SAthanas king of sorow / prince of darckenes and lord of Hel / Abbot of apostasie, of the order of ypo­cresie / prouost of pride / & prouincial generall of all mischiefe. Unto oure true subiectes of the order of al couentes of liars, we doo sende our greting with as good welfare as we haue our selues: desiring & charging you vpon your allegāce that ye at al times be readie & obedient vnto this our will and com­maundemēt. Iesu Christ that mi­serable person, the sonne of Mari hath deceiued vs. For in time of his liuing vpon the earthe, he fai­ned in al thinges, vsing himself so sottellie & craftelie, that we might not know surelie what he was, he liued in great pouertye and wret­chednesse withoute anie world­lie lordeshippes. Yf anye were [Page] ryche and wise, he made them wret ches, beggers, and starke fooles to al mens iudgement, [...] them to liue onely in charitye and [...], to despise the world, and to refuse the vanities therof. So that he & his simple fooles taught the priestes and clerkes that [...] be theyr successours and Christes disciples / [...] so to liue. And vnto them he left certeyn foolyshe writinges called the Pistels and Gospels, wherein they shoulde al­waies know their maisters simple liuing, and how to lyue thereafter them selues. Thys wretched and simple Christ was not onely contēt to lyue thus peuishly himselfe, but he reproued the lordes, Byshops, high princes & priestes our chap­lains of honour, and al the scribes and phareses, the executors of our daylye seruice (because they were [Page] contrarye to hys lyuynge and tea­chynge) and the true fulfyllers of our high commaundements: they that wer altogether giuen (as our eternall wyll was) to couetousnes and lordshippes. They had religious Abbotes, holy orders, perfect commaundemēts of the law, with all other thinges that becommeth our seruauntes to haue. Whyche thinges semed very holy and without deceit vnto the eyes of the vn­learned people. Therfore this cursed Christ, reproued opēly our hie Lordes and great clarkes. In so much that bothe we aud they were in daunger and feare of losing the mighty kyngdome of thys worlde whiche we haue in peaceable pos­session. And doutlesse yf we hadde not (by our excellent learnyng) in­uented and found a short remedie: we had clearly bene vndone. But [Page] wee and oure faythfull Lordes, Preestes, Clerkes, Scribes and Pharases withall oure myghtye parsons of our kingdome, founde a meanes by our wisedom, might and power, to put him to [...] af­ter such a fassion and by the aucto­ritie of the law: that no man could finde faute in his condempnacion, but euerie man iudged him war­thie of death, sauing a [...] foolish vagaboundes that had no dwel­ling place / whō also he had decei­ued with his false doctrine. So that we thought our selfe / and all ours to be out of daūger for euer. But now that we knew not him to be God / he hath deceiued vs, and set vs in woorse case then euer we were before, through the might of his Godhead. For he arose from death to life the thirde daye / and shewed him self to his Disciples. [Page] Of this our soldiours which kept the sepulchre were witnes, he dyd also teach & preache the kingdome of heauen to his frendes which is contrary to our eternal lordships. And after. [...]. daies he ascēded vp into heauen / commaunding his a­postles to preache his gospel to e­uery creature thorow oute all the world. And ten daies after he sent them his holy spirite whiche both taught them all veritie / and also strengthned and boldned them, so that they nether feared vs nor our mighty power (though we put thē to death) but went forth boldlie & preached his gospell vnto al men. So that they withdrewe from our mighti lordships more people thē euer their wretched maister christ did. In so much that the hie wai & clergie of our mightie kingdome was ouergrowen and worē cleare [Page] out of knnwledge, where thorowe we & our most eternall Lordshyps were almost destroyed. Wherfore we perceauinge thys (by our eter­nal wysdome) and many other ieo­pardies that might haue fallen to our excellent parsone / ordeyned a general counsel of al Dukes, princes / barons, cōmens, wyth the cur­sed company of our religions and lordships of hel, to set a redresse in al thinges. And so by our sage and wyse counsell it was deuised that euery mischiefe must be destroyed by his contrary. And where as the mischiefe and destruccion of oure kyngdome came by pouerty, mekenes, and despising of Lordshippes (whiche al priestes had learned of Christ and his disciples) therefore oure highnes thoughte wyth oure wyse counsaile that oure religion and true seruice muste be recoue­red [Page] againe with riches of priestes, by mightye power, by sottell lear­nyng / and by al worldlye honour For this our highnes hath deuised and [...] that priestes of al de grees mighte be of a great multi­tude to haue [...] without nom­ber, to haue also all maner of rule and worldly [...], and so great power ouer euery man, that no mā might ouerface them. But to rule Lordes and Kynges and all the world at their pleasure. And thus to come with more diligence to our seruice and Lordships: & to bring this our high counsel the better to passe: we moued the Emperour in Pope [...] hys daies by our [...] and prinye meanes to geue and [...] Priests & clarkes with al worldly lordships which was cō trary to y ^e doctrine of our wretched [...] Christ. And for because we [Page] would not that it should be perceiued: we deuised this to bee geuen vnder y ^e colour of an almes. For Siluester was a litle scrupulous and if we had not diligentlie enti­sed him vnder this colour of al­mes, hee woulde haue forsaken it. We also perswaded him to bestow it on holie Churche, and so tho­rowe our hie wisdome we brought to passe that he tooke these world­lye Lordshippes: and all his suc­cessours haue folowed hys steps and in that thinge succeded him most fastest, so that now they haue gathered so plenteously that they are lordes and kinges of the arth, and are become our true and faithful chaplaines of honour. And thē not long after we deuised for them certaine priuilegies that they and al theirs shuld be exempte from al due obedience and from vnder the [Page] correction of anie good lawe. But that al other men shuld be rather vnto them. Also because we could not be serued in poore & litle churches, we deuysed large monasta­ries, proude saying & piping with out hart. So that we made thē ho­nour our enemy christe with their lyps, and honoured vs with their harts, we also haue ordained that nothing shuld be mynistred in our temples without mony wherwith they might haue welfare of bodye with delicate meates and drinkes & gorgious apparel in the sight of the world, & great places to main­taine their lordships in: & because we wold not be proued cōtrarie to Christ, we deuised y ^t no man shuld cal ani of his goods seueral or pro per to his own vse, saiīg it is mine but rather to saye in general / it is ours / or the patrimoni of s. Augu­stine, [Page] Dominike / Fran̄ces / or some other such saint. And because that men would thinke that we had de­uised these thinges of our own po­wer, we by our eternall wisdō haue ordeyned also that you our trustye [...] of al the orders of lyers shuld come in to beare witnes that [...] these things are lawful & good, and that ye mighte be more in esti­matiō in the eyes of the simple peo ple, we deuised that ye shuld come withal ypocresy and dissimulacion of liuing, simple of raiment, loking rufully, speaking holyly, croking & ducking lowly vnto euery man: no thing sayinge that ye haue, but all thing willing to haue / making lōg prayers for money. We haue gy­uen you a title of beggyng of eue­rye man / and you to giue no man whereby you maye encrease in ry­ches and Iyue easely. And to hyde [Page] all thynges from the syghte of the people [...] haue geuen you large Monastaries to take your plea­sure in. In the whych solitary pla­ces / vnder the colour of chastitye, ye may [...] in [...] bawdrye and commit most [...] zo­domitre. We haue also deuised that you should go to scoole vnder the pretence of godlye preachyng / whereby you may come into more fauour and power to encrease our seruice. [...] to bring you to world ly honoure we haue ordeyned that you shall take all the degrees of scole, that men maye geue you the more: and by this meanes you may com to worldly lordships and wel fare, which at your beginning you [...] vtterly to refuse. Wherfore we perceauing your faythfull and [...] seruice that you beare toward vs (in fulfyllyng of oure hye ordy­naunce, [Page] and mainteining of our no­ble kingdome) haue written vnto you a letter of the ordinaunce and statutes of our most increable [...] cel, confirming you how thei shal­be continued & how our lordships shall be best encreased. Firste wee wyl you to keepe no pouertye nor meekenes in harte, but in counte­naunce onely consider how we ex­cept you aboue al mē, you must al so haue meeke wordes, and proud dedes, charitable outwardes, and enuious inwards, and se that you encrease in riches & hate beggers, professe it in wordes, but [...] in deedes. And that you maye bring al these thinges to passe and allo­ther the better about: we haue de­uised you to be confessours to lor­des and ladies to the intent that ye mai the more depely inspire thē with the doctrine of your God our [Page] Pope whō in aniwise forget not to affirme to be Gods holye Uikar: which as you know well is y ^e head Antechrist our faithful successour We haue geuen you al fained and worldly power to preach for mony alledging alwaies great necessiti: therfore doo thus muche for vs a­gaine, that ye preach nothing that shal displease ani great mē, but ra ther y ^t which shall most delite thē & their appetites: for those be they which may soone depose both you and vs if ye once displease them: & that our mortal enemies those beg gerly wretches of our aduersarye Christ do once with his peuish gos pel vtter vnto thē your falshed & ypocrisy, & so preuaile among thē. Se that you learne your yong no­ueses your precepts diligētly. [...] pli your selues [...] please al [...] rich mē, for so shal you mayntaine [Page] our true seruice. If ani folish wret ches wil teach the gospel of our e­nemy Christ. See that you stande stifly in our name against thē, cry­ing and saying: theyr maner of tea ching is [...] doctrine, and heresy, and cōtrarie to al that the fathers of our holy Churche taught. And see that ye be diligent to accuse thē to the heade Lordes and gouer­noues, for the destruction of the worldly honour and riches of our carnal [...] / and that vnder the colour of the [...] of the ho­ly Churche. [...] if anye mightye Prince doo manfullye mayntayne our worldly regiment. Se that ye crowne him with [...] vayne glorye of our famous title or other, and make hym beleue that it is more woorth to him, and that he hathe a greater treasure of it, then of ma­ny thousand poundes. But if they [Page] once smell to warde the gospel of our mortall enemy christe, whether it be by the reading of some of his eluishe bokes, or els moued to py­tye thorow the pacyent sufferinge of death of his disciples whereby they then begin to suspecte youre falsehed. Then run vnto the great bishops our true messengers, and cause them to turne the rulers mindes some other way by geuyng thē money or corruptinge them wyth some gay promises or great giftes And we on our part wil do such di­ligence that againste you come to the bishops our ministers, we will moue the matter afore hande tel­ling them that if your ypocresye be once open, their pride and pompe cannot long be hid. Se that amōg you with the helpe of our byshops without faile against al tempestes and stormes that may happen vn­to [Page] out kingdom: ye set vp or cause to be set vp of the temporal sorte, of suche as haue the moste subtyl and practised wittes and wyll bee corrupted with money at the least [...]. or. iii. proctours, for two causes The one because the blynde laye people shal think that mē of smal learning are [...] inough to cō founde such [...] opinions: and as thoughe ye your selues coulde do greater things. Another cause is thys that yf oure kyngedome chaunce to catch a fal in any regi­on, you may yet say that you prea ched not so, but the temporal men write so, and so leaue your proc­tours in the dich and escape quite your selues. Also if any crafty per swasion of worldlye wysedome or subtil sophistry by our secret insti gacion do come vnto any of your [Page] mindes, that looke you wryte al­wayes and sende it, to youre proc­toures. Be it prouided alwayes amonge you that if you chose but two proctoures, let the one in any wise be muche younger then the other, that he maye whan the olde is blind and wery, helpe forth with those thynges that the other for age or blyndes coulde not finyshe and so maye oure churche be well defended. And then go to and be of good comforte, and take to you a lustye courage, make a good face, bable, lye, and crye out apase: say­inge that al maketh on youre syde Chryste, his holye apostles and al the olde holye doctoures wyth the vse of the holye churche this fyf­tene hundred yeares. Yf the peo­ple wold haue [...] to [...]: say the tonge that you speake (what language so euer it be) is [Page] so corrupt that it cannot be in that tonge translated, if any foole arise and translate it into anye good language (better then ye your sel­ues cā do it) cal him a new apostle and a starke [...] agaynst the holy church. Yf you see the people read it, and like it wel, thē say it is falsely translated and more fuller of [...], thē a net is ful of holes and se that ye [...] dayly (or els let your proctoures wryte a [...]) that it is so harde that no man can vnderstand it: & alledge the most hardest parables of the scripture and those that may seme most ob­scure to be vnderstand of mens ca pacities and [...], lo masters howe vnderstād ye this, affirming that auncient fathers whych haue stu­died all theyr lyues in deuinitye, could neuer attaine to the vnder­stāding of them, and so by this so [Page] telty you shall make the rude peo­ple think that it is much more vn­possible for them to perceaue thein [...] so driue theym quite from the minde of readinge of scripture, Yf some busye [...] will dye with [...] wreiched gospel (as he himselfe tought they shuld, and alhis beggerly apostles gaue thē [...]) then laboure to greate men to get out wrytes of execucy­on that they may be burnt in or de [...] if it please your grace, they [...] parsons and woulde haue vs and the fayth of holye church downe first, and when they haue a while [...] their carnal and [...] libertye, they wyll haue your grace down also, and by that [...] wil make al [...]: and therfore if it please [...] highnes, it is necessarye that you gyue out your write of [...] that suche [Page] pernicious and pestilent members may be put out of the hole & sound flocke of the catholike and faithful people, we nede to saye no more, ye are wise and dilygent ynoughe in this our busines, and your honour and profyte. But besure that ye cease not til those gospell bablers be brought to the fier whiche they so longe looked and laboured for, and when they be burnt, then send to one of your [...] (the youn­gest were most metest) to garntshe inuent and furnishe out some lyes of them in wrytinge, yea al cleane contrarye to that they sayde when they were aliue, and let the proc­toure tel in his booke of such thin­ges as the partie that was burnte and he comoned [...] together when no man was presēt by thein except one of is owne cōpany that wold saye as hym selfe hath written or [Page] said: for so may he lye largelie and no man can reprone him, and this thing in aniwise sethat you do not in your own name / lest the people should know and beleue ye said it of enuy because these herelikes re proued in dede your false doctrine and naughty liuing. But let your temporal proctour do it, to bleare the eyes of the commons withal, & make them beleue that he wyl be indifferent: yea or rather if it com so best to passe, you may do it your selues in the name of some proud boye, and for his labour cal him a yong gentilman, whom you maye fayne to haue alledged againste those heretikes as manye stronge reasons as you your selues could ymagine: and lette those youre Proctoures neuer goo playnelye foorthe / too the proofe of anye thynge / nor dyspute the matter / [Page] but wyth [...], [...], you cannot lye, calling these fooles ar­rogant Heretickes. And no we to cōclude we [...] you, that ye can do nothing to please vs so highly, as to destroye [...] enemy Christ / and his [...] Gospel / ther fore aboue all other thinges / be­ware that it procede not forth: for if his Gospel go [...], we and al you are vndone. [...] leaste these lewde Loselles beare you downe with their wretched byble, for you haue [...] of lawes. [...] hundred yeares old to maintayne your estate with al, se that ye [...] fast to them, [...] to no other thing for [...] fal to hys Gospell, they wyl geue you no more [...] as long as you be strong and [...] / but wyl crye vpon you to [...] / as that beggerly wretche Paule [...] teach in hys [...] she [...]. [Page] But beware of that, for then euery man wil despise you: we [...] in your wisedome, wherfore we write not many thinges to you, but take and printe this our hie commyssiō in your hartes and worke theraf­ter, as we trust in you, and ye shall haue no lesse ioye then oure selues haue, fare you wel: trust vs as we do vnto you.