from him, but taught that the high powers should be always obeyed; yea, himself (although he were most free Lord of all, and innocent) was obedient unto the high powers, unto death.

25. This is the great scab, why they will not let the New Testament go abroad in your mother tongue, lest men should espy, that their cloaked hypocrisy do translate thus fast your kingdom into their hands; that they are cruel, unclean, unmerciful, and hypocrites; that they seek not the honour of Christ, but their own; that remission of sins is not given by the Pope's pardon, but by Christ, for the sure faith and trust we have in him. Here may your Grace well perceive, that, except ye suffer their hypocrisy to be disclosed, all is like to run into their hands, and, as long as it is covered, so long shall it seem to every man to be a great impiety not to give them. For this I am sure, your Grace thinketh (as the truth is) I am as good a man as my father, why may I not give them as much as my father did? And of this mind I am sure are all the lords, knights, esquires, gentlemen, and ycomen in England: Yea, and until it be disclosed, all your people will think that your statute of mortmain was never made with a good conscience, seeing that it taketh away the liberty of your people, in that they may not as lawfully buy their souls out of purgatory, by giving to the spiritualty, as their predecessors did in times past.

26. Wherefore, if you will eschew the ruin of your crown and dignity, let their hypocrisy be uttered, and that shall be more speedful in this matter, than all the laws that may be made, be they never so strong. For, to make a law for to punish any offender, except it were more for to give other men an ensample to beware to commit such like offence, what should it avail? Did not Dr. Allen, most presumptuously, now in your time, against all his allegiance, all that ever he could to pull from you the knowledge of such pleas, as belong unto your high courts, unto another court, in derogation of your crown and dignity.

27. Did not also Dr. Horsey and his complices most heinously, as all the world knoweth, murder, in prison, that honest merchant, Richard Hunne? For that he sued your writ of præmunire against a priest, that wrongfully held him in plea, in a spiritual court, for a matter whereof the knowledge belongeth unto your high courts: and what punishment was there done, that any man might take example of, to beware of like offence? Truly none, but that the one paid five hundred pounds (as it is said, to the building of your star-chamber) and, when that payment was once passed, the captains of his kingdom (because he fought so manfully against your crown and dignity) have heaped to him benefice upon benefice, so that he is rewarded ten times as much. The other, as it is said, paid six hundred pounds, for him and his complices, which, because that he had likewise fought so manfully against your crown and dignity, was immediately, as he had obtained your most gracious pardon, promoted by the captains of his kingdom, with benefice upon benefice to the value of four times as much. Who can take example of this punishment to beware of such like offence? Who is he of their kingdom that will not rather take courage to commit like offence, seeing the promotions that fell to these men, for their so offend

ing? So weak and blunt is your sword, to strike at one of the offenders of this crooked and perverse generation.

28. And this is, by reason that the chief instrument of your law, yea, the chief of your council, and he which hath your sword in his hand, to whom also all other instruments are obedient, is always a spiritual man, which hath ever` such an inordinate love unto his own kingdom, that he will maintain that, though all the temporal kingdoms and commonwealths of the world should utterly therefore be undone.

29. Here leave we out the greatest matter of all, lest we, declaring such an horrible carrion of evil, against the ministers of iniquity, should seem to declare the one only fault, or rather the ignorance of our best beloved minister of tightwiseness, which is to be hid, till he may be learned, by these small enormities that we have spoken of, to know it plainly himself. But what remedy to relieve us, your poor, sick, lame, and sore bedemen? To make many hospitals for the relief of the poor people; nay truly, the more the worse; for ever the fat of the whole foundation hangeth on the priests beards.

30. Divers of your noble predecessors, kings of this realm, have given lands to monasteries, to give a certain sum of money yearly to the people, whereof, for the ancient of the time, they give never one penny. They have likewise given to them to have certain masses said daily for them (the dead) whereof they never said one: if the abbot of Westminster should sing every day as many masses for his founders, as he is bound to do by his foundation, a thousand monks were too few. 31. Wherefore, if your grace will build a sure hospital, that never shall fail to relieve us, your bedemen, so take from them all those things: set their sturdy loobies abroad in the world to get them wives of their own, to get their living with their labour, in the sweat of their faces, according to the commandment of God, Gen. iii. to give other idle people, by their example, occasion to go to labour: tye these hely, idle thieves to the carts to be whipped naked about every market-town till they will fall to labour, that they may, by their importunate begging, not take away the alms that the good christian people would give unto us, sore, impotent, miserable people, your bedemen. Then shall as well the number of our foresaid monstrous sort, as bauds, whores, thieves, and idle people decrease: then shall these great yearly exactions cease: then shall not your sword, power, crown, dignity, and obedience of your people be translated from you: then shall you have full obedience of your people: then shall the idle people be set to work.

32. Lastly, then shall matrimony be much better kept: then shall the generation of your people be increased: then shall your commons increase in riches: N. B. then shall the gospel be preached: then shall none beg our alms from us: then shall we have enough, and more than shall suffice us, which shall be the best hospital that ever was founded for us. Then shall we daily pray to God for your most noble estate long to endure.

AN EPISTLE

OF THE

MOSTE MYGHTY AND REDOUTED PRINCE,

HENRY THE VIII.

By the Grace of God, Kyng of England, and of Fraunce, Lorde of Irelande, Defender of the Faithe, and Supreme Heed of the Churche of England, nexte onder Christe,

WRITEN TO THE EMPEROURS MAIESTIE,

To all Christen Princes; and to all those that trewly and syncerely professe
Christes Religion.

In this epistle bothe the causes are playnely declared, why the Kynges Hyghenes owght neyther to sende nor go to the councill indicted at Uincence, and also how perylouse a thinge it is for all suche, as professe the trewe doctrine of Christ, to come thether.

Herevnto also is annexed the protestation made the last yere, by the Kynges Hyghenes, his holle counsayle and clergye, as touchinge the councille indicted at Mantua, &c.

Rede bothe, O Christen reader, truthe is comynge home, longe afore beynge in captyuytye; steppe forth and meete her by the waye: yf thou see her presente, embrace hir, and shewe thy selfe gladde of here retourne. London, printed by John Berthelet 1538. Octavo, containing nineteen pages.

As the following small Piece is one, if not the very first publick Declaration of King Henry the Eighth, against the Pope, now extant, I apprehend, that it will be doing great Service to the English History, to preserve it in this Collection.

The occasion was the King's being cited by the Pope, in concert with the Emperor, to appear before a general council, as he pretended to be held at Mantua, to answer to such accusations there to be laid against him.

The King communicated this summons to the convocation, then sitting, and demanded their advice; who answered in writing, that, before a general council could be called, it was necessary to consider, who had authority to call it. odly, whether the reasons for calling it were weighty. 3dly, who should assist as judges. 4thly, what should be the order of proceeding. 5thly, what doctrines were to be discussed. And lastly, that neither the Pope nor any other Prince, without the consent of all the sovereigns in Christendom, had power to call a general council. And,

Henry, well knowing that he must lose his cause before such a council, as proposed, he had been unwise to submit to its decisions: therefore,

Pursuant to this declaration of his clergy, the King protested against this council, in which protestation he speaks very plainly and freely of the designs and conduct of the Pope; being informed of the council's being moved to Vicenza, he repeatcth the same protestation to the Emperor in this letter following.

Henry the VIII. By the Grace of God, Kynge of Englande, and of Fraunce, &c. saluteth the Emperor, Christen Princes, and all true Christen Men, desyringe Peace and Concorde amonges them.

HERE as not long sithens a boke came forth in oure and all oure

we refused the councylle, than by the bysshoppe of Romes vsurped power fyrste indycted atte Mantua, to be kepte the xxiii, daye of May, after proroged to Nouembre, noo place appoynted where it shulde be kepte. And where as the same boke doth sufficiently proue, that oure cause coulde take no hurt, neyther with any Thynge doone or decreed in suche a companye of addicte men to one secte, nor in any other councille called by his vsurped power, we thynke it nothynge necessarye so ofte to make new protestations, as the Bysshop of Rome and his courtes, by subtyltye and crafte, doo inuente wayes to mocke the worlde by newe pretensed generall councilles. Yet not withstandynge, bycause that some thynges haue nowe occurred, eyther vppon occasion gyuen vs, by chaunge of the place, or els throughe other consyderations, whyche, nowe beynge knowen to the Worlde, maye do moche good, we thought we shulde do, but euen as that loue enforceth vs, which we owe vnto Christis fayth and relygion, to adde this epistell: and yet we proteste, that we neyther put forth that boke, neyther that we wolde this epistle to be set afore it, that thereby we shulde seme lesse to desyre a Generall Councille, than any other prynce or potentate, but rather more desyrous of it, so it were free for all partes, and vniuersall. And further we desyre all good princes, potentates, and people, to esteeme and thynke that noo prynce wolde more wyllingly be present at suche a councille than we, suche a one, we meane, as we speake of in our protestatyon, made concernynge the councille of Mantua. Trewely as our forefathers inuented nothynge more holyer than generall councils, vsed as they ought to be; so there is almost nothynge, that may do more hurt to the christian common welth, to the faith, to our religion, than generall councils, if they be abused, to luker, to gaynes, to the establyshement of errours. They be called generall, and euen by their name doo admonysshe vs, that all Christen men, which do discent in any opinion, maye in them openly, frankely, and without feare of punysshement or displeasure, say theyr mynde. For seynge suche thinges, as are decreed in generall councils, touche egally all men that gyue assent therevnto, it is mete that euery man maye boldely saye there that he thinketh. And verely we suppose, that it ought not to be called a generall councylle, where alonlye those men are harde, which are determined for euer, in all poyntes, to defend the Popysh

part, and to arme theym selfes to fyght in the byshoppe of Rome quarelle, though it were against God and his scriptures. It is no generall council, neyther it ought to be called generall, where the same men be onely aduocates and aduersaries, the same accused and juges. No it is agaynste the lawe of nature, eyther that we shuld condescende to so vnresonable a lawe against our selfes, eyther that we shuld suffre our selfes to be lefte withoute all defence, and, beynge oppressed with greattest iniuries, to haue no refuge to succour our selfes at. The Byshop of Rome*, and his, be our great ennemyes, as we and all the worlde may well perceyue by his doynges. He desyreth nothinge more than oure hurte, and the destruction of oure realme: do not we then violate the judgement of nature, yf we gyue hym power and auctoritie to be our iudge? his pretended honour fyrste gotten by superstition, after encreased by vyolence, and other wayes, as euylle as that his power sette uppe by pretense of relygyon, in dede, both agaynste relygyon, and also contrary to the worde of God: his Primacye, borne by the ignorancye of the worlde, nourysshed by the ambition of bysshops of Rome, defended by places of scripture, falsely vuderstande. These iii. thynges we saye, which are fallen with vs, and are lyke to fall in other realmes shortly, shall they not be establyshed again, yf he maye decyde our cause as hym lysteth? yf he maye at his pleasure oppresse a cause moste ryghtuouse, and set vp his, moste againe truth? certaynely, he is verye blynde, that seeth not, what ende we maye loke for of our controuersic, if suche our ennemye may gyue the sentence.

We desyre, yf it were in any wyse possible, a councill, where some hope maye be, that those thynges shall be restored, which, nowe beinge deprauate, are lyke, if they be not amended, to be the vtter ruine of Christen relygyon. And as we do desyre suche a councyll, and thinke it mete, that all men, in all their prayers, shoulde craue and desyre it of God; euen so we thinke it pertayneth vnto oure office, to prouyde bothe that these popyshe subtylties hurt none of our subiectes, and also to admonysshe other Christen Princis, that the Bysshope of Rome maye not by their consent abuse the auctoritie of kynges, eyther to the extynguyshing of the true preaching of scripture, that now begynneth to spryng, to grow, and spred abrode, eyther to the troublyng of princes liberties, to the dimynishynge of kynges auctorities, and to the great blemysshe of theyr princely maiestie. We dout nothing but a reder, not parciall, wyll soone approue suche thynges, as we write in the treatyse folowynge, not soo moche for oure excuse, as that the worlde maye perceyue both the sondry deceytes, craftes, and subtylties of the Papistes, and also, how moch we desyre, that controucrsyes in relygyon maye ones be taken awayc. All that we sayde there of Mantua, maye here well be spoken of Uincence. They do almoste agree in all poyntes. Neyther it is lyke, that there wolle be any more at this councille at Uincence, than were the last yere atte Mantua. Trewelye he is worthy to be deceyued, that, beynge twyse mocked, wolle not beware the thyrde tyme. Yf any this last

Published a bull of excommunication against him; and tried to excite all princes of Christen" dom, against Henry, and offered his kingdom to the King of Scotland, &c.