,transcribed from the #ahhh ,cassell and
 ,company edition by ,david ,price1     
email ccx#jgd;coventry4ac4uk            
,,the ,,apology ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,of
 ,,england4      ,,by  ,,john ,,jewel1  
,bishop of ,salisbury4    ,,cassell     
,,company1 ,,limited3  ,,london1        
,,paris1 ,,new ,,york  ,,melbourne4     
#ahhh4          ,,introduction4         
,the great interest of ,jewel's ,apology
 lies in the fact that it was  written  
in ,latin to be read throughout ,europe 
as the answer of the  ,reformed ,church 
of ,england1 at the beginning of ,queen 
,elizabeth's reign1  to those who said  
that the ,reformation set up a new      
,church4  ,its argument  was that the   
,english ,church ,reformers were going  
back to the old ,church1  not setting up
 a new2 and this ,jewel proposed to show
 by looking back to  the first centuries
 of ,christianity4  ,innovation was     
imputed2 and an  ,apology originally    
meant a pleading to rebut an imputation4
  ,so1 even as  late as #agif1 there was

 a book called ,an ,apology for the     
,bible1 meaning  its defence against    
those who questioned its authority4     
,this ,latin book  of ,jewel's1         
,apologia ,ecclesiae                    
,anglicanae--written in ,latin because  
it  was not addressed to ,england       
only--was first published in #aefb1 and 
translated into ,english by the mother  
of ,francis ,bacon1 whose edition       
appeared in #aefd4  ,that is the        
translation given in this volume4  ,the 
book has since had six or seven other   
translators1 but ,lady ,ann ,bacon's    
translation was that which presented it 
in ,queen ,elizabeth's time to  ,english
 readers1 and it had the advantage of   
revision by the ,queen's  ,archbishop of
 ,canterbury1 her coadjutor in the      
establishment of the  ,reformed ,church 
of ,england1 ,matthew ,parker4  ,it was 
published1 with no  name of author or   
translator on the title-page1 as ,an    
,apologie or  answere in defence of the 
,churche of ,englande1 with a briefe and

 plaine  declaration of the true        
,religion professed or used in the same4
  ,the  book was prefaced by a letter1  
,to the right honorable learned and     
vertuous ,ladie1 ,a4 ,b4 ,ann ,bacon ,m4
 ,c4 wisheth from ,god grace1  honoure1 
and felicitie1 where ,m4 ,c4 signifies  
,matthew ,cantuar1 ,matthew  ,parker1   
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 whom ,lady  
,ann ,bacon had made her judge1  and    
whose judgment1 the letter says1 her    
book had singularly pleased4    ,lady   
,ann ,bacon was the second daughter of  
,sir ,anthony ,cooke1 who was  tutor to 
,king ,edward ,,vi4  ,sir ,anthony gave 
to his five daughters a most  liberal   
education4  ,his eldest daughter1       
,mildred1 married ,sir ,william  ,cecil1
 afterwards ,lord ,burleigh1 while ,ann 
became the second wife of the  ,lord    
,keeper1 ,sir ,nicholas ,bacon4  ,their 
father had made ,mildred and ,ann  two  
of the most learned women in ,england4  
,john ,jewel was forty years old when he
 wrote the ,apology4  ,he was born  in  

,devonshire in #aebb1 on the #bdth of   
,may1 at the village of ,buden1 near    
,ilfracombe4  ,he studied at ,oxford1   
where he became tutor and preacher1     
graduated as ,b4,d4 in #aeea1 and was   
presented to the rectory of             
,sunningwell4  ,at the accession of     
,queen ,mary he bowed to the royal      
authority1 but he was a warm friend and 
disciple of ,peter ,martyr1 who had     
come to ,england in #aedg1 at the       
invitation of ,edward ,,vi41 to take the
  chair of ,divinity at ,oxford4  ,on   
the accession of ,queen ,mary1 ,peter   
,martyr 7who was born at ,florence in   
#aejj1 and whose family name was        
,vermigli7 returned to ,strasburg1 and  
went thence to ,zurich1 where he died   
in #aefb4  ,jewel1 repenting of his     
assent to the new sovereign's authority 
in matters of religion1 followed his    
friend ,peter ,martyr across the  water1
 and became vice-master of a college at 
,strasburg4  ,upon the  accession of    
,elizabeth1 in #aehh1 ,jewel came back1 

and he was one of the  sixteen          
,protestants appointed by the ,queen to 
dispute before her with a  like number  
of ,catholics4    ,in #aeei ,john ,jewel
 was appointed a commissioner for       
securing1 in the ,west  of ,england1    
conformity with the newly-arranged      
,church service1 and he had  to see that
 the ,queen's orders were obeyed in the 
churches of his native  county4  ,before
 the end of the same year he was        
consecrated ,bishop of  ,salisbury4  ,he
 was most zealous in performance of all 
duties of his  charge4  ,to his good    
offices young ,richard ,hooker owed his 
opportunity of  training for the service
 of the ,church4  ,among ,jewel's       
writings1 this  ,apology or ,defence of 
the ,church of ,england was the most    
important2 but  he worked incessantly1  
and shortened his life by limiting      
himself to four  hours of sleep1 taken  
between midnight and four in the        
morning4  ,bishop  ,jewel died on the   
#bast of ,september1 #aega1 before he   

had reached the age  of fifty4    ,h4   
,m4          ,,an ,,apology1 ,,or       
,,answer1 ,,in ,,defence ,,of ,,the     
,,church ,,of ,,england1      ,with a   
,brief and ,plain ,declaration of the   
,true ,religion ,professed and  ,used in
 the ,same4        ,,part ,i4      ,it  
hath been an old complaint1 even from   
the first time of the patriarchs  and   
,prophets1 and confirmed by the writings
 and testimonies of every age1  that the
 truth wandereth here and there as a    
stranger in the world1 and  doth readily
 find enemies and slanderers amongst    
those that know her not4  ,albeit       
perchance this may seem unto some a     
thing hard to be believed1 ,i  mean to  
such as have scant well and narrowly    
taken heed thereunto1  specially seeing 
all mankind of nature's very motion     
without a teacher  doth covet the truth 
of their own accord2 and seeing our     
,saviour ,christ  ,himself1 when ,he was
 on earth1 would be called the ,truth1  
as by a name  most fit to express all   

,his ,divine power2 yet we1 which have  
been  exercised in the ,holy            
,scriptures1 and which have both read   
and seen what  hath happened to all     
godly men commonly at all times2 what to
 the  ,prophets1 to the ,apostles1 to   
the holy martyrs1 and what to ,christ   
,himself2 with what rebukes1 revilings1 
and despites they were continually      
vexed whiles they here lived1 and that  
only for the truth's sake3 we1 ,i  say1 
do see that this is not only no new     
thing1 or hard to be believed1  but that
 it is a thing already received1 and    
commonly used from age to  age4  ,nay1  
truly1 this might seem much rather a    
marvel1 and beyond all  belief1 if the  
devil1 who is the father of lies1 and   
enemy to all truth1  would now upon a   
sudden change his nature1 and hope that 
truth might  otherwise be suppressed    
than by belying it2 or that he would    
begin to  establish his own kingdom by  
using now any other practices than the  
same  which he hath ever used from the  

beginning4  ,for since any man's        
remembrance we can scant find one time1 
either when religion did first  grow1 or
 when it was settled1 or when it did    
afresh spring up again1  wherein truth  
and innocency were not by all unworthy  
means1 and most  despitefully intreated4
  ,doubtless the devil well seeth1 that 
so long as  truth is in good safety1    
himself cannot be safe1 nor yet maintain
 his own  estate4    ,for1 letting pass 
the ancient patriarchs and ,prophets1   
who1 as we have  said1 had no part of   
their life free from contumelies and    
slanders1 we  know there were certain in
 times past which said and commonly     
preached1  that the old ancient ,jews   
7of whom we make no doubt but they were 
the  worshippers of the only and true   
,god7 did worship either a sow1 or an   
ass1 in ,god's stead1 and that all the  
same religion was nothing else but  a   
sacrilege1 and a plain contempt of all  
godliness4  ,we know also that  the ,son
 of ,god1 our ,saviour ,jesu ,christ1   

when ,he taught the truth1 was  counted 
a juggler and an enchanter1 a           
,samaritan1 ,beelzebub1 a deceiver of   
the people1 a drunkard1 and a glutton4  
,again1 who wotteth not what words  were
 spoken against ,st4 ,paul1 the most    
earnest and vehement preacher and       
maintainer of the truth8 sometime that  
he was a seditious and busy man1 a      
raiser of tumults1 a causer of          
rebellion2 sometime again1 that he was  
an  heretic2 sometime1 that he was mad2 
sometime1 that only upon strife and     
stomach he was both a blasphemer of     
,god's law1 and a despiser of the       
fathers' ordinances4  ,further1 who     
knoweth not how ,st4 ,stephen1 after he 
had thoroughly and sincerely embraced   
the truth1 and began frankly and        
stoutly to preach and set forth the     
same1 as he ought to do1 was            
immediately called to answer for his    
life1 as one that had wickedly  uttered 
disdainful and heinous words against the
 law1 against ,moses1  against the      

temple1 and against ,god8  ,or who is   
ignorant that in times  past there were 
some which reproved the ,holy ,scripts  
of falsehood1 saying  they contained    
things both contrary and quite one      
against other2 and how  that the        
,apostles of ,christ did severally      
disagree between themselves1  and that  
,st4 ,paul did vary from them all8      
,and1 not to make rehearsal of  all1 for
 that were an endless labour1 who       
knoweth not after what sort our  fathers
 were railed upon in times past1 which  
first began to acknowledge  and profess 
the ,name of ,christ8 how they made     
private conspiracies1  devised secret   
counsels against the commonwealth1 and  
that end made early  and privy meetings 
in the dark1 killed young babes1 fed    
themselves with  men's flesh1 and1 like 
savage and brute beasts1 did drink their
 blood8 in  conclusion1 how that1 after 
they had put out the candles1 they      
committed  adultery between themselves1 
and without regard wrought incest one   

with  another3 that brethren lay with   
their sisters1 sons with their mothers1 
without any reverence of nature or kin1 
without shame without difference2  and  
that they were wicked men without all   
care of religion1 and without  any      
opinion of ,god1 being the very enemies 
of mankind1 unworthy to be  suffered in 
the world1 and unworthy of life8    ,all
 these things were spoken in those days 
against the people of ,god1  against    
,christ ,jesu1 against ,paul1 against   
,stephen1 and against all them1         
whosoever they were1 which at the first 
beginning embraced the truth of  the    
,gospel1 and were contented to be called
 by the name of ,christians1  which was 
then a hateful name among the common    
people4  ,and although the  things which
 they said were not true1 yet the devil 
thought it should be  sufficient for    
him1 if at the least he could bring it  
so to pass as they  might be believed   
for true1 and that the ,christians might
 be brought into  a common hatred of    

everybody1 and have their death and     
destruction sought  of all sorts4       
,hereupon kings and princes1 being led  
then by such  persuasions1 killed all   
the ,prophets of ,god1 letting none     
escape4  ,esay  with a saw1 ,jeremy with
 stones1 ,daniel with lions1 ,amos with 
an iron bar1  ,paul with the sword1 and 
,christ upon the cross2 and condemned   
all  ,christians to imprisonments1 to   
torments1 to the pikes1 to be thrown    
down  headlong from rocks and steep     
places1 to be cast to wild beasts1 and  
to  be burnt3 and made great fires of   
their quick bodies1 for the only        
purpose to give light by night1 and for 
a very scorn and mocking stock2  and did
 count them no better than the vilest   
filth1 the offscourings and  laughing   
games of the whole world4  ,thus1 as ye 
see1 have the authors and  professors of
 the truth ever been intreated4         
,wherefore1 we ought to bear it the more
 quietly1 which have taken upon us  to  
profess the ,gospel of ,christ1 if we   

for the same cause be handled  after the
 same sort2 and if we1 as our           
forefathers were long ago1 be  likewise 
at this day tormented1 and baited with  
railings1 with spiteful  dealings1 and  
with lies2 and that for no desert of our
 own1 but only  because we teach and    
acknowledge the truth4    ,they cry out 
upon us at this present everywhere1 that
 we are all  heretics1 and have forsaken
 the faith1 and have with new           
persuasions and  wicked learning utterly
 dissolved the concord of the ,church2  
that we  renew1 and1 as it were1 fetch  
again from hell the old and many a day  
condemned heresies2 that we sow abroad  
new sects1 and such broils as  never    
yearst were heard of3 also that we are  
already divided into  contrary parts and
 opinions1 and could yet by no means    
agree well among  ourselves2 that we be 
cursed creatures1 and1 like the giants1 
do war  against ,god ,himself1 and live 
clean without any regard or worshipping 
of  ,god2 that we despise all good      

deeds2 that we use no discipline of     
virtue1  no laws1 no customs2 that we   
esteem neither right1 nor order1 nor    
equity1  nor justice2 that we give the  
bridle to all naughtiness1 and provoke  
the  people to all licentiousness and   
lust2 that we labour and seek to        
overthrow the state of monarchies and   
kingdoms1 and to bring all things  under
 the rule of the rash inconstant people 
and unlearned multitude2  that we have  
seditiously fallen from the ,catholic   
,church1 and by a wicked  schism and    
division have shaken the whole world1   
and troubled the common  peace and      
universal quiet of the ,church2 and     
that1 as ,dathan and ,abiram  conspired 
in times past against ,moses and ,aaron1
 even so we at this day  have renounced 
the ,bishop of ,rome without any cause  
reasonable2 that we  set nought by the  
authority of the ancient fathers and    
councils of old  time2 that we have     
rashly and presumptuously disannulled   
the old  ceremonies1 which have been    

well allowed by our fathers and         
forefathers  many hundred years past1   
both by good customs1 and also in ages  
of more  purity2 and that we have by our
 own private head1 without the authority
  of any sacred and general council1    
brought new traditions into the         
,church3 and have done all these things 
not for religion's sake1 but only  upon 
a desire of contention and strife2 but  
that they for their part have  changed  
no manner of thing1 but have held and   
kept still such a number of  years to   
this very day all things as they were   
delivered from the  ,apostles and well  
approved by the most ancient fathers4   
,and that this matter should not seem to
 be done but upon privy slander1  and to
 be tossed to and fro in a corner1 only 
to spite us1 there have  been besides   
wilily procured by the ,bishop of ,rome 
certain persons of  eloquence enough1   
and not unlearned neither1 which should 
put their help  to this cause1 now      
almost despaired of1 and should polish  

and set forth  the same1 both in books1 
and with long tales to the end that1    
when the  matter was trimly and         
eloquently handled1 ignorant and        
unskilful persons  might suspect there  
was some great thing in it4  ,indeed    
they perceived  that their own cause did
 everywhere go to wrack2 that their     
sleights were  now espied1 and less     
esteemed2 and that their helps did daily
 fail them2  and that their matter stood
 altogether in great need of a cunning  
spokesman4    ,now as for those things  
which by them have been laid against us1
 in part  they be manifestly false1 and 
condemned so by their own judgments     
which  spake them2 partly again1 though 
they be as false1 too1 indeed1 yet bear 
they a certain show and colour of truth1
 so as the reader 7if he take not  good 
heed7 may easily be tripped and brought 
into error by them1  specially when     
their fine and cunning tale is added    
thereunto4  ,and part  of them be of    
such sort as we ought not to shun them  

as crimes or faults1  but to acknowledge
 and profess them as things well done1  
and upon very  good reason4    ,for     
shortly to say the truth1 these folk    
falsely accuse and slander all  our     
doings2 yea the same things which they  
themselves cannot deny but to  be       
rightly and orderly done2 and for malice
 do so misconstrue and deprave  all our 
sayings and doings1 as though it were   
impossible that anything  could be      
rightly spoken or done by us4  ,they    
should more plainly and  sincerely have 
gone to work if they would have dealt   
truly4  ,but now they  neither truly1   
nor sincerely1 nor yet ,christianly1 but
 darkly and  craftily charge and batter 
us with lies1 and do abuse the blindness
 and  fondness of the people1 together  
with the ignorance of princes1 to cause 
us to be hated and the truth to be      
suppressed4  ,this1 lo1 ye1 is the      
power of darkness1 and of men which lean
 more to the amazed wondering of  the   
rude multitude and to darkness than they

 do to truth and light2 and  as ,st4    
,hierom saith1 which do openly gainsay  
the truth1 closing up their  eyes1 and  
will not see for the nonce4    ,but we  
give thanks to the most good and mighty 
,god1 that such is our  cause1          
whereagainst 7when they would fainest7  
they were able to utter no  despite1 but
 the same which might as well be wrested
 against the holy  fathers1 against the 
,prophets1 against the ,apostles1       
against ,peter1  against ,paul1 and     
against ,christ ,himself4    ,now1      
therefore1 if it be lawful for these    
folks to be eloquent and fine-  tongued 
in speaking evil1 surely it becometh not
 us in our cause1 being  so very good1  
to be dumb in answering truly4  ,for men
 to be careless what  is spoken by them 
and their own matter1 be it never so    
falsely and  slanderously spoken        
7especially when it is such that the    
majesty of ,god  and the cause of       
religion may thereby be damaged71 is the
 part doubtless  of dissolute and       

wretchless persons1 and of them which   
wickedly wink at  the injuries done unto
 the ,name of ,god4  ,for although other
 wrongs1 yea  oftentimes great1 may be  
borne and dissembled of a mild and      
,christian  man1 yet he that goeth      
smoothly away1 and dissembleth the      
matter when he  is noted of heresy1     
,ruffinus was wont to deny that man to  
be a ,christian4  ,we therefore will do 
the same thing1 which all laws1 which   
nature's own  voice doth command to be  
done1 and which ,christ ,himself did in 
like case1  when ,he was checked and    
reviled3 to the intent we may put off   
from us  these men's slanderous         
accusations1 and may defend soberly and 
truly our  own cause and innocency4     
,for ,christ verily1 when the ,pharisees
 charged  ,him with sorcery1 as one that
 had some familiar spirits1 and wrought 
many  things by their help3 ,i1 said    
,he1 have not the devil1 but do glorify 
my ,father3 but it is you that have     
dishonoured me1 and put me to rebuke    

and shame4  ,and ,st4 ,paul1 when       
,festus the lieutenant scorned him as a 
madman3 ,i1 said he1 most dear ,festus1 
am not mad1 as thou thinkest1  but ,i   
speak the words of truth and soberness4 
,and the ancient  ,christians1 when they
 were slandered to the people for       
mankillers1 for  adulterers1 for        
committers of incest1 for disturbers of 
the commonweals1  and did perceive that 
by such slanderous accusations the      
religion which  they professed might be 
brought in question1 namely1 if they    
should seem  to hold their peace1 and in
 manner to confess the fault2 lest this 
might  hinder the free course of the    
,gospel1 they made orations1 they put up
  supplications1 and made means to      
emperors and princes1 that they might   
defend themselves and their fellows in  
open audience4    ,but we truly1 seeing 
that so many thousands of our brethren  
in these last  twenty years have borne  
witness unto the truth1 in the midst of 
most  painful torments that could be    

devised2 and when princes1 desirous to  
restrain the ,gospel1 sought many ways1 
but prevailed nothing2 and that  now    
almost the whole world doth begin to    
open their eyes to behold the  light2 we
 take it that our cause hath already    
been sufficiently declared  and         
defended1 and think it not needful to   
make many words1 seeing the  matter     
saith enough for itself4  ,for if the   
popes would1 or else if they  could     
weigh with their own selves the whole   
matter1 and also the  beginnings and    
proceedings of our religion1 how in a   
manner all their  travail hath come to  
nought1 nobody driving it forward2 and  
how on the  other side1 our cause1      
against the will of emperors from the   
beginning1  against the wills of so many
 kings1 in spite of the popes1 and      
almost  maugre the head of all men1 hath
 taken increase1 and by little and      
little  spread over into all countries1 
and is come at length even into kings'  
courts and palaces2 these same things1  

methinketh1 might be tokens great       
enough to them1 that ,god ,himself doth 
strongly fight in our quarrel1 and  doth
 from heaven laugh at their enterprises2
 and that the force of truth  is such1  
as neither man's power1 nor yet         
hell-gates are able to root it  out4    
,for they be not all mad at this day1 so
 many free cities1 so many  kings1 so   
many princes1 which have fallen away    
from the seat of ,rome1 and  have rather
 joined themselves to the ,gospel of    
,christ4    ,and although the popes had 
never hitherunto leisure to consider    
diligently and earnestly of these       
matters1 or though some other cares do  
now let them1 and diverse ways pull     
them1 or though they count these to  be 
but common and trifling studies1 and    
nothing to appertain to the  ,pope's    
worthiness1 this maketh not why our     
matter ought to seem the  worse4  ,or if
 they perchance will not see that which 
they see indeed1 but  rather will       
withstand the known truth1 ought we     

therefore by-and-by to be  accounted    
heretics because we obey not their will 
and pleasure8  ,if so  be1 that ,pope   
,pius were the man 7we say not1 which he
 would so gladly be  called71 but if he 
were indeed a man that either would     
account us for his  brethren1 or at     
least would take us to be men1 he would 
first diligently  have examined our     
reasons1 and would have seen what might 
be said with  us1 what against us2 and  
would not in his bull1 whereby he lately
  pretended a council1 so rashly have   
condemned so great a part of the  world1
 so many learned and godly men1 so many 
commonwealths1 so many  kings1 and so   
many princes1 only upon his own blind   
prejudices and fore-                    
determinations--and that without hearing
 of them speak or without showing  cause
 why4    ,but because he hath already so
 noted us openly1 lest by holding our   
peace  we should seem to grant a fault1 
and specially because we can by no means
  have audience in the public assembly  

of the general council1 wherein he      
would no creature should have power to  
give his voice or to declare his        
opinion1 except he be sworn1 and        
straitly bound to maintain his authority
  7for we have had good experience      
hereof in the last conference at the    
council at ,trident2 where the          
ambassadors and divines of the princes  
of  ,germany1 and of the free cities1   
were quite shut out from their company4 
,neither can we yet forget1 how ,julius 
the ,third1 above ten years past1       
provided warily by his writ that none of
 our sort should be suffered to  speak  
in the council1 except that there were  
some1 peradventure1 that  would recant  
and change his opinion73 for this cause 
chiefly we thought  it good to yield up 
an account of our faith in writing1 and 
truly and  openly to make answer to     
those things wherewith we have been     
openly  charged2 to the end the world   
may see the parts and foundations of    
that  doctrine1 in the behalf whereof so

 many good men have little regarded     
their own lives2 and that all men may   
understand what manner of people  they  
be1 and what opinion they have of ,god  
and of religion1 whom the  ,bishop of   
,rome1 before they were called to tell  
their tale1 hath  condemned for         
heretics1 without any good              
consideration1 without any  example1 and
 utterly without law or right1 only     
because he heard tell  that they did    
dissent from him and his in some point  
of religion4    ,and although ,st4      
,hierom would have nobody to be patient 
when he is  suspected of heresy1 yet we 
will deal herein neither bitterly nor   
brablingly2 nor yet be carried away with
 anger and heat2 though he ought  to be 
reckoned neither bitter nor brabler that
 speaketh the truth4  ,we  willingly    
leave this kind of eloquence to our     
adversaries1 who1  whatsoever they say  
against us1 be it never so shrewdly or  
despitefully  said1 yet think it is said
 modestly and comely enough1 and care   

nothing  whether it be true or false4   
,we need none of these shifts which do  
maintain the truth4    ,further1 if we  
do show it plainly that ,god's holy     
,gospel1 the ancient  bishops1 and the  
primitive ,church do make on our side1  
and that we have  not without just cause
 left these men1 and rather have        
returned to the  ,apostles and old      
,catholic fathers2 and if we shall be   
found to do the  same not colourably or 
craftily1 but in good faith before ,god1
 truly1  honestly1 clearly1 and plainly2
 and if they themselves which fly our   
doctrine1 and would be called           
,catholics1 shall manifestly see how all
  these titles of antiquity1 whereof    
they boast so much1 are quite shaken    
out of their hands2 and that there is   
more pith in this our cause than  they  
thought for2 we then hope and trust that
 none of them will be so  negligent and 
careless of his own salvation1 but he   
will at length study  and bethink       
himself to whether part he were best to 

join him4  ,undoubtedly1 except one will
 altogether harden his heart and refuse 
to  hear1 he shall not repent him to    
give good heed to this our ,defence1 and
  to mark well what we say1 and how     
truly and justly it agreeth with        
,christian religion4    ,for where they 
call us heretics1 it is a crime so      
heinous1 that unless it  may be seen1   
unless it may be felt1 and in manner may
 be holden with  hands and fingers1 it  
ought not lightly to be judged or       
believed1 when it  is laid to the charge
 of any ,christian man4  ,for heresy is 
a forsaking of  salvation1 a renouncing 
of ,god's grace1 a departing from the   
body and  spirit of ,christ4  ,but this 
was ever an old and solemn property with
 them  and their forefathers2 if any did
 complain of their errors and faults1   
and desired to have true religion       
restored1 straightway to condemn such   
ones for heretics1 as men new-fangled   
and factious4  ,christ for no other     
cause was called a ,samaritan1 but only 

for that ,he was thought to have  fallen
 to a certain new religion1 and to be   
the author of a new sect4  ,and  ,paul  
the ,apostle of ,christ was called      
before the judges to make answer to  a  
matter of heresy2 and therefore he said3
 ,according to this way which  they call
 heresy ,i do worship the ,god of my    
fathers1 believing all things  which be 
written in the law and in the ,prophets4
    ,shortly to speak4  ,this universal 
religion which ,christian men profess at
  this day was called first of the      
heathen people a sect and heresy4  ,with
  these terms did they always fill      
princes' ears1 to the intent when they  
had once hated us with a predetermined  
opinion1 and had counted all that  we   
said to be faction and heresy1 they     
might be so led away from the  truth and
 right understanding of the cause4  ,but
 the more sore and  outrageous a crime  
heresy is1 the more it ought to be      
proved by plain and  strong arguments1  
especially in this time1 when men begin 

to give less  credit to their words1 and
 to make more diligent search of their  
doctrine1 than they were wont to do4    
,for the people of ,god are otherwise   
instructed now than they were in times  
past1 when all the bishops of  ,rome's  
sayings were allowed for ,gospel1 and   
when all religion did depend  only upon 
their authority4  ,nowadays the ,holy   
,scripture is abroad1 the  writings of  
the ,apostles and ,prophets are in      
print1 whereby all truth and  ,catholic 
doctrine may be proved1 and all heresy  
may be disproved and  confuted4         
,sithence1 then1 they bring forth none  
of these for themselves1 and call  us   
nevertheless heretics1 which have       
neither fallen from ,christ1 nor from   
the ,apostles1 nor yet from the         
,prophets1 this is an injurious and a   
very  spiteful dealing4  ,with this     
sword did ,christ put off the devil when
 ,he  was tempted of him3 with these    
weapons ought all presumption1 which    
doth  advance itself against ,god1 to be

 overthrown and conquered4  ,for all    
,scripture1 saith ,st4 ,paul1 that      
cometh by the inspiration of ,god1 is   
profitable to teach1 to confute1 to     
instruct1 and to reprove1 that the  man 
of ,god may be perfect1 and thoroughly  
framed to every good work4  ,thus did   
the holy fathers always fight against   
the heretics with none  other force than
 with the ,holy ,scriptures4  ,st4      
,augustine1 when he  disputed against   
,petilian1 a heretic of the ,donatists3 
,let not these  words1 quoth he1 be     
heard between us1 ',i say1 or you say3' 
let us  rather speak in this wise3      
',thus saith the ,lord4'  ,there let us 
seek the  ,church3 there let us boult   
out our cause4  ,likewise ,st4 ,hierom3 
,all  those things1 saith he1 which     
without the testimony of the ,scriptures
  are holden as delivered from the      
,apostles1 be thoroughly smitten down by
  the sword of ,god's word4  ,st4       
,ambrose also1 to ,gratian the emperor3 
,let  the ,scripture1 saith he1 be asked

 the question1 let the prophets be      
asked1 and let ,christ be asked4  ,for  
at that time made the ,catholic  fathers
 and bishops no doubt but that our      
religion might be proved out of  the    
,holy ,scriptures4  ,neither were they  
ever so hardy as to take any for  a     
heretic whose error they could not      
evidently and apparently reprove by  the
 self-same ,scriptures4  ,and we verily 
do make answer on this wise1 as  ,st4   
,paul did3 ,according to this way which 
they call heresy we do worship  ,god1   
and the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus     
,christ2 and do allow all things  which 
have been written either in the law or  
in the ,prophets1 or in the  ,apostles' 
works4    ,wherefore1 if we be heretics1
 and they 7as they would fain be called7
 be  ,catholics1 why do they not1 as    
they see the fathers1 which were        
,catholic  men1 have always done8  ,why 
do they not convince and master us by   
the  ,divine ,scriptures8  ,why do they 
not call us again to be tried by them8  

,why do they not lay before us how we   
have gone away from ,christ1 from the   
,prophets1 from the ,apostles1 and from 
the holy fathers8  ,why stick they  to  
do it8  ,why are they afraid of it8  ,it
 is ,god's cause4  ,why are they        
doubtful to commit it to the trial of   
,god's word8  ,if we be heretics1  which
 refer all our controversies unto the   
,holy ,scriptures1 and report us  to the
 self-same words which we know were     
sealed by ,god ,himself1 and in         
comparison of them set little by all    
other things1 whatsoever may be  devised
 by men1 how shall we say to these folk1
 ,i pray you what manner of  men be     
they1 and how is it meet to call them1  
which fear the judgment of  the ,holy   
,scriptures--that is to say1 the        
judgment of ,god ,himself--and do       
prefer before them their own dreams and 
full cold inventions2 and1 to  maintain 
their own traditions1 have defaced and  
corrupted1 now these many  hundred      
years1 the ordinances of ,christ and of 

the ,apostles8    ,men say that         
,sophocles1 the tragical poet1 when in  
his old days he was by  his own sons    
accused before the judges for a doting  
and sottish man1 as  one that fondly    
wasted his own substance1 and seemed to 
need a governor  to see unto him2 to the
 intent he might clear himself of the   
fault1 he  came into the place of       
judgment2 and when he had rehearsed     
before them  his tragedy called         
,o,edipus ,coloneus1 which he had       
written at the very  time of his        
accusation1 marvellous exactly and      
cunningly1 did of himself  ask the      
judges whether they thought any sottish 
or doting man could do  the like piece  
of work4    ,in like manner1 because    
these men take us to be mad1 and appeach
 us for  heretics1 as men which have    
nothing to do1 neither with ,christ1 nor
 with  the ,church of ,god1 we have     
judged it should be to good purpose1 and
 not  unprofitable1 if we do openly and 
frankly set forth our faith wherein we  

stand1 and show all that confidence     
which we have in ,christ ,jesu2 to the  
intent all men may see what is our      
judgment of every part of ,christian    
religion1 and may resolve with          
themselves1 whether the faith which they
  shall see confirmed by the words of   
,christ1 by the writings of the         
,apostles1 by the testimonies of the    
,catholic fathers1 and by the examples  
of many ages1 be but a certain rage of  
furious and mad men1 and a  conspiracy  
of heretics4  ,this therefore is our    
belief4        ,,part ,,ii4      ,we    
believe that there is one certain nature
 and ,divine power1 which we  call ,god3
 and that the same is divided into three
 equal ,persons--into the  ,father1 into
 the ,son1 and into the ,holy ,ghost2   
and that ,they all be of  one power1 of 
one majesty1 of one eternity1 of one    
,godhead1 and of one  substance4  ,and  
although these three ,persons be so     
divided1 that neither  the ,father is   
the ,son1 nor the ,son is the ,holy     

,ghost1 or the ,father2 yet1            
nevertheless1 we believe that there is  
but one very ,god1 and that the  same   
one ,god hath created heaven1 and earth1
 and all things contained  under heaven4
    ,we believe that ,jesus ,christ1 the
 only ,son of the eternal ,father 7as   
long  before it was determined before   
all beginnings71 when the fulness of    
time  was come1 did take of that blessed
 and pure ,virgin both flesh and all the
  nature of man1 that ,he might declare 
to the world the secret and hid will  of
 ,his ,father2 which will had been laid 
up from before all ages and             
generations2 and that ,he might full    
finish in ,his human body the mystery   
of our redemption2 and might fasten our 
sins to the cross1 and also that        
handwriting which was made against us4  
,we believe that for our sakes ,he died1
 and was buried1 descended into  hell1  
the third day by the power of ,his      
,godhead returned to life1 and  rose    
again2 and that the fortieth day after  

,his resurrection1 whiles ,his          
disciples beheld and looked upon ,him   
,he ascended into heaven to fulfil  all 
things1 and did place in majesty and    
glory the self-same body  wherewith ,he 
was born1 wherein ,he lived on earth1   
wherein ,he was jested  at1 wherein ,he 
had suffered most painful torments and  
cruel kind of  death1 wherein ,he rose  
again1 and wherein ,he ascended to the  
right hand  of the ,father1 above all   
rule1 above all power1 all force1 all   
dominion1  and above every name that is 
named1 not only in this world1 but also 
in  the world to come3 and that there   
,he now sitteth1 and shall sit1 till    
all things be full perfected4  ,and     
although the ,majesty and ,godhead of   
,christ be everywhere abundantly        
dispersed1 yet we believe that his body1
  as ,st4 ,augustine saith1 must needs  
be still in one place2 and that ,christ 
hath given majesty unto ,his body1 but  
yet hath not taken away from it the     
nature of a body2 and that we must not  

so affirm ,christ to be ,god that we    
deny ,him to be man3 and1 as the ,martyr
 ,vigilius saith1 that ,christ hath     
left us as touching ,his human nature1  
but hath not left us as touching  ,his  
,divine nature2 and that the same       
,christ1 though ,he be absent from us   
concerning ,his manhood1 yet is ever    
present with us concerning his          
,godhead4    ,from that place also we   
believe that ,christ shall come again to
 execute  that general judgment1 as well
 of them whom ,he shall then find alive 
in  the body as of them that be already 
dead4    ,we believe that the ,holy     
,ghost1 who is the third person in the  
,holy  ,trinity1 is very ,god3 not made1
 not created1 not begotten1 but         
proceeding  from both the ,father and   
the ,son1 by a certain mean unknown unto
 men1 and  unspeakable2 and that it is  
,his property to mollify and soften the 
hardness of man's heart when ,he is once
 received thereinto1 either by the      
wholesome preaching of the ,gospel1 or  

by any other way3 that he doth give  men
 light1 and guide them unto the         
knowledge of ,god2 to all way of truth2 
to newness of the whole life2 and to    
everlasting hope of salvation4    99 99 
99 99 99    ,we believe that there is   
one ,church of ,god1 and that the same  
is not shut  up 7as in times past among 
the ,jews7 into some one corner or      
kingdom1 but  that it is catholic and   
universal1 and dispersed throughout the 
whole  world4  ,so that there is now no 
nation which may truly complain that    
they  be shut forth1 and may not be one 
of the ,church and people of ,god3 and  
that this ,church is the kingdom1 the   
body1 and the spouse of ,christ2 and    
that ,christ alone is the ,prince of    
this kingdom2 that ,christ alone is the 
,head of this ,body2 and that ,christ   
alone is the ,bridegroom of this        
spouse4    ,furthermore1 we believe that
 there be divers degrees of ministers in
 the  ,church2 whereof some be deacons1 
some priests1 some bishops2 to whom is  

committed the office to instruct the    
people1 and the whole charge and        
setting forth of religion4  ,yet        
notwithstanding1 we say that there      
neither is1 nor can be any one man1     
which may have the whole superiority  in
 this universal state3 for that ,christ 
is ever present to assist ,his  ,church1
 and needeth not any man to supply ,his 
room1 as ,his only heir to  all ,his    
substance3 and that there can be no one 
mortal creature1 which is  able to      
comprehend or conceive in his mind the  
universal ,church1 that is  to wit1 all 
the parts of the world1 much less able  
rightly and duly to  put them in order1 
and to govern them rightly and duly4    
,for all the  ,apostles1 as ,cyprian    
saith1 were of like power among         
themselves1 and the  rest were the same 
that ,peter was1 and that it said       
indifferently to them  all1 feed ye2    
indifferently to them all1 go into the  
whole world2  indifferently to them all1
 teach ye the ,gospel4  ,and 7as ,hierom

 saith7  all bishops wheresoever they   
be1 be they at ,rome1 be they at        
,eugubium1 be  they at ,constantinople1 
be they at ,rhegium1 be all of like     
pre-eminence1  and of like priesthood4  
,and1 as ,cyprian saith1 there is but   
one  bishopric1 and a piece thereof is  
perfectly and wholly holden of every    
particular bishop4  ,and according to   
the judgment of the ,nicene ,council1   
we say1 that the ,bishop of ,rome hath  
no more jurisdiction over the ,church   
of ,god than the rest of the patriarchs1
 either of ,alexandria1 or of           
,antiochia have4  ,and as for the       
,bishop of ,rome1 who now calleth all   
matters before himself alone1 except he 
do his duty as he ought to do1  except  
he minister the ,sacraments1 except he  
instruct the people1 except  he warn    
them and teach them1 we say that he     
ought not of right once to be  called a 
bishop1 or so much as an elder4  ,for a 
bishop1 as saith  ,augustine1 is a name 
of labour1 and not of honour3 because he

 will have  that man understand himself 
to be no bishop1 which will seek to have
 pre-  eminence1 and not to profit      
others4  ,and that neither the ,pope1   
nor any  other worldly creature can no  
more be head of the whole ,church1 or a 
bishop over all1 than he can be the     
bridegroom1 the light1 the salvation1   
and life of the ,church4  ,for the      
privileges and names belong only to     
,christ1 and be properly and only fit   
for him alone4  ,and that no ,bishop  of
 ,rome did ever suffer himself to be    
called by such a proud name before      
,phocas the emperor's time1 who1 as we  
know1 by killing his own sovereign      
,maurice the emperor1 did by a          
traitorous villainy aspire to the empire
  about the six hundredth and thirteenth
 year after ,christ was born4  ,also    
the ,council of ,carthage did           
circumspectly provide1 that no bishop   
should  be called the highest bishop or 
chief priest4  ,and therefore1 sithence 
the ,bishop of ,rome will nowadays so be

 called1 and challengeth unto  himself  
an authority that is none of his2       
besides that he doth plainly  contrary  
to the ancient councils1 and contrary to
 the old fathers2 we  believe that he   
doth give unto himself1 as it is written
 by his own  companion ,gregory1 a      
presumptuous1 a profane1 a sacrilegious1
 and an  antichristian name3 that he is 
also the king of pride1 that he is      
,lucifer1 which preferreth himself      
before his brethren3 that he hath       
forsaken the faith1 and is the          
forerunner of ,antichrist4    ,further  
we say1 that the minister ought         
lawfully1 duly1 and orderly to be       
preferred to that office of the ,church 
of ,god1 and that no man hath power  to 
wrest himself into the holy ministry at 
his own pleasure and list4  ,wherefore  
these persons do us the greater wrong1  
which have nothing so  common in their  
mouths1 as that we do nothing orderly   
and comely1 but all  things             
troublesomely and without order2 and    

that we allow every man to be  a priest1
 to be a teacher1 and to be an          
interpreter of the ,scriptures4         
,moreover1 we say that ,christ hath     
given to ,his ministers power to bind1  
to loose1 to open1 to shut4  ,and that  
the office of loosing consisteth in     
this point3 that the minister should    
either offer by the preaching of the    
,gospel the merits of ,christ and full  
pardon1 to such as have lowly and       
contrite hearts1 and do unfeignedly     
repent themselves1 pronouncing unto  the
 same a sure and undoubted forgiveness  
of their sins1 and hope of  everlasting 
salvation3 or else that the same        
minister1 when any have  offended their 
brothers' minds with a great offence1   
with a notable and  open fault1 whereby 
they have1 as it were1 banished and made
 themselves  strangers from the common  
fellowship1 and from the body of        
,christ2 then  after perfect amendment  
of such persons1 doth reconcile them1   
and bring  them home again1 and restore 

them to the company and unity of the    
faithful4  ,we say also1 that the       
minister doth execute the authority of  
binding and shutting1 as often as he    
shutteth up the gate of the kingdom  of 
heaven against the unbelieving and      
stubborn persons1 denouncing unto  them 
,god's vengeance1 and everlasting       
punishment3 or else1 when he doth  quite
 shut them out from the bosom of the    
,church by open excommunication4  ,out  
of doubt1 what sentence soever the      
minister of ,god shall give in this     
sort1 ,god ,himself doth so well allow  
of it1 that whatsoever here in earth  by
 their means is loosed and bound1 ,god  
,himself will loose and bind1 and       
confirm the same in heaven4  ,and       
touching the keys1 wherewith they may   
either shut or open the kingdom of      
heaven1 we with ,chrysostom say1 ,they  
be the knowledge of the ,scriptures3    
with ,tertullian we say1 ,they be the   
interpretation of the law3 and with     
,eusebius1 we call them ,the ,word of   

,god4  ,moreover1 that ,christ's        
disciples did receive this authority1   
not  that they should hear the private  
confessions of the people and listen to 
their whisperings1 as the common        
massing-priests do everywhere nowadays1 
and do it so1 as though in that one     
point lay all the virtue and use of  the
 keys3 but to the end they should go1   
they should teach1 they should  publish 
abroad the ,gospel1 and be unto the     
believing a sweet savour of  life unto  
life1 and unto the unbelieving and      
unfaithful a savour of death  unto      
death2 and that the minds of godly      
persons being brought low by the        
remorse of their former life and errors1
 after they once began to look up  unto 
the light of the ,gospel1 and believe in
 ,christ1 might be opened with  the     
,word of ,god1 even as a door is opened 
with a key4  ,contrariwise1 that  the   
wicked and wilful folk1 and such as     
would not believe1 nor return  into the 
right way1 should be left still as fast 

locked1 and shut up1  and1 as ,st4 ,paul
 saith1 wax worse and worse4  ,this take
 we to be the  meaning of the keys2 and 
that after this sort men's consciences  
either be  opened or shut4  ,we say1    
that the priest indeed is a judge in    
this case1  but yet hath no manner of   
right to challenge an authority1 or     
power1 as  saith ,ambrose4  ,and        
therefore our ,saviour ,jesu ,christ1 to
 reprove the  negligence of the ,scribes
 and ,pharisees in teaching1 did with   
these words  rebuke them1 saying3 ,woe  
be unto you ,scribes and ,pharisees1    
which have  taken away the keys of      
knowledge1 and have shut up the kingdom 
of heaven  before men4  ,seeing then the
 key whereby the way and entry to the   
kingdom of ,god is opened unto us1 is   
the word of the ,gospel1 and the        
expounding of the law and ,scriptures2  
we say plainly1 where the same word  is 
not there is not the key4  ,and seeing  
one manner of word is given to  all1 and
 one only key belongeth to all1 we say1 

that there is but one  only power of all
 ministers2 as concerning opening and   
shutting4  ,and as  touching the ,bishop
 of ,rome1 for all his parasites        
flatteringly sing  these words in his   
ears1 ,to thee will ,i give the keys of 
the kingdom of  heaven 7as though those 
keys were fit for him alone1 and for    
nobody  else71 except he go so to work1 
as men's consciences may be made pliant1
  and be subdued to the ,word of ,god1  
we deny that he doth either open1 or    
shut1 or hath the keys at all4  ,and    
although he taught and instructed the   
people 7as would ,god he might once     
truly do1 and persuade himself it were  
at the least some piece of his duty71   
yet we think his key to be never a  whit
 better1 or of greater force than other 
men's4  ,for who hath severed  him from 
the rest8  ,who hath taught him more    
cunningly to open1 or better  to absolve
 than his brethren8    ,we say that     
matrimony is holy and honourable in all 
sorts and states of  persons1 in the    

patriarchs1 in the ,prophets1 in the    
,apostles1 in holy  martyrs1 in the     
ministers of the ,church1 and in        
bishops2 and that it is  an honest and  
lawful thing 7as ,chrysostom saith7 for 
a man1 living in  matrimony1 to take    
upon him therewith the dignity of a     
bishop4  ,and as  ,sozomenus saith of   
,spiridion2 and as ,nazianzen saith of  
his own father1  that a good and        
diligent bishop doth serve in the       
ministry never the  worse for that he is
 married1 but rather the better1 and    
with more  ableness to do good4         
,further1 we say1 that the same law     
which by  constraint taketh away this   
liberty from men1 and compelleth them   
against  their wills to live single1 is 
the doctrine of devils1 as ,paul saith3 
and1 that1 ever sithence the time of    
this law1 a wonderful uncleanness of    
life and manners in ,god's ministers1   
and sundry horrible enormities have     
followed1 as the ,bishop of ,augusta1 as
 ,faber1 as ,abbas ,panormitanus1 as    

,latomus1 as the tripartite work1 which 
is annexed to the second tome of  the   
councils1 and other champions of the    
,pope's band1 yea1 and as the  matter   
itself1 and all histories do confess4   
,for it was rightly said by  ,pius the  
,second1 ,bishop of ,rome1 that he saw  
many causes why wives  should be taken  
away from priests1 but that he saw many 
more1 and more  weighty causes why they 
ought to be restored them again4    99  
99 99 99 99    ,we receive and embrace  
all the canonical ,scriptures1 both of  
the ,old and  ,new ,testament1 giving   
thanks to our ,god1 who hath raised up  
unto us that  light which we might ever 
have before our eyes1 lest either by the
  subtlety of man1 or by the snares of  
the devil1 we should be carried away  to
 errors and lies4  ,also that these be  
the heavenly voices1 whereby ,god  hath 
opened unto us ,his will3 and that only 
in them man's heart can have  settled   
rest2 that in them be abundantly and    
fully comprehended all  things1         

whatsoever be needful for our salvation1
 as ,origen1 ,augustine1  ,chrysostom1  
and ,cyrillus have taught3 that they be 
the very might and  strength of ,god to 
attain to salvation3 that they be the   
foundations of  the ,prophets and       
,apostles1 whereupon is built the       
,church of ,god3 that  they be the very 
sure and infallible rule1 whereby may be
 tried1 whether  the ,church do stagger1
 or err1 and whereunto all              
ecclesiastical doctrine  ought to be    
called to account3 and that against     
these ,scriptures neither  law1 nor     
ordinance1 nor any custom ought to be   
heard3 no1 though ,paul his  own self1  
or an angel from heaven1 should come and
 teach the contrary4    99 99 99 99 99  
,moreover1 we allow the ,sacraments of  
the ,church1 that is to say1 certain    
holy signs and ceremonies1 which ,christ
 would we should use1 that by them  ,he 
might set before our eyes the mysteries 
of our salvation1 and might  more       
strongly confirm our faith which we have

 in ,his blood1 and might  seal ,his    
grace in our hearts4  ,and these        
,sacraments1 together with  ,tertullian1
 ,origen1 ,ambrose1 ,hierom1            
,chrysostom1 ,basil1 ,dionysius1 and    
other ,catholic fathers1 do we call     
figures1 signs1 marks or badges1        
prints1 copies1 forms1 seals1 signets1  
similitudes1 patterns1  representations1
 remembrances and memories4  ,and we    
make no doubt1  together with the same  
doctors1 to say1 that these be certain  
visible  words1 seals of righteousness1 
tokens of grace3 and do expressly       
pronounce1 that in the ,lord's ,supper  
there is truly given unto the  believing
 the body and blood of the ,lord1 the   
flesh of the ,son of ,god1  which       
quickeneth our souls1 the meat that     
cometh from above1 the food of          
immortality1 grace1 truth1 and life1 and
 the ,supper to be the communion  of the
 body and blood of ,christ2 by the      
partaking whereof we be revived1  we be 
strengthened1 and be fed unto           

immortality2 and whereby we are  joined1
 united1 and incorporate unto ,christ1  
that we may abide in ,him1  and ,he in  
us4    ,besides1 we acknowledge there be
 two ,sacraments1 which1 we judge1      
properly ought to be called by this     
name2 that is to say1 ,baptism and the  
,sacrament of thanksgiving4  ,for thus  
many we say were delivered and          
sanctified by ,christ1 and well allowed 
of the old fathers1 ,ambrose and        
,augustine4    99 99 99 99 99    ,we say
 that ,baptism is a ,sacrament of the   
remission of sins1 and of that  washing1
 which we have in the blood of ,christ2 
and that no person which  will profess  
,christ's ,name ought to be restrained  
or kept back therefrom2  no1 not the    
very babes of ,christians2 forsomuch as 
they be born in sin1  and do pertain    
unto the people of ,god4    ,we say1    
that ,eucharistia1 that is to say the   
,supper of the ,lord1 is a  ,sacrament2 
that is to wit1 an evident token of the 
body and blood of  ,christ1 wherein is  

set1 as it were1 before our eyes1 the   
death of ,christ  and ,his resurrection1
 and what act soever ,he did whilst ,he 
was in ,his  mortal body3 to the end we 
may give ,him thanks for ,his death1 and
 for our  deliverance3 and that1 by the 
often receiving of this ,sacrament1 we  
may  daily renew the remembrance of that
 matter1 to the intent we1 being fed    
with the true body and blood of ,christ1
 may be brought into the hope of  the   
resurrection and of everlasting life1   
and may most assuredly believe  that the
 body and blood of ,christ doth in like 
manner feed our souls1 as  bread and    
wine doth feed our bodies4  ,to this    
banquet we think the people  of ,god    
ought to be earnestly bidden1 that they 
may all communicate among  themselves1  
and openly declare and testify both the 
godly society which  is among them1 and 
also the hope which they have in ,christ
 ,jesu4  ,for  this cause if there had  
been any which would be but a looker-on1
 and  abstain from the ,holy ,communion1

 him did the old fathers and bishops of 
,rome in the primitive ,church1 before  
private mass came up1 excommunicate  as 
a wicked person and as a pagan4         
,neither was there any ,christian at    
that time which did communicate alone1  
whiles other looked on4  ,for so  did   
,calixtus in times past decree1 that    
after the consecration was  finished1   
all should communicate1 except they had 
rather stand without  the church-doors2 
because thus 7saith he7 did the         
,apostles appoint1 and  the same the    
holy ,church of ,rome keepeth still4    
,moreover1 when the people cometh to the
 ,holy ,communion1 the ,sacrament  ought
 to be given them in both kinds3 for so 
both ,christ hath commanded1  and the   
,apostles in every place have ordained1 
and all the ancient  fathers and        
,catholic bishops have followed the     
same4  ,and whoso doth  contrary to     
this1 he 7as ,gelasius saith7 committeth
 sacrilege4  ,and  therefore we say1    
that our adversaries at this day1 who   

having violently  thrust out1 and quite 
forbidden the ,holy ,communion1 do1     
without the word  of ,god1 without the  
authority of any ancient council1       
without any  ,catholic father1 without  
any example of the primitive ,church1   
yea1 and  without reason also1 defend   
and maintain their private masses1 and  
the  mangling of the ,sacraments1 and do
 this not only against the plain        
express commandment and bidding of      
,christ1 but also against all           
antiquity1 do wickedly therein1 and are 
very ,church robbers4    ,we affirm that
 bread and wine are holy and heavenly   
mysteries of the body  and blood of     
,christ1 and that by them ,christ       
,himself1 being the true  bread of      
eternal life1 is so presently given unto
 us as that by faith we  verily receive 
his body and his blood4  ,yet say we not
 this so1 as though  we thought that the
 nature and substance of the bread and  
wine is clearly  changed and goeth to   
nothing3 as many have dreamed in these  

later times1  which yet could never     
agree among themselves1 of this their   
dream4  ,for  that was not ,christ's    
meaning1 that the wheaten bread should  
lay apart  his own nature1 and receive a
 certain new divinity3 but that he might
  rather change us1 and 7to use         
,theophylact's words7 might transform us
  into ,his body4  ,for what can be said
 more plainly1 than that which  ,ambrose
 saith3 ,bread and wine remain still the
 same they were before1  and yet are    
changed into another thing3 or1 that    
which ,gelasius saith3  ,the substance  
of the bread1 or the nature of the wine1
 ceaseth not so to  be3 or1 that which  
,theodoret saith3 ,after the            
consecration the mystical  signs do not 
cast off their own proper nature2 for   
they remain still on  their former      
substance1 form1 and kind3 or that which
 ,augustine saith3  ,that which ye see  
is the bread and cup1 for so our eyes   
tell us3 but  that which your faith     
requireth to be taught1 is this3 the    

bread is the  body of ,christ1 and the  
cup is ,his blood3 or that which ,origen
 saith3  ,the bread which is sanctified 
by the ,word of ,god1 as touching the   
material substance thereof1 goeth into  
the belly1 and is cast out into  the    
privy3 or that which ,christ ,himself   
said1 not only after the  blessing of   
the cup1 but after he had ministered the
 communion3 ,i will  drink no more of   
this fruit of the vine4  ,it is well    
known that the  fruit of the vine is    
wine1 and not blood4    ,and in speaking
 thus1 we mean not to abase the ,lord's 
,supper1 that it is  but a cold ceremony
 only1 and nothing to be wrought therein
 7as many  falsely slander us we teach74
  ,for we affirm1 that ,christ doth     
truly and  presently give ,his own self 
in ,his ,sacraments2 in ,baptism1 that  
we may  put ,him on2 and in ,his        
,supper1 that we may eat ,him by faith  
and spirit1  and may have everlasting   
life by ,his ,cross and blood4  ,and we 
say not1  this is done slightly and     

coldly1 but effectually and truly4  ,for
  although we do not touch the body of  
,christ with teeth and mouth1 yet we    
hold ,him fast1 and eat ,him by faith1  
by understanding1 and by the ,spirit4   
,and it is no vain faith which doth     
comprehend ,christ3 and that is not     
received with cold devotion1 that is    
received with understanding1 with       
faith1 and with spirit4  ,for ,christ   
,himself altogether is so offered and   
given us in these mysteries1 that we may
 certainly know we be flesh of  ,his    
flesh1 and bone of ,his bones2 and that 
,christ continueth in us1 and  we in    
,him4  ,and therefore in celebrating    
these mysteries1 the people are  to good
 purpose exhorted before they come to   
receive the ,holy ,communion1  to lift  
up their hearts1 and to direct their    
minds to heavenward3 because  ,he is    
there1 by whom we must be full fed1 and 
live4  ,cyril saith1 when we  come to   
receive these mysteries1 all gross      
imaginations must quite be  banished4   

,the ,council of ,nice1 as is alleged by
 some in ,greek1 plainly  forbiddeth us 
to be basely affectioned1 or bent toward
 the bread and  wine1 which are set     
before us4  ,and1 as ,chrysostom very   
aptly writeth1 we  say1 that the body of
 ,christ is the dead carcase1 and we    
ourselves must  be the eagles1 meaning  
thereby that we must fly high1 if we    
will come  unto the body of ,christ4    
,for this table1 as ,chrysostom saith1  
is a  table of eagles1 and not of jays4 
,cyprian also1 ,this bread1 saith he1   
is the food of the soul1 and not the    
meat of the belly4  ,and ,augustine1    
,how shall ,i hold ,him1 saith he1 which
 is absent8  ,how shall ,i reach my     
hand up to heaven1 to lay hold upon ,him
 that sitteth there8  ,he  answereth1   
,reach hither thy faith1 and then thou  
hast laid hold on ,him4    ,we cannot   
also away in our churches with the      
shows1 and sales1 and buying  and       
selling of masses1 nor the carrying     
about and worshipping of bread3  nor    

such other idolatrous and blasphemous   
fondness3 which none of them  can prove 
that ,christ or ,his ,apostles did ever 
ordain1 or left unto us4  ,and we justly
 blame the bishops of ,rome1 who1       
without the word of ,god1  without the  
authority of the holy fathers1 without  
any example of  antiquity1 after a new  
guise1 do not only set before the people
 the  sacramental bread to be worshipped
 as ,god1 but do also carry about the   
same upon an ambling horse1             
whithersoever themselves journey1 as in 
old  times the ,persians' fire1 and the 
relics of the goddess ,isis1 were       
solemnly carried about in procession3   
and have brought the ,sacraments of     
,christ to be used now as a stage play  
and a solemn sight3 to the end1  that   
men's eyes should be fed with nothing   
else but with mad gazings and  foolish  
gauds1 in the self-same matter1 wherein 
the death of ,christ ought  diligently  
to be beaten into our hearts1 and       
wherein also the mysteries  of our      

redemption ought with all holiness and  
reverence to be executed4    ,besides1  
where they say1 and sometimes do        
persuade fools1 that they are  able by  
their masses to distribute and apply    
unto men's commodity all the  merits of 
,christ's death1 yea1 although many     
times the parties think  nothing of the 
matter1 and understand full little what 
is done1 this is a  mockery1 an         
heathenish fancy1 and a very toy4  ,for 
it is our faith that  applieth the death
 and cross of ,christ to our benefit1   
and not the act of  the massing priest4 
,faith had in the ,sacraments1 saith    
,augustine1  doth justify1 and not the  
,sacraments4  ,and ,origen saith1       
,christ is the  ,priest1 the            
,propitiation1 and ,sacrifice3 which    
,propitiation cometh to  every one by   
means of faith4  ,so that by this       
reckoning1 we say that the  ,sacraments 
of ,christ without faith do not once    
profit these that be  alive2 a great    
deal less do they profit those that be  

dead4    ,and as for their brags they   
are wont to make of their purgatory1    
though  we know it is not a thing so    
very late risen amongst them1 yet is it 
no  better than a blockish and an old   
wives' device4  ,augustine1 indeed1     
sometime saith1 there is such a certain 
place3 sometime he denieth not1  but    
there may be such a one2 sometime he    
doubteth2 sometime again he  utterly    
denieth it to be1 and thinketh that men 
are therein deceived by a  certain      
natural good will they bear their       
friends departed4  ,but yet of  this one
 error hath there grown up such a       
harvest of these mass-mongers1  the     
masses being sold abroad commonly in    
every corner1 the temples of ,god       
became shops to get money3 and silly    
souls were persuaded that nothing  was  
more necessary to be bought4  ,indeed1  
there was nothing more gainful  for     
these men to sell4    ,as touching the  
multitude of vain and superfluous       
ceremonies1 we know  that ,augustine did

 grievously complain of them in his own 
time3 and  therefore have we cut off a  
great number of them1 because we know   
that  men's consciences were cumbered   
about them1 and the churches of ,god    
overladen with them4    ,nevertheless we
 keep still1 and esteem1 not only those 
ceremonies which  we are sure were      
delivered us from the ,apostles1 but    
some others too  besides1 which we      
thought might be suffered without hurt  
to the ,church of  ,god3 because that we
 had a desire that all things in the    
holy  congregation might 7as ,st4 ,paul 
commandeth7 be done with comeliness and 
in good order4  ,but as for all those   
things which we saw were either  very   
superstitious1 or wholly unprofitable1  
or noisome1 or mockeries1 or  contrary  
to the ,holy ,scriptures1 or else       
unseemly for honest or discreet  folks1 
as there be an infinite number nowadays 
where papistry is used2  these1 ,i say1 
we have utterly refused without all     
manner exception1  because we would not 

have the right worshipping of ,god any  
longer denied  with such follies4    ,we
 make our prayers in that tongue which  
all our people1 as meet is1 may         
understand1 to the end they may 7as     
,paul counselleth us7 take common       
commodity by common prayer1 even as all 
the holy fathers and ,catholic  bishops1
 both in the ,old and ,new ,testament1  
did used to pray themselves1  and taught
 the people to pray too1 lest1 as       
,augustine saith1 like  parrots and     
ousels we should seem to speak that we  
understand not4    ,neither have we any 
other mediator and intercessor1 by whom 
we may have  access to ,god the ,father1
 than ,jesus ,christ1 in whose only     
,name all  things are obtained at ,his  
,father's hand4  ,but it is a shameful  
part1 and  full of infidelity1 that we  
see every whore used in the churches of 
our  adversaries1 not only in that they 
will have innumerable sorts of          
mediators1 and that utterly without the 
authority of ,god's word 7so that1  as  

,jeremy saith1 ,the saints be now as    
many in number1 or rather above  the    
number of the cities2 and poor men      
cannot tell to which saint it  were best
 to turn them first2 and though there be
 so many as they cannot  be told1 yet   
every one of them hath his peculiar duty
 and office assigned  unto him of these 
folks1 what thing they ought to ask1    
what to give1 and  what to bring to     
pass73 but besides this also1 in that   
they do not only  wickedly1 but also    
shamefully1 call upon the ,blessed      
,virgin1 ,christ's  mother1 to have her 
remember that she is the mother1 and to 
command her  ,son1 and to use a mother's
 authority over ,him4    ,we say also1  
that every person is born in sin1 and   
leadeth his life in  sin3 that nobody is
 able truly to say his heart is clean3  
that the most  righteous person is but  
an unprofitable servant3 that the law of
 ,god is  perfect1 and requireth of us  
perfect and full obedience3 that we are 
able  by no means to fulfil that law in 

this worldly life3 that there is no one 
mortal creature which can be justified  
by his own deserts in ,god's sight3  and
 therefore that our only succour and    
refuge is to fly to the mercy of  our   
,father by ,jesu ,christ1 and assuredly 
to persuade our minds that ,he is  the  
obtainer of forgiveness for our sins2   
and that by ,his blood all our  spots of
 sin be washed clean3 that ,he hath     
pacified and set at one1 all  things by 
the blood of ,his ,cross3 that ,he by   
the same one only ,sacrifice1  which ,he
 once offered upon the ,cross1 hath     
brought to effect and  fulfilled all    
things1 and that for that cause ,he     
said1 when ,he gave up  the ghost1 ,it  
is finished1 as though ,he would        
signify1 that the price  and ransom was 
now full paid for the sin of all        
mankind4  ,if there be  any1 then1 that 
think this ,sacrifice not sufficient1   
let them go1 in  ,god's ,name1 and seek 
another that is better4  ,we1 verily1   
because we know  this to be the only    

,sacrifice1 are well content with it    
alone and look  for none other3 and1    
forasmuch as it was to be offered but   
once1 we  command it not to be renewed  
again3 and because it was full and      
perfect  in all points and parts1 we do 
not ordain in place thereof any         
continual  succession of offerings4     
,besides1 though we say1 we have no meed
 at all by our own works and  deeds1 but
 appoint all the means of our salvation 
to be in ,christ alone1  yet say we not1
 that for this cause men ought to live  
loosely and  dissolutely3 nor that it is
 enough for a ,christian to be baptised 
only  and to believe3 as though there   
were nothing else required at his hand4 
,for true faith is lively1 and can in no
 wise be idle4    ,thus therefore teach 
we the people1 that ,god hath called us1
 not to  follow riot and wantonness1    
but1 as ,st4 ,paul saith1 unto good     
works1 to  walk in them3 that ,god hath 
plucked us out from the power of        
darkness1  to the end that we should    

serve the living ,god2 to cut away all  
the  remnants of sin1 and to work our   
salvation in fear and trembling3 that   
it may appear1 how that the ,spirit of  
sanctification is in our bodies1  and   
that ,christ ,himself doth dwell in our 
hearts4    ,to conclude1 we believe1    
that this our self-same flesh wherein we
 live1  although it die1 and come to    
dust1 yet at the last day it shall      
return  again to life1 by the means of  
,christ's ,spirit which dwelleth in us3 
and  that then verily1 whatsoever we    
suffer here in the meanwhile for ,his   
sake1 ,christ will wipe away all tears  
and lamentation from our eyes3 and  that
 we through ,him shall enjoy everlasting
 life1 and shall for ever be  with ,him 
in glory4  ,so be it4        ,,part     
,,iii4      ,behold these are the       
horrible heresies1 for the which1 a good
 part of the  world is at this day      
condemned by the ,bishop of ,rome2 and  
yet were never  heard to plead their    
cause4  ,he should have commenced his   

suit rather  against ,christ1 against   
the ,apostles1 and against the holy     
fathers4  ,for  these things did not    
only proceed from them1 but were also   
appointed by  them3 except perhaps these
 men will say 7as ,i think they will    
indeed71  that ,christ never instituted 
the ,holy ,communion to be divided      
amongst the  faithful2 or that ,christ's
 ,apostles and the ancient fathers said 
private  masses in every corner of the  
temples1 now ten1 now twenty together in
  one day3 or that ,christ and ,his     
,apostles banished all the common people
  from the ,sacrament of ,his blood3 or 
that the thing1 which they themselves   
do at this day everywhere1 and do it so 
as they condemn him for a heretic  which
 doth otherwise1 is not called of       
,gelasius1 their own doctor1 plain      
sacrilege3 or that these be not the very
 words of ,ambrose1 ,augustine1         
,gelasius1 ,theodoret1 ,chrysostom1 and 
,origen3 ,the bread and wine in the     
,sacraments remain still the same they  

were before3 ,the thing which is  seen  
upon the ,holy ,table is bread2 ,there  
ceaseth not to be still the  substance  
of bread1 and nature of wine2 ,the      
substance and nature of  bread are not  
changed2 ,the self-same bread1 as       
touching the material  substance1 goeth 
into the belly1 and is cast out into the
 privy3 or that  ,christ1 the ,apostles1
 and holy fathers prayed not in that    
tongue which  the people might          
understand3 or that ,christ hath not    
performed all things  by that one       
offering which ,he once offered3 or that
 the same sacrifice  was unperfect1 and 
so now we have need of another4  ,all   
these things must  they of necessity    
say1 unless perchance they had rather   
say thus1 that  all law and right is    
locked up in the treasury of the ,pope's
 breast1  and that1 as once one of his  
soothing pages and claw-backs did not   
stick  to say1 ,the ,pope is able to    
dispense against the ,apostles2 against 
a  council1 and against the canons and  

rules of the ,apostles3 and that he is  
not bound to stand neither to the       
examples1 nor to the ordinances1 nor to 
the laws of ,christ4  ,we1 for our part1
 have learned these things of  ,christ1 
of the ,apostles1 of the devout fathers3
 and do sincerely1 with  good faith1    
teach the people of ,god the same4      
,which thing is the only  cause why we  
at this day are called heretics of the  
chief prelates 7no  doubt7 of religion4 
,o immortal ,god6 hath ,christ ,himself1
 then1 the ,apostles1 and so many       
fathers all at once gone astray8  ,were 
then ,origen1 ,ambrose1 ,augustine1     
,chrysostom1 ,gelasius1 ,theodoret1     
forsakers of the ,catholic faith8 was so
  notable a consent of so many ancient  
bishops and learned men nothing else    
but a conspiracy of heretics8 or is that
 now condemned in us1 which was  then   
commended in them8 or is the thing now1 
by alteration only of men's  affections1
 suddenly become schismatic1 which in   
them was counted  ,catholic8 or shall   

that which in times past was true1 now  
by-and-by1  because it liketh not these 
men1 be judged false8 let them then     
bring  forth another ,gospel1 and let   
them show the causes why these things1  
which so long have openly been observed 
and well-allowed in the ,church of      
,god1 ought now in the end to be called 
in again4  ,we know well enough  that   
the same word which was opened by       
,christ1 and spread abroad by the       
,apostles1 is sufficient both1 our      
salvation and all truth1 to uphold and  
maintain2 and also to confound all      
manner of heresy4  ,by that word only   
do we condemn all sorts of the old      
heretics1 whom these men say we have    
called out of hell again4  ,as for the  
,arians1 the ,eutychians1 the           
,marcionites1 the ,ebionites1 the       
,valentinians1 the ,carpocratians1 the  
,tatians1 the ,novatians1 and shortly   
all them which have a wicked opinion1   
either of ,god the ,father1 or of       
,christ1 or of the ,holy ,ghost1 or of  

any  other point of ,christian religion1
 forsomuch as they be confuted by the   
,gospel of ,christ1 we plainly pronounce
 them for detestable and castaway       
persons1 and defy them even unto the    
devil4  ,neither do we leave them so1   
but we also severely and straitly hold  
them in by lawful and politic           
punishments1 if they fortune to break   
out anywhere1 and bewray  themselves4   
,indeed1 we grant that certain new and  
very strange sects1 as the              
,anabaptists1 ,libertines1 ,menonians1  
and ,zuenckfeldians1 have been  stirring
 in the world ever since the ,gospel did
 first spring4  ,but the  world seeth   
now right well1 thanks be given to our  
,god1 that we neither  have bred1 nor   
taught1 nor kept up these monsters4  ,in
 good fellowship1 ,i  pray thee1        
whosoever thou be1 read our books3 they 
are to be sold in  every place4  ,what  
hath there ever been written by any of  
our company  which might plainly bear   
with the madness of any of those        

heretics4  ,nay1  ,i say unto you1 there
 is no country this day so free from    
their pestilent  infections1 as they be1
 wherein the ,gospel is freely and      
commonly taught4  ,so that if they weigh
 the very matter with earnest and       
upright  advisement1 this thing is a    
great argument1 that this same is the   
very  truth of the ,gospel of ,christ1  
which we do teach4  ,for lightly neither
 is  cockle wont to grow without the    
wheat1 nor yet the chaff without the    
corn4  ,for from the very ,apostles'    
times1 who knoweth not how many         
heresies did rise up even together so   
soon1 as the ,gospel was first  spread  
abroad8  ,who ever had heard tell of    
,simon1 ,menander1 ,saturninus1         
,basilides1 ,carpocrates1 ,cerinthus1   
,ebion1 ,valentinus1 ,secundus1         
,marcosius1 ,colorbasius1 ,heracleo1    
,lucianus1 and ,severus1 before the     
,apostles were sent abroad8  ,but why   
stand we reckoning up these8            
,epiphanius rehearseth up fourscore     

sundry heresies2 and ,augustine many    
more1 which sprang up even together with
 the ,gospel8  ,what then8  ,was the    
,gospel therefore not the ,gospel1      
because heresies sprang up withal8 or   
was ,christ therefore not ,christ8  ,and
 yet1 as we said1 doth not this  great  
crop and heap of heresies grow up       
amongst us1 which do openly1  abroad1   
and frankly teach the ,gospel4  ,these  
poisons take their  beginnings1 their   
increasings1 and strength1 amongst our  
adversaries1 in  blindness and in       
darkness1 amongst whom truth is with    
cruelty and tyranny  kept under1 and    
cannot be heard but in corners and      
secret meetings4  ,but  let them make a 
proof3 let them give the ,gospel free   
passage3 let the  truth of ,jesu ,christ
 give his clear light1 and stretch forth
 ,his bright  beams into all parts3 and 
then shall they forthwith see how all   
these  shadows straight will vanish and 
pass away at the light of the ,gospel1  
even as the thick mist of the night     

consumeth at the sight of the sun4  ,for
 whilst these men sit still1 and make   
merry and do nothing1 we  continually   
repress and put back all those heresies 
which they falsely  charge us to nourish
 and maintain4    ,where they say1 that 
we have fallen into sundry sects1 and   
would be  called some of us ,lutherians1
 and some of us ,zuinglians1 and cannot 
yet  well agree among ourselves touching
 the whole substance of doctrine3 what  
would these men have said1 if they had  
been in the first times of the          
,apostles and holy fathers1 when one    
said1 ,i hold of ,paul2 another1 ,i     
hold of ,cephas2 another1 ,i hold of    
,apollo2 when ,paul did so sharply      
rebuke ,peter2 when1 upon a falling out1
 ,barnabas departed from ,paul2  when1  
as ,origen mentioneth1 the ,christians  
were divided into so many  factions1 as 
that they kept no more but the name of  
,christians in common  among them1 being
 in no manner of thing else like unto   
,christians2 when1  as ,socrates saith1 

for their dissensions and sundry sects  
they were  laughed and jested at openly 
of the people in the common game-plays2 
when1 as ,constantine the emperor       
affirmeth1 there were such a number of  
variances and brawlings in the ,church1 
that it might justly seem a misery  far 
passing all the former miseries2 when   
also ,theophilus1 ,epiphanius1          
,chrysostom1 ,augustine1 ,ruffine1      
,hierom1 being all ,christians1 being   
all  fathers1 being all ,catholics1 did 
strive one against another with most    
bitter and remediless contentions       
without end2 when1 as saith ,nazianzen1 
the parts of one body were consumed and 
wasted one of another2 when the  east   
part was divided from the west1 only for
 leavened bread and only for  keeping of
 ,easter ,day2 which were indeed no     
great matters to be strived  for2 and   
when in all councils new creeds and new 
decrees continually were  devised4      
,what would these men 7trow ye7 have    
said in those days8 which  side would   

they specially then have taken8 and     
which would they then have  forsaken8   
which ,gospel would they have believed8 
whom would they have  accounted for     
heretics1 and whom for ,catholics8  ,and
 yet what a stir and  revel keep they at
 this time upon two poor names only of  
,luther and  ,zuinglius8  ,because these
 two men do not yet fully agree upon    
some one  point1 therefore would they   
needs have us think that both of them   
were  deceived2 that neither of them had
 the ,gospel2 and that neither of them  
taught the truth aright4    ,but1 good  
,god1 what manner of fellows be these   
which blame us for  disagreeing8  ,and  
do all they themselves1 ween you1 agree 
well together8  ,is every one of them   
fully resolved what to follow8  ,hath   
there been no  strifes1 no debates1 no  
quarrels among them at no time8  ,why   
then do the  ,scotists and the          
,thomists1 about that they call meritum 
congrui and  meritum condigni1 no better
 agree together8  ,why agree they no    

better  among themselves concerning     
original sin in the ,blessed ,virgin8   
concerning a solemn vow and a single    
vow8  ,why say the canonists1 that      
auricular confession is appointed by the
 positive law of man3 and the  schoolmen
 contrariwise1 that it is appointed by  
the law of ,god8  ,why doth  ,albertus  
,pighius dissent from ,cajetanus8  ,why 
doth ,thomas dissent from  ,lombardus1  
,scotus from ,thomas1 ,occamus from     
,scotus1 ,alliacensis ed4 #aefd         
,alliensis from ,occamus8  ,and why do  
the ,nominals disagree from the  ,reals8
  ,and yet say ,i nothing of so many    
diversities of friars and monks2  how   
some of them put a great holiness in    
eating of fish1 and some in  eating of  
herbs2 some in wearing of shoes1 and    
some in wearing of  sandals2 some in    
going in a linen garment1 and some in a 
woollen2 some of  them called white1    
some black2 some being shaven broad1 and
 some narrow3  some stalking abroad upon
 pattens1 some barefooted2 some girt1   

and some  ungirt4  ,they ought1 ,i wiss1
 to remember1 how there be some of their
 own  company which say1 that the body  
of ,christ is in ,his ,supper naturally3
  contrary1 other some of the self-same 
company deny it to be so4  ,again1  that
 there be other of them1 which say1 the 
body of ,christ in the ,holy  ,communion
 is rent and torn with our teeth3 and   
some again that deny the  same4  ,some  
also of them there be1 which write that 
the body of ,christ is  quantum in the  
,eucharistia2 that is to say1 hath his  
perfect quantity  in the ,sacrament2    
some other again say nay4  ,that there  
be others of them  which say ,christ did
 consecrate with a certain ,divine      
power3 some1 that  he did the same with 
,his blessing3 some again that say1 ,he 
did it with  uttering five solemn chosen
 words3 and some1 with rehearsing the   
same  words afterward again4  ,some will
 have it1 that1 when ,christ did speak  
those five words1 the material wheaten  
bread was pointed by this  demonstrative

 pronoun hoc3 some had rather have1 that
 a certain vagum  individuum1 as they   
term it1 was meant thereby4  ,again1    
others there be  that say dogs and mice 
may truly and in very deed eat the body 
of ,christ2  and others again there be  
that steadfastly deny it4  ,there be    
others1  which say1 that the very       
accidents of bread and wine may nourish3
 others  again there be which say1 how  
that the substance of bread doth return 
again4  ,what need ,i say more8  ,it    
were overlong and tedious to reckon up  
all things4  ,so very uncertain1 and    
full of controversies1 is yet the  whole
 form of these men's religion and       
doctrine1 even amongst themselves1  from
 whence it did first spring and begin4  
,for hardly at any time do  they well   
agree between themselves3 except it be  
peradventure as1 in  times past1 the    
,pharisees and ,sadducees2 or as ,herod 
and ,pilate did  accord against ,christ4
    ,they were best1 therefore1 to go   
and set peace at home rather among their

  own selves4  ,of a truth1 unity and   
concord doth best become religion3 yet  
is not unity the sure and certain mark  
whereby to know the ,church of ,god4    
,for there was the greatest consent that
 might be amongst them that  worshipped 
the golden calf2 and among them which   
with one voice jointly  cried against   
our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 ,crucify   
,him4  ,neither1 because  the           
,corinthians were unquieted with private
 dissensions3 or because ,paul  did     
square with ,peter1 or ,barnabas with   
,paul3 or1 because the ,christians1     
upon the very beginning of the ,gospel1 
were at mutual discord touching  some   
one matter or other1 may we therefore   
think there was no ,church of  ,god     
amongst them4  ,and as for those        
persons1 whom they upon spite call      
,zuinglians and ,lutherians1 in very    
deed they of both sides be ,christians1 
good friends and brethren4  ,they vary  
not betwixt themselves upon the         
principles and foundations of our       

religion1 nor as touching ,god1 nor     
,christ1 nor the ,holy ,ghost1 nor of   
the means of justification1 nor yet     
everlasting life1 but upon one only     
question1 which is neither weighty  nor 
great3 neither mistrust we1 or make     
doubt at all1 but they will  shortly be 
agreed4  ,and if there be any of them   
which have other opinion  than is meet1 
we doubt not but ere it be long they    
will put apart all  affections and names
 of parties1 and that ,god will reveal  
it unto them3  so that by better        
considering and searching out of the    
matter1 as once it  came to pass in the 
,council of ,chalcedon1 all causes and  
seeds of  dissension shall be thoroughly
 plucked up by the root1 and be buried1 
and  quite forgotten for ever4  ,which  
,god grant4    ,but this is the most    
grievous and heavy case1 that they call 
us wicked  and ungodly men1 and say we  
have thrown away all care of religion4  
,though  this ought not to trouble us   
much1 whilst they themselves that thus  

have  charged us know full well how     
spiteful and false a saying it is3 for  
,justin the martyr is a witness1 how    
that all ,christians were called  ,greek
 text1 that is1 godless1 as soon as the 
,gospel first began to be  published1   
and the ,name of ,christ to be openly   
declared4  ,and when  ,polycarpus stood 
to be judged1 the people stirred up the 
president to  slay and murder all them  
which professed the ,gospel1 with these 
words1  ,greek text1 that is to say1    
,rid out of the way these wicked and    
godless creatures4  ,and this was not   
because it was true that the            
,christians were godless1 but because   
they would not worship stones and       
stocks which were then honoured as ,god4
  ,the whole world seeth plainly  enough
 already1 what we and ours have endured 
at these men's hands for  religion and  
our only ,god's cause4  ,they have      
thrown us into prison1 into  water1 into
 fire1 and imbrued themselves in our    
blood3 not because we  were either      

adulterers1 or robbers1 or murderers1   
but only for that we  confessed the     
,gospel of ,jesu ,christ1 and put our   
confidence in the living  ,god2 and for 
that we complained too justly and truly 
7,lord1 thou  knowest71 that they did   
break the law of ,god for their own most
 vain  traditions2 and that our         
adversaries were the very foes to the   
,gospel1  and enemies to ,christ's      
,cross1 who so wittingly and willingly  
did  obstinately despise ,god's         
commandments4    ,wherefore1 when these 
men saw they could not rightly find     
fault with our  doctrine1 they would    
needs pick a quarrel and inveigh and    
rail against  our manners1 surmising1   
how that we do condemn all well-doings3 
that we  set open the door to all       
licentiousness and lust1 and lead away  
the  people from all love of virtue4    
,and in very deed1 the life of all men1 
even of the devoutest and most          
,christian1 both is1 and evermore hath  
been1 such as one may always find some  

lack1 even in the very best and  purest 
conversation4  ,and such is the         
inclination of all creatures unto  evil1
 and the readiness of all men to suspect
 that the things which  neither have    
been done1 nor once meant to be done1   
yet may be easily both  heard and       
credited for true4  ,and like as a small
 spot is soon espied in  the neatest and
 whitest garment1 even so the least     
stain of dishonesty is  easily found out
 in the purest and sincerest life4      
,neither take we all  them which have at
 this day embraced the doctrine of the  
,gospel1 to be  angels1 and to live     
clearly without any mote or wrinkle2 nor
 yet think we  these men either so      
blind1 that if anything may be noted in 
us1 they are  not able to perceive the  
same even through the least crevice3 nor
 so  friendly1 that they will construe  
aught to the best3 nor yet so honest of 
nature nor courteous1 that they will    
look back upon themselves1 and weigh    
our fashions by their own4  ,if so be we

 list to search this matter from  the   
bottom1 we know in the very ,apostles'  
times there were ,christians1  through  
whom the ,name of the ,lord was         
blasphemed and evil spoken of among  the
 ,gentiles4  ,constantius the emperor   
bewaileth1 as it is written in          
,sozomenus1 that many waxed worse after 
they had fallen to the religion of      
,christ4  ,and ,cyprian1 in a lamentable
 oration1 setteth out the corrupt       
manners in his time3 ,the wholesome     
discipline1 saith he1 which the         
,apostles left unto us1 hath idleness   
and long rest now utterly marred3       
everyone studied to increase his        
livelihood2 and clean forgetting either 
what they had done before whilst they   
were under the ,apostles1 or what  they 
ought continually to do1 having received
 the faith they earnestly  laboured to  
make great their own wealth with an     
unsatiable desire of  covetousness4     
,there is no devout religion1 saith he1 
in priests1 no  sound faith in          

ministers1 no charity showed in good    
works1 no form of  godliness in their   
conditions3 men are become effeminate1  
and women's  beauty is counterfeited4   
,and before his days1 said ,tertullian1 
,o how  wretched be we1 which are called
 ,christians at this time6 for we live  
as  heathens under the ,name of ,christ4
  ,and without reciting of many more    
writers1 ,gregory ,nazianzen speaketh   
thus of the pitiful state of his own    
time3 ,we1 saith he1 are in hatred among
 the heathen for our own vices'  sake2  
we are also become now a wonder1 not    
only to angels and men1 but  even to all
 the ungodly4  ,in this case was the    
,church of ,god1 when the  ,gospel first
 began to shine1 and when the fury of   
tyrants was not as yet  cooled1 nor the 
sword taken off from the ,christians'   
necks4  ,surely it is  no new thing that
 men be but men1 although they be called
 by the name of  ,christians4           
,,part ,,iv4      ,but will these men1  
,i pray you1 think nothing at all of    

themselves1 while  they accuse us so    
maliciously8  ,and while they have      
leisure to behold so  far off1 and see  
both what is done in ,germany and in    
,england1 have they  either forgotten1  
or can they not see what is done at     
,rome8 or be they  our accusers1 whose  
life is such as no man is able to make  
mention  thereof but with shame and     
uncomeliness8  ,our purpose here is1 not
 to  take in hand1 at this present1 to  
bring to light and open to the world    
those things which were meet rather to  
be hid and buried with the workers  of  
them4  ,it beseemeth neither our        
religion1 nor our modesty1 nor our      
shamefastness4  ,but yet he1 which      
giveth commandment that he should be    
called the ,vicar of ,christ1 and the   
,head of the ,church2 who also  heareth 
that such things be done in ,rome1 who  
seeth them1 who suffereth  them 7for we 
will go no further71 he can easily      
consider with himself  what manner of   
things they be4  ,let him on ,god's     

,name call to mind1 let  him remember   
that they be of his own canonists1 which
 have taught the  people that           
fornication between single folk is no   
sin 7as though they had  fette that     
doctrine from ,mitio in ,terence71 whose
 words be3 ,it is no sin  7believe me7  
for a young man to haunt harlots4  ,let 
him remember they be  of his own which  
have decreed1 that a priest ought not to
 be put out of  his cure for            
fornication4  ,let him remember also how
 ,cardinal ,campegius1  ,albertus       
,pighius1 and others many more of his   
own1 have taught1 that the  priest which
 keepeth a concubine doth live more     
holily and chastely  than he which hath 
a wife in matrimony4  ,i trust he hath  
not yet  forgotten that there be many   
thousands of common harlots in ,rome2   
and  that himself doth gather yearly of 
the same harlots upon1 a thirty         
thousand ducats1 by the way of an annual
 pension4  ,neither can he forget1  how 
himself doth maintain openly brothel    

houses1 and by a most filthy  lucre doth
 filthily and lewdly serve his own lust4
  ,were all things then  pure and holy  
in ,rome1 when ,joan a woman1 rather of 
perfect age than of  perfect life1 was  
,pope there1 and bare herself as the    
head of the  ,church3 and after that for
 two whole years in that holy see she   
had  played the naughty pack1 at last1  
going in procession about the city1 in  
the sight of all the cardinals and      
bishops1 fell in travail openly in the  
streets4    ,but what need we rehearse  
concubines and bawds8 as for that is now
 an  ordinary and a gainful sin at      
,rome4  ,for harlots sit there          
now-a-days1  not as they did in times   
past1 without the city walls1 and with  
their  faces hid and covered1 but they  
dwell in palaces and fair houses3 they  
stray about in court and market1 and    
that with bare and open face3 as who    
say1 they may not only lawfully do it1  
but ought also to be praised for  so    
doing4  ,what should we say any more of 

this8  ,their vicious and  abominable   
life is now thoroughly known to the     
whole world4  ,bernard  writeth roundly 
and truly of the ,bishop of ,rome's     
house1 yea1 and of the  ,bishop of ,rome
 himself4  ,thy palace1 saith he1 taketh
 in good men1 but  it maketh none2      
naughty persons thrive there1 and the   
good appayre and  decay4  ,and whosoever
 he were which wrote the ,tripartite    
work1 annexed  to the ,council          
,lateranense1 saith thus3 ,so excessive 
at this day is the  riot1 as well in the
 prelates and bishops as in the clerks  
and priests1  that it is horrible to be 
told4    ,but these things be not only  
grown in ure1 and so by custom and      
continual  time well allowed1 as all the
 rest of their doings in manner be1 but 
they  are now waxen old and rotten ripe4
  ,for who hath not heard what a heinous
  act ,peter ,aloisius1 ,pope ,paul the 
,third's son1 committed against ,cosmus 
,cherius1 the ,bishop of ,fanum2 what   
,john1 ,archbishop of ,beneventum1 the  

,pope's legate at ,venice1 wrote in the 
commendation of a most abominable       
filthiness3 and how he set forth1 with  
most loathsome words and wicked         
eloquence1 the matter which ought not   
once to proceed out of anybody's  mouth6
  ,to whose ears hath it not come1 that 
,n4 ,diasius1 a ,spaniard1  being       
purposely sent from ,rome into ,germany1
 so shamefully and devilishly  murdered 
his own brother ,john ,diasius1 a most  
innocent and a most godly  man1 only    
because he had embraced the ,gospel of  
,jesu ,christ1 and would  not return    
again to ,rome8    ,but it may chance to
 this they will say3 ,these things may  
sometime happen  in the best governed   
commonwealths1 yea1 and against the     
magistrates'  wills3 and besides1 there 
be good laws made to punish such4  ,i   
grant it  be so3 but by what good laws  
7,i would know7 have these great        
mischiefs  been punished amongst them8  
,petrus ,aloisius1 after he had done    
that  notorious act that ,i spake of1   

was always cherished in his father's    
bosom1 ,pope ,paul the ,third1 and made 
his very derling4  ,diasius1 after he   
had murdered his own brother1 was       
delivered by the ,pope's means1 to the  
end he might not be punished by good    
laws4  ,john ,casus1 the ,archbishop of 
,beneventum1 is yet alive1 yea1 and     
liveth at ,rome1 even in the eyes and   
sight of the most holy father4    ,they 
have put to death infinite numbers of   
our brethren1 only because  they        
believed truly and sincerely in ,jesu   
,christ4  ,but of that great and  foul  
number of harlots1 fornicators1         
adulterers1 what one have they at  any  
time 7,i say not killed1 but7 either    
excommunicated1 or once attached8  ,why6
 voluptuousness1 adultery1 ribaldry1    
whoredom1 murdering of kin1  incest1 and
 others more abominable parts1 are not  
these counted sin at  ,rome8  ,or1 if   
they be sin1 ought ,christ's vicar1     
,peter's successor1 the  most holy      
father1 so lightly and slightly to bear 

them1 as though they  were no sin1 and  
that in the city of ,rome1 and in that  
principal tower of  all holiness8    ,o 
holy ,scribes and ,pharisees1 which knew
 not this kind of holiness6 what  a     
,catholic faith is this6  ,peter did not
 thus teach at ,rome3 ,paul did not  so 
live at ,rome3 they did not practise    
brothelry1 which these do openly3  they 
made not a yearly revenue and profit of 
harlots3 they suffered no  common       
adulterers and wicked murderers to go   
unpunished4  ,they did not  receive them
 into their entire familiarity1 into    
their council1 into  their household1   
nor yet into the company of ,christian  
men4  ,these men  ought not therefore so
 unreasonably to triumph against our    
living4  ,it  had been more wisdom for  
them either first to have proved good   
their own  life before the world1 or at 
least to have cloaked it a little more  
cunningly4  ,for we do use still the old
 and ancient laws1 and 7as much as  men 
may do1 in the manners used at these    

days1 all things are so wholly  corrupt7
 we diligently and earnestly put in     
execution the ecclesiastical            
discipline3 we have not common          
brothel-houses of strumpets1 nor yet    
flocks of concubines1 nor herds of      
harlot-hunters3 neither do we prefer    
adultery before matrimony3 neither do we
 exercise beastly sensuality3  neither  
do we gather ordinary rents and stipends
 of stews3 nor do we  suffer to escape  
unpunished incest and abominable        
naughtiness1 nor yet  such manquellers  
as the ,aloisians1 ,casians1 and        
,diazians were4  ,for if  these things  
would have pleased us1 we needed not to 
have departed from  these men's         
fellowship1 amongst whom such enormities
 be in their chief  pride and price4    
,neither needed we1 for leaving them1 to
 run into the  hatred of men1 and into  
most wilful dangers4  ,paul the ,fourth1
 not many  months sithence1 had at ,rome
 in prison certain ,augustine friars1   
many  bishops1 and a great number of    

other devout men1 for religion's sake4  
,he  racked them and tormented them3 to 
make them confess1 he left no means     
unassayed4  ,but in the end how many    
brothels1 how many whoremongers1 how    
many adulterers1 how many incestuous    
persons could he find of all those8     
,our ,god be thanked1 although we be not
 the men we ought and profess to  be1   
yet1 whosoever we be1 compare us with   
these men1 and even our own  life and   
innocency will soon prove untrue and    
condemn their malicious  surmises4  ,for
 we exhort the people to all virtue and 
well-doing1 not  only by books and      
preachings1 but also with our examples  
and behaviour4  ,we also teach that the 
,gospel is not a boasting or bragging of
 knowledge1  but that it is the law of  
life1 and that a ,christian man 7as     
,tertullian  saith7 ought not to speak  
honourably1 but ought to live           
honourably2 nor  that they be the       
hearers of the law1 but the doers of the
 law1 which are  justified before ,god4 

,besides all these matters wherewith    
they charge us1 they are wont also to   
add this one thing1 which they enlarge  
with all kind of spitefulness3  that is1
 that we be men of trouble1 that we     
pluck the sword and sceptre  out of     
kings' hands2 that we arm the people3   
that we overthrow judgment  places1     
destroy the laws1 make havoc of         
possessions1 seek to make the  people   
princes1 turn all things upside down3   
and1 to be short1 that we  would have   
nothing in good frame in a commonwealth4
  ,good ,lord1 how often  have they set 
on fire princes' hearts with these      
words1 to the end they  might quench the
 light of the ,gospel in the very first 
appearing of it1  and might begin to    
hate the same ere ever they were able to
 know it1 and  to the end that every    
magistrate might think he saw his deadly
 enemy as  often as he saw any of us6   
,surely it should exceedingly grieve us 
to be so maliciously accused of  most   
heinous treason1 unless we knew that    

,christ ,himself1 the ,apostles1  and a 
number of good and ,christian men1 were 
in times past blamed and  envied in     
manner for the same faults4  ,for       
although ,christ taught they  should    
give unto ,caesar that which was        
,caesar's1 yet was ,he charged with     
sedition1 in that ,he was accused to    
devise some conspiracy and covet the    
kingdom4  ,and hereupon they cried out  
with open mouth against him in the      
place of judgment3 ,if thou let this man
 escape1 thou art not ,caesar's  friend4
  ,and though the ,apostles did likewise
 evermore and steadfastly  teach1 that  
magistrates ought to be obeyed1 that    
every soul ought to be  subject to the  
higher powers1 not only for fear of     
wrath and punishment1  but even for     
conscience sake2 yet bare they the name 
to disquiet the  people1 and to stir up 
the multitude to rebel4  ,after this    
sort did ,haman  specially bring the    
nation of the ,jews into the hatred of  
the king  ,assuerus1 because1 said he1  

they were a rebellious and stubborn     
people1  and despised the ordinances and
 commandments of princes4  ,wicked ,king
  ,ahab said to ,elie ,elijah the       
prophet of ,god1 ,it is thou that       
troublest  ,israel4  ,amasias1 the      
priest at ,bethel1 laid a conspiracy to 
the prophet  ,amos' charge before ,king 
,jeroboam1 saying1 ,see1 ,amos hath made
 a  conspiracy against thee in the midst
 of the house of ,israel4  ,to be       
brief1 ,tertullian saith1 this was the  
general accusation of all  ,christians  
while he lived1 that they were traitors1
 they were rebels1 and  the enemies of  
mankind4  ,wherefore1 if now-a-days the 
truth be likewise  evil spoken of1 and  
being the same truth it was then1 if it 
be now like  despitefully used as it was
 in times past1 though it be a grievous 
and  unkind dealing1 yet can it not seem
 unto us a new or an unwonted matter4   
,forty years ago and upward1 was it an  
easy thing for them to devise  against  
us these accursed speeches1 and other1  

too1 sorer than these2  when1 in the    
midst of the darkness of that age1 first
 began to spring and  to give shine some
 one glimmering beam of truth1 unknown  
at that time and  unheard of3 when also 
,martin ,luther and ,hulderic           
,zuinglius1 being most  excellent men1  
even sent of ,god to give light to the  
whole world1 first  came unto the       
knowledge and preaching of the ,gospel2 
whereas yet the  thing was but new1 and 
the success thereof uncertain2 and when 
men's  minds stood doubtful and amazed1 
and their ears open to all slanderous   
tales2 and when there could be imagined 
against us no fact so detestable1  but  
the people then would soon believe it   
for the novelty and strangeness  of the 
matter4  ,for so did ,symmachus1 so did 
,celsus1 so did ,julianus1 so  did      
,porphyrius1 the old foes to the        
,gospel1 attempt in times past to       
accuse all ,christians of sedition and  
treason1 before that either prince  or  
people were able to know who those      

,christians were1 what they  professed1 
what they believed1 or what was their   
meaning4  ,but now1  sithence our very  
enemies do see1 and cannot deny1 but we 
ever in all our  words and writings have
 diligently put the people in mind of   
their duty1  to obey their princes and  
magistrates1 yea1 though they be wicked 
7for  this doth very trial and          
experience sufficiently teach1 and all  
men's  eyes1 whosoever and wheresoever  
they be1 do well enough see and witness 
for us71 it was a foul part of them to  
charge us with these things2 yea1       
seeing they could find no new and late  
faults1 therefore to seek to  procure us
 envy only with stale and out worn lies4
    ,we give our ,lord ,god thanks1     
whose only cause this is1 there hath yet
 at  no time been any such example in   
all the realms1 dominions1 and          
commonweals1 which have received the    
,gospel4  ,for we have overthrown no    
kingdom1 we have decayed no man's power 
or right1 we have disordered no         

commonwealth4  ,there continue in their 
own accustomed state and ancient        
dignity1 the kings of our country of    
,england1 the kings of ,denmark1 the    
kings of ,sweden1 the dukes of ,saxony1 
the counts palatine1 the marquesses  of 
,brandenburg1 the landgraves of ,hesse1 
the commonwealth of the  ,helvetians and
 ,rhaetians1 and the free cities1 as    
,argentine1 ,basil1  ,frankfort1 ,ulm1  
,augusta1 and ,nuremberg2 do all1 ,i    
say1 abide in the same  authority and   
estate wherein they have been           
heretofore1 or rather in a  much better1
 for that by means of the ,gospel they  
have their people more  obedient unto   
them4  ,let them go1 ,i pray you1 into  
those places where at  this present     
through ,god's goodness the ,gospel is  
taught4  ,where is there  more majesty8 
,where is there less arrogancy and      
tyranny8  ,where be the  prince more    
honoured8  ,where is the people less    
unruly8  ,where hath there  at any time 
the commonwealth or the ,church been in 

more quiet8  ,perhaps  ye will say1 from
 the first beginning of this doctrine   
the common sort  everywhere began to    
rage and to rise throughout ,germany4   
,allow it were  so1 yet ,martin ,luther1
 the publisher and setter forward of    
this doctrine1  did write marvellous    
vehemently and sharply against them1 and
 reclaimed  them1 home to peace and     
obedience4    ,but whereas it is wont   
sometime to be objected by persons      
wanting skill  touching the ,helvetians'
 change of state1 and killing of        
,leopoldus the  ,duke of ,austria1 and  
restoring by force their country to     
liberty1 that  was done1 as appeareth   
plainly by all stories1 for two hundred 
and  threescore years past or above1    
under ,boniface the ,eighth1 when the   
authority of the ,bishop of ,rome was in
 greatest jollity2 about two  hundred   
years before ,huldericus ,zuinglius     
either began to teach the  ,gospel1 or  
yet was born3 and ever since that time  
they have had all  things still and     

quiet1 not only from foreign enemies1   
but also from  civil dissension4  ,and  
if it were a sin in the ,helvetians to  
deliver  their own country from foreign 
government1 specially when they were so 
proudly and tyrannously oppressed1 yet  
to burden us with other men's  faults1  
or them with the faults of their        
forefathers1 is against all  right and  
reason4    ,but ,o immortal ,god6 and   
will the ,bishop of ,rome accuse us of  
treason8  ,will he teach the people to  
obey and follow their magistrates8 or   
hath he  any regard at all of the       
majesty of princes8  ,why doth he then1 
as none  of the old bishops of ,rome    
heretofore ever did1 suffer himself to  
be  called of his flatterers lord of    
lords1 as though he would have all      
kings and princes1 who and whatsoever   
they are1 to be his underlings8  ,why   
doth he vaunt himself to be king of     
kings1 and to have kingly royalty  over 
his subjects8  ,why compelleth he all   
emperors and princes to swear  to him   

fealty and true obedience8  ,why doth he
 boast that the emperor's  majesty's is 
a thousandfold inferior to him3 and for 
this reason  specially1 because ,god    
hath made two lights in heaven1 and     
because heaven  and earth were created  
not at two beginnings1 but in one8  ,why
 hath he  and his complices 7like       
,anabaptists and ,libertines1 to the end
 they might  run on more licentiously   
and carelessly7 shaken off the yoke1 and
  exempted themselves from being under a
 civil power8  ,why hath he his  legates
 7as much to say as most subtle spies7  
lying in wait in all kings'  courts1    
councils1 and privy chambers8  ,why doth
 he1 when he list1 set  ,christian      
princes one against another1 and at his 
own pleasure trouble  the whole world   
with debate and discord8  ,why doth he  
excommunicate1 and  command to be taken 
as a heathen and a ,pagan any ,christian
 prince that  renounceth his authority8 
,and why promiseth he his indulgences   
and his  pardons so largely to any that 

will 7what way soever it be7 kill any of
  his enemies8  ,doth he maintain       
empires and kingdoms8 or doth he once   
desire that common quiet should be      
provided for8  ,you must pardon us1     
good reader1 though we seem to utter    
these things more bitterly and  bitingly
 than it becometh divines to do4  ,for  
both the shamefulness of  the matter1   
and the desire of rule in the ,bishop of
 ,rome is so exceeding  and outrageous1 
that it could not well be uttered with  
other words1 or  more mildly4  ,for he  
is not ashamed to say in open assembly1 
that all  jurisdiction of all kings doth
 depend upon himself4  ,and to feed his 
ambition and greediness of rule1 he hath
 pulled in pieces the empire of  ,rome1 
and vexed and rent whole ,christendom   
asunder4  ,falsely and  traitorously    
also did he release the ,romans1 the    
,italians1 and himself  too1 of the oath
 whereby they and he were straitly bound
 to be true to  the emperor of ,greece1 
and stirred up the emperor's subjects to

 forsake  him3 and calling ,carolus     
,martellus out of ,france into ,italy1  
made him  emperor1 such a thing as never
 was seen before4  ,he put ,chilpericus1
 the  ,french king1 being no evil       
prince1 beside his realm1 only because  
he  fancied him not1 and wrongfully     
placed ,pipin in his room4  ,again1     
after  he had cast out ,king ,philip1 if
 he could have brought it to pass1 he   
had  determined and appointed the       
kingdom of ,france to ,albertus ,king of
  ,romans4  ,he utterly destroyed the   
state of the most nourishing city and   
commonweal of ,florence1 his own native 
country1 and brought it out of a  free  
and peaceable state1 to be governed at  
the pleasure of one man3 he  brought to 
pass by his procurement1 that whole     
,savoy on the one side was  miserably   
spoiled by the ,emperor ,charles the    
,fifth1 and on the other side  by the   
,french king1 so as the unfortunate duke
 had scant one city left  him to hide   
his head in4    ,we are cloyed with     

examples in this behalf1 and it should  
be very tedious  to reckon up all the   
notorious deeds of the bishops of ,rome4
  ,of which  side were they1 ,i beseech 
you1 which poisoned ,henry the ,emperor 
even in  the receiving of the sacrament8
 which poisoned ,victor the ,pope even  
in  the receiving of the chalice8 which 
poisoned our ,king ,john1 king of       
,england1 in a drinking cup8  ,whosoever
 at least they were and of what  sect   
soever1 ,i am sure they were neither    
,lutherans nor ,zuinglians4  ,what  is  
he at this day1 which alloweth the      
mightiest kings and monarchs of the     
world to kiss his blessed feet8  ,what  
is he that commandeth the emperor  to go
 by him at his horse bridle1 and the    
,french king to hold his  stirrup8  ,who
 hurled under his table ,francis        
,dandalus the duke of ,venice1  king of 
,crete and ,cyprus1 fast bound with     
chains1 to feed of bones among  his     
dogs8  ,who set the imperial crown upon 
the ,emperor ,henry the ,sixth's  head1 

not with his hand1 but with his foot2   
and with the same foot again  cast the  
same crown off1 saying withal1 he had   
power to make emperors1  and to unmake  
them again at his pleasure8  ,who put in
 arms ,henry the son  against the       
emperor his father ,henry the ,fourth1  
and wrought so that the  father was     
taken prisoner of his own son1 and being
 shorn and shamefully  handled1 was     
thrust into a monastery1 where with     
hunger and sorrow he  pined away to     
death8  ,who so ill-favouredly and      
monstrously put the  ,emperor           
,frederick's neck under his feet1 and1  
as though that were not  sufficient1    
added further this text out of the      
,psalms1 ,thou shalt go  upon the adder 
and cockatrice1 and shalt tread the lion
 and dragon under  thy feet8  ,such an  
example of scorning and contemning a    
prince's  majesty1 as never before that 
was heard tell of in any remembrance2   
except1 ,i ween1 either of ,tamerlane's1
 the king of ,scythia1 a wild and       

barbarous creature1 or else of ,sapor   
king of the ,persians4    ,all these    
notwithstanding were ,popes1 all        
,peter's successors1 all most  holy     
fathers1 whose several words we must    
take to be as good as several  ,gospels4
  ,if we be counted traitors which do   
honour our princes1 which  give them all
 obedience1 as much as is due to them by
 ,god's word1 and  which do pray for    
them1 what kind of men then be these1   
which have not  only done all the things
 before said1 but also allow the same   
for  specially well done8  ,do they then
 either this way instruct the people1   
as we do1 to reverence their magistrate8
  ,or can they with honesty  appeach us 
as seditious persons1 breakers of the   
common quiet1 and  despisers of princes'
 majesty8    ,truly1 we neither put off 
the yoke of obedience from us2 neither  
do we  disorder realms2 neither do we   
set up or pull down kings2 nor translate
  governments2 nor give our kings poison
 to drink2 nor yet hold to them our     

feet to be kissed2 nor1 opprobriously   
triumphing over them1 leap into  their  
necks with our feet4  ,this rather is   
our profession2 this is our  doctrine3  
that every soul1 of what calling soever 
he be--be he monk1 be  he preacher1 be  
he prophet1 be he ,apostle--ought to be 
subject to kings  and magistrates2 yea1 
and that the ,bishop of ,rome           
himself--unless he will  seem greater   
than ,evangelists1 than the ,prophets1  
or the ,apostles--ought  both to        
acknowledge and to call the emperor his 
lord and master1 which  the old ,bishops
 of ,rome1 who lived in times of more   
grace1 ever did4  ,our  common teaching 
also is1 that we ought so to obey       
princes as men sent of  ,god2 and that  
whoso withstandeth them1 withstandeth   
,god's ordinance4  ,this  is our        
showing1 and this is well to be seen1   
both in our books and in our            
preachings1 and also in the manners and 
modest behaviour of our people4    ,but 
where they say we have gone away from   

the unity of the ,catholic  ,church1    
this is not only a matter of malice1    
but1 besides1 though1 it be  most       
untrue1 yet hath it some show and       
appearance of truth4  ,for the  common  
people and ignorant multitude give not  
credit alone to things true  and of     
certainty1 but even to such things also1
 if any chance1 which may  seem to have 
but a resemblance of truth4  ,therefore1
 we see that subtle  and crafty persons1
 when they had no truth on their side1  
have ever  contended and hotly argued   
with things likely to be true1 to the   
intent  they which were not able to espy
 the very ground of the matter1 might be
  carried away at least with some       
pretence and probability thereof4  ,in  
times past1 where the first ,christians1
 our forefathers1 in making their       
prayers to ,god1 did turn themselves    
towards the east1 there were that  said1
 they worshipped the sun1 and reckoned  
it as ,god4  ,again1 where  our         
forefathers said1 that as touching      

immortal and everlasting life1  they    
lived by no other means1 but by the     
flesh and blood of that ,lamb  who was  
without spot1 that is to say1 of our    
,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 the  envious   
creatures and foes of ,christ's ,cross1 
whose only care was to  bring ,christian
 religion into slander by all manner of 
ways1 made people  believe that they    
were wicked persons1 that they          
sacrificed men's flesh1  and drunk men's
 blood4  ,also1 where our forefathers   
said that before ,god  there is neither 
man nor woman1 nor1 for attaining to the
 true  righteousness1 there is no       
distinction at all of persons1 and that 
they  did call one another indifferently
 by the name of sisters and brothers3   
there wanted not men which forged false 
tales upon the same1 saying that  the   
,christians made no difference among    
themselves either of age or of  kind1   
but like brute beasts without regard had
 to do one with another4  ,and where1   
for to pray and hear the ,gospel1 they  

met often together in  secret and bye   
places1 because rebels sometime were    
wont to do the like1  rumours were      
everywhere spread abroad1 how they made 
privy confederacies1  and counselled    
together either to kill the magistrates 
or to subvert the  commonwealth4  ,and  
where1 in celebrating the holy mysteries
 after  ,christ's institution1 they took
 bread and wine1 they were thought of   
many  not to worship ,christ1 but       
,bacchus and ,ceres2 forsomuch as those 
vain  gods were worshipped of the       
heathens in like sort1 after a profane  
superstition1 with bread and wine4      
,these things were believed of many1 not
 because they were true1 indeed  7for   
what could be more untrue871 but because
 they were like to be true1  and through
 a certain shadow of truth might the    
more easily deceive the  simple4  ,on   
this fashion likewise do these men      
slander us as heretics1  and say that we
 have left the ,church and fellowship of
 ,christ3 not  because they think it is 

true--for they do not much force of     
that1 but  because to ignorant folk it  
might1 perhaps1 some way appear true4   
,we  have1 indeed1 put ourselves apart  
not as heretics are wont1 from the      
,church of ,christ1 but as all good men 
ought to do1 from the infection of      
naughty persons and hypocrites4         
,nevertheless1 in this point they       
triumph marvellously--that they be the  
,church1 that their ,church is ,christ's
 spouse1 the pillar of truth1 the  ark  
of ,noah2 and that without it there is  
no hope of salvation4  ,contrariwise    
they say1 that we be renegades2 that we 
have torn ,christ's  seat2 that we are  
plucked quite off from the body of      
,christ1 and have  forsaken the         
,catholic faith4  ,and when they leave  
nothing unspoken that  may never so     
falsely and maliciously be said against 
us1 yet this one  thing are they never  
able truly to say1 that we have swerved 
either from  the ,word of ,god1 or from 
the ,apostles of ,christ1 or from the   

primitive  ,church4  ,surely we have    
ever judged the primitive ,church of    
,christ's  time1 of the ,apostles and of
 the holy fathers1 to be the ,catholic  
,church2  neither make we doubt to name 
it1 ,noah's ark1 ,christ's spouse1 the  
pillar and upholder of all truth2 nor   
yet to fix therein the whole mean  of   
our salvation4  ,it is doubtless an     
odious matter for one to leave the      
fellowship whereunto he hath been       
accustomed1 and specially of those men1 
who1 though they be not1 yet at least   
seem and be called ,christians4  ,and1  
to say truly1 we do not despise the     
,church of these men 7howsoever it be   
ordered by them now-a-days71 partly for 
the name's sake itself1 and  partly for 
that the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ hath 
once been therein truly  and purely set 
forth4  ,neither had we departed        
therefrom1 but of very  necessity1 and  
much against our wills4  ,but ,i put    
case1 an idol be set up  in the ,church 
of ,god1 and the same desolation1 which 

,christ prophesied to  come1 stood      
openly in the holy place4  ,what if some
 thief or pirate  invade and possess    
,noah's ark8  ,these folks1 as often as 
they tell us  of the ,church1 mean      
thereby themselves alone1 and attribute 
all these  titles to their own selves1  
boasting1 as they did in times past     
which  cried1 ,the temple of the ,lord1 
the temple of the ,lord2 or as the      
,pharisees and ,scribes did1 which      
craked they were ,abraham's children4   
,thus with a gay and jolly show deceive 
they the simple1 and seek to choke  us  
with the very name of the ,church4      
,much like as if a thief1 when he  had  
gotten into another man's house1 and by 
violence either hath thrust  out or     
slain the owner1 should afterward assign
 the same house to  himself1 casting    
forth of possession the right inheritor2
 or if  ,anti-,christ1 when he had once 
entered into the temple of ,god1 should 
afterward say1 ,this house is mine own1 
and ,christ hath nothing to do  withal4 

,for these men now1 after they have left
 nothing remaining in  the ,church of   
,god that hath any likeness of this     
,church1 yet will they  seem the patrons
 and valiant maintainers of the ,church1
 very like as  ,gracchus amongst the    
,romans stood in defence of the         
treasury1  notwithstanding with his     
prodigality and fond expenses he had    
utterly  wasted the whole stock of the  
treasury4  ,and yet was there never     
anything  so wicked1 or so far out of   
reason1 but lightly it might be covered 
and  defended by the name of the        
,church4  ,for the wasps also make      
honey-combs  as well as bees1 and wicked
 men have companies like to the ,church 
of ,god3  yet1 for all that1 they be not
 straightway the people of ,god which   
are  called the people of ,god2 neither 
be they all ,israelites as many as are  
come of ,israel the father4  ,the       
,arians1 notwithstanding they were      
heretics1 yet bragged they that they    
alone were ,catholics1 calling all  the 

rest now ,ambrosians1 now ,athanasians1 
now ,johannites4  ,and ,nestorius1  as  
saith ,theodoret1 for all that he was an
 heretic1 yet covered he  himself ,greek
 text3 that is1 to wit1 with a certain  
cloak and colour of  the true and right 
faith4  ,ebion1 though he agreed in     
opinion with the  ,samaritans1 yet1 as  
saith ,epiphanius1 he would needs be    
called a  ,christian4  ,the ,mahometists
 at this day1 for all that all histories
 make  plain mention1 and themselves    
also cannot deny1 but they took their   
first  beginning of ,agar the           
bond-woman1 yet for the very name and   
stock's  sake1 chose they rather to be  
called ,saracens1 as though they came of
  ,sarah the free woman1 and ,abraham's 
wife4    ,so likewise the false prophets
 of all ages1 which stood up against the
  prophets of ,god1 which resisted      
,esaias1 ,jeremy1 ,christ1 and the      
,apostles1  at no time craked of        
anything so much as they did of the name
 of the  ,church4  ,and for no other    

cause did they so fiercely vex them1 and
 call  them runaways and apostates1 than
 for that they forsook their fellowship1
  and kept not the ordinances of the    
elders4  ,wherefore1 if we would follow 
the judgments of those men only who then
 governed the ,church1 and would        
respect nothing else1 neither ,god nor  
,his word1 it must needs be  confessed1 
that the ,apostles were rightly and by  
just law condemned of  them to death1   
because they fell from the bishops and  
priests1 that is1  you must think1 from 
the ,catholic ,church3 and because they 
made many  new alterations in religion1 
contrary to the bishops' and priests'   
wills1  yea1 and for all their spurning 
so earnestly against it4  ,wherefore1   
like  as it is written that ,hercules in
 old time was forced in striving with   
,antaeus1 that huge giant1 to lift him  
quite up from the earth that was  his   
mother1 ere he could conquer him1 even  
so must our adversaries be  heaved from 
their mother1 that is1 from this vain   

colour and shadow of  the ,church1      
wherewith they so disguise and defend   
themselves3 otherwise  they cannot be   
brought to yield unto the word of ,god4 
,and therefore1  saith ,jeremy the      
prophet1 make not such great boast that 
the temple of  the ,lord is with you4   
,this is but a vain confidence3 these   
are lies4  ,the angel also saith in the 
,apocalypse1 ,they say they be ,jews2   
but they  be the synagogue of ,satan4   
,and ,christ said to the ,pharisees when
 they  vaunted themselves of the kindred
 and blood of ,abraham1 ,ye are of your 
father1 the devil2 for you resemble not 
your father ,abraham2 as much to  say as
 ye are not the men ye would so fain be 
called3 ye beguile the  people with vain
 titles1 and abuse the name of the      
,church to the  overthrowing of the     
,church4    ,so that these men's part   
had been1 first to have clearly and     
truly proved  that the ,romish ,church  
is the true and right instructed ,church
 of ,god1  and that the same as they do 

order it at this day doth agree with the
  primitive ,church of ,christ1 of the  
,apostles1 and of the holy fathers1     
which we doubt not but was indeed the   
true ,catholic ,church4  ,for our       
parts1 if we could have judged          
ignorance1 error1 superstition1         
idolatry1  men's inventions1 and the    
same commonly disagreeing with the ,holy
  ,scriptures1 either to please ,god or 
to be sufficient for the obtaining      
everlasting salvation2 or if we could   
ascertain ourselves1 that the word  of  
,god was written but for a time only1   
and afterward again ought to be         
abrogated and put away3 or else that the
 sayings and commandments of ,god  ought
 to be subject to man's will1 that      
whatsoever ,god saith and  commandeth1  
except the ,bishop of ,rome willeth and 
commandeth the same1 it  must be taken  
as void and unspoken3 if we could have  
brought ourselves to  believe these     
things1 we grant there had been no cause
 at all why we  should have left these  

men's company4  ,as touching that we    
have now done  to depart from that      
,church1 whose errors were proved and   
made manifest to  the world1 which      
,church also had already evidently      
departed from ,god's  word3 and yet not 
to depart so much from itself1 as from  
the errors  thereof2 and not to do this 
disorderly or wickedly1 but quietly and 
soberly2 we have done nothing herein    
against the doctrine either of  ,christ 
or of ,his ,apostles4  ,for neither is  
the ,church of ,god such as it  may not 
be dusked with some spot1 or asketh not 
sometime reparation4  ,else  what       
needeth there so many assemblies and    
councils1 without the which1 as  saith  
,a,egidius1 the ,christian faith is not 
able to stand8  ,for look1  saith he3   
how often councils are discontinued1 so 
often is the ,church  destitute of      
,christ4  ,or if there be no peril that 
harm may come to the  ,church1 what need
 is there to retain to no purpose the   
names of bishops1  as is now commonly   

used among them8  ,for if there be no   
sheep that may  stray1 why be they      
called shepherds8  ,if there be no city 
that may be  betrayed1 why be they      
called watchmen8  ,if there be nothing  
that may run  to ruin1 why be they      
called pillars8  ,anon after the first  
creation of  the world the ,church of   
,god began to spread abroad1 and the    
same was  instructed with the heavenly  
word which ,god ,himself pronounced with
 ,his  own mouth4  ,it was also         
furnished with ,divine ceremonies4  ,it 
was taught  by the ,spirit of ,god1 by  
the patriarchs and prophets1 and        
continued so  even till the time that   
,christ showed ,himself to us in the    
flesh4    ,this notwithstanding1 how    
often1 ,o good ,god1 in the meanwhile1  
and how  horribly was the same ,church  
darkened and decayed6  ,where was that  
,church  then1 when all flesh upon earth
 had denied their own way8  ,where was  
it1 when amongst the number of the whole
 world there were only eight  persons   

7and they neither all chaste and good7  
whom ,god's will was should  be saved   
alive from that universal destruction   
and mortality8 when ,elie  the prophet  
so lamentably and bitterly made moan1   
that only himself was  left of all the  
whole world which did truly and duly    
worship ,god8 and  when ,esay said1 ,the
 silver of ,god's people 7that is1 of   
the ,church7 was  become dross3 and that
 the same city1 which aforetime had been
 faithful1  was now become a harlot3 and
 that in the same there was no part     
sound  throughout the whole body1 from  
the head to the foot8 or else1 when     
,christ ,himself said1 that the house of
 ,god was made by the ,pharisees and    
priests a den of thieves8  ,of a truth1 
the ,church1 even as a corn-field1      
except it be eared1 manured1 tilled1 and
 trimmed1 instead of wheat it  will     
bring forth thistles1 darnel1 and       
nettles4  ,for this cause did ,god  send
 ever among both ,prophets and          
,apostles1 and last of all ,his own     

,son1 who might bring home the people   
into the right way1 and repair anew  the
 tottering ,church after she had erred4 
,but lest some man should say1 that the 
aforesaid things happened in the  time  
of the law only1 of shadows1 and of     
infancy1 when truth lay hid  under      
figures and ceremonies1 when nothing as 
yet was brought to  perfection1 when the
 law was not graven in men's hearts1 but
 in stone3  and yet is that but a       
foolish saying1 for even at those days  
was there  the very same ,god that is   
now1 the same ,spirit1 the same ,christ1
 the same  faith1 the same doctrine1 the
 same hope1 the same inheritance1 the   
same  league1 and the same efficacy and 
virtue of ,god's word3 ,eusebius also   
saith3 ,all the faithful1 even from     
,adam until ,christ1 were in very deed  
,christians 7though they were not so    
termed71 but1 as ,i said1 lest men      
should thus speak still1 ,paul the      
,apostle found the like faults and falls
  even then in the prime and chief of   

the ,gospel in chief perfection1 and  in
 the light2 so that he was compelled to 
write in this sort to the  ,galatians1  
whom he had well before that instructed3
 ,i fear me1 quoth  he1 lest ,i have    
laboured among you in vain1 and lest ye 
have heard the  ,gospel in vain4  ,o my 
little children1 of whom ,i travail anew
 till  ,christ be fashioned again in    
you4  ,and as for the ,church of the    
,corinthians1 how foully it was denied1 
is nothing needful to rehearse4  ,now   
tell me1 might the ,churches of the     
,galatians and ,corinthians go  amiss1  
and the ,church of ,rome alone may not  
fail1 nor go amiss8  ,surely  ,christ   
prophesied long before of ,his ,church1 
that the time should come  when         
desolation should stand in the holy     
place4  ,and ,paul saith1 that          
,antichrist should once set up his own  
tabernacle and stately seat in the      
temple of ,god3 and that the time should
 be1 when men should not away  with     
wholesome doctrine1 but be turned back  

unto fables and lies1 and  that within  
the very ,church4  ,peter likewise      
telleth1 how there should be  teachers  
of lies in the ,church of ,christ4      
,daniel the ,prophet1 speaking  of the  
latter times of ,antichrist3 ,truth1    
saith he1 in that season  shall be      
thrown under foot1 and trodden upon in  
the world4  ,and ,christ  saith1 how the
 calamity and confusion of things shall 
be so exceeding  great1 that even the   
chosen1 if it were possible1 shall be   
brought into  error2 and how all these  
things shall come to pass1 not amongst  
,gentiles  and ,turks1 but that they    
should be in the holy place1 in the     
temple of  ,god1 in the ,church1 and in 
the company and fellowship of those     
which  profess the name of ,christ4     
,albeit these same warnings alone may   
suffice a wise man to take heed he  do  
not suffer himself rashly to be deceived
 with the name of the ,church1  and not 
to stay to make further inquisition     
thereof by ,god's word2 yet  beside all 

this1 many fathers also1 many learned   
and godly men1 have  often and carefully
 complained how all these things have   
chanced in their  lifetime4  ,for even  
in the midst of that thick mist of      
darkness1 ,god  would yet there should  
be some1 who1 though they gave not a    
clear and  bright light1 yet should they
 kindle1 were it but some spark1 which  
men  might espy1 being in the darkness4 
,hilarius1 when things as yet were      
almost uncorrupt1 and in good ease too3 
,ye are ill deceived1 saith he1 with the
 love of walls3 ye do ill  worship the  
,church1 in that ye worship it in houses
 and buildings3 ye do  ill bring in the 
name of peace under roofs4  ,is there   
any doubt but  ,antichrist will have his
 seat under the same8  ,i rather reckon 
hills1  woods1 pools1 marshes1 prisons1 
and quagmires1 to be places of more     
safety3 for in these the prophets1      
either abiding of their accord or       
forced thither by violence1 did prophesy
 by the ,spirit of ,god4    ,gregory1 as

 one which perceived and foresaw in his 
mind the wrack of all  things1 wrote    
thus to ,john1 ,bishop of               
,constantinople1 the first of all       
others that commanded himself to be     
called by this new name1 the  universal 
bishop of whole ,christ's ,church3 ,if  
the ,church1 saith he1  shall depend    
upon one man1 it will at once fall down 
to the ground4  ,who  is he1 that seeth 
not how this is come to pass long since8
  ,for long  agone hath the ,bishop of  
,rome willed to have the whole ,church  
depend  upon himself alone4  ,wherefore 
it is no marvel though it be clean      
fallen  down long agone4    ,bernard the
 abbot1 above four hundred years past1  
writeth thus3 ,nothing  is now of       
sincerity and pureness amongst the      
clergy3 wherefore it  resteth1 that the 
man of sin should be revealed4  ,the    
same ,bernard1 in  his work of the      
conversion of ,paul2 ,it seemeth now1   
saith he1 that  persecution hath ceased3
 no1 no2 persecution seemeth but now to 

begin1  even from them which have chief 
pre-eminence in the ,church4  ,thy      
friends  and neighbours have drawn near1
 and stood up against thee3 from the    
sole  of thy foot to the crown of thy   
head there is no part whole4  ,iniquity 
is  proceeded from the elders1 the      
judges1 and deputies1 which pretend to  
rule thy people4  ,we cannot say now1   
,look how the people be1 so is the      
priest4  ,for the people is not so ill  
as the priest is4  ,alas1 alas1 ,o      
,lord ,god1 the selfsame persons be the 
chief in persecuting thee1 which  seem  
to love the highest place1 and bear most
 rule in ,thy ,church6  ,the  same      
,bernard again1 upon the ,canticles1    
writeth thus3 ,all they are thy         
friends1 yet are they all thy foes3 all 
thy kinsfolk1 yet are they all  thy     
adversaries4  ,being ,christ's servants1
 they serve ,antichrist4  ,behold1  in  
my rest1 my bitterness is most bitter4  
,roger ,bacon1 also a man of  great     
fame1 after he had in a vehement oration

 touched to the quick the  woeful state 
of his own time3 ,these so many errors1 
saith he1 require  and look for         
,antichrist4  ,gerson complaineth1 that 
in his days all the  substance and      
efficacy of sacred divinity was brought 
unto a glorious  contention and         
ostentation of wits1 and to very        
sophistry4  ,the friars of  ,lyons1 men1
 as touching the manner of their life1  
not to be misliked1  were wont boldly to
 affirm1 that the ,romish ,church 7from 
whence alone all  counsel and order was 
then sought7 was the very same harlot of
 ,babylon  and rout of devils1 whereof  
is prophesied so plainly in the         
,apocalypse4    ,i know well enough the 
authority of these foresaid persons is  
but lightly  regarded among these men4  
,how then if ,i call forth those for    
witness1  whom they themselves have used
 to honour8  ,what if ,i say that       
,adrian1 the  ,bishop of ,rome1 did     
frankly confess that all these mischiefs
 brast out  first from the high throne  

of the ,pope8  ,pighius acknowledgeth   
herein to  be a fault1 that many abuses 
are brought in1 even into the very mass1
  which mass otherwise he would have    
seem to be a reverend matter4  ,gerson  
saith1 that through the number of most  
fond ceremonies1 all the virtue of  the 
,holy ,ghost1 which ought to have       
operation in us1 and all true           
godliness1 is utterly quenched and dead4
  ,whole ,greece and ,asia complain1    
how the bishops of ,rome1 with the marts
 of their purgatories and pardons1  have
 both tormented men's consciences and   
picked their purses4    ,as touching the
 tyranny of the bishops of ,rome1 and   
their barbarous  ,persian-like pride1 to
 leave out others1 whom perchance they  
reckon for  enemies1 because they freely
 and liberally find fault with their    
vices1  the same men which have led     
their life at ,rome in the holy city1 in
 the  face of the most holy father1 who 
also were able to see all their secrets 
and at no time departed from the        

,catholic faith3 as1 for example1       
,laurentius ,valla1 ,marsilius          
,patavinus1 ,francis ,petrarch1 ,hierom 
,savonarola1 ,abbot ,joachim1 ,baptist  
of ,mantua1 and1 before all these1      
,bernard the abbot1 have many a time and
 much complained of it1 giving the      
world also sometime to understand that  
the ,bishop of ,rome himself 7by  your  
leave7 is very ,antichrist4  ,whether   
they spake it truly or falsely1  let    
that go4  ,sure ,i am they spake it     
plainly4  ,neither can any man  allege  
that those authors were ,luther's or    
,zuinglius' scholars3 for they  were not
 only certain years1 but also certain   
ages ere ever ,luther's or  ,zuinglius' 
names were heard of4  ,they well saw    
that even in their days  errors had     
crept into the ,church1 and wished      
earnestly they might be  amended4       
,and what marvel if the ,church were    
then carried away with errors in that   
time1 specially when neither the ,bishop
 of ,rome1 who then only ruled the      

roost1 nor almost any other1 either did 
his duty1 or once understood what  was  
his duty8 for it is hard to be believed1
 while they were idle and  fast asleep1 
that the devil also all that while      
either fell asleep or  else continually 
lay idle4  ,for how they were occupied  
in the meantime1  and with what         
faithfulness they took care of ,god's   
house1 though we hold  our peace1 yet ,i
 pray you1 let them hear ,bernard their 
own friend4  ,the  bishops1 saith he1   
who now have the charge of ,god's       
,church1 are not  teachers1 but         
deceivers3 they are not feeders1 but    
beguilers3 they are  not prelates1 but  
,pilates4  ,these words spake ,bernard  
of that bishop who  named himself the   
highest bishop of all1 and of the other 
bishops  likewise which then had the    
place of government4  ,bernard was no   
,lutheran3 ,bernard was no heretic4  ,he
 had not forsaken the ,catholic         
,church3 yet nevertheless he did not let
 to call the bishops that then  were1   

deceivers1 beguilers1 and ,pilates4     
,now when the people was openly         
deceived1 and ,christian men's eyes were
 craftily bleared1 and when ,pilate  sat
 in judgment-place1 and condemned       
,christ and ,christ's members to sword  
and fire1 ,o good ,lord1 in what case   
was ,christ's ,church then8  ,but yet   
tell me1 of so many and so gross errors1
 what one have these men at any  time   
reformed8 or what fault have they once  
acknowledged and confessed8    ,but1    
forsomuch as these men avouch the       
universal possession of the  ,catholic  
,church to be their own1 and call us    
heretics1 because we agree  not in      
judgment with them1 let us know1 ,i     
beseech you1 what proper mark  and badge
 hath that ,church of theirs1 whereby it
 may be known to be the  ,church of     
,god4  ,i wiss it is not so hard a      
matter to find out ,god's  ,church1 if a
 man will seek it earnestly and         
diligently4  ,for the ,church  of ,god  
is set upon a high and glittering place1

 in the top of a hill1 and  built upon  
the foundation of the ,apostles and     
,prophets3 ,there1 saith  ,augustine1   
let us seek the ,church2 there let us   
try our matters4  ,and1  as he saith    
again in another place1 the ,church must
 be showed out of the  holy and         
canonical ,scriptures3 and that which   
cannot be showed out of  them is not the
 ,church4  ,yet1 for all this1 ,i wot   
not how1 whether it be  for fear1 or for
 conscience1 or despair of victory1     
these men alway abhor  and fly the ,word
 of ,god1 even as the thief flieth the  
gallows4  ,and no  wonder truly4  ,for1 
like as men say1 the cantharus          
by-and-bye perisheth  and dieth as soon 
as it is laid in balm3 notwithstanding  
balm be  otherwise a most sweet-smelling
 ointment2 even so these men well see   
their own matter is damned and destroyed
 in the ,word of ,god1 as if it  were in
 poison4    ,therefore the ,holy        
,scriptures1 which our ,saviour ,jesus  
,christ did not  only use for authority 

in all ,his speech1 but did also at last
 seal up  the same with ,his own blood1 
these men1 to the intent they might with
  less business drive the people from   
the same1 as from a thing dangerous  and
 deadly1 have used to call them a bare  
letter1 uncertain1  unprofitable1 dumb1 
killing1 and dead3 which seemeth to us  
all one as if  they should say1 ,the    
,scriptures are to no purpose1 or as    
good as none4  ,hereunto they add a     
similitude not very agreeable1 how the  
,scriptures be  like to a nose of wax1  
or a shipman's hose3 how they may be    
fashioned and  plied all manner of ways1
 and serve all men's turns4  ,woteth not
 the  ,bishop of ,rome1 that these      
things are spoken by his own minions8 or
  understandeth he not he hath such     
champions to fight for him8  ,let him   
hearken then how holily and how godly   
one ,hosius writeth of this matter1  a  
bishop in ,polonia1 as he testifieth of 
himself2 a man doubtless well  spoken   
and not unlearned1 and a very sharp and 

stout maintainer of that  side4  ,one   
will marvel1 ,i suppose1 how a good man 
could either conceive  so wickedly or   
write so despitefully of those words    
which he knew  proceeded from ,god's    
mouth1 and specially in such sort as he 
would not  have it seem his own private 
opinion alone1 but the common opinion of
 all  that band4  ,he dissembleth1 ,i   
grant you indeed1 and hideth what he is1
  and setteth forth the matter so1 as   
though it were not he and his side1  but
 the ,zuenckfeldian heretics that so did
 speak4  ,we1 saith he1 will  bid away  
with the same ,scriptures1 whereof we   
see brought not only divers  but also   
contrary interpretations2 and we will   
hear ,god speak1 rather  than we will   
resort to the naked elements1 and       
appoint our salvation to  rest in them4 
,it behoveth not a man to be expert in  
the law and  ,scripture1 but to be      
taught of ,god4  ,it is but lost labour 
that a man  bestoweth in the            
,scriptures4  ,for the ,scripture is a  

creature1 and a  certain bare letter4   
,this is ,hosius' saying1 uttered       
altogether with  the same spirit and the
 same mind wherewith in times past      
,montane and  ,marcion were moved1 who1 
as men report1 used to say1 when with a 
contempt  they rejected the ,holy       
,scriptures1 that themselves knew many  
more and  better things than either     
,christ or the ,apostles ever knew4     
,what then shall ,i say here1 ,o ye     
principal posts of religion1 ,o ye arch-
  governors of ,christ's ,church6  ,is  
this that your reverence which ye give  
to ,god's ,word8  ,the ,holy            
,scriptures1 which1 ,st4 ,paul saith1   
came by the  inspiration of ,god1 which 
,god did commend by so many miracles1   
wherein  are the most perfect prints of 
,christ's own steps1 which all the holy 
fathers1 ,apostles1 and ,angels1 which  
,christ ,himself the ,son of ,god1 as   
often as was needful1 did allege for    
testimony and proof2 will ye1 as  though
 they were unworthy for you to hear1 bid

 them avaunt away8  ,that  is1 will ye  
enjoin ,god to keep silence1 who        
speaketh to you most clearly  by ,his   
own mouth in the ,scriptures8 or that   
,word1 whereby alone1 as ,paul  saith1  
we are reconciled to ,god1 and which the
 prophet ,david saith1 is  holy and     
pure1 and shall last for ever2 will ye  
call that but a bare  and dead letter8  
or will ye say that all our labour is   
lost which is  bestowed in that thing   
which ,christ hath commanded us         
diligently to  search1 and to have      
evermore before our eyes8  ,and will ye 
say that  ,christ and the ,apostles     
meant with subtlety to deceive the      
people when  they exhorted them to read 
the ,holy ,scriptures1 that thereby they
 might  flow in all wisdom and          
knowledge8  ,no marvel at all though    
these men  despise us and all our       
doings1 which set so little by ,god     
,himself and ,his  infallible sayings4  
,yet was it but want of wit in them1 to 
the intend  they might hurt us1 to do so

 extreme injury to the ,word of ,god4   
,but ,hosius will here make exclamation1
 saying we do him wrong1 and that  these
 be not his own words1 but the words of 
the heretic ,zuenckfeldius4  ,but how   
then1 if ,zuenckfeldius make exclamation
 on the other side1 and  say1 that the  
same very words be not his1 but ,hosius'
 own words8  ,for  tell me where hath   
,zuenckfeldius ever written them8 or1 if
 he have  written them1 and ,hosius have
 judged the same to be wicked1 why hath 
not  ,hosius spoken so much as one word 
to confute them8  ,howsoever the matter 
goeth1 although ,hosius peradventure    
will not allow of those words1 yet he   
doth not disallow the meaning of the    
words ,for well near in all             
controversies1 and namely touching the  
use of the holy communion under  both   
kinds1 although the words of ,christ be 
plain and evident1 yet doth  ,hosius    
disdainfully reject them1 as no better  
than cold and dead  elements2 and       
commandeth us to give faith to certain  

new lessons1  appointed by the ,church1 
and to ,i wot not what revelations of   
the ,holy  ,ghost4  ,and ,pighius saith3
 ,men ought not to believe1 no not the  
most  clear and manifest words of the   
,scriptures1 unless the same be allowed 
for good by the interpretation and      
authority of the ,church4    ,and yet1  
as though this were too little1 they    
also burn the ,holy  ,scriptures1 as in 
times past wicked ,king ,aza did1 or as 
,antiochus or  ,maximinus did1 and are  
wont to name them heretics' books4  ,and
 out of  doubt1 to see too1 they would  
fain do as ,herod in old time did in    
,jewry1  that he might with more surety 
keep still his dominion3 who being an   
,idumaean born1 and a stranger to the   
stock and kindred of the ,jews1 and  yet
 coveting much to be taken for a ,jew1  
to the end he might establish to  him   
and his posterity the kingdom of that   
country1 which he had gotten of         
,augustus ,caesar1 he commanded all the 
genealogies and pedigrees to be  burnt1 

and made out of the way1 so that there  
should remain no record  whereby he     
might be known to them that came after  
that he was an alien in  blood3 whereas 
even from ,abraham's time these         
monuments had been safely  kept amongst 
the ,jews1 and laid up in their         
treasury2 because in them it  might     
easily and most assuredly be found of   
what lineage everyone did  descend4  ,so
 7in good faith7 do these men1 when they
 would have all their  own doings in    
estimation1 as though they had been     
delivered to us even  from the          
,apostles1 or from ,christ ,himself3 to 
the end there might be  found nowhere   
anything able to convince such their    
dreams and lies1  either they burn the  
,holy ,scriptures1 or else they craftily
 convey them  from the people surely4   
,very rightly and aptly doth ,chrysostom
 write against these men4  ,heretics1   
saith he1 shut up the doors against the 
truth3 for they know  full well1 if the 
door were open1 the ,church should be   

none of theirs4  ,theophylact also3     
,god's ,word1 saith he1 is the candle   
whereby the  thief is espied4  ,and     
,tertullian saith1 ,the ,holy ,scripture
 manifestly  findeth out the fraud and  
theft of heretics4  ,for why do they    
hide1 why  do they keep under the       
,gospel which ,christ would have        
preached aloud from  the housetop8  ,why
 whelm they that light under a bushel   
which ought to  stand on a candlestick8 
,why trust they more to the blindness of
 the  unskilful multitude1 and to       
ignorance1 than to the goodness of their
  cause8  ,think they their sleights are
 not already perceived1 and that  they  
can walk now unespied1 as though they   
had ,gyges' ring1 to go  invisibly by1  
upon their finger8  ,no1 no4  ,all men  
see now well and well  again1 what good 
stuff is in that chest of the ,bishop of
 ,rome's bosom4  ,this thing alone of   
itself may be an argument sufficient    
that they work  not uprightly and truly4
  ,worthily ought that matter seem      

suspicious  which flieth trial1 and is  
afraid of the light4  ,for he that doeth
  evil1 as ,christ saith1 seeketh       
darkness1 and hateth the light4  ,a     
conscience that knoweth itself clear    
cometh willingly into open show1  that  
the works which proceed of ,god may be  
seen4  ,neither be they so very  blind  
but they see this well enough1 that     
their own kingdom straightway  is at a  
point if the ,scriptures once have the  
upper hand3 and that1 like  as men say1 
the idols of devils in times past1 of   
whom men in doubtful  matters were then 
wont to receive answers1 were suddenly  
stricken dumb at  the sight of ,christ1 
when ,he was born and came into the     
world3 even so  they see that now all   
their subtle practices will soon fall   
down headlong  upon the sight of the    
,gospel4  ,for ,antichrist is not       
overthrown but by  the brightness of    
,christ's coming4    ,as for us1 we run 
not for succour to the fire1 as these   
men's guise is1  but we run to the      

,scriptures2 neither do we reason with  
the sword1 but  with the ,word of ,god3 
and therewith1 as saith ,tertullian do  
we feed our  faith2 by it do we stir up 
our hope1 and strengthen our confidence4
  ,for  we know that the ,gospel of     
,jesus ,christ is the power of ,god unto
  salvation2 and that therein consisteth
 eternal life4  ,and as ,paul  warneth  
us1 ,we do not hear1 no1 not an ,angel  
of ,god coming from ,heaven1  if he go  
about to pull us from any part of this  
doctrine4  ,yea1 more  than this1 as the
 holy martyr ,justin speaketh of        
himself1 we would give  no credence to  
,god ,himself1 if ,he should teach us   
any other ,gospel4    ,for where these  
men bid the ,holy ,scriptures away1 as  
dumb and fruitless1  and procure us to  
come to ,god ,himself rather1 who       
speaketh in the ,church  and in         
councils1 which is to say1 to believe   
their fancies and opinions2  this way of
 finding out the truth is very uncertain
 and exceeding  dangerous1 and in manner

 a fantastical and mad way1 and by no   
means  allowed of the holy fathers4     
,chrysostom saith1 ,there be many       
oftentimes  which boast themselves of   
the ,holy ,ghost2 but truly whoso speak 
of their  own head do falsely boast they
 have the ,spirit of ,god4  ,for like as
  7saith he7 ,christ denied ,he spake of
 ,himself1 when ,he spake out of the    
law and ,prophets1 even so now1 if      
anything be pressed upon us in the ,name
  of the ,holy ,ghost1 save the ,gospel1
 we ought not to believe it4  ,for as   
,christ is the fulfilling of the law and
 ,prophets1 so is the ,holy ,ghost  the 
fulfilling of the ,gospel4  ,thus far   
goeth ,chrysostom4        ,,part ,v4    
,but here ,i look they will say1 though 
they have not the ,scriptures1 yet  may 
chance they have the ancient doctors and
 the holy fathers with them4  ,for this 
is a high brag they have ever made1 how 
that all antiquity and a  continual     
consent of all ages doth make on their  
side2 and that all our  cases be but    

new1 and yesterday's work1 and until    
these few late years  were never heard  
of4  ,questionless1 there can nothing be
 more spitefully  spoken against the    
religion of ,god than to accuse it of   
novelty1 as a new  come up matter4  ,for
 as there can be no change in ,god      
,himself1 so ought  there to be no      
change in ,his religion4    ,yet1       
nevertheless1 we wot not by what means1 
but we have ever seen it  come so to    
pass from the first beginning of all1   
that as often as ,god did  give but some
 light1 and did open ,his truth unto    
men1 though the truth  were not only of 
greatest antiquity1 but also from       
everlasting2 yet of  wicked men and of  
the adversaries was it called           
new-fangled and of late  devised4  ,that
 ungracious and bloodthirsty ,haman1    
when he sought to  procure the king     
,assuerus' displeasure against the      
,jews1 this was his  accusation to him3 
,thou hast here 7saith he7 a kind of    
people that useth  certain new laws of  

their own1 but stiff-necked and         
rebellious against  all thy laws4  ,when
 ,paul also began first to preach and   
expound the  ,gospel at ,athens he was  
called a tidings-bringer of new gods1 as
 much to  say as of a new religion2 for 
7said the ,athenians7 may we not know of
  thee what new doctrine this is8       
,celsus likewise1 when he of set purpose
  wrote against ,christ1 to the end he  
might more scornfully scoff out the     
,gospel by the name of novelty3 ,what6  
saith he1 hath ,god after so many  ages 
now at last and so late bethought       
,himself8  ,eusebius also writeth  that 
,christian religion from the beginning  
for very spite was called  ,greek text1 
that is to say1 new and strange4  ,after
 like sort1 these  men condemn all our  
matters as strange and new2 but they    
will have their  own1 whatsoever they   
are1 to be praised as things of long    
continuance4  ,doing much like to the   
enchanters and sorcerers now-a-days1    
which working  with devils1 use to say  

they have their books and all their holy
 and hid  mysteries from ,athanasius1   
,cyprian1 ,moses1 ,abel1 ,adam1 and from
 the  archangel ,raphael2 because that  
their cunning1 coming from such patrons 
and founders1 might be judged the more  
high and holy4  ,after the same  fashion
 these men1 because they would have     
their own religion1 which they          
themselves1 and that not long since1    
have brought forth into the world1  to  
be the more easily and rather accepted  
of foolish persons1 or of such  as cast 
little whereabouts they or other do go1 
they are wont to say they  had it from  
,augustine1 ,hierom1 ,chrysostom1 from  
the ,apostles1 and from  ,christ        
,himself4    ,full well know they that  
nothing is more in the people's favour1 
or  better liketh the common sort1 than 
these names4  ,but how if the things1   
which these men are so desirous to have 
seem new1 be found of greatest          
antiquity8  ,contrariwise1 how if all   
the things well-nigh which they so      

greatly set out with the name of        
antiquity1 having been well and         
thoroughly examined1 be at length found 
to be but new1 and devised of  very     
late8  ,soothly to say1 no man that hath
 a true and right  consideration would  
think the ,jews' laws and ceremonies to 
be new1 for  all ,haman's accusation4   
,for they were graven in very ancient   
tables of  most antiquity4  ,and        
although many did take ,christ to have  
swerved from  ,abraham and the old      
fathers1 and to have brought in a       
certain new  religion in ,his own ,name1
 yet answered ,he them directly1 ,if ye 
believed  ,moses1 ye would believe ,me  
also1 for ,my doctrine is not so new as 
you  make it3 for ,moses1 an author of  
greatest antiquity1 and one to whom ye  
give all honour1 hath spoken of ,me4    
,paul likewise1 though the ,gospel  of  
,jesus ,christ be of many counted to be 
but new1 yet hath it 7saith he7  the    
testimony most old both of the law and  
,prophets4  ,as for our doctrine  which 

we may rightly call ,christ's catholic  
doctrine1 it is so far off  from new    
that ,god1 who is above all most        
ancient1 and the ,father of our  ,lord  
,jesus ,christ1 hath left the same unto 
us in the ,gospel1 in the  ,prophets'   
and ,apostles' works1 being monuments of
 greatest age4  ,so that  no man can now
 think our doctrine to be new1 unless   
the same think either  the ,prophets'   
faith1 or the ,gospel1 or else ,christ  
,himself to be new4    ,and as for their
 religion1 if it be of so long          
continuance as they would  have men ween
 it is1 why do they not prove it so by  
the examples of the  primitive ,church1 
and by the fathers and councils of old  
times8  ,why  lieth so ancient a cause  
thus long in the dust destitute of an   
advocate8  ,fire and sword they have had
 always ready at hand1 but as for the   
old  councils and the fathers1 all      
mum--not a word4  ,they did surely      
against  all reason to begin first with 
these so bloody and extreme means1 if   

they  could have found other more easy  
and gentle ways4  ,and if they trust so 
fully to antiquity1 and use no          
dissimulation1 why did ,john ,clement1 a
  countryman of ours1 but few years     
past1 in the presence of certain honest 
men and of good credit1 tear and cast   
into the fire certain leaves of         
,theodoret--the most ancient father and 
a ,greek bishop--wherein he plainly  and
 evidently taught that the nature of    
bread in the ,communion was not         
changed1 abolished1 or brought to       
nothing8  ,and this did he of purpose1  
because he thought there was no other   
copy thereof to be found4  ,why  saith  
,albertus ,pighius that the ancient     
father ,augustine had a wrong  opinion  
of original sin8 and that he erred and  
lied and used false logic1  as touching 
the case of matrimony concluded after a 
vow made1 which  ,augustine affirmeth to
 be perfect matrimony1 indeed1 and      
cannot be undone  again8  ,also when    
they did of late put in print the       

ancient father  ,origen's work upon the 
,gospel of ,john1 why left they quite   
out the whole  sixth chapter8  ,wherein 
it is likely1 yea1 rather1 of very      
surety1 that  the said ,origen had      
written many things concerning the      
sacrament of the  ,holy ,communion      
contrary to these men's minds2 and would
 put forth that  book mangled rather    
than full and perfect1 for fear it      
should reprove  them and their partners 
of their error4  ,call ye this trusting 
to  antiquity1 when ye rent in pieces1  
keep back1 maim1 and burn the ancient   
fathers' works8    ,it is a world to    
see1 how well-favouredly and how        
towardly touching  religion these men   
agree with the fathers of whom they use 
to vaunt that  they be their own good4  
,the old ,council ,eliberine made a     
decree that  nothing that is honoured of
 the people should be painted in the    
churches4  ,the old father ,epiphanius  
saith3--,it is a horrible wickedness1   
and a sin  not to be suffered1 for any  

man to set up any picture in the ,church
 of  the ,christians1 yea1 though it    
were the picture of ,christ ,himself4   
,yet1  these men store all their        
temples1 and each corner of them1 with  
painted  and carved images1 as though   
without them religion were nothing      
worth4    ,the old fathers ,origen and  
,chrysostom exhort the people to read   
the  ,scriptures1 to buy them books1 to 
reason at home betwixt themselves of    
divine matters--wives with their        
husbands1 and parents with their        
children4  ,these men condemn the       
,scriptures as dead elements1 and--as   
much as ever they may--bar the people   
from them4  ,the ancient fathers1       
,cyprian1 ,epiphanius1 and ,hierom1 say1
 for one who1 perchance1 hath made a    
vow to lead a sole life1 and afterwards 
liveth unchastely1 and cannot  quench   
the flames of lust1 it is better to     
marry a wife1 and to live  honestly in  
wedlock4  ,and the old father ,augustine
 judgeth the selfsame  marriage to be   

good and perfect1 and that it ought not 
to be broken  again4  ,these men1 if a  
man have once bound himself by a vow1   
though  afterwards he burn1 keep queans1
 and defile himself with never so sinful
  and desperate a life1 yet they suffer 
not that person to marry a wife2 or  if 
he chance to marry1 they allow it not   
for marriage4  ,and they commonly  teach
 it is much better and more godly to    
keep a concubine and harlot1  than to   
live in that kind of marriage4    ,the  
old father ,augustine complained of the 
multitude of ceremonies1  wherewith he  
even then saw men's minds and           
consciences overcharged4  ,these  men1  
as though ,god regarded nothing else but
 their ceremonies1 have so  out of      
measure increased them1 that there is   
now almost none other thing  left in    
their churches and places of prayer4    
,again1 that old father ,augustine      
denieth it to be lawful for a monk to   
spend his time slothfully and idly1 and1
 under a pretended and  counterfeit     

holiness1 to live all upon others4  ,and
 whoso thus liveth1  the old father     
,apollonius likeneth him to a thief4    
,these men have1 ,i wot  not whether to 
name them droves or herds of monks1 who 
for all they do  nothing1 nor yet once  
intend to bear any show of holiness1 yet
 live they  not only upon others1 but   
also riot lavishly of other folks'      
labours4    ,the old council of ,rome   
decreed that no man should come to the  
service  said by a priest well known to 
keep a concubine4  ,these men let to    
farm  concubines to their priests1 and  
yet constrain men by force against their
  will to hear their cursed paltry      
service4    ,the old canons of the      
,apostles command that bishop to be     
removed from his  office1 which will    
both supply the place of a civil        
magistrate1 and also  of an             
ecclesiastical person4  ,these men1 for 
all that1 both do and will  needs serve 
both places4  ,nay1 rather1 the one     
office which they ought  chiefly to     

execute1 they once touch not1 and yet   
nobody commandeth them  to be displaced4
    ,the old ,council ,gangrense        
commandeth that none should make such   
difference between an unmarried priest  
and a married priest1 as he ought  to   
think the one more holy than the other  
for single life's sake4  ,these  men put
 such a difference between them1 that   
they straightway think all  their holy  
service to be defiled if it be done by a
 good and honest man  that hath a wife4 
,the ancient emperor ,justinian         
commanded that1 in the holy             
administration1  all things should be   
pronounced with a clear1 loud1 and      
treatable voice1  that the people might 
receive some fruit thereby4  ,these men1
 lest the  people should understand     
them1 mumble up all their service1 not  
only with  a drowned and hollow voice1  
but also in a strange and barbarous     
tongue4    ,the old council at ,carthage
 commanded that nothing should be read  
in  ,christ's congregation but the      

canonical ,scriptures4  ,these men read 
such  things in their churches as       
themselves know of a truth to be stark  
lies  and fond fables4    ,but if there 
be any that think these above-rehearsed 
authorities be but  weak and slender1   
because they were decreed by emperors   
and certain petit  bishops1 and not by  
so full and perfect councils1 taking    
pleasure rather  in the authority and   
name of the ,pope1 let such a one know  
that ,pope  ,julius doth evidently      
forbid that the priest1 in ministering  
the  ,communion1 should dip the bread in
 the cup4  ,these men1 contrary to ,pope
  ,julius' decree1 divide the bread1 and
 dip it in the wine4    ,pope ,clement  
saith it is not lawful for a bishop to  
deal with both  swords3 ,for if thou    
wilt have both1 said he1 thou shalt     
deceive both  thyself and those that    
obey thee4  ,nowadays1 the ,pope        
challengeth to  himself both swords1 and
 useth both4  ,wherefore1 it ought to   
seem less  marvel if that have followed 

which ,clement saith1 that is1 that he  
hath  deceived both his own self and    
those which have given ear unto him4    
,pope ,leo saith1 ,upon one day it is   
lawful to say but one mass in one       
church4  ,these men say daily in one    
church commonly ten masses1 twenty1     
thirty1 yea1 oftentimes more4  ,so that 
the poor gazer on can scant tell  which 
way he were best to turn him4    ,pope  
,gelasius saith1 ,it is a wicked deed   
and sibb to sacrilege in any  man to    
divide the ,communion1 and when he hath 
received one kind to  abstain from the  
other4  ,these men1 contrary to ,god's  
,word1 and contrary  to ,pope ,gelasius1
 command that one kind only of the ,holy
 ,communion be  given to the people1 and
 by so doing they make their priests    
guilty of  sacrilege4    ,but if they   
will say that all these things are worn 
out of ure and nigh  dead1 and pertain  
nothing to these present times1 yet to  
the end all folk  may understand what   
faith is to be given to these men1 and  

upon what hope  they call together their
 general councils1 let us see in few    
words what  good heed they take to the  
selfsame thing1 which they themselves   
these  very last years 7and the         
remembrance thereof is yet new and      
fresh71 in  their own general council   
that they had by order called1 have     
decreed and  commanded to be devoutly   
kept4  ,in the last council at ,trent1  
scant  fourteen years past1 it was      
ordained by the common consent of all   
degrees1 that one man should not have   
two benefices at one time4  ,what  is   
become now of that ordinance8  ,is the  
same too soon worn out of mind1  and    
clean consumed8  ,for these men1 ye see1
 give to one man not two  benefices     
only1 but sundry abbeys many times1     
sometimes also two  bishoprics1         
sometimes three1 sometimes four4  ,and  
that not only to an  unlearned man1 but 
oftentimes also even to a man of war4   
,in the said council a decree was made  
that all bishops should preach the      

,gospel4  ,these men neither preach nor 
once go up into the pulpit1 neither     
think they it any part of their office4 
,what great pomp and crake then  is this
 they make of antiquity8  ,why brag they
 so of the names of the  ancient        
fathers1 and of the new and old         
councils8  ,why will they seem to  trust
 to their authority whom when they list 
they despise at their  pleasure8    ,but
 ,i have a special fancy to commune a   
word or two rather with the  ,pope's    
good holiness1 and to say these things  
to his own face4  ,tell us1  ,i pray    
you1 good holy father1 seeing ye do     
crake so much of all  antiquity1 and    
boast yourself that all men are bound to
 you alone1 which  of all the fathers   
hath at any time called you by the name 
of the  highest prelate1 the universal  
bishop1 or the head of the ,church8     
,which of them ever said that both the  
swords were committed unto you8  ,which 
of them ever said that you have         
authority and right to call  councils8  

,which of them ever said the whole world
 is but your  diocese8  ,which of them  
that all bishops have received of your  
fulness8  ,which of them that all power 
is given to you as well in  heaven as in
 earth8  ,which of them that neither    
kings1 nor the whole  clergy1 nor yet   
all the people together1 are able to be 
judges over you8  ,which of them that   
kings and emperors1 by ,christ's        
commandment and will1  do receive       
authority at your hands8  ,which of them
 with so precise and  mathematical      
limitation hath surveyed and determined 
you to be seventy  and seven times      
greater than the mightiest kings8       
,which of them that  more ample         
authority is given to you than to the   
residue of the  patriarchs8  ,which of  
them that you are the ,lord ,god8 or    
that you are  not a mere natural man1   
but a certain substance made and grown  
together  of ,god and man8  ,which of   
them that you are the only headspring of
 all  laws8  ,which of them that you    

have power over purgatories8  ,which of 
them that you are able to command the   
angels of ,god as you list  yourself8   
,which of them that ever said that you  
are lord of lords and  the king of      
kings8  ,we can also go further with you
 in like sort4  ,what  one amongst the  
whole number of the old bishops and     
fathers ever taught  you either to say  
private mass while the people stared on1
 or to lift up  the ,sacrament over your
 head 7in which point consisteth now all
 your  religion71 or else to mangle     
,christ's ,sacraments1 and to bereave   
the  people of the one part1 contrary to
 ,christ's institution and plain        
express words8  ,but that we may once   
come to an end1 what one is there of    
all the fathers which hath taught you to
 distribute ,christ's blood and  the    
holy martyrs' merits1 and to sell openly
 as merchandises your pardons  and all  
the rooms and lodgings of purgatory8    
,these men are wont to speak much of a  
certain secret doctrine of theirs1  and 

of their manifold and sundry readings4  
,then let them bring forth  somewhat    
now1 if they can1 that it may appear    
they have at least read or  do know     
somewhat4  ,they have often stoutly     
noised in all corners where  they went  
how all the parts of their religion be  
very old1 and have been  approved not   
only of the multitude1 but also by the  
consent and continual  observation of   
all nations and times4  ,let them1      
therefore1 once in their  life show this
 their antiquity4  ,let them make appear
 at eye that the  things whereof they   
make such ado have taken so long and    
large increase4  ,let them declare that 
all ,christian nations have agreed by   
consent to  this their religion4        
,nay1 nay1 they turn their backs1 as we 
have said already1 and flee from  their 
own decrees1 and have cut off and       
abolished again within a short  space   
the same things which1 but a few years  
before1 themselves had  established for 
evermore1 forsooth1 to continue4  ,how  

should one1 then1  trust them in the    
fathers1 in the old councils1 and in the
 words spoken  by ,god8  ,they have not1
 good ,lord1 they have not1 ,i say1     
those things  which they boast they     
have3 they have not that antiquity1 they
 have not  that universality1 they have 
not that consent of all places1 nor of  
all  times4  ,and though they have a    
desire rather to dissemble1 yet they    
themselves are not ignorant hereof3 yea1
 and sometime also they let not  to     
confess it openly4  ,and for this cause 
they say that the ordinances of  the old
 councils and fathers be such as may now
 and then be altered1 and  that sundry  
and divers decrees serve for sundry and 
divers times of the  ,church4  ,thus    
lurk they under the name of the ,church1
 and beguile silly  creatures with their
 vain glozing4  ,it is to be marvelled  
that either men  be so blind that they  
cannot see this1 or if they see it1 to  
be so  patient as they can lightly and  
quietly bear it4    ,but1 whereas they  

have commanded that those decrees should
 be void1 as  things now waxen too old1 
and that have lost their grace1 perhaps 
they  have provided in their stead      
certain other better things1 and more   
profitable for the people4  ,for it is a
 common saying with them that1 if       
,christ ,himself or the ,apostles were  
alive again1 they could not better  nor 
godlier govern ,god's ,church than it is
 at this present governed by  them4     
,they have put in their stead indeed2   
but it is chaff instead of  wheat1 as   
,hieremy saith1 and such things as1     
according to ,esay's words1  ,god never 
required at their hands4  ,they have    
stopped up1 saith he1  all the veins of 
clear springing water1 and have digged  
up for the  people deceivable and       
puddle-like pits1 full of mire and      
filth1 which  neither have nor are able 
to hold pure water4  ,they have plucked 
away  from the people the ,holy         
,communion1 the ,word of ,god1 from     
whence all  comfort should be taken2 the

 true worshipping of ,god also1 and the 
right  use of sacraments and prayer2 and
 have given us of their own to play     
withal in the meanwhile1 salt1 water1   
oil1 boxes1 spittle1 palms1 bulls1      
jubilees1 pardons1 crosses1 censings1   
and an endless rabble of  ceremonies1   
and1 as a man might term with ,plautus1 
pretty games to make  sport withal4  ,in
 these things have they set all their   
religion1  teaching the people that by  
these ,god may be duly pacified1 spirits
 be  driven away1 and men's consciences 
well quieted4  ,for these1 lo1 be the   
orient colours and precious savours of  
,christian religion2 these things  doth 
,god look upon and accepteth them       
thankfully2 these must come in  place to
 be honoured1 and put quite away the    
institutions of ,christ and  of ,his    
,apostles4  ,and like as in times past1 
when wicked ,king ,jeroboam  had taken  
from the people the right serving of    
,god1 and brought them to  worship the  
golden calves1 lest perchance they might

 afterward change  their mind and slip  
away1 getting them again to ,jerusalem  
to the temple  of ,god1 there he        
exhorted them with a long tale to be    
steadfast1 saying  thus unto them3 ,o   
,israel1 these calves be thy gods4  ,in 
this sort  commanded your ,god you      
should worship ,him1 for it should be   
wearisome and  troublous for you to take
 upon you a journey so far off1 and     
yearly to go  up to ,jerusalem1 there to
 serve and honour your ,god4  ,even     
after the  same sort every whit1 when   
these men had once made the law of ,god 
of non-  effect through their own       
traditions1 fearing that the people     
should  afterward open their eyes and   
fall another way1 and should somewhence 
else seek a surer mean of their         
salvation1 ,jesu1 how often have they   
cried out1 ,this is the same worshipping
 that pleaseth ,god1 and which ,he      
straitly requireth of us1 and wherewith 
,he will be turned from ,his wrath4     
,that by these things is conserved the  

unity of the ,church4  ,by these all    
sins be cleansed1 and consciences       
quieted1 and that whoso departeth from  
these hath left unto himself no hope of 
everlasting salvation4  ,for it  were   
wearisome and troublous1 say they1 for  
the people to resort to  ,christ1 to the
 ,apostles1 and to the ancient fathers1 
and to observe  continually what their  
will and commandment should be4  ,this  
ye may see1  is to withdraw the people  
of ,god from the weak elements of the   
world1  from the leaven of the ,scribes 
and ,pharisees1 and from the traditions 
of  men4  ,it were reason1 no doubt1    
that ,christ's commandments and the     
,apostles' were removed1 that these     
their devices might come in place4  ,o  
just cause1 ,i promise you1 why that    
ancient and so long allowed doctrine    
should be now abolished1 and a new form 
of religion be brought into the  ,church
 of ,god4    ,and yet whatever it be1   
these men cry still that nothing ought  
to be  changed3 that men's minds are    

well satisfied herewithal3 that the     
,church  of ,rome1 the ,church which    
cannot err1 hath decreed these things4  
,for  ,silvester ,prierias saith1 that  
the ,romish ,church is the squire and   
rule  of truth1 and that the ,holy      
,scripture hath received from thence    
authority  and credit4  ,the doctrine1  
saith he1 of the ,romish ,church is the 
rule  of most infallible faith1 from the
 which the ,holy ,scripture taketh his  
force4  ,and indulgences and pardons1   
saith he1 are not made known to us  by  
the authority of the ,scriptures1 but   
they are made known to us by the        
authority of the ,romish ,church1 and of
 the ,bishops of ,rome1 which is        
greater4  ,pighius also letteth not to  
say1 that without the license of  the   
,romish ,church1 we ought not to believe
 the very plain ,scriptures4  ,much like
 as if any of those that cannot speak   
pure and clean ,latin1 and  yet can     
babble out quickly and readily a little 
some such law ,latin as  serveth the    

court1 would needs hold that all others 
ought also to speak  after the same way 
which ,mammetrectus and ,catholicon     
spake many years  ago1 and which        
themselves do yet use in pleading in    
court3 for so may it  be understood     
sufficiently what is said1 and men's    
desires be satisfied3  and that it is a 
fondness now in the latter end to       
trouble the world with  a new kind of   
speaking1 and to call again the old     
finesse and eloquence  that ,cicero and 
,caesar used in their days in the ,latin
 tongue4  ,so much  are these men       
beholden to the folly and darkness of   
the former times4  ,many things1 as one 
writeth1 are had in estimation          
oftentimes1 because  they have been once
 dedicate to the temples of the heathen 
gods4  ,even  so we see at this day many
 things allowed and highly set by of    
these men1  not because they judge them 
so much worth1 but only because they    
have  been received into a custom1 and  
after a sort dedicate to the temple of  

,god4    ,our ,church1 say they1 cannot 
err4  ,they speak that1 ,i think1 as the
  ,lacedaemonians long since used to    
say1 that it was not possible to find   
any adulterer in all their commonwealth3
 whereas indeed they were rather  all   
adulterers1 and had no certainty in     
their marriages1 but had their  wives   
common amongst them all3 or as the      
canonists at this day1 for their        
bellies' sake1 used to say of the ,pope1
 that forsomuch as he is lord of  all   
benefices1 though he sell for money     
bishoprics1 monasteries1  priesthood1   
spiritual promotions1 and part with     
nothing freely1 yet1  because he        
counteth all his own1 he cannot commit  
simony1 though he  would never so fain4 
,but how strongly and agreeably to      
reason these  things be spoken1 we are  
not as yet able to perceive1 except     
perchance  these men have plucked off   
the wings from the truth2 as the ,romans
 in old  time did prune and pinion their
 goddess ,victoria1 after they had once 

gotten her home1 to the end that with   
the same wings she should never  more be
 able to flee away from them again4     
,but what if ,jeremy tell them1  as is  
afore rehearsed1 that these be lies8    
,what if the same prophet say  in       
another place that the selfsame men1 who
 ought to be keepers of the  vineyard1  
have brought to nought and destroyed the
 ,lord's vineyard8  ,how  if ,christ say
 that the same persons1 who chiefly     
ought to have care over  the temple1    
have made of the ,lord's temple a den of
 thieves8  ,if it be so  that the       
,church of ,rome cannot err1 it must    
needs follow1 that the good  luck       
thereof is far greater than all these   
men's policy4  ,for such is  their life1
 their doctrine1 and their diligence1   
that for all them the  ,church may not  
only err1 but also utterly be spoiled   
and perish4  ,no  doubt1 if that church 
may err which hath departed from ,god's 
words1 from  ,christ's commandments1    
from the ,apostles' ordinances1 from the

 primitive  ,church's examples1 from the
 old fathers' and councils' orders1 and 
from  their own decrees1 and which will 
be bound within the compass of none1    
neither old nor new1 nor their own nor  
other folks'1 nor man's law nor  ,god's 
law1 then it is out of all question that
 the ,romish ,church hath not  only had 
power to err1 but also that it hath     
shamefully and most wickedly  erred in  
very deed4    ,but1 say they1 ye have   
been of our fellowship1 but now ye are  
become  forsakers of your profession1   
and have departed from us4  ,it is true2
 we  have departed from them1 and for so
 doing we both give thanks to ,almighty 
,god1 and greatly rejoice on our own    
behalf4  ,but yet for all this1 from    
the primitive ,church1 from the         
,apostles1 and from ,christ we have not 
departed4  ,true it is1 we were brought 
up with these men in darkness1 and  in  
the lack of the knowledge of ,god1 as   
,moses was taught up in the  learning   
and in the bosom of the ,egyptians4  ,we

 have been of your  company1 saith      
,tertullian1 ,i confess it1 and no      
marvel at all2 for1  saith he1 men be   
made and not born ,christians4  ,but    
wherefore1 ,i pray  you1 have they      
themselves1 the citizens and dwellers of
 ,rome1 removed and  come down from     
those seven hills1 whereupon ,rome      
sometime stood1 to dwell  rather in the 
plain called ,mars' field8 they will    
say1 peradventure1  because the conduits
 of water1 wherewithout men cannot      
commodiously live1  have now failed and 
are dried up in those hills4  ,well1    
then1 let them  give us like leave in   
seeking the water of eternal life1 that 
they give  themselves in seeking the    
water of the well4  ,for the water1     
verily1  failed amongst them4  ,the     
elders of the ,jews1 saith ,jeremy1 sent
 their  little ones to the waterings2   
and they finding no water1 being in a   
miserable case1 and utterly marred for  
thirst1 brought home again their        
vessels empty4  ,the needy and poor     

folk1 saith ,esay1 sought about for     
water1 but nowhere found they any2 their
 tongue was even withered for  thirst4  
,even so these men have broken in pieces
 all the pipes and  conduits3 they have 
stopped up all the springs1 and choked  
up the  fountain of living water with   
dirt and mire4  ,and as ,caligula many  
years  past locked up fast all the      
storehouses of corn in ,rome1 and       
thereby  brought a general dearth and   
famine amongst the people2 even so these
  men1 by damming up all the fountains  
of ,god's ,word1 have brought the       
people into a pitiful thirst4  ,they    
have brought into the world1 as saith   
the prophet ,amos1 a hunger and a       
thirst3 not the hunger of bread1 nor    
the thirst of water1 but of hearing the 
,word of ,god4  ,with great  distress   
went they scattering about1 seeking some
 spark of heavenly life  to refresh     
their consciences withal3 but that light
 was already  thoroughly quenched out1  
so that they could find none4  ,this was

 a rueful  state2 this was a lamentable 
form of ,god's ,church4  ,it was a      
misery to  live therein1 without the    
,gospel1 without light1 and without all 
comfort4    ,wherefore1 though our      
departing were a trouble to them1 yet   
ought they to  consider withal how just 
cause we had of our departure4  ,for if 
they will  say1 it is in nowise lawful  
for one to leave the fellowship wherein 
he  hath been brought up1 they may as   
well in our names1 and upon our heads1  
condemn both the ,prophets1 the         
,apostles1 and ,christ ,himself4  ,for  
why  complain they not also of this1    
that ,lot went quite his way out of     
,sodom1  ,abraham out of ,chaldea1 the  
,israelites out of ,egypt1 ,christ from 
the  ,jews1 and ,paul from the          
,pharisees8  ,for except it be possible 
there may  be a lawful cause of         
departing1 we see no reason why ,lot1   
,abraham1 the  ,israelites1 ,christ1 and
 ,paul1 may not be accused of sects and 
sedition1  as well as others4  ,and if  

these men will needs condemn us for     
heretics1  because we do not all things 
at their commandment1 whom1 in ,god's   
name1  or what kind of men ought they   
themselves to be taken for1 which       
despise  the commandment of ,christ1 and
 of the ,apostles8  ,if we be           
schismatics  because we have left them1 
by what name1 then1 shall they be called
  themselves1 which have forsaken the   
,greeks1 from whom they first received  
their faith1 forsaken the primitive     
,church1 forsaken ,christ ,himself1 and 
the ,apostles1 even as if children      
should forsake their parents8  ,for     
though those ,greeks1 who at this day   
profess religion1 and ,christ's ,name1  
have many things corrupted amongst them1
 yet hold they still a great  number of 
those things which they received from   
the ,apostles4  ,they have  neither     
private masses1 nor mangled sacraments1 
nor purgatories1 nor  pardons4  ,and as 
for the titles of high bishops1 and     
those glorious  names1 they esteem them 

so1 as whosoever he were that would take
 upon him  the same1 and would be called
 either universal bishop1 or the head of
 the  universal ,church1 they make no   
doubt to call such a one both a passing 
proud man1 a man that worketh despite   
against all the other bishops his       
brethren1 and a plain heretic4    ,now1 
then1 since it is manifest1 and out of  
all peradventure1 that these  men have  
fallen from the ,greeks of whom they    
received the ,gospel1 of whom  they     
received the faith1 the true religion   
and the ,church2 what is the  matter1   
why they will not now be called home    
again to the same men1 as it  were to   
their originals and first founders8     
,and why be they afraid to  take a      
pattern of the ,apostles' and old       
fathers' times1 as though they  all had 
been void of understanding8  ,do these  
men1 ween ye1 see more1 or  set more by 
the ,church of ,god than they did who   
first delivered us these  things8    ,we
 truly have renounced that ,church1     

wherein we could neither have the  ,word
 of ,god sincerely taught1 nor the      
sacraments rightly administered1  nor   
the ,name of ,god duly called upon3     
which ,church also themselves  confess  
to be faulty in many points2 and wherein
 was nothing able to stay  any wise man1
 or one that hath consideration of his  
own safety4  ,to  conclude1 we have     
forsaken the ,church as it is now1 not  
as it was in old  times past1 and have  
so gone from it as ,daniel went out of  
the lions'  den1 and the three children 
out of the furnace3 and to say the      
truth1 we  have been cast out by these  
men 7being cursed of them as they used  
to  say1 with book1 bell1 and candle71  
rather than have gone away from them  of
 ourselves4    ,and we are come to that 
,church1 wherein they themselves cannot 
deny 7if  they will say truly1 and as   
they think in their own conscience7 but 
all  things be governed purely and      
reverently1 and1 as much as we possibly 
could1 very near to the order used in   

the old times4    ,let them compare our 
churches and theirs together1 and they  
shall see  that themselves have most    
shamefully gone from the ,apostles1 and 
we most  justly have gone from them4    
,for we1 following the example of       
,christ1 of  the ,apostles1 and the     
,holy fathers1 give the people the ,holy
 ,communion1  whole and perfect2 but    
these men1 contrary to all the fathers1 
to all the  ,apostles1 and contrary to  
,christ ,himself1 do sever the          
,sacraments1 and  pluck away the one    
part from the people1 and that with most
 notorious  sacrilege1 as ,gelasius     
termeth it4    ,we have brought again   
the ,lord's ,supper unto ,christ's      
institution1 and  have made it to be a  
communion in very deed1 common and      
indifferent to a  great number1         
according to the name4  ,but these men  
have changed all  things contrary to    
,christ's institution1 and have made a  
private mass of  the ,holy ,communion4  
,and so it cometh to pass that we give  

the ,lord's  ,supper unto the people1   
and they give them a vain pageant to    
gaze upon4    ,we affirm1 together with 
the ancient fathers1 that the body of   
,christ is  not eaten but of the good   
and faithful1 and of those that are     
endued with  the ,spirit of ,christ4    
,their doctrine is1 that ,christ's very 
body  effectually1 and as they speak    
really and substantially1 may not only  
be  eaten of the wicked and unfaithful  
men1 but also 7which is monstrous to  be
 spoken7 of mice and dogs4    ,we use to
 pray in our churches after that        
fashion1 as1 according to  ,paul's      
lesson1 the people may know what we     
pray1 and may answer ,amen with  a      
general consent4  ,these men1 like      
sounding metal1 yell out in the         
churches unknown and strange words      
without understanding1 without          
knowledge1 and without devotion2 yea1   
and do it of purpose because the  people
 should understand nothing at all4      
,but not to tarry about rehearsing all  

points wherein we and they  differ--for 
they have well-nigh no end--we turn the 
,scriptures into all  tongues2 they     
scant suffer them to be had abroad in   
any tongue4  ,we  allure the people to  
read and to hear ,god's ,word3 they     
drive the people  from it4  ,we desire  
to have our cause known to all the      
world2 they flee  to come to any trial4 
,we lean unto knowledge1 they unto      
ignorance4  ,we  trust unto light1 they 
unto darkness4  ,we reverence1 as it    
becometh us1  the writings of the       
,apostles and ,prophets2 and they burnt 
them4  ,finally1  we in ,god's cause    
desire to stand to ,god's only judgment2
 they will stand  only to their own4    
,wherefore1 if they will weigh all these
 things with a  quiet mind1 and fully   
bent to hear and to learn1 they will not
 only allow  this determination of ours1
 who have forsaken errors1 and followed 
,christ  and ,his ,apostles1 but        
themselves also will forsake their own  
selves1 and  join of their own accord to

 our side4        ,,part ,,vi4      ,but
 peradventure they will say1 it was     
treason to attempt these matters        
without a sacred general council2 for in
 that consisteth the whole force  of the
 ,church2 there ,christ hath promised   
,he will ever be a present  assistant4  
,yet they themselves1 without tarrying  
for any general  council1 have broken   
the commandments of ,god1 and the       
decrees of the  ,apostles2 and1 as we   
said a little above1 they have spoiled  
and  disannulled almost all1 not only   
ordinances1 but even the doctrine of the
  primitive ,church4  ,and where they   
say it is not lawful to make a change   
without a council1 what was he that gave
 us these laws1 or from whence  had they
 this injunction8    ,truly1 ,king      
,agesilaus did but fondly1 who1 when he 
had a determinate  answer made him of   
the opinion and will of mighty ,jupiter1
 would  afterward bring the whole matter
 before ,apollo1 to know whether he     
would  allow thereof1 as his father     

,jupiter did1 or no4  ,but yet should we
 do  much more fondly1 when we hear ,god
 ,himself plainly speak to us in ,his   
most ,holy ,scriptures1 and may         
understand by them ,his will and        
meaning1 if  we would afterward 7as     
though this were of none effect7 bring  
our whole  cause to be tried by a       
council2 which were nothing else but to 
ask  whether men would allow as ,god    
did1 and whether men would confirm      
,god's  commandment by their authority4 
,why1 ,i beseech you1 except a council  
will and command1 shall not truth be    
truth1 and ,god be ,god8  ,if ,christ   
had meant to do so from the beginning1  
as that ,he would preach or teach       
nothing without the bishop's consent1   
but refer all ,his doctrine over to     
,annas and ,caiaphas1 where should now  
have been the ,christian faith8 or1 who 
at any time should have heard the       
,gospel taught8  ,peter verily1 whom the
 ,pope hath oftener in his mouth1  and  
more reverently useth to speak of than  

he doth of ,jesus ,christ1 did  boldly  
stand against the holy council1 saying1 
,it is better to obey ,god  than men4   
,and after ,paul had once entirely      
embraced the ,gospel1 and had  received 
it1 not from men1 nor by man1 but by the
 only will of ,god1 he  did not take    
advice therein of flesh and blood1 nor  
brought the case  before his kinsmen and
 brethren1 but went forthwith into      
,arabia1 to  preach ,god's ,divine      
mysteries by ,god's only authority4     
,yet truly1 we do not despise councils1 
assemblies1 and conference of  bishops  
and learned men2 neither have we done   
that we have done  altogether without   
bishops or without a council4  ,the     
matter hath been  treated in open       
,parliament with long consultation1 and 
before a notable  synod and convocation4
  ,but touching this council which is   
now summoned  by the ,pope ,pius1       
wherein men so lightly are condemned1   
which have been  neither called1 heard1 
nor seen1 it is easy to guess what we   

may look for  or hope of it4    ,in     
times past1 when ,nazianzen saw in his  
days how men in such assemblies  were so
 blind and wilful that they were carried
 with affections1 and  laboured more to 
get the victory than the truth1 he      
pronounced openly  that he never had    
seen any good end of any council4  ,what
 would he say  now1 if he were alive at 
this day1 and understood the heaving and
 shoving  of these men8  ,for at that   
time1 though the matter were laboured on
 all  sides1 yet the controversies were 
well heard1 and open error was put      
clean away by the general voice of all  
parts4  ,but these men will neither     
have the case to be freely disputed1 nor
 yet1 how many errors soever  there be1 
suffer they any to be changed4  ,for it 
is a common custom of  theirs often and 
shamelessly to boast that their ,church 
cannot err2 that  in it there is no     
fault2 and that they must give place to 
us in nothing4  ,or if there be any     
fault1 yet must it be tried by bishops  

and abbots  only1 because they be the   
directors and rulers of matters2 and    
they be  the ,church of ,god4           
,aristotle saith that a city cannot     
consist of  bastards2 but whether the   
,church of ,god may consist of these    
men1 let  their own selves consider4    
,for doubtless neither be the abbots    
legitimate abbots1 nor the bishops      
natural right bishops4  ,but grant they 
be the ,church3 let them be heard speak 
in councils2 let them alone have        
authority to give assent3 yet in old    
time1 when the ,church of ,god 7if ye   
will compare it with their ,church7 was 
very well governed1 both elders  and    
deacons1 as saith ,cyprian1 and certain 
also of the common people1  were called 
thereunto1 and made acquainted with     
ecclesiastical matters4    ,but ,i put  
case1 these abbots and bishops have no  
knowledge3 what if  they understand     
nothing what religion is1 nor how we    
ought to think of  ,god8  ,i put case1  
the pronouncing and ministering of the  

law be decayed  in priests1 and good    
counsel fail in the elders1 and1 as the 
prophet  ,micah saith1 ,the night be    
unto them instead of a vision1 and      
darkness  instead of prophesying3 or1 as
 ,esaias saith1 ,what if all the        
watchmen  of the city are become blind8 
,what if the salt have lost his proper  
strength and savoriness1 and1 as ,christ
 saith1 be good for no use1  scant worth
 the casting on the dunghill8    ,well1 
yet then they will bring all matters    
before the ,pope1 who cannot  err4  ,to 
this ,i say1 first1 it is a madness to  
think that the ,holy ,ghost  taketh ,his
 flight from a general council to run to
 ,rome1 to the end if ,he  doubt or     
stick in any matter1 and cannot expound 
it of ,himself1 ,he may  take counsel of
 some other spirit1 ,i wot not what1    
that is better learned  than ,himself4  
,for if this be true1 what needed so    
many bishops1 with so  great charges and
 so far journeys1 have assembled their  
convocation at  this present at         

,trident8  ,it had been more wisdom and 
better1 at least it  had been a much    
nearer way and handsomer1 to have       
brought all things  rather before the   
,pope1 and to have come straight forth1 
and have asked  counsel at his divine   
breast4  ,secondly1 it is also an       
unlawful dealing  to toss our matter    
from so many bishops and abbots1 and to 
bring it at  last to the trial of one   
only man1 specially of him who himself  
is  appeached by us of heinous and foul 
enormities1 and hath not yet put in  his
 answer2 who hath also aforehand        
condemned us without judgment by  order 
pronounced1 and ere ever we were called 
to be judged4    ,how say ye1 do we     
devise these tales8  ,is not this the   
course of the  councils in these days8  
,are not all things removed from the    
whole holy  council1 and brought before 
the ,pope alone8 that1 as though nothing
 had  been done to purpose by the       
judgments and consents of such a number1
 he  alone may add1 alter1 diminish1    

disannul1 allow1 remit1 and qualify     
whatsoever he list8  ,whose words be    
these1 then8 and why have the bishops   
and abbots1 in the last council of      
,trident1 but of late concluded with    
saying thus in the end3 ,saving always  
the authority of the see apostolic  in  
all things8 or why doth ,pope ,paschal  
write so proudly of himself8  ,as       
though1 saith he1 there were any general
 council able to prescribe a  law to the
 ,church of ,rome3 whereas all councils 
both have been made and  have received  
their force and strength by the ,church 
of ,rome's authority2  and in ordinances
 made by councils1 is ever plainly      
excepted the  authority of the ,bishop  
of ,rome4  ,if they will have these     
things allowed  for good1 why be        
councils called8  ,but if they command  
them to be void1  why are they left in  
their books as things allowable8    ,but
 be it so3 let the ,bishop of ,rome     
alone be above all councils1 that is  to
 say1 let some one part be greater than 

the whole2 let him be of  greater power1
 let him be of more wisdom than all his2
 and1 in spite of  ,hierom's head1 let  
the authority of one city be greater    
than the  authority of the whole world4 
,how1 then1 if the ,pope have seen none 
of  these things1 and have never read   
either the ,scriptures1 or the old      
,fathers1 or yet his own councils8  ,how
 if he favour the ,arians1 as once      
,pope ,liberius did8 or have a wicked   
and a detestable opinion of the life  to
 come1 and of the immortality of the    
soul1 as ,pope ,john had but few  years 
since8 or1 to increase his own dignity1 
do corrupt other councils1  as ,pope    
,zosimus corrupted the council holden at
 ,nice in times past2 and  do say that  
those things were devised and appointed 
by the holy ,fathers  which never once  
came into their thought2 and1 to have   
the full sway of  authority1 do wrest   
the ,scriptures1 which1 as ,camotensis  
saith1 is an  usual custom with the     
,popes8  ,how if he have renounced the  

faith of  ,christ1 and become an        
apostate1 as ,lyranus saith many ,popes 
have been8  ,and1 yet for all this1     
shall the ,holy ,ghost1 with turning of 
a hand1  knock at his breast1 and even  
whether he will or no1 yea1 and wholly  
against his will1 kindle him a light so 
as he may not err8  ,shall he           
straightway be the head-spring of all   
right2 and shall all treasure of  wisdom
 and understanding be found in him1 as  
it were laid up in store8  or1 if these 
things be not in him1 can he give a     
right and apt judgment  of so weighty   
matters8 or1 if he be not able to judge1
 would he have that  all those matters  
should be brought before him alone8     
,what will ye say if the ,pope's        
advocates1 abbots and bishops1 dissemble
  not the matter1 but show themselves   
open enemies to the ,gospel1 and  though
 they see1 yet they will not see2 but   
wry the ,scriptures1 and  wittingly and 
knowingly corrupt and counterfeit the   
,word of ,god1 and  foully and wickedly 

apply to the ,pope all the same things1 
which  evidently and properly be spoken 
of the ,person of ,christ only1 nor by  
no  means can be applied to any other8  
,and what though they say1 ,the ,pope   
is all and above all8 or1 that he can do
 as much as ,christ can8 and  that one  
judgment-place and one council-house    
serve for the ,pope and for  ,christ    
both together2 or1 that the ,pope is the
 same light which should  come into the 
world2 which words ,christ spake of     
,himself alone3 and  that whoso is an   
evil-doer hateth and flieth from that   
light2 or that  all the other bishops   
have received of the ,pope's fulness8   
,shortly1 what  though they make decrees
 expressly against ,god's ,word1 and    
that not in  hucker-mucker or covertly1 
but openly1 and in the face of the      
world1 must  it needs yet be ,gospel    
straight whatsoever these men say8      
,shall these be  ,god's holy army8 or   
will ,christ be at hand among them      
there8  ,shall the  ,holy ,ghost flow in

 their tongues2 or can they with truth  
say1 ,we and the  ,holy ,ghost have     
thought good so8  ,indeed1 ,peter       
,asotus and his companion  ,hosius stick
 not to affirm1 that the same council   
wherein our ,saviour  ,jesus ,christ was
 condemned to die had both the ,spirit  
of ,prophesying1 and  the ,holy ,ghost1 
and the ,spirit of ,truth in it2 and    
that it was neither a  false nor a      
trifling saying when those bishops said1
 ,we have a law1 and  by our law ,he    
ought to die3 and that they1 so saying1 
did light upon the  very truth of       
judgment 7for so be ,hosius' words72 and
 that the same  plainly was a just      
decree whereby they pronounced that     
,christ was worthy  to die4  ,this1     
methinketh1 is strange1 that these men  
are not able to  speak for themselves1  
and to defend their own cause1 but they 
must also  take part with ,annas and    
,caiaphas4  ,for if they will call that 
a lawful  and a good council wherein the
 ,son of ,god was most shamefully       

condemned  to die1 what council will    
they then allow for false and naught8   
,and yet  7as all their councils1 to say
 truth1 commonly be7 necessity compelled
  them to pronounce these things of the 
council holden by ,annas and  ,caiaphas4
    ,but will these men 7,i say7 reform 
us the ,church1 being themselves both   
the persons guilty and the judges too8  
,will they abate their own  ambition and
 pride8  ,will they overthrow their own 
matter1 and give  sentence against      
themselves that they must leave off to  
be unlearned  bishops1 slow bellies1    
heapers together of benefices1 takers   
upon them as  princes and men of war8   
,will the abbots1 the ,pope's dear      
darlings1 judge  that monk for a thief  
which laboureth not for his living8 and 
that it is  against all law to suffer   
such a one to live and to be found      
either in  city or in country1 or yet of
 other men's charges8 or else that a    
monk  ought to lie on the ground1 to    
live hardly with herbs and pease1 to    

study  earnestly1 to argue1 to pray1 to 
work with hand1 and fully to bend       
himself to come to the ministry of the  
,church8  ,in faith1 as soon will  the  
,pharisees and ,scribes repair again the
 temple of ,god1 and restore it  unto us
 a house of prayer instead of a thievish
 den4    ,there have been1 ,i know1     
certain of their own selves which have  
found  fault with many errors in the    
,church1 as ,pope ,adrian1 ,a,eneas     
,sylvius1  ,cardinal ,pole1 ,pighius1   
and others1 as is aforesaid3 they held  
afterwards  their council at ,trident in
 the selfsame place where it is now     
appointed4  ,there assembled many       
bishops1 and abbots1 and others whom it 
behoved for  that matter4  ,they were   
alone by themselves2 whatsoever they    
did1 nobody  gainsaid it2 for they had  
quite shut out and barred our side from 
all  manner of assemblies3 and there    
they sat six years1 feeding folks with a
  marvellous expectation of their       
doings4  ,the first six months1 as      

though  it were greatly needful1 they   
made many determinations of the ,holy   
,trinity1 of the ,father1 of the ,son1  
and of the ,holy ,ghost1 which were     
godly things indeed1 but not so         
necessary for that time4  ,let us see1  
in  all that while1 of so many1 so      
manifest1 so often confessed by them1   
and  so evident errors1 what one error  
have they amended8 from what kind of    
idolatry have they reclaimed the people8
  ,what superstition have they  taken   
away8  ,what piece of their tyranny and 
pomp have they diminished8  ,as though  
all the world may not now see that this 
is a conspiracy and not  a council2 and 
that those bishops whom the ,pope hath  
now called together  be wholly sworn and
 become bound to bear him their faithful
 allegiance1  and will do no manner of  
thing but that they perceive pleaseth   
him1 and  helpeth to advance his power1 
and as he will have it2 or that they    
reckon  not of the number of men's      
voices rather than have weight and      

consideration of the same2 or that might
 doth not oftentimes overcome  right4   
,and therefore we know that divers times
 many good men and ,catholic  bishops   
did tarry at home1 and would not come   
when such councils were  called1 wherein
 men so apparently laboured to serve    
factions and to take  parts1 because    
they knew they should but lose their    
travail1 and do no  good1 seeing        
whereunto their enemies' minds were so  
wholly bent4  ,athanasius denied to     
come1 when he was called by the emperor 
to his  council at ,caesarea1 perceiving
 plain he should but come among his     
enemies1 which deadly hated him4  ,the  
same ,athanasius1 when he came          
afterward to the council at ,syrmium1   
and foresaw what would be the end by    
reason of the outrage and malice of his 
enemies1 he packed up his  carriage and 
went away immediately4  ,john           
,chrysostom1 although the  ,emperor     
,constantius commanded him by four      
sundry letters to come to the  ,arians' 

council1 yet kept he himself at home    
still4  ,when ,maximus1 the  ,bishop of 
,jerusalem1 sat in the council at       
,palestine1 the old ,father  ,paphnutius
 took him by the hand1 and led him out  
at the doors1 saying1  ,it is not lawful
 for us to confer of these matters with 
wicked men4  ,the  bishops of the ,east 
would not come to the ,syrmian council  
after they knew  ,athanasius had gotten 
himself thence again4  ,cyril called men
 back by  letters from the council of   
them which were named ,patropassians4   
,paulinus1 ,bishop of ,triers1 and many 
others more1 refused to come to the     
council at ,milan when they understood  
what a stir and rule ,auxentius kept    
there3 for they saw it was in vain to go
 thither1 where not reason1 but         
faction1 should prevail1 and where folk 
contended not for the truth and  right  
judgment of the matter1 but for         
partiality and favour4    ,and yet1 for 
all those ,fathers had such malicious   
and stiff-necked  enemies1 yet if they  

had come they should have had free      
speech at least  in the councils4  ,but 
now1 sithence1 none of us may be        
suffered so much  as to sit1 or once to 
be seen in these men's meetings1 much   
less suffered  to speak freely our mind2
 and seeing the ,pope's legates1        
patriarchs1  archbishops1 bishops1 and  
abbots--all being conspired together1   
all  linked together in one kind of     
fault1 and all bound by one oath--sit   
alone by themselves1 and have power     
alone to give their consent3 and1 at    
last1 when they have all done--as though
 they had done nothing--bring all  their
 opinions to be judged at the will and  
pleasure of the ,pope1 being  but one   
man1 to the end he may pronounce his own
 sentence of himself1 who  ought rather 
to have answered to his complaint2      
sithence1 also1 the same  ancient and   
,christian liberty1 which of all right  
should specially be in  ,christian      
councils1 is now utterly taken away from
 the council--for these  causes1 ,i say1

 wise and good men ought not to marvel  
at this day1 though  we do the like now1
 that they see was done in times past in
 like case of  so many ,fathers and     
,catholic bishops3 which is1 though we  
choose rather  to sit at home1 and leave
 our whole cause to ,god1 than to       
journey  thither1 whereas we neither    
shall have place nor be able to do any  
good2  whereas we can obtain no         
audience2 whereas princes' ambassadors  
be but  used as mocking-stocks2 and     
whereas1 also1 we be condemned already1 
before trial1 as though the matter were 
aforehand despatched and agreed  upon4  
,nevertheless1 we can bear patiently and
 quietly our own private  wrongs4  ,but 
wherefore do they shut out ,christian   
kings and good princes  from their      
convocation8  ,why do they so           
uncourteously1 or with such  spite1     
leave them out1 and--as though they were
 not either ,christian men1  or else    
could not judge--will not have them made
 acquainted with the  cause of          

,christian religion1 nor understand the 
state of their own  ,churches8    ,or if
 the said kings and princes happen to   
intermeddle in such matters1  and take  
upon them to do that they may do1 that  
they be commanded to do1  and ought of  
duty to do1 and the same things that we 
know both ,david and  ,solomon and other
 good princes have done1 that is1 if    
they--whilst the  ,pope and his prelates
 slug and sleep1 or else mischievously  
withstand  them--do bridle the priests' 
sensuality1 and drive them to do their  
duty1  and keep them still to it2 if    
they do overthrow idols1 if they take   
away  superstition1 and set up again the
 true worshipping of ,god--why do they  
by-and-by make an outcry upon them1 that
 such princes trouble all1 and  press by
 violence into another body's office1   
and do thereby wickedly and  malapertly8
  ,what ,scripture hath at any time     
forbidden a ,christian prince  to be    
made privy to such causes8  ,who but    
themselves alone made ever any  such    

law8    ,they will say to this1 ,i      
guess3 ,civil princes have learned to   
govern a  commonwealth1 and to order    
matters of war1 but they understand not 
the  secret mysteries of religion4  ,if 
that be so1 what is the ,pope1 ,i pray  
you1 at this day other than a monarch or
 a prince8  ,or what be the  cardinals1 
who must be none other nowadays1 but    
princes and kings' sons8  ,what else be 
the patriarchs1 and1 for the most part1 
the archbishops1 the  bishops1 the      
abbots8  ,what be they else at this     
present in the ,pope's  kingdom but     
worldly princes1 but dukes and earls1   
gorgeously accompanied  with bands of   
men whithersoever they go2 oftentimes   
also gaily arrayed  with chains and     
collars of gold8  ,they have at times1  
too1 certain  ornaments by themselves1  
as crosses1 pillars1 hats1 mitres1 and  
palls--which pomp the ancient bishops   
,chrysostom1 ,augustine1 and ,ambrose   
never had4  ,setting these things aside1
 what teach they8  ,what say they8      

,what do they8  ,how live they8  ,i say1
 not as may become a bishop1 but as  may
 become even a ,christian man8  ,is it  
so great a matter to have a vain  title1
 and1 by changing a garment only1 to    
have the name of a bishop8    ,surely to
 have the principal stay and effect of  
all matters committed  wholly to these  
men's hands1 who neither know nor will  
know these things1  nor yet set a jot by
 any point of religion1 save that which 
concerneth  their belly and riot2 and to
 have them alone sit as judges1 and to  
be set  up as overseers in the          
watch-tower1 being no better than blind 
spies2 of  the other side1 to have a    
,christian prince of good understanding 
and of a  right judgment to stand still 
like a block or a stake1 not to be      
suffered  neither to give his voice nor 
to show his judgment1 but only to wait  
what  these men shall will and command1 
as one which had neither ears1 nor      
eyes1 nor wit1 nor heart2 and whatsoever
 they give in charge1 to allow it       

without exception1 blindly fulfilling   
their commandments1 be they never  so   
blasphemous and wicked1 yea1 although   
they command him quite to  destroy all  
religion1 and to crucify again ,christ  
,himself3 this surely1  besides that it 
is proud and spiteful1 is also beyond   
all right and  reason1 and not to be    
endured of ,christian and wise princes4 
,why1 ,i pray  you1 may ,caiaphas and   
,annas understand these matters1 and may
 not ,david  and ,ezechias do the same8 
,is it lawful for a cardinal1 being a   
man of  war1 and delighting in blood1 to
 have place in a council8 and is it not 
lawful for a ,christian emperor or a    
king8  ,we truly grant no further       
liberty to our magistrates than that we 
know hath both been given them by  the  
,word of ,god1 and also been confirmed  
by the examples of the very best        
governed commonwealths4  ,for besides   
that a ,christian prince hath the       
charge of both tables committed to him  
by ,god1 to the end he may  understand  

that not temporal matters only1 but also
 religious and  ecclesiastical causes1  
pertain to his office3 besides also that
 ,god by  ,his prophets often and       
earnestly commandeth the king to cut    
down the  groves1 to break down the     
images and altars of idols1 and to write
 out  the book of the law for himself3  
and besides that the prophet ,isaiah    
saith1 ,a king ought to be a patron and 
a nurse of the ,church3 ,i say1  besides
 all these things1 we see by histories  
and by examples of the best  times that 
good princes ever took the              
administration of ecclesiastical        
matters to pertain to their duty4       
,moses1 a civil magistrate1 and chief   
guide of the people1 both received  from
 ,god1 and delivered to the people1 all 
the order for religion and  sacrifices1 
and gave ,aaron the bishop a vehement   
and sore rebuke for  making the golden  
calf1 and for suffering the corruption  
of religion4  ,joshua also1 though he   
were none other than a civil magistrate1

 yet as  soon as he was chosen by ,god1 
and set as a ruler over the people1 he  
received commandments specially touching
 religion and the service of ,god4      
,king ,david1 when the whole religion   
was altogether brought out of frame  by 
wicked king ,saul1 brought home again   
the ,ark of ,god2 that is to say1  he   
restored religion again2 and was not    
only amongst them himself as a          
counsellor and furtherer of the work1   
but he appointed also hymns and  psalms1
 put in order the companies1 and was the
 only doer in setting  forth that whole 
solemn show1 and in effect ruled the    
priests4  ,king  ,solomon built unto the
 ,lord the ,temple which his father     
,david had but  purposed in his mind to 
do3 and after the finishing thereof1 he 
made a  goodly oration to the people    
concerning religion and the service of  
,god3  he afterward displaced ,abiathar 
the priest1 and set ,sadok in his place4
  ,after this1 when the ,temple of ,god 
was in shameful wise polluted through   

the naughtiness and negligence of the   
priests1 ,king ,hezekiah commanded  the 
same to be cleansed from the rubble and 
filth1 the priests to light  up candles1
 to burn incense1 and to do their       
,divine service according to  the old   
and allowed custom2 the same king also  
commanded the brazen  serpent1 which    
then the people wickedly worshipped1 to 
be taken1 down and  beaten to powder4   
,king ,jehoshaphat overthrew and utterly
 made away the  hill altars and groves2 
whereby he saw ,god's honour hindered   
and the  people holden back with a      
private superstition from the ordinary  
,temple1  which was at ,jerusalem1      
whereto they should by order have       
resorted yearly  from every part of the 
realm4  ,king ,josiah with great        
diligence put the  priests and bishops  
in mind of their duties2 ,king ,joash   
bridled the riot  and arrogancy of the  
priests2 ,jehu put to death the wicked  
prophets4    ,and to rehearse no more   
examples out of the old law1 let us     

rather  consider1 since the birth of    
,christ1 how the ,church hath been      
governed in  the ,gospel's time4  ,the  
,christian emperors in the old time     
appointed the  councils of the bishops4 
,constantine called the council at      
,nice2  ,theodosius the ,first called   
the council at ,constantinople2         
,theodosius the  ,second1 the council at
 ,ephesus2 ,martian1 the council at     
,chalcedon2 and  when ,ruffine the      
heretic had alleged for authority a     
council which1 as he  thought1 should   
make for him1 ,st4 ,hierom his          
adversary1 to confute him1  ,tell us1   
quod he1 what emperor commanded that    
council to be called4  ,the same ,st4   
,hierom again1 in his epitaph upon      
,paula1 maketh mention of  the emperor's
 letters which gave commandment to call 
the bishops of  ,italy and ,greece to   
,rome to a council4  ,continually for   
the space of  five hundred years1 the   
emperor alone appointed the             
ecclesiastical  assemblies1 and called  

the councils of the bishops together4   
,we now therefore marvel the more at the
 unreasonable dealing of the  ,bishop of
 ,rome1 who1 knowing what was the       
emperor's right when the ,church  was   
well ordered1 knowing also that it is   
now a common right to all  princes1 for 
so much as the kings are now fully      
possessed in the several  parts of the  
whole empire1 doth so without           
consideration assign that  office alone 
to himself1 and taketh it sufficient1 in
 summoning a general  council1 to make  
that man that is prince of the whole    
world no otherwise  partaker thereof    
than he would make his own servant4     
,and although the  modesty and mildness 
of the ,emperor ,ferdinand be so great  
that he can  bear this wrong1 because1  
peradventure1 he understandeth not well 
the  ,pope's packing1 yet ought not the 
,pope of his holiness to offer him that 
wrong1 nor to claim as his own another  
man's right4    ,but hereto some will   
reply3 ,the emperor1 indeed1 called     

councils at that  time ye speak of1     
because the ,bishop of ,rome was not yet
 grown so great  as he is now1 but yet  
the emperor did not then sit together   
with the  bishops in council1 or once   
bare any stroke with his authority in   
their  consultation4  ,i answer1 ,nay1  
that it is not so2 for1 as witnesseth   
,theodoret1 the ,emperor ,constantine   
sat not only together with them in the  
,council of ,nice1 but gave also advice 
to the bishops how it was best to  try  
out the matter by the ,apostles' and    
,prophets' writings1 as appeareth  by   
these his own words3 ,in disputation1   
saith he1 of matters of  divinity1 we   
have set before us to follow the        
doctrine of the ,holy ,ghost4  ,for the 
,evangelists' and the ,apostles' works1 
and the ,prophets' sayings1  show us    
sufficiently what opinion we ought to   
have of the will of ,god4  ,the ,emperor
 ,theodosius1 as saith ,socrates1 did   
not only sit amongst the  bishops1 but  
also ordered the whole arguing of the   

cause1 and tare in  pieces the heretics'
 books1 and allowed for good the        
judgment of the  ,catholics4  ,in the   
council at ,chalcedon a civil magistrate
 condemned for  heretics1 by the        
sentence of his own mouth1 the bishops  
,dioscorus1  ,juvenalis1 and            
,thalassius1 and gave judgment to put   
them down from their  dignities in the  
,church4  ,in the third council at      
,constantinople1  ,constantine1 a civil 
magistrate1 did not only sit amongst the
 bishops1  but did also subscribe with  
them4  ,for1 saith he1 we have both read
  and subscribed4  ,in the second       
council called ,arausicanum1 the        
prince's  ambassadors1 being noble men  
born1 not only spake their mind touching
  religion1 but set to their hands also1
 as well as the bishops4  ,for thus  it 
is written in the latter end of that    
council3 ,petrus1 ,marcellinus1  ,felix1
 and ,liberius1 being most noble men1   
and famous lieutenants1 and  captains of
 ,france1 and also peers of the realm1  

have given their  consent1 and set to   
their hands4  ,further3 ,syagrius1      
,opilio1  ,pantagathus1 ,deodatus1      
,cariattho1 and ,marcellus1 men of very 
great  honour1 have subscribed4  ,if it 
be so1 then1 that lieutenants1 captains1
  and peers have had authority to       
subscribe in council1 have not emperors 
and kings the like authority8    ,truly 
there had been no need to handle so     
plain a matter as this is with  so many 
words1 and so at length1 if we had not  
to do with those men who1  for a desire 
they have to strive and to win the      
mastery1 use of course to  deny all     
things1 be they never so clear--yea1 the
 very same which they  presently see and
 behold with their own eyes4  ,the      
,emperor ,justinian made  a law to      
correct the behaviour of the clergy1 and
 to cut short the  insolency of the     
priests4  ,and albeit he were a         
,christian and a ,catholic  prince1 yet 
put he down from their papal throne two 
,popes1 ,sylverius and  ,vigilius1      

notwithstanding they were ,peter's      
successors and ,christ's  vicars4       
,let us see1 then1 such men as have     
authority over the bishops1 such men  as
 receive from ,god commandments         
concerning religion1 such as bring home 
again the ,ark of ,god1 make holy hymns1
 oversee the priests1 build the         
,temple1 make orations touching ,divine 
service1 cleanse the temples1  destroy  
the hill altars1 burn the idols' groves1
 teach the priests their  duties1 write 
them out precepts how they should live1 
kill the wicked  prophets1 displace the 
high priests1 call together the councils
 of  bishops1 sit together with the     
bishops1 instructing them what they     
ought  to do1 condemn and punish an     
heretical bishop1 be made acquainted    
with  matters of religion1 which        
subscribe and give sentence2 and do all 
these  things1 not by any other man's   
commission1 but in their own name1 and  
that both uprightly and godly3 shall we 
say it pertaineth not to such men  to   

have to do with religion8 or shall we   
say a ,christian magistrate1  which     
dealeth amongst others in these matters1
 doth either naughtily1 or              
presumptuously1 or wickedly8  ,the most 
ancient and ,christian emperors and     
kings that ever were1 did busy          
themselves with these matters1 and yet  
were they never for this cause noted    
either of wickedness or of  presumption4
  ,and what is he that can find out     
either more ,catholic  princes or more  
notable examples8    ,wherefore1 if it  
were lawful for them to do thus1 being  
but civil  magistrates1 and having the  
chief rule of commonweals1 what offence 
have  our princes at this day made1     
which may not have leave to do the like1
  being in the like degree8 or what     
especial gift of learning1 or of        
judgment1 or of holiness have these men 
now1 that1 contrary to the custom  of   
all the ancient and ,catholic bishops1  
who used to confer with princes  and    
peers concerning religion1 they do now  

thus reject and cast off  ,christian    
princes from knowing of the cause1 and  
from their meetings8  ,well1 thus doing1
 they wisely and warily provide for     
themselves and for  their kingdom1 which
 otherwise they see is like shortly to  
come to  nought4  ,for if so be they    
whom ,god hath placed in greatest       
dignity did  see and perceive these     
men's practices1 how ,christ's          
commandments be  despised by them1 how  
the light of the ,gospel is darkened and
 quenched  out by them1 and how         
themselves also be subtly beguiled and  
mocked1 and  unawares be deluded by     
them1 and the way to the kingdom of     
heaven stopped  up before them3 no doubt
 they would never so quietly suffer     
themselves  neither to be disdained     
after such a proud sort1 nor so         
despitefully to  be scorned and abused  
by them4  ,but now1 through their own   
lack of  understanding1 and through     
their own blindness1 these men have them
 fast  yoked1 and in their danger4      

,we truly for our parts1 as we have     
said1 have done nothing in altering     
religion either upon rashness or        
arrogancy2 nor nothing but with good    
leisure and great consideration4        
,neither had we ever intended to do it1 
except both the manifest and most       
assured will of ,god1 opened to us in   
,his ,holy ,scriptures1 and the regard  
of our own salvation1 had even          
constrained us thereunto4  ,for though  
we have departed from that ,church      
which these men call ,catholic1 and by  
that means get us envy amongst them     
that want skill to judge1 yet is this   
enough for us1 and ought to be  enough  
for every wise and good man1 and one    
that maketh account of  everlasting     
life1 that we have gone from that       
,church which had power to  err3 which  
,christ1 who cannot err1 told so long   
before it should err2 and  which we     
ourselves did evidently see with our    
eyes to have gone both from  the holy   
fathers1 and from the ,apostles1 and    

from ,christ ,his own self1  and from   
the primitive and ,catholic ,church2 and
 we are come as near as we  possibly    
could to the ,church of the ,apostles   
and of the old ,catholic  bishops and   
fathers2 which ,church we know hath     
hereunto been sound and  perfect1 and1  
as ,tertullian termeth it1 a pure       
virgin1 spotted as yet  with no         
idolatry1 nor with any foul or shameful 
fault3 and have directed1  according to 
their customs and ordinances1 not only  
our doctrine1 but  also the ,sacraments 
and the form of common prayer4    ,and1 
as we know both ,christ ,himself and all
 good men heretofore have  done1 we have
 called home again to the original and  
first foundation that  religion which   
hath been foully foreslowed1 and utterly
 corrupted by  these men4  ,for we      
thought it meet thence to take the      
pattern of  reforming religion from     
whence the ground of religion was first 
taken3  because this one reason1 as     
saith the most ancient father           

,tertullian1  hath great force against  
all heresies1 ,look1 whatsoever was     
first1 that  is true2 and whatsoever is 
latter1 that is corrupt4  ,irenaeus     
oftentimes  appealed to the oldest      
churches1 which had been nearest to     
,christ's time1  and which it was hard  
to believe had erred4  ,but why at this 
day is not  the same respect and        
consideration had8  ,why return we not  
to the pattern  of the old churches8    
,why may not we hear at this time       
amongst us the  same saying1 which was  
openly pronounced in times past in the  
council at  ,nice by so many bishops and
 ,catholic fathers1 and nobody once     
speaking  against it ,greek text3 that  
is to say1 hold still the old customs6  
,when ,esdras went about to repair the  
ruins of the ,temple of ,god1 he sent   
not to ,ephesus1 although the most      
beautiful and gorgeous temple of ,diana 
was there2 and when he purposed to      
restore the sacrifices and ceremonies   
of ,god1 he sent not to ,rome1 although 

peradventure he had heard in that  place
 were the solemn sacrifices called      
,hecatombae1 and other called           
,solitaurilia1 ,lectisternia1 and       
,supplicationes1 and ,numa ,pompilius'  
ceremonial books4  ,he thought it enough
 for him to set before his eyes1  and   
follow the pattern of the old ,temple1  
which ,solomon at the beginning  builded
 according as ,god had appointed him1   
and also those old customs  and         
ceremonies which ,god ,himself had      
written out by special words for        
,moses4    ,the prophet ,aggaeus1 after 
the temple was repaired again by        
,esdras1 and  the people might think    
they had a very just cause to rejoice on
 their own  behalf for so great a       
benefit received of ,almighty ,god1 yet 
made he them  all burst out into tears1 
because that they which were yet alive  
and had  seen the former building of the
 ,temple1 before the ,babylonians       
destroyed  it1 called to mind how far   
off it was yet from that beauty and     

excellency  which it had in the old     
times past before4  ,for then1 indeed1  
would they  have thought the ,temple    
worthily repaired if it had answered to 
the  ancient pattern and to the majesty 
of the first ,temple4  ,paul1 because he
  would amend the abuse of the ,lord's  
,supper1 which the ,corinthians even    
then began to corrupt1 he set before    
them ,christ's institution to follow1   
saying3 ,i have delivered unto you that 
which ,i first received of the  ,lord4  
,and when ,christ did confute the error 
of the ,pharisees1 ,ye  must1 saith ,he1
 return to the first beginning2 for from
 the beginning  it was not thus4  ,and  
when ,he found great fault with the     
priests for  their uncleanness of life  
and covetousness1 and would cleanse the 
,temple  from all evil abuses1 ,this    
house1 saith ,he1 at the first beginning
 it  was a house of prayer1 wherein all 
the people might devoutly and  sincerely
 pray together4  ,and so it were your   
part to use it now also at  this day1   

for it was not builded to the end it    
should be a den of  thieves4  ,likewise 
all the good and commendable princes    
mentioned of in  the ,scriptures were   
praised specially by these words1 that  
they had  walked in the ways of their   
father ,david3 that is1 because they had
  returned to the first and original    
foundation1 and had restored religion   
even to the perfection wherein ,david   
left it4  ,and therefore1 when we       
likewise saw all things were quite      
trodden under foot of these men1 and    
that nothing remained in the temple of  
,god but pitiful spoils and decays1  we 
reckoned it the wisest and the safest   
way to set before our eyes those        
churches which we know for a surety that
 they never had erred1 nor never  had   
private mass1 nor prayers in a strange  
and barbarous language1 nor  this       
corrupting of sacraments1 and other     
toys4    ,and forsomuch as our desire   
was to have the ,temple of the ,lord    
restored  anew1 we would seek none other

 foundation than the same which we know 
was  long ago laid by the ,apostles1    
that is to wit1 ,our ,saviour1 ,jesus   
,christ4  ,and forasmuch as we heard    
,god ,himself speaking unto us in ,his  
word1 and saw also the notable examples 
of the old and primitive ,church2       
again1 how uncertain a matter it was to 
wait for a general council1 and  that   
the success thereof would be much more  
uncertain1 but specially  forsomuch as  
we were most ascertained of ,god's will1
 and counted it a  wickedness to be too 
careful and overcumbered about the      
judgments of  mortal men3 we could no   
longer stand taking advice with flesh   
and blood1  but rather thought good to  
do the same thing1 that both might      
rightly be  done1 and hath also many a  
time been done1 as well of good men as  
of many  ,catholic bishops--that is1 to 
remedy our own churches by a provincial 
synod4  ,for thus know we the old       
fathers used to put in experience before
  they came to the public universal     

council4  ,there remain yet at this day 
canons written in councils of free      
cities1 as of ,carthage under ,cyprian1 
as of ,ancyra1 ,neocaesarea1 and        
,gangra1 which is in ,paphlagonia1 as   
some  think1 before that the name of the
 general council at ,nice was ever heard
  of4  ,after this fashion in old time  
did they speedily meet with and cut     
short those heretics1 the ,pelagians and
 the ,donatists at home1 by private     
disputation1 without any general        
council4  ,thus1 also1 when the ,emperor
  ,constantine evidently and earnestly  
took part with ,auxentius1 the bishop   
of the ,arians' faction1 ,ambrose1 the  
bishop of the ,christians1 appealed  not
 unto a general council1 where he saw no
 good could be done1 by reason  of the  
emperor's might and great labour1 but   
appealed to his own clergy  and people1 
that is to say1 to a provincial synod4  
,and thus it was  decreed in the council
 at ,nice that the bishops should       
assemble twice  every year4  ,and in the

 council at ,carthage it was decreed    
that the  bishops should meet together  
in each of their provinces at least once
 in  the year1 which was done1 as saith 
the council of ,chalcedon1 of purpose   
that if any errors and abuses had       
happened to spring up anywhere1 they    
might immediately at the first entry be 
destroyed where they first began4  ,so  
likewise when ,secundus and ,palladius  
rejected the council at ,aquileia1      
because it was not a general and a      
common council1 ,ambrose1 bishop of     
,milan1 made answer that no man ought to
 take it for a new or strange  matter   
that the bishops of the west part of the
 world did call together  synods1 and   
make private assemblies in their        
provinces1 for that it was a  thing     
before then used by the west bishops no 
few times1 and by the  bishops of       
,greece used oftentimes and commonly to 
be done4  ,and so  ,charles the ,great1 
being emperor1 held a provincial council
 in ,germany  for putting away images1  

contrary to the second council at ,nice4
  ,neither1  pardy1 even amongst us is  
this so very a strange and new a trade4 
,for we  have had ere now in ,england   
provincial synods1 and governed our     
churches  by home-made laws4  ,what     
should one say more8  ,of a truth1 even 
those  greatest councils1 and where most
 assembly of people ever was 7whereof   
these men use to make such an exceeding 
reckoning71 compare them with all  the  
churches which throughout the world     
acknowledge and profess the name  of    
,christ1 and what else1 ,i pray you1 can
 they seem to be but certain  private   
councils of bishops and provincial      
synods8  ,for admit1  peradventure1     
,italy1 ,france1 ,spain1 ,england1      
,germany1 ,denmark1 and  ,scotland meet 
together1 if there want ,asia1 ,greece1 
,armenia1 ,persia1  ,media1             
,mesopotamia1 ,egypt1 ,ethiopia1 ,india1
 and ,mauritania1 in all which  places  
there be both many ,christian men and   
also bishops1 how can any  man1 being in

 his right mind1 think such a council to
 be a general  council8 or where so many
 parts of the world do lack how can they
 truly  say they have the consent of the
 whole world8  ,or what manner of       
council1  ween you1 was the same last at
 ,trident8  ,or how might it be termed a
  general council1 when out of all      
,christian kingdoms and nations there   
came unto it but only forty bishops1 and
 of the same some so cunning that  they 
might be thought meet to be sent home   
again to learn their grammar1  and so   
well learned that they had never studied
 divinity4    ,whatsoever it be1 the    
truth of the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ  
dependeth not  upon councils1 nor1 as   
,st4 ,paul saith1 upon mortal creature's
 judgment4  ,and if they which ought to 
be careful for ,god's ,church will not  
be wise1  but slack their duty1 and     
harden their hearts against ,god and    
,his ,christ1  going on still to pervert
 the right ways of the ,lord1 ,god will 
stir up  the very stones1 and make      

children and babes cunning1 whereby     
there may  ever be some to confute these
 men's lies4  ,for ,god is able 7not    
only  without councils71 but also1 will 
the councils1 nill the councils1 to     
maintain and advance ,his own kingdom4  
,full many be the thoughts of  man's    
heart 7saith ,solomon72 but the counsel 
of the ,lord abideth  steadfast3 ,there 
is no wisdom1 there is no knowledge1    
there is no  counsel against the ,lord4 
,things endure not 7saith ,hilarius71   
that  be set up with men's workmanship3 
by another manner of means must the     
,church of ,god be builded and          
preserved3 for that ,church is grounded 
upon  the foundation of the ,apostles   
and ,prophets1 and is holden fast       
together  by one corner stone1 which is 
,christ ,jesu4    ,but marvellous       
notable1 and to very good purpose for   
these days1 be  ,hierom's words3        
,whosoever 7saith he7 the devil hath    
deceived1 and  enticed to fall asleep1  
as it were with the sweet and deathly   

enchantments of the mermaids the        
,syrens1 those persons doth ,god's word 
awake up1 saying unto them1 ,arise1 thou
 that sleepest2 lift up thyself1  and   
,christ shall give thee light4          
,therefore1 at the coming of ,christ1 of
  ,god's word1 of the ecclesiastical    
doctrine1 and of the full destruction   
of ,nineveh1 and of that most beautiful 
harlot1 then1 then shall the  people1   
which heretofore had been cast in a     
trance under their masters1  be raised  
up1 and shall make haste to go to the   
mountains of the  ,scripture2 and there 
shall they find hills1 ,moses verily1   
and ,joshua the  son of ,nun1 other     
hills also1 which are the ,prophets2 and
 hills of the  ,new ,testament1 which   
are the ,apostles and the ,evangelists4 
,and when the  people shall flee for    
succour to such hills1 and shall be     
exercised in  the reading of those kind 
of mountains1 though they find not one  
to teach  them 7for the harvest shall be
 great1 but the labourers few71 yet     

shall  the good desire of the people be 
well accepted1 in that they have gotten 
them to such hills2 and the negligence  
of their masters shall be openly        
reproved4  ,these be ,hierom's sayings1 
and that so plain1 as there  needeth no 
interpreter4  ,for they agree so just   
with the things we now  see with our    
eyes have already come to pass1 that we 
may verily think  that he meant to      
foretell1 as it were1 by the spirit of  
prophecy1 and to  paint before our face 
the universal state of our time2 the    
fall of the  most gorgeous harlot       
,babylon2 the repairing again of ,god's 
,church2 the  blindness and sloth of the
 bishops1 and the good will and         
forwardness of  the people4  ,for who is
 so blind1 that he seeth not these men  
be the  masters1 by whom the people1 as 
saith ,hierom1 hath been led into error 
and lulled asleep8  ,or who sooth not   
,rome1 that is their ,nineveh1 which    
sometime was painted with fairest       
colours1 but now1 her vizard being      

palled off1 is both better seen and less
 set by8  ,or who seeth not that  good  
men1 being awaked1 as it were1 out of   
their dead sleep at the light  of the   
,gospel and at the voice of ,god1 have  
resorted to the hills of the            
,scriptures1 waiting not at all for the 
councils of such masters8    ,but1 by   
your favour1 some will say1 these things
 ought not to have been  attempted      
without the ,bishop of ,rome's          
commandment1 forsomuch as he only  is   
the knot and band of ,christian society4
  ,he only is that priest of  ,levi's   
order whom ,god signified in the        
,deuteronomy1 from whom counsel in      
matters of weight and true judgment     
ought to be fetched2 and whoso  obeyeth 
not his judgment1 the same man ought to 
be killed in the sight of  his brethren2
 and that no mortal creature hath       
authority to be judge over  him1        
whatsoever he do3 that ,christ reigneth 
in heaven1 and he in earth2  that he    
alone can do as much as ,christ or ,god 

,himself can do1 because  ,christ and he
 have but one council-house2 that       
without him is no faith1  no hope1 no   
,church2 and whoso goeth from him quite 
casteth away and  renounceth his own    
salvation4  ,such talk have the         
canonists1 the ,pope's  parasites1      
surely1 but with small discretion or    
soberness4  ,for they  could scant say  
more1 at least they could not speak more
 highly of ,christ  ,himself4    ,as for
 us1 truly we have fallen from the      
,bishop of ,rome upon no manner of      
worldly respect or commodity4  ,and     
would to ,christ he so behaved himself  
as this falling away needed not2 but so 
the case stood1 that unless we  left him
 we could not come to ,christ4  ,neither
 will he now make any other  league with
 us than such a one as ,nahas the king  
of the ,ammonites would  have made in   
times past with them of the city of     
,jabez1 which was to put  out the right 
eye of each one of the inhabitants4     
,even so will the ,pope  pluck from us  

the holy ,scripture1 the ,gospel of our 
salvation1 and all  the confidence which
 we have in ,christ ,jesu4  ,and upon   
other condition  can he not agree upon  
peace with us4    ,for whereas some use 
to make so great a vaunt1 that the ,pope
 is only  ,peter's successor1 as though 
thereby he carried the ,holy ,ghost in  
his  bosom1 and cannot err1 this is but 
a matter of nothing1 and a very         
trifling tale4  ,god's grace is promised
 to a good mind1 and to one that        
feareth ,god1 not unto sees and         
successions4  ,riches1 saith ,hierom1   
may  make a bishop to be of more might  
than the rest3 but all the bishops1     
whosoever they be1 are the successors of
 the ,apostles4  ,if so be the  place   
and consecrating only be sufficient1 why
 then ,manasses succeeded  ,david1 and  
,caiaphas succeeded ,aaron4  ,and it    
hath been often seen1 that  an idol hath
 stand in the temple of ,god4  ,in old  
time ,archidamus the  ,lacedaemonian    
boasted much of himself1 how he came of 

the blood of  ,hercules4  ,but one      
,nicostratus in this wise abated his    
pride3 ,nay1  quoth he1 thou seemest not
 to descend from ,hercules4  ,for       
,hercules  destroyed ill men1 but thou  
makest good men evil4  ,and when the    
,pharisees bragged of their lineage1 how
 they were of the kindred and  blood of 
,abraham3 ,ye1 saith ,christ1 seek to   
kill me1 a man which have  told you the 
truth1 as ,i heard it from ,god4  ,thus 
,abraham never did4  ,ye  are of your   
father the devil1 and will needs obey   
his will4    ,yet notwithstanding1      
because we will grant somewhat to       
succession1 tell  us1 hath the ,pope    
alone succeeded ,peter8  ,and wherein1  
,i pray you8  ,in  what religion8 in    
what office8 in what piece of his life  
hath he  succeeded him8  ,what one thing
 7tell me7 had ,peter ever like unto the
  ,pope1 or the ,pope like unto ,peter8 
,except peradventure they will say      
thus3 that ,peter1 when he was at ,rome1
 never taught the ,gospel1 never fed    

the flock1 took away the keys of the    
kingdom of heaven1 hid the treasures  of
 his ,lord1 sat him down only in his    
castle in ,s4 ,john ,lateran1 and       
pointed out with his finger all the     
places of purgatory1 and kinds of       
punishments1 committing some poor souls 
to be tormented1 and other some  again  
suddenly releasing thence at his own    
pleasure1 taking money for so  doing3 or
 that he gave order to say private      
masses in every corner3 or  that he     
mumbled up the holy service with a low  
voice1 and in an unknown  language3 or  
that he hanged up the ,sacrament in     
every temple1 and on  every altar1 and  
carried the same about before him       
whithersoever he went1  upon an ambling 
jannet1 with lights and bells2 or that  
he consecrated  with his holy breath1   
oil1 wax1 wool1 bells1 chalices1        
churches1 and  altars1 or that he sold  
jubilees1 graces1 liberties1 advowsons1 
preventions1 first fruits1 palls1 the   
wearing of palls1 bulls1  indulgences1  

and pardons2 or that he called himself  
by the name of the  head of the ,church1
 the highest bishop1 bishop of bishops1 
alone most  holy3 or that by usurping he
 took upon himself the right and        
authority  over other folk's churches2  
or that he exempted himself from the    
power of  any civil government2 or that 
he maintained wars1 and set princes     
together at variance3 or that he sitting
 in his chair1 with his triple  crown   
full of labels1 with sumptuous and      
,persian-like gorgeousness1 with  his   
royal sceptre1 with his diadem of gold1 
and glittering with stones1  was carried
 about1 not upon palfrey1 but upon the  
shoulders of noble men4  ,these things1 
no doubt1 did ,peter at ,rome in times  
past1 and left them in  charge to his   
successors1 as you would say1 from hand 
to hand2 for these  things be now-a-days
 done at ,rome by the popes1 and be so  
done1 as though  nothing else ought to  
be done4  ,or contrariwise1 peradventure
 they had  rather say thus1 that the    

,pope doth now all the same things1     
which we  know ,peter did many a day    
ago3 that is1 that he runneth up and    
down into  every country to preach the  
gospel1 not only openly abroad1 but also
  privately from house to house3 that he
 is diligent1 and applieth that         
business in season and out of season1 in
 due time and out of due time3  that he 
doth the part of an evangelist1 that he 
fulfilleth the work and  ministry of    
,christ1 that he is the watchman of the 
,house of ,israel1  receiveth answers   
and words at ,god's mouth2 and even as  
he receiveth  them1 so delivereth them  
over to the people3 that he is the salt 
of the  earth3 that he is the light of  
the world3 that he doth not feed his own
  self1 but his flock3 that he doth not 
entangle himself with the worldly  cares
 of this life3 that he doth not use a   
sovereignty over the ,lord's  people3   
that he seeketh not to have other men   
minister to him1 but  himself rather to 
minister unto others3 that he taketh all

 bishops as his  fellows and equals2    
that he is subject to princes1 as to    
persons sent  from ,god3 that he giveth 
to ,caesar that which is ,caesar's3 and 
that he1  as the old bishops of ,rome   
did without any question1 calleth the   
emperor  his lord4  ,unless1 therefore1 
the popes do the like now-a-days1 and   
,peter  did the things aforesaid1 there 
is no cause at all why they should glory
  so of ,peter's name1 and of his       
succession4    ,much less cause have    
they to complain of our departing1 and  
to call us  again to be fellows and     
friends with them1 and to believe as    
they  believe4  ,men say1 that one      
,cobilon1 a ,lacedaemonian1 when he was 
sent  ambassador to the king of the     
,persians to treat of a league1 and     
found by  chance them of the court      
playing at dice1 he returned straightway
 home  again1 leaving his message       
undone4  ,and when he was asked why he  
did  slack to do the things which he had
 received by public commission to do1   

he made answer1 he thought it should be 
a great reproach to his  commonwealth to
 make a league with dicers4  ,but if we 
should content  ourselves to return to  
the ,pope1 and to his popish errors1 and
 to make a  covenant not only with      
dicers1 but also with men far more      
ungracious and  wicked than any dicers  
be2 besides that this should be a great 
blot to  our good name1 it should also  
be a very dangerous matter1 both to     
kindle  ,god's wrath against us1 and to 
clog and condemn our own souls for ever4
  ,for of very truth we have departed   
from him1 who we saw had blinded the    
whole world this many a hundred year3   
from him1 who too far  presumptuously   
was wont to say1 he could not err1 and  
whatsoever he did  no mortal man had    
power to condemn him1 neither kings1 nor
 emperors1 nor  the whole clergy1 nor   
yet all the people in the world         
together2 no1 and  though he should     
carry away with him to hell a thousand  
souls from him  who took upon him power 

to command1 not only men1 but even      
,god's angels1  to go1 to return1 to    
lead souls into purgatory1 and to bring 
them back  again when he list himself3  
whom ,gregory said1 without all doubt1  
is the  very forerunner and             
standard-bearer of ,antichrist1 and hath
 utterly  forsaken the ,catholic faith1 
from whom also these ringleaders of     
ours1  who now with might and main      
resist the gospel1 and the truth1 which 
they  know to be the truth1 have ere    
this departed every one of their own    
accord and goodwill1 and would even now 
also gladly depart from him1 if  the    
note of inconstancy and shame1 and their
 own estimation among the  people1 were 
not a let unto them4  ,in conclusion1 we
 have departed from  him1 to whom we    
were not bound1 and who had nothing to  
say for himself1  but only ,i know not  
what virtue or power of the place where 
he dwelleth1  and a continuance of      
succession4    ,and as for us1 we of all
 others most justly have left him4  ,for

 our  kings1 yea1 even they which with  
greatest reverence did follow and obey  
the authority and faith of the bishops  
of ,rome1 have long since found and     
felt well enough the yoke and tyranny of
 the ,pope's kingdom4  ,for the  bishops
 of ,rome took the crown off from the   
head of our ,king ,henry the  ,second1  
and compelled him to put aside all      
majesty1 and like a mere  private man to
 come unto their legate with great      
submission and humility1  so as all his 
subjects might laugh him to scorn4      
,more than this1 they  caused bishops   
and monks1 and some part of the         
nobility1 to be in the  field against   
our ,king ,john1 and set all the people 
at liberty from their  oaths1 whereby   
they ought allegiance to their king2 and
 at last1 wickedly  and most abominably 
they bereaved the king1 not only of his 
kingdom1 but  also of his life4         
,besides this1 they excommunicated and  
cursed king  ,henry the ,eighth1 that   
most famous prince1 and stirred up      

against him1  sometime the ,emperor1    
sometime the ,french king3 and as much  
as in them  was1 put in adventure our   
realm to have been a very prey and      
spoil4  ,yet  were they but fools and   
mad1 to think that either so mighty a   
prince  could be scared with bugs and   
rattles2 or else1 that so noble and     
great a  kingdom might so easily1 even  
at one morsel1 be devoured and swallowed
  up4    ,and yet1 as though all this   
were too little1 they would needs make  
all  the realm tributary to them1 and   
exacted thence yearly most unjust and   
wrongful taxes4  ,so dear cost us the   
friendship of the city of ,rome4        
,wherefore1 if they have gotten these   
things of us by extortion1 through      
their fraud and subtle sleights1 we see 
no reason why we may not pluck  away the
 same from them again by lawful ways and
 just means4  ,and if our  kings in that
 darkness and blindness of former times1
 gave them these  things of their own   
accord and liberality for religion's    

sake1 being  moved with a certain       
opinion of their feigned holiness2 now  
when  ignorance and error is espied out1
 may the kings1 their successors1 take  
them away again1 seeing they have the   
same authority the kings their          
ancestors had before4  ,for the gift is 
void1 except it be hallowed by the  will
 of the giver1 and that cannot seem a   
perfect will1 which is dimmed  and      
hindered by error4          ,,the       
,,recapitulation ,,of ,,the ,,apology4  
,thus1 good ,christian reader1 ye see   
how it is no new thing1 though at  this 
day the religion of ,christ be          
entertained with despites and checks1   
being but lately restored1 and as it    
were1 coming up again anew2  forsomuch  
as the like hath chanced both to ,christ
 ,himself and to ,his  ,apostles3 yet   
nevertheless1 for fear ye may suffer    
yourself to be led  amiss and seduced   
with these exclamations of our          
adversaries1 we have  declared at large 
unto you the very whole manner of our   

religion1 what  our opinion is of ,god  
the ,father1 of ,his only ,son ,jesus   
,christ1 of the  ,holy ,ghost1 of the   
,church1 of the ,sacraments1 of the     
ministry1 of the  ,scriptures1 of       
ceremonies1 and of every part of        
,christian belief4  ,we  have said1 that
 we abandon and detest1 as plagues and  
poisons1 all those  old heresies which  
either the sacred ,scriptures1 or the   
ancient councils  have utterly          
condemned3 that we call home again1 as  
much as ever we can1  the right         
discipline of the ,church1 which our    
adversaries have quite  brought into a  
poor and weak case4  ,that we punish all
 licentiousness of  life1 and unruliness
 of manners1 by the old and             
long-continued laws1 and  with as much  
sharpness as is convenient1 and lieth in
 our power4  ,that we  maintain still   
the state of kingdoms1 in the same      
condition and plight  wherein we have   
found them1 without any diminishing or  
alteration1  reserving unto our princes 

their majesties and worldly             
pre-eminence1 safe  and without         
impairing1 to our possible power4  ,that
 we have so gotten  ourselves away from 
that ,church1 which they had made a den 
of thieves1  and wherein nothing was in 
good frame1 or once like to the ,church 
of ,god1  and which1 themselves         
confessed1 had erred many ways1 even as 
,lot in  times past gat him out of      
,sodom1 or ,abraham out of ,chaldea1 not
 upon a  desire of contention1 but by   
the warning of ,god ,himself4  ,and that
 we  have searched out of the ,holy     
,bible1 which we are sure cannot        
deceive1  one sure form of religion1 and
 have returned again unto the primitive 
,church of the ancient fathers and      
,apostles2 that is to say1 to the first 
ground and beginning of things1 as unto 
the very foundations and  headsprings of
 ,christ's ,church4  ,and in very truth 
we have not tarried  for in this matter 
the authority or consent of the         
,tridentine council1  wherein we saw    

nothing done uprightly1 nor by good     
order2 where also  everybody was sworn  
to the maintenance of one man2 where our
 prince's  ambassadors were contemned2  
where not one of our divines could be   
heard1  and where parts-taking and      
ambition was openly and earnestly       
procured and  wrought2 but1 as the holy 
fathers in former time1 and as our      
predecessors  have commonly done1 we    
have restored our churches by a         
provincial  convocation1 and have clean 
shaken off1 as our duty was1 the yoke   
and  tyranny of the bishop of ,rome1 to 
whom we were not bound2 who also had no 
manner of thing like1 neither to        
,christ1 nor to ,peter1 nor to an       
,apostle1  nor yet like to any bishop at
 all4  ,finally1 we say1 that we agree  
amongst ourselves touching the whole    
judgment and chief substance of         
,christian religion1 and with one mouth1
 and with one spirit1 do worship  ,god1 
and the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus     
,christ4    ,wherefore1 ,o ,christian   

and godly reader1 forasmuch as thou     
seest the  reasons and causes1 both why 
we have restored religion1 and why we   
have  forsaken these men1 thou oughtest 
not to marvel1 though we have chosen to 
obey our ,master ,christ1 rather than   
men4  ,paul hath given us warning how   
we should not suffer ourselves to be    
carried away with such sundry           
learnings1 and to fly their companies1  
in especial1 which would sow  debate and
 variances1 clean contrary to the       
doctrine which they had  received of    
,christ and the ,apostles4  ,long since 
have these men's crafts  and treacheries
 decayed1 and vanished1 and fled away at
 the sight and  light of the ,gospel1   
even as the owl doth at the sun-rising4 
,and albeit  their trumpery be built up1
 and reared as high as the sky1 yea     
even1 in a  moment1 and as it were of   
the own self1 falleth it down again to  
the  ground and cometh to nought4  ,for 
you must not think that all these       
things have come to pass rashly1 or at  

adventure2 it hath been ,god's          
pleasure1 that1 against all men's wills 
well nigh1 the ,gospel of ,jesu  ,christ
 should be spread abroad throughout the 
whole world at these days4  ,and1       
therefore1 men1 following ,god's        
biddings1 have of their own free  will  
resorted unto the doctrine of ,jesus    
,christ4  ,and for our parts1  truly we 
have sought hereby1 neither glory1 nor  
wealth1 nor pleasure1 nor  ease4  ,for  
there is plenty of all these things with
 our adversaries4  ,and  when we were of
 their side1 we enjoyed such worldly    
commodities much more  liberally and    
bountifully than we do now4  ,neither do
 we eschew concord  and peace1 but to   
have peace with man we will not be at   
war with ,god4  ,the  name of peace is a
 sweet and pleasant thing1 saith        
,hilarius2 but yet  beware1 saith he1   
peace is one thing1 and bondage is      
another4  ,for if  it should so be1 as  
they seek to have it1 that ,christ      
should be commanded  to keep silence1   

that the truth of the ,gospel should be 
betrayed1 that  horrible errors should  
be cloaked1 that ,christian men's eyes  
should be  bleared1 and that they might 
be suffered to conspire openly against  
,god2  this were not a peace1 but a most
 ungodly covenant of servitude4  ,there 
is a peace1 saith ,nazianzen1 that is   
unprofitable2 again1 there is a         
discord1 saith he1 that is profitable4  
,for we must conditionally desire       
peace1 so far as is lawful before ,god1 
and so far as we may conveniently4  ,for
 otherwise ,christ ,himself brought not 
peace into the world1 but a  sword4     
,wherefore1 if the pope will have us be 
reconciled to him1 his  duty is first to
 be reconciled to ,god4  ,for from      
thence1 saith ,cyprian1  spring schisms 
and sects1 because men seek not the     
,head1 and have not  their recourse to  
the fountain 7of the ,scriptures71 and  
keep not the  rules given by the        
heavenly ,teacher4  ,for1 saith he1 that
 is not peace1  but war2 neither is he  

joined unto the ,church1 which is       
severed from the  ,gospel4  ,as for     
these men1 they used to make a          
merchandise of the name of  peace4  ,for
 that peace which they so fain would    
have1 is only a rest of  idle bellies4  
,they and we might easily be brought to 
atonement2 touching  all these matters1 
were it not that ambition1 gluttony1 and
 excess did  let it4  ,hence cometh     
their whining1 their heart is on their  
halfpenny4  ,out of doubt their clamours
 and stirs be to none other end1 but to 
maintain more shamefully and naughtily  
ill-gotten things4    ,nowadays the     
pardoners complain of us1 the dataries1 
the pope's  collectors1 the bawds1 and  
others which take gain to be godliness1 
and  serve not ,jesus ,christ but their 
own bellies4  ,many a day ago1 and in   
the  old world1 a wonderful great       
advantage grew hereby to these kinds of 
people4  ,but now they reckon1 all is   
lost unto them1 that ,christ gaineth4   
,the pope himself maketh a great        

complaint at this present1 that charity 
in people is waxen cold4  ,and why so1  
trow ye8  ,forsooth1 because his        
profits decay more and more4  ,and for  
this cause doth he hale us into  hatred1
 all that ever he may1 laying load upon 
us with despiteful  railings1 and       
condemning us for heretics1 to the end1 
they that  understand not the matter may
 think there be no worse men upon earth 
than  we be4  ,notwithstanding1 we in   
the mean season are never the more      
ashamed  for all this2 neither ought we 
to be ashamed of the gospel4  ,for we   
set  more by the glory of ,god1 than we 
do by the estimation of men4  ,we are   
sure all is true that we teach1 and we  
may not either go against our own       
conscience1 or bear any witness against 
,god4  ,for if we deny any part of  the 
,gospel of ,jesus ,christ before men1   
,he on the other side will deny us      
before ,his ,father4  ,and if there be  
any that will still be offended1 and    
cannot endure ,christ's doctrine1 such1 

say we1 be blind1 and leaders of  the   
blind2 the truth1 nevertheless1 must be 
preached and preferred above  all1 and  
we must with patience wait for ,god's   
judgment4  ,let these folk1  in the     
meantime1 take good heed what they do1  
and let them be well  advised of their  
own salvation1 and cease to hate and    
persecute the  ,gospel of the ,son of   
,god1 for fear lest they feel ,him once 
a redresser  and revenger of ,his own   
cause4  ,god will not suffer ,himself to
 be made a  mocking stock4  ,the world  
espieth a good while agone what there is
 a  doing abroad4  ,this flame1 the more
 it is kept down1 so much the more  with
 greater force and strength doth it     
break out and fly abroad4  ,their       
unfaithfulness shall not disappoint     
,god's faithful promise4  ,and if they  
shall refuse to lay away this their     
hardness of heart1 and to receive the   
,gospel of ,christ1 then shall publicans
 and sinners go before them into  the   
kingdom of ,heaven4    ,god and the     

,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ open
 the eyes of them all1  that they may be
 able to see that blessed hope1         
whereunto they have been  called2 so as 
we may altogether in one glorify ,him   
alone1 who is the true  ,god1 and also  
that same ,jesus ,christ1 whom ,he sent 
down to us from  ,heaven1 unto whom1    
with the ,father and the ,holy ,ghost1  
be given all  honour and glory          
everlastingly4  ,so be it4