The seconde reason

Tyndale. Another reason is, who so euer byleue in Cryste consente[…]h that goddes sawe is good. The pope consenteth not that goddes lawe is good / […]or […]e hath for[…] den lawfull wedlokke vnto all his ouer whom he reygneth, as a tempo[…]a[…] tyrant with lawes of his owne makynge, and not as a brother exhortynge. them to kepe Crystes. And he hath graunted vn[…]awfull boredome vnto as many as brynge money. As th[…]row all dow[…]helarde, euery preste payenge a […]lden vnto the arched[…]con, shall […]rely and q[…]yetly haue h[…]s whore, and put her awaye at his pleasure, and take another at his owne l[…]te. As they do in Wales, in Irelande, Scotlande, Fraunce, and Spayne. And in […]nglande therto they be not […]ewe whyche haue […]ycences to kepe who[…]es some of the p[…]pe and some of theyr ordynaryes. And when the parysshes go to law with them to put awaye theyr whores / the bysshoppes offycers moche them, polle them, and make them spende theyr thryftes, & the prestes kepe theyr who[…]es styll. How be it in very dede sens they were rebuked by the preachynge of wy[…]leffe / our englyshe spyrytual[…]ye […]aue layed theyr snares[…] vnto me[…]nes wyues to couer theyr abomynacyons, though they byde not always secrete.

More. Here Tyndal proueth vs that no pope byleueth in god / For none of them consenteth that goddes law is good. He proueth that they consent nat that goddes lawe is good, bycause they make he sayth lawes of theyr owne byside / & therfore he sayth that they nat onely consent nat that goddes lawe is good, but also that they raygne ouer chrysten people lyke temporall tyrauntes[…] wherby Tyndaletecheth vs that euery temporall prynce makyng any lawe byside ye lawe of god, consenteth nat that goddes lawe is good, nor vseth nat hym self as a lawful prynce, but as an, vnlawful tyraūt / bycause he doth nat onely as a brother exhort Chrystes law, but also lyke a tyraunte compelleth them to kepe hys owne.

Now thys glawnce that Tyndale in raylyng vpon popes maketh by the way at all temporall princes and lawes is if they playnly dur[…]te speke it oute, the very pryncipall poynte of all hys whole purpose and hys mayster Marten Luthers to, and all the serpentyne seed that is discended of them[…] For Luther sayth yt we nede no mo lawes but onely the gospell well and truly preched after hys owne false fasshyon. And he babeleth also in hys babilonica that neyther man nor angell hath any power or authoryte to make any law or any one syllable of a law vppon any chrysten man, wythout hys own agrement gyuen therunto. And by frere Bar[…]s heresy a man may wyth out deadell synne breke all the lawes that are made by men.

And thus ye may se that the shrewd sort of all this secte, wolde nat onely haue popes and popes lawes gone and taken away, but kynges & kynges lawes to, if theyre purpose myght prosper / & make all people lawles, bycause all lawes are lettes as they take theym to theyr euangelicall libertie by whych they clayme to be bounden or compelled to nothyng, but exhorted onely to lyue euery man after the gospell, by euery man, expouned after hys owne mynde whych maner of exhortyng amounteth vnto as moche, as to let all rune at ryot wythout any bond or brydell, & than exhort euery man to lyue as he lyste hym selfe.

But now is it good to se what lawe so specyally lyeth in Tyndals eye / for whyche he generally rayleth vpon all the remanaunt. That is for that he sayeth that the pope hath forboden lawfull wedlocke. In thys he meneth two thynges, with whych two Luther and wyclyffe were euyll content before. One that there is maryage now forbod[…]n bytwene bretherne and sy[…]ters chyldren that was not before forboden by the scrypture. For whyche cause wyclyffe sayth that suche maryages are forboden wythout any fundacyon or grounde.

But thys thynge, to whyche pope wyll Tyndale laye? For he shall fynde that in these thynges the olde holy pope saynt Gregory and dyuers other holy popes to, and not popes onely but also dyuers counsayles and great assemblees of holy vertues fathers, haue in olde tyme sone vpon chrystendome well spredde abrode, for encreace of naturall honesty and propagacyō of chrysten cheryte, forboden maryage to be made wyth other degrees bothe of kynred and affynyte, mych forther of then they that abyde now forboden / wyth whyche the chyrche hath synnys for our infyrmytye dyspensed and vndone the bonde / so that in that poynt the faute that Tyndale, wyclyffe, and Luther lay vnto the pope, they muste laye to so many suche popes and other holy men besyde, that who so consyder the tone sorte & the tother wyll haue lytell luste to byleue thre or foure nowe suche maner folke as Tyndale and hys fonde felowes be, agaynste so many vertuouse old holy fathers as they were that made those lawes.

The tother law that he layeth so sore agaynst the pope, is that prestes, freres, chanons, monkes and nunnes, may not be suffred to be wedded, contrary to theyr owne vowys and promyses made vnto god, whyche no man compelled them to make. Is not thys a greate fawte tha[…] frere tukke maye not mary madde Maryon?

But then to set out thys mater som what the better to the shewe / he ryally rayleth out at large vppon all bysshoppes, archedekens, and other spyrytuall offycers. whose fautes yf they be suche as we well knowe that he falsely bylyeth many / yet were theyr euyll deme[…]nure neyther to be imputed vnto the law which forbedeth it as ye gospell doth nor vnto the pope. whyche when he hath ben enformed of a bysshoppes faute, hath as by dyuers decretales appereth proceded to the punysshement and amendement therof.

But Tyndale letteth not to lye out alowde, and saye that the pope hath hym selfe graunted vnlawfull whoredome to as many as brynge money / and in another place of hys boke he sayth, that the pope hath in Rome sette vp a stewys of boyes.

we haue hadde many pardonys come hyther and many dyspensacions and many licences to / but yet I thanke oure lorde I neuer knewe none suche, nor I truste neuer shall, nor Tyndale I trowe neyther / but that he lysteth lowde to lye. And as for hys lycences custumably gyuen by the ordynaryes, I truste he lyeth in other countrees / for as for Englande I am sure he lyeth. And therfore euery honest man wyll I wote well take hys tale therafter, for in the lyke maner he maye when he lyste, and wyll hereafter when he seeth his tyme, rayle vppon eu[…]ry […]orde that hath any lete, and vppon all the sessyons of peace kepte wythin the realme / in all whyche many kyndes of malefactours are amerced yerely, and fynes sette on theyr heddes, & they compelled to paye them, to compelle theym the[…]by to leue theyr euyll doynge / and yet wyll there many for all that be starke nought styll. But yet are not thamercemētes made for lycences / but deuysed for punyshementes & for meanes of amēdement, though the malyce of many men be so mych that they neuer amende therby.

And consyder that hys seconde reason wherin he reproueth all lawes the spyrytuall openly, and couertly the temporall to, and for the lawes calleth the makers tyrauntes / so farforth y• fynally no man can please hym, but wyclyffe the fyrst founder here of that abominable heresye, that blasphemeth the blessed sacrament / thys seconde reason of hys I say euery wyse man seeth, is yet more vnreasonable and mych mor[…] fonde and folysshe then the fyrste.