The.xlv. chapyter

BUt what fautis so euer this pacyfyer fynde in the spyrytualty / yet of his tender pytye he hath euer a specy al eye to se that they shold not rygorousely mysse handele such good men as are suspected or dedected of heresy. And therfore where as in other places he hath shewed byfore, y• they haue punyshed many men of malyce, for onely spekynge agaynst theyr mysseorder and abusyons: now he cō meth in the.vi[…]i. chapyter / & leste bysyde theyr malyce they myghte happen to punyshe them also for theyr owne ignoraunce, therfore he teacheth the spyrytuall iudges one great poynt cōcernyng heresye and sayth:

It is a com[…]n opinion among doc[…]our[…] / that none is an heretyke for that onely that he er[…]eth / but for that he defendeth opynatynely his errour. And therfore he that erreth of symp[…]ycyte maye in no wyse be sayde an here[…]que. And Summa R[…]ella, in the tyt[…]e […]ereticus in princip[…], sayth / that a man may erre, and meryte therby: and he putteth this example. If a symple vnlerned man heare the preachynge of his byshoppe, that preacheth happely agaynste the fayth / and he byleu[…]th yt wyth a redy mynde to obay: this man […] / and yet he erreth: but that is to be vnderstande where ignoraūce […] any thynge that is heresy / though […] speke yt onely of an ignorannce / or of a pussyon / or yf he can by interrogatorye[…] […] questyon[…] be dryuen to confesse any thyng / that is prohybyted by the chyrch: anon they wyll dryue hym to abiure / or hold hym atteynted without examynyng the entent or cause of his sayenge / or whether he had a minde to be reformed, or no[…] and that is a very […]ore way / our lorde be more mercyfull to our soules, then so greuo[…]ely to punyshe vs for euery lyght de […]aute.

Thys processe were a prety pyece, and somwhat also to y• purpose, yf thys pacyfyers doctoring were a good profe, that the spyrytuall iudges knew not this tale before, nor wyste what appertayned vnto theyr parte in thys mater, vntyll thys pacyfyer taughte them thys greate secrete […] S[…]mma […]osella, so […] a boke to fynde & so harde to vnderstande, that very few men hadde medeled wych it byfore.

But the tale is not so mych tolde of any pryde to teache them, as of cheryte to teache vs, to take & byleue for trew, euery false fayned tale wyth whych any man lyste to bylye them. For vppon thys lesson he bryngeth in as you se hys cherycable infamacyon of the clergyes crueltye / makynge men wene it were so, vnder his fayre fygure of lamentaciō, & great pytye that it were yf it sholde be so / but yet it is (he sayth) reported so, & some saye that it is so.

But surely some say agayne, that lyke as there is nothyng so euyll, but that some maye happe to do it / so is there nothynge so false, but some may happe to saye it. And some other saye also that lyke as there is nothyng so false, but some man may happe to saye it / so can no mā say any thing so false, but some man vnder precexce of pacyfyenge maye happe to repete & reporte it.

For as […], all that gaye reported tale that some ley men say that some spyrytuall men haue […] great desyre to haue men ab[…]ured, or to h[…]ue extreme punyshement for […], that yf any wyll wytnesse that a man haue spoken any thyng that is heresye, though he speke yt but of ignoraūce […] all this tale though he tell ty but as yt were by some spyrytuall men, yet is yt tolde to make all laye men wene that those some spyrytuall men were so great a somme, that it were some great cause of all this great grudge and dyuysyon, whyche he sayth that the temporaltye now hath in this realme agaynste the spyrytualty in maner vnyuersally. wherin he maketh yet as I truste in maner an vnyuer sall lye / syth I can yet se no such vnyuersall cause / & lest cause of all in this poynt specyally, whyche most specyally as y• sorest & the moste cruell […]eyghnouse poynt, in sundry places of his boke this pacyfyer preacheth and preaceth vpon, that is to wyt the myshandelynge of men in y• cause of heresy / makyng men wene wyth his heyghnouse handelynge, that the spyrytuall iudges in thys realme handeled that thyng so cruelly, that all the worlde had cause to wonder and grudge thereat.

But when all his holsome holy babelynge is done / euery mā may se these thre thynges trew. Fyrst that syth in punysshynge of heresyes, there is & a good while hath ben, so litle besynes in all the shyres of Englande and walys, bothe about examynacyon and punycyon of heretykes, excepte onely London and Essex, and those are both in one dyocyse / his some spyrytuall men that he wolde haue seme so great […] somme, are yet of trouthe so few, that he semeth in maner to poynte them wyth his fynger, and myght as well in maner reherse thē euyn by name.

Secundely of those same some so few / yet is there some so lerned to whome the mater moste specyally pertayneth, that yf this pacyfyer kepe no more connynge in his breste t[…]ē he putteth out in his boke (as connynge as he weneth yt were) he is no more able to reache some one of those the lessons that longe to the mater, then he that lerned to spel, is able and mete to teache a good mayster in grammer to rede.

Chyrdely y• al his whole tale of theyr great desyre of mens sha[…]e or harme, & of their mishandelynge of men, and of vncharitable dealyng, is a very false fayned ta[…]e / and so hath ben all redy proued & foūden, in those y• haue had there surmyse broughte forth vnto the tryall / and so shalbe prou[…]d agayne I doute yt not, when so euer this pacyfyer wyll fall fro y• babelyng of a generalty (wherin he may poi[…]t & spyce a false tale wyth suspycyouse wordes) and come to the namynge of any one person specyall, & byfore any folke indyfferēt offer hym self to y• profe.

For lette hym come forth & name any one whom he wyll / and I warraūt you the dede shall shewe it selfe, that the spyrytuall iudges which had the mater in hande, were neyther suche as neded of thys pacyfyer to be taught what longed vnto ryght / nor were so malycyouse and cruell, but that they wolde be as loth as hym selfe to do them rygoure or wronge.

And he shall fynde whom so euer he wyll name, that hath bene eyther punysshed or abiured, that the maters whych haue bene layed vnto theym, they haue not bene by any subtyle questyons enduced to confesse them / but they haue ben both well proued agaynst them / and neyther haue bene sleyghte, nor lyghte, nor so straunge artycles and vnknowen, as they myght therin of ignoraunce or symplycyte so sore ouershote theymselfe.

But where thys pacyfyer speketh of passyons & of wyllynge to be reformed: surely yf he wyll so lyghtely perdon all passyōs, that he wyll haue no man punysshed for any thynge done or sayd in a passyon, than shall hys pytuouse affecciō many tymes do mych harme, by the takynge awaye of the punysshement wherof y• fere is ordayned to refrayn the passyō, and to make other also forbere the lyke for any suche maner passyon.

For well ye wote, men fall in aduowtry thorow such dāpnable passyōs. And by the passyon of […] and angre, men fal into manslaughter. And by a passyō of pryde, many a man falleth to treason. And by the same passyon also, men fall into heresye, and sometyme ye wote well fall in a playne frā sye to. And in theyr passyons of heresye, they speke vngra […]yousely, & contende agaynst the sacramentes, and blaspheme our blessed lady, and our sauyour hym selfe also, & horrybly dyspyse y• holy howsell, and make mockes and mowys of the masse, & rayle on Crystes owne blessed body and bloude in the blessed sacrament. wyll thys pacyfyer that all these blasphemouse dampnable heretykes shalbe spared, for such desperat dāpnable passyons? If that way were allowed / than were that […] most sure, y• agaynst all the fayth most could rayle and rage. For than myghte it be sayd that the man was in a greate passyon.

Now as for wyllyng to be reformed / I dare say that the spyrytuall iudges wold gladly se euery man, and therin wolde gladly shewe them all the fauour they coulde, but somtyme they can not shewe all the fauour that they fayne wolde. For though they maye receyue hym and saue his lyfe at the fyrst tyme: yet are they streyghted by the playne law that they may not so do at the seconde, whan the man is relapsed.

And the lawes haue determyned who shall be taken & reputed fo[…] an heretyke, and who not, as well as thys pacyfyer can teache vs▪ & a l[…]tell better to. And they haue both had a respecte and a sure eye to prouyde, that neyther innocentes or playne symple folke sholde be for any sleyght offēce sore hādeled or vntrewly cyrcumuēted aud punysshed / nor that wyly false wreched heretykes, sholde by crafte & sophems be suffered to seme wyse among vnlerned peple, and fayne simplycyte and say they repente and so be sente awaye lyghtely, to go teache theyr heresyes and sow theyr poyson into mennys soulys agayne.

For yf that way were t[…]ken whych it semeth that this pacyfyer wolde haue, that euery man myghte be holde excused that wolde saye he spake heresye of ignoraūce, or of ouersyghte, or of symplycyte, or of a passyon, or whyche as often as he wolde not defende his heresye and stobornly stycke therto, or though he dyd for the whyle, wolde afterwarde yet offer to be reformed, and promyse y• he wolde amende: yf all these I saye sholde all waye passe vnpunysshed, the chyrche of Cryste at the makyng of the lawes foresawe, and all chrystendome sholde shortely fynde, how lytel frute wolde growe therof.

And whan thys pacyfyer hath tolde thus, myche mysse handelynge and crueltye of the clergy, wherin yf he sayde trew it towched yet very few, and hath proued it by a some saye of as fewe / and fyndeth some such thynges for fautes as yf they were chaunged after the fasshyon of hys boke, wolde of heretykes in many places for a very few make a very greate many / & the lyes that heretykes of malice blow about agaynst theyr iudges, laboreth to make men byleue them for trewe, by hys repetynge and reportynge vnder a pretext of cheryte: than endeth he that paynted processe with his deuout prayour full holyly and sayth, This is a very […] way / our lorde be more mercyfull to […] soules, then so greuousely to punyshe […] for euery lyght defaute.

Whan he hath proued those euyll deuyses good, and those false lyes trewe / than let thys good syr Ioh[…] ̄ Some saye take hys portuouse and hys bedys and praye. But in the meane whyle those good men whome by suche fygurys and such holy pretertes, he goeth aboute vngodly to dyffame / do ernestely praye god for him, to gyue hym the grace to c[…]aunge thys euyll fasshyon and thys very sore waye. And they praye god hartely to be more mercyfull to thys pacyfyers pore soule▪ than thys pacyfyer is to other mennys / whose sou[…]ys (byleue hym self neuer so well, and meane he neuer so well therwyth) […]et hys […]ooke go[…] abou[…]e by sowynge of dyssensyon and emboldynge of heretykes, to enfecte and enuenome wyth a grudge & hatered agaynste the spyrytualty, and wyth the cankar of pestylent poysened heresyes / & all agaynste theyr owne saluacyon.