in no wyse to be doubted And of this dyuellisshe drifte purpose they put forth this questyon to the blynde people sayeng Howe know ye that the byble which ye haue dayly in your haÌ„des and whiche ye rede is the true worde of god but by vs Or els to what other entent shulde they mone such questyons but that they mynded purposely to bring me in waÌ„hope doute of that thyng wherin they neuer douted before Oh good lorde why doest the suffre these wretches thyne enemyes so longe to reygne to rule to deuoure to murdre to sâ—â—e kyll bothe the body and soule of thy poore creatures Discende good lorde discende reuenge the bloode of the innocent with the slauÌ„drous blasphemy of thy holy name Thou hast here proued vnto the good christen reder that the bysshoppe of Rome otherwyse vniustly called pope may erre / howe that by the meanes of that same foule monstre bloodsupper and by his clientes this realme of EnglaÌ„de hath ben greuously vexed troubled pylled polled shorne shauen scraped euen to the very harde bones and mary and not onely this realme but other also / the heedes rulers wherof as before is declared haue ben of the same gargle faced Antichrist with his ministers shamfully handled vexed imprisoned deposed And this hath beâ—â— done wtout thautorite either of goddâ— lawe or mans by very power tyrannye hym selfe beyng but a subiect and of no power without his owne dyocese / whiche ought to extende no further than the dyocese of the next bysshop It is proued also by the authorite of scripture that all men ought to be obedyent to the kyngê power of what coÌ„dycion or state so euer they be / and that vnder the payne of euerlastyng fyre wherto I haue annexed that the worde of god writen is suffycient to the saluacion of our soules / that the vnwriten worde is but a dreame fantasye And nowe prepare thyselfe to the lyfe of Gregory the seuenth somtyme bysshop of Rome / of al tyrantes monsters vnfaythful mamalukes that euer was the moste wherin thou shalt se suche mischefe abhomynacion â—etestacion execrable maners pride tyraÌ„ny craft subtyltie ambytion symony poysonyng necromancy settyng vp puttyng downe preuenting supplantyng as hath neuer ben sene in no one mans lyfe that euer was written or redde And that not of Gregory alone but of many other mo suche monsters bysshops of Rome contayned in the same lyfe of his Finally most gentle and indiffereÌ„t reder by that tyme that thou hast perused it / I dare be bolde to affirme that thou woldest for no good worldly but that thou haddest sene it And if thou fynde not my wordes true blame me hereafter as it shall seme good vnto the. And to the ende that thou mayst gyue the more credence to the truthe of the history thou shalt vnderstande that it was written in latyne as I tolde the before by one of the most famous and vertuous cardynals that than lyued called Beno Thou doest lust longe peraduenture to se it / be of good comforte for with all the spede that may be possyble it shall be imprinted And thus in the meane whyle fare as well as I wolde my selfe ¶ The fawtes in the pryntynge Folio 2. pagina 2. linea 21. endued rede enduced Folio 7. pagina prima linea 24. vertue rede / vertitie Folio 9. pagina 2. linea 20. it with rede / it of with Folio 15. pagina 2. linea 17. mere rede / were Folio 30. pagina 2. linea 10. more rede mere Folio 34. pagina prima-linea 10. 〈◊〉 rede / proues Folio 36. pagina 2. linea secâ—da not sâ—c rede / non si◠¶ Imprynted by wynkyn de worde / for IohnÌ„ Byddell otherwyse Salisbury
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
how lytle but be vncertayne therof / it foloweth that they be vncertayne of their saluacyon / and wolde for that entent haue vs parte takers of their sorowes for it is a pleasure to wretches to haue some companyons of their wrechydnesse Solatium est miseris sotios habuisse malorum Dyd not god also by the mouthe of Moyses The fourth Non addetiâ— ad vbuÌ„ / quod loquor â—obis net auferetis ab eo Deute iui ec .xvii. coÌ„maunde the chyldren of Israell as foloweth Thou shalt not adde any thyng to this worde nor take any thynge from it I beseche you my wyse vnwritten gospellers for what entent was that / but bycause their worde written was suffycient Be we than in worse case than they were / or dothe not this coÌ„maundement staÌ„de yet in effecte Is it eyther iudiciall lawe or ceremoniall / if it be neyther than it apertayneth to vs as well as to them / and than go playe you with your vnnedefull vnwritten worde Howe say ye now hath not IohnÌ„ the same senteÌ„ce in the last chaptre of thapocalypse wyll ye neuer be wyse Answere to this why dyd the apostels The fyfth set their pennes to the booke to write was it not bycause the gospell of Christ shulde not be forgoten And why than dyd they as ye saye leaue it vnsuffycient Maye not the rest that ye saye is vnwritten be forgotten Yes and is so moche forgotten all redy that ye can not tell what it is nor howe moche By your tale a man myght well accuse as well all as one of the apostels / bothe of vncharytablenesse as of wylfull neglygence and murdre of mens soules in leauynge that vnwritten wetyngly and for the nones that is of necessyte requysyte to the saluacion of our soules / seyng it may be forgoten And yet the coÌ„trary is knowen to well that they were bothe to good charytable and dylygent / and loued the coÌ„maundement of Christe to well to be taken tardye in any suche fautes / wherfore all your bablyng is not worthe a button But what nede vs go aboute to proue The â—yetâ— the negatyfe whan it is suffycyent for our parte to denye there is any thyng necessary to our saluacyon vnwritten in the scriptures therfore oh good reder which art not lerned whan so euer thou hast any suche reason made vnto the demauÌ„de of hym that reasoneth with the what he meaneth by that same worde necessary If he answere necessary to saluacyon denye thou that any suche thynges lacke in scrypture written If he meane of other necessaries be not afrayde to grauÌ„te it hym As thoughe it be not written in scripture that if our fantastycal doctours were vpon the spaynysshe sees in a shyp wtout bottome they must nedes be drowned / yet must thou by necessyte of reason byleue it Onlesse their faythe were better than was Peters whan he wente vpon the see / or that god wolde shewe a a hygher myracle than was done vpon the holy mayde of Kent And thus moche The holy mayde of Kent for the coÌ„futacyon of theyr maior Now to the minor or second parte of their reason Whan they can not auowe the maior or fyrst parte of theyr argumeÌ„t than it is vnpossyble to make good the minor or seconde parte / as whan it can not be ê“ued that there is any thyng vnwryten in scripture necessary to our saluacyon / how is it possyble than to assygne or appoynt any certayne thynge as the fastynge of lent or any other thynge and saye this is one of them for I must fyrst proue that there be some suche thynges vnwryten ere I can say this or that is one of them As in example Yf a man wolde ê“ue that there be some good and honest vnwriten gospellers coude not make it good yf he were put to his probacyon / how the deuyl than were it possyble for hym to assygne and poynt out some certayn man of that secte and saye suche a man is one of those honest and good men And by my truthe I thynke it were as great maystry to proue that there be any good vertuous people of that secte as to proue that Chryst was borne before our lady I take no mo to be of that secte but suche as defende this arronyous opynyon in the pulpet or by wrytynge or obstynate disputacyon Now whan neyther the maior nor the minor can be ê“ued where shall we fynde the conclusyon God knoweth for I can not tell Yet to proue what our ymagynatyfe doctours can do let vs for good company graunte that there be some thynges vnwryten necessary to the saluacyon of our soules / shall it folowe therfore that those same vnwryten verytyes whiche some of them assigne to be the worde of god vnwryten be so in dede I wonder in what fygure this same argumeÌ„t staÌ„deth whether in Bocardo or in Neweâ—ate Suche maner of arguynge is moche lyke as yf one of these vnwryten prophetes goynge to the feldes to shote and lackynge bothe braser and shotynge gloue wolde proue that he neded his wyues nyght cap and argue thus By god I haue nede of dyuers thynges whiche I haue not if I shulde shoote well Mary that is truthe myght an other of the company say Nowe if this wyse man wolde conclude vpon the others graunt and say / ergo it is my wyues nyghtcappe / myght not an vngracyous felowe standynge by saye / ergo it is an halter / or ergo thou wylte neuer be wyse yes in good faythe excepte he wolde make a braser or a shotynge gloue of his wyues nyghtcappe Semblably whan our doctours saye there be many thynges vnwritten in scrypture necessarye to our saluacyon to be byleued ergo this or that is one of them / yet that same this or that foloweth not of necessyte no more than the good wyues nyghtcappe dothe / so that if thou se cause why thou maye as well saye / ergo it is the good wyues nyghtcappe or denye it and put hym to the probacyon of it and of this I dare make the warrantyse that neyther he nor all the frendes he hath shall euer be able to make it good But the best sporte of all is that our vnwritten euaÌ„gelystes be driuen by their owne confessyon to forsake the worde of god written as the thynge that is not able to beare them out in their trouble 〈◊〉 â—ory 〈◊〉 to seke this sorye shyfte of the worde of god vnwritten and that of necessyte as they saye Of what necessyte euery man knoweth Trewly bycause they be not able to proue the bysshoppe of Romes power and tyrannye with other erronyous artycles by scrypture written / but grauÌ„t well and wysely that the worde of god staÌ„deth not on their parte and must therfore make their refuge to the worde inuisyble that flyeth aboute in the ayre and no man can tell what it is nor where to fynde it Be not these sore felowes to fyght in a mannes
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