Nova Sanc

torum, in his life.

buried, if a gentle medicine had been ministered but the bishop of Canterbury, using his own will, and not ours, was too earnest, not considering what harm might come by such headiness. And because he could not get our consent, he went about to cast the fault of his rashness on our lord the king, and the realm: and that he might deface our brotherly love, he flees away, no man compelling him, as it is written in the psalm, "The wicked flees when no man persecutes him." The other bishop and earl follow with like or more vehement words.

When king Egfride had married Etheldrede, and she had rather live a virgin than do the duty of a wife, the king St Wilfride. desired St Wilfride to counsel his wife to do her duty: the bishop would not, but rather encouraged her, divorced her, Legenda made her a nun', and the king married another; which counsel of Wilfride was plain contrary to St Paul, saying, "The woman has not power of her own body, but the man; for she cannot depart from her husband without licence, and but for a time." God keep us from such holy bishops! Polychronicon, lib. v. cap. xxii. declares a knot of these his holy fathers. Adelme, first priest, then abbot, and lastly a bishop, when he was tempted in the flesh, took a fair wench into bed with him while he might say the psalter; and yet would not marry. Lib. vII. cap. ii, Walter, bishop of Hertford, was slain by a woman, which gored him in the groin with her shears, because he would have ravished her.

[Juncta est tum (Etheldreda) regi præfato lege conjugali, non conjunctioni carnali. Cujus rei gratia beatum Wilfridum tam per se quam per alios rex convenit, orans et obsecrans quatenus reginæ persuaderet, ut omisso virginitatis proposito regiæ voluntati assensum præberet. Ille tamen non consentiens vigilanti animo procurabat, nequa femineæ mentis inconstantia propositum virginitatis postponeret, et terrenis illecebris animum divicta supponeret. Sua enim erat industria ut virgo divortium quæreret, quatenus libertate potita seculum relinquere et regi eterna (sic) feliciter inhærere posset. Et factum est ita. Nam cum regi constaret nullo illam pacto a proposito posse mutari, licet invitus concessit, ut relicto seculo, sicut volebat, virginitatis velamen acciperet. Legenda Nova Angliæ, fo. cccii. col. 4. Lond. 1516. ED.]

[ He took upon him this martyrdom, that when he were tempted in his flesh, he would hold with him, &c. col. 2. ED.]

[This expression is slightly altered from the original. The story is in Polychron. Lib. vII. chap. ii. col. 2. En.]

Cap. xi, Walter, bishop of Durham, made women to serve him and the monks at the table, with their hair hanging down, where few scaped their hands'. Cap. xii, Giraldus, bishop of York, was, says he, "a lecherous man and a witch'.' The same Polychronicon says also, lib. vII. cap. xxxi. that Fulco, a French priest, came to king Richard the first, and bad him marry his three daughters. The king said, he had none : "Yes," says he, "pride, covetousness, and lechery." Then the king said: "Pride I give to templers; covetousness to white monks; and lechery to prelates." This marriage was so knit then, that it could not be broken since; and this was the king's opinion of them.

O holy fathers! I trust, whosoever considers these things well, will judge the holiness of these good bishops, on whom he glories so much. The rest of the bishops which he names be such like; and because he speaks not much of them, I will let them pass, for they be no better: and out of the same worshipful history ye shall read of them, because no learned man has thought meet to lose his time in commending such. They lived all since the conquest, not five hundred year since all made saints, and promoted by the pope, and he by them therefore they must need maintain his doings, and he theirs.

:

I would not have blotted so much paper with so much wickedness, nor filled your ears and eyes with such filthiness, but that he provoked me to it, and calls that good, which is evil, and light, darkness: the rest be no better. In every bishoprick ye shall find some bishops, that were enemies to the pope and his doings in that blind age. In Lincoln, Robert Grosshead appealed from the pope to Jesus Christ, and wrote divers good books against many his doings. Ranold Pecocke of Chichester was condemned in the twenty-sixth year of Henry VI. for this new learning, and specially for saying

[ Col. 2. But, continues Polychron. this is worthy to be greatly praised for by his procuring, St Cuthbert's body was taken out of the grave, and clothed worshipfully in new clothing. ED.]

[ And Gyralde was archbishop after him, a lecherous man, a witch, and an evil doer, as the fame telleth. Chap. xii. col. 2. ED.]

[In the old edition, covetous: in Polychron. covetyse. It occurs in the beginning of the chapter. ED.]

Spiritual

men's

lands.

that a general council and the church may err in religion. In the late days of popery were burned five bishops, and five banished let them shew so many bishops that suffered within this thousand year for their god, the pope, and they might have some shew of honesty for them. It is a rare thing to see a bishop die for religion, and specially a papist.

X. Seeing they reform religion so well, as they say, it were meet, as they forsake the religion that their predecessors used, as mass, matins, ministration of sacraments, that they should also forsake houses, parks, lands, and revenues, that their predecessors had, and go from place to place for God's sake and preach.

If nothing else, this one saying will prove him a dissembling lying hypocrite. All the world knows, that the greatest fault and readiest that they have to lay against the gospeltime, is, that church-lands and livings are taken from spiritual men, and bestowed on other; and of this thing he complains himself in manifest words hereafter. Therefore it is manifest, that he would not have the bishops to give away their lands, seeing he complains of the taking it away: but he would so fain find a fault in the new bishops, that rather than he find none, he will shew himself a fool in blaming them wherein they deserve it not, and which he thinks to be no fault indeed. Why they forsake their mass and matins, is sufficiently declared afore. For their houses, parks and lands, why some few that have any such do not forsake them that be left, there is good reason: but why other some have them not (that they might forsake them, if they should), I fear their popish predecessors have provided too well for them against reason. They keep house, and such lands as they can get, because they be not anabaptists, nor heretics, thinking it not to be lawful for them so to do, (for God's good creatures are ordained to serve God's good ministers ;) and also, because they be not so superstitious as the observants friars, which thought themselves so holy that they might not handle money. They remember also, that God commands them to keep hospitality to their power and because by this means it may the better be done, they do not refuse it, although greedily they do not desire it. The prince also and commonwealth desires a service of them, which they cannot so well perform without these;

but chiefly for the maintenance of learning, which is so decayed almost remediless, and so little hope to recover it, if these helps be clean taken away, that extreme blind ignorance is like to follow this age.

Look into the universities, and spy what ancient learned men ye find there, either papist or protestant. I am ashamed to tell, and it is to be lamented to see that there is so few, and it is earnestly to be begged at God's hand that it may be amended: but I fear it is rather to be wished than hoped for. This plague is over our heads not regarded, and cannot be avoided, howsoever the world go. These few that now live, both papist and protestant, must needs die. Where is there then any learned number to supply their rooms? There be few schools abroad to bring up youth; but so many benefices so small, that no man will take them, and so the parishes be unserved, and the people wax without fear of God. The universities have many goodly fresh wits in them, but so young, and without a sufficient number of ancient guides to teach and rule them, that many men's days shall be spent afore any number come to ripeness, although for their young years many can do well. But fathers and mothers must answer this question; and they, if they be asked why they keep not their children at school, will say, there is more profit to be had in making his son a lawyer, a physician, or any thing except a minister: for when they have bestowed all they can get on one child in the university, he shall not be able to live himself, nor help any friend he has; where the lawyer will become a gentleman, a purchaser, within few years. They will do any thing with him, rather than make him a priest.

St Paul bids, "He that is taught, let him give part of all his Gal. vi. goods to him that teaches him :" and the next words following be, "God is not mocked;" as though he should say, If ye deal not liberally with your teachers, and think nothing so precious, but they should have their part of it in their need, ye but mock God in so mocking his ministers; but "he that dwells Psal. ii. in heaven will mock you again," says David. Let them weigh these words well, which in paying their tithes, if they find one sheaf, lamb, or fleece, worse than another, cast it out in scorn, and say it is good enough for a priest, or with worse words, as they be full of such. "If they sow spiritual things, is it 1 Cor. ix.

[PILKINGTON.]

38

Acts v.

much if they reap your carnal things?" No, sure: ye have no-
thing good enough to recompense their labour withal. In the
primitive church it was not unlawful to have lands, though
many sold their lands for to relieve the poor Christians withal.
It is no more unlawful to keep lands, than to keep the money
for which he sold the lands; and Peter said to Ananias that
sold his land, "Did it not remain to thee, and when thou
had sold it, was it not in thine own power to do with it what
thou would?" So Peter grants that it was lawful for him both
to keep the lands, and to keep the money too, that he received
when he had sold it: and yet I doubt not but the new bishops,
if case so should require, could be content to forego all, and live
as God would, as their deeds of late well declared, so that they
might serve God or his people the better, and rather than they
defile themselves with popery. We read that divers of the
holy fathers and bishops had lands with their churches: but it
is folly to answer so curious a fool in a matter of no doubt,
but invented of an idle scoffing brain. If ye demand, why
some bishops have so little lands, few houses and parks, the
reasons also be sundry: but surely, few or none have so much
as to keep them out of debt, or to maintain that hospitality
which is looked for at their hands. Some of their lands and
parks against their wills be exchanged by order of law: but
the most part, the malicious popish prelates, that were their
predecessors, seeing their kingdom decay, and that professors
of God's gospel should follow in their places, would rather
give it women, children, horsekeepers, (I say no worse,) by
lease, patents, annuities, than any that loves God should en-
joy it. This is the greatest reason why they have not lands,
and that cannot be avoided; more is the pity. How many
bishopricks in the realm have they impoverished by these
means! So that they which now succeed, are not able to re-
lieve themselves nor the poor as they would and should.

The multitude cry out on the protestants, that they keep not
houses, like the papists, nor such a number of idle servants:
they consider not how barely they came to their livings, what
pensions they pay, and annuities, which their predecessors
granted; how all commodities be leased away from them; what
charges they bear for first-fruits, subsidies and tenths; how they
lack all household stuff and furniture at their entering; so

!