprehendeth and applieth the sayd cause vnto vs they remayne alwaies one perpetuall besides which no other cause nor meanes is to be sought of man So that to them that be repenting sinners be in Christ Iesu there is no law to condemne them though they haue deserued condemnation but they are vnder a perpetual kingdome and a heauen full of grace and remission to couer their sins and not to impute their iniquities through the promise of God in Christ Iesu our Lord. And therefore wicked and impious is the doctrine of them fyrst which seeke any other cause of remission then onely the bloud of our Sauiour Secondly which assigne any other meanes to apply the bloudsheding of Christ vnto vs besides onely faith Thirdly and especially which so limite and restraine the eternall priuiledge of Christs passion as though it serued but only for sinnes done without and before faith and that the rest after Baptisme committed must be done away by confession pardons and satisfactory deedes And al this riseth because the true nature of the law of the Gospell is not knowen nor the difference rightly considered betwene the times of the one and of the other Neither againe doe they make any distinction betweene the malediction of the law and vse of the law And therfore whensoeuer they heare vs speake of the law meanyng the malediction of the law to be abolished therevpon they maliciously slaunder vs as though we speak against the good exercises of the lawe and giue liberty of fleshe to carnall men to liue as they list Whereof more shal be sayd by the Lordes grace as place and time shall hereafter require Of free will COncerning free will as it may peraduenture in some case be admitted that men without the grace may doe some outward functions of the law and keepe some outward obseruaunces or traditions so as touching thinges spirituall apperteining to saluation the strength of man being not regenerate by grace is so infirme and impotent that he can performe nothing neither in dooing well nor willing well Who after he be regenerated by grace may worke and doe wel but yet in such sort that still remaineth notwithstanding a great imperfection of flesh a perpetuall repugnaunce betwene the flesh and spirit And thus was the originall Church of the auncient Romanes first instructed From whome see now howe farre this latter Church of Rome hath degenerated which holdeth and affirmeth that men without grace may performe the obedience of the law prepare themselues to receaue grace by working so that those works may be meritorious and of congruitie obteine grace Which grace once obteined then men may say they perfectly performe the full obedience of the law and accomplish those spirituall actions and workes which God requireth and so those workes of cōdignitie deserue euerlasting life As for the infirmity which still remaineth in nature that they nothing regarde nor once speake of Of Inuocation and Adoration OUer and besides these vncatholike and almost vnchristian absurdities and defections from the Apostolicall faith aboue specified let vs consider the maner of theyr Inuocation not to God alone as they should but to dead men saying that saintes are to be called vpon tanquam mediatores intercessionis as Mediatours of intercession Christum vero tanquam mediatorem Salutis and Christ as the Mediator of Saluation And affirme moreouer that Christ was a Medyatour onely in time of his Passion Which is repugnaunt to the wordes of S. Paule writing to the old Romanes chap. 8. where he speaking of the intercession of Christ Which is saith he on the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for vs c. And if Christ be a Mediatour of saluation what needeth then any other intercession of the Saintes for other sutes for saluation being once had what can we require more or what lacketh he more to be obtained of the Saintes which is sure to be saued only by Christ And yet in their Catholicke deuotions why doe they teach vs thus to pray to the blessed virgine Salua omnes qui te glorificant i. Saue all them that glorifie thee c. if saluation onely belong to Christ vnles they study of purpose to seeme contrary to themselues Hetherto also perteineth the worshipping of reliques and the false adoration of Sacramentes that is the outward signes of the things signified cōtrary to the 7. principle before page 24. Adde to this also the prophanation of the Lordes Supper contrary to the vse for which it was ordeined in reseruing it after the Communion ministred in setting it to sale for money and falsely perswading both them selues and other that the Priest doth merite both to him selfe that saith and to him that heareth Ex opere operato sine bono motu vtentis c. That is Onely by the meere doing of the worke though the partie that vseth the same hath no good motion in him c. * Of Sacramentes Baptisme and the Lordes Supper AS touching Sacramentes their doctrine likewise is corrupt and erroneus 1. First they erre falsely in the number For where the institution of Christ ordeineth but two they contrary to the fourth principle aboue prefixed haue added to the prescription of the Lords worde fine other Sacraments 2. Secondly in the cause finall they erre For where the word hath ordeined those Sacraments to excite our faith and to giue vs admonitions of spiritual things they contrariwise doe teach that the Sacramentes doe not onely stirre vp faith but also that they auayle and are effectuall without faith Ex opere operato sine bono motu vtentis c. as is to be founde in Thom. Aquine Scotus Catharinus and other moe 3. Thirdly in the operation effect of the Sacramentes they faile where the contrary to the minde of the Scriptures doe say that they giue grace not onely do signifie but also conteine and exhibite that which they signifie to wytte grace and saluation 4. Fourthly they erre also in Application applying their Sacramentes both to the quicke and the dead to thē also that be absent to remission of sinnes and releasing of payne c. In the Sacrament of Baptisme they are to be reprooued not onely for adding to the simple wordes of Christs
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
and be lyke the highest c. For that I say if the Pope holde men of armes in maintayning of his temporal Lordship to venge him on them that gilten and offenden him geueth remission to fight and to slay them that contraricn him as men sayden he did by the Byshop of Norwich not putting his sword in his sheath as God commaunded to Peter he is Antichrist For he doth the contrary of the commaundement of Iesus Christ that had Peter forgeuen to his brother 70. sithe 7. sithe wel I finde in the Gospel that when Christ sent his Disciples to Samarye the Samaritanes would not receiuen them And some of them bidden Chryst that he should make a fire come down from heauen to destroy the City And he blamed them and said Nescitis cuius spiritus estis Filius hominis non venitanimas perdere sed saluare That is ye know not of what spirit ye are The sonne of man is not come downe to destroy but to saue the lyues and soules of mē c. If Christ then come to saue men and not to slea them who that doth the reuers hereof is against Christ and then he is Antichrist Christ bad Peter put his sworde in his sheath and sayd Omnes qui gladium acceperunt gladio peribunt That is All which take the sword shall perish with the sworde And I cannot fynde that Peter drew out his sword after that time but suffered as Christ sayd Cum senueris alius cinget te ducet quò tu non vis That is when thou shalt waxe old an other shall gird thee and lead thee whether thou wilt not And therefore sayd Peter Christ suffered for vs leauing vs example that we shoulde followe his steps And Paule sayth Not defending your selues but geue place to anger leaue reuenging to mee and I shall rewarde them c. And therfore it seemeth to me that it is much against Christes lore that his Uicar should bee a fighter sithen that hee mote be a shephearde that shoulde go before his sheepe and let them come after him and not with swordes to driue them away from him For as Christ sayth a good shepheard shall put his lyfe for his sheepe And zif al that Christ had two swordes when that hee was taken of the Iewes he sayd himselfe it was for that the Scriptures moten zit be fulfilled Quoniam cum iniquis deputatus est that is he was reputed among the wicked and not to figure two swordes that men sayen the Pope hath to gouerne with the church And when I see such doinges of the Pope many other that accorden not with Christs lore ne his liuing And when I reade diuers Scriptures of holye writte I am foule astenied whether they shoulder be vnderstanded of him or of any other And I pray you for Gods loue tell mee the sooth Chryst sayth Many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall seduce many c. Christ I wot well is as muche to say as he that is anointed two annointinges there weren in the lawe one of Kinges an other of Priestes And Christ was both King and Priest and so the Pope sayth that he is And if all that haue bene Emperours of Rome and other heathen kinges haue bene Antichrists they come not in Christes name But who so commeth in Christes name and fayneth him Christes frend and he be priuely his enemy he may lightly beguile many S. Paul saith before there commeth a defection first and the sonne of perditiō shal be reuealed which is the aduersary and is extolled aboue al that is named God or which is worshipped so y◠he shal sit in the temple of God shewing himself as God And it followeth in the same place And now ye knowe what holdeth till he be reuealed in his time for he worketh already the mistery of iniquitie Onely he y◠holdeth let him holde till he come abroad then that wicked one shall be reuealed whom the Lord Iesus shal slay with the spirite of his mouth c. And S. Iohn saith in the Apocalips I saw an other beast ascending out of the erth and two hornes like to the lambe He spake like the Dragō had the power of the first beast Many such authorities astonicth me oft sithes and therfore I pray you for the loue of God to tell me what they meane ¶ The sentence THe which schedule afore mencioned with the cōtentes thereof diligently of vs perused we considering y◠diseases which be not easely cured with gētle remedy must haue harder playsters Cōsidering moreouer these his articles with his aunswers to the same to other articles also lastly against him produced first mature deliberatiō had before vpon the whole matter with the foresaid masters Doctors as wel secular as regular to a great number obseruing in the same al thinges to be obserued in this behalfe haue geuē sentēce against the said w. in forme as foloweth The name of Christ being inuocated we Iohn by the permission of God Bishop of Hereford sitting in tribunal seate hauing God before our eyes weying cōsidering the articles by the foresaid faithfull Christians put vp against y◠said Swinderby pretēding himselfe to be priest with his aunswers vpō the same Actis Actitatis before vs in the cause of hereticall peruersitie with mature deliberation had before in this behalfe with masters doctours of diuinitie and also of other faculties with their counsel and cōsent Do pronounce decree and declare the sayd w. to haue bene and to be an hereticke scismaticke and a false informer of the people such as is to be auoided of faithfull Christians wherefore we admonish vnder y◠paine of the law all singular Christians of what sex state condition or preeminence soeuer that neither they nor any of thē wtin our dioces or any other do beleue receaue defend or fauor the said w. til he shal deserue fully to be reconciled to the bosome againe of holy Church ¶ The appeale of W. Swynderby from this sentence of the Bishop prefixed vnto the king and his counsaile IN nomine patris et filij et spiritus sancti Amen I. W. Swynderby priest knowledge openly to al men that I was before the Bishop of Hereford the thirde day of October and before many other good clerkes to aunswer to certaine conclusions of the faith that I was accused of And mine aunswere was this that if the Bishop or any man couthe shew me by Gods law y◠my conclusions or mine aunsweres were errour or heresie I would be amended and openly reuoke them before al the people Knowes in any of my conclusions but sayden singly with word that there was errours in them and bidden me subiect me to the Bishop put me into his grace reuoke mine errour and shewed me nought by Gods law ne reasō ne proued which they weren And for I would not
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
coniurationes in omnes sacerdotes deinde in regē c. In which words he not onely erreth falsly assigning the cause and occasion of this sedition to the death of Iohn Hus and of Ierome but also misseth as muche in the order and computation of the yeres For neither was sir Roger Acton with his foresaid fellowes aliue at the time of the councell neither doth hee agree therein with any of our English wryters except onely with Hall who also erreth therein as wide as he For the third and fourth vntruth I note this where he addeth and sayth that after this rebelliō raised against the king the sayd sir Iohn Oldcastel being there present himselfe was taken and prisoned in the tower and afterward escaped out of the saide tower by night wherein is conteined a double vntruth For neither was Sir Iohn Oldcastle there present himselfe if we beleue Fabian and Cope Dial. 6. pag. 833 lin 11. nether yet did he euer escape out of the Tower after that conspiracie if euer any such conspiracie was His v. but not the last vntruth in Polydore is this that he sayth Tho. Arundel to haue died in the same yeare noting the yere to be An. 1415. where as by the true registers he died An. 1413. To this vntruthe an other also may be ioyned where he erring in the computation of the yeres of the said Thomas Arundel Archbishop of Canterbury reporteth hym to sit 33. yeares Who was there Archbishop but onely 18. yeres as is to be sene in the recordes of Canterbury The wordes of Polydore be these Thomas Arundellius Cantuariensis antistes annum iam tunc sedēs tertium trigesimum e vita excessit lib. 22. Ang. hist. All be it in thys I doe not greatly contend wyth Polydore and peraduenture the aduersary will finde some easie shift for thys matter But let vs passe now from Polydore not as they say out of the hal into the kitchine but out of the kitchine vnto the hall examining and perpending what sayth Edward Hall an other witnes in this matter vpon whom maister Cope bindeth so fast that hee supposeth hys knot is neuer able to be losed And moreouer so treadeth me downe vnder his feete in the dirt as a man would thinke hym some dirtdaubers sonne so that the spots thereof he sayeth will neuer be gotten out while the world standeth a day longer Notwythstanding I trust M. Cope that your dirtie penne with your cockish brags hath not so bedaubed and bespotted me nor yet conuicted me to be such a deprauer of histories but I hope to spunge it out At least way with a little asperges of the Popes holy water I trust to come to a dealbabor well enough But certes M. Cope your maistership must first vnderstand that if yee thinke so to depresse me and disprooue me of vntruth in my history you must go more groūdly to worke and bring against me other authors then Edward Hal You must consider M. Cope if you will be a cōtroller in storie matters it is not enoughe for you to bryng a railing spirit or a minde disposed to carpe and cauil where any matter may be picked diligence is required and great searching out of bookes and authors not only of our time but of all ages And especially where matters of religion are touched pertaining to the church it is not sufficient to see what Fabian or what Hall sayth but the records must be sought the Registers must be turned ouer letters also and ancient instruments ought to be perused and authors wyth the same compared finally the writers among them selues one to be conferred wyth another And so wyth iudgement to be waied wyth diligence to be labored and wyth simplicitie pure from all addiction and partialitie to be vttered Thus did Auentinus thus did Sleidanus wryte These helpes also the eldest and best Historicians semed to haue both Titus Liuius Salustius Quintus Curtius and suche lyke as by their letters and records inserted may wel appeare The same helps likewise both in your Fabian and in your Edwarde Hall were to be required but especially in you M. Cope your selfe whych take vppon you so cockishly rather then wisely to be a controller and maister moderatour of other mens matters In which matters to say the truth you haue no great skil and lesse experience neyther haue you either suche plenty of authors meete for that purpose nor yet euer trauailed to search out the origens groundes of that whereof ye write But onely contented with such as commeth next to hande or peraduenture receiuing such almose as some of your poore frends bestowe vpon you think it sufficient if you can alledge Fabian and Hall for your purpose Now what purpose affection herein doth lead you rather doeth driue you to the carping and barking against the history of these good men that be hence gone and had their punishment all men may see it to be no simple sinceritie of a mind indifferent but y◠zeale only of your sect of Popery or rather of fury which setteth your railing spirite on fire But now out of the fiery kitchin to come to the hal againe let vs see what matter lyeth in the testimony of Edward Hall to proue these men to be traytors And here for so much Maister Cope as you seeme neither sufficiently acquainted with this your owne maister and authour Master Hall nor yet well experienced in the searchyng out of histories I wil take a litle paynes for you in this behalfe to certifie you concernyng the story of this author wherof percase you your selfe are yet ignoraunt The truth whereof is this that as the sayd Edwar◠Hall your great master testis was about the compiling of his story certayne there were which resorted to hym of whom some were drawers of his petigree vineat some were grauers the names of whom were Iohn Bets and Tyrral which be now both dead And other there were of the same sodalitie who ve yet aliue were then in the house of Richard Grafton both the Printer of the sayd booke also as is thought a great helper of the pēning of the same It so befell that as Hall was entring into the story of Syr Iohn Oldcastle of Syr Roger Acton their felowes the booke of Iohn Bale touching the story of the L. Cobham was the same time newly come ouer Which booke was priuely cōueied by one of his seruaūts into the study of Hall so that in turnyng ouer his bookes it must needes come to his handes At the sight whereof when he saw the groūd reasons in that booke contained he turned to the authors in the foresayd booke alledged whereupon within two nightes after moued by what cause I know not but so it was that hee taking his pen rased and cancelled all that he had written before agaynst Syr Iohn Oldcastle his fellowes was now ready to go to the Print containyng