¶ An answere to a letter ⧠♣ Cum priuilegio ¶ Here begynneth the answer I Haue receyued youre letter wherby I perceiue that syth your returnyng iÌ„ to your contrey Ye haue herde that there is yet here in London moche coÌ„munycation great dyuersytie of opynions vpon suche articles as were spokeÌ„ of whaÌ„ ye were here And ye haue also written to me at a good leÌ„gth all the articles that be noysed ther in your countrey to go yet abrode here in the cytie And thervpon ye desyre me to write vnto you my coÌ„ceyt / what I thynke is to be holdeÌ„ in those articles surely that is a right great request for me to accoÌ„plishe For though I entende to speke the truthe therin / do so in dede yet paraduenture some men wyll be offeÌ„ded with it / nat take it playnly after my meanyng but neuertheles / trustyng that the most parte of the people be nowe iÌ„ these dayes enclyned to take all thiÌ„ges to the best I wyll nat for the opynyon of a fewe / fully deny your reqÌ„st theriÌ„ / but shall shewe you with good wyll my conceyt to all your articles / for I trust charitie hath moued you to that desyre And I wyll nat recyte here your artycles perticulerly togither / but wyll answere to them after the same order as they stande in your letter And so / euery man that shall happen to rede this answere shall knowe the order of the articles iÌ„ your letter And fyrst ye saye / that many in your couÌ„trey reporte that there shuld be a sayeng here about London / that the kyng hath many newe authorites gyuen hym / by that he is recognysed to be the supreme hed vpoÌ„ erth vnder god of the church of EnglaÌ„de / ye desyre me to shewe you my conceyt what I thiÌ„ke therin / I wyll fyrst with good will say soÌ„ what to it to satisfye your desyre ¶ Whether the kynge by that he is recognysed to be supreme heed vnder god vpon erth of the church of EnglaÌ„de / haue therby any new power giuen hiÌ„ ouer his subiectes that he had nat before The first cha THe kyng / by that he is recognysed by the parliamente to be the supreme heed vnder god vpon erth / of the church of Englande / hath as I take it no newe power gyuen hiÌ„ in any thiÌ„ge but that lyke as before that recognisyon made / he had all such power ouer his subiectes spirytuall and temporall / as to a kyng beloÌ„geth by the lawe of god so after the seyde recognisyon / he had the same power without alteration / none other but that And therfore he maye nat as I suppose by reasoÌ„ of that recognisyon / take vpon hiÌ„ any auctority that our lorde gaue only to his apostels or discyples / iÌ„ spirytuall ministratyon to the people And though he may nat / yet the recognisyon was nat to al inteÌ„tes voyde / for by reason therof the power of the kyng is more euydeÌ„tly knowen than it was before that recognisyon made for before that recognisyon / the clergye had gretly defaced the power of kingê in this realme And for a more playne declaration of this mater / it is to be consydered / that there are some thynges that are called mere spirytuall / and that be so in dede And ther be some that haue beÌ„ called mere spirituall / whiche neuerthelesse perteygne to the power of kynges and princes The thynges mere spirituall be these The consecration of the sacrament of the auter / the makynge of absolucyons / the gyuyng of orders / the ministratyon that saynt Paul speke of ad Corin. iiii Whan he sayd of hiÌ„self of other Apostels discyples of Christ thus / Let euery man esteme vs as ministers of Christ / as dispeÌ„satours of the misteryes of god / wherby he vnderstode princypally the ministratyoÌ„ of the sacramentes And suche ministration the kynge may nat take vpon him / ne he intendeth it nat I knowe well that a kynge maye be a prest yea / a bysshop also / thaÌ„ might he lawfully minister al such spuÌ„all thiÌ„ges if he lyst but I wolde nat thynke that it were an incresynge of his honour to do so for the honoure of a kynge staÌ„deth specyally iÌ„ doyng iustyce vnto his people / as it appereth Ps xcviii where it is sayd The honour of a kyng loueth iustyce And one poiÌ„t of iustyce is / to se the ministers vnder hiÌ„ do their duty And therfore if bysshoppes were neglygente in doynge their ministration to the people / the kyng might coÌ„mauÌ„de them to do it that were more honour to him than do it hiÌ„ selfe And though as it appeareth ii Par. xix Kyng Iosaphat ordeyned iugê in all the cyties of Iuda and that in Ierusalem he ordeyned Leuytes prestes / princes of famelyes that they shuld iuge the iugement and cause of our lorde c. Yet it appereth nat that he made them prestes no more than he made Amaryas a preest for thoughe he appoynted Amaryas to be cheife preest / yet it appereth that he was a prest before And also though kyng Dauid appoynted the prestes and leuytes to their offyces / as appereth .i. Par. xxiii xxiiii Yet it appereth nat that he made any of them preestes Also trouth it is / that euery kyng is bounden to minister iustyce vnto his people / accordyng to the lawes of his realme And may therfore to that intent be called a minister but yet that ministration is all in a nother maner / than is the ministration of the successours of the apostels for the ministration of a kynge / is the ministration of power / iustyce souerayntie and to it ar necessary great possessyoÌ„s / honour and ryches / to maynteyne his estate And the ministratyon of the other standeth in spirytuall seruyce to the people / in mekenes / ghostly counsell / preachynge and teachynge in all charyte in somoche that none shulde be mery in god / but they shulde be mery with him none shulde be in heuynesse / but they shulde sorowe with him and to these ministers is necessary suffysaunce without abundaunce and honest pouerty is nat directly agaynst that ministration they ought alway to haue a contynuall desyre that the people shulde lyue in such brotherly loue quyetnes that there shulde nede no ministration of iustice by the high powers to be vsed amongest them And if any suche happened to come / they shuld feare gretly that it might happen to come through some defaute in them And surely whaÌ„ any gret variaunce trouble ryse among the people / it is nat vnlyke but that some parte of the occasyon therof rose fyrste through the defautes neglygence of some of the clergye Than syth it is right highly expedyeÌ„t for the ministration of a price to haue habundaÌ„ce of possessyons as is sayde before / howe maye he take any other ministration vpon him
of place and power of prechyng / if they lyst before any there bysshops yet neuerthelesse they made emperours kynges their people beleue that they had suche power / and brought theym in belefe also / that they were bounden to gyue credence to the clergye in all spirytuall maters / and that to doute at the popes power was heresy so through pusyllanimitie and wylful ignoraunce of princes and their people / and throughe a confederacy of Bysshoppes / they were therin right gretly deceyued but whan the parliament in the said xxvi yere c. recognysed the kyng to be the supreme heed in erth vnder god of the churche of EnglaÌ„de they vnderstode by the terme churche / the hole coÌ„gregation of all the people within this realme / aswell of the clergy as of the lay people that the kynge is the heed of them all / as he is in dede for it had ben a recognisyon of small effecte / to haue recognysed hiÌ„ hed of the clergye only / that was before heed ouer his subiectes spuÌ„all temporall And so by that recognisyoÌ„ the kynge hath none other auctoritye ouer his subiectê but as he had before so that he maye nat vse any power mere spuÌ„all / that our lorde gaue onely to his apostels discyples as to consecrate or make absolucions / ne any other lyke / as is sayde before And if percase the parlyamente conuocacyon also had expressely graunted to the kiÌ„g with the seyd name of the supreme heed such spuÌ„al auctorityes / it is no dout / but that the graunt had beÌ„ voyde for they haue no auctorite to chaunge the lawe of god And if this be trewe / it wyll be very harde to tell what auctorite or power is taken by the seyde recognisyon fro the bysshop of Rome that he had before the seyd recognision made for the extorte powers that he toke vpon him by occasyon of that name in this realmeê were taken fro him before by the statutes made in the sessone holden in the seyd .xxv. yere c. But that name of heed of all bysshops remayneth yet vnto hiÌ„ nat taken away bi any statute / that maye appere in this maner The seid statute of .xxvi. is only that the kyng shall be supreme hed vnder god vpoÌ„ erth / of the churche of EnglaÌ„de / wherby is vnderstaÌ„de that he ought to haue suche power iÌ„ this realme ouer his subiectes spuÌ„al temporal / as to a kyng belongeth by the lawe of god / as is sayd before with that it may well staÌ„de / that one may be hed bisshop minister in thynges mere spuÌ„all ouer the same people but than admyt that he be so / yet what power he ought to haue therbi ouer other bisshops is to be sene / and to gyue other occasyon to treate more thorowly of that mater I shall somwhat shewe my coÌ„ceite theriÌ„ And that is / that it shulde seme that he shulde thereby haue this preemynence / to haue the hyghest seate aboue all other bysshoppes And if he wolde preache / that he ought to haue the place before all other / as is sayd before / these preemynences other lyke remayneth yet vnto hiÌ„ / if he cam into this realme for ought that the ê‘liament hath don if any maÌ„ wyll say that he ought therby to haue vse also the power of a bisshop in mere spuÌ„all thingê as in gyuyng ordres / makynge of prestê / makyng of excoiÌ„cacioÌ„s absolutioÌ„s / such other in all places wher he shuld come / aswell wtout his owne dyocyse as within to that it may be answered / that if the generall counsell whereby Rome was made hed of al other churches / had enteÌ„ded that the bisshop of rome shuld haue had the power of a bisshop vniuersally in all other bysshops diocyses through cristeÌ„dome / that than the seyd general couÌ„sel wold haue expressed openly that power / and wold also haue reuoked the counsell on Nycene / which appoynted the bisshop of Rome to his diocise and that in all other prouynces / the honoure shulde be kepte to euery church But forasmuch as the seid generall counsell dyd nat so / it semeth that it inteÌ„ded that the counsell of Nycene shulde stande in effecte that the bysshop of Rome shuld styll kepe him to his diocise as he dyd before / hauynge only by that name such preemynence at the generall metynge of bysshops / as before appereth in whose diocyse soeuer they mette neuer the lesse I wyll nothynge speke determynatly in this mater but remytte it to them that haue auctoritye And than if it be thought by the kynge and his parlyament that no hurte can come hereafter to the comenwelth / though the bisshop of Rome be suffred to kepe styll his name of the heed bysshop of crystendome / bycause the kynge natwithstandynge that name maye enioye the name of supreme heed vnder god vpoÌ„ erth of the church of EnglaÌ„d they may suffre it contynue but if they se lykelyhodê / that if the name be suffred to coÌ„tynewe / that than by colour of that name / he wyll pretende hereafter to haue power aboue kynges princes / as his predecessours haue done in time past than maye the parlyamente repell that name as to this realme for euer it wyll be a very good dede to do it for the mayntenance of the whole comen welthe But as yet it is nat auoyded / bycause bothe names may stande togyther to seueral intentes as before appereth How may any man than resyst the seyd statutes but he resyst god or how may any man say that if he agreed to the statute / that he shulde fal therby fro the vnyte of christes church / syth the vnyte therof standeth nat in that poynte / whether Rome be heed churche of all other churches or nat But thaÌ„ some meÌ„ say in this mater / that the parlyament dyd nat wel to recognyse the kynge to be supreme heed in erthe vnder god of the churche of Englande where saynt Paule sayth ad Ephe. v. Man is the hed of the woman / as Christ of the church also he sayth ad Colos i. He is the heed of the body of the churche that is to say Christ and thaÌ„ it is said i. Corin. xi The heed of Christ is god so say they / the parlyament shulde haue holden lyke ordre / as s Paul dyd haue recognysed that the kyng was supreme heed vpon erth vnder Christe / to whom god was heed / that the parlyamente erred in that they kept nat the ordre that s Paule did And truly this is a daungerouse sayeng for if the ê‘lyament erred therin / than were no man bounden to obey the ê‘lyameÌ„t in that behalfe for the ê‘liament may nothiÌ„ge do against the lawe of god neuerthelesse it is apparant that the ê‘lemÌ„t dyd well varyed no thinge fro s Paule for it sayth that the kyng
emperours / kynges princes / with their people / aswell of the clergye as of the lay fee make the catholique church and the clergye but a parte of that church than may the emperoure / kynges priÌ„ces with their people expounde it But for as moche as the vnyuersall catholique / people can nat be gathered togyther to make suche exposycion / therfore it semeth that kynges princes whoÌ„ the people haue chosen agreed to be their rulers gouernours / and which haue the whole voyces of the people / maye with theire counsell spirytuall temporall make exposycyon of such scripture as is doutfull / so as they shall thynke to be the true vnderstandyng of it / and none but they / that theire subiectes be bounden euen by the lawe of god to folowe their exposycion for the goodnesse of oure lorde is suche that he wyll nat leue his people in suche doutes but that they maye haue some meanes whereby they maye come to the knowlege of the trouth so as shal be necessarye to their saluatyon if they wyll dyspose them to it / and that is by obedyence to their princes whom god hathe appoynted to haue rule ouer them / as is afore sayde And here it is to be noted / that there be two maner of powers that kynges and princes haue ouer theire subiectes The one is called / Ius regale / that is to saye a kyngely gouernaunce And he that hathe that power maye with his counsell make lawes to bynde his subiectes / and also make declaration of Scypture for the good order of his subiectes / as nede shall requyre / for appeasyng of varyance The other is called / Ius regale politicum / that is to saye a kynglye and a polytyke gouernaunce And that is the most noble power that any prince hath ouer his subiectes / and he that ruleth by that power / maye make no Lawe to bynde his subiectes without their assent / but by their assent he maye so that the lawes that he maketh be nat agaynste the lawe of God / nor the lawe of reason And this power hathe the kynges grace in this Realme where he by assente of his lordes spirytuall and temperall and of his commons gathered togyther by his commaundement in his parlyamente maye make lawes to bynde the people And of those lawê there nedeth no ê“clamation / bicause they be made by all the people / for the ê‘liament so gathered togyther / the people representeth the estate of al the people within this realme / that is to say of the whole catholyque churche therof And why shuld nat the parlyament than whiche representeth the whole catholyke churche of Englande expounde scrypture rather than the conuocacyon whiche representeth onely the state of the clergy ouer that me thiÌ„keth that no maÌ„ ought to pretende that at a generall counsell anye other shulde be iuges but kynges princes suche as they wyll appoynte vnder them to bere voyces therin seynge that they haue the power voyce of the whole people of christendom / which is the catholyque churche as is sayde before and I thynke verily that generall counsels shall do lytell good tyll christeÌ„ princes wyl knowe their owne power the auctorite that they haue receyued of god ouer his people / and that they set the clergy in such power as they ought to haue by the lawe of god without diminisshiÌ„g of it in any maner to se also that they haue no more but as shall be thoughte expedyent for the comenwelth / also for the helth of their owne soules of the people And surely it is greatly to be douted / that the power that bysshoppes of Rome haue claymed in tyme past ouer princes other bysshoppes / haue ben a great occasyon of the desolacyon of manye countreys that nowe be estemed amonge vs latyns as scismatykes desperate persones And therfore it is good that the Emperour and all christeÌ„ kynges princes the clergy also loke wel vpon the matter and to se whether the seyd countreyes were nat most priÌ„cypally estemed as heretykes scysmatykê bycause they weÌ„t fro the obedieÌ„ce of Rome / thaÌ„ for any other cause whether ther was such dilygence charitie mekenesse shewed to haue theÌ„ reformed as ought to haue ben shewed or that they were extremely or happely / maliciously haÌ„dled by excomunycatyons interdictions as men vnworthy the confort of christê passioÌ„ that so wold fall fro the obedieÌ„ce of the heed of Christes church And yet vndoutedly the saluatyon or dampnatioÌ„ of christeÌ„ men staÌ„deth nat in that poynte / whether Rome be the hed of christes church or nat And I meane all this that I haue said of the Grecyans / of the SuriaÌ„s of the Iacobytê / of the Nestorians wherof gret ê‘te be now in Percye which is heed enemy to the cursed turkê Of the armins The georgiaÌ„s that be gret archers and very apte meÌ„ to the warre Of the Abasynes otherwyse called Indyans of the Maronytê of these Maronytes Bernard deane of the church of magunce in his boke of his iorney to HierusaleÌ„ / writeth that the seyd Maronytê about v. C. yeres were heretykê seperated fro the coÌ„pany of faythfull people but at the last he sayth / that through the inspiracyoÌ„ of god / they turned to their owne hertes confessiÌ„g that they had erred were noÌ„bred agayne in the obediens of the church of Rome returned to the vnite of the catholyke fayth that thervpon though all the bysshops of the Est ê‘tes the chefe prelates of other nacions vse no ringê miters ne bishops staues yet saith he that these Maronites vse theÌ„ al as we do iÌ„ their diuyne seruyces ministration of the sacramentes And thus were they seyth he reformed but yet it may be douted whether they were natte reformed to more pride than they had before and I beseche oure lorde that all christen princes through the inspyration of god may encourage theÌ„ selfe to bringe all the seyde people and vs also to the verye true obedyence of Christ of his lawes / to a true vnderstandyng / and a deuoute folowynge of his scrypture all worldly pompe pride / desyre of worldly honoure / specyally in the clergy / whiche ought to be the lyghte leders of the laye people / vtterly dispysed and set a parte asmoch as in them is than I dout nat but that gret charytie grace shal shortly after appere amoÌ„g the people And than forthermore if a man be in doute vpon any thynge concernynge scrypture as is sayde before / and he hathe no counsell to instructe hym therin / or els if there be counsell / the counsell varyeth amonge them selfe as is said before And princes haue no tyme yet to determyne the mater ThaÌ„ it is good that he so beyng in dout lyfte vp his herte to god / and aske counsell of him and if he do so /
that agreeth nat with that habundance I knowe no man that wyll perswade the kynge to take those powers vpon him but I haue writen to you my conceyte / that in case that anye man wolde perswade him to it hereafter / that ye shall knowe before howe as me semeth his perswacyon ought to be alowed The other that haue ben called in tyme paste thynges mere spirytuall / be nat so in dede / be very many wherof I shall recyte parte but to recyte all / it wolde be very tedyouse both to you to me but if ye / other that be lerned in the kynges lawes wolde dilygently enquere for theÌ„ / ye shulde fynde many mo than I wyl reherce here Fyrst it hathe ben taken in tyme past as a thynge mere spirytuall / that the bysshop of Rome oughte as the vycare generall of Christe / to gyue all spirytuall promocyoÌ„s and benefyces through cristeÌ„dom Also that he other bysshops vnder him / ought euen by the law of god to visyte all preestes / curates and houses of relygyon throughe crystendome Also that no prince / might taske his clergy for any cause without lycence fro Rome that the deuisyon distinctyon of parysshe fro parysshe / is a thynge so mere spirytuall / that no man may do it but the clergy That seÌ„tuary in churcheyardes / is lykewyse so spirytuall / that the clergye muste nedely order it and that therfore they be all accursed that watche any man in the churchyarde That no bysshop ought to be made without the popes bulles and that he ought to haue Annates for them That the clergye oughte to haue correction as of thynges mere spirytuall / of auoutrye / fornicacyon / symonye vsury and to ordre matrymony / tythes / oblacions / and periury in some case of dyuerse other thinges wherof it is no dout but they haue holden plee in tyme past / rather by a custone by a sufferaunce of princes / than for that they be mere spuÌ„all / or that they had auctorite so to do by any immedyate power of the law of god They haue claymed also as thiÌ„gê mere spirytuall / the prouynge of testamentes / makyng of letters of administrations / sequestrations / pluralytes / vnyons / dispensacyons / dyuers other / whiche be nothyng mere spirytuall at all And such powers kinges prices might take into their handes laufully if they wolde / without offendynge the lawe of god Neuerthelesse I speke not this / to the intent that ye shulde take my meanynge to be / that I wolde haue it so done in dede but that I wolde haue it knowen vnder what maner they haue their power in such thynges to the intent they myghte the more mekely / the more charytably exercise theyr power herafter amoÌ„ge the people / than they haue done in tyme passe And it is no doute but that many of the clergy haue set so gret diligence to maynteyne their power iurysdiction in such mixt thynges / that they haue the lesse regarded the ministration in preachynge techynge / in the thingê before rehersed that be mere spuÌ„all in dede And that were moch more ê“fytable to the people to be maynteyned / contynually put in execucyon than the other be ¶ Of dyuerse thinges concerniÌ„g the power of the bysshop of Rome and of the statutes made in the .xxv. yere xxvi yere of kynge Henry the eyght / which treate of the sayd power The .ii. chapiter FYrst suche power as the apostels and disciples hadde of Christ / they vsed / might laufully vse in the begynniÌ„g of the churche vnyuersally iÌ„ all places wher they came / none had any more power in one place than in another Also after the passyon of Christ the successours of the apostles and dyscyples were appoynted to vse their power within a certayn circuite / but that appoyntemeÌ„t was onely by the power law of man / nat by the iÌ„mediat power of god Also at the counsell of Nycene / Rome was nat taken for the heed of the churche ne the bysshoppes there had nat than any other auctorytie / but as euery other bysshop had And that appereth thus The bysshop of Alexandre is there in the seyde counsell of Nycene fyrst spoken of before the bysshoppe of Rome if the bysshop of Rome had ben there heed of the churche / it shulde nat haue ben so And the bysshop of Alexandre was by the seyd counsell appoynted for his dyocyse to Egypte or Lybia / Pentapolim And the bisshop of Rome was appoynted to that he was accustomed to haue before it was farther decreed / that at Antyoche and other prouynces the honoure shulde be kepte to euery churche Also after the seyde counsell of Nycene / there was gret varyaÌ„ce betwyxte dyuerse bysshops / who shuld be the hyghest bysshop and the bysshop of ConstaÌ„tinople somtyme toke him self for highest / and called him selfe prince of bysshops And after as Platyne / De vitis suÌ„moruÌ„ pontificuÌ„ / writeth it was ordeyned in the tyme of Focas the emperour / that Rome where Bonyface the third was than bisshop shulde be the heed of all churches / whervpoÌ„ it folowed that the seyd Bonyface shulde be taken as heed of all bysshops and prestes And greate varyaunce was after who shulde be next seate to RoÌ„e / who the thyrde / the fourthe / the fyfth / wherof is mencion made Distinâ— xxii cap. Sacro sctaÌ„ / cap. Constantinopolitane / ca. Renouantes by al which lawes it appereth euydently that there was none of the seyde bysshops that pretended to be the heed of the vnyuersall churche of Christ / that is to saye / of the whole congregation of all christen people but only to be hed of all other bysshops prestes for if any wolde haue pretended to haue ben heed ouer al christen people he shulde haue pretended to haue ben heed ouer the seyde emperour Focas / ouer all other kynges princes also and it is nat to thiÌ„ke that the seyde Focas wolde haue assented therto And neuerthelesse by occasion therof / many of the successours of the seyd bonyface / haue taken vpon them to be the hed of the hole vnyuersall churche of Christ wherby they haue pretended to be heed ouer emperours kynges that emperours kiÌ„ges oughte to be obedient vnto theÌ„ with helpe of bisshops in couÌ„treys realmes and of other that haue ben highly auauÌ„ced in the clergy / that more fauoured the bisshops of Rome thaÌ„ their owne naturall princes / they haue put emperours kyngê that wolde any thinge resyst that pretence many tymes in gret dauÌ„ger somtyme vtterly distroyed theÌ„ And yet the very truth was / that they had no power gyuen theym but onely that they shulde be the heed ouer other bysshops whiche they had as Platyn sayth ought therby to haue onely at metynges and congregations some preemynence
is the supreme heed vpon erth vnder god / and that is true that he is vnder god And yet in that it saythe / that the kynge is supreme heedde vnder god / is nat Christ excluded for god is Christ and Christ is god / and the whole Trinitie is in Christe And so he that is vnder god / is vnder christ so Christe is God / and so God and Christ is all one But if the ê‘liameÌ„t had recognised the kyng to be supreme heed vpon erthe vnder god / of the churchc of Englande / but nat vnder Christe than had they erred in dede / no man had ben bounden to haue taken the kyng vnder that maner as supreme heed c. But here it is nothing so And I dare wel afferme that it was neuer the inteÌ„t of the ê‘liameÌ„t / to make any distynctyon or dyuersytie betwyxt god christ ne to exclude Christe fro the heedshyp of the church if the ê‘liameÌ„t had sayde expressely that the kyng was supreme heed c. vnder god and Christ / than noman wold haue taken any exception to it And statute is nowe of the same effecte and syth it is now a lawe of the realme / it must be iudged accordynge to the groundes and rules of the lawe of the realme / and vndoutedly they wyll iuge the statute to be of such effecte as I haue sayde before that that was the very meanyng of the makers therof / for the wordes therof proue suffycyently that it was so though they do so / yet is that iugement no thynge agaynst saynte Paule for with that it standeth verye well / that Christ is the heed of the churche / that god is also the heed of Christ / as saynte Paule sayth ¶ Also whan Rome was made heed of all other churches / as Platyne sayth it was yet it is vncertayne what princes were warned to be at that counsell / what nat And if any Prince or Countrey were nat warned to be there / than that couÌ„sell bounde nat that priÌ„ce / and no man can iuge for certayne that the kynge of this realme that tyme beynge had suche warnynge for it was in the tyme whan there were many kynges in this realme and whiche of them were warned and whiche nat / no man can tell And if this realme were nat bounde by the seyde generall counsell to accepte Rhome as hedde of all churches bycause it had no warnynge but hath by custome assented to it / than is that custome the thynge that shuld bynde this realme to it / and nat the generall counsell / and than it is no doute if the parlyamente see a hurte folowe to the comen welthe / by that custome but that they maye yea / and are bounde of iustyce to redresse it Also / though it were admytted that this realme hadde warnynge and were therefore bounde by the seyd generall couÌ„sell as other realmes were yet for as moche as a generall councell shulde be holden at certayne tymes appoynted by the lawe to redresse wronges done to the people And it is well knowen throughe christendome that popes in tyme paste haue delayed suche generall counseyls / further than the lawe wold this many yeres Therfore if the wronges done by popes / shulde nat be reformed before a generall counsell / the people mighte be longe greued / and haue no helpe of longe tyme and there is no reason why they shuld susteyne wronge any one daye specyally by him that dyffereth the meanes whereby they might haue remedye And therefore the parlyament hath good auctoritye to remoue such wronges iÌ„ this realme and so haue all other Realmes that be in lyke maner greued as this realme was ¶ Also though it were nat the intente of the sayde Phocas to take any power fro princes / but onely to make Rome the hedde of other churches yet neuerthelesse the popes haue by occasyon therof taken great power fro princes / as whan they pretended to gyue all spirituall promocyons thorowe all christendome / and to do dyuers other thynges vnder the pretence that they were thynges mere spirituall as in the fyrst chapiter of this answere appereth And whan they pretended to make personall cytacions to whom they wolde cause them vpon payne of cursynge / to appere at Rome aswell bysshops as other / that all appelles shulde be made to Rome / fro all bysshops of crystendome / that all bisshoppes shulde be sworne to them And that they myghte prohybyt what bokes preachers they wolde by their owne auctorite And certayn it is that they optayned all these powers more thorough the sufferaunce of princes / rather than by the lawe of god Also many of the sayd pretences made by the bysshops of Rome / dyuers other nat here remembred were dyrectly agaynst the power of other bysshops / that they had receyued of the immedyate gyfte of god And bysshops coulde nat haue ben compelled to haue suffred suche vyolence if they wolde haue resysted it And therfore great defaute offence of conscyence was in them / that they wolde wylfully suffre suche wronges nat onely to their owne hurte but also in maner to a whole confoundynge of al truth / and of al good comen welth in many countreys ¶ Also / for as moche as the bysshop of Rome / natwithstandyng the seyde statutes And also natwithstandynge any other statute made in this present parlyamente shall haue as moche auctoritye in this realme as his predecessours had at the sayd couÌ„sell of Nycene no man may say that they that obserue those statutes declyne fro the vnytye of Christes churche or fro the gospel but he sey also that the sayd couÌ„sell of Nycene dyd so like wyse and that no man wyll saye as I suppose ¶ Of prayenge to sayntes and worshyppynge of them The thirde cha THis is a good prayer lord I besech the in the honour of our blessed lady of all the graces vertues that thou gauest vnto her for the which gracyous giftes I al other ar specially bouÌ„de to honour loue both the and her / that thou to thy honoure to hers graunt me that I aske if thou know it expedieÌ„t for me if nat thy wyll by done nat myne And I suppose verily that they that made the Letani entended none other wyse but that all the prayers that be made therin to our lady to other sayntes shuld be takeÌ„ as prayers vnto our lorde that he for al the graces that he gaue to them gyue vs his grace help vs in all our necessyties But no man ought to aske any peticioÌ„ of our lady as thought she of her self hath power to grauÌ„t it there be many also that wil say ferther that oure ladye of her owne power dyd neuer yet any myracle but that our lorde only of his power to shew that he had accepted approued her vertue / wherby other might be encouraged to labour to haue lyke
power And .xxiiii. qÌ„ i. loquitur It is sayd that the other Appostles were as Peter was / endewed in one lyke felowship both of honoure and power And syth the power of all the appostles by wytnesse of the lawe / that is called the popes owne law is lyke why shuld than they that pretende to be the successours of Peter / vsurpe that power only to them selues And yet that vsurpacion appereth the more plainly by cause that in the .xviii. chapiter of Mat. our lorde sayd to his discyples generally the same wordes before rehersed / that is to saye what soeuer ye lose vpon erth shal be losed in heuen it must of necessyte be taken / that by that worde discyples / he ment either his apostels which be ofte called in the gospell discyples or els that he ment therby the .lxxii. discyples or els that he ment them both And if he ment therby the .xii. apostles only / than euery one of them had yet by those wordes as hygh power as any of the other had And if he ment therby the .lxxii. discyples the .xii. Appostels also than hathe euery preest to this day power to grauÌ„te pardon / bycause he is the successor of the .lxxii. discyples / if they haue so a I thiÌ„ke verily it is no doute but they haue it is greatly to be merueled / why they or bisshops either wold renounce forsake that power that was so playnly gyuen to theÌ„ by Christ Howbeit some men wene that it was done to th eÌ„tent that they by that occasyon other lyke might make one bysshop so hygh iÌ„ auctorite aboue all other bisshops and prestê / that he shuld be able to matche with kiÌ„ges princes if bysshops prestê haue that power than maye kynges princes commaunde theÌ„ to exercise that power for the renounsynge of their predecessoures in that behalfe byndeth them nat And neuerthelesse vpon that renounsynge / hathe folowed this incoÌ„uenyence / that none coulde haue suche pardon or absolucioÌ„ but fro Rome / and that nat frely / but for greate sommes of money / excepte only that to please Cardynalles / Archebysshoppes and bysshoppes It was agreed that Cardynalles and Archebysshoppes / shulde haue power to graunt an hundreth dayes of pardone and bysshoppes .xl. dayes but as for prestes which were and be conuersaunt dayly amonge the people in euery parysshe / and that mighte haue done most good therwith to the peple as I shall soÌ„what touch afterward was no prouysyon for all the study dilygence was to exalte busshops and here it is to be noted howe great dissymulatyon and pride was in this conueyance aswell in the successours of Peter as of the other Appostles in those dayes For if that power had ben onely graunted to Peter and his successours / than might nat he nor his successours haue grauÌ„ted his power / nor no parte therof to any other for it can nat be proued neither by the letter of the texte / ne yet / that it shulde be the intente of Christ / that he wolde that Peter shulde make suche deputyes And he made nat only Cardinals / archbysshops bysshops his deputies to graunte suche pardon as he appoynted them / as is aforesayde but he graunted also many tymes suche deputacyon condycyonally to all prestes seculer reguler / as though they shulde haue their power onely fro him therefore he graunted his pardons many tymes vnder this maner / that who soeuer wolde gyue suche a somme of money to the reperation of S. Peters church at Rome / or to som other intent expressed in the bulles that they shuld amonge other thinges haue auctorite to take an able ghostly father / seculer or reguler / that shulde haue power to assoyle them fro all theire offences / also fro the payne dewe for it / excepte that comenly in such pardons som thynge was alway reserued to Rome / as for a remembrance that meÌ„ shulde nat forget the way thyther And howe coulde the pope grauÌ„te power to suche confessour to assoyle anye man fro payne / if the confessoures had nat had that power before of god And if euery preest haue suche power of god / as I thynke verily he hath as well as any bysshop than it semeth that it were good that they shuld be commaunded to vse that power herafter by way of absolucyon frely / to the ease conforte of the people / they nat to be dryuen to go to any bysshop for it And if that power were so ordred / than all the good dedes that any man shulde do after suche absolucyons by waye of penaunce or other wyse / shulde be auaylable to hym to encrease his ioye in heuen / and nat only for puttyng away of paine for their sinne passed And as it semeth it is very conuenyent that ther shuld be such an absolucyon a pena et culpa in christes church for the lawe of christ is called the lawe of grace mercy And the olde lawe was called the lawe of iustyce and alwaye in the olde lawe / by a full parfyte contricyon equiualent to the actuall synne the sine / also the payne for the siÌ„ne was put away / excepte onely the origynall synne / therefore it shuld seme that the new law shuld be more fauourable thaÌ„ that was / and that is as I suppose by suche absolucyons / wherby all the good dedes that the penytent shal do after the absolucyon shal be turned holly to his rewarde in heuen as is afore sayde And furthermore if it were admytted that the successours of Peter shulde haue only the power to graunt pardon yet neuerthelesse it appereth euydently that they haue iÌ„ tyme past rizt gretly abused their power therin for the wordê that gaue theÌ„ power in that behalf / be the wordê before rehersed Whatsoeuer thou losest vpon erth shal be losed in heuen by which wordes it appereth that the meaniÌ„g of our lorde was / that Peter shuld haue non auctoritie to lose any man by that graunte but such as were bounden to som thiÌ„g before suche losynge As if a man had offeÌ„ded / wer by reasoÌ„ of that offence bouÌ„den to a certayne paine for it / that thaÌ„ PetÌ„ his successors shulde haue power to release it And that if he released that payne in erth / that god wold release it in heuen And I can right well agre that he had that power dyuers other also as I haue sayde before But how farre his successours haue abused that power it maye appere thus They haue graunted their pardons nat onely for releasynge of payne for suche synnes as were done afore the tyme of the graunt But they haue graunted also / that all they that wolde giue suche a somme of money / shulde haue power to chuse them an able ghostly father / that shulde assoyle them as well of the offences done after the pardon graunted as before and also of the
some of the clergye that as he thynketh be suffycyently lerned in scrypture / lyke as it is conuenyent in doutes of Physyke to aske counsell of doctoures of Phisyke / or in doutes of the teÌ„porall law to aske counsell of them that be lerned in the temporal law And if he in any dout of scrypture aske counsell of such clerkes as he thynketh be suffycyently lerned in scrypture / they instruct hiÌ„ other wyse than the true vnderstaÌ„dynge of the scrypture is / yet that suffyceth for him / so it be nat dyrectly agaynst the lawe of reason for that all men are bounden to knowe But syth they of the clergye haue auctorite by the gospell to preache the gospell / they ar more bounden to knowe the gospell thaÌ„ any other But than there be some other texttes in the scrypture that concerne the auctoritie / power / iurisdiction and rychesse of bysshops prestes as it is vpoÌ„ these textê QuodcuÌ„que ligaâ—eris c. Tu es Petrê° et suê‘ hanc Petâ—am c. Tibi dabo claues c. Mat. xvi QuodcuÌ„que ligaueritis c. Mat. xviii Dic ecctie Mat. xviii Ecce duo gladii hic Luc. xxii c. Oraui ê‘te Petre vt non deficiat fides tua et in aliquÌ„ coÌ„uersus c. Luc. xxii Pasce oues meas Io. xxi Predicate euaÌ„gelm oiÌ„ creature Mar vltio Nolite possidere aurum neque argeÌ„tuÌ„ Mat x. c. Qui noÌ„renuÌ„crauerit possidet oiÌ„aqÌ„ noÌ„ potest meê° esse discipulê° luc 14. sicut misit me prÌ„ ego mitto vos Io. xxi Quorum remiseritis peta c. Io. xx habeÌ„tes alimeÌ„ta quibê° tegamur c. i. Timo. vi Nolite taÌ„gere christos meos ps 44. And many other which I here omit if a maÌ„ were in dout vpoÌ„ these textes / what power iurisdiction possessioÌ„s or lyberte the clergy ought to haue by the seyd textê or whether such actê lawê as haue beÌ„ made biÌ„ princes their people concernyng suche thynges were to be obeyd or suche other lyke Many men thynke that it were natte the most surest way to aske couÌ„sell therin of the lerned meÌ„ in the clergi / onles it were of some siÌ„guler elect meÌ„ that through speciall grace / haue seqÌ„stred their myndê fro the loue of all worldly honour riches for the affectioÌ„ to such worldli pleasures haue blynded the iugemeÌ„t of many of theÌ„ so soreê that they haue thought / the the mayntenaunce of the honour of the clergye hath ben a mayntenaunce of the honour of god And so as it were vnder a pretence to maynteyne the honour of god haue dyspleased god maynteyned their owne honour rychesse / farther than the seyde textes / or anye other parte of scrypture wyll warrant them to do This hathe ben sene in some of the clergye / but I truste it be nat so in all / neuerthelesse to speke somewhat further of this mater I thynke that if anye doute ryse vpon any text of scrypture / be it playne or nat playne concernyng the fayth or morall lyuiÌ„g of the people or nat orels the honour / lyberty / ryches of the clergye / or any other thyng whatsoeuer it be if there fall any varyaÌ„ce or vnquyetnesse thervpon amoÌ„ge the people as if one doctoure or many / some of the lay people be of one opinyon therin other of a nother opinyon / thervpon dyuersyties of opinyons vnquyetnesse amonge the people doo ryse / that in all these cases / kynges and princes shal be iudges / haue power to pacyfye all suche vnquyetnesse For it appereth Psal ii that it is said thus to kynges princes O ye kynges / vnderstande ye be ye lerned that iudge the worlde And if it be sayd that by those wordes / Iuge the worlde / that kinges and princes must iuge onely vpon temporall thynges as vpon the bodyes / landes goodes And nat vpon any thyng that apperteineth to the soule trewly that is a right great erroure / for it wolde bringe the people in belefe / that the successours of the apostles discyples of Christ haue only cure of soules nat kynges princes And that is nat so for it is no dout / but if a prince suffre his people wylfully breke the lawes of god / or the lawes of his realme and se them nat corrected accordyng to his lawes but that he offendeth god rizt highly thereby as euery man shall do / that willyngly wylfully suffreth his seruants breke the law of god without correctyon / whan he may well correcte them and ouer that no man can denye but that euery man is bouÌ„de to procure the ghostly helth of his neyghbour by couÌ„seylyng good example gyuynge to his power as it is writteÌ„ Eccl. xvii God hath gyuen a coÌ„mauÌ„dement to euery man vpon his neybour and syth euery man hathe a charge of his neyghbour / it must nedes folowe that a kynge hath a more speciall charge ouer his subiectes that he is specyally boundeÌ„ to prohibyt all thinges as nigh as he can wherby his subiectes spirytuall or temporall might haue occasion to breke the lawes of god the charge of the clergy is to mynister the sacrameÌ„tes to the people and to preche teche them howe to please god kepe his coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes if they be neglygent do nat so / kynges princes ar bouÌ„den to coÌ„mauÌ„de them to do it And if they gyue the people euyll exaÌ„ple / princes ar bouÌ„de to make theÌ„ leue it let euery maÌ„ therfore iuge whether any curate may truly say the kyng hath only cure of the bodyes of my parysshens / but I of their soules for it is no dout but that kynges princes haue cure and charge ouer both / that nat only ouer the soules of laye meÌ„ but also of the soules of bysshops prestes therfore such vayne sayengê wolde be prohibyt / for they nourisshe engendre gret pride / and for a further prouf that priÌ„ces may pacify all maner of vnqietnes that may rise amoÌ„g their people by any maner of occasioÌ„ spuÌ„all or temporall It is sayde Exo. vi a wyse kynge is the stablenesse of his people wherof it foloweth / that if the vnstablenesse come by occasyon of any exposycion of scrypture / be it by doctours / prechers / or any other / that kynges haue power to stable theÌ„ And of that it foloweth also that if any man wyll preache in such maner that it is lyke to make vnquietnesse among the people that the prince maye prohybit him of that prechyng for he that hath auctoritie to remoue an vnquyetnesse present hath auctorite to preuent occasions wherby such vnquietnesse might happen to folow after amonge his subiectes Furthermore / all men agree that the catholyque churche maye expounde scrypture if the clergy can proue that they be the catholyke churche / than it beloÌ„geth to them to expounde it But if the
christen people throughe wytnesse of the holy ghost gyuen them in their hertes that they be holy and blessed / as it is of the auncyent martyrs that in the begynnynge of the church / suffered deth for the fayth of Christ of other holye men women / that haue ben accepted for holy by a coÌ„men assent of all the people of crystendome for the goodnes of our lorde is such that he wyl nat suffre his vniuersall people where they intende wel renne holly into an opynion that is vntrue / ther fore I suppose verily that the deuotioÌ„ of the people was suffycient canonysacion to many of them that be in scrypture before any CanoÌ„ was made of scrypture And lykewyse I suppose that the greatest strengthe auctorite of the newe testament rose in the begynnyng of the churche by a full belefe / that dayly rose in the hertes of all the crysten people to that that was preched bi the apostles / written by the EuaÌ„gelystes in the seid testameÌ„t before any Canon was made of theÌ„ But of sayntes that haue beÌ„ canonysed at Rome for money / for affectioÌ„ or for any suche other worldly consyderation Whose vertue and myracles if they were bysshoppes or prestes were specyally extolled set forth by bisshops prestes and if they were of any relygyon / their vertues myracles haue beÌ„ mightely extolled by them of the selfe relygyon so that tas it semeth a deuocyon hath ben brought to them in to the hertes of many persones rather by mannes polycye than by inward instyncte of the holi ghost of suche sayntes it is more dowte whether they be holy or nat And therefore to complayne to them affermynge them precysely to be holy and blessed / hauyng none other proufe that they be so but the witnesse of maÌ„ that may lyghtly erre / semeth nat so sure to complayne vnto as to the other Howbeit I entende nat by this sayenge to afferme precysely / that they so canonysed by wytnesse of maÌ„ be nat holy But I wold auoyde the presumptyon of theÌ„ / that in suche case take vpon them to iudge them for holy that only belongeth to god to iuge vpon And I somwhat doute the more at such newe canonysacyons bycause the famouse clerke Iohan Gerson in a treatise that he calleth the declaratyon of the defautes of men of the churche / auertyseth the generall counseyle / to consyder if it were well done to canonyse Charles duke of Brytaygne / nat withstandynge the great multytude of sayntes that were canonysed before And vpon the eyghte treatyse of Magnificat he vnder this sygne sayth / that there is a legend / which sayth / that a deed dogge was worshipped in VieÌ„na for a saiÌ„t / wherfore it semeth right expedyent that all the people / but most iÌ„ especyall the clergy relygiouse pray deuoutly to o r lorde that the rulers may through the specyall gyft of the holy ghost now in this daÌ„gerous time / know whose canonysatioÌ„ is pleasauÌ„t in his sight / whose nat / than by a comen assent to coÌ„ferme them / that they shall after dilygent prayer thiÌ„ke to be holy in such maner that they shal be taken here after by all the people as holy and blessed to the honoure of god and encrease of vertue / through the good example blessed lyfe that they shall here rede of the seyde gloriouse sayntes / and nat to be bounde to beleue that any other is holy blessed / but they so auctorysed / as is afore sayd And nowe wyll I somwhat speke of abusioÌ„s in the masse / for that foloweth next after the ordre of your letter ¶ Whether there be any opinyon amonge the people / that there be some abusyons concernynge the masse The fourth Chapiter WHere ye haue written to me / that there is a sayeng in your countrey / that many here aboute the Cytie shulde fynde defaute aâ— dyuers abusyons that they pretende to be in dyuers ceremonyes coÌ„cernynge the masse I asserteyne you it is euen so as they saye / that there be many of that opinioÌ„ / they sticke fully to the effecte of the masse that is the gloriouse sacrament But at dyuers thynges which as they saye / be abused in that behalfe they fynde right gret defaute and they saye further also / that if any man fynde defaute at such abusioÌ„s that dyuers of the clergye wyll anon do that in them is / to cause it to be noysed amonge the people / that he erreth in the sacramente they saye also that many ley peple haue suche a ê‘nytie redynesse to gyue credence to such reportes / be they true or false / that a man shall be anon halfe condempned or that the mater be any thynge knowen as it is and surely I thynke it is true as they say / that there be many great dysorders abusyons coÌ„cernynge the masse How be it / I wyl nat at this tyme treate ê‘tyculerly of theÌ„ for dyuers causes but shall beseche our lorde to put it in to the mynde of all christen priÌ„ces to loke dilygently vpon them and other lyke / se them reformed for it is nat in the power of any other to do it / therfore if they ley nat to their handes / it is to feare that lytell good wyll be done in suche maters but that the olde way and the olde abusyons wyll contynew as they haue done in tyme paste / which vndoubtedly shulde be to the hygh displeasure of god / hurte of the comen welth / and right great danger to the soules of many ê‘sons ¶ Of pardons and absolutions The .v. chapiter THe power of grauntynge of pardons and makynge of absolucyons hathe ben so farre abused in tyme past diuers wayes that it hath nat ben onely executed against the intent of the grauÌ„tour that is to say of our maister christ but also so great couetyse hath ben shewed therby / that gret grudges and murmures haue rysen by occasyon on therof in many countreys and that nat without great cause And one cause hathe ben this Though our maister Christ sayd to Peter in the name of all the appostles Mat. xvi What soeuer thou losest vpon erth shal be losed in heueÌ„ by which wordê al the apostels their successour had auctorite to make absolucioÌ„s / a pena et culpa / that is to say / for the synne fro the payne dew for the siÌ„ne yet the successours of Pe. haue only taken vpon them to execute that power by waye of grauntyng of ê‘dons / as though the power had beÌ„ graunted onely to Peter his successors And for a further profe that all the appostles had one lyke power in makynge of absolusyons by these wordes QuodcuÌ„que solueris c. it is sayd in the popes owne lawe Distincê xxi cap. nono Thus The power of byndynge losing Peter fyrst toke the other appostels in lyke feloship with hiÌ„ / toke lyke honour
cardes / or such other vnlaufull games / whether restitucyon oughte to be made in such cases to the partye selfe or nat bycause he was partye to the same offence / many haue thought nay but that it must be dysposed in some other good charytable vse And I can right well agree to their opynyon therin But I thynke verily that if a man wyn money of another by false dyse or other falshed / that he is boūde in that case to restore it to the partye selfe for the partye shall in that case haue an accyon at the kinges lawes vpō that falshed and recouer his damages And furthermore I wyll shewe some cases where the lawes of the realme / the lawes which the clergye do oft folowe in restitucyons do varye / whereby euery mā may lyghtely coniecture / that there be many moo that they varye in if they were wel dilygētly serched Fyrst if a man bye a thyng in opē market he is nat bounden after the lawes of the realme to restore it againe / onlesse that he know at the time of the bargeyne that he that solde it had no right in the goodes And yet after the seyde other lawes he is bounden to restore it if he come to the knowlege after who is the very owner And that he may nat without dedly synne holde that is bought And that is nat so in this realme Also if a man bye landes with the churches moneye in his owne name / and to his owne vse / the landes after the lawes of the realme be his And he is nat boūd to restore the landes to the churche but the money only And yet after the lawe Canon / the lande in that case is the churches landes bycause it is boughte with the churches money and therfore the lawes concernynge restytucyons wolde be sene and be dryuen for clerenesse of conscyence to a more nerer certayntie than they be yet And thus I haue shewed you somewhat of my conceyte concernynge restitucyon to gyue other that shall se this letter occasyō to treate further of that mater herafter And now wyll I somwhat speke of the declarynge of Scrypture ¶ Who hathe power to declare expounde scrypture / and whose declaracyon we be bounde to folowe and whose nat The .vii. chapiter THis questyon is of so gret difficulty that I shal desyre you to holde me excused though I fully satisfy nat your mynd therin for surely I wyl protest that it passeth my power to speke in the mater as were necessarye to be spoken / for there be fewe maters as I take it that moore requyreth to be playnely touched declared than that doth ne that wolde do more good nowe in this daungerouse tyme / than that wold do / if it were set in a clere in an vpright way howbeit I consyder with all / that if I sayde nothyng to it / ye wolde somewhat merueyl why I did nat answere to that questyon / as well as to the other contayned in your letter Therefore to gyue you and other that shall happen to see this letter / occasyon to treate moore groūdly more throughly of this mater herafter than I do I shall with good wyl say somwhat to it Fyrst it is to be vnderstande that there be some textes of scrypture that be so opē playne in them selues that euery man is bounde to gyue full credence vnto them for the lytterall sence is the playne exposytion in it selfe As whan it is sayde / Mat. primo This is the booke of the generacyon of Iesu Christ / sonne of Dauid / sonne of Abraham Abraham forsoth begat Isaac c. And who maye make any exposition vpon these wordes but that it must nedes be graunted that Iesu Christ was the sonne of Dauyd / sonne of Abraham And that Abraham begat Isaac But he speke directly agaynst the wordes of the gospell in somoche that if all the clerkes of the worlde wold make any exposytion to the contrarye therof no man were bounden to beleue them And they for that exposytion were worthy to be disseuered fro the company of al faith full people for the lytterall sence is so playne agaynst them / wherin the holyghost is alwaye the very auctour speker that they shulde be without all excuses / for he that resysteth Scrypture / resysteth the holy ghost And so it is vpon this gospell Missus est angelus c. An angell was sent fro god into a cytie of Galylye that had to name Nazareth / to a vyrgin espoused to a man called Ioseph of the house of Dauyd And the name of the vyrgin was Marye And who maye saye therfore that the angell was nat sent fro god to the vyrgī Mary / or that she was nat espoused to Ioseph / or that Ioseph was nat of the house of Dauyd but he playnly denyed the texte for the texte is so playne in it selfe that it nedeth therein no declaracyon And so it is in the moost parte of all the Scrypture / both of the old testament and new But yet there be some other textes in Scrypture whiche be nat so euydente and playne / as those and manye other be / and yet if they be truly vnderstande / accordynge to the mynde of the maker / that is to say / of our maister Christe / the lytterall sence of them is as true as the other that be moste playne / as it is of thys texte Mat. vi Ego dico vobis non iurare omnino I say to you swere nat for euery cause / neyther by heuen / for it is the Throne of god nor by the erthe / for it is the seate for his fete neyther by Hierusalem / for it is the Cytie of the greate kynge / nor by thy heedde thou shalt nat swere for thou canst nat make one here whyte or blacke Let these be youre wordes It is it is / it is natte / it is nat Forsoth whatsoeuer is more thā this / it is of euyl Thus farre goth the sayd text of Mat. vi before rehersed / Also of this texte that is Mar. xvi He that beleueth and is baptysed shal be safe And therfore he that bi reason of the seyd fyrst text Mat. v. wolde thinke it were nat lauful to him to swere in any case / were foule disceiued for ī such coūtreis wher othes haue bē vsed for tryall of the trouth / euery man is boūde to swere accordynge to the lawes for the tryall of the trouth / for els iustyce shulde many tymes perissh And in lykewise if any man by reson of the seyd other text Mat. xvi wolde say that if a man byleued were baptysed / that he shulde be saued though he dyd no good workes / where he had tyme conuenyēt after his baptysme to haue done them / he were also farre disceyued wherfore it wer good for him that wer in dout in those cases or other lyke / as be concernynge scrypture to aske counsell of
vndoutedly our lorde wyll so helpe him and assyst him therin / that he shall nat erre / ne be disceyued For it is written ii Paralip xx Cum ignoremus quid facere / debeamê° hoc soluÌ„ residui habemus vt oculi nostri ad te dirigantur That is to saye / Lorde / whan we be ignorant wot nat what to do / this only remayneth to vs for our confort / that we lyft our eyen vp to the. And if we do so we may trust verily that his helpe and counsell wil neuer fayle vs / but wyll bring vs to the knowlege of that that is necessarye for vs. ¶ An answere to dyuerse shorte particuler questions conteyned in the letter The .viii. chapiter TO all the shorte partyculer questions coÌ„teined in your letter I wyll brefely as I can make answer in this .viii. cha And as to the fyrst of the sayd particuler questyons / I thinke that kynges and princes might haue prohybyt the clergy to haue ordeyned amongest theÌ„ patryarkes / cardnials / or any other degree iÌ„ the clergye but onely bysshops / prestes deakoÌ„s Also if a maÌ„ had takeÌ„ two benefyces with cure iÌ„ this realme / they both after the old groundes of the law of the realme had ben voide / this voydance was called cessyon but in ê“cesse of tyme lycenses wer opteyned from Rome to haue two benefices And those lyceÌ„ses by power of the clergy were iuged to be good / and so the lawe and custom of the Realme in that poynte was broken And yet it wyll be verye harde to proue it by the lawe / that it shulde haue ben so And neuerthelesse by reason therof / the seyde grouÌ„de was altered to this effect / that if a man toke two benefyces without dyspensacyon fro Rome / that both benefyces shuld be voyd but if the first grounde were clerely reuyued none to haue but one benefyce / it were well done for the breking of that grounde hath done gret hurte / than it might ther vpon be ê“uided that he that is more worthy shuld haue the better benefyce no vnyon of benefyces to be made in tyme to come Also though the apostles discyples of Christ and theyr successours had auctorite by the gospell to preche the gospell yet that any one of them shulde haue auctorite to prohybyt another of them of prechyng / appereth nat by the gospel but in case that any take vpon him to preche teche any thyng agaiÌ„st the catholycall faythe / to the parell and daunger of the kynges subiectes / and whereby scysmes and varyaunces be lyke to folowe amoÌ„ge his people suche of the clergye as knoweth it / ar bounde to enforme the kyng of it / than he thervpon may prohibyt them of prechyng / see them corrected as the case requireth But if the rulers in the clergye / shulde haue full auctoritie to make such prohibicyons / it might be that abusioÌ„s in the clergy shuld nat be so well touched as charytie wolde they shulde be / that might be greate hurte trouble to all the realme / and that the kyng and his parlyament hath auctorite to make that prohibycyon The clergye of englaÌ„de knewe right well whaÌ„ they laboured in the parlyament / that commyssyons shuld be grauÌ„ted to the sheryffes to arest prechers of heresy Anno .ii. Rich. ii stat ii Cap. vltimo And as to that opinyon that ye write to me of / whether the soules that be dyscessed in grace be nowe in heueÌ„ / or that they rest for a certayne tyme in a place to them appoynted by god tyll that the tyme of the generail resurrectyon shall come / so that the bodye the soule may be ioyned togyther / and than they both togyther to go to heuen and haue the fruycyon of the godheed nat before Verily I haue herde but lytell spekynge thereof many a daye For scrypture is so playne therin / And is nowe so well knowen to many by the reasoÌ„ that it is come in to the Englysshe tonge / that dyuers that haue douted therin in tymes past / be nowe contented and holde theire pease And parte of the textes that haue somewhat stablysshed theÌ„ therin / I shall brefely recyte One texte is Psal C.xxvi where it is sayde Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum ecce hereditas domini filii merces fructus ventris That is whan our lorde hath gyuen to his beloued / slepe lo the inherytance of oure lorde / the rewarde of the sonne / and the frute of the wombe whiche is thus moche to saye That whan oure lorde hath taken a ryghtwyse man / nat bounde to anye synne / ne to anye payne for synne / by the slepe of naturall deth that forthwith cometh the enherytaunce of god / the rewarde of the sonne of god That is to saye / the eternall glorie of heuen And the frute of the wombe / which is christ Another texte is this oure lorde sayde to his discyples Ioh. xiii If I go fro you / and prepayre to you a place / I wyll come agayne and take you to my selfe / That where I am / you shal be And so syth he is in heuen / it muste nedes folow that they be there with him And also he sayde Iohannis xvii Father / those that thou hast gyuen to me / I wyll / that where I am / that they shall be with me that they shall see my clerenesse whiche thou haste gyuen me And also it appereth Apocalipsis .xiiii. That Saynte Iohan sawe a Lambe standynge on the mounte of Syon / and with him a hundreth and .xliiii. M. hauyng his name the name of his father / written in their foreheeddes and they sang as it had beÌ„ a newe song before the sete / and before the .iiii. bestes seygnyours / that no man coulde saye but those C.xliiii M that were bought fro the erth And in that he saith that they wer bought fro the erthe / it appereth that they were the soules of theÌ„ whiche had lyued before in erth / whiche saynt Iohan sawe en vysyon standynge before god And it can nat be takeÌ„ that they were there in bodye and soule / but in soule only It appereth also in the gospell that Lazar was in the bosome of Abraham And it is no doute but that the bodye of Abraham that tyme slepte By these textes and dyuers other nat here rehersed / that matter is well appesed / so that I wolde nat haue written to you anye thynge therin / but that ye desyred me in your letter so to do Also there be some here aboute the cytie that thynke that they that endeuour them selfe to withdraw the mindes of the people somwhat fro the inordynate goynge on pilgrymages / prayeng to sayntes / worshippynge of them And fro worshippynge of ymages and relyques styrre theym to set theyr myndes and their deuocion / holly and fully in Christ our sauyour / of whom all goodnesse cometh in heuen and in erth / do more to maynteyne the true honour to our lady and to other sayntes / thaÌ„ they that endeuour them selfe to maynteyne such thynges after the old fashion all that they can for sayntes wold haue no honour gyuen to them / ne any trust put in them but it were princypally for Christe and to his honoure And they saye also that no man may with clere conscyence moue the people to contynue suche thinges after the olde maner But they moue theym lykewyse to be well ware of suche parelles and daungers / as they maye lyghtelye fall in to by occasyon thereof but they take good hede And I thynke verily that it is euen true as they saye in that behalfe Also it is true that ther be right manye here aboute the Cytie as well of the clergye / as of the commen people / that thynke that some doctours that haue written vpon Scrypture in tyme past / haue in thynges concernynge the honoure power / lybertye / and rychesse of the Clergye exteÌ„ded Scrypture / verye farre iÌ„ fauour of the clergy But vpon all places of Scrypture that concerne the faythe and the morall lyuynge of the people they thynke the doctoures haue taken the true sence of it / and veryly I suppose it is euen as they saye And I thynke further that it were right expedyent that it shulde be ofte declared and made manyfest to the people / that Scrypture is the thinge that is of hyghest auctorytie in the churche of god / and that it is alwaye trewe and maye neuer be denyed / that the more it is knowen and loued / the more goodnesse shall folowe of it for it is the fouÌ„dacion of the church the shelde of the world the subuersioÌ„ of the fende / the ladder to paradice and the very true fode of the soule and is also of more vertue ghostly strength / than ar the sayengê of all doctours and sayntes / wherefore blessed be they that can wel folowe it And now haue I accordiÌ„g to your desyre shewed you my conceyte to all the artycles coÌ„tayned in your letter And thus I coÌ„mit you to oure lorde Iesu Amen FINIS ¶ Here endeth the answere to the letter And here foloweth the table of the Chapiters The table of the chapiters wHether the kynge by that he is recognysed to be supreme heed vnder god vpon erth of the church of EnglaÌ„de / haue therby any new power gyuen hiÌ„ ouer his subiectes that he had nat before The fyrst cha ¶ Of dyuers thynges concerniÌ„g the power of the bysshop of Rome and of the statutes made in the .xxv. yere .xxvi. yere of kynge Henry the eyght / which treate of the sayd power The .ii. chapiter ¶ Of prayenge to sayntes and worshyppynge of theym The thyrde cha ¶ Whether there be any opinyon among the people / that there be some abusyons concernynge the masse The fourth Cha. ¶ Of pardons and absolutions The .v. Chapiter ¶ Of restitucyon The .vi. chap. ¶ Who hathe power to declare expounde scrypture / and whose declaracyon we be bounde to folowe and whose nat The .vii. chapiter ¶ An answere to dyuerse shorte particuler questions conteyned in the letter The .viii. chap. ¶ The ende of the table ⧠Printed at London by Tho. Godfray Cum priuilegio Regali