WHer as I haue chaū ced of late dayes to fynde your decrees, sent ouer vnto me, made vppō the cō ­tynencye of Cler­kes or Preestes, to be farre a­alyenate from dyscretion: a certayne feare truelye with sor­rowe dyd vexe me: feare, be­cause of that, where it is sayd that the sentence of a Pastor is to be dredde ande feared, whe­ther [Page] it be Iust or vniust. Tru­lye I feared the weake ād feble hearers of y ^e scryptur, y ^e which scant whear a Iust cause is, do obeye y ^t Sentence of it, & moch mor y ^e vniust they treade vnder fote, least those shulde blīde thē selues by a Precepte of theyr owne free wyll, through the o­nerous and importable trans­gresse or vsurpīg of theyr Pas­tor. And sorrowe, trulye and pytye it was vnto me, whyles I doubted howe the membres shulde be ware of them selues, theyre heade beyng taken in so greuous a syckenes. For what can be more weightie, or what more worthy then the pitye or compassyon of the whole Churche? Ande theryn you the Bysshoppe of the hyghest seate (vnto whome apparteyneth the examynatyon of the whole Churche) to straie neuer so litell oute [Page] of the waye, from the holye Discretion? Ande truelye you haue gone not a lytell out of the waye. when that you wyl­led the Clerckes or Priestes (whome you ought to moue to contynencye of wedlocke) to be compelled vnto the same by a certeyne Imperious violence. Why is not thys (thynke youe) iustly by the common Iudge­ment of all wyse men a violen­ce, when contrarye to the insti­tutiō of the Gospell, ād agaīst the decree of y ^e Holy Goost, any Man is compelled to execute pryuate decrees? Where ther­fore many holye exemples are of the Olde ande Newe Testa­mēt (as you knowe) that teach Dyscretion. Lett it not be (I praye youe) greuous vnto your Fatherhod, a fewe of thē, amongest many, to be graffed [Page] & intermixed ī this litell boke. The Lorde of truth in the olde lawe hath appoynted vnto a Pryest wedlocke, the whych is not redde where afterward he hath forbydden the same: But he sayth in the Gospell. Math. xix. There are some gelded parsons that haue chastysed them selues for the Kingdom of hea­uen: But all men vnderstand not thys sayinge, let him take it that maye take it. Wherfore the Apostell sayth. i. Corin. vii. I haue no precept of the Lord for vyrgynes, but I giue them my coūsell. Wherby thou doest consyder accordyng to the for­mer saying of the Lorde, that all can not take thys counsell. But thou seest many flaterers of the said coūsell, that are wil­ling to please men ād not God, to commytt manny greuous thynges vnder theyr colour of [Page] contynencye, to vse vnlaufullie the Fathers wyues, and not to abhorre from the embrasyng of the male kinde, and of Beas­tes. Least therfore the estate of the whole congregatyon maye chaunce to be to moch weake­ned, by the callyng aboute of thys infyrmytye, growynge e­uen vnto a very plage: Becau­se of fornycatyon (sayde he) let euery man haue his owne wy­fe. The whych these ypocrytes faine to parteyne specialie vn­to laye men. The whych albeyt that they be constytuted in ne­uer so holie an order, yet doub­te they not in dede to abuse o­ther mennes wyues. And (the which we see not without tea­res) all men rage in the aboue­named mischeues. Truelie those haue not vnderstād the scrip­tures a ryght, oute of whose pappes (because they haue pressed [Page] thē to harde) they haue drō ken bloude in the steade of mylke. For that saynige of the Apostell, let euery manne ha­ue hys owne wyfe, doth trulye except no man, sauing the pro­fessour of contynencie (or hym that hath prescribed in the lord to contynewe in hys vyrgyny­tye. The whyche thyng (moost reuerēde Father) doth become your mighty power, that where any shalbe, y ^t shal make vnto you by hand or by mouth, anye vowe of chastitie, ād afterwardes wyll forsake it, to bynde y ^e same of duety to execute the same vowe, or to depose the same oute of all orders by your Canonycall auctoritye: ande that you maie be able, manly to fulfyll the same, you shal haue me and all other men of my callīge to be vnto you dilygēt ayders. But to the intēt that you may [Page] knowe that soch as knowe of no soche vowe, are not to be cō ­pelled: heare the Apostell spea­kyng vnto Tymothe: sayinge, It becometh a Bisshoppe to be irreprehensible, the husband of one wyfe. And because that no man shulde returne the same sē tence to the Church alone, he added vnto it. He truelye y ^t can not gouuerne his owne house, howe shall the same giue diligē ce vnto the Church of God? Lykewyse he sayth, let Deacons be husbandes of one wyfe, the whych can well gouuerne their chylderen and houses. And ve­rely I knowe, that you are suf­ficyently taught, by the holy decrees, of the holie Bisshoppe Syluester: that y ^e wyfe is bles­sed by the Priest. Vnto these ande soch lyke sentences of the Scrypture, the wryter of the rule of Priestes or Clerkes, [Page] accordīge, not whithout cause, saythe, a pryeste oughte to be chaste, or at the least fettered wyth the bond of one Matry­monye. Of the whych thinges, he doth trulye gather, y ^t a Bys­shop ād deacon, are noted to be worthy blame, yf they be deui­ded in manye women. Ande yf they refuse one, vnder pretence of religion: Here the canonicall sentence doth condempne both Bysshop and deacon, wythout differēce of degrees. A Bisshop or Pryest ought not to cast of his proper wife, vnder the pre­tence of relygyon: for yf he so doo, he ought to be excommu­nycate, ād yf he continue to be deposed. Saynt Augustine al­so, a man not Ignoraunt of ho­lye dyscretyon, sayth: There is none so greuous an euel but it is to be admytted to eschewe y ^e worse. We reade also in the se­conde [Page] booke of Trypartita his­torya Canon dyscuc. xvi. Capi­tulo Si quis. that when y ^e coū ­sell of Nyce, wolde haue esta­blysshede y ^e selue same decrees, that Bysshoppes, Pryestes ād deacons, after theyr fyrst con­secratyon shuld vtterlie abstai­ne from theyr proper wyues, or shuld put of theyr degree.

Paphnutius rising in the mid­dest of them, (one of those mar­tyrs which Maximus y ^e Em­perour) (theyr ryght eies beīg plucked oute, and their lyft legges cutt of) did cōdemne, spake agaynst it: confessyng mariage to be honourable, ād affyrmīg chastitie to be the lyuing with a mans proper wyfe. And per­suaded the counsell, that they shulde make no soche lawes, affyrming y ^e cause to be greuous, ande myght be vnto thē or vn­to theyr wyues an occasyon of [Page] fornication. And this did Pa­phnutius expresse (albeyt he was vnmaryed) And the coun­sell praysed his opinion or sen­tence, and decreed nothyng of that parte, but left that in eue­rye mannes wyll, and of no ne­cessytye. There are somme that take. S. Gregory to be an hel­pe vnto their secte. At whose te­meritie I laughe, ande doo la­ment theyr Ignoraunce, for why? They are Ignoraūt that the decree of this so perilous ā heresye, made by. S. Gregory was afterwarde with worthie frute of repentaūce, purged by the same: for vppon a certeyne daye when he had cast his net into hys pōde or stewe for fish, and sawe aboue syx thousande infauntes heades to be drawē vp, he (taken with inwarde re­pentaunce) lamented, and con­fessyng the decree that was made [Page] by hym self, for absteynynge from matrymonye to be a cau­se of so great a murther: pur­ged the same (as I haue sayde) wyth the frutes of worthy re­pentaunce. And hys owne de­cree vtterlye condempned, he sayde that sayinge of the Apos­tell. Better it is to Mary, therto burne. Addynge for his ow­ne parte, Better it is to Mary then to gyue an occasyon of de­ath. Thys chaunce, peraduētu­re if they had redde wyth me (I thynke) they wolde not ha­ue Iudged so rashlye: at the least fearynge the precept of GOD. Iudge ye not, that you be not Iudged ād of that Pau­le sayth, What arte thou that thou doeste Iudge an other mannes seruaunt? Vnto hys Lorde he standeth or falleth: & truly he shall stande, the Lorde is myghtie or able to ordeyne [Page] or dyspose hym. Let therfore your holynes cease to condēp­ne those, whome you ought o­nelie to admonish or coūsell: le­ast by a priuate precept (which God forbydde) you be founde contrarie as well vnto y ^e newe Testament, as vnto the olde. For as. S. Augustine saith vn­to Donatus, this onelye do we feare in your Iustice, Least not for the consideration of Chris­tyan lenitie or gentelnes: But for the greatnes of the mysche­fe it selfe, you suppose it mete to be restrained: y ^e which thing, for Chrystes sake, we desyre you hertelye not to doo: for why? Sinnes are to be suppressed, y ^t those maye remaine, that may be repētaūt. And y ^e saying of. S. Augustyne, we wyll you also to remembre, where he sayth: Let nothyng be done for the desyre to do harme: and [Page] all thynges wyth Charytie to geue Consell, lett nothinge be done cruellye, nothing vngent­lie. Also of y ^e same I doo exhort you in the feare of Chryste, all you that haue not Temporall thinges, couet not to haue thē. Ande all youe that haue them, presume not in them. I saye not, yf you haue them that you are condēpned: but if you pre­sume in them, you are condēp­ned. Yf you seme vnto your sel­ues for soche thinges to be mē ­ne of great aucthoritie. Yf for youre exellent vnytie, you for­gett the commune condycion of mankinde. The which cuppe of discretion truelye, ye maye drawe oute of that Apostolyke fountayne. Arte thou vnlosed frō a wyfe, will not to seke for a wife. Arte thou bounde vnto a wife, will not to seke to be vnlosed. Where afterwarde it fol­loweth. [Page] Those that haue wyues ought to be as though they had none. Ande those that vse the woorld, as though they vsed it not. Also he speaketh of the wyddowe: Let hyr ma­ry Whome she wyll, onelye in the LORDE. For truely to mary in the Lord, is to attēpt nothinge in the makyng of the Maryage, that the Lord doth forbydde. Hiremye also sayth: Trust youe not in Wordes of lyinge: Sayinge, the Temple of the LORDE, the Temple of the Lorde, y ^e Temple of the LOGDE is, the which thing, Hierome expoundynge, sayth: The same also maye agree vn­to these Virgynes, y ^e crake of theyr Virginytye, wyth an vnshamfaste countenaunce, they sett forth theyr Chastity, whē theyr Conscyence meaneth an other thyng. And they forgett [Page] the Diffinition of the Apostell of a Virgin: That she ought to be Holy in Body and Spirite. What proffyteth y ^e chastnes of the Bodye, when the mynde is oppressed wyth whoredome? And if she haue not other Ver­tues, that the Wordes of the Prophet doth descrybe? The whyche truelye because we see you partly to haue, and becau­se it is not vnknowen vnto vs, that your Dyscretion (albeyt in this it be negligēt) in other Institutions of youre lyfe, the same is preserued. We dispayr not, but that you will sone correct y ^e euell faulte of this intēt. And therfor we do not taunte this youre negligēce (albeit it be very greuous) w ^t so great a grauity, as we may do. And (al though truly vnto y ^e termes y ^t are vsed) a bisshop shuld appere to be greter y ^en a priest: yet suppose [Page] we not, Augustyne to be lesse then Hierome. And a cor­reccion or a checke is not to be refused or disdained of eueri ī ­feryoure, specially wheare as he that is checked, is founde to trauayle agaynste the trouth, ande to please men. Nor yet we ought to take the Dysputacions of euery Parson (as S. Augustyne sayth to Bonifaci­us) although they be neuer so CATHOLYKE, ande well praysed menne. As we do the Canonicall Scryptures: Al­beit, it be not laufull (sauynge y ^e Honor that is due vnto thē) to dysproue ande refuse anye thynge in theyr wrytynge: If perchance we fynde that they Iudge othere wyse then the trueth is: The whyche by the healpe of GOD, is eyther parceyued by other, or by vs. And truelye what can be more con­trarye [Page] vnto the Verytye, thē thys? When the Verity itselfe speakynge of the contynenye, not of one man, but playnelye of all (except y ^e nombre of soche as are professed to continency) sayth: He that can take it, take yt, the whyche thynge these menne (wherof no Man kno­weth) beynge Prouoked or prycked to it, maye chaunce to saye, he that cā take it, let hym be stryken wyth a curse. What trulye can be done by mē more Foolyhe? What can be more boūd vnto the curse of GOD? Than where as some, that is to saye: Eyther Bysshoppes or DEACONS, are ronnīg so headlonge into the Lustes of the Bodye: That they can neyther abhorre Adulterye, nor inceste frome the mooste Shamefulle Embracynge of the male kynde (the moore [Page] shame) and yet they saye, y ^e chas­te Maryage of Pryestes styn­ke vnto them: and wyll not de­syre the Pryestes as fellow seruauntes to absteyne from so­che thynges, by the compassy­on of ryght Iustyce, or at the leaste monysh them to be con­tynent: but commande them, as though they were seruaun­tes, ande compell them to ab­stayne. Vnto the whych so foolysh ande shamefull sugges­tyons of soche Imperie (I will not saye counsell) they adde, it is more honestye to be intry­cate secretlye wyth many wo­men, then openlye in the face of men and in conscyence to be bound wyth one. Ande what trulye wolde they not saye? yf they were of hym ande in hym that sayth, woo be vnto yowe Pharyseys, the whych do all thynges for men. Ande by the [Page] Psalmyst, because they please menne, they are confounded: for as moche as the Lord hath dyspysed them. These be the men whych shuld fyrst persua­de vs, that in hys syght (vnto whome all thynges are naked and open) we ought to be a sha­med to be synners, rather then in the syght of menne, to appe­re to be without spotte. Albeit therfore that soche through y ^e desertes of theyr noughtynes, deserue counsell of no pitie. we notwithstandyng remembrīg our humanitie, do minister vn­to them, the coūsell of Goddes Auctoritie, y ^t neuer wanteth pitie, from y ^e bowelles of Chary­tie. For trulye this we saie: O y ^e ypocrit, cast oute first a block oute of thī owne eie, & thē shalt y ^u see, to cast out a moate oute of thy brothers eie. And we de­syre them also to note, y ^e thinge [Page] that the Lorde sayth of the cō ­mone woman. Looke which of you is without synne, let hym cast fyrst the stone vppon hyr. As who wolde saye, yf the lawe doth commaunde it? Yf Moi­ses do commaunde it? I com­maunde it also. But I requyre mete or competent mynysters of the lawe. Note well what you adde: ande marke well (I praye you) what you are: for if thou loke well vppon thy selfe (as scrypture sayth) thou wylt neuer sclaunder any man. It is also sygnyfyed vnto vs, of certeī, of those, the which swell wyth so moche pryde in theyr owne conceyte, that they presume to pyll the flocke of the lor­de, (for whome Gods shepheardes doubte not to mynyster or gyue theyr soules) wyth stry­pes wythout reason. Whose sē ­tence. S. Gregory lamenting, [Page] saith: What shall become of the shepe, when the Shepheardes are made wolues? But who is soner ouercome, thē he that ra­geth? Who shall Iudge the persecuter, but he that doth minis­ter pacyentlie hys backe to the whippes? Trulie it weare well done, that it myght be hearde, for what frute the Churche of GOD shulde suffer so great a sclaunder, & the clergie so great a despyte of the Bysshoppes, ād of theyr infidelles. And verelie I doubte not, to call those infi­delles, of whome the Apostell Paul sayth vnto Timothe, y ^t in the latter dayes, some shall go awaye from the faith, geuīg care vnto the spyrytes of er­rour, and vnto the doctryne of Deuelles, speaking lies in ypocrysye, hauyng a fyred consci­ence, forbyddyng to marry. Thys trulye if it be throughly [Page] and dyligently seen, is the hād­full of all theyr cockell, ād the content of all theyr madnes, that whyles clerkes or Pryes­tes, (beyng ouercome wyth a Pharisaycall furour) are com­pelled to forsake the laufull cō ­panye of one woman, fornyca­tours, adulterers & the shame­full mynisters of other Praui­ties, are made lyke wyth thē. These be they that doo bryng into the Church (lyke the blyn­de that leadeth the blynde) this heresye, that the saying of the Psalmyst maye be fulfylled: Where lyke one for knowyng of theyr errour, he curseth thē after this sorte. Let theyr eies be dīmed or bleared that they see not, and theyr backe alwa­yes bowed downe. For as mo­che therfore as no mā (O Apo­stolyke Father) that knoweth you, is so Ignoraūt, but yf you [Page] had foreseen, by the clearenes of your substancyall dyscreti­on, so great a plage to be lyke to growe, through the sentence of your decree: you would ne­uer haue consented vnto so e­uell suggestyons of any maner of parsōs. Wherfore by the fy­delytye of pure due subiection, we counsell you: that nowe at the least you laye watche, to putte awaie so great a sclaun­der from the Church of God. And by your learnyng (as you knowe howe) to plucke vp by the rootes oute of the hearde of God: the doctryne of y ^e Pha­riseys: Least the onelye dear­ling of the lorde (yf she vse any longer vntrue husbādes) pluc­ke awaye the holie nation, the pryncelye pryesthoade by a de­uorse, that can not be recoue­red againe, from hyr dere spou­se: that is to saye CHRIST. [Page] For as moch as no mā without chastytye (not onelye in the flo­wer of vyrgynytye, but also in the knot of Matrymony) can see the Lorde, the whych ly­ueth and reygneth, wyth God the father, and the holyghoost worlde wythout ende Amen.