buffet her husband in his members This is me thinkes a shrowde wife and most vnwomanly woman This is a woman according to that saying A woman shall hunt for the precious soule of a man that is an harlot shall hunt for the precious soule of a man. Or according to that Geue not thy substance to womeÌ„ that is to harlottes She is a woman as Antichrist is a womaÌ„ that is to witte the whore of Babylon And euen as Rome Venice Paris and Corinth when better meanes of prosperitie did want made their cities to be frequented through faire harlots and beutifull braue â—…urtisans so these Papistes haue drawen after them such a riotous route through â—…he painted brauerie of this their brothell woman The Church of Rome is a woman but an harlot but the Popes concuâ—…ine She hath womanhead but it is a â—…rothels browe She learnes of her husband but when she liste She holdes her â—…oung in respecte of her husband but I â—…ake a lie She is subiect to her husband Christ but Christ beares the strokes She is no woman nor hath any womanhead nor is she fayre or fayrest but by way of painted fayrenesse The Church of Christ is a woman hath womanhead and is fayre and fayrest of all women For her louelinesse she is called a Doue for her pretie trimnesse she is called a Roo for her fruitfulnesse she is called a Vine for her safenesse she is called MouÌ„t Sion for her holinesse she is called a Priesthoode for her royaltie she is called a Queene for her qualities she is called Sweete Comely Perfecte and most Blessed for her glittering she is called an Iuorie Tower for her brightnesse the Morning for her brauerie the Sunne and for her beutie she is here called the Fayrest of all women They say the Ceder trée is fayre to be séene amongest shrubbes and bushes the Lilie of the valleys amongest lesser flowers Mount Sion is péerelesse amongest monntaines and Ierusalem amongest cities Behemoth is marueilous in the land and Leuiathan in the sea Dina was fayrer then the daughters of the land Iudeth fayrer then any Holofernes had séene and Hester pleasing in the eyes of Artaxerxes none so fayre as the Sunamite to be found out for the contentation of King Dauid and no Church so fayre as this Church of Christ which is in true speech called the fayrest of all women not so far doth passe noble Sarai base Hagar nor Rebecca those of Abimeleckes court nor well fauoured Rachell the blere eyed Lea as this woman for her beutie surmounteth all women But the beutie of this woman is not in outward face but in inward grace Omnis decor filiae Sion abintus All the beutie of the daughter of Sion is from within her This is that woman that is clad with the Sonne Christ and therefore must néedes shine and shewe trimme This is she that is maried to Christ in mercies and pities in fayth and iustice Fayth purifieth the hart the mercy of God working by his bloudshed scoureth all filth and reformeth all the deformities by sinne in this woman This woman therfore must néedes be fayre and fayrest of all women Oh fairenesse of mans face of womans face Oh treasure for a time Oh faire fâ—…lishe vanitie A little colde doth pintch thée a little heate doth partch thée a little sicknesse doth match thée and a little of sores doth marre thée But the fairenesse of Christ in this woman or in his elect may be soyled but it will be washt it may be blacke but it will kéepe a good fauour may be made red as scarlet but it will be renued woll white and shewe white The Church of the beloued is fayre and fayrest of all women Idolatrous Churches are foule and euill fauored women and of all foule and euill fauored I thinke the Church of Rome to be one of the foulest of women The euill fauorednesse of Mahomets womaÌ„ or Church is in this euill fauored Romishe woman That euill fauored Mahomets woman or Church defendeth many wiues This Romishe Church defendeth stewes and strompets curtizans concubines and boy harlots Mahomets woman dreameth heauen to be a place goodly of riuers pleasaunt Apples young delicate women and faire fruites The Popes woman doth say and hold that S. Dorathey made baskets of Apples that came downe from heauen Mahomets woman defendeth workes The Popes woman defendeth workes That woman from the 5. chapter of the Alcaron beleueth Purgatory The Popes woman will néedes haue Purgatory Mahomets woman curseth all those that thinke not of Christ as Mahomet doth The Popes Church curseth all those that thinke not of Christ as the Pope doth Mahomet in the 15. chapter of the Alcaron alloweth no disputing in religion The Popes woman gaggeth mens mouthes lest peraduenture they speake Mahomets Alcaron was published in the night time So the Popes doctrine in the time of darkenesse Mahomet sayth Buy heauen The Bishop of Rome practiseth a sale of heauen Mahomet sayth he is bigger then all the kinges in the world The Pope â—…ayth that he is lorde of lordes and king of kinges Thus then I may say that the Popes woman or Church is as foule as the Church of Mahomet and as foule as the Church of the Iewes and who soeuer will proue this to be true shall compare her traditions and the Iewes traditions by the vew of a booke written by Petrus Galatinus of y Iewes That coÌ„parison I go by with silence for I can not tary in euery thing Againe that woman that hath a foule head is a foule woman The woman or Church of Rome hath Antichrist to her head therefore she is a foule woman That Antichrist is a foule head I proue because Christ is a fayre head Antichrist and Christ be contrary Againe that Antichrist is the head of this woman I referre me to Bullinger and Gualter that haue treated that probation to a booke called Antichristus siue de fine mundi Againe if Peter were a fayre head then this woman hath had many a long day a foule head and so hath bene a foule woman The proofe of this poynt standeth in this to shew that Peter and the Popes of long tyme haue bene contrary And it is easie to be shewed Peter is as much to say as a rocke Peter was in déede a rocke but this Pope of late daies hath bene a réede in religion or els irreligious Peter is called Symon that is an auditour of Gods word This is a corrector and burner of Gods worde Peter was Called to be an Apostle This thrusteth in by simonie and coniuring and poysoning as Cardinall Benno can tell â–ª Peter was an Apostle this an Apostaâ—… or renegate as the Apocalyps caÌ„ tell Peter was a man this is a woman Peter was a man this is a beast as the foresayd Apocalyps can tell Peter preached to the Iewes this neither to Iewe nor Gentile Peter healed the sicke and the sâ—…re this woundeth and
in persecuting Iacob and making his father sadde Whether Hosius and Harding who say the sentence agaynst Christ was â—…ustly geuen and one Vause that writeth a Cathechisme from Louane and hath wiped out the second of the ten Commaundementes and diuided the last into twaine or the Iesuites that beginne to count Sainct Lukes and S. Markes Gospells as hangbies and make Sainct Paules writing to be but Scripture at their lust I say whether that Hosius Harding Vause or the Iesuites haue frontem meritricis or no Whether that Doctour Sanders that hath written one booke de duabuâ—… missis in vno templo simul celebrandiâ—… and hath brought not one iote or smal tittle of Scripture to make for his purpose do not represent the state of aâ—… Papisticall writers whose custome iâ—… not much to meddle with Scriptures â–ª Whether that the Papistes as thâ—… worlde now is coulde for any money be hyred to let passe poysoning and man killing sith that these be the greaâ—… test schole poyntes of their Church These questions haue their edifying and ediâ—… more ritchly then these schoâ—… questions But the question of principâ—… litie is thus Whether is thy beloueâ—… gone Our questions must be of the gâ—… inges of the beloued and the doinges of the beloued of Christes iourneyes and Christes ghestes And as questions may and must be asked so it must be for learninges sake so then learning ought to be in all states ages And where as he said Verilie ignorance is the daÌ„me of all deuotion I say to the coÌ„trary verilie ignorance is not the daÌ„me of right deuotioÌ„ certainly the Scriptures in all corners of theÌ„ do excite all kinde of people to knowledge Esaie sayth An non quesitum ibit populus ad Deum suum Shall not the people goe to seeke after their God Againe The people that sit in darkenesse see a great light Againe The earth shall be filled with much knowledge Againe Christ sayth to all that receaue the Communion Mortem eim annunciabitis c Ye shall shewe forth his death till he come How can they shewe forth or talke of his death except they haue knowledge Againe Cauetâ—… de Pseudoprophetis Take ye heede of â—…alse Prophets How caÌ„ they take héede except they haue learning Againe it is sayd Nonne legistis Haue ye not red Peter sayth Regale sacerdotum sumus We are a kingly Priesthoode We are all Priestes and Priestes must be learned Againe it is sayd in the Canticles Sinescis te O formosissima mulierum egredere a me If thou knowest not thy self O thou fayrest of women get thee froÌ„ me Paule sayth Omnia probate Proue all thinges It is sayd of Christian people Ne simus paruuli intelligentia Let vs not be little ones in vnderstanding Againe Unus loquatur alter diiudicet Let one speake and the other iudge How can those iudge that haue no learning Peter willeth euery man to be readie to render a reason of his fayth It iâ—… sayd in Genesis that Abraham went to the hill of Moreth that is to the hill oâ—… shewing So we must search the Scriptures till God be shewed vnto vs and there we must farie Sainct Iohn saythâ—… Omnes erunt dociles Dei They shall be all Gods scholers Againe Si quis voâ—… luerit voluntatem eius facere c If any man will do his will he must know oâ—… his doctrine Againe This is eternaâ—… life to know thee and whom thou haâ—… sent Iesus Christ. Againe I write vnto you my little sonnes I write vntâ—… you fathers I write vnto you younge men I write vnto you childreÌ„ Againe he writeth vnto a chosen Lady and to her children which abide in the libertie So that he writte to all states and sectes to the entent they should haue knowledge In the Actes of the Apostles when Paule preached the people opened their bookes and conferred the places S. Hierome sayth that ScripturaruÌ„ ignorantia est ignorantia Christi the ignoraunce of Scripture is the ignorance of Christ. S. Hierome writte to Paula to Eustochium and Marcella women S. Hierome saith Let the Plough man holding the hale sing some Psalme of Dauid S. Hierome translated the Psalmes into the Sclauonian toung Origine in an Homilie of the booke of Numbers sayth That the deuill possesseth all their soules that liue in ignoraunce The sayd Origine did alwayes wishe that he could poure all his knowledge into all kinde of meÌ„ Tertullian writte a booke of a learned argument vnto his wife Ambrose did instruct Monacha S. Augustines mother in religion Augustine writeth in the Psalme that the kingdome of ignoraunce is the kingdome of errour Other men may coniecture more But these two causes I thinke to be the speciall two causes why that the world liuing as it were in a warre of ignorance doth call such so much euill peace The one cause is the vulgar translation of the Bible the other the worshipping of God in a straunge toung Touching the vulgar translation that is the matrix and conceptorie place of very errour and ignoraunce Hence Dunce hence Dorbell hence Houlcotte Briccot Tappar Cappar Ecchius Pighius Coclaeus and Hofmiester haue founded and finde out many a fonde argumeÌ„t Hence wrangle the Iesuites hence wrastle the Sorbonistes hence the horne of Rome is most loftilie exalted This is thrust vpon the world by the Inquisitors of Spaine dubbed onely good and authenticall by the Councell of Trent and who soeuer will not receaue this he standeth accursed froÌ„ the face of the sayd Councell with the fearce thunderbolt of Anathemysation Besides that this translation taketh away and addeth to the text moe then many hundreds of wordes There is no leafe throughout the whole Testament but it hath in this translation some great and greuous errour Whereas the Hebrue translation sayth Melchisedec protulit â—…aneÌ„ And so sayth Ambrose he brought forth bread Iosephus sayth he ministred bread The vulgar translation sayth He offred vp bread And hereupon they would deuise their Masse offertorie The Hebrue translation sayth Osculemini filium Kisse the sonne The vulgar translation sayth Apprehendite disciplinam Take ye discipline The Hebrue translation sayth Filij hominum vsque quo gloriaÌ„ meam in ignominiaÌ„ Sonnes of men how long shall my glory be turned into reproch The vulgar translation sayth Sonnes of men how long will ye be of an heauie hart The Hebrue translation doth say The kinges of hostes are fled are fled the she dwellers in the houses haue deuided the spoyles The vulgar translation sayth The kings of vertues of the beloued of the beloued c. The Hebrue doth say Ye haue slept amongest the middest of the pottes The vulgar doth say Ye haue slept amongest the middest of the Clergie The Hebrue doth say To enuie fatte hilles The vulgar doth say To looke vpon lumpishe hilles The Hebrue doth say I will turne thee from Basan I wil turne thee froÌ„ the depth of the sea The vulgar doth
be but a brokeÌ„ staffe as Esay termes weake helpes and will in the end plunge mans soule in desperation in conflict and in hel Such peace tasted Franciscus Spira of that died in desperatioÌ„ tasted Ecchius of that dying vttered desperate wordes tasted Sadoletus of that dyed in a weake fayth tasted Latomus of that roared like an Oxe in his death bedde and as some thinke tasted Bish. Gardiner of Those of that Church do fremere vt vrsi do rore like Beares and those of our Church and those that be the members of our faire woman they doe as the Prophet sayth Gemere vt columbi Mourne like Doues Thei die therfore like our Sauior Christ Ego vado ad patrem taking death to be no more but a passage to the father They die like Paule There is layde vp for me a crowne of glory They die like Steuen Lord I betake my soule to thy handes They die like Polycarpus Lorde make me a partner of thy resurrection They die like Luther God is the great Byshop of my soule let him take carke of my soule They die like Caluine 〈◊〉 haue holden my peace Lorde because thou hast done this This woman this Church bringeth warre to the body and warre to the soule and therefore she is 〈◊〉 foule woman Againe if sinne do make foule and vncleane then is this woman that wayâ—… very foule and vncleane to In respecte oâ—… sinne Tertullian Hierome call Rome Babylon But if they will be so impudenâ—… as to denie their vglie monstrous racâ—… of sinne then let Barnard speake that sayth There is no healthfull place in that Church froÌ„ the toppe to the toe â–ª Nay go ye then to and speake euen ye Italian writers speake Boccas speake Petrach speake Mantuan and speake Pallengenius Howbeit it is vaine in mâ—… to bidde them speake who commonly throughout all their workes doe burste out into most bitter spéeches agaynst the enormious life of the Church of Rome But admit these men had neuer spokeÌ„ any one word agaynst that church yet doo but loke ouer Bales booke of Votaries and a boke called A Cataloge of witnesses agaynst the Pope of Rome and then I doubt not but you will subscribe that this church of Rome is a most sinfull woman In the meane time vpon the witnessing of so many witnesses in great earnest I tell you that she is a most sinfull woman and therfore spiritually a most foule and deformed woman Those thinges that they obiect to our church are but freckes and speckes in comparison of the Botches and Biles of theyr owne church And for our further purgation I report me to a litle booke of Master Caluine de scaÌ„dâ—…lis nostrae ecclesiae of such reproches as may be intended against our church Now if they will say that their church is fayrer because she is trimly attired because she hath curious copes and veluet vestmentes sensing and singing and much ioly ringing it may please them to vnderstand that all this fayrenesse is not fayrenesse from within the church but an outward fayrenesse and a paynted fayrenesse And all those reasons which Peter Martyr in the booke of kings doth bring that a woman ought not to paint her face may be alleged agaynst them that they ought not to paint theyr church And if euer they will proue theyr church to be a fayre church they must first make this good that painted beawty is a good beawty And thus much haue I sayd in these two poynts that Christes church is a woman and hath womanhead that Antichristes church is a drab and a shamelesse brothell that Christes church is fayre that Antichristes church is foule And now let me speake of the church and of the authoritie of the church which I coÌ„fesse to be some because here the church or fayrest of women is asked and doth geue answer of the beloued and doinges of christ Touching theyr argumentes whereby they would geue so great an authoritie to the church they be light and nothing such as they are estéemed To come to their first argument which is Thou art Peter and vpon thee Peter I will build my church â–ª it doth not serue for theyr turne euen by the testimony of the better sort of the fathers For Augustine vpon Iohn sayth Non a petro petra sed petrus a petra The rocke taketh not name of Peter but Peter of the rocke And agayne he sayth I will build thee vpon me and not me vpon thee Such like wordes hath Origen and so Hierom to Iouianus who in an other place sayth that the church is fouÌ„ded vpon all the Apostles But they haue an vnuincible argument out of S. Augustine I would not beleue the Gospell except the authoritie of the church did moue mee I will not expound S. Augustine nor they shall expouÌ„d him but S. Augustine shall expound S. Augustine And here I let them vnderstand by S. Augustine that he vseth to spâ—…ake in the preterimperfectence for the preterplupâ—…ctence So in the first booke of his confessions and â—…enth chapt speaking of his youth he sayth thus Non enim dicerem nisi cogâ—…r Which can not be truely expounded but thus Non didicissem nisifuissem coactus I should neuer haue learned except I had bene driuen thereto Agayne in the second booke and third chap. he sayth Erubescerem for Erubescebam I should blush for I did blush soo that there hée straineth the moodes In the eight chap. he sayth Si tunc amarem poma illa qua furutus sum which cannot be expounded thus If I then would haue loued these aples which I haue stolen but thus If I had then loued those aples which I had stolen so that we must reade amarem for amassem I had loued for I should loue â–ª In the tenth chap. he sayth thus Ego solus illud non facerem which must néedes be expounded thus I would not had done so So that héere we haue facerem for feciscem the imperfectence for the pluperfectence No otherwise must néedes be sayd Euangelio non crederem that is non credidisceÌ„ The Papistes say I would not beleue the Gospell except the authoritie of the church did moue me to it I by the circumstances of that placâ—… by likenes of these other places do say it can not be expounded but thus Non crederem Euangelio id est non credidiscem Euangelio So that the mere and vnbroken sense of S. Augustines wordes be these I should not had beleued or I should neuer had beleued the Gospell except the authoritie of the church had moued me thereto So that all the authoritie that they can gayne for the church out of this place is but this The church was an introduction to Sainct Augustine to beleue the Gospell therfore it is of more authoritie then the Gospell So they may say that the starre did shew the wise men the way vnto Christ therefore the starre hath more authoritie then christ â—…o Iohn