both by an old chronicle called Chronica gestorum as also by auncient Origen vpon the third booke of Moses bringing in his wordes which be these prouing that this sacramental bread ought not to be reserued Quicunque hunc panem coenae Christi secunda vel tertia die sumpserit non benedicitur anima eius sed inquinabitur Propterea Gabaonitae quia antiquos panes portaueruÌ„t ad filios Israel oportuit eos ligna ac aquam portare c. That is whosoeuer receiueth this bread of the Supper of Christ vpon the second or iii. day after his soule shall not be blessed but polluted Therfore the Babaonites because they brought olde bread to the children of Israel it was enioyned them to cary wood and water c. D. Austen of whom meÌ„tion is made before disputing agaynst them about this matter of the holy Eucharist vrgeth them with this interrogation whether it be the same Christ present in the Sacrament which is present at the right hand of the father If it be not the same Christ how is it true in the Scripture Vna fides vnus Dominus nostet Iesus Christus One fayth one Lord Iesus Christ If it be the same Christ theÌ„ how is he not to be honored and worshipped here as well as there To this the Ualdenses aunswere againe and graunt that Christ is one and the same with his naturall body in the sacrament which he is at the right hand of his Father but not after the same existence of his body For yâ— existence of his body in heauen is not personall and locall to be apprehended by the fayth and spirit of men In the sacrameÌ„t the existence of his body is not personall or locall to be appreheÌ„ded or receiued of our bodies after a personal or corporall maner but after a sacrameÌ„tal maner that is where our bodies receiue the signe our spirit the thing insignified Moreouer in heauen the existence of his body is dimensiue and complete with the full proportion and quaÌ„tity of the same body where with he asceÌ„ded here the existeÌ„ce of his complete body with the full proportion measure stature thereof doth not neither can stand in the sacrameÌ„t Briefly the existence of his body in heauen is naturall not sacramentall that is to be sene and not remembred here it is sacramentall not naturall that is to be remembred not to be sene That aunswere being made to the captious propositioÌ„ of D. Augustine The Ualdenses retorting the like interrogation to him againe demaund of him to answere them in the like obiection whether it be all on christ substaÌ„tially naturally which sitteth in heauen which is vnder the formes of bread and wine and in the receiuers of the Sacrament If he graunt to be Then they did him say seing Christ is as well in the sacrament as in heauen as well in the receiuer as in the sacrament all one Christ in substance nature why then is not the same Christ as well in the brest of the receiuer to be worshipped as vnder the formes of bread and wine in the sacrameÌ„t seing he is there after a more perfect maner in man then in the sacrament for in the sacrament he is but for a tâ—â—e and not for the sacraments sake but for the mans cause In man he is not for the sacraments cause but for his owne and that not for a season but for euer as it is written Qui manducat hunc panem viuet in aeternum that is he that eateth this breade shall liue for euer c. Moreouer and besides seing traÌ„substantiation is the going of one substance into an other they question againe with him whether the formes of bread and wine remayning the substauÌ„ce thereof be chauÌ„ged into the whole person of our Lord Christ Iesus that is both into his body soule and diuinitye or not into the whole Christ If he graunt the whole Then say they that is impossible concerning the diuinity both to nature and to our fayth that any creature can be chauÌ„ged into the creator If he say the bread is chaunged into the body and soule of Christ not to his diuinity then he seperateth the natures in Christ. If he say into the body alone and not the soule then he separateth the natures of the true manhood c. And so cannot be the same Christ that was betrayed for vs for that he had both body soule To conclude to what part soeuer he would aunswere this doctrine of transubstantiation cannot be defended without great incoÌ„uenieÌ„ce of al sides Ouer and besides Eneas Syluius writing of theyr doctrine and assertions perchaunce as he fouÌ„d them perchaunce making worse of them then they taught or ment reporteth them after this maner which I thought here to set out as it is in the Latin ROmanum praesulem reliquis episcopis parem esse Inter sacerdotes nullum discrimen Praes byterum non dignitatem fed vitae meritum efficere potiorem In English The byshop of Rome to be equall with other bishops Amongst priestes to be no difference of degree No Priest to be reputed for any dignity of his order but for the worthinesse of his life The soules of men departed either to enter into paine euerlasting or euerlasting ioy No fire of Purgatory to be found To pray for the dead to be vaynâ— and a thing onely found out for the lucre of Priestes The images of God as of the Trinity and of saintes to be abolished The halowing of water palmes to be a mere ridicle The religion of begging Fryars to be found out by the deuill That priestes should not incroch riches in this world but rather follow pouerty being content with their tythes and mens deuotion The preaching of the word to be free to all men called thereunto That no deadly sinne is to be tollerate for whatsoeuer respect of a greater commodity to insuâ— therupon The coÌ„firmation which bishops exercise with oyle and extreme vnction are not to be counted amongst the sacraments of the Churche Auriculare confession to be but a toy to suffice for euery man to confesse himselfe in his chamber to God Baptisme ought to be ministred ouely with pure water without any mixture of halowed oyle The temple of the Lord to be the wide world The maiesty of God not to be restrayned more within the walles of temples monastaries and chappelles so that his grace is rather to be found in one place then in an other Priestes apparell ornaments of the high aulter vestimentes corporaces chalices patines and other Churche plate to serue in no stead For the difference and respect of the very place to make no matter where the priest doth consecrate or doth minister to them which do require To be sufficient to vse onely the sacramentall words without all other superfluous ceremonies The suffrages of saintes reigning with Christ in heauen to be craued in vayne being not
folowyng the same So Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord be as testimonies and profes that by our fayth only in Christ we are iustified that as our bodyes are washed by water and our life nourished by bread and wine so by the bloud of Christ our sinnes be purged and the hunger of our soules releued by the death of his body Upon the same fayth riseth also outward profession by mouth as a declaration thereof Other thinges also as fruites and effectes do follow after fayth as peace of conscience ioy in the holy Ghost inuocation patience charitie mercy iudgement sanctification For God for our fayth in Christ his sonne therfore geueth into our hartes his holy spirite of comfort of peace and sanctification whereby mans hart is moued to a godly disposition to feare God to seek him to call vpon him to trust vnto him to stick to him in all aduersities and persecutions to loue him for hys sake also to loue our brethren to haue mercy and compassion vpon them to visite them if they be in prison to breake bread to them if they be hungry and if they be burdened to ease them to clothe them if they be naked and to harbour them if they be houseles Mat. 25. with such other spirituall exercises of pietie and sanctification as these which therefore I call spirituall because they proceede of the holy spirite and law of God which is spirituall And thus haue ye a Catholicke Christian defined first after the rules of Rome and also after the rule of the Gospell Now conferre these Antitheses together and see whether of these is the truer christian the ceremonial man after the Church of Rome or the spirituall man with his fayth and other spirituall fruites of pietie following after the same And if ye say that ye mixt them both together spirituall thinges with your corporall ceremonies to that I aunswere agayne that as touching the end of remission of sinnes and saluation they ought in no case to be ioyned together because the meane cause of all our saluation and remission is onely spirituall and consisteth in fayth and in no other And therefore vpon the same cause I come to my question agayne as I began to aske whether the Religion of Christ be a mere spirituall religion and whether in the Religion of Rome as it is now is any thing but onely mere corporall thinges required to make a catholicke man And thus I leaue you to your aunswere IN turning ouer the first leafe of this booke which is pag. 2. col 1. and in the latter end of the same colume thou shalt finde gentle Reader the argument of Pighius Hosius wherein thus they argue That forsomuch as Christ must needes haue a catholicke Church euer continuing here in earth which all men may see wherunto all men ought to resort and seeing no other church hath endured continually from the Apostles visible here in earth but only the church of Rome they conclude therefore the Church onely of Rome to be the right Catholicke Church of Christ. c. In aunswering whereunto this is to be sayd that forsomuch as the medius terminus of this argument both in the Maior and Minor consisteth onely in the word visible and vnknowne if they meane by this word visible in the Maior that Christes Church must be seene here to all the world that all men may resort to it it is false Likewise if they meane by the same word visible in the Minor that no other Church hath bene seene and known to any but onely the Church of Rome they are likewise deceiued For the true Church of Christ neyther is so visible that all the worlde can see it but onelye they whiche haue spirituall eyes and bee members thereof nor yet so inuisible agayne but suche as be Gods elect and members therof doe see it and haue seen it though the worldly eyes of the most multitude cannot so doe c. Wherof read more in the protestation aboue prefixed to the church of England Foure considerations geuen out to Christian Protestantes professours of the Gospell with a briefe exhortation inducing to reformation of life ¶ The first consideration AS in the page before foure questions were moued to the Catholick Papists to answere them at theyr leysure so haue I here to the Christian Gospellers foure considerations likewise for them to muse vpon with speede conuenient THe first consideration is this euery good man well to weigh with himselfe the long tranquillitie the great plenty the peaceable libertie which the Lord of his mercy hath bestowed vpon this land during all the reigne hetherto of this our Souereigne and most happy Queene ELIZABETH in such sort as the like example of Gods aboundant mercies are not to be seene in any nation about vs so as we may well sing with the Psalme in the Churche Non fecit taliter omni nationâ— opes gloria suae non manifestauit eis first in hauing the true light of Gods gospel so shining among vs so publickly receiued so freely preached with such libertie of conscience without daunger professed hauing withall a Prince so vertuous a Queene so gratious geuen vnto vs of our owne natiue country bred and borne amongst vs so quietly gouerning vs so long lent vnto vs in such peace defending vs agaynst such as would els diuoure vs briefly what could we haue more at Gods hand if wee woulde wish or what els could we wish in this world that we haue not if this one thing lacked not grace to vse that well which we haue ¶ The second consideration AS these thinges first are to be considered concerning our selues so secondly let vs consider likewise the state and tymes of other our countrymen and blessed Martyrs afore past what stormes of persecutions they susteined what little rest they had with what enemies they were matched with what crosses pressed vnder what Princes vnder what Prelates they liued or rather dyed in the dayes of King Henry the 4. king Henry 5. King Henry 7. King Henry 8. Queene Mary c. vnder Boâ—er Bishoppe of London Gardiner Bishoppe of Winchester Cholmley Story Bishoppe Arundell Stokesley Courtney Warham At what time children were caused to set fire to their fathers The father adiured to accuse the sonne the wife to accuse the husband the husband the wife brother the sister sister the brother examples whereof are plenty in this booke to be seene pag. 774. ¶ The third consideration THirdly let vs call to mynd considering thus with our selues These good men and worthy Martyrs in those dangerous daies tastyng as they did the heauy hand of Gods sharpe correction beginning commonly with his owne house first if they were aliue now in these Alcion daies vnder the protection of such a peaceable prince O what thanks would they geue to God how happy would they count themselues hauing but halfe of that we haue with freedome onely of conscience and safetie of lyfe Or if in
seconde point consisteth in preaching and expressing the glorious and triumphant Maiestie of Christ Iesus the sonne of God and the excellency of his glory who being once dead in the infirmitie of flesh rose againe wyth power ascending vp with maiestie hath led away captiuitie captiue Eph. 4. sitteth and reigneth in glory on the right hand of God in heauenly thinges aboue all principates and potestates powers and dominations aboue euery name that is named not only in this world but also in the world to come Ephe. 1. In whose name euery knee hath to bende both in heauen and in earth and vnder the earth and euery tongue to confesse our Lord Christ Iesus to be of the glory of God the Fathee Phil. 2. In whome and by whome all things are made both in heauen and in earth things visible inuisible whether they be thrones or dominations or principates or potestats al are by him and for him created and he is before all all thinges consist in him who is the head of his body the Churche the beginning and first borne from the dead in whome dwelleth all fulnes Col. 1. To whome the Father hath giuen all iudgement and iudgeth no man himselfe any more Ioh. 5. To whom the Father hath giuen all things to his hands Iohn 13. To whome the father hath giuen power of all flesh Iohn 17. To whome all power is giuen in heauen and in earth Math. vlt. In whome be all the promises of God Est. Amen 2. Cor. 1. 3. Thirdly he declareth the vertue of his Crosse Passion and that what exceeding benefites proceede to vs by the same By whose bloud we haue redemption remission of our sinnes Ephes. 1. By whose strypes we are made whole Eay 53. By whose Crosse all thinges are pacified both in heauen and in earth Col. 1. By whose death wee are reconciled Ro. 5. Who hath destroied death brought life to light 1. Timot. 1. Who by death hath destroyed him which had the power of death that is the diuell and hath deliuered them which liued vnder feare of death all theyr life in bondage Heb. 2. By whose obedience we are made iust by whose righteousnes we are iustified to life Rom. 5. By whose curse wee are blessed and deliuered from the malediction of the law Gala. 8. By whose bloud we that once were farre of are made neere vnto God Ephes. 5. Who in one body hath reconciled both Iewes Gentiles vnto God Eph. 2. Who by his flesh hath taken away the diuision and separation betweene God and vs abolishing the law which was set against vs in preceptes decrees Ephes. 2. Who is our peace our aduocate and propitiatiō for the sinnes of the whole worlde 1. Iohn 2. Who was made accursed sinne for vs that we might be the righteousnes of God in him 2. Cor. 5. Who is made of God for vs our wisedome and righteousnes sanctification and redemption 1. Cor 1. By whom we haue boldnes and entraunce with all confidence through faith in him Ephes. 3. Who forgiueth all our sinnes and hath torne a peeces the obligation or handwriting which was against vs in the law of commaundements and hath crucified it vpon the Crosse vtterly hath dispatched and abolished the same and hath spoled principates and potestates as in an open shew of conquest triumphing ouer them openly in himselfe Col. 2. Who iustifieth the wicked by faith Ro. 4. In whom we are made full and complete Col. 2. c. 4. The fourth branch is to teach and informe vs to whō these benefites of Christes Passion and victory do apperteine by what meanes the same is applied redoundeth vnto vs which meanes is onely one that is onely faith in Christ Iesu and no other thing Which faith it pleaseth almightie God to accept for righteousnes And this righteousnes it is which onely standeth before God and none other as we are plainly taught by the Scriptures and especially by the doctrine of S. Paule Which righteousnes thus rising of faith in Christ. S. Paule calleth the righteousnes of God where he speaketh of himselfe vtterly refuseth the other righteousnes which is of the lawe that the might be found in him not hauing his own righteousnes which is of the law but the righteousnes of Christ which is of faith Phil. 3. Againe the saide Apostle writing of the Iewes which sought for righteousnes and found it not and also of the Gentiles which sought not for it and yet found it sheweth the reason why because saith he the one sought it as by workes and the lawe and came not to it who not knowing the righteousnes of God and seking to set vp their owne righteousnes did not submit themselues to the righteousnes whiche is of God The other which were the Gentiles and sought not for it obteined righteousnes that righteousnes which is of faith c. Ro. 9. Also in an other place Saint Paule in the same Epistle writing of this righteousnes which commeth of faith calleth it the righteousnes of God in these wordes Whome God saith he hath set vp for a propitiatiō by faith in his bloud whereby to make manifest the righteousnes which is of himselfe in tollerating our sinnes c. Rom. 3. By the which righteousnes it is euident that S. Paule meaneth the righteousnes of faith which almightie God nowe reuealeth maketh manifest by preaching of the Gospell Wilt thou see yet more plainely this righteousnes of God howe it is taken in S. Paule for the righteousnes of faith therefore is called the righteousnes of God because it is imputed onely of God to fayth and not deserued of man In the same Epistle to the Romanes and in the 3. chap. aforesayd his wordes be manifest The righteousnes of God sayth he is by faith of Iesus Christ in all and vpon al that doe beleue c. Wherfore whosoeuer studieth to be accepted with God and to be found righteous in his light let him learne diligently by the doctrine of S. Paule to make a difference a separation as farre as from heauen and earth betwene these two that is betweene the righteousnes of workes righteousnes of faith in any wise beware he bring no other meanes for his iustification or remission of his sins but onely faith apprehending the body or person of Christ Iesus crucified For as there is no way into the house but by the doore so is there no comming to God but by Christ alone which is by faith And as the mortall body without bodely sustenance of bread drinke can not but perishe so the spiritual soule of man hath no other refreshing but only by faith in the body and bloude of Christ whereby to be saued With this faith the Idolatrous Gentiles apprehēded Iesus Christ and receaued therby righteousnes Cornelius the first Baptised Ramane so sooone as he
both of great payne to fall vpon theÌ„ for so we read that Iesus cast out buiers and sellers out of hys temple Also Peter sayd vnto Symon the first author of this heresy Thy mony sayd he with thee be destroyed for that thou hast thought the gift of God to be possessed for mony Moreouer whereas Christ sayth frely you haue receiued frely geue and whereas contrary the Pope doth sell that thing which he hath taken what doubt is there but that he doth greuously deserue to be punished both he that selleth he that buyeth for the crime of simonye which they commit Ouer and besides by many reasons and authorities of the Scripture it may be proued that he doth not absolue a man contrite for his sinne although he doe absolue him from the guilt But this marueileth me that he in his indulgeÌ„ces promiseth to absolue men from all maner of deadly sinnes yet cannot absolue a man from debt forasmuch as the debt which we owe to god is of much more greater importaÌ„ce then is the debt of our brother Wherfore if he be able to remitte the debt due to God much more it should seme that he is able to forgeue the debt of our brother An other thing there is that I maruell at for that the pope sheweth himselfe more strait in absoluing a priest for not saying or negligently saying his mattens theÌ„ for traÌ„sgressing the commaundemeÌ„t of God considering that the transgression of the coÌ„maundement of God is much more greuous then the breach of mans commaundement For these and many other errours concurring and in this matter of the Popes absolutioÌ„s blessed be God honor be vnto him for the remission of our sinnes And let vs firmely beleue and know that he doth and wil absolue vs from our sinnes if we be sory froÌ„ the bottome of our harts that we haue offended him hauing a good purpose and will to offend him no more And let vs be bolde to resorte vnto good and discreet Priests who with wholesome discretion and sound counsell can instruct vs how to auoad the corruption of sinne hereafter And which because they are better then we may pray to God for vs whereby we may both obtayne more sooner the remission of our sinnes past and also may learne better how to auoyd the daunger of sinne to come Ex Registro Latino Episc. Hereford ¶ And thus much concerning the iudgement and doctrine of this Walter for Christian patience charity and mercy which as they be true and infallible notes and markes of true Christianity so the sayde Walter Brute making comparison herein betweene Christ and the Pope goeth about purposely to declare and manifest whereby all men may see what contrariety there is betweene the rule of Christes teaching and the proceedinges of the Pope betweene the examples and life of the one and the examples of the other Of which two as one is altogether geuen to peace so is the other on the contrary side as much disposed to wars murder and bloudshed as is easy to be sene who so looking not vpon the outward shewes and pretensed wordes of these Romishe Popes but aduising and considering the inward practises and secret works of them shall easely espye vnder their visour of peace what discord and debate they work Who bearing outwardly the meek hornes of the Lambe mentioned in the Apocalippes within doe beare the bowels of a Wolfe full of crueltye murder and bloudshed which if any doe thinke to be spoken of me contumeliously would God that man could proue as well the same to be spoken of me not truely But trueth it is I speake it sincerely without affection of blinde partiality according to the trueth of historyes both olde and new Thus vnder in Dei nomine Amen how vnmercifully doeth the Pope condemne his brother And while he pretendeth not to be lawfull for him to kill any man what thousandes hath he killed of men And likewise in this sentence preteÌ„ding in visceribus Iesu Christi as though he woulde be a mediatour to the magistrate for the party yet in deed will he be sure to excommunicate the Magistrate if he execute not the sentence geuen Who be true heretiques the Lord when he commeth shall iudge but geue them â—o be heretiques whom he condemneth for heretiques Yet what bowels of mercy is here where is nothing but burning faggoting drowning prisoning chayning famishing racking hanging tormenting threatning reuiling cursing and oppressing and no instructing nor yet indifferent hearing of theÌ„ what they can say The like cruelty also may in theyr warres appeare if we consider how Pope Vrbane 5. beside the racking and murdering of 7. or 8. Cardinals set vp Henry Spencer Bishoppe of Norwich to fight agaynst the French Pope Innocentius 4. was in warre himselfe agaynst the Apulians Likewise Alexander 4. his sucessour stirred vp the sonne of king Henry 3. to fight agaynst the sonne of Fredericke 2. Emperour for Apulia Boniface 8. moued Albertus which stood to be Emperour to driue Philip the freÌ„ch King out of his Realm Gregorius 9 excited Ludouike the French king 3. sundry times to mortall warre agaynst the Earle Raimundus and City of of Tholouse and Auinion where Lewes the sayd Frence king dyed Honorius 3. by strength of warre many wayes resisted Fredericke 2. and sent out 35. Gallyes agaynst the coastes of the Emperours dominions The same Pope also besieged Ferraria to passe ouer the warre at Ticinum with many other battayles and conflictes of Popes agaynst the Romanes Venetians and diuers other nations Innocentius 3. set vp Philip the French king to warre agaynst king Iohn What stirre Pope Gregorye the 7. otherwise named Hildebrand kept agaynst the Emperour Henricus 4. it is not vnknowne And who is able to recite all the warres battayles and fieldes fought by the stirring vp of the Pope These with many other like examples considered did cause this Walter Brute to write in this matter so as he did making yet thereof no vniuersall proposition but that Christian Magistrates in case of necessity might make resistaunce in defence of publique right Now he procedeth further to other matter of the Sacrament Touching the matter sayth he of the Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ diuers men haue diuers opinions as the learned do know As concerning my iudgemeÌ„t vpon the same I firmely beleue whatsoeuer the lord Christ Iesus taught implicitely or expresly to his Disciples and faythfull people to be beleued for he is as I beleue and know the true bread of God whiche descended from heauen and geueth life to the world Of which bread whosoeuer eateth shall liue for euer as it is in the 6. of S. Iohn declared Before the comming of christ in the flesh although men did liue in body yet in spirit they did not liue because all men were then vnder sinne whose soules therby were dead from the which death no man by law nor with
Sacramentally or memorially to be his body And this seemeth vnto me most nearest to agree to the meaning of Christ forasmuch as he said do this in the remembraunce of me Then for as much as in the supper it is manifest that Christ gaue vnto his Disciples the bread of his body which he brake to that intent to eat with theyr mouthes in which bread he gaue himselfe also vnto them as one in whō they should beleue as to be the food of the soule and by that fayth they should beleue him to be theyr sauior which tooke his body wherein also he would it to be manifest that he woulde redeeme them from death So was the bread eaten with the Disciples mouthes that he being the true breade of the soule might be in spirite receiued and eaten spiritually by theyr fayth which beleued in him The bread which in the disciples mouthes was chewed from the mouth passed to the stomacke For as Christ saith whatsoeuer cōmeth to the mouth goeth into the belly from thence into the priuy Mathew chap. 15. But that true and very bread of the soule was eaten of the spirite of the Disciples and by fayth entred theyr minds and abode in their intralles through loue And so the bread broken semeth vnto me to be really the meat of the body the bread which it was before but Sacramentally to be the body of Christ as Paule 1. Cor. 10. The breade which we breake is it not the participation of the body of the Lord So the bread which we breake is the participation of the Lordes body And it is manifest that the heauēly bread is not broken neither yet is subiect to such breaking Therfore Paul calleth the materiall bread which is broken the body of Christ which the faythfull are partakers of The breade therfore chaungeth not his essence but is bread really and is the body of Christ sacramentally Euen as Christ is the very vine abiding really and figuratiuely the vine So the temple of Ierusalem was really the materiall temple figuratiuely it was the body of Christ Because he sayde destroy you this temple and in three dayes I will repayre the same agayne And this spake he of the temple of his body whereas others vnderstood it to be the materiall temple as appeared by theyr answere For sayd they 47. yeres hath this temple bene in building and wilt thou build it vp in three dayes Euen so may the consecrated bread be really bread as it was before and yet figuratiuely the body of Christ. And if therfore Christ would this bread to be only sacramentally his body and would not haue the same bread really to be transubstantiated into his body so ordeined his Priestes to make this Sacrament as a memoriall of his passion Thē do the Priestes greuously offend which besech Christ in their holy Masse that the bread which lyeth vpon the aultar may be made really the body of Christ if he woulde not haue the same to be but a Sacrament of his body And then both be they greatly deceiued themselues and also do greatly deceiue others But whether the bread be really transubstantiated into the body of Christ or is onely the body of Christ sacramentally No doubt but that the people are maruellously deceiued For the people beleue that they see the body of Christ nay rather Christ himselfe betwene the handes of the Priestes for so is the common othe they sweare By him whō I saw this day betwene the priestes hands And the people beleue that they eat not the body of Christ but at Easter or els when they lie vpon theyr death bed and receiue with their bodely mouth the Sacrament of the body of Christ. But the body of Christ admitte the bread be transubstantiated really into the body is in the Sacrament indiuisibiliter that is not able to be deuided and so immensurabiliter that is not able to be measured Ergo inuisibiliter that is not able to be sene To beleue therfore that he may be sene corporally in the Sacrament is erroneous And forasmuch as the body of Christ is the souls food and not the food of the body in this world for that whosoeuer beleueth doth eat spiritually and really at any time when he so beleueth It is manifest that they doe greatlye erre which beleue that they eat not the body of Christ but when they eat with theyr teeth the Sacrament of the body of Christ. And although it should be to the great honor of priests that the bread really were chaūged into the body of christ by the vertue of the Sacramentall words pronounced yet if Christ would not haue it to be so then they desiring to do this contrary to the will of Christ and informing the people that is to be done so contrary to the will of Christ are in great peril most daūgerously seducing both themselues and the people And then although that hereby they get a litle worldly and transitory honour for a short time It is to be feared least perpetual shame finally shall follow and insue vpon the same For Christ sayth euery one that exalteth himselfe shall be brought low Let them therfore take heed least they extolling themselues for this Sacrament aboue the company of Angels which neuer sinned for the errour which they be in for euermore be placed with the sinnefull angels vnder the earth Let euery man therfore think lowly of himself in what state or degree soeuer he be neither let him presume to doe that which he is not able to do Neither desire to haue that thing done which God would not haue done I greatlye maruell at those which were the makers of the Canons how variably contrary one to another they write of this Sacrament of the body of Christ. In the last part of the decrees where this matter is touched not only in the text but also in the proces of the matter diuers do diuersly write and one contrary to another For in the chapter that thus beginneth Prima inquit haeresis it is thus written You shall not eate this bodye which you see nor shall drinke this bloud which they shall shed which shall crucify me I will commend vnto you a certayne Sacrament spiritually vnderstood that quickneth you for the flesh profiteth you nothing at all And in the end of the same chapter it is thus written Till the world shall haue an end the Lords place is in heauen yet notwithstanding the verity of the Lord is here abiding with vs. For the body wherwith he rose ought to be in one place but his verity is in euerye place diffused spread abroad And in the chapter folowing which thus beginneth Omnia quaecunque voluit c. it is written Although the figure of the bread wine seeme to be nothing yet notwithstanding they must after y◠wordes of consecration be beleued to be none other thing then the very
with vij or viij heynous crimes as blasphemy Idolatry heresie superstition absurditie vanitie crueltie and contrarietie as which neither agreeth with the old learning of their forelders nor yet with thēselues in sundry points yet after a more temperate sort to passe this matter wyth them these ij things I will dare boldly affirme that in this doctrine of the Pope nowe taught in the Church of Rome is neither any consolation of conscience nor saluation of mans soule For seeing there is no life nor soule health but onely in Christ nor any promise of saluation or comfort made but only by faith in the sonne of God what assurance then can there be of perfect peace life or saluatiō where that which onely maketh all is least made of and other things which make least are most esteemed For to say the simple truth what els is the whole course and body of the popes law now set foorth but a doctrine of laws a heape of ceremonies a teaching of traditions a meditation of merites a foundation of new Religions al which conferre not one iote to the iustification of our soules before the terrible iudgement of God And therefore as it may be truely saide this doctrine of the Pope to be voyd of all true comfort and saluation so likewise it seemeth that these which addict themselues so deuoutly to the popes learning were neuer earnestly afflicted in conscience neuer humbled in spirite nor broken in hart neuer entred into any serious feeling of Gods iudgement nor euer felt the strength of the law of death For if they had they shoulde soone haue seene their owne weakenes and be driuen to Christ then should they haue seene what a horrible thing it is to appeare before GOD the father or once to thinke on him as Luther saith without christ And on the contrarye side then shoulde they know what a glory what a kingdome what liberty and life it were to be in Christ Iesus by faith holding their inheritance not with the bondsonne of Agar but with the free sonne of Sara by promise and not by the law by grace and not by works by gift and not by deseruing that god onely might be praysed and not man And thus were the olde Romaines first taughty by S. Paule writing to the Romanes The same did Cornelius the Romaine and first that was Baptised of all the Gentiles learne of S. Peter when he receaued the holy Ghost not by the deedes of the law but onely by hearing the faith of Iesus preached And in the same doctrine the sayd Church of the Romaines many yeares continued so long as they were in affliction And in the same doctrine the byshop of Rome with his Romanes now also should still remayne if they were such auncient Catholickes as they pretende and woulde follow the old mother Church of Rome and holde the first liquor wherewith they were first seasoned But the sweete verdor and sent of that liquor and pleasant must is nowe cleane put out through other vnsauery infusions of the Popes thrusting in so that almost no tast nor peece remaineth of all that primitiue doctrine which S. Paule and other Apostles first planted among the Gentiles And what maruell if the Romanes now in so long tract of time haue lost their first sap seyng the Church of the Galathians then in the very time of S. Paule their Schoolemaister he being amongst them had not so soone turned his backe a little but they were all turned almost from the doctrine of fayth and had much a doo to be recouered againe Of this defection and falling from faith S. Paule expressely foretelleth vs in his letters both to the Thessalonians and also to Timothe where he sheweth that a defection shall come and that certaine shall depart from the faith attending to spirits of errour c. 1. Tim. 4. And to know what errours these shall be the circumstance plainly leadeth vs to vnderstande in the same place where the sayd Apostle speaketh of marked consciences forbidding men to marry and to eate meates ordeined of God to be taken with thankes giuing for mans sustenance most euidently as with his finger pointeth out vnto vs the church of Rome which not in these pointes onely but also in all other conditions almost is vtterly reuolted from the pure originall sincerity of that doctrine which Saint Paule planted in the Churche of the Romanes and of all other Gentiles ¶ The Summe of S. Paules doctrine deliuered to the Gentiles 1. FIrst the doctrine of S. Paule ascribeth all our iustification freely meerly to faith onely in Christ as to the onely meanes and cause immediate whereby the merites of Christes passion be applyed vnto vs without any other respect of worke or workes of the law whatsoeuer and in this doctrine the Church of the Romanes was first planted 2. Secondly the same doctrine of S. Paule cutting of and excluding all glory of mans deseruing stayeth onely vpon Gods promise and vpon grace not mans merites vpon mercy not mans labouring or running vpon election and calling not mans willing c. 3. Thirdly the same doctrine casting downe the strength of man and his integra naturalia as the scholes doe terme them concludeth all fleshe vnder sinne and maketh the same destitute of the glory of God 4. Item it maketh manifest difference betweene the law and the Gospell declaring the vse and ende of them to be diuers the one to kill the other to quicken the one to cōdemne the other to iustifie the one to haue an ende and a tyme the other to be perpetuall c. 5. Item the same doctrine of S. Paule as it sheweth a difference betweene the law and the Gospell so it maketh no lesse difference betweene Iusticia Dei and Iusticia propria that is the righteousnes of God and the righteousnes of man abhorryng the one that is man 's owne righteousnes comming by the law and works and embracing the other which God imputeth freely and graciously to vs for Christ his sonnes sake in whom we beleeue 6. Item it wipeth away al traditions and constitutions of men whatsoeuer especially from binding of conscience calling them beggerly elements of this world 7. Likewise it reiecteth and wipeth away al curious subtilities and superfluous speculations knoweth nothing els but Christ onely Crucified which is onely the obiect whereunto our faith looketh 8. Furthermore as the same doctrine of S. Paule defineth al men to be transgressours by disobedience of one Adam though they neuer touched the Aple comming of his stocke by nature so doth it prooue all men to be iustified by the obedience of one though they did not his obedience being likewise borne of him by spirituall regeneration and faith 9. And therfore as all men comming of Adam be condemned originally before they grow vp to commit anye sinne agaynst the law so all men be saued originally being
regenerated by fayth in Christ before they begin to do any good worke of charitie or any other good deede 10. Item the doctrine of S. Paule perpending the high glory of a Christen mans state in Christ Iesus by faith first setteth him in a perfect peace with almightie God Rom. 5. Secondly exempteth him from all condemnatiō Rom. 8. Thirdly it matcheth him with aungels it equalleth him with Saints and felow citizens of heauen it nūbereth him with the housholde of God and inheriteth him with Iesus Christ himselfe Ephes. 2. Fourthly it adopteth him from the state of a seruaunt to the state of the sonne of God crying Abba father Gal. 4. Fiftly it openeth to him a bolde accesse and entraunce to the high maiestie and throne of grace Ephes. 2. Heb. 4. Sixtlye it subiecteth all thinges vnder him as ministers yea the Apostles themselues in their hiest office death life thinges present thinges to come with the whole worlde besides and assigneth him no spirituall head but onely Christ saying And you are Christes and Christ is Gods 1. Cor. 3. Seuenthly it aduaunceth and setteth him in a spirituall liberty or freedome aboue all terrours of spirite rising either of Gods lawe or mans lawe aboue all dreadfull feares of sinne damnation malediction reiection death hell or purgatory aboue al seruile bondage of ceremonies mens precepts traditions superstitious vses yokes customes or what els soeuer oppresseth and intangleth the spirituall freedome of a conscience with Christ hath set at libertie And requireth moreouer that wee walke and stande stout in that liberty with the free sonne of Sara whereto we are brought and not suffer our selues any more to bee clogged with any such seruile bondage that is to meane although we must be content to subiect our bodies to all seruice to all men yet that we yeld not our spirituall consciences and soules as slaues and seruants to be subiect to the feare or bondage of any terrene thing in this world forasmuch as we are in that part made Lordes and Princes ouer all things whatsoeuer can harme or binde or terrifie vs. Ga. 4. Colloss 2. 11. Item the right vayne of S. Paules doctrine putteth no difference nor obseruation in dayes and tymes Gal. 4. Col. 2. 12. Item it leaueth all meates to be indifferent wyth thankes giuing to serue the necessitie of the body and not the body to serue them Col. 2. 1. Tim. 4. 13. Item it permitteth marriage without restraint or exception lawfull and also expedient for all men hauyng neede thereof 1. Cor. 7. 14. Item it admitteth no sacrifice for sinne but the sacrifice of Christ alone and that done once for all with bloude For without bloud there is no remission of sinne whiche onely is applied to vs by fayth by nothing els Heb. 9. 15. Item as touching the holy Communion by the letters of S. Paule to the Cor. 11. we vnderstande that the vse then amongst them was to haue the participation of the bread called the Lordes body and of the cup called the Lordes bloud administred not at an altar but at a plaine bord or table the congregation there meeting together after the time of their supper where not the minister alone did receaue and the other looked on but the whole congregation togither did cōmunicate with reuerence thankes giuyng not lifting ouer the Priestes head nor worshipyng nor kneeling nor knocking their brestes but eyther sittyng at the supper or standing after the supper According to which forme the Muscouites yet to this day followyng the old rite of the Country although being drowned otherwise in much superstition vse to receaue it after they be risen from their diner standing Experience wherof was seene here at London the first day of October 1569. 16. Item the sayde Apostle besides the sacramentall supper maketh mention of Baptisme or washing of regeneration although he himselfe Baptised but few 1. Cor. 1. of the other sacraments he maketh no mention 17. Item by the same doctrine of S. Paule no tongue is to be vsed in the congregation which is not knowen and doth not edifie 1. Cor 14. 18. Item the rule of S. Paules doctrine subiecteth euery creature vnder the obedience of Kinges and Princes and ordinary Magistrates ordeined of God to haue the sword and authoritie of publike regiment to order and dispose in all thinges not contrary to God whatsoeuer perteineth to the maintenance of the good or to the correction of the euil from whose iurisdiction there is no exemption of vocations of persons whether they be Ecclesiasticall or politicall And therfore to this office appertaineth to preserue peace to set things in lawfull order to conserue Christian discipline in the Church of Christ to remooue offences to bridle the disobedient to prouide and procure wholesome and faithfull teachers ouer the people to maintaine learning and set vp schooles to haue ouersight not onely of the people but also of all Ecclesiastical ministers to see to euery one to do his dutye to remooue or punish such as be negligent also to call Councels and Synodes to prouide the Church goodes to be faithfullye dispensed by the handes of true dealers to the sustentation of the Church of true teachers to the publike necessitie of the poore c. 19. Furthermore by S. Paules doctrine the Ministers and superintendentes of Christes Church haue their authoritie and armour likewise to them limited which armour is onely spiritual and not carnal wherby they fight not against flesh bloud but against the power of darkenes errour and sinne against the spirituall seduction and crastines in heauenly things against the works and proceedings of Sathan the Prince of this worlde in comforting weak consciences against the terrors of the deuil and desperation and finally against euery cogitation lifted vp against Christ to subdue euery celsitude to the subiection and power of Christ Iesu the sonne of God An other briefe recapitulation of the same BRiefly and in a compendious summe to reduce the whole doctrine of S. Paule in these fiue pointes chieflie it consisteth 1. First in setting foorth the grace great loue and good-will and free promises of God the Father in Christ Iesus his sonne to mankinde which so loued the worlde that he hath giuen his owne sonne for the redemption thereof Iohn 3. which gaue his sonne to die for vs being his enimies Rom. 5. which hath quickned vs being dead in sinne Ephes. 2. which so mercifully hath reconciled the world to himselfe by his sonne and also by his ambassadours desireth vs to be reconciled vnto him 2. Cor. 5. who hath giuē his owne sonne to be sinne for vs. 2. Cor. 5. to be accursed for vs. Gal. 3. which by firme promise hath assured vs of our inheritance Rom. 4. which not by the works of righteousnes that we haue done but of his owne mercy hath saued vs by the washing of regeneration Tit. 3. c. 2. The
institution diuers other newfound rites phantasies of men but also where the vse of the olde Church of Rome was onely to baptise men they Baptise also Belles and applye the wordes of Baptisme to water fire candels stockes and stones c. But especially in the Supper of the Lord their doctrine most filthely swarueth from the right minde of the Scripture all order reason and fashion most worthy to be exployded out of all Christen Churches Touching the which Sacrament the first errour is their Idolatrous abuse by worshipping adoring sensing knocking and kneelyng vnto it in reseruing also and carying the same about in pompe and procession in townes and fieldes Secondlye also in the substance thereof their teaching is monstruous leauing there no substance of bread and wine to remayne but onely the reall body and bloud of Christ putting no difference betweene calling and making Because Christ called bread his body therfore say they he made it his body and so of a wholesome Sacramēt make a perilous Idole that which the old Church of Rome did euer take to be a mistery they turne into a blind miste of meere accidences to bleare the peoples eies making them beleeue they see that they see not not to see that which they see to worship a thing made for their maker a creature for their creator and that was threshed out of a wheaten sheffe they set vp in the Church worship for a Sauiour and when they haue worshipped him then they offer him to his father and when they haue offered him then they eate him vp or els close him fast in a pixe Where if he corrupt putrifie before he be eaten then they burne him to pouder ashes And notwithstanding they know wel by the scriptures that the body of christ can neuer corrupt and putrifie yet for all this corruption will they needes make it the body of Christ and burne all them which beleeue not that which is against true Christian beleefe * Of Matrimony WHat order and rule S. Paule hath set for mariage in his Epistle to the Corinthians it is manifest Wheras he preferreth single life in such as haue the gift of continence before the maried state so againe in such as haue not the gift he preferreth the coupled life before the other willing euery such one to haue his wife because of fornication Furthermore how the said Apostle aloweth a Byshop to be the husband of one wife so he excede not to the maner of the Iewes which were permitted to haue many how vehemently he reproueth them that restraine mariage his letters to Timothy do record Moreouer what degres be permitted by the law of God to mary in the booke of Leu. is to be seene cha 18. Also how children ought not to marry without consent of their parents by manifest examples of the Scriptures it is notorious Contrary to these ordinaunces of the Scripture the new Catholikes of the Popes church first doe repute and call mariage a state of imperfection preferre single lyfe be it neuer so impure before the same pretending that where the one replenisheth the earth the other filleth Heauen Further as good as the third part of Christendome if it be not more both men and women they keepe through coacted vowes from mariage hauing no respect whethey they haue the gift or no. Ministers and Priestes such as are found to haue wiues not onely they remoue out of place but also pronounce sentence of death vpon them account their children for bastardes illegitimate Againe as good as the iij. part of the yeare they exempt suspend from liberty of mariage Degres of copulation forbidden they extend farther then euer did the law of God euen to the fift or sixt degree Which degree notwithstanding they release againe when they list for money Ouer and besides al this they haue added a new found prohibition of spiritual kindred that is that such as haue bene gossips or godfathers and godmothers together in christening an other mans child must not by their law mary together Briefly and finally in this their doctrine and cases of Matrimony they gaine and rake to themselues much money from the people they augment horrible Sodomitry they nourish wicked adultery and much fornication They fill the worlde with offensions and bastardes and giue great occasion of murdering infants Of Magistrates and ciuill gouernement YE hard before what rules and lessons S. Paule gaue to the old Romanes concerning Magistrats to whose authoritie he would all humaine creatures to be subiected and how they are the ministers of God hauing the sworde giuen vnto them wherewith they ought to represse false doctrine and idolatry and maintaine that which is true right Rom. 13. Now let vs suruey a litle the Popes proceedinges and marke how farre he transgresseth in this as he doth in al other points almost from true christianity 1. First the Pope with all his clergy exempt themselues from all obedience ciuill 2. They arrogate to themselues authoritie to ordeine and constitute without all leaue or knowledge of the ordinary Magistrate 3. Yea they take vpon them to depose and set vp rulers and Magistrates whom they list Of Purgatory THe Paradoxes or rather the phantesies of the latter Church of Rome concerning purgatory be monstruous neither old nor Apostolicall 1. First say they there is a Purgatory where soules do burne in fier after this life 2. The paine of Purgatory differeth nothing from the paynes of hell but onely that it hath an end the paines of hell haue none 3. The painefull suffering of this fier fretteth and scoureth away the sinnes before committed in the body 4. The time of these paines indureth in some longer in some lesse according as their sinnes deserue 5. After which time of their paines being expired then the mercy of God doth translate them to heauenly blisse which the body of Christ hath bought for them 6. The paines of purgatory be so great that if al the beggars of the world were seene on the one side and but one soule of Purgatory on the other side the whole worlde woulde pitie more that one then all the other 7. The whole time of punishment in this Purgatory must continue so long till the fier haue cleane fretted and scoured away the rusty spots of euery sinnefull soule there burning vnlesse there come some release 8. Helpes and releases that may shorten the time of their purgation be the Popes pardons and indulgences sacrifice of the alter dyrges and trentals prayer fasting meritorious deedes out of the treasure house of the Church almes and charitable deedes of the liuing in satisfiyng gods Iustice for them c. 9. Lacke of beliefe of Purgatory bringeth to hell Many other false errours and great deformities heresies absurdities vanities follies bisides their blasphemous raylinges and contumelies may be noted in the said latter church of Rome
houre shal be within a litle while after put out extinguished but thou knowest not the fire of the iudgement that is to come and of euerlasting punishment which is reserued for the wicked vngodly But why make you all these delayes giue me what death soeuer ye lift These many other such like thinges being by him spoken he was so replenished with ioy and boldnes and his countenaunce appeared so full of grace fauour that not onely he was not troubled with those things which yâ— Proconsul spake vnto him but contrarily the Proconsul himselfe began to be amased and sent for the crier which in the middle of the stage was commaunded to cry 3. times Policarpus hath confessed himself to be a Christian which wordes of the cryer were no sooner spoken but that all the whole multitude both of the Gentiles and Iewes inhabiting at Smyrna with a vehement rage and loude voice cried This is that Doctour or teacher of Asia the father of the Christianes and the destroyer of our gods which hath instructed a great nuÌ„ber that our Gods are not to be worshipped after this they crid vnto Philip the gouernour of Asia and required him that he would let loose the Lion to Policarpus To whom he made aunswere that he might not so doe because he had already his praye Then they cried againe altogither with one voice that he woulde burne Policarpus a liue For it was requisite that that vision which he saw as concerning his pillow or bolster should be fulfilled which when he had seene burnt as he was in his prayer he turned himselfe vnto the faithful sort which were with him saying by the way of prophecie it will so come that I shall be burned a liue And the Proconsul had no sooner spoken but it was out of hande performed For why the multitude by and by brought out of their shops workehouses and baynes woode and other dry matter for that purpose and especially the Iewes were most seruiceable for that matter after their woÌ„ted maner And thus the pile being layd and that now hee had put of his garments vndone his girdel and was about to pul of his shooes which he had not done before for that all the faithfull sort amongst themselues striued as it were who should first touch his body at their farewell bicause for the good conuersation of his life yea from his yonger age he was had in great estimation of al men Therfore straightway those instruments which are requisite to such a bonfire were brought vnto him when the would haue nayled him to the stake with yron hoopes he said let me alone as I am for he that hath giuen me strength to suffer and abide the fire shal also giue power that without this your prouision of nayles I shall abide stirre not in the middest of this fire or pyle of woode Which thing when they heard they did not nayle him but bounde him Therefore when his handes were bounde behinde him euen as the chiefest Ramme taken out of the flocke he was sacrificed as an acceptable burnt offring to God saying O father of thy wel beloued and blessed sonne Iesus Christ by whom we haue attained the knowledge of thee the God of aungels and powers and of euery creature and of al iust men which liue before thee I giue thee thankes that thou hast vouchsafed to grauÌ„t me this day that I may haue my part amongest the number of the Martyrs in the cup of Christ vnto the resurrection of eternall life both of body soule through the operation of the holy spirit among whome I shal be this day receaued into thy sight for an acceptable sacrifice as thou hast prepared and reueled the same before this time so thou hast accomplished the same Which canst not lye O thou most true God Wherefore Im lyke case for all things prayse thee blesse thee and glorifie thee by our euerlasting Bishop Iesus Christ to whom be glory euermore Amen And assoone as he had ended this word Amen and finished his prayer the tormentors began to kindle the fire as the flame flashed out vehemently we to whom it was giue to discerne the same saw a marueilous matter which were also to this purpose preserued that we might shewe the same to other For the fier being made like to arâ—â—fe or vaute of a house and after the maner of a shipmans â—â—yle filled with wind compassed about the body of the Martir as with a certaine wall and he in the middle of the same not as flesh that burned but as gold and siluer wheâ— it is tried in the fier And surely we smelt a sauour so swete as if Myrre or some other precious balme had giuen a sent At the last when those wicked persons sawe the hys body could not be consumed by fire they commaunded one of the tormentors to come vnto him thrust him through with his sworde Which being done so great a quantitie of bloude ran out of his body that the fire was quenched therewith the whole multitude marueyled that there was so much diuersitie betwene the infidels and the elect of whom this Policarpus was one being a Disciple of the Apostles and a propheticall instructour of our times and Bishop of the Catholique Church of Smyrna for what worde soeuer he spake both it was and shal be accomplished But the subtil and enuious aduersary when he saw the worthines of his martirdome that his conuersation euen from his youÌ„ger yeares could not be reproued and that he was adourned with the crowne of martirdome and had now obtained that incomparable benefite gaue in charge that we should not take deuide his body For feare least the remnaunts of the dead corps should be taken away so worshipped of the people Whervpon diuers whispered Niceta the father of Herode and his brother Dalces in the eare to admonish the Proconsul that in no case he should deliuer his body least saith he they leaue Christ begin to worship him And this spake they because the Iewes had gyuen them secret warning prouoked them thervnto who also watched vs that we shoulde not take him out of the fire not being ignoraunt how that we ment at no time to forsake Christ which gaue his life for the saluation of the whole world as many I meane as are elected to saluatioÌ„ by him neither yet that we could worship any other For why him we worship as the sonne of God but the Martirs do we loue as disciples of the Lord that worthely for their aboundaunt loue towardes their king and maister of whom we also desire and wish to be companions to be made his disciples WheÌ„ therfore the Centurion saw perceaued the labour of the Iewes the corps being layd abroad they burnt the same as was their maner to doe Thus good Policarpus with xij other that came from
that whosoeuer killeth you shall thinke that he doth God great good seruice TheÌ„ suffered the Martirs of God such bitter persecution as is passing to be tolde Sathan still shooting at this marke to make them to vtter some blasphemy by all meanes possible Marueilous therefore was the rage both of the people Prince specially against one Sanctus which was Deacon of the congregation of Uienna and agaynst Maturus being but a litle before baptised but yet a worthy souldiour of Christ and also against Attalus being borne in Pergama which was the foundation and pyller of that congregation and also against Blandina by whome Christ sheweth that those things which the world esteemed vyle and abiect to be glorious in Gods sight for the very loue which in hart and deede they beare vnto him not in outward face onely For when all we were afrayd specially her mistres in flesh who also was her selfe one of the nuÌ„ber of the foresayd martirs least happely for the weakenes of body she woulde not stande strongly to her confession the foresaid Blandina was so replenished with strength boldnes that they which had the tormenting of her by course from morning to night for very werines gaue ouer fell downe were themselues ouercome confessing that they could do no more against her marueiled that yet she liued hauing her body so torne and rent And testified that any one of those torments alone without any moe had ben inough to haue plucke the life from her body But that blessed woman fighting this worthy battell became stroÌ„ger stronger as often as she spake these words I am a Christian neither haue we committed any euill it was to her a marueilous comfort and bolding to abide the torments Sanctus also another of the Martyrs who in the middest of his tormentes induring more paines then the nature of a man might away with also at what time the wicked supposed to haue heard him vtter some blasphemous words for the greatnes intollerablenes of his torments paines that he was in abode notwithstanding in such constancy of mind that neither he told them his name nor what countryman he was nor in what Citie brought vp neither whether he was a free man or a seruaunt but vnto euery question that was asked him he aunswered in the Latine toung I am a Christian and this was al that he confessed both of his name citie kinred and all other thinges in the place of execution neither yet could the Gentils get any more of him whereupon both the Gouernour tormentours were the more vehemently bent against him And when they had nothing to vexe him with all they clapped plates of Brasse red hote to the most tenderest parts of his body wherewith his body indede being schorched yet he neuer shronke for the matter but was bold and constant in his confession being strengthened and moystened with the fountaine of liuely water flowing out of Christs side Truely his body was a sufficient witnes what torments he suffered for it was all drawne together and most pitifully wounded and scoarched so that it had therwith lost the proper shape of a man in whose suffering Christ obtained inspeakeable glory for that he ouercame his aduersaâ—y and to the instruction of other declared that nothing els is terrible or ought to be feared where the loue of God is nor nothing greeuous wherein the glory of Christ is manifested And when those wicked men began after a certayne time againe to torment the Martyr hoped well to bring it to passe that either they should ouercome him in causing him to recant by reiâ—erating his torments now wheÌ„ his body was so sore swollen that he might not suffer a man to touch him with his hande or els that if hee died vnder their handes yet that thereby they should strike such feare into the harts of the rest to cause them to deny Christ. But they were not only disappointed here in but also contrary to the expectation of men his bodye was in the latter punishment torments soupled restored and toke the fyrst shape and vse of the members of the same so that the same his second torment was by the grace of Christ in steede of punishment a safe medecine Also Sathan now thinking to haue setteled himselfe in the hart of one Byblides being one of them which had denied Christ and thinking to haue caused her beyng a weake and feable woman in faith to haue damned her soule in blaspheming the name of God brought her to the place of execution inforcing to wrest some wicked thing out of the mouth of the Christians But she in midle of her torments returning to her selfe and waked as it were out of her dead slepe by that temporall paine called to her remembraunce the paynes of hell fire and against all mens expectations reuiled the tormentors saying How should we Christians eate young infants as ye reported of vs for whom it is not lawfull to eate the bloud of any beast Upon that so soone as she had confessed her selfe to bee a Christian she was Martyred with the rest Thus when Christ had ended those tyrannicall torments by the patience sufferaunce of our Saintes the diuell yet inuented other engynes and instruments For when the Christians were cast into prison they were shut vp in darke and ougly dongeons and were drawne by the feete in a racke or ingine made for that purpose euen vnto the fift hole And many other such punishmentes suffered they which the furious ministers stirred vp with deuilish furye are wont to put men vnto so that very manye of them were strangled killed in the prisons whom the Lorde in thys maner would haue to enioy euerlasting life set forth his glory And surely these good men were so pittifully tormented that and if they had had all the helpe medicines in the world it was thought impossible for them to lyue to be restored And thus they remaining in prison destitute of al humaine helpe were so strengthened of the Lord and both in body and minde confirmed that they comforted stirred vp the myndes of the rest the yonger sorâ—e of them whiche were latter apprehended put in prison whose bodies had not yet felt the lash of yâ— whip were not able to indure the sharpness of their imprisonment but died of the same The blessed Photinus who was a Deacon to the bishop of Lyons about 90. yeares old and a very feeble or weake man could scarsely draw breath for the imbecilitie of his body yet was he of a liuely courage spirit For the great desire he had of martyrdome when he was brought vnto the iudgement seate although his bodye was feeble and weake both because of his old age and also through sicknes yet was his soule or life preserued to this purpose that by the same Christ might triumph be glorified He being
to haue suffered but only all this persecution to rest onely in the exilement of bishops or guides of the flock Of other suffrings or executions we do not read for the terrible pestilence following immediatly kept the barbarous heatheÌ„ otherwise occupied Unto this tyme of Gallus rather then to the tyme of Decius I referre the banishment of Cyprian who was then bishop of Carthage Of the which banishment he himselfe testifieth in diuers of his epistles declaryng the cause therof to rise vpon a commotion or sedition among the people out of the which he withdrew himselfe lest the sedition should grow greater Notwâ—thstaÌ„ding the sayd Cyprian though beyng absent yet had no lesse care of his flocke and of the whole church then if he had bene present with them And therfore neuer ceased in his Epistles continually to exhort and call vpon them to be constant in their profession and pacient in theyr afflictions Amongst diuers other whom he doth comfort in his banishmeÌ„t although he was in that case to be comforted himselfe writing to certayne that were condemned to minyng for metals whose names were Nemesianus Felix Lucius with other bishops Priests and Deacons declareth vnto them how it is no shame but a glory not to be feared but to be reioyced at to suffer banishment or other paynes for Christ. And confirming them in the same or rather commending them signifieth how worthily they do shew themselues to be as valiant captaines of vertue prouoking both by the confessions of their mouth and by the suffring of their body the hartes of the brethren to Christian Martyrdome whose example was and is a great confirmation to many both maydes and children to follow the like As for punishment and sufferyng it is sayth he a thing not execrable to a Christian. For a Christian mans brest whose hope doth wholy consist in the tree dreadeth neyther batte nor club woundes and skarres of the body be ornaments to a Christian man such as bring no shame nor dishonestie to the partie but rather preferreth and freeth him with the Lord. And although in the mines where the mettals be digged there be no beds for Christian mens bodies to take their rest yet they haue their rest in Christ. And though their wearie bones lye vpon the cold ground yet it is no payne to lye with Christ. Their feete haue bene fettered with bandes and chaynes but happily he is bound of man whome the Lord Christ doth loose happily doth he lye tyed in the stockes whose feete therby are made swifter to runne to heauen Neither can any man tye a Christian so fast but he runneth so much the faster for his garland of life They haue no garmentes to saue them from colde but he that putteth on Christ is sufficiently coated Doth bread lacke to their hungry bodies But man liueth not onely by bread but by euery worde proceedyng from the mouth of God Your deformitie sayth he shall be turned to honour your mourning to ioy your payne to pleasure and felicitie infinite And if this doe grieue you that ye cannot now employ your sacrifices and oblations after your wonted maner yet your sacrifice daily ceaseth not which is a contrite and humble hart as when you offer vp daily your bodies a liuely and a glorious sacrifice vnto the Lorde which is the sacrifice that pleaseth God And though your trauaile be great yet is the rewarde greâ—ter which is most certaine to follow For God beholding and looking downe vpon them that confesse his name in their willyng mynd approoueth them in their striuyng helpeth them in their victory crowneth them rewarding that in vs which he hath performed and crowning that which he hath in vs perfected With these and such like comfortable wordes he doth animate his brethren admonishing them that they are now in a ioyfull iourney hasting apace to the mansions of the Martyrs there to enioy after this darknes a stable light and brightnes greater then all their passions according to the Apostles saying These sufferings of this present tyme be nothing like comparable to the brightnesse of the glory that shall be reuealed in vs c. And after the like wordes of sweete comfort and consolation writing to Seagrius and Rogatianus which were in prison and bondes for the testimony of truth doth encourage them to continue stedfast and patient in the way wherein they haue begun to runne for that they haue the Lord with them their helper and defender who promiseth to bee with vs to the worldes ende and therfore willeth them to set before their eyes in their death immortalitie in their payne euerlasting glory of the which it is written Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saintes Item although before men they suffred torments yet their hope is full of immortalitie and beyng vexed in small things they shall be well requited in great matters For the Lord hath tried them as gold in the fire And writeth moreouer admonishing them that it is so appoynted from the beginnyng of the world that righteousnes here should suffer in secular conflicts for so iust Abell was slayne in the beginnyng of the world and after him all iust and good men the Prophets also and the Apostles sent of the Lord himselfe vnto whome all the Lorde first gaue an example in himselfe teachyng that there is no comming to his kingdome but by that way which he entred himselfe saying by these wordes he that loueth his lyfe in this worlde shall loose it c. And agayne feare ye not them that slay the body but haue no power to slay the soule And S. Paule likewise admonishing all them whosoeuer couete to be pertakers of the promises of the Lord to follow the Lord sayth if we suffer together with him we shall raigne togeâ—her c. Furthermore as the same Cyprian doth encourage here the holy Martyrs which were in captiuitie to persist so likewyse writing to the Priestes and Deacons which were free exhorteth them to be seruiceable and obsequious with al care and loue to cherish and embrase theÌ„ that were in bondes Cypria Lib. 3. Ep. 6. wherby may appeare the feruent zeale care of this good-Byshop toward the Church of Christ although beyng now in exile in the time of this Emperour Gallus In the same time and vnder the said Gallus reignyng with his sonne Volusianus was also Lucius bishop of Rome sent to banyshment who next succeeded after Cornelius in that byshopricke about the yeare of our Lorde 256. Albeit in this banishment he did not long continue but returned againe home to his Church as by the Epistle of S. Cyprian Lib 3. Epist. 1. maye appeare As to all other Bishops of Rome in those primitiue daies certaine decretall Epystles with seuerall ordinaunces be ascribed bearing theyr names and titles as hath bene afore declared so also hath Lucius one Epistle fathered vpon him in the which Epistle he writing
the hangman deceiued the sight of the people by some subtile sleight and craftie conueiance Not so quoth the hangman if ye suspect my dede open his mouth and diligently search the rootes of his tongue The Captaine at length being confounded with the fortitude and courage of the Martyr straightly commaundeth him to be brought backe into the prison and there to be strangled Where his sorowfull life and paines being ended hee nowe enioyeth quiet rest in the Lord with perpetuall hope of his miserable body to be restored againe with his soule into a better life where no tyrant shall haue any power Prudentius in hymnis de coronis Martyrum Gordius was a citizen of Caesaria a worthy souldiour and Captaine of an hundreth men Hee in the time of extreme persecution refusing any loÌ„ger to execute his charge did chuse of his owne accord willing exile and liued in the desert many yeares a religious and solitary life But vpon a certaine day when a solemne feast of Mars was celebrated in the citie of Caesarea and much people were assembled in the Theatre to beholde the games he left the desert and got him vp into the chiefe place of the Theatre and with a loude voyce vttered this saying of the Apostle Beholde I am fouÌ„d of them which sought me not and to those which asked not for mee haue I openly appeared By which wordes he let it to be vnderstood that of his owne accorde he came vnto those games At this noise the multitude litle regarding the sights looked about to see who it was that made such exclamation As soone as it was knowne to be Gordius and that the crier had commanded silence he was brought vnto the shiriâ—e which at that instant was present and ordeined the games WheÌ„ he was asked the question who he was from whence and for what occasion he came thether he telleth the truth of euery thing as it was I am come saith he to publish that I set nothing by your decrees against the Christian religion but that I professe Iesu Christ to be my hope and safety And when I vnderstood with what crueltie ye handle other men I tooke this as a fitte time to accomplish my desire The Shirife with these wordes was greatly mooued and reuengeth all his displeasure vpon poore Gordius commaunding the executioners to be brought out with scourges while gibbet whatsoeuer torments els might be deuised Whereunto Gordius answered saying that it shoulde be to him an hinderance and damage if hee coulde not suffer and endure diuers torments and punishments for Christ his cause The shirife being more offended with this his boldnesse commaunded him to feele as many kinde of torments as there were with all which Gordius notwithstanding coulde not be mastered or ouercome but lifting vp his eies vnto heauen singeth this saying out of the Psalmes The Lorde is my helper I will not feare the thing that man can doe to me and also this saying I will feare none euill because thou Lord art with me After this he against him selfe prouoketh the extremitie of the tormentours blameth them if they fauour him any thing at al. When the Shrife saw that hereby he could winne but little he goeth about by gentlenes and intising wordes to turne the stoute and valiant minde of Gordius He promiseth to him great and large offers if he wil denie Christ as to make him a Captaine of as many men as any other is to geue him richesse treasure what other thing so euer hee desireth But in vaine as the Prouerbe is pipeth the minstrell to him that hath no eares to heare for he deriding the foolish madnesse of the Magistrate sayth that it lieth not in him to place any in authority which he worthy to haue a place in heauen The Magistrate with these wordes throughly angred and vexed prepareth him selfe to his condemnation Whom after that he had coÌ„demned he caused to be had out of the Citie to be brent There runneth out of the Citie great multitudes by heaps to see him put to execution some take him in their armes louingly kisse him persuading him to take a better way and saue himself and that with weeping teares To whom Gordius answered weepe not I pray you for me but rather for the enemies of God which alwaies make warre against the Christians weepe I say for them which prepare for vs a fire purchasing hell fire for themselues in the day of vengeance And cease of further I pray you to molest and disquiet my setled minde Truly saith he I am ready for the name of Iesus Christ to suffer and indure a thousande deathes if neede were Some other came vnto him which persuaded him to deny Christ with his mouth to keepe his conscience to himselfe My toung sayeth hee which by the goodnes of God I haue cannot be brought to denie the author and geuer of the same for with the heart we beleeue vnto righteousnesse and with the toung we confesse vnto saluation Many moe such like wordes he spake but especially vttering to them such matter wherby he might perswade the beholders to death and to the desire of Martyrdome After all which with a mery and glad countenance neuer changing so much as his colour hee willingly gaue himselfe to be brent Basilius in Sermone in Gordium militem Caesariensem Not much vnlike to the story of Gordius is the story also of Menas an Egiptian who being likewise a souldiour by his profession in this persecution of Dioclesian forsooke al went into the desert where a long time he gaue hym selfe to abstinence watching and meditation of the Scriptures At length returning againe to the Citie Cotys there in the open threatre as the people were occupied vpon their spectacles or pastimes he with a loude voice openly proclaimed himselfe to be a christian and vpon the same was brought to Pyrrhus the President of whome he being demaunded of his faith made thys aunswere Conuenyent it is that I shoulde sayth he confesse God in whome is light and no darkenes for so much as Paule doth teache that with hart we beleue to righteousnes with mouth coÌ„fession is giuen to saluation After this the innocent Martyr was most painfully pinched and cruciate with sundrie punishments In all which notwithstanding he declared a constant heart and faith inuincible hauing these wordes in his mouth being in the middest of his torments There is nothing in my minde that can be compared to the kingdome of heauen Neither is al the world if it were wayed in balance able to be conferred with the price of one soule And sayd who is able to separate vs from the loue of Iesus Christ our Lord shal afflictioÌ„ or anguish And moreouer said he I haue thus learned of my Lord my king not to feare them which kill the body and haue no power to kill the soule but to feare him rather who hath power
to destroy both bodye and soule in hell fire To make the story short after manifold tormentes borne of him and suffered when the last sentence of death was vpon him pronounced which was to be beheaded Menas being then had to the place of execution said I giue thee thanks my Lord god which hast so excepted me to be fouÌ„d a partaker of thy precious death hast not giuen me to be deuoured of my fierce enimies but hast made me to remaine coÌ„stant in thy pure faith vnto this my later end And so this blessed souldiour fighting valiantly vnder the baner of Christ lost his head wan his soule Symeon Metaphrast tom 5. In the which autor there foloweth a long narration of the miracles of this holy man which here for prolixity I doe omit Basilius in a certayne Sermon of 40. Martyrs rehearseth this story not vnworthye to bee noted There came saith he into a certaine place which place he maketh no mention of the Emperours Marshall or officer with the edict which the Emperour had set out against the Christians that whosoeuer confessed Christ shoulde after manye tormentes suffer death And first they did priuily suborne certaine which should detect acuse the Christians whom they had found out or had layde wayte for vpon this the sword the gibbet the wheele the whips were brought forth At the terrible sight whereof the harts of all the beholders did shake tremble Some for feare did flee some did stand in doubt what to do Certaine were so terrified at the beholding of these engines tormenting instruments that they denied their faith Some other began the game and for a time did abide the conflict and agony of Martydome but vanquished at length by the intollerable paine of their torments made shipwracke of their consciences lost the glory of their confession AmoÌ„g other xl there were at that time younge gentlemen all souldiers which after the Marshall had shewed the Emperours Edict and required of all men the obedience of the same freely boldly of their owne accord confessed themselues to be Christians declared to him their names The Marshall somewhat amased at this their boldnes of speach staÌ„deth in doubte what was best to do Yet forthwith he goeth about to win them with faire words aduertising them to consider their youth neither that they shoulde chaunge a cruell and vntimely death â—or a sweete and pleasant life After that hee promiseth them money and honorable offices in the Emperours name But they little esteming all these thinges breake forth into a long and bolde Oration affirming that they did neither desire life dignitie nor money but onelye the celestiall kingdome of Christ saying further that they are ready for the loue and faith they haue in god to indure the afflictioÌ„ of the wheele the crosse and the fire The rude Marshall being herewith offended deuiseth a newe kinde of punishment He spied out in the middle of the citie a certaine great pond which layfull vpon the cold Northren winde for it was in the winter time wherein he caused them to be put all that night but they being merry comforting one another receiued this their appointed punishment and sayd as they were putting of their clothes we put off said they now not our clothes but we put of the old maÌ„ corrupt with the deceipt of coÌ„cupiscence We giue thee thanks O Lord that with this our apparell we may also put of by thy grace the sinfull man for by meanes of the Serpent we once put him on and by the meanes of Iesus Christ we now put him of When they had thus said they were brought naked into yâ— place where they felt moste vehement colde in so much that all the partes of their bodies were starke stiffe therewith Assone as it was daye they yet hauing breath were brought into the fire wherin they were consumed and their ashes throwne into the flud By chaunce there was on of the company more liuely and not so neere dead as the rest of whome the executioners takyng pitie saide vnto his mother standing by that they would saue his life But shee with her owne handes taking her sonne brought him to the pile of wood where the residue of his fellowes crooked for cold did lie ready to be brent admonished him to accomplish the blessed iourney he had taken in hand with his companions Basil. A lyke hystory of 40. Martyres which were maryed men we read of in Niceph. Zozomenus Lib. 9. cap. 2. which were killed likewise in a lake or pond at Sebastia a towne of Armenia vnder Licinius if the story be not the same with this Niceph. Zozom In this felowship and company of martyrs can not be left out and forgotte the story of Cyrus This Cyrus was a Phisition borne in Alexandria which fleing into Egipt in the persecution of Dioclesianus and Maximianus led a solitary life in Arabia being much spoken of for his learning and myracles vnto whose company after a certaine tyme did Ioannes borne in the Citie of Edessa beyond the ryuer Euphrates ioyne himself leauing the souldiers life which before that time he had exercised But whilest as yet the same persecution raged in a city in Egipt called Canope there was cast into prison for the confession of their fayth a certayne godly Christian woman called Athanasia and her three daughters Theoctiste Theodota and Eudoxia wyth whom Cyrus was well acquainted At whose infâ—rmities he much fearing accompanied with his brother Iohn came and visited them for their better confirmation at which time Lyrianus was chiefe captaine and Lieutenaunt of Egypt of whose wickednes and crueltie especially agaynst women and maydens Athanasus maketh mention in hys Apologies and in his Epistle to those that lead a solitarye life Thys Cyrus therefore and Ioannes being accused and apprehended of the Heathen men as by whose perswasions the maydens and daughters of Athanasia contumelyously despised the Gods and the Emperours religion could by no meanes be brought to doe sacrifice were after the publication of their constaunt confession put to death by the sworde Athanasia also and her three daughters being condemned to death This history writeth Symeon Metaphrastes Sebastian being borne in the part of Fraunce called Gallia Narbonensis was a Christian and was Lieutenaunte generall of the vawward of Dioclesian the Emperor who also encouraged many martyrs of Christ by his exhortations vnto constancy and kept them in the faith He being therfore accused to the Emperor was commaunded to be apprehended and that he should be brought into the open fielde where of his owne souldiers he was thrust through the body with innumerable arrowes and after that hys body was throwne into a iaques or sinke Ambrosius maketh mention of this Sebastian the martir in his CoÌ„mentary vpon the 118. Psalme Symeon Metaphrastes amongest oher Martyrs that suffered with Sebastian numbreth also these followyng Nicostratus
of the same And therefore wryting to Anilinus his chiefe captaine declareth his will minde to him in letters concerning the goodes whych did appertaine to the Churches of the Christians that hee shoulde procure vigilantly for the same that all suche goodes houses and gardens belonging before to the right of Churches shoulde agayne be restored in all speedie wise and that hee therein might be certified with speede c. Moreouer he writing to the saide Anilinus in an other letter signifieth vnto him in this effect that for so much as the contempt of God his reuerent religion is hath bene euer the greatest decay to the name people of Rome as contrary the maintaining and reuerencing the same hath euer brought prosperitie to all common weales Therfore he in consideration therof hath taken that order geueth to him in charge that through the prouince where he hath to doe which was in Aphrica where Cecilianus was Byshop he should there see prouide that all such ministers and Clerkes whose vocation was to serue in the Church should be freed and exempted from all publike duties and burdens whereby they being so priuileged and all impediments remoued which shoulde hinder their diuine ministration thereby the cōmon vtilitie of the people might the better flourish c. Furthermore the sayde Constantinus in an other letter wryting to Miltiades Byshop of Rome and to Marcus declareth in his letters to them howe Cecilianus Byshop of Carthage hath ben accused vnto him by diuers of his colleages and fellow byshops Wherfore his will is that the sayd Cecilianus with x. byshops his accusers with x. other his defendants should repaire vp to him at Rome where in the present assistance of the foresayde Miltiades Rheticus Maternus Marinus and of other their fellowe Colleages the cause of Cecilianus myght be harde and rightly examined so that all schisme and deuision might be cut of from among them wherein the feruent desire of Constantinus to peace and vnitie may well appeare Upon the lyke cause and argument also he wryteth to Chrestus Byshop of Syracusa so desirous to nourish peace and concord in the church that he offereth to him with his vnder Ministers and three seruaunts hys free caryage to come vp to him vnto the Councel of other bishops for the agreeing of certaine matters belonging to the Church Hee writeth also an other letter to the forenamed Cecilianus Byshop of Carthage To the prouinces likewise of Palestina those partes about hee directeth his Edict in the behalfe of the Christians for the releasing of such as were in captiuitie and for the restoring againe of them which had sustained any losse in the former persecution before for the refreshing of such as heeretofore had bene oppressed with any ignominie or molestation for their confession sake declaring in the sayd Edict howe that his whole body life and soule and what soeuer is in hym hee oweth to God and to the seruice of him c. Moreouer an other leter he wryteth to Eusebius for the edifying of newe Christian Churches restoring of them whych had bene wasted before by forreine enemies And after hee had collected the Synode of Nice for the studie of peace and vnitie of the Church he wryteth vpon the same to Alexander and Arrius In which hys letters hee most lamentably vttered the great griefe of his hear◠to see and heare of theyr contention and diuision whereby the peace and common harmonie of the Churche was broken the Synode prouoked resisted the holy people of the Lorde deuided into partes and tumultes contrary to the office of good and circumspect men whose duetie were rather to nourish concorde and to seeke tranquillity And though in some small poynts and light trifles they did disagree from other yet as the example of Philosophers might teache them who although in some part of a sentence or peece of a question some might dissent from other yet in the vnitie of their profession they did all ioyne as fellowes together In like case were it theyr duetie in such fruitles questions or rather peeces of questiōs to keepe them in the conceptions of their mindes in silence vnto themselues and not to bring them foorth into publicke Synodes to breake therefore from the communion of the reuerent Councell Declaring moreouer in the sayde Epistle the first origine and occasion of thys theyr contentious dissention to ryse vpon vaine trifling termes vile causes and light questions and peeces rather of questions about such matters as neither are to be moued nor to be answered vnto being mooued more curious to be searched and perillous to be expressed then necessary to be inquired magisque puerilibus ineptijs quam sacerdotum ac cordatorum virorum prudentiae conuenientia as he there doth terme them Wherefore by al maner meanes he doth labour them doth entreate them and perswade them not onely with reasons but also with teares and sighing sobbes that they would restore againe peace vnto the Church and quietnesse to the rest of his life which otherwise would not be sweet vnto him and that they would returne againe to the communion of the reuerent Councell Who in so doing should open his way and purposed iourney into the East partes which otherwyse hearing of their discorde and dissention would be sorye to see with his eyes that which greeueth him nowe to heare with hys eares with much more in the same Epistle contained but this is the effect of the whole Euseb. de vita Constant Lib. 2. Thus much I thought summarely to comprehende whereby the diuine disposition and singular gentle nature of this meeke religious Constantine might more notoriously appeare to all Princes for them to learne by hys example what zeale and care they ought to beare toward the Church of Christ how gently to gouerne and how to be beneficiall to the same Many other Edicts Epistles wrytten to other places and parties be expressed at large in the seconde booke of Euseb De vita Constantini wherein the zealous care and Princely beneficence of this noble Emperour toward the Church of Christ may appeare Wherof in a briefe recapitulation such specialities we haue collected as here followeth and is to be seene in Zozo Lib. 1. Cap. 8.9 First hee commaunded all them to be set free who soeuer for the confession of Christ had bene condemned to banishment or to the mines of metall or to any publike or priuate labour to them inflicted Such as were put to any infamie or open shame among the multitude hee willed them to be discharged from all such blemish of ignominie Souldiours whych before were depriued eyther of theyr place or put out of theyr wages were put to their liberty eyther to serue againe in theyr place or quietly to lyue at home Whatsoeuer honour place or dignitie had bene taken away frō any man should be restored to them againe The goods and possessions
horrible for the which we are all worthy to be burned alyue meanyng of the Sacrament of the body of Christ which Sacrament Hildebrand when he thereof inquired a diuine aunswer agaynst the Emperour and would not speake threw into the fire and burned it contrary to the perswasion of the Cardinals that were present and would haue resisted the same In the second holy day in the Easter weeke when the clergy the people were assembled at S. Peters Church to heare masse after the Gospell he went vp into the pulpit as he was in his pontificall attire and in the presence of diuers bishops Cardinals a great company both of the Senate and the people of Rome beyng gathered together openly preached among manye other wordes of diuination that the kyng whose name was Henry should die without all peraduenture before the feast of S. Peter next ensuyng or els at least wise that he should bee so deiected from his kingdome that he should not be able any more to gather together aboue the number of vj. knights This he preached to the bishops and cardinals and all that were present crying out of the pulpit in these wordes Neuer accept me for Pope any more but plucke me from the aulter if this prophesie be not fulfilled by the day appointed About the same tyme he went about by helpe of priuy murtherers to kill the Emperour but God preserued him And many there were eueÌ„ at that tyme which thoght Pope Hildebrand to be guiltie and to bee the deuiser of the treason because that then he before the deed put in execution presumed of the death of the kyng beyng by him falsly prophesied of before which wordes of his wounded many mens hartes And it came to passe that Hildebrand by his wordes was openly condemned in the congregation which as is sayd gaue iudgement of himselfe to be no Pope neither that he would be counted for Pope any longer but thought to be both a belyer and a traitour vnlesss that before the feast of S. Peter next comming the Emperour should dye or els should bee depriued of all kingly honour In so much he should not be able to make aboue 6. knights on his part And thus by the appoyntmeÌ„t of God it came to passe that by his owne mouth he was condemned for an heretike Thus sayth the Lord The prophet which of arrogancie will prophesie in my name those things I haue not commauÌ„ded him or els will prophesie in the name of other Gods let him be slaine And if thou shall say with thy selfe how shall I know what thyng it is that the Lord hath not commaunded to be spoken This token shalt thou haue to know it by Whatsoeuer thing the Prophet in the name of God shal prophesie the same come not to passe that mayest thou be sure the Lord hath not spoken but the Prophet hath imagined through the hautinesse of his owne mynde therfore thou shalt not be afrayd of him When the tyme was expired that Hildebrand in his diuination had set and that neither the king was dead neither the power of the Empire empayred and fearing least by the wordes of hys owne mouth he should be reprehended and condemned subtleâ—y turned his tale saying and perswading the ignorant people that he ment not of the body of the king but of his soule as though the soule of the king had lost all sauing 6. of his knights or souldiours or els had bene dead during that space and thus by these sleights he beguiled the ignorant people Against such Prophets S. Gregory vpon Ezechiel sayeth Betwene true Prophetes and false this difference there is that true Prophets if they speake any thing vpon their owne mynd they be soone rebuked but the false prophets both they tell lies and not hauyng the spirite of truth they perseuere in their falsitie Ouer and beside the sayd Hildebrand iudged to death 3. men before they were conuict or els confessed their crime wythout the sentence of any secular iudge and caused them to bee hanged vpon a paire of gallowes ouer against the Church of S. Peter in a place called Palatiolum without any delay or aduisement contrary to the lawes which commaund that euery publike offender should haue 30. dayes space before he be put to execution Which thing euen amongst the Paganes is in vre and obserued as teacheth the authoritie of S. Ambrose and the Martyrdome of holy Marcelianus and Marcus He cast Centius the sonne of Stephen the Alderman into prison beyng before his trusty friend and in a vessell being thick set with sharpe nayles he tormented him to the poynt of death who after that he was escaped apprehended the sayd Hildebrand Of this apprehension before he was let at liberty he openly forgaue all the conspiratours Which thing afterwardes contrary to his fidelitie he brake and reuenged caused Centius to whome he had forgeuen all offences to be taken and hanged him 9. of his men vpon the gallowes before S. Peters porch There was at the apprehension of Pope Hildebrand a certain widowes sonne to whom and others moe for their penaunce he enioyned a yeares banishment Which tyme beyng explete or run out the widow in tokeÌ„ of more ample satisfaction thinking therby to haue appeased the mynd of Hildebrand put a halter about her sonnes necke and drawyng her sonne by the rope to the foot of Hildebrand sayd My Lord Pope at your hands will I receaue agayne my sonne which one whole yeare hath endured banishment and other penaunce by your holynesse enioyned Then the sayd Hildebrand for that instant because of those which were with him in company dissembling his wrath deliuered her her sonne very churlishly saying get thee hence woman I bid thee and let me be in rest After this he sent his officers appreheÌ„ded the widowes sonne and gaue commaundement to the Iustices to put him to death who altogether makyng aunswer sayd that they could no more condemne or meddle with him for that hee had for his crime committed appealed once to the Pope abidden the banishment and done the penaunce by him enioyned Hereupon this glorious Hildebrand beyng displeased wyth the Iudges caused the foote of the widowes sonne to be cut off makyng neyther repentaunce nor the lawes and ordinaunces to be of any estimation with hym And thus his foote beyng cut off he dyed within three dayes after with the payne thereof Many other wicked deedes did this Hildebrand vpon whom the bloud of the church cryeth vengeance shed by the sworde that is the miserable trecherie of his tong For which things and that iustly the church refused to communicate with him Haec Benno An other Epistle of Benno to the Cardinals TO the reuerend fathers of the Church of Rome and to hys beloued in Christ and to his brethren that shall for euer be beloued Benno the Cardinall of the Churche of Rome wisheth faythfull seruice
and here againe I take his regall gouernment from him charging and forbidding all christen men that haue bene sworne vnto him whom I discharge here of their oth that hereafter they obey him in nothing but to take Rodolphus to their king who is elected by many princes of the Prouince For so right it is and conuenient that as Henry for his pride stubburnes is depriued of his dignitie and possession so Rodolphus being gratefull to all men for his vertue and deuotion be exalted to the Imperiall throne domination Therfore O you blessed prince of the Apostles graunt to this and confirme with your authoritie that I haue sayd so that all meÌ„ may vnderstand if you haue power to bynd and loose in heauen you haue also power in earth to geue take away Empires kingdoms principallities and whatsoeuer here in earth belongeth to mortall men For if yov haue power to iudge in such matters as appertain to God what then should we thinke you haue of these inferior prophane things And if it be in your power to iudge the angels ruling ouer proud princes what then shall it be seen â—â—â— you to do vpon their seruants Therfore let the kings vnderstand by this example all other princes of the world what you be able to do in heauen what you are with God that thereby they may feare to contemn the commaundement of holy church And now doe you exercise this iudgement quickely vpon Henricus whereby all men may see this sonne of iniquitie to fall from hys kingdome not by any chaunce but by your prouision and onely worke Notwithstanding this I would craue of you that he being brought to repentance through your intercession yet in the day of iudgement may finde fauour and grace with the Lord. Actum Romae Nonis Martij indictione 3. Furthermore Pridebrand Driveur and not yet content with this interditeth deposeth also Guibertus Archb. of RaueÌ„na for taking the Emperors part commaunding all priestes to geue no maner obedience to him and sendeth thether to Rauenna an other Archb. with full authoritie After vpon this Henricus Rodulphus to try the matter by the sword coped together in battaile not without bloudshed where Henricus by the fauour of God against the iudgement of Hildebrand had the victory Rodulphus there greatly wounded in the conflict was had out of the army and caried to Hyperbolis where he commaunded the bishops chief doers of his conspiracy to be brought before him when they came he listed vp his right hand in which he had taken his deadly wound and sayd This is the hand which gaue the oth and sacrament vnto Henricus my Prince and which through your instigatioÌ„ so oft hath fought against him in vaine Now go and performe your first othe allegeance to your king for I must to my fathers and so dyed Thus the Pope gaue battaile but God gaue the victory Henricus after his enemy beyng thus subdued and warres being ceased in Germany forgate not the old iniuries receiued of Hildebrand by whom he was twise excommunicate expulsed from his kingdom and iii. daies making humble sute yea that in sharpe winter coulde find no fauour with him Besides that he incited moreouer aided his enemy against him wherfore calleth together a councell or assembly of diuers bishops of Italy LoÌ„bardy and Germany at Brixia an 1083. where he purged himself accused the bishop Hildebrand of diuers crimes to be an usurper periured a Necromanser Sorcerer a lower of discord complaining moreouer of wrongs iniuries done by the bishop and church of Rome in that the church of Rome preferred the bishop before him wheÌ„ that his father being emperor before him had inthronised set in diuers sundry bishops there by his assignment with out all other electioÌ„ And now this bishop contrary to his oth promise made thrust in himself without the wil and knowlege of him being their king and magistrate For in the time of his father Henricus 3. This Hildebrand wyth other bound themselues with a corporall oth that so long as the Emperour and his sonne now beyng kyng should liue they should neither themselues presume nor suffer any other to aspire to the Papal seat without the assent and approbation of the foresayd Emperours which now this Hildebrand contrary to his corporal oth had done wherfore the foresaid councel with one agrement condeÌ„ned this Gregory that he should be deposed The tenor of which condemnation is thus expressed in Abbate Vrspergensi The Sentence of the Councell of Brixia against Hildebrand BEcause it is not vnknown this bishop not to be elected of God but to haue intruded himselfe by fraud and money who hath subuerted all Ecclesiasticall order who hath disturbed the gouernment of the Christian Empery manasing death of body and soule against our catholike peaceable king who hath set vp maintayned aperiured kyng sowyng discorde where concorde was causing debate amongst friends slaÌ„ders offences amongest brethrenne diuorcementes and separation amongest the maried for he tooke away the mariage of priests as Henricus Mutius witnesseth and finally disquieting the peaceable state of all quiet lyfe therefore we here in the name authoritie of God congregate together with the Legates handes of 19. Bishops the day of Pentecost at Mentz doe proceed in Canonicall iudgement against Hildebrand a man most wicked preaching sacriledge and burning maintaining periury and murthers callyng in question the Catholike fayth of the body and bloud of the Lord a follower of diuination and dreames a manifest Necromancer a Sorcerer and infected with a Pythonicall spirite and therefore departed from the true fayth we iudge hym to be deposed expelled And vnlesse he hearyng this shall yelde and depart the seate to be perpetually condemned Inacted vij Calend. Iulij feria 5. indictione 3. This being enacted sent to Rome they elected Guibertus Archbishop of Rauena in the place of Hildebrand to gouerne the Church of Rome named Clemens 3. But when Hildebrand neither would geue ouer his hold nor geue place to Clement the Emperour gathering an army to send to Italy came to Rome to depose Gregory and to place Clement But Hildebrand sendyng to Matilda the Countesse before in eÌ„tioned required in remission of al hee sinnes to withstand Henry the Emperor and so she did Notwithstanding Henricus preuailyng came to Rome where he besieged the Citie all the Lent and after Easter got it the Romaines being compelled to open the gates vnto him so he comming to the temple of S. Peter there placeth ClemeÌ„t in his Papacy Hildebrand straight flieth into Adrians tower with his adherents where he beyng beset round about at length sendeth for Robert Guiscardus his frend a Norman in the mean time while Robertus collecteth his power the Abbot of Chiniake couferryng with Gregory exhorteth him to crowne Henricus emperor in Lateran which
resisting their king in like sort if hys cause were maintained so contrariwise if it quailed it shoulde be an example to all other heereafter none to resist his Prince in the like case And so might it redounde not onely to the weakening of the state of the Catholike Churche but also to the derogation of the Popes authoritie Briefly this sentence at length preuailed and so Becket receaueth hys pastorall office of the Popes hand againe with commendation and much fauour But for somuch as he coulde not be well placed in England in the meane while the Pope sendeth him with a monkes habite into the abbay Pontiniak in Fraunce where he remained 2. yeres from thence he remoued to Senon where he abode 5. yeares So the time of his exile continued a 7. yeares in all c. Uppon this the King being certified by his Ambassadours of the Popes aunswere howe his fauoure enclined more to Becket then to him was mooued and woorthely with wrathful displeasure Who vpon the same sailing frō England vnto Normandy directed ouer certain Inunctions against the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterburie as were recited aboue Fol. 207. The contents wherof were declared to be these If any person shal be found to bring from the Pope or from the Archbishop of Canterburie c. Of these and suche other iniunctions Becket specifieth partly in a certaine letter writing to a frend of his in this maner THomas Archbishop of Canterburie to his welbeloued frend c. Be it knowen to your brotherly goodnes that we with al ours heere by Gods grace are safe and in good health Hauing a good hope and trust to your faithfull amitie I charge you and require you that either by the bringer heereof or by some other whome ye know faithfull and trusty to our church of Canterburie and to vs you write with al spede what is done As touching the kings decrees here set out these they be that all hauens and portes shoulde be diligently kept that no letters of the Popes interdict or curse be brought in And if religious men bring them in they shall haue their feete cut off if he be a priest or clearke he shall lose his priuie members If he be a lay man let him be hanged If he be a leper let him be burned And if any bishoppe for feare of the Popes interdict will depart besides his staffe onely in his hand let him haue nothing els Also the kings will is that all scholers and students beyonde the seas shall repaire home or else lose their benefices And if they yet shall remaine still they shall lose the libertie of all returning Further if any such Priests shal be found that for the Popes suspense or interdict wil refuse to sing they shall lose their priuie members In summe all such Priests as shew themselues rebels to the king let them be depriued of their benefices c. Besides these and such like iniunctions it was also set forth by the Kings proclamation An. 1166. that all maner of persons both men and wemen who soeuer were foūd of the kindred of Thomas Becket should be exiled wythout taking any part of their goodes with them and sent to him where he was which was no litle vexatiō to Becket to behold them Moreouer for so much as he then was lying with Gwarine Abbot of Pontiniacke to whome the pope as is aforesaid had cōmended him therefore the king wryting to the same Abbote required him not to retaine the Archbishop of Canterbury in his house for if he did he would driue out of his realme all the monks of his order Whereupon Becket was enforced to remoue from thence and went to Lewes the French King by whome he was placed at Senon and there founde of him the space of fiue yeares as is aboue mentioned In the meane time messengers went daily with letters betwene the king and the pope betwene the Pope againe and him and so betwene the Archbishop and other whereof if the Reader peraduenture shal be desirous to see the copies I thought here to expresse certaine of them to satisfie his desire first beginning w e the Epistle of Becket complaining of his prince to the Pope in maner and forme as foloweth The copie of an Epistle sent of Thomas Becket to Pope Alexander TO your presence and audience I flee moste holy father that you who hath bought the libertie of the Churche with your so great daunger might the rather attend to the same either being the onely or chiefest cause of my persecution vsing and following therein the example of you It grieueth me that the state of the Church should fall to any decay and that the liberties therof should be infringed thorough the auarice of princes For the which cause I thought to resist betime that inconueniencie beginning so to grow And the more I thought my selfe obliged to the same my Prince vnto whome next vnder God I am moste chiefly bound the more boldnesse I tooke to me to withstand his vnrightfull attempts till such that were on the contrary part my aduersaries preuailed working my disquietnesse and incensing him against me Whereupon as the maner is amongst Princes they raised vp against me citations and slaunders to the occasion of my persecution but I had rather to be proscribed then to subscribe Besides this I was also called to iudgement and cited before the king to make answere there as a lay person to secular accomptes where as they whome I most trusted did most forsake me For I saw my fellow brethren the Bishops through the instigation of some ready to my condemnation Wherupon all being set against me I thus oppressed on euery side tooke my refuge to appeale to your goodnesse which casteth off none in their extremities being ready to make my declaration before you that I ought neither to be iudged there in that place nor yet of them For what were that father but to vsurpe to thēselues your right and to bring the spiritualtie vnder the temporaltie Which thing once begon may breede an example to many And therefore so much the more stouter I thought to be in withstanding this matter how much more prone and procliue I saw the way to hurt if they once might see vs to be faint and weake in the same But they will say to me here againe geue to Cesar that which belongeth to Cesar. c. But to answere againe therunto albeit we are boūd to obey our king in most things yet not in such maner of things whereby he is made to be no king neither were they then things belonging to Cesar but to a tyrāt Concerning the which points these Bishops should not for me onely but for themselues haue resisted the king For if the extreme iudgemēt be reserued to him which is able to iudge both body and soul is it not then extreme pride for men there to iudge which iudge but by themselues If the cause of
Lord and to reforme the same and not only to reforme and amend his fault but also to satisfy it to the vttermost if the law shall so require him Wherfore seing he is so willing to recōpēce satisfy the iudgemēt of the church in al things appertaining to the church refusing no order that shal be takē but in al thīgs submitting his neck to the yoke of Christ with what right by what canon or reason can you interdict him or vse excommunication against him It is a thing laudable a vertue of great cōmendation in wise men wisely to goe with iudgement and reason and not to be caried with puffes of hasty violence Whereupon this is the onely and common petition of vs all that your fatherly care will diligently prouide for your flocke and sheepe committed to you so that they miscary not or runne to any ruine through any inconsiderate or to much heady counsell in you but rather through your softnes and sufferance they may obtayne life peace and security It doth moue vs all that we heare of late to be done by you agaynst the Byshop of Salisbury the Deane of the same church prosperously as some men suppose against whom you haue geuen out the sentence of excommunication and condemnation before any question of their crime was following therein as seemeth more the heat of hastynesse then the path of righteousnesse This is a new order of iudgement vnheard of yet to this day in our lawes and canons first to condemne a man and then to enquire after of the fact committed Which order least ye should hereafter attempt to exercise in like maner agaynst our soueraigne and king or agaynst vs and our Churches and Parishes committed to vs to the detriment of the Pope and the holy church of Rome and to the no little confusion of vs all therefore we lay here agaynst you for our selues the remedy of appellation And as before openly in the publicke face of the Church with liuely voyce we appealed to the Pope for feare of certayne perils that might haue happened So now agayn in writing we appeale to the same assigning the terme of our appellation the day of the Lordes Ascention Most humbly and reuerently beseching your goodnesse that you taking a better way with you in this matter will let your cause fall sparing herein both the labours and charges as well of your selfe as ours also And thus we wish you right well to fare reuerend in the Lord. The rescript or aunswere agayne of Thomas Becket to all his suffraganes not obeying but confuting their counsayle sent FRaternitatis Gestra scriptum quod tamen prudentia Gestra cōmuni consilio non facilè credimus emanasse nuper ex insperat◠suscepimus c. Your brotherly letters sent albeit not by the whole assent of your wisedomes written as I suppose of late I receiued vpon a sodayne the contentes whereof seeme to contayne more sharpenesse then solace And would to God they proceeded more of sincere zeale of godliness or affection of charity then of disobedience or froward wilfulnesse For charity seketh not the thinges that be his owne but which appertayne to Iesus Christ. It had bene your duety if there be truth in the Gospel as most vndoubtedly there is and if you would faythfully haue accomplished his busines whose person you represent rather to haue feared him which can cast both body and soule to hell then him whose power extendeth no further then to the body rather to haue obeyed God then man rather your Father then your Maister or Lord after the example of him who was to his Father obedient vnto the death Which dyed for vs leauing vs example to follow hys steps Let vs dye therefore with him and lay downe our liues for the deliueraunce of his Church out of the yoke of bondage and tribulation of the oppressor which Church he hath founded and whose libertye he hath procured with his owne proper bloud Least if we shall do otherwise it may happely fall vpon vs whiche is written in the Gospell Who so loueth his owne life more then me is not worthy of me This ye ought to know that if it be right which your captayne commaundeth your duety requireth to obey his will if not ye ought then rather to obey God then men One thing I will say if I may be so bolde to tell it vnto you I haue now suffered and abstayned a long space wayting if the Lord had geuen you to take a better hart vnto you which haue turned away cowardly your backes in the day of battayle or if any of you would haue returned againe to stand like a wall for the house of Israel at least if he had but shewed himselfe in the field making but the countenaunce of a warrier agaynst them which cease not dayly to infest the Lambe of God I wayted and none came I suffered and none rose vp I held my peace none would speake I dissembled and none would stand with me in like semblance Wherefore seing I see no better towardnesse in you thys remayneth onely to enter action of complaynt agaynst you and to cry agaynst mine enemies Rise vp O Lord and iudge my cause reuenge the bloud of the church which is wasted and oppressed The pride of them which hate his libertye riseth vp euer neyther is there any that doth good no not one Woulde God brethren beloued there were in you any minde or affection to defend the libertye of the Churche for she is builded vpon a sure rocke that although she be shaken yet she can not be ouerthrowne And why then seek ye to confoūd me Nay rather your selues in me then me in you A man which hath taken vpon me all the peril haue sustained all the rebukes haue sustained all the iniuries haue suffered also for you all to the very banishment And so it was expedient one to suffer for that Church that thereby it might be released out of seruitude These thinges discusse you simply with your selues and weigh the matter Attend I say dilligently in your mindes for your partes that God for his part remouing from your eies all maiesty of rule and impery as he is no accepter of persons may take from your hartes the veile that ye may vnderstand and see what ye haue done what ye entend to do and what ye ought to do Tell me which of you all can say I haue taken from him since the time of my promotion either Oxe or Asse if I haue defrauded him of any peny If I haue misiudged the cause of any man wrōgfully Or if by the detrimēt of any person I haue sought my owne gaine let him complayn I will restore him fourefolde And if I haue not offēded you what then is the cause that ye thus leaue and forsake me in the cause of God Why bend ye so your selues agaynst me in such a cause that there is none more speciall belonging to the
them And thus much concerning Fulco Not long after this it befell that a certaine noble personage Lord of Lemonice in litle Britaine Widomarus by name found a great substance of treasure both of golde and siluer hid in the ground wherof a great part he sent to king Richard as chiefe Lorde and Prince ouer the whole countrey Which the king refused saying he would either haue all or none for that he was the principall chiefetaine ouer the land But the finder woulde not condescende to that Wherefore the king laide siege to a Castell of hys called Galuz thinking the treasure to lie there But the keepers and warders of the Castel seeing themselues not sufficient to withstand the king offered to him the castell desiring to depart with life and armour To this the king woulde in no wise graunt but bid them to reenter the castell againe and to defende it in all the forceable wise they coulde It so befell that as the King with the Duke of Brabant went about the castel vewing the places therof a souldiour wythin named Bertandus Cordoun stroke the king with an arrow in the arme whereupon the yron remaining and festering in the wound the king within 9. daies after died who because he was not content with the halfe of the treasure that another man founde lost all his own treasure that he had The king being thus wounded caused the man that stroke him to be brought vnto him and asked the cause of him why he so wounded him Who answered againe as the storie sayeth that he thought to kill rather then to be killed And what punishment soeuer he should susteine he was cōtent so that he might kil him which had before killed his father and brethren The king hearing his words frely forgaue him and caused an hundreth shillings to be geuē him Albeit as the story addeth after the death of the king the duke of Brabāce after great torments caused hym to be hāged Ex historia Regis Richardi 2. cui initium De patre istius Bruti c. The storie of Gisburne sayeth that the killer of king Richarde comming to the French king thinking to haue a great rewarde was commanded to be drawen a sonder with horse and his quarters to be hanged vp An other story affirmeth and Gisburn partly doth testifie the same that a litle before the death of K. Richarde 3. Abbotes of the order Cistercian came to him to whome he was confessed And when he sawe them somewhat stay at his absolution had these wordes that he did willingly commit his body to the earth to be eaten of wormes and his soule to the fire of Purgatory there to be tormented til the iudgement in the hope of God his mercy Ex Iornalens Gisburn alijs About the raigne of this king the sayd Iornalensis maketh mention of Roger archbish of Yorke which put out of his Churche the Monkes and placed for them seculare Priests saying that he woulde rather with Ecclesiasticall benefices to be geuen to wanton Priests then to abhominable Monkes that Thurstinus did sinne neuer worse in al his life then in building that house for monks c. Another story I haue which sayth that this was the Byshop not of Yorke but of Couentrie The king not long after departed without issue and Iohn his brother reigned after him in whome although some vices may worthely be reprehēded especially for his incontinent and too much licentious life yet was he farre from that deseruing for the which he hath bene so il reported of diuers wryters who being led more with affection of Poperie then with true iudgement and due consideration depraued his doings more then the sincere trueth of the historie will beare them Concerning which historie after so many wryters we thought also to bestowe a little labour although in this matter we can not be so long as I would and as the matter requireth Kyng Iohn AFter the death of king Richarde called Coeur de Lyon reigned his brother Iohn Earle of Morton Afterward the Archbyshop put the crowne on his head and sware him to defend the churche and to maintaine the same in her good lawes and to destroy the euil And except he thought not in his minde to do this the Archb. charged him not to presume to take on him this dignitie And on Saint Iohn Baptists day next following king Iohn failed into Normandy came to Roan where he was royally receiued and truce concluded betweene him the French king for a time And thether came to him the Earle of Flaunders and all other Lords of Fraunce that were of K. Richards band and frendship and were sworne vnto him Not long after this Philip the French king made Arthur Knight and tooke his homage for Normandie Britaine and al other his possessions beyond the sea and promised him helpe against K. Iohn After this King Iohn and the French king talked together wyth theyr Lordes about one houres space And the Frenche King asked so much land for himself and knight Arthur that king Iohn would graunt him none and so departed in wrath The same yeare a legate came into Fraunce and commaunded the King in paine of interdiction to deliuer one Peter out of prison that was elect to a Bishoppricke and thereupon he was deliuered And after that the Legate came into England commaunded K. Iohn vnder paine of interdiction to deliuer the Archb. which he had kept as prisoner 2. yeares which the King denied to do till he had payd him 6000. markes Because he tooke him in harnes in a field against him and sware him vpon his deliuerance that he should neuer weare harnesse against any Christen man This time diuorce was made betweene K. Iohn and his wife daughter of the Earle of Glocester because they were in the iii. degree of kinred And after by the counsell of the French king King Iohn wedded Isabel daughter of the Earle of Anguilla and then Arthur of Britaine did homage to king Iohn for Britaine and other At this time fell strife betwene K. Iohn and Geoffrey the Archbishop of Yorke for diuers causes first because he would not suffer and permit the Sheriffe of Yorke in such affaires as he had to do for the King within his Diocesse Secondly because hee did also excommunicate the sayde sheriffe Thirdly because he would not saile with him into Normandie to make the mariage betwene Lewes the French kings sonne and his niece c. After this in the yeare of our Lorde 1202. Phillip the French king in a communication betwene K. Iohn and him required that the saide K. Iohn should depart with all his landes in Normandy and Pictauia which he had beyond the sea vnto Arthur his nephew and that incontinent or els he would warre against him and so did For when king Iohn denied that request the next day folowing the French king with the sayde Arthur
a Frere weare cloathing of an other sect of Freres sith holines stondeth not in the clothes 6. Why hold ye silence in one house more then an other sith men ought ouer all to speke the good leaue the euil Why eate you flesh in one house more then in an other if your rule and your order be perfite and the patron that made it 7. Why gete ye your dispensatioÌ„s to haue it more esy certes other it seemeth that ye be vnperfite or he that made it so hard that ye may not hold it And seker if ye holde not the rule of your patrons ye be not then her Fryers and so ye lye vpon your selues 8. Why make ye you as dede men when ye be professed and yet ye be not dede but more quicke beggers then ye were before and it seemeth euill a dede man to goe about and begge 9. Why will ye not suffer your Nouices heare your couÌ„sels in your chapter house ere that they haue bene professed if your counsels byn true and after Gods law 10. Why make ye you so costly houses to dwell in sith Christ did not so and dede men should haue but graues as falleth it to dead men and yet ye haue more Courtes then many Lordes of England For ye mowe wenden through the realme and each night well nigh lyg in your owne courts and so mow but right few Lordes do 11. Why heyre ye to ferme your limitors geuing therefore ech yeare a certayne rent and will not suffer one in an others limitation right as ye were your selfes Lordes of countreys Why be ye not vnder your Bishops visitations and liege men to our king Why are ye no letters of brether heds of other mens prayers as ye desire that other men shoulde aske letters of you If your letters be good why graunt ye them not generally to all maner of men for the more charitie 12. Mow ye make any man more perfite brother for your prayers then God hath by our beleeue by our baptisme and hys owne graunt if ye mow certes then ye be aboue GOD. Why make ye men beleue that your golden trentall song of you to take therefore x.s. or at the least v.s. wole bring soules out of hel or out of purgatory if this be soth certes ye might bring al soules out of payne and that wull ye nought and then ye be out of charitie 13. Why make ye men beleue that he that is buryed in your habite shall neuer come in hell and ye wyte not of your selfe whether ye shall to hell or no and if this were sothe ye shuld sell your hye houses to make many habites for to saue many mens soules 14. Why steale ye mens Children for to make hem of your sect sith that theft is against Gods hestes and sith your sect is not perfite ye know not whether the rule that ye bynde hym to be best for him or worst 15. Why vnderneme ye not your brethreÌ„ for their trespas after the law of the Gospell sith that vnderneming is the best that may be But ye put them in prison oft when they do after Gods law and by Saint Augustines rule if anye did amisse and would not amend him ye should put hym from you 16. Why couete ye shrifte and burying of other mens parishens and none other Sacrament that falleth to Christen folke Why bussy yee not to here to shrift of pore folk as wel as of rich Lords and Ladyes sith they mowe haue more pleÌ„ty of shrift fathers then poore folke mow Why say ye not the gospell in howses of bededred men as ye do in riche mens that mow go to Churche and heare the Gospell Why couete you not to bury poore folke among you sith that they bene most holy as ye sayne that yee beene for your pouerty 17. Why will ye not be at her diriges as ye haue bene at rich mens sithe God prayseth him more then he doth other men What is thy prayer worth sithe thou wilt take therefore for of all chapmen ye nede to be most wise for dread of simonie What cause hast thou that thou wilt not preach the gospell as God sayth that thou shouldst sith it is the best lore and also our beleue Why be ye euill apayd that secular priests shuld preach the Gospell sith God himselfe hath bodden hem 18. Why hate ye the gospell to be preached sithe ye be so much hold therto for ye wyn more by yere with In principio then with all the rules that euer your patrons made and in this minstrels bene better then ye for they contrarien not to the mirthis that they maken but ye contrarien the Gospell both in word and deede 19. Frere when thou receiuest a peny for to say a Masse whether sellest thou Gods body for that peny or thy prayer or els thy trauell if thou sayest thou wolt not trauell for to say the Masse but for the peny that oertes if this be soth then thou louest to little mede for thy soule and if thou sellest Gods body other thy prayer then it is very simonie and art become â— chapman worse then Iudas that solde it for thirty pence 20. Why writest thou her names in thy tables that yeueth the mony sith God knoweth all thing for it seemeth by thy writing that God would not reward him but thou write in thy tables God wold els forgetten it Why bearist thou God in honde and sâ—laundrest hym that he begged for hys mete sithe he was Lorde ouer all for then had he bene vnwyse to haue begged and haue no neede thereto Frere after what law rulest thou thee where findest thou in Gods law that thou shouldest thus beg 21. What maner men needeth for to beg For whom oweth such men to beg Why beggest thou so for thy brethren If thou sayest for they haue neede then thou doest it for the more perfection or els for the lest or els for the meane If it be the most perfection of all then should al thy brethren do so and then no man needed to beg but for himselfe for so should no man beg but him neded And iâ— it be the lest perfection why lonest thou then other men more then thy self For so thou art not wel in charitie sith thou shouldst seeke the more perfection after thy power liuing thy selfe most after God and thus leauing that imperfectioÌ„ thou shouldest not so beg for them And if it is a good meane thus to beg as thou doest then should no man do so but they bene in this good meane and yet suche a meane graunted to you may neuer be grounded on Gods law for then both lerâ—â— and lewd that bene in meane degre of this world shoulde goe about and beg as ye do And if all shoulde doe so certes well nigh all the world should goe about and beg as ye done and so should there be ten
enemyes were in eating meate came sodenly vpon them out of the towne and slew of them 2000 and tooke the towne againe with safety But the Legate with his company of prelates like good men of warre practised none other Martiall feats but all to be cursed the Earle of Tholouse hys Cities and his people Ludouicus the king to auoyde the pestilence that was in the campe went into an Abbey not far off where shortly after he died of whose death are sondry opinions some saying that hee was poysoned some that he died of a bloudy flixe Whose death notwithstanding the Legate thought to kepe secret conceale till that the towne might be rendered and geuen vp for he thought himself shamed for euer if he should depart before the towne were won wherfore after he had encouraged the souldiours a fresh and yet after many sharp assaults could not preuaile He bethought him how by falshode he might betray them and sent vnto them certaine Haroldes to will them that they should amongst themselues consult vpon articles of peace bring the same to their camp whose safe conduite they faithfully promised and warraÌ„ted both of comming and going And when they had geuen their pledges for yâ— same the messengers from the Citizens talked with the Legate who promised them if they would deliuer vp their city they should haue their liues goodes possessions in as ample maner as now they enioyed the same But the citizens and soldiors refused to be vnder the seruitude of the French kyng neither wold so deliuer vp their citie to those of whose insolent pride they had so good experiment After much talke on both sides none like to take effect the Legate requested them and frendly desired that he and his Prelates which were about him might come into their Citie to examine what faith beliefe they were of and that he neyther sought nor ment any other thing therby but their owne safeties as well of body as soule which thing hee faithfully sware vnto for sayeth he the brute of your great infidelitie hath come to the lord popes eare therefore desired he to make true certificate therof Wherupon the citizens not mistrusting his faithfull othe and promise made to them graunted entrance to him and the residue of the clergy bringing with them no weapon into the towne The souldiours of the campe as it was agreed before made them ready so that at the entraunce of the prelates in at the gate nothing regarding their oth fidelitie The other sodenly were ready and with violence rushed in slew the porter and warders and at length wanne the city and destroied the same slue many of them that were within Thus by falshoode and policie when they had got this noble citie they caried the kings corps to Paris where they buried the same Of the whole number of the French souldiours which in this siege were destroyed by famine pestilence drowning be recounted mothen 22000. Whereby sayth the story of Mat. Pariens it may euidently appeare the warre was vniustly taken in hand c. Ex Mat. Parisiens After these things finished and after the funerall of the king celebrated at Paris it followeth more in the sayd history of Pariens that the sayde Legate Romanus was vehemently suspected greuously infamed to abuse himselfe with Blauca the kings mother Sed impium est sayeth he hoe credere quia aemuli eius hoc disseminauerunt Benignus autem animus dubia in melius interpretatur i. But it is vngodly to suspect any such thing of him because his enemies so rumored the same abroad but a gentle minde expoundeth things doubtfull in the better part To passe further to the yere next folowing which was 1227. of the Lorde first is to be noted that in thys yeare king Henry beginning to shoote vp to the 20. yeare of hys age came froÌ„ Reding to LondoÌ„ where he began to charge the Citizens of London for old reeknings namely for geuing or lending 1000. markes to Lewes the French king at his departing out of the Realme to the great preiudice of him of his kingdom For the recompenâ—e wherof they were constrained to yelde to the king the full summe of the like money That done he remoued to Oxforde where he assembled a great counsail there denouncing protesting before them al that he was come to sufficient age no more to be vnder tutors gouernours but to be his own man requiring to be freed from the custody of other Which thing being protested and contraried forthwith he by the counsaile of Hubert the chiefe iustice whome hee made then the Earle of Kent remooued from his company the bishop of Winchester and other vnder whome he was moderated And immediatly in the same counsaile by the sinister persuasion of some doth adnihilate make void the charters liberties before by him grauÌ„ted pretending this colour for that they had bene graunted scaled in the time of his minoritie at what time he had the rule neither of himselfe nor of his seale Whereupon much muttering murmuring was among the multitude Who did all impute the cause to Hubert the iustice Moreouer it was the same time proclaimed that whosoeuer had any charter or gift sealed vnder the time of the kings minoritie they shoulde come and renew the same againe vnder the new seale of the king knowing otherwise that the thing should stande in no effect And finally for renewing of their Seales were taxed not according to their habilitie but according as it pleased the iustice and other to leuie them Moreouer beside this generall subsidie of the fifteene graunted to the king through the whole Realme beside also the contribution of the LoÌ„diners diuers other parcels and paunents he gathered through seuerall places as of the Burgesses of Northampton he required a 1000. 200. markes for his helping of them and so of other likewise All this preparation of money was made toward the furnishing of his vyage to recouer Normandy And yet because he would gratifie the Citie of London againe wyth some pleasure he graunted the citizens therof should passe tole free saith Fabian through all England And if or any Citie borough or towne they were coÌ„strained at any time to pay their tole then the Shyriffes of London to attache euery man coÌ„ming to London of the sayd city borough or towne and him his goods to withhold til the LoÌ„diners were againe restored of al such mony paid for the said tole w r all costes and damages susteined for the same Ex Fabia I declared before howe after the death of Honorius succeded pope Gregory the 10. betwene the which Gregory the people of Rome this yere fel a great sedition In so much that about the feast of Easter they thrust the Pope out of the Citie pursuing him vnto his Castel at Witerbium Where also they inuaded hym so
and bridle him withall that peace thereby and loue might dwell vppon the face of the earth But alas the B. of Rome sitting in the chaire of peruerse doctrine or pestilence that Pharisee anoynted wyth the oyle of iniquitie aboue the rest of his consortes in this our time which for his abhominable pride is fallen from heauen indeuoureth with his power to destroy and vndoe all and thinketh I beleeue to stellifie againe himselfe there from whence hee fell Hys purpose is to darken and to shadowe the light of our vnspotted life whilest that altering the veritie into lies his Papall letters stuft with all vntruthes are sent into sondry partes of the world of his owne corrupt humor and vpon no reasonable cause blemishing the sinceritie of our Religion The Lord Pope hath compared vs vnto the beast rising out of the sea full of names of blasphemy and spotted like a Lyberd But we say that he is that mōstrous beast of whom it is sayd and of whome we thus read And there shall come an other red horse out of the sea and hee that shall sit on him shall take peace away out of the earth let them therefore that dwell vpon the earth destroy him For since the tyme of hys promotiō he hath not ben the father of mercy but of discord A dilligent steward of desolation in stead of consolation and hath intised all the worlde to commit offence And to take the wordes in right sense and interpretation he is that great Dragon that dath deceiued the whole worlde hee is that Antichrist of whom he hath called vs the forerunner he is that other Balaam hired for money to curse vs the Prince of darcknes which hath abused the Prophetes This is the Aungel leaping out of the sea hauing his Phials fild with bitternes that he may both hurt the sea and the lande the counterfait Vicar of Christ that setteth forth hys owne imaginations He sayth that we doe not rightly beleue in the Christen fayth and that the world is deceiued with three maner of deceiuers which to name God forbid we should open our mouth seeing that openly we cōfesse onely Iesus Christ our Lord and Sauiour to be the euerlasting sonne of God coequall with hys father and the holy Ghost begotten before all worldes and in processe of tyme sent downe vpon the earth for the saluation of mankinde Conceaued not by the seede of man but by the holy Ghost which was borne of the glorious virgin Mary after that suffered and dyed as touching the flesh and by hys Godhead the third day he raysed from death that other nature which he assumpted in the wombe of his mother But we haue learned that the body of Machomet hangeth in the ayre and that his soule is buryed in hell whose works are damnable contrary to the law of the most highest We affirme also that Moyses was the faythfull seruant of God and a true teacher of the law and that he talked with God in mount Sinay vnto whō the Lord sayd Rubrum c. By whō also God wrought miracles in Egipt and deliuered the law written to the Israelites that afterwards with the elect he was called to glory In these and other thinges our enemy and enuier of our state causing our mother the church to accuse her sonne hath written agaynst vs venemous and lying sclaunder and sent the same to the whole worlde If hee had rightly vnderstoode the Apostles meaning he woulde not haue preferred his violent will before reason which beareth such sway with him neither would he haue sēt out his Mandates to the suggestion of those which call light darcknes and euill good whiche suspect hony to be gall for the great good opinion they haue cōceaued of that holy place which in deed is both weak infirm cōuerteth al truth into falshood affirmeth that to be that is not Truly my opinion so indifferent on euery side ought not in any case to be infringed and auerted from the fayth to such enemies of so corrupt a conscience Wherefore we greatly are inforced not a little to meruaile which thing also doth much disquyet vs to see that you which be the pillers and assistentes in office of righteous dealing the Senators of Peters Citie and the principal beames in Gods building haue not quallified the perturbation of so fierce a Iudge as doth the planets of heauē in their kynd which to mittigate the passing swift course of the great orbe or sphere of heauen draw a contrary way by theyr opposite mouinges In very deed our Imperial felicitie hath bene almost euen from the beginning spurned agaynst and enueied at of the papall see and dignitie As Simonides being demanded why he had no mo enemies and enuiers of hys state answered and sayd quia nibil falsciter gessi for because sayth he I haue had no good successe in any thing that euer I tooke in hand And so for that we haue had prosperous successe in all our enterprises the Lordes name be blessed therefore especially in the ouerthrow of late of our rebellious enemies the Lombardes to whom in their good quarrell he promised life and absolution and remission of their sinnes is the cause wherefore this Apostolicall bishop mourneth and lamenteth And now not by your councels I suppose he laboureth to impugne this our felicitie but of hys owne power of bynding losing wherof he glorieth so much he impugneth it But presently where power and habilitie wanteth to redresse there doth abuse take place We see in hym which was so mighty a king and the worthiest prince amongst all the Prophetes to desire craue the restitution of Gods holy spirit when he had polluted the dignitie of hys office But the prouerbe is Vti indissolubilia non solnuntur ita inligabilia non ligantur As thinges indissoluble are not to be losed so thinges that cannot be bound are not to be bound Which thing manifestly is proued in him For why the scriptures of God doe instruct men how to liue they mortifie our soules whiche are immortall and quicken the same whiche are dead for want of lyfe And doubtles he is able to humble and bring downe those that are vnworthy of dignitie as much as him pleaseth and when him pleaseth Doubtlesse if the Byshop of Rome were a true Byshop indeed innocent impolute and not associate with wicked liuers and euill men his life should declare him so to be He would not then be an offerer of dissentious sacrifice but a peaceable offerer of loue charity would cense not with the incense of griefe hatred but with the sweet smelling incense of concord and vnity neither yet would alter suum pontificium in maleficium That is make of a sanctified office an execrable abuse If he were such a Byshoppe as he ought to be he would not wrest or abuse the preaching of the word into the fruite and gayne of his owne dissention neither
perisheth in the Church of God for want of preachers all that shal be demaunded of them at the day of iudgement As Iacob confesseth to Laâ—an whose sheep he fedde Genesis 31 I did restore all thy losse and that which was stolne I made aunswere for I will demaund his bloud at thy handes Ezechiell 3. This is sayd to the Pastor or Prelate But if the other thinges which we haue spoken of before could not mooue the Prelates and Cardinals this at the least should mooue them Because that then the spirituall power which doth consist for the most part in the exercise of preaching in hearing confessions enioyning of penaunce shall be taken away froÌ„ them by litle little For by piece mele doth the wolfe dâ—nour the poore needy man 3. q. cap 1. when the authority Ecclesiasticall therfore shall be quite taken from them and disposed to other such as either by their order or Apostolicall grauÌ„t do challenge to haue the same Then doubtles shall neither the iurisdictioÌ„ of ciuile causes and pleadings nor any authority that such Prelates haue yet remaining neither yet the possessions of the temporall goodes of the Church any longer remayne amongest them Shall suche haue the temporall goods of the church which minister not the spirituall treasure thereof 1. Cor. 9. Know ye not that they which kill the sacrifice ought to eate of the sacrifice they that serue at the aultar are partakers of the aultar For as the body without the soule cannot stand so corporall thinges without spirituall things cannot continue 1. q. 1. if any shall take away the same Thus haue you had the 39 arguments for the which both he was coÌ„demned and his bookes burned In the dayes of this Guilielmus there was a most detestable and blasphemous booke set forth by the Friers mentioned also in Math. Parisiens which they called Euangelium aeternum or Euangelium spiritus sancti That is the euerlasting Gospell or the Gospell of the holy Ghost In which book many abhominable errors of the Friers were conteyned so that the Gospell of Iesus Christ was vtterly defaced which this booke sayd was not to be compared with this euerlasting Gospel no more then the shell is to be coÌ„pared with the carnell then darknes to light c. More ouer that the Gospell of Christ shal be preached no longer but fifty yeares and then this euerlasting Gospell should rule the Church c. Item yâ— whatsoeuer was in the whole Bible was in the saide Gospell contayned At length this Friers Gospell was accused to the Pope and so 6. persons chosen of the whole vniuersitye to peruse and iudge of the booke as Christianus Canonicus Baluacensis Odo de Doaco Nicholaus de Baro Ioannes de Sicca Vella Anglus Ioannes Belim Gallus Among whom this Guilielmus was one who mightely impugned this pestiferous and deuillish booke These 6. after the perusing of the booke were sent vp to Rome The Friers likewise sent their messengers withall where they were refuted and yâ— errors of the booke condemned but so that the Pope with the Cardinals commaunded the sayd booke to be abolished and condemned not publickly tendering the estimation of the religious orders as of his own most chiefe champions but that they should be burned in secret wise and the books of the foresayd â—uilielmus to be burnt with all Besides other his bookes 2. Sermons we haue of his yet remayning one vpon the Gospell of S. Luke of the Pharisy and the Publicane the other vpon the Epistle redde in the Church on May day where in the first he resembleth the Phariseis to our Monkes and that he proueth by all the properties of the Phariseis described in the Gospell The Publicane he resembleth to the Laity such as for because the sooner they are reduced to acknowledge their sinnes the more hope they haue of mercy The other because they stand confident in their own righteousnesse are therefore farther from their instification In the latter sermoÌ„ he setteth forth and declareth what perils and dauÌ„ders be like to fall vpon the Church by these religious orders of Monkes and Friers Among the other besides of that age which withstood the bishops of Rome his Antechristian errors was one LaureÌ„ce an Englishman and maister of Paris An other was Petrus Ioannes a Minorite Of whome the foresayde Laurence was about the yeare of our Lord. 1260. who in his teaching preaching writing did stoutly defeÌ„d yâ— part of the forsayd Guilielmus the rest of his side agaynst the Friers Against the which Friers he wrote 2. bookes One in the defence of William afore meÌ„tioned the other vpoÌ„ this argument and title To beware of false prophets c. Certayn other things also he wrote wherin by diuers proofes and testimonies he argued proued that Antichrist was not farre of to come The other Petrus Ioannes was about the yeare of our Lord. 1290. which taught and maintained many things agaynst the Pope prouing that he was Antichrist and that the sinagogue of Rome was great Babilon He wrot vpon Mathew vpon the Epistles and vpon the Apocalips Mention of this Petrus Ioannes is made in Nicholaus Emericus in Lib. Inquisitionum c. And sayth moreouer that Miâ—hael Cesenas of whoÌ„ Christ willing shall followe hereafter took of him a great part of his opinioÌ„s And because the pope could not burne him aliue after his death he caused his bones to be taken vp and burned To these and with these aboue specified is to be added Robertus Gallus who being borne of a right noble parentage for deuotion sake was made a Dominicke Frier about the same yeare of our Lord aboue touched an 1290 This man as appeareth by his writing had diuers and sundry visions whereof part is annexed with the visions and prophecy of Hildegardis His visions al tend against the spiritualty of Rome where in the fift chapter he calleth playnely the Pope an Idoll which hauing eyes seeth not neither lusteth to see the abhominatioÌ„s of his people nor the excessiue enormity of ther voluptuousnes But only to see to the heaping vp of his own treasure hauing a mouth speaketh not but sayth I hane set good men ouer them which is sufficieÌ„t for me to do them good either by my selfe or by some other And foloweth in the same chapter wo to that Idoll woe to the mighty and proud who shall be equall in all the earth to that Idoll He that exalted vp his name in earth saying who shall bring me vnder Is not my house compared with the mighty Potentates of the land I am higher then Dukes Knightes on their horsebacke do seruice vnto me That which my Fathers had not before me yâ— haue I done to me My house is strowed with siluer gold and pearle are the pauement of my palace c. Agayn in the 12. chapter and also in the first vnder the name of a SerpeÌ„t he paynteth out the Pope whom he
his assistaunts here assembled alledging the first Epistle of Peter the 2. chapter where he sayth Feare God honour the king By which wordes the holy Apostle S. Peter teacheth vs 2. things First that loue feare obedience is due vnto God for the mightinesse and puissaunce of his Maiesty saying Feare God Secondly how speciall honor reuerence is due to the King for the excellency of his dignity saying Honor the King But note you by the way how the Apostle placeth his woordes First he sayth that feare is due vnto God because principally and in chiefe we ought to feare GOD For if the King or any other should commaund things contrary to God we ought to haue no regard ther of but to contemne the King feare God For it is written in the 5. of the Actes of the Apostles we ought rather to obey God then men and also in the 7. chap. of Machabes the 2. booke where it is sayd I will not obey the commaundements of the king but the law The reason whereof S. Augustine geueth both in the glose vpon the Romaines also in the 11. quaest 1. He that resisteth the superiour power resisteth the will and ordinaunce of God But put case thou art commaunded to do that which thou maist not do or to do not that which thou oughtest to do Doubtlesse thou must neglect the lesser power and feare the higher learning the degrees of worldly thinges As for example be it so that a Proctour commaundeth thee any thing which if the same be agaynst the Proconsull thou oughtest not to follow it Yea and further put case the Proconsull commaundeth one thing the Emperour an other and God willeth the third Thou must not care for thē but obey God for God is the greater power For they may threaten thee with prison but GOD may threaten thee with hell fire they may slay and kill thy body but God may send thee body and soule to perpetuall hell fire And therfore worthely it is put first Feare God And here the place in the last of Ecclesiasticus is to be adioyned where it is written Feare God and keep his commaundements And me thinketh that man is boūd to feare God chiefly in three sorts That is to say First in the bountifull bestowing of his giftes and benefites Secondly in the euident promoting of his seruauntes And lastly in the full rendring and restoring vnto man that is his First I say in the bountifull c. and for this cause the Emperour Iustinian writeth although there is nothing to be accompted good which doth exceede and is to great yet for a prince to be stow accordingly vpō the church it is very good For why the king and Emperour is bound to bestow so much the more substaunce how much the more God hath geuen to him to bestow the same both franckly and especially to famous Churches wherein the best greatest measure is of the Lordes giftes that is a great gift And to this end Gregory enacteth a law cap. i. extra de donationibus that nobility ought in maner to prescribe this law to himselfe to thinke himselfe bound to geue whē he geueth freely vnlesse he increase in geuing still to think that he hath geuen nothing Wherfore Abell as appeareth in the 4. chapter of Genesis who offered of the best to the Lord was blessed of God And therefore other Kinges the more they offred to God the more they were both spiritually and temporally blessed of him As we read of Iosua Dauid Salomon other in the booke of the Kings and therefore it is so written in the 18. of Numbers And ye shall separate vnto the Lordes treasury thinges that be chiefest and most principall As likewise Dauid sayth in the first of Paralipomenon last chapter I haue geuen all this with a glad hart euen with a good will and now haue I had ioy to see thy people which here are present offer with a free will vnto thee And no maruell for Dauid sayth in that place For of thy hand we haue receiued all and to thee we geue And therefore it seemeth to me that because the Kynges of Fraunce and Barons of the same more then anye other hath geuen to GOD and his Church therefore they were happy and blessed aboue all other kinges and the more they did geue to God the more they receiued at hys handes Examples wherof we haue of Clodoue Charles and S. Lewes the more one geueth to God the more he receiueth of him For he in the 6. of Luke hath promised geue and it shal be geuen vnto you wherfore a gift that a Prince bestoweth vpon the Church is rendered agayne with triple encrease and that no lesse in time of warr then in time of peace I say in warre time because victory proceedeth of no other but onely of God for it is writtē in the 1. Machabecs the 3. Chapter The victorye of the battayle standeth not in the multitude of the boast but the strength commeth from heauen And likewise in the 17. Chapter of Exodus it is declared that when Moyses held vp hys handes Israell had the victory but when he let down his handes Amalec had the victory To this end also serueth the last chapter Machabes 2. where Iudas being at the poynt to haue the victory thought he saw Amon and Ieremy which had bene high Priestes and very vertuous men holding vp their handes toward heauē and praying for theyr people and all the whole Citye c. Likewise in peace time now the long dayes of the king and of hys sonnes their peace prosperity obedience by the prayer of the Church is mayntayned supported in the realme For as long as Salomon was bent and geuē in building the house of God so long he had peace who thus in the 16. chap. of the Prouerbes teacheth vs. when a mans wayes pleaseth the Lord he maketh his very enemies to be hys frendes And also in 1. Esdras 6. chapter where it is read how the Priestes were commaunded to offer sweet fauors to the God of heauen and pray for the kinges life and hys children And well therefore may it be called a gift both fauorable irreuocable wherby victory is geuen life graūted and peace with security conserued To serue therefore God liberally to geue toward the worshipping of him is the chiefest signe and token of diuine feare loue Eccl. cap. 2. O ye that feare the Lord beleue him your reward shall not be empty Secondly cōcerning the feare of God I do you to vnderstand that among the precepts of the Lord the first and chiefest commaundement of the second table is To honor thy father which precept is very well expoūded to y◠Hebrues in the 12. chapter where it is not onely ment of the fathers of our bodies but also of the father of spirites For as spirituall
the church with very good reason doth receiue And that to the great merite both of the geuer and offerer as it appeareth of Constantine and others In the which foresayd 1. cap. the reason of diuersity is well proued For that the Apostles did foresee that the Church should be among Gentiles and not onely to be in Iuda c. And further at the beginning Christ and his Apostles were wholy bent and geuen to our health saluation crudition litle sticking or standing vpō the exercise of euery churches iurisdiction hauing regard to that which is written in the 6. chapter to the Corinthians All thinges are lawfull vnto men but all things are not expedient And likewise in the 8. chapter of Ecclesiastes it is read that euerye thing hath his time But now through the grace of God the whole people of the realme of Fraunce haue submitted themselues to the christian fayth worthely therefore the Church is occupyed about ministring of Iustice and punishing of vice For peace shal be the work of Iustice Esay the 33. chap. And in these iudgements this onely is to be considered that the life of man be reformed c. Thus you see how this our conclusion somewhat is confirmed by the Scriptures Now will I proue it by naturall law reason first after this maner He seemeth most fittest to play a good iudges part which followeth nerest God For properly God is the ruler and directer of al iudgements who sayth Prouerb capite octauo By me the law maker shall decree iustice and iust thinges But Ecclesiasticall persons follow next to God and be neerest him For that they be elected of God into a peculiar people Whereof it is sayd 1. Peter 2. you are a chosen generation a royall priesthood a holy nation and a peculiar people that you should shew the vertues of him that called you c. Ergo it is most fittest that persons Ecclesiasticall and churchmen should iudge of such matters Moreouer none doubteth but that the correction and punishment of sinne belongeth to ecclesiasticall persons wherfore whē such things be not committed without sinne offence of the one party it is euident that the Church may haue cognition thereof Also who so hath power to iudge of the end hath also power to iudge of thinges ordeined to the end for the consideration of the thinges ordeined to the end riseth of the end When therefore the body is ordeined for the life and soule and tēporall thinges for spirituall as to the end The Church which doth iudge of spirituall things may in like maner lawfully iudge of tēporall things All which is sufficiently confirmed In extra c. Iudicijs Where it is sayd that the Accessarye followeth the nature of the principall which appeareth sufficiently by example For so much therfore as these two iurisdictions be compared to two lightes that is to say to the Sunne and to the Moone and all the whole clearenes and brightnesse of the Moon both in forme and vertue dependeth of the Sunne in the Sunne And that the brightnes of the Sunne is not of the Moone or in the Moone it is playne that spirituall iurisdiction which is compared to the Sunne hath it both in forme vertue the iurisdiction temporall and not contrary Many other like reasōs might be brought in But for that the time waxeth short I will omit them Thirdly I proue by the ciuill law Auth. Diffe Iud. ¶ Si tamen ix col where it is sayd If a secular iudge be suspected let the Bishop of the Citty be ioyned vnto him But if he be negligent then let the whole iudgement be referred to the bishop In like sort Theodosius the Emperor enacted such a law that whosoeuer suter being plaintife in any kinde of matter whether at the beginning thereof or after contestation of law or when the matter came to confirmatiō or to sentēce If the plaintife had once chosen the court iurisdiction the holy sec there without all doubt though the defendant resisted and dissented the matter before the bishops other ecclesiastical Iudges should be determined and ended Which law afteward Carolus the great who was king of Fraūce confirmed in these words We will commaund that all our subiectes as well Romaines and Frenchmen as others vnder our dominion whatsoeuer be by law and custome henceforth bound and charged to keepe this for a perpetuall and prescript law That whosoeuer began or commenced a sute c. as is aboue mentioned c. 11. q. i. Quicunque c. 2. But that you may obiect and say that this law is abrogated as the glose seemeth there to touche But all will not serue For although this law is not redacted into the body of the law yet for al that it is not abrogated But surely it is a priuiledge honorably graunted to the whole vniuersall church which the Emperor cannot take away no more then any other liberty of the Church By the canō law also this priuiledge is confirmed extra de iud c. timor Nouil and moreouer seemeth to be confirmed by the ciuill law C. de sacros Si eccl priuilegium although it be not expressely but generally named And so it is cleare by the ciuill law that such iurisdictiū doth pertain to Ecclesiastical persōs By canon law in like maner in places infinit Dist. 22. cap. Omnes Patriarchae 2. quest 5. ca. Si quis praesbyter 11. quae 1. cap relatum 25. distinct cap. ecce Extra de iudicijs Nouit De competenti foro cap. licet With many other places infinite yea further the canon law so farre proceedeth that whosoeuer goeth about by custom to interrupt or hinder any hauing such iurisdiction encurreth sentence ipso facto of excommunicatiō as is proued cap. quoniam intelleximus de immunitate eccl li. sext Which is most playne by the notorious custome time out of mind in the dayes of the good christian Princes where to violate such custome it is playne sacriledge 11. quest 1. tit 1. c. 2. For by law custome winneth and gaineth iurisdiction especially to him that is Capax thereof yea and further custome time out of mind is amongst all persons in place of written confirmed law Now seing the church of Fraūce hath in common vsed with the temporalty to iudge decree both of actions personall and reall touching the Church it is playne that such custome winneth iurisdiction to it Ergo. c. But the Lord Peter auouched that the custome could not preuayle in this case because here lacked true dealing Besids the said law is called inprescriptible for that it is Ius fisci But this maketh nothing agaynst vs. For the Church of Fraunce rather chalengeth this law by custome then by prescription Which custom semeth rather to be brought in of the free will and election of the people frequēting more the ecclesiasticall Consistories then the secular courts Besides this custome in that it hath bene oftentimes
as your spirituall pastour we also desire you so to esteeme and thinke of them which also make like report of other that haue bene with your grace beyonde the seas that they haue naughtely falsely serued you wherby you haue lost the towne of Tourney much honor els which you might haue wonne gotten there May it please your grace to call before you the Prelates and Pieres of your Realme in some conuenient place where wee and other moe may safely come and resorte and there also to make search and enquirie in whose hands after the beginning of your warres the money and what thing els so euer which was graunted vnto you in aide of the same your warres vntill thys present day doeth remaine and is not laide out againe as also by whose default you were so enforced to leaue the sayde siege of Tourney and those which shal be founde in any poynt faultie and guiltie therin against you as a good Iusticer your grace wil cause to be punished according to the lawe and in so much as appertaineth vnto vs therein we aske iudgement of our Peeres the state alwayes of holy Church of vs of our order reserued inuiolate according as we haue wrytten vnto you heerein And for Gods sake Syr beleeue not either of vs or any other your true subiectes els more then that you shall vnderstand the veritie of for if men should be punished without making answere to that which is obiected against them there should be then no difference in iudgement betwixt the good doer and the bad And Syr may it please you well to consider of the great enterprise you haue in hande the great good will which you haue neede of for this cause and of your great ennemies the Scots and the great ieoperdie of your realme besides For if your Prelates your nobles al the wisemen of your realme were of one minde and will without any discorde or diuision amongst them to dispose and set in order those things which are needeful in so great affaires and businesse they shoulde haue all inough to beate their heads about for the maintenance of your great enterprise begon the honour of you and sauegarde of your Realme And Syr may it please your grace not to be displeased that so rudely and grosely we declare vnto you the veritie for why the great loue affection which we beare vnto you alwayes haue done the same the preseruation of your honour and sauegard of your realme as also for that we are although vnworthy the primat of the whole realme of England which thing appertaining vnto vs by our office being your spirituall father doth incite vs the rather both to say and coÌ„maund that which may turne to the benefite of your soule and profite of your realme and kingly estate Thus the holy spirite saue you both body and soule and giue your grace both to heare and beleeue good counsaile and further giue you victorie ouer all your enemies Written at Cant. the 1. day of Ianuary By your graces chaplen the Archbishop of the same And thus node the case betweene the king the Archbishop of Caunterbury who comming thus as is said in secret wise into Englande from the siege of Tourney hys army in the meane while by ships was conueyed to little Britaine Of whome a great number through vnseasonable and inconuenient meats and drinks was there consumed To whom also no lesse danger happened by the seas comming out of Britain into England by tempest thunder and lightening stirred vp as is thought by the Necromaucers of the French king About whych season approchyng to the yeare of oure Lorde 1341. were sent from the Pope two other Cardinals to entreat wyth Kyng Edwarde for thre yeres truce to be concluded more wyth the Frenche Kyng beside the former truce taken before for one yere and all by the popes meanes For heere is to be vnderstanded that as it was not for the Popes purpose to haue the Kyng of England to raigne ouer so many couÌ„treis so his priuy supportation lacked not by all meanes possible both by Archbyshops Cardinals and also by the Emperor to maintain the state of the French king and to stablish him in his possession Ex Tho. Walsing ex chron Albanens In the said histories where these things be mentioned it is also noted that the same yeare such plentye there was here in the realme of victuals that a quarter of wheat was solde for ii s a fat oxe for a noble and as some say a sheepe for iiii d. And thus farre endureth the hystorie of Ranulphus Cestrensis called Polychronicon The next yere following which was 1342 Ludouicus Bauarus the Emperor who before had shewed great curtesie to king Edward as in his first viage ouer in so much that he made him his Uicar or Uicegerent general and offered hym also aide against the French king Now â—yther turned by inconstancie or seduced by the pope wryteth to him contrary letters wherein hee reuoketh agayne the Uicegerentship graunted to hym and seeketh all meanes in the fauour of the French king against king Edwarde as by his letters heere vnder written may better appeare The letter of the Emperour vnto the king of England LVdouicus by the grace of God Emperor of the Romaines alwaies Augustus c. To Edward king of England his beloued brother greeting and vnfained loue Although great and vrgent busines of our owne do oppresse vs about the same our waighty affaires are daily incombred yet with the discord variaunce betwene your kingly dignity and the renowmed Phillip the king of Fraunce our cosine for your sake wee are not a little troubled And the rather the great charges which may heereafter growe both to you and to your kingdome thereby considered bothe of men and money vnlesse the same be taken vp doth more earnestly prouoke vs to geue our selfe to the carefull studie of your affaires Wherefore wee geue you to vnderstande that the foresayde Philip at our request hath geuen vnto vs by his letters authoritie and power to intreat and conclude a peace betwene you touching the variance begon which peace al the state diligently coÌ„sidered both of your selfe your kingdome and subiects wee take and beleeue to be right expedient for you moouing there withall your charity and earnestly desiring you that to this also you will geue your consent wherby we may bring you both to concord and vnitie and establish betweene you a firme peace to endure whereunto with willing minde we would apply our selfe and bestow our painfull labour in prosecuting of the same And heerein if you will condescend and agree vnto our counsaile as we trust you wil. It may please you by your letters to geue vnto vs the like autoritie as is aboue sayd to entreat peace or ordering of a truce for one yeare or two at least to continue Neither let it moue you that betwene vs and the sayde
ordeined that priests should haue a part of the sacrifices that were offred in the tabernacle and the first begotten beastes both of men and beastes and other things as the lawe telleth And the other children of Leuy that serued in the tabernacle should haue tythings of the people to their liueloode of the which tythings they should geuen the priestes the tenth partie in forme of offering The children of Leuy both priestes and other shoulde haue houses and croftes and lesewes for their beasts in the land of behest none other heritage so God gaue theÌ„ their land of behest and bade them that they ne shoulde worship no other God then him Also he bade that they should kepe his coÌ„mandâ—ments and gift they did so all their enemies about them shuld drede theÌ„ and be their seruaunts And giue they worshipped false gods and so forsaken his lawes he bihight them that he woulde bring them out of that land make them serue their enemies but yet he said he would not benemen his mercy away from them if they would cry mercy and amende their defautes and all thys was done on Gods side And heere is much loue showed of God to man And who so looketh the Bible hee shall finde that man showed him little loue againeward for when they were come into their heritage they forgetten their God and worshipped false gods And God sent to them the Prophetes and his seruaunts * fele times to bidde them withdrawen them from their sinnes and other they haue slowen them or they beaten them or they ledde them in prison and oft times God tooke vpon them great vengeance for their sinnes when they cried after helpen to God he sent them helpe and succour This is the generall processe of the old Testament that God gaue to his people by Moses his seruaunt And al this Testament and this doing ne was but a shadow and a figure of a newe Testament that was geuen by Christ. And it was byhoten by Ieremie the Prophet as S. Paul beareth witnes in the Epistle that he wryteth to the Iewes And Ieremy sayeth in this wise Loe dayes shall come God sayth and I will make a new band to the house of Israel and to the house of Iuda not like the forward that I made with their fathers in that day that I tooke their hand to leade them out of the lande of Egypt the which forward they maden veyne and I had Lordship ouer them But this shal be the forward that I wold make with them after those daies I wil geue my lawes with them in their inwardnes and I will wryten them in their hearts and I wil be their God and they should be my people and after that a man shall not teach his neighbour ne his brother For all God sayeth from the least to the most should knowe me for I will forgeuen them their sinnes and I wil no more thinke on their sinnes Thys is the newe Testament that Christe both God and man borne of the maid Marye he taught here in this worlde to bryng man our of sinne and out of the deuils thraldome and seruice to heauen that is land of blisse and heritage to all tho that beleeuen on him and kepen hys commaundements and for his teaching he was done to the death But the third day arose againe from death to life and fette Adam and Eue and many other folke out of hell and afterward he came to his disciples and comforted them After he stied vp to heauen to his father and tho hee sent the holy Ghost amonges his disciples and in time comming he wol come and demen all mankinde after their werkes and after the wordes he spake vpon earth some to blisse with in body and in soul euer withouten end and some to paine withouten end both in body and in soule This is our beloue and all christen mennes and this beleue is the first poynt of the newe Testament that yche Christen man is holde stedfastly to beleue and rather to suffe the death thair forsaken this beleue and so this beleue is the bread of spirituall life in forsaking sinne that Christ brought vs to life But for asmuch as mans liuing ne stondeth not all onlych by bread he hath ygilten vs a draught of water of life to drink And who that drinketh of that water he ne shall neuer afterward ben a thurst For this water is the cleare teaching of the gospel that encloseth seuen commaundements The first is this thou shalt loue thy GOD ouer all other things and thy brother as thy selfe both enemy and frend The second commaundement is of meekenes in the whych Christ chardgeth vs to forsake Lordship vppon our brethren and other wordly worships and so he did himselfe The third commandement is in stonding stedfastlich in truth and forsaking all falsenes The fourth commaundement is to suffer in this world diseases and wrongs withouten ageinstondings The fifth commandement is mercy to forgeuen our brethren their trespasse as often time as they gilteth without asking of vengeaunce The sixth commaundement is poorenes in spirite but not to ben a begger The seuenth commaundement is chastity that is a forsaking of fleshlich likings displeasing to God These commaundements enclosen the ten commaundements of the old law and somwhat more Thys water is a blessed drinke for christen mennes soule But more harme is much folke would drinke of thys water but they mowe not come thereto for God sayth by Ezechiel the prophet when iche geue to you the most cleane water to drinke ye troubled that water with your feete and that water so defouled yee geue my shepe to drink But the clene water is yhid fro the shepe and but gif God cleare this it is dread least the sheepe dyen for thurst And Christ that is the wisdome of the father of heauen well of thys wisdome that come from heauen to earth to teache man this wisdome thorow the which man should ouercome the sleights of the deuill that is principall enemy of mankinde haue mercy and pity of his people and shew if it be his will howe thys water is troubled and by whom and sith clere thys water that his sheepe mowne drinken hereof and kele the thurst of theyr soules Blessed more our Lord bene for he hath itaught vs in the Gospell that ere then hee woulde come to the vniuersall dome then should come many in his name and sayen that they weren Christ and they shoulden done many wonders and begilen many men And many false prophets shoulden arisen and begylen much folke A Lorde yblessed more thou ben of euerich creature which ben they that haue ysayd that they weren Christ haue thus begiled thus thy people Trulich Lord I trowe thilke that sayen that they ben in thy steede and binemen thy worship and maken thy people worshippen them as God haue hid thy lawes from the people Lorde who durst sit in thy
priest haddeÌ„ their part of sacrifices and the first bygeten beastes and other things as the lawe telleth And Lorde S. Paul thy seruant sayth that the order of the priesthode of Aaron ceased in Christes comming and the lawe of that priesthode For Christ was end of sacrifices yoffered vpoÌ„ the crosse to the father of heauen to bring man out of sinne and become himself a priest of Melchisedeks order For he was both king priest without beginning and end and both the priesthoode of Aaron and also the law of that priesthode ben ychaunged in the comming of Christ. And S. Paul sayth it is reproued for it broghâ— no man to perfection For bloude of gotes ne of other beastes ne might done away sinne for to that Christ shad his bloud A Lord Iesu wether thou ordenest an order of priests to offreÌ„ in the auter thy flesh and thy bloude to bringen men out of sinne and also out of peine And whether thou geue them alonelych a power to eat thy flesh and thy bloud and wether none other man may eate thy flesh and thy bloud with outen leue of priestes Lord we beleeuen that thy flesh is verey meate and thy bloude verey drinke and who eateth thy flesh and drinketh thy bloud dwelleth in thee and thou in him and who that eateth this bread shall liue without end But Lord thine disciples sayd this is an hard worde but thou answerest them and seidest When yee seeth mans soone stiuen vp there hee was rather the spirite is that maketh you liue the wordes that yche haue spoken to you ben spirite life Lord yblessed more thou be for in this worde thou teachest vs that hee that kepeth thy wordes and doth after them eateth thy fleshe and drinketh thy bloude and hath an euerlasting life in thee And for we shoulden haue minde of thys liuing thou gauest vs the sacrament of thy flesh and bloud in forme of bred and wine at thy supper before that thou shouldest suffer thy death and tooke bread in thine hand and saidest take ye this and eate it for it is my body and thou tookest wine and blessedest it and sayde thys is the bloud of a new and an euerlasting testament that shall be shed for many men in forgeuenes of sinnes as oft as ye haue done doo ye this in minde of me A Lord thou ne bede not thine disciples makeÌ„ this a sacrifice to bring men out of paines gif a priest offred thy body in the alter but thou bede them go and fullen all the folke in the name of the father the sonne and the holy ghost in forgeuenes of their sinnes and teache ye them to keepe those thynges that ych haue coÌ„manded you And Lord thine disciples ne ordeined not priests principallich to make thy body in sacrament but for to teach the people and good husbandmen that well gouern their housholds both wiues children their meiny they ordeind to be priests to teachen other men the law of Christ both in worde in dede they liuedein as true Christen men euery day they eaten Christes body and drinken his bloude to the sustenance of liuing of theyr soules and otherwhiles they tooken the sacrament of his body in forme of bread and wine in mind of our Lord Iesu Christ. But all this is turned vpse downe for now who so will liuen as thou taughtest he shal ben holden a foole And gif he speake thy teaching he shal ben holden an heretick accursed Lord yhaue no lâ—nger wonder hereof for so they seiden to thee wheÌ„ thou wer here some time And therefore wee moten take in pacience theyr wordes of blasphemy as thou didest thy selfe or els we weren to blame And truelych Lord I trowe that if thou were nowe in the world and taughtest as thou diddest some time thou shuldest ben done to death For thy teaching is damned for heresy of wise men of the world and then moten they nedes ben heretickes that teachen thy lore and all they also that trauelen to liue thereafter And therfore Lord gif it be thy wil helpe thine vnkunning lewde seruaunts that wolen by their power and their kunning helpe to destroy sinne Leue Lorde sithe thou madest woman in helpe of man in a more fraile degree then man is to be gouerned by mans reason What perfection of charity is in these priests and in men of religion that haue forsaken spoushod that thou ordeinedst in Paradise betwixt man and woman for perfection to forsaken traueile and liuen in ease by other mens traueile For they mow not do bodilich workes for defouling of their handes with whom they touchen thy precious body in the aulter Leue Lorde gif good men forsaken the company of woman nedes they moten haue the gouernaile of man then moteÌ„ they ben ycoupled with shrewes and therfore thy spoushode that thou madest in clennes from sinne it is nowe ychaunged into liking of the flesh And Lord this is a great mischiefe vnto thy people And young priestes and men of religion for defaulte of wiues maken many women horen and drawen through their euell ensample many other men to sinne and the ease that they liuen in and their welfare is a great cause of this mischiefe And Lord me thinketh that these ben quaint orders of religion and none of thy sect that wolen taken horen whilke God forfendes and forsaken wiues that God ne forfendeth not And forsaKen trauail that God commaunds and geuen their selfe to idlenes that is the mother of all noughtines And Lorde Mary thy blessed mother and Ioseph touched oftentimes thy body and wroughten with their honds and liueden in as much clennes of soule as our priestes done nowe and touched thy body and thou touchedest them in their soules And Lorde our hope is that thou goen not out of a poore mans soule that traueileth for his liuelode with his handes For Lord our beliefe is that thine house is mans soul that thou madest after thine owne likenes But Lord God men maketh nowe great stonen houses full of glasen windowes and clepeth thilke thine houses and Churches And they setten in these houses Mawmets of stockes and stones and to fore them they knelen priuilich apert and maken their prayers and all this they sayen is thy woorship and a great herieng to thee A Lorde thou forbiddest sometime to make suche Mawmetes and who that had yworshipped such had be woorthy to be deeade Lorde in the Gospell thou sayst that true heriers of God ne herieth him not in that hil beside Samarie ne in Hierusalem neyther but true heriers of God herieth him in spirite and in trueth And Lord God what herying is it to bilden thee a church of dead stones and robben thy quicke Churches of their body liche lyueloode Lord God what heryeng is it to cloth mawmets of stockes and of stones in siluer and in golde and
it was semelich that thou came in poorenes to prooue who wold loue thee and kepen thine hestes For gif thou haddest ycome in forme of a rich man and of a Lord men wold rather for they dread then for thy loue haue ykept thyne hestes And so Lord now thou might wel ysee which louen thee as they should in keeping thyne hestes For who that loueth thee in thy poorenes and in thy lownes needes he more loue thee in thy Lordship and highnesse But Lord the world is turned vpse downe men loue poore men but a litlene porenes neither But men be ashamed of poorenes and therefore Lord I trow that thou art a poore king And therefore I trow that he that clepeth himselfe thy vicare on earth hath forsaken poorenes as he hath do the remnaunt of thy lawe and is become a rich man and a Lord maketh his treasure vpon the earth that thou forbiddest in the Gospell And for his right and riches he will plete and fight curse And yet Lord he will segge that he forsaketh all thinges that he oweth as thy true disciple mete done after thy teaching in the Gospell But Lord thou ne taughtest not a man to forsaken his goodes and plete for them and fight and curse And Lord he taketh on him power to asloyle a man of all maner things but if it be of det Truely Lord me thinketh he knoweth litle of charitie For who that beth in charitie possesseth thy goodes in common and not in proper at his neighbours nede And then shall there none of them segge this is mine but it is Gods that God granteth to vs to spenden it to his worship And so if any of them boroweth a porcion of those goodes and dispendeth them to Gods worship God is apayed of this spending and alloweth him this true doyng And if God is payed of that dispeÌ„ding that is the principal Lord of those goods how dare anye of his seruauntes axen there of accountes other challenge it for dette Serten of one thing I am incerteine that these that charge so much det of worldly cattell they knowe little of Christes lawe of charitie For if Ich am a bayly of Gods goodes in the world If I see my brother in nede I am holde by charitie to part with him of these goodes to his nede and if he spendeth them well to the worshop of God I mote be well apayd as though I my selfe had spended them to the worship of GOD. And if the principall Lord is well payed of my brothers doyng and the despending of his goodes howe may I segge for shame that my brother is dettour to me of the goodes that I tooke hym to spend in Gods worship at his nede And if my brother spendeth amisse the goodes that I take him I am discharged of my deliueraunce of the goodes If I take him in charitie thilke goods at his nede And I am hold to be sory of his euill dispending ne I may not axen the goodes that I tooke him to his nede in forme of dette for at his neede they were his as well as myne And thus is my brother yholde to done to me gif he see me in nede and gif we bene in charitie little should we chargen of dette And ne we shold not axen so dertes as men that knowen not God And than we be poore in forsaking all thinges that we own For gif we ben in charitie we wollen nother fight nor curse ne plete for our goodes with our brethren O Lord thus thou taughtest thy seruauntes to lyuen And so they lyueden while they hadden good shepheards that fedden thy sheepe and robbed them nat of their lifelode as Peter thy good shepheard and thy other Apostles But Lord he that clepeth hym selfe thy vicar vpon earth and successour to Peter he robbeth thy puple of their bodylich lyfelode for he ordeneth proud shepherds to lyuen in ese by thâ—itenth party of poore mens trauell And he geueth them leue to lyuen where them lyketh And gif men no wolen wilfullich geuen them the tithinges they wolen han them agaynst their will by maysterye by cursing to maken theÌ„ riche ¶ Lord how may any man segge that such shepherdes that louen more the wolle then the sheepe and feden not thy sheepe in body ne in soul ne ben such rauenours theeues And who may segge that the mayntaynour of such shepherdes ne is not a maintenour of theeues and robbers How wole he assoyle shepherdes of their robbing without restitution of theyr goodes that they robben thy sheep of against their will Lord of all shepherdes blessed mote thou be For thou louedst more the sheepe then theeir wole For thou feedest thy sheepe both in body and soule And for loue of thy sheepe thou tooke thy death to bring thy sheepe ouâ— of Wolues mouthes And the most charge that thou gone to Peter was to feede thy sheepe And so he did truelich and took the death for thee and for thy sheepe For he came into the fold of shepe by the that were the dore And so I trowe a fewe other did as he did though they clepen himselfe successors to Peter for theyr workes showen what they ben For they robben and sleen and destroyen they robben thy sheepe of the tenth part of their trauel and feden themselfe in ease They sleen thy sheepe for they pyenen them for hunger of theyr soule to the death They destroyen the sheepe for with might and with sternship they rulen thy sheepe that for dred they beene disparsed abroade in mountaynes and there the wilde beasts of the field destroyeth theÌ„ for default of a good shepeheard ¶ O Lord gif it be thy will deliuer thy sheepe out of such sheepherdes ward that retcheth not of thy sheepe they han their wolle to make them selfe rich For thy shepe ben in great mischiefe and foule accombred with their shepheardes ¶ But for thy shepheardes wolden ben excused they haue ygeten them hyred men to feede thy people and these comen in sheepes clothing But dredles their workes shewen that with in forth they ben but Wolfes For han they theyr hyre they ne retcheth but a little howe sorilich thy sheepe ben kept For as they seggen themselfe they ben but hyred men that han no charge of thy sheepe And when the shulden feden thy sheepe in the plentuous lesewe of thy teaching they stonden betweene them theyr lesewe so that the sheepe ne han but a sight of thy lesewe but eaté they shall not therof But they fedeÌ„ them in a sorry sowre lesewe of lesinges of tales And so thy sheepe fallen into greeuous sicknes through this euill lesewe And gif any shepe breake ouer into thy lesewe to tasten the sweetnes therof anon these hyred men driue him out with hounds And thus thy shepe by these hyred men ben ykept out of their kindlich lesewe and
the simple Also they shall instantly preache wythout deuotion or example of the Martyrs and shall detract the seculer princes taking away the sacraments of the church from the true pastors receiuing almes of the poore diseased and miserable and also associating them selues with the common people hauing familiaritie with women instructing them howe they shall deceiue their husbandes and friendes by their flatterye and deceitfull wordes and rob their husbandes to geue it vnto them for they will take all these stollen and euill gotten and say geue it vnto vs and we will pray for you so that they beyng curious to hide other mens faultes doe vtterly forget their owne and alas they will receiue all thinges of rouers pickers spoylers theeues and robbers of sacrilegious persons vserers adulterers Heretikes Schismatikes Apostataies whores and baudes of noble men periurers merchantes false iudges souldiours tyrantes princes of such as liue contrary to the law and of many peruers and wicked men following the persuasion of the deuil the sweetnes of sinne a delicate and transitory life and fulnes euen vnto eternall damnation All these things shall manifestly appeare in them vnto all people and they day by day shal waxe more wicked and hard hearted whē as their wickednes and disceits shal be found out then shall theyr gifts cease and then shal they go about their houses hungry as mad dogs loking down vpon the earth drawing in their necks as doues that they might bee satisfied with bread then shall the people crye out vpon them Woe be vnto you ye miserable children of sorow the worlde hath seduced you the deuil hath brideled your mouthes your flesh is frayle and your heartes without sauour your mindes haue bene vnstedfast and your eyes delighted in much vanitie and folly your daintie bellies desire delicate meates Your feete swift to runne vnto mischief remember when you were apparantly blessed yet enuious poore but rich simple mightie deuout flatterers vnfaithfull betrayers peruerse detracters holy hipocrites subuerters of the truth ouermuch vpright proude vnshamefast vnstedfast teachers delicate marters confessours for gaine meeke slaunderers religious couetous humble proud pitifull hard harted liers pleasant flatterers peace makers persecutors oppressors of the poore bringing in new sects newly inuented of your selues mercifull wicked louers of the world sellers of pardons spoylers of benefices vnprofitable orators sedicious cōspirators dronkards desirers of honor maintainers of mischiefe robbers of the worlde vnsaciable preachers men pleasers seducers of women and sowers of discorde for Moyses the glorious prophet spake very well of you in his song A people without coūcel or vnderstanding would to God they did know vnderstand and foresee the end You haue builded vp an high and when you could ascend no hier then did you fall euen as Symon Magus whom God ouerthrew and did strike with a cruel plage so you likewise thorowe your false doctrine naughtines lies detractions and wickednes are come to ruine and the people shall say vnto them goe yee teachers of wickednesse subuerters of the truth brethren of the Sunamitie fathers of heresies false apostles which haue fained your selues to followe the life of the Apostles and yet haue not fulfilled it in no part sonnes of iniquitie we wil not follow the knowledge of your waies for pride presumption hath deceiued you and insaciable cōcupiscence hath subuerted your erroneous hearts And whē as yet would ascēd hier thē was mete or comely for you by the iust iudgement of God you are fallen backe into perpetual opprobry and shame Thys blessed Hildegardis whose prophecy this is flourished about the yeare of our Lord a 1546. as it is wrytten in Martins chronicles Also Hugo in his second boke of sacraments in the 2. parte 3. chapter and 7. sayth the laity forsomuch as they entermedle wyth earthly matters necessary vnto an earthly life they are the least part of the body of Christ. And the clergy for so much as they doe dispose those things which pertaine vnto a spirituall life are as it were the right side of the body of Christ and afterward interpreting both these partes him selfe he sayeth A spirituall man ought to haue nothing but such as pertaineth vnto God vnto whom it is appoynted to be sustained by the tithes and oblations whych are offered vnto God But vnto the Christian and faithfull laietie the possession of the earth is graunted and vnto the cleargie the hole charge of spiritual matters is committed as it was in the old Testament And in his 7. chapter he declareth howe that certaine things are geuen vnto the Church of Christ by the deuotion of the faithfull the power and authority of the seculer power reserued least there might happen any confusion For so much as God him selfe cannot alow no disordered thing Wherupon oftētimes the worldly princes do graunt the bare vse of the church and oftentimes vse and power to exercise iustice which the clergy cannot exercise by any Ecclesiasticall minister or any one person of the clergy Notwithstāding they may haue certain lay persōs ministers vnto that office But in such sort sayeth he that they do acknowledge the power which they haue to come from the seculer prince or ruler and that they do vnderstand their possessions can neuer be alternate away from the kings power but if that necessity or reason doe require the same possessions in all such case of necessity do owe him obeisance and seruice For like as the kings power ought not to turne away the defence or sauegarde which he oweth vnto other so likewise the possessions obtained and possessed by the clergy according to the duty and homage which is due vnto the patronage of the kings power cannot by right be denied Thus much wryteth Hugo In the third acte the same yeare after the feast of S. Vitis as touching Tithes c. ¶ Tithes are pure almes VPon this article it is to be noted that for so much as almes is a worke of mercy as S. Augustine Chrysostome and others do ioyntly affirme and that mercy according to Lincolniensis minde for the present is a loue or desire to helpe the miserable out of his misery and for so much as the misery of mankinde is double that is to say spirituall and bodily the whiche is the want or taking away of the good and the goodes of man is eyther the goodes of the soule or of the body And the goods of the soule is double That is to say the lighting of the minde the vprightnes of affection the misery of the soule is also double as the darcknes of ignorance and a froward and wilfull sweruing from the truth And both the goodes of the soule are wont to be comprehended vnder one title of name that is to say wisdom and both the miseries of the soule vnder the name of follie Wherupon all the hole goodnes of the soule is wisdom and all the hole misery thereof is ignoraunce the miseries of the
body are lacke of meat that is to say hunger and lacke of drinke called thirst and briefly all misery is the want of something which is desired Also these are bodely miseries nakednes lacke of harbour sicknesse and imprisonment All the miseries therfore being nombred together are but one of the soule the which is folly and lacke of wisdom and 6. of the body the which the Lord in the 25. of Mathew doth plainly reherse There are also commonly appoynted 7. bodely almes that is to say to feede the hungry to geue drinke vnto the thirsty To clothe the naked to harber the stranger or haberles to visit the sick to bury the dead the which altogether are cōteyned in these verses Visito poto cibo redimo tego colligo condo The which verse is thus Englished word for word Visite the sicke the hungry feede Geue drinke to the thirsty cloth the naked Bury the dead the captiue redeme The harbourles receiue to thy lodging There be also 7. other spirituall almes appoynted whych are these to teache the ignoraunt to councell him that is in dout To comfort him which is in heauinesse To correct the offender To forgeue him which hath offended against thee To beare those which are greeuous And to pray for all men the which are also conteined in these verses following Consule castiga solare remitte fer ora The which verse is thus Englished word for word Instruct the ignorant the weake confirme Comfort the heauy hart and correct sinner Forgeue the offender beare with the rude Pray for all men both euel and good So that notwithstanding vnder the same counselles and doctrine be comprehended Thus writeth Thomas in the 2. part of the 2. quest 32 article 2. Secondly it is to be noted that in this present article our intent is only to intreat of bodely almes the which as Thomas writeth in his 2. part 2. questi 32. Arti. 1. according vnto some mens mindes is this defined Almes is a worke whereby any thing is giuen vnto the needy of compasiō for Gods sake And for so much as this definition serueth as well for the spirituall as for the corporall almes Therefore to the purpose almes is a worke whereby any thing is giuen vnto the needy in body for compassion for Gods sake Or that is giuen of compassion or pitie vnto the bodely needy for Gods sake Whereupon it is manifest that almes as S. Augustin other holy men say is a worke of mercy as also to geue almes As it appeareth by the name for in the Greeke it is deriued frō this word Misericordia which is mercy for as in the Latine this word Miseratio which signifieth pitie is deriued of Misericordia which is mercy so this word Eleemosyna which signifieth almes is deryued of the Greeke word Elemonia which is to say mercy and of the word Sina which is to say commandement as it were a commaundement of mercy or otherwise of this word Elemonia By this letter I which is to say God and this worde Sina which is commaundement As if it were said the commaundement of God as Ianuensis in his booke intituled Catholicō affirmeth For our Sauiour doth commaunde in the xj of Luke to geue almes saying geue almes and behold all thinges are cleane vnto you least that in this point there may be any equiuocation it is supposed presently that the almes giuē of mē is a corporal almes giuen simply vnder the name of almes Secondly it is to be noted that Tythes in this effect are the tenth part of goods of fortune giuen by a man simply vnder the name of almes for Gods sake These things being thus noted and supposed the article is thus proued Euery gift of fortune or temporal gift simply giuē vnder the name of almes is almes But some tiths are the gift of fortune or temporall gift vnder the name of almes Therfore some tithes are almes This consequent is manifest of his selfe The Maior appeareth by the first supposition And the Minor by the seconde Item euery gift geuen by a man euen of loue to relieue and helpe the miserable out of his misery is an almes The 10. part of the goodes of fortune geuen by a man simply vnder the name of almes for Gods sake is geuen by the same man euen of loue to helpe the miserable out of his misery Therefore the 10. part of the goods of fortune being geuē by any man simply vnder the name of almes for Gods sake is almes The consequent is manifest The Maior appeareth by this that euery such gift is either a spirituall or bodely almes The Minor seemeth hereby true for so much as many holy men haue geuen and do geue euen for loue to relieue the miserable out of his miserie Neither is it to be doubted but that such kinde of tithes are almes For S. Augustine vppon these words of the Lord in the Gospell wryteth thus Woe be vnto you Pharisies which do tithe minte and anise If they cannot be clēsed without they beleeue in him he which doth clense his heart thorow faith to what purpose is it that hee sayth geue almes and beholde all things are cleane vnto you Let vs geue care and peraduenture he doth expound it himselfe They did take out the 10. part of all their fruites and gaue it for almes the which any Christian mā doth not willingly Then they mocked him whē he spake these words to them as vnto men which wold do no almes Thys the Lord forknowing said Wo be vnto you Pharises which tithe mint and rue and al kind of herbs And passe ouer the iudgement charity of God for this it is to do almes if thou dost vnderstād it begin with thy selfe For howe canst thou be mercifull vnto an other which art vnmercifull vnto thy selfe This wryteth S. Augustine in plainly saying that tithes are almes Also in his Enchiridion 76. chap. vpon these wordes of Luke in the 11 chapter Notwithstanding that which is more then sufficient geue in almes and all things shall be cleane vnto you hee sayth thus when he had rebuked them that they washed thēselues outwardly and inwardly were full of iniquity abhomination admonishing them what and howe a man ought first to bestowe almes vpon him self and first to clense him self inwardly he sayth That which doth remaine geue in almes beholde all things are clean vnto you Afterward that he might the better declare what he had geuen them warning of what they neglected to do that they shuld not iudge him ignorant of their almes he sayth Wo be vnto you Pharisies as though hee shoulde say I verely gaue you warning that you shuld geue such almes wherby al things might be cleane vnto you but wo be vnto you which do tith mint rue and all kinde of herbes for I do know these your almes that you shuld not thinke with your selues that you had geuē me warning therof and neglect
they shall be declared after my maner and fashion it shal playnely appeare what my opinioÌ„ iudgement is concerning all matters that I am accused of But because I am ignoraunt unlearned I wil get me vnder the mighty defences of the Lord. O Lord I will remeÌ„ber thine onely righteousnes God the father almighty vncreate the maker of heaueÌ„ and earth hath sent his sonne that was euerlastingly begotten into this world that he should be incarnated for the saluation and redemption of mankind who was coÌ„ceiued by the holy ghost euerlastingly proceeding from the father and the sonne and was borne of Mary the virgin to the end that we might be borne a new He suffered Passion vnder PoÌ„tius Pilate for our sinnes laying down his life for vs that we should lay down our life for our brethreÌ„ He was crucified that we should be crucified to the world and the world to vs. He was dead that he might redeeme vs from death by purchasing for vs forgeuenes of sinnes He was buried that we being buried together with him into death by Baptisme and that we dead to sins should liue to righteousnes He desceÌ„ded into hell therby deliuering man froÌ„ thraldom and from the bondage of the Deuill restoring him to his inheritaunce which he lost by sinne The thyrd day he rose from the dead through the glory of his father that we also should walke in newnes of life He ascended vp to the heauens to which no body hath ascended sauing he that descended from heaueÌ„ eueÌ„ the sonne of man which is in heaueÌ„ He sitteth at the right hand of God the father almighty vntill his enemies be made his footstoole He being in very deed so muche better then the Aungelles as he hath obteyned by inheritaunce a more excellentname then they From thence he shall come to iudge the quick and the dead accordingly to theyr workes because the father hath geuen all iudgemeÌ„t to the sonne In whose terrible iudgement we shall rise agayne and shall all of vs stand before his iudgement seat and receiue ioy as well bodely as spiritually for euer to endure if we be of the sheepe placed at the right hand or els punishment both of bodye and soule if we shall be fouÌ„d amongst goates placed on the left hand c. Iesus Christ the sonne of God very God very man a king for euer by stablishing an euerlasting kingdome breaking to ponder all the kingdoms of the world Dan. 2. a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech wherby also he is able euermore to saue such as by him come vnto god alwayes liueth to intreat for vs. Hebr. 7. He offring one sacrifice for our sins hath made perfect for euer by one oblation those that be sanctified Heb. 10. Being that wisedome that cannot be deceiued the trueth that cannot be vttred he hath in this world taught the will of the godhead of his father which will he hath in worke fulfilled to the intent that he might faithfully instruct vs and hath geueÌ„ the law of charity to be of his faythfull people obserued whiche he hath written in the hartes and mindes of the faythful with the finger of God wher is the spirit of God searching the inward secrets of the Godhead Wherfore his doctrine must be obserued aboue all other doctrines whether they be of Angels or of men because that he could not nor would not erre in his teaching But in mens doctrins there chanceth oftentimes to be error and therfore we must forsake theyr doctrines if clokedly or expresly they be repuguaunt to the doctrine of Christ. Mens doctrins being made for the peoples profit must be allowed and obserued so that they be grounded vpon Christes doctrine or at least be not repuguant to his words If the high bishop of Rome calling himself the seruant of the seruauntes of God and the chiefe vicare of Christ in this world do make maintaine many lawes contrary to the Gospell of Iesu Christ then is he of those that haue come in Christes name saying I am Christ haue seduced many a one by the testimony of our sauiour in Math. cap. 24. and the idoll of desolation sitting in the Temple of God and taking away from him the coÌ„tinuall sacrifice for a time times and halfe a time Which idoll must be reueled to the christian people by the testimony of Daniel Wherof Christ speaketh in the Gospell When you shall see the abhomination of desolation that was tolde of by Daniell the Prophet standing in the holy place let him that readeth vnderstand and he is the pestiferous mountayn infecting the whole vniuersall earth as witnesseth Ieremy chap. 51. not the head of Christes body For the auncient person in yeares honorable in reuerence he is the head the prophet teaching lies is the tayle as Esay alledgeth chap. 9. And he is that wicked and sinnefull Captayne of Israell whose foreappointed day of ininuity is come in time of iniquity who shall take away Cidarim and take awaye the crowne Ezech chap. 21. to whom it was sayd Forasmuch as thy hart was exalted and did it say I am a God sittest in the seat of god in the hart of the sea seing thou art a man and not God and hast geuen thine hart as if it were the hart of God therfore behold I will bring vpoÌ„ thee the most strong and mighty straungers of the nations they shall draw theyr swords vpoÌ„ the beauty of thy wisedom shall defile the commaundements kill thee and pul thee out thou shalt dye in the destruction of the slayne and it foloweth In the multitude of thine iniquities of the iniquities of thy marchandise thou hast defiled thy sanctification I will therfore bring forth a fire from the midst of the whole earth will make thee as ashes vpon earth Thou art become nothing neuer shalt thou be any more Eze. cha 28 Furthermore he is the idle shepheard forsaking his flock hauing a sworde on his arme an other sworde in his right eye Zach. 11. sitting in the temple of God doth aduaunce himselfe aboue all thing that is called God or whatsoeuer is worshipped by the testimony of Paule to Thes 2. epist. 2. chap. And in the defection or falling away shall the man of sinne be reueled whom the Lord Iesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth For euery kingdâ—â—e deuided in it selfe shall be brought to desolation He â—â—â—so besides the beast asceÌ„ding vp out of the earth hauing two hornes like vnto alambe but he speaketh like a dragon as the cruell beast ascending vp out of the sea whose power shall continue 42. monethes He worketh the things that he hath geuen to the image of the beast And he compelled small and great rich and poore freemen and bondslaues to worshyp the beast and to take his marke in theyr forehead or theyr hands Apo.
willing to appropriate to them selues the ix partes remayning after tithes Wherfore seeing that neither Christ nor any of the Apostles commanded to pay tithes it is manifest and plaine neither by the lawe of Moses nor by Christes lawe Christen people are bounde to pay the tithes but by the tradition of men they are bounde By the premisses nowe it is plaine that Christ did not vndo the law but by grace did fulfil it Notwithstanding in the lawe many thynges were lawfull which in the time of grace are forbydden and many thynges were then vnlawfull which now are lawfull inough For nothing that is contrary to charitie is lawfull to a Christian. Let vs now heare what maner of commaundements Christ hath geuen vs in the Gospel without the obseruation of which commaundements charitie shal not perfectly be kept By which cōmandements Christ did not vndo the olde lawe but did fulfill it By the obseruation also of which commaundements he teacheth vs to passe and got beyond the righteousnes of the Scribes Pharises who most perfectly thought themselues to keepe the law This absolute and perfect righteousnes which we are bound to haue beyonde the rightuousnesse of the Pharisies and the Scribes he teacheth in Math. 5.6 and 7. chap. Whych being heard and compared to the traditiōs made and commaunded by the Romane prelates it shall plainly appere whether they be contrary or no. Christ therefore sayeth you haue heard that it was sayd to them of the olde time Thou shalt not kill For hee that killeth shall be guiltie of iudgemēt But I say vnto you that euery one that is angry with hys brother shall be in danger of iudgement In thys he doeth teach that we ought not to be angrie wyth our brethren not that he would vndoe this did comman thou shalt not kil but that the same should be the more perfectly obserued Againe he sayth You haue heard that it was sayd thou shalt loue thy frend and hate thyne enemy But I say vnto you Loue your enemies doe well to them that hate you pray for them that persecute slander you that you may be the children of your father which is in heauen Which maketh his sunne to arise vppon the good and the euill people and raineth vppon the iust and vniust For if you loue them which loue you what reward shall you haue Doe not the Publicanes thus And if you shall salute your brethren onely what great thing doe ye Do not the heathen thus also Be you therefore perfect as also your heauenly father is perfect Againe Christ sayeth you haue heard that it is said an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth but I say vnto you see that you resist not euill But if any man shall strike you vppon the right cheeke geue hym the other to And to hym that will striue with thee for thy coate in iudgement let hym haue thy cloke also And whosoeuer shall constraine thee one mile goe with him also two other He y◠asketh of thee geue him and hee that will borrowe of thee turne not thy selfe from him By these thinges it may plainely appeare howe that Christ the king of peace the Sauiour of mankynde who came to saue and not to destroy who gaue a law of charity to be obserued of his faithfull people hath taught vs not to be angry not to hate our enemies not to render euil for euill nor to resist euill For all these thinges doe softer and nourish peace charitie and do procede and come forth of charity when they be not kept charity is loosed peace is broken But the bishop of Rome approueth and alloweth warres and slaughters of mē in warre aswell against our enemies that is the infidels as also against the Christians for temporall goodes Nowe these things are quite contrary to Christes doctrine and to charity and to peace In the decrees 23. q. 1. cap. Paratus it is taught that the precepts of pacience must alwayes be retained in purpose of the heart so that pacience with beneuolence must be kept in the minde secrete But apparantly and manifestly that thing should be done which seemeth to doe good to those whom we ought to wish well vnto Wherein they geue to vnderstande that a Christian may freely defend hymselfe And for confirmation of thys saying they doe say That Christ whē he was stroken in the face of the hygh bishops seruaunt did not fulfill if we looke vpon the wordes hys owne commaundement because he gaue not to the smiter the other part but rather did forbid him that he should not do it to double his iniurie For he sayd if I haue spoken euill beare witnes of euill but if wel why doest thou strike me I do meruail of this saying for first if those commandements of pacience must be kept in secrete in the minde and seing the body doth worke at the motion of the mind and is and ought to be mooued and ruled by the same It must then nedes be that if pacience be in the mind it must appeare also outwardly in the body Secondly I meruail that it is said that Christ did not fulfill his owne precept of pacience For it is manifest that albeit he teaching alwayes as a good scholemaster those things which were fit for the saluation of soules speaking the wholesom word of instruction to the high bishops seruant smiting him vniustly did neither by word forbid an other stroke to be geuen on the other cheke neither did he defend himselfe bodely from striking on the same cheeke But speaking to him it is likely the hee gaue him the other cheek he meaneth that he turned not the other cheeke away For a man tourneth not away from him whome he speaketh to or whom he informeth but layeth open before him al his face Euen so do I beleue that Christ did that he might fulfill in very deede that which before hee had taught in word Neither yet did Christ by his word or by his deede shew any thing of defence or of bodely resistance Thirdly I meruail why wise men leauing the plaine manifest doctrine of Christ wherby he teacheth pacience do seeke corners of their imagining to the intent they may approoue fightings and warres Why marke they not after what manner Christ spake to Peter striking the hygh Byshoppes seruaunt saying Put vp thy sworde into the sheath for euery one that shall take the sword shall perish with the sworde But in an other case we must make resistance which case may be so righteous as it is for a mans Lorde maister being a most rightuous man and yet suffering iniurie of mischieuous persons Fourthly I maruel seing that we are bound of charity by the law of Christ to geue our liues for our brethren how they can allow such maner of dissentions resisting For when thy brother shall maliciously strike thee thou maist be sure that he is manifestly fallen from
holy But I maruell that they say so reading this saying in the Actes of the Apostles because the charmers pronouncing the name of Iesus that is aboue all names would haue healed those that were possessed with deuils and sayd In the name of Iesus whom Paul preacheth go ye out of the men And the possessed with deuils aunswered Iesus we know and Paule we know but what are ye and they all to be beat the coniurers And now considering this and many such like things I maruell wherfore the vicious Priests do sell theyr praiers and blessings dearer as also theyr Masses Trentals of Masses then those that be deuout lay mē and holy women which with all theyr hart desire do flee from vices take hold of vertue For as much as God in diuers places of the Scripture doth promise that he will not heare sinners wicked persons Neither should he seme to be iust if he should sooner heare the praiers of his enemies then of his faythfull frend How I pray you shall a sinneful priest deliuer an other man from sinne by his prayers or els frō the punishment of sinne whē he is not able to deliuer him selfe by his prayer frō sinne What then doth God so much accept in the Masse of a vicious Priest that for his masse his prayer or oblatiō he might deliuer any man either frō sinne or from the payne due for sinne No but for that that Christ hath once offered himselfe for our sinnes now sitteth on the right hand of God the father alwayes shewing vnto him what and how great things he hath suffered for vs. And euery priest alwayes maketh mētion in his masse of this oblation Neither do we this that we might bring the same oblation into the remembraunce of God because that he alwayes in his presence seeth the same But that we should haue in remēbraunce this so great loue of God that he would geue his own sonne to death for our sinnes that he might clense purify vs frō all our sinnes What doth it please God that the remembraunce of so great loue is made by a prest which more loueth sinne then God Or how can any prayer of such a priest please God in what holy place soeuer he be or what holy vestimēts soeuer he put on or what holy prayers soeuer he maketh And where as Christ and his Apostles do cōmaund the preaching of the word of God the Priests be now more bound to celebrate the Masse and more straitly bound to say the Canonicall houres whereat I cannot but greatly maruell For why to obey the precepts of men more then the cōmaūdements of God is in effect to honor mā as God and to bestow the sacrifice vpon man which is due vnto God and this is also spirituall fornication How therfore are Priests bound at the commaundement of man to leaue the preaching of the word of God at whose cōmaundemēt they are not bound to leaue the celebration of the Masse or singing of Matines Therefore as it seemeth Priestes ought not at the commaundement of any man to leaue the preaching of the word of God vnto the which they are boūd both by diuine and Apostolicall preceptes With whom agreeth the writing of Hierome vpon the Decretals saying in this wise Let none of the Bishops swell with the enuy of deuilishe temptation let none be angry if the Priestes do sometime exhort the people if they preach in theyr Church c. for to him that forbiddeth me these thinges I will say that he is vnwilling that Priestes should do those thinges which be commaunded of God What thing is there aboue Christ or what may be preferred before his body and his bloud c. Do Priestes therfore sinne or not which bargayne for mony to pray for the soule of any dead man It is well knowne that Iesus did whip those that were buyers and sellers out of the tēple saying My house shal be called the house of prayer but you haue made the same adenne of theenes Truely he cast not out such Marchaunts frō out of the Church but because of theyr sinnes Wherupon Hierome vpon this text sayth Let the Priests be diligent and take good heede in this Churche that they turne not the house of God into a den of theeues He doubtles is a theef which seeketh gayne by Religion by a shew of holynes studieth to finde occasion of marchaundise Hereupon the holy Canons do make accursed Symoniacal heresy doe commaund that those should be depriued of the priesthood which for the passing or maruelous spiritual grace do seek gayne or monye Peter the Apostle sayde to Symon Magus Let thy mony and thou go both to the deuill whiche thinkest that the giftes of God may be bought for money Therefore the spirituall gyftes of God ought not to bee solde Uerely prayer is the spirituall gift of God as is also the preaching of the word of God or the saying on of handes or the administration of other Sacramentes Christ sending forth his Disciples to preach sayd vnto them Heale ye the sicke cast out deuils rayse the dead freely haue ye receiued freely geue ye agayne If the Priestes haue power by theyr prayers to deliuer soules being in Purgatory from greeuous paynes without doubt he hath receiued that power freely from God How therefore can he sell his act vnlesse he resist the commaundementes of God of whom he hath receiued that authoritye This truly cannot be done without sinne which is agaynst the commaundement of God How playnly spake Christ to the Pharisies Priests saying wo be vnto you Scribes Pharisies hypocrites because ye haue eaten the whole houses of such as be wydowes by making long praiers and therfore haue you receiued greater dānation Wherin I pray you do our Pharisies and Priestes differ from them Do not our Priestes deuour widowes houses and possessions that by their lōg prayers they might deliuer the soules of their husbāds frō the greuous paynes of purgatory How many Lordships I pray you haue bene bestowed vpon the religious mē womē to pray for the dead that they by their prayer might deliuer those dead men from the payne as they sayd that they suffer in purgatory greuously tormented and vexed If theyr prayers and speaking of holy words shall not be able to deliuer themselues frō payn vnlesse they haue good works How shall other men be deliuered from payne by their praiers which whilest they liued here they gaue ouer themselues to sinne Yea peraduētUre those Lordships or landes which they gaue vnto the priestes to pray for them they themselues haue gotten by might from other faythful men vniust and violently And the Canous doe say that sinne is not forgeuē till the thing taken away wrōgfully be restored How thē shal they be able which do vniustly possesse such Lordshippes or landes to deliuer them by theyr prayers from payne which haue geuen
But touching the temporal gouernment of the City of Rome it is fallen alreadye and so that the other also for the multitude of her spiritual fornicatiōs shal fall The Emperours of this city gaue themselues to Idolatry and would haue that mē should honour them as Gods put al those to death that refused such idolatry by the cruelty of their torments al infidels gate the vpper hand Hereupon by the image of Nabuchodonosor the empire of the Romaines is likened to yron which beateth together and hath the mastery of all mortals And in the visiō of Daniel wherein he saw the foure windes of heauen to fight in the mayne sea and fower great beastes comming out of the sea The kingdom of the Romaynes is lykened to the fourth terrible and maruelous beast the which had great yron teeth eating destroying and treading the rest vnder his feete this beast had ten horues as Danyell sayth he shall speake words agaynst the most highest and shall teare with his teeth the Saynts of the most highest and he shall thinke that he may be able to chaunge times and lawes and they shall be delyuered into hys power vntill a tyme tymes and halfe a time In the Apocalips Saine Iohn sawe a beast comming out of the sea hauyng 7. heads and 10. hornes and power was geuen to hym to make monthes 42. So long time endured the Empire of the Romaynes that is to say from the beginning of Iulius Cesar which was the first Emperor of the Romains vnto the ende of Fridericus whych was the last Emperour of the Romaines Under this empire Christ suffred other Martirs also suffred for his name sake And here is fallen Rome as Babylon which is all one accordyng to the maner of speakyng in the Apocalips as touchynge the temporal and corporal power of gouerning And thus shall she fall also touchynge the spirituall power of gouerning for the multitude of the iniquities and spirituall fornication and merchaundise that are committed by her in the Church The feete of the image which Nabuchodonezor saw dyd betoken the Empire of Rome part of them were of yron and part of clay earth The part that was of yron fell and the power therof vanished away because the power therof was at an end after certaine monthes That part of clay and earth yet endureth but it shal vanish away by the testimony of the Prophets whereupon saint Iohn in the Apocalips After that he sawe the part made of yron rising out of the sea to which eche people tribe and tong submitted themselues And he saw an other beast cōmyng out of the earth which had two hornes like to the hornes of a Lambe and he spake like a Dragon and he vanquyshed the first beast in his sight This beast as seemeth me doth betoken the claye and earthē part of the feete of the image because hee came out of the earth For the by terrene helpe he is made the high chief priest of the Romaines in the church of Christ so from alow he ascended on hygh But Christ from heauen descended because that he which was God author of euery creature became man and he that was Lord of Lords was made in the shape of a seruant And although that in the heauens the company of angels minister vnto him he himselfe ministred or serued in earth that he might teache vs humilitie by which a man ascendeth into heauen euen as by pride a man goeth downe into the bottomlesse pyt This beast hath two hornes most like a Lambe because that he chalengeth to himselfe both the priestlye kingly power aboue al other here in earth The Lambe that is Chryst which is a king for euer vpō the kingly seat of Dauid he is a Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech but hys kingdome is not of this world but the kingdome of thys beast is of this world because those that be vnder him fyght for him And as Iesus is Christ two maner of waies because that Christus is as much to say as Vnctus He verelye was annoynted king annointed priest so this beast saieth that he is chiefe king priest Wherefore doth he call himselfe Christ because that Chryst knowing that afore sayd Many shal come in my name saying I am Chryst and shall decyue many And thus because that he is both king priest he chalengeth to himselfe the double sworde that is the corporall sword and the spirituall sworde The corporal sword is in his right hand and the spiritual sword is in his right eye by the testimony of Zachary But hee speaketh subtilly like a Dragon because that by the testymony of Christ he shal deceiue many as the Apoc. witnesseth He did great wonders that also he might make more fire to come from heauen into the earth in the sight of mē that he might deceiue those that dwel vpon the earth because of the wonders that are permitted hym to do in the sight of the beast hee ouercame the first beast which ascended out of the sea For that beast challenged vnto himself authoritie of gouernment of that whole worlde He hath put to death tormented those that resist his commaundements and would be honored as a God vpon the earth The byshop of Rome sayth that that whole world ought to be in subiectiō vnto him those that be disobediēt vnto his commaundements he putteth in prison and to death if he can If he cannot he excommunicateth them and commaundeth them to be cast into the deuils dūgeon But hee that hath no power ouer y◠body much lesse hath he power ouer the soule And truely his excommunicatiō nor the excommunication of any priest vnder him shall at that time little hurt him that is excommunicat so that the person of him that is excommunicate be not first excommunicat of God through sinne And thus it seemeth a trouth vnto me that God thus turneth their blessinges into cursinges because they geue not due glory vnto his name So when that they vniusty excommunicate curse he turneth their cursings into blessings Also the bishop of Rome doth make me to worshyp him as God because that the special sacrifice that God doth require of vs is to be obedient vnto him in keping of hys commaundements But now the Popes commaundemēts be commaunded to be kept and be kept in very deede but the commaundements of Christ are contemned and reiected Thus sitteth the Byshop of Rome in the Temple of God shewing himselfe as God and extolleth himselfe aboue al that which is called God or worshipped as God But in his fall he shal be reuealed because that euery kingdome deuided in it self shal be made desolate He teaching a truthe is the head of the Churche but the Prophet teaching a lye is the tayle of the Dragon Hee seducyng the worlde shal be acknowledged to be the veritie of the doctrine of Christ
temporall and nobilitie of the Realme and cheifly those that studied for the preseruatioÌ„ of the commonweale not â—casing as yet to coÌ„tinue his mischeuous enterprise if by Gods prouideÌ„ce it be not preuented that with speed Amongst all other of the Nobilitie these first he put to death the Earle of Salisbury the Earle of Huntington the Earle of Gloucester the Lord Roger Clarendon the kyngs brother with diuers other knights and Esquiers and afterwards the Lord Thomas Percy Earle of Worcester and the Lord Henry Percy sonne and heyre to the Earle of Northunberland the which Lord Henry he not onely slew but to the vttermost of his power againe and againe he caused hym to be slayne For after that he was once put to death and deliuered to the Lord of Furniuale to be buryed who committed his body to holy sepulture with as much honour as might be commending his soule to almighty God with the suffrages of the blessed masse other praiers the said Lord Henry most like a cruel beast still thirsting hys bloud caused his body to be exhumate brought forth againe and to be reposed betwene two milstones in the towne of Shreusbury there to be 〈◊〉 wyth armed men And afterwards to be beheaded anâ— quartered commanding his head and quarters to be caried vnto diuers cities of the kingdome Wherefore for so detestable a fact neuer heard of in any age before we pronounce him as in the former articles excommunicate 8. Eightly we depose c. agaynst the said Lord Henry for that after his atteining to the crowne he willingly ratified allowed and approued a most wicked statute set forth renued in yâ— parliament holden at Winchester The which statute is directly against yâ— Church of Rome the power principalitie therof giuen by our Lord Iesus Christ and vnto blessed S. Peter his successors Bishops of Rome vnto whom belongeth by full authoritie the free disposing of all spirituall promotions as wel superior as inferiour which wicked statute is the cause of many mischiefes vid. of simonie periurie adultery incest misorder disobedience for that many Bishops Abbots priors and prelats we will not say by vertue but rather by errour of this statute haue bestowed yâ— benefices vacant vpoÌ„ yong men rude and vnworthy persons which haue compacted with them for the same so that scarce no one prelate is found that hath not couenanted with the partie promoted for the halfe yearely or at the least the third part of the said benefice so bestowed And by this meanes the said statute is the destruction of the right of S. Peter the Church of Rome and England the Cleargie and vniuersities the mainteuance of wars and the whole common wealth c. 9. Ninthly we say and depose c. against the said Lord Henry that after he had tyrannously taken vpon him the gouernement of the Realme England neuer florished since nor prospered by reason of his continuall exactions of money and oppressions yearely of the cleargie and coÌ„minaltie neither is it knowen how this money so extorted is bestowed when as neither his souldiours nor his gentlemen are payed as yet their wages and fees for their charges and wonderfull toile and labour neither yet the poore countrey people are satisfied for the victuall taken of them And neuertheles the miserable clergie and more miserable comminaltie are forced still to pay by menaces and sharp threatnings Notwithstanding he sware when he first vsurped the crowne that hereafter there should be no such exactions nor vexations neither of the clergie nor lâ—â—tie Wherfore as afore we pronounce him periured c. 10. In the tenth and last article we depose say and openly protest by these presents for our selues all our assistents in the cause of the Church of Rome and England and in the cause of king Richard his heires the clergie and comminaltie of the whole Realme that neither our entention is was nor shall be in word nor deed to offend any state either of the prelats spirituall Lords temporall nor commons of the realme but rather foreseeing the perdition and destruction of this Realme to approch we haue here brought before you certeine articles concerning the destruction of the same to be circumspectlie considered of the whole assembly as well of the Lords spirituall as temporall and the faithfull commons of England beseeching you all in that bowels of Iesus Christ the righteous iudge and for the merits of our blessed Lady the mother of God and of S. George our defender vnder whose displayed banner we wish to liue and die and vnder paine of damnation that ye will be fauourable to vs and our causes which are three in number Wherof the first is that we exalt vnto the kingdome the true lawfull heire and him to crowne in kinglie throne with the diademe of England And secondly that we renoke the weshmen the Irishmen and all other our enimies vnto perpetuall peace and amitie Thirdly and finally that we deliuer and make free our natiue countrey from al exactions extortioÌ„s vniust paiments Beseeching our Lord Iesus Christ to graunt his blessing the remission of their sinnes life euerlasting to all that assist vs to their power in this godly and meritorious worke and vnto all those that are against vs we threaten the curse of almighty God by the authority committed vnto vs by Christ and his holy Church and by these presents we pronounce them excommunicate These Articles being seene and read much concourse of people daily resorted more and more to that archbishop The Earle of Westmerland being then not far off with Iohn the kings sonne hearing of this mustered his souldiours with all the power he was able to make bent toward the Archbishop but seeing his part too weake to encounter with him vseth practise of policie where strength would not serue And first comming to him vnder colour of frendship dissembled laboureth to seeke out the causes of that great stirre To whome the Archbyshop againe answering no hurt to be entended thereby but profit rather to the kyng and common wealth and maintenance of publicke peace but for so much as he stood in great scare and danger of the king he was therefore compelled so to doo And withall shewed vnto him the contents of the Articles aforesaid which when the Earle had read setting a faire face vpon it seemed highly to commend the purpose and doyngs of the Bishop promising moreouer that he would helpe also forward in that quarell to the vttermost of his power And required vpon the same a day to be set when they with equall number of men might meere together in some place appointed to haue farther talke of the matter The Archbishop easilie perswaded was content although much against the counsaile of the Earle Marshall and came Where the Articles being openly published and read the Earle of Westmerland with his companie pretended well to like vpon the same and to ioyne their
to vse thankefully to God all the conditions of charitie And then they shall be moued with the good spirit of God for to examine oft and diligentlie their conscience that neither wilfullie nor wittinglie they erre in anie article of beleefe hauing continually as frailtie will suffer all their busines to dread and to flee the offence of God and to loue ouer all and to seeke euer to do his pleasant will Of these pilgrimes I said what soeuer good thought that they any time thinke what vertuous word that they speake and what fruitfull worke that they worke Euery such thought word and worke is a step numbred of God toward him into heauen These foresaid pilgrimes of God delight sore when they heare of Saints or of vertuous men and women how they forsooke wilfully the prosperitie of this life how they withstood the suggestion of the fiend how they restrained their fleshly lusts how discret they were in their penance doing how pacient they were in all their aduersities how prudent they were in counseling of men and women mouing them to hate all sinne and to flie them and to shame euer greatly thereof and to loue all vertues and to drawe to them imagining how Christ and his followers by example of him suffered scornes and sclaunders and howe paciently they abode and tooke the wrongful manasing of tyrantes How homely they were and seruisable to poore men to relieue and comfort them bodely and ghostly after their power and cunning and how deuout they were in prayers how feruent they were in heauenly desires and how they absented them from spectacles of vaine sayings and hearings and how stable they were to let and to destroy al vices and how laborious and ioyfull they were to sowe and to plant vertues These heauenly conditions and such other haue pilgrimes or endeuour them for to haue whose pilgrimage God accepteth And agayne I sayde as their workes shewe the moste part of men and women that goe nowe on pilgrimages haue not these foresaid conditions nor loueth to busie theÌ„ faythfully for to haue For as I well knowe since I haue full oft assayde examine whosoeuer will xx of these pylgrimes and he shall not finde three men or women that know surely a commaundement of God nor can say their Pater noster Aue Maria nor their Creede readely in anye maner of language And as I haue learned also knowe somewhat by experience of these same pilgrimes tellynge the cause why that many men and women go hether and thether now on pilgrimage It is more for the health of their bodies then of their soules more for to haue ryches and prosperitie of this world then for to be enriched with vertues in their soules more to haue here worldly fleshly frendship then for to haue frindship of God and of his saints in heauen For whatsoeuer thinge man or woman doth the frendship of God nor of any other Saint caÌ„not be had wythout keeping of Gods commaundementes Further with my protestation I say nowe as I sayde in Shrewsbury though they that haue fleshly willes trauel farre their bodies and spend mekel money to seeke and to visite the bones or Images as they saye they doe of thys Saint or of that such pilgrimage going is neither praisable nor thankful to God nor to any saint of God synce in effect al such pilgrimes dispise God and al his coÌ„maundements Saints For that coÌ„maundemeÌ„ts of God they will nother know nor keepe nor coÌ„form theÌ„ to liue vertuously by example of Christ and of his Saints Whâ—refore sir I haue preached and taught openly and so I purpose al my life time to do with Gods help saying that such fond people waste blamefully Gods goods in their vain pilgrimages spending their goods vpon vitious hostelars which are oft vncleane womeÌ„ of their bodies at the least those goods with the which they should do works of mercy after Gods bidding to poore needy men and women These poore mens goods and their liuelode these runners about offer to riche priestes which haue me kill more liuelode then they neede And thus those goods they wast wilfully spend them vniustly against gods bidding vpon straungers with which they should helpe and relieue after Gods wil their poore nedy neighbors at home ye ouer this folly oft times diuers men and women of these runners thus madly hether and thither into pilgrimage borow hereto other mens gooddes ye and sometime they stealemens goods hereto and they pay them neuer again Also sir I know wel that when diuers men and women wil go thus after their owne wills and fyndinge out one pilgrimage they will ordeyne wyth them before to haue with them both men and women that can wel sing wanton songs and some other pilgrimes wil haue with them bagge pipes so that euery town that they come through what with the noyse of their singing and with the souÌ„d of their piping and with the iangling of their Caunterbury bels and with the barkyng out of dogges after them that they make more noyce theÌ„ if the king came there away with all his clarions many other minstrels And if these men and women be a month out in their pilgrimage many of them shall be an halfe yeare after great ianglers tale tellers and lyers ¶ And yâ— Archb. said to me Leud Iosel thou seest not farre inough in this matter for thou considerest not yâ— great trauaile of pilgrims therfore thou blamest that thing that is praysable I say to thee that it is right wel done that pilgrimes haue with them both singers and also pipers that when one of them that goeth barefoote striketh his to vpon a stone and hurteth him sore maketh him to blede it is well done that he or his felow begin theÌ„ a song or els take out of his bosom a bagpipe for to driue away with suche mirth the hurt of his fellow For with such solace the trauayle and wearynes of pilgrymes is lightly and merily borne out ☞ And I sayd sir S. Paule teacheth men to weepe with them that weepe ¶ And the Archb. said what ianglest thou against meÌ„s deuotion Whatsoeuer thou or such other say I say that yâ— pilgrimage that now is vsed is to theÌ„ that do it a praysable and a good meane to come the rather to grace But I hold thee vnable to know this grace for thou enforcest thee to let the deuotion of the people since by authoritie of holye scripture men may lefully haue vse such solace as thou reprouest For Dauid in his last Psalme techeth meÌ„ to haue diuers instruments of musike for to praise therwith God ☞ And I saide sir by the sentence of diuers Doctours expouÌ„ding the psalmes of Dauid that musike and minstrelsie that Dauid other saints of the olde lawe spake of ought now nother to be taken nor vsed by the letter but these instrumeÌ„ts with their musike ought to be
prists neither ruling the people mainteining ne defending fro enemies as it falleth to knights neither traueling on the earth in diuerse craftes as it falleth to labourers Whan the day of rokening commeth that is the end of this life right as he liued here withouten trauaile so he shall there lack the reward of the pense that is the endles ioie of heauen And as he was here liuing after none state ne order so he shall be put than in that place that no order is in but euerlasting horror and sorow that is in hell Herfore eueriche man se to what state God hath cleped him and dwell he therin by trauaile according to his degree Thou that art a laborer or a crafty man do this truelly If thou art a seruaunt or a bond man be suget and lowe in drede of displeasing of thy Lord If thou art a marchaunt disceiue nought thy brother in chaffering If thou art a knight or a Lord defend the poore man and needy fro handes that will harme them If thou art a Iustice or a Iudge go not on the right hand by fauour neyther on the left hand to punish any man for hate If thou art a priest vndernine praye and repreue in all maner patience and doctrine Vnderuime thilke that ben negligent pray for thilke that bene obedient reproue tho that ben vnobedient to God So euery man trauaile in his degree For whan the euen is come that is the end of this worlde than euerye man shall take reward good or euill after that he hath traualled here The wordes that I haue taken to make of my sermon be thus muche to say Yelde reconing of thy bayly Christ autour of pitye and louer of the saluation of his people in the proces of this gospell enfourmeth euery man what is his baylye by maner of a parable of a bayly that he speaketh of to aray him to answer of the goodes that God hath taken him when the day of straight reconing shall be come that is the day of dome And so I at this tyme throwe the helpe of God folowing him that is so great a maister of autoritie because that I know nothing that should more drawe away mans vnreasonable loue fro the passing ioy of thys world then the minde of the dreadfull reconing As much as suffice I shall shewe you how ye shall dispose you to auoide the vengeaunce of God when ther shal be time of so straight doome that we shall geue reconing of euery idle word that we haue ispoken For than it shal be said to vs and we shall not flee it Yelde reconing of thy bayly But for forther proces of this first party of this sermon yee shall wete that there shall be three bay lifes that shall be cleped to this straight reconing Twaine to answer for them selfe and for other that bene priests that haue cure of mens soules temporal mē that haue gouernayle of people and the thirde baylyf shall acount onely for himselfe and that is euerye Christen man of that he hath receiued of God And euery of these shall aunswer to three questions To the first question how hast thou entred The second how hast thou ruled And to the third how hast thou liued And if thou canst well assoile these three questions was there neuer none earthly Lord that euer so well rewarded his seruant without comparison as thy Lord God shal reward thee that is with blisse and ioye and life that euer shall last But on that other side and thou wilt now be recheles of thine owne welfare and take none heede of this reconing If that day take thee sodainly so that thou passe hence in deadly sinne as thou worst neuer what shall fall thee all the toungs that euer were or euer shall be mow not tell the sorrowe and wo that thou shalt euer be in and suffer Therefore the desire of so great ioy and the dread of so great paine thoughe loue ne dread of God were not in thine hart yet should that make thee afeard to sinne for to thinke that thou shalt giue reconing of thy bayly Therefore as I say to thee the first question that shall be proposed to the first bayly that is a prelat other a Curat of mens soules is this How hast thou entred Math. xxij Friend how entredst thou hether Who brought thee in to this office Truth or Symony God or the Deuill Grace or mony The flesh or the spirit Giue thou thy reconing if thou canst If thou canst not I rede that thou tary for to learne For vp hap ere night thou shalt be cleped And if thou stande dombe for vnkunning or els for confusion of thy conscience thou fall into the sentence that anon followeth Binde his handes and his feete and cast him in to the vtter warde of darknes there shall be weeping and grenning of teethe Therfore I rede thee that thou aduise thee how thou shalt answer to this question How hast thou entred whether by cleeping or by thine owne procuring for that thou wouldest trauaile in Gods gospell other for thou wouldest be richly arayed Answere now to thy owne conscience as thou shalt answer to God thou that hast take now the order of prieste whether thou be curate or none who stirred thee to take vpon thee so high an estate Whether for thou wouldest liue as a priest ought to do studying of Gods law to preach and most hartely to pray for the people or for to liue a delicious life vpon other mens trauayle and thy selfe trauaile nought Why also setten men theyr sonnes either their cousins to schole Whereto but for to get them great aduancements or to make them the better to knowe howe they shoulden serue God This men may see openly by the sciences that they set them to Why I pray you put men their sonnes to the law ciuill or to the kings court to write letters writs rather thā to Philosophy or Diuinity but for the hope that these occupations shoulde be euer means to make them great in the world I hope that ther wil no man say that they ne shoulde better learne the rule of good liuing in the booke of Gods law than in any bookes of mans worldly wisedome But certes now it is so the that Iohn Chrisostom saith Mothers be louing to the bodies of their children but the soule they despise they desire them to wel fare in this world but they take none hede what they shall suffer in the tother Some or deinen fees for their children but none ordeine them to godward The lust of their bodies they wol deere by but the health of their soule the reke nought of If they see them poore or sicke they sorrow and sigheth but though they see them sinne they sorrowe not And in this they shew that they brought forth the bodies but not the soules And if we take heede truly what abhominations be scattered and
bee damned with her We haue erred fro the waye of trouth and rightwisnes light haue not shined to vs and the sonne of vnderstonding haue not resen to vs we haue be made weery in euerich way of wickednes and of lust and haue gone hard wayes but the wayes of God we knew nought what hath pride profited to vs or the boast of riches what hath it brought to vs All this is as a shadow of death and we mow now shew no token of holynes in our wickednes we be wasted away Thinke therefore I read that thou shalt yelde rekening of thy bayly Here endeth the first part of this Sermon and beginneth the second part IN which secoÌ„d part with the helpe of God I will shew first who shall clepe vs to this recKenyng Afterward to fore what iudge we shall reckyn and last what punishyng shall be do to them that ben found false seruauntes and wicked and what reward shall be gyue to them that be founde good and true For the first ye shall wetoen that there shall be twey domes The first doome anone after the departyng of body and of soule an this shall be speciall And of this rekenyng or doome speaketh the Gospell of Luke The second reckenyng or doome shal be anone after the generall resurrection shal be vniuersal And of this is to spekeÌ„ in the Gospel To the first euery man shal be cleped after other as the wolrde passeth To the secunde shall comeo togedre in the stroke of an eye all mankynde To the first men shal be cleped with three sumners other Sergeauntes the firstlis sicknesse the second is age and the third is death the first warneth the second thretneth and the third taketh This is a kyndly order but otherwise it fayleth for sume we seeth dyeth that neuer wist what was sicknes ne age as children that ben sodenly slayne And sume ye the most part that deyeth now a dayes deyeth byfore her kynde agee of deeth therefore I say that the first that clepeth to this speciall reckning is sicknes that followeth all mankind so that euery man hath it and sum is sicknesse that sume men haueth but nought all Yet the first sickenesse is double for sume is withinne in the mightes of the soule and sume is without in feblenes of the bodie that needis mo be stroyed whan time by hem selfe is cause of corruption as Philosophie sayth that thereby feblenes and sicknes And so may we see hereby though that a man shut out of the house of hys hart all maner of worldlie and fleshlie thoughtes yet vnneth shall a man for ought that he can doo thinke on God onelie the space of o Pater noster but that some other thing that is passing entreth into the soule and draweth her from contemplation But O Lorde God what seekenes is this an heuie burden on the sonnes of Adam that on fowle moock and fen of the world we may thinke long ynow But on that the soule should most delectation haue by kinde mow we nought thinke so little a space but if the cokle enter among the whete Of this seekenes speaketh Poule where he sayth I see a lawe in my limmes fighting agenes the lawe of my sprite and taking me into the law of sinne So that it fares by vs as by a man that would looke ageyns the sun and may nought do it long for nothing And forsoth that is for no default that is in the sunne for she is most cleere in her selfe and so by reason best should be seyn but it is for feblenes of mans eye Ryght so syth Adam our first fader was put out of Paradyse all hys offpring haue ben thus sicke as the Prophet seyth Our fadres haue eat a bitter grape and the teeth of the children be wexe an edge The second sicknes that is commune to all mankind commyth of feblenes of the body as hunger and thorst cold and heate sorow werines and many other as Iob. 18. sayth A man that is ibore of a woman liuing a little whyle is fulfilled with many miseases Yet there is other sicknes that commeth to some men but not to all as Lepvr Palsey Feuer Dropsie Blindnes and many other as it was seyden to the people of Israell in holy writ But thou keepe the commaundements that be writ in this booke God shal echen the sicknes of thee and of thy seede great sickenes and long abiding Yet yee shall vnderstond that God sendeth other while such sicknes to good men and other while to shrewes To good men God doth it for two causes and that is sooth Of sicknes I wol to be vnderstond also of all maner of tribulations The first cause for they shold alway euer know that they haue none perfection of them selfe but of God onely and to echen theyr meekenes And thus sayth Poule least the greatnes of reuelations rere me vp into pride is giuen a pricke of my fleshe the Aungell of Sathanas to smite me on the necke wherefore I haue thrise prayed God that he shuld go fro me and he answered me My grace is suffisant to thee for vertue is fulfilled in sicknes where on thus sayn the glose The fend axing Iob to be tempted was herd of God and nought the Apostle axing his temptation to be remoued God herd him that shuld be damned and he herd nought him that he shuld saue For oft the sick maÌ„ axit many things of the leche that he wol not geue him that is for to make him whole of sicknes Also God sendeth Saincts oft sicknes poâ—â—ution to giue vs sinfull wretches example of patience For if he suffer his Saincts to haue such tribulation in this world and they thankin him thereof much more wretchis that God sendeth not the hundred aparty of their sorowe shulden beare it meekely sith we haue diserued a thousand so much as they haueth Whereof Tobie that one day whan he was wery of byrying of poore men the which shulden haue ley vnburyed and haue be etene of houndis and foules as caraynes of other vnreasonable bestes whan for werynesse he had leide him to reste through Goddis sufferaunce the swallowes that bredden aboue on his hous maden ordure into his eyen and he wexet blind Thus it is writ of this temptation for soth Therefore God suffered to come to him that to them that comen after shuld be geuen ensample of pacience as by the temptation of holie Iob. For sith from his childhod euermore he drede God and euer kept his hestes He was not agreeued ayenst God that the misthiefe of blindnesse fell to him but vnmoueable dwelled in the dread of God thanking him all the dayes of his life Lo that holy writ sayth expresly that God suffered this holie man to haue that sicknes to geue them that should come after him ensample of pacience Also other whyle God sendeth syckenes and tribulation to wicked men and for two causes
First for that they should the rather dreade God and leaue their sinne As it is writ their sickenes hath bene multiplied and after they haue hyed to Godward For we see oft men in sicknes know their God that neuer would haue turned to him whyle they had beene whole Also God sendeth them sicknes oft to agast other men lest they follow their sin As the sickenes of kyng Antioche whome God smote with such a sickenes that wormes fell out of hys body whyle he lyued in so farforth that he stanke so foule that his frends were so wearye of it that they might not suffer it And at the last when he himselfe might not suffer his owne stinch then he began to know himselfe and sayd It is rightfull to be subiect to God and a deadly man not to hold himselfe onely euen with God and the story saith he asked mercie of God and made a vowe to God that he would make the Citie of Ierusalem free and the Iewes to make them as free as the men of Athens and that hee would honour Gods temple wyth pretious ary and multiply the holy vessels and finde of his owne rent and spenses perteining to the sacrifice And he would become a Iew and go ouer all the lond to preach Goddes might And yet God gafe him not such mercy as he desired And I trow certein that it was for good In as much as God knew he would not afterward hold his couenaunt or els for he axket it too late What mede was it for him to forsake his wickednes whan hee was vnmightie to doo good or euill Neuertheles I trow he was not dampned in as much as he had such repentaunce for repentaunce in this life come neuer too late if it be trew But by thys vengeaunce that God tooke on thys king should men see what it is to be vnobedient to God And also it is to take heede that whan euer sickenes commeth euer it sheweth that hee that suffreth this deadly shall nedes dye For though he may skape of his sicknes yet hee may not skape death And so thou must needs come giue rekening of thy bayly The second somnour that shall clepe thee to this particuler doome is elde or age And the condition of him is this though that he tarie with thee he will not leue thee till he bring thee to the thirde that is death But there be many that though they haue this somnour with them they take none hede though they see ther he are hore her back crook her breth stynke her teeth fayle her yen derk her visage riuely her crene wexit heuy to her What meneth all this but that age sunneth to the dome But what more madhead may be than a man to be cleped and drawe to so dreadfull a reckenyng there where but he aunswere well he forfeteth both body and soule to damnation for euer If seing a litle wordly merth on the way he thinketh so mekill theron that he forgetteth who draweth him or whether he draweth So doth he that is smiten with age and liketh so on the false world is wealth that he forgetteth whether he is away Herefore sayth an holy Doctour that among all abusions of the world most is of an old man that is obstinate for he thinketh not on his out going of this world ne of passing into the lyfe that is to come he heareth messengers of death and he leueth hem not and the cause is this for the threfold cord that such an old maÌ„ is bounden with is hard to breke This cord is custome that is of three plightes that is of idel thought vnhonest speach and wicked deede the whiche if they groweth in a man from the childhood into mans age they maketh a treble cord to bynde the old man on custome of sinne Herefore sayth Esay breake the bondes of sinne Thinke herefore whosoeuer that thou be that art thus sumned that thou might not scape that thou ne shalt yeld the rekenyng of thy baily The third somner to this reckenyng is death And the condition of him is that whan euer he come first other the secoÌ„d other the last houre he ne spareth neither power ne yougth ne he dreadeth no thretning ne he ne taketh hede of no prayer ne of no gift ne he graunteth no respit but withouten delay he bringeth forth to the dome Herefore seyth Sainct Austen Well ought euerie man drede the day of his death For in what state a mans last day findeth hym whan he dyeth out of this worlde in the same state he bringeth hym to hys dome Herfore seyth the wise man Sonne thinke on thy last day and thou shalt neuer sinne Therfore I rede that thou thinke that thou shalt geue reconing of thy bayly I sayd also that there shall be another doome to the which all men shall come together and this shall be vniuersall And right as to the other dome euery man shall be cleped with these three sumnours so to this dome all this world shall be cleped with three generall clepers And right as the other three messengers tell a mans end so these tell the end of the world The first cleper is the worldly sicknes the second cleper is feblenes and the third is the ende The sicknes of the world thou shalt know by charitie a cooling His elde and febles thou shalt knowe by tokens fulfilling and hys end thou shalt know by Antichristes pursuing First I sayd thou shalt knowe the worldes sicknes by charitie a cooling Clerkes that treate of kynde sayne that a bodie is sicke when his bodely heate is to lite or when his vnkindely heate is too muche Sythe then all mankynde is one bodye whose kindly heate is charity that is loue to God and to our neighbors vnkindly heate is lustfull loue to other creatures When therefore thou seest that the loue of men to Godwaâ—de and to their neigbour is litle and faynt and the loue of worldlye thynges and lustes of the flesh is great and feruent then wit thou well that vnkindly heate is too great and kindly heate is too little That this be acknowlich of this sicknes I may proue by autoritie of Christ. For he himselfe gaue them as a signe of the drawing to the ende of the world For that wickednes shall be in plente charitie shall acoole Therfore whan thou seest charitie this little in the worlde and wickednes encrease know well that this world passeth and hys welth and that this somner is come And thus seyth Seint Poule Wit ye well that in the laste dayes shall come perilous times and there shall be men louing them selfe that is to say their bodyes couetous by pride vnobedient to father and mother vnkynd fellons withouten affection withouten peace blamers incontinent vnmylde withonten benignitie traytours rebels swelling louers of lustes more then of God hauing a lykenes of pietie and denying the vertue thereof And these flee thou If thou seest
the people busied wyth such conditions wyt thou well that the firste sumnour warneth all the world that the day of reconing draweth towarde The second Sumnour that warneth all the world is elde or age of the world and hys feblenes and sheweth tokens fulfillyng But I know wel that we be nought suffisaunt to know the times other the whyles that the fader in trinitie hath put on hys owne power to shew certeinly the day yeere other houre of this dome sith this knowleche was hid fro the priuey Apostles of Christ and fro Christs manhode as to shew it to vs. Natheles we inough by authoritie of holy writ wyth reasons and expositions of Saints well and openly shew that thys day of wrath is nygh But yet least any man sey in hys hert as it is writen of solie baylies that they shall seien my Lord that is tarrieth to come to the dome and vppon hope hereof he taketh to smite seruauntes and hynen of God eate and drinke and make him dronk I shall shewe that this day is at the hond howe ny neuertheles can I not seie ne wole For if Poule sayd now for a thousand and three hundred yeer and passed moe we ben thilke into whome the endis of the worlde ben come much rather may we seie the same that been so much neere the end than he was Also S. Chrysostome sayth thou seest ouer all darkenesse and thou doutest that the day is go first on the valeyes is darknesse whan the day draweth downeward whan therefore thou seest the valeies I derked why doutest thou whether it be nigh euen but if thou see the sunne so lowe that derknesse is vpon the hilles thou wolt seie doutles that it is night Right so if thou see first in the seculers and the lewd christen men begynneth derknesses of sinnes and to haue the maistrie it is token that this world endeth But whan thou seest priests that ben put on the high toppe of spirituall dignities that shulden be as hilles abouen the commune people in perfit liuing that derknesse of sinnes hath taken them who douteth that the world nis at the end And also Abbot Ioochim in exposition of Ieremye seyeth Fro the yeare of our Lord 1200. all times beth suspect to me and we ben passed on thys suspecte time nigh 200. yeare Also mayden Hyldegare in the booke of her prophecie the third partie the xj vision the vij chapter meueth thys reason Ryght as on seauen dayes God made the world so in 7000. yeare the world shall passe And right as in the sixt day man was made and fourmed so in 6000. yeares he was brought ageine and reformed And as in the seauenth daye the world was full made and God left off hys working right so its the 7000. yeare the number of them that shullen be saued shall be fulfilled and rest shall be to Seintes full in bodye and soule If that it be so as it seemeth to followe of this maydens words that 7000. in passing of the world accordeth to seauen dayes in hys making it see what lacketh that these 7000. yeares ne beth fulfilled For if wee reken the number of yeeres fro the natiuitie of Christ to the yeares fro the beginning of the world to Christ and thou wolt folowe Austyne Bede and Orosie and most probable doctors treating of this matter are passed now almost sixe thousand and sixe hundred as it is open in a booke that is cleped Speculum iudiciale So it suweth that this last day is more than a halfe a go if we shulden geue credence to thys maydens reasun But if we shull lene to the Gospell than we shall finde in the Gospell of Mathew that the Disciples axiden of Christ three questions First what time the Citie of Ierusalem should be destroyed The second what token of hys comming to the doome And the third what signe of the endyng of the world And Christ gaue them no certayne tyme of these thinges when they shoulden fall but he gaue them tokens by which they myght know when they drew nighe and so as to the first question of the destruction of Ierusalem he sayd when the Romaines come to beseege that Citie then soone after she shall bee destroyed And as to the second and the thirde hee gaue manye tokens that is to say that Realme shall rise against Realme and people agaynst people and pestilences and earthquakinges the which we haue seene in our dayes But the last token that hee gaue was thys when yee seene the abhomination of elengnesse sayd of Daniel the Prophet standyng on the Sanctuary then who so readeth vnderstand Vpon which text thus argueth a Doctour in a booke that he maketh of the end of the world If the wordes of Daniel hauen autoritie as God sayth that they hauen it sufficeth of the number of the yeares of the ende of the world that Daniell hath written Now Daniell in the twelfth chapter speakyng of thys abhomination putteth betweene the ceasing of the busie sacrifice of the Iewes the whych fell when by Titus and Vespasianus Ierusalem was destroyed and the people of Iewes were disparkled into all the world And thys abhomination that Doctors sayne shall be in the great Antichristes dayes 1290. Nowe proueth thys Doctour that a daye must be taken for a yeare both by autoritie of holy writ in the same place and in other and also by reason So it seemeth to this clerke that the great Antichrist shoulde come in the 1400. yeare fro the birth of Christ the which nomber of yeares is now fulfilled not fully twelue yeares and a half lacking And this reason put not I as to shewe anie certayne tyme of hys commyng sithe I haue not that knowledge but to shewe that he is nye but how nygh I wot neuer But take we heede to the fourth part of the second vision of Saint Iohn put in the booke of Reuelations in the which vnder the opening of the seauen seales is declared the state of the Churche from the time of Christ into the end of the world The opening of the foure first seales shew the state of the Church fro the tyme of Christ to the tyme of Antichrist and his foregoers the whych is shewed in the opening of the other three seales The opening of the fyrst seale telleth the state of the Church in the tyme of the preaching of Christ and of hys Apostles For the first that is the Lyon gaue hys voyce that betokeneth the preachers of Christes resurrection and hys ascension For then yede out a whyte horse and he that sat vppon hym had a bow in hys hand and he yede out ouercomming to ouercome By thys whyte hors we vnderstand the cleane life and conuersation that these preachers haden and by the bowe their true teaching pricking sorow in mens hartes for their sinnes withouten flatteryng And they wenten out of Iewry that they comen of ouercommyng some of the Iewes
much as we haue found by diuers actes done brought forth and exhibited by sundry euidences signes and tokens and also by many most manifest proues the sayd sir Iohn Oldcastle knight and L. Cobham not onely to be an euident hereticke in his owne person but also a mighty maintainer of other heretickes agaynst the fayth and religion of the holy and vniuersall church of Rome namely about the two sacramentes of the aultar and of penaunce besides the popes power and pilgrimages And that he as the childe of iniquitie and darcknes hath so hardened his hart that he will in no case attend vnto the voyce of his pastor Neyther will he be allured by straight admonishmentes not yet be brought in by fauourable wordes The worthines of the cause first wayed on the one side and his vnworthines agayn cōsidered on the other side his faults also aggrauated or made double through his damnable obstinacie we being loth that he which is nought shoulde be worse and so with his contagiousnes infecte the multitude by the sage counsel and assent of the very discrete fathers our honourable brethren and Lordes Byshops here present Richard of London Henry of Winchester and Bennet of Bangor and of other great learned and wise men here both doctours of diuinitie and of the lawes canon and ciuill seculers and religious with diuers other expert men assisting vs we sententially and diffinitiuely by this present writing iudge declare condemne the sayd syr Iohn Oldcastle Knight and Lord Cobham for a most pernitious and detestable hereticke conuicted vpon the same and refusing vtterly to obey the Church agayne committing him here from hencefoorth as a condemned hereticke to the secular iurisdiction power iudgement to doe him thereupon to death Furthermore we excommunicate and denounce accursed not onely this hereticke here present but so many els besides as shall hereafter in fauoure of his errour either receaue him or defend him counsell him or help hym or any other way mayntayne hym as very fautours receauers defenders counsaylers ayders and mayntayners of condemned heretickes And that these premisses may be the better knowne al faithfull Christen men we commit it here vnto your charges geue you straight commandement therupon by this writing also That ye cause this condemnation and diffinitiue sentence of excommunication cōcerning both this heretick and his fautours to be published throughout all diocesses in Cities towns villages by your curates and parish priests at such time as they shal haue most recourse of people And see that it be done after this sorte As the people are thus gathered deuoutly together let the curate euery where goe into the pulpit and there open declare and expound this excesse in the mother tongue in an audible and intelligible voyce that it may be perceiued of all men and that vpon the feare of this declaration also the people may fall from theyr euill opinions conceiued nowe of late by seditious preachers Moreouer we will that after we haue deliuered vnto each one of you bishops which are here present a copy hereof that ye cause the same to be written out agayne into diuers copies and so be sent vnto the other byshops and Prelates of our whole Prouince that they may also see the contentes thereof solemnly published within theyr diocesses and cures Finally we will that both you and they signifie agayne vnto vs seriously and distinctly by your writinges as the matter is without fayned colour in euery poynt performed the day wheron ye receaued this processe the time when it was of vs executed and after what sort it was done in euery condition according to the tenour hereof that we may knowe it to be iustly the same A copy of this writing sent Thomas Arundel the archbishop of Caunterbury afterward from Mydstone the x. day of Octobr within the same yeare of our Lord 1413. vnto Richard Clifford the bishop of London which thus beginneth Thomas permissione diuina c. The said Richard Clifford sent an other copy thereof enclosed within his owne letters vnto Robert Maschall a Carmelite frier which was then bishop of Herforde in Wales written from Haddam the 23. day of October in the same yeare and the beginning thereof is this Reuerende in Christo pater c. This Robert Mascall directed an other copye thereof from London the 27. day of Nouember in the same yeare enclosed in his owne commission also vnto his archdeacon and and Deanes in Hareforde and Shrewsbury And this is therof the beginning Venerabilibus discretis vitis c. In like maner did the other bishops within their diocesses After that the archbishop had thus read the bill of hys condemnation with most extremitie before the whol multitude The Lorde Cobham sayd with a moste cheerefull countenaunce Though ye iudge my body whiche is but a wretched thing yet am I certayne and sure that ye can do no harme to my soule no more then could Sathan vppon the soule of Iob. He that created that will of his infinite mercy and promise saue it I haue therein no manner of doubt And as concerning these articles before rehearsed I will stand to them euen to the very death by the grace of my eternall God And therwith he turned him vnto the people castyng hys handes abroad and saying with a very loude voyce Good Christen people for Gods loue be well ware of these men For they will els beguile you and leade you blindling into hell with thēselues For Christ sayth plainly vnto you If one blinde man leadeth an other they are like both to fall into the ditche After this he fell downe there vpon his knees thus before thē all prayed for his enemies holding vp both hys handes and his eyes towardes heauen and saying Lorde God eternall I beseeche thee of thy great mercies sake to forgeue my pursuers if it be they blessed will And then hee was deliuered to syr Robert Morly and so led forth again to the tower of London And thus was there an ende of that dayes worke Whyle the Lord Cobham was thus in the Tower he sent out priuely vnto his friendes And they at his request wrote this little bill here following causing it to be set vp in diuers quarters of London that the people should not beleeue the slaunders and lyes that his enemies the Byshops seruauntes and priestes had made on him abroade And thus was the letter FOr as much as Syr Iohn Oldcastle knight and Lorde Cobham is vntruely conuicted and emprisoned falsly reported and slandered among the common people by his aduersaries that he should otherwise both thinke speak of the sacramentes of the churche and specially of the blessed sacrament of the aultar then was written in the confession of his beliefe which was indended and taken to the clergy and so set vp in diuers open places in the cittye of London Knowne
touching the Church because he kepeth not the institutions inuestitures therof but holdeth opinion that euery man hath authority to inuest appoint any man to the cure of soules This is euident by his owne doings For so much as many in the kingdome of Boheme by their defenders and fauourers or rather by himselfe were appoynted and put into parish churches the which they haue long ruled and kept not being appoynted by the Apostolike sea neither yet by the ordiuarie of the citie of Prage Eightly he erreth as touching the Churche in that he holdeth opinion that a man being once ordained a Priest or a deacon cannot be forbidden or kept backe from the office of preaching this is likewise manifest by his own doings for somuch as he himselfe could neuer be letted from preaching neither by the Apostolick sea neither yet by the Archbishop of Prage And to the intent that the sayd Iohn Hus who is dothed in sheepes clothing inwardly a rauing wolfe may be the better knowen by his fruits for the better information of you most reuerend fathers I say that from the first time that he tooke in hand or went about to sow hys errours and heresies yâ— which afterward he did in deede he vnderstanding and perceiuing himself to be â—standed and gainsayde by the Germaines which were in the vniuersitie of Prage for somuch as he coulde conclude nothing because they had 3. voyces and he on hys parre had but one onely voyce he went about and brought to passe and that by the secular power that the Germaines shoulde haue but one voyce and he and his partes 3. voyces the which thing when the Germanes once perceiued rather then they wold loose or forsake any parte of their right whych they had in voyces or be in danger in theyr persons the which would then haue ensued vppon it to saue themselues they wholy with one consent agreed together to depart out of Prage and by this meanes this solemne famous vniuersitie of Prage was made desolate that had brought forth so many notable meÌ„ in diuers sciences Beholde this his first fruits which deuided that so famous vniuersitie for so muche as grapes are not gathered of thornes neyther figs of brambles Moreouer when there were questioÌ„s moned amongst the deuines of the vniuersitie of Prage vppon the 45. articles of Iohn Wickliffe and that they had called a conuocation and all the deuines of Boheme for the Germaines were all ready departed they concluded that euery one of those Articles were either heretical seditious or els erroneous He alone held the coÌ„trary opinion the none of those articles were either hereticall seditious or erroneous as afterward he did dispute holde and teache in the common schooles of Prage where by it is euideÌ„tly inough foresene that he doeth affirme those articles of Wickliffe the whych are not onely condemned in England but also by the whole church because they were first inuented and set forth by the members of Antichrist Moreouer he being complained of to the Archbyshop of Prage the he preached set foorth certaine articles which were heretical false and seditious he was forbidden by the sayd Archbishop to preach any more and proceded against him according to the canonicall sanctions the whych processe is confirmed by the Apostolike sea and published as well in the courte of Rome as wythout the whych Iohn Hus and his adherents haue diuers and manifold wayes violate prophanate And whosoeuer did speake against him they were depriued of their benefices and others placed in which haue ruled and yet do rule the said churches the flockes pertaining to the same not hauing any cure or charge of the soules coÌ„mitted vnto them neyther by the Apostolike sea neither yet by the ordinary of the place Also as many as well priests as lay men in the citie of Prage kingdom of Boheme which haue spoken against the doctrine of Hus and the prophanation of the processe aforesaid or at the least not alowing the same haue suffred most mortall hatred and persecutions and yet to thys day do suffer But that at this present it is dissimuled vntil the ende of the processe against Iohn Hus. Wherefore if he be nowe let goe againe without doubt they shall suffer great persecution both in body and goodes and throughout all the realm of Boheme house shal be against house and this mischiefe will creepe yea sodeinly spring vp throughout al Germany and innumerable soules shal be infected so that there shall be such persecution of the cleargie and faithfull as hath not bene since the time of the Emperor Constantine to this present day for he ceaseth not to mooue and stir vp the laity against the clergy and faithfull christians And when any of the clergie would draw him away or cal him from his heresie for that cause doth forbid him to preach that he doe not teach no heresies Then sayeth he and teacheth that the clergie doth that of enuie and malice because he rebuketh their vices and faultes that is to say their simonie and pride and conetousnesse Moreouer hee stirreth vp the seculare princes against the prelates of churches monasteries vniuersities and generally against the whole clergy Going about by thys meanes he preacheth and teacheth that prelates and other men of the church ought not to haue any temporal goodes or possessions but only to liue vppon almes And by thys meanes he hath done already very much hurt and anoied diuers and many Prelates clearkes and Churches in the kingdome of Boheme and citie of Prage For so muche as thereby they are already spoiled and robbed of their possessions Yea hee teacheth also that it is lawfull for the lay people wythout sinne to wythholde and keepe backe the tithes and oblations or to geue the Church goodes to any other minister all the seculare princes are greatly inclined hereunto but specially the laitie who foloweth euery maÌ„ his owne will He hath generally to lay for himself all those heretikes which do but very finally regard the ecclesiastical censures and hate the authority of the Romaine church yea doe vtterly detest abhorre the same the which thing will more and more encrease except it be effectually and manfully wtstand and if he do by any meanes escape from the councel he and his fauourers wil say that hys doctrine is iust and true and that it is allowed by the authority of the vniuersall sacred Councell and that all hys aduersaries are wicked and noughty men so that he would do more mischief then euer any hereticke did since the tyme of Constantinus Magnus Wherefore most holy fathers prouide and take heede to your selues and to the whole flocke amongst whome the holy Ghost hath placed you to rule the Churche of Christ the whych he hathe purchased wyth his owne bloude and whilest the disease is new and fresh helpe and remedye it as well touching him which doth so
and equitie is banished the Ecclesiasticall power is iniuried and the calamitie of this Schisme bringeth in all kinde of bondage swords and violence doth rule the laitie haue the dominion concord and vnitie are banished and all prescript rules of Religion vtterly contemned and set at naught Consider most gentle Lords how that during this most pestiferous Schisme how manie heresies haue appeared and shewed themselues how manie heretickes haue scaped vnpunished how manie Churches haue beene spoiled and pulled downe how manie Cities haue beene oppressed and regions brought to ruine what confusion hath there happened in the Cleargie What and how great destruction hath bene amongst the Christian people I pray you marke how the Church of God the spouse of Christ and the mother of all faithfull is contemned and despised For who doth reuerence the keies of the Church who feareth the censures or lawes or who is it that doth defend the liberties thereof But rather who is it that doth not offend the same or who doth not inuade it or else what is he that dare not violentlie lay hands vpon the patrimonie or heritage of Iesus Christ The goods of the Cleargie and of the poore and the reliefe of Pilgrimes and straungers gotten together by the bloud of our Sauiour and of manie Martyres are spoyled and taken awaie behold the abhomination of the desolation brought vpon the Church of God the destruction of the faith and the confusion of the Christian people to the ruine of the Lordes flocke or folde and all the whole companie of our most holy Sauiour and redeemer This losse is more great or greeuous then anie which could happen vnto the Martires of Christ and thys persecution much more cruell then the persecution of anie tyrants for they did but only punish the bodies but in this schsme and diuision the soules are tormented There the bloud of men was only shed but in this case the true faith is subuerted and ouerthrowne That persecution was saluation vnto many but this Schisme is destruction vnto all men When the tirants raged then the faith did increase but by this diuision it is vtterly decaied During their crueltie and madnes the primatiue Church increased but through this schisme it is confounded and ouerthrowne Tiraunts did ignorantly offende but in this schisme many do wittingly and willingly euen of obstinacie offend There came in heretikes vsers of Symonie and hypocrites to the great detriment and deceit of the Church vnder those tirants the merites of the iust were increased But during this Schisme mischiefe and wickednes are augmented for in this most cursed and execrable diuision truth was made an enimie vnto all Christians faith is not regarded loue and charitie hated hope is lost iustice ouerthrowne no kinde of courage or valiantnes but onely vnto mischiefe modestie and temperance cloked wisedome turned into deceit humilitie fained equitie and truth falsified pacience vtterly fled conscience small all wickednes intended deuotion counted folly gentlenes abiect and cast away religion despised obedience not regarded and all maner of life reprochfull and abhominable With how great and greeuous sorowes is the Church of God replenished filled whiles that tirants do oppresse it heretikes inuade it vsers of Symonie do spoile and rob it and schismatikes go about vtterly to subuert it O most miserable and wretched christian people whome now by the space of forty yeares with such indurate and continuall schisme they haue tormented and almost brought to ruine O the little barke and ship of Christ whiche hath so long time wandred and straied now in the middest of the whorlepooles and by and by sticketh fast in the rocks tossed too and fro with most greeuous and tempestuous stormes O miserable and wretched boate of Peter if the most holy father would suffer thee to sinke or drowne into what dangers and perils haue the wicked pirates brought thee amongst what rockes haue they placed thee O most godly and louing Christians what faithfull deuout man is there which beholding and seeing the great ruine and decay of the Church would not be prouoked vnto teares what good conscience is there that can refraine weeping because that contention and strife is powred vpon the ecclesiasticall rulers which haue made vs to erre in the way because they haue not founde or rather would not finde the way of vnitie and concord Whereupon so many heresies and so great confusion is sproong vp and growne in the flocke of Peter and the fold of our Lord. Many Princes Kings and Prelates haue greatly laboured and trauelled for the rooting out heereof but yet could they neuer bring to passe or finish that most holesome and necessary worke Wherefore most Christian King this most glorious and triumphant victory hath tarried only for thee the crowne and glorie therof shal be thine for euer and this most happy victory shall be continually celebrate to thy great honour and praise that thou hast restored againe the Church which was so spoiled thou hast remoued and put away all inueterate and ouergrowne Schismes and diuisions thou hast troden downe vsers of Symony rooted out all hereticks Doest thou not behold see how great perpetuall and famous renowne glory it wil be vnto thee For what can be more iust what more holy what more better what more to be desired or finally what can be more acceptable than to roote out this wicked and abhominable Schisme to restore the Church againe vnto hir auncient libertie to extinguish and put away all Simony and to condemne and destroy all errours and heresies from amongst the flocke of the faithfull Nothing truly can be better nothing more holy nothing more profitable for the whole worlde and finally nothing more acceptable vnto God For the performance of which most holy and godly worke thou wast elect and chosen of God thou wast first deputed and chosen in heauen before thou wast elect and chosen vpon earth Thou wast first appointed by the celestiall and heauenly Prince before the electours of the Empire did elect or choose thee and specially that by the Imperiall force and power thou shouldest condemne and destroy those errours and heresies which wee haue presently in hand to be condemned and subuerted To the performance of this most holy worke God hath giuen vnto thee the knowledge vnderstanding of his diuine truth and veritie power of princely maiestie and the iust iudgement of equitie and righteousnes as the most highest himselfe doth say I haue geuen thee vnderstāding and wisedome to speake and vtter my words and haue set thee to rule ouer nations and kingdomes that thou shouldest helpe the people plucke down and destroy iniquitie by exercising of iustice thou shouldest I say destroy all errours and heresies and specially this obstinate heretike heere present through whose wickednes mischiefe many places of the world are infected with most pestilent and hereticall poison and by his meanes and occasion almost vtterly subuerted
such comfort as no man can vnderstand in that they say that they wil geue you forgeuenes of all your sinnes and great grace pardon to this end that you should warre vpon vs destroy vs wheras their graces and pardons are none other then great lies and a great seducing of the body and soule of all them that beleue them and put their trust in them Thys we would proue vnto them ouercome them by the holy scripture and we wold suffer that whosoeuer is desirous to heare the same shoulde heare it For the Pope and all hys priestes herein deale with you as the deuill woulde haue done wyth our Lorde Iesus Christ. Of whome Luke writeth in hys 4. chap. that be brought him vpon an high hill shewed vnto hym in the twinckling of an eye al the kyngdomes that are in the compasse of the earth said vnto him I wil geue thee c. So the deuill deceiueth the pope and all the priestes with the riches of the worlde and worldly power And they thinke they can geue grace and pardon when they wyll and they themselues shall neuer finde fauour before almighty God except they repent and make amendes because of theyr great deceauing of Christēdom And how can they geue that to others which they themselues haue not So dyd the Deuill who was rich in promising and poore in geuing And like as the Deuill is not ashamed to tell a lye so all they are not ashamed to speake that which shall neuer be found true nor be proued by the holy scriptures because for no cause they stirre vp kinges Princes Lordes and Citties to make warre agaynst vs not to the end that the Christian fayth shoulde therby be defended but because they feare that theyr secret vices and heresies shal be disclosed and made manifest For if they had a true cause a godly loue to the Christiā faith they would then take the books of the holy scripture and would come vnto vs and ouercome vs with the weapōs of Gods word and that is our chiefe desire For so dyd the apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ who came to the Paganes and Iewes and brought them from their infidelitie to the true fayth of our Lorde Iesus Christ and this they dyd in the spirite of meckenes as the Apostle Paule writeth in the 6. chap. to the Galat. Brethren if anye man be agreeued c. So ought they also to doe if they perceiued that they were iust and we vniust And if we woulde not abide instruction then they might take to them kinges Princes Lordes and imperiall citties and resist vs according to the commaundementes of the holy scripture But this is the subtile defence of all the Byshops and Priestes that they say that mayster Hus and Hierome which were burnt at Constance were ouercome of the holy father the Pope and of the whole Councell For ye must vnderstand that they were not ouercome by the holy Ghost but vniustly with wrongfull violence which God may yet hereafter greeuously punishe in all them that gaue their counsel and ayd thereto and they saye it ought not to be suffered tha we should be heard in confessing our fayth How may that be proued by the holy scripture since christ heard the deuilt as it is written in the fourth chap. of Mathewe And they l are not better then Christ nor we worsse then the Deuill If they be iust and haue the truth with them as they saye they haue and we be vnrighteous why do they feare sinc the truth ought not to be afeard of falshod as Esdras writeth in hys second booke the third chapiter Zorobabell declared that truth is of all thinges the most mightye and ouercommeth all thinges For Christ is the trueth Iohn 14. I am the way the trueth c. And the deuill is the father of lies Iohn 8. He is a lyerfrom the beginning and neuer abode in the truth there is no truth in him Therfore if the pope and hys priestes haue the truth let them ouercome vs with the word of God But if they haue lyes then they cannot long abide in al their presumptiō Wherfore we exhort and beseech al the imperiall Cities al kings Princes noble men rich and poore for Gods sake and for hys righteousnes that one of them write hereof to an other and that there may be some meanes made howe we may cōmune with you safely and friendly at some such place as shal be fit both for you and vs and bring with you your Byshops and teachers and let them our teachers fight together with the word of God and let vs heare them and and let not one ouercome the other by violence or false subtiltie but onely by the word of God And if your Bishops and teachers haue better proofes of theyr fayth out of the holy scripture then we and our fayth be found vntrue we will receiue penaunce and satisfaction according to Gospell But if your Byshops and teachers be ouercome of ours by the holy Scripture then doe ye repent and harken to vs and hold with vs. And if your Byshops teachers will cease from their spirituall pride and repent and make satisfaction then wil we helpe you according to our power and will compell them eyther to ioyne with vs or els we will expell them out of Christendome And if your Byshops and teachers will say that it is not lawfull for lay men to heare such reasoning or to be presēt at it that may you vnderstand to tend to no other end but that they feare they should be ouercome and put to shame in the sight of you For if they knew that they should ouercome therein out of doubt they would desire that euery mā should heare it thereby their glory should become the greater their fame and prayses should be encreased vpon the earth And if your Bishops and teachers coūsell you to come to no hearing with vs thē do it whether they will or no suffer not your selues at any time to be so folishly seduced with their folish pardons but tary at home in your houses with your wiues and children And let the pope of Rome come to vs with all his Cardinals and byshops and with all hys priestes with his owne person power to warre with vs let themselues deserue the absolution of sinnes grace and pardon which they preach to you for they haue great nede of forgeuenes of sinnes grace pardō by the grace of god we will geue them pardō enough as they shall neede But their subtile excuse is this they say that it belōgeth not to priestes to fight with bodily weapons true it is that belongeth not to them but it belongeth as little to them to stirre vp to counsaile to fortifie others thereto For Paule saith in the the 1. to the Rom. in the fift to the Galath that all that do such
thou sayest so thou geuest offence Luke 11. The 16. Article is that they in many places lende money or goodes to haue treasure or vsurie and they haue in cities and townes yearely paiments and perpetual reuenues as great Princes and Lordes Wherein they doe against the Gospel which sayth do not ye possesse gold nor siluer And wheras they lend for gaine and vsury againste that speaketh the Lord Deu. 24. Lend not to vsury to thy brother c. Ye honest discrete and well beloued Lords all the foresaide Articles we wil prooue against the Pope and all his priests with many testimonies of the holy Scripture which for breuities sake we haue not here mētioned But note ye chiefly these 4. Articles for which wee striue and desire to defend them to the death The first Article is that all publicke and customably mortall sinnes ought to be forbidden and prohibited to all Priests and lay men according to the commaundement of the holy Scripture The seconde Article is that richesse ought to be taken from the Pope and all hys Priestes from the hyghest to the lowest and they ought to bee made poore as the Disciples of our Lord Iesus Christ were who had nothyng of their own neither possessiōs in this world neither worldly power The third Article is that the word of God ought to be free for euery mā appointed and ordained therto to preach and read in al places whether they shal come without resistance of any man or without any inhibitiō of either spirituall or earthly power openly or manifestly The fourth article is that the body of our Lord Iesus Christ ought to be deliuered to euery christian as our lord hath ordained it and as the holy Euangelists haue wrytten We haue also vnderstood that there shal be a Councell in Basile Wherfore let no mā be exalted but let them diligētly kepe their wiues their daughters and their virgins from Byshops Priests and Monkes And do not thinke that there is made any holy assembly of Bishops and Priests for the common commodity and profit of Christendom but onely to thys end that they may hide their secret vices and heresies with the cloke of hypocrisye and let and hinder the righteousnesse of God which is muche contrary to them and for this cause consider ye diligently that they will not make an holy assembly but the congregation of Sathan And take ye heede that it be not done as some did at Constance who tooke money of Bishops and Prelates suffered them to sleepe with their wiues Ye welbeloued and honest Lordes if ye finde any thing in these aforesaide Articles or wordes wrytten somewhat sharply we did it not to offend or contemne you but to the ende that ye shoulde diligently consider and deuise howe Christendome is so ill kept and led by the Priests of this present age Our Lorde Iesu Christ keepe you both in body and soule Amen In the yeare of our Lord. 1430. Preropus Smahors Conradus Samssmolich Capitaines of Bohemia Nowe to prosecute the warres of the Bohemians againe after Zisca was dead wherof we did intreat before there was great feare sorrow and lamentation in the army the soldiers accusing fortune which gaue ouer such an inuincible captaine to be ouercome with death Immediatly there was a diuision in the host the one parte chusing Procopius Magnus to be their captaine the other parte saying that there was none could be found worthy to succede Zisca whereuppon they chusing out certaine to serue the warres named themselues Orphanes Thus the Thaborites being deuided into two armies the one part retained their olde and accustomed name and the other by meanes of the death of their captayne named themselues Orphanes And all be it that oftentimes there was dissension betwene them yet when soeuer any forein power came towards them they ioyned their powers together in one campe and defended themselues They seldome went vnto any fensed townes except it were to buy necessaries but liued with their wiues and childrē in theyr campe tents They had amongst them many cartes the which they vsed as a Bulwarke For when so euer they went vnto battell they made two wings of them whyche closed in the footemen The winges of the horse men were on the out side and when as they sawe their time for to ioyne battell the wagon men which led the wings going forth vnto the Emperors standerd and compassing in such part of their enemies as they woulde did close themselues in together whereby the ennemies being inclosed so that they could not be rescued they were partly by the footemē partly by the men that were in the carres with their dartes slaine The horsemen fought without the fortification and if it happened that they were oppressed or put to flight by and by the carres opening themselues receiued them as it were into a fensed Citie and by this meanes they got many victories for so much as their enemies were ignorant of their pollicies These 2. armies went foorth the one into Slesia and the other into Morauia and returned againe wyth great pray before their enemies knewe of their comming After this they besieged the towne of Swetley in Austrich where as the Thaborites and the Orphanes two nightes continually assaulted the walles wythout ceasing but Albert Duke of Austrich comming with his hoste to aide the Citizens they fought by the space almost of foure houres the valiauntest warriers being slaine on both partes At the length the battaile was broken of and the Thaborits lost their carres and Albert was put out of his camp tents Within a while after Procopius Magnus came agayne and inclosed the citie of Rhetium in Austria with a notable siege They of Prage were in his army and Boslaus Cygneus of whome we spake before was slaine there with a dart the city of Rhetium was taken by force sacked and burnt The Burgraue of Malderburge Lord of the towne was also taken and caried vnto Prage where also hee dyed in prison These thinges thus done the Emperour sent for the nobles of Boheme which went vnto him vnto a town of Hungary called Posonium in the borders of Austria vpō the bāks of the riuer of Danubius but they wold not enter into the towne but remained wtout the towne in their tents whether as the Emperoure going out vnto them communing muche with them as touching his right title and the recouering of his fathers kingdome promising if there were any cause which did alienate the Bohemians minds from him that he would take away al the occasion therof They made answer that he had made warre vpon them without cause and that he had suffred their countrey men cōtrary to his promise to be burnt at Constance not being heard and the kingdom to be contumeliously interdited and the Nobles of Boheme to be condemned by the church of Rome as heretickes and that he should thincke the force
make the Pope subiect vnto the Church for it is conuenient that the lesse perfect be subiect vnto the more perfect There be also many other testimonies reasons wherof we will now somewhat more entreate If authoritie be sought for sayth S. Hierome for I willingly occupie my selfe in his senteÌ„ces as in a most fertile field the world is greater then a Citie What then I pray you Hierome Is the Pope mighty because he is head of the Church of Rome His authoritie is great notwithstanding the vniuersall Church is greater which doth not onely coÌ„preheÌ„d one Citie but also the whole world Hereupon it followeth that if the Churche be the mother of all faithfull then she hath the Bishop of Rome for her sonne Otherwise as S. Augustine saith he can neuer haue God for his father which will not acknowledge the Church for his mother The which thing Anacletus vnderstandyng called the vniuersal Church his mother as the writers of the Canons do know And Calixtus sayth as a sonne he came to doe the will of his father so we do the will of our mother which is the Church Whereby it appeareth that how much the sonne is inferiour to the mother so much the Church is superiour or aboue the Bishop of Rome Also we haue sayd before that the Churche was the spouse of Christ the Pope we know to be a Vicare but no maÌ„ doth so ordaine a Vicar that he maketh his spouse subiect vnto him but that the spouse is alwayes thought to be of more authoritie then the Vicar for somuch as she is one body with her husbaÌ„d but the Vicar is not so Neither will I here passe ouer the wordes of S. Paule vnto the Romaines Let euery soule sayth he be subiect vnto the higher powers Neither doth he herein except the pope For albeit that he be aboue all other meÌ„ yet it seemeth necessary the he should be subiect to the Church Neither let him thinke himselfe hereby exeÌ„pt because it was said vnto Peter by Christ whatsoeuer thou bindest c. In this place as we wil hereafter declare he represeÌ„ted the person of the Church for we finde it spoken afterward vnto theÌ„ Quaecunque ligaueritis super terraÌ„ ligata eruÌ„t in coelis i. Whatsoeuer ye shal binde vpoÌ„ earth shall be also bounde in heaueÌ„ And furthermore if all power be geueÌ„ of Christ as the Apostle writeth vnto the CorinthiaÌ„s it is geuen for the edifiyng of the Church not for the destruction therof why then may not the Church correct the Pope if he abuse the keyes and bring all thinges vnto ruine Adde hereunto also an other argument A man in this life is lesser then the aungels for we read in Mathew of Iohn Baptist that he whiche is least in the kingdome of heauen is greater then he Notwithstanding Christ sayth in an other place that amongest the children of women there was not a greater then Iohn Baptist. But to proceede meÌ„ are forced by the exaÌ„pâ—e of Zacharias to geue credite vnto auÌ„gels least through their misbelief they be striken blind as he was What more The Bishop of Rome is a maÌ„ Ergo he is lesse then the aungels and is bound to geue credite to the aungels But the aungels learne of the Church and do reuereÌ„tly accorde vnto her doctrine as the Apostle writeth vnto the EphesiaÌ„s Ergo the pope is bouÌ„d to do the same who is lesse then the aungels and lesse then the Churche whose authoritye is suche that worthely it is compared by S. Augustine vnto the Sunne that lyke as the Sunne by his light doth surmount all other lightes so the church is aboue all other authority and power Wherupon S. Augustine writeth thus I would not beleue the Gospel saith he if the authority of the church did not more me thereunto the which is not in any place souÌ„d to be spoken of the bishop of Rome who representing the Church and being minister thereof is not to be thought greater or equall to hys Lorde and maister Notwythstanding the wordes of our Sauiour Christ do specially proue the Byshop of Rome to be subiect to the church as we will hereafter declare For he sending Peter to preach vnto the church sayd go and say vnto the Church To the confirmation of whole authoritye these wordes do also pertaine hee that heareth you heareth me The which wordes are not onely spoken vnto the Apostles but also vnto their succesaurs and vnto the whole Church Wherupon it foloweth that if the Pope do not harken geue eare vnto the Church he doeth not geue eare vnto Christ consequently he is to be counted as an Ethnicke Publicane For as S. Augustine affirmeth when as the Church doth excommunicate he which is so excommunicate is bounde in heauen and when the Church looseth he is loosed Likewise if he be an heretike which taketh away the supremacie of the Churche of Rome as the Decrees of the councel of Coustance doth determine how much more is he to be counted an hereticke which taketh away the authoritye from the uniuersall Church wherein the Church of Rome and all other are conteined Wherefore it is now euident that it is the opinion of al men before our daies if it may be called an opinion which is confirmed by graue authors the the Pope is subiecte vnto the vniuersall church But this is called into question whether he ought also to be iudged of the general Councel For there are some which whether it be for desire of vaine glory or that thorough their flattery they looke for some great reward haue begon to teach new and strange doctrines and to exempt the byshop of Rome from the iurisdiction of the generall Councel AmbitioÌ„ hath blinded them wherof not only this present Schisme but also all other Schismes euen vnto thys day haue had their originall For as in times past the gredy desire ambition of the papacy brought in that pesriferous beast which through Arrius then first crept into the church euen so they do specially norish and mainteine this present heresie whych are not ashamed to begge Of the which number some cry out say the workes of the subiects ought to be iudged by the Pope but the Pope to be reserued only vnto the iudgemeÌ„t of God Others said that no man ought to iudge the high and principall Seate and that it can not be iudged either by the Emperour either by the Clergy either by any king or people Other affirme that the Lord hath reserued vnto himselfe the depositions of the chiefe Bishop Others are not ashamed to affirme that the Byshop of Rome although hee cary soules in neuer so great number vnto hell yet hee is not subiect vnto any correction or rebuke And because these their words are easily resolued they runne straight waies vnto the Gospell and interprete the wordes of Christ not according to the sense and meaning of the holy Ghost
of mony delayed the time in making of their truce Camillus cōming vpon them did most shamefully driue them out againe But what need I to rehearse old histories when as our own examples are sufficient for vs Ye know your selues how often these delayes haue bene hurtfull vnto you how oftē the delay of a few dayes hath growne to a long tracte of tyme. For now this is the 8. yeare that you haue spent in delayes you haue seene that alwayes of one delay an other hath sprong and risen Wherfore I do require that Panormitan shuld consider that the conclusion being this day disturbed we know not whether it will be brought to passe hereafter againe or no. Many impedimentes or lets may rise Neither doth Panormitan say that this delay being obtayned he wold afterward consent with his fellowes vnto the conclusiōs for he denyeth that he hath any commaundement therunto which is more to be considered he sayth that the Ambassadours at their returne from Mentz may bring such newes wherby these conclusions may be omitted as though any thyng were more excellent then the truth The which thing doth manifestly declare that they do not seeke delayes for the better examination of the matter but for to impugne the conclusions the more strongly Neither do I agree with Panormitan as touching the effects which he sayd should ryse eyther of the denyall or graunting of the requests For I see no cause why the Princes should so greatly require any delay There are no letters of anye Prince come vnto vs as touching such request neyther is there any man lately come from them neyther is it greatly materiall vnto them but that the matters of faith shoulde be determined But this is a most pernicious conclusion which Panormitane hath made and not to be looked for at the handes of those most godly princes wheras he saith if we do please them they will take our part If contrariwise they will decline vnto Eugenius and wholy resist rebell agaynst vs. This is a meruailous word a wonderfull conclusion altogether vnworthye to be spoken of such a man The decrees of the Councell of Constance are that all maner of men of what state or condition soeuer they be are bound to the ordinaunces and decrees of the generall Councels But Panormitanes wordes do not tend to that effect for he would not haue the Princes obedient vnto the Councel but that councell to be obedient vnto that princes Alas most reuerend Fathers alas what times daies what maners and conditiōs are these Into what misery are we now brought How shall we at anye time bring to passe that the Pope being Christes Uicare and as they say an other Christ in earth should be subiect vnto the coūcell of Christians if the Councell it selfe ought to obey wordly Princes But I pray you look for no such things at the Princes handes Do not beleeue that they will forsake theyr mother the Church Do not thinke them so farr alienate frō the truth that they would haue iustice suppressed The conclusions whereupon the controuersie is are most true most holy most allowable If the princes do refuse them they do not resist agaynst vs but against the holy Scriptures yea and agaynst Christ himselfe which you ought neither to beleue neither was it comely for Panormitane so to say Panormitan by your licēce be it spoken you haue vttered most cruell words neyther do you seeme to go about any other matter then to inculcate terrour and feare into the mindes of the Fathers for you haue rehearsed great perils and daungers except we submitt our selues vnto the princes But you most reuerend fathers shall not be afearde of them which kill the body the soule they cannot kill neyshal ye forsake the truth although you should shedde your bloud for the same Neither ought we to be any whit more slacke in the quarrell of our mother the church and the Catholicke fayth then those most holy Martyrs whiche haue established the Church with theyr bloud For why should it be anye greeuous matter vnto vs to suffer for Christ which for our sakes hath suffered so cruel greuous death Who when he was an immortall God voyd of all passiōs toke vpō him the shape of a mortal man feared not for our redemption to suffer tormentes vpon the crosse Set before your eyes the Prince of the Apostles Peter Paule Andrew Iames and Barthelmew and not to speake onely of Bishops Marke what Stephen Laurence Sebastian Fabian did Some were hanged some headed some stoned to death other some burned and others tormented with most cruell and grieuous tormentes suffered for Christes sake I pray you for Gods sake let vs follow the example of these men If we will be byshops and succeed in honour let vs not feare Martyrdome Alas what effeminate harts haue we Alas what faynt harted people are we They in tymes past by the contempt of death conuerted the whole world which was full of gentilitie and idolatrye and we through our sluggishnes desire of life do bring the Christian Religion out of the whole world into one corner I feare greatly least that little also which is left we shall lose through our cowardlines if that by following Panormitanes minde we do commit the whole gouernaunce defence of the Church vnto the princes But nowe play the stout and valiaunt men in this time of tribulation feare not to suffer death for the Churche whiche Curtius feared not to doe for the cittie of Rome which Menchotheus for Thebes Codrus for Athens willingly took vpon them Not onely the martyrs but also the Gentiles might moue and stirre vs to cast of all the feare of death What is to be sayd of Theremens the Athemen With how ioyfull hart and minde and pleasaunt countenaunce did he drink the poyson What say you vnto the Socrates that most excellent Philosopher did he eyther weepe or sigh when he supped vp the poyson They hoped for that whiche we are most certayne of Not by dying to dye but to chaunge this present life for a better Truly we ought to be ashamed being admonished by so many examples instructed with so great learning yea and redeemed with the precious bloud of Christ so greatly to feare death Cato writeth not of one or two men but of whole legions which haue chearfully couragiously gone vnto those places frō whence they knew they shuld not return Wyth like courage did the Lacedemoniās geue thēselues to death at Thermopilis of whom Simonides writeth thus Dic hospes Spartanos te hic vidisse iacentes Dum sanctis patriae legibus obsequimur Report thou straunger the Spartaines here to lye Whiles that their coūtry lawes they obeyed willingly Neither iudge the contrary but that the Lacedemonians went euen of purpose vnto death vnto whome theyr Captayne Leonidas sayd O ye Lacedemonians goe forward couragiously for this day we shal sup together