his successours canonicallye admitted bysshoppes of Rome as is wrytten in regula Minorum which is not the Gospell of Iesus Christ as the seyd rule affyrmeth but a coÌ„trariouse doctryne of Antichrist his great enemy It foloweth consequently that these relygiouse vowers must lyue without their own and in chastite accordyng to the rule of y â— seyd ordre not of Christes Gospel for that hath no vowes vnto their lyues ende And if youre chaplayne wyll yet farder contende for their vowes in holye orders of subdeacon deacoÌ„ and presthode I saye this vnto hym and can proue it by a thousande wytuesses yf nede be that the Monckes or relygiouse votaryes commynge to these whorish or ydolatrouse orders of Antichrist toke neuer those vowes of the byshoppes suffcaganes as the popes massemoÌ„gers ded whome they than called the secular prestes For the suffraganes wer not their ordynary prelates neyther had they power to extorte anye newe profession of them But in dede they suffered them alwayes wythout vowe to passe knowing consydering y t they had vowed afore in their monastycal professioÌ„s votuÌ„ publicuÌ„ soleÌ„ne which was vnto theÌ„ a secoÌ„d baptisme Thomas of Aquine sayth O knauery vnspeakable The prests vow estemed of a moch lowar kind is called votuÌ„ tacitum ac priuatum hauyng thys bawdy clause therunto adioyned Si non caste taâ— meÌ„ caute wherby they might occupy other mennes wyues and daughters for not hauynge wyues of their owne for what els caused the one sorte to be called regular oâ— religiouse the other secular or prophane but onely the dyfference of their professionâ— and vowinges Yet to speake it trulye I coulde neuer throughly knowe what a prestes profession was in those dayes by al that euer I redde Sauynge ones I remembre as I was â— Maldon in Essexe about xx yeares ago I found an olde bishoppes ordynary or bokâ— of their exorcismes for church halowinges belle blessinges and oyled orders geuynge Wherin I behelde thys only clause for the oblygacyon or charge of their chastite Accipe iugum domini Take the yoke of the lorde But I founde therin no answere appoynted to be made of them whyche receyued that ordre neyther by affyrmacion noâ— yet negacion And therfore the bonde shuld seme to stande voyde vnlesse thys borowed clause of the lawe do helpe it Qui tacet coÌ„sentire videtur he which holdeth his peace semeth to coÌ„sent or agre to it But than that same videtur may in some case discharge if agayne Iugum domini is no such he any burthen as is so commenly eased by whoredom and sodometrye For the Lordes yoke doth case not burthen all theÌ„ y t are loaden Math. xi My yoke sayth Christe is easy my burthen is lyghte Thys yoke is a gentyll sufferaunce of harte or an humble endeuer to do the wyll of God And is not only for prestes at their orders takynge whyche of all men regardeth it least But commen it is for all kyndes of people men and womeÌ„ marryed or vnmarryed mayde wydowe husbande wyfe and all Except your chaplayne can make these afore rehearced professions good by y e scriptures which I knowe he shall neuer be able to do Lete him not contende wyth those men for their vows in thys age whych hath in the obedience of Gods holy wurd their kynges commaundement reâ—ounced those wycked kyndes of relygions and presthode and by vertu of that worde now taken them wyues in marryage For trulye and as the Lord lyueth of these most detestable kindes only were al the vowes whych they professed I speake not here of the ages from vii to xiiii whych was the yeare of profession from xiiii to xxi whych was the year of takynge their orders Whych their dyuynyte maisters alloweth hauyng in their vnsauery commentaryes thys vnsauery sentence of their own dottyng brayne Quanto a castioribus animis proficiscuÌ„tur vota taÌ„to ma gis Deo placent Quare adolescentuÌ„ vota preualeÌ„t votis senioruÌ„ The more chast those hartes be say they from whens the vowes come the more acceptable are those vowes to God Wherfor the vowes of yong boyes are better in value than y â— vowes of their eldars Is not here thinke you a loÌ„pe of fyne dyuynyte yes and it wer to serue in the deuyls blacke parlour The fyckle promyse of a waÌ„ton boye not grounded in Gods knowledge is here preferred to all other kindes of vowyng Here is no bad doctryne if it be wele coÌ„sydered wayed Saynt Paule admitting wydowes to be fouÌ„d at y e charges of the congregacioÌ„ allowed theÌ„ not to vowe the sole lyfe if ye wil ther haue it a vow afore y e age of lx yeares i. Tim. v. Of what streÌ„gth than wil they make the vow of inconstanÌ„t laddes I omitt the mysteries frutes of this texte least y e re hearsall of them shuld be an infeccion to other in hearyng so fylthie exaÌ„ples Upon al these matters afore rehearced I thus coÌ„clude that these vncoÌ„maunded vowes are such ydele mockynge blasphemonse promyses as of necessite ought to be brokeÌ„ And I haue I sidorus to holde with me therin In malis promissis inquit resâ—inde fidem in turpi vo to muta decretuÌ„ Quod incante vouisti ne facias Impia est promissio que scelere adim pletur In promises y t be euyl discharge thy couenauÌ„t In a filthy vow chaÌ„ge thy former decre Fulfyll not that thou hast vowed vnbewares for that promyse is wycked whiche is not accoÌ„plished without naughtynes Whan the kyngs grace of England by y e autoryte of Gods wurd discharged y e monkish sectes of his realme froÌ„ their vowed obedience to the byshop of Rome ded he not also discharge theÌ„ in coÌ„science of y t vowe of Sodometry whyche altogether made them Antichrists creaturs If he dyd not so minde it why altered he their relygions why toke he from them their disgysed garmeÌ„tes why plucked he downe their monasteryes yea why put he theÌ„ so at lyberte and sent them fourth abroade These thinges ought not to haue bene yf that kinde of chastite had bene indispensable For the vowes made in those relygyoÌ„s perteyned only to the same WhaÌ„ those religioÌ„s wer ones baÌ„nyshed y e realme was it not necessary that those vowes shuld be also bannyshed wyth them whych made them relygions Wolde ye haue men in one poynte to be the kynges true subiectes and in an other the Romyshe popes sworne creatures The holye Ghoste in the scriptures callethe thys kynde of doynge a tyranny of Sodome an obstinate rebellion against God From thys generacion are we called by a voyce from heauen whiche thus sayth vnto vs Apoca. xviii Come away from her my people least ye be partakers of her sinnes and so receyue of her plages I herein dyscommende not the honourable state of virgynyte neyther yet of faythfull wydowed whom I know to
bokes answer agaynst thys Iouinian a monke For hys sore trauayle in translatyng y â— scriptures I iudge hym worthy moche praise But as concernynge his doctrine for marriage of christeÌ„ men he is rather to be abhorred thaÌ„ lyked Wyth so spyghtfull rebukes he taunteth marryage as though it were a lyfe fyt for no christen man Neuer red I Tacianyte Encratyte Phrygiane Maniche Mercianyst Montanyst nor any other heretyke that euer was more malycyouse against it He calleth marryage a fleshe rebellinge agaynst the sprete the sea that Pharao was drowned in the cloke that Ioseph lefte behynde him an vnclennesse an excesse a filthynesse a whoredome an euyll an ydoll a blasphemy an Egypt a seruitude a syn a darkenesse a wounde vncurable barly stubble claye a coinquynacion a defeccyon from Christ and an vtter perdycyon He compareth also a marryed wyfe to an vncleane beast in the arke of Noe to a pot soâ—e broken to a draffe sacke bryngynge in at the last the obprobryouse tauntes and raylynge reproches of the Paganes agaynst women The kynde of women ought rather to haue had prayse beynge the hyghe wurke of God and marryage hys due commendacion beyng the dyuine ordynaunce than so abhomynably to haue bene rayled on But what can not the deuyll do whan he findeth an apt instrumeÌ„t He sheweth here what he was able to do by hys rhetoryck as some vayne gloryouse bablers haue done in our tyme wyth theyr sophistry of the deuyll whose pryde God hath well abated blessed be hys holy name for it Nowe wyll I shewe some of hys detorted scryptures that men maye se how shamefully he hath wrasted theÌ„ from theyr ryght meanynge Gene. iii. In the sweate of hys face shall the marryed man eate hys breade As though the vnmarryed shaulde not do the same Luke xvi No seruaunte can serue two maysters As thoughe Matrymony were a seruyce of Mammon and not of God i. Cor. vii Ye are dearely boughte become not the seruauntes of meÌ„ As though marryage were an vnchristen seruitude Roma viii If ye liue after the flesh ye must dye As though marriage wer so fleshly a lyfe as deserued no lesse than death Math. xix The gelded shall receiue the rewarde of the kingdome of heauen As though christen marryage had therin no maner of porcioÌ„ Who could more peruersly haut interpreted these scrip tures than thys Hierome whych is one of the great ydolles of the Romysh Synagoge and a depe maintener of theyr fylthy sodometry Thys kyngdome of heauen in thys lattre place is no rewarde but an offyce of preachynge the Euangelycall doctryne whose rewarde is here persecucion and in heauen a crowne of immortalyte â—e ware of these doctours Wyth ii thynges is thys chaplayne muche offended concernynge S. Paules authoryte i. Cor. ix One is the ryght vnderstandynge whych by Gods mercyfull gyft we haue therin An other is the Englysh translacion of the Byble Wyth these is he greatly accombred That authoryte he sayth after hys feble vnderstandynge pertaineth to an other purpose What pur pose can ye tell Naye that secrete he kepeth to hymselfe It is some purpose that he wolde not haue knowne or els that he is ashamed of Why shoulde it not els be vttered For although the Englysh Byble he sayth be translated accordinge to my vnderstandinge of that place He calleth the truth my vnderstanding No syr it was the latyne Byble that was translated into Englysh and not the Englysh Byble translated vnlesse it were into Welche or Iryshe whych I wolde wyshe wyth all my harte if any good men wolde take suche labours Moch fault ye fynde wyth that ye neuer toke paynes in neither can ye any skyll of it as apereth by your good Englysh that is to say with the Bybles translacioÌ„ In dede that godly wurke is moche soner founde faulte wyth than amended It myght well be sayd to yow that Apelles sayd to y â— braggyng sowter for passynge your lymytes so farre but I lete it passe Yet is it not in latyne ye say ducere sororem vxorem but circumducere sororeÌ„ mulierem I woulde ye shoulde not latyne my English vnlesse ye ded it more workemanly For I neuer hearde yet that ducere was to haue but to leade or to marry as it is here takeÌ„ Though your Hierome Erasmus and Stunica the Spanyarde hath sororem mulierem or sororem mulierculaÌ„ Yet hath Laurentius â—alla Faber StapuleÌ„sis Zuinglius Pellican Pomeran Luther Erasmus annotacions Biblia Tigurina and other whych are more faythfull indyfferent and pure interpretours mulierem vxorem Ignatius Clemens Alexandrinus Eusebius and Isidorus confyrmynge the same For S. Paule commenly vseth thys Greke worde Gyâ—aica for a wyfe in his epystles Thys testyfyeth your Hierome also in hys afore alleged fyrst boke agaynst Iouinyane in declaryng the sayd Greke wurde though he were a most spyghtfull aduersary to marryage â—ndoubtedly S. Paule speaketh here of hys wyfe whome he by theyr mutuall agrement left behinde him to the seruyce of the Gospell least she shuld in hys so large a progresse through out al Grecia and Asia from HierusaleÌ„ to Illirium bene partaker wyth him of all his daungerouse labours parels hungre thyrste nedes strypes stonynges cheanes imprisonmeÌ„tes shypwrackes and a greate sorte more not possible to haue bene suffered of a tendre and weake woman In that he wylled all men to be as he was if it be obiected he wyshed them so fre a conscience wythout fleshly affeccioÌ„s as chaunced to hym by the gyft of God tamed not by vowes but by coÌ„tynuall affliccions and labours for the Gospell Circumducere muliereÌ„ sororeÌ„ yow say is to suffre ryche womeÌ„ to go about with them in theyr progresse of preachynge to beare theyr charges Truly this is a prodigiouse kynde of interpretynge or declarynge the scriptures Wher finde yow that circumducere is to suffer Eyther yet where haue ye redde that soror mulier doth sygnyfye ryche women yea plurally It is no maruayle though ye fynde faulte wyth y â— Bybles translacion beyng so fonde I shulde say so fine an interpretour That vaine coÌ„ iecture haue ye borowed of your holy doctour Hierome whych in hys foreseid boke agaynst Iouinyan sayth that the Apostle semeth to speake of those women whych after the Iewes maner ayded the preachers wyth theyr substaunce They myght ayde the preachers I graunte ye and yet not go about wyth them For if they were wyues and had how sholdes theyr offyce was to haue seane to theyr famylyes at home and not to gadde about Riches also myght sone haue bene chaunged to pouerte and penury wythout dayly occupyeng and by traualynge so farre Where was also for y â— tyme theyr husbandes obedieÌ„ce If they were wydowes yet was the sight vncomely and the example vngodly specially amonge the Gentyles to gadde after men in so longe a iournaye as is Corinthe from Hierusalem Agayne it
haue their worthie prayses of the scriptures but thys hellyshe lake synke of sylthynesse vnspeakable All thys haue I wrytten afore leaste we shulde take euyll for good and couple sower wyth swete making of theÌ„ a mingle mangle for pigges of the popes old puddel From hens fourth wyll I aunswer to your chaplaynes frowarde obieccions Though The reported in youre wrytynge to be but one man yet shall it apere y t my oppnion coÌ„ cernyng vows is not mine own priuate opi nioÌ„ alone but y e opynyoÌ„ also of al theÌ„ which ar ruled by y e sacred scriptures I am fullye persuaded in conscience y t those most wholsom pastures of the holy Ghost are plenteouse and fait ynough for anye christen mannys feadynge and are able alone to sustayn vs wythoute all other prouysions into the lyfe euerlastynge Al other reasons proues declaracyons opynions communycacioÌ„s autorytees writings doctryns or doubtes what so euer they be not grouÌ„ded vpon theÌ„ are nothynge worth at all be they neuer so delycately prepared For wythout the verite they mynistre nothyng to man but iyes corrupcion poyson Nowe foloweth here the processe of your wrytynge Obiectio ☞ First ye begyn with the dyffinicion of a vowe what it is in y e old law Wher in ye tell firste what it is not and so â—eclare that it is not a profession of anye rashe brayne And therein I agree wyth you For in euery vow as I thynk theâ— must be a delyberacyon and a sure purpose So y t mad men â—are braynes chyldren fooles and suche lyke can make no vowe wherunto they ought to be bounden Ye saye it is an earnest promyse to fulfyll that whyche God hath ordayned and commauÌ„ded Wherin ye seme to say true but not all the truth to make a perfyght dyffynycion For y e name of a vow extendeth to manye moo thynges than your dyffynycyon doth Responsio It is at hys pleasure that your chaplaine here wyth mocke and all reporteth me to dyffyne a vowe For I mente nothyng lesse at that tyme than to dyâ—fyne it after Aristotâ—les Toppkes as he requyre th it I haue lefte hym good store of suche dyffynicions here afore taken out of a great rable of hys dottynge doctours or sophisticall sentencyâ— ners yet not one of them to anye purpose concernynge the scripture I neuer yet iudged of the holy scriptures as Aristotle ded â—nes iudge of dysfynycyons whyche in the xii boke of hys Metaphisickes sayth that De diffinitionibus potest esse scientia A scyence may be of dyffynicions For of the scripturs can we make neither art nor scieÌ„ce nomore than we caÌ„ make an arte or scieÌ„ce of Gods eternall wysedome And though it were thus Englished that knowledge may come by dyffynycyons yet holdeth not the comparison for Gods wayes are not al one with mannys inuencyoÌ„s Esa. lv If I haue sayd in descrybyng a vowe concerning dyuerse places of the olde testament that it is not a profession of anye rashe brayne as all monkysh vowes wer I thynke I haue said the truthe yea and suche a truthe as youre chaplaine is not able to w tstande by any iust grounde to the contrary If I haue also vttered that it is there an earneste promyse of fulfilling that whyche God hath ordayned and commaunded neyther haue I taughte an olde wyues fable for the scriptures standeth strongely on my syde As Iacob in y t way goyng towardes Lâ— ban hys vncle vowed a vowe that if God preserued prospered hym in that iourney he wolde acknowledge hym to be his Lord God by y e tythe offerynges of that he shuld sende hym Gene. xxviii was that vowe any other than a faythfull promyse to God grounded vpon commaundemente afore to Abraham to be taken for hys God Genes xvii NoÌ„ other opinioÌ„ had Dauid of vows than this whan he sayd Psalm lxv Introibo in domuÌ„ tuaÌ„ in holocaâ—stis reddam tibi vota que distinxerunt labia mea et locutum est os meum in tribulatione I wyll enter into thy howse wyth brent offerynges to perfourme the vowes whych I promysed with my lyppes and vttered wyth my mouthe whan I was in trouble As frankely disposed as your chaplayn was to tryfle to toy with my dyffynycion as he scornefully calleth it with it is and it is not yet is he in the ende compelled to agre wyth me therin to confirme it wyth a reason of hys owne But because I fynde hys reason barren braynlesse and wythoute anye grounde excepte it be of the sophisters dyffynycyons I reiecte it vtterlye and wyll confirme the ordre there of by a sentence of hym whose wurdes were neuer yet out of ordre NoÌ„ facietis singuli quod sibi rectum videtur Sed quod precipio tibi hoc tantuÌ„ facito domino nec addas quicquaÌ„ nec minuas Deute xii Ye shall not do saythe God that semeth good to meâ—nis pryuate iudgementes But do onlye that whyche I commaunde you se that ye adde nothinge therunto neyther yet dyminysh from it Lo sir here is both ye shall and ye shal not and all about one commauÌ„dement and your voluntarye vowes dyspatched clerelye come they wyth delyberacion or wythout delyberacyon wyth sure purpose or wythoute sure purpose because they haue non allowaunce of Gods wurde but a manifeste condempnacion An other lyke sentence Non recedat volumen legis huius ab ore tuo sed meditaberis in eo diebus ac noctibus vt custodias et facias omnia quecuÌ„que sunt in eo Non declines ab ea ad dexteram nec ad sinistram Iosue i. Lete not the â—oke of thys lawe sayth the Lorde be out of thy mouthe but study therin daye and nyghte to accomplishe and do what so euer I haue commaunded the. Se thou decline from that lawe neyther the one waye nor the other Non vltra vocaberis Iacob sed Israel erit nomen tuum Gene. xxxv Thu shalt be nomore called Iacob but Israell shall be thy name Not only by bread lyueth man but by euery wurde whyche commeth from Gods mouthe Math. iiii Not for our ryghteouse workes but of hys owne mere mercye hath he saued vs Tit. iii. Neither in maÌ„nys wyl nor yet in hys runnynge is the attaynement of saluacion but in Gods mercy aloue Ro. ix Thus haue I proued by the scryptures that a truth maye be set forewarde by it is it is not ye shall and ye shall not And all the commaundementes of God are geuen after y e same ordre As thus Thu shalt haue non other Goddes in my syghte Thu shalt hallowe the sabboth daye Thu shalt make the no grauen ymage Thu shalt honour father and mother Thu shalt not kylle Thu shalt not stele and so fourth Here is a great matter than that youre chaplaine dwelleth vpon but that of nature he must playe the mocker to maynteyne a mocke
pynge of Gods commaundementes Here is so wayghtye a sentence as myghte wele haue commen from them whych were woÌ„te to synge that Psalme at their popish houres without deuocyoÌ„ it cometh fourth so freshly and with suche a courage of slouthe But it is good portasse doctryne As ye loue the scriptures so haÌ„dle ye theÌ„ yrkesoÌ„ly fayntly vnsauerly barreÌ„ly But as feble as cold as ye iudge them yet are they so full of lyfe and strengthe of Gods sprete that all the powers of helle are not able to preuayle agaynst theÌ„ And they wyl serue the scripture vowes at nede thoughe they serue not your popysh vowes They declare in Dauid besydes your feble affeccyon a faythe incomparable and an whole geuynge vp of hym selfe to God from all worldly cares A doctryne from aboue a demonstracyon of the ryghteouse a prophecye full of pythe a puryte of Gods wurde a consolacyoÌ„ in Godlynesse an hate of superstycyon a ryghte handelyng of y e scriptures a ful obseruacioÌ„ of Gods commaundementes an obedyence to Gods byddynges a symplycite of sowle a mekenesse of sprete a conscyence wythout cancre a strong loue towardes vertu a study for ryghteousnesse a despre of knowlege heauenly a feruent zele in the truth an alacryte of sprete an inwarde peace a ioye in the holy Ghost a dylygence effectuall a coÌ„stauncy in perfyghtnesse a mygthy perseuerauÌ„ce a gyft of Gods sprete a syncere relygyoÌ„ a detestacioÌ„ of ydolatry gods true wor shypp a worke whych most hyghly pleaseth God and dyspleaseth the Deuyll and an whole summe of Christianite Censura ☞ Uowes in the .xxx. chaptre of Numeri are giftes with prayses vnto God or offeringes with thankes geuyng And they pertayn to a feast of the Iewes called Clangor or the day of trompett blow ynge whyche feaste came but ones in the yeare and contynued but .vii. dayes after And therfore those vowes were not perpetuall Obiectio ¶ In thys senteÌ„ce ye seme to change the sygnyfycacyon of vowes and also to restrayne theÌ„ to one feast called Clangor For vows ye say are gyftes with prayses vnto god or offerynge with thankes geuynge And before ye sayd generally that a vowe in the olde law was a pro myse etc. How can it be both the promyse of a thynge and the thynge promysed And by the chaptre it selfe it maye seme to be taken for the promysyng of a thynge to God and not for a gyfte or offerynge promysed For the laste sentence sayth thus Si vouerit et iuramento se constrinrerit vt per ieiunium vel ceterarum rerum abstinentiam affligat animam suam etâ—â— By whyche wordes it apereth that a vowe is not taken for a gyfte or an offeryng but for the promyse of some lawfull thynge as fastynge abstynence or suche lyke Whyche promyse the wyfe or daughter is not bounde to perfourme if the husbande or the father by and by gayne â—aye Than yf a vowe here be not taken for a gyfte or an offerynge but for a promyse of anye lawfull thynge whyche promyse in some persones at some tymes in this chaptre is declared not to bynde It foloweth that those vowes do not pertayne only to the feast of truÌ„ pettes but to euery tyme and age whan so euer any suche vowe shall be lawfully made Responsio Where as I haue in that sentence changed the sygnyfycacyon of a vowe ye coulde not therwyth be moche offended wer ye not of a frowarde croked and quarellynge nature For y e best of your doctours in expownynge the scriptures doth so so wele as I are dryuen therunto by the dyuersyte of the places and circuÌ„staunce of sentences For restraynt of those vowes in the. xxx chaptre of Numeri to a feast called Clangor I shal answere yow here after I spake it in dede that a vowe is a promyse and the scriptures afore alleged out of Gen. xxviii Psal. lxv hath born me good witnes y t I spake y e truth in it whyche to rehearce agayne were but superfluouse But where as ye saye I spake it generallye for all vowes of the Byble ye shall take it to ye agayne as a lye of youre own forging For I neuer meane al vowes whan I speake of a vowe no more than I meane all men whan I say a man And as I called it there a promyse so call I it here a gyfte a prayse an offerynge and a thankes gyuynge to God and in all these wyll the scriptures honestly beare with me It is wrytten Leuit. xxvii Homo qui eximium aliquod votum nuncupauerit iuxta estimationem dabit A man that wyll geue a syngular vowe to the Lorde shall gyue it accordynge to the value or wayght Lo sir here is votum a gyfte requyrynge value or waight WhaÌ„ Iacob vowed a vow to God Genes xxviii in the daye of paymente that vowe was an offerynge of the tythes of all that he had geuen hym Whaâ— Dauid entered into the howse of the Lorde Psal. ixv the vowes that he payed were fatt brente sa cryfyces with the smoke of rammes and offerynges of bullockes and gotes Uota pinguium vestrorum non respiciam sayeth God Amos. v. I wyll not ones loke vpon your fatte offerynges Moreouer it is wrytten Psalm lxiiii Te decet hymnus Deus in Syon et tibi reddetur votum in Hierusalem exaudi orationem meaÌ„ etc. It besemeth the Lorde God to haue prayse in Syon a vowe shall be perfourmed to the in Hierusalem heare thou my prayer Lo here is a vowe called a prayse a prayer and a thankes geuynge In the. lv Psalme are vowes named laudationes that is to saye prayses or commendacyons And where as Salomon sayeth Prouerbio xv Uota iustorum placabilia all good exposytours calleth vota there prayers An hundred lyke testimonies are in the scriptures of the olde lawe Now lete vs returne to the. xxx chaptre of Numeri There is it wrytten Si quis virorum votum domino vouerit If any man vowe to the Lorde etc. I am sure y t to vowe a vowe is not to vowe the wurdes al ready spoken but the thyng promysed in that vow ynge It foloweth after in the texte Si congnouerit pater votum quod policita est If the father shall knowe the vowe that hys daughter hath promysed et cet Thys vowe was not the promyse of a promyse for than had it bene lyke the vowe that Dauy the Walshe man made vpon the sea whan he was in daunger of drownyng to offre a candell as muche as the shyppe maste whan he come ones to lande whyche ended in the promyse and wente no farther But it was the thynge promysed whyche is in some places of the scrypture a gyfte wyth prayses to God some where an offeryng with thaÌ„kes geuing as I haue proued here afore Ye axe me thys question how a vowe caÌ„ be both y e promyse of a thynge and the thynge
to say For as yet I thynke and haue good cause why I shulde so do that vowes here be neyther gyftes nor offeryngs neyther they pertayne to that feast only and that the feast contynued longar than vii dayes as it apereth by the texte it selfe And therfor by the conclusyoÌ„ that these vowes were not perpetuall I vnder stande not what ye meane except it be that the feast nor the offerynges of the feast were not perpetuall beynge but shadowes whyche sayinge foloweth not of that before Responsio Repetynge youre matter ye se no cause why I shuld report vowes in the. xxx chap. of Numer to pertayne only to that feast c. A gnatte ye strayne oute verye sore here to swellowe in a camell but it wyll not proue to your mynde I se good cause why I shuld saye it and I speake it I thynke as a frynd For if they remayne not there they are lyke to haue but a symple dwellynge in this age except some superstycpouse grandame or some olde dottynge sir Dauy wyl harbour them for a tyme. Who wyll nowe vowe to offre vp a yonge kydde in sacryfyce What thynke yow that we knowe not in what takynge the darke ceremonies of Moyses are now Moyses is dead and buryed we haue Christ alyue in the mountayne for him The Gospell succedeth the lawe wherin the preceptes are spirytuall and must be of vs fulfylled in sprete and veryte and not in olde worne out shaddowes RemyssyoÌ„ of synnes cometh onely now by Christes offeryng vpon the crosse not by the olde leuytycall expyacyons Christ hath wholly perfyghtly supplyed in hys most innocent fleshe y t was prefygured in the serpeÌ„t of brasse in the wyldernesse that no man froÌ„ hens fourth shuld go backe agayne therunto for recouer of y â— venemouse bytynges of any other serpente Numer xxi for no man can peryshe that beleueth in hym but is sure to haue the lyfe euerlastynge Ioan. iii. That feast of trompet blowynge I trom ped ye in as a toy to help ye forward in your Iewysh creacyoÌ„s bycause ye sought so earnestly to establish the chastyte of your presthode by that xxx chaptre of Nume I gaue ye it by the waye to make yow mery wyth and not to ground any christen doctryn vpon it How thys worde only leaped into it I can not tell For whan I conferred youre coppy with myne I fouÌ„d it not therin Yow y t can so coÌ„nyngly dymynysh adde cut of set on pull out put in as ye haue done afore in your Augustynes allegacyons are able ynough to shewe your conueyaunces here As wele coulde yow here pull in thys worde only as ye ther cloughted in a quaÌ„do I am not so far ouerseane in the scriptures but I knowe that more Iewysh feastes are coÌ„tayned in the. xxix cha than festum tubaâ—um in the first daye of the seuenth moneth For in y â— tenth day of the same moneth was the feast of propycyacyon in the. xv daye was the feaste of tabernacles I gaue yow therfor the feast of troÌ„pettes as an ende like to your pryncyples For I tolde yow after that of S. Georges gyld at Norwych wher I wylled yow to bestowe those vowes If ye bestowe the fastynges and abstaynynges of the scriptures now vpon such Ie wyshe feastes ye do as ded your pay pay your papa I shuld saye whyche appoynted theÌ„ to hys ydolatrouse dayes of ydelnesse Those payne full wurkes as ye call them which are for a humyliacioÌ„ of y â— sowle may now be appointed to no such feastynges In dede I know no good reasoÌ„ why they shuld But wher as ye say ye caÌ„ not se why y â— chap tre afor shuld be restrained to pertain to this chaptre more than y â— chaptre folowynge I must saye to yow again y t I can wele see it For in y t scriptures is no coÌ„fuse ordre but a coÌ„forme coÌ„sonaÌ„t ordre one chaptre alwais approuyng declarynge an other These ii cha treate not of cleane diuerse matters as you vnclenly report theÌ„ but thei both coÌ„clud to one ende of ceremonials The. xxix chap. maketh mencyon of iii. of their pryncypall feastes sheweth what sacryfyces shuld be done in them and on what daye of the moneth they shuld be celebrated The. xxx cha declareth the perfourmaunce of vowes and offeringes both of the fre and of that which is vndre subieccion as of the father and the daughter of the husbande and the wyfe besydes the wydowe and deuorsed to the profyght of the mynysters and leuites Ye wold knowe what reason and grouÌ„d I take thus to say or to ioyne y â— ii chapters I haue for my ground thys laste sentence of the. xxix chaptre Hec offeretis Domino in solennitatibus vestris preter vota et oblationes spontaneas in holocausto in sacrificio in libamine in hostiis pacificis vestris These thynges shall ye offre to the Lorde in youre solempnytees besydes youre vowes and deuocyon offerynges in youre brentofferynges meate offerynges drinke offerynges peace offerynges This is my grouÌ„d put yow the reason to it hardely Ye say ye thynke that those vowes be neyther gyftes nor offerynges Of that thynkynge ye are suffycientlye dyscharged afore Yea saye ye haue also good cause so to thynke And I thynke y â— goodnesse of your cause not wurth the leape of a lowse Ye saye they pertayne not to y â— feast of troÌ„pet blowing only That only as it standeth is yours and not myne And if it were myne I wold ye ded byqueth it to S. Georges gyld at N. as I haue done your feaste with the Iewysh vowes and all But wher as ye conclude that the feast coÌ„tinued longar than vii dayes after it shal styl rest there tyl yow be able to proue it Ye say it so apeareth by the texte it selfe but ye are lyke to fynde it contrary as ye come ones to the tryall Bycause I sayde that vowes in the olde lawe or vowes in those feastes wer not perpetuall ye vnderstande me not In thys ye fare lyke the back or owle whyche seeth all in the darke and nothyng in the clere lyght Where as Dauid speaketh of the mercye wurkes wysdom and veryte of God Psa. xci he concludeth with thys sentence Uir insipiens noÌ„ cognoscet et stultus non intelligit hec An vnwyse man wyll not knowe these thynges neyther wyl a fole vnderstaÌ„d them The Babylonyanes sayth Micheas knoweth not the thoughtes of the lord neyther vnderstaÌ„d they hys counsels Mich. iiii All they beleued not in Christ whyche sawe hym do myracles Ioan. xii In your excepcyon ye admytt the feast and offeringes for mere shaddowes and why iudge ye not the same also of the vowes there I praye yow lete the cause go fourth wyth his effecte and be not more parcyall to the one than to the other The vowes were
professyon I saye not naye but that godly lyuynge is a frute therof ye are not able to proue vnlesse ye set God for nothynge In Christes obedyence is it not For he obeyeth not Christ that voweth in presthode monkery but he obeyth pope Helhounde and hys successours Ye saye it is a waye to the perfeccion of the Gospell O blasphemouse Antichrist herin hast thou shew â—â— thy full imperfeccion Can mennis ydell inuencious adde any perfeccion to the Gospell How feble makest thu Christ here and how vnperfyght makest his Gospell that woldest haue vncommanÌ„ded vowes which haue brought fourth innumerable sodomytes to adde perfeccion to the Gospell The Gospell is lytle beholden eyther to the or yet to thy maynteners God ones amende yow or â—â—s take ye from thys lyfe Ye saye it is a perfight ymitacioÌ„ of Christ. what a shamelesse lye is thys and what a bolde bragge to bolster out fylthynesse It is no ymitacioÌ„ of Christ for he neuer made vowe neither proponed he any doctryne of vowes makynge moche lesse than any perfyght ymytacion of Christ. Rather is it a defeccion from Christ and the same that Paule speaketh of ii Thes. ii for none were euer so obstynate agaynst hys doctrine as they whych professed those vowes Ye coÌ„clude that your vowe is the Angelycall lyfe in places where they nether marry nor be gyuen in marryage but are as Angels of God The head place where your greate vowers in Cardynall hattes myters hald crownes and cowles of all kindes marry not is the myghty moÌ„strouse Sinagoge oâ— Rome The meaner places are your minsters monasteryes coueÌ„tes colleges and personages of other nacions wher as also ye maye not for your vowes sake be gyueÌ„ fourth in marryage If ye say that these leade an Angels life by their vowes we are able to condempne your saynges by the dayly exaÌ„ples of their buggeryes and other beastly occupienges which we know besydes that we haue of the scriptures Roma i. et Apo. xi whych can not lye The place ye bring in here Neque nubent Mat. xxii ye clerely wrast froÌ„ all true godly meaning For it is not spokeÌ„ of theÌ„ whych dwell here in thys mortall corruptible lyfe though your Hierome so vnaptly vseth it but of theÌ„ y t shall apere with immortalyte in y t lattre resurreccion In y t resurreccioÌ„ shall they neyther marry nor be geueÌ„ in marriage as here vpoÌ„ earth but they shall be in heaueÌ„ as the Angels of God wher no such offyces of marriage or maydenhede shall be required If ye wyll nedes haue your vowers here like Angels they shall be like that Angel of darkenesse which in all deceyt possyble seke whoÌ„ he may deuour i. Pet. v. or els lyke those iiii cruell Angels of Gods permissyoÌ„ whych stoppeth y â— iiii wyndes or preachinges of hys eternall testament Apo. vii My sayenge ye say lacketh profe What sayenge is that I pray ye repete it Marry that the vowe of popysh chastyte is a profession to filthinesse vnspeakable in the obedience of Antichrist and the deâ—yll Why mayster chaplayne is thys the vowe that ye haue here maynteyned Is it thys y t ye call a vowe of Godly chastyte a professyon of good lyfe an obedyence of Christ a perfeccioÌ„ of y t Gospell an ymitacion of Christ an Angelycall state out of marryage I hearde neuer a more traitour make vtterauÌ„ce Yow that make so muche of this vowe of a popish chastyte ye make sumwhat wher ye dare for y t vowe of popish obedieÌ„ce which is y t greatter of both If my sayenges lacke profe as I thynke they do not in this Apology They shall lacke no profe in the. ii lattre partes of my votaries which are comming forward as spedyly as may be Your saing ye say y t a popish vowe is no vngodly professyon to Antichrist in y t deuyls obedience is proued by S. Augustyne in the thirde chapter of his boke de fide ad PetruÌ„ diaconuÌ„ But ye had nede first of all to proue that boke S. Augustynes For Erasmus hath already denyed it for the coursenesse of the phrase and vnpurenesse of the doctryne and also for that he maketh therof no mencyon â—â— hys wurthye worke of retractacyons wyth dyuerse other cawses The longe laryne allegacion of this vnknowen doctour is thus to be Englyshed Furthermore sayth he who so euer hath gelded hymselfe for the kyngdome of heauen and hath vowed chastyte in hys hart not onely if he be spotted wyth the deadly cryme of forâ—ycacion but also if either the man attempte to take a wyfe or the womaÌ„ a husbande after the Apostles opynyon he shall haue dampnacion bycause he hath broken hys fyrst fayth As it is therfor the maÌ„nis dewty after the Apostles meaning to gyue vnto hys wyfe due beneuolence lyke wyse the wyfe to the man for he that taketh a wyfe synneth not neither yet sinneth y e maide which marrieth an husbaÌ„de so lyke wyse after the sayenge of the same Apostle he that hath surely fyxed in hys harte hauynge no nede but hauynge power ouer hys owne wyll and hath so vowed chaltyte to God he ought wyth all en deuour of mynde to the ende of hys lyfe to kepe it least he haue dampnacion if he breake hys fyrst fayth Lyke wyse the married men the married women if tehy by theyr both coÌ„sfntes do vowe vnto God a perpetuall chastyte be they sure they are bounde to fulfill that vowe and not from theus fourth to haue any carnall copulaciou whych was lawfull vnto theÌ„ afore but to kepe that chastite to God whych they vowed Notwythstandynge that all thys matter hath bene answered afore yet fynde I sumwhat herein to be spokeÌ„ None authoryte can S. Augustynes name adde to this doctryne bycause he is not the authour of that boke The authour of it is such a one as S. Paule speaketh of Roma i. whych withholding the truth of God in vnryghteousnesse hath turned hys veryte into a lye Many wycked errours do I fynde in thys doctrine One is where as he calleth geldynge or makynge chast for the kyngdome of heauen a voweynge of the single lyfe whych Christ neuer ment Math. xix For Christ spake it of them whych sought the sowle helth of hys people by the grace of the Gospell and not of them which pryuately thought to wynne heauen to themselues alone by theyr folysh vowes These sequestred themselues from al carnall and worldly affeccions not by vowes but by the mere gyft of God Not to wynne heauen to theÌ„ selues but to call other vnto it by preachynge the doctryne of saluacion For heauen is not gotteÌ„ by vowes but by fearynge beleuynge and faythfull folowynge of the Gospell An other errour that vowes ought so to separate man and wife as they may neuer mete agayne Thys vsurpacion is not tollerable that mannys ydell inuencion