The.xxvi. chapyter

ANd many other mur[…]urs & grudges besyde these that be before rehersed / be amonge the people, mo then I can reherse now: but yet aboue all other me thynketh that it is most to be lamented and sorowed / that spyrytuall men, knowynge these gr[…]dges and murmuracyons amonge the people, and knowynge also that many lay men haue opynyon, that a great occasyon therof ryseth by spyrytuall men, and that they do no more to appease thē, ne to order them selfe in no other maner for the appeasyng of them, then they do. For all that they do therin mo[…]e commenly is this: they take yt, that they that fynde defa[…]te at suche abusyons and dysorder / loue no prefies: & therfore they esteme that they do of malyce all that they do / to destroye the chyrch, and to haue theyr goodes and possessyons theym selfe: and therfore they thynke it a good dede to se them punished, so that they shall not be able to brynge theyr malyce to effect. And therfore haue they punyshed many pe[…]sons, wihch mych people haue iudged them to do vpon wyl / & of no loue vnto the people. And though spyrytuall men are bounde in thys case, for appeasynge of these opynyons in the people, whyche be so daungerous as well to syrytuall men, as to temporall men, that many soules stande in great peryll therby, not onely to reforme theym selfe, and to leue and auoyde all thynges, that gyue occasyon to the people so to offende / that may be charyte be omytted and lefte, but also to fas[…]e, pray, weare the heare, geue almoyse, and to do other good dedes for them selfe and for the people, cryenge contynually to our lorde / that these dyuysyons may cease, and that peace and concorde may come agayne into the worlde: yet yt appereth not that they do so, but that they rather contynue styll after the olde course, pretendyng by confederacyes and worldely polycyes, and strayte correc […]yons, to rule the people / and that ys greatly to be lamented, and yt wyll be harde for theym to brynge yt so aboute.

But yf they wolde a lytell meken theym selfe, and wythdrawe suche thynges a[…] haue broughte the people into thys murmur and grudge: they shold anone bryng a new lyght of grace into the worlde, and brynge the people to perfecte loue and obedyence to theyre superyours.

And here me thynketh I myght say farther in one thynge / and that is this, that as longe as spyrytuall rulers wyll eyther pretende / that theyr authorite is so hygh, and so immedyatly deryued of god, that the people are bounde to obaye them, and to accepte all that they do and teache / without argumentes, resystence, or grudgynge agaynste them / or that they wyll pretende, that no defaute is in them, but in the people / and wyll yet contynue styll in the same maner, & after the same worldly contenaunce / as they do now / and haue done late tyme paste: the lyght of grace that is spoken of before, wyll not appere / but that bothe partyes shall walke in this darkenes of malyce and diuysyon / as they haue done in tyme paste.

Hys other murmours & grudges that he sayth he cannot now reherse, he reherseth after many of theym in hys other chapyters / whyche I wyll passe ouer vntowched, bothe for that the more parte of them be such as euery wyse man wyll I suppose answere them hym selfe in the redyng, and satysfye hys owne mynd wythout any nede of myne helpe therin / & for that some thinges are there also therin, that are very well sayed / and some also that be they good or badde, I purpose not to medyll mych wythall, as are the thynges that towche any lawes or statutes all redymade, be they of the chyrch or of the realme, defende theym I am cōtent to do, yf I thinke them good. But on the tother syde yf I thynke thē nought / albe it that in place and tyme conuenyent I wolde gyue myne aduyce and counsayle to the chaūge, yet to put out bookes in wrytynge abrode amonge the people agaynste them, that wold I neyther do my selfe, nor in the so doynge commēde any man that doth. For yf the lawe were suche as were so farre agaynst the law of god, that it were not possyble to stande wyth mānys saluacyon / than in that case the secrete aduyse and counsayle maye bycome euery man / but the open reprofe and redargucyon therof may not in my mynd well bycome those that are no more spyrytuall than I. And surely yf the lawes maye be kepte and obserued without perel of soule though the chaunge might be to y• better: yet out of tyme and place conuenient to put the defawtes of y• lawes abrode among the people in wrytynge, and wythoute any surety of the chaūge geue the people occasyon to haue the lawes in derysyon, vnder whyche they lyue, namely syth he y• so shal vse to do may somtyme myssetake the mater, and thynke the thynge not good wherof the chaunge wolde be worse: that way wyll I not as thus aduysed neyther vse my selfe nor aduyse no frende of myne to do. And therfore I wyll as I saye leue some thynges of his boke vntouched, whyther he sya wel or euill. And finally for y• the towchyng of thys mater is no parte of my pryncypall entent, but happeneth as an incydent to fall in my waye, wherin it suffyseth by the cōsyderacyon of one piece or twayne, to geue men an occasyon to loke well to the remanaunt, and let it not ouer lightly synke depe down into the brest, tyll it be well chammed & chowed in the mouth / & not onely se what he sayth, but also by the wysedome of the reder consyder what may be sayd agaynste it / and who so hath wytte and redeth it in that wyse, shall I warraunte you soone perceyue that mild indifferent boke, to bere more shrewde store of euyll stuffe therin, then the brethern that boste it wolde that such good folke sholde se, as of a good mynde menyng none harme, wene euery thynge were well ment that they se fayre set out to the shewe, and softe and smothely spoken.