The.xiii. chapyter

HIs.xiii. chapiter begynneth in the xxxix. lefe / and by ye rehersynge of diuerse wordes of his owne in dyuers other places of his boke, here he declareth his mynde that he entended not in his boke of diuysyon, to brynge in among the people any hatered agaynste the spyrytualtye.

Now in dede I do my self declare expressely, in many places of myne apologye, that what so euer wordes I speke therin, yet I ment euer more thentent of hys boke and not of hys person. And all though that in some places I say the pacyfyer here doth this or that, to this euyll purpose or that: yet I mene euer, the dede his, the malyce of the purpose some other wyly shrewys / whyche not beynge fully of so good catholyke mynde as I thynke all waye this man is hym self (which openly dysprayseth these new broched heresyes, and with detestacyon of them reherseth them by name) haue abused his playn simplycyte / makyng him wene good sowle, yu while he dyd put in of his own good mynde, these good wordes whych he reherseth here, and with them here & there in some sondry places pretyly powder ye boke, it coulde not be taken that there were any hurt ment in the hole worke togyther, how euyll wordes and how malycyouse so euer the sotle shrewys made hym stuffe vp ye boke with bysyde. Was not that a synful wily way of thē, to begyle a good symple soule so? For I wysse it is eth to se, that yf the good man were not of hym self very simple & playn, those dowble wyly shrewes coulde neuer deceyue hym so, as to make hym wene that these wordes whych he reherseth here in his.xiii. chapyter, were any maner token that his boke of diuisyon, ment not to brynge the clergye in hatered amonge the people.

For who were there that so intendynge, wolde yet for shame vtterly say that there were none good / and not rather to kepe his credence in slawnderynge the body, wolde caste in sometyme an excepcyon of some? In suche crafte is no great sleyght. It is but a comen playne poynt, and as easy to spye as a longe nose vpon a lytell face / specyally whyle as clerely as he sayth that there be many good, yet as you maye se folio.238. of myne apology, he sayth playnely that it is harde to fynde any one, with out that poynt, that (yf he saye therin trew) the very beste is very nought, and as badde as a very beste.

And for ye ferther profe of this point, rede myne answere to hys.xvii. chapyter in thys boke.

And where he speketh here of the fere that he wold euery man sholde haue of the leste censures of the chyrche, as though he therin ment myche the fauour of spyrytuall men: consyder the place euyn here in hys new boke, where he speketh of inquysycyons o[…] heresyes in his.xvii. chapyter, and you shall well perceyue that they that made hym there put those wordes in, ment lytell good to ye clergye. For it is there layed in a mater full chyldyshly to theyr charge / as though they wolde haue all the iustyces of the peace and all the iuryes of the realme, accursed for enquyrynge of heresye.

But yet is it of all thyngꝭ a v[…]ry specyall pleasure to se how he vseth here for a playne apparent profe of hys good mynde towarde the spyrytualty, that he wisheth wel for them, and prayeth god to sende them habū dauntely zele of sowles, pitye, good doctryne, and deuowt prayour. And sayth that than a new lyght of grace sholde shortely shyne &c. and that he sayth also, that it is great pytye and mych to be lamented, that the spyrytualtye do not faste and praye and do other good dedes, to ceace the dyuysyon withall / but yt all that euer they do therin moste comenly, is that they take it that they that fynde defawte at theyr abusyons and mysse order, loue no prestes / but do all of malyce that they do, to destroye the chyrche and to haue theyr goodes and possessyons them selfe / and that therfore the clergye thynke it a good dede to se them punyshed / and therfore (that is to saye for that same cause) haue they punyshed many persons, which mych people iudge to haue ben done of wyll &c. And sayth also that they do cōtinue styl after theyr old course, pretēdyng by cōfederacyes, worldly polycye, and strayte correccyons, to rule the peple / where he vseth these thynges whyche I haue here rehersed out of his.xiii. chapiter of this his newe boke, and somwhat made them more playne, with addyng therto his owne other wordes wryten in his diuysyon / as you maye rede in myne apologye fo. 158. in the.xxvi. chapyter, and answered there at length, in the same chapyter and diuerse other in order there ensuyng, of which this man hath answered to some very lytell, and to the moste parte and the chyefe parte no thynge: now is he so symple, that he vseth the same thynges / for a profe that he bereth the clergye very good wyll and mindeth not to brynge them in ob[…]oquy / whyche he wold we shold take for a thing playnely proued, bycause he pytyeth & lamenteth theym therin, and so bytterly prayeth god to make them good and amende them.

Thys good man many tymes taketh recorde of his owne conscyence that he meneth well, in suche thyngꝭ as his wordes make many good men wene, that he ment very nought.

And therfore wyll I now be bolde in thys poynt, to take recorde of hys owne conscyence, whyther hym self, yf one that knewe hys name, wold wryte suche a worke so to wchynge hym, as hys wurke of dyuysyon toucheth there the clergye / and wold therin vnder so many Some sayes, say that he were as euyll as he saith there that they be (for worse coulde lyghtely no man saye) wolde hym selfe hold hym satysfyed, and thynke that ye wryter ment hym none harme, bycause he powdered hys shrewde slaunderouse some sayes, wyth lamentynge and pityenge that the man is no better.

And wold he wene by his trouth, that the wryter ment not to cal him gracelesse, bycause he prayed god habundauntely to sende hym grace? nor to call hym witlesse, bycause he prayeth god send hym wyt? Surely yf he can thynke so: than shall he well shewe hym selfe so simple a sowle, as men may well se that some wily shrewys begyle hym. And on the tother syde yf he be wyser than to thynke so: thā he well sheweth hym self more wily in thys same.xiii. chapyter of hys, than to meane so well in his wurcke of dyuysyon as he wolde here make men wene.

Now where he saith these wordꝭ Also I saye not in all the sayde treatyse, that the spyrytua[…]tye make confederacyes agaynste the temporaltye / but I saye that they contynue styll after the olde course, in not doynge good dedes / but pretendyng by confederacyes, worldely polycye, & straight correccyons, to rule the people.

Who coulde wryte thus, but eyther he that were a man of very innocent symplenesse, or he that entendeth to mocke of a shrewd wily dowblenese For (sauynge that hys worde pretendyng signifyeth not in dede the thyng that he for lacke of language pretendeth here therby) to go aboute not to do good to the people, but by confederacyes with wylynesse and strayght correccyons, to rule the peple: what thynge calleth he this but confederacyes agaynst the people.

How be it syth thys chapyter goth but to the dyschargynge of hys owne personall entent, that he ment not hym selfe malycyously what so euer hys booke speke: I wyll not therfore wrestle agaynst it mych, but wolde he were well byleued in that thynge. But yet yf you rede the places of myne apologye, and compare them with such partes of hys boke as I there speke of: ye shall well and clerely se, that though the manne in his own mynde ment it not him self, yet the thynge that I saye was the menynge of hys boke.