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HE did not only seeme, but in effect as farre forth, a•• became a sanctified and regenerate man, did e 1.1 cō∣temne all Temporall goods, and that for the only loue of eternal riches. This is a grieuous imputation, or ra∣ther commendation, if you consider the duty of f 1.2 eve∣rie good Christian, and the holy profession which he makes in Baptisme. For saie, VVickliffe perswaded al o∣ther men to be as himselfe was, that did neither g 1.3 set,
nor settle his affections vpō 'the world, which preached against Couetousnes because he had heard S. Paul call it Idolatrie; against an inordinate and preposterous af∣fection of the temporal things of this life, because the Fathers and Scripture are against it, & what of al this? How many Sermons, Epistles, 'and Postels of Jesuites and Friars are extant, which doe commend the same doctrine vnto vs••, with exquisite and emphaticall per∣swasions, allusions, and amplifications. So that hither∣to we see, there is no harme done. That which follows out of Stow the old, that he adioined himselfe to the Begging Fryars, is taken out of Walsinghā which was Stowes Auctour, and VVickliffes too great enemie to be beleeued. Master Stow, not to defraud him of his iust praise, was a paineful Citizen, by trade a Taylour, by his industrie a Chronicler, so well minded to the publike good, that for fault of better writers, he tooke vpō him at the first to record such things as happened in that Metropolis and chiefe Cittie, and being some∣what encouraged in his labour, hee tooke vpon him to deduce the Historie of the whole Island, from the first beginning, and to contract al our stories into one smal volume. But here his learning failed him: for being not able h 1.4 to vnderstand his Auctors, how should he iudge them? And not iudging them, how could he write or cite anie thing out of them, iudicioussie, pertinentlie, and as became an Historian? I spare to speake, what I know, concerning his books; his reuerend old age, and incredible zeale to the common good, shalbe to me in∣steed of so many garments, to couer his historicall im∣perfections. But to come to the point, thus our Apolo∣gists
do reason; Master Stow out of his trāslated Wal∣singhā saies that VVickliffe was of the order of the Beg∣ging Friars, and Walsinghā was a Lyar, ergo Answere Cuius contrarium verum est, we wil beleeue Walsing∣ham an other time for this tricke. For he was so far frō euer being of that order, that neuer was East more di∣stant from West, or blacke opposite to white, then he was to their disordered orders. If you please not to be∣leeue me, take your eies in your hands, and read these two i 1.5 Treatises, and then saie who is the Lyar.
Certus sū si vixero in con∣fessione ••orū vs{que} ad mortē & habeam cō summatā con uersationem correspondē∣tem quod re∣linquam mun dum vel tem∣poralia, per carnis & mū di crucifixio∣nem. De Ver. Scrip. p. 188.
Nemo excu∣satur ab hac paupertate De Ver. Scrip. pag. 516.
He is most to praise that least setteth by this worlde and perfectliest, loueth heauen. De. Ver. Scrip. pag. 346.
M. Io. Stow a paineful wri∣ter, but not so iudicious, for want of the knowledge of the Latine tong, wherof he was vtterly ignorant as himselfe inge∣nuously pro∣fessed vntome and therfore was compel∣ed to haue his latine bookes translated for him, to his ex∣ceeding great cost and char∣ges the grea∣ter was his cōmendations
Viz. His com∣plaint to the Parliament, & his Treatise a gainst the or∣ders of the begging F••i∣••rs.