the Iues that they of theyr owne auctoritye wolde bynde Christe nor yet conuicte before the iudge thoughte that they hadde some greate cause agaynst Christe and therfore he asked of them what cause they layde agynste hym And then they answered Si non esset hic malefactor non tibi tradidissemus eum If this persone were not a mysordred lyuer we wolde not haue delyuered hym to the As if they hadde sayde after Symon de Cassya we be not moued of enuye nor yet styrrede of haytred Nor yet we haue bene hastye in this dede before that we delyuered hym to the we dyscussed hys cause we se his euyll dedes we knowe his myscheuous tongue there is nothynge that compellethe vs to delyuer hym vnto the to be iudged coÌ„dempned by the but his euyl dedes Also addyng this we haue examined him in our wise and lerned counsell and there we haue founde hym worthy to dye wherfore it is not nedeful to haue any further examinacyon Thus these malicyous Iues dyd iustify them self before the iuge that they myght the more spedely coÌ„dempne the innocent Pilate soÌ„what moued or despleased with theyr answere bicause he knew that they accused Christ for enuy onely that they had to Christe and therfore thynkyng that they wold not shewe what cause they had against hym for bycause he had offended against theyr law therfore I sayd Pilate wold not punish him but remitted hym to theyr punisshmeÌ„t which was onely to be beaten not to inner deth And so Pylate sayd to them Accipite eum vos et secuÌ„dum legem vestram iudicate eum Take you christ and iudge him after your lawe as if he shuld say If your examinacyon be sufficient then iudge you hym and condempne hym for I wyll condempne no man without a cause proued before me And this also he spake mockynge them for he knewe well that they myght condempne no man to deth then the Iues sayd to hym Nobis non licet interficere quemquam we may sley no man for that auctoritie was taken from them by the emperour of Rome And here sayth saynte Austen If he be so a mischeuous person as ye say why may ye not sley hym if ye may not sley hym for your solempne feeste of pasche why do ye crye and saye crucifye hym crucifye hym Pylate perceyuing by theyr wordes that they wold not be coÌ„tent with any small punisshement of Chryste but that they wolde haue hym slayne he wolde nedes heare the cause why he shulde dye And then they perceyued that Pylate was angrye began to accuse Chryste falsely in many thynges of the whiche onelye thre we rede in Luke And so the Iues sayde Hunc inuenimus subuertentem gentem nostram c. we founde thys persone subuertynge our people from our lawe Also forbyddyng the peple to pay tribute to the emperoure And saynge hym selfe to be Chryste and our kynge But these accusacyons were al false And therfore they sayde Inuenimus we haue founde hym for that was onely in theyr owne malicyous hartes for it was not truthe in dede but onelye theyr owne ymagynacyon and inuencyon For he whiche came to fulfyll the lawe and not to breke it dyd not subuert the people from y e lawe Nor he dyd not subuert them but rather coÌ„uerted them to goodnes whom he taught y e truth nor he dyd forbyd y e people to pay tribute to y e emperour for he said openly pay or reÌ„der tho thyngê to y e emperour whiche be his and gyue to god that apperteyneth to hym â–ª And also he payd tribute for hym selfe and also for Peter and where he sayd hym selfe to be Christe the kynge he sayd truthe but yet he wolde not take vpon hym his kyngdome in this worlde and so he was falsely accused and that not withstandynge he wolde not answere one worde for his excuse And therfore Pylate sayd to hym Non audis quanta aduersum te dicunt testimonia Doyst not thou heare what and howe many accusacyons they brynge agaynst the And Iesus answeredâ— not one word in the presence of the Iues in so moche that Pylate moche merueyled therat And specyally seynge that the Iues vnresonably and with great turmoyle and with importunitye requyred his death but Christ for all that wolde not answer remembrynge the sayenge of the wyseman Vbi non est auditus non effundes sermonem Speake not where as is no conuenient audience Then Pylate entred in to the motehall bycause he myght more quietely examyn hym frome the turmoyle and noyse of the people and there lityll regardynge the firste accusacyon whiche was concernyng theyr lawe nor yet the seconde accusacyon for he reputed that to be false for parauenture he had hard before howe Christ said gyue to the emperour that is his therfore he onely examined hym in the thyrde cause saynge Tu es â—ex iudeorum Arte thou the kyng of Iues as if he shulde say is it true that the Iues saye of the that thou woldest vsurpe and take vpon the the name of a kynge contrarie to the decree and statute of the emperour of Rome for the emperour had taken froÌ„ the Iues y e name of a kyngdome that they shulde haue no kyng and that was to breke theyr pryde and to take from them all occasyon of rebellyon Then Iesus said to Pylate A temetipso hoc dicis an alii tibi dixeruÌ„t de me Spekes thou this of thyne own mynd or other persons haue spoken this to the of me shewyng by these wordes y t Pylate dyd not folowe the order of y e lawe as if he shuld say if thou knowe y t I haue taken vpon me the name of a kyng shew openly y e signes or actes of my rebellyon if onely thou herest this of oder ê‘sons make ordynary inquisition cause theÌ„ to bryng in witnes Then pylate answered I am no Iue and therfore I speke it not of my self thy people thy bisshoppê haue delyuered y e vnto me whiche shulde defeÌ„ce the but it semeth that y u hast greatly offeÌ„ded theÌ„ that they so obstinatly do accuse the what hast y u done Iesus answered RegnuÌ„ meuÌ„ noÌ„ est de hoc muÌ„do my kyngdom is not of this world so he denyes not to be a kyng for he is y e kyng of kingê and lorde of lordes if my kyngdome were of this worlde my ministres and seruantes wolde feyght for me defend me then Pylate said Ergo thou arte a kynge And Iesus answered Tu dicis Thou sayst so as if he sayd it is as thou sayst for I am a kynge and that thou shuldest knowe the condicyon of my kyngdome for that cause I was borne temporally into this worlde and for that cause I came into this worlde that I might bere testimony and witnes to the truthe and who so euer is the chylde or louer of truth he hereth my voyce Of these wordes
remembraunce in our mynde puttyng vpon our hed a crowne of thornes that is not to differ but spedely to take vpon vs with a pure conscience an hard and paynfull lyfe as in abstinence watche labour and other werkes of penaunce for god as Christe wolde beare vpon hys hed the thornes of our synnes for our loue ¶ Second is that we shuld labour to be crowned with the thornes of temptations For euery temptacyon that doth impugne vs is as a thorne prickynge the hed of our soule whiche temptation if a man ouercome he prepareth and byeth a precyous gemme to his crowne and as many temptacyons as he ouercummeth so many precyous stones he addeth to his owne crowne of glorie And therfore the spouse sayth in his canticles Sicut lilium inter spinas sic amica mea inter filias As the lylye florissheth among the thornes so doth my faithfull frende amonge the doughters of thys worlde by pacyence meaknes and charitie ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wold be crowned with thornes make me so worthely to be compuncte by the thornes of penance that I may deserue to be crowned of y e in thy heuenly kyngdom ¶ Howe the saugiours put a rede in Christes ryght hande The .xxxiiii. article THe .xxxiiii. article is the puttyng of a rede in Christes ryght hande for his regall sceptre signifyenge therby that his kyngdome whiche he vsurped callynge hym selfe a kyng was voide and weyke as a rede but they dyd not remember that Christe sayde My kyngdome is not of this worlde that is transitorie and this was the thyrde acte of theyr scornfull illusyon These .iii. that is a purpull robe a crowne or a deademe and a sceptre be the ornamentes of a kyng the whiche thre these cruell saugiours gaue vnto Christe to his greate contumelie and illusyon and therby they wolde shewe that Christe was a false treytour agaynste the emperour bycause he wolde haue vsurped and taken vpon hym as they sayde to be a kynge agaynst the ordynaunce of the emperour But that they dyd to the coÌ„fusion and rebuke of Christ he turned it to his owne glorie excellency herunto saynt Hierom saith Christe helde the rede in his hand to write the sacrilege of the Iues and to shewe hym selfe to be that person that shuld write his elect people in the boke of lyfe And saynt Hillary saith Therfore oure lorde wold hold the rede in his right hand that therby he might shewe that he wyll kepe maynteyne his seruantes though they be frayle weyke and he wyll replenyssh them with al goodnes ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may take this lesson that we shulde diligently remember that we of our selfe be frayle weyke and voyd of all goodnes except we be susteyned maynteyned with the ryght hand of god euyn like as a rede which is in it self voyd and weyke or shortly broken but holden in the hande of Christe it is strengthed ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche wolde haue a rede to be put in thy ryght hand scornfullye for a royall sceptre I beseche the so to strength myne imbecillitie and fraylty with the ryght hande of thy power that thy kyngdome maye be continually confirmed and stablisshed in me Amen ¶ Howe the saugiours scornfully saluted Christe The .xxxv. article THe .xxv. article is the scornful worshippyng salutynge of Christe for after that the saugiours hadde arayed Christe with the ornamentes of a kynge they kneled downe before hym and mocked hym saynge Aue rex iudeorum Hayle kyng of the Iues as if they shuld say thou wold haue ben a kynge but thou mightest not And here sayth Bede They worshypped hym scornfullye as god bycause he sayde falslye hym selfe to be god as they thought Also they saluted hym scornfully as a kynge bycause he sayde hym selfe to be a kynge and this they dyd that theyr illusyon myght reanswere to the accusacyon of the Iues for the Iues accused Christ in both these .ii. Also these saugiours dyd these thynges to Christe of a detestable dampnable mynde for they crowned hym with sharp thornes and afterwarde scornfully worshypped saluted hym and that to the great confusyon of Christ And therfore sayth Symon de Cassia The ministers of Pylate to aggrauate and multiplye the vylenes shame put vpon christ dyd knele before hym and besydes that that they mocked hym after the maner of chyldren they illuded hym with great threttes so that nothyng wanted to the despysyng and the shame of christ and in the remembrance of this despisyng vpon good Friday we do not knele downe when we pray for the Iues and though the gentyles dyd thus mocke Christe yet it is imputed to the Iues for they were the autours and the cause of this illusion After this scornfull salutacyon they smote hym as ye shall se in the nexte article This fourthe acte of the mockynge of Christe was figured in Noe when he slepte in his tabernacle his sonne Cham dyd laughe hym to scorne Noe dothe signyfye Christe whome the Iues his owne chyldren dyd mocke and scorne Also it is figured in Heliseus the prophete whiche ascendynge vnto the hyll of Bethell the chyldren that dyd se hym dyd say and crye mockynge hym Ascende calue ascende calue Ascende or come vp thou balde man ascende thou balde man And of this mockyng speketh the ê“phet Dauid sayng Omnes videntes me de riserunt me Al that se me dyd mocke me also y e ê“phet Esay saith BlasphemaueruÌ„t sanctum Israel They haue blasphemed the holy of Israell that is the Messias and sauiour of the worlde ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne this lesson that we shulde be ware y t we do not falsly worship or salute Christ which we do as Bede sayth when we beleue in hym but yet we despise hym with our euyl and froward dedes when we confesse Christ with our mouth and denye hym in our dedes as sait Paule saith Also they falsly worshyp or salute Christe whiche when they pray or be in the seruice of god occupye theyr mynde wylfullye with any thyng contrarie to the honour of god Also they which in the churche she we signes of greate deuocyon and afterwarde do greuous iniuries to Christe in hys membres ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wolde be scornfully worshypped and saluted of the saugiours knelyng and saynge Haile kyng of the Iues graunte to me that I may worshyp the my verye lorde and god in spirite and treuth and reuerentlye to salute the the onelye kynge of all kynges Amen ¶ Howe the saugiours smote Christe with theyr handes The .xxxvi. article THe .xxxvi. article is the smytynge of Christe for these saugiours wyllynge to mocke Christe aswell in dedes as in signes and wordes Dabantei alapas they smote hym with theyr palmes or handes that was to shewe in dede that y e honor which they had done to hym before was onely to
conspectu angelorum psallam tibi I shall synge to the or prayse the lorde in the syghte or cumpaignie of aungelles The seconde lesson In that that oure lorde in his age went vnto prayer also continued longer tyme in the same we be instructe in all oure trouble or necessytye to runne vnto prayer And the more that oure necessytye is the more to continue our prayer The thyrde doctrine is taken of this pryncypall article is this that in our prayer we shuld be so feruent and intent thereunto that thrugh the vehemence of our intencion and feruour of our deuocion we shuld swet as it were bloode by conformynge our selfe to the passion of Christe by the feruour of our loue vnto god Hereunto sayeth the glose Ad Romanos 8. That that charitie whiche is in vs by the grace of the holy goost that same doeth mourne that same charitie doeth pray for vs. And agaynst this charitie he that gaue it can nat shyt his eares Moreouer that charitie doeth mourne and pray vnto it droppe blood And that is whan deuocion is so feruently kyndeled in the herte that for the loue of god yf nede requyred he wolde nat be afrayd to shed his blood And therefore pray ye deuoutly and hertely in the maner folowyng or in any other lyke maner after your deuocion ¶ A prayer O Lorde Iesu Christe sonne of the lyuynge god whiche in thy long prayer wolde be conforted of the aungell and in thy agony swet meruelously droppes of blood graūt to me by the vertue of thy prayer that thy hooly aungell myghte euer assyst me in my prayer and conforte me that I restynge in the swete remembraunce of thy moost bytter passion myght deuoutly swet the droppes of teares for thy bloode in thy syghte and knowledge Amen ¶ Of the vendition or sellynge of our lorde The thyrde article ⧠THe thyrde article is the sellynge of our lorde Whiche sellynge though it began and was promysed before the other two articles that we haue spoken of as whā Iudas went to the prynces of the preestes sayenge to them What wyll ye giue to me and I shal gyue hym in to your handes Whiche was done vpon the wednysday as we sayd before in the fyrst part of this boke At whiche tyme this contracte was than begun promysed As saynt Luke sayeth Pacti sunt ei pecuniam dare et ipse Iudas spopondit The Iues dyd couenaunde and promise to gyue hym money and Iudas promised to fulfyll his sayenge Though I say this sellynge was begun vppon the wednysdaye yet it was nat perfourmed vnto the tyme that Iudas went from our lorde and his apostles after supper vppon the thurseday in the night vnto the prynces of the Iues and there receyued his money that is thyrty pennys of syluer and so was that sellynge perfourmed and this article appered in effecte And it is conuenient that this sellynge be numbred amonges the poyntes of Christes passion for therby he suffered great dispisynge What is nat a great rebuke dispisynge to Christe that he whiche is moost noble and good and of infinite goodnes in whom be all treasures of wysdom knowledge hyd whiche is also lorde of all lordes and kynge aboue all kynges to be estemed and solde for so vyle a pryce Also the sorow of Christe was moche encreased in that that he was solde so vilely of his owne disciple of one of those twelue whom he dyd chose singulerly amonges all the world to be his apostels and messangers And of this the prophet greatly complaineth in the person of Christe sayenge Si inimicus meus maledixisset mihi sustinuissem vtique Yf myne enemye had dyspysed me I shulde quietely haue suffered and borne it And in an other psalme Etenim homo pacis mee in quo speraui qui edebat panes meos magnificauit super me supplantationem O or truely the man of my peace that pretendyd loue and peace to me in whom I trusted for he kept all the mony that we had for the necessities of me myn apostles and also for to releue the pore people whiche eat my bread meat sat at the meat with me This man and pretense frende I say hathe magnyfyed agaynste me his supplantacion his pryuye and mooste craftye treason He craftely and deceytefully hathe trayterously betrayed me and solde me O vnwyse and moost wretchyd and vnhappy marchaunt who hath lerned or taughte the suche marchaundyse that thou shouldest put the pryce of thy marchaundyse to the wyll of the byers that the byer shulde make the pryce thereof Whan a thynge is folde yf it be thoughte precyouse or of any greate valoure the marchaunte that sellyth it wyll nat put the pryce of the same in the arbytremente or wyll of the byer that he shulde make the pryce at his pleasure But yf the seller or marchaunt set lytle or nought by the thyng that he selleth than he regardeth nat yf the byer make the pryce And so dyd Iudas whan he solde our sauioure Iesu Christe For he sayd to the Iues Quid vultis mihi dare et ego eum vobis tradam What wyll ye gyue to me and I shall betray hym and gyue hym into your handes and power As yf he sayd Make what pryce ye wyll and I shall fulfyll your wyll O moost wycked crueltie O moost craftye wyckednes The creature sellyth his creatoure and maker The dyscyple his mayster the seruaunte his lorde the famylyar his moost dere frende There be many now a dayes lyke vnto Iudas which wyl sell forsake iustice for temporall lucre so they sell god that is very iustice So do all they that commyt symony which sell the grace of god or y e sacramentes of the chyrche or els spirituall thynges for temporall thinges As thoo prelates iudges that sell the true iust sentēce that is whiche wyll nat gyue the iust true sentence without rewardes Also thoo religiouse persons prestes y t wyll nat pray say masse or ministre the sacramentes without money All these with suche other be lyke vnto Iudas say with hym though nat in wordes yet in dedes what wyl ye gyue to me I shal betray Christ gyue hym to you Of these maner of persons it is wryten by the Prophete Micheas Principes eius in muneribus iudicabant et sacerdotes eius in mercede docebant The prynces and iudges dyd iudge for gyftes the prestes taught for rewardes And note that the syn of simony is nat onely in the seller but also in the byer or receyuer And so nat onely Iudas dyd synne in the sellyng of Christe but also the Iues in byeng of hym That person doeth bye Christe of me which gyuyng to me any temporall thyng taketh Christ frō me As yf a flaterer wold falsly cōmende praise me where as I am nat worthy by the whiche laude and prayse my hert is exalted in pryde he taketh Christ fro
his feete when they were made all redde with blode The sandalles haue a reed hole aboue wrought with red sylke and the glouys haue an vche or a redde precyous stone or otherwyse wrought with red to signifye the woundes of Christ in his handes and feete These be the ornamentes of a bisshop whan he doth consecrate any thyng Also many of these the preest doth vse at his masse to signify that he shuld haue in his vnderstandynge the meditacyon of Christes passion in his memorie the remembraunce therof The compassion ther of in his affection and wyll so that as he is lyke to Christ in his vestmentes so he may be lyke in his herte and mynde and also lyuynge for who so euer hath these outwarde tokens of Christes passion nothyng fealyng inwardly by meditacyon and compassyon doth not serue or loue Christ but rather mocke hym with Herode which in that white garmeÌ„t sent hym to Pilate agayne As it shall appere in the nexte article ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne this lesson all they that wyll lyue godly innocently after the example of our newe man Christ shal be mocked be had as folys of other persons y t lyue after the old synful maner But for al this the true spirituall seruantes of god shulde not be troubled but rather ioyfull for the newe man our sauiour Christ clad in a white garmeÌ„t which signifyeth to vs christians his innoceÌ„tie was mocked 〈◊〉 of the chylderne of this worlde to whome that white garmente was a signe of folisshenes Also a man in his garmentes or arayment shuld onely loke for profyt and his necessitie and nothyng for vanitie or curiositie for our sauyour was reputed as a fole for his aray And that a man myghte conforme hym selfe to this article he shulde thanke god that it wold please hym to gyue to vs the garment of innocentie for the derision that he suffred of his whyte cote And a man shulde also oftymes thynke howe oft he hath defoyled by his sinnes that white vestment of innocentie whiche our lorde gaue to vs at our baptisme and pray thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu which wold be for me clad in a white garment mocked as a fole of Herode and his seruaÌ„tes grauÌ„t me warely to declyne or auoyde the wisdome of this worlde whiche in thy syght is but a folisshenes and with a pure hert to come to the whiche arte the very true wisdome Amen ¶ Howe Christ was sent agayne to Pylate The .xxviii. THe .xxviii. article is the sendyng agayn of Christ from Herode vnto Pilate for Herode when he fond no cause of deth in christ he dispysed mocked hym sent hym agayn to Pilate in a white cote and in this it apereth that he dyd coÌ„sent vnto y e deth of Christ for sith Christe was sent to Herode as one of his iurisdiction vnder his power when he se no cause worthy deth ê“ued of Christ he shulde haue absolued hym deliuered hym from y e handes of the Iues and not to haue sent agayn vnto a strauÌ„ge iuge y e which had no power ouer hym And so Herode offeÌ„ded in that y t he sent Christ agayne vnto Pylate which seÌ„dyng agayne is coÌ„ueniently taken for a speciall article for therby Christ had a newe payne labour Also for that he returned agayne to Pylate clad in a white cote to his greate shame rebuke Thyrdly by cause also he brought w t hym Herodes consent of his owne deth whiche appered both in signe or token and also in dede In signe bycause he was sent in a folys cote In dede that is in the coÌ„federation of theyr frendshyp for that same day Herode Pylate by this sendynge of Christe were made frendes where as before they were enemyes which frendshyp of Herode Pylate was a figure sygne that the Iues and gentyles shulde agre to gether in the persecucyon of christians Or els we may take this frendshyp for a good signe saynge that the Iues gentiles which before y e deth of Christ were enemies by his deth were made frendes agreynge in one faythe of Iesu Christe For he is the peace or corner stone that ioyneth the two diuerse peoples in one And whan Pylate se that Herode sente Christe agayne vnto hym he was very sorye therof And so cast in his mynde howe he myghte delyuer Christe frome deth And therfore he called togyther the prynces of the preestes the greate men of the Iues and the comen people and goynge forth to them sayde ye haue broughte and presented to me this man c. As in the nexte article ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may take this lesson that the nature of goodnes hathe suche strengthe and vertue that it agreithe euyll persones and maketh theym frendes and specyallye in the persecucyon of goodnes and therfore the euyll persons may be well signifyed by the foxes that Sampson toke and tyed theyr tayles togyther to distroye the corne and fruyte of his aduersaries So euyll persons ben confedered and tyed togyther to persue good men and so Herode and Pylate the Iues and the gentiles agreed to gyther against our lord and his sonne Christ And herto sayth Theophilus The deuyll in al places coÌ„ioyneth and agreeth enemyes to conspyre the deth of Christe Therfore the iuâ—te person shulde not be afrayd thoughe he se euyll persons copled agaynst hym for that is a signe y t there is some goodnes in hym and therby also he is coÌ„formed made lyke vnto Christ agaynst whom all euyl persons agreed in one and also those persons as were enemyes before Also a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shuld remember what payne it was to Christe to be so shamfully led from one iudge to an other and if a man haue any hatred in his herte agaynst any persone let hym forgyue it with all his hert and that for the loue of Christ the whiche for vs in his blessed passyon wolde also agree wycked persones and make them frendes and praye thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wolde be sent agayne from Herode vnto Pylate and therby wolde make them frendes graunt me that I feere not the frenshyp of wicked men agaynste me but rather that I may so profyte by theyr exercyse that I maye deserue to be conformed and made lyke vnto the. Amen ¶ Howe Christ was forsaken of the Iues and Barrabas by them was delyuered The .xxix. article THe .xxix. article is the reprouing or forsakyng of Christ for whan Christ was brought agayn to Pilate he called together the princes of the preestê the great men of the Iues the comen people and goyng forth vnto theym sayd Obtulisti mihi huÌ„c hoiem quasi auerteÌ„tem populum c. Ye haue â—sented this man vnto me as a subuerter of the people and behold said Pylate I examynyng hym afore you can not fynde hym gylty in any