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Epistle of moche learning
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Genre
Letter Pamphlet
Date
1547
Full Title
An epistel of moche learni~g, sent by saint Huldericus, Bisshoppe of Augusta, called Augsburgh, vnto Nicolas Bysshoppe of Rome, the fyrst of that name: agaynst the vnmaried Chastitie of Pryestes.
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STC 24514
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The original format is octavo.
The original contains first paragraphas are introduced by decorated initial,
VNTO NICOLAS hys lorde and father, a~d moost vygylaunt Prouisor of the holye Church of Rome, Huldericus by name onelye a Bysshoppe, oweth Loue as his sonne or chylde, and feare as hys seruaunt.
WHer as I haue chau~cedof late dayes to
fynde your decrees,
sent ouer vnto me,
made vppo~ the co~tynencye
of Clerkes
or Preestes, to be farre alyenate
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
a ii
1
it be Iust or vniust. TrulyeI feared the weake a~d feble
hearers of ye scryptur, ye which
scant whear a Iust cause is, do
obeye ye Sentence of it, & moch
mor ye vniust they treade vnder
fote, least those shulde bli~de the~
selues by a Precepte of theyr
owne free wyll, through the onerous
and importable transgresse
or vsurpi~g 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 Byshoppe
of the hyghest seate vnto
whome apparteyneth the examynatyon
of the whole Churche
to straie neuer so litell oute
2
of the waye, from the holyeDiscretion? Ande truely 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 institutio~
of the Gospell, a~d agai~st
the decree of ye Holy Goost, any
Man is compelled to execute
pryuate decrees? Where therfore
many holye exemples are
of the Olde ande Newe Testame~t
as you knowe that teach
Dyscretion. Lett it not be
I praye youe greuous vnto
your Fatherhod, a fewe of the~,
amongest many, to be graffed
a iii
3
& intermixed i~ 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 cou~sell. 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 cou~sell, that are willing
to please men a~d not God,
to commytt manny greuous
thynges vnder theyr colour of
4
contynencye, to vse vnlaufulliethe Fathers wyues, and not to
abhorre from the embrasyng
of the male kinde, and of Beastes.
Least therfore the estate of
the whole congregatyon you maye
chaunce to be to moch weakened,
by the castyng 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 teachers
all men rage in the abouenamed
mischeues. Truelie those
haue not vndersta~d the scriptures
a ryght, oute of whose
pappes because they haue pressed
5
the~ to harde they haue dro~kenbloude 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
reuere~de Father doth become
your mighty power, that where
any shalbe, yt shal make vnto
you by hand or by mouth, anye
vowe of chastitie, a~d afterwardes
wyll forsake it, to bynde ye
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 calli~ge
to be vnto you dilyge~t ayders.
But to the inte~t that you may
6
knowe that soch as knowe ofno soche vowe, are not to be co~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 se~tence
to the Church alone, he
added vnto it. He truelye yt can
not gouuerne his owne house,
howe shall the same giue dilige~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 ye wyfe is blessed
by the Priest. Vnto these
ande soch lyke sentences of the
Scrypture, the wryter of the
rule of Priestes or Clerkes,
7
accordi~ge, 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, yt a Bysshop
a~d 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
differe~ce 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,
a~d 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 ye
worse. We reade also in the seconde
8
booke of Trypartita historyaCanon dyscuc. xvi. Capitulo
Si quis. that when ye cou~sell
of Nyce, wolde haue establysshede
ye selue same decrees,
that Bysshoppes, Pryestes a~d
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 ye Emperour
theyr ryght eies bei~g
plucked oute, and their lyft legges
cutt of did co~demne, spake
agaynst it: confessyng mariage
to be honourable, a~d affyrmi~g
chastitie to be the lyuing with
a mans proper wyfe. And persuaded
the counsell, that they
shulde make no soche lawes, affyrming
ye cause to be greuous,
ande myght be vnto the~ or vnto
theyr wyues an occasyon of
9
fornication. And this did Paphnutiusexpresse albeyt he
was vnmaryed And the councell
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 ar Ignorau~t that
the decree of this so perilous a~
heresye, made by .S. Gregory
was afterwarde with worthie
frute of repentau~ce, purged by
the same: for vppon a certeyne
daye when he had cast his net
into hys po~de or stewe for fish,
and sawe aboue syx thousande
infauntes heades to be drawe~
vp, he taken with inwarde repentaunce
lamented, and confessyng
the decree that was made
10
by hym self, for absteynyngefrom 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, then
to burne. Addynge for his owne
parte, Better it is to Mary
then to gyue an occasyon of death.
Thys chaunce, peradue~ture
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 a~d 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
11
or dyspose hym. Let therforeyour holynes cease to conde~pne
those, whome you ought onelie
to admonish or cou~sell: least
by a priuate precept which
God forbydde you be founde
contrarie as well vnto ye 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: ye which thing,
for Chrystes sake, we desyre
you hertelye not to doo: for
why? Sinnes are to be suppressed,
yt those maye remaine, that
may be repe~tau~t. And ye saying
of .S. Augustyne, we wyll
you also to remembre, where
he sayth: Let nothyng be done
for the desyre to do harme: and
12
all thynges wyth Charytie togeue Consell, lett nothinge be
done cruellye, nothing vngentlie.
Also of ye same I doo exhort
you in the feare of Chryste, all
you that haue not Temporall
thinges, couet not to haue the~.
Ande all youe that haue them,
presume not in them. I saye
not, yf you haue them that you
are conde~pned: but if you presume
in them, you are conde~pned.
Yf you seme vnto your selues
for soche thinges to be me~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
fro~ 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.
b
13
Those that hauewyues 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 atte~pt
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, ye Temple of the
LORDE is, the which thing,
Hierome expoundynge, sayth:
The same also maye agree vnto
these Virgynes, ye crake of
theyr Virginytye, wyth an vnshamfaste
countenaunce, they
sett forth theyr Chastity, whe~
theyr Conscyence meaneth an
other thyng. And they forgett
14
the Diffinition of the Apostellof a Virgin: That she ought to
be Holy in Body and Spirite.
What proffyteth ye 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 neglige~t in other
Institutions of youre lyfe, the
same is preserued. We dispayr
not, but that you will sone correct
ye euell faulte of this inte~t.
And therfor we do not taunte
this youre neglige~ce albeit it
be very greuous wt so great a
grauity, as we may do. And although
truly vnto ye termes yt
are vsed a bisshop shuld appere
to be greter yan a priest: yet suppose
b ii
15
we not, Augustyne to belesse then Hierome. And a correccion
or a checke is not to be
refused or disdained of eueri i~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
ye Honor that is due vnto the~
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
16
vnto the Verytye, the~thys? When the Verity itselfe
speakynge of the contynenye,
not of one man, but playnelye
of all except ye 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 ca~ take it, let hym
be stryken wyth a curse. What
trulye can be done by me~ more
Foolyshe? What can be more
bou~d vnto the curse of GOD?
Than where as some, that is
to saye: Eyther Bysshoppes
or DEACONS, are ronnig
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
b iii
17
shame and yet they saye, yt chasteMaryage 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
18
Psalmyst, because they pleasemenne, 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 ye
desertes of theyr noughtynes,
deserue counsell of no pitie. We
not withstandyng remembri~g
our humanitie, do minister vnto
them, the cou~sell of Goddes
Auctoritie, yt neuer wanteth pitie,
from ye bowelles of Charytie.
For trulye this we saie: O
ye ypocrit, cast oute first a block
oute of thi owne eie, & the~ shalt
yu see, to cast out a moate oute
of the brothers eie. And we desyre
them also to note, ye thinge
b iiii
19
that the Lorde sayth of the co~monewoman. 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
certei~, 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 se~tence
S. Gregory lamenting,
20
saith: What shall become of theshepe, when the Shepheardes
are made wolues? But who is
soner ouercome, the~ 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, a~d
of theyr infidelles. And verelie
I doubte not, to call those infidelles,
of whome the Apostell
Paul sayth vnto Timothe, yt
in the latter dayes, some shall
go awaye from the faith, geui~g
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
21
and dyligently seen, is the ha~dfullof all theyr cockell, a~d the
content of all theyr madnes,
that whyles clerkes or Pryestes,
beyng ouercome wyth a
Pharisaycall furour are compelled
to forsake the laufull co~panye
of one woman, fornycatours,
adulterers & the shamefull
mynisters of other Prauities,
are made lyke wyth the~.
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 the~
after this sorte. Let theyr eies
be dimed or bleared that they
see not, and theyr backe alwayes
bowed downe. For as moche
therfore as no ma~ O Apostolyke
Father that knoweth
you, is so Ignorau~t, but yf you
22
had foreseen, by the clearenesof 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 parso~s. Wherfore by the fydelytye
of pure due subiection,
we counsell you: that nowe at
the least you laye watche, to
putte a waie 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 ye Phariseys:
Least the onelye dearling
of the lorde yf she vse any
longer vntrue husba~des plucke
a waye the holie nation, the
pryncelye pryesthoade by a deuorse,
that can not be recouered
againe, from hyr dere spouse:
that is to saye CHRIST.
23
For as moch as no ma~ withoutchastytye 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.