The preface of the Byshoppe of London, to the Reader.

WHere as in the tyme
of the late outeragyous
and pestiferous
scisme, beyng here in
this churche, and
realme of Englande,
all godlines, & goodnes,
was dyspysed, &
in maner banyshed,
and the catholyque
trade, & doctryne, of
the churche wyth a
newe enuyouse and odious terme called, & named
papystry, like also as deuoute religion, and honest behauour
of men, was accounted, and taken for superstition,
and hipocrisye. And therevpon by sondrye
wayes, and wiles pernicious, and euyll doctryne,
was sowen, planted and set forth, sometymes by the
procedyng preachers sermons, sometimes by theyr
prynted treatise, sugred all ouer with lose lybertye,
a thing in dede most delectable and pleasaunt vnto
the fleshe and vnto al vnruly persons sometimes by
reading, playinge, singynge, and other like meanes,
and newe deuises, by reason whereof, gret insolency
disordre, contention, and much inconuenience dayly
more and more, did ensue, to the greate dyshonor of
God, the lamentable hurte, and destructyon of the
subiectes, and the notable reproch, rebuke, and slaunder
of the hole realme. The people wherof, by sondry
wycked persons, were borne in hande that they had
gotten God by the fote, and that they were brought
out of tiranny darkenes, and ignoraunce, into liberty
lyght, and perfytte knowledge, where in verye dede,
they were brought from the good to the badde. And
fro~ gods blessinge as the prouerbe is into a warme
sonne: infected with all errour, & noughtines, drouned
in sensualitie and malyce, and armed wyth vnshamefast
boldnes, presumption, and arrogancie, takyng
vpon them to be guydes, instructours, and teachers
of other, where they them selfes were in verye
dede vtterly blind, ignoraunt, & voide of knowledge
onely bent to destroye all good rule, & order. I haue
for these causes, and other honeste consyderatyons,
thought consideryng the cure and charge I haue of
all suche as are of my Dyocesse of London it to be
mete conuenient, and necessary for my part, earnestlye
to trauayle and labour, with my chapleynes and
frendes, both that errours, heresies, and noughtye
opinions may cleane be weeded, pourged, and expelled
out of my diocese a great helpe whervnto is geuen
by dyuerse prouisions made by the kynges and
Queenes mooste excellente Maiestyes, and especyallye
by that godlye proclamation, whyche of late
was sente forthe by theyr graces, concernynge the
bryngynge in of certayne heretycall and noughtye
bokes and also that a verye pure syncere, and true
doctrine of the faith and religion of Chryst, in al necessary
poyntes of the same faythefullye, playnelye,
and profitably, be set furthe within my saide dyocesse
to the good erudition, and instruction of all the people
within the same. And therefore haue at this present,
for myne owne diocesse caused this present boke
with homelyes therevnto adioyned, to be set fourth:
that the sayd people accordyng to the wyl and commaundement
of the great king and prophet Dauid
may declyne from euyll, and do that thing whiche is
good. And the order of this boke is this. Fyrste because
without faith it is impossible to please GOD,
there shal be, in the begynnyng, some thing spoken of
fayth, to know what it is, and howe it is to be taken
here in this boke. Secondly because the summe and
pithe of our chrysten fayth is brefely collected, and co~prysed
in effecte, in our common Crede, therfore the
sayd Crede, to teach vs what, and howe to beleue,
shal be playnely and truely set fourth, and also declared.
Thyrdly, because there are .vii. Sacramentes
of Chrystes catholique churche, wherein God doth
ordinaryly worke, and participate vnto vs his speciall
giftes, and graces, here in this life, therefore in
the thirde place, the sayde .vii. Sacramentes shal be
set forth, and expounded. Fourthlye, because the ten
commaundementes are the hygh waye ordeined by
God, in which euery one in this lyfe muste walke, yf
he wyll come vnto the blysse of heauen: therefore the
said .x. commaundementes, shall orderly be set furth
and haue also their declaration. Fyftely, because we
our selues, as of our selues are vnhable to doo good
and therfore nede always the assistaunce, grace, aide
and helpe of almyghty God, without whiche we nether
can continue in this life, nether yet do anything
acceptable in the sighte of God, whereby to attayne
the lyfe to come: therfore in the fyfte place there is a
rowme for prayer, as wherby to obtayne grace and
helpe at Gods handes. And that prayer is there set
forth, which Chryste hym selfe, beynge here in thys
worlde, did make and geue to hys discyples, that is
to saye, the Pater noster, whiche conteyneth in it all
thinges necessary for a chrysten man here in this life
and this Pater noster hath also his exposition.
Sixtelye, because the Aue Maria is a prayer taken
out of Scrypture, and conteineth in it a blessed matter,
and a ioyfull rehearsall and magnifienge of God,
in the worke of Chrystes incarnation, wroughte in
the wombe of the blessed virgin Mary, and she therby
worthelye to be honored and worshypped, therefore
the sayd Aue Maria, with the declaration therof,
is in order folowyng the said Pater noster.
Seuenthly, because personnes, vicars, and curates,
are commaunded by the lawe, to reade and declare
vnto theyr parishioners the .vii. deadely synnes, the
viii. beatitudes, and certayne other thinges, therefore
in the .vii. and .viii. places, there are set forth at
length the sayd thinges, with exposition and declaration
of the same. And albeit these thinges soo sete
forth, beyng red and declared vnto the people, delyberately,
and playnely, may seme sufficiente, and the
people thereby bounde of reason to be contente there
withall, as hauing all those thinges, whyche in anye
wise are requisit and necessary for theyr soule helthe
yet to thintent they shall haue no cause to murmure
or grudge, for lacke of certayne bokes in the englishe
tongue for their instruction, or yet for lacke of preachynge
vnto them, they shall in the .ix place of thys
boke, thoughe they can not rede, haue certayne homelies,
to be on the Sondayes and holydayes, by
theyr persons, vicars, or curates, redde vnto them
in the Englyshe toungue, trustynge that the people
thus ordered and taught, wyll take this my doynge
in good parte, and studye as well to profyt them selues
therby, as I and my chapleynes haue bene studious
and carefull herein to doo them good. And the
Kyng of Kinges, and Lord of Lordes, geue vs al so
plentifully of his grace, that euerye one of vs, in all
partes, maye doo our dueties, and that we all maye
lyue in reste and quietnes, speciallye in the vnytye
of Chrystes catholique churche, and his religion, louyng
and seruyng God, with all oure harte in holynes
and ryghteousnes, all the dayes of this our lyfe,
so yt finally we may attayn to the life that neuer shal
fayle but continue for euer, which graunt vnto
vs the father, the sonne, and the holye Ghost
preseruyng our good kinge and quene
in al ioye and felicitie, longe to
continue, to theyr glory
and our comforts.
Amen.