sayth Whatsoeuer the Church teacheth mening y e Pope and the Church of Rome That same is the expresse word of God and whatsoeuer is taught against the meaning consent of the Churche is the expresse worde of the Diuel So that if this be true that he sayeth then the Romish religion which the Papists teach is Gods word and the Gospell which we teache is the worde of the Diuel What a blasphemous wretch is this to cal gods word the worde of the Diuel Hosius and other that saye so and take it so at the dreadfull terrible day of iudgement when neither proude Pope presumptuous Prelates blasphemous Byshops nor péeuish Priests nor Papists shal beare any such sway as they do now and haue done shal then know whether that which we now Preach and teach is the word of the Diuel or not I beséech God that al suche may repente before for then to repent it wil be too late Siluester Prierias sayth Whosoeuer leneth not to the doctrin of the Church of the Bishop of Rome as vnto the infallible rule of God of which doctrine the holye Scripture taketh force and authoritie he is an Heretike Let Prierias and a thousand of the Popes Doctors besids saye so for as long as Christ sayeth not so we care not if Prierias saye true then Christe and his Apostles were Heretikes and manye other for in Christs time there was no Pope of Rome for as loÌ„g as Christ himself was aliue he néeded no vicar And was y e scripturs then w tout authoritie and of no force bycause the church of Rome was vnplanted and bycause there was no Pope it was happy there came a Pope after or else the Scriptures had bin of no force nor had any aucthoritie it was maruell that Christ bad them then Search the Scriptures Did Christ send his Apostles abroad to preache a Gospell that had no aucthoritie and that was of no force it appeares that it had some force for Christe saide that They that beleeued the Gospell which they Preach and were baptized shoulde be saued and they that beleeued not shoulde bee damned Oh what a diuelish preposterous doctrine is this Papistrie y t teacheth that the holy Scripture and word of God taketh his force and aucthoritie of the Churche of Rome whereas their doctrine and all other muste take their force and aucthoritie froÌ„ it For Christ saith Euery plant that my heauenly father hath not planted shal be rooted vp And bycause Papistrie is contrary to Gods word and so not plaÌ„ted by God therefore it shall be pluckte vp by the rootes Therefore though the Churche of Rome and the Pope shoulde bothe perish as many Churches haue done and as the Romish Churche muste néedes perishe yet God hathe and wyll still gyue aucthoritie and strength to his worde This your Papisticall doctrine is suche a false and rydiculous religion that in euerye point it ouerthrowes it selfe Marke againe an other of the Popes pen-men howe blasphemously he writes for the exalting of the aucthoritie of the Romishe Churche Iohannes Maria Verractus saieth We do humbly confesse that the aucthoritiie of the Church meaning the Churche of Rome is aboue the authoritie of the Gospell if it be true that he writes thoughe he be not ashamed to write a moste abhominable lye yet I am sory to write true of him whiche is that I am moste certayne that the spirite of the Diuell hadde greater power in hym when he wrote it than the spirite of God Saint Paule is of a contrary opinion to this Ioannes Maria Verractus for he saith That the gospel of Christe is the power of God to saluation to all that beleeue and both for hys credite and for his authoritie and auncientie is to be beléeued as well as thys Papisticall writer Nowe if the Churche of Rome haue greater power than to be the power of God to saluation then I knowe not what power it shoulde be vnlesse it be the power of the Diuell to Damnation And if that be his authoritie aboue the gospel that he doth meane let him kéepe that authoritie to himselfe and much good doe it him but there is no wise man wil yéelde or submitte hym selfe to that power I thinke This fellowe belike takes his own word for a warrant for he brings neither Scripture nor auncient Doctor to confirme his sayings Well séeing hée bringeth no other aucthoritie to affyrme his saying but himselfe I will be an other that wil maintaine his assertion that the aucthoritie of the Romaine Church and of the Byshoppe of Rome is aboue the aucthoritie of the Gospell And nowe you shal knowe wherein it is greater which hée woulde not vtter for belike he was somthing ashamed of the matter forsooth it is greater for to set the Pope aboue Emperoures and Kings to make him Lord of Lordes and King of Kings to make him tread on the Emperors necke to make him claime to haue al power in heauen in earth to make al the whole earth to be his Uicarage or Dioces to set Kings and Princes togither by the eares to make true subiects rise and rebell against their Prince and King to make him take vppon him to be called the Lamb of God that takes away the sinnes of the worlde to make hym a tyraunâ—e and to burne the Scriptures to murder burn and kil the seruaunts of God that professe the Gospell to make hym commaunde the Angelles to come oute of Heauen at hys pleasure if they wyll doe so much for him and to carrye mens soules to Paradise howe wickedly soeuer they dye to make him an earthly God to make him be called our Lord God the Pope to make him do in a maner whatsoeuer God can do and to make him and Chryste to haue one Consistorie or seate of Iudgement In these béefore declared the Churche of Rome hath greater aucthoritie than Gods worde for Gods worde hathe no suche force nor authoritie This is your godly Churche of Rome In all these thinges and manye moe suche she hath aucthority aboue Gods word but in godlinesse in trueth and in all thinges that appertayne to our saluation the Scriptures and the word of God hathe force and aucthoritie aboue your Church of Rome But perhappes you wil not beléeue me though I haue sufficiently proued it by the Scriptures vnlesse I shewe you some authorities out of ancient Doctors If you looke that the Doctors ought to confirme the Scriptures then you are wide for the Scriptures must confirme and allow the Doctors But to satisfy you withall I wyl alleadge the Doctors who you shall sée wyl agrée with me that the Scriptures must allowe the Churche and that the right Church is knowne by the Scriptures and whosoeuer refuseth to bée tryed by the Scriptures is not of the right Church nor of the church of God The Churche of God is knowne only by Gods word as the auncient learned Father
he performed and broke not And is not our Princesse Quéene of England as wel as Asa was King of Iuda And hath not she as great power in hir kingdome as he had in his And if God was well pleased wyth King Asa for making and performing that couenant as hée was indéede woulde he then be angrye thinke you with Quéene Elizabeth if she made the like and performed it I thinke not But our merciful Quéene though she hathe set forth the very true law of God as spéedily as earnestly and as zealously as eyther king Asa or anye other Ruler hathe done to be followed and obserued throughoute hir whole Realme hath not made any such couenaunt or lawe to slea or kil them that do not followe and obey the same But consider this well if the Pope not appointed by Gods law to raigne and rule as he hath done and doth may murther and kill as many of you thinke he may the professors and folowers of Gods word being not his subiects for disobeying his law deuised inuented by man on earth and procured by the Diuel Then may not we thinke that our Quéene appoyâ—ted by God and allowed by his word to raigne ouer vs may lawfully kil and put to death the Idolatrous Papistes hir subiectes for wilfully disobeying and withstanding the law of God that came from heauen béeing long sinâ—e taught vs by the Prophets by Iesus Christ the sonne of God and by his Apostles moued and procured thereto by God the holy ghost Therfore I beséeche you weigh the milde nature of our gratious Quéene the mother of Mercie that doth not vse the iustice she may and marke your holy father the Pope the Captain of Crueltie that vseth â—he iniusticie he ought not I pray you is not our Elizabeth Quéene of England aswel as Quéen Mary was what power what iurisdiction what auctoritie what superioritie what excellencie and what else hadde Quéene Mary that this our Quéene Elizabeth hath not Quéen Mary was King Henry the eights daughter so was our Quéen Elizabeth Quéene Mary was King Edw. sister so is Quéene Elizabeth Q. Mary succéeded hir brother King Edward so dydde Quéene Elizabeth succéede hir sister Quéene Mary Quéene Mary was lawful Quéene of England Quéene Elizabeth is as lawful Quéene of England I wil not say more Quéene Mary put downe Gods worde planted by hir brother and set vp Papistrie and Idolatrie and obeyed the Pope Quéene Elizabeth putte downe Papistrie and Idolatrie planted by hir sister and obeys God Quéene Mary vsed hir harmlesse and obedient Subiectes cruelly and putte them to death that professed Gods word Quéene Elizabeth vseth hir wicked and disobedient Subiectes mercifullye and suffereth them to liue that professe and stiffely defende Papistrie and Idolatrie the doctrine of the Diuel These comparisons duly considered your Quéene Mary did not muche excell oure Quéene Elizabeth vnlesse in crueltie and burning hir harmlesse subiects Nowe if Quéene Mary might put to death hir humble and harmelesse subiects for professing of Gods worde then I can not sée but that our Quéene Elizabeth maye as wel execute hir stubborne and disobedient subiectes whiche she as yet neuer did that withstande Gods worde and wil néedes followe Papistrie and Idolatrie And further if Quéene Mary hadde a lawe to burne the seruauntes of God that were obedient to hir concernyng their worldly duty and neuer meant hir harm Then why may not our Quéene Elizabeth make a law to execute the Popes seruants that are bound to be hir louing subiects which are disobedient vnto hir and that séeke procure desire and wish hir death and destruction Therfore be thankfull to God that hath giuen you and vs such a merciful Prince to raigne ouer vs loue obâ—y hir that gyueth you for Iustice mercy and for extremitie lenitie And now as hir Grace doth refraine fcom that she may do so prouoke not hir highnesse to that she can doe And as I saide thinke not that hir Grace can not vse the sworde againste you bycause she hathe not vsed it for if you thinke so you do not only deceiue youre selues but also do much abuse hir Maiestie in that you séeme thereby to make hir a Prince without power whereby you are vnworthy of the great mercy she shewes vnto you What seruant is so foolishe to thinke much more to say that bycause his Maister doth not beate him for his faulte therefore he can not beate him Bycause the mercifull father doth not beate his sonne for his offence that maketh not that he can not beate him for the same Shall hir clemencie and mercie make you thinke in hir disabilitie Therefore if anye of you thinke so as I beléeue some of you haue said so you are not worthy of suche a mercifull Maistresse that vseth you so And I am sure that it is the spirite of vnthankfulnesse the spirite of blindnesse the spirite of errour or rather the spirite of the diuel that makes you say so Thinke not I beséech you that I haue written this for that I woulde haue the Quéenes Maiestie to withdrawe hir mercie from you and to vse you with crueltie whiche is contrary to hir milde and merciful nature if anye other way would serue for I do it as the Lord knows my hart to make you to sée and vnderstand hir great mercy lenitie and gentlenesse towards you thereby to win and allure you froÌ„ obstinacie to obediencie from ingratitude to thaÌ„kfulnesse from ignorance to knowlege froÌ„ error to truth It may be that some of you wil saye that you loue the Quéene as wel as we and wishe the commoditie of youre country as wel as we If you do so then you wil not procure nor wishe anye forraine foes to come into anye of hir Graces dominions to help aide or succor any rebelles or traytors against our Quéen neither wil you be glad when you heare that any such are aryued or come into anye of hir highnesse dominions to fight against hir neither will you reioice if they and the rebels shoulde prosper againste oure Quéene and country But if you hearken for their comming in to fight against hir Maiesty and hir louing subiects or to aide rebelles againste hir or if you reioyce that they aide or helpe traitors against our Quéene or if you desire that they the rebels may get the victorie of hir and hir louing subiects as I feare many of you haue done and yet doe then whatsoeuer you say you are I am sure you are not true subiects but traitors to your prince no friendes but enimies to England Did none of you reioice that the forraine foes ariued in Ireland of late were none of you glad that they aided the rebels there against our Quéene and hir louing subiects And were none of you sory for their euil successe and ouerthrow you in your consciences know whether you do thus or not whether you are such or not whether you reioyced that the forraine foes ayded the
that to the Pope that Saint Paule applyeth to Christ which though I name not Papistrie yet I maye safely call it blasphemie These are the words Omnia subiecisti sub pedibus eius id est Papae pecora campi id est homines viuentes in terra pisces maris id est animas in Purgatorio volucres caeli id est animas beatorum which are thus in English Thou hast made all things subiect to him that is to saye to the Pope The cattell of the field that is to saye men liuing on thee earth The fishes in the Sea that is to say the soules in Purgatorie The birds of the Heauens that is to say the soules of the blessed in Heauen You that hold on the Pope how like you this expoūding of the words of Saint Paule if Saint Paule had expounded them himselfe he woulde neuer haue expounded them on this fashion for there was neyther Pope nor Purgatorie when he wrote them was it not happy that thys man was borne that thus expounded them yes I trow for if he had neuer bin borne then it is like they had neuer bene thus expounded and so our holye Father the Pope had neuer knowne the greate aucthoritye and power that GOD by these words of the Psalme hath allowed him Surely Dauid that wrote firste this Psalme was muche ouerséene that he named not the Pope therein for so the Pope might haue lackte a greate deale of his power If the Pope maye applye in thys sorte al the Scriptures to himselfe that are ment vpon Christ then he may put Christe out of all the aucthoritie that God his father hath promised him and at the last day iudge the quicke and the deade and make Christe to stande at the barre and hold vppe his hande and as Pilate condemned Christe on Earthe so the Pope maye condemne Christe in Heauen Marke further for here are excellent proofes for the Popes prerogatiue Peter lept into the water and came to Christ The rest of the Disciples came by boate Ergo the Pope hath iurisdiction of all the world Peter Crab that lately compiled the Bookes of Counsels reasoneth thus Peter paide the Tribute money for Christ and himselfe Christ said vnto Peter Followe thou me Againe he saide Launch forth into the deepe againe Peter art thou a sleepe couldst thou not watche with mee one houre And againe From henceforth thy name shall be Peter And Peter drewe his sworde and cut off Malchus eare Therfore saith he the Pope hath authoritie ouer the whole Church of God Are not here notable argumentes to proue the Popes great authoritie I maruell that Peter Crab had forgotten these that follow which serue for the Popes authoritie as well as the other Christ said to Peter Verily before the Cocke crow thou shalt denie me thrice And he said vnto Peter Come after me Sathan If Peters paying of tribute money made Peter a Pope than the Bishop of Rome is no Pope for he payes no tribute but the Kings are Popes that pay tribute to the Pope If Christ made Peter Pope gaue him all this authoritie bicause he followed Christ then the Pope is a false Pope and hath no such authoritie bicause he hath cleane forsaken Christ followes him neuer a whit Marry if Peters sléeping and bicause he coulde not watch with Christ made him Pope and therby had all this great authoritie then I will not denye but the Pope may be a Pope aswell as Peter for he sléepes in all kind of sinne he watches neuer a whit with Christ. And as Peter did not preach Gods word all the while he slept so it appeares that the Pope sléepes alwayes for he neuer preaches And if Peters fighting and the cutting off of Malchus eare made him Pope and got him such authoritie then I warrant the Pope is a right and perfect Pope for he doth fight as fiercely as Peter did for his life whereas Peter did cut off the eare of one the Pope cuttes off the heads burnes the bodyes of thousandes And whereas Peter dyd fighte with Christes enemie but kylled him not the Pope doeth fight with Christes friends killes them out-right Therfore if Peters fighting made him Pope then the Pope is a ryghte Pope as well as hée But it is not to bée founde in all the newe Testament that Christ eyther called Peter the Pope of Rome or gaue hym any such authoritie as the Pope claymes by Peter I finde as I said before y t Christ called Peter Sathan or Diuell but hée neuer called hym Pope Marry if Christ had sayde these wordes to Peter Peter thou shalt bée Pope of Rome and all that shall succéede thée in that seate shal be Popes and shall neuer erre saye or doe what they wyll I giue to thée and them all my power in Heauen and in earth thou they shall be aboue Emperors and Kings shalt treade in their neckes put them downe and put other in their places when thou they liste Thou and they shall be called God and shal in a manner do what soeuer God can do and thou and they shal haue one place or seate of iudgement with me you shall haue power to giue the Scriptures what vnderstanding and sense you list thy authoritie and theirs shal be aboue the Scriptures or word of God and you shal haue power to commaund the Angels of Heauen to come downe to the Earth and to carry whose Soules you list to Heauen And whosoeuer shall haue your pardons what offence so euer they haue done or howe wickedly soeuer they die they shal be forgiuen and as soone as they are deade they shall goe to heauen c. If Christ I saye had sayde these wordes to Peter as plainely as he said Come after me Sathan then I woulde haue graunted that Peter and all hys successours hadde béene made perfecte Popes and that therefore Christ had gyuen them a good and large commission But sure I neuer read that Christ gaue either him or them al these authorities or made them such Popes But if euer Christe made Peter Pope at all then truely I thinke he made him Pope and all his successours with all the priuiledges before mentioned and a great sorte mo at the same time when he called hym Sathan or named him Diuell whych Popedome and priuiledges belonging therto as the Popes vse them is so fitte an office for Sathan the Diuell to execute that if al the world had deuised they could not haue inuēted a fitter office for him Well though the Pope holde not his Popedome and his power by commission yet at least he kéepes it by custome Therefore hée will be a God who euer sayes nay for as he saith he hath all power in Heauen and in Earth But though he haue al the power in Heauen and earth and ouer the Angels in Heauen yet Hel is lefte out as hap is so that it séemes he beares no swaye there
mans lawe had such a chaire of Uertue as this Popes Chaire is to sitte in then they shoulde not néede to take suche paines in studying nyghte and daye as they doe Therefore this Chaire being so full of vertue as is before saide surely one or other hathe stolne it from the Pope and set another chaire in the place of it like it in fashion but not in vertue truth was there euer any religion so rediculous that woulde teache vs to thinke that the whole knowledge and trueth of the same were nayled or fastned to a Chayre and that their Pope when he sittes in that Chayre can not erre God send vs a more certaine trueth than to depende vpon the trueth of a Chayre But if you be desirous to heare what Uertue and trueth there is in the Popes Chayre and how wise learned it makes the Popes to be after they once si◠in it I will not sticke to shewe you that by an excellēt example There was a great contention betwéene them of Ratispone in Germanie and the Abbay of Saint Denise in Fraunce about the bodie of Saint Denise which was so déepe a doubt to discusse that none but the Pope was able to try y e truth therof And so to Rome they went and the Pope sat sadly in iudgemente about it and examined their allegations and matter throughly and grew to a conclusion and in the end gaue thereof his déepe and diffinitiue sentence and sayde that both they of Ratispone and they of Saint Denise had the whole bodie of Saint Denise and that whosoeuer wold say the contrarie shoulde be an Heretike If the trueth hadde not bene faste nayled to the Pops Chayre the Pope could neuer haue giuen suche a true wise and learned Iudgemente of thys weyghtie matter Nowe surelye it was a Popely resolution yea and suche a one as muste néedes make the veriest fooles in the World beléeue that Wyll Somers woulde not haue giuen so fonde and ridiculous a iudgement This famous Diuine and true iudgement of the Pope is sufficient if there were nothing else to make vs beléeue that the Pope can not lye And as the Pope is verie wise and learned by the vertue of his Chayre to resolue doubtful matters so he hath wise and learned Doctours to giue him weightie and doubtfull matters to resolue Wherof I wil shew you some for a taste to sée howe you wil like them Augustine the Italian Monke that of some hath bin taken for the Apostle of Englande demaunded of Pope Gregorie by way of great councel whether a womanne wyth Childe mighte be Baptized or not and howe long afterwarde it myghte be lawfull for hyr to come to the Church Bonifacius the Apostle of Germaine demaunded of Pope Zacharie whether Iayes Dawes Storkes Beuers Otters Hares wilde Horsses be mens meate or not what order were to be taken with man or Horsse hauing the falling sicknesse at what time of the yeare it maye be lawefull or wholesome for folkes to eate Bacon and if a man list to eate it rawe howe olde it ought to be before he eate it what maye bée done if a Prieste haue a blacke in his eye who may hallow oyle with other déepe and doubtefull questions Surelye vnlesse the Pope had bene déepely profoundly learned by the great vertue of hys chaire he coulde neuer haue resolued these mysticall questions You maye reade the newe Testamente ouer ere you shal finde anye that euer demaunded anye suche thyngs of Christ. Marke further I praye you what dolting doctrine the Pope is faine to haue to proppe vppe hys Papistry wythall and what worthye argumentes are brought out of the Scriptures for prouing that the vulgar or common people ought not to reade the Scriptures Giue not holye things to dogges sayth Christ Ergo sayth the Pope it is not laweful for the vulgar people to reade the Scriptures Is not this an excellent and a true proofe to hide or kéep the Scriptures from the people By as good an argumēt I may say thus open not your secretes to your foe therefore tel not your minde to your friend or thus Giue no drinke to them that are drunken Ergo let sober men haue no drink The lay people are much beholden to the Popes penne men for they liken them to dogges But here for their purpose they can call the Scriptures holy but when they list they will call it the blacke Gospell and a nose of waxe Therefore consider and marke well though euen nowe to serue their turne the Scripture of them is called holye in what estimation and reuerence the Popes Prelates haue the holy Scripture and word of God and howe they extoll their Romishe Churche Ludouicus a Canon of the Churche of Laterane in Rome saith thus The Church meaning the Church of Rome is the liuely breast of Christ. But the Scriptures is as it is nowe deade Inke The Byshoppe of Poyters sayde the Scripture is a dead and a dumbe thing as are all other politike lawes Albertus Pighius sayeth if thou saye these matters muste be putte ouer to the iudgement of the Scriptures thou shewest thy selfe to be voyde of common reason for the Scriptures are dumbe Iudges and can not speake Eckius calleth the Scriptures The blacke Gospell and the Inken Diuinitie Pighius agayne sayeth The Church that is the Church of Rome hathe power to giue Canonicall authoritie vnto certaine writings whiche otherwise they haue not neither of themselues nor of their Authors and thus may the Pope by his aucthority allowe anye booke of the Scriptures and so he may make Scriptures Againe he sayth as one both truely and merily sayde the Scripture is like a nose of waxe that easily suffereth it selfe to be drawen backwarde and forward and to be moulded and fashioned this way and that way and howsoeuer they list Thus they teache the people to reuerence and estéeme the holy Scripture Gods worde they cal it deade Inke a liuelesse letter a dumbe Iudge that can not speake a blacke Gospell Inken Diuinitie a nose of waxe a thing vtterlye voyde of aucthoritie of it selfe Notwithstanding that Christ the sonne of God sayeth Search the Scriptures c. and they are they that testifie of me and hys Prelates giue good credite to Gods worde which is the chiefe worker of our saluation When obiection was made that King Dauid being not a Bishop but only a Temporall Prince had written the Psalmes that is to say the very key of the scriptures Hosius made aunswere Wrote Dauid Psalmes and why shold he not write them Horace sayth we write Ballades euerye body learned and vnlearned tagge and ragge so vnreuerently he skorneth and scoffeth at the holye scriptures the most pure word of God and compares the heauenly ditties of the holy Ghost to a vile heathen wanton ballade The same Hosius as one that hathe a mouth to speake blasphemie and to saye without all shame what he liste
booke S. Aug. saith although you haue no wiues yet is it not lawful for you to haue cōcubines whom ye may after putte frō you So y t by S. Aug. it appéers y t a wife a concubine is not al one though M. Harding a defender of Priests concubines saith that a concubine is taken for a wife and she is a true wife before God though one kepe hir and lye with hir before they be married But I may answer M. Hard. thus Suppose that a Concubine is taken for a wife as it is not where a man kéepeth a woman y t after he intendes to marry yet the popish Priests can not cal their cōcubines wiues in this sense For what Prelate or Priest of the Romishe Church kéeps a concubine to the intent to marrie hir afterward therfore if a cōcubine might signifie a wife to him y t kéepes hir marries hir afterward yet a Concubine must néedes be a harlot to Priestes that neuer marrie hir nor meane to marrie hir But the texte shewes plainely that a wife and a Concubine are two seuerall things as appeareth by S. Augustines words before recited And as the text shewes whereof M. Harding writes which is he that hath not a wife but in stéede of a wife hath a Concubine let him not be put from the Communion this lawe giues no libertie at all to sinne Therefore M. Harding as M. Iewell sayth is fowlie deceyued or meanes fowlie to deceyue other that sayth a wife and a concubine is all one for hereby it appeares they are two seuerall things If a Concubine be a lawfull wife then a lawfull wife is aswell a Concubine and if a Concubine and a wife be bothe one why doth the Pope allowe a Priest to keepe a Concubine and so straightly forbid him to haue a wife Also in the Popes decrées it is lawfull for a Christian man to haue only one woman either his wife or in steede of a wife his Concubine but first by the way this is a godly law here a cōcubine is not a wife saith M. Iewel but a woman in steede of a wife And the Rubrike vpon the 34. distinction Is qui. is thus It is lawfull for him that hath no wife in steade of hir to haue a Concubine here is good stuffe And what is a Concubine but a harlot For S. Aug. saith Some man wil say that the woman that I keep is not my Harlot she is my Concubine whereto S. Aug. aunswered thus Wel wel whether thou wilt or wilt not shee that sleepeth with thee besides thy wife is thy harlot Thus Maister Harding would proue that a Concubine is a good honest woman bycause belike they are Priests Lemans but the Scriptures S. Aug. accompt them plaine harlots May you not now perceiue that the Popes law is a pure and holy law that allowes Priests to haue harlots forbids them to haue wiues nay punisheth them and burneth them for Heretikes that haue wiues I maye say that you are not so wise as I woulde haue you if you forsake the Gospel of Christ and follow stil that Romish Church that allowes laws to maintain whordom As it doth partly appeare before that these Popes restraine Priestes from Marriage not to liue in Chastitie but in whoredome and aduoutrie so shall you vnderstande the same more plainely by this that followeth therefore marke it wel For fornication no man ought to be deposed vnlesse he continue in the same wherevpon they haue made this fauourable glose for their chaste Priests Now adayes no man may be deposed for fornication Is not this a good glose for the cherishing of Chastitie yes I trowe Panormitane saith The lawes of men ought to bee altered according to the change of times for though before tyme when the Churche of Rome followed Christe Priestes are deposed for fornication yet nowe bycause the times were changed the iudgement of the Church of Rome is changed therfore now-adayes Panormitane telleth vs an other tale and saith That for simple fornication no Priest is deposed from his benefice Likewise it is noted vpon the Decrées thus It is commonly said that for simple fornicatiō no Priest ought to be depriued for that fewe Priests are found without that fault yea but why did you take away mariage from thē y t wold haue made them be without that fault and therfore by that saying the wordes that I spake before are verified which were Driue away Marriage and bring in Whordome But they that committed fornication or aduoutrie Maister Harding saith Saint Siluester made a brydle for them which was They shoulde suffer ten yeres penaunce which to our newe Cleargie saith he woulde seeme very straite Yea but as they vse the matter it is nowe slacke ynough for it is so qualified with such a glose that the offender may release all that tenne yeares penaunce for the giuing of a peny Therefore the Popes chaste Priests hauing thys libertie and so easily to be released will make harde shifte but they wil giue that peny Further y e Popes law is that no man now a dayes ought to be depriued for fornication and that bycause oure bodyes are frayler than they were wont to be So the Priestes bodies bothe in the olde law and in the newe lawe long before your tyme woulde haue bin fraile as wel as yours if they could not haue bin suffered to haue wiues Therefore why do you not take the remedy that God hath appointed that is to marry whereby youre bodies woulde not be so fraile as they are Otho in his Constitution Legantine saith Let Priestes put away their Concubines within a moneths respite and afterwarde to holde neither them nor any other in any wise whiche the glose very fauourably expoundeth for the spirituall ease of the Priests they may not afterwardes holde neither the same Concubines nor any other which wordes you must thus vnderstād That by the space of a whole moneth togither he may not hold them And thus by this kind of glosing y t Priests are safe inough frō being punished by this lawe for the Diuel were on them if they shoulde lye with their harlots a whole moneth togither And thus thoughe some of their lawes be straite the gloses of their lawes haue made them easie ynough Many suche licencious laws are made in fauouring of the Priests fornication Now I pray you iudge rightly and without partiality whether Gospellers or the Papists giue more carnal libertie or occasion to sinne A man maye loke al Gods lawe throughe ere he finde one such fauourable clause for fornicators as the Pope hath made manye for his fornicatyng Priestes Maister Harding sayeth If the Bishop winke and dissemble and beare with the wickednesse of the Priest in this behalfe that then he himselfe ought to be punished by suspētion from his office Whom Maister Iewel aunsweareth as followeth This maister Harding is Canon of your own making for other authoritie