The.xlvii. chapyter

NOw where as this pacyfyer sayth, that some of the spyrytualty as of polycy do noyse yt, that the realm ys full of heretikes more then yt is in dede: I thynke there is no polytyque man of the spyrytualty that wyll make that noyse, wherby the heretikes might be the more bold, and the catholiques more inclynable to the worse parte, and y• more faynte and feble in the fayth.

But I know this very well that heretyques haue made that noyse, both for the cause afore sayde, and […]lso to fere the ordynaryes therwith, and to put theyr offycers in drede from doynge of theyr offyce. And peraduenture vpon such noyse some offycers haue ben aferd. And at the leste wyse I wo[…]e well, some heretyques haue ben so bolde, that they haue not fered to flocke to gether / not all ar the fyrste for heresy, but some fall in amōg t[…]em […]or good companye, to […] some s[…]rewd turne they […] greatly what / but […] wyth a lytle more acquay[…]taunce and communycacyon, haue fallen into theyr heresyes also. And suche noyses be some tyme for the aduauntage and fortherans of them that entende vnhappynes, to make folke wene they were very many, be they neuer so few.

I remember many tymes that euen here in London, after the gret besynes that was there on a May daye in the mornynge, by a rysyng made agaynst straungers / for whyche dyuerse of the prētyces & iourney men suffered execucyo[…] of treason, by an olde statute made longe byfore, agaynst al such as wold violat the kynges saufconducte: I was apoynted among other to serche oute and enquyre by dylygent examynacyon, in what wyse and by what persons, that pryuy confederacy beganne. And in good fayth after great tyme taken, and myche dilygence vsed therin / we perfytly tryed out at laste, that all that bysynes of any rysynge to be made for the mater, byganne onely by the conspyracy of two yonge laddes that were prentyces in chepe. whych after y• thyng dyuysed fyrste and compaced betwene theym twayne, perused pryuyly the iourneymen fyrste, and after the prentyces▪ of many of the meane craftes in the cytye / beryng the fyrst that they spake wyth in hand, that they hadde secretely spoken wyth many other occupacyons all redy, and that the[…] were all agreed therunto▪ and that bysydes theym there were two or thre hundred of seruyng men of dyuers lordes houses, and some of the kynges to, whyche wolde not be named nor knowe[…], that wolde yet in the nyght […]e at hande / and when they were ones vppe, wolde not fayll to f[…]ll in wyth them and take theyr parte.

Now this vngracyouse inuencyon and these wordes of those two lewde laddes (whyche yet in the besynesse fledde awaye theym selfe, and neuer came agayne after) dyd putte some other by theyr ouersight and lightnes in such a corage & boldenes, that they wende them self able to auenge theyr […]yspleasure in the nyght / & after either neuer to be knowē, or to be strong ynough to bere yt out and go farther.

And the lyke vngracyouse […]olycy dyuise now these here […]yques that call them self euā gelycall bretherne / some pot-heded postles they haue, tha[…] wander about the realme into sundry shyres, of whome euery one hath in euery […]hyre a dyuerse name / and some peraduēture in corners here and there they brynge into the brether[…]ed. But whyther they gete any or none, they let not to lye when they come home, and say that more then halfe of euery shyre is of theyr own secte. And the same boste Bayfelde thapo[…]ata whyche was after burne[…] in Smythfelde, made vnto myne owne selfe. But blessed be god whā he came to the fyre, he fownd none very redy to pull hym fro it.

How be it there was in one place of the dyocyse of Londō but la[…]e, a company that by such meanes eche encoraging other, toke suche harte and boldenes, and openly by day they ensembled them selfe togyther to the number of an hundred or aboue, to rescue a well knowen open hertyke out of the ordynaryes hādes. Howe be it as many as they were they spedde not, & som[…] of them punysshed after.

And in y• same dyocise also, when there was a preste takē for heresye, and in the cōmyssaryes handes / worde was brought hym that excepte he delyuered the preste and lette hym go, he sholde within two howres haue.ii. or.iii. hundred come fet hym, that wold pluck down his house or burn it ouer hys hed. wheruppon the commissary wers afrayed then hurte, delyuered out the preste / whom yf he had kepte styll, there wolde peraduenture for all y• crakes, not one heretyke of them all haue ben so bolde to come fette hym.

But yet that could I not well haue warraunted hym.

And in some place of the same dyocise also, they haue made a greate face, and sayd that though the kynge sente hys commyssyon vnder hys great seale therfore / they wold not suffer a sore suspected preste of theyrs for heresye to be taken thense. How be […] when that after I s[…]aled a cō missyon and sent it vppon the assaye, it made theyr hartes (god be thanked) faynted and were so well come downe, that they layed all the wyghe to a fewe lewde felowes and women in the towne.

And therfore boste & bragge these blessed br[…]therne neuer so fast, they fele full well them selfe, that they be to feble in what cuntrey so euer they be strengest. For yf they thought theym selfe able to mete and matche the catholykes / they wolde not I wene lye styll i[…] reste thre dayes.

For in all places where heresyes haue sprongē hytherto so hath it euer proued yet.

And surely so neglygently myght it be handeled, and the mater so longe forslowthed, y• at length in tyme so myght it happe here to. And veryly that they loke onys therfore (as farre as they be yet fro the power) some of them haue not lette to say, nor some to wryte it neyther. For I redde the letter my selfe which was cast into the palyce of y• ryght re […]erende father in god Cuth […]rt now bysshop of Durhm̄, and at that […]me bysshop of London / in whyche amonge many other bragyng wordes mete what so euer they were for those heretyke bretherne that made it, were these wordes conteyned.

There wyll onys come a day.

And out of questyon that day they not onely longe for▪ but also dayly loke for / and wold if they were not to weke not fayle to fynde it / & in some mornyng erly lyke good thryuynge husbandes, aryse by them selfe vncalled, as they sodaynly dyd in Basyll.

And the greter hope haue they, bycause in places where they fall in company, men vse them not now adayes as the tyme was when they dyd.

For they se[…] that it begynneth almost to growe in custume, that amonge good catholyke folke, yet be they suffred boldely to talke vnchekked.

whiche thynge all be it farre from commendable, yet wyth many folke it happeth vppon a good surety, that good men in theyr owne mynde cōceyue of the strength and fastnes of the catholyke fayth / whyche they verely thynke so strong, that heretykes for all theyr bablynge shall neuer be able to vaynquyshe. And therein vndoutedly theyr mynde is not onely good but also very trewe. But they thynke not farre inough. For as the se[…] shall neuer surunde and ouer whelme all the lande, and yet hath it eaten many places in▪ and swalowed hole cuntrees vppe, and made many places nowe see that somtyme were well inhabyted landes, & hath lost parte of hys owne possessyon in other partes agayne: so though the fayth of Cryste shall neuer be ouerflowē with heresyes, nor the gates of hell preuayle agaynste Crystes chyrche / yet as in some places it wynneth in new people, so maye there in some places by neglygence be lost tholde.

For yf that we bycause we know our cause so good, bere our selfe theruppon so bolde, that we make lyght & sleyght of our aduersaryes: it maye happen to fare bytwene the catholykes and heretykes at length, as it fareth somtyme in a suyte at the lawe by some good man, agaynst whome a su[…]tle wily shrew begynneth a false accyon, and asketh from hym all the lande he hath.

Thys good man somtyme that knoweth hys mater so trew, persuadeth to hym selfe that it were not possyble for hym to lese it by the law. And when hys counsayle talketh wyth hym, & asketh hym how he can proue thys poynt or y•, for hym selfe / answereth agayne, feare ye not for that syr, I warraunt you / all the whole cuntrey knoweth it / the mater is so trew, and my part so playne, y• I care not what iudges, what arbytrours, what.xii. men go theron. I wyl chalenge no man for any labour that myne aduersary can make therin. And wyth suche good hope / the good man goeth hym home, & there sytteth styll and putteth no doubte in the mater. But in the meane whyle hys aduersary (which for lacke of treuth of hys cause, must nedes put all hys truste in crafte) goeth abouth his mater busely, and by all y• false meanes he may maketh hym frendes, some with good felowshyppe, some wyth rewardes, fyndeth a felowe to forge hym false euydence, maketh meanes to the shyryffe, geteth a parcyall panell, laboreth the iury / and when they come to the barre he hath all hys trynkettes redy / where as good Tomme Treuth cometh forth vppon the tother syde, & bycause he weneth all y• worlde knoweth how trewe his mater is, bryngeth neuer a wytnesse wyth hym, and all hys euydence vnsorted. And one wyst I ones, that broughte vnto the barre when the […]ury was sworne, and openly delyuered his coū sayle hys tender boxe wyth hys flynte and hys matches, in stede of his bo[…] of euydēce, for that had he lefte at home / so neglygent are good folke somtyme, whan the knowen […]routh of theyr mater maketh them ouer bolde.

And surely myche what after this fashyon in many places play these here[…]ykes and we. For lyke as a few byrdes alway chyrkynge and fleyng from bushe to bushe, many tymes seme a great many: so these heretyques be so besyly walkynge, that in euery ale house, in euery tauerne, in eu[…] ry barge, and almoste euery bote, as few as they be a man shall alwaye fynde some / and there be they so besye wyt[…] theyr talkynge, and in better places also where they maye be herd, so feruent and importune in puttynge forth of any thynge whyche may serue for the fortheraunce of theyr purpose, that betwene theyr importune preasyng, and the dylygence or rather the neglygence of good catholyke men, appereth often tymes as gret a dyfference, as bytwene frost and fyre.

And surely bytwene the tre[…] catholyke folke and the false heretykes, yt fareth also mych lyke as yt fared betwene false Iudas and Crystes faythfull apostles. For whyle they for all Crystes callynge vppon them to wake and praye, fell fyrst in a slumber, and after in a dede slepe: the traytour neyther slept nor slumbered / but went about full besely to betray his mayster, and bring hym selfe to myschyefe.

But yet whē he came with his company, they scaped not all scot fre / nor Peter well a waked oute of his slepe was not so slouthfull, but that he could cut of one knaues ea[…]e / nor all the wreches of theym with all theyr wepens, able to stande agaynste Crystes bare worde, when he sayde, I am […] whom ye seke / but to groūde they fell forthwith vp ryght vpō theyr backes. wherby we be sure that neyther heretikes nor deuyls can any thyng do but by goddes specyall sufferaūce / & that they shall betwen them both, neuer be able to destroye the catholyke fayth, nor to preuayle agaynst y• catholyke chyrch / and all the myschyef shall be theyr owne at lengthe, though god for our synne suffer them for a scourge to preuayle in some places here and there for a whyle / whom vpon mēnes amendement he wyll not fayle to serue at the last, as doth y• tēder mother whyche when she hath beten her chylde for his wantōnes, wypeth hys […]y[…]n & kysseth hym, & casteth the rodde in the fyre.

How be it yf euer it shold (as god forbede it shold, & I trust it neuer shall) […]y such […]old slouth & neglygence on the catholyke part, and suche hote feruent labour of the heretykes, y• the heretykes parte shold happe to grow so strong, as they shold cōspyre to geue the aduenture by fete of handes: I nothyng dout of good mēnes good hertes, nor of the present ayde & helpe of god, but that the presence of parell raysyng men out of this dulle slepe, wold cause them than so to waxe warme & dylygent in y• mater, that the heretykes sholde haue such spede, as they haue before this tyme had in thys realme when they haue attēpted the like.

But yet though the heretykes part shold (as I verely trust they shold) haue euer more the worst / yet very sure it is, y• neyther parte shold haue y• better / but y• it wold then well appere, that it had bene mych more wisedome for al good catholyque men, to haue waren warmer afore, & to haue repressed those heretykes in tyme, before they grew to so many.

And this thyng was perceyued very well both before the making of that statute of kyng Henry the iiii, whiche statute this pacyfyer wolde haue now reformed, & also at the tyme of the makynge / & yet mych better sone after in y• reygn of the prince of famous memory kyng Henry y•.v. For before this statute made / the parleamēt ī the fyfth yere of kyng Richard the ▪ii. complayned of heretikes / & foūde grete harme grow that they were not arrested, but wythout arreste in cōtempt of the censuris of holy chirch, spred theyr heresies about fro shyre to shyre & fro dyocise to dyocise. wherof the realme fered as y• statute expresseth, that therof wold at length grow some great cōmocyō & perell. And therfore it was than prouided, that at the request of thordinary y• chaūcellour shold fro tyme to tyme award out commyssyons, to attache such heretykes and kepe them in strong pryson, tyll they were iustyfyed & ordered accordynge to the lawes of the chyrche. And yet was it afterwarde well perceyued, that this prouisyon could not suffyce. For the heretykes wold comenly be gone before the cōmissyō could come, and do as mych hurt in an other place. And therfore the parleamēt in the second yere of kyng Henry the.iiii, both beyng enformed by the clergy, & also by them selfe perceyuynge that those here […]kes encreaced styll, & wolde at lēgth do some gret myschiefe but y[…] they were better repressed / dyd among other good thynges prouyde, that thordynaryes myghte arrest the heretykes, & imprysone them them selfe. And yet was all that to lytell to. For in some places y• heretykes waxed to strong, & wolde not be arrested for them. And therfore at last it cam to that poynt, that men longe hadde loked for. For those heresyes bygonne by wycleffe in the tyme of the noble prynce kynge Rychard the.ii, & beyng then by some folke mayntened, & by many men wynked at, and almost by al folke for slouthed / the parell was so longe neglected, that y• heretykes were growen vnto such nūber, corage, and boldenes, that afterwarde in the tyme of y• said famouse prince kyng Henry the fyfth, they cōspyred amonge them, not onely the abolycyō of the fayth, & spoylyng of the spyrytualtye, but also the destruccyon of the kyng & all hys nobylyte, wyth a playne subuersyon & ouerturnyng of y• state of hys hole realme. Uppon whyche theyr false conspyracy dysclosed / when they were by the policy of y• noble prynce & hys counsayle dysappoynted, & secretely preuēted, & the felde takē vp before, ī which they had entēded to gather to gether by night, & frō thens to haue made theyr […]nuasyon: than after dew punyshemēt done vpō many of thē, it was well ꝑceyued what grete nede it was euer after to represse & subdue suche sedycyouse heresies forthwith at y• fyrst springyng. And therfore was there by & by therupon by the full perlyament, not onely that law confermed whiche lawe this pacyfyer here speketh of in this chapyter▪ but also mo made therunto / as y• they that were delyuered to y• secular handes, shold forfayt both goodes & landes / & that the great officers of the realme shold be solempnely sworen to represse heretykes & assyst y• ordynaryes. And therfore vndoutedly y• good christen zele of the prynce, the nobles, & the comons, toward the mayntenaūce of the fayth / & theyr hygh wysedome in prouydynge for the conseruacyon of the peace, rest, & suerty of the realme, were the authours & very doers, in y• making and passynge of that very vertuouse & very prudent acte. whyche acte, that euer thys pacyfyer, or a great many suche, shall be able to […]nduce thys prudent parlyament to chaunge, that wyll I se ere I byleue. whyche I truste I neuer shal in this tyme / namely in whiche, though there be not the.xv. parte of so many heretykes as these y• be wolde very fayne there were, and whyle there be not, yet wold haue thē seme to be, yet are there of trouth many mo then there were within these few yeres past / & therby the cause for which the statute was made, not onely stādeth styll, but is ouer y• of late very gretely encreased / & so more nede to lette those lawes stande & make mo such to thē besyde, then by the asswagyng & mytygacyon of any part of thē, to brynge these heretykes into suche corage and surety, as the goodly dyuyses of thys pacyfyer coulde not fayle yf they were folowed to bring them.