maye easely learne of the decrees and decretalles and of diuers historiographers wherin we fynd that false religion superstition and ydolatrie was founde out by the Romyshe hore alowed offered yea and thrust into all kyngdomes of Europa by the same and so earnestly cōmaunded to be kept that they that wolde ether speake agaynst the baggage of Rome or wolde not receyue it were takē for heretikes put to shameful painful deathes There is sōe 〈◊〉 amōgest that lerned mē who brought into thys lāde the Romish pokkes We reade in olde histories that the Britānes receyued the true and vnleuened religion in the tyme of kynge Lucius the kynge of the Britannes and that it cōtinued vndefiled vnto that tyme of Gregory the great who sente into Englande a monkyshe apostle of his which brought wyth him the Romyshe pox in to thys lāde that is to wete crosses copes vestments shauyng of crownes syngyng and rynging c. with an infinite sorte of superstitius and abominable ordinaunces ceremonies and learninges of men where with the hole churche of the Britānes at length was infected and poysoned and the liue worde of God choked or at the leste shamefully mynished and these trifles receyued and occupyed in the stede of it Other holde that he brought not the romishe pox sayeng that he brought the fayth into Englande The truth is which can be easely proued by the churche story of Bedes wrytynge that the Brytannes had the fayth many yeares euen cccc yeares and more before that Austen came into Englād and that the same Austen Austen although he brought in the fayth to the Englyshe yet brought he wyth hym the Romyshe pokkes whych dyd not only infecte the Englyshe but also the Brytannes yf that the Romyshe pox stande in crownes coules vestmentes crosses syngyng of latin in the churche wyth suche other Romyshe tryfles and ordinaunces as it is easye to be proued both by reason by scripture But who in oure dayes restored and renewed the Romyshe pokkes in Englande when as it was almoste taken away partlye by Luters bokes and other new wryters and partly by preachynge and by the translacion of the newe Testament Doctor Steuen and the readynge of the same it is not hard to geue Doctor Steuen was longe wyth the hore of Babilon and as it doth appere laye with her there for he doutlesse brought the Romyshe pokkes into Englande agayne and infected many a christian soule therwyth The same hath so defended hys lemanis horedome here in Englande that all the other Romyshe horemaisters are nothyng to be compared wyth him For that intent that ye maye saue your selues from the Romyshe pokkes I muste shewe you certeine other tokens where by they that are moste infected with the disease may be knowen that ye maye auoyde them What so euer man ye shall se wyth a great balde plat in his crowne hauyng womans clothes aboue mans clothes and a messayer wyth all take hym for a pokky hore maister of Rome for the hore of Rome gyueth suche garmentes vnto her chiefe pokke louers and requyreth of them to were suche garmētes as badges and tokens for her sake And they to please their lemman do wear suche womanly apparel that they maye please her and continue styl in her loue and fauour as sardanapalus desyered to please hys lemannes when as he put on womās clothyng whylse he taryed at home when all hys counsellers and commones were fyghtyng with the enemyes of hys realme They are also syoke in the Romyshe pokkes verye sore and it is verye leopardous to eate or drynke wyth them that are not ashamed no more of theyr bare plat that is bared wyth the pokkes but for theyr lemmannes sake loue it so well that they blesse it crosse it wyth the paten of the chalyce as a very holy holy thynge Yf any mā wolde be free frō the Romyshe pokkes let hym nether eate nor drynke wyth these pokky marchauntes nether suffer to breath vpō hym in theyr confession boothes They that loue theyr chyldren let them take hede that none of these pokky prelates put any of theyr pokky spattell in to theyr chylders mouthes leste they be infected with this perilus euell fauored disease therby But leste ye shoulde thynke that thys disease is not greatly to be cared for as though it neuer brought death I wyll proue you that it bryngeth both death and damnacion Apoca. 18. In the .xviii. of the Apocalips the voyce whych came from heauen sayde to them that dwelled in Babilon Go out of Babylon o my people lefte ye be partakers wyth her of her fautes and leste ye receyue not of her plages Apoca. 18 Thē they that go not out of Babylon but continue in Babylon that is in the Romyshe poxe muste be dāned wyth the hore of Babylon Moreouer the hore and the horemaysters muste be ponysshed wyth lyke ponyshement but the Romyshe pokkye hore muste be damned therfore all her pokkye louers muste be damned also I proue the same matter thus All men that preache doctrines or learnynges whych are the cōmaundementes of men worship God in vayne But al Romyshe preachers preache and teache doctrines and learnynges whyche are preceptes of men therfore all Romyshe preachers worship God in vayne Marke the argumēt But all they that worship God in vayne shal be damned and al Romyshe preachers worship God in vayne therfore all Romyshe preachers shal be damned Yf all Romyshe preachers shal be dāned then shall all they be dampned that beleue Romyshe preachynge for yf one blynde leade another as Christe sayeth they both fal into the dirhe Then when as all doctrine Matth. 15. whych is the cōmaundement of mā onely and not of God and the Romyshe pokkes are all one al that haue the Romishe pokkes excepte they be healed of them shal be damned wyth them of whome they receiued them Then when as the Romyshe pokkes is suche a perillus disease it is very nedefull that all they that are sycke in that sycknes be healed therof To the healing of the Romishe pokkkes a strayt diet many purgacions and a good confortatiue afterwardes are requyred And suche diet as the bodely phisiciās inioyne to them that are sycke in the french pokkes must I also inioine vnto al them that are sycke in the Romyshe pokkes They that cure and heale them that are syck in the frenche pokkes inioyne theyr patiētes to drinke water wherin is sodden the pouder of guaiacū or lignum sanctum and that they shall eat only twyse baked bread called bisco and none elles and of it and of al other meates but a smale quātitie that is to wet but .iii. vnces or iiii at the moste Euery fyfte daye or syxte they muste be purged and ofte tymes muste they swet that all the euel humores may go .iiii. wayes out by the pores by the foundament by the water vessels and by the mouthe Euen suche lyke dyer muste
of late yeres the Translators and the Prynters of Christes testament and as the Byble is handled nowe in some churches in Englande and namely in westminster I marke also that Dauid in thys psalme wherof I haue made mēcion sayeth .viii. tymes that he was and wolde be in time to come exercised in the lawe of God Yf he were a true man and no lyar thoughe he had sayd it but ones we ought to beleue hym Yf we do beleue hym ye maye se that Dauid the good kynge whyche was so muche exercised in the scripture vnderstandeth the cōmaundement of reading and studyeng the scripture to perteyne to the kynges and gouerners them selues and to their owne persones and not onely vnto their seruauntes and clergye Kynge Salomon as well borne and as noble a man as any is thys daie in Europa and as wyse a man and as wel learned as any coūseller in Englande or els where and therfore knewe the meanyng of the cōmaundement of the scripture to be reade of princes thought not scorne to syt in iudgement in hys owne persone and because he knewe that it was hys office to gyue iudgement vnto his people and that he could not do that of fire well excepte he had great learning and knowlege whē as almightye God offered vnto hym to gyue hym frelye what so euer he dyd axe answered God after thys maner folowyng Thou haste shewed great mercy to Dauid my father and hast ordened me kynge in hys place Nowe Lorde God let thy worde be done which thou promysed vnto my father Dauid For thou haste made me a kynge ouer a great nombre of thy people whyche is as vntellable as the duste of the earth Gyue my wysedome and vnderstandyng that I may go in and out before thy people for what man is able to iudge worthely suche a great nombre as is of thys people God answered fayd vnto hym Because thys hathe more pleased thy herte and haste not axed ryches and substance and honour nether the lyues of them that hate the nether lōge lyfe Thou hast axed wysedome knowlege that thou maist iuge my people ouer the which I made the a kynge wysedome and knowlege ar geuē vnto the I wil gyue the ryches substance honour also Dauid this noble gentleans father in .119 psal desyreth God .xiiii. times to teache him his witnesses his cōmaundemēts but wherfore I pray you that God shulde teach him to saye the .x. cōmaundemēts or to read them onely in diuers tonges Nay for he could say them by herte wel enough But for thys ende sayd he so oft teache me thy cōmaundements that it myghe please God to gyue hym the true vnderstandynge of the scripture that he myght order hys lyfe accordynge vnto hys commaundementes Where vpon seynge that Dauid so wyse a man and so wel learned desyred almightye God so earnestlye and so ofte to teache hym the vnderstandynge of the scripture and exercised hym so muche in it it foloweth that as the true vnderstandynge of Goddes worde is necessary for a prince so it can not be had without prayer great payne labour and exercise Then when as God commaundeth Kynges and Iudges to be learned and learnynge can not be had with out great studye and laboure it appereth very playne that the chief labor that a noble gentlemā shulde be occupied in al the dayes of his life is the studye of scripture and suche other wrytyng as help to the vnderstandyng of the scripture and to the declaracion of the same Lucius the fyrst christian kynge of our lande who sent to Rome for Baptisers preachers and receaued the baptisme of Christ wyth all his after that he had receaued the christian fayth caused many bookes of latin to be translated into hys owne naturall tonge he also parted and bestowed the day and night after this maner he spent eyght houres in studye and in prayer .viii. houres in hearynge of causes and eyght houres in slepynge and in suche necessary thynges as were necessary for his bodye Picus the noble erle of Mirādula sayd a very notable sayeng whyche I wolde al erles noble men shuld marke and beare awaye and it is thys Learnyng is vnto a Yomā mā in the stede of syluer to a gentlemā in the stede of golde and to erles princes in the stede of precius stones Now my lordes and maisters whether is it more mete that we shall folowe the counsell and examples of al wyse philosophers and moste noble kynges that were vnder the lawe of nature and the commaundemēt of holy scripture and the example of all holy and noble kinges vnder the law of Moses and also the saynges and doynges of the best kynges that were vnder the lawe of the Gospel whych thought it necessary for kynges and noble men to be learned euen their owne selues or to folowe the counsel of a sorte of vnnaturall and vnlearned curtely crowes whiche saye that a kynge or a noble mā nede not to be learned but that it is sufficient for him yf that his chauncelers or chaplaines other officers belōging to him be learned for him As farre as I can perceyue ye that are noble men and gentlemen and nowe speciallye ye that are of the Quenes coūsell and are lordes of the parlament had neuer more nede of learnyng then ye nowe at thys present tyme haue For the religion whiche hath ben brought in agayne of late by the myght of goddes worde and hath bene receyued thorowout al thys realme sauyng of a fewe obstinate Papistes hath bē brought to thys perfection that it is now at not onely wyth great labour ieopardye but wyth the deathes of many an honeste and learned man is nowe taken for heresye and false doctrine And yet there is no smale nōbre of them that wyll aduenture bothe lyfe goodes that it is the true religion that was exercised in kyng Edwardes dayes and that it whyche begynneth nowe thorowe out Englande to take place agayne and was alowed in the tyme of the late kynges kynge Henry the .vii. the viii war ryght Papistrye and false learnynge of men onely able to be defended by longe tyme the falsly pretended auctoritie of Christes Churche whych wyl brynge in and set forth none other doctrine then suche as her husbande Christ hathe cōmaūded alowed Thys cōtencion is about no smale matter it is aboute goddes seruice and about the true doctrine religion and worshippyng of God The saluacion and dānacion of many a thousand hangs vpon these matters therfore seyng that God hath made you gouerners vnder the Quene iudges in these matters ye had nede to loke wel vpon the worde of God that ye gyue not sentence against goddes truthe to the destruccion of your owne soules and many thousandes mo The one parte bryngeth forth scripture and the wrytten worde of God and the other parte bryngeth forth lōge customes fathers and the authorite of the Romyshe churche whyche hathe erred
saintes in purgatory in the iustificacion of workes in the nombre of the Sacramentes in the ceremonies of the Church or in defendyng of the real presence of Christes body in the Sacrament or in what other articles he erred in Because he dyd not tel in what pointes he erred in it may chaunce that he is fallē into the same errores againe as we se certaine of hys secte which had forsworne in the two last kynges dayes diuers errores and had subscribed to the cōtrary and nowe afreshe are fallen into the same errores agayne Yf that master Gardiner alowe his doctrine styl of kyng Henries mariage let hym set forth the same doctrine in Englyshe at large because the cōmō people may learne some holsome doctrine of it euen as he or at the leste some of his haue handeled maister Barlowe which wrote a noughtye and a false lyeng boke compelled by feare to do so But yf he wyll not set out hys booke in Englyshe both because he knoweth in hys conscience that it is a false boke and an heretical boke and therfore wyll not knowlege it now to be his boke because he was compelled by feare to wryte against the open truthe he or at the leste some of hys popyshe prentises is very vncharitable vniust vnto maister Barlowe whych hādeleth hym otherwyse then he wolde or wyll be handeled hym selfe Yf that men wemen that are so maryed vnto certein men that they wyl not examin theyr doctrine but take it to be the veri truthe what so euer they saye wold stande to the iudgement of the holy scripture I shulde easely condemne them for theyr so doynge and proue that they dyd playne contrary vnto the mynde of the holy ghost But because they care not for scripture I wyll let them alone and talke a lytle with you my lordes and masters that are indifferent men and haue not sworen to holde wyth the wordes of any one scole maister Saint Iohn in the .iiii. chapter sayeth 1. Io. 4. Ne cui vis spiritui credatis sed probate spiritus an ex Deosint Beleue not euery spirite but trye the spirites whether they be of God or no but they beleue all spirits that holde wyth the messe purgatory holy water holy bread inuocation of saintes and such lyke ordinaunces of man and trye not whether they be of God or no and yf they wolde trye the spretes shuld they not trye them wyth the worde of God Haue they knowlege in the worde of God they confesse they haue none at all but they saye that it is enoughe for them to trye all doctrine wyth theyr fathers fayth and other of theyr olde ancetores with the authorite of the catholyke churche What yf some of theyr forfathers or els of theyr mothers wythin these fewe hundreth yeares were heathen men or heathē wemē shall it be mete for them to iudge all doctrines by theyr fathers fayth Whych of theyr fathers or mothers was not a Papist Shall men iudge ryghtly matters of religion by the fayth of papistes What yf theyr fathers haue erred shall we be compelled to folowe theyr fathers errors that were great pytie What yf some of theyr fathers bylded Abbayes to fynde a sorte of ydle monkes in and founded chantre prestes to synge for soules in purgatory What yf some of theyr fathers put downe abbayes and chantres howe shall they iudge here who dyd better and whome they and we ought to folowe Yf some of theyr fathers helde thys opinion that it was lawfull to put awaye theyr lawfull wyues to cleue to hores as some of them can not denye but that theyr fathers haue both so beleued and also so done Was thys a good beleue I thynke that they theyr selues will saye that the beleue was nought Shall it be then mete to examine al doctrines wyth theyr fathers fayth and theyr ancetores beleue Yf any of the ydle and vnscripture learned traditioners for so muste we call them because we maye call no man now a Papist do holde that it is not requyred that a Kynge or a Quene or any ruler shulde be well learned in the scripture because all matters and controuersies of religion oughte to be tryed by the authoritie of the catholyke churche meanynge therby the common consent of almoste al the byshoppes prelates and vniuersities in all the west parte of Europa and the determinacions of generall counselles I answere yf we shulde folowe the iugement of thys catholyke church then shulde we boldly pronoūce that the mariage betwene kyng Henry the eyght and his fyrst wife Quene Katherine was not lawfull For the moste principall parte of the catholyke churche of our tyme as it is taken that is the moste parte most notable vniuersities of thys part of the world and the moste part of learned men and all the Byshoppes of the churche of Englande sauynge one condemned the mariage betwene kynge Henry the eyght and lady Katherine thys Quenes mother I haue enowe to beare me wytnes that it is true that I saye Cuthbert Steuen Sāpson besyde Cuthbert nowe byshop of Durram Steuen byshop of Wynchester Samson nowe byshop of Couentre But yf these forsayd Vniuersities and byshoppes of Englande had ben corrupted for money as scolares are poore and sometyme graunt it that ought not to be graūted for mony namely suche where as that Pope beareth rule and these .iii. fornamed byshoppes as some other lawyers do as they be had sold theyr tonges and handwrytynges for mony and promotion and for theyr princes fauour Yet the olde Canones and generall counselles are not so to be suspected of corrupcion as paraduenture some of these forsaid byshoppes be heare therfore what the olde Canones and counselles iudge of thys matter Thys that I wyll allege is wrytten in the seconde parte of the decrees the .xxvii. cause seconde questiō Cap. Si quis disponsauerit sibi aliquam praeueniente mortis articulo eam cognoscere non potuerit frater eius non potest eam ducere in vxorem That is yf any man be handfaste or betrouthed vnto a woman and he beynge preuēted wyth death could not haue carnall copulaciō wyth her hys brother maye not mary her Gregory the bysshop of Rome also speaketh thus of thys matter in the same place as he is alleged Nulli christiano licet de sua consanguinitate vel quā cognatu suus habuit in matrimonium assumere It is not lawfull for any christen man to mary any of hys owne kyn or her that hys kynsman hath had The same Gregory sayeth also these wordes in the same place Si quir vxorem desponsauerit c. Yf any mā betrouthe or be handfast vnto a wyfe or gyue earnest vnto her and he beyng taken awaye by death before so can not mary her none of thys mānes kyn may take her afterwardes to wyfe Iulianus also byshoppe of Rome as he is alleged in the same place hath the same sentence and