¶ These bē the lewed questions of Freres rytes and obseruaunces the whych they chargen more than Goddes lawe, and therfore men shulden not gyue hem what so they beggen, tyll they hadden answered and clerely assoyled these questions.
I Jack vplande make my mone to very god and to all true beleuynge in Chryst y t Antichryst and his discyples by colour of holynes walkyn and deceauen Chrystes church by many fals figures, where through by Antichrist & his, many vertues bene transposed to vyces.
But the fellest folke that euer Antichrist founde bene last brought in to the church, and in a wonder wyse, for they bene of dyuers, sectes of Antichrist, sowen of dyuers contrees, & kynreddes. And all men knowē wel that they bē not obedient to bysshoppes, ne lege men to kynges, nether they tyllen, ne sowen, weden, ne repē woode, corn, ne grasse, nether nethīg that man shuld helpe, but onely hem [Page] selues her lyfes to susteyn. And these men had all maner power of god as they sayē in heauen, and in earth, to sell heauen, and hell to whom, that hym lyketh, and these wreches wate neuer where to bene hem selfes.
And therfore frere yf thyne order and rules ben grounded on goddes law, tell thou me Jack vp land that I aske of the, and yf thou be or thynkest to be on christes syde kepe thy pacience.
SAynt Paul teacheth, that al our dedes shuld be done in charyte, and els it is not worth, but dyspleasynge to God, and harme to oure owne soules. And for because freres chalengen to [Page] greatest clerkes of y e church, & next folowinge Christ in lyuynge, men shulde for charyte are hem some que styons, and pray hem to grounde theyr answers in reason, and in holy wryte, for els theyr answere wolde not be worth, be it floryshed neuer so fayre, and as me thynk men myght skylfully are thus of a frere.
Frere how many orders be in earthe, and which is the perfytest order? of what order art thou? who ma de thyne order? what is thy rule? Is there ony perfyter rule than Chryst hymselfe made? If Chrystes rule be moost perfyte why rulest thou the not therafter? wythout more. why shall a frere be more punyshed yf he break the rule that hys patron made than yfhe breake the hestes that god hymselfe made?
Approueth Christ ony more relygyons than one that saynt James speaketh of? If he approueth nomor [Page] why hast thou lef hys rule, and takē another? why is a frere apostata that leaueth hys order, and taketh another secte, syth there is but one relygyon of Chryste.
Why be ye wedded faster to your abytes than a man is to hys wyfe. For a man may leaue his wyfe for a yeare or two as many mē do, and yf you leaue youre abyte a quarter of a yeare, ye shuld be holden apostatas.
Maketh youre abyte you men of relygion or no? If it do, than euer as it weareth, your relygyon weareth, and after that the abbyte is better, is you relygyon better, and whan ye lyggen it besyde you, than lyg ye youre relygyon besyde you, and ben apostatase, why by ye you so pre cyous clothes, syth no man seketh such but for vayne glory, as. s. Gregory sayth.
What betokeneth youre greate hoode, youre scaplerye, youre knotted [Page] gyrdel, and youre wyde coape?
Why vse ye al one coloure more then other Chrysten men do? what betokeneth that ye bene clothed all in one maner clothynge?
If ye saye, it betokeneth loue, and charyce, certes than ye be ofte ypocrytes, whan ony of you hateth other, and in that that ye wollen be sayde holy by youre clotynge.
Why maye not a frere weare clothynge of an other secte of freres, syth holynes stondeth not in the clothes.
Why holde ye sylēce in one howse more than in another, syth mē ought ouer al to speake the good and leaue the euell?
Why eate you flesh in one house more than in another? yf youre rule and youre order be perfyt, and the pa tron that made it?
Why gette ye you dyspensacyons to haue it more easy, certes ether it [Page] semeth that ye be vnperfyte, or he, that made it so harde, that ye may not holde it. And seker yf ye holde not the rule of youre patrons ye be not than her freres, and so ye lye vpō youre selfes.
Why make ye you as deade men whan ye be professed, and yet ye be not deade but more quycke beggers than ye were before, and it semeth euell a deade man to go aboute and begge.
Why wyll ye not suffer youre nouyces heare youre councels in youre chapter house eare that they bene professed, yf youre councels bene trew, and after godes lawe?
Why make ye you so costly hou ses to dwell in? syth Chryst dyd not so, and deade men shulde haue but graues, as falleth to dead men, & yet ye haue more gorgeous buyldiges thā many lordes of Englonde, for ye maye wenden through the [Page] ted gyrdel, and youre wyde coape?
Why vse ye al one coloure more then other Chrysten men do? what betokeneth that ye bene clothed all in one maner clothynge?
If ye saye, it betokeneth loue, and charyte, certes than ye be ofte ypocrytes, whan ony of you hateth other, and in that that ye wollen be sayde holy by youre clotynge.
Why maye not a frere weare clothynge of an other secte of freres, syth holynes stondeth not in the clothes.
Why holde ye sylēce in one howse more than in another, syth mē ought ouer al to speake the good and leaue the euell?
Why eate you flesh in one house more than in another? yf youre rule and youre order be perfyt, and the pa tron that made it?
Why gette ye you dyspensacyons to haue it more easy, certes ether it [Page] semeth that ye be vnperfyte, or he, that made it so harde, that ye may not holde it. And seker yf ye holde not the rule of youre patrons ye be not than her freres, and so yelye vpō youre selfes.
Why make ye you as deade men whan ye be professed, and yet ye be not deade but more quycke beggers than ye were before, and it semeth euell a deade man to go aboute and begge.
Why wyll ye not suffer youre nouyces heare youre councels in youre chapter house eare that they bene professed, yf youre councels bene trew, and after godes lawe?
Why make ye you so costly houses to dwell in? syth Chryst dyd not so, and deade men shulde haue but graues, as falleth to dead men, & yet ye haue more gorgeous buyldīges thā many lordes of Englonde, for ye maye wenden through the [Page] the realme, and ech nyght welnygh lygge in youre owne courtes, and so mow but ryght few lordes do
Why here ye to ferme youre lymytors, geuynge therfore eche yeare a certayne rente, and wyll not suffer one in an others lymytacyon, ryght as ye were your selues lordes of contreys.
Why be ye not vnder youre bysshops visitacions, and lyege men to oure kynge.
Why are ye no letters of brether hedes of other mens prayers, as ye desire that other men shulde aske letters of you?
Yf youre letters be good, why graunte ye them not generally to al maner men for the more charyte?
Mow ye make ony man more per fyte brother for youre prayers than god hath by oure beleue, by our bap tyme, and his owne graunte, yf ye mowe, certes than ye be aboue god.
[Page] Why make ye men beleue y t your golden trentall songe of you to take therfore. r. shyllynges, or at the least. v. shyllinges wyll brynge soules oute of helle or oute of purgatorye, yf this be south, certes ye might brīg all soules out of payne, & that wolle ye nought, and than ye be out of cha ryte,
Why make ye men beleue that he that is buryed in youre abyte shall neuer come in hell, and ye wyte not of youre selfe whether ye shall to hell or no, & yf thys were south, ye shulde selle youre hygh houses to make ma ny abytes; for to saue many mens soules.
Why steale ye mens chyldren for to make hem of youre secte sith y t theft is agaynst goddes heste, and sithe your secte is not perfit. ye know not wether the rule that ye bynde hym to be best for hym or worst,
Why vndermyne ye not your bre [Page] thren for their trespas after the lawe of the gospell, sith that vnderneminge is the best that maye be, but ye put them in presonne ofte whan they do after goddes lawe and by saynt Austines rule, yf ony dyd amisse and wolde not amende him, ye shuld put hym from you.
Why couete ye shryfte and buryenge of other mens paryshens, & none other sactament that falleth to Christen folke.
Why busye ye not to heare shryfte of poore folke as well as of ryche lor des and ladyes? syth they mowe haue more plentie of shryfte fathers thā poore folke maye.
why saye ye not the gospel in hou ses of bedred men? as ye do in rych mens that mowe go to churche and heare the gospell.
why couette you not to burye poore folke amonge you? sith that they bē moost holy, as ye sayne that ye ben [Page] for youre pouertye.
why wyll ye not ben at her dyryges as ye bene at ryche mens? sith God prayseth hem more thā he doth ryche men.
what is thy prayer worth? sith thou wylt take therfore, for of all chapmē ye nede to be moost wyse for drede of symonye.
what cause hast thou that thou wylte not preache the gospell? as God sayeth that thou shuldest, syth it is the best lore and also oure beleue?
why be ye euell payed that secular Prestes shulde preache y e gosgel? sith god him selfe hath boden hym.
why hate ye the gospell to be preached, syth ye be so muche holde therto for ye winne more by yeare wyth In principio than wyth all the rules that euer youre patrons made And in this mynstrels bene better than ye, for they contraryē not to the [Page] myrtes that they maken: but ye cō trayen the gospell bothe in worde and dede.
Frere, whā thou receyuest a peny for to say a masse, whether sellest thou goddes body for y t peny or prayer, orels thy trauail? yf thou sayest thou wolt not trauayle for to saye y e masse but for y e peny, & certes yf this be soth thā thou louest to lyttel mede for thy soule, and yf thou sellest goddes body other thy prayer, than it is very symony and art become a chap mā worse than Iudas that solde it for thyrty pens.
Why wrytest thou her names in thy tables that yeueth the money? Sith God knoweth all thynge, for it semyth by thy wryting, that God wolde not rewarde hym, but thou wryte him in thy tables, god wolde els forgetten it.
Why bearest thou God in honde and sclaundrest him that he begged [Page] for his meate? sith he was lord ouer all, for than hadde he ben vnwyse to haue begged, and no nede therto?
Frere after what law rulest thou y t? wher fyndest thou in goddes law that thou shuldest thus begge?
What maner men nedeth for to begge?
Of whom oweth suche men to begge?
Why beggest thou so for thy bre thren?
If thou sayest, for they haue nede than thou doest it for the more perfec tion or els for the least, or els for the meane, yf it be the moost perfeccion of all, than shulde al thy brethren do so and than no man neded to begge but for hym selfe, for so shuld no mā begge but hym neded. And yf it be y e least perfeccion, why louest thou thā other men more than thy selfe? For so thou arte not well in charytye, sithe thou shuldest seke the more per [Page] feccion after thy power, lyuynge thy selfe moost after God, and thus leauynge that imperfeccion thou shuldest not so begge for hem. And yf it is a good meane thus to begge as thou docste than shuld no man do so but they ben in this good meane, & yet such a meane granted to you may neuer be grounded in goddes lawe, for than both learned & lewd that bē in meane degre of this worlde, shuld go aboute and begge as ye do, & yf all suche shuld do so, certes wel nygh al y e world shuld go aboute & begge as ye do, and so shulde there be ten beggers agaynst one yeuer.
why procurest thou men to yeue the here almes, & sayest it is so me defull, and thou wylt not thy selfe wynne the that mede,
why wylt thou not begge for poore bedred mē that ben poorer thā ony of youre secte, that liggen and mow not go aboute to helpe them [Page] selfes, sith we be all brethren in God and that bretherhed passeth ony other that ye or ony man coulde make & where moost nede were there were moost perfeccion eyther els ye holde hym not youre pure brethren or worse, but than ye be imperfyte in youre begginge.
why make ye you so many maysters amonge you, syth it is agaynst the teachynge of Christ & his Apostels
whose ben all your rych courtes that ye han, & all your ryche yewels, syth ye sayē that ye han nought improper ne cumune yf ye sayne they ben the popes, why gether ye then of poore men & of lordes so much out of the kynges honde to make your pope ryche. And syth ye sayen that it is great perfeccyion to haue nought in ꝓper ne comune? why be ye so fast aboute to make the pope y t is your father rych & put on him imperfecciō? [Page] sithen ye sayne that youre goodes ben all his, & he shulde by reason be the moost perfite man, it semeth opē lych that ye ben cursed childrē so to sclaunder youre father, & make him imperfyte, & yf ye sayne that tho goo des be yours, thē do ye ayenst youre rule, and yf it be not ayēst your rule than myght ye haue both plough & carte and labour as other good mē done, & not so to begge by lesyngery & ydell as ye done, & yf ye say that it is more perfeccion to begge than to trauayll or worch w t youre hād why preach ye not openly & teach all mē to do so? sith it is y e best & moost perfyte lyfe to helpe of her soules as ye make chyldren to begge that myght haue be ryche heyres.
Why make ye not your feastes to poore men, and yeueth hem yeftes, as ye done to the rych? sith poore mē han more nede than the ryche.
what be tokeneth y t ye go tweyne [Page] and tweyne together? If ye be out of charitie, ye accorden not in soule.
why begge ye, & take salaries ther to more than other prestes? sith he y e moost taketh moost charge he hath.
why holde ye not saynt Fraunces rule & his testament? sith Fraunces sayth y t God shewed hym this lyuig & this rule, and certes yf it were god des wyll the pope might not fordo it orels Fraunces was a lyar y t sayde on this wyse, And but this testamēt that he made accorde with goddes wyll, els erred he as a lyar that were oute of charytie, & as the law sayeth he is cursede y t letteth the rightfull wyll of a dead man lacke, And thys testament is the least wyll of Fraunces that is a dead mā, it semeth that all his freres ben cursed.
why wil ye not touche no coyned money with the crosse ne with y e kyn ges hedde, as ye done other Jeuels both of golde & syluer? Certes yf ye [Page] despyse the crosse or y e kynges heade than ye be worthy to be despysed of God and the kynge, and syth ye will receaue money in youre hartes, and not wyth youre handes, it semeth that ye holde more holynesse in your hondes than in your hartes, & than be ye false to God.
Why haue ye exempte you fro our kynges lawes, and visytinge of our byshoppes more than other christen men that lyuen in this realme, yf ye be not gyltye of traytery to our realme, or trespasers to oure bishoppes? But ye wyll haue the kynges lawes for trespas done to you, & ye wyl haue power of other byshops more thā other prestes, and also haue leaue to pryson youre brethren as lordes in youre courtes more than other folkes han y e ben the kinges lege men.
Why shal some secte of you freres paye eche yeare a certayne to her ge nerall prouynciall or minister, or els [Page] to her souerayns, but'yf he steale a certayne nomber of chyldren, as som mēsayne, and certes yf thys be soth, than be ye constrayned vpon certayne payne to do thefte agaynst goddes commaundement. Non furtuin facies.
Why be ye so hardy to graunte by letters of fraternyte to men and women that they shall haue parte and merite of all your good dedes, & ye wyten neuer whyther god be payde wyth youre dedes, because of youre synne, Also ye weten neuer whether that man or woman be in state to be saued or damned, than shall he haue no meryte in heauen for hrs owne dedes ne for none other man, and all were it so that he shuld haue part of youre good dedes yet shulde ye ha ue no more than God wolde geue hym after that he were worthy, and so much shall eche man haue of goddes yefte w toute youre lymytacion. [Page] But yf ye wyll saye that ye ben goddes folowes, & that he maye not do wythout youre assent, than be ye blasphemers to God.
what tokeneth that ye haue ordeyned that when suche one as ye haue made youre brother or syster, & hath a letter of your seale y t letter mought be brought in youre holy Chapter, and there be redde, orels ye wyll not praye for hym, but & ye wyllen not praye specyally for all other that weren not made youre brethren or systrē than were ye not in right charyte, for that ought to becōmne, & namely in goostely thinges
Frere what charyte is this to ouer charge the people by myghtie begginge vnder coloure of preachynge, or prayeng, or masses synging? Sith holy write byddeth not thus, but euē the contrary, for al such goostly dedes shulde be done frely as god geueth hem frely.
[Page] Frere what charite is this to begyle children or they commen to discrecion, & bynde him to youre orders that bene not grounded in goddes lawe, agaynst her frendes wyl, sithen by this foly bē many apostatase both in will & dede & many ben apostatase in her will, during all her lyfe that wolde gladly be dyscharged yf they wyst how, & so many ben apostatase that shulden in other states haue bē trewe men.
Frere what charite is this to make so many freres in euery coūtrey to y e charge of the people? sith personnes & vycares alone, ye secular prestes alone, ye monkes & chanons alone, w t bishops aboue him were ynough to the church to do prestes office, & to adde mo than ynough, is a foule erroure and greate charge to the people, & thys is opēly agaynst goddes wille that ordeyned all thinges to be done, in, weyght, nomber, & measure [Page] & Christ hymself was payd w t twelue Apostles and a few disciples to prea che and do prestes offyce to all y e hole world, thā was it better done than it is now at this tyme by a thousand deal, and right so as foure fyngers, with a thumbe in a mannes hande helpeth a man to worche and double nomber of fyngers in one hād shulde let hym more, and the more nomber that there were passyng the measure of goddes ordynaūce the more were a man letted to worke. Ryght so as yt semeth it is of these newe orders that ben added to the church without grounde of holy wryte and goddes ordynaunce.
Frere what charyte is this to lye to the people & saye that ye folowe Christ in pouertye more than other men done, & yet in curious & costly howsynge & fyne and precious clothing, & delycious & lykinge fedinge & in treasoure & iewels & rych ornamētes [Page] freres passen lordes and other rych wordly mē & soonest they shuld bring her cause aboute, be it neuer so costely though goddes lawe be put abake.
Frere what charyte is this to gather vp y e bokes of holy wryte & put hem in tresory & so emprysonne hem frō secular prestes, & curates, and by this cautel let him to preache y e gospell frely to y e people w tout wordely mede, & also to defame good prestes of heresy & lyen on hē opēly for to let hem to shew goddes lawe by y e holy gospell to the Christen people.
Frere what charyte is this to fayn so much holynes in your bodely clothing y t ye clepe your abyte? that ma ny blynde foles desyren to dye therin more thā in an other. & also y t a frere that leaueth his abyte late foundē of men, maye not be assoyled tyll he take yt agayn, but is an apostata as ye sayne, and cursed of God and [Page] man both, The frere beleueth treuth & pacience, chastyte, mekenesse, & sobryete, yet for the more parte of hys lyfe he maye soone be assoyled of hys pryor, and yf he brynge home to hys house much good by yeare, be it neuer so falsly begged and pylled of y e poore and nedy people, in courtes & aboute, he shal be hold a noble frere, o lorde whether this be charite?
Frere what charyte is this to prea se vpon a ryche man, and to entyce hym to be buryed amōg you frō hys parysh church, and to suche ryche mē geue letters of fraternyte cōfyrmed by youre generall seale, & therby to beare him in honde that he shall haue parte of all your masses, matins, preachynges, fastinges, wakinges, & all other good dedes done by your brethren of youre order both whyles he lyueth, & after that he is dead, and yet ye wytē neuer whether youre dedes be acceptable to god, ne whether [Page] that man that hath that letter be able by good lyuyng to receaue ony part of youre dedes, and yet a poore man that ye wyte wel or supposen in certaine to haue no good of, ye ne ge ue no such letters though he be a bet ter man to god than suche a rych mā neuertheles this poore mā doth not reche therof. For as men supposen suche letters, and many other y t freres behesten to men be full of false deceytes of freres out of reason, and godes lawe, & Christen mens fayth.
Frere what charyte is this to be confessoures oflordes and laydes, and to other myghty men, and not amend hem in her lyuing, but ra ther as it semeth to be the bolder to pyl her poore tenauntes, and to lyue in lechery, & there to dwel in your of fyce of cōfessour for winnīg of world ly goodes, & to be holdē greate by co loure of suche goostly offyces, thys semeth rather pryde of freres than [Page] charite of God.
Frcre what charyte is thys to sayn that who so lyueth after youre order lyueth mooste perfytely, and next foloweth the state of Aposteles in pouerte and penaunce, and yet the wyseste, and greatest clarkes of you wende or sende, or procure to y e court of Rome to be made Cardynales, or bysshoppes, or the popes chappelay nes, and to be assoiled of the vowe of pouertye and obedyence to your my nysters, in the which as ye sayn stan deth moost perfeccyon, and meryte of youre orders, and thus ye farē as Pharisees that sayen one and do another to the contrarye.
why name ye more the patron of youre order in youre Confytcor whā ye beginne masse, than other sayntes as Apostels or marters that hol chur che holde more gloryous than them, and clepe hem youre patrons, and youre auowrycs.
[Page] Frere wheter was saynt Fraunces in makyng of his rule that he set thyne order in, a fole and lyar, or els wyse and trew? If ye sayne that he was not a fole but wyse, ne a liar, but trew, why shew ye the contrary by youre doyng? whan by youre suggestyon to y e pope ye sayd that Fraūces rule was made so harde, y t ye might not lyue to holde it, wythout declaracyon, and dyspensacyon of the pope, and so by youre dede ye lete your patron a fole that made a rule so harde that no man maye wel kepe, & eke youre dede proueth hym a lyar, where he sayeth in hys rule that he toke and learned it of the holy gooste.
For how myght ye for shame praye the pope to vndo that the holy goost byddeth, as ye prayed hym to dyspense wyth the hardnesse of your order.
Frere which of the foure orders of freres is best to a man that knoweth not which is the beste, but wolde [Page] fayne enter in to the beste, & none other? If thou sayest that thyne is the best than sayst thou that none of the other is as good as thyne, and in thys eche frere in the thre other orders wolle saye that thou lyest, for in the selfe maner eche other frere woll say y t his order is beste. And thus to eche of the. iiii. orders ben the other thre cōtrary in this poynte in the which yf ony say south, that is one alone, for there may but one be y e beste of foure, so foloweth it y t yf ech of these orders answered to this que stion as thou doest, thre were false, & but one trew, & yet no man shulde wyte who that were. And thus it semeth y t the moost part of freres ben or shulde be lyars in this poynt and they shulde answere therto. If you say that an other ordre of the freres is better than thine or as good, why toke ye not rather therto as to y e better whan thou myghtest haue chosē [Page] at the beginning, & eke why shuldest thou be an apostate to leaue thyn or der, & take y e to y t y t is better, & so why goest thou not frō thin order into y t?
Frere is there ony perfiter rule of religion than Christ goddes sonne gaue in his gospell to his brethren, or than y t religion y e saynt James in his epistle maketh mencion of? If you saye yes, than puttest thou on Christ y t is wysdome of god y e father vncunyng, vnpower, or euil will, for eyther than he coulde not make his rule so good as an other dyd his And so he hadde bē vncunnyng, that he might not make his rule so good as an other man might, and so were he vnmyghty and not god, or he wolde not make his rule so perfyte as an other dyd his, and so he had ben euyll willed namely to himselfe.
For yf he might, & coulde, & wold haue made a rule perfyte without de fate, & dyd not, he was not goddes [Page] sonne almyghty. For yf ony other ru le be perfyter thā Chrystes, thā must Chrystes rule lacke of that perfeceyon by as much as the other weren more perfyter, and so were defaute, and Chryst had fayled in makynge of hys rule, but to put ony defaute or faylynge in god, is blasphemy. If thou saye that Chrystes rule, and y t relygyon that saynt James makcth mencyon of is the perfytest? why hol dest thou not than thylke rule wythout more. And why clepest thou the rather of saynt Fraūces or saynt Domynyks rule or relygyon or order, than of Chrystes rule or Chrystes order?
Frere canst thou assygne ony defaute in Chrystes rule of the gospell wyth the whiche he taught al men se kerly to be saued yf they kepte it to her endynge. If thou saye it was to harde, than sayest thou Christ lyed for he sayde of his rule, My yoke is [Page] softe, and my burthen lyght. If thou saye, Christes rule was to light, that may be assygned for no defaute, for y e better may it be kept. Yf thou sayft that there is no defaute in Christes rule of the gospell, syth Chryst hym selfe saith, it is lyght and easye, what nede was it to patrons of freres to adde mor therto? and so to make an harder religyon to saue freres than was the relygion that Christes Apostels and hys disciples heldē and we ren saued by, but yf they woldē that her freres saten aboue the Apostels in heauen for the harder relygyon y t they kepen here, and so wolde they sytte in heauen aboue Christe hymselfe, for the moo, and strayt obseruaunces: than so shulde they be better than Chryst hymselfe wyth myscaunce.
Go now forth & frayē youre clerkes, and ground ye in goddes lawe and geue Jack answere, and when [Page] ye han assoiled me that I haue sayde sadly in treuth I shall soyll the of thyne order, and saue the to heauen.
If freres cunne not or mow not excuse him of these questions asked of hem, it semeth that they be horrible gylty against god, and her euen christen, for which gyltes and defau tes it were worthy that the order y e they calle her order were fordone.
And it is wonder y e men susteyne hē or suffre hē lyue in suche maner. For holy wryte biddeth y t thou do well to the meke, and geue not to y e wicked but forbyd to geue hem bread leste they be made therby myghtier through you.