The.ii. chapyter

The author she[…]th many of Luthers heresies to be so ab[…]minable / and som parte also so peuysh / that ye very bare rehersall i[…] ynough wyth out eny ferther dyspycion th[…]ppō / to cause eny good man abhor[…]e thē / and to be ashamed also to seme so folyshe as to holde theym. And for a sample ye author reherseth dyu[…]rs / wherof some be newe set forthe by Tyndall in hys englyshe bokys / wors yet in som p[…]rte th[…]n hys mayster Luther ys hym self.

ANd in good fayth I w[…]ld […]ne that eny good m[…]n except some resonable neces[…] shold co[…]ell hym therto / ellys wolde yf he herd but hys opynyon onys rehersed / be very loth to lose hys tyme in the redyng / eyther of his fonde profe / or of the very tytles & namys therof agayn. Yf they be such in dede quod your frende and that they be not mistaken or mysreported. Me thynketh quod I that the frute whych ye se sprynge of theym / shold suffyse to make you perceyue theym for nought. And ywys a fr[…]rys lyuyng ye weddeth a nunne when hys lyuynge ys suche / shold make yt ethe to wyt that hys teching is not very good. Surely quod he I can not say nay but that these be shrewde tokens. I shall quod I do more for you. For I shall fynde the meanys that ye shall se his own bokꝭ / and therin perceyue yourself that men belye hym not. I pray you quod he lette me here some of hys opynyons by mouth[…] the whyle / and for the seynge of them in hys owne bokys I shall be thynke me after.

Fyrst he bygan quod I wyth pardōs and wyth the popys power / denyenge fynally eny of both to be of eny effect at all.

And sone after to shewe what good spyryte moued hym / he denyed all the vii. sacramentys / except baptysme / penaūce / and the sacramēt of the awter / sayng playnly that all the remanaunt be but fayned thyngys and of none effecte.

Now these yt he leueth for good / it ys good to se how he handleth theym. For in penaunce he saythe / that there neyther nedeth contrycyon nor satysfaccyō. Also he sayth that there nedeth no preste for the heryng of confessyon / but that […]uery man and euery woman to / ys as suffycient to here confession & assoyle and do all that longeth to a confessoure as ys a preste.

Mary syr quod your frend this were an easy way for one thynge. For the sorest thyng that I fynde in confes[…]on / ys that whan I see many confessours at a pardō / yet can I scant lyke one of theym so well vppon the fyght / that I wolde tell eny suche talys to onys in seuen yere & I myghte che[…]e. But now yf I myght after Luthers way be confessed to a fayre woman / I wolde not let to be confessed wekely. Ye wolde q I peraduenture tell her a tale that ye wolde not tell euery man. But yet yf some men told som talys to a fayre woman that they tell in confessyon to a fowle frere / they wold wysh I wene among that they had kept theyr counsayle in theyr own brest. Mary quod he that maye happen also in the confessyon that ys made vnto a preste. Pos[…]yble yt were in dede quod I. And Tyndall in hys boke of obedyēce or rather dysobedyence sayth / that the curatys do go and shew the bysshops ye confessyōs of such as be ryche in theyr paryshes / and that the byshoppys thervppon do cyte theym and lay theyr secrete synnys to theyre charge / & eyther put them to open shamefull penaunce / or cōpell theym to paye at the byshyps pleasure. Now dare I be bold to thy / & I suppose all the honeste men in thys realme wyll say and swere the same / yt this is a very folysh falshed ymagyned of hys owne mynde / wherof he neuer saw the sample in hys lyfe. We se in sū rather the cōtrary faut / that not onely the ryche but the pore also / kepe open quenys and lyue in open aduoutry / wt out payment or penaūce or […]ny thyng almoste onys sayde vnto thē. But therwyth fyndeth Tyndall no faut in the bysshops. For he say[…] playnely that ye bysshop hath none authoryte to […] eny such thynge at all. But he letteth not on the tother syde to belye the bysshops and the curatꝭ to / faynyng that the tone doth vtter folkys confessyon[…] to the tother. And whan he hath so bylyed them / then forthwyth as though he had proued hys tale true / he taketh the same fals fayned lye for a grounde theruppon to byeld the destruccyon of that holy sacrament of penaunce. For vppon that lye and suche other lyke / he sayth playnly that confessyō to ye preste is the worst thyng yt euer was founde. Now yf yt were trew as yt is as false as he that sayd yt / how happed yt than (whych questyon Luther & he be asked often and alway make as they herd yt not) how happed yt I say yt of so many vertuouse wyse and cūning fathers as haue ben in Crystys chyrch in so many hundred yerys / neuer none had ye wyt nor the grace to spye thys gret thyng / but all teche confessyon / tyll now that Tyndal ca[…]/whych yet in thys poynt […] his maister Luther For he saith he wolde in eny wyse haue confessyon stand / but he wold haue yt made at lybertye as well to women as men. But Tyndall wyl haue none at al / bycause he lysteth to belye both the byshoppys & the curatys / faynyng that they sholde bytwene them dysclose our confessyōs. In faythe quod your frend that ys a thynge that I neuer herd to haue happened. Nor he neyther quod I that dare I boldely saye. And yet I wote well as ye sayd ryght now / that prestꝭ shold vtter folkys confessyon were wel po[…]yble / and in many of thē nothynge in thys worlde more lykely neyther / […]f god and hys holy spyryte were not as yt is assystent and workynge wyth hys holy sacrament. But surely where as there be many thyngys that […] & clerely proue the sacramēt of cōfe[…]ō t[…] be a thyng instytu[…] & d[…]ysed by god / yet[…] yf all ye remanaūt la[…]hed / thys […] thyngs were vnto me a playne per[…]syon & a full profe[…]whyche thynge I fynde in the noble boke that the kyngys hyghnes made agaynste Luther / that ys to wyt that in so commen & custome of confessyon ofter than […]nys in the yere / where no man letteth boldely to tell such hys secretys / as vppō the dyscouerynge or close kepynge therof hys honestye comenly & often tyme hys lyfe also dependeth / so many symple as be of that sorte yt here theym / and in all other thynge so lyghte and laues of theyre tonge / and some therwyth so lewde in all theyre lyuynge / that for money they force lytell to stele robbe and murder to / and myght many tymes wyth the dysclosynge of some suche thyngys gete so myche as some of theym wolde kyll a man for less[…]/yet fynde we neuer eny man take harme by hys confessyon / or cause gyuen of complaynte / thorowe […]ny suche secretts vttred and shewed by the confessoure. In good fayth[…] quod he thys is very trowthe and a grete thynge in myne opynyon. But vndowtely yf confessyon came […]ny[…] to womens erys / there wolde be a sore chaunge. For yt wolde be harde for god and the deuyll to / to kepe theyre tongys. Yes yes quod I[…] […] can kepe a counsayll well ynought. For though she tell a gossyppe she telleth yt but in counsayle yet / nor that gosseppe to her gosseppe neyther / and so whan all the gosseppys in the towne […]nowe yt / yet ys yt but counsayll styll: And therfore I saye yt not for eny harme that wolde come by theym but for the neweltye therof.

Nowe in […]rnest quod yo[…] frende thys was a myche more madde i[…]uencyon of Luther / and that Luther is in a maner as madde as Tyndall. For it were as good almoste to haue no […]nfessyon at all / as to set women to here yt. Forsothe quod I yf yt hadde ben wys[…]dome and not agaynst goddꝭ wyll / yt wolde of lykelyhedde haue b[…] founden by some good men byfore these dayes / in thys longe tyme of so many hundred yerys. Howe be yt he gooth nere ynoughe to take yt all awaye. And dyuerse of hys scolers bysyde Tyndall do nowe denye yt vtterly. And hym selfe leueth lytell substaunce and lytell frute therin. For he wolde that we sholde not care myche for eny full confessyon of all deedly synnys / nor be very studyouse in the gatherynge of oure fawtys to mynde / nor ponderynge the cyrcumstauncys nor the wryght and grauyte therof / nor takyng eny sorow therfore. Now those thyngys taken away / and the sacrament of pen[…]unce lefte suche as he wolde haue yt / consyder in your selfe what frute w[…]re a man lykely to fynd in yt / he yt taketh a confessoure he forceth not wh[…] ̄ / & thē cōfesseth he forceth not what / dysposynge hym to […]epentaūce he forceth not how / good wortkꝭ in satysfacciō […]ompteth for nought / what maner of amēdemēt shal this mā cū to? and specyally yf byside al this he may take to his cōfessour a fayr womā such as a yonge man wolde haue a lust to breke hys mynde vnto / dothe yt not playn[…]ly appere that thys fonde felow so playeth wyth thys holy sacrament of penaunce / that he […]o[…]th abowt vtterly to dystroye yt? […] yet ys thys one of the th[…] that he loueth / takyng […] expressely. Surely quod your frende so d[…]th […]e this to as thynketh me. For[…]th quod I and he handeled the sacrament of baptysme not myche better. For he magnyfyeth baptysme but to the suppressyō of penaūce […] of all goodlyuyng. For therin he techeth that the sacrament self[…] hath no vertue at all / but the fayth onely.

Item he techeth that onely faythe suffyseth to our saluacyō wyth our baptysme / wythout good workꝭ. He sayth also that yt ys sacrylege to go abowte to please god wyth eny workys & not wyth fayth onely.

Item that no man can do eny good worke.

Item that the good and ryghtuou[…] man alway synneth in doyng well.

Item that no synne can dampne eny crysten man / but only lac[…]e of bylef. For he sayth that our fayth su[…]eth vp all our synnys how gre[…]e so euer they be.

Item he techeth that no man hath no fre wyll / nor can eny thyng do therwyth / not though the helpe of grace be ioyned thervnto / but that euery thyng that we do good and badde / we do nothyng at all there in our selfe / but onely suffer god to do all thyng in vs good and badde / as were ys wrought in to an ymage or a candell by the mannys hande wythout eny thyng doyng ther to yt self.

Item he sayth that god ys as veryly the author and cause of the euyll wyll of Iudas in betrayeng of Cryst / as of the good wyll of Cryst in […] hys p[…]yon.

In matrymony he saythe playn[…]ly that yt […] s[…]rament / and so s[…]y[…]e Tyndall to.

Item that yf a mā be not able to do hys dutye to hys wyfe / he ys bounden secretely wythout sclaūder to prouyde a nother to do yt for hym. Forsoth& abque; your frende thys was courteys[…]y consydered of hym / he ys a very gentylman I […] you. It ys no merueyl though hys wyfe be well […]e[…]mynge yf he make her suche prouysyon. Surely quod I thys wyse deuyse hathe he / and myche other bestelynes[…] he saythe in such thyngys and hys dyscyples after him of such sort as honest erys coud scant abyde the herynge.

In the sacramēt of order he sayth / yt presthede and all holy orders be but a fayned inuencyon.

Item yt euery crys[…]e[…] m[…]nand euery crysten woman ys a preste.

Item that euery mā may consecrate the body of Cryst. Thys ys a shamefull saynge in good faythe quod you[…]e frend. Abyde ye q I and ye shal here wurse yet. For he ferther yt euery woman and chylde may consecrate the body of our lord. Surely quod he thā ys the man m[…] outryght. He sayth quod I ferther yet / that the canon of ye masse ys false.

Item that ye hoste in ye masse is none […]blacyon nor sacryfyce.

Item that the masse wyth hys c[…]nō after the fourme that ys and euer hath ben vsed in Crystys chyrche / ys sacrylege and abomynacyon.

And thoughe myche of thys concerneth hys dāpnable heresyes […]o[…]thīg y• blessyd sacramēt of y• auter / yet sayth h[…] therof many lewd doctrynes m[…]. And amonge other he techeth that yt ys heresye to byleue that there ys not very brede and very wyne in the sacramēt of the auther ioynyd wyth the bodye & blode of our lorde.

Item Swynglius and Ecolam[…] dius scolers of Luther haue byteded ferther vppon this vngracyouse groūd of theyr mayster / and teche that the sacrament of the altare ys not the very body nor blo[…]d of oure lorde at all. And Luther hym selfe all be yt he now wryteth agaynste theym there in / yet (as yt by many thyngys appereth) mynded and intended to putte forthe by laysour the same heresye hym self / tyll he chaunged hys mynde for enuye that he bare towarde theym / whan he saw yt they wold be hedys of a secte theym selfe (for that cowlde he suffer no man to be but hym self) But byfore as I saye he dyd entende yt hymselfe. And therfore he made a way towarde yt by these other heresyes that I haue rehersed you / and by dyuerse other mo.

For he techeth also that the masse auayleth no man quyck nor dede / but onely to the preste hym selfe.

Item he techeth that men sholde go to masse as well after sowper as byfore brake faste / and in hys commen clothes as he g[…]th all daye wythout lyght or eny other honorable ryte vsed therin.

Item he saythe yt were beste that men sholde neuer be howe seled / but onys in theyre lyfe. And that neuer tyll they lye a dyenge / as they be but onys crystened / and that at theyre begynnynge.

Item he techeth that euery man and woman shold take the holy sacramēt / and spare not to touche yt and handell yt as mych as theym lyst.

Item he saythe that the blyssed sacrament of the awter ys ordayned of god to be receyued / but not to be worshypped. In fayth quod your frende these thyngys be farre owte of course. Yt see quod I now how he handleth all the blyssed sacramentys.

But now hathe he other wylde heresyes at large. For he techeth agaynste scrypture and all reason that no crysten man is or can be bounden by eny lawe made amonge men / nor ys not bounden to obserue or kepe eny.

Item he techeth that there ys no purgatory.

Item that all mēnys soulys lye styll and slepe tyll the daye of dome.

Item that no man sholde praye to sayntys nor sette by eny holy relyques nor pylgrymagys.

By my trouthe quod youre frende I hadde forgoten / that whan I was n[…]we in the vnyuersyte in the communycacyon yt I had wt my frendꝭ there in that mater / one of theym obiected agaynste me / that the worshyppe of ymagys haue he ere thys condempned by a grete counsayll in Grece. Ther was ī dede q I[…] coūsayl onys in gre[…]e gathered by an emperoure / that then was an heretyque there whyche was after in the tyghteth Synode by the generall counsayll dampned and adnulled. But thys no more doth to the mater / thē yf there wold now in Saxony and Swych[…]rland and suche other placꝭ such peple as swarne fro ye fayth g[…]ther theym selfe together and kepe […] they wold call yt a generall counsayll /wherin they myght deter[…]yne what they wold. And yet were all that no preiudyce to the ryght byleue of the catholyque chyrche / whych ys alwaye that knowen people that styll perseuer as one body wyth our sauyour Cryst in theyr former fast confermed fayth / frō whych faythfull body these other wytherynge brawnches be blowne away by the deuyll. And therfore as ye cowld make none authoryte agaynst the true […]ayth of the chyrch / so could that counsayle in grete no thynge proue theyre purpose / whyche made none interrupcyon of the ryghte byleue and godly custume of worshyp done to sayntys & ymages / that yet dyd for all that cōtynue styll in all the catholyke chyrche of Cryste / and euer synnys hath done. Forsothe quod he that ys trouth.

Yet went neuer q I ye counsayle in Grece scysmatycal as yt was eny thīg so far as Luther and Tyndall & theyr company whych leue no saynt vnblasphemed / nor Crystys own mother neyther.

For Luther can not abyde the comē anthē of our lady and the most de[…]o[…]t Salue regina / bycause we therin call that blyssed vyrgyn our aduocate.

Item euery other woman nowe lyuyng yf she haue the same fayth maye by prayed vnto as our lady / and wyth her prayer as myche profyte vs.

Item he techeth that men sholde do no worshyp to ye holy crosse that Cryst dyed on / saynge that yf he had yt hole or all the pyecys therof / he wold caste yt in such a place as no sone shold shyne theron / to thende yt shold neuer be foū den to be worshypped more.

Item of all s[…]estys he sayth yt he hateth the feest of the holy crosse / and ye feest of Corpus christi.

He techeth also that no man or woman ys bounden to kepe and obser[…]e eny vowe that h[…] hath made to god […] vyrgynyte / or wydowhed / or other ch[…] styte out of maryage / but yt they maye mary at theyr lybertye theyr vowe not wythstandyng. And how proueth […]e that quod your frend? Mary quod I by the brekyng of hys owne / wh[…]n he maryed the nun[…]e. And now he rayleth agaynst all cha[…]y[…]/& sayth […] yf a preste ly[…]e chaste / he ys lyke to the prestys of the ydole […]ybeles.

Longe wold yt be to wryte you all thabomynable heresyes of thys newe secte. But some of theym haue I rehersed / that ye may therby consyder whyther he that techeth suche thyngys / go not about vtterly to dystroye the hole […]ayth / relygyon / and vertue of crystendom. And that he is not in eny of these poyntis bylyed / I shall fynde ye meane that ye shall se yt in hys owne bokys. And there shall ye se how madly h[…] laboreth to proue theym. Proue theym quod your frend? the substaūce of these maters be to abomynable to be reasoned. And to make hym hated of all good folke / ys ynoughe to here theym rehersed. But I meruayl me mych how he fell in to suche an hepe of hyresyes.