their calling of the Dutch name, that signifies bite sheep, rather than of the Greek, that teaches to save sheep by his painful diligence. If they were not too much blinded in their own foolishness, they might see in the last subsidy granted in the time of their own reign, that they grant those to be their betters and above them, from whence they receive their authority. The parliament gives them and their collectors power to suspend, deprive, and interdite any priest that pays not the subsidy: in that doing they grant the parliament to be above them, and from it to receive their power; yea further, to let them see how they be contrary to themselves, they give a lay-man (as most part of their collectors were) power to interdite, suspend and absolve a priest: which both be contrary to their own doctrine.

I had not thought to have said so much on these his few words; and yet much more hangs on this their opinion of claiming their usurped power above princes and other ministers. For if this their opinion were true, that God gave them such authority over his church as they claim, it might be said on them, as the poet says, Ovem lupo commisisti3, that God had appointed wolves to keep his sheep.

II. There Saint James being Bishop, and there said Mass.

ALAS, poor mass! that has no better a ground-work to be built on than false lies, and so unlearned a proctor to speak for it. I pray you, who helped St James at mass? who hallowed his corporas, superaltar, chalice, vestments, &c.? who was deacon and sub-deacon to read the epistle and gospel? who rang to the sacring, and served the pax? For I am as sure it was a solemn feast, and that these things were done, as he is that St James said mass. He that told you the one, could have told you the

[Anno 1557. "The clergy gave her [queen Mary] an entire subsidy of eight shillings in the pound, 'now,' as the act ran, 'when the imminent necessity of the defence of the realm required present aid and remedy.' The parliament gave her one subsidy, one 15th and one 10th." Strype's Memorials, Vol. III. Part ii. p. 105. Oxford, 1822. ED.]

[Terence, Eunuch. v. 1. You have committed the sheep to the care of the wolf. ED.]

[Pax: A board, or plate of metal, on which there was a representation of the crucifixion, handed round to the people at mass for them to kiss instead of a mutual salutation—the kiss of peace. Fosbroke. ED.]

other as well as this, if he had lust; and ye say your mass cannot be said without these trinkets. I pray you, what mass was it? Began it with a great R. of requiem, or scala cœli, or resurrexi, for the plague, or murrain of beasts? part of a trental, or for all christian souls? If ye will have us to believe it, ye must tell us some more. I pray you also, which St James was it? for we read of divers of that name, both in the scripture and others histories, living at that time. It is not enough to say, so it is; but ye must prove it, if ye will be believed. I pray you, whose mass, as they term it, used he, and of whose making was it? Chrysostom's or Basil's, Gregory's or Ambrose', or that which bears his own name of St James? What language spake he? Hebrew, Greek, or Latin? These things must be proved, afore your Latin popish patched mass by so many popes in so many years, or it was brought to his perfection, can be proved. Do they think that, because my lord bishop, master doctor, or such scavengers and corner-creepers as this champion is, say it is so, and deceive the people with lies privily in corners, that none dare say against it openly, but all their sayings must be believed? I do not take them to be of that authority or credit.

But I will not stand with him in all these narrow points, | although I could keep him much play in so doing. I agree

that James, brother of our Lord, was bishop there at Jerusalem, as the ancient writers testify: but that he said or did any thing like the popish clouted Latin mass, that I utterly deny. For that the church, altar, superaltar, vestments, chalice, &c. should be hallowed, afore they could have mass said in them, on them, or with them, it is plain written in their own law, de Consecra. distinct. i.' When they have proved that St James had these hallowed, how and by whom they were hallowed, then I will believe he said their foolish mass, and not afore: for their mass cannot be done without them. Also, if they will be believed, they must declare what order of mass he used: was it Chrysostom's, Basil's, Justin's, Tertullian's,

[Sacrificia non nisi super altare et locis Deo consecratis offerantur. Sicut non alii quam sacrati Deo sacerdotes debent missas celebrare, sic non in aliis quam in Domino consecratis locis, id est in tabernaculis divinis precibus a pontificibus delibutis, missas cantare aut sacrificia offerre licet. Decret. Gratian. p. 1979. Antv. 1573. En.]

Austin's, Dionysius', Isidorus', Gregory's, Rabanus', the Romans', or whose else? Surely all these were unborn many years after St James died, that it could not be theirs. Why, I am sure, some will divers sorts of so many holy Is there so many say, fathers to minister the Lord's supper, and our holy bishops of late have burned so many innocents, that would not use their only one disordered order of massing, as though all other were heretical and schismatical, (as they term it,) but that only one which they have devised, disguised and misused? Yea, surely these diversities all be printed and to be had with many more godly ones, and therefore they cannot deny it and because they be printed, I will not stand to rehearse them wholly, for it were infinite. There is yet another liturgy in print, (which word they call and unlearnedly translate ever a mass,) bearing the name of St James: but even in their late raging time of madness, when they had gotten certain copies of these Greek liturgies, or ministering the Lord's supper, thinking to have printed them, and that it would have stablished their doings, when in trial and translating them they see it fall out otherways and to make against them, they let it alone, and suppressed it like as the same holy father and cardinal' first printed his book, that he wrote against king Henry the eighth, to please the pope withal, and to stir the emperor to war against England for falling from popery; and after, his conscience accusing him to have done amiss, he burned all the books he could come by, and yet now they be commonly sold to his shame, as these liturgies be to theirs. All these orders of ministering the communion differ from their pope-holy relic, their Latin mass, in the chiefest points: that is, that the priest prays not alone, nor in a strange language, eats not, nor drinks up all alone, nor receives it for other; sells it not for money, nor sweeps the pope's scalding house, his purgatory, with it; but the people pray with him in their mother tongue, receive with him for the comfort of their own souls, and not for pocky pigs, scalled horse, nor scabbed sheep; neither making trentals or merchandise of it, but in remembrance of Christ's death, who died for them.

But that St James never said the popish mass, as they

[ Cardinal Pole. The book referred to is his work on the King's Supremacy, entitled De Unitate Ecclesiæ, anno 1535. En.]

32

[PILKINGTON.]

Epist.

lib. vii. cap. 63.

St James

never said mass.

would father it on him, the pope himself grants. Pope Gregory the first (called the great for his great holiness and learning, in comparison of the rest) says, that "the apostles consecrated the host only with the Lord's prayer," when they ministered'. Then St James, if he ministered any thing at all there, even by the pope's confession, never said their Latin mass, nor any thing like it. For that consecration in Latin of theirs has many long other prayers, crossings and blessings, and superstitious ceremonies, as all men see, beside the Lord's prayer. And in that same-self chapter of Gregory, ye shall see other diversities of ceremonies and prayers there rehearsed, wherein the Latin mass differs from the Greek and other. Wherefore it was not thought of old time to so many holy fathers a wicked thing to have divers orders in ministering the communion, though our bloody butchers will not swerve an inch from their father of lies, but burn all that gainsay them. How many toys, crossings, blessings, blowings, knockings, kneelings, bowings, liftings, sighings, houslings, turnings and half turnings, mockings, mowings, sleepings, and apish playings, soft whisperings, and loud speakings, have we to consecrate our own devices withal, or it can be getten done!

Moreover, if St James should have used our Latin canon and privity of the mass (as they term it) in his consecration, or any such like, he should have prayed to himself, and worshipped himself, being alive, which were a great absurdity to grant. For the Latin canon and privity of the mass is full of praying to saints, and names them particularly; among whom St James is one himself. Then St James using the Latin mass, as they say he did, he should have prayed to himself, and worshipped himself, being alive which I think, when they advise themselves better, they will not grant to be true nor meet to be done; and with such wicked foolishness I trust they will not burden St James withal. Furthermore it skills much, what language St James used: for our holy bishops think it not meet that their holy relics should be uttered 1 Cor. xiv. in our English tongue. St Paul says, he "had rather speak five words that he understands, and to teach other, than ten

:

['Orationem autem dominicam idcirco mox post precem dicimus, qui mos apostolorum fuit, ut ad ipsam solummodo orationem oblationis hostiam consecrarent. T. II. p. 960. Basil. 1564. ED.]

thousand in a strange tongue :" our prelates say, Nay. "None will prepare himself to war, except he understand what the trumpet blows:" no more can any learn his duty to God, if he understand not the thing that is taught, and the language. Our prelates say, that blind ignorance is the mother of devotion; but Christ says, "Ye err, because ye know not the scripture:" then ignorance is the cause of error. By like God either understands not English, or else he is partial, and loves not our English tongue so well as the Latin: and yet to speak or understand divers languages is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Surely, if the Holy Ghost give the grace to speak and understand divers languages, God cannot hate them that use any of them, nor disallow the gifts of the Holy Ghost in any

man.

We read (for they be turned into Latin and printed), that other countries have used of old time, and yet do at this day, their own language in ministering the Lord's supper. Why then may not England do the same? What fault have we made, more than other? Chrysostom's order of the communion, Basil's, and that which bears the name of St James, were written in the Greek, which the people understood, and answered in the same language. The Syrians, Ethiopians, Armenians, Muscovites, and the dominion of prester John do at this day, and ever did, use their own language when they ministered, and out of them are turned into Latin, that easily it may be seen how we differ. The good christian emperor Justinian commands plainly in his civil laws, Novell. Constitut. 124 and 126, "That all things should be done in the churches in those languages which were known in the countries, and also that the words of baptism and the Lord's supper should be spoken in a loud voice, that thereby the devotion of the hearers might be stirred up2:" which all (although they were written a thousand

[Ad hæc jubemus ut omnes episcopi pariter et presbyteri non tacito modo, sed clara voce, quæ a fideli populo exaudiatur, sacram oblationem et preces in sancto baptismo adhibitas celebrent; quo majore exinde devotione in depromendis Domini Dei laudibus audientium animi efferantur. Ita enim et divus apostolus docet, dicens in prima ad Corinthios epistola, Enimvero si solummodo benedicas spiritu, quomodo is, qui privati locum implet, dicet ad gratiarum actionem tuam Deo ipsum Amen, quando quidem quid dicas non videt? Novell. Constitut. cxxIII. De Ecclesiasticis Diversis Capitulis, p. 215. Paris. 1562. ED.]