The.xxxv. chapyter

NOw where thys pacy […]yer vppon that mysse ymagyned surmyse, goth on farther & sayth, that bycause the clergye so mysse constreweth the myndes of all those y• fynde f[…]ute a[…] theyr mysse order and abusyons, therfore they […] yt a good d[…]de to se theym punys […]hed▪ & they▪ haue therfore punyshed many pers[…]ns, whyche myche people haue iudged them to do vppon wyll and not of no […]ue to the people: in these wordes how charytably this pacyfyerment I can not tell / but eyther by malyce or ouersyght, eyther by defau[…]e of hym selfe or crafte of some sotle shrewe, these wordes are as euyll and as malycyously wryten, as any one y• wold fayne falsely dyffame the clergy could ymagyne or deuyse.

For here he sayth that bycause they haue (as hym selfe bereth them in hande) conceyued a false suspycyon agaynst all those that fynde faute at theyr mysseorder and abusyons / therfore they not onely haue persecuted and punysshed many persones, but also thynke theyr wronge full persecucyon and vnryghtuouse punyshement well done. what can be worse done then thys? and therfore as this doynge were the worst that could be, yf yt were trew / so is this sayenge the very worste that can be syth yt ys very false.

And in these wordes the figure of some say wyll not wel serue hym / and yet in yt cometh here also myche augmē ted and increased, in that he sayth not that some men so say, but that myche people so […]udgeth. How be yt as I sayd thys fygure wyll not serue hym here. But he playeth like a wyly thefe, that bycause he wolde not be knowen wolde were a vysour / and yet forgetyng hym selfe, wolde fyrste come forth bare faced / & when euery may had sene hym and marked hym well, wold then put on his vysour a pace, and couer hys vysage to walke awa[…] vnknowen. Euyn thus wysely lo playeth this pacyfyer here. For fyrste he sayth as of hym selfe, that the clergye hath punyshed many persons therfore / that is to wytte for the euyll and false susspycyon that they haue cōceyued agaynste all those y• fynde faute in the[…]r misseorder and abusyons. And when he hath thus sayde as of hym selfe, & therby well shewed hym selfe / then to couer and coloure yt wyth, he sayth that mych people iudgeth so. And therfore his whole tale amounteth vnto no more, but that hym selfe fyrste affermeth yt, and after confermeth his affermac[…]on by the pretence that myche people iudgeth the same / of whyche myche people he nameth yet neuer one, nor proueth that myche people so doth, nor sheweth cause wherfore eyther myche people or lytle people, or any one person so sholde / but bryngeth forth a bare surmyse in suche wyse ymagyned agaynste the clergy, as euery man that lyst to lye, may sone ymagyne in some other mater agaynste any temporall men.

But as for his myche people I sette not myche by. For mych people maye somtyme b[…]leue some one mannys lye. And agaynst his mych peple, yf there were myche of theym that so iudge before the prof[…] and fishe before the nette, and set the carte before the horse, as I wene there is not: yet is there agaynst them myche other peple more wyse in that poynt, and more cyrcūspecte, whyche tyll they se suche an euyll tale proued trewe, wyll eyther of indyfferencye kepe them selfe in a stay, & suspend theyr s[…]ntēce for the season, or ellys o[…] a good mynde rather for the whyle thynke and byleue the contrary.

Lettynge therfore for this tyme hys mych people passe / I wolde now demaunde of hym how he proueth thys abominable fawte that he lay […]th here to the spyrytualtye hym selfe / where he sayeth playnely y• they▪ haue punysshed many persons therfore, that is to wyt[…]e for the thyng that he there hath rehersed / which is ye wote wel, bycause they haue he sayth conceyued a false suspycyon agaynste them, for fyndyng defaute at theyr mysseorder and abusyons, and take it as though they loued not the clergy▪ but of malyce wolde destroye the chyrche & haue theyr goodes and possessyons them selfe.

Now yf the clergy haue therfore punysshed many persōs, bycause the same persōs haue onely spoken agaynste theyr mysseorder and abusyons / & that the clergy haue therfore mysse cōstrued theyr myndes, & imagyned that they wolde destroye the clergy for theyr possessyōs, whych those other folke that spake against theyr mysseorder went about with those wordes to gete fro the clergye to theym selfe: yf the clergye dyd I saye for thys cause of theyr own false imagyned suspycyon, punysshe those many persons that this pacyfyer speketh of, what thynge in thys worlde coulde they do that were worse? and therfore syth that sayenge agaynste the clergy is an intollerable dyffamacyon but yf that be trewe / I aske thys pacyfyer by what meane he proueth it trew.

And fyrste to shew that in some part at the lest hys wordes appere false / euery man knoweth that some of those y• haue ben punyshed, haue ben such, as neyther yf the clergy loste theyr landes shold haue any parte therof them selfe / & were of suche well knowen noughtynesse and lewde lyuynge bysyde, that no good man coulde thynke it lykely, that suche folke as they were shold do it for any deuocyon / as was syr Thomas Hytton that was waxen a ioynour, & in many a daye neyther sayd ma[…]ens nor masse, but raged and rayled agaynst the blessed sacrament / and Blofelde […]hapostata that was abiured in London, and after rayled agaynste all relygyons at Ipswych, and therupō taken and emprisoned at Norwich / and Bayfelde the monke and apostata, that was as an a[…] […]ured and after periured and […]elapsed heretyke, well and worthely burned in Smythf[…]lde: these with diuerse such other as haue ben punysshed for heresye, haue bene none suche as the clergy neded to punysshe theym for fere that they sholde gete from theym any parte of theyr landes to them selfe, nor were of suche wys[…]ome, lernyng, nor vertu neither y• the clergy could fere y• any men of wyt or of autho […]yte, wold any thynge regard theyr wordes / but onely that the clergy fered, that by theyr meanes myghte growe the losse and destruccion of many lyght persons soules.

For yf thys pacyfyer wyll saye, that the clergy fered lest those folke and many suche other lyke, sholde conspyre & gather togyther, and pull all awaye from them by force: I can not saye nay but suche a thyng myght in dede by long sufferaunce come aboute, as well in thys lande as […] hath in other. But than yf the clergye feted y• thyng / they fered for mo than them selfe. For surely yf suche thynge sholde fortune as I truste it neuer shall / those folke wolde not take onely fro the clergye, but amonge other from some of theyr owne laye bretherne to, such as haue aught to lese.

But thys pacyfyer wyll peraduēture say, that though suche maner folke as euyll prestes & apostatas that the clergye haue punysshed, be none of those that they pun[…]sshed for y• cause, but bycause they were heretykes in dede / yet many other haue they punys[…]hed for that cause, that is to wytte bycause they mysse construed theyr myndes and rekened them for enymyes to the clergye, for onely findyng of fawtes at the mysse order & abusyons of the clergy. And he wyll say as he sayth, that not onely hym selfe sayth that the clergye haue punysshed many persons therfore / but that also mych peple (though they saye not so farre as he sayth▪ that is to wytte y• they punys[…]hed theym therfore) w[…]l yet saye that they punysshed them rather of wyll than of loue to the people, well yet […] […] the […]ame mych people yf this pacyfyer haue herde them so saye, thou[…]h theyr so sayenge be grounded but vpon imaginacyon and gessyng at the secretys of other mennes myndes (as▪ hys owne imagynacyon is) yet iudge they not so euyll as hym selfe doth. For yf they iudge in that punysshemēt no more, but lesse loue to the people then desyre to punisshement / they iudge not yet that the punysshers dyd the partyes wronge as thys pacyfyer doth hym selfe, that sayth the clergye mysseconstrued theyr myndes, and vppon suche myssetakynge of theyr myndes for onely spekynge agaynste theyr mysseorder and abusyōs, dyd therfore punysshe them.

And therfore lettynge as I sayd before hys mych people passe by about theyr other bysynesse / I aske thys pacyfyer hym selfe, syth he sayeth that the clergy hath for that […]ause punysshed many, what nomber is the le[…]te that he calleth many? For though very fewe be ouer many to be so wrongfully[…] m[…]ssehandeled and punysshed▪ for onely sp[…] kynge agaynst mysseorder▪ & abusyons / yet[…] eue[…]more thys worde many, must[…] nedes importe and sygnyfye some greter nomber […]erdye than one or two or thre.

And ouer this, bycause the mater wheruppon this pacyfyer bryngeth yt in, is for a […]ause of a gre[…]t and in ma[…]e[…] vniuersal grudge and diuysyo[…], nowe of late (as he sayth) s[…]rong[…] vppe and growen betwene the spyrytualtye and the tempor[…]l[…]ye / these many persones that he speketh of, whych[…] haue ben so late for onely speky[…]ge agaynst mysorder and abusyōs punyshed, muste nedes […]e so many as that there haue ben some such so punyshed almoste in euery […]. For elles he playn re […]roueth his owne processe, & excuseth the clergye hym selfe v[…]ware / and layeth no lytle […]au[…]e in the temporalty, yf for the wrongfull demeanoure of one byshoppe or […]wayn in one pe[…]son or […]wayne, they wolde […]ere […]n vnyuersall▪ grudge agaynste all the remanaunt.

Now to proue to wha[…] passe this pacy[…]yer coulde brynge his proc[…]sse of his many persons, so sore myshandeled and p[…]nyshed for onely sp[…]kynge agaynste mysseorder and abus[…]ōs of the clergy / let this p[…] cy[…]yer peruse and rehe[…]se by name all the dyocises of englande and wales therwyth, & I wene veryly that excepte London and Lyncoln̄, he shal scante in any one of all the […]emanaunt fynde punyshed for heresye foure persons in fyue yere, and in the more parte of them not fyue in.xv. yere / nor delyuered into y• seculare ha[…] des in the most parte of them any one in.xx. yere. And then […]f thys be thus, all though (whyche I trow no man thynketh) of all those that in al the other dyocises haue ben punyshed were wronged euery chone / yet were not so few lykely to haue made so great an vniuersall grudge, as this pacy[…]yer speketh of. For I suppose no man doute[…]h, but that by one occasion and other, m[…] men then so many, haue misse happed to be in lesse space mysse punyshed in so myche space of the land by temporall men / and yet hathe there not growē any vniuersall grudge or dyuisyon agaynst any part of the people therby.

Let vs nowe then come to those two dyocises of Lōdon & Lyncoln̄ / & of those twayne fyrste to speke of Lyncoln̄, as great a dyocise a[…] yt is▪ and as many shyres as he hath wyth i[…] yt, yet haue I not her[…]e of late many punysh[…]d for heresy amonge theym all. But aboute a tenne yere a go to my […]emēb[…]aūce, there we[…]e in that dyocise about. […] or […]ourten abiured in o[…] town / and at that tyme euer[…] man that I herde speke th[…] of eyther in y• court or elles where, appered very glad that suche a bed of snakes was so […]ound ou[…] and broke[…]. For then were there at that time no […] to pu[…]te forth bookes and lament suche dyuysyons, wyth layēg for a cause of y• grudge, y• many persones were mysse handeled and punyshed for onely spekynge agaynste the mysse order and abusyons of the clergye. But nowe euery one y• is punished any where, is ynough for a mater of a lamentable boke of dyuysyon, that may to pacyfye y• grudge […]re yt bygynne, vse a fyguer of some say, & they say, & many say, and myche people sayth, and many men thynke, & such other / & therwith enueygle y• reder, & […]ake som good […]olke wene that right were wronge and euery one mā an hūdred.

But now come I to the dyocise of London, in whyche though there haue ben somwhat more a do in these maters there is no great meruayle, syth vnto this dyocise there is so great resorte & confluence, not onely from other partes of this realme, but also from other landes. And yet euen here of all that hath ben punyshed in this dyocyse, eyther in the countye of Essex (for as for in Myddelsex I remember none) or in the cytye selfe, […]yther of resyau[…]tes therin or of resorters therto, Englishe men or straungers, syth this pacyfyer affermeth that many persons be punysshed by the clergy for the onely spekyng agaynst theyr abusyons and mysseorder / and of those that haue ben punyshed eyther ryght or wronge, farre the moste parte haue ben here double and treble I trowe to all the remanaūt of the whole realme / and this is here nexte at hande, wherby the proues of all suche myssehandelynge ma[…] here wyth les[…]e laboure and charge be brought forth, and the tre[…]th moste easely try[…]d: […]tte […]hys pacyfyer of those many myssehandeled & […] punyshed persones that he speketh of, come forth and here proue vs some. Let hym proue.xx. let hym proue x[…]. let hym proue.x. let hym proue sy[…], lette hym proue […] / or for very shame aft[…]r such a gret word of […], l[…]t hym proue some one at the l[…]e. But surely I suppose he sh[…]l neuer be able to do that.