greate token gentle redar that almyghty god is well content with this gracyous veray fortunate maryage whiche hath sente vs the light of his lawes sens that tyme hath brought vs out of the thraldome of yll bysshops And as he made kynge Dauid keper of his herd of Israell as it is expressed of the prophet in the forsayd chapytre euen so he hath by the voice of his people chosen our most noble vertuous kynge Henry to be hed of his Englishe flocke as well in spirituall gouernauÌ„ce as in erthly domynyon Let here no man murmour as some do yet y t his grace is electe to be hedde of the chyrche in his realme no forther then goddes lawes do permyt as who saith there is in y t pointe an obstacle For why sholde not by goddes lawe our kynge and souerayne lord be our hed herdes man as well as Dauid beynge a lay prynce was hed shepehered to his flocke of Israell Now wher can ony of them fynde one iote in scripture that proueth theyr most holy father to be aboue kynges or temporall rulers peraduenture they wyll brynge forth for them that Peter sayde to our lorde lo lorde here be ii swerdes therof inferre that he his successours had giuen to them hy power both ouer spyrytuall also temporall In good soth this is a ioyly smal reason and worthy to come oute of a profouÌ„de sophysters mouth euen as who wold say Yf when the kynges grace rydeth in to the forest on huÌ„tyng one shewe him an hart or two ergo by and by he is chefe foster of y e hole londe Ad populuÌ„ phaleras as ê‘sius saith Let them blere good sely pore syÌ„ple folkes eyes with these gewgawes for other men seith their lygyer de mayne well ynoughe what saith Peter him selfe doeth he ascrybe ony such power to him or ony other of his teachyng Be you obedyente saythe he to euery humayne creature for our lordes sake eyther to the kynge as most excellente marke you he calleth kinges most excellent vsurpeth no suche tytle to hym selfe or to other guydes as sente of hym Saint Paule sayth that all temporall power is of god he byddeth in diuers places to be obedient to temporall prynces Some hystoryes also make mencyon y t y e bysshop of Rome toke not vpon hym to be hed of the chyrche tyll y e yeare of our lord C. xâ—v Ergo then yf this hystorye be true it is a false tale to saye y t this double power was giueÌ„ to Peter of god seyng that neyther he nor a dosen mo of his successours graunted y t he was pope toke it not vpon theym tyll one vyctor waxed so stoute yet he vsurped no teÌ„porall power how that came in I report me to them Saint Paule neuer sayde of the apostles that they bare ony swerde but of temporall prynces he sayd that they here not a swerde without cause It is meate for vs then to gyue to god that is his to our kyng y t is his who as thou seest hathe the rule ouer vs vnder god not y e bysshop of Rome And hyghly we are bounde to thanke the blessed Trinite that y e eyes of faithfull people be vncouered to se the truthe wherfore I confesse that I was my selfe a greate whyle blynded went asyde in the couÌ„sell of wycked men psal j. stode a longe season in the way of synners yea sate fast in the chayre of pestilence But I thanke our blessed sauyour whiche dyuerslye calleth whome he lyft to hym he hath vncouered myn eyes which were blyndfelde with two foule cloutes of ygnoraunce and false perswasion he hathe made me haue an occasyon to loke better on his doctryne and to perceyue the errour that I was deceyued in as Horace saythe specie recti and thynkynge there to be ryght where none was there wrong where the ryght was wherfore sens as I truste I haue escaped the foule storme of false beleue For what shall I call els y e trust in papystycall power I haue to y e entent to help other set forth in englisshe thept'e of saint Paule to his discyple Tyte which techeth howe moche and howe straytly we be bounde to obey next God our kyng souerayne lorde For as he writeth in the. xii chapitre to the Romaynes who resisteth agaynste them resysteth agaynst the ordinaunce of god And who resyste agaynst gods ordynauÌ„ce they purchase theyr owne dampnacyon Agayne yf chrysten men be bounde to obey theyr prynces though thei be miscreauÌ„tes how moche more be we bounden to obey our most vertuous christen kyng lord which so dyligently laboreth with all his hole entent to haue vs the veraye shepe of Chrystes folde and to delyuer vs also from y e dauÌ„ger of rauenyng wolues wherfore no doubte but god of his goodnes wyll longe preserue hym defend hym from his enemyes Besyde this epystle sheweth euery man both spirytuall and temporall how he ought to vse him selfe that he may after this lyfe be pertener of that lyfe wherunto we are all bought shall yf we lyue well not fayle to come to not by pardons bought from Rome but by the merytes of Chrystes passion wherfore I with hole hert and mynde besech the good redar yf thou fynde ony frute herein as no doubte but y â— shalte and that largely endeuer thy selfe as nere as god will giue y â— grace to liue according to saint Paules doctryne next to praye the blessed Trinite to graunt me his grace to leue from hens forth the blyndnes of synne and to lyue after y e lawes of god my prince And to thentent y u shalt y e better perceyue what this holy apostle hathe wryten I haue added to y e paraphrase of Erasmus which shall make all thyng playne to the. The grace and peace of God be w t the and me and all good chrysten people Amen The Epistle of Paule vnto Tytus PAule the seruante of God and an Apostle of Ihesu Chryste to preache the faythe of goddes electe and y e knowlege of the truthe whiche truthe is in seruyng god in hope of eternall lyfe whiche lyfe god that cannot lye hathe promysed before y e worlde began but hath at the tyme apointed opened his wordes by preachynge whiche preachyng is coÌ„mytted vnto me by the commaundement god our sauyour to Tytus his naturall sone in the comen faythe Grace mercye and peace from god the father and frome the lorde Iesu Christ our sauyour For this cause left I y â— in Crete that thou sholdest pfourme that which was lackyng and sholdest ordeyne senyours in euery Cytye as I apoynted y e yf ony be suche as no man can complayn on the husbond of one woman hauing faythful chyldren which are not sclaundered of ryot neyther are dysobedyent For a bysshop must be such as no man can complaine on as it becometh the ministre of god not stubborne not angrye
no dronkard no fyghter nor geueÌ„ to filthy lucre but herberous one y e loueth goodnes of honest behaueour rygtuous holy temperat and suche as cleueth vnto the true worde of doctryne that he may be able to exorte w t wholsom learnynge and to ymproue theym that saye agaynste it For there are many disobedyent and talkers of vanyte and disceyuers of myndes namely they of y e circumcisyon whose mouthes must be stopped whiche peruert hole housses teachyng thinges which they ought not because of fylthy lucre One beyng of them selues which was a poete of their owne said The Cretayns are alwaies liars euill beastes slow bellies This wytnes is true wherfore rebuke theym sharpely that they may be sounde in the faythe and not takyng hede to iewes fables and commaundementes of men which turne from y e truth Unto y e pur are all thynges pure but vnto theym that are defyled and vnbeleuyng is nothing pure but euen y t very mindes coÌ„scyences of them are deâ—yled They coÌ„fesse y t they knowe god but w t dedes thei deny him are abominable and dysobedient vnto all good workes dyscomendable The seconde chapytre BUt speake thou y t whiche becommeth holsome lear ninge that the elder men be sobre honest dyscrete sound in the fayth in loue and patience And the elder women lyke wyse that they be in suche rayment as becommeth holynes not false accusars not geuen to moche dryn kynge but teachers of honeste thynges y t they nurter the yong women for to loue theyr husbandes to loue theyr chyldren to be of honeste behaueour chast huswyfely good and obedient vnto theyr owne husbandes that the worde of god be not euyl spoken of Yonge men lyke wyse exhorte that they be of honeste manets Aboue all thynges shew thy selfe an insample of good workes in y e doctryne shewe vncorruptio honesty the holsom worde which can not be rebuked y t he whiche withstondeth may be asshamed hauynge nothyng in you that he may dysprayse The seruauntes exhort to be obedyent vnto theyr owne maysters to please in all thinges not answeryng agayne neyther be pyckers but that they shewe all good faythfullnes that thei may do worship to y e doctrin of god our sauiour in all thyÌ„ges For the grace of god y t bryngeth health vnto all men hath apered and teacheth vs that we sholde denye vngodlynes and worldly lustes and that we shold lyue honestly tyghtuously and godly in this present world lokynge for that blessed hope and gloryouse aperyng of the myghty god and our sauyour Iesu Christ which gaue hym selfe for vs to redeme vs frome all vnryghtuousnes to pourdge vs a peculyer people vnto hym selfe feruently geuen vnto good workes These thynges speake and exhorte rebuke with all coÌ„maundyng Se that no man despyse the. The thyrde chapytre WArne them that they submyt them selues to princes suche as haue power ouer theÌ„ to obey theyr coÌ„mauÌ„dment that they be prompte vnto all good workes that they speake euyll of no man y t they be no fyghters but softe shewynge all mekenes vnto all men for we our selues also were in tymes past vnwyse dysobedyent deceaued in daunger to lustes and to dyuers maners of voluptuousnes lyuynge in malycyousnes and enuye full of hate hatyng one another But after that the kyndnes and loue of our sauyour to manward apered not of the dedes of ryghtuousnes whiche we wrought but of his mercye he saued vs by the fountayne of the newe byrthe w t the renuyng of the holy goost which he shed on vs abouÌ„dantly thrughe Iesus Chryst our sauyour y t we ons iustifyed by grace sholde be heyres of eternall lyfe thrugh hope This is a true sayenge ¶ Of these thynges I wold thou sholdest certefy that they which beleue god myght be stodiouse to go forward in good workes These thinges are good profytable vnto men Folyshe questyons and genealogyes and braulynges and stryfe aboute the lawe auoyde for they are vnprofytable superfluous A man that is y e auctor of fectes after y e fyrste seconde admonysshyon auoyde hym remembrynge that he that is suche is peruerted and synÌ„eth euen dampned by his own iudge meÌ„t when I shall send Artemas or Tichicus be dylygent to come to me vnto Nycopolys For I haue determined there to winter Bryng zenas y e lawyer Apollos on theyr iorney dylygently that nothyng be lackyng vnto them And let oures also learne to excel in good workes as farforthe as nede requyreth that they be not vnfrutfull All that are with me salute the. Grete them that loue vs in the faythe Grace be with you all Amen wryten frome Nicopolis a citie of Macedonia Here begyÌ„neth the Paraphrase of Erasmus of Roterdame vpoÌ„ saint Paules Epse to his dyscyple Tytus I PAule my selfe the sworne seruant and obeyer not of Moyses lawe as I was ones but of the law of god the father and Embassadour of his sone Iesu Chryst. Of the whyche myne Embassade or coÌ„missyon the hole effecte is this that suche as god hathe electe to euangelycal helthe them I shold exhorte and call not to y e obseruacyon of y e olde lawe or to put theyr trust in theyr workes but I must moue theÌ„ to faith which only openeth to all men y e entryÌ„g to euerlastynge lyfe thrughe the free goodnes of Iesu Chryste And my coÌ„myssyon is not to call them to faith onely but also to y e knowleg of trueth which among the gentyles was ouerheaped doluen in the imagynacyons and fayned Inuentyons of worldly wysdom And among the iewes it was had in shadowes wrappinges of figures I am encharged I say to call men to y e knowlege of truthe not that whiche y e phylosophers of this worlde do teache dysputyng on the causes of naturall thynges but to the knowlege of the truthe whiche compendiously sheweth in what thynges true chrysten lyuyng is set whose ende and rewarde is euerlastyng lyfe folowyng after this shorte lyfe that we lede here in this worlde which euerlastig lyfe all good and godly lyuers ought with y e more trust to hope for in how so euer great tribulations and euylles of this worlde they be Fyrste by cause he y t promysed them this lyfe euerlasting was not a man that myght both be deceyuyd hym selfe and also deceyue other but it was god hyÌ„selfe which as it can not be chosen but he must nedes abyde styll god so can nothynge surely procede from hym but y e mere truth And agayne bycause this that he promysed he dyd not promyse it by chaunce or nowe of late but afore that the worlde was made it was fyxed fully determyned by y e deuyne and vnchaungeable decre of his mynde to do y t which he now doeth There is no newe thynge come to his purpose but that thynge which for secrete causes onely knowen to the godhed he wolde haue hytherto couered and hyd that wold he haue opened to all the
The Paraphrase of Erasmê° Roterdame vpon y e Epistle of saiÌ„t Paule vnto his discyple Titus lately traÌ„slated in to englysshe and fyrste a goodly â–ª prologue ¶ Cum priuilegio Regali Iohan Byddell uered his olde bryghtnes shyneth so abrode now y t euen they whose inwarde eyes be blynded with false perswasyons of man and couetyse vayneglorye perceyue a twynkeling of this light For they can not deny but y t they haue erred in many thynges and were fer wyde fro y e square how lothe so euer they be to heare it of laye men or of suche as beynge good preestes wolde fayne call theym agayne to his doctryne who alone is the waye y e trouth lyfe And what can be a more euydent token of y e hye indygnacyon of the godhed agaynste the chyrche of Rome then that this Pharao and all his egyptiens be so hardened in theyr hertes that they wyll in no wyse receyue the truthe doctryne of hym whose folowers they professe themselfe to be Of whome may full well be affyrmed the wordes of y e prophete Dauid Eyes they haue shall not se. Eeres they haue and shall not heare wherfore no meruayle for they are so drowned in the desyres of worldly worshyp y t where as they shold saye with y e apostles to Chryst Marci x. lo we haue left all haue folowed y e they can not saye yf they shall not lye but the clene contrary y t they forsake nothyng but catche all to them selfe and forsake him wherfore the same prophet Dauid fearyng this displeasure and greate angre of god fallen vpon the papystes and desyrynge the grace shewed now to vs prayeth on this wyse Lord make thy waies knoweÌ„ to me teache me thy pathes And why prayeth he so â–ª For as he writeth in an other place Cursed be they good lorde that swarue from thy commauÌ„dementes Now who swarueth more from the coÌ„maundementes of god theÌ„ he which taketh vpoÌ„ hym to be an herdes man and a feder of Crystes shepe dryueth them away from theyr mete nor playeth the good iust husbond of goddes house so wynge spirytual thynges repynge therfore carnall but he repeth carnall thiges for y e sowyng of y e vnthrifty cockle of most foule and abomynable errors and seducynge the people of god after his moste detestable lustes which word good redar I wold not y t thou sholdest thynke to be spoken generally of all spyrytuall men For there are among theÌ„ thanked be god hyely therfore men endued with great coÌ„nynge wysedom vertuous liuing whose workes according to the coÌ„maundement of the gospell do shyne afore all men to the glorye of the father of heuyn Againe thou must not so interprete my sayenges as I sholde thynke it vnlauful for the clergy to haue ony possessyons at al. Luc. x. euery workeman saythe Chryste is worthy to haue his wages And the apostle wrytyng to y e Corinthyens sayth who is he that serueth in warre at his owne coste who planteth a vyne and eateth not of y e frut therof who feadeth a flocke and eateh not of y e mylke of the flocke But I meaned of suche as haue possessyons domynyons more lyke to kynges emê‘ours then spyritual fathers not noryshynge with them preachers of goddes worde and theyr nedy bretherne but for preachers of Crystes lawes thei fede suche as pÌ„ache theyr decrees And theÌ„ y e lyke Annas Cayphas IoeÌ„s and Alexandre of whome mentyon is made in the actes of the apostles forbyd men to speake or teache iÌ„ y e name of Iesu for they will not haue his gospell taught nor spoken of which Christ wold haue preached vpon houses To rede y e new testament with them is heresy which is no thyng elles saue Chrystes wordes his dyscyples And for norysshynge of poore folke they mayÌ„taine other litle or nothyng regarding them that they shold regarde but euen passe them by as our lorde mencyoneth in the gospell of y e preest leuyte that were moued with no pytye to socour the man that laye in y e way robbed wounded Agaynste suche preestes and all suche as by fayned holynes and hypocrycy seduce goddes people from his teachyng y e instructyons of his apostles to theyr fayned dremes Agaynst theÌ„ cryeth scrypture in many places Harke what Hieremie writeh in y e. xxiii chapitre wo be to sheê‘des which dysperple all to teare the flocke of my pasture therfore these wordes sayth the lord god of Israell to sheperdes that fede my people You haue scatered myne herde throwne them out and not visyted them Lo I shall visite vpon you the malyce of your studyes saythe our lorde And Ezechyell in the .xxxiiii. chapytre wo be to the sheperdes of Israell whiche dyd fede them selfe Be not herdes fed of theyr herdesmen you dyd eate the mylke and with the wolles you were couered what so euer was fatte you kylled it But my flocke you dyd not feade you dyd not consolidate y t which was weake you healed not that whiche was syk you bound not to gyther y t whiche was broken you brought not againe y t which was abiecte and you sought not that which was lost but you ruled them with austerite power And my shepe were skatered abrode because there was no shepherd and they were deuoured of all the beastes of the feelde dysperpled My herdes haue erred in all mountaynes and in euery hy hyll vpon all the face of the erthe my herd hath ben all to skatered none there was y e wolde seke them Therfore shepherdes here you the wordes of our lord I lyue saith y s lord god Bycause that my flockes haue bene made in to rapyne and my shepe to the deuouryng of beastes of y e felde bycause there was no shepeherd nor the shepeherdes dyd not seke my flocke but the shepherdes did feade them selues they dyd not feade my herdes therfore shepeherdes heare you the wordes of our lord This sayth y e lord god Lo I shall requyre of the shepeherdes myne herde oute of theyr honde and I shall make them to cease that they feade no more my flocke nor that y e shepherdes can no more feade theym selues And I will deliuer my flocke froÌ„ theyr mouth it shall be no more eateÌ„ vp of them c. Se here most geÌ„tle reader the angre of god enydently fallen vpon the bysshop of Romes tyrannye and his adherentes whose proude power daylye decreaseth according to y e sayenges of this prophete for theyr deuourynge of Chrystes flocke And se also on the other syde the greate goodnes of god towarde our Englysshe nacyon whiche hathe delyuered vs oute of his rauenyng mouth and gyuen vs our hed herdes man our moste redoubted souerayne whome he hath made the veray defender of the fayth and an hed shepherd to set suche herdes men vnder hym which shall fede vs not deuour vs. Is not this a