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¶We have hether to harde matrimony plē¦teously magnifyed and praysed / let vs nowe heare the paynes and trobles therof / & of the dignite and honor of virginite. This wil∣le I here note vnto yow fyrste / onles yt had bene saynte Paule that here doth entreate the••of / yt myght greve men that he ys so∣che a spare prayser therof / and that he doth so slenderly commende yt. Fyrste he sayeth that yt ys not commaunded of god / no mo∣re than ys matrimony / that ys to saye / yt ys lefte of god free for every persone. And in that ys taken awaye the honor / whiche oure greate preachers have ther vnto a fore thys tyme attributed. For where ys no comma∣undemente / there ys lefte before god nother meryte ne mede / but a sole libertye. Yt ys of lyke estymacion afore god / and all on mat∣ter whether thou be a virgyne or no virgi∣ne. And as he shewed before: He that ys cal¦led beyng a servante ys the lo••des freman. Lyke wise maye be sayde here: She yt is cal∣led beyng a mayde is before god a wife And she that is called beyng a wyfe / ys before god a mayde. For all these thinges before god are all one nother ys there any differen∣ce of persones / ne meryte of dedes / but only fayth whiche ys egalle and lyke in all / and by all thinges.
Paule bycause that virginite is a dere ād a precious thinge and of greate authorite in
the erthe spake thys by the holy goost / to thē¦tent that no man for ye preeminence and so∣veraynte of the state shulde iudge hym sylfe better and more excellente before god then an other symple ch••ysten body: but ••hat he shulde cōtinue pure in fayth which doth ma∣ke vs all egalle in the syght of god. For ••he corrupte ••ature of man can not abyde / as a man wolde saye to be vntwynded ād to be counted nothinge in value a fore god / and therfore the more excellente that hyr worke shall be / the more excellente reioyseth she to appeare. Wherfore she is so blynded with the goodly glysteringe of virginite. Seyng that there ys no thinge more of pryce / n•• mo¦re glorified apon erth. That she demeth no state to be so soverayne as yt. And so proce∣ding she thynketh in hyrmide suerly that ly∣ke as in the worlde a virgyne doth exc••lle a maryed body / even so shall yt be in heven.
Here in have yow both vttered / and al∣so overthrowen the dyvelyshe doctrine of the braynles and dotynge doctores or prea∣chers of the devyll whyche do forge syn∣gular coronettes for nonnes and all vir∣ginnes in heven / callinge them the spou∣ses of Chryste. As though other Chrystyan people were not the spouses of Chryste. myserable and folysshe youth hearynge
thys lewde preachinge runneth who maye fasteste covetyng to fylle and replenisshe he∣ven with vyrgines and the spouses of Chri∣ste. In the meane season Christian faith ys forgotten and not cared for / but suppressed and quenchidde. Whiche notwithstandin∣ge all only doth finally obtayne this crow∣ne / and maketh the spouses of Christe. But knowe thou well this / and be thou suer that of soche crowned vyrgines (that truste in these doctrines / and by reason of soche opi∣nions do shewe and pretende virginite / dys∣pysinge / or slenderly regardinge this doctri¦ne of Paule) is not so moche as one founde pure or remayninge a virgine / and fynally that ys a vyrgyne or elles the spouse of Christe.
Furthermore he sayeth accordinge after his faythfulle and trusty advysemente that virginite is good for this presente necessite. This is the firste cōmendacyon that Paule bringeth of virginite. And here mayste thou see what goodnesse Paule did meane of before in the beginnīge of this chapter / whē he sayede / yt is good for a man not to tou∣che a woman. For he wrytteth not here one worde of merite / mede / or rewarde that we shall have in heven.
But he spake of transitory goodnes ād cō∣modites of this lyfe / as here after we shalle see more often. This is then a good cause to
continue in virginite and to eschue mariage whiche is fulle of troble and miseries. That alwaye over the shulders of a Christian bo∣dy hangeth redy for love of the Evangely persecucyon / and he is every houre as men are wonte to saye sette as it were betwixte ye hāmer & ye stethy so yt he must put in ieoparde hys goodes / his fryndes / & his lyfe other to be dryven & taken awaye / or elles to be slay∣ne. And this doth Paule here calle presente necessite.
But now where I beseche yow shall one canne finde so moche as one virgine in all the cloysteres of the Popes kingdome (for in soche doth he principallye reygne) yt lyveth a virgine for soche a cause? For then posses∣sions / lyfe / and companye be made so sure / and safe by so many and so grete pryvyled∣ges / and authoritees both of kinges / Em∣peroures / and of Popes that never a fore vn¦to this daye was any people in the worlde more safe / or more sure. So that every man muste nedes knowledge & graunte that these do not lyve virgynes for cause of necessite / or of any ieoparde / but only for love of sy∣kernesse / assurance / and savetye / and that no necessite shulde ever touche ne assayle them. Whiche thinge is cleane cōtrarye vnto the cause alledged here of Paule / for yf every∣where in cloysteres & monasteries necessite / and persecuciō shulde be loked for / ye shulde
se expressely that where as now are redy byl∣ded a thousande and a thousande cloysters / shulde vnnethes be one stocke or studde But what shall I nede tarye any longer aboute to declare yow this. It is playnly set a fore the eyes of all mē / what necessyte and perylle cloysteres / their god the pope / with all his officers / mynisters / clyentes / and accessari∣es do suffer / other in body / or in goodes. They be all in a grosse sume swyne and so∣wes that are masted / pampered / and fedde delicately.
But thou wylte here obiecte agaynste me Maried people ought to be in perylle and necessite for the euangely / as well as virgi∣nes or vnmaried persones. For as the euan∣gely ys vnto all people comone / so muste al∣so the crosse and persecucion be. For Abrahā was in necessite ād to gether also with••him his wife Sara / whiche when he had forsa∣ken hys father and hys goodes or substance was caused to be alwaye put in ieoparde of deth? I make answere. Yet for all that doth not Paule commaunde that any persone fo•• cause of that necessite shulde te bounde to abyde syngle and vnmaried. But he sayeth ye yt is good and profitable so to abyde. Thys necessite that Paule doth here speake of is a comone thynge. But virgyns be in better ca∣se to abyde ād endure yt then are maryed fol∣kes. For yf Abrahā had ben without hys wi¦fe
Sara / he shulde have had lesse / troble la∣bore / and care / and shulde in cōclusyon have escapyd with more ease the perylles and ieo∣perdes yt he was in. A virgyne is onl•• one body / & hath no nede to care for ony other. But maried folkes do abyde to gether & are ioyned the one vnto the other. Here in ys moche troble care thought & studye lyke as / experience doth abundantly shewe. But at this thynge I thynke many wylle be displea¦sed / frowne / and waxe angry s••yng that they so longe tyme have causelesse kepte chastite / & yet before god shall be no better then all other. But in so doyng you shalle see yt they be y• ••olisshe virgines whiche dyd spylle their oyle / by cause yt they dyd lyve & cōtinue vir∣gines not of pure Christian minde / but for love of mede / rewarde / excellēcy / honor / and glorye And they do not reckē that yt is good so to abyde virgines as Paule doth here saye & meane yt ys good / but they d••eame yt they shall obtayne therby some good t••inge in the lyfe cominge. And thus have they made of their virgīite marchādise / yt they shall there by have lucre & winninge before god / & wyl∣le not be cōtēte with ye trāsitory goodes that do come of chastite & eternalle inheritance purchased by fayth. Wherfore soche muste here with be neades offended ād displeased For besyde yt they shalbe disapoynted of the preeminence that they loked to have had in heven / yt was also very ••revous / payn
fulle / ād laborous for them to kepe this cha∣stite vaine and damnable.