TO recyte in one volume good christen reder / all the papisticall captiuite seductyon / and disceyte / wherwith manye yeres the kynges trewe and louynge subiectes of this his most noble realme of Englande / pytuousely haue ben deluded / begyled / and blynded : It shulde ( I thynke ) nat onely euen abhorre the eares of all them that ben good and vertuouse / but also be a laboure and burdeyne to great and strange / for the lernynge of him that hath no more than I. Yea / & though my lerninge were a great dele more passynge than it is / and myne eloquence as good as euer was Demosthenes / yet all were one . Excepte it be possyble / and any thinge lykely for a thinge that is infynite to be comprehended of that that is fynite . Therfore for this tyme ouerpassinge so many thinges withoute ende and reason / that is / to detecte the fraudes and gyles of the foresayde pastystes / both all and some / which is nat possyble . I shall be content at this tyme to saye my mynde in one thynge partyculer / wherof hytherto no man that I knowe hath any thinge sayde or written / for a reformatyon to be had in the abuse therof . My meninge is of the craftye iuggelynge / cleane conueyaunce / & lewde legerdemayn vsed amongest some men ( ye knowe whome I meane ) concernynge the impropriatyons of benefyces . Of all pestylent infections that euer inuaded outher realme or regyon / the moost pernycyouse and dyemeterly repugnaunte agaynst the blessed ordynaunce of almighty god . Here nowe to boste ( as some man wolde that were a ioyly papyst ) that I am suffyciente to confounde & conuynce all them that wolde withstande me in this one argumente and cause / in dyspyte of all their subtyll sophistry and nyghe scraped scryptures / wrested out of frame / it shall nat moche nede / for my mynde is with no man to contende or stryue either moch or lytell : But playnly I entende to vtter my conscience without either payntynge or colourynge / sophismes / or sophystrye / & after to leue the mater to the iugemente of them that ben in authoritye / and maye / whan it shall lyke them well set a redresse / nat onely in this / but also in all other abuses nat to be suffred . Neither do I moche regarde the blynde reasons and carnall persuatyons / that maye be broughte for the defence of their feble foundation / wherwith here tofore they haue allured the nobles of this realme / to impropriate ( as they call it ) vnto theym suche benefyces : for truthe shall at length ouercome all their falshed . Truth maye well be blamed / but it can neuer be shamed . Suche is th exellency and vertue of truth . For asmoch than as the cause of it selfe is so heynouse / that it can with no conscyence any longer be suffered of any Christen stomake / but that it oughte to be reclaymed at / of all well mynded people / bothe with hert and soule . And for as moche as the truthe standeth with me / both of good scrypture & reason / that these impropriatyons be false & abhomynable in the syght of god / as my iugement serueth me / me thynketh I may right well without any suspect of temerytie / or any other euyll affectyon entre into the mater / whiche I entende and purpose .

I thynke no man to be so blynde / but he knoweth that almightye god hath ordeyned in his faythfull congregation of christen people / one specyall kynde of ministers / which are bounden afore th administratyon of all sacramentes / chefely and princypally to applye them selfe to the syncere declaratyon and publysshynge of his most holy worde and gospell this wytnessinge Paule by these wordes : Non enim misit me deus vt baptizarem / sed vt euangelizem . Et alibi . Ve mihi si non euangelizem .

The lorde ( saith he ) hath nat sent me to baptyse / but rather to preache . Yea / wo be to me ( saythe he in a nother place ) if I do nat preche . But what nede me to proue that men be bounde to preche / whan no man denyeth it ? The thinge that we entende to proue / is to proue that impropriatyons are nat to be suffred / no / nat of a Turke / if he wyll haue his relygyon & lawe to contynewe and florisshe . How moche lesse than are they nat to be promytted of a cristen man ? th auctour of whose relygion is nother the pope nor Machomet / nor yet any man / but euen the lyuing god / the god of all goddes / and the creatour of heuen and erth . Nowe if ye graunte me that men be bounde to laboure in the vyneyard of the lorde / and in the worke of his gospell . I trowe & beleue that it were nat moch agaynst good reason / that a good workeman / and he that laboureth iustly for his lyuynge / had as he is worthy / and as reason and scripture wyll / a rewarde worthy / & accordynge to his laboure . For the scrypture sayth : Dignus est merceuarius mercedesua . A true work man is worthy to haue for his worke . And I am sure that the Turke for very shame could nat deny this . But let vs se more of the scrypture . Paule sayth : Si nos vobis spiritualia seminauimus / magnum est si carnalia vestra metamus : That is : If we do minister vnto you those thynges that ben heuenly and spiritual do you thynke it a high thinge if we reape and receyue of you agayne those that ben but worldly and transytorie thynges ? And in another place : Quis suis stipendtis militat vnque ? Quis plantat vineam / et de fructu eius non edit ? Quis pa scit gregem / et de lacte gregis non manducat ? This is : Who goth a warrefare any tyme at his owne proper charge ? Who planteth a vyneyarde and eteth nat of the fruite ? Who fedeth a flocke and eteth nat of the mylke ? Se you nat here howe vehemente Paule is / in this that he wolde haue the precher to be honestly founde ? Yea / and to th entent that all the world may vnderstande how feruent he is in this mater : Marke also how he bringeth in the olde law for him / as who shulde saye : If ye were / or be so vnreasonable to deny these authorityes and reasons / that I haue here adduced & brought in / as thynges inuented of myne owne braynes / & as a new founde holyday / deuysed with out authorite or counsell yet I trowe you neither wyll or can denye / but that longe & many thousande yeres before I was borne / or you either / it was well and substancyallye prouyded of god almightye for his ministers & seruauntes / whiche laboured / or were otherwyse occupyed at his commaundement in his holy temple . Therfore ( saith Paul ) marke what the scrypture sayth :

Qiscitis quoniam hit qui in sacrario operant / que de sacrario sunt edunt . &c. Do ye not ( sayth he ) vnderstande / how that they which minyster in the temple / haue their fyndynge of the temple ? and that they whiche attende vpon th aultare / are partetakers of the aultare ? Euen so ( sayth Paul ) doth the lorde ordeyne that they which preache the gospell / shulde lyue by the gospell . And yet Paule here in thaduouchynge of the olde ordynance of god / made in his olde testament / enforceth nat to proue the payment of tythe / but all his dilygence is to iustifye his doctrine to be no newe lernynge / nor yet inuented of his owne fantasy / but that in all tymes / & all ages / god wolde euer his ministers to be honestly susteyned and founde . Now this confyrmed / stablysshed / and grounded / as I thinke it wyl be denyed of fewe or none . I besech you all my lordes ladyes / and maisters of impropriacyons / what other thinges ben your imꝓpriations / than thinges directly fyghtynge agaynst goddes holy ordynance agaynste his holy wyll / agaynst his most blessed pleasure / agaynst his holy spyrite ? Fynally agaynst himselfe and all that is god . And consequently what can ye make of them / but thinges abhominable / thinges detestable / playne thefte and robberye . Yea / and more than twyse sacrylege . I besech you what do you call them : yea / & howe moch are they to be hated / that ben but euen preuy pykepurses ? were he lesse worthye than to be set vpon the pyllary ? But what of him that robbeth a man euen at noone in the kynges high waye ? yea / euen in the myddes of Poules churche before all mennes eyes ? Be nat you my maisters impropryatours / suppose ye euen the same persones : If ye be and haue ben so / euer syns you stale vnto you these impropriatyons / what wolde you saye / or what shulde the gouernours say ? Shuld theft be let alone Shulde sacrylege be suffred ? shuld pykynge be paynted ? Yea / and at fewe wordes shuld murder be maintayned ? But me thynketh I here you whysper that ye be no murtherers / theues / pykers / sacrylegyans / nor yet none of all this geare / No ar nat ? Well / than I se well we must haue more to do with you . For as moche as ye denye the cryme layde vnto youre charge . Ye shall vnderstande that good and vertuouse men before our dayes / whiche loued the wyll of god / whiche loued his holy pleasure / whiche regarded his commaundement / whose medytatyons and studye both daye & nighte was / to set forth his glorie / to auaunce his blessed worde / and to maynteine the ministers of the same / dyd ( no dout of it ) with the consent of higher powers of kynges and of princes / and of their moste honourable counsels / folowynge ( in this behalfe ) the olde lawe / for the most easyest waye and spedyest prouisyon / appoynt / assygne and ordeyne ( for the same ministers to be maynteyned ) decymations or tythes / wyllynge and myndynge by this good prouisyon / that within euery congregation or parysshe / the minister of goddis worde there / shulde be sure at all tymes of a lyuynge raysed and gathered of these sayde decymations / and therein to haue added a certayne name / callynge it a benefyce / personage or vycarage / and lykewyse turnynge the name of a minister or curate / to the name of a persone or vycare . Furthermore orderynge that one man shall haue authorite / as patrone / to name this parsone / and so to gyue this same benefyce : albet / peraduenture that other in the same parysshe gyue as moche to the annuall lyuynge of the parsone as the patrone doth . Besydes this / they ordeyned him a mantion to dwel in among them / to then tente that for his dilygente administration / he shulde haue euery thing necessarye for him within his owne gouernance : yea / & haue it brought euen home vnto him / to dyspose at his pleasure / as it shall be most expedyent and necessary for him / that the more quyetly he mighte studye & apply him selfe to minister vnto them the pure worde of god / & to be euer redy at hande to enstructe them of all thingꝭ necessarye for the helth of their soules / and to be their trewe watch man and shepherde to take them from the rauysshynge wolfe / and lyke a good trew herdesman / a pastoure to go afore them in spirytuall and vertuouse conuersation : and euer whan they be scabbed to anoynte them gentely with the softe and swete salue of goddes worde / all rancoure & stryfe layde a parte . Nowe my maisters impropriated or improper maisters howe saye ye by youre fathers / haue nat you with your crafty collusyon / almooste throughe Englande / dystroyed these holy and godly prouysyons / made for the mayntenance of goddes holy word / and for th administratyon of this most blessed sacramentes / for the helth / welth / and saluatyon of mans soule / for the vpholdynge of the trewe and catholyque fayth / for the supportacyon of vertue / and dystruction of vyce . Haue nat you ( I saye ) by the glykynge & gleynyng / snatchynge & scratchinge / tatchynge and patchynge / scrapinge and rakynge togyther of almost all the fatte benefyces with in this realme and impropriatynge them vnto youre selues / distroyed this most godlye & holy ꝓuisyon / bereyued the peple of the worde of god / of the trew knowlege of the blessed sacramentis / of their trew beleue and faith in god the father / & the blode of Iesu Christ . For howe can the people haue any faith in god withoute preachinge ? Howe shulde they haue any preachynge whan ye haue robbed them of their ministers ? How shulde the ministers serue them whan ye haue robbed them of theirs lyuynge ? If the peple haue no faith how can they haue charyte ? If they haue no charytie / what merueyle is it / if they ronne hedlonge and be caryed from one vyce to another / from one mischefe to another ? Be nat ye th occasyon of all this ? Who is elles I praye you ? Haue nat ye the impropriations ? Be the impropriacyons any thinge els sauynge benefyces as parsonages / and suche lyke ? Do we nat say such an abbot is parsone here / suche a priour is parsone here ? yea / suche a prioresse is parsone here ? How saye ye ? thinke ye that men be foles ? thynke ye that they ben asses ? thinke ye that they ben stockes and stones / blockes and bones ? Thynke ye that we vnderstande no more reason than a greate menye of you do ? Is nat this abhomination ? Is this tollerable ? Of all the premysses / I conclude / that if it be necessarye that the righte honoure and glorie of god be of all men ( and specyally by the ministers of the churche ) to be preferred / extolled / and exalted ( as most worthy is ) aboue all thinges and names bothe in heuen / hell / & in erih : if his glorie ( I saye ) is onely to be sought / if his doctryne & commaundemente to be regarded if the faythe in his onely sonne to be estemed and valued / if his sacramentes are to be reuerenced / if his shepe and lambes are to be fedde / and nat pyned / if the soule of a christen man be any thynge worthe / if the holye ghost is any thynge to be desyred / if all vertue and goodnesse / if peace & quyetnesse are to be wysshed of / if al good men / if murther / blodshedyng incest & rauyne / with all other kyndes of inconuenyentes and myschef are to be abhorred of all men . Than I saye / that my improper maisters and dames are to be dispysed of all men / to be aduoyded and fled of all men / to be shonned of all men / for that that they haue ben the vndoynge of all men / in takynge awaye / adnullynge / abolysshynge of god and all vertues / of his blessed lawes & gospell / of fayth & baptyme / and all other holy sacramentes : and that for as moche as by theire improper impropriations / the ministers of goddes holy worde and fayth / for lacke of lyuynge be taken from vs / which shulde enstructe vs in all truthe and verytie expedyent for vs . But here ye wyll saye that we haue teachinge inough / and that there is neuer the lesse preachynge for you . Whervnto I answere that in dede / if the mater be expended after youre affectyons / I thinke we had inought / although we neuer had no preachynge at all / for your mynde paraduenture coulde serue you well inough / that we had as many prechynges as ther growe plummes in a pease wyspe . And where ye say / that there be neuer the fewer for you : That is spoken euen as suche men shulde speake : For in dede / althougbe we had prechinge & techynge inoughe / yet for your partes / as moche as lyeth in you / both god & all preachynge / and all other holy thynges ben clene extyncte and rydde / and specyally this holy ordynaunce put out of the waye . But nowe ye wyll obiecte that no ordynaunce of god is broken / hindered / or prohibyted on your behalfe in this mater : For thoughe the benefyce be impropriate to a monster / I wolde saye to a monasterye / yet th abbot or prioure appoynteth a monke or chanon to be the minister / and to preche the worde of god to the parysshe / who shall tarye and abyde amonge his parysshoners / and haue oute of the same benefyce a suffycyente lyuynge / and the reste thereof to come home to th abbot and his bretherne : and this is no brekynge of goddes ordynaunce / but rather a turnynge of it to a better vse . Wherevnto I answere / that where any such vicare or minyster is instytuted of his abbot or priour / and trewly laboureth in th administration of goddes worde / it is nat onely well done to gyue him a suffycyent lyuynge out of the same benefyce / but also he were wel worthy to haue it euery whitte / & as for the rest that haboundeth / let him kepe hospytalyte / as Paule commaundeth / or of necessytie wylleth him to do / and I saye / there shall but lytell remayne to sende home to th abbot / and if he do nat kepe hospytalyte of the rest / than is he a thefe / & th abbot another / for the rest is the poore indygentes . But howe faythfull and dilygent suche men be so instytuted by abbottes & priours to preache the worde of god / and how sore they be therwith charged by their heedes . I thynke though I wolde cloke it / yet th effecte wyl nat suffre it . Yea / I beleue rather that they been the stronge persecutours of goddes worde / rather than the furtherers therof . I wolde I mighte in this poynte lye / but I am sorye that it is so trewe . But nowe these men beynge neuer without excuses / may peraduenture thinke this to be a good answere for me . We praye for the soules of them that haue improperated such benefyces vnto vs / & synge masse & diryge for them / & set vp tapers for them to burne both day & night . Whervnto fyrst I say / that if a man demaunded of you an accompte to be gyuen of youre so doynge / askynge you who taught you to apply the blessed masse that way / with the psalmes and lessons in the diryge conteyned / and desyred you to shew scripture for it / I thynke peraduenture that ye might come short home of a wyse answere / which if ye can make / I thinke ther is no man but he wyl be wel content ther with . Furthermore / we graunt that the scrypture commendeth moch the praier of a iust man / but we be nat yet fully agreed that ye be those iuste men of whom the scrypture meaneth . Agayne / albeit that it might be iustifyed ( as I trowe it wyl neuer be ) that ye ben euen the verye selfe same men / yet whan wyl ye proue vs that ye ought to haue a lyuynge for your prayer . If ye come in and answere that : Oignus est operarius mercedesua . The labourer is worthy to haue his rewarde for his payne : We answer / that those wordes were neuer mante in that sence / nor of no suche labourers . And of this we haue a good proufe in the .xxiii. of Mat. where Christ rebuketh the scrybes & pharyseis euen for the same maner of lyuyng that ye vse / that is to say / by cause they wolde lyue lyke idle belyes / vnder the pretence / that daye and night they prayed for the people to whom Christ sayde : Wo be to you scrybes and pharyseis : yea / but why ? Forsoth sayth Christ / euen therfore / bicause that vnder the pretence and coloure of longe prayers / ye eate vp the houses or substaunce of the wydowes / for the whiche ye shall be full sore punysshed . Howe saye ye / might nat the scrybes & pharyses haue brought in : Oignus est mercenarius mercede sua / Against Christ ? Thynke you they were nat lerned as wel as you : but they knew full well it coulde nat serue . Ye wyll say peraduenture that ye be nat scrybes and some men saye / that ye loke as lyke theym / as a horse loketh lyke a mare : and yet a horse is nat a mare / nor a mare a horse : but yet they be both of one kynde : and so be you say they and the pharyseis . Here nowe lyeth the mater & bledeth / you standynge at your negatiue / and they at their affirmatyue : Therfore howe might this mater be discussed ? Forsoth I can nat se but we must be faine to impanell a iury of .xii. honest men . But in ernest / albeit that ye mighte as wel lyue by prayer as the precher maye of the gospell / yet me thinketh that good honesty wolde / that fyrst ere ye take any money for it / ye made a good proufe that the worlde were the better for youre prayer / and that ye could make men sure to do them good with youre prayer / orelles I can nat tell what I shulde say . And againe in case ye mighte haue a lyuynge by the scrypture for your prayer / & that ye were those same good & iust men / the prayer of whom the scrypture so moche enhaunseth / yet I besech you where haue ye that scripture that techeth you to take the lyuynge frome the prechers / & to robbe them of their lyuynges / & the people of the lyuing of the soule / & of fayth / charyte / and all goodnesse / & to lyue vpon stollen goodes ? Some men that fauoure these newe founde sectes / wyll peraduenture say : Well / yet it is better these monkes / chanons / & suche lyke haue the impropriatyons ( whiche though they preche nat / yet they kepe some hospitalyte ) rather than the seculer prestes shulde haue them / as they haue had before / which kepe no hospitalyite nor preche nother . To this it is easy to answere : That it is nat mete that any man what soeuer he be / shuld receyue the benefyte or frute of a precher / onles he do his duty therfore . Qui administrat euangelium / ex euangelio viuat : That is / he that ministreth / techeth & precheth the worde of god / is right worthye to lyue vpon / & by the gospell : and to preche he is bounde / if he wyl receyue such wages / vnder the payne of dampnatyon ( as we preued a lytell before by th authorite of the same Paule ) if he be nat let by god / that is that is to say by sycknesse / & if he do nat preche he is worthye to haue no penye of suche fruites / albeit he mumble vp neuer so many matenses / Dauid psalters / trentals / diryges / and suche lyke longe prayers / as we proued before whan we spake of longe prayers . For this is a good argument : He preacheth dilygently and trewly : Ergo / he is worthy to haue therefore a lyuynge / and euen so is this : He doth neither of them / ergo / he can chalenge no lyuyng : and this is Paules mynde / whan he sayth : He that minystreth the worde of god / must lyue therby : excepte peraduenture ye can proue that to mumble vp a longe payre of mattens be to preche the worde of god / whiche if ye can bringe to conclusyon / by my trouthe ye haue wonne the maistrye for me / for I truste than / that whan I saye my mattens / that my mattens maye stande for a symple collation as wel as your mattens : and than I se nat but that an impropriation were as holsome for my bodye as for yours . And where it maye be obiected that ouer that / that the prestes kepe none hospytalytie / they neither preache at their benefyces / nether come at them neither yet euer loke thytherwarde some of them : yea / and if it chaunce some of them to preache / it is suche geare / that it were more for the helth of his parisshens soules that he wer tonge tyed . Forsoth that is euen as trewe as the gospell : yea / & so trewe that it maketh myne herte wepe to thynke vpon it . I beseche god ones to amende it whan his wyll is . Is it nat great pitye to se a man to haue thre or foure benefyces : yea / paraduenture halfe a score or a dosyn / whiche he neuer cometh at / but setteth in euery one of them a syr Iohn lacke laten / that can scarce rede his porteus / orels suche a rauenynge wolfe as canne do nothynge but deuoure thesely shepe with his false doctryne / and sucke their substaunce from them . Lorde / if it be thy pleasure / ones haue mercye vpon vs / and gyue grace that we may haue some remedye founde for thys myschiefe / bothe of impropriatyons / and also of them that minister nat the worde of god faythfully vpon theire benefyces : as they ought to do : for I haue knowen suche / that whan they haue rydden by a benefyce wherof they haue ben persone / they coulde natte tell that is was their benefyce .

This is a wonderfull blyndnesse . And yet I thynke / suche or the same benefyced man wyll natte stycke to ryde an hundreth myles / to prycke a brouche vpon an ymage cote / and thynke it a righte hyghe merytoriouse dede . But to suche tyme as it shall please the kinges most honourable maiestye / of his benygne mercy and pytie / with his most honourable counsel to se a reformation / as well for th abuse of impropriatyons as for the incharytable demeanoure of all benefyced men / that be nat resydent & abydynge vpon their benefices / there to do their bounden duty . It shall neuer be wel in this church of Christ in Englande / wherof his grace is the supreme heed / nor yet the truthe of goddes holye worde shall euer go forwarde in his righte trade and kynde . They haue yet an other abiectyon / and this is it : If impropriatyons be taken from monasteryes / say they / than coulde they kepe no houses nor hospytalyte / but shulde be compelled to lyue all in pouertye . Where vnto I answere / that as for pouertye it is their professyon / and standeth with their own monastycall rules : for they all professe the same at their fyrste enterynge into relygyon : yea / and it must be wylfull pouerty also / wherfore I can nat se by their professyon but that they ben bounde to helpe to all thinges that standeth with pouertye . And as for kepinge hospitalyte with stollen goodes of impropriatyons / I thinke it can nat vayle theym but lytell to allege it / wherefore this obiectyon is nat worthe a strawe / and maye better be called an abiectyon / than an obiectyon . Besydes this I knowe very fewe or none / but and if these impropriatyons were clene taken awaye frome theym : yea / and a gret dele more / yet shulde they haue more lefte in their handes than euer had Benedict / Bernard / Dominik / or Fraunces / or yet Brimo : ye / more than many men thinke or can thinke well bestowed vpon them . But & a man might ( sauyng their pacyence ) be so bolde with them / what mater were it ( vnder correction I speke ) if all these improfytable sectes / and stronge sturdye route of idle paunches were a lytell poorer / to th ende that the trew relygion of christ might thereby somthynge be sette vp and a vaunsed / and syffycient company of the ministers of goddes true worde prouyded for in all parttes . I praye you / what an idle sorte be founde and brought vp in Abbeyes / that neuer wyll laboure whyles they ben there / nor yet whan they come thence to other mens scruyce / in so moche that there goth a comen prouerbe : That he which hath ones ben in an abbey wyll euer more after be slouthefull / for the whiche cause they ben called of many men / Abbey loutes or lubbers . And some saye that many of our holye fathers spende nat a lytell vpon my cosyn Iane / Elsabeth and Marget ( ye knowe what I meane ) insomoche that / that euen they which be most popysshe of all / & knowe none other god almost than the gret drafsacke of Rome / can nat deny this to be trew . Which popysshe persons nat withstandynge wyll nat ones open their lyppis to sue for a reformation to the kinge our most soueraine lorde . And the cause why / as it is noysed / & as good sygnifycations ben therof giuen / is for that / that some such abbot or priour wyll nat stycke to gyue an hundreth poundes at a clappe to such a champyon to speke in his fauour in tyme of nede . And I can beleue it well : for I se no men in the world haue mo sure stakes to stande with them whan they haue any vrgent busines than the monkes haue euen of them that knowe their noughty conuersatyon / as well as I knowe my right hande from my lyfte . Now what shuld cause men to be so vntrusty in a matter of vntruth / let other men iuge . I can gesse no mater or cause more lykely / than Huri sarra fames ( as Vergyll calleth it ) that is : the myscheuouse & insacyable hunger & couetousnesse of golde . And I fere me that euen at this day / money passeth fast from marchant to marchant . A thynge there is in the wynde / what soeuer it be / that euery man knoweth nat of / which I trust in god wyl one day come to lyght / as well as other thingꝭ haue : for I dout nat but christ is true / which sayth : Qihil est absconditum quod non reuelabitur . There is nothing so craftely conueted but at the last it wyll & shall come to reuelation . But what myschef care they to commyt if they may redeme it for money / & may haue suche ioly felowes to defend them in euery corner ? what care they for the losse of a lytel money / which they can finde again in the sore labour of their poore tenantꝭ How so euer the worlde go they lose nothinge / nor wyll lose nothinge / nor wyll eat the lesse by one cromme or bit of brede : Be there neuer so great darth in the worlde / yet wyl they mesure their meate by the bely . As ther was a blide abbot in the world which neuer wolde set him downe at dyner / but he wold fyrst vndo the poynte before his bely / & let it oute a certayne length / & to such tyme he had fylled his paukener to the poynt / he wolde neuer cesse as blide as he was . Mary some men say / that he wolde seldome make any souper : & I thinke verily he neded nat moch . But to my purpose / remoue me ones away the cause materiall of all these inconuenyentes & th effect shal sone be remoued . But as for to remoue that cause efficient from them / that is / the spirit of the deuyll / it were very harde . For that can no man do but god / whiche can make a Camell to go through the eye of an edle : but as for the cause materyall / or their infinyte sommes of ryches / of golde & of syluer / maye soone be remoued / if it plese our most redouted prince / with his most honourable counsell . Take from them their improper imꝓpriations with other suꝑfluytes / & within a while peraduenture they may be good men . And if nat that / yet am I sure that outwardly they shal nat be a quarter part so yll as they be now . It were wel done me thinketh that suche men had their impropriations as wold do faythfull seruyce to god / to their prince / & to their parissh / in prechynge / settinge forth syncerely & purely the worde of the lyuynge god : & other that wyl nat or can nat so do / it were best they were clerely dyspatched of suche benefyces as they haue what kinde of bn̄fyces soeuer they be gret or smal / forked cap or plaine cap according to . s . Pauls minde . Qui non laboret / non manducet . He that wyl take no paines / let him take no gaines : but if he wyl nedis eate / let him nedis swete / orels let him eate his thombes . Howe say ye nowe all my lordes / abbottis & priours with your improper ipropriations ? whiche of good congruence god put in your mynde so to call / as he dyd into bysshop Cayphas minde ones to saye the truthe agaynste his wyll : for if all the worlde had sought a name for them / he coulde neuer haue deuysed a better worde than impropriations : for in good fayth they were neuer proper vnto you by the worde of god : but euen as fayre stolen good as any is in christendome . Howe saye ye ( I saye ) Haue ye any thinge to allege for you agaynst my poore reasons : if ye haue / come forth & ye shall be herde . I wyll nat that ye lay for you / your olde ryueld refuge this dyd our fathers / there hath ben as wyse men as there be nowe : why dyd nat they espye this geare ? Tell nat me what your faders did / which were blynded with such fathers as ye ben your selfe . But tell me whether your fathers in so doinge dyd well or nat / & accordinge to the scrypture or nat . And as for wysdome I tell you agayne / that there is but one wysedome / that we may surely trust vnto which is the wysdom of god lefte in his scryptures / if they can proue that their facte & dede in gyuinge impropriations to such as ye be / was grounded vpon this wysdome / than we wil & must nedes admyt it & them to be wise / or els in thingꝭ perteyning to the soule / we wyll approue no wisdome but that . Thinke you this a good solution to say : Were there nat as wyse men before our tyme as ther be now ? Ar ye nat a shamed of suche extreme madnes ? I pray you tel me one thing Were there nat as great foles before our tymes as there be now ? & I beseche you / why might nat our fathers the made these same imꝓpriations be of that same sorte . I ꝓmyse you except you had them with this condition / that ye shulde trewly preche the worde of god for them . I ensure you it was the most fonde & folysh acte ( one of them ) that euer was done : ye / & a noughty acte also : If at the last it were their acte / & nat rather your tyrannouse vsurpation . But admyt the al your forfaders were wyse both tagge & rag / & nat one fole amongest them / what than ? is this a good argument ? Our fore faders were as wyse before our time as men be now : Ergo this was wysely done ? I pray you who taught you so to reason ? many a wyse man somtyme may playe the fole / & ouer slyp himselfe ? If he may / than ( as the northen man saith ) Gay layke you with your olde wysdome / & your wyse fathers . And so helpe me god & holydom / if yor wise faders neuer plaied wyser touches than they dyd in this behalfe / me thinketh you might aswel a nother while allege vpon yor wise mothers / & what soeuer your faders were / me thinketh their sonnes be nat the wysest that euer I knew . Finally if thus moche may persuade you / that your imꝓpriations of conscience can nat be kepte any lenger . I beseche you for the loue of god / if any drop of grace be in you / to gyue place to the simple & playne truth which I haue here sette forth / with out either subtilite or colours / as the thinges wher vnto I neuer gaue my minde / nor entendeth to do . But if ye can nat gyue place to the poore reasons here made / sette your pennes to the boke / & aswel as god wyll gyue me grace ye shall be answered . And here I make an ende / nothinge medlynge with the patronage of the seyde imꝓpriations to whom they shal be longe / nor yet with the persones to whom suche benefyces ought to be giuen / nor what ordre is to be taken about them : but I commend al such ꝑsels to them that be of more experyence & lernynge than I / & to them that be in authorite / as to oure most gracyouse lorde & prince / of all other princes the most exellent & worthy / & to his most honourable counsel to whom with our moste vertuouse quene Anne / & princesse Elizebeth / & all their honourable counsell / be longe lyfe and ioye to the pleasure of god .