IN the day of Pentecost whan the holy goost descended vpon the apostles & discyples of Chryst , they receyued suche grace & goostly knowlege , that they hade forth with the gyfte of the vnderstandynge of scrypture : and to speake in the tonges of all men . And also that vpon whome soeuer they layde theyr handes , the holye ghoste shoulde descende vpon them . And ther vpon they by theyr prechyng & good doctryn conuerted in short tyme , great multitude of people vnto the fayth of Christ And after that dyuers blessed men in strength of the fayth , wrote the lyfe , miracles , doctryne , passion deth , and resurrection of our mayster Chryst : but foure of those writinges were only receyued by al the hole chyrche of Chryst . that is to say , of Matthewe . Marke , Luke & Ihon. & they receyued them to be of such auctorytye , that it should not be lawfull to any man , that wold confesse Chryst , to denye them , & they were called the foure gospels of Christ . And the epystles of Paule , the Actes of the apostles , the epistles that be called canonyke . And the apocalips were receyued to be of lyke auctorytye , as the gospels were . And thus by assent aswel of the people , as of the clergye , was the newe testament affyrmed to be of suche auctorytye , as it is now taken to be of , & as it is of in dede . so that it is not lawfull to denye any thing that it affermeth , ne to afferme any thyng that it denyeth , & it is no meruayle though it be taken to be of such strengthe , for it was auctorysed whan the people that were newelye conuerted to the fayth , were ful of grace & of deuocion , replenished with vertues , desyryng alwaye the lyfe to come , & the helthe of theyr owne soules , & of theyr neyghbours . Than also were blessed bisshops , blessed preestes , & other blessed persons of the clargy : and what could suche men aske of god ryghtwisly , that sholde be denyed them . And who maye thinke , but that they & al the people , at the sayd auctorisyng of scripture , praied deuoutly for the assistaunce of the holy gost that they might haue grace to auctorise suche thyng as shold be to his honour / to the encrease of his fayth , & to the helth of the soules of al his people . The tyme also that this auctorysynge of the new testament , and the gatherynge of it togyder was made , was ( as I suppose ) the tyme of the moost hygh & gracyous shedynge out of the mercy of god into the world , that euer was from the begynnyng of the world vnto thys daye : & I meane the tyme that was from the incarnacion of Christ vnto the sayd auctorysyng of the newe testament was accomplished : for in part of the tyme our lord was here himselfe in bodyly presence , preachyng and teachyng his lawes / gatherynge & chewsynge hys apostles & disciples / the sholde teache & preache his lawes whan he was gone : which they dyd not onely by word , but also by good examples , that yet remayne vnto thys day : so that al the tyme may in maner be called the golden tyme . And not onely the newe testament was than receyued , but also the olde testament . And by preachyng & teachyng of these testamentes , was the fayth of Christ meruaylously encreased in many countrees . After all this , by a commen speking among the people , the byshops , preestes and other of the clergye , which were as lanternes vnto the people , & the specyall maynteyners of the chrysten fayth , were called the chyrche , or men of the chyrch : and vnder the colour of the name chyrche many of the clergy in proces of tyme , pretended that they might make exposicions of scripture , as the vniuersal chyrch of Christ , that is to say , as the hole congregacion of christen people myghte , & thervpon whan couetyse & pryde somwhat encresed in many of the clargie , they expounded very fauourably dyuers textes of scripture , that sounded to the mayntenaunce of theyr honour , power , iurisdiction & ryches . And ouer the toke vpon them to afferme , that they were the chyrche that myght not erre / and that Chryst & his aposteles had spoken & taught many thynges , that were not expresly put in scripture , & that the people were as wel bounde to beleue them , and that vnder lyke payne , as yf they had ben expressed in scripture , and called them vnwryten veryties , where of I shal , as for an example recyte part . Fyrst the Christ after his maundye , and after he had wasshen the fete of his apostles , taught them to make holy creame , for mynistracion of the sacramentes : and that they haue as ful auctorytye to do the same , as yf it had bene conteyned in scriptuere , that christ had gyuen them power to it . That it is a tradicion of the apostels , that ymages ought to be set vp . That the apostels ordeyned that al faythful people should resort to the chyrch of Rome , as to the moost hygh and principal chyrche of al other : & yet it can not be proued by scripture , ne by any other sufficiente auctoritye , that they made any such ordynaunce . Also that the Crede , which is commenly & vniuersally vsed to be said by the commen people , was made by the .xii. apostels : & though the artycles therof , ar fermely & stedfastly to be beleued of euery chrysten man , as artycles sufficiently proued by scripture yet that they were gathered togyder by the .xii. apostels : & specially that euery one of the apostels made one article , as paynters shewe that they dyd , can not be proued by scripture , ne is not necessari to be beleued for our saluacion , and though it were but a smal offence in the people to beleue that it were an article necessarye to be beleued for our saluacyon , because the clergie , which be the lanternes & leders vnto the people , do instruct them that it is so : And it is nether agaynst the lawe of god , nor the lawe of reason , but that it may be so : yet it is a great offence to the clergye , to afferme for certayne that thyng , that is to them selfe vncertayne , and therfore it wold be reformed , for eschewyng of offences vnto the clergye . Also that the people shal praye into the est is not proued by scripture : and yet they saye , that by the tradicion of the apostles it is to be beleued . Also that our lady was not borne in orygynal synne . That she was assumpte into heuen body & soule , Al these & many other , diuers of the clergie cal vnwrytten veryties , lefte in the worlde by the tradicion & relacion of the apostles , which as they saye , the people are bounde to beleue aswel as scripture : For they say , that syth no man were bounde to beleue scripture , but bycause the chyrche sayth , this is scripture : so they saye that in the thinges before rehersed , the chyrche wytnessethe them to be true , and that the people haue assented to them many yeres : wherfore it is not lawfull to doubte at them , ne to denye them : To thys reason it may be answered : that yf it can be proued by as good & as hygh auctoryte , that these thynges were left in the world by the tradicion & relacyon of the apostles , as the auctorysynge of scripture was : that than they are to be beleued as verely as scripture : But yf they be wytnessed to be so by some bysshops and priestes , and some other of the clergye onely : or that they be witnessed to be so by decrees & lawes made by bisshops of Rome , & by the clergye of Rome or by opinion of doctours only : than no man is bounde to accept them , ne beleue them , as they ar bounde to beleue scripture . For scripture , as it is sayd before , was auctorysed by the hole church of god and in the most electe & moost gracious tyme , that of lykelyhode hath ben syth the begynninge of christes chyrche . And yf it be sayd , that many of the sayd opynions haue ben affermed & approued by general counselles , in whom no errour maye be presumed : it maye be answered : that though the chyrche gathered together in the holy ghost , may not erre in thinges perteyning to the fayth : that yet for as moch as som general counsels haue ben gathered , & not by the power of kynges and princes , that be heades of the chyrch And that lawes haue ben also made at such general consels , of dyuers thinges whych haue not perteyned to the fayth but to the mayntenaunce of the auctoritye or profyt of the clergye , or of soch artycles as ar before rehersed , that they cal vnwryten veryties , which vndoubtedly perteyn not merely to the faith . That it may therfore be lawfully doubted , whether soche counsels were gathered in the holy goost or not , & whether they erred in theyr iudgementes or not , and it is no doubte , but the in some general counsels they haue done so in dede . And I suppose that there be but fewe maters more necessary , ne more expedient for kynges & princes to loke vpon , than vpon these vnwrytten verytyes , & of making of lawes by the clergie . For yf they be suffered to mayntayne that ther be any verytyes , whych the people are bounde to beleue vpon payne of dampnacion , besyde scripture , it wyl perswade partly an insufficiencye in scripture , & ther vpon myght folowe greate daungers many wayes . And yf it were admytted , that the clergie myght be receaued to afferme that ther be soche veryties , besyde scripture , yet they could not proue them . For yf they wold in profe therof say , that the apostles fyrst taught those verities , & that they haue so continued from one to another vnto thys daye , & shewe none other auctorytye therof but that : than al the sayinge may as lyghtly be denyed , as it was affermed , and with as hygh auctorytye . And yf they wyl ferther attempte to approue it by lawes made by the bishops of Rome , & by the clergye at Rome : yea or by lawes & decrees made at general counsels : yet these lawes & decrees may be lawfully doubted at , as before appereth : so that they cannot by reason therof dryue any necessitye of belefe into any person . Wherfore kynges and prynces that haue receaued of god the high power and charge ouer the people , ar bound to prohybyte soch sayinges vpon greate paynes : and not to suffre a belefe to be grounded vpon thynges vncerteyn . But yet yf some of the sayd articlys that be called vnwrytten verities were suffered to continue as thinges that be more like to be true , than otherwyse : and no necessitie of belefe to be deryued ther vpon . I suppose verely it myght wel be suffered that they shuld stand styll not prohabyte , as it is of that article that the .xii. apostles made the Crede : that it is good to praye into the est : that our lady was not borne in original synne : that she was assumpted bodye & soule , And therfore yf it were ordeyned by kynges & princes that no man vpon payne , to be taken as a breaker of the quietnes of the people , shuld denye any of the sayd articles : it were well done to kepe vnytie amonge the people : but diuers realmes may ordre soch thynges diuersly , as they shall seme conuenyent , after the dysposicion of the people ther. For they be but thinges indifferent , to be beleued , or not beleued and ar nothing lyke to scripture , to the articles of the fayth , the .x. commaundementes , ne to soch other morall lerninges as ar merely deryued out of scripture . For they must of necessitie be beleued & obeyed of euery christen man . For after saynt Paul ad Ephe. iiii . There muste be one God , one fayth , & one Baptisme But to suffre them to stande as vnwryten veryties , that may not be denyed : & to haue theyr auctorytie onely by lawes made by the clergie , it semeth daungerous For it might cause many of the clergye to esteme more power in the clergie than there is in dede : and that myghte lyfte many of them into a hygher estimacion of them selfe , than they ought to haue : wherby myght folowe greate daunger vnto the people . For as long as ther be disorders in the clergye , it wyl be heard to bryng the people to good ordre . And all this that I haue touched before , maye be reformed , without any rebuke to the clergye that now is . For the pretence of soch vnwryten verytyes , ne yet of makyng of lawes , to bynde kynges & princes and theyr people : ne yet that bothe powers , that is to saye , spiritual & temporal , were in the clergye , began not in the clergye that now is , but in theyr predecessours . And as to the sayd other pretenced vnwryten verities , that is to say , that almen shuld resort to Rome , as to the most high & principal chyrche . And that it is a tradicion & an vnwryten verytie , the ymages oughte to be set vp , it were wel done , that they & soch other opinions , wherby prdie couetyse or vayne glory myght springe her after , were prohabyte by auctoritie of the parlyamente vpon great paynes . And as to the sayd vnwryten verytie , that holy creame shuld be made after the maundye , it perteyneth only to them that haue auctoritie to iudge whether it be an vnwryten veritie , or not , and to iudge also what is the very auctoritye of making of that creame . And therfore I wyll no ferther speke of the matter at thys tyme .