in any manner of wise in time to come; William, by the sufferance of Almighty Mary. God archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all the realm of England, [and legate of the spirituality, only to translate all kingdoms from other princes unto them; and that there is net one word spoken of it in all holy Scripture."

Out of "the Kalendar of the Prymar."

"God took Enoch away, that is to say, he departed out of this world like other men:" Primo male vertit, nam scriptura dicit transtulit, non abstulit: deinde falsum est, quod addit: nam ad Hebræos undecimo legitur, Fide Enoch translatus est, ne videret mortem; et non inveniebatur, quia transtulit illum Dominus; et Ecclesiasticus 44, Enoch placuit Deo et translatus est in paradisum, ut daret gentibus sapientiam.

"David's good intent, and Nathan's, in building the temple, were nought": Et quid est quod dicit (1 Reg. viii.), Quod cogitasti in corde tuo ædificare domum nomini meo, bene fecisti hoc ipsum mente pertractans et ob illud propositum videtur David illud præmii à Deo tulisse, ut ejus filii in regno ei succederent.

Out of "The Primer."

"He putteth in the book of [the] seven Psalms, but he leaveth out the whole Litany; by which appeareth his erroneous opinion against praying to saints,"

He hath left out all the hymns and anthems of our Lady, by which appeareth his erroneous opinion against praying to our Lady."

The ungodly and erroneous Sayings contained in a book in English, inscribed "An Exposition unto the Seventh Chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians."

"Whosoever in himself doth not feel this godly thing, this gift of chastity, but doth feel incontinency to him, I say, a commandment is given that he be married." Fol. 2.

"Hereof doth follow that no person may make a vow or promise to live chaste or single, and that none is bound to keep any such vows, but rather to break them: and he that shall observe them, it is damnable, and by the law of God already condemned." Ibid.

"The touching of women some persons have compassed much straitly, so that they dare not touch a woman's hand nor skin; moreover they imagined many both statutes and ceremonies to keep them from company of women, as they thought that built abbeys; but how fortunately that hath come to pass, what place thereby hath been given to Satan, it were horrible to be spoken of." Ibid.

"He that is compelled outwardly to abstain from women, and is inwardly full of lust, is a dissembler, and it is double lechery." Fol. 3.

"Mark what soul-slayers they be that provoke foolish youth to a vow of chastity, compelling them to nourish inwardly hidden malice." Ibid.

"All other evils may be suffered with a [merry] conscience. This cannot so be endured; this can be holpen by no medicine, but by marriage."

"It is good for a man not to touch a woman:' this word 'good' is not understand of merit and deserving afore God, as though an unmarried man were better afore him than the married, like as St. Jerome hath expound this text, for it concerneth only faith, and no deed or work; but it is spoken of temporal quietness of this life, so that the virgin and maid hath much more joy and tranquillity." Fol. 4.

"Chastity is a good thing, if lust and incontinency make it not so common a,thing as we have hitherto used to do, and yet do, but all amiss. But the apostle will, that universally all men be conjugate: but all the bishops since his time hath destroyed this godly ordinance, when they babble and rail in pulpits, changing this word 'quisque' into 'quidam.'" Fol. 6.

"Men ought to stint of their statutes-making, for a better statute can none be than this, that men without any respect of time use their wives: not to exempt certain days as they have, which we call vigils, and women conceived." Fol. 8.

["Our holy father, put to your judgment how righteously he clepith himself Peter's successor and vicar."]

Fasting is a measurable usage of meats and drinks: prayer is a crying, sighing, desire, and mourning.' Fol. 9.

"No man ought to enforce and compel men to fasting and prayer by laws, as they hitherto have done." Fol. 11.

"Before God, all things be like and equal." Fol. 12.

"Abominably they do sin which make nuns swell in pride, when they babble that their religion is more precious than matrimony, and then fayn that they shall have a crown or garland of gold, so making them arrogant, wicked, unfa thful."

"Chastity is a gift of God, and there.ore can no man nother promise nor vow, nor keep it." Fol. 13.

"The sects of all them that are called religious, and of all manner shavelings, are falsely called the spiritual orders: for matrimony, like as in very deed it is, ought to be called the spiritual estate, other orders worldly and secular; matrimony is of all other the highest religion and most spiritua! estate."

"Matrimony is as gold: the spiritual estate as dung. The Spirit and such spiritual estates have no more agreement than Christ and Belial, the day and the night, the spirit and the flesh, faith and our senses or reason." Fol. 17.

"Their prayer, their singing, doing their spiritual works, for so much as they have not the word of God to confirm them, God cannot be pleased with them." Fol. 18.

"Dico autem non nuptis et viduis.' etc. Of this we [may] gather that Paul had a wife, and he speaketh only of widows, a wife which other was dead, or for a time left him for the gospel's sake: but the other apostles led about their wives." Fol. 19.

"By testimony of Scriptures, all the apostles and all the bishops successors were married."

Fol. 20.

"St. Paul saith, that he ought to be chosen for to be a bishop, that is the husband of one wife." "Seeing ye choose not married men to bishops, either Christ must be a fool and unrighteous which so did choose, or you antichrists and deceivers."

You put away universally marriage from priests, contrary unto God, to nature, to reason, to right only of presumption, without all manner cause." Fol. 21.

"There is no sin ne mischief in all the world so manifold, that can let a man from priesthood, but godly matrimony." Fol. 22.

"Wicked traditions and laws, and ungracious constitutions, letteth bigamy from priesthood." "What other thing is it to say, that a priest should not marry, than to say, that a man should not be a man?" Fol. 23.

A.D. 1555.

Mary. of the see Apostolic], sendeth greeting in our Lord God everlasting. We signify unto you all, and let you well wit and know by these presents, that where the A.D. king, our sovereign lord, hearing of many books in the English tongue, contain1555. ing many detestable errors and damnable opinions, printed in parts beyond the

seas, to be brought into divers towns and sundry parts of this his realm of England, and sown abroad in the same, to the great decay of our faith catholic, and perilous corruption of his people, unless speedy remedy were briefly provided; his highness, willing evermore to employ all his study and mind, in the high degree which Almighty God hath called him unto, to the wealth of his subjects, that they might live not only in tranquillity and peace, but also to be kept pure and clean of all contagion, and wrong opinions in Christ's religion: considering also that he, being defendor of the faith, would be full loth to suffer such evil seed sown amongst his people, and so [to] take root that it might overgrow the corn of the catholic doctrine before sprung in the souls of his subjects for the repelling of such books, calling unto him of his great goodness and gracious disposition, not only certain of the chief prelates and clerks of his realm, but also of each university a certain number of the chief learned men of them, proposed such of those books as his grace had ready therefore unto them to be read, requiring to hear in that behalf their advice and judgment of them: who, both by great diligence and mature deliberation perusing over the said books, found in them many errors and heresies, both detestable and damnable, being of such a sort, that they were like briefly to corrupt a great part of his people (if they might be suffered to remain in their hands any space); gathering also out of them many great errors and pestilent heresies, and noting them in writing, to the intent to show for what cause they reputed the said books damnable; of which hereafter, out of each book gathered, many do ensue: albeit many more there be in the said books, which books totally do swarm full of heresies and detestable opinions.

"The body of a christian man must as well nourish seed, and beget children and multiply, as the bodies of birds, beasts and other lively things."

"Every man, as willeth St. Paul, needeth to go to matrimony, necessity so requiring." Fol. 25. "This dare I be bold to say, that where is one chaste, there ought more than a hundred thousand to live married." Fol. 26.

"St. Jerome, which extolleth chastity with most high but most perilous lauds, nevertheless confesseth, that he could not tame his flesh. He belonged to the number of them that belonged unto matrimony. [Many] such examples shalt thou find in a book De Vitis Patrum.'" Fol. 27. "To keep a young man in cloister to live chaste, is as much as to offer a child to Moloch, there to be burned." Fol. 28.

"If the one would be at one, and the other will not, the party that would be reconciled to love may marry another, though the other be alive." Fol. 32.

"Whosoever doth not expel faith, is by reason of the same harmless, pure, clean, holy, profitable." Fol. 35.

"Infants be holy and clean, though they have not received baptism, because their parents be holy and clean."

"The wretched laws of the pope bindeth on married persons to abide, other the coming again of the other, [other decease of the other], that was his mate; and that under pain (O presumption! O shameless boldness!) of damnation. Fol. 38.

"To help a man to God, or let a man from God, cometh only of faith and unbelief." Fol. 43. "Pretio empti estis,' etc., a general proverb or [feat] sentence against all human laws and traditions. He showeth what liberty is granted by the doctrine of Christ, and how that faith maketh all states and things equal." Fol. 47.

"Christ with his precious blood hath redeemed and delivered us from all sins and laws, so that no longer any law can bind us in conscience." Fol. 48.

"All exterior things before God be free, and that a christian man may use them according to his appetite, other leaving or taking."

"Thou owest nothing unto God, but faith and confession. By confession I mean not the whispering of sins into the priest's ear, ne yet the confession of thy sins to God; but, with St. Paul, if thou confess with thy mouth that Jesus is Christ, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from death, thou shalt be saved. In all other things, he giveth thee liberty [after] thine own will; thou mayest do all things without [all] jeopardy of conscience."

"God careth not as concerning for himself, though thou didst forsake thy wife, run from thy lord or master, and shouldst break all manner covenants that thou makest with all men; but for that thou art bound to thy neighbour." Fol. 49.

"Thou canst not perish or be damned, whatsoever thing thou shalt outwardly other do, or else leave undone."

"We owe nothing unto any man, save love only."

"In cloisters and monasteries they do against faith, God, liberty, and God's ordinances. They shall occupy seats appointed for them in the deep dongen of hell." Fol. 52.

"By this is overthrown the devilish doctrine of the brainless and doting doctors and preachers of the devil, which doth forge singular coronets for nuns and virgins in heaven. Only faith hath it." Fol. 53.

"Reading, sounding of organs, singing amongst religious, be superstitious; and among them, the service and honour of God is suppressed and quenched." Fol. 59.

"Where the apostle [saith] here 'better,' it is to be understand of goodness in this world." Fol. 61.

"[They play the] cruel tyrants and soul murderers, that shutteth up youth in cloisters." Fol. 62.

Errors and Heresies contained, &c.'

Mary.

All which great errors and pestilent heresies being contagious and damnable A.D. with all the books containing the same, with the translation also of Scripture 1555. corrupted by William Tyndale, as well in the Old Testament as in the New, and all other books in English containing such errors, the king's highness in person, by one whole advice and assent of the prelates and clerks, as well of the universities as all other, assembled together, determined utterly to be expelled, rejected, and put away out of the hands of his people and not to be suffered to go abroad among his subjects. And his highness willing further that this his pleasure and determination should be notified by preachers abroad unto the people, as well for putting away of all such books, as reading, retaining, or having hereafter of any other like; delivered unto certain preachers the form of a writing, to be published in effect unto the people in their sermons, whereof the form here followeth, willing them in all his realm to publish the same. Here followeth the Bill in English, to be published by the preachers.

tion, etc.

It is the office and duty of every preacher and teacher of the word of God, Form of not only to show and declare unto his audience that which might be profitable a declara and wholesome for the wealth of their souls to be followed and taken, but also to note and signify unto them such things as be dangerous and contagious, to the intent they might be avoided and eschewed; and also, as near as they can judge, who be teachers and authors of the same. This example we have of our Saviour Christ, where he said, "Attendite à falsis prophetis," etc. St. Paul likewise many times giveth warning to such as he wrote unto, that they should beware of the false apostles, that in his absence went about to corrupt the true doctrine he had taught them being present. Wherefore, considering that it hath pleased the king's highness, like a noble and a virtuous prince, tendering not only the present bodily wealth and tranquillity of all his subjects, for his and the worldly commodity and benefit, but most chiefly regarding the wealth of their souls, and their due order towards God, thereby to deserve and attain immortal glory, to assemble and call together the chief personages of his prelates, and a great number of learned men of both universities, charging and commanding them for the discharge and exoneration of his conscience to find, read, examine, and discuss the contents of such books as be now spread abroad within this his grace's realm in the English tongue concerning the points and articles of our faith, and after their learning and conscience to make relation unto his highness, whether the same books [were] expedient and profitable for his people, to the direction and ordering of their conscience and souls, or else contagious and pestiferous for the same, and whether the opinions contained in them were agreeable to God's word and doctrine or no: forasmuch as the said congregation and assembly had free liberty and license granted unto every man to say as his conscience and learning served him without any reproach or blame to be imputed or arrected for any thing to be spoken there, whose person soever it touched, or any necessity to agree to the more part, but only to say that his own learning and conscience could maintain and justify; after mature deliberation and consultation had, it was there by a whole consent, no man repugning or againsaying, determined and agreed that the books now being abroad in the English tongue contain false traditions and corrupt doctrine, far discrepant from the true sense of the gospel and catholic understanding of Scripture, only persuading pernicious heresies to the destruction of the souls of good christian men; and that the certainty hereof I can report unto you of mine own knowledge, being one of the said assembly, and hearing and seeing the said opinions read, declared, and examined, and by the true sense and meaning of God's learning reproved and rejected: I think therefore my duty is, taking upon me the office of a preacher, following the example of our master Christ and St. Paul, as is aforesaid, to warn and monish you by the words of Christ, as I spake before: "Attendite à falsis prophetis," etc. And take heed of yourself that ye be not infect by the contagion and infection of such pseudoapostles as have, in our English tongue, set forth books to seduct you from the true knowledge of God's laws, and bring [you] by their false interpretations of Scripture into detestable and abominable heresies, to the destruction of your souls. Wherefore you that have the books called "The Obedience of a (1) See above, p. 499, note (1).—Ed.

See

Appendia.

A. D. 1555.

declara

tion, etc.

Mary. Christian Man;" "the Sum of Scripture;" "the Revelation of Antichrist;" "the Supplication of Beggars;" "Mammona Iniquitatis;" "the Matrimony of Tyndale;" the New Testament in English, of the translation which is now printed, and such other books in English, the authors whereof either dare not, Form of a ne do not put to their names be [unknown unto you or else be such as have set forth these] pernicious books; detest them, abhor them, keep them not in your hands, deliver them to the superiors such as call for them: and if by reading of them heretofore any thing remaineth in your breasts of that teaching, either forget it, or by information of the truth expel it and purge it, to the intent that ye, being so purified and cleansed of that contagious doctrine and pestiferous traditions, may be fit and apt to receive and retain the true doctrine and understanding of Christ's laws, to the comfort and edification of your souls. Thus I move and exhort you in God to do; this is your duty to do, [this ye ought to do; and being obstinate, and denying or refusing so to do,] the prelates of the church, having the cure and charge of your souls, ought to compel you, and your prince to punish and correct you not doing of the same; unto whom, as St. Paul saith, the sword is given by God's ordinance for that purpose.

Ye shall also farther understand, that the king's highness, forasmuch as it was reported unto him that there is engendered an opinion in divers of his subjects, that it is his grace's duty to cause the Scripture of God to be translated into English tongue to be communicate unto the people, and that the prelates, and also his highness, do wrong in [denying or letting] of the same, his highness therefore willed every man there present in the said assembly freely and frankly to show and open unto him what might be proved and [confirmed] by Scripture and holy doctors in that behalf, to the intent that his highness (as he then openly protested) might conform himself thereunto, minding to do his duty towards his people, as he would they should do their duties towards him. In which matter, after Scripture declared, holy doctors and authors alleged and read, and all things said which might be on both sides and for both part spoken, deduced, and brought forth, finally it appeared, that the having of the whole Scripture in English is not necessary to christian men; but that without having any such Scripture, endeavouring themselfe to do well, and to apply their minds to take and follow such lessons as the preacher teacheth them, and so learned by his mouth, may as well edify spiritually in their souls, as if they had the same Scripture in English. And like as the having of Scripture in the vulgar tongue, and in the common people's hands, hath been by holy fathers of the church heretofore in some times thought meet and convenient, so at another time, it hath been thought to holy fathers not expedient to be communicate amongst them. Wherein forasmuch as the king's highness, by the advice and deliberation of his council, and the agreement of great learned men, thinketh in his conscience, that the divulging of the Scripture at this time in the English tongue to be committed to the people, considering such pestilent books and so evil opinions as be now spread amongst them, should rather be to their further confusion and destruction, than the edification of their souls, and that, as holy doctors testify, upon such like considerations the semblable hath been done in times past, it was thought there in that assembly to all and singular in that congregation, that the king's highness and the prelates in so doing, and not suffering the Scripture to be divulged and communicate in the English tongue unto the people at this time, doth well. And also I think and judge the same, exhorting and moving you, that in consideration his highness did there openly say and protest that he would cause the New Testament to be by learned men faithfully and purely translated into English tongue, to the intent he might have it in his hands, ready to be given to his people, as he might see their manners and behaviour meet, apt, and convenient to receive the same; that ye will so detest these pernicious books, so abhor these heresies and new opinions, so decline from arrogancy of knowledge and understanding of Scripture after your fantasies, and show yourself in [commening] and reasoning so sober, quiet, meek, and temperate, as, all fear of misusing the gift of Scripture taken away, ye may appear such in your prince's eyes and [the] eyes of your prelates, as they shall have no just cause to fear any such danger; persuading unto yourself in the meantime without grudging or murmuring the very truth, which is this, that [ye] cannot require or demand Scripture to be divulged in the English tongue, otherwise than upon the discretions of the superiors, so as whensoever they think in their conscience it may do you good, they may and do well to

give it unto you; and whensoever it shall be seen otherwise unto them, they do Mary. amiss in suffering you to have it.

Of and upon the which decree, order, and determination above recited his A.D. gracious highness, being in person in the chapel called The Old Chapel, which 1555. sometime was called St. Edward's Chamber, set on the east-side of the parlia- Form of a ment-chamber, within his grace's palace at Westminster, upon the 24th day of declaraMay, the year of our Lord God [Jesu Christ] 1530, and in the xxijnd year of tion, etc. the reign, [the third indiction, and the vijth year of the pontificacy of our holy father Clement of that name the vijth pope,] called before his grace the three notaries hereunderwritten; and then and there, in the presence of all the personages there assembled and gathered together, willed and required the same three notaries to make public and authentic instruments, and us to set thereunto our seal accordingly, in and for witness and perpetual memory and monument of this his grace's [decree,] order, and determination, and of all and singular the premises, and all the personages then and there being present to testify the same, and bear record and testimony thereupon. In witness of all and singular the premises, we William archbishop, primate, and legate aforesaid, have commanded and obtained these present letters testimonial, or present public [and] authentic instrument, containing therein the order, decree, and determination above-said, to be made, and to be subscribed and consigned by the hands of the notaries hereafter named, and to be sealed with our own seal. All which premises hath been done in manner and form above specified, [the year, indiction, pontificacy, month, day, and place above specified,] then and there being present the noble personage [Sir] Thomas More, knight, great chancellor of England, our reverend brother in Christ Cuthbert, by the permission of God bishop of Durham; and worshipful personages, master Stephen Gardiner, secretary; master Richard Sampson, dean of the chapel, doctor of law; master Richard Wolman, master of the requests, master John Bell, counsellor, doctors of holy decrees; master Nicholas Wilson, the king's confessor, master Richard Duck, archdeacon of Wiltshire, doctors of divinity; master John Oliver, master [Edward] Steward, doctors of law, chaplains to our said sovereign lord the king's grace; master Richard Mawdly, master William Mortimer, master Edward Crome, master Edward Wiggen, doctors also of divinity; master Robert Carter, master Edward Leighton, master Hugh Latimer, [master John Thixtill, bachelors of divinity;] master William Latimer, and master Roger Tilson, masters of art in both the universities above-said; with many moe learned men of the said universities, in a great number assembled then and there together, witness to the premises required and adhibited.

[Et ego Thomas Ashley in legibus baccalaurius, clericus, Lincolniensis diocesis, publicus auctoritate apostolica notarius, quia dictus illustrissimus dominus noster, rex Henricus octavus, Dei gratia Angliæ et Franciæ rex, dominus Hiberniæ, fidei quoque defensor, me notarium publicum antedictum, una cum magistris Ricardo Watkyns ac Matheo Gryfton, notariis publicis, in præsentiis nonnullorum nobilium ac venerabilium virorum superiùs nominatorum, anno Domini, indictione, pontificatu, mense, die et loco predictis, sibi unum vel plura publicum seu publica instrumentum sive instrumenta super ordinatione et decreto præmissis conficere requisivit : ideo hoc præsens publicum instrumentum sive has literas testimoniales manu alterius, me ad tunc aliunde occupato, fideliter scriptum seu scriptas exinde confeci, publicavi, et in hanc publicam formam redegi; signoque et nomine meis solitis et consuetis, una cum appensione sigilli dicti reverendissimi patris, signavi, in fidem et testimonium præmissorum, modo quo præmittitur requisitus.

Et ego Ricardus Watkyns in legibus bacalaurius, clericus, Landaven. dioc. publicus sacra auctoritate apostolica notarius, causarumque curiæ Cant. procuratorum generalium unus, Quia unum vel plura publicum seu publica instrumentum sive instrumenta super dictis decreto et determinatione per dictum illustrissimum principem in præsentia testium superius descriptorum, sub anno Domini, indictione, pontificatu, mense, die, et loco predictis, una cum dictis magistro Ashley superius, et magistro Matheo Grefton notariis publicis inferius se subscribente, conficere requisitus fui: ideo has præsentes literas testimoniales seu hoc præsens publicum et autenticum instrumentum manu aliena, me interim aliter occupato, scriptum exinde confeci, publicavi, et in hanc publicam et auctenticam formam redegi; signoque et nomine meis solitis atque consuetis, una cum appensione sigilli dicti reverendissimi patris, signavi, in fidem et testimonium præmissorum.

See

Appendix.