quarell that castyng their best weapons from theym ronne home to their wyues say they be driuen to flye for faute of weapon / and desyre a podynge in the stede of a sworde God sende euery good man in a iust cause somwhat more wyser couÌ„sayle than he were lyke to haue of suche men whiche euen at the fyrste choppe / ye and without any study to confesse they be but beggers and haue no ware to fell Is not a mannes money well bestowed vpon suche merchauntes as crye creke euen at the. fyrsts brunte These be they that wyll beatâ— downe all the worlde with then gonne shotte But if other men had ben driuen to suche shamefull shyftes by them good lorde what exclamacioÌ„s wolde they haue made And as for the perpetuall virgynite of our lady / no man douteth of it that I knowe But in the meane tyme I desyre my maysters the papystes with the proctours of bycherly buggersters to tell me as they wyll abyde by whether they byleue the perpetuall virgynne of our lady to be comprehended in scrypture written or no all be it I knowe that in some places they haue sayd naye all redy But as for that I wyll take no holde of it but gyue them for this one 's the priuylege of cornisshmen that is to tell their tales twyse for at the fyrst tellyng it may fortune they were not well aduised or ê‘aduenture the mens wyttes were rauysshed or as the coÌ„mune saying is breched Neyther is it good maner to take a man at the worste An other cauellacyon haue they that This cauelacion toke the patriarche of vnthriftes out of doctour dronkarde is this How knowe ye say they which is the true worde of god Whervnto I answere that as concernyng our outwarde knowlege thapostles ê“phetes haue left their myndes therof behynde them in writyng by the whiche we may discerne the true worde of god froÌ„ dreames fantasyes Well say they agayn But how be ye sure that thapostles ê“phetes dyd write that same worde the ye redâ— as who sholde say it is possyble that ye may be deceyued that the byble whiche ye haue loke vpon may be falsly intytled be none of thapostles prophetes doynges Whervnto I make answere that as concernyng the outwarde knowlege we haue as moche and good assurauÌ„ce that it is the very selfe same worde that Chryst his apostles the ê“phetes taught as that same sorte which ye cal the churche / that is to say the preestes monkes â—â—eres chanoÌ„s abbots bysshops c. and haue herde Chryst thapostles the prophetes teche preche as often as euer did they / sene theÌ„ as often as euer dyd they Wherfore as coÌ„cernyng the outwarde tytle knowlege as I said before we be so wel assured therof as they ben and receyue no knowlege of theÌ„ no more thaÌ„ they receyue of vs. Neither haue they any better know lege in this behalfe than we haue Than procede our wyse dreamyng doctours further / affirme that we of the teÌ„poraltie haue none other knowlege assurauÌ„ce of the true worde of god but bycause the churche that is the clergye as they meane beyng assured which is the true worde which not by the instruction techyng of the holy goost doth certifie tell vs by the same spirit which is that same true worde of god It is an olde sayd sawe good reder that a man shal soone â—ceyue a thefe by his own tale These olde bottell bretherne be so subtyl that they wote not in the worlde what they say I â—myse you they ben excedyng connyng in wrastlyng by the armes / but whan they coÌ„me to the collers they ben choked vp forthw t as the deuyl wolde / cast in theyr owne trip Let vs marke well their wordes and se what they haue won by their owne tale and coÌ„fession If the holy ghost as they coÌ„fesse and as there is no doute eustructeth the churche teacheth her to discerne the true worde of god from false dremes and fantasyes / than is it as false as euer god almyghty was true or is that we of the temperaltye haue no other knowlege or assurauÌ„ce whiche is the trewe worde of god but by the spirytualty for as moche as we by the redemptyon that is in Christ Iesu be of the same churche that is enstructe taught made perfyte in all verytees or truthes For loke howe the holy ghost enfourmeth teacheth all the hole holy catholyke churche of god / euen so he inspyreth teacheth euery trewe and lyuyng membre of the same in all veritees and truthes necessary to their saluacyon But truthe it is that the papysticall spyritualtye with the doctour of the vnwriten worde be not of the churche of god / ergo they be not enstruct by the holy ghost and consequently knowe not the true worde of god wherfore of good coÌ„gruence reason yâ— by theyr own reson they must bylene 〈◊〉 whan we say vnto them this is the true worde of god not we them For that they be none of the churche approueth saynt Paule in the .viij. chapitre to the Romaâ—s saying But if any maÌ„ haue not the spiryt of Christ that maÌ„ is none of his The papistical spiritualtie with the prophete of lytell verait haue not this spirit of Chryst ergo they be none of his sorte by the wytnesse of his seruauÌ„t Paule Yea how can they for shame be so bolde to saye that they haue his spiryte whan they be al vtterly voyde of the fontes aseribed appropriate to them that haue the spirite Oneles they coulde make good fortifie these lytle prety ones that I shall adnoÌ„bre to be the frutes of Chrystes spiryte as ambicion pryde lordlynesse enuy malyce disdeyn preuy open murdre oppressyon tyranny sleuthe ease glotony with all maner of lechery brennynge drownynge hangyng men iÌ„ their owne gyrdels sectes scismes diuision debate coÌ„tencioÌ„ stryfe with SymoÌ„ magus Iudas the people of Sodome Gomorre with hawkes horse hoores knaues theues all that naught is and whether these be the knowen manifest fruites of the papistycall kyngdome the heed father god wherof is Antychrist of Rome / his atturney the great god of Cateway the father of vnwritten veritees / I reporte me to all the worlde And now ye se what our vnwriten euaÌ„gelistes haue won by their owne tale to what point coÌ„clusion they be brought by their vndouted veritees Forsoth that they be neyther sure whiche is the worde of god nor yet be none of his churche / that for bycause they be not endued with his spiryt as their fruytes do well declare But the very entent purpose pollicy of the authours of the forsayd vnwritten worde was vndoutedly herafter whan they shuld haue sene tyme conuenyent / to haue denyed all holy scripture writen bothe tholde testament the newe to be the worde of god This is
truthe as he knoweth And in so doyng he must nedes call a thefe by this name thefe / a knaue by this name knaue and so forth / wherwith no good man ought to be offended Nowe leest we be to tedyous it is mete we aproche to our mater GRegory the seuenth or HyldebraÌ„de â—ergius the secoÌ„de of that name / before he was created pope of Rome / was surnamed / os â—â—râ—i in latyn / in englysshe / swines mouth hogges nose / or pygges snowte / whether ye wyll whiche Sergius bycause he was a shamed of so foule a name / vnmete for suche a dignytye as he thought dyd chaunge his name / called hymselfe Sergius So that euer synce all popes haue vsed the same / as ye se here in experieÌ„ce by Gregorie the. vâ—â— whose surname before was Hyldebrande of whom we spake before besyde that that he was a damnable heretike of the secte of Arriane as it is very euydent to be sene in his lyfe / was also so cruell a tyraunt so leude of maners otherwyse as neuer god put life in a worse And euen here without any more busynesse as an olde rotten house blowen ouer with the wynde cometh downe in a myschefe our olde rotten raynebeaten opinyon that the pope can not erre For that ones admytted that he was an Arriane as truthe is if any credeÌ„ce is to be gyuen to a worldly story than no doute but he was an heretyke condempned by the moste famous counsayle of Nece If the popes warryours wyll fyght agayne thystory and say it is of none authorite and credence I answere that they must approue it nedes if they wyll at leest approue hym that is euen next cosyne germayne to our holy father For he that wrote the booke in the latyne tonge was one Beno cardynall at that same tyme / whiche I suppose was a very good man ye and coulde erre very lytell if the pope can not erre at all Neyther is it best for the sauyng of this opinyon that ye denye the truthe of this story leest in your moste nede other men serue you of the same sauce in the thynges wherin ye wolde best be byleued as in suche thyngê wherof ye haue nothyng to shewe but stories / and than ye be at a prety poynte Peraduenture it wyll be answered that lykewyse as the aperyng of one swallowe proueth not the springe of the yere no more dothe the errour of one man no not of four or fyue conclude that an other or all haue erred in dede Mary that is truthe / who gothe aboute to proue that Our argument is no more but vpon possybylite as thus Gregory the seuenth dyd erre and was an heretyke / ergo an other Fyue popes starke heretikes may so do Or thus Gregory the seuenth was an heretyke Vrbane the seconde was an heretyke Liberius was an heretyke Nouatus was an heretyke Anastasius the seconde was an heretike / and it is not vnpossyble but the rest myght be heretykes ergo all myght be heretykes Ye I dare be bolde to saye that if men wolde make so fatte heretykes as be made now a dayes they were no better all for the moste parte Some man wolde say perchauÌ„ce that myne argument is naught And than I saye agayne sauynge my charyte he vnderstandeth naught For though there were no waye to fortyfye myne argument but the coÌ„men maner of speakynge yet coulde I do it As for an ensample whan men say a dagger is but dethe / it is as moche to say to al men that haue any wytte as all daggers be dethe And whan they saye I wolde not truste my father if his hoode and his cote were sowed togyder or if he dyd weare a shorne crowne some wyse man wolde take it so that none suche were to be trusted / and than me thynke they be but euen a ryght bare sorte Semblably to choke them with their owne princyple whan they say the pope can not erre their meanyng is that no pope can erre and than muste the contrary nedes be trewe that whan men saye the pope maye erre it signyfyeth so moche as all popes maye erre And nowe I truste to god our argument standeth Here haue ye proued that the pope may erre with the experyence of fyue proued herctikes condempned by the testymony of the churche good autentyke stories whiche for the confutacion of this fonde princyple might suffyse after my mynde But bycause fyue make but a lytle shewe in a felde let vs passe forthe and se if we can espye the hole armye of these blyssed bretherne For the more manyfest truthe wherof ye shall vnderstande that from the yere of our lorde god CC .xliij. vnto M. CCCC .xxxiij. there hath ben .xxiij. scismes in the xxiii scismes in the churche churche amonge the popes them selues Of the whiche the .xij. scysme endured xvij yeres The .xxij. scysme .xl. yeres and the thre twenteth .xvi. yeres ¶ The .xxij. scysme aforesayde was so darke doutfull that the cronyclers can not tell all the whyle it endured beynge the space of .xl. yeres who was the right pope / no nor the best lerned men and most of conscyence that than were And yet there was euer more choyce of popes ynough for all that same tyme there were neuer lesse than two or thre at ones So that in my conceyte if the pope can not erre me thynkes one of them myght haue tryed the mater who was the true pope Neyther do I doute but euery man sayde for hym selfe I am the trewe pope But for as moche as none of them in so sayeng were alowed of thother it can not be denyed but that euery one iudged of an other that he lyed and erred bothe / and was for the defendyng of his errour an antypope or ydole yet the moste wondre of all is that it coulde not be discerned who was the trewe pope by the best lerned moste of good conscyence that than were as the cronyclers saye Vpon this it foloweth that there was neuer a true of them all or els that the clergye or churche was very symple and coulde not discerne it / and consequeÌ„tly had not Christ amongest them to enstruct them by his spiryte of all truthes and than they were not the churche of god For Christe hath promysed to be with his churche to the ende of the worlde to enfourme it in all vertue Or if they lyke not that than must they saye their cronycles be false wherwith hytherto they haue founde no faute condempne them / and than we haue made a fayre brewynge Consyderynge than that the popes wolde not at those dayes whan they were two or thre at ones ye and at other tymes whan they were fyue or .vj. at ones alowe one an other / but iudged eche other to lye erre to be antypopes / what nede we any better proues that they may erre than their owne mouthes In the tyme that these .xxiij.
meruayle to moche why my coutrey men of EnglaÌ„de whiche had wont euer more to be cyrcumspecte and haue wysdome in all thyngê and fyerse of corage to defende their kyng and realme manfully / shulde seynge no cause why but many and vrgent causes to the contrary / depende and leane to the vsurped authorite of suche a naughty and leude person what sayd I authorite ye tyrannye whiche bycause our moste gracyous and souerayne lyege lorde the kyng wyll permytte and suffre hym no lenger haue his vsurped iurysdyction within this realme and to carye awaye exhauste and deuoure the golde syluer treasure of his poore subiectes and coÌ„mens to molest and trouble them in his courte at Rome / dyuers wayes to oppresse and vse his tyraÌ„ny ouer them by hym selfe and his as he many yeres heretofore hath ben neglygently suffred to do For this our cause I say it is that he beareth so moche malyce vnto our moste benygne protectour defendour our sayd souereygne lorde the kyng our vndouted capitall heed vnder god / enforseth therfore as moche as lyeth in his frowarde vngracyous pollicy and power to bring his hyghnesse and his realme to his vsurped obedyence / whiche moste manfully lyke a most vyctorious christen kyng he dothe defende not onely for hym selfe but for the tender loue and pytie that he beareth to the weale of this his honorable realme and louyng subiectes the delyueraunce of the same from seruage and thraldome Here me thynkes I se euen the hertes of al true englysshmen leape in their bodyes for the loue that they beare vnto their most gracious liege lord thus shamfully cruelly handled for their sakes speke vnto them selues after this maner Shall we suffre our kynges moste gracyous hyghnesse thus malyciously cruelly and frowardly to be entreated and haÌ„dled mocked and deluded of a bastarde of a symonyake of a false vsurper and of an heretyke / and all for the loue and fauour that he beareth vnto vs his poore subiectes / and for bycause his grace onely myndeth and tendreth our coÌ„modite weale profyte No forsothe we wyll not suffre his grace to receyue such iniuryes wronges in any wyse so farforthe as it shall lye in our power to the coÌ„trary / but we wyll agayue like true louyng subiectes whan so euer his noble grace shall so coÌ„maunde vs ye but euen wynke vpon vs to testify our true hertes myndes / that his moste noble grace dothe not loue vs in vayne and suffre so moch iniuryes for our sakes onely for naught drawe out our swordes lyke englissh men trewe subiectes / and manfully fyght in his graces quarell to spende the best bloode in our hertê to be reuenged of such a false bloodsupper Antychrist Let vs well remembre note and poÌ„der what benefytes we haue receyued of the kynges most gracyous highnesse by the space of .xxv. yeres / what experyeÌ„ce we haue had of his procedynges howe we haue ben defended from all outwarde enemyes what glorious moste victorious actes our sayd souerayne hath opteyned in the said .xxv. yeres whyle he hath ben our king in what welthe we haue lyued vnder hym / besydes the thyng that he now gothe aboute as to defende vs from the theft robbery oppressyon and tyraÌ„ny of the bysshop of Rome that moste myscheuous tyrant Hath not his grace euer ben our protectour and defendoure our shelde and buckler bothe in towne and in felde agaynst the theftes and robberyes of stronge theues murderers who coulde passe out of his dores / ye who coulde abyde at home in his owne house vnrobbed or slayne were not for the feare of the sworde wherwith his hyghnesse moste myghtyly hath euer defended vs whose wyfe coulde be saued from raâ—ysshynge whose doughter and mayde from deflorisshyng who shuld defende vs from the incursyons of outwarde enemyes as of alyens who shulde se vs haue any right in the lawe who shulde defende the poore wydowe the innocent the fatherlesse and the motherlesse Fynally if we had not a gracyous prince as lauded be god no realme hath none such it were moche more pleasure for vs to be out of the worlde than to be in it to be beestes that to be men / coÌ„syderynge the mysery wherin we shulde lyue if the sayd bysshop of Rome and his myght optayne that he and his moste desyre The premysses therfore well consydred why shulde we not loue hym fauour hym and defende hym with our lyues and goodes to the vttermoste of our powers / as our lyege lorde souerayne as our protectour and defendour / ye as a very father vnto vs as he is without questyon And contrary why shulde we in any wyse loue fauour enclyne or depende any thynge to that tyrannouse Antychrist of Rome whiche wolde with all his herte se his grace his realme subiectes also vtterly not onely ruyned but also brought in perpetuall captyuyte and bondage / to th ende that he with his clyentes myght haue his dyuellysshe desyre and luste accomplysshed and all this is for our sakes onely what profyte haue we by that foule romysshe ratten but pyllyng pollyng pykyng robbyng stealyng oppressyon bloodshedyng tyraÌ„ny dayly exercysed vpon vs by hym his Dothe he not enforce to distroy and extynct vs as moche as lyeth hym why shulde we be thus blynde why shulde we be thus insensyble Alas for pytie let vs ones be wyse serue god truly and our kyng / and god shall loue vs fauour vs defende vs and be with vs / than who shall be agaynst vs Remembre good reder what I haue sayd I beseche the hertyly in goddes behalfe and as thou art a trewe subiecte / and away with Antychrist of Rome Here moste gentyll reder all be it I instauntly requyred the a lytell before as thou woldest answer before god to resorte vnto suche bookes as maye perfytely instructe the in the knowlege of the power of the romysshe popet or bysshop yet for bycause the mater is nowe in our handlynge also / and for as moche as I desyre nothynge more than that thou all other my couÌ„trey men may clerely se the playne truthe as consernynge what his power is in dede / and by that to stycke abyde I say boldly affyrme at fewe wordes The bysshoppe of Romes power that the bysshoppe of Rome hath no more authorite than hath any other bysshop in christendome gyuen hym by the scrypture To proue that it shall be necessary to recyte the place of Mathewe the .xvj. wherin all his hope and trust is But first thou shalte vnderstande that our sauyour Christe putteth a certayne questyon vnto his discyples and demaundeth of them what the fame and reporte of the people was of hym and howe they estymed hym toke hym in companye there as the apostels came / not for bycause that he was ignoraunt of the peoples talkynge for howe can any thynge be vnknowen to god
worlde as concernyng his manhode / howe can it be auoyded but the bysshop of Rome must nedes be a subiecte If he be but a subiect how can he depose a straunge and alyen kyng as the frenche kyng or suche another the whiche thyng to do his liege lorde and souereygne hath none authorite Ye what maner of subiecte call ye that that compelleth his owne souereygne to kysse his fete and wyll set the crowne vpon his souereygnes heed with his fete and dasshe it of agayne whan he hath done / ye and depose hym therto whan so euer he lyst Howe agreeth this with saynte Paules doctryne in the .xiij. to the Romaynes whiche sayth thus Let euery soule submytte hym selfe vnto the authorite of the hygher powers By the hygher powers he vnderstandeth onely the temperall power as the processe of the text manyfestly declareth / and excepteth neyther bysshop of Rome bysshop of LoÌ„don nor bysshop of Durham / neyther monkes of the charterhouse nor freres of Grenewyche / neyther father pye nor father crowe / neyther father goose nor father gander / nor yet any suche lyke But he saythe let euery soule submyt hym selfe or be subiecte vnto thautoryte of the hygher powers where note that in sayeng euery soule he except 〈◊〉 And thoughe as I sayde before he 〈…〉 th hymselfe afterwardes co 〈…〉 the authoritâ— of the kynge onely sayâ—ngâ—â—e beareth not the sworde for â—aught yet the apâ—stle Peter setteth out Paules meanynge moche clerely iâ— his fyrstâ— epystle and seconde chapytre sayâ—ng S 〈…〉 ytte your selues vnto all â—aneâ— ordynaunce of â—an for the lordes saâ—â— / whether it be vnto the kynge as 〈◊〉 to the chefe heâ—d / eyther vnto rulers as vnto them that are â—ente of hym for the punysshment of y 〈…〉 doers / but for thâ— laâ—dâ— oâ— theâ— that dâ—well â–ª For so is the wyll of godâ—ye and marke what hyghe â—â—ayse is gyuen thâ— kynge in scrypture For he is the â—ynister of god sayth saynt Paule in the .xiij. chapytre to the romaynes And Salomon also in the viij chapytre of his prouerbes / speakynge in â—hâ— person of goddes wysdome saythe thus â—y â—e kynges do reygne Sâ— yâ— not here howe Salomon extolleth the 〈◊〉 of a kynge / affyrmynge that realmes and kyngdomes beâ— gouerned vpholden and defended by the wysdome of god and that their power offyces lawes and ordynaunces ben the very diuyne power and ordynaunces of god And in the seconde booke and twenteth chapyter of the Paralipoâ—eâ—on it is written thus of worldly princes and rulers Ye do not exercyse the iudgement and lawe of man / but of god For as moche than as the offyce and dignyte of kyngê and suche heed rulers ben ordeyned by the hyghe wysdome and prouydence of god / and for as moche also as his iudgement and lawe is not onely mans lawe and iudgement but euen the very iudgement and lawe of god / it foloweth very well accordyng to the sayenge of saynt Paule that who so euer resysteth the kynge and his ordynaunce / Paule sayth who so euer / â—eâ—cepteth no man resysteth the power ordynaunce lawe and iudgement of god / and shall therfore accordyng to the mynde of the same saynte Paule receyue eternall dampnacyon for his rewarde without amendement Here gentyll and indyfferent redâ—â— euen as I â—ntende not to collect and adde in this one lytell corner all the places of scrypture whiche make stablysshe and confyrme the diuyne authorite power of kinges ye rather of god hymselfe / euen so my mynde was not vtterly to â—â—aue it all bare naked vntouched blynde vnto the / but to shewe that some lyght knowlege and vnderstandyng in the obedyence due vnto thy prince / and gyue the occasyon to enserche and seke further for a more clerer perceyuaunce of the same And thus I leaue speakyng of the kynges power addynge a reason or twayne that we haue no nede of the bysshoppe of Rome to be a generall heed of the churche of god / and that I proue thus If we haue any nede of hym eyther we muste haue nede vnto his lawes correctyon whiche is false / for as moche as the kyng is bothe suffycyent and able with his counsayle to punysshe all maner of synne or els we haue nede vnto his personall prechyng whiche is false also can not be Or els we haue nede to byleue as he byleueth whiche is false vntrue also / for than we had nede to be heretykes traytours / as coÌ„munly he is hym selfe Or elles we haue nede of his myghty power / whiche is as true as that the mone hathe calued / whan hym selfe hathe no more power than hathe an other bysshop / as we haue made clere before Now yf we nede hym iÌ„ none of these poyntes / than it is easye to coniecture to argue for a truthe that he was neuer ordeyned of god to be generall heed vicare of the churche / but hathe purchased that authoritie onely by the swerde / and dothe falsly vsurpe it by tyrannye For god and nature createth nothynge in vayne One thyng I know that he hath had moche of our money wherof whether he had any nede or none let euery man iudge Yes say the papystes / it is mete that there be one that dare boldly tell Emperours kynges and prynces theyr faultes / as who sholde saye / that no man sauynge the puppet of Rome durst purely and syncerely preche teche and wryte the holy worde of god wherein as in a moost true myrrour and glasse bothe kyngê Emperours other may beholde se the spottes of their soules But your meanynge is oh my fayre papystes that it is mete conuenyent that there be suche a tyraunt deuyll as may be able to lay a fayre swerde in the neckes of prynces whiche they and theyr heyres and successours shall neuer be able to recouer whan so euer they shall do any thyng coÌ„trary to your appetites But we taught by good experyence are compelled to tell you agayne that it is bothe necessarye and nedefull that there be none suche and that we reporte vs to good kynge IohnÌ„ with other bothe kynges Emperours dukes whome your almyghty god father the puppet of Rome hath full lyke a false traytour tyrauÌ„t deposed ¶ Here I leaue your lorde the puppet as I fouÌ„de him for this ones spekyng a worde or twayne of some of his clientes whiche cleuyng to the clyfte of his lordshyps clensyng place defende his godheed from the hyghest to the lowest with the worde of god vnwryten / so they call it Truthe it is that the worde of god vnwryten Of the worde of god vnwritten is of as great strength efficacite as the worde of god wryten I meane yf it be the very worde of god in dede And therfore whan so euer any man wyll vsurpe vpon the oh good reder and fortyfye any mater as in the name authorite of the worde of god vnwryten do no more