the Apostles and tormented most cruelly many thousand martyrs commandynge deuils to be worshyped for God and compellyng many to do sacryfyce to them And who can nowmber all those great and horrible blasphemies ageinst the very God whyche that wicked Antichrysten Rome then beyng druncken wyth the blode of the sainctes spewed forthe Da. And I sawe that the beast was slayn and hys body destroid and casten out to be burned and the powr of the other beastes taken awaye and the tymes of theyr lyues were sette them vnto tyme and tyme. Osi. GOD the father hath nowe in tyme paste taken awaye the most high impery from all the. iiij Kyngdomes of the worlde and dyd geue them to his only begotten sone Chryste by his heuenly proclamed decree when he sayd This is my welbeloued sone in whom I am pleased hym hear ye But not so that theraftyr there shuldbe no more Kyngdoms and imperies For GOD wyll haue Kyngdoms and imperies styll to stande gouerners to rule comon weales to be serued lawes and iudgemēts to be executed good men to be defended euyll to be punisshed but so that they do not althynges as they liste as dyd the. iiij beastes whiche nether fered ne regarged GOD ne man but he wyll rather they beleue in Christe hym to obaye wyth hys words to be enstructe theraftyr to gouerne theyr subiectis y t them selues myght knowe also and to shewe them selues to haue a lorde in heuen But wycked Rome contemneth thys heuenly decree of God the father and Chryste rysen from dethe to whom is geuen all powr in heuen and erthe she aknowlegeth not the Apostles she beleueth not to their myracles she geueth no place w t the constancie of martires she is not moued ne w t any crueltye of tormentyng y e Godly is she sated but cōtinueth styll rebell and blasphemose And therfore GOD the father the most highe iuge and monarke in hys celestyall iudgement seat by hys diffinite sentence geuē hath he iudged hyr to death Which sentence once geuen the maiestie of hir empyre lyke the soul of the bodie of thys beast departeth translated to Constantinople by Constantyne the great her bodie left sone aftir corrupt contempt powered forth vpon hyr is putrifyed consumed as karyon all nacyons almoste rebelling agenst hir and spoylyng Ita lye vntyl at last Rome by the Gothes wasted was brent vp with fyer aftyr almost MCC that she was built And this is lo her ende This was the buriall of the former Romane Kingdom and ende of her fyrst dominacion in the yere of our Lorde ccccxij And hyr last destruc cion in the. cccccli of Christ. In the yeare from the fyrst buylding of that citie cccccccliij was Chryste borne Whose former buryall I saye by the Gothes ce to remember diligētly Christen reader I monysh and monysh the yet ageyne And the other beastes had then also lost theyr hyghe empyres and skant retained they any myserable remembrance of their former maiestie whiche because they reiected Christe they also loste their glorie For in all the hole worlde was there not a corner in whiche the kingdomes and empyres at that tyme when Rome fyll were not eyther vtterly ouerthrowe or sewerly meruerlously changed But let vs yet hear Daniel Da. I loked then aboute in the vysion of the nyght and beholde with the cloudis of heuen came there one lyke the sonne of man and he came to the olde aged and they presented him vnto his presence and he gaue him powr and honor and Kingdome that all the peple trybis and tongues shuld serue him His power is euer lastyng whiche shall not be taken from him and hys Kyngdome incorruptible I Daniel was afrayd in my selfe for these thynges and the visions of my head troubled me Osi. This is the other parte of this diuine and heuenly iudgement wherin Chryste our Lorde the dominacion of the citie of Rome extynct is sent in to the possessyon of his imperie and the churche thenseforthe receiued Christen emprours as Constantyne the great and such lyke whiche acknowledged Chryste to be the Kinge of all Kinges and Lord of all Lordes Goodly descrybeth he Christe callyng him the sone of man whiche with the cloudes ascended from the erthe to heuen and is comen to the olde aged commanded to sit down on his ryght hand whiles he maketh his enimies his fote stole Which thing when it was by the gospell tented in vain for a time with and by these mighty men which wold nether beleue ne geue place then were they destroid and at last roted out Chryste verely is offred vnto God y ◠father as he that only is worthye to rceyue powr and ryches wysdome strength honor and glorie euen as it is allowed in the iudgement of the father geuinge him effectually all powr For the Romane dominacion extincte the Gospell was propaled and preached forthe thorowt all nacions and the old idolatrie was eueriwher quēched Nether shuld it moue vs that many aftyrwarde rebelled ayen and the Chrysten relygion forsaken became Mahumetanes or papystes or fyll bake into other vngodlynes For this minyshed not the maiestie and empire of Christ but made them mo re clear when a lytle aftyr he shuld come with great glorye and these rebellis punishe with euerlastyng torments Euen as hym selfe testified by this most apt similitude A certain noble man went in to a far countrie to receiue his Kingdō to returne And his cytezens which may not be vnderstandē but of them whiche some tyme before beleued hated hym and sent a message after hym saynge We wyll not haue thys man to reigne ouer vs ee But he returned at last said these myne enimies whiche wyll not haue me raigne ouer them brynge them hyther and slaye them before me The Kyngdom of Chryst therfore which we praye dayly to come vnto vs euen hys worde wherin he raygneth by fayth loue and innocency of lyuynge and in this worlde obteineth gouerning the beleuers monisshed wyth hys worde and spirit and ether mendinge the vnbeleuers monisshed with dyuerse plages or thrustyng down the incorrigible vnto hell is an eternall Kyngdom whiche in the last iugement shalbe purged from al sclaunders and offendicles and so thence forth nether to be taken from hym ne corrupted But beware lest any mā perswade y e Daniel in this place to speke of the laste iugement For here it is iuged secretely and partyclarely of the .iiij. beastes But in the last iugement it shalbe iuged openly and vniuersally all the iugement geuen vnto Chryste bothe of the quik and deade This iugement is dayly done in heuē the worlde not seinge it for the Father gaue Christ after his resurreccion all power in heauen and earth euē to iuge the quik and the dead being the sonne of man as ye reade Ioā .v. cha The other last shalbe done vpō the erth al the world Aungels and deuillis being present The particlare iugement these .iiij.
millenarie be all full hole geuen to the laborouse last mortal lyfe but y t most gloryouse beutyfull parte therof aboute the euenyng shâ—lbe anteuorted and preuented of that blessed and euerlastynge reste as it shal appere clearlyer in the coÌ„ iectures followyng and in the mysterye of the supper of oure Lorde preuented celebrated in the euenyng and in the para bles of y t callinges to supper after which refreshyng there followeth no more laboure but reste The secoÌ„d coniecture is takeÌ„ of y â— wordes of christ red Matth. 24 Mar. 13. thus But the daye and hower nomaÌ„ knoweth it no not thaungels in heaueÌ„ nor yet the sone him selfe but onlye my father But as were the dayes of Nohe so shalbe the coming of the sone of man For as in the dayes of Nohe before the floude they were eating drynkyng and marying vnto the daye in which Nohe entred into y â— arke and knewe not therof till the floude came ouer them taking all awaye euen so shalbe the coming of the sone of man For in these wordes Christe semeth not to compare only the qualyte but also the quantite of the tyme. The qualitie of the tyme I call the corrupt maners of that worlde and age the quantitie is the nomber of the yeres And as for the qualitie ther is no doute therof when Christ said playnly Luke xvij That as in the dayes of Nohe and Lot they ate and dronke toke wyues and maried bought and sold planted and builded euen so shall it be when the sone of man shalbe reueled But as touchyng the quantyte or noumber of the yeris albe it the thing be hid obscure yet in some behalfe it shyueth sheweth her selfe wher Math. saith perfectly As were the dayes of Nohe so shalbe the coming of the son of man Namely when Paul Rom. v. affyrmeth AdaÌ„ to haue had ben the forme and image of Chryst to come as in y â— i. Cor. xv of christ he maketh an other Adam euen into the spirit that quickeneth The fyrst Adam was erthey out of the earthe but the seconde man is the Lorde him self out of heuen Nowe if Christ be the other AdaÌ„ of whom the fyrst was the forme and similytude and the comyng of Christe be as the dayes of Nohe aboute the floude who wyll not beleue but that how much tyme passed from the earthey adam vnto the dayes of Nohe euen to the floude so much tyme shall there passouer to the celestiall Adam our Lorde Iesus vnto the â—nde euen to that last fiery floude wherof Peter sayth The daye of the Lord shall come lyke a thefe in the night at whose coming the heuens shal passouer lyke a storme and thelements shall melt awaye with heat y â— erthe al y â— workes theri shal be bruÌ„t vp And the heuens shalbe consumed whith fyer and thelementes molteÌ„ it is so manifest that from Adam to the floude there passed ouer Mcccccclvi yeres wherfor it is very like that in y â— year of our Lorde Mcccccclvi the end of the world shalbe comen before our dores whiche now is not much more theÌ„ an C. yeres heÌ„ce except it be rekoned from y t re surreccion of Christ. And as Nohe knew not the day ne hower of the floude tyl the Lorde bode him go into the arke but the year he knewe it when God told him before that he wold graunt him yet to the men cxx yeres space to repent euen so we albeit the daye and howr we knowe not yet the year maye we knowe or coniecture very nighe it ☞ The thirde couiecture is taken froÌ„ the tyme of Christes birthe vnto his passion and resurreccion whych is xxxiij ye res and some dayes more whose noumber we yet knowe not For when he was baptized he was full xxx yeres olde or very nyghe so that he was full thyrtye ere he toke the offyce of a leuite as to preache and to teache openlye Thus the sone of GOD whyche of euerlasting was in the bosome of the father manisshappe taken vp to him is becocome conuersant wyth vs lyke as one of xxx yeris olde For as touching his godheit he tolde the Iewes sayng Before Abraham was borne I had my being essenciall name called Sum. And yet to cer tyfye vs the more in this thinge behold the Astronomer Ptolemeus which in cal king the yere expressed plainly in y e course of y e. xxxiiij yeres of Christ to be euen such an easter day or passouer day as we finde nowe described of theuaÌ„gelistes at y t passyon of Christ which daye fyll then iustely vpoÌ„ the fryday as did then Christ vpon the same daye kepe it with hys Discyples Albeit the Iewes then differred trauslated it into the next sabboth which was saterdaye and then ate they theyr Passe lombe at euening in y â— which forenone was offred the very trwe passe lombe Christe the ende of all the fygures therof the Iewes not yet seing y e verite but abiding still in their dead blinde shadows The iewes differred y e feste as they do yet when it so falleth vpoÌ„ the friday lest two gret festes in which they may not do so much as make their owne fyer or cut their brede shulde be contynued togither whiche thing that Christe shuld eate his Passe lombe on the fryday and suffer also on the same day makyng saterday the hole restyng daye vpon son day erly to ryse many hitherto haue not â—speyd But this mater Paule Bisshop of SeÌ„pronie serched for wyth gret study and could not fynde it out only because he perceiued not the Iewes not to tell y e fyrst day of the moneth from the coniunâ— cion of the sone and mone next before but from the eauening euen at v. of the cloke before the chaÌ„g in which the lerned astro mers did euidently shewe it or els lawful witnes proued it to the elders or senators of Ierusalem that the newe mone was sene or might haue had ben sene But returne we to our purpose Wherfore when our Lorde Christ born of the virgeÌ„ concerning his fleshe was in this our miserable lif coÌ„uersant with vs. xxxiij yeres and some dayes more it is very like him self also to be borne spirytually of the in corrupt vyrgyne the holy churche by the free confession and pure doctryne of the gospell euen so many yeares but yei great yeres and so to remayne and abyde with vs styll in his spirytuall birth these xxx great yeres in this worlde But here must ye knowe that there be two maner of grete yeres in holy seryptur One is the Angels year and the tother is Moses year One Angels year coÌ„ teineth somany of our comon yeares as we haue daies in our yeare that is 354. of our yeares for so many daies be there in our lunare yere For w t vs which be coÌ„ cluded vnder y e heuens y t course of y t sone froÌ„ east to west
is there this one thynge whiche principally perteyneth to the shame ignominie misery and confusyon of the abominable popedoÌ„ That euen by the same Emprours Kynges by whom it was stablyshed in whome he moste trusted whome he most dignifyed magnifyed w t hys flateryng lying titles to be hys defeÌ„ders of hys faythe his first begotten sonnes most catholyke Kynges moost Christen Kynges c. By y t same Kinges shal he at last be plukt vp by the rotis that w t the most hygh ioy of al y e holy faithful saintes which for y e same fal shall brekeforth into this laude prayse before God and synge Helthe honor glory power be to the Lorde our God for true and iuste are his iudgementes done vpon the greate whore whiche hathe corrupted and polluted the earth w t her vnshaÌ„faced whoredome and hathe auenged the blode of hys seruauÌ„tes delyuered out of her handes These wordes out of Ioan be suf fycient Now let vs also hear Paul writting to the Thessalonians thus Paul we praye you brethern for y e coming of our Lord Iesu Christ and of our gathering together into hym that ye be not sone caryed awaye of your owne opinion neyther be ye troubled by spirit nor by pistle as it weÌ„t forth by vs as though y â— day of Christe were now at hand let noman de ceyue you in any wyse For the Lorde shall not come to the laste iudgement except there come before a departynge or a fallyng awaye Osi. By whiche the prouynces shall fall awaye from the Roma ne imperye and Romane kyngedom be fallen and destroyed Paul And the man of sinne and sonne of perdicioÌ„ be vttered reueled Osi. That is y e pope of Rome Paul Whiche is ayenst God is extolled lifted vp aboue y e most highe God aboue whatsoeuer is worshipped as god so that eueÌ„ in the teÌ„ple of God Osi. That is in the chirche as it is said the temple of God is holy whiche temple be you Paul he wil sitte Osian That is he will occupie y e chayer seat pulpit place or office to teache and rule al men Paul OsteÌ„ting himself and bosting him as he were God Osi. For his doctors of his canon lawe affirme the pope not to be a pure man but to be taken vp of God into the fulnes of powr Paul Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I tolde ye these things Osi. EueÌ„ the same that the Apoca. hath writen Paul And now what yet letteth ye to know it that he be not reueled tyl in his tyme For eueÌ„ now he worketh his secrete mistie mischief Osian For the bishops of Rhome with their carnal clerkis bishops cardinals for very fewe of theÌ„ were good eueÌ„ then fro the tyme of the Apostles aspired priuely vnto the dominacion and lordeship whereby by succession of tyme thei haue oppressed the hole vniuersall chirche Reade the Epistle of Zepherin and of Pontiane and suche lyke annexed to the bokis of the recognicions of Clement and thou shalt see howe erely and spedily by what craft and subtiltye thei begane to worke this their secrete mistie mysteryes But yet then dyrst they not openly brekeforth and in very dede chaleng to themselues the dominacyoÌ„ so loÌ„g as the monarchy of the Cesars floryshed at Rome Paul Onely so y t he that nowe holdeth let hym holde fast tyâ— he be takeÌ„ out of the seat Osi. The monarchie of y e Cesars and Emperours which rule ouer all sayth he let them stande holde fast theyr kyngdome tyll the Empyre be traÌ„s lated fro Rome to Constantinople or vn tyll the former dominacyon of the citye of Rome be deuolued into the Popis pri macie which was when they fayned theÌ„ selues to haue had suche a ryche gyfte of Peters patrimonie by the legacie of CoÌ„stantyne Themperour Paule And then shall that wicked Antichrist be disclosed Osi. And euen then dyd the aight heade the Pope steke forthe hys hornes put out hys head as it is to fore sayde in the Apocal. Paul Whome the Lorde shall slay with the breath of hys mouth Osi. That is with the power of hys worde which after the xxx iubilei of the church openly ayen and with a mightye spirite shalbe preached â–ª Paul And he shall destroye hym with the brightnes of hys co myng Osi. For as the gray morning cometh before the sonne euen so shal y â— sprirer preachyng of the pure Gospell come before the commyng of oure Lorde Iesu Christ the sunne of ryghtuousnes For Christ sayd This Gospell of my kyngedom that Christ is our Kynge and not y t Pope shalbe preached in the vniuersall worlde into a testimonye for al nacyons and then shal the ende come For this cleare preachynge of the Gospell shall destroye the dominacyon of the Pope as it hathe now begune So be it For hys dominacyon shal not dure vnto Christes comyng or els how shuld it be fulfilled that at Ioan sayth of the x. Kynges that they shall leaue this beast desolate naked her flesh eaten vp and at last burne here vp God so putting it into theyr her tis Pau. Whose coming is w t the worke of Satan in great power with lying signes and fayned myracles with a migh ty deceyt with wyked stronge illusyons to theÌ„ y t be forlorne Osi. This is y e most holy sanctitie of our most holy prelate y â— Pope Pau. And for y t thei haue not recei ued the loue of the trouth therby to be saued therfor shal god send theÌ„ y e operacioÌ„ of errour to beleue lyes â–ª that thei al be dampned y t haue not beleued the trowth but haue consented to wykednes These things hath Paul prophecied of the last dominacion and fall of Rome and of hir popedom Wherfore ye peple of Christ gete ye out spedily farre from hir lest ye be partakers of hir wykednes be plaged also with the beast and hir vnclene clergye as the Aungel cryeth in the Apoca vnto vs. And as for the Emprour of Rome albeit he be yet so called yet posse deth he not Rome nether dare he once loke thitherwarde without the popis con sent which is so come to passe by the extreme wykednes and execrable subtiltie of the serpent and his vicar the pope of Rome for this same cause that if any man shuld be so bolde as to once opeÌ„ his mouth to laye any of these oracles prophecies ayenst the execrable wikednes intolerable Romish dominacioÌ„ ouer our faith he shuld apere to obiecte it ayenst the Emprours maiestie because he bereth â—til the name of the dominacion of Rome and is no lorde therof But the thing it self declareth clerely the euident difference enoughe betwixt the Emperours dominacyon ouer Rome and the Popis albeit they be bothe sayd to be y e one of Rome Emperour the tother of Rome the Pope So
what it is to blas pheme the tabernacle of God them y ◠dwell in heuen it is plainly perceiued in the. ix of Daniel where it is thus prophe cied of Antioche Out of one of thē there went forth a litle horne it was magnifyed and extolled vp vnto the strengthe tower or tabernacle of heuē he threwe downe some of the starres treding them vnder his feete For trwth it is y t he vnderstode therby the temple of God and the holy men in the peple of Israel And euen so do y e pope blaspheme the church of God and his holy faithfull callinge them heretiques saing y t there is no hope of saluacion except we holde vpō the pope be vnder the court of Rome obe dient to his deuilish lawes and doctrine when it is here clerely said non to haue the trewe hope of saluacion that abide in the popes doctrine But ther be infinit lyke things which aske a nother treatise Ioan. And it was geuen him to make ba taill with the holy faithfull and to ouercome them Osi. So great is the might powr of the lyes of the iuglings of the false coulored doctrine of the false miracles and of the ipocrisye of the popedom that euen the very holy faithful mē shal seme to be ouercomen and taken for here tiques when y ◠pope so dampneth decla reth thē Which thing except we perceiue remember well we can not abhorre and fear his blasphemies But because he blasphemeth non euill men as the self thing witnesseth it but onely the good and the very trwe churche euen Gods holy faithfull we ought to ioye reioyse when we be thus blasphemed of him For it happeneth to vs in to the testinionie that we haue nothing to do with y ◠abominable beast but that we estiewe lothe and abhorre him Ioan. And there was geuen him powr ouer al the trybes and peple tongues folke Osi. This doth thaungel interprete where he saith The. x. hornes whiche thou sawest ar x. Kings which yet haue not receiued their Kingdom but with the beast shall they in one hower receiue powr as Kings These haue one counsel and shall delyuer vp their powr to the beast that is to saye As the first dominacion had x. prouinees ruled by the counsellers euen s◠shall the second dominacion when the beast is now waxen strong haue hir x. Kings as I said to fore For that as before was but one Romane imperie is now diuided into x. kingdōs of which euery one hath hir king which in Ioans time had not yet receiued kingdō For y ◠beast hirself had not then put vp hir head and hornes but they were to receyue it at howr one w t the beaste y t was at the same tyme not so y t one shuld raygne after another as dyd the vn ▪ heades in the secla re imperye but altogether and in the self tyme as we see it in very dede For these Kynges with one counsayll or sentence delyuer vp theyr power to the Pope y t is with a styl secrete cōsent in theyr course and lot they humbly acknoweledge y ◠Pope to be theyr head reuerencyng him for the vicar of Christ submittynge them selues and theyrs vnto hym And thus dyd the beaste get hym power ouer euery kynred trybe people tongue and folke as farre as was the Christendom wyde For when he wold gouerne and rule vnder the holy pretence of religiō so might not hys power extende to the infidels Ian. And all that inhabite the earth shall worshyp the beast whose names be not written in the boke of y ◠liuing lōbe whiche was slayne fro the beginnyng of the world Osi. God which is ryche in mercye for hys excedynge loue wherewith he loued vs when we were dead in synnes he reuiued vs that truely beleued in Christ and hath made vs to sitte in heauenly seatis as wryteth Paul to the Ephes◠Wherfore when the Pope blasphe meth vs he blasphemeth the dwellers in heauen But they whose names be not written in the boke of lyfe they dwell in the earthe for they sauoure but earthely thynges and therfor worshyp they the beaste Ioan. Who so haue eares let him heare who so leadeth into captiuitie him selfe goeth into captiuitie he that slayeth with swerde shall be with swerd slayne And here is the pacience and the fayth of the sayntes Osi. That is yf any man by these thynges spoken can not yet know who is this beaste let hym at least wyse yet vnderstand this one thing yfhe now haue any eares to heare That where the holy faythfull for the faythes sake and trewe doctryne of Christe be led into bōdage of mennis tradiciōs or smytē with swerde or by any other meanis slayne whiche is suffered without shame that openlye for in thys oure tyme manye haue ben slayne and manye presoned and persecuted onelye because with a good conscience they marye theyr lawfull wyues preache and professe the truthe wyll worshyppe non Idols wyl receyue bothe the partes of the souper and not the halfe there is the kyngedome of thys beaste whome God so hateth and detesteth that he wyll vtterlye remesure her with the same measure wherewith she measureth hys sayntes For at her ty me he shall saye Render to her as she hath geuen to vs geue her twyse double accordyng to her owne dedes For the cup that she hathe mengled for you fyll it to her twyse full and howe muche she hath magnifyed herself and sitten in her delicate ease and pleasures so muche rewarde hir with tormentes and waylinges Ioan. And I saw another beast ary syng and ascendynge from out of y ◠erth Osi. And this beast signifyeth as do al y ◠other a certayne kyngdome not of one man but of a certayne greate confuse filthy swarme by a certayn conspirisie and sediciouse consent swarming together on heap as though thei were one body And who be this beast Ioan himself interpreteth it cha xix callig hir y ◠false prophetis which make wondres and miracles befo re the beast Thys beast therfor signifyeth the false flocke the stinkyng donghil the coniured couent and kyngdome of al the false teachers preachers euē y ◠Popes bocherly spiritualty in the hole pope dom And thys beast is sayd to ascende clyme out of the earth to put difference fro the bealtis ascendynge out of the sea For the water is a more thick and grosser element then the ayer and therfore it bryngeth forth greater and grosser beastes And as the water signifye muche pe ple in heapes makyng rumore and tumul te and folke of grosser witte in who encreaceth the loue of voluptuousnes lust to raygne euen so to ryse fro the earthe signifyeth men of more subtyle witte for that not in the water but in the ayer they be created and therin to lyue This beaste therfore is risen vp out of men
ler ned wittye and ingeniouse but yet vngodlye Of whome at Rome and her to there is the most mighty and mischeuouse multitude Ioan. And she had two hor nes lyke a laÌ„b but sue spake as did y e dra gon Dst The lambe is Christe whiche fyghteth not with any corporal swerde but with hys spirituall hornes that is w t hys word which is diuided into two hornes that is into the word of the law which is the worde of wrathe and death and into the worde of the gospell which is the horne of helth grace and lyfe And euen so hathe thys beast or college of fal se Prophetes a double doctrine of which one they call the doctryne of faythe the tother the doctryne of good maners or morall but they bothe be contamyned corrupt with errours But yet thus reteine they the color and gliteryng shew as though they were Christen doctores teachyng Gods worde For in this pretence theyr hornes be lyke the lombes hornes But in very dede they speke as dothe the dragon The dragon or Satan Christ to witnes which stode not in the trouth but is a lyer and the father therof And wheÌ„ he speketh lyes he speketh them oute of hys owne head And euen so these false teachers stonde not in the pure doctryne of Christe but speke forth and teache vs theyr owne dreames and cogitacions out of theyr owne sence Ioan. And he dothe all the power of the former beaste in the presence of hym Osi. This beast blown together of the false teachers serueth ministreth vpholdeth and defendeth the Po pis kyngdome whyles hymself sittinge careles in all ease exempt from all charges taketh hys delicate lustes and pleasu res and as say the Italyaus triuÌ„pheth at home in all securitie Ioan. And he maketh the earth and the dwellers therin to fall downe and worshyp the fyrst chiefe or heade beast Osi. That is the beast y â— Lordely ruleth in the seat of Rome For hys Byshops Cardinals Priestes and preachers teache hym to haue that prima râ—e and to be supreme head of the church iure diuino by Godis lawe and they lye to Ioan. Whose deadly wound was healed Osi. As the heythen had once in admiracion the inuicte stabilitie of the Romane monarchye as I sayd tofore euen so had they it again wheÌ„ Rome had now fallen from Emperours and had by the popedom erected herselfe gloryouslye proudly vp agayne The supersticiouse the vngodlye whose names be not written in the boke of lyfe began to wonÌ„der and to haue in lyke admiracyon the inuicte maiestie of the Popedom and prima cie of the proude Romyshe Bishop thinkyng God therfor to haue had stablished the Romane monarchie to this ende y â— at last it shuld growe vp into the PopedoÌ„ Ioan. And he doeth great wonders and miracles so that he will make fyer fall downe from heauen into the earth in the syght of all men Osi. S. Paul in hys ij to the Thessalo Chap. ij calleth these woÌ„ ders signes miracles prodigiouse lyes for partlye be they mere mistyeing gling castis as wheÌ„ they bore thorow ymages of tree and water powrd in they can ma ke them to wepe teares falling downe with oyle make them to sweat or when they strewe kreuesses in churche pardes crepyng in the nyght with waxe candels eudes lyght and stoked vpon theyr bokes as dyd the priestes of late in dordrake to make the people beleue that the soules of the dead cruciated inpurgatory so returned to seke theyr helpe by theyr wont misses and suffragies on all soules daye And partely are they mere lyes as when they tell vs suche weping images to speake to moue themselues y â— soulis returned fro purgatory to tell vs y t they shall be delyuered by this many misses which done and the priestes paid y t kreuesses crepe there no more But those in finite mo lyinge signes wounders ste red vp so great deuocyon in the fonde ignorant people that the fyer of the holye ghooste semed by these beastes false doctryne and falser miracles written and preached with so great confidence to be slyden downe into the hertes of this maner of supersticyouse folke Ioan. And he seduceth the dwellers in the earthe wyth hys prodigyous tokens and wounders whiche were geuen hym to make in the presence of the beaste spekyng to biddynge the dwellers in the earth that thei make the image of y e beast which hath y e deadly wounde of the swerde and yet li ueth Osi. Of thys manifolde mencyon and repeticion of hys deadly wounde whiche netheles was yet healed it plainly apereth it to be also founde a lyke in bothe the dominacyons of bothe the beastes as is the mouth spekyng so stought thynges and the tenne hornes and also Gog and Magog comon to them both For they of whome Ezech. prophechied perteyn to the former dominacion but they that be mencioned of Ioan shalbe found at laste in thys later as yet many other thynges moo So that as the Monarchie of the Cesares in C. Iulio Cesar semed vtterly to be extinct by the swerd and yet was reuyued euen so the monarchye of the Pope was wounded to death by the swerde of the spiryte which is the word of God when Christe sayd to all hys Apostles and to theyr successours yea and euen to Peter that the Kynges of the heythen shal play the Lordes ouer theyr folke but so do not you And the Africane counsell decreed out of the same worde of God that no Byshop no not the Byshop of Rome ought to be called the Prince of priestes or chief head or ru ler or ouermost of the churche or the hyghest priest ouer all or the vniuersall Bishop so farre of is it that anye shulde be called Papa that is father of al fathers Pope in Englysh distin xcix Ca. prim This beast had neuer so deadly an heade wounde as the swerd of Goddes worde hath nowe geuen hym in these laste xxx yeares sence Erasmus Mar. Luth. Zwi glius DecolaÌ„padius MelanchtoÌ„ Pelli cane Bullinger Bibliander Bucer Cal uine with many gretilerned godly meÌ„ mo haue beguÌ„ to write teach preache and yet the more stroÌ„gly fiercely al his sworne sourgens and Popish Pharisees and Antichristen writers teachers as Cocleus Einser Alphons Eccius Piggiâ—s Latomus Bartholomeus Latom. Iohn fisher Bish. of Rochester Syr Tho mas More chaunceller of EnglaÌ„d StaÌ„dysh Steuen gardiner Bissop of Wynchester doctor Smith peryn with al their sworne swarme of fryers Cardinals Byshops hauyng now the Emperoure Charles v. one theyr side hyered of y e Po pe hys spiritualtie confedered with An tichrist to fyght ayenst the lorde his anointed as he haue of late beginne vnhappelye agaynst the Germanes hauynge I saye on theyr syde manye yet blynde Kynges and Prynces of the earthe the more fiercelye I saye these hys synfull supersticiouse sourgens secular and spirytual with
that there is no perell in callyng the Emperour or the Pone of Rome Antichrist as theyr confederation and coniuracyon thys day ayâ—â—st the Lorde and hys worde declare them But let vs at last returne to our coniectu re Syth it is geuen to the beast nowe agayn puttynge vp her heade to exercyse and execute her tyrannye xlij Romane moneths which staÌ„d vpon xxx dayes y t is to weit dayes m. cc. lx and the thynge compelleth vs to take them for Aungels dayes that is for m. cc. lx of oure comon yeares it can not be doubted but that these yeares once fulfylled the ende of the worlde is anone at hande But the doubt is where we shall begynne these yeares Some there be that thynke them to begynne anone from the tyme of the Emperoure Constantyne the great because of the gyfte that is fayned to haue had ben geuen to Pope Syluester and because of the translation of the seat Emperyall to Constantinople for that Paul saith He that holdeth must be takeÌ„ away and then that man of sinne shalbe reueled truely fro that tyme wherin they fayne themselues to haue had that ryche gift of Constantyne and they endoted enryched w t the best part of the Empyre euen with hole Rome Italy and halfe y e Empyre as they saye there was a voice herde in the ayer That now is the moste pestilent poysone entred into the churche of Rhome From that day I say yf the noumber be tolde which I wold gladly it shulde there beginne then is the Popedom at an ende within these xxxin yea res or after Daniel within lxiij yeres For then shuld the ende of the world fall about y e year of our Lord. m. ccccc lxxvij or after Daniel m. cccccc vij as it apeared to me by turnynge y e dayes into weâ—is wheÌ„ I gathered my exposicion vpon Daniel as ye may there read my coÌ„iectu re But by what fraud els soeuer y e beast then gote her emperyal possessions priÌ„ cely riches it semeth not true to me saith Osiander y t Constantyne gaue it them for eueÌ„ y e style only of y e instrumeÌ„t made of the same deuocyon gift or legacie proueth it playnlye to be a stark lye of all lyes y t euer were made vnder heuen the most shameles as the moost well lerned man Laurence Valla and Nicholaus de Cusa also Ierome Gatlatanus and other most graue writers now sence haue mooste clerely shewed proued it Wherfor albeit Constantine made a beginnyng to take awaye the former domi nacyon whiche letted y e mouing of y e ryches to y e popedom yet because the beast had not then as yet ben vtterly destroid she myght not be sayd properly to putte forth hir hornes or to lyfte vp her heade ayen except she had first haue ben vtter ly subuerted ouerwhelmed as it were w t waters And therfor we shal iustly begiÌ„ne to reken fro y e yere in y â— which after the translatioÌ„ of the empire Rome was takeÌ„ spoyled breÌ„t of y e Gothes brought thyther of theyr Capitain Alaricho For this is y e very iust end of y e former dominacion after Daniel And this was done in the yeare of the citie about m. c. lxiiij in y t yere of Christ about CCCC xij put nowe together the yeares of Christ. cccc xij and the yeres of the Pope M. cc. lx and thou hast the iuste noumber of M. CCCCCC lxxij And wheÌ„ we shal write and tell so many yeres from Christe then is the fatale ende of the Pope of the citye of Rome present at hande yf it rather be not so as I haue coniectured it aboute xxx yeares to come And thys coÌ„iecture maketh me that I thynke the yea res fro the celestiall Adam vnto the fyerve floude in the seconde coniecture and the iubile yeares of the churche in the thirde coniecture must not be rekened fro the byrthe of our Lorde but from hys re surreccyon For before that tyme he bore the forme of a seruaunte as hymself said to not haue ben comen to be serued but to serue From hys resurrection therfore he beganne iustely to possede hys kyngdom when he sayd All power is geuen me in heauen and earthe For so shall it come to passe that the ende of bothe the Pope and of Rome and of the worlde shall fall into the yeare of our Lorde aboute m. cccccc lxxxviij Whiles the fall of the Pope is lyke to come in the yeare of Christ about m. cccccc lxxij So that y e Popedom slayn extinct yet shal there remaine as it were â–ª xvi yeris in whiche men the aduersary of Christe and antichrist taken away and the gospell frely preched they shal begin ayen to lyue in a wealy securytye and in almaner voluptuose lustis as they wer wont to do And when they shall say peace and secu ritie then shal the soden destructioÌ„ come ouer them as the panges of a woman trauelling of childe and they shall not auoid it Wherfore let vs awake watch and be sober lest this daye take vs as a thefe in the night These things haue I setforth of the coniectures of the laste tymes and ende of the worlde For ther be yet many other things which I will not open nor communicate to the multitude But as for these things what credit there ought to be geuen to them I leaue it to be estemed of the spirituall church of Christe which can iudge all thinges them selues iudged of noman Couiecturs ar they I knowleg and confeâ—â—e it and no oracles Not withstandinge yet vnlesse I be begyled they shal not litely begile ne deceiue any Christen reader Come down Lord Iesu vnto iugement and deliuer they persecuted lytell sely flocke So be it Another coÌ„iectur added of y e translater When the citie of Rome was olde M xxxvij abouth y e yere of Christ. cclxxxvij when Dioclesane themprour begane to raigne there were suche dissencious sectis heresies false doctrine in the church of Rome as of the Manicheis PelagiaÌ„s Arrius c. as had not ben herd of before the popis then being Felix or rather In felix Euticianus an heretique Caius not good By whose contencious scismes and sectis and their so gredy ambicion for euen then begane they to begge and steall from the emprours parte of theyr most pleasant cities and richest possessions and londes and to set themprours and Kings togither by the earis Dioclesiane was so greuosly offended that he abhorred them and their false religioÌ„ and persecuted it whiche they called the christen religion as they do now the popis faith when it was nothing lyke Christe and his gospell but rather Sathans Kingdom and worse then the haithen Here begane the popis of Rome todeclare them selues very antichristis the beast was reueled eueÌ„ vnto the very haithen emprours For
pene fyer and swerd conteÌ„d and enforce to heale theyr beastes deadly wounde geuen hym with Gods worde the more vncurably do hys wounde feister the deper it rotteth the wyder it wexeth into hys present destruction and deathe as ye see thys daye the almighty mercyfull power of God resisting theyr cursed cure fyghtyng agaynst the enuyouse enforcemeÌ„tes of the Emperour Po pe and all Kynges contendynge to heal the Popis wounde with theyr fryerlye Pharisaicall Phisicions But who wold haue beleued this dominacyon fyrste of Christ and then of the councell so openly and iustly condempned and so wounded to haue had any more lyued And yet after these deadly woundes she lyued and yet lyued to thys daye but neuer so syke as now And therfor hys false doctors fo lysh sourgens falser Prophetes then fayned hym to haue holden hys domina cyon and primacie by the lawe and word of God And perswaded men as they yet with Wynchester labour the countrye that the ymage of thys beaste be made and set vp For as the ymage of God is the worde of God so is the ymage of the popedom the worde doctrine and tradicions of the Pope For he is set vp in the temple of God boastyng ostentyng hym self for God And in this he countre fayteth God that he be getteth his worde doctryne rytes cere and tradicioÌ„s out of hys owne brayne lyke vnto hys awne Antichristen ymage Syth theÌ„ the doctryne of the Popedom whiche these false defenders defende these false teachers do teache be double that is to saye of faythe and maners necessarelye are theyr two bokes coÌ„pyled that is the boke of theyr sentences and theyr boke of decrees and decretals which be euen the very selfe ymage of the popedom lyuely expressyng al theyr facyon forme theyr faythe theyr lyfe religyon merciles maners And thus it clerely apereth thys later beast to be blowen together of the lyinge doctors of the scolasticall diuinitie turning and studiyng the master of theyr sentences the holy Byble so neglected that many of them neuer redde it ne haue had it in their scoles and of the doctors of theyr common lawe treatynge y â— filthy deuely she decrees of Popes amoÌ„g the which doctors the inquirers of their hereticall prauitie as they cal them wor thely obteyne the hyghest place beynge in the stede of the heade to execute hys mercyles and tyrannouse offyce in burnynge All these men enstructe armed with hys demlly she double doctryne of the popedom as it were with theyr two mighty hornes fyght for and defende y â— Popis kyngdom Ioan. And it was geuen to hym that he shulde geue spirite breath to the ymage of the beast that the beastes ymage might speake Osi. That is thys latter beaste blown together of these falfeteachers hath in effect brought it to passe that the ymage or doctryne of the Pope shuld take breathe boldenes spyrite to lyue and speke For by theyr counsels conspirisons conuocacions and perswasyons haue they esâ—ectuonsly ma de it that the popysh doctryne muste be taught in all scoles and vniuersities and raygne and rule in all preachynges and pulpyts sitte in all spirituall courtes sessyons yea and euen in the consciences of men For in very dede this is it for hym to lyue and to speake when with publike autoritie not onlye is he thus preached taught but also accordynge to thesame hys lyfe must be estemed he iudged in iâ— gementes and stand in his kyngdoÌ„ And here it apereth wherfore he calleth thys beaste the doughâ—ll of false teachers that is to saye to be a certayn filthye viciouse kyngdom For it is playnly no little king dom that they obteyne in the church eueÌ„ so ferme faste and terryble that eueÌ„ that same former Emperyall beaste Emperoure as he was and is must be compelled to feare them and to fall downe and kysse the clouen stinkyng fete of theyr heade the Pope And therfor no man is created Doctor of diuinitie or of the canoÌ„ lawe in the Popedom excepte before amonge all other thinges he be also swor ne plainly into these wordes I shalbe an helper to defeude to maintaine to retey ne the Popedom of Rome agaynste all men Whiche thynge whyles they do it they verelye stablysh and confirme all thys latter beastes power before hir at her beâ— and pleasure as is tofore sayd Ioan. And he shall brynge it diligentlye into effecte that whosoeuer wyl not wor â—hyppe and fall downe before the image of this beast he shalbe slayne Osi. Who so beleue not this popysh doctryne to be egall yea and aboue GODS worde and so worshyppe hym and it he is iudged and condempned for an hereiyque of the inquisitors and yf he recant not he is burned For the Pope dare saye all hys constitucyons so hyghly to be taken as thoughe they shulde procede by the voyce of God out of S. Peters mouthe Distin. xix Cha. Sic. Ioan. And he maketh all bothe small and greate rych and poore free and bonde to take hys charactere in theyr ryght haudes or in theyr foreheadis and no man to may bye or sell except he hathe his character or the name of the beaste or the noumber of his name And here is wysedom He that hathe vnderstandynge let hym reken and accompte the noumber of thys beast For it is the tale and noumber of a man and hys noumber is CCCCCC lxvi Osiander To receyne the Character or marke of the beast is a metaphoryk and translated speche as much to saye as a man outwardly in al facions factis so to be haue and conforme and fashion hiÌ„ selfe that all may see and vnderstande hym to perteyne to the beastes familie or churche and to be subiecte and sworne to the beaste as haue all these seruing men in courtes theyr Lordes or masters badge or coginzane in or vpon their cotes The character or marke of the beast and her noumber and her name be taken all for one thynge And he commaundeth them that vnderstand the wordes hither to spoken to reken accompt the nouÌ„ber of the name of the beaste so that yf they can fynd iustly in her name the noumber of CCCCCC lxvi then be they sewer to haue the very knowledge of this beast and to see her in her own colours sitting lyke the whore of Babylon euen in her seat at Rome Ioan. Sheweth hymselfe to haue respecte to the Hebrewe and greke tongue as in other places in the name of the aungell called Abaddon and in y â— name of the place called Haâ—ageddon For Sepher in Hebrew signifieth a boke or scripture or a nowmber wherfore he alludeth so diuersly in the worde now calling it the name of the beast now the nowmber of the beast now the marke of the beast and character of the beast that is the scripture of y e beast I admonished the o Reader before in Daniel to consider diligently the nowmber of the Hebrew name of the fourth