tawght the people that it was iniurious to Christ and his mediation to aske for helpe at any others handes then his Or that they should vse the signe of the crosse in baptisme only and not at the coÌ„secrating of Christ his body Or that they were not heretikes which threw downe altars erected vnto Christ Or that any Bisshopp then was maryed vpon Asshewensday Or that any goodman then did write that the gouernement of women was monstruous Or that 〈◊〉 in these wordes hoc est corpus meâ—Ì„ yâ— to be taken for significat Or that the lay people communicatyng did take the cup one at an others handes and â—ot at the priests handes or the deacons Or that there was any controuersie then in religionâ— which being decided by the Bishop of Rome the contrarie part was not taken for heresie and the mainteiners of it accompted heretikes Or that any then was put in the Calender for a Maâ—â—â—r which was hanged by iust iudgement not for any cause and matter of faith but for euident and wicked feloâ—â—e Or that any ecclesiasticall persons were depriued then of their benefices or excoÌ„municâ—ted owt of church and liuyng for that they refused to sweare against the authoritie of thâ— Bishope of Rome Or that any suche othe was vsed to be put vnto any man at that tyme Or that any fâ—yer of threescore yeares obteinyng afterwardes the Româ— of a Bishop maried a young woman of .xix. yeares Or that any Bishopp then preached to be all one to praye on a dunghyll and in a churche Or that any but heretikes refused to subscribe to a general and lawful couÌ„cell gathered and confirmed by the Bishop of Rome his authoritie These be the highest misteries and greatest keies of their religioÌ„ and without these their doctrine can neuer be mainteyned and staÌ„d vpright Yf any one therefor of all owr aduersaries be able to auouch any one of all these articles by any such sufficient authoritie of Scriptures doctors or Councels as I haue required as I sayd before so saie I now againe I am content to yeld vnto hym and to subscribe in that poynt which I wold neuer do nor might do vnto an heretike knowing that my faith must not hang vpon the euent of disputation yet seing I haue begon to playe the foole with a â—oole therefor I vse this terme of subscribing as I do lerne it of master Iuell But I am well assured they shal neuer be able trulye to alleage one sentence And because I know u therefor I speake it least any happelie should be deceaued And thus far furth to the imitation of master Iuell Factus sum insipiens vos me coëgistis But what now might any protestant think of this challenge will he not mislike with me that emong so manye articles as I reherse with great solemnitie so few are of weight and substance will he not be moued at the very hart that for indiffereÌ„t matters and reasonable ceremonies I shall require yet to haue their proufe out of the first six hundred yeares after Christ and owt of generall councells or auncient doctours or els make an exclamation agaynst the keeping of them will it not greiue hym that I stick vpon termes which can neuer be fownd in the cumpasse of the primitiue church which if their principles were true woulde folowe yet well inowgh of them And that leauyng the principle I presse hym with the particular word of some conclusion will it not anger hym Can he take it for indifferent dealing that I rekon vp some ones priuate opinion and make as thowgh it were the generall determination of all the protestantes in the world And when I haue gathered vp a number of articles of which the greater part conteineth indifferent or simple matters to coÌ„clude of theÌ„ all in one sum without order or distinction and boldlie to saye These be the highest misteries and greatest keies of their religioÌ„ and without these their doctrine can neuer be mainteined and stand vpright can the protestant hearing or reading this if he haue any spirite of trueth or honestie think that I were to be trusted in any point with the teaching or guyding of the ignorant yet I assure you marke it who will M. Iuells most gloriouse challenge hath no better reason or substaÌ„ce in it for of so manye his ors and interrogatories to make a shew and colour of great copie and store of matter I 〈…〉 of them which be not either of 〈◊〉 poyntes and quidditiesâ— without â—â—â—cussing and examinyng of which the Catholike faith continueth 〈◊〉 â—nowgh or els about orders and 〈◊〉 of which the gouernours of 〈◊〉 church haue the making or remouing in their discretion Now therefor if this maner of owr challenge be mislyked I am gladd that in aunswering a foole accordyng to his foolishnes I haue geauen warnyng to the Reader not to make of euerie rare thing and much praised a Iuell and to be ware euer of great faces sett vpon small and simple matters As on the other syde if for M. Iuells sake and honor this my challenge framed after the example of his shall stand for a reasonable one and tolerable lett me be answered then in the particulars and except I doe replie againe and that speedelie I with others will yeld vnto hym Yet now because the wyseman hath sayed not onlie aunswer a foole according to his foolishnes but rather and before this warned vs with doe not answer a foole according to his folisshnes lest thow be made lyke vnto hym I will not therfor rest and staye vpon the forsaid challenge but come furth with an other full of great and principall matters neither will I be lyke the protestant and troble the reader with questions of small importauÌ„ce but of substanciall and necessarie articles concerning the orders of this present lyfe or the hope of the lyfe euerlasting I make for the Catholikes honor this challenge and prouoke him that can to encouÌ„ter me I except none thowgh I lyke not all for who would be matched with the bold and blind brothers willinglie but I trust who so euer replyeth he shall be superintended so wiselye that his aunswer shall not come against me but with good authoritie and priuileage I saye therefor If any single one of owr aduersaries or they all conmunicating togeather can proue by any suficient testimonie out of Scriptures Doctors or CouÌ„cells That for the space of six hundred yeares after Christ hys ascension by which hundreds onlie they would be tryed in examining of veritie It was vnlawfull to make a vowe to God of chastitie obedience or pouertye or that breakers of such vowes were estemed aboue others as singular witnesses of the libertye of Christ his true Ghospell Or that it was abhominable then to make to hym any speciall sacrifice besides the sacrifice of owr thankes in wordes and figures for his benefites with remembrance of Christ his passion for vs and besides the offering of owr sowles and bodies to
in reasoning as your yea For although the coÌ„meÌ„dation of some person hath made you a Bishopp And by order of the church I am a simple priest yet as good the legges of a larke as the body of a kyte If we goe to craking in dede it is not good but this yet they would constraine many to do I wil yeld nomore vnto his auctoritie then reason will require Yet I may iustly crake not in my selfe but vnder the churches auctoritie and in the name of S. Cyprian and Tertullian Was that say you an abuse to carye the SacrameÌ„t home at those dayes and receaue it before other meates I vnderstand what greueth you in this example of the primitiue churche For it proueth plainly against you that euen in so nigh daies vnto Christ ther was no necessitie to receaue the Sacrament vnder both kindes And wheras the persequutioÌ„ and hatred of Christians was then so great that they could not frely meete together in any common and open place and so quietly serue God and receaue his benefices as they desired can ye blame them yf the clergie were coÌ„tent to let the Christians cary home with them that present comfort of their soule which is the body of Ihesus Christ to haue it alwaies in redinesse and to strengthen their weaknes therwithall if sodenly they were called vnto martyrdom Be you wiser then S. Cyprian and he writing not his priuate fashion and maÌ„ner which might be well inough corrected by greate counsell but writing of a certain fact of a woman which reserued the Sacrament in her chest wherby the custome of that tyme and most vndoutedlye the faith of that tyme may be gathered doe you reproue the odre of the primityue church and haue you forgotten so sone that old customes must preuaile where haue you readen in any old father or doctor or in any generall councell or how can you shew it by any treu example of the primitiue church that the carying home reseruing of the Sacrament was an abuse but let vs heare what S. Cyprian writeth in his sermoÌ„ de Lapsis He proueth Wherin I confesse he did vilye and damnablye misvse the people and coÌ„trary the church But it is to be noted that this Marcus went about to winne vnto him selfe an estimation aboue all other priestes which could not but folow when that at his coÌ„secrating the people should see the wyne turned as it were in to bloud and that the like did not appeare when other Priestes did consecrat And note that except the faith of the church in those dayes had ben that the very bloud of Christ was in the mysteries of the Christians he could neuer haue made any to reuerence hym the more for that practise but rather to haue brought him before the officers of the church and examined him saying We doe beleue that we receaue Christ onely by faith which faith goeth vp to heauen and eateth him as he sitteth at the right hand of his father but this man sheweth vs very plaine bloud in the chalice which is against our belefe And wheras this Necromanser did turne his craft to the pleasing of the people and so made bloud to appeare in the chalice it foloweth that the whole people of the church did reioyce in the bloud of Christ which thei beleued to be in the mysteries and so he craftely serued their faith an deuotion that he might winne their praise and fauor and that he might be pointed vnto with loe there goeth a good priest and a blessed man But will yow heare more abuses Som take the Sacrament for a purgation against slaunder som hang it before their brestes for a protection S. Benet sayeth he ministred the communion vnto a woman that was dead Ergo what doth folow Ergo the sacrament may be abused I graunt it may be as when wicked and false coniures doe make it a meane to binde the diuell or when heretikes or infidells tread it vnder foote or cast it in the fire or pricke it with kniues to proue whether God his worde be trew that this is his body which was deliuered for vs. But none of your premisses almost doth inferre rightly that conclusion For wherby shew you that S. Benet did abuse the Sacrament in ministring it vnto a woman that was dead All your argument is this Christ did not appoint that the Sacrament shold be hanged about ones necke or put in chest or geauen to dead women ergo these be great abuses Is this in deed good reason that what soeuer Christ hath not expressely willed that may not be vsed Sir Christ did not bid vs that if ther were not present three at the least which would receaue ther should be therfore no communion that daye Christ did not bid vs knele downe and say Lorde we doe not presume to com to this thy table trusting in our owne merites Christ did not bid vs when one chalice is supped vp to fill it again out of the whole potle or quart potte Christ did not bid vs cary home with vs the pieces of bread or cantells therof and doe what we would with it Ergo these be great abuses in the coÌ„munion boke no Sir no the truth must be tryed by other argumentes then these rhetoricall repetitions and negatiues of Christ did not appoint this ergo it is an abuse especially whereas to many doe thinke that Christ will be content with no other thinges but such onely as are writen as though the holy ghost the spirite of truth were idle in the church all this while how dare you to iudge of S. Benet his fact the like vnto which S. Gregory doth alleage for a miracle and for a notable matter S. Austen so wise and blessed a man wheras he disputeth in his boke De Ciuitate Dei of deathes which som haue vsed towardes them selues and wheras he well remembred that the precept of God was Thou shalt not kill also remembred that the church doth honor for martyrs certain which did runne into the waters and to kepe their virginitie lost their liues in this so doubtfull a case wherin the church seamed to stand against God and the precept of God to be contraried by the holye daye of the church he dared not rashely to conclud but stoode herein that the precept of God must haue his force and with what conscience and prayse those virgins drowned them selues that must be left vnto the working of God the holy ghost and not curiously serched of men for what if they did so sayeth he not deceaued as women may be but commaunded by God neither â—rring therin but obeying As of Sampson it is not lawfull for vs to thinke any other thing And we therfore sayeth he afterwardes come to the conscience by hearing but of secret thinges we take not vpon vs the Iudgement Thus Sir it did becom you to doe for asmuch as you confesse Sainct Benet for a Sainct and wheras
of my way to the mount Tabor if I were in the furthest and wildest places of all Egipt Bicause they wil trust none but theÌ„ selues and their owne wittines and as them selues shal cast the way so will they heare by leisure what old good fathers do say but yet will they folow their owne inclinatioÌ„ this being inowgh with them all for the most parte that my mind and sprit geueth me this should be the way ergo this is likely to be the way And again the sprite of God is not in the great scholars and high Bishops or rulers of the world ergo happy are we the poore and ignorant which haue neither lerning neither authority M. Iuell complaineth that som there are this day which refuse the coÌ„munion and runne headlong to the masse wheras the holy coÌ„munion is restored to the vse and forme of the primatiue church to the sam ordre that was deliuered and appinted by Christ. and after practised by the Apostles and coÌ„tineued by the holy doctors and fathers by the space of â—iue or six hundred yeres throughout all the catholike church of Christ. without exception or any sufficient example to be shewed to the coÌ„trary I could make short and say all is lies And truly to make short in many places I shal be constrained the matter doth so increase together with a iust indignation Which if I should folow to the vttermost I might write a great volume and yet not com to the end But as for saying al is lies without prouing of it althowgh my negatioÌ„ be as free for me in familiar writing as his affirmation is for him in open pulpetes and preaching yet bicause I need not to vse such extremity I will proue that all together it is falsely aâ—owched which he writeth in this forsaid sentence For how first doth this coÌ„munion agree with the ordre that was deliuered by Christ yea rather what ordre of celebrating did Christ deliuer which yow can tell of Christ did sit down with his twelue and after the paschall lambe eaten he arose again he put of his roobes he girded him selfe with a linnen cloth he poured water into a bason he wasshed his Apostles feet he satt downe again he preached he toke bread he blessed it he brake it he gaue it saing this is my body which shalbe deliuered for you And likewise he toke the chalice and blessed it as the Ghospell testifieth and at the last many godly and comfortable lessons being geuen and grace ended he saied to his disciples arise let vs goe hence I. there any more abowt the last supper of Christ that you can tell of But how many thinges more and how many thinges lesse hath your ordre in the communion book What Scripture haue you for the linnen faire cloth vpon the communion table Where hath Christ deliuered vnto you that the preist shall staâ—d at the north side of the table Where found you the praiers collectes exhortations coÌ„fessions knelinges doune standinges vp and such other fashions as the coÌ„munion book hath prescribed I speak nother of nor on as coÌ„cerning the goodnes and allowance of these thinges but onely I aske where you had these ordres of Christ For these be your wordes that The communion now is restored to the same ordre that was deliuered and apointed by Christ. Now as you haue many thinges more in your communion then euer you can proue by expresse Scripture that owre Sauior vsed in his last supper so haue you on the other syde many pointes lesse then yow owght to haue by any dispensation if Christ were your perfect example For Christ our Sauior as he was at supper with his disciples first and formost toke bread And how dare you to make your boste of the exact folowing of the Lorde where as you be ashamed to take your coÌ„munion bread in to your handes I will not presse you with the question whi you doe not communicate at supper tyme which one might thinke that you would cheifelie doe being such obseruars and kepers of the actions and procedinges of Christ but this so reasonable and coÌ„sequent point that I meane he which intendeth to worke about any matter shold take it vp in to his hand and this thing which Christ hym selfe hath willed vs by his example to do in taking of the bread which he minded to consecrate in to his holie and reuereÌ„d handes why do not you remember to folow and why geue you not furth a general iniunction that euerie minister shal kepe that ceremonie and maner For although you M. Iuell as I haue heard saye doe take the bread in to your handes wheÌ„ you celebrate solemply yet thousandes there are of your inferior ministers whose death it ys to be bound vnto any such externall fasshion and your order of celebrating the coÌ„munion ys so vnaduisedlie conceiued that euery man is left vnto his pryuate rule or canon whether he will take the bread into his handes or lett it stand at the end of the table Lett it therefore be well marked that first of all you either forgett or neglect or be ashamed to folow Christ in taking of bread in to your handes It foloweth in the Ghospel that Christ dyd blesse but what dyd he blesse vndowbtedlie that which he toke in to his handes And why then doe not yow folow Christ in this action abowt the sacrament or leaue craking that you haue brought your coÌ„munion vnto that perfect forme and absolute at which Christ left it vnto vs if you will appeale in this place vnto the Iewes in whose tongue blessing ys commonlie takeÌ„ for thankes geuing you must then expound vnto vs what thankes Christ dyd geue vnto the breade For the accusatiue case which is gouerned of the verbe Benedixit he blessed ys not Deum or Apostolos that is God or his Apostles but panem that is bread Therefore he blessed the bread and dyd not thank the bread no he dyd not praise the bread in which sense benedicere to blesse ys oft tymes taken For how could that holie mynd of his which alwaies was occupyed vpon highe matters and which then was most especiallie fullie and excellentlie directed vnto the making of vnspeakable misteries intend the right seasonyng or well bakyng or fayre lockyng or any other thing worth the praising in that bread which he toke in to his handes yf you would or could for your curst stomak greatnes of hart folow with quietnes and charitie the example and maÌ„ner of the wholie catholike church you shold make the signe of the crosse ouer the bread and think that Christ hys blessinge of that creature ys wel so to be vnderstanded But as though a thing were the worser for the signe of the crosse made vppon it or as thowgh Christ in blessing of the bread blessed it not in deed but rather blessed thanked his father so you â—lee by all meanes possible from all such
ys an inuincible immortall â–ª and coaeternall God with the father and the soune which geueth seuenfold graces and emong those seuen one especially of fortitude would he suffer all his church to be beaten downe and would geue strength not so much as to one agaynst whom all his aduersaries should not be able to preuaile In the tyme of the synagoge and in that night when a generall Idolatric was committed our mercifull God euer dyd vse to raise vpp some one Prophete or other whom he would not only to speake but whom he would also maintein both to speake and to be hard if not to the peoples profiting bicause of their infidelitie yet to their coÌ„demnation bicause of his iustice and equitie and that posteritie of them might know how to feare God and hym alone to honor And although Esaie Ieremie and other Prophetes haue ben slain yet haue theyr wordes still continued in memorie and writing â–ª for who can resist God almightie and lett that his will goe not forward And now in the tyme of grace when Christ liueth neuer any more to die when the sonn of Iustice shineth and men walke honestlie as it were in the day is it not besides not onlie all faith but all reason also that an vniuersall Idolatrie should be coÌ„mitted and authorized in the church and that by no prophete or preacher it should be presentlie controlled Behold when Nicolaus one of the seauen first Deacons when Arrius Eunomius Martion Donatus or any other heretike did begin to spring straitwaies the church hath noted hym althowgh bicause of the violence of princes she hath not been able straytewayes to oppresse it And were the paine neuer so greate and the power and number for maintenaunce of the heresie neuer so outragious yet God neuer left hym selfe withowt testimonie and valiaÌ„t Catholykes were found which would not shrink in the cause of trueth not for the Emperour and all his souldyars Athanasius the great is alone â—xample strong inowgh for all Yea there is so great strength in a spirite that when a verie true cause is sett vpon and inuaded by falsehode the person whom the dyuel doth possesse for that purpose will vtter hym self and be knowen if all the worlde fay nay and come against hym Example in Luther whom neither Pope neither Emperour could make to hold his peace And when he is dead yet will his scholars althowgh they can not maynteyne his doctrine preserue yet his name that it may be sayde Doctor Martin Luther began to setâ— vpp the Ghospell in the yeare of owr Lord M. D. XVII a worthie man and greiuouse agaynst the pope All be it in the greatest matter his scholar was better lerned then he and fowght against the master How then standeth owr case Vrbanus a blessed pope appointed an holyday in the honor of the bodie of Christ and it was ioyfullie receaued thorowgh the whole church without any open contradiction and could it be Idolatrie No if it had been against the glorie of God not onlie it should not haue been vniuersallie receaued but not so much as particularlye suffered without some euident resistance And there would haue ben fownd in a thowsand religious howses and in vniuersities and in wel ordered cyties and I beleue in verie meane howseholdes some which rather would haue dyed then haue committed idolatrie Especiallie whereas it hath ben promised vnto Iacob his seede which is performed in the church Non est idolum in Iacob Nu. 23. there is no Idole in Iacob and whereas God so expresselie sayeth to vs by Ezechiel ca. 36. I will clense you from all yowr Idolls Then loe what a shamefull pride is this a weake head not agreeing with other not knowing hym selfe behind so many in yeares aboue so few in lerning to make so light of the concord of Christ his church and of her maiestie that with a light worde he dareth to coÌ„demne two blessed gouernours of her Honorius and Vrbanus with all Bishoppes Doctors diuines religious orders secular priestes such which lyued in good order al the tyme sence and to coÌ„demne Emperour Kynges Princes counselars with all the deuoute laytie of those times and after But what doth he say Honorius quod he was abowt three hundred yeares past why Sir is not three hundred yeares a faire age This argument soundeth as consequentlie as if one stryuing with an other vpon a question of lerning would answer hym with tussh man I know this better then thou for I am thirtie yeares youÌ„ger then thow Wel Honorius was three hundred yeares past or there about and he was deceaued say you or he is not at the least much to be regarded as I can tell you for soth by that I haue lyued these fortie yeares or there abowt and am now Bishop not of Rome but of Sarum in much wisedome and authoritie But may we so safelie â—lude the answer of God and reiect his blessed will vttered by the mowth of holie men that the cause it selfe shall be accompted childeysh bycause they which promoted it were not fifteen hundred yeares old but men of three hundred yeares onlie as it were childerie of three yeares in respect and comparison of the reuerend Iohn of Salisburie It is not the age which maketh verities but the word of God and the consent of the church whose voyce especiallie ys much to be considered Vrhanus saye yow was after Honorius What of that be these later yeares so accursed that there can be fownd no good men in them I fynd no fault with Luther bycause he is of no antiquitie but bycause he addeth thereunto the breach of good order and vnitie And in Sainct Vrbanus I doe not so much obserue that he made a new holy daye but this is much to be marked that all Christendome did keepe it withâ—owt any murmur and rebellion And agayne his decree dyd not make that which was before prophane to be holye but the holines of the Sacrament and the enemye Berengarius whom the dyuel stirred agaynst it did cause hym to apoynt the tyme wherein it might bâ— celebrated and honored with especiall memorie Christ his birth was to be worshipped before the holidaye was thereunto appoynted and the consubstantialitie of the father and the soun was before the concell of Nice and when orders begin to decay new statutes are made for the rapayring of them not as who should saye they were never vsed before but that it should not come to passe that they might be quite forgatten hereafter And therefor it is false that the adoration of the Sacrament was neuer before Honorius decree and S. Vrbanus holidaye of whom by the protestantes iudgmentes it is to late to say God haue mercie on their sowles bicause they are allreadie coÌ„dempned for their idolatrie as the heretykes can terme it O S. Thomas Aquinas whose labors in the makyng of the seruice for Corpus Christi daye I can not but remembrâ— the octaues of that feast now being
as S. Augustine when he came from Rome in to this countrie of owrs he made not a new Englisshe seruice or Kentish rather after the nature of those quarters at which he arriued but ratheâ— vsed the Romane fasshion and language neither hath it euer ben writen or testifyed that according to the diuersitâ—â—s of speaches here in England proper seruice for euerye quarter therof was prouided But the coÌ„trarie rather doth appere that one tong was generally vsed in their masse and mattins â—uen as at these dayes there is no fault fownde or ells it is no dawngerous fault for the Welsche men Cornyschemen Northerne and Irysh to vse one order of the English church and the longer it is suffered the farther of it is still from amendyng So what cause is there why that laten seruice beyng browght into this realme by the Pope his goodnes and owr Apostle S. Augustine the same myght not coÌ„tinew throwgh the realme as it was by litle and litle subdewed vnto the ghospell of Christ. Especiallie where as in these dayes fault is fownd with the vnknowen tong which people can not vnderstand and yet the welshemen haue no welshe communyon and at those blessed and quyet tymes there was no lack fownd at all when the priest and the clergye should syng and pray by them selues and the people by them selues entend their priuate deuotion S. Paule writing to the Romaynes not a forme of seruice but a verie sermon as it were wherin he entreateth of most high and agayne most familiar matters yet he write in Greik and not Latin Which thing did he trow yow for the lack of the Latin tong no that is not trew in him which had the gift of all tonges Did he think that all the Romanes had the knowledge of Griek as well as of Latin Trulye that was for any simple man more meeter to think then for the wisedome of S. Paule Had he forgotten him self beyng allwayes of that mynde that in the coÌ„gregation he would rather speke fiue wordes that other myght be the better for them then fiue thowsande in a sâ—rawnge tong No he thowght to earnestly of the cause of Christ to forgettsuch a principall matter as this is according to the heretykes declamations And then in an epistle by twentie partes there is more cause to wryte in the vulgare tong then in a coÌ„mon prayer bycause in the seruice the quyer occupyeth the place of the people and answereth in their steede but in his epistle none were excepted but vnto all you which be at Rome welbeloued of God and faythfull grace be to yow sayth he â–ª and peace In to the quyer all dyd not come in a clompe togeather to here what the priest did reade but abowte the pulpet or other where all myght stand well inowgh to here the epistle readen And so after this sort I myght fynd twentie differencyes betwixt an order of seruice and an epistle Wherfore I wonder much that they make such a brablyng abowte the strauÌ„ge tong and requyre what aucthoritie example or reason we haue for it owt of Doctor Councell or Antiquitye It is reason auctoritye and proufe abundant for a Christian man that this or that thing hath ben done or vsed vniuersallie in the church of Christ were it vsed but for one yeare onlye bycause the church is the pyllar of truth and hath the holy ghost her teacher and gouernor for euer and neuer hath ben suffered vtterly to haue erred in all her members at one tyme. And then wheras the latin seruice in the Latin church hath been so long vsed in these contreys which vnderstode not the latin tong and also they confesse a very long vse of it yt is well inowgh proued that there is no dampnable error in the matter for what tong fownd yow M. Iuell in the English church when yow were borne or how long before had the english seruice been left vnsayed and the latin entertayned a strawnger before a cuntreye man of owr owne yf yow can bryng forth the bokes where the english common prayers were euer in the common vulgare tong and tell vs the name but of one Bishop which vsed it in his diocese yow shall make all men wonder at your inuention and yf neuer any other but latin hath ben vsed yt is authorytie and reason sufficient for all English men that the first coÌ„uertors of this land vnto the sayth did leaue the latin seruice in it nothing fearing or caring what a few fyne felowes would persuade to the contrarie after .viij. or .ix. hundred yeares continuance Then also must all prayers of necessitie be in the common tong or may a few be excepted yf yow except any one why should not the people here all and answer Amen vnto all and especiallie in the most secrete matters which haue most weight in them and in which the cause of the people is most expressed yf all of necessitie must be audiblye expressed how then doth your doctrine agree with S. Basill and S. Chrysostomes masses in the which the chief priest prayeth secretelye at the altar at certen places whiles the quyer in the meane time syngeth Or how could S. Ambrosâ— O worthy Byshop how could he standing at the alter commaund the Emperor by his archedeacon to stand without the Chauncell doores Rather he shuld haue sayd to the Emperor in his own person in owr most huÌ„ble request maye it please your most excellent wysedome and maiestye to com more nere to the altar to here the word of God which doth saue our sowles or els to coÌ„maunde the altar to be pulled downe and that a table maye com downe to your highnes the more commodiouslye to answer Amen vnto my blessing euen as it shall please your maiestie so shall it be But not so S. Ambrose not so he which moved not one â—oote from the altar but sent his archeadeacon not with supplication but with reprehension not as to an Emperor of the world but as to a common Christian saying O Emperour the inward places are appoynted for priestes onelye which others are not permitted neither to entre into neither to touche Goe furth therfore and â—arye for the receiuyng of the mysteries as others doe for purple maketh Emperours and not priestes Vnto which the Emperor answered so mekely and Christianlike that he is more to be wondered at for the ouercummyng of his passions then conquerying of barbarous nations But to my purpose it appeareth by this distinction of places in the church that the people were not suffered to here al thinges And therfor I conclud that wheras it is no necessite that all thinges be vnderstode which the priest in the church sayeth yea rather yf thys be agaynst all good order and discipline there is no necessitie that the tong should be common all to geather where the hering of the same tong must be kept secrète Or that the Bisshopp of Rome was then called an vniuersall Bisshopp or the
proued that there was any drie communion in the whole world at that tyme for the space of six hundred yeares after Christ Or that there should be no celebration of the Lord his supper except there be a good number to coÌ„municate with the priest that is foure or three persons at the least though the whole parisshe haue but twentie of discretion in it Or that any Bisshop then did sweare by his honor when in his visitation abrode in the countrie he should warrant his promise to some poore prisoner priest vnder hym Or that any bagpipers horsecorsers gailers or alebastars were admitted then in to the clergie without good and long triall of their conuersion Or that any Bisshop then refused to weare a whyte rochet or to be distincted from the laitie by some honest priestlie apparell Or that any Bishopp then not satisfyed with the prisonyng of his aduersaries dyd crie out and call vpon the princes not disposed that waie to put them yet to most cruell death Or that the communion table yf any then were was remoueable vpp and downe hyther and thyther and brought at any tyme in to the lower partes of the church there to exequute the Lorde hys supper Or that any communion was saied vpon good fridaie Or that Gloria in excelsis should be song after the communion Or that the Sacrament was ministred then some tyme in loeuebread some tyme in wafers and in those rather without the name of Iesus or the signe of the crosse then with it Or that Quicunâ— vult and Crede of Athanasius was apointed to be song onlie vpon hygh daies and principall feastes Or that at the communion tyme the minister should weare a cope and at all other seruice a surples onlie or as in some places it is vsed nothing at all besides hys common apparell Or that the wordes of Sainct Paule 1. Cor. 1 â–ª 1. shold be ordinarilie readen at the tyme of consecration Or that they vsed a coÌ„mon and prophane cup at the coÌ„munion and not a consecrated and halowed Or that a solemne curse should be vsed vpon Asshewensdaye Or that a procession about the fieldes was vsed in the rogation weeke to know therebie rather the boundes and borders of euerie lordeshipp then to moue God to mercie and styr mens hartes to deuotion Or that any Bishopp then gathered beneuoleÌ„ce of his clergie to marye his daughter to a gentle man or merchaÌ„t or to helpe hym in the setting vp of his howsehold Or that the man should put the wedding ring vpon the fourth finger of the left hand of the woman and not of the right hand of her as it hath ben many hundred yeares contynued Or that any man then dyd read it in open scholes or preach it out of pulpites or set it furth in print that Sainct Peter was neuer at Rome Or that in the tyme of contagious plagues when for feare of the infection none will communicate with the sick person the minister might alonelie communicate with him with out breache of Christ his institution and that the decree of no coÌ„munion to be made withowt three at the least should in such cases be forgoten Or that the people then were called togeather to morning prayer by ringing of a bell Yf any man alyue be able to proue any of these articles by any one cleare or plaine clause or sentence either of the Scriptures or of the old Doctours or any old generall Councell or by any example of the primitiue church I promise that I will geaue ouer and subscribe vnto hym in that poynt And of this I for my part will not onlie not call in any poynt being well assured of the trueth therein but allso will laye more matter to it Wherefor beside all that I haue said allready I will say further and yet nothing so much as might be said If any one of our aduersaries be able clearlie and plainelie to proue by such authoritie of the scriptures the old Doctors and Councels as I said before That the Bishopp of Rome was called Antichrist within the first vjC yeares after Christ Or that the people was then tawght to beleue that the force and strength of their faith made Christ his bodye present to them in the SacrameÌ„t and not any vertue of wordes and consecration Or that the residue of the SacrameÌ„t vnreceaued was taken of the priest or the parish clark to spread ther young childerns butter therevppon or to serue their owne to the with it at their homely table Or that who so had said in the Sacrament is the true and reall bodie of Christ and not a figuratiue body onlie or mistical shold ben therefor iudged a papist and brought vp before high commissioners Or that it was lawfull then to haue but one communion in one church in one daye Or that images were then cutt hewed mangled and reuiled though it were answered that they are not â—olden for Godes or Sainctes but kept only for memorial sake of Christ him selfe or any of his faithfull Or that Bishopes then threw downe Christ and his sainctes images and set vp their owne their wyues and their childerns pictures in their open chambers and parlors Or that our Sauior in his last supper deliuered hys bodye to many more then his twelue Apostels Or that â—udas Machabeus in causing sacrifice to be offered for the dead added in that point vnto the law and offended God any ys no more to be folowed in that doing then Loth and Dauid are in their iâ—cest and adultery Or that a Bishopp being a virgin at takyng hys office did afterwardes yet commendablie take a wife so to call an harlot vnto hym Or that after the first wyfes death which he had before holy orders receiued any priest toke a second or third vnto hym with a totâ—es quoties the later wyfe departing left hym in hott fiery pasiions that he needed an other to coole hym Or that any preacher of those daies moued young men and women in open sermons not to blushe or be ashamed of desyering the one the other no more then they would be ashamed of spetting or any such naturall actioÌ„ Or that it was at those dayes the right way to knowledge euery man to read by hym self the Scriptures and neglect all kynd of tradition Or that the lent or friday was to be fasted for ciuile policie and not for any deuotion Or that Palmesonday was solemnised without bearing of bowes conmonly called palmebowes Or that Christmassdaye was without a masse or asshewensday without asshes orâ— Candelmaâ—daye without bearing of Candels Or that the Natiuity of S. Ihon Baptist was kept holy and the Eue 〈◊〉 and neither the natiuity neither the assumption of owr blessed lady kept holy with a special fast vpon the â—ues Or that they did pray vnto God vpoÌ„ the feast of S. Michael saying graâ—nt that owr lisse maye be deâ—ended on earth by them by whom thow art allwayes wayted vpon in heauen and neuerthelesse