The obedience of Subiectes vnto kynges princes and rulers.

The .xiij. Chapter of Paul Rom.

The .xiij. Chapter of Paul Rom.

LEt every soule submit hi~
sylfe vnto the auctorite
off the hyer powers. There
is no power but of
God. The powers yt be
are ordeyned off God.
Whosoever therfore resysteth
ye power resysteth ye
ordinau~ce of God. They yt resist / shall receaue
to the~ silfe da~nacio~. For ruelars are not to be
feared for good workes but for evyll. Wilt thou
be without feare of ye power? So well the~
& so shalt thou be praysed off the same. For
he is ye minister off god / for thy welth. But
and yff thou do evyll / then feare. for he beareth
not a swearde for nought. For he is the

1

minister off God / to take vengeaunce of the~
that do evill. Wherfore ye must nedes obey
not for feare off ve~geaunce only: but also because
of conscie~ce. Eve~ for this cause paye ye
tribute. For they are goddes ministers / servynge
for the same purpose.
Geve to every man therfore his duetie:
Tribute to whom tribute belo~geth: Custom
to whom custo~ is due: feare to who~ feare
belongeth: honoure to who~ honoure pertayneth.
Owe nothinge to eny ma~: but to love
one a nother. For he that loveth another / fulfilleth
the lawe. For these co~mau~deme~tes:
Thou shalt not co~mit advoutry: Thou shalt
not kill: Thou shalt not steale: Thou shalt
not beare falce witnes: Thou shalt not desyre:
and so forth yf there be eny other co~maundeme~t /
are all co~prehe~ded in this saynge:
Love thyne neghbour as thy silfe. Love hurteth
not his neghbour: therfore is love the
fulfillynge off the lawe.
AS a father over his childern ys both
lorde a~d iudge forbiddinge yt one brother
avenge him selfe on a nother / but
(if ani cause of strife betwene the~) will have
it brought vnto hi~ selfe or his assignes / to
be iudged & correcte: so God forbiddeth all
me~ to ave~ge the~ selves / a~d taketh ye auctorite
and office of ave~gi~ge vnto hi~ selfe sayenge:
ve~geau~ce is mine & I will rewarde: deuter.
xxxij. which texte Paul alegeth Ro. xij. For

it is impossible yt a ma~ shulde be a righteous
an egall or an indiffere~te iudge in hys awne
cause / lustes & appetites so bli~de vs. Moare
over whe~ thou ave~gest thy selfe / thou makest
not peace / but sterest vp moare debate.
God therfore hath geve~ lawes vnto all
nacio~s & in all lo~des hath put ki~ges / governers
a~d rulers in his awne stede / to rule the
worlde thorow the~. And hath co~maunded
all causes to be brought before the~ / as thou
readest Exo. xxij. In al causes (sayth he) of
iniury or wronge / whether it be oxe / asse / shepe
or vesture / or any lost thi~ge which an other
calengeth / let ye cause of both parties be
brought vnto ye Gods who~ ye Gods co~de~ne
the same shall paie dowble vnto his neiboure.
Marke / ye iudges are called Gods in the
scriptures because thei are in Gods rowme
and execute ye co~mau~dme~tes of God. And
in an other place of ye sayd chapter Moses
chargeth saye~ge: se yt thou rayle not on the
Gods nether speake evill of ye ruler of thy people.
Who so ever therfore resisteth the~ resisteth
God (for they are in ye rowme of god)
& they yt resiste shall receave their da~nacio~.
Soch obedience vnto father & mother /
master / husba~de / emperoure / ki~ge / lordes
and rulers requireth God of all nacio~s / yee
of ye very turkes a~d infideles. The blessinge
and rewarde of the~ that kepe the~ / is ye life of
this worlde as thou readest Leuiticu~.xviij.

Kepe my ordinaunces and lawes / which yf
a man kepe he shall lyve therin. Which texte
Paul reherseth Roma. x. provinge therby
that the righteousnes of the law is but wordly /
and the rewarde therof is ye life of this
worlde. And the curse of the~ that breaketh
them / is the losse of this lyfe: as thou seist
by the punishment appoynted for them.
And whosoever kepeth the lawe (whether
it be for feare / for vayne glorie or profit
though no man rewarde him / yet shall
God blesse him abunda~tly a~d sende him
wordly prosperite / as thou readest Deuterononuon. xxviij.
What good blessinges accompanye
ye kepinge of the lawe / and as we
se the turkes ferre exceade vs christen men
in worldly prosperite for their iust kepinge
of their temporall lawes. Lyke wise though
no ma~ punishe the breakers of the lawe / yet
shall God sende his curses apon them tyll
they be vterly brought to nought as thou readest
most terrebly even in the said place.
Nether maye ye inferior person ave~ge him
selfe apo~ ye superior or viole~tly resiste him for
what so ever wro~ge it be. If he doo he is co~de~ned
in the dede doinge: in as moch as he
taketh vpo~ hi~ yt which belo~heth to god only
which saith ve~geau~ce is myne a~d I will rewarde
Deute. xxxij. And christe saith Math xxvi.
all they yt take ye swerde shall perish with
ye swerde Takest thou a swerde to avenge

thy selfe: so gevest thou not roume vnto god
to ave~ge the but robbest him of his most hie
honoure / in that thou wilt not let him be iudge
over the.
Iff any ma~ myght have ave~ged him selfe
apon his superior / that mighte David most
righteously have done apon kinge Saul
which so wro~gfully persecuted David / eve~
for no other cause / the~ yt God had anoi~ted
him kynge & promysed hi~ ye kyngdome. Yet
whe~ god had delyverd Saul in to ye ha~des
of David / yt he might have done what he
wold with hi~ as thou seist in ye first boke of
kynges ye .xxiiij. chapter / how Saul came in
to the cave where David was. And David
came to him secretly & cutte of a pece of his
garment. And as sone as he had done it his
hert smote hi~ because he had done so moch vnto
his lorde. And whe~ his me~ corraged him
to sle hi~ he a~swered / the lorde forbid it me / yt
I shulde laye myne hond on hi~. Nether soffered
he his me~ to hurte him / When Saul
was gone out David folowed & shewed hi~
the pece of his garme~te & said: why belevist
thou the wordes of me~ yt saye / David goeth
aboute to doo the harme: perceave & se
that ther is nether evell ner wickednesse in
my hande and that I have not trespased
agaynst the / & yet thou layest awayte for my
life. God iudge betwene the & me & avenge
me of ye / but myne ha~de be not apo~ ye
as / the

5

olde proverbe saith (said david) out of the
weked shall wekednesse procede / but myne
ha~de be not apo~ the meani~ge that God ever
punisheth one weked by an other. And agayne
(said David) God be iudge / and iudge
betwene the and me a~d behold a~d plete my
cause / & geve me iudgeme~te or right of the.
And in the .xxvi. Chapter of the same boke /
when Saul persecuted David agayne.
David came to Saul by night / as he slepte
and all his men / and toke awaye his spere
and a coppe of water from his hedde. Then
said Abisai Davids servaunte / God hath
delyvered the thine enemie in to thine hande
this daye / lat me now therfore naile hi~
to the grounde with my spere and geve him
but even one stripe and no moare. David
forbad him sainge. Kyll him not. For who
(said he) shall laye handes on the lordes a~noynted
and be not gyltye? The lorde liveth
or by the lordes lyfe (said he) he dieth not
excepte the lorde smyte him or that his daye
be come to dye or else goo to batayll and
there perish.
Why did not David sle Saul / seinge he
was so weked / not in persecuti~ge david only /
but in disobeyenge Gods co~mau~dme~tes
and in yt he had slayne .lxxxv. of Gods prestes
wrongfully? Verely for it was not lawfull.
For if he had done it / he must have sinned
agenste god. For God hath made the

ki~ge in every realme iudge over all / a~d over
him is there no iudge. He yt iudgeth the kinge
iudgeth God & he that layeth ha~des on
the ki~ge layeth ha~de on God / a~d he that resisteth
the kinge resisteth God and da~neth
Gods lawe and ordinau~ce. If the subiectes
sinne they must be broughte to ye ki~ges iudgeme~te.
If the kinge sinne he must be reserved
vnto the iudgeme~t / wrath and ve~geau~ce
of God. And as it is to resiste the kinge /
so is it to resiste his officer which is set or
sent to execute the kinges co~maundme~t.
And in the fyrst Chaptour of the seconde
boke of kinges David co~maunded the younge
ma~ to be slayne / which broughte vnto
him the croune a~d bracelet of Saul a~d said
to please David with all / that he him selfe
had slayne Saul. And in the fourth chapter
of the same boke david co~mau~ded those
.ij. to be slayne which brought vnto him
the hed of Isboseth Sauls so~ne / by whose
meanes yet ye hole kingdome returned vnto
David accordi~ge vnto the promise of God.
And Luke.xiij. When they shewed Christe
of the Galileans / whose bloude Pilate
mi~gled with their awn sacrifice: he a~swered
suppose ye that these Galilea~s were sinners
above all other galilea~s / because they sofred
soch punishme~te? I tel you naye: but excepte
ye repe~t ye shall like wise peresh. Thus was
told Christ / no doute / of soch an entent as

they axed him Math. xxij. Whether it were
lawfull to geve tribute vnto Cesar. For they
thoughte that it was no sinne to resiste an
hethen prince: as few of vs wolde thinke (if
we were vnder the turke) that it were sinne
to rise agenste him / and to ryd oure selves
from vnder his dominion / so sore have oure
Bisshopes robbed vs of the true doctrine
of Christe. But Christe condemned
their dedes and also the secret thoughtes
of all other that consented there vnto sayenge:
excepte ye repe~te ye shall like wise
perishe. As who shuld saye / I knowe that
ye are within in youre hertes soch as they
were outwarde in their deades / and are vnder
the same damnacion: excepte therfore ye
repe~t betymes / ye shall breake out at the last
in to lyke deades / and lyke wise perishe / as
it came afterwarde to passe.
Here by seist thou yt ye kinge is in this worlde
without lawe & maye at his lust doo right
or wronge and shall geve acomptes / but to
God only.
A nother conclusion is this / that no person
nether anye degre maye be exempte fro~
this ordinaunce of God. Nether ca~ the profession
of monkes and freres or anye thinge
that the Pope or Bisshoppes ca~ laie for the~
selves / excepte them from the swerde of the
Emperoure or kinges / yf they breake the lawes.
For it is writte~ / let every soule submitte

him selfe vnto the auctorite of the hier powers.
Here is no man excepte / but all soules
must obeye. The hier powers are the te~porall
kinges and princes vnto whom God
hath geve~ the swerde to puneshe who so ever
sinneth. God hath not geven the~ swerdes
to puneshe one and to let a nother goo
fre and to sinne vnpunesshed. Moare over
with what face durst the spiritualte / which
ought to be the light & an example of good
lyvinge vnto all other / desire to sinne vnpunesshed
or to be excepted from tribute / tolle
or custome / that they wolde not beare payne
with ther brethern / vnto the mayntenaunce
of kinges and officers ordined of god
to puneshe sinne? There is no powere but of
God (by power vndersto~de the auctorite of
kinges and princes) The powers that be /
are ordened of God. Who soever therfore resisteth
power resisteth God: Yee though he
be Pope / Bisshope / monke or frere. They
that resiste shall receave vnto them selves
damnacion. Why? For Gods worde is
agaynst them which will have all men vnder
the power of the temperall swerde. For
rulers are not to be feared for good workes
but for evyll. Hereby seist thou yt they yt resiste
ye powers or seke to be exe~pte fro~ their
auctorite have evyll co~scie~ces & seke libertie
to sinne vnpunesshed & to be fre fro~ beari~ge
payne with ther bretherne. Wilt thou be

E

without feare of the power? So doo well
and thou shalt have laude of the same (that
is to saye of the ruler) With good livynge
ought the spirituallte to ridde the~ selves fro~
feare of the te~poral swerde / & not with craft
and with blindinge the kynges and bringinge
the vengeaunce of God apon the~ a~d
in purchasinge lice~ce to sinne vnpunisshed.
For he is the minister of God for thi welth:
to defende the from a thousande inconvenientes
/ from theves / murderers and them
that wolde defile thy wife / thy doughter
and take from the all that thou hast: yee life
and all / yf thou did resiste. Forthermoare
though he be the greatist tyrau~te in the worlde /
yet is he vnto ye a greate benefit of God
and a thi~ge where fore thou oughtest to thanke
God hyly. For it is better to have somwhat
than to be cleane stripte out of all togeder:
it is better to paye the tenthe than to
loose all: it is better to suffer one tyraunte
the~ mani & to sofre wronge of one the~ of every
ma~. Ye and it is better to have a tyraunte
vnto thy ki~ge the~ a shadow / a passive ki~ge yt
doth nought hi~selfe / but sofre other to doo
with hi~ what they will / and to leade hi~ whither
they lyst. For a tyraunte though he do
wronge vnto the good / yet he punessheth the
evill & maketh all me~ obeye nether sofereth
any man to polle but him selfe only. A kinge
that is soft as sylke a~d effeminate / that

is to saye turned vnto the nature of a woma~ /
what with his awne lustes / which are
as ye lo~ginge of a woma~ with childe / so yt he
ca~ not resiste the~ / & what with ye wyly tyra~nye
of the~ yt ever rule hi~ / shalbe moch moare grevous
vnto ye realme the~ a right tyraunte. Reade
ye cronycles & thou shalt finde it ever so.
But and if thou doo evyll / then feare.
For he beareth not a swerde for noughte.
For he is the minister of God / to take vengeaunce
on them that doo evyll. Yff the office
of princes geven them of God be to take
ve~geaunce of evill doers: tha~ by this texte
and Gods worde / are all princes da~ned /
even as many as geve libertie or licence vnto
the spiritualtie to sinne vnpunesshed / a~d
not only to sinne vnpunesshed them selves:
but also to open sentuaries / privileged places /
churchyerdes / saynt Iohns holde: yee
and if they come to shorte vnto all these / yet
to sett forth a neckeverse to save all maner treaspasers
fro~ the feare of ye swerde of ye ve~geaunce
of God put in the ho~des of princes to
take vengeaunce on all soch.
GOd requireth the law to be kepte of
all men let them kepe it for what soever
purpose they will. Will they not
kepe ye lawe: so vouchsafeth he not that they
enioye this temperall life. Now are there.
thre natures of men / one all to gether beestly
which / in no wise receave the lawe in

E.ij.

their hertes / but rise agenst princes & rulers
when so ever they are able to make their partie
good. Thes are signified by the~ that worsheped
the golden calfe. For Moyses brake
the tables of the lawe yer he came at them.
The seconde are not so beestly / but receave
the lawe / and vnto the~ the lawe cometh:
but they loke not Moyses in ye face. For his
cou~tenau~ce is to bright for the~ / that is / they
vnderstonde not yt the lawe is spirituall a~d
requireth the herte. They loke on the pleasure /
profit and promocion that foloweth the
kepinge of the lawe / and in respecte of the
rewarde kepe they the lawe outwardly with
workes / but not in the herte. For if they might
obteyne lyke honoure / glorie / promocio~
and dignite and also avoyde all inco~venientes /
yf they broke the lawe / so wolde they also
breake the lawe & folowe their lustes.
The thred are spirituall and loke Moyses
in the open face & are (as Paul saith the
seconde to the Romains) a lawe vnto them
selves and have the lawe writte~ in their hertes
by the spirite of God. Thes neade nether
of kinge ner officers to drive the~ / nether
that any ma~ profer the~ any rewarde for to kepe
the lawe. For they do it naturally.
The first worke for feare of the swerde
only. The seconde for rewarde. The thred
worke for love frely. They loke on the excedi~ge
mercy / love and kindes which God hath

shewed them in Christe and therfore love
againe and worke frely. Heven they take of
the fre gift of God thorow Christes deservi~ges /
and hope without all maner doutinge
that God accordinge to his promise / will in
this worlde also defende them and doo all
thinge for the~ of his goodnes and for Christes
sake and not for any goodnes that is in
them. They co~sente vnto the lawe that it is
holy and iust and that all men ought to doo
what soever God commau~deth for no other
cause / but because God commaundeth it.
And their great sorow is / because that there
is no strength in their membres to doo that
which their herte lusteth to do and is a thurst
to do.
Thes of the last sorte kepe ye lawe of their
awne accorde and that in the herte / and have
professed perpetuall warre agaynste the
lustes and appetites of the fleshe / tyll they be
vtterly subdued: yet not thorow their awne
strength / but knowynge and knowlegynge
their wekenes crye ever for strength to God
which hath promysed assistence vnto all that
call vpon him. These folow God and are
led of his sprite. The other two are led of lustes
and appetites.
Lustes and appetites are divers and many
and that in one ma~: ye and one luste contrarie
to a nother and the greatest lust carieth
a ma~ all to gether awaye with him. We

E.iij.

are also chaunged fro~ one lust vnto a nother.
Otherwise are we desposed when we are childern /
otherwise whe~ we are yongme~ and other
wise when we are olde / otherwise over
eve~ & other wise in the morninge: ye somtymes
altered .vj. tymes in an howre. How fortuneth
all this? Because yt the will of ma~ foloweth
the witte & is subiecte vnto the witte
and as the witte erreth so doith the will / a~d
as the witte is in captivite / so is the will /
nether is it possible that ye will shuld be fre
where the witte is in bondage.
That thou maist perceave a~d feale the thi~ge
in thine herte and not be a vayne sophister
disputinge aboute wordes with out perceavinge /
marke this. The rote of al evill the
greatest damnacio~ and most terrible wrath
and vengeaunce of God that we are in / is
naturall blindnes. We are all out of the right
waye / every man his wayes: One iudgeth
this best / a nother that to be best. Now
is worldlye witte no thinge else but craft
and sotilte to obteyne that which we iudge
falsly to be best. As I erre in my witte / so
erre I in my will. When I iudge that to be
evyll / which in dede is good / then hate I
that which is good. And when I suppose
that good which is evill in dede / then love
I evill. As yf I be perswaded and borne
in hande that my most frende is myne
enemye then hate I my best frende: and yf

I be brought in belefe that my most enimie
is my frende / Then love I my most enimie
Now when we saye / every man hath his
fre will / to doo what him lusteth I saye
verely that men doo what they lust. Not
with stondynge to folow lustes is not fredome /
but captivite and bondage. If God
open any mans wittes to make hym feale
in his herte / that lustes and appetites are
damnable / and geve hi~ power to hate and
resiste them / then is he fre even with the fredome
where with Christ maketh fre / a~d hath
power to doo the will of God.
Thou maist hereby perceave that all
that is done in the world (before the spirite
of God come and geveth vs light) is damnable
sinne / and the moare glorious the
moare damnable: so that that which ye worlde
counteth most glorious is moare damnable
in the sighte of God / then that which
the whore / the thefe and the mortherer
doo. With blinde reasons of worldly wisdome
maist thou chau~ge the myndes of youth
and make them geve them selves to what
thou wilt eyther for feare / for prayse or for
profit: and yet doist but chaunge them from
one vice to a nother. As the persuasions of
her frendes made lucrece chast. Lucrece
beleved yf she were a good huswife and chast /
that she shulde be most glorious / & that
all the world wolde geve her honoure / and

E iiij.

prayse her. She soughte her awne glory in
her chastite and not Gods. When she had
lost her chastite / then counted she her selfe
most abhominable in the sighte of all men /
a~d for very payne & thought which she had /
not that she had displeased god / but that she
had lost her honoure / slew her selfe. Loke
how great her payne and sorow was for the
losse of her chastite / so greate was her glorie
and reioysinge therein / and so moch despiced
she them that were other wise / and pitied
them not. Which pride god moare abhorreth
the~ the whordome of any whore. Of
like pride are all the morall vertues of Aristotell /
Plato and Socrates / and all ye doctrine
of the philosophers the very Gods of
our scole men.
In lyke maner is it for the most parte of
oure most holy religion. For they of lyke imaginacion
doo thinges which they of Bedle~
maye se / that they are but madnes. They
loke on the miracles which God did by the
sayntes to move the vnbelevinge vnto the
fayth and to confirme the trouth of his promyses
in Christe / whereby all that beleve
are made sayntes: as thou seist in the last
chaptoure of Marke. They preached (saith
he) every where / the lorde workinge with
them and confirminge their preachinge with
miracles that folowed. And in the fourth
of the actes) the disciples praid that

God wolde stretche forth his handes to do
miracles and wonders in the name of Iesus
And Paul .j. Corinth. xiiij. saith / that the
miracle of speakinge with divers tonges is
but a signe for vnbelevers and not for them
that beleve. Thes miracles turne they vnto
a nother purpose sayenge in their blinde
hertes. Se what myracles God hath showed
for this saynte / he must be verely great
with God. And attonse turne them selves
from Gods worde and put their trust
and confidence in the saynt and his merites
and make an advocate or rather a God
of the saynt / and of their blinde imaginacion
make a testamente or bonde betwene the
saynt and them / the testamente of Christes
bloude cleane forgoten. They loke on the sayntes
garmentes and lives or rather lyes
which men lye on the sayntes: and this wise
imagion in their hertes sayenge: the saynt
for weringe soch a garmente and for soch
deades is become so glorious in heven. Yf
I doo lyke wise / so shall I be also. They se
not the fayth and trust which the sayntes
had in Christe / nether the worde of God
which the sayntes preached / nether the entente
of the sayntes / how that ye sayntes did
soch thi~ges to tame their bodies & to be an
ensample to ye worlde / & to teach that soch
thinges are to be despiced which the worlde
moost wondreth at and magnifieth. They

E.v.

se not also that some la~des are so whot that
a man can nether drinke wine ner eate fleshe
therin: nether consider they the complexio~
of the sayntes / a~d a thousande like thinges
se they not. So when they have kylled there
bodies and brought them in that case / that
scace with any restauratyve they can recover
their health agayne yet had they lever die the~
to eate fleshe. Why? for they thinke / I have
now this .xx. xxx. or .xl. yeres eate~ no fleshe
and have obteyned I doute not by this tyme
as hie a rowme as the best of the~: shuld
I now loose that? nay I had lever die: and
as lucrecia had lever have ben slayne yf he
had not ben to stronge for her then to have
lost her glorie / even so had these. They ascribe
heven vnto their imaginacions and mad
invencions / and receave it not of the liberalite
of God / by the merites and deservinges
of Christ.
He now that is renewed in Christe / kepeth
the lawe without any law written or
compulsion of any ruler or officer / save by
the ledynge of the sprite only: but the naturall
man is entised and moved to kepe the
lawe carnally / with carnall reasons and
worldly persuasions / as for glorie / honoure
riches and dignite. But the last remedie of
all when all other fayle / is feare. Beate one
& the rest wyll absteyne for feare: as Moyses
ever putteth in remembraunce sayenge:

kyll / stone / burne. So shall thou put evill
from the / and all Israell shall heare and feare
and shall no moare do so. Yf feare helpe
not / then will God that they be taken out
of this life.
Kynges were ordened then / as I before
said / and they swerde put in their handes
to take vengeaunce of evill doers / that other
myght feare / a~d were not ordeyned to fight
one agenst a nother or to rise agenste the
Emperioure to defende the false auctorite
of the Pope that very Antechriste / Bisshoppes
they only can minister the temperall
swerde / their office the preachinge of
Gods worde layde a parte / which the will
nother doo ner sofre anye man to doo / but
sley with the temperall swerd (which they
have goten out of the hande of all Princes)
them that wolde. The preachinge of Gods
worde is hatefull and contrarie vnto them:
Why? For it is impossible to preach Christe
excepte thou preach agenst Antychriste /
that is to saye / them which with their false
doctrine & viole~ce of swerde enforce to que~che
ye true doctrine of Christe. And as thou
canst heale no disease / excepte thou begynne
at the rote: even so canst thou preach
agenst / no mischeve excepte thou begynne /
at the Bisshopes. Kynges they are
but shadowes / vayn names and thinges
ydle / havynge no thinge to doo in the

worlde / but when our holy father neadeth
their helpe.
The Pope contrarie vnto all conscience
and agenst all the doctrine of Christe / which
saith my kyngdome is not of this worlde.
Iohn. xviij. hath vsurped the righte of ye emperoure.
And by polycy of ye Bishopes of almany
and with corruptynge the electours or
chosers of the Emperoure with money / bri~geth
to passe that soch a one is ever chosen
Emperoure that is not able to make his partie
good with the Pope. To stoppe the Emperoure
that he come not at Rome / he bringeth
the fre~ch kinge vp to Milane / and on
the oder side bringeth he the venecians. Yf
the venecians come to nye / the bisshopes
of Fraunce must bringe in the French kynge
And the Socheners ar called and send for
to come a~d socre. And for their laboure he
geveth to some a rose / to a nother a cappe
of mayntenau~ce. One is called most christen
kinge a nother defender of the fayth /
a nother the eldest sonne of the most holy
seate. He blaseth also the armes of other &
putteth in the holy crosse / the croune of
thorne or the nayles and so forth. Yff the fre~che
kynge goo to hie / and crepe vppe other to
Bononye or Naples: then must oure englysh
bisshops bringe in our Kynge. The craft
of ye bisshopes is to entitle one Kynge with
an others realme. He is called Kinge of De~marke /

and of Englonde / he kinge of Englonde
and of Fraunce. Then to blinde ye lordes
and the comens / the kinge must calenge
his righte. Then must the lande be taxed
and every man paye / and the treasure borne
out of the realme and the londe beggerde.
How many a thousand mens lives hath it
cost? And how many an hondred thousande
poundes hath it caried out of the realme
in oure remembraunce?? Besides how abhominable
an example of gatheringe was
there? soch verily as never tyraunte sens the
world began did / ye soch as was never before
herde or thought on nether amo~ge Iewes
saresens / turkes or hethen sens God created
the sonne to shine: that a beest shulde
breake vp in to the temple of God / that is to
saye / in to the herte and consciences of men
and compell them to swere every ma~ what
he was worthe / to lende that shulde never
be payd agayne. How many thousandes
forsware them selfes? How many thousa~des
set them selves above there abilite / partly
for feare lest they shuld be forsworne a~d
partly to save there credence? When the Pope
hath his purpose / then is peace made / no
man woteth how / and oure most enimie is
oure most frende.
Now because the Emperoure is able
to obteyne his right: french / englessh / venecians
and all must apon him. O greate

whore of babylon / how abuseth she the princes
of the worlde / how dronke hath she
made them with her wine? How shamefull
licences doth she geve them / to vse nychromancie
to hold whores / to devorse the~
selves to breake the fayth and promises that
one maketh with an other: that the confessours
shall delyver vnto the kynge the Confession
of whom he will / and dispenceth
with the~ even of the very lawe of God / which
Christ him selfe can not doo.